Sophia Kimble's Blog, page 10
December 16, 2014
Patricia Charles is Unconditionally Surrendering a Locket in our December Holiday Extravaganza
Author Patricia Charles joins me today with a gift and her upcoming new release...Unconditional Surrender.
Patricia Charles is giving away this beautiful locket in our December Holiday Extravaganza.
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Riding horses, sleeping under the stars, and drinking beer by the campfire with friends were just a few of the reasons Creed Graham loved Civil War re-enactment events. He couldn’t get enough of them, and things got even better when Kirsten McConnell walked into his life.
Why on earth would any woman want to wear a tight corset all day, sleep on straw at night, and cook over an open fire? No TV, air-conditioning or cell phones? She couldn’t believe she let her friend drag her here. Kirsten knew she would loath every moment of this Civil War re-enactment. But then she met Creed.
Sparks ignite in a blazing star filled night of passion. Sleeping on straw isn’t so bad with Creed beside her. When tragedy strikes, Kristen’s happily ever-after seems as far away as the Civil War. Her perfect world collapses, and she’s left with problems too monumental for even Creed’s love to scale. Amongst the explosions of mock cannon fire, they stand on opposite sides in the war on love. Can there be an Unconditional Surrender or will the North and South forever be at odds?
Coming soon from Soul Mate Publishing! Excerpt:Dennis waited when Creed turned the corner. As angry as he was, Creed didn't want to see Dennis now. In fact, he was the last person he wanted to see, beside her.
"Key" the boy exclaimed.
"Uncle Key." Creed corrected him.
Dennis didn't even wait for Creed to rein the horse beside him. "You just saw her." It was more of a statement than a question.
Creed's entire body tensed and his nephew, feeling the emotion, turned to study him.
He exhaled. "Yeah." He didn’t need to say more.
"You kept your promise?”
"The perfect gentleman."
"You promised more than that."
The horse circled until the two men faced each other again.
"Friends. Old, dear friends," Dennis reminded him.
"I was drunk when you extracted that promise."
"Maybe, but I promised Ann. This is her special time, and she wants both of you–happy."
Happy? Creed doubted happiness existed with Kirsten around. But he liked Ann. He'd keep his promise.
Plastering a fake smile on his face, Creed agreed. "Until after the wedding. Then Kirsten McConnell is mine. Just like you promised. Is that understood?"
Patricia Charles remembers going to the public library when she was a small child. The Pascagoula library was only a block away. She wasn’t allowed to cross the street, so her older brother was delegated to take her. Of course, she wouldn’t let him carry her books. She was a big girl. Patricia remembers she had so many books she had to balance them with her chin. She also recalls crying when she had to return them. Books have been in her life as long as she can remember.
Her love of books eventually lead her to the theatre. She has a Master’s of Arts in Drama and Communications and a Master’s of Library and Information Sciences. Naturally she is a librarian, a medical librarian.
She is a member of the Romance Writers of America, Southern Louisiana Chapter of RWA and CelticHearts? In 2013 she won Best Historical and Highest Overall Score in the Dixie Kane Contest.
Patricia lives on the Mississippi Gulf Coast, having moved there from New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina. Frodo, her large 14 pound Pomeranian, likes to lick her feet while she writes.
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December 15, 2014
Favorite Holiday Movie for The 12 Days of Christmas
Be sure to scroll all the way down to read about Highland Deception and enter our giveaway!
My favorite Holiday movie is...
The Family Stone!I have to see this movie every year. It will make you laugh, and of course, cry. I love it.
Next.. Highland Deception by Meggan Connors
When Kenneth Mackay, long-banished rogue and thief, returns to the Mackay holding at the request of his brother, he has no idea what he might find. He certainly doesn’t expect to be confronted with his twin’s imminent death, or with the plan his brother has concocted.
Ten years before, Malcolm made a tragic mistake, and, to preserve the family name—and his own skin—he allowed Kenneth to take the fall. Now that he is dying without an heir, Malcolm plans to atone for his mistake: by giving Kenneth his life back. All Kenneth has to do is assume his brother’s identity. But complicating matters is the unexpected return of Lady Isobel Mackay, the daughter of an English marquess and the wife Malcolm didn’t want.
Isobel barely knows the husband who abandoned her even before their marriage, and she'd long since given up on having a real marriage with him. Yet when she returns to the Mackay holding far earlier than expected, she finds her husband a changed man. Despite the hurt between them, Isobel's heart responds to this man who cares for his entire clan as if they were family. Who, for the first time, cares for her as if she is, too.
