Marlow Kelly's Blog, page 19
May 5, 2015
Allan Pinkerton - Private Eye
Today I’m posting an article about Allan Pinkerton, the man who invented the term –private eye.
I originally wrote this for author Zoe Forward’s blog. To see the original and to learn more about Zoe’s fabulous books please click on the link:
Zoe Forward
In A Woman of Love war hero, James Drake, tricks Annabel’s husband into sharing her for one night. He has no intention of compromising her. He wants to interrogate her. Why? To help his half-brother, Nicholas Carlton of Carlton Investigations. Nicholas is delving into a series of robberies. Obviously, my character is fictional, but he is loosely based on Allan Pinkerton the Scots born detective.
Pinkerton was born in Glasgow in 1819 and immigrated to the United States in his early twenties after becoming disillusioned with the life of the workingman in Scotland. He settled, with his wife, Joan, in the Chicago area, working as a barrel maker. He made the move into policing after stumbling upon a ring of counterfeiters. Allan exposed the plot and had the criminals arrested.
By 1847 he had joined the Chicago police department, serving primarily in Kane County. In 1849 he was promoted to detective, becoming the first man to hold that rank in the Chicago Police Department.
And in 1850 he left the police to form his own detective agency, The Pinkerton National Private Detective Agency, putting into effect a strict code of conduct:
Accept no bribes
Never compromise with criminals
Partner with local law enforcement agencies
Refuse divorce cases or cases that initiate scandals
Turn down reward money
Never raise fees without the client’s pre-knowledge
Keep clients apprised on an on-going basis
Over the next five years Allan worked hard to grow his agency, cooperating with law enforcement and specializing in protecting shipments for the railway companies.
Then in 1856 he did an extraordinary thing, for a man of his time, he hired the first female detective. She was a young, childless, widow, named Kate Warne. It is not clear whether she came to Pinkerton looking for clerical work or to persuade him to hire her as a detective, but hire her he did.
To put this in perspective, the first female detective for a police department, Lola Baldwin, was sworn in for the City of Portland On April 1, 1908. That’s fifty-two years after Pinkerton.
Allan was so impressed by Kate’s success that by 1860 the agency employed a branch of female detectives, headed up by Kate.
Pinkerton is quoted as saying:
“In my service you will serve your country better than on the field. I have several female operatives. If you agree to come aboard you will go in training with the head of my female detectives, Kate Warne. She has never let me down.” - ALLAN PINKERTON
In 1861 Pinkerton and Kate were instrumental in uncovering and foiling the Baltimore Plot to assassinate Abraham Lincoln. Kate’s role, posing undercover as a southern belle was pivotal in gathering information that saved Lincoln’s life.
In the civil war years Allan served as head of the Union Intelligence Service. Employed in his service were many of the Pinkerton detectives including Kate Warne. She worked tirelessly using some of the techniques developed by Allan such as undercover work and shadowing suspects, which are still in use today.
After the Civil War The Pinkerton Agency was called on to investigate the first train robbery. It is in these post-Civil War years that the Pinkerton Agency becomes famous for their pursuit of Jesse James - the Younger Gang, the Dalton Brothers and Butch Cassidy's Wild Bunch
Sadly, in 1868 Kate Warne caught pneumonia died. She was only thirty-eight years old. Rumors circulated during her time with the Pinkerton Agency that she was involved romantically with Allan, whether this was true or not I have been unable to ascertain. The fact that the pair posed as man and wife while working undercover may have fuelled these rumors, but there is no doubt that Pinkerton was fond of her because he had her buried in the Pinkerton family plot in Chicago, Illinois.
After Kate’s death life went on at the agency and with the advent of the camera they began the task of collecting photos of criminals, and compiling them in what was to become the first criminal database.
Allan Pinkerton died in 1884 and the control of the agency passed to his sons, Robert and William. The Detective agency he founded is still in business today and can be found at http://www.pinkerton.com
I originally wrote this for author Zoe Forward’s blog. To see the original and to learn more about Zoe’s fabulous books please click on the link:
Zoe Forward
In A Woman of Love war hero, James Drake, tricks Annabel’s husband into sharing her for one night. He has no intention of compromising her. He wants to interrogate her. Why? To help his half-brother, Nicholas Carlton of Carlton Investigations. Nicholas is delving into a series of robberies. Obviously, my character is fictional, but he is loosely based on Allan Pinkerton the Scots born detective. Pinkerton was born in Glasgow in 1819 and immigrated to the United States in his early twenties after becoming disillusioned with the life of the workingman in Scotland. He settled, with his wife, Joan, in the Chicago area, working as a barrel maker. He made the move into policing after stumbling upon a ring of counterfeiters. Allan exposed the plot and had the criminals arrested.
By 1847 he had joined the Chicago police department, serving primarily in Kane County. In 1849 he was promoted to detective, becoming the first man to hold that rank in the Chicago Police Department.
And in 1850 he left the police to form his own detective agency, The Pinkerton National Private Detective Agency, putting into effect a strict code of conduct:
Accept no bribes
Never compromise with criminals
Partner with local law enforcement agencies
Refuse divorce cases or cases that initiate scandals
Turn down reward money
Never raise fees without the client’s pre-knowledge
Keep clients apprised on an on-going basis
Over the next five years Allan worked hard to grow his agency, cooperating with law enforcement and specializing in protecting shipments for the railway companies.Then in 1856 he did an extraordinary thing, for a man of his time, he hired the first female detective. She was a young, childless, widow, named Kate Warne. It is not clear whether she came to Pinkerton looking for clerical work or to persuade him to hire her as a detective, but hire her he did.
To put this in perspective, the first female detective for a police department, Lola Baldwin, was sworn in for the City of Portland On April 1, 1908. That’s fifty-two years after Pinkerton.
Allan was so impressed by Kate’s success that by 1860 the agency employed a branch of female detectives, headed up by Kate.
Pinkerton is quoted as saying:
“In my service you will serve your country better than on the field. I have several female operatives. If you agree to come aboard you will go in training with the head of my female detectives, Kate Warne. She has never let me down.” - ALLAN PINKERTON
In 1861 Pinkerton and Kate were instrumental in uncovering and foiling the Baltimore Plot to assassinate Abraham Lincoln. Kate’s role, posing undercover as a southern belle was pivotal in gathering information that saved Lincoln’s life.
In the civil war years Allan served as head of the Union Intelligence Service. Employed in his service were many of the Pinkerton detectives including Kate Warne. She worked tirelessly using some of the techniques developed by Allan such as undercover work and shadowing suspects, which are still in use today.
After the Civil War The Pinkerton Agency was called on to investigate the first train robbery. It is in these post-Civil War years that the Pinkerton Agency becomes famous for their pursuit of Jesse James - the Younger Gang, the Dalton Brothers and Butch Cassidy's Wild Bunch
Sadly, in 1868 Kate Warne caught pneumonia died. She was only thirty-eight years old. Rumors circulated during her time with the Pinkerton Agency that she was involved romantically with Allan, whether this was true or not I have been unable to ascertain. The fact that the pair posed as man and wife while working undercover may have fuelled these rumors, but there is no doubt that Pinkerton was fond of her because he had her buried in the Pinkerton family plot in Chicago, Illinois.
After Kate’s death life went on at the agency and with the advent of the camera they began the task of collecting photos of criminals, and compiling them in what was to become the first criminal database.
Allan Pinkerton died in 1884 and the control of the agency passed to his sons, Robert and William. The Detective agency he founded is still in business today and can be found at http://www.pinkerton.com
May 3, 2015
WHAT A WOMAN DESIRES by Rachel Brimble
Historical research…how much? How little?
I often get asked how much research goes into my Victorian romances and I find this really difficult to answer. As I write romance rather than historical fiction, I focus on the central relationship more than anything––which basically means the emotion. To my mind, the emotions of people during the 1800s would have been more or less the same as today…even if their problems and concerns were entirely different.
My research begins once I have decided on the theme of my book – for What A Woman Desires, my latest Victorian romance, the central theme is “Home is where the heart is”. So what did this mean as far as research is concerned? Well, first and foremost, I had to know how homes were run in the late 19th century. A home of the poor as well as the wealthy, because I had already decided my heroine was from a middle-upper class family and my hero from a lower class.
Obviously we are all lucky enough to have access to the World Wide Web nowadays, but I still think it is imperative to read as well as visit places as much as possible. I read plenty of Victorian non-fiction while writing this book as well as visiting No 1 Royal Crescent in Bath (although this is set to the Georgian era, it gave me a nice sense of place), the Bath Fashion Museum and the Theatre Royal. My favorite Victorian research book this time around (and the most helpful) was The Victorian House by Judith Flanders.
