Helen B. Henderson's Blog, page 43

Tuesday's Title, Amber Eyes Glow, Shifter PNR Suspense

Morgan's bloodline carries qualities good as gold. Cougar shifters from a criminal syndicate want her. Another problem? Morgan doesn't know she’s a shifter.

Title: Amber Eyes Glow

Author: S. Peters-Davis

Date of Release:
July 11, 2020 (ebook); June 30, 2020 (print)
Genre: New Adult Paranormal, Suspense, Romance

Publisher: BWL Publishing, Inc.
Buy Links:   Amazon 
More buy links at BWL Author Page
Blurb:
Morgan Redding faces evil in her mother’s new husband and ends up at her aunt and uncle’s animal rescue refuge, where she meets Rowan, among other animals.

Rowan Marcus falls hard for the new woman who takes up residence at the wildlife refuge. The cougar inside him wants to make her its mate. Rowan can’t stop his need to protect her at all costs.

Then all hell breaks loose, animals get killed, a crime syndicate’s involved, and Morgan finds out she’s a shifter! Too many secrets, too many forces at work, too many dangerous threats that Morgan and Rowan must face. Thank goodness for the Marcus Pryde.

Behind the Scene:

Amber Eyes Glow is a New Adult revision of a Young Adult novel – Secret: At HL Woods. I wrote the YA as my pseudonym DK Davis. I prefer writing New Adult and decided to dissolve the DK Davis pseudonym and pull all of the YA novels in the Secret Series. The New Adult novel has more…steam, mature characters, and diverse situations, which required further revision than I first thought. A lot of changes in personal character perception after college…even for a shifter:) There are two other novels in the Young Adult DK Davis series that are getting a thorough revision into New Adult status and will be published soon under S. Peters-Davis.

Author Bio:

S. Peters-Davis writes multi-genre stories, but loves penning a good page-turning suspense-thriller, especially when it’s a ghost story and a romance. Paranormal suspense romance is also a favorite. When she’s not writing, editing, or reading, she’s hiking, RV’ing, fishing, playing with grandchildren, or enjoying time with her favorite muse (her husband) in Southwest Michigan.

For more on the author and her works:

BWL Author Page | Facebook | Twitter |

Old Friends #MFRWAuthor

Welcome to Week 28 of the MFRW 52-week challenge. The topic is "Ever Read A Book More Than Once?"

Old friends you have not spoken to in years, but when you meet again it is as if no time has passed. Some books are like that. Just seeing it on the shelf or knowing it is in the box of keepers in the corner gives a feeling of comfort and familiarity. Some books you read to relax, other to lose yourself in a fantasy world or join the characters in their adventures.

Now to the topic. I won't pick a single book as the most read, and you can't make me. Louis L'amour's Sackett series and Anne McCaffrey's Pegasus/Tower and Hive series are like old friends. Several of the books were so well-worn that a second copy had to be picked up. That's not to say I keep every book I've read or reread. some were parted with after a move or other enforced clean-out.


~till next time, may you find many old friends hidden on your shelf. Helen

Be sure to see how the other authors answered the question. https://mfrw52week.blogspot.com/.

Hooked on Windmaster Legacy, Handfasting's Approach #MFRWhooks

An excerpt from the sword and sorcery romantic fantasy, Windmaster Legacy. A proposal had been made and accepted. Now the date for the handfasting approaches.


Excerpt:

It should have been the happiest time of her life. Yet Ellspeth, former captain of Sea Falcon, could not pin down the source of her uneasiness. Nothing beyond the normal sounds of sea birds, shouted orders, and hammering reached her ears. A glance out the office window assured her there were no problems with the new ship. Windmaster bobbed gently in the confines of the construction pit. Destined to be a floating school for mages, the ship’s construction had been smooth with only minor problems. Three days earlier, during the canal diversion that flooded the dry dock and floated the vessel off its supports, no water penetrated the hull.