Falling in love with her husband had never been part of Isobel’s plan. But when their future is suddenly in peril, Isobel must find a way to save him—from himself and from the deception threatening to tear them apart.
I just picked up my copy...have you?
Pick up your copy today from Amazon.
As part of The 12 Days of Christmas celebration, Meggan donated an ebook set and signed paperback of The Marker, paired with a $5 Amazon card from Kim Hotzon to the prize list. Be sure to sign up for Sophia Kimble's newsletter to be the first to know of new contests and earn bonus entries. Follow Sophia's blog for the latest posts on writing tips and contests null
About the Author
I’ve been writing stories since I was little–I finished my first story (3 spiral notebooks) when I was eleven. I think it’s in a box in the garage, actually. Because, really, everyone should keep the first story they ever wrote. Sure, it featured the boy I had a crush on, unicorns and rainbows and a witch that looked suspiciously like my sixth grade teacher, but whatever.
Okay, yeah, it’s super embarrassing. Especially when you consider that I didn’t exactly know the difference between profuse and perverse, and used them interchangeably.
Mmhm. Well. Let’s move on.
While graduate school effectively killed the writer in me for a time, the stories kept percolating in my head. After my son was born, I decided to try my hand at writing romance novels. I finished my first, wrote a second, and started entering contests. Eventually, The Marker got picked up by Soul Mate Publishing, and the rest is history.
When I’m not writing–or at work–you can find me hiking in the hills behind my house, camping in my tiny camp trailer with my two dogs, two kids, and lawman husband, or with my nose in a book.
Connect: Website | Facebook | Twitter | Goodreads
a Rafflecopter giveaway
Starting December 14th (the First Day of Christmas) and running through December 24th, visit our hosts daily, as they will be sharing their favorite holiday recipes, movies, songs, memories, traditions, gift and decorating ideas. Come back on December 25th to find out if you won one of the 16 fabulous prize packages.
Happy Holidays,Sophia
December 14, 2014
Dessert Recipe for The 12 Days of Christmas
41/4 cups King Arthur unbleached all purpose flour
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
3 sticks butter (Land O Lakes or another premium brand. It makes a difference!)
11/4 cups sugar
11/4 cups firmly packed light brown sugar
2 eggs
2 Tablespoons Vanilla (yes, you read that right...Tablespoons...trust me)
1 12 ounce pkg chocolate chips (I urge you to use Ghirardelli, it makes a difference)
Heat oven to 375. Put your 3 sticks of butter into your mixing bowl and stick in the oven while it preheats. Leave in until the sticks are halfway melted (about 5 minutes). Don't know why this makes them so yummy, but it does.
Combine flour, baking soda, baking powder in medium bowl and set aside. Add sugars to your butter (use a hot pad until the bowl cools down) Mix until creamy. Add eggs one at a time until well mixed, then add Vanilla and mix. Gradually add flour mixture until well blended. Add chocolate chips.
Drop 1/4 cup balls onto cookie sheet covered in foil. ( you can make them smaller, just adjust your cooking time) Bake for 9-12 minutes. Only until the they are slightly golden brown. These are chewy, so don't overcook. My oven cooks fast, so I only cook for nine minutes. Let stand for 1-2 minutes, then transfer to wire rack.
a Rafflecopter giveaway
Sugarwater Ranch by Stephanie Berget
Bullrider Sean O’Connell’s life is perfect, or it was until his partying lifestyle affects his riding ability. Now he’s ended the season too broke to leave the Northwest for the warm southern rodeos. When a wild night with his buddies gets out of hand, he wakes up naked, staring into the angry eyes of a strange woman. His infallible O’Connell charm gets him nowhere with the dark-haired beauty. It’s obvious she’s not his usual good-time girl, so why can’t he forget her?
Catherine Silvera finds a waterlogged, unconscious cowboy freezing to death in front of her uncle’s Sugarwater Bar. She saves his life—then runs faster than a jackrabbit with a coyote on its tail. Any man who makes his living rodeoing is bad news, especially if he thinks partying is part of the competition. He’s everything she doesn’t want in a man, yet she shake her attraction to the rugged cowboy.
Buy Links: Amazon | B&N | Kobo
As part of The 12 Days of Christmas celebration, Stephanie donated a PB copy of Sugarwater Ranch with a keychain to the prize list. Click HERE for this and many more random drawings. To follow the celebration, find a new recipe, pick up a holiday decorating or shopping tip, click HERE.