For my next Victorian book (and current work in progress), I am researching children’s boarding houses during the late 1800s as my heroine will end up working at one in bid to add something fundamentally important to a life she views as mundane and without purpose. I have cried over some of the stories I have read and hope I manage to capture the heroine’s passion and care for children as well as her love for the hero.
I spent a lot of time talking to the Bath Record Office and read books on the boarding houses as well as the Workhouse in the city. The problem with research is often knowing when to stop! If you enjoy history, the temptation to keep researching rather than getting on with the writing is hard to resist.
Through my reading and visiting, I have become more and more interested in delving backwards as well as forwards in time from the Victorian era. I wouldn’t be surprised if I write a Georgian and Edwardian series in the future. Watch this space!
Available at
AmazonFrom country girl to actress of the stage, one woman dares to live her dreams—but is she brave enough to open her heart…?
Monica Danes always wanted more than the village of Biddestone had to offer. After a failed courtship to a man of her parents’ choosing, she fled for the city of Bath and never looked back. Today, Monica is the undisputed queen of the theater—a wealthy, independent woman. But when she is called home in the wake of tragedy, Monica returns—intending to leave again as soon as possible.
Thomas Ashby has been a groom at the Danes estate since he was a boy—and has been enamored with Monica for almost as long. He knows he isn’t a suitable match for his master’s daughter, despite the special bond he and Monica have always shared—and their undeniable attraction. But now that she’s returned, Thomas has one last chance to prove himself worthy—and to show Monica a life, and a love, she won’t want to give up...
Excerpt:
Monica stared at the man’s partially revealed profile, obscured by the shadow of his hat. Familiarity she couldn’t place swept over her. He was tall, almost a foot taller than her, his shoulders broad and his biceps thick. Her gaze drifted along the sinewy forearms revealed by his rolled shirtsleeves. A laborer. She lifted her gaze to his face as he glared at their attackers. His jaw was chiseled despite the stubble that grazed it. She swallowed as shameful intimidation and attraction rolled through her. She imagined his eyes were the deepest blue. . . .
“Get up.”
The sound of his deep, rough voice a second time sliced through her appraisal and Monica stiffened.
“Get up now,” he growled.
Her breath knotted in the center of her chest. “Thomas?”
He turned and their gazes locked for the briefest moment before he looked to the men once more. It was barely a second, maybe two, that he’d looked at her, but the intensity of his gaze lingered on Monica’s skin, burning white-hot heat through her clothes to sear deep into her flesh just the way it had years before. Her heart picked up speed and her body warmed with a desire she hadn’t known in so very long. To trust a man implicitly, to know he cared for her and those closest to her was a rarity she’d taken for granted throughout the years she’d lived in Biddestone.
Her time away had taught her more than Thomas would ever understand. Shame pinched hot at her cheeks. No matter her previous connection with him, the men she’d met since had made her doubt her instincts and not dare to trust again. Yet, the life lessons she’d endured would do nothing to soothe the undoubted scar she’d left on Thomas’s sense of loyalty by leaving Marksville and not once looking back.
AUTHOR Bio and Links:
Rachel lives with her husband and two teenage daughters in a small town near Bath in the UK. After having several novels published by small US presses, she secured agent representation in 2011. In 2012, she sold two books to Harlequin Superromance and a further three in 2013. She also writes Victorian romance for Kensington--her debut was released in April 2013, followed by a second in January 2014 and the third is released Jan 2015.
Rachel is a member of the Romantic Novelists Association and Romance Writers of America, and was selected to mentor the Superromance finalist of So You Think You Can Write 2014 contest. When she isn’t writing, you’ll find Rachel with her head in a book or walking the beautiful English countryside with her family and beloved black Lab, Max. Her dream place to live is Bourton-on-the-Water in South West England.
She likes nothing more than connecting and chatting with her readers and fellow romance writers. Rachel would love to hear from you!
Website: http://rachelbrimble.com/
Blog: http://rachelbrimble.blogspot.co.uk/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/RachelBrimble
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Rachel-...
Facebook Street Team - Rachel's Readers: https://www.facebook.com/groups/Rache...
Giveaway
Rachel Brimble will be awarding a signed paperback copy of What A Woman Desires & tote bag - open internationally.
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/2015/04/virtual-book-tour-what-woman-desires-by.html
a Rafflecopter giveaway
I often get asked how much research goes into my Victorian romances and I find this really difficult to answer. As I write romance rather than historical fiction, I focus on the central relationship more than anything––which basically means the emotion. To my mind, the emotions of people during the 1800s would have been more or less the same as today…even if their problems and concerns were entirely different.
My research begins once I have decided on the theme of my book – for What A Woman Desires, my latest Victorian romance, the central theme is “Home is where the heart is”. So what did this mean as far as research is concerned? Well, first and foremost, I had to know how homes were run in the late 19th century. A home of the poor as well as the wealthy, because I had already decided my heroine was from a middle-upper class family and my hero from a lower class.
Obviously we are all lucky enough to have access to the World Wide Web nowadays, but I still think it is imperative to read as well as visit places as much as possible. I read plenty of Victorian non-fiction while writing this book as well as visiting No 1 Royal Crescent in Bath (although this is set to the Georgian era, it gave me a nice sense of place), the Bath Fashion Museum and the Theatre Royal. My favorite Victorian research book this time around (and the most helpful) was The Victorian House by Judith Flanders.
For my next Victorian book (and current work in progress), I am researching children’s boarding houses during the late 1800s as my heroine will end up working at one in bid to add something fundamentally important to a life she views as mundane and without purpose. I have cried over some of the stories I have read and hope I manage to capture the heroine’s passion and care for children as well as her love for the hero.
I spent a lot of time talking to the Bath Record Office and read books on the boarding houses as well as the Workhouse in the city. The problem with research is often knowing when to stop! If you enjoy history, the temptation to keep researching rather than getting on with the writing is hard to resist.
Through my reading and visiting, I have become more and more interested in delving backwards as well as forwards in time from the Victorian era. I wouldn’t be surprised if I write a Georgian and Edwardian series in the future. Watch this space!
Available at
AmazonFrom country girl to actress of the stage, one woman dares to live her dreams—but is she brave enough to open her heart…?
Monica Danes always wanted more than the village of Biddestone had to offer. After a failed courtship to a man of her parents’ choosing, she fled for the city of Bath and never looked back. Today, Monica is the undisputed queen of the theater—a wealthy, independent woman. But when she is called home in the wake of tragedy, Monica returns—intending to leave again as soon as possible.
Thomas Ashby has been a groom at the Danes estate since he was a boy—and has been enamored with Monica for almost as long. He knows he isn’t a suitable match for his master’s daughter, despite the special bond he and Monica have always shared—and their undeniable attraction. But now that she’s returned, Thomas has one last chance to prove himself worthy—and to show Monica a life, and a love, she won’t want to give up...
Excerpt:
Monica stared at the man’s partially revealed profile, obscured by the shadow of his hat. Familiarity she couldn’t place swept over her. He was tall, almost a foot taller than her, his shoulders broad and his biceps thick. Her gaze drifted along the sinewy forearms revealed by his rolled shirtsleeves. A laborer. She lifted her gaze to his face as he glared at their attackers. His jaw was chiseled despite the stubble that grazed it. She swallowed as shameful intimidation and attraction rolled through her. She imagined his eyes were the deepest blue. . . .
“Get up.”
The sound of his deep, rough voice a second time sliced through her appraisal and Monica stiffened.
“Get up now,” he growled.
Her breath knotted in the center of her chest. “Thomas?”
He turned and their gazes locked for the briefest moment before he looked to the men once more. It was barely a second, maybe two, that he’d looked at her, but the intensity of his gaze lingered on Monica’s skin, burning white-hot heat through her clothes to sear deep into her flesh just the way it had years before. Her heart picked up speed and her body warmed with a desire she hadn’t known in so very long. To trust a man implicitly, to know he cared for her and those closest to her was a rarity she’d taken for granted throughout the years she’d lived in Biddestone.
Her time away had taught her more than Thomas would ever understand. Shame pinched hot at her cheeks. No matter her previous connection with him, the men she’d met since had made her doubt her instincts and not dare to trust again. Yet, the life lessons she’d endured would do nothing to soothe the undoubted scar she’d left on Thomas’s sense of loyalty by leaving Marksville and not once looking back.
