D.E. Haggerty's Blog, page 79

Book Blast ~ Summer Heat Boxed Set #romance

 

 

Title: Summer Heat Box Set

Authors: Caridad Pineiro, Nina Bruhns, Rebecca York, Jennifer Lowery, Taylor Lee, Traci Hall, Stephanie Queen, Alicia Street, Kathy Ivan, Jackie Ivie, Michele Hauf, Rachelle Ayala, Katy Walters, Melissa Keir, Dani Haviland, Jacquie Biggar

Publisher: Chill Out

Genre: Anthology/Box Set

 

16 All New Contemporary Romances from NY Times, USA Today, and International Bestselling Authors. Guaranteed to make your blood run hot. Passion, steamy nights,  excitement, and suspense. Something to suit every reader’s taste. Grab a cool drink (you’ll need it!), find a hammock, and curl up for an unforgettable escape.

 

1: Caridad Pineiro, Under the Boardwalk

A passionate night under the boardwalk brought them together, but can Chase and Natalie rekindle that lost love in just one night?

 

2: Nina Bruhns, Fast and Flirty

The top-secret package  STORM Corps transporter Kade Maddox is hired to deliver turns out to be way more trouble—and a whole lot sexier—than he ever anticipated.

 

3: Rebecca York, Outlaw Justice

Will a surprise reunion with her old lover save her life when she flees from a homicidal husband?

 

4: Jennifer Lowery, The Fall (Book #2 ATCOM series)

The  last thing ATCOM agent Brendan Devayne wants is to settle down, but Mia Lawrence makes him think twice…

 

5: Taylor Lee, Jared: (Book 1, The Justice Brothers Series) The rookie cop learned the hard way that when tangling with the Justice Brothers, Justice—like Love– isn’t always fair or easy.

 

6: Traci Hall, Festival by the Sea

Al Cooper’s too bad to be a cop and too good to be a crook; Darcy Smith can’t get enough.

 

7: Stephanie Queen, Beachcomber Heat

This summer’s heat  wave on Martha’s Vineyard is breaking records, but so is the crime wave. The combination is causing a wave of red-hot dangerous desire between Dane and Shana.

 

8: Alicia Street, In Training for Love

When private fitness trainer Shannon meets her hot new client, loving her job takes on a whole new meaning.

 

9: Kathy Ivan, Sex, Lies and Apple Pies 

A televised baking competition brings them together. But deceit, intrigue and revenge are on this menu. Can their love survive?

10: Jackie Ivie, The Hunted

LeeAnn’s got business in Miami. Bring on the sun. Sand. Sexy men to look at. The last thing she expects is to be someone’s target.

 

11: Michele Hauf, The Geek Gets The Girl 

Mistaken for the IT geek? This sexy CEO is about to learn the intimate operations of his company—up close, and personal.

 

12: Rachelle Ayala, Bad Boys for Hire: Ken (Bad Boys for Hire Series, #2)

After Jolie Becker is left at the altar, her friends secretly hire a hunky beach bum to cheer her up.

 

13: Katy Walters, Sands of Seduction –

Clary escaped to a place of sea and sand, a place of passion and seduction.

 

14: Melissa Keir, Protecting Her Pigg 

Arson and fire bring them together, but what will cause the most damage…the arsonist bent on revenge or their own stubborn ways?

 

15: Dani Haviland, Pool Boy Wanted (No Experience Preferred)  He’d never known a woman before, and that’s just how she wanted him.

 

16: Jacquie Biggar, Summer Lovin’ 

Can two mismatched lovers find a way past their mistakes, or will they keep their lonely hearts forever guarded?

For More Information

Summer Heat boxed set is available at Amazon.

Pick up your copy at Barnes & Noble.

Summer Heat is also available at Google Play, Kobo, 

Watch the book trailer for Melissa Keir’s PROTECTING HER PIGG at YouTube.

Book Excerpt

From Protecting Her Pigg by Melissa Keir

Arriving on the scene, the smell of smoke with the tang of gasoline assaulted my lungs. The building was a total loss. It bothered me to see something once so beautiful destroyed.

“Sir, you can’t be here,” the officer I’d assigned to the perimeter yelled.

Turning toward the commotion, I witnessed a tall, dark-haired man storming toward me with violence in his approach. Sizing up the advancing danger, I threw my shoulders back and met the man halfway.

“This is my building. Who are you, and what do you know so far?” His gravel voice caused goose bumps to form on my skin.

“I’m sorry, Mr…?” Up close, the man took my breath away. His features weren’t “pretty boy” beautiful, but striking. Chiseled chin, full lips, slightly curved nose. Must have been broken at one time.

“Pigg, Lucas Pigg. And you are?”

Caught staring at his lips, I almost missed the question. “I’m Lily O’Neill, chief arson investigator. We don’t know much so far. I’ve only begun my investigation. This wasn’t an accident. It was set with gasoline as the accelerant. The smell is noticeable. I have some questions for you. I’d like to meet you in  my office to talk.” No matter how good-looking, Mr. Pigg was my first suspect.

Watch the Trailer!

About the Authors

 

Sixteen New York Times, USA Today, and International best-selling authors share new stories about Alpha men, Detectives, Sports’ Heroes, and sexy men. These authors write from their hearts and have stories that entertain.