About the Author
Born and raised in Boise, Idaho to city parents, I was a horse lover from the day I first watched My Friend Flicka.
I began writing after I read a rodeo romance in which the romance was good, but the rodeo and horse information was so wrong.... I thought, how hard can it be to write a book? Five years and thousands of hours of study and writing, I know how hard it is. Writing well is just as hard to do well as it is to do anything well.
I write Contemporary Rodeo Romance with a touch of magic. It's Romance with a Rodeo flair.
Connect: Website | Facebook | Twitter | Goodreads
Be sure to hop on over and visit the other great authors participating in this year's 12 Days of Christmas!
Happy Holidays!
Sophia
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December 13, 2014
12 Days of Christmas Blog Hop and Giveaway
Join our 12 Days of Christmas Celebration.
This year's event is bigger and better, with lots of fun and prizes from 22 authors, celebrating the most wonderful time of the year.
Starting December 14th (the First Day of Christmas) and running through December 24th, visit our hosts daily, as they will be sharing their favorite holiday recipes, movies, songs, memories, traditions, gift and decorating ideas. Come back on December 25th to find out if you won one of the 16 fabulous prize packages.
a Rafflecopter giveaway
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December 11, 2014
Find out why Lauren Linwood Suggests to Wait a Minute...Writing Tip and Giveaway
Never send a manuscript off the minute it's completed! While it's exciting to finish your novel, I've found that stepping away and letting it sit a bit helps give you some distance. You can look on it again with fresh eyes and really tighten it up and catch mistakes. After polishing it, THEN send it off . . . and focus on your next manuscript in the meantime!
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When Gavin of Ashgrove and his closest friend are captured in a fierce battle during the Hundred Years’ War, their captors demand a hefty ransom from their fathers for their return. Robert is quickly set free, but Gavin’s father refuses to pay for his son’s release, leaving him to rot in a squalid French prison. Aided by a sympathetic priest, he escapes and returns home to England, only to find he has been proclaimed a bastard and disinherited.
With nowhere to turn Gavin journeys to Kentwood, where he fostered as a boy, hoping Lord Aldred will take him on as a knight in his guard. The old warrior is close to death, but he soon realizes Gavin is his son. Aldred plots to have Gavin inherit Kentwood and marry his much younger wife, Elizabeth, a famed and opinionated beauty who remains a virgin after a decade of marriage.
Will the king recognize Lord Aldred’s first request of a marriage between Elizabeth and Robert, uniting Robert’s estate with Kentwood—or will the temperamental Edward reward Aldred’s years of service and honor a dying man’s final request?
Maggie Rutherford jilts her too-perfect society groom at the altar and flees New York for the American West. There she turns her travels into dime novels that she writes and illustrates under the pen name Lud Madison.
After the Civil War, veteran Ben Morgan marries his childhood sweetheart and takes her to homestead on the Great Plains. Losing her and their unborn child in an Indian attack, Ben detaches from emotion and becomes a roaming gambler. When he kills a cheating opponent in self-defense, the man’s gunslinger brother swears revenge upon Ben.
Ben hides on a cattle drive and brings in a herd to Abilene, where a waiting Maggie wants to find a rough and tumble cowboy to interview for her next story idea. Sparks fly as the dangerous drover and popular novelist wind up living in the same household, running a general store east of Abilene. But with Black Tex Lonnegan hot on his trail, will Ben run from his growing attraction to Maggie and the gunfighter’s promise of death–or will he make a stand for his life–and love?
As the third wife of an abusive French vineyard owner, Madeleine Bouchard hasn’t produced the expected heir after three years of marriage. Fearing he plans to kill her, she flees during a trip to England. Unable to make her way home, she joins a troupe of traveling mummers and reinvents herself as the only woman troubadour in the land, captivating audiences with both song and story.
Nobleman Garrett Montayne’s fascination with Madeleine causes him to pay the troupe to bypass their next stop in order to journey to his estate. Though he suspects Madeleine of being a thief with dark secrets, love blossoms between them under the magical moon of summer solstice.
But Madeleine’s past is about to catch up with her, as her husband is set to arrive to conduct business with Garrett. Madeleine determines to free herself from her loveless marriage and make a new life with Garrett, no matter what the cost.