AUTHOR Bio and Links:
Rachel lives with her husband and two teenage daughters in a small town near Bath in the UK. After having several novels published by small US presses, she secured agent representation in 2011. In 2012, she sold two books to Harlequin Superromance and a further three in 2013. She also writes Victorian romance for Kensington--her debut was released in April 2013, followed by a second in January 2014 and the third is released Jan 2015.
Rachel is a member of the Romantic Novelists Association and Romance Writers of America, and was selected to mentor the Superromance finalist of So You Think You Can Write 2014 contest. When she isn’t writing, you’ll find Rachel with her head in a book or walking the beautiful English countryside with her family and beloved black Lab, Max. Her dream place to live is Bourton-on-the-Water in South West England.
She likes nothing more than connecting and chatting with her readers and fellow romance writers. Rachel would love to hear from you!
Website: http://rachelbrimble.com/
Blog: http://rachelbrimble.blogspot.co.uk/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/RachelBrimble
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Rachel-...
Facebook Street Team - Rachel's Readers: https://www.facebook.com/groups/Rache...
Giveaway
Rachel Brimble will be awarding a signed paperback copy of What A Woman Desires & tote bag - open internationally.
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/2015/04/virtual-book-tour-what-woman-desires-by.html
a Rafflecopter giveaway
May 1, 2015
The Heart of the Phoenix by Barbara Bettis
May Day was yesterday. I remember from younger days, my friends and I made May Baskets, usually from construction paper, and on the first day of May, filled the baskets with flowers. Then we’d hang them on the handles of doors in the neighborhood, ring the doorbell (or knock), and run.We’d hide nearby to watch the door open and the baskets discovered. The smiles of pleasure the folks had as they picked up the flowers were gratifying to us kids.
In school, we also had Maypole dances—often at recess, or at Spring programs presented for parents. Inevitably one of the dancers would drop a streamer or go under when he or she should have gone over and the resulting colorful pattern would knotted. But that was all right. Our parents loved it anyway.
I don’t know if that’s done anymore; if not, it’s a shame. It was such a fun thing to do for others, plus we had a lot of fun making those baskets. My best friend was very artistic. She’d cut and paste pieces into lovely containers, make designs on the sides.
My talents stopped at rolling a sheet of paper into a cone. If I was lucky, I’d succeed in pasting a narrow strip on for a handle.
Children have innocent fun with those traditions. They don’t realize the traditions have roots in ancient times. May 1 has been celebrated for thousands of years. In the Middle Ages, it was observed as the first day of Summer and was synonymous with Beltane, a Celtic celebration of summer held April 30-May 1. Ancient Romans celebrated the time as the Floralia, or the festival of Flora, goddess of flowers, although those festivities began April 27. Traditions may evolve over the years, but it’s important to remember them. And what better way than with a gift of flowers in a red paper cone placed on the door of someone special.
Did you do anything special to observe May Day when you were young?
Some call him a ruthless mercenary; she calls him the knight of her heart.
Available at:
Amazon
TWRP
Memories
Lady Evelynn’s childhood hero is home—bitter, hard, tempting as sin. And haunted by secrets. A now-grown Evie offers friendship, but Sir Stephen's cruel rejection crushes her, and she resolves to forget him. Yet when an unexpected war throws them together, she finds love isn’t so easy to dismiss. If only the king hadn’t betrothed her to another.
Can be cruel
Sir Stephen lives a double life while he seeks the treacherous outlaws who murdered his friends. Driven by revenge, he thinks his heart is closed to love. His childhood shadow, Lady Evie, unexpectedly challenges that belief. He rebuffs her, but he can’t forget her, although he knows she’s to wed the king’s favorite.
And deadly
When his drive for vengeance leads to Evie’s kidnapping, Stephen must choose between retribution and the love he’s denied too long. Surely King John will see reason.Convict the murderers; convince the king. Simple. Until a startling revelation threatens everything
Visit Barb at:
www.barbarabettis.blogspot.com
http://www.facebook.com/BarbaraBettisAuthor
April 29, 2015
There's No Place Like Home by Peggy Jaeger
Research comes in all forms and from all places…
When my husband and I were first married I discovered a horrible truth about him: he didn’t read for pleasure. Oh sure, he read journal after journal of medical minutia to keep up on the latest things he needed to know for his practice, but the simple act of reading for the shear pleasure of it was alien to him.
Until he married me, of course.
I wanted him to learn the joy of relaxing with a good book , so I came up with a very simple plan. We would choose a novel together and then each night one of us would read a chapter aloud to the other. We did this for quite a while and one of our favorite writers was James Herriot, the author of the All Creatures Great and Small series. It was while reading through that series I began ruminating on a story line of my own about a family of veterinarians.
By reading the Herriot books, I began to see how I could structure the life of a veterinarian, his loves, his losses, and how he dealt with everyday life as he did with the animals he cared for. He would need a strong willed woman by his side-that was a given-and their love affair would need to be the kind filled with obstacles, both professionally and personally, and life’s usual ups and downs.
Decades later, my veterinarian family was born on the page.
On May 6, my second novel in the MacQuire Woman Series will be released, titled, There’s No Place Like Home. It tells the story of a veterinarian’s daughter, Moira Cleary, and her best friend, veterinarian Quentin Stapleton. Quentin has loved two things his entire life: horses and Moira. His reputation for being a profound “horse whisperer” is solid, and he uses his talents and love to help heal a broken Moira when she returns home after four years of traveling with a professional symphony.
Working with horses is a subspecialty of veterinary care, and Quentin needed to have a broad knowledge of the animals in addition to his natural healing essence and nature. To give him that knowledge base, I began devouring books on horses: their anatomy and physiology, information on breeding, ancestry…you name it. I spent hours trolling the Internet for information on horses and watched every movie about them I could find. By the time I started writing the book I felt I knew more about horses than I’d ever use. Some simple facts helped in various scenes, such as, horses have 360 degree vision and have the largest eyes of any other land mammal. They drink about 25 gallons of water per day and you can tell if they are dehydrated by pinching their skin. These facts Quentin would need to know to effectively treat a sick horse, and he uses this info in the book.
Research is valuable, in whatever form it comes in. I will never be a horse whisperer, treat an ailing stallion or a pregnant mare. But because of that love of the Herriot books, I have created a stable of men who can. Quentin Stapleton is one of them.
Available at:
Amazon
The Wild Rose Press
Barnes & Nobel
Symphony pianist Moira Cleary comes home after four years of touring, exhausted, sick, and spiritually broken. Emotional and psychological abuse at the hands of someone she trusted has left her gaunt, anxious, and at a crossroads both professionally and personally.
Moira’s best friend, veterinarian Quentin Stapleton, wants nothing more than to help Moira get well. Can his natural healing skills make it possible for her to open her heart again? And can he convince her she’s meant to stay home now with the family that loves her - and with him - forever?
Excerpt:
“Remember when your cousin Tiffany got married in the backyard here?”
Confused, Moira nodded.
Quentin rubbed her bottom lip with the pad of his thumb. “When the Reverend told Cole ‘you can kiss your bride,’ and he swooped her off the ground, spun her around and kissed her silly? Remember what you said?”
“I think I said it was the most romantic thing I’d ever seen.”
He nodded. “The exact quote was, ‘I hope someone kisses me like that some day.’”
Her grin was quick at the memory. “Pat snorted and said I’d better be satisfied with licks from the horses and Rob Roy because no guy was ever gonna kiss me.”
“He wasn’t known for tact back then.” He rubbed a hand down her back as he held her. “Remember what happened later on behind the barn?”
Because she did, she couldn’t stop the heat from spreading up her face like wildfire. When she nodded again, he said, “You wanted to know what it felt like to be kissed like that and since I was your best friend, you thought I should be the one to do it, because you – quote - felt safe with me – unquote.”
“What was I? Eleven?”
“Thirteen. And I was more than willing. Almost broke my heart in two when you said afterward, ‘I don’t see what all the fuss is about.’”
“Q—”
“Hush.” He kissed her forehead. “Ever since that day, all I’ve wanted is a second chance. Now,” he pulled her body closer, wrapped both arms around her small waist, his hands resting just above the dent in her spine. “We’re both a little older, a little more mature. Some of us are much more experienced—”
“And conceited.”
“Experienced,” he said, the laugh in his voice quiet and seductive, “and things can be so much better.”