Based on Mirrim’s assurances, preparations for the handfasting ceremony in a few days between Ellspeth and Dal remained under control—even if Ellspeth still could hear her mother’s slightly acidic comment, “as long as your groom is here.” Dal had left more than three sevenday ago to bring his mother from their clanhold in the Mtwan Mountains to Stratven.

~ ~ ~
Windmaster Legacy Buy Links ebook sellers    /   Paperback at Amazon






The rest of the hop is at https://mfrwbookhooks.blogspot.com

Duty, Honor, Loyalty #mfrwauthor

I won't pretend to be an expert on parenting and was going to pass on this week's topic of "What is the most important value to teach children?" Then I thought about the characters whose tales I've been fortunate to chronicle.

Captain Ellspeth grew up adhering to the guild mottos carved in old script on the wood doors of the guildmasters office. On the left panel the way to do business, "Fair Trade – Fair Profit." And on the right panel, guidance for living the right life, "Kin Above All – But Honor."

Although it doesn't exactly match the qualification of "most important value," the following excerpt shows the Archmage Dal teaching a lesson, not in the classroom but on the battlefield. Dal demonstrates mercy to the vanquished... if they deserve it. To set the scene, now that his enemy's army has been routed, he advances of his previous captor who hides behind another man.

Dal closed the distance to Ruaridh’s fragile protection. He lunged forward and knocked the sword from the soldier’s hand. Beneath the askewed helmet, Dal saw frightened eyes within a pale face.

He could not be more than sixteen turns, Dal realized. “Unless you want to join him, I suggest you leave.” The hope that flickered across the youth’s face brought a memory of another boy who stood disarmed before a superior warrior. He heard Telarim the Red’s words again, as if for the first time.

I might as well use Telarim’s technique. “Return to your home,” Dal ordered the youth. “If in two turns you still want to soldier, find Telarim the Red. Tell him Lieutenant Dal sent you. Telarim will teach you well if you’re willing to learn.” 

The boy stepped aside, careful to keep his hands away from his sides. His throat convulsed several times before he was able to speak. “My lord, my life is now yours. I have no home to return to. For your mercy, command me and I am yours.”

Dal stared down into brown eyes young with life. “Take that black gelding. Go to Stratven and present yourself to the King’s Guard. The toiseach of the guard will assign you work until I get there.”

In honor of the nation's founding a bit of self-promotion about the book that inspired the title of "Duty, Honor, Loyalty." Hearth and Sand: Stories From The Front Lines and the Homefront is a collection of twelve tales of those who served on the battle front, and the stories of the loved ones left behind who preserved the homefront. How it relates to the title? The tales represent a continuity of service from the past to the present and into the world of tomorrow.

If the books referenced in the post, the fantasy Windmaster or the multi-genre Hearth and Sand, intrigue, click on the cover for excerpts and the first chapter. Or go straight to the buy links below.
Windmaster books2read (ebook links)  Amazon (paperback and ebook)
Hearth and Sand books2read (ebook links)  Amazon (paperback and ebook)
~ till next time, Helen
Be sure to see how the other authors answered the question. https://mfrw52week.blogspot.com/

June Tips and History #mfrwauthor

Welcome to this week's post of the MFRW 52-week challenge. The official topic is about authors write their characters, whether full-figured or always slim. I don't create my characters descriptions. They are who they are. Some, like Murdo from the Windmaster Novels is a giant of a man. Then there is Glyn of the Dragshi Chronicles whofor most of her life impersonated a male. However, I decided to go off-topic on the post and resurrect a June tips from years back. Enjoy.

One thing that is uniform among all genres is backstory. All characters have a past. They may not know it, or we may not want to reveal it, but there is one. While authors sometimes have their characters participate in a well-known event (such as Hurricanes Catrina and Superstorm Sandy or watching a horse race in the Belmont Stakes for the Triple Crown) that is not the only way events, both national and worldwide, can be brought into a character's past. 