Separated from her twin during the Orphan Train selection, schoolmarm Serena Sullivan searched for her brother Bill over fifteen years. Just as she gets a lead on his whereabouts, she is railroaded by a crooked sheriff and set to hang for the murder of the sheriff’s best friend.
English playwright Daman Rutledge has come to the American West on business for his brother when he witnesses a woman about to be executed. On impulse he rescues the beautiful stranger and goes on the run with her. Along the way Daman finds the muse he’s been missing and loses his heart to the raven-haired beauty with haunting amber eyes.
As they try to outrun the long arm of the law, Daman seeks to prove Serena’s innocence before it’s too late.
Lily Frontiere returns from a costly European trip to find her mother has accumulated large gambling debts. Things grow worse as her mother’s health deteriorates and she can no longer run Lucky Lil’s, the most famous whorehouse in San Francisco. Though Lilian shielded her only child from house life by sending her away to boarding school, Lily takes over and poses as Madam Lil. Her intelligence and astonishing resemblance to her mother help, but she’s entering a world she knows little about. Lily tries to extract the house from impending financial ruin until a handsome stranger turns up with the deed to Lucky Lil’s in hand.
Gambler Jed Stone journeys to California to track down Simon Morgan, the man responsible for his best friend’s death. Arrested for robbery and murder upon arrival, he is shocked to see his face on a wanted poster. Jed escapes before his hanging, unaware that the man guilty of those crimes is the twin brother he never knew existed. In a case of mistaken identity, Jed acquires Lucky Lil’s in a rigged card game his twin is meant to win.
Jed asks Madam Lil to stay on as he learns the business. Lily clashes with the new owner over ways to make the establishment profitable, yet she is attracted to the charming risk taker at the same time. Jed is fooled by Lily’s charade until he stumbles upon the real Madam Lil and learns the truth behind Lily’s deception. His admiration for Lily blossoms into love.
But Simon Morgan seeks both Lily’s hand and ownership of Lucky Lil’s—and he will go to any means to possess both. Will Jed foil his nemesis while bringing his outlaw brother to justice?
As a child, Lauren Linwood gathered her neighborhood friends together and made up stories for them to act out, her first venture into creating memorable characters. Following her passion for history and love of learning, she became a teacher who began writing on the side to maintain her sanity in a sea of teenage hormones.
Lauren’s novels focus on two of her favorite eras, medieval times and the American Old West. History is the backdrop that places her characters in extraordinary circumstances, where their intense desire and yearning for one another grows into the deep, tender, treasured gift of love.
Lauren, a native Texan, lives in a Dallas suburb with her family. An avid reader, moviegoer, and sports fan, she manages stress by alternating yoga with five mile walks. She is thinking about starting a support group for Pinterest and House Hunters addicts.
Find Lauren:
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December 9, 2014
Giving it Away by S.C. Mitchell, Writing Tip and Giveaway.
Writing Tip:
Giving it away.
If you do book signings as a new author, you quickly discover that a big amount of your time is just sitting at a table and trying to encourage people to come up and talk to you. People tend to look quickly, trying not to make eye contact, then move on by.
I just published one of my short stories, reGenesis: Dark Awakening not so much as a “book” but as a promotional product. I self-published it using CreateSpace and it includes the short story, the first chapter of Son of Thunder, and advertising pages for all my other works. The whole paperback costs me less than $2.50 when I buy them in bulk, and when I do signings I have been giving them away to anyone who would like them.
“Want a free book?” is a really good icebreaker, and if they don’t buy any of my other books, they still have something for me to sign. Plus, they are taking home one of my works and links to all the others.
It’s really too early to tell if it’s helping my sales, but it sure helps get over those awkward moments at book signings. To me, that alone is worth it.
Join S.C. and 8 other authors for our December Christmas Extravaganza Giveaway.a Rafflecopter giveawayEnter the Rafflecopter for your chance to win one of 12 great prizes. Scroll down to read all about S.C.'s many novels and where to find him.
The Blarmling Dilemma (Hearts in Orbit: Volume one
“They’re not animals. They’re people!”
Phoebe Callista’s pleas fall on deaf ears and she’s forced to rescue two helpless Blarmlings from certain death. Fleeing across a backwater sector of the galaxy, with Galactic Marshals in hot pursuit, Phoebe falls into the hands of a handsome but determined bounty hunter.