Author Bio:
Peggy Jaeger’s love of writing began in the third grade when she won her first writing contest with a short story titled THE CLOWN. After that, there was no stopping her. Throughout college and after she became a Registered Nurse, she had several Nursing Journal articles published, in addition to many mystery short stories in Literary Magazines. When her daughter was born, Peggy had an article titled THE VOICES OF ANGELS published and reprinted in several parenting magazines, detailing the birth and the accident that almost turned this wonderful event into a tragedy. She had two children’s books published in 1995 titled THE KINDNESS TALES and EMILY AND THE EASTER EGGS, which was illustrated by her artist Mother-in-Law. While her daughter grew, Peggy would write age appropriate stories for her to read along with, and finally, to read on her own. Her YA stories are usually mysteries involving smart and funny 12-13 year old girls and an unusual collection of friends and relatives. They all take place in the 1980’s.
In 2005 she was thrilled to have an article on motherhood placed in the CHICKEN SOUP FOR VERY MOTHER’S SOUL edition. She has won several awards in various Writer’s Digest short story and personal article categories over the years. Recently, she has placed first in the Dixie Kane 2013 Memorial Contest in the Short/Long Contemporary romance Category, and in the Single Title Contemporary Category, and third place in the ICO Romance Contest for 2013.
A life-long and avid romance reader and writer, she is a member of RWA and her local New Hampshire RWA Chapter.
Peggy has embraced the techno age and writes for three blogs, all detailing events in her life. One titled, 50 pounds for 50 years is a personal blog about weight loss, one about her life as an EMPTY NESTER and her most recent one MOMENTS FROM MENOPAUSE, a humorous and informative guide through this time in a woman’s life.
Her first romance novel, SKATER’S WALTZ, book 1 in the MacQuire Women Series, was released on March 4, 2015 from the Wild Rose Press. The second book in the series, There’s No Place Like Home will be released on May 6.
Social Media Sites:
Website: http://peggyjaeger.com/
Facebook:
https://www.facebook.com/pages/Peggy-Jaeger-Author/825914814095072
When my husband and I were first married I discovered a horrible truth about him: he didn’t read for pleasure. Oh sure, he read journal after journal of medical minutia to keep up on the latest things he needed to know for his practice, but the simple act of reading for the shear pleasure of it was alien to him.
Until he married me, of course.
I wanted him to learn the joy of relaxing with a good book , so I came up with a very simple plan. We would choose a novel together and then each night one of us would read a chapter aloud to the other. We did this for quite a while and one of our favorite writers was James Herriot, the author of the All Creatures Great and Small series. It was while reading through that series I began ruminating on a story line of my own about a family of veterinarians.
By reading the Herriot books, I began to see how I could structure the life of a veterinarian, his loves, his losses, and how he dealt with everyday life as he did with the animals he cared for. He would need a strong willed woman by his side-that was a given-and their love affair would need to be the kind filled with obstacles, both professionally and personally, and life’s usual ups and downs.
Decades later, my veterinarian family was born on the page.
On May 6, my second novel in the MacQuire Woman Series will be released, titled, There’s No Place Like Home. It tells the story of a veterinarian’s daughter, Moira Cleary, and her best friend, veterinarian Quentin Stapleton. Quentin has loved two things his entire life: horses and Moira. His reputation for being a profound “horse whisperer” is solid, and he uses his talents and love to help heal a broken Moira when she returns home after four years of traveling with a professional symphony.
Working with horses is a subspecialty of veterinary care, and Quentin needed to have a broad knowledge of the animals in addition to his natural healing essence and nature. To give him that knowledge base, I began devouring books on horses: their anatomy and physiology, information on breeding, ancestry…you name it. I spent hours trolling the Internet for information on horses and watched every movie about them I could find. By the time I started writing the book I felt I knew more about horses than I’d ever use. Some simple facts helped in various scenes, such as, horses have 360 degree vision and have the largest eyes of any other land mammal. They drink about 25 gallons of water per day and you can tell if they are dehydrated by pinching their skin. These facts Quentin would need to know to effectively treat a sick horse, and he uses this info in the book.
Research is valuable, in whatever form it comes in. I will never be a horse whisperer, treat an ailing stallion or a pregnant mare. But because of that love of the Herriot books, I have created a stable of men who can. Quentin Stapleton is one of them.
Available at:
Amazon
The Wild Rose Press
Barnes & Nobel
Symphony pianist Moira Cleary comes home after four years of touring, exhausted, sick, and spiritually broken. Emotional and psychological abuse at the hands of someone she trusted has left her gaunt, anxious, and at a crossroads both professionally and personally.
Moira’s best friend, veterinarian Quentin Stapleton, wants nothing more than to help Moira get well. Can his natural healing skills make it possible for her to open her heart again? And can he convince her she’s meant to stay home now with the family that loves her - and with him - forever?
Excerpt:
“Remember when your cousin Tiffany got married in the backyard here?”
Confused, Moira nodded.
Quentin rubbed her bottom lip with the pad of his thumb. “When the Reverend told Cole ‘you can kiss your bride,’ and he swooped her off the ground, spun her around and kissed her silly? Remember what you said?”
“I think I said it was the most romantic thing I’d ever seen.”
He nodded. “The exact quote was, ‘I hope someone kisses me like that some day.’”
Her grin was quick at the memory. “Pat snorted and said I’d better be satisfied with licks from the horses and Rob Roy because no guy was ever gonna kiss me.”
“He wasn’t known for tact back then.” He rubbed a hand down her back as he held her. “Remember what happened later on behind the barn?”
Because she did, she couldn’t stop the heat from spreading up her face like wildfire. When she nodded again, he said, “You wanted to know what it felt like to be kissed like that and since I was your best friend, you thought I should be the one to do it, because you – quote - felt safe with me – unquote.”
“What was I? Eleven?”
“Thirteen. And I was more than willing. Almost broke my heart in two when you said afterward, ‘I don’t see what all the fuss is about.’”
“Q—”
“Hush.” He kissed her forehead. “Ever since that day, all I’ve wanted is a second chance. Now,” he pulled her body closer, wrapped both arms around her small waist, his hands resting just above the dent in her spine. “We’re both a little older, a little more mature. Some of us are much more experienced—”
“And conceited.”
“Experienced,” he said, the laugh in his voice quiet and seductive, “and things can be so much better.”
Author Bio:
Peggy Jaeger’s love of writing began in the third grade when she won her first writing contest with a short story titled THE CLOWN. After that, there was no stopping her. Throughout college and after she became a Registered Nurse, she had several Nursing Journal articles published, in addition to many mystery short stories in Literary Magazines. When her daughter was born, Peggy had an article titled THE VOICES OF ANGELS published and reprinted in several parenting magazines, detailing the birth and the accident that almost turned this wonderful event into a tragedy. She had two children’s books published in 1995 titled THE KINDNESS TALES and EMILY AND THE EASTER EGGS, which was illustrated by her artist Mother-in-Law. While her daughter grew, Peggy would write age appropriate stories for her to read along with, and finally, to read on her own. Her YA stories are usually mysteries involving smart and funny 12-13 year old girls and an unusual collection of friends and relatives. They all take place in the 1980’s.
In 2005 she was thrilled to have an article on motherhood placed in the CHICKEN SOUP FOR VERY MOTHER’S SOUL edition. She has won several awards in various Writer’s Digest short story and personal article categories over the years. Recently, she has placed first in the Dixie Kane 2013 Memorial Contest in the Short/Long Contemporary romance Category, and in the Single Title Contemporary Category, and third place in the ICO Romance Contest for 2013.
A life-long and avid romance reader and writer, she is a member of RWA and her local New Hampshire RWA Chapter.
Peggy has embraced the techno age and writes for three blogs, all detailing events in her life. One titled, 50 pounds for 50 years is a personal blog about weight loss, one about her life as an EMPTY NESTER and her most recent one MOMENTS FROM MENOPAUSE, a humorous and informative guide through this time in a woman’s life.
Her first romance novel, SKATER’S WALTZ, book 1 in the MacQuire Women Series, was released on March 4, 2015 from the Wild Rose Press. The second book in the series, There’s No Place Like Home will be released on May 6.
Social Media Sites:
Website: http://peggyjaeger.com/
Facebook:
https://www.facebook.com/pages/Peggy-Jaeger-Author/825914814095072
April 26, 2015
A Lady’s Addiction by Angelina Jameson
I love it when fiction echoes a real-life event, so I was delighted to read this post from today’s guest, Angelina Jameson. I hope you enjoy this short personal family story.
The Family Legend I’m very new at this guest blogging thing. Who would have thought picking a topic to blog about could be so nerve-wracking. I had intended writing a post about an historical subject. I changed my mind when I received a phone call from my youngest sister after she read A Lady’s Addiction.
“Did you base the scene about the married couple breaking dishes on mom and dad?” My sister asked.