June 6th is the anniversary of D-Day, the Allied forces invasion of Normandy.  For those writing in a future setting, the character could find an ancestor's personal letter written after the event. The loss of a family member as the numbers of the members of the greatest generation dwindle might be another item of backstory. The point is that the character does not have to be the one experiencing the event for it to be part of his or her past.There doesn't even have to be any personal relationship at all. The character might witness an elderly man riding up the street in a convertible or be stuck at a traffic light as a funeral goes by. An even more haunting usage is to be walking past as cemetery as the bugler plays the final tribute.


As you go through your daily life, keep an eye (or ear) open for celebrations, anniversaries, and commemorations. You never know what will tickle your interest and provide insight into your characters history. 
till next time ~ Helen

For more information on D-Day, look up the National World War II Museum or visit dday-overlord.com.
 

Fulfilling the #AtoZChallenge 2020 #mfrwauthor

 

The official topic for today is about writing our characters. How we build them and flesh them out. Since I don't do either, my characters tell me who they are, not the other way way around, I decided to do a reflections post on another challenge I did this year -- AtoZ in April.

Reflecting on the 2020 challenge one word came to mind -- DIFFICULTY. Besides the difficulty in matching a topic to a letter (more on that later), the short time frame that required a post a day was an additional complication. And since I did the 2019 AtoZChallenge I didn't want to duplicate last year's posts. Then there was the world event called Covid-19 or the novel corona virus. It made focusing impossible, stole the energy to write, and chased the muse away.

The theme for the challenge mirrored what I use for this blog--the characters and settings of my novels with a touch of the writing life tossed in for variety.

The full list of posts from the challenge follows. I hope you'll find a topic or two of interest. ~till next time, Helen


B is for BASHIM

A is for Awww
B is for Bashim
C is for Crafts
D is for Diomharid
E is for Eyrie 


F is for Fàlaire
G is for Golem
H is for Handfasting
I  is for Imprisoned 
J is for Journalling

M is for Mtwan Comraich
K is for Killing A Character
L is for Legends
M is for Mtwan Comraich
O is for Ollea

P is for the Parant
Q is for ???
R  is for Religion
S is for Sailing Ships

T is for Tracking Tools

U is for 2020
U is for 2020

V is for Vengeance
W is for World Building
X is for Xcuses
Y is for YOU
Z is for Zoo

Education, Medicine, or Personal? #mfrwauthor

Welcome to Week 24 of the MFRW 52-week challenge. The topic is "Favorite Charity and why." There are so many worthwhile charities out there, that selecting only one could be impossible.
You have to decide local, national, versus international. Then there is the category. Do you want to support educational programs, your local library, or help preserve history?Do you want to tackle a specific issue such as poverty, illiteracy, cruelty to animals or a group of people such as veterans.If the interest is medicine, you could donate to the foundation associated with a local hospital or research into a specific disease.


Even once you decide on a category (or categories) there are numerous charities within each one. The bullet list is just the ones I saw in print, on television, or had someone mention in the space of less than an hour today.

St. Jude Children's Research HospitalShriners Hospitals LeBonheur Children's HospitalThe Gary Sinise FoundationWounded Warrior ProjectLocal Public Broadcast StationAmerican Red CrossAmerican Cancer SocietyAmerican Diabetes AssociationAmerican Parkinson Disease Association
K9s for Warriors
Paws and StripesFreedom Service Dogs of America


There's a lot of worthwhile charities out there. I hope you'll find one dear to your heart. ~till next time, Helen
Be sure to see how the other authors answered the question.

Hooked on Hatchling's Vengeance, Leave-taking #mfrwhook

[image error] Finding your mate is only half the battle. Keeping them alive is the other when duty has other demands and Fate holds all the cards. On one card is written: “Vengeance has two paths—death or love. And a long memory.”

In honor of June weddings and the beginnings of lifetimes together, here's one of my favorite excerpts. 

Excerpt:
 
His arm around Glynnes, Talann guided her toward the dark slit in the cliff wall that marked the entrance to their quarters. Once inside, he tightened the control over his thoughts. Glyn had to remain distracted, at least for now. There was information from Lady Eirwen he had not shared with the others. Just before he had died, the woodcutter had told the identity of those who led the raiders. Neither the name, Leirche, nor the description Eirwen gave matched anyone Talann knew.
His blood chilled at the lady ruler’s calm statement of a second man, the one who strode into the village and ordered the murders. No name was given, but Talann knew. It had to be the Parant. Somehow he had escaped the forces of the dragshi.

He reached for Glyn and pulled her into a tight embrace. All too soon they would leave for Alcari and instinctively knew from the gathering clouds, the departure would end in battle. If all the time they had was now, he planned to make it last forever.
* * End of Excerpt * * *

Click here for another excerpt and a free read of the first chapter.
Buy Links: 1-Click to all Ebook Sites. Or if you prefer paperback: Amazon / Barnes & Noble
Visit the Dragshi's page for more on the Dragshi Chronicles.

Recommendation - Move Out #mfrwauthor

Welcome to Week 23 of the MFRW 52-week challenge. The topic is "Your thoughts if you've ever been through a renovation (or watched one on television)."

As to whether I've ever been through a renovation or watched one on television? The answer is "yes" and "yes." I admit to watching "This Old House" from the days of "sweat equity" to more recent seasons where professional contractors did all the work and the project ended with the home stages for a wrap party.

As to having been through a renovation.? During the three decades we lived in our 1915-era home, we renovated it room by room. And depending on the room did a lot of the work. It might be everything form demolition to sheet rocking, and painting to wiring. The professionals handled things we weren't comfortable with such as plumbing, or shaping and installing a kitchen counter top.
 


My advice to those planning a major renovation:





Book a hotel room


Send your pets to a kennel or doggy spa. During the bathroom renovation our wandering cat slipped through the hole where the pipes had been to explore the space between the ceiling and the floor above. Removing a suspended ceiling, sheetrock, and plaster and lathe to give him an escape route didn't help. He just jumped the beams to another section. The scent of tuna fish finally lured him close enough to the opening and a quick grab pulled him through the hole.

Figure it will take twice as long and cost twice as much to finish

Keep the menu to a good takeout place close to hand. Our go to place was the local fishery. Since it was served in paper plates we didn't have to wash the dishes. A good thing since during the kitchen renovation we had to wash pots and pans, and our dishes in the bathtub. An added bonus was we got to relax as we ate our dinner on the waterfront pier and watched the sunset.


~till next time, Helen


Be sure to see how the other authors answered the question. https://mfrw52week.blogspot.com/

Not Like I Used To #MFRWAuthor

Welcome to Week 22 of the 2020 MFRW 52-week challenge. The topic is "How Do You Get Your News."

Image by OpenClipart-Vectors from Pixabay
Although there is still a city paper for the nearest city, I live in the adjoining county. The paper doesn't cover any news beyond the city limits or from our side of the county line. So, no getting news from a local paper. By the time the weekly county paper is printed, the news is a bit stale. The other paper that covers the local area is primarily for legal notices and an occasional press release from some business miles away.

Which leaves broadcast media (television, radio), online, or social media. Social media is out. As a former correspondent, I know immediate information isn't always accurate. I do end up watching a regularly-scheduled local news program. A certain family member has to watch it, no matter how many times I beg to change the channel or have him watch it from another room. Other than the weather, for much of the reporting it seems the rules by which I was taught including, "Don't interject your own opinion." are broken on a regular basis. In fact, some reporters brag about their activism. Even before today's acrimonious political climate, one channel's  (won't say which public broadcast station) news borderlined on brainwashing.

Image by Gerd Altmann from PixabayThen there are the network stations. When there is a break-in of regular non-news programming for a news flash or the wall-to-wall" coverage of a storm, you can often hear me paraphrase what is being said.

"Something happened. We don't know what, but we have to say something , so we're saying something. Once we know something, we will say something, but until then we'll keep talking even though we don't know anything."

Then there is the interview which is basically nothing except:

"Give me XXX. Even though I haven't earned it, I am entitled to it because I want it. So you need to give me XXX, no matter what the cost."

So, how do I get my news. Any place I can get it in a fairly timely fashion, accurate and without bias. Sometimes I even get it from local residents.

~till next time, Helen