Rigel Antares has captured wanted criminals throughout the galaxy rim, but he’s never come across anything like Phoebe Callista. The gorgeous blonde sure knows how to play the innocent, and something deep inside wants to believe her, but Rigel has problems of his own—a ship that’s falling apart and an unscrupulous Galactic Marshal looking for any excuse to send him back to the prison planets of the Theiler System.
An intergalactic circus, vicious space pirates, and a planet full of backtechers cross their paths as two hearts go into orbit to save a pair of adorable Blarmlings.
Are their super powers a gift or a curse?
When Beth (Cheetah) rescues Ryan and takes him into hiding with the rest of the surviving supers, she had no idea how hard she’d fall for the super swift speedster. The loneliness and isolation is suddenly better with the sexy super in their hidden safe house. But the rules of their secret society keep her from ever really getting to know him at all. And it only gets worse when he decides to leave.
Saved from almost certain death at the hands of Echelon by the captivating super woman he knows only as Cheetah, Ryan discovers the undercover world of the supers. Secrecy, stealth, and a list of restrictions keep him almost a prisoner in the sanctuary they call the Fortress of Solitude. Only the woman he’s not allowed to know offers any distraction in their dreary hideout. But Ryan refuses to stay in hiding. He’s convinced he needs to use his new powers against Echelon, even if it means he has to go out on his own.
Swiftly Beats the Heart is a sexy novella set in a dark and dangerous world. Passion and danger abound as superheroes struggle to save their own and the world around them.
Just because Jack turns into a hairy, wolf-like creature every full moon, doesn’t mean he’s a werewolf. Anna knows there’s no such thing as werewolves.
Anna Brown is a sorceress, and one of the leading experts on demons for the Arcanists. She knows how to help Jack shed the curse that plagues him, if he’ll let her, but the local demons are after Anna. She has a power they want to control. Does she have enough magic to save Jack and to keep the local Demon Lord at bay?
Jack Hughes trusts Anna to free him from his curse, but he doesn’t realize the danger she’s in until it’s too late. When Anna is captured by demonic creatures Jack realizes that the only way to free her is to embrace the beast he so wanted to be rid of. Can he save her under the bright, full moon or will demons from a dark dimension destroy them?
There’s no such thing as Werewolves is the opening salvo in the Demons Rising saga. It’s a love story between two special people who live in a very dangerous world.
Templar Knight Geoffrey le Court has been stuck in purgatory for the past seven hundred and thirty years. He’s been forsaken and forgotten. But the sorcerer, Nathan Gray, has the power to release Geoffrey, and a plan to help him complete the quest that got the Templar stuck in purgatory in the first place. Nathan also knows the perfect person to help Geoffrey with his quest to destroy the Demon Gate.
Librarian Kelly Grant is a powerful Arcanist sorceress. Kelly has vital information Geoffrey needs to complete his quest and liberate his soul. There’s only one slight problem. The Arcanists and the Templars hate each other. They have been at war for thousands of years. There is no way Kelly would ever work with a Templar.
At the center of their war is the Demon Gate. Created in Atlantis at the dawn of recorded time, this portal to another dimension is at the heart of humanity’s worst problems. Only by working together can Geoffrey and Kelly hope to destroy the Demon Gate. But can they put aside their differences in time to stop a flood of demons poised to invade our world?
The Forsaken Templar is the second book in the Demons Rising saga. It’s a love story between two special people who live in a very dangerous world.
With the demon lords stepping up their bid for world domination, Templar commander Ryan Chamberlain knows that the Templars and Arcanists will have to learn to work together. But thousands of years of animosity are not easy to wipe away in just a few months. In a bid to smooth over the transition from enemies to allies, Ryan agrees to partner with Salina Fry, one of the most powerful Arcanists. But it only takes one mission to convince him that the sexy sorceress might just be the death of him.
Salina knows she can’t trust the Templars. Especially their leader, Ryan Chamberlain, no matter how good looking the man is and if that pompous wind-bag thinks he gets to run everything in their new little partnership, he’s got another think coming. Maybe batting those dreamy eyes at other women gets Ryan what he wants, but if he gets in Salina’s way, she just might have to kill him.
The war escalates as the demons rise to power, and just when mankind needs them most, Gaia and the High Lord have gone missing. Only the Seeds of Immortality hold any hope for mankind, but can Ryan and Salina put aside their differences long enough for the Seeds to blossom?
Seeds of Immortality is the third book in the Demons Rising Saga. It’s a tale of love, tragedy and triumph in a very dangerous world.
The man looked like a god. Then again, he was one. . .