For More Information

Visit the authors’ website.

Connect with the authors on  Facebook.

Follow the authors on Goodreads

Giveaway

The authors of the Summer Heat Boxed Set are giving away a $10 Amazon Gift Card to one blogger who participates in their book blast and another $10 Amazon Gift Card to one lucky person who leaves a comment at any of their book blast stops!

By entering  the giveaway, you are confirming you are at least 18 years old.This  giveaway begins April 25 and ends on May 27.Good luck everyone!

Winners will be contacted on May 28 and announced on the author’s tour page.

One blogger  will be chosen to receive a $10 Amazon Gift Card and one commenter will receive a $10 Amazon Gift Card

#Excerpt of When Lucifer Met Calamity by D. Alyce Domain #Romance #Comedy

Title: When Luficer Met Calamity

Author: D. Alyce Domain

Published: April 18, 2016

Genre: Contemporary Romance/Comedy

~ Synopsis ~

Lucifer – At eighteen months out of law school, six months on the job, and four weeks before his BAR exam, Luce has arrived. He’d been playing by other people’s rules all his life and now, poised on the brink of success, he will not let anyone stand in his way…especially not the junior-partner jerk at the office giving him and his assistant a hard time. On his way to give the creep a piece of his mind, he bumps into the infamous ‘Calamity Jones’…

Calamity – is tired of enduring her boss’s unwanted sexual innuendos.  When his fingers start to roam, Calam decides she’s had enough. It’s time to fight fire with fire.  So she devises an ingenious, if risky plan, to get Perkins off her back, keep her Job, and strike a blow for his numerous other victims around the office…only, things don’t go exactly as planned.

All Hell Breaks ‘Luce’ – After finding the loopy ingénue jack-knifed atop the archival files, Lucifer knows something is up. Calamity knows the jig is up. So, she comes clean. Turns out, they both have the same problem…Perkins. But, sparks fly when they decide to team up to bring down the boss. The Hitch? He’s a straight arrow…She’s a loose cannon. Can they work together to achieve a common goal?  Or will they both lose in the end?

Amazon ~ Barnes & Noble ~ Apple ~ Kobo ~ Smashwords ~ Createspace

~ Excerpt ~

Lucifer! She’d know his long-limbed strides anywhere. He was probably taking the file room as a shortcut on his way to somewhere. Rarely did the lawyers and higher-ups lower themselves to doing their own case research. That dirty little job generally got relegated to paralegals, legal secretaries, and legal assistants, such as herself. She observed him from above.   He seemed intent on his destination, so maybe he wouldn’t notice her dangling precariously from the top tier just adjacent to the north entrance.

Oh please, don’t let me make a fool of myself, Calamity begged. She so much wanted to make a positive impression. If she came tumbling down on top of him, no doubt that would squelch him seeing her as anything other than a kook. Who was she kidding? She was a kook! Why else would she go through so much hassle to get retribution and keep her job when she could just request a transfer or let her resignation stand? Too bad either option would limit, if not sever, her contact with the object of her affection, the man who was at present ten feet away and closing.

It looked as if he wasn’t going to spot her, thank heavens. But just then, a tiny tearing noise marred the silence. The split of her skirt gave way under the pressure, and ripped upward a good three inches, exposing both her presence and her left thigh in the bargain.

“Ms. Lowe?”

Bull’s eye. He zeroed in on her like a homing device.

~ About the Author ~

D. Alyce Domain is a long-time lover of creative fiction.  She learned to read with Dr. Seuss, grew up reading Sweet Valley High, James Howe, and Lois Duncan, and graduated to category romance with Harlequin and Silhouette in her teen years.  Ms. Domain started out writing fan-fiction after her favorite fictional characters met with death and cancellation on network television.  Inspired by the entertaining, multi-layered storylines created by so many female romance, young adult and television writers, she began to experiment with her own characters.  Coupled with her own unique brand of genre-bending romantic fiction, Ms. Domain was able to create a whole new world within the pages of her books.

Ms. Domain was born and raised in Houston, Texas, the youngest daughter of Charles and Eunice Domain.  She has one older sister.  She earned a BS in Biochemistry and a MS in Biomedical Sciences.  She worked in Patient-Based Biological Research before switching careers and opening her own fashion boutique, The Aesthetic Domain.  In addition to fashion apparel and accessories, she sells her own original jewelry creations and runs the Boutique & Blog website, which is based in Houston, Texas.  Ms. Domain also has avid interests in inspirational music, art/entertainment, and history.

Author Website/Blog ~ Facebook Page ~ GoodReads ~ Pinterest ~ Boutique& Blog Site

 

 

 

How I changed my tune about #twitter #socialmedia

Some time back I wrote a blog article – 10 Things that Drive Me Crazy on Twitter. It’s been a while since I wrote that article. So much time has expired in fact that the article’s over on my old blog (and no longer discoverable). And while I stand by a lot of what I complained… er… wrote about in that article, I’m afraid I’m going to have to change my tune about a few of the items on the list of things that drive me crazy. Don’t get excited. I’m only talking about Twitter. There are still about a gazillion bajillion things about people, politics, and events that cause me to go coo coo for cocoa puffs (FYI: That’s a strict medical term).

Here are the three items that I’ve somewhat reluctantly changed my mind about:

Hash tags. I ranted and raved about the overuse of hash tags in my previous article. Turns out hash tags are actually pretty helpful for finding out information on Twitter because we all know being on Twitter is Total. Information. Overload. Blink and all of a sudden there are at least 50 new tweets on your home page. I’ve even starting using hash tags as part of the title of my blog article. I’m a total convert or sell out – depending on how you look at things.
Repetitiveness. Seriously, how can you not repeat yourself? There are like a tweets every day. Yeah, don’t go overboard or anything, but there’s nothing wrong with repeating yourself every once in a while .
Not following back. When I started with Twitter, I was completely and totally a follow back twitterer (is that a word?) Anyway, that’s no longer the case. It turns out there are tons of twitter accounts I don’t want to follow no matter what. Today, I saw a picture of a woman’s crown jewels as an account’s twitter profile picture. Um no, I don’t think that’s someone I want to follow. And no dude, I’m not interested in buying Twitter followers and I’m not even on Instagram.

Phew that’s only three out of ten items that I had to change my mind about. How about everyone else? Feel free to rant or rave about Twitter or any darn thing in the comments.

Cover Reveal ~ Kept from You by @nashodarose

Book Title: Kept from You (Book 4: Tear Asunder)

Author: Nashoda Rose

Genre: Erotic Romance

Hosted by: Book Enthusiast Promotions

Pre-order EXCLUSIVELY at iTunes

Cover photo: Copyright © 2016 Wander Aguiar Photography (http://www.wanderbookclub.com)

Model: Nick Bennett (https://www.facebook.com/nickbennett6/)

Cover design by Kari Ayasha, Cover to Cover Designs

Nashoda Rose is a New York Times and USA Today bestselling author who lives in Toronto with her assortment of pets. She writes contemporary romance with a splash of darkness, or maybe it’s a tidal wave.

When she isn’t writing, she can be found sitting in a field reading with her dogs at her side while her horses graze nearby. She loves interacting with her readers and chatting about her addiction—books.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

 

 

Everyone’s got a ‘Prince in concert’ story. This is mine. #RIPPrince #BucketList #MondayBlogs

I didn’t go to many concerts growing up. There just wasn’t the money for it and, frankly, it wasn’t even on my radar with saving all my pennies to put myself through college. Then came college, the Army, law school, and practicing law. Yeah, not so much time to get my butt to concerts in those years.

But I can’t tell you how happy I am that I didn’t miss Prince in concert. Prince is the hubby’s all-time favorite musician. In fact, the music he wants played at his funeral is written and performed by the man in purple himself. I’m a pretty big fan as well. I even colored my hair purple for Halloween the year Purple Rain was released. (Please don’t tell my mom, she’s still convinced it was a ‘mistake’.)

Anyway, the year was 2002 and I was living with the hubby in the Netherlands. Prince announced a European tour stop in Amsterdam and I was determined to buy the hubby tickets for his birthday. But, as many of you know, he plays a lot of small venues, which means it was going to be a fight to get tickets. For some reason, I was staying with my in-laws the morning the tickets came out. First, my mother-in-law and I worked furiously on the computer to buy tickets, but it was a no go. The entire website was a mess. I somehow managed to convince my mother-in-law to drive me to the post office where it was also possible to buy tickets. I made it there five minutes after tickets went on sale and five minutes before they were sold out. Yes! I had my tickets.

Of course, that wasn’t the end of the story. Oh no, my lovely pilot’s schedule got changed and he wouldn’t even be in the country for the day of the concert. In a strange turn of events, Prins Claus, husband of Queen Beatrix and Prince Consort, died days before the concert. His funeral was in fact on the day of the event. Prince offered to refund any ticketholders who didn’t want to attend his concert due to a day of mourning in the country. I took advantage of his generous offer and only felt a teensy weensy bit guilty.

A few years later and we’re living in Germany; near the border of Luxembourg. Once again, Prince is doing a European tour. Now, I’m bloody determined to not only get tickets, but actually attend the concert as well. And boy am I glad I did. I don’t think much of the acoustics in the Rockhal in Luxembourg, but the intimacy of the venue is pure awesomeness. It was like I could reach out and touch his purple royalty. Heck, I could even see his earpiece. I was that close. Best. Concert. Ever. It’s rare when a musician who is that talented is also a stupendous performer. His Purple Highness had it all (and having to write that sentence in the past tense totally makes me sad).

I’m not sure who can top the performance Prince put on, but I thought I’d put together a bucket list of musicians I want to see perform. So who’s on my bucket list? It’s a short list.

Bruce Springsteen. I always liked his music growing up, but that was kind of it. Going into my third decade living overseas, however, I somehow now reach for Bruce’s music whenever I’m feeling lost and maybe a tiny bit homesick.

U2. Huge fan, like they-can-totally-compete-for-first-place-with-Pearl Jam. I had the chance to see them once in the Netherlands and I didn’t take it because, well, being a lawyer is fricking exhausting.

As I scrolled through my music library putting this list together, I was saddened by the amount of performers I will never see because the band broke up or they are no longer with us. All I can say to that is: Thank God Prince isn’t on that list. #RIPPrince

Back in My Life by @Mariecrauthor #romance #erotica

Title: Back in My Life

Author: Marie C.R.

Published: February 27, 2016

Genre: Romance / Erotica

~ Synopsis ~

Back in my Life is a story set in the beautiful cities of New York and Chicago. This story is not the typical and simple “boy meets girl, boy and girl get marry story.” This story is a powerful story that shows how real and unselfish love truly looks like. The love between Ruby and Clyde is an amazing and genuine love that survived everything that came in between them—even the most painful experiences that destiny had planned for them.

During a college internship at a prestigious New York magazine, Ruby Sparks (a journalist graduate student from Chicago) meets Clyde Holt, (a fellow intern and a creative photography student from a London based college) whom from day one became Ruby’s obsession and the new reason for her existence. After developing strong feelings for her emotionally unavailable friend, Ruby finds herself trapped in a whirlpool of emotions while trying to earn her friend’s love. What Ruby doesn’t know is that while she is looking for true love, Clyde’s presence in her life came with a different purpose.

Amazon

~ Excerpt ~

 “Clyde, can I ask you a question?” asked Ruby while Clyde was about to open the door of her room to help her in.

“Yes, Ruby. You can ask me a question. But first, I need to get you in your room. You are too drunk to even stand for yourself,” said Clyde managing to open the door with one hand while holding Ruby with his other arm, making sure that she didn’t fall.

“Do you like me?” 

“Ruby, please stop. Now is not the time for that,” said Clyde moving both of them inside of Ruby’s room and closing the door behind them.

“Please, tell me, Clyde, do you like me? Because I like you, Clyde. I really do,” said Ruby stumbling across the room still holding on to Clyde’s arm.  

“Ruby, please. Let’s not talk about that now. I need to get you safe into your bed. Tomorrow, we can talk.”

“No, Clyde, I want to talk now. I need to know if you like me. I love you, Clyde. I do. And I can’t stand the way you look at me sometimes. The way you look at me tells me that you do like me, that you do feel something for me, but the way you act toward me tell me something else. I am confused, Clyde. I need to know what’s on your mind or I will go crazy,” yelled Ruby, unable to control the tears rolling down her cheeks while sitting at the edge of the bed. “Please, Clyde, I need to know. I need to know.”

Grabbing his hair with both of his hands and walking nervously around the room, Clyde came to the conclusion that it was time to tell the truth. It was time to tell Ruby how he felt. It was time to open his heart to her and let her know how important she was for him.

“Ruby, yes, I do like you. In fact, I love you. I am madly in love with you. But this can’t happen. I am a married man. I have to admit that I am not happy in my marriage. Actually, I don’t even know if I want to be in that marriage anymore, because my wife…she cheated on me, Ruby. Yes, I found her in bed with another man. My wife was having sex with another man in our own bed. There you have it. That’s the truth of my marriage. But you want to know why I can’t be with you? Because I think she is expecting my child. And if that’s the case, I need to be there for that kid, even if it means to stay with my her in a loveless fucking marriage,” yelled Clyde at the same moment he sat next to Ruby on the edge of the bed and while covering his face with both of his hands to cover the tears that were rolling down his face. He had finally told her the truth. At least one truth, the one about his marriage. Unfortunately, the other truth—the one about his job—that one he couldn’t tell. So he didn’t.

After hearing Clyde tell her his story, his secret, she felt bad. She knew something was happening in Clyde’s life, but she never imagined the magnitude of it. At first, she blamed everything on her being drunk and unable to understand correctly, but seeing Clyde’s terrible expression on his face proved to her that she had heard correctly. Clyde had just told her the truth and she felt bad for him, so bad that even in her drunken stage she tried to provide support to him, even when all she wanted, at that moment, was for him to make love to her and to forget about the pain he was carrying around.   

“I am sorry to hear that, Clyde. I never meant to—”

“Stop! Please, stop. I don’t want to ruin the night with this,” gently said Clyde finally looking at Ruby with his face covered with tears. “I wanted this night to be special for you. I wanted you to have fun.”

“And I did, Clyde. I did. But I also needed to know the truth. I needed to know the reason of your empty-looking eyes. Now I know, and I want you to know that I love you with all my heart, Clyde. I will always do so. I hope that one day you can find that happiness that you deserve,” said Ruby while bringing her friend close to her and giving him a tender hug. “Everything is going to be okay, Clyde. I promise.” 

What happened next was exactly what Clyde was trying to avoid since the moment he laid his eyes on Ruby. Having her there with him made him crave her touch even more, and without been able to control the furious passion that swamped his body, he grabbed her in his arms and with an uncontrollable desire, he started devouring her lips like he had never done to anyone before. In his mind, he knew that he needed to stop, but his body wasn’t responding to none of his commands.

“Clyde, I can’t believe I have you in my arms. Kiss me, please. Kiss me and never stop.”

“Shhh, kiss me, Ruby. I want to taste you, I want to feel you.”

“Made me yours, Clyde. I want to be yours.”

“I am planning to, Ruby. I am planning to. Just kiss me, my dear and I promise you, I will make you mine. All mine.”

“I want to be yours, Clyde. I want to make you forget. Use my body to forget, Clyde, and I promise you that when we wake up tomorrow, things will be different. I promise you, my love. Make me yours. I want to feel you inside of me. That’s all I have been thinking about since the first moment I met you.”

“Shhhh! Stop talking and enjoy the moment. Let the future take its course. But promise me that whatever happens between us tonight, you will never forget me. Promise me, Ruby. Promise me.”

“I promise you, Clyde. I will never forget you. You will always be in my heart. But please make me yours. I can’t wait any longer, Clyde. Make me yours, I beg you.”

So he did.

~ About the Author ~

I have been writing for pleasure for the past couple of years, but this is the first time I do a book tour so I am very excited for it. Writing is my passion, and I enjoy using real-life stories as the basis for my novels, but giving them a little twist to make them more melodramatic and breath-taking. I am also the author of Pamela’s Confessions and Confesiones del Alma. I currently live in Florida with my husband and three children.

 Website ~ Facebook ~ Twitter

 

Buried Appearances: Historical Novel with more than a kernel of truth? #History #WWII #Netherlands

Having recently done a major marketing push for my novel Buried Appearances, I was re-reading through the customer reviews – as we writers are wont to (somewhat obsessively) do – and noticed this remark: “…one wonders whether [the book] is indeed autobiographical (it isn’t in fact).” (emphasis added) Actually, that’s not entirely true. Although the story isn’t autobiographical (my grandfather fought in WWI not WWII), it is loosely based on a true story and contains hundreds of facts about events, locations, and real life persons from wartime Holland.

For those of you scratching your heads and wondering what in the world I’m on about now, here’s the synopsis of Buried Appearances:

Skylar Dewitt has been ostracized her entire life due to her grandfather’s well-known sympathies with the Nazis. But now her grandfather’s body has been recovered in the Netherlands in an area famous for being a Nazi killing ground. Why would her grandfather be buried in a place legendary for assassinations of resistance members? Skylar jets off to Holland in search of answers about her grandfather’s demise. Along the way she finds long-lost family and old friends but will she solve the mystery of what happened to her grandfather? And maybe she discovers something more valuable than resolving any mystery could be: herself.

Obviously, Skylar is a fictional character. Her grandfather, however, is not. Not really. The man is actually based upon my husband’s grandfather who was indeed a member of the Dutch resistance and killed by the Nazis in the early days of the Second World War. My father-in-law has spent years trying to find out more information about his father. I’ve always found his story fascinating and wondered what if he could find out more about his family.

On Memorial Day a few years ago, I decided to attend the commemoration ceremony at the U.S. Cemetery in Luxembourg (I was living just across the border in Germany at the time). I ran into an American friend who is married to a German whose grandfather was also killed during the war, but his final resting spot was unknown. Her husband has been looking for answers as well.

Looking out over the numerous American fallen resting in their graves and the veterans attending the ceremony while talking to my girlfriend about the attempts her husband had made to find the remains of his grandfather, my muse not only tapped me on the shoulder. She pretty much took a hammer to my head shouting: Here’s an idea! Take it! Take it – now! I let the idea simmer in the back of my head for a few months before finally opening a new Word document and starting Buried Appearances.

Buried Appearances is more than a historical fiction novel. Absolutely every location is based upon actual locations. From the location where Skylar lives in Michigan – Zeeland in Greater Holland region of Michigan – to the street in Haarlem where Skylar’s grandma grew up is real. The street in Haarlem is, in fact, the street in which my husband’s grandfather lived. Heck, even the nursing home Skylar visits where a childhood friend of her grandmother lives exists. It’s a place my husband and I often passed by on walks with the dog. (If you happen to be passing by, it has a quaint tea house in the former gatehouse.)

Aside: I had to laugh when one reviewer complained about the fact that I didn’t spend any time describing the beautiful tulips for which the Netherlands is famous. The novel takes places at the end of June. Of course, I didn’t describe the tulips! They bloom in early Spring. I did in fact mention the tulip fields as Skylar passed them on the train (a train ride I used to take daily on my way from Haarlem to work in The Hague).

The events mentioned in the book are all true as well. Dolle Dinsdag, an event I use to propel the narrative in the story, is an incredibly important historical event from the war. I used factual raids conducted by the Nazis on the NS (the Dutch national railroad) workers as part of Skylar’s grandfather’s story. Even the train times for Skylar to get from Amsterdam to Heemstede and then Leiden and/or The Hague are accurate (for so far as the Dutch trains ride on time!).

Even many of the fictional characters of Buried Appearances are based on real people. As well as Skylar’s grandfather, the Jewish family of Skylar’s friend is based upon a prominent Dutch Jewish family and what happened to them during the war.

So yeah, maybe the story itself isn’t autobiographical, but it is made up of thousands of stories and events, which actually happened.

 

Cover Reveal ~ Chasing Rabbits by @erin_bedford

~ About the Author ~
Erin Bedford is a new fantasy romance author, a computer programmer by day, and a hobby hoarder. Creating fantastical worlds has always been a secret passion of hers and she couldn’t imagine writing any story without some kind of lovey-dovey or smexy goodness in it.






Amazon Author Page | Facebook | Twitter | GoodReads | Newsletter  | YouTube








Title:  Chasing Rabbits


Author:   Erin Bedford


Published:   June 2nd, 2016


Genre:  Supernatural Fantasy


Recommended Age:   16+





~ Synopsis ~ 

Alice was wrong – Wonderland wasn’t so wonderful after all. Kat never expected to be back in her hometown, but when house sitting turns into a mad rabbit chase, Kat finds herself with a whole new set of problems. A two-headed bird with a Game of Thrones obsession, a party full of tea addicts, and a Cheshire Cat who could seduce the pants off her grandma? And if the citizens weren’t bad enough their prince was off his rocker. This wasn’t your run of the mill Wonderland. This was the Fae world, where rules are rules, and some things are exactly as they seem.


Join the Facebook release party for the chance to WIN prizes from now until June 2nd! A Kindle Fire is even up for grabs! Join HERE.





~ Giveaway Details ~
There is a tour wide giveaway. Prizes include the following:
$5 Amazon gift card.
Giveaway is International.
Ends April 24th at 11:59PM (EDT)

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Grocery Shopping in Istanbul #ExpatLife #Fail

I hate grocery shopping. Doesn’t everybody? Although I have to admit doing the groceries in our small town in Germany wasn’t that bad: large aisles, polite people, stocked shelves, and always enough check-out lanes open. But we all know grocery shopping in a small town in Germany can’t compare to Istanbul. Even though we live at the outskirts of the city, the grocery store is still almost always packed. And I’ve seriously never seen more than three check-out lanes open – not even on the dreaded Sunday afternoon.

I’m not a very patient person. When I arrived one day at the check-out to discover that there was once again only one check-out lane open despite the length of the line, I decided to be brave and try out the automatic check-out machines. Complete. And. Utter. Disaster. You see *hangs head in shame* I don’t know much Turkish. I speak enough to tell the taxi driver where I need to go and direct him if necessary and I can order food in a restaurant, but that’s pretty much it.

I could now make up a whole bunch of excuses for not learning the language: it’s really difficult, I wasn’t planning on staying here that long, etc. etc. But yeah, it’s still bad and somewhat rude that I haven’t managed to get beyond the “Hi, how are you?” stage in Turkish.

So yeah, I was super-duper – really, I started a little jig right there in the grocery store – when I realized the automatic check-out machines now speak English. And yes, speak is the correct verb here because the machine really does talk to me. I started checking out with a vengeance. I can totally do this, right? Um, no, wrong. Although the machine was now speaking English, not everything had been translated into English. Fruits and vegetables hadn’t been translated. Luckily, there were pictures. I ended up spending five minutes scrolling through the pictures to buy my carrots.

The next time I headed to the grocery store I was preparing my check-out experience in advance. Okay, I said to myself, I need to learn all the proper Turkish words for whatever fruit and vegetable I buy. Actually, I do know many of the words already because it’s food and you know how much I love to eat. I arrived at the check-out machines full of confidence. I am totally going to kick grocery store butt now!

Except I wasn’t. First, I placed my strawberries on the scale and looked under c for çilek. Not there. Hmmm, maybe the ç is somewhere else instead of under the c? I looked around and got more and more confused. Turns out strawberry was under strawberry. Awesome, I thought. They’ve translated the machines since my last visit. I placed my carrots on the scale and pushed c for carrots, but there weren’t any carrots. What? I know they sell carrots because I just grabbed these over at the produce section. After much fiddling around I discovered that only some fruit and vegetable had been translated. I can totally deal with this.

My next visit to the grocery store I’m armed with the knowledge of the names of all my favorite fruit and vegetable in Turkish and English. I’m going to totally rock this visit! But then the machine starts making some weird beeping sound. Oh great, I’ve broken the machine. The thing starts telling me to get an assistant. Luckily, there was a store worker walking by. I grabbed her and pointed to the machine. She did her magic and the machine was happy again. Turns out you need store approval to buy alcohol with the automatic check-out.

I often buy beer. It’s not like I drink a lot. Really, it’s not. But everything we buy has to be carried up a steep hill to our apartment. Instead of buying a large supply of beer, we just buy a few at a time. That’s my excuse and I’m sticking to it. Anyway, the workers in the store recognize me by now. When I’m buying some beer, I just grab one of them right away to ‘approve’ my purchase.

Between having the store workers at my bid and call for ‘approval’ of my beer purchases and being totally knowledgeable of English and Turkish words for fruit and veg, I’m now a rock star at grocery store shopping in Istanbul. Lines? No way folks. I’ll see you over at the automatic check-out lane.

Interview with @LauraMcNeillBks, author of Sister Dear #DomesticSuspense

Title: Sister Dear

Author: Laura McNeil

Publisher: HarperCollins/Thomas Nelson

Genre: Domestic Suspense

Pages: 336

~ Synopsis ~

All Allie Marshall wants is a fresh start. But when dark secrets refuse to stay buried, will her chance at a new life be shattered forever?

Convicted of a crime she didn’t commit, Allie watched a decade of her life vanish. Now, out on parole, Allie is determined to clear her name and reconnect with the daughter she barely knows.

But Allie’s return to Brunswick, Georgia, sends earthquakes through the small, coastal community. Even her daughter Caroline, now a teenager, challenges Allie’s claims of innocence.

Refusing defeat, a stronger, smarter Allie launches a campaign for the truth, digging deep into the past. Her investigation threatens her parole status, her own safety, and the already-fragile bond with her family. What Allie uncovers is far worse than she imagined. Her own sister has been hiding a dark secret—one that holds the key to Allie’s freedom.

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~ Interview ~

It sounds like Allie and her sister have some issues. Do you have a sister? If so, what did she think of this story?

I actually have two brothers, both younger, although I grew up with lots of friends who have sisters. I did quite a bit of research on sibling rivalry, personality disorders and family dynamics, which, I hope, all added to the realism of Allie and Emma’s stories.

Both Sister Dear and your previous novel are Domestic Suspense. What inspired you to write this genre?

I began writing humorous Southern women’s fiction under the pen name Lauren Clark back in 2011. It seemed to make sense to write what I knew … and I had just left a position in TV news after six years of anchoring and reporting. I had tons of funny and poignant stories to share, and four of them made it into those first books.

I had indie published the first four books, but an agent approached me after reading my second novel. She had enjoyed it, but really wanted to represent an author who was writing thrillers and/or suspense. I was reading the suspense genre quite a bit, and It just so happened that I had just finished writing Center of Gravity and Sister Dear and was trying to decide what to do with them. Luckily, a division of HarperCollins wanted to publish both. Center of Gravity was published in July 2015. Sister Dear comes out April 19th of this year.

Describe Sister Dear in 140 characters (also known as a tweet)

All Allie Marshall wants is a second chance. But when dark secrets won’t stay buried, how far will Allie go to save herself and her child?

Is there a lesson you want readers to learn from reading Sister Dear?

I would love if the novel made readers really think about how one decision or incident can change a person’s world entirely. I also hope that readers consider how one lie or mistruth can impact a loved one’s life forever. Sister Dear explores family relationships in depth–not just between sisters Allie and Emma — but between Allie and her daughter, Allie and her parents, and Allie and the other people she most loves and trusts in the world.

Tell us about your next release. And when can we expect it? Will it also be of the Domestic Suspense genre?

The next book I’ve written, called The World Breaks Everyone, is also in the domestic suspense genre. It’s set in New Orleans and centers on the life of Olivia Jacobs, the daughter of a famous celebrity chef. The night of her father’s new restaurant opening, Olivia and her father are attacked. The father is kidnapped and Olivia goes on the run in the French Quarter and Garden District, searching for answers. It’s my hope that the book will come out in early 2017.

What’s your favorite part about the writing process? 

I do love coming up with new ideas. I love the first blush of the story, and I especially love writing the first lines and first few chapters. It’s then that it seems like everything and anything is possible in the story. At that point, you really, as a writer, are still getting to know your characters, and (at least for me) learning about their hopes and fears and dreams.

~ Excerpt ~

 

In her final minutes as an inmate at Arrendale State Prison, Allie Marshall’s body pulsed with tension. Eyes averted, managing any movements with robotic precision, she remained on guard.

Only moments to go.

A sliver of time. Not even a quarter hour. An unremarkable measurement, when held up against the billion other moments in any person’s natural life. But after a decade inside, those last twelve minutes seemed the longest span in all of eternity.

To her right, rows of monitors blinked and recorded everything across the sprawling campus in Habersham County. Though the angles differed, the subject never changed: women in identical tan-collared shirts and shapeless pants. Inmates on work detail, in the cafeteria, in dormitories.

A corrections officer sat nearby, her pale-blue eyes scanning the screens. To this worker, to all of them, Allie was GDC ID, followed by ten numbers. Nothing more. Inside the thick metal bars, Allie’s life was suspended, a delicate fossil in amber.

Until now. Ten more minutes.

Her reflection stared back, unblinking, in the shatterproof glass window near the door. Green eyes flecked with gold, dark-blonde hair tucked in a loose ponytail, barely visible brackets at the corners of her lips.

Maybe, Allie thought, she’d forgotten how to smile and laugh. Happiness seemed unreachable, as if the feeling itself existed on the summit of an ice-tipped mountain shrouded by storm clouds. Indeed, the rush of pure, unadulterated joy belonged only to those with freedom. Allie’s memories of it—her daughter’s birth, Caroline’s first smile, first steps—were fleeting and distant.

Instead, the perpetual motion of prison, the waking, sleeping, and sameness, all blended together, like a silent black-and-white movie on a continuous loop.

Until the news of her parole.

At first, the concept of liberty seemed impossible—a hand trying to catch and hold vapor. The judge had sentenced Allie to sixteen years, and she fully anticipated serving each and every one of them. She didn’t believe she’d be granted an early release—she couldn’t—until she stepped beyond the walls and barbed wire and chain-link fence, barriers that kept her from everyone and everything she’d ever loved.

Allie focused on breathing, stretching her lungs, exhaling to slow her pulse. Her own belongings, a decade old, lay nearby. Keys that wouldn’t open doors. A watch with a dead battery. A light khaki jacket with a photo of then five-year-old Caroline tucked in the pocket, one pair of broken-in Levis, and a white cotton shirt. Gingerly, with her fingertips, she reached for the clothing, then gripped the bundle tight to her chest.

A second guard motioned for Allie to change quickly in a holding room. With the door shut, she pulled the shapeless prison garb over her head and picked up the shirt. The material, cool and light, brushed against her skin like gauze. Allie shivered.

For ten years, all she’d known was the rasp of her standard-issue navy jacket, the scrape of her worn white tennis shoes along the sidewalk.

Back in Brunswick, Allie had filled her closet with easy summer shifts and crisp linen pants. Now her body was different too—the soft curves had dissolved, leaving lean muscle behind. The jeans hung loosely around her waist and hips. The top billowed out in waves from her shoulders.

Nothing would fit, she reminded herself. Not much in her past life would.

And that was all right.

When she walked out of Lee Arrendale State Prison, home to thousands of female inmates, Allie didn’t want reminders. No indigo tattoo inked down her back or neck. No numbers or symbols etched into her arms or fingers. The only external validation of time served was a faint scar that traced her eyebrow.

The real proof of her internment lay underneath it all. Below the seashell white of Allie’s skin, hidden in blood, tendons, and muscle, the experience indelibly marked on her soul. An imprint made by incident, mistake, and tragedy.

Evidence, and lack of it.

“I’m innocent,” she’d insisted to everyone who would listen. Her lawyers fought hard, rallied a few times, but in the end, the jury convicted her. Voluntary manslaughter.

A year later, Allie’s appeal failed. Then money ran out. Her father turned his attention back to his veterinary practice after his cardiologist warned the stress of another trial might kill him. Her mother did her best to minimize worry while Emma, her tempestuous and fun-loving sister, assumed the role of doting aunt and guardian to Caroline.

And there was Ben. Sweet, thoughtful Ben. The man who’d wanted to marry her, who said he would love her always. Even after her arrest, he’d promised to wait for her if the worst happened. Allie couldn’t live with herself if he’d sacrificed everything—his rising political career, his reputation, and his life for a decade or more. She’d broken it off, knowing it would wound him terribly. When he’d finally left, when she saw him for the last time, it was as if the very core of her being had been torn away, leaving a vast, gaping emptiness she couldn’t fill, despite how hard she tried. Allie closed her eyes. She’s convinced herself it was the logical thing, what made sense. She had done her best to forget him. It hadn’t worked in the least.

The days and months blurred. Entire seasons dissolved, shapeless and gray, like the ink of fine calligraphy smeared by the rain.

The squawk of the prison intercom barely registered in Allie’s brain. Sharp insults and threats were routine, eruptions of violence expected. Even along the brown scrub grass and wooden benches of the prison yard, there was no escape. Allie always tried to disappear—pressing her body close to the concrete walls, becoming a chameleon against the barren landscape.

The women in Arrendale weren’t afraid of punishment; most had nothing left. Some bonded with other inmates for favors; others paid for protection with cigarettes, food, and stamps. For those prisoners who had lost everything; inmates with little hope of parole, life was almost unthinkable.

Clutching her hands in her lap to keep from shaking, Allie watched as a woman collapsed in the cafeteria, stabbed in the jugular with a plastic fork. The next week, a fellow inmate in her dormitory was choked to death, purple fingerprints visible on the woman’s throat when the guards discovered her body. Allie was haunted with grief for weeks after a young girl, only four years older than Caroline, tried to hang herself with a scrap of fabric.

Despite it all, despite the desperation that seemed to permeate the very air she breathed, Allie had survived.

In another few minutes, her younger sister, Emma, would arrive, as bus service didn’t run from Alto to Brunswick. Tomorrow she’d meet her parole officer at noon. And like every parolee, she would receive a check, courtesy of the Georgia Department of Corrections, enough to buy shampoo, a bar of soap, and a comb for her hair.

Allie blinked up at the clock, almost afraid the time might start going backward. She forced her eyes away, squeezed them shut. If she tried hard enough, her mind formed a picture of her grown daughter’s face. In her daydreams, she’d imagined their reunion a million times, rehearsed every possible scenario. She worried about the right words to say, how to act, and whether it was all right to cry. The enormity of it was impossible to contain, like holding back the ocean with a single fingertip.

All that mattered now was seeing Caroline.

The buzzer sounded long and loud; its vibration shook the floor. The burly guard sighed and lumbered to her boot-clad feet. She stood inches from Allie’s shoulder, her breath hot and rank from a half-eaten roast beef sandwich.

Locks clicked and keys rattled. The barrier, with its heavy bars, groaned under its own weight. An inch at a time, the metal gate heaved open. Soon, there would be nothing but empty space standing between Allie and the rest of the world.

She felt a nudge.

In that moment, Allie heard four words, precious and sweet.

“You’re free to go.”

~ About the Author ~

Laura McNeil is a writer, mom, travel enthusiast, and coffee drinker. In her former life, she was a television news anchor for CBS News affiliates in New York and Alabama. Laura holds a master’s degree in journalism from The Ohio State University and is completing a Ph.D. in Instructional Leadership at the University of Alabama. When she’s not writing and doing homework, she enjoys running, yoga, and spending time at the beach. She lives in Northern Alabama with her family.

Her latest book is the domestic suspense, Sister Dear.

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