“Yes, I did!” I was thrilled she had seen the similarity of the scene to one of our family’s legends. She was thrilled I had used a memory from our childhood in a book.
I’m not sure how old I was when the ‘breaking every dish in the house’ event occurred. I do believe I was at school. My mom was a stay at home mom. There were nine of us kids in the house plus Uncle Bob, an old family friend who worked with my dad. The play by play I received of the event came from Uncle Bob.
Evidently my mom was irritated with something my dad had said and threw a plate on the floor. My dad said, “I can do that too,” and proceeded to throw his own plate on the floor. From there both my parents began to clear out all the cupboards and drawers of breakable dishes and hurl them on the floor. When there were no dishes left to throw, Uncle Bob said he got up from the kitchen table were he sat observing the spectacle and started to clean up the mess with a broom and dustpan. My parents laughed at themselves and made up. If they made up the way the characters in my book do, Uncle Bob didn’t tell me. Thank goodness.
Does your family have its own legend? I would love to hear about it. One reader who leaves a comment on this blog post will receive a $10 Amazon gift ca
A Lady’s Addiction Can two people with very different needs find happiness together?
Available at:
Amazon
TWRP
B&N
Anna, a widow battling alcohol addiction is convinced she is worthless unless she bears a child. She hires a lover to prove she is not frigid and may marry again and have children.
Devlyn, sterile from an accident, has returned from an assignment for the Foreign Office and inadvertently becomes Anna’s lover.
Anna and Devlyn join forces to protect an innocent child from a blackmailer. Can they come to terms not only with their feelings for each other but whether they will allow society to dictate the true significance of life?
Excerpt:
She couldn’t remember the question she’d asked. His nearness unsettled her. Her entire body had flared into wakefulness the moment he entered her room. Cecily could be right; this man might be able to help with her problem.
Tonight she would play a part. She would emulate the sophisticated façade her friend Cecily Pickerel displayed. The scandalous nightgown underneath her thin robe was in fact a gift from Cecily. She would never have had enough courage to buy such a shocking garment for herself.
“You are discreet?”
“What is your name?” Franco asked, ignoring her question.
Somewhere in the back of her mind she remembered Cecily telling her she needn’t share personal information. She would never see this man again. He didn’t move in her circles. With the slightest of shrugs, she answered truthfully, “Anna.”
“Anna,” he said in a husky rasp. The way her name rolled off his tongue sent the lightest frisson along her skin. “It is a graceful, pretty name. It suits you.”
“There is no need to flatter me.” She felt heat on her cheeks. “It is a common enough name.”
“Despite our current situation, my dear, I do not believe you are at all common.”
Author Bio:
I joined the US Air Force to see the world. My dreams of visiting the United Kingdom were fulfilled when I was stationed at RAF Lakenheath in the beautiful countryside of Suffolk, England. Five years later I returned to the states having acquired a wonderful husband and a love of all things British. I began writing as a hobby when my husband was remote to Honduras for a year. I found RWA and a local New Mexico chapter, LERA, and my hobby developed into a dream of sharing my stories with others. I currently live in the great state of Alaska with my husband and our two teenage boys.
Social Media:
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/angelinajamesonauthor
Twitter: https://twitter.com/RegencyLady
Website: https://www.angelinajameson.com
The Family Legend I’m very new at this guest blogging thing. Who would have thought picking a topic to blog about could be so nerve-wracking. I had intended writing a post about an historical subject. I changed my mind when I received a phone call from my youngest sister after she read A Lady’s Addiction.
“Did you base the scene about the married couple breaking dishes on mom and dad?” My sister asked.
“Yes, I did!” I was thrilled she had seen the similarity of the scene to one of our family’s legends. She was thrilled I had used a memory from our childhood in a book.
I’m not sure how old I was when the ‘breaking every dish in the house’ event occurred. I do believe I was at school. My mom was a stay at home mom. There were nine of us kids in the house plus Uncle Bob, an old family friend who worked with my dad. The play by play I received of the event came from Uncle Bob.
Evidently my mom was irritated with something my dad had said and threw a plate on the floor. My dad said, “I can do that too,” and proceeded to throw his own plate on the floor. From there both my parents began to clear out all the cupboards and drawers of breakable dishes and hurl them on the floor. When there were no dishes left to throw, Uncle Bob said he got up from the kitchen table were he sat observing the spectacle and started to clean up the mess with a broom and dustpan. My parents laughed at themselves and made up. If they made up the way the characters in my book do, Uncle Bob didn’t tell me. Thank goodness.
Does your family have its own legend? I would love to hear about it. One reader who leaves a comment on this blog post will receive a $10 Amazon gift ca
A Lady’s Addiction Can two people with very different needs find happiness together?
Available at:
Amazon
TWRP
B&N
Anna, a widow battling alcohol addiction is convinced she is worthless unless she bears a child. She hires a lover to prove she is not frigid and may marry again and have children.
Devlyn, sterile from an accident, has returned from an assignment for the Foreign Office and inadvertently becomes Anna’s lover.
Anna and Devlyn join forces to protect an innocent child from a blackmailer. Can they come to terms not only with their feelings for each other but whether they will allow society to dictate the true significance of life?
Excerpt:
She couldn’t remember the question she’d asked. His nearness unsettled her. Her entire body had flared into wakefulness the moment he entered her room. Cecily could be right; this man might be able to help with her problem.
Tonight she would play a part. She would emulate the sophisticated façade her friend Cecily Pickerel displayed. The scandalous nightgown underneath her thin robe was in fact a gift from Cecily. She would never have had enough courage to buy such a shocking garment for herself.
“You are discreet?”
“What is your name?” Franco asked, ignoring her question.
Somewhere in the back of her mind she remembered Cecily telling her she needn’t share personal information. She would never see this man again. He didn’t move in her circles. With the slightest of shrugs, she answered truthfully, “Anna.”
“Anna,” he said in a husky rasp. The way her name rolled off his tongue sent the lightest frisson along her skin. “It is a graceful, pretty name. It suits you.”
“There is no need to flatter me.” She felt heat on her cheeks. “It is a common enough name.”
“Despite our current situation, my dear, I do not believe you are at all common.”
Author Bio:
I joined the US Air Force to see the world. My dreams of visiting the United Kingdom were fulfilled when I was stationed at RAF Lakenheath in the beautiful countryside of Suffolk, England. Five years later I returned to the states having acquired a wonderful husband and a love of all things British. I began writing as a hobby when my husband was remote to Honduras for a year. I found RWA and a local New Mexico chapter, LERA, and my hobby developed into a dream of sharing my stories with others. I currently live in the great state of Alaska with my husband and our two teenage boys.
Social Media:
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/angelinajamesonauthor
Twitter: https://twitter.com/RegencyLady
Website: https://www.angelinajameson.com
April 24, 2015
Once There Were Sad Songs by Velda Brotherton
The History of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder
Veterans suffering from PTSD is not new. Men who go to war have suffered from flashbacks, night terrors, withdrawal, depression and other stress disorders for centuries. People who undergo any type of traumatic experience can also suffer from the symptoms. Doctors have only recently learned enough about the disorder to offer treatments that work.
Diaries found written by soldiers thousands of years ago reflect their suffering of traumatic stress.
Just imagine walking down the street in your quiet, peaceful hometown and you turn a corner and step onto a battlefield? Perhaps reminiscent of the war zone you left five or ten years ago? Your friends, men you fought beside, lie dying all around you, heat and explosions of mortar fire blasts from all directions. It’s as real as if it were happening and you can’t get away. You can’t escape the horror. It’s not a memory, it’s the real thing. And you have been thrown back into a battle so vivid you believe you are there.
I remember my Dad, who served in the Navy, telling me about a cousin of his who was on a battle ship in the South Pacific during World War II. It was torpedoed and went down. He floated on a piece of the wreckage for fourteen days before being rescued. My Dad said, “He never was the same after that.”
In those days the stress disorder was referred to as shell shock or battle fatigue and veterans were left to get over it or not. The disorder was often misunderstood and seldom treated.
During the Civil War military physicians, at a loss to treat the problems of soldiers, simply mustered the extreme cases out during the first three years of the war. Many Civil War soldiers returned suffering from what was then known as nostalgia or soldier's heart. These men were termed insane and at one time so many wandered about that there was a public outcry. Many starved to death or froze because everyone thought they were crazy and dangerous so they were shunned. This led to the establishment of the first military hospital for the insane in 1863. Most of these were closed down after the war and veterans again wandered the streets.
In earlier times French doctors had termed the symptoms maladie du pays, and the Spanish, confronted with the same reactions among their soldiers, called it estar roto (literally, “to be broken”).
Currently doctors in VA hospitals are treating veterans of Vietnam, Korea, Afghanistan, and other Middle East conflicts for this disorder once referred to as a syndrome. Some are helped with medication and counseling. Sadly, there are still many homeless veterans who wander the streets, unable or unwilling to get the help they need.
The best thing you can do if you know someone who suffers from PTSD is encourage them to talk to you about their feelings and experiences. You may not be a counselor who can suggest solutions, but you can listen with an open heart and mind and try to be supportive. Show that you care.
And if this is a veteran, don't forget to thank him for his service.
If you think you might be suffering from PTSD, or know someone who is, here's a website that lists the symptoms and will help you find solutions.
http://maketheconnection.net/conditions/ptsd?gclid=CMHt_YL_3bwCFZLm7Aodc1MABQ
This site is the official voice of Vietnam Veterans of America, Inc., and offers much more information about Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. (http://www.vva.org/archive/TheVeteran/2005_03/feature_HistoryPTSD.htm)
Because of my interest in this subject and all the research I’ve done, I have written a few books in which a character suffers from PTSD. The hero in ROWENA’S HELLION is a veteran of the siege of Paris during the Franco Prussian War of 1870-71. He suffers from this stress and the story reflects the way those men were treated in the 1800s. I then wrote ONCE THERE WERE SAD SONGS, about a Vietnam veteran and two friends who wander the country on motor cycles until they meet a woman who influences them so that they take a good look at the futility of their lives. My latest, BEYOND THE MOON, is the story of Glen Tanner, a Vietnam Veteran who returns home from nine years in a POW camp where he suffered extreme torture, and Katy Kelley, whose love helps heal him.
Once There Were Sad Songs Two lonely people search for a life they've always believed in and find each other at a remote lake in the Ouachita Mountains.
1985 - A Vietnam Vet on the path to destruction and a schoolteacher searching for the life she always dreamed of having find each other at a remote lake in the Ouachita Mountains. Can they embrace this second chance at love or is it too late?
On Sale for $0.99
Available at:
Amazon
TWRP In the summer of 1985, Mary Elizabeth flees a fanatic husband and a cult-like life to search for a meaningful existence. Camped in Ouachita State Park she falls in with three scruffy motorcycle bums after one of them rescues her from some young hoodlums. That one, despite all his nightmare memories, teaches her the true meaning of love and changes her life forever.
Steven, a Vietnam vet and war hero set on the path to destruction with his buddies, never expected to find a woman whose love could help him see how to atone for his misspent life and find happiness again. But once he’s found her and realized the way he must go, it’s impossible to keep her in his life. Or is it?
Veterans suffering from PTSD is not new. Men who go to war have suffered from flashbacks, night terrors, withdrawal, depression and other stress disorders for centuries. People who undergo any type of traumatic experience can also suffer from the symptoms. Doctors have only recently learned enough about the disorder to offer treatments that work.
Diaries found written by soldiers thousands of years ago reflect their suffering of traumatic stress.
Just imagine walking down the street in your quiet, peaceful hometown and you turn a corner and step onto a battlefield? Perhaps reminiscent of the war zone you left five or ten years ago? Your friends, men you fought beside, lie dying all around you, heat and explosions of mortar fire blasts from all directions. It’s as real as if it were happening and you can’t get away. You can’t escape the horror. It’s not a memory, it’s the real thing. And you have been thrown back into a battle so vivid you believe you are there.
I remember my Dad, who served in the Navy, telling me about a cousin of his who was on a battle ship in the South Pacific during World War II. It was torpedoed and went down. He floated on a piece of the wreckage for fourteen days before being rescued. My Dad said, “He never was the same after that.”
In those days the stress disorder was referred to as shell shock or battle fatigue and veterans were left to get over it or not. The disorder was often misunderstood and seldom treated.
During the Civil War military physicians, at a loss to treat the problems of soldiers, simply mustered the extreme cases out during the first three years of the war. Many Civil War soldiers returned suffering from what was then known as nostalgia or soldier's heart. These men were termed insane and at one time so many wandered about that there was a public outcry. Many starved to death or froze because everyone thought they were crazy and dangerous so they were shunned. This led to the establishment of the first military hospital for the insane in 1863. Most of these were closed down after the war and veterans again wandered the streets.
In earlier times French doctors had termed the symptoms maladie du pays, and the Spanish, confronted with the same reactions among their soldiers, called it estar roto (literally, “to be broken”).
Currently doctors in VA hospitals are treating veterans of Vietnam, Korea, Afghanistan, and other Middle East conflicts for this disorder once referred to as a syndrome. Some are helped with medication and counseling. Sadly, there are still many homeless veterans who wander the streets, unable or unwilling to get the help they need.
The best thing you can do if you know someone who suffers from PTSD is encourage them to talk to you about their feelings and experiences. You may not be a counselor who can suggest solutions, but you can listen with an open heart and mind and try to be supportive. Show that you care.
And if this is a veteran, don't forget to thank him for his service.
If you think you might be suffering from PTSD, or know someone who is, here's a website that lists the symptoms and will help you find solutions.
http://maketheconnection.net/conditions/ptsd?gclid=CMHt_YL_3bwCFZLm7Aodc1MABQ
This site is the official voice of Vietnam Veterans of America, Inc., and offers much more information about Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. (http://www.vva.org/archive/TheVeteran/2005_03/feature_HistoryPTSD.htm)
Because of my interest in this subject and all the research I’ve done, I have written a few books in which a character suffers from PTSD. The hero in ROWENA’S HELLION is a veteran of the siege of Paris during the Franco Prussian War of 1870-71. He suffers from this stress and the story reflects the way those men were treated in the 1800s. I then wrote ONCE THERE WERE SAD SONGS, about a Vietnam veteran and two friends who wander the country on motor cycles until they meet a woman who influences them so that they take a good look at the futility of their lives. My latest, BEYOND THE MOON, is the story of Glen Tanner, a Vietnam Veteran who returns home from nine years in a POW camp where he suffered extreme torture, and Katy Kelley, whose love helps heal him.
Once There Were Sad Songs Two lonely people search for a life they've always believed in and find each other at a remote lake in the Ouachita Mountains.
1985 - A Vietnam Vet on the path to destruction and a schoolteacher searching for the life she always dreamed of having find each other at a remote lake in the Ouachita Mountains. Can they embrace this second chance at love or is it too late?
On Sale for $0.99
Available at:
Amazon
TWRP In the summer of 1985, Mary Elizabeth flees a fanatic husband and a cult-like life to search for a meaningful existence. Camped in Ouachita State Park she falls in with three scruffy motorcycle bums after one of them rescues her from some young hoodlums. That one, despite all his nightmare memories, teaches her the true meaning of love and changes her life forever.
Steven, a Vietnam vet and war hero set on the path to destruction with his buddies, never expected to find a woman whose love could help him see how to atone for his misspent life and find happiness again. But once he’s found her and realized the way he must go, it’s impossible to keep her in his life. Or is it?
April 23, 2015
Drawn Together by Amelia Swan
People are always surprised when they find out that I’m a professional wrestling fan. When I explain to them how much I love it, they are totally blown away. I guess I can understand that. To most people, pro wrestling is just a bunch of grown men play fighting. But to me, wrestling is one of the most entertaining forms of storytelling in existence.
Wrestling is packed with all the classic elements of good storytelling. The wrestlers are characters that grow and evolve over time. These characters engage in feuds with each other, pitting heroes against villains. Alliances are formed, and they are almost always broken. Some storylines can last for years, making them as engaging and detailed as last series you read by your favorite author or the TV show you just finished watching on Netflix.
To top it all off, wrestling matches feature amazing athleticism. The men and women involved perform feats that would lead viewers to believe they have some form of gymnastics or acrobatic training. Wrestlers train for hours a day, honing their craft and developing the skills they need to perform in the ring.
In the past, I’ve compared professional wrestling to ballet. Wrestlers and dancers both assume their roles as they attempt to tell a story through a series of choreographed movements. Though a ballet is choreographed more precisely than a wrestling match might be, the formula is still the fame. Despite this, many hold the world of classical ballet in higher esteem than they do wrestling.
Which brings me back to where I started: many people misunderstand the art of wrestling. I often think that everyone were to give wrestling a shot, they might find themselves surprised by how interesting and intricate it really is.
Available at:
Amazon
B&N
iBooks
Hailey Sommers is only home from New York for a few months. So when she reconnects with the one guy she can't forget, will she be able to walk away...again?
Hailey can’t wait to get back to New York City. There she’s a hip children’s book author with a healthy social life. Being back in her hometown of Medford only reminds her of the less-than-cool girl she used to be. Until she runs into Cody, her old partner-in-crime in high school art and the boy she lusted after all four years.
Cody West has everything he could want in Medford, except Hailey. When she left for the big city, there was a hole in his life no other girl could fill. But he’s not sure he wants to open himself to the pain if she leaves again.
A chance encounter at the town coffee shop reignites the chemistry between the pair and is almost enough to make Hailey forget how much she wants to return to the city she’s grown to love. Almost. Wanting it all, Hailey plans to bring Cody back to New York with her. The only catch is that she’s not sure he’ll agree…
Excerpt:
I looked up from my netbook screen and there he was: Cody West. The boy I’d lusted after throughout high school. The boy who’d changed my life and didn’t even know it.
He’d grown up since I last saw him at Jessica Mitchell’s graduation party. His sandy hair still cascaded down his forehead, but it no longer perpetually hung down over his big brown eyes. Four years of high school football had kept Cody in shape back when I knew him, but four years of college football had added a little bit of bulk to his lean frame. At least, I assumed he played in college. I knew that he headed off to Temple with a sports scholarship.
Rocking back onto his heels, Cody scanned the glass pastry case, probably looking for something sweet to accompany his coffee. He tossed his hair to the side as he inspected the contents of the case. He always liked sweets. He and I used to pass bags of candy back and forth while Mrs. Cole, our art teacher, wasn't looking. After taking a sip of my cappuccino, I smiled at the memory, glad for the first time that I was back in Medford.
AUTHOR Bio and Links:
Amelia Swan writes contemporary, erotic, paranormal, and new adult romance. She’s interested in characters that are smart, sincere, and somewhat artistically inclined. All of her heroines are girls she could totally see herself being friends with.
Website: www.ameliaswan.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/byameliaswan
Twitter: https://twitter.com/byameliaswan
Amelia Swan 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/2015/03/vbt-drawn-together-by-amelia-swan.html
a Rafflecopter giveaway
Wrestling is packed with all the classic elements of good storytelling. The wrestlers are characters that grow and evolve over time. These characters engage in feuds with each other, pitting heroes against villains. Alliances are formed, and they are almost always broken. Some storylines can last for years, making them as engaging and detailed as last series you read by your favorite author or the TV show you just finished watching on Netflix.
To top it all off, wrestling matches feature amazing athleticism. The men and women involved perform feats that would lead viewers to believe they have some form of gymnastics or acrobatic training. Wrestlers train for hours a day, honing their craft and developing the skills they need to perform in the ring.
In the past, I’ve compared professional wrestling to ballet. Wrestlers and dancers both assume their roles as they attempt to tell a story through a series of choreographed movements. Though a ballet is choreographed more precisely than a wrestling match might be, the formula is still the fame. Despite this, many hold the world of classical ballet in higher esteem than they do wrestling.
Which brings me back to where I started: many people misunderstand the art of wrestling. I often think that everyone were to give wrestling a shot, they might find themselves surprised by how interesting and intricate it really is.
Available at:Amazon
B&N
iBooks
Hailey Sommers is only home from New York for a few months. So when she reconnects with the one guy she can't forget, will she be able to walk away...again?
Hailey can’t wait to get back to New York City. There she’s a hip children’s book author with a healthy social life. Being back in her hometown of Medford only reminds her of the less-than-cool girl she used to be. Until she runs into Cody, her old partner-in-crime in high school art and the boy she lusted after all four years.
Cody West has everything he could want in Medford, except Hailey. When she left for the big city, there was a hole in his life no other girl could fill. But he’s not sure he wants to open himself to the pain if she leaves again.
A chance encounter at the town coffee shop reignites the chemistry between the pair and is almost enough to make Hailey forget how much she wants to return to the city she’s grown to love. Almost. Wanting it all, Hailey plans to bring Cody back to New York with her. The only catch is that she’s not sure he’ll agree…
Excerpt:
I looked up from my netbook screen and there he was: Cody West. The boy I’d lusted after throughout high school. The boy who’d changed my life and didn’t even know it.
He’d grown up since I last saw him at Jessica Mitchell’s graduation party. His sandy hair still cascaded down his forehead, but it no longer perpetually hung down over his big brown eyes. Four years of high school football had kept Cody in shape back when I knew him, but four years of college football had added a little bit of bulk to his lean frame. At least, I assumed he played in college. I knew that he headed off to Temple with a sports scholarship.
Rocking back onto his heels, Cody scanned the glass pastry case, probably looking for something sweet to accompany his coffee. He tossed his hair to the side as he inspected the contents of the case. He always liked sweets. He and I used to pass bags of candy back and forth while Mrs. Cole, our art teacher, wasn't looking. After taking a sip of my cappuccino, I smiled at the memory, glad for the first time that I was back in Medford.
AUTHOR Bio and Links:
Amelia Swan writes contemporary, erotic, paranormal, and new adult romance. She’s interested in characters that are smart, sincere, and somewhat artistically inclined. All of her heroines are girls she could totally see herself being friends with.
Website: www.ameliaswan.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/byameliaswan
Twitter: https://twitter.com/byameliaswan
Amelia Swan 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/2015/03/vbt-drawn-together-by-amelia-swan.html
a Rafflecopter giveaway
April 20, 2015
Me on Blog Talk Radio
At Least Max the Pug will be listening Tomorrow night at 8:30pm EST yours truly will be appearing live on blog talk radio.One of my former guests Renee Bernard has graciously invited me to be on her show, the Romance Bookmark.
To say I’m nervous would be an understatement – I’m terrified.
I really shouldn’t be. I mean how many people will really hear it? Not many, so why the fear?
First of all I’m not really that interesting. I’m just an average mom doing her average thing. I wake up early, answer my emails, have a coffee, workout and then get the kids ready for school. When the kids are at school I write.
Deciding what to make for dinner is the hardest choice I have to make.
So what are we going to talk about for 15 minutes? Not much.
The other reason I’m so scared is because …I’m an idiot.
Seriously, in real life I’m always saying the wrong thing. Hiding in my little house and not going out into the big wide world is safest for all concerned. So why did I agree to do the radio show? Because like I said… I’m an idiot.
When my characters say the wrong thing, which happens more than you know, I edit and then I edit again. Unfortunately there’s no editing on live radio.
So tomorrow night for better or worse I will join the fabulous Renee Bernard on the Romance Bookmark. The show is normally full of laughter and fun, and in my case foolishness. I hope you can join us.
http://www.blogtalkradio.com/circle-of-seven
For those of you who can’t join us live I will put the podcast link on my appearances page – even if it’s really bad.
April 14, 2015
Dead Handsome: A Buffalo Steampunk Adventure by Laura Strickland
Available at
Amazon
Clara Allen needs a husband in order to keep a roof over the heads of her assorted dependents, a roof her nasty grandfather will re-appropriate unless she is married by her 21st birthday, only a few days away. Strong-minded, unwilling to take orders from any man, she decides to solve her problem by raising a murdered prisoner from the dead and marrying him. She expects an empty-headed puppet; she certainly never dreams he’ll be so devastatingly handsome.
Liam McMahon doesn’t recall much about his life before his hanging in the prison yard, other than being Irish. He does remember the kiss Clara bestowed as she brought him back to life. Every time he looks at her, his desire gets out of hand. But his former life is chasing him down like a steam engine, and when a couple of mad geniuses decide he’d make a fine experiment, he wonders if he’ll live long enough to claim Clara’s heart or if he’ll die all over again.
Excerpt:
“Another load of coal,” Clara fretted. “I don’t know how we’re going to pay for it.”
“Have you considered sending me out to work? I could probably earn twice as much as those lads.”
“No. You are supposed to be,” she waved a hand at him, “a gentleman.” He did not look it. At the moment, with his collar wide open at the throat, eyes bright and hair tumbled over his forehead, he looked all rogue. One with whom she ached to go to bed. It was no wonder she couldn’t sleep; she spent all her night time hours thinking about that, about him.
“I’m bored, Clara. I’ve little to do but think, and there’s precious little in my head to think about. You want me to stay here shut in like a damned convalescent. You’ll have to give me some way to occupy myself.”
“I hadn’t thought of that.” Her days were so full with the children—especially Cassie—and the household, she hadn’t considered how his must drag.
“Do you think of me at all?” He stepped closer and her breathing immediately hitched. “Do I mean anything more to you than that steamie?”
“Of course. Though I value Dax very highly, and—”
He stepped still closer; she promptly lost her train of thought.
“Clara, I can’t stand this. Why won’t you come to me at night, if only for the sake of my sanity? This feels like being starved by bits. Do you feel nothing, no want? No need?”
Did she feel nothing? She closed her eyes a moment against the intensity of emotion. He had to know some of what she felt, must feel it the way she gleaned the overflow of the turbulence he experienced.
“Liam, I am trying to protect myself, to protect both of us.”
“How? By killing me over again? You must know how it feels, being denied your presence.”
“You are not denied my presence. You can be in my company any time.”
“Except at night, when I need you most, when I lie there with my sanity in shreds, straining to hold on to myself. You don’t turn Cassie away. Why me?”
“You’re much more dangerous.” The words slipped from Clara before she could hold them back.
“Me, dangerous?” He widened those sky- blue eyes, and Clara’s pulse sped up another notch.
AUTHOR Bio and Links:
Born in Buffalo and raised on the Niagara Frontier, Laura Strickland has been an avid reader and writer since childhood. To her the spunky, tenacious, undefeatable ethnic mix that is Buffalo spells the perfect setting for a little Steampunk, so she created her own Victorian world there. She knows the people of Buffalo are stronger, tougher and smarter than those who haven’t survived the muggy summers and blizzard blasts found on the shores of the mighty Niagara. Tough enough to survive a squad of automatons? Well, just maybe.
Author web site: www.laurastricklandbooks.com
Author page Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Laura-Strickland/e/B001KHSACW/ref=sr_tc_2_0?qid=1422994343&sr=1-2-ent
Laura will be awarding a pair of hand-crafted, Steampunk-style pierced earrings - US only - to a randomly drawn winner via rafflecopter during the tour, and a hand-crafted book mark, US only, to a randomly drawn host.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/2015/03/excerpt-tour-dead-handsome-by-laura.html
April 10, 2015
Promoting Novellas
It has been months since I’ve written a blog so I thought it might be a good idea to catch you up on everything I’ve been doing. So instead of writing a post on history or my other ponderings :) (Do you see what I did there?) I thought I would share some of my recent experience promoting my novellas.
Now, I don’t enjoy promotion, but I do understand that it’s an essential part of the job. I learned this through the school of hard knocks. Nearly twenty years ago my husband and I had a small business in the Okanagan region of British Columbia, Canada. We had a good product and a great service at a bargain price, but the company didn’t grow as anticipated. Why? We were relying too heavily on word of mouth to promote our business and hadn’t budgeted enough money for sales and marketing.
You can have the best product in the world, but if no one’s ever heard of it, it will not be a success. You need to announce your product and make sure everyone knows about it.
That being said, I still have limited experience and knowledge of promotion and marketing, especially when it comes to books.
A Woman of Honour went on sale for two weeks in February. I had a steep learning curve when it comes to promoting a $0.99 sale, but it was a wonderful experience. And then on 4th March A Woman of Love was released and also went on sale. And once again I was plunged into the marketing aspect of writing.
There are websites that promote book deals and send out emails to their subscribers.
Molly Green has a great list on her site at:
http://www.molly-greene.com/market-a-99-cent-ebook-sale/
One thing that became clear at the outset of my sale was that reviews count. The sites with the best results want books that are cheap and have a lot of reviews on Amazon. The minimum requirements vary from site to site and as I’m only promoting novellas, at this stage, my opportunities were very limited.
I’ve heard some of the big names like Bookbud and Booksends are expensive but have excellent results. Neither of these sites accepts novellas so I can’t share any first hand experience.
I have to admit I haven’t poured a lot of money into promotion. Although I believe you should promote your work, I am reluctant to invest too heavily into subscriber advertising. (This is a return on investment thing. There isn't enough profit margin.) I have decided instead to put my promotion dollars into a review book tour with Goddess Fish Promotions. On the grounds that reviews promote sales.
You can find the details on my Appearances and Giveaways page.
The biggest mistake I made with my $0.99 sale was not staggering my promotion efforts so I can’t tell you what worked and what didn’t. How can I tell if Bargain Booksy or Read Freely helped the sale of my books when they both sent out emails to their subscribers on the same day?
Here are some of the sites that take novellas:
Bargain Booksy – they have paid and free advertising: http://www.bargainbooksy.com/sell-more-books/
Hot Zippy - this includes Bargain Ebook hunter, Romance Ebooks and Pixelscroll: http://support.hotzippy.net/?page_id=585
http://kindleromancedealsandsteals.com/submit-a-book.php
http://bookgoodies.com/bargain-books/
http://pretty-hot.com/submit-your-book/
http://www.ebooklister.net/submit.php
Here are some of the Facebook groups I used:
Marketing for Romance writers
https://www.facebook.com/groups/mfrwauthors/
Historical romance addicts
https://www.facebook.com/groups/49528507026/?fref=ts
Ebooks Promo
https://www.facebook.com/groups/eBooksBooksPromo/
Amazon Book club
https://www.facebook.com/groups/AmazonBookClubs/
Korner Konnection
http://www.kornerkonnection.com/index.html?fb=ebookkornerkafe&r=thanks
Facebook Groups for 99c or Free Ebooks:
https://www.facebook.com/groups/444695995585913/
https://www.facebook.com/groups/302805843186844/
https://www.facebook.com/search/str/ebooks99centsclub/
What Promotional efforts have worked for you?
Now, I don’t enjoy promotion, but I do understand that it’s an essential part of the job. I learned this through the school of hard knocks. Nearly twenty years ago my husband and I had a small business in the Okanagan region of British Columbia, Canada. We had a good product and a great service at a bargain price, but the company didn’t grow as anticipated. Why? We were relying too heavily on word of mouth to promote our business and hadn’t budgeted enough money for sales and marketing.
You can have the best product in the world, but if no one’s ever heard of it, it will not be a success. You need to announce your product and make sure everyone knows about it.
That being said, I still have limited experience and knowledge of promotion and marketing, especially when it comes to books.
A Woman of Honour went on sale for two weeks in February. I had a steep learning curve when it comes to promoting a $0.99 sale, but it was a wonderful experience. And then on 4th March A Woman of Love was released and also went on sale. And once again I was plunged into the marketing aspect of writing.
There are websites that promote book deals and send out emails to their subscribers.
Molly Green has a great list on her site at:
http://www.molly-greene.com/market-a-99-cent-ebook-sale/
One thing that became clear at the outset of my sale was that reviews count. The sites with the best results want books that are cheap and have a lot of reviews on Amazon. The minimum requirements vary from site to site and as I’m only promoting novellas, at this stage, my opportunities were very limited.
I’ve heard some of the big names like Bookbud and Booksends are expensive but have excellent results. Neither of these sites accepts novellas so I can’t share any first hand experience.
I have to admit I haven’t poured a lot of money into promotion. Although I believe you should promote your work, I am reluctant to invest too heavily into subscriber advertising. (This is a return on investment thing. There isn't enough profit margin.) I have decided instead to put my promotion dollars into a review book tour with Goddess Fish Promotions. On the grounds that reviews promote sales.
You can find the details on my Appearances and Giveaways page.
The biggest mistake I made with my $0.99 sale was not staggering my promotion efforts so I can’t tell you what worked and what didn’t. How can I tell if Bargain Booksy or Read Freely helped the sale of my books when they both sent out emails to their subscribers on the same day?
Here are some of the sites that take novellas:
Bargain Booksy – they have paid and free advertising: http://www.bargainbooksy.com/sell-more-books/
Hot Zippy - this includes Bargain Ebook hunter, Romance Ebooks and Pixelscroll: http://support.hotzippy.net/?page_id=585
http://kindleromancedealsandsteals.com/submit-a-book.php
http://bookgoodies.com/bargain-books/
http://pretty-hot.com/submit-your-book/
http://www.ebooklister.net/submit.php
Here are some of the Facebook groups I used:
Marketing for Romance writers
https://www.facebook.com/groups/mfrwauthors/
Historical romance addicts
https://www.facebook.com/groups/49528507026/?fref=ts
Ebooks Promo
https://www.facebook.com/groups/eBooksBooksPromo/
Amazon Book club
https://www.facebook.com/groups/AmazonBookClubs/
Korner Konnection
http://www.kornerkonnection.com/index.html?fb=ebookkornerkafe&r=thanks
Facebook Groups for 99c or Free Ebooks:
https://www.facebook.com/groups/444695995585913/
https://www.facebook.com/groups/302805843186844/
https://www.facebook.com/search/str/ebooks99centsclub/
What Promotional efforts have worked for you?