Jord Thorson was a god– the son of Thor, the Norse God of Thunder. In his search to find his missing father, Jord seeks out the mortal, Meghan Larson, who is in possession of his only clue–Megingjörð, Thor’s magical belt of power.
But when the belt decides to take matters into its own hands, locking itself around Meghan’s waist, Jord and Meghan are plunged into the middle of a massive conflict that rages across the heavens.
Giants, magical artifacts, and a golden city in the clouds weren’t exactly what Meghan Larson expected when that amazing belt arrived at her museum. Now Megingjörð is stuck around her waist and talking to her in her head. She’s got to be dreaming, but with the wonders around her and hunky Jord Thorson at her side, Meghan’s not sure she wants to wake up.
reGenesis: Dark Awakening
After Heather Corbin died, her life took a real turn.Reviving in a younger version of her body, Heather finds herself in a strange laboratory in the company of robots and a younger, sexier version of her husband Jim.
On top of that, she discovers she’s one hundred years in the future, and one of only a few living people on Earth. Does humanity even stand a chance?
reGenesis: Dark Awakening is a romantic short story set in a dark future world, featuring hot sex and romantic reawakenings. 18+
Bio: Hidden strengths, adventurous hearts.
S.C.Mitchell grew up an avid reader of comic books, science fiction and fantasy literature. He’s been writing stories for over thirty years. In 2010 he left his job as a computer desktop support specialist to pursue his passion for writing full time. He is a member of the Romance Writers of America as well as the Wisconsin chapter.
As a writer of paranormal and sci-fi romance, fantasy, and science fiction, Steve crafts unique and wondrous worlds where his characters explore, romp, and fall in love. Whether traveling through dark, demon filled dimensions, the edge of wild space, or ancient mythological heavens, his heroes and heroines, guided by their adventurous hearts, discover hidden strengths on their pathway to enduring love.
Links:
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December 4, 2014
Rebecca Neely and The Rule of Three Writing Tip
A friend of mine who’s a seasoned writer told me she swears by the rule of ‘three’. Every three scenes and/or chapters, she takes a step back and makes sure she’s on track with where she wants and needs the story to go.The longer I write, the more patient I become. Insights that add depth and cohesion to the characters, and the story as a whole often come only after I’ve been working on the story for a few months. Now, I know those ‘aha’ moments will come, and I try not to fret when I can’t get my arms around the story.a Rafflecopter giveaway
Join Rebecca and 8 other authors in our Christmas Extravaganza giveaway.
3 days. 2 people. 1 story.
‘Hank’ Jerry, a down and out writer, and Jack Darcy, a former gang leader, team up to write his story for mutual gain and end up falling for each other.
It’s not long before their romance is as hot as the copy she’s writing, but they’ve both got something to hide that could blow up in their faces, and with time running out and gang enforcers closing in, will the trust they’ve forged survive the ultimate test?
Rebecca E. Neely was born and raised in a small town in western Pennsylvania. Her father, an English teacher and a writer, instilled in her a love of words, and literature, especially short stories, at a young age. Her mother, a voracious reader, gave her Ballet Shoes by Noel Streatfeild as a Christmas gift when she was nine, and Rebecca’s been hooked on reading stories of all stripes ever since.
Rebecca’s parents also owned and managed a restaurant until she was about sixteen, and she grew up in the family business, working, cooking, and eating.
Rebecca enjoys finding, and reading new authors via her Kindle. Live music inspires her, as do the characters she's blessed to have in her life.
In a former life, she earned a B.S. in Accounting, and worked in that field for about a decade. Since 2001, Rebecca has freelanced, writing a wide variety of copy for local magazines, and businesses all over the country. She is a PRO member of Romance Writers of America.
Visit Rebecca at www.rebeccaeneely.com, connect with her on Facebook and Twitter.
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December 2, 2014
Rachel Sharpe Writes What She Knows, and Giveaway!
The best advice any author has ever given me was to write what you know. After my first writing attempt, a novella about a small town detective solving a murder at a Louisiana seafood festival, I thought about what type of novel I would want to write, something I could maybe even turn into a series.
It didn’t take long for Jordan James to emerge. I have always loved the television series "Magnum PI" and the idea of life as a private investigator. There are so many exciting stories that can emerge from such a career. “Cold Ambition,” the first novel in the Jordan James, PI series, took about four months to write. "Lost Distinction," book two in the series which is available now on Amazon, took five. