Marlow Kelly's Blog, page 11

Promising: Book Two of Kira’s Story by Rebel Miller

​Available at:

Amazon: 
 
iBooks: 
 
Kobo

PROMISING, the riveting follow-up to AWAKENING by Rebel Miller
Faced with diverging loyalties — between those she loves and her responsibility to the Realm — Kira has to make heartrending and strategic decisions that threaten to jeopardize her future.
 
As her connection to Tai deepens and turmoil in the Realm builds, so does Gannon’s frustration at being unable to call Kira his own.

Worlds at War ... A Heart in Conflict
 
While the Realm stands defiant amidst rising unrest, Kira is thrust into a role that puts her at the forefront of her system’s governance and law, supporting a landmark position. Following a devastating turn of events, she turns to Tai for a shoulder to lean on after making a painful choice to ensure Gannon fulfils the role he was meant for.
 
As she becomes a reluctant - yet inspiring - voice for her caste, Kira learns about one of the Realm’s most well-kept secrets and how far leadership will go to prevent it from being revealed. What she doesn’t know is how much the decisions of her past have the power to bring enemies into her path, threatening to destroy everyone she holds close to her heart.
 
This novel is for mature audiences (18+) and includes committed relationships with multiple partners.
 
Excerpt
 
“How is it that with all our system’s technology I can’t make love to you from thousands of light years away?”
I snorted, but my lips tilted up at the corners nevertheless. “I’m sure the Protectorate has some sort of virtual reality device that could be refashioned just for that purpose,” I offered, rearranging the wool blanket on my lap.
I was curled up in bed, facing my monitor and resting against a pile of pillows. It had become a familiar position over the last few weeks, one from which I would relay the day’s activities during my nightly call with Gannon. Well, it was a nightly call for me. The sun had already risen where Gannon lived, on Dignitas One.
Suddenly, Gannon seemed to be deep in concentration. “No, on second thought, there’s no technology that could ever measure up to the real thing.” He grinned.
I smiled, heat rising to my cheeks.
“There’s the smile I was looking for,” Gannon said, leaning closer to his monitor, and so closer to me.
He was sitting in his office. He had been holding our calls from there more frequently over the last month. From what I could see, his office was a large, well-lit space. A wall of floor-to-ceiling glass ran its expanse directly behind him. Through it, I could see citizens of every caste striding by in obvious haste to get things done, more than likely at Gannon’s bidding. During these nighttime conversations with Gannon, and within the intimate surroundings of my bedroom, it was easy to forget who he was and his status. As chancellor, he surely had, every day, a checklist as long as my arm, filled with tasks.
I frowned as I noted the time. “I should let you go,” I said, sitting up.
“Why?”
I glanced pointedly behind him, fiddling with the thin strap of my top. “Your office looks incredibly busy.”
He blinked then swiveled in his chair to look at the steady stream of people behind him.
“Oh, my support always look like that,” he said, mischief glittering in his clear blue eyes as he turned back to me. “They think it’ll prevent me asking them to do anything else.” He winked, and I laughed, loving his cheekiness.

About Rebel Miller
 
Rebel Miller is an author who overindulges in Pinot Grigio, caramel popcorn and an eclectic mix of movies, music and angst-filled romance novels.
 
Rebel earned a graduate degree in Communications and Culture from Ryerson University and an undergraduate degree from the University of the West Indies.
 
Rebel lives in the outskirts of Toronto, Canada with her husband and two sons.

Connect with Rebel
 
Website: http://rebelmillerbooks.com/
 
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/rebel.miller/
 
Twitter: https://twitter.com/rebelmillerboox
 
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/RebelMillerBoox
 
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show...
​Giveaway
 
Enter to win an eBook version of Promising: Book Two of Kira’s Story, a Rebel Miller Books tote and magnet, and a signed poster.
 
Enter Rebel's Giveaway

Why The Irish Really Converted To Christianity

​I grew up in a very Irish household and assumed that the Irish had always been Christian, but of course, that’s not true. Until the 6th century most Irish people were pagans, worshipping a pantheon of Gods and Goddesses that controlled everything in the natural world, including their harvests. Their gods had served them well for thousands of years, so why did the Irish abandon them? In the book In Search of Ancient Ireland by Carmel MacCaffrey and Leo Eaton it states.
 
“When Patrick died 492 – or 496, depending on whichever version of the annals one prefers – he had been spreading Christianity among the Irish for more than sixty years. But Ireland had not changed much over that time. Pockets of Christianity existed around royal courts and local centres of power, where Patrick and other early missionaries had been successful, but the vast majority of the country was still pagan.”
 
I suppose we have to look at it from their point of view. Would you give up on the gods that were making your harvests plentiful? Of course not, you’d stick with what works.
St Patrick - stained glass window in St. Benin's Church, Kilbennan, County Galway, Ireland
I know everyone thinks Patrick converted the Irish to Christianity in the 5th century, but the Cult of St. Patrick wasn’t developed until the 7th century with the goal of making the church in Armagh the central church of Celtic Christianity.
 
Why did the monks of Armagh choose Patrick? I’m not entirely sure, but it could be because of his writings. His autobiography is called The Confession. When you read his words you get the impression that he was a very humble man, a sinner, like the rest of us, someone with which the common man could relate.
 
“My name is Patrick. I am a sinner, a simple country person, and the least of all believers. I am looked down upon by many. My father was Calpornius. He was a deacon; his father was Potitus, a priest, who lived at Bannavem Taburniae” Lake IlopangoSo if it wasn’t St Patrick and the other missionaries, what forced the Irish people to adopt this new religion? It seems that the answer lies in Central America. Around 536 AD a volcano under Lake Ilopango erupted causing a catastrophic global event. It spewed ash and dust in the atmosphere cooling the climate. This in turn caused widespread famine and disease, and plunged Europe into the Dark Ages. Recently, scientists have compared Ice core samples from the Greenland Ice sheet Project with the Irish AnnalsClick to read more about this project. The Book of Durrow believed to have been created in the late 7th century​The Annals are sparsely written and hardly ever mention women, children, or peasants, just noblemen and notable events. Here are the entries following the Lake Ilopango eruption.
 
            Annals of Ulster: “536AD Failure of bread”
 
            Annals of Inisfallen: “537AD Failure of bread”
 
The plague that swept through Europe after the famine is also mentioned:
 
            Chronicon Scotorum: “541AD A great mortality which is called Belefeth, in which Mobhi Clairinech, whose name is Bercan, 'prorectano poetae', perished.”
 
            Even though the entries are meagre, for me, they put a human face on the suffering. The Irish starved. Their crops failed and their animals died, and then came the plague. They believed their gods had deserted them and converted to Christianity. It is after this period that the great monasteries are built and we see a flowering of Irish culture. This conversion wasn’t as big a leap as you might expect. The Celtic Church adopted many of the pagan practices, and monks in this period were married men with families.
 
Scholars today believe that the Celtic Church with its monasteries that coveted the written word came into being because of a volcano in Central America.Join my blog tour and visit the other stops for more chances to win $20 Amazon gift card.a Rafflecopter giveaway

A $0.99 Sale, A Blog Tour and a $20 Prize

Most of you probably don’t know that I come from an Irish background. I grew up in England and my parents are both Irish, therefore, it’s only natural that I celebrate St. Patrick’s Day.
And so I've put my novella, A Woman of Courage, set in medieval Ireland on sale for $0.99.


Available for $0.99
 
Amazon
 
The Wild Rose Press
 
Nook
 
ARE
 







​​When an injured Fianna Byrne turns up at Connell O’Neill’s gate twelve years after their separation he knows this could be his last chance to find happiness with the woman he loves.
False accusations against Fianna had strained relations between their clans and forced Connell, under Irish law, to divorce her. Their disastrous three-month relationship left Fianna pregnant and heartbroken. She has avoided Duncarraig and her ex-husband ever since.
But with her home obliterated by the Vikings, Fianna must face her past in order to save her son, and prove once and for all she is a woman of courage. A blog tour and a Prize I’m running a short blog tour and will be awarding a $20 Amazon gift card at the end of the tour. The winner will be chosen at random using rafflecopter.
All you have to do to enter is follow the tour and choose one of the options listed on the rafflecopter icon. There are multiple ways to enter the draw and you can enter more than once.
 
The tour stops are:
 
15th March      Marlow Kelly’s Blog
16th March      Alicia Dean’s Blog
17th March      The Write Way Cafe
19th March      Coffee Time Romance – Coffee Thoughts

So follow the tour and enter the draw; the more you enter the more chances you have to win.

Whoever you are and wherever you’re from I hope you have a happy and safe St Patrick’s Day

Marlow

And The Winner Is...

Congratulations to Brian from NY.  I have emailed him and am waiting for email confirmation so I can send him a $10 Amazon gift card.
I want to take this opportunity to thank everyone who entered this draw. I hope you’ll stick around for some St. Patrick’s Day fun. I will be sending out a newsletter with all the details in March.

Win A $10 Amazon Gift Card

I think I have gone insane, but I've decided to run a quick giveaway.
Sign up for my Newsletter and you'll be automatically entered to win a $10 Amazon gift card.
Contest closes at 6p.m. on 29th February - that's the insane part. Sign Up Now

Nobody’s Princess by Sarah Hegger

You can find Nobody's Princess on AmazonBLURB:
 
Tiffany Desjardins has a plan. Well, she had a plan, until her past and all its complications came back to haunt her. Her not-quite-ex-husband, Luke, is missing, and suddenly everyone needs to find him--including Tiffany, if she wants to marry the true man of her dreams. Then there's Thomas Hunter, Luke's brawny friend, who won't take "no road trip" for an answer--and who won't stop showing up in her daydreams…

Thomas couldn't care less about Luke's personal life, but he needs to find him if he's going to make his fledgling minerals and metals company a reality. And if that means following Tiffany, who's taken off in Luke's rare Lamborghini Miura, he's more than willing--especially if there might be a chance to negotiate some of Tiffany's lovely curves. As Tiffany and Thomas speed along without a map, the only destination that seems certain is being together…
 
 
~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Excerpt:
 
“Is that the casting agent?” Piers demanded.
 
“No.” Tiffany glared as Lola’s name lit up her screen. The woman’s timing couldn’t suck more. As much as she needed to speak to Lola—and she really, really needed to speak to her—she didn’t want to answer the call now. Five days she’d waited for Lola to call back. Lola pretty much ignored every call she didn’t feel like taking. Conversely, when Lola wanted to speak to you, she wanted it now and would blow up your phone until she got hold of you.
 
She hit Ignore and slipped the phone into her pocket. Why today of all days? It must be some kind of cosmic joke. Could you calculate coincidence? You must be able to. Nearly everything broke down to numbers in the end. Her gaze strayed toward the tote again. Her book seemed to shimmer and pulse for attention. Perhaps she could just quickly . . .
 
“Hi, I’m looking for Tiffany?” A deep voice spoke from behind her.
 
Tiffany whirled on her four-inch heels and looked up. And up some more. Oh, thank you, sweet Jesus. Her white boy was here and he was gorgeous. His blond hair was cropped close to his scalp. It brought all your attention straight to that face. And what a face. You could break rocks on that jawline. The straight blade of his nose rescued him from pretty, but the mouth beneath it curved full and etched, made for nibbling on.
AUTHOR Bio and Links:
 
 
Born British and raised in South Africa, Sarah Hegger suffers from an incurable case of wanderlust. Her match? A hot Canadian engineer, whose marriage proposal she accepted six short weeks after they first met. Together they’ve made homes in seven different cities across three different continents (and back again once or twice). If only it made her multilingual, but the best she can manage is idiosyncratic English, fluent Afrikaans, conversant Russian, pigeon Portuguese, even worse Zulu and enough French to get herself into trouble.
 
Mimicking her globe trotting adventures, Sarah’s career path began as a gainfully employed actress, drifted into public relations, settled a moment in advertising, and eventually took root in the fertile soil of her first love, writing. She also moonlights as a wife and mother.
 
She currently lives in Littleton, Colorado, with her teenage daughters, two Golden Retrievers and aforementioned husband. Part footloose buccaneer, part quixotic observer of life, Sarah’s restless heart is most content when reading or writing books.
 
She loves to hear from readers and you can find her at any of the places below.
 
Website: http://sarahhegger.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/sarahheggera...
Amazon Author Page: http://www.amazon.com/Sarah-Hegger/e/...
Twitter: https://twitter.com/SarahHegger
Tumblr: https://www.tumblr.com/blog/sarahhegger
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sarahhegger...
 
 
Sarah will be giving away:
5 x paperback copies of Nobody’s Princess
5 x ebook copies of Nobody’s Princess
1 x $50 Amazon Gift Cards
2 x $20 Amazon Gift Cards
3 x $10 Amazon Gift cards

Follow the tour and comment; the more you comment, the better your chances of winning. The tour dates can be found here: 
 
http://goddessfishpromotions.blogspot.com/2016/01/book-blast-nobodys-princess-by-sarah.html


a Rafflecopter giveaway

And We Have a Winner

I want to thank every one who entered my mailing list draw. For me it was a wonderful and rewarding experience.
I used Microsoft Excel’s RAND function to randomly pick a winner.
And the winner is….
Sara May from Dandridge, TN
Congratulations Sara.
You have won:
One (1) sterling silver Heart pendant and chain.One (1) $10 Amazon gift cardOne (1) 40% off coupon for Marlow’s Books valid on www.wildrosepress.comOne (1) box of Lindt chocolatesOne (1) Godiva Chocolate PretzelOne (1) Marlow Kelly penThree (3) of Marlow’s Vanilla Lip Balms 
They are in the mail and on their way to you now.
 
For those of you who didn’t win this time I will be holding another promotion starting 16th March. For more information you can go to my Appearances, Giveaways and News Page
 

**Valentine's Day Giveaway Announcement**

Starting today (7th February) I’m holding a Valentine’s Day Giveaway. To enter just sign up for my newsletter:
http://eepurl.com/bnUBqn
Then open the Valentine's Day newsletter when it arrives in your inbox on the 14th February. After opening, you'll be automatically entered to win. The winner will announced on Wednesday 17th February.
 
The prize includes:One (1) sterling silver Heart pendant and chain.One (1) $10 Amazon gift cardOne (1) 40% off coupon for Marlow’s Books valid on www.wildrosepress.comOne (1) box of Lindt chocolatesOne (1) Godiva Chocolate PretzelOne (1) Marlow Kelly penThree (3) of Marlow’s Vanilla Lip Balms 
I will pay Shipping costs. Unfortunately, this promotion is only open to residents of the United States and Canada.
 
 
Good luck!
 
Disclaimer: The Wild Rose Press, Facebook, or any other party, site or social media are not responsible for this giveaway.
 

3 Wishes by Peggy Jaeger

Available for a special pre-order price:

​Amazon

The Wild Rose Press


​When the Wild Rose Press put out a request for Valentine’s Day stories to be featured in their new Candy Hearts Romances storyline, I knew immediately the story I wanted to tell and the characters I wanted to showcase. The San Valentino’s are loosely based on a family I grew up with. Chloe San Valentino’s family is a big, loud, raucous Italian-American clan ruled by their emotions, their passion for food, and their unquestioning love for one another. I know these people. I lived with them daily from the age of 6 until 18.
 
Of course whenever a writer bases characters on real people there are several inherent risks involved. You can make them seem silly or like caricatures. You may think what they say and do is funny, but the reader might think it’s mean spirited, or rude.  You may hurt feelings by putting a virtual mirror up and allowing them to see themselves the way you do. No one likes to think they are being made fun of or to be viewed critically.  In order to avoid these risks, I attempted to changed things around, combined a few personalities into one or two, and tried my best to make the individual people in the San Valentino family sound familiar and unfamiliar at the same time. I don’t think if any of the people I based the family on read 3 Wishes they would recognize themselves at all. At least, that’s my hope!
 
All families have characters. That one uncle who jiggles his keys in his pocket unendingly; the one aunt who perpetually smiles and puts on a PollyAnna face no matter how tense or drama-filled a situation is. I know a woman in her forties who picks her teeth after she eats – no matter where she is; in public or private. I know a man who whistles all the time. I have an aunt who shoved a dollar bill in my pocket whenever she saw me – even if it was just five minutes ago. Each of these character quirks makes these people individuals, and in 3 Wishes I tried to make the San Valentino’s just as distinctive and original as the family I created it from.
​​​BLURB:
 
Valentine’s Day is chocolatier Chloe San Valentino’s favorite day of the year. Not only is it the busiest day in her candy shop, Caramelle de Chloe, but it’s also her birthday. Chloe’s got a birthday wish list for the perfect man she pulls out every year: he’d fall in love with her in a heartbeat, he’d be someone who cares about people, and he’d have one blue eye and one green eye, just like her. So far, Chloe’s fantasy man hasn’t materialized, despite the matchmaking efforts of her big, close-knit Italian family. But this year for her big 3-0 birthday, she just might get her three wishes.

Excerpt:
 The man had been a hunk-a-doodle when he’d been in my shop. Right now he looked like sex on a candy stick. Tall, lithe, wide shouldered and narrow hipped in his scrubs. He was every fantasy I’d ever had about what my man would look like. He stood in the doorway of the waiting room and stared at me.
 
And I stared right back.
 
“I assume she’s your mother,” he said, hooking his thumb in the general direction behind him.
 
I nodded.
 
He grinned and my toes curled up at the tips.
 
“She’s a force to be reckoned with.”
 
I winced and replied, “She means well.”
 
Even to my ears it sounded more like a weak question than a declaration.
 
His grin spread and I swear my girlie parts quivered.
 
Quivered.
 
When he came toward me, eating up the floor with his long stride, a hot bead of awareness burst from somewhere deep, deep down inside me.

AUTHOR Bio and Links:
 
Peggy Jaeger is a contemporary romance author who writes about strong women, the families who support them, and the men who can't live without them.
Her current titles, available now, include SKATER'S WALTZ and THERE'S NO PLACE LIKE HOME, and FIRST IMPRESSIONS books 1 through 3 in her 6-book The MacQuire Women Series, published by The Wild Rose Press.

Peggy holds a master's degree in Nursing Administration and first found publication with several articles she authored on Alzheimer's Disease during her time running an Alzheimer's in-patient care unit during the 1990s.
A lifelong and avid romance reader and writer, she is a member of RWA and her local New Hampshire RWA Chapter.
 
Website/Blog: http://peggyjaeger.com/
 
Twitter: https://twitter.com/peggy_jaeger
 
Amazon Author page: http://www.amazon.com/-/e/B00T8E5LN0
 
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Peggy-Jaeger-Author/825914814095072?ref=bookmarks
 
Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/peggyjaeger/
 
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/13478796.Peggy_Jaeger
 
Instagram: https://instagram.com/mmj122687/
​Book Tour and Giveaway Information: Peggy Jaeger will be awarding a $15 Amazon or Barnes and Noble GC to a randomly drawn winner via rafflecopter during the tour.
Follow the tour and comment; the more you comment, the better your chances of winning. The tour dates can be found here: 
 http://goddessfishpromotions.blogspot.com/2016/01/vbt-3-wishes-by-peggy-jaeger.html

a Rafflecopter giveaway

A Highland Ruby by Brenda B. Taylor

Available for Pre-Order

Amazon 

iBooks
 
Smashwords: 
 
Kobo A Highland Ruby: Highland Treasures Book 2
 
She must choose between a life of adventure with the man she loves or a settled, secure life with her betrothed. Flora Vass put Gavin Munro out of her heart and mind until he returned to Scotland after an adventurous five years in the New World. Gavin left no doubt he returned to make the bonnie Flora his own and intended to fight for her. Flora’s betrothed, Iain MacKay, and Gavin’s brother, Chief Andrew Munro, had other plans. Andrew needed her to marry the MacKay to bring peace between the two clans. Iain MacKay wanted an heir. War with England looms on the horizon, forcing Flora to choose between her heart’s desire and her logical choice.

​Excerpt
 
He dozed and dreamed of Flora in the emerald gown again. Now her waist-length hair matched the deep red color of the large ruby hanging from a gold chain. The ruby and gold glinted in shards of green light flashing around her and in her eyes. How lovely she appeared, with flawless white skin, ruby red hair, and eyes to match the emerald gown. Gavin’s heart near burst with her beauty. While he watched, Flora removed the ruby from her neck, dipped the stone three times in a crystal goblet of clear water. The water turned red as the ruby.
She held the goblet out to him. “Take this and drink. The ruby’s water will drive the evil away and make you weel.”
“Aye. I desire to be well.” Gavin reached for the beautiful crystal chalice now filled with red water.
Just as his hand touched the chalice, a large boot kicked his foot. Flora disappeared with the red, healing water. Gavin’s eyes popped open. He remained still, grabbing the sgian dubh from his boot with one hand and the pistol from his belt with the other.
  About Brenda B. Taylor
 
The desire to write historical fiction has long been a passion with Brenda B. Taylor. Since elementary school, she has written stories in her spare time. Brenda earned three degrees: a BSE from Henderson State University, Arkadelphia, Arkansas; a MEd from Sam Houston State University, Huntsville, Texas; and an EdD from Texas A&M University, College Station, Texas; then worked as a teacher and administrator in the Texas Public School system. Only after retirement could she fulfill the dream of publication.
 
Brenda and her husband make their home in beautiful East Texas where they enjoy spending time with family and friends, traveling, and working in Bethabara Faith Ministry, Inc. She crafts stories about the extraordinary lives of ordinary people in her favorite place overlooking bird feeders, bird houses, and a variety of blooming trees and flowers. She sincerely thanks all who purchase and read her books. Her desire is that the message in each book will touch the heart of the reader as it did hers in the writing.
 
Connect with Brenda
 
Website: http://www.historicalheartbeats.com/
 
Amazon Author Page: http://amzn.to/JV31xY
 
Book Information: http://historicalheartbeats.com/highland-treasures-series
 
Pinterest: http://pinterest.com/rayburnlady/highland-treasures
 
Twitter: http://twitter.com/rayburnlady
 
Facebook: http://facebook.com/authorbrendabtaylor
 
Goodreads: https://goodreads.com/author/show/7203463.Brenda_B_Taylor
 
Tumblr: http://rayburnlady.tumblr.com
 
Google +: https://plus.google.com/u/0/104377029337086788786/posts/p/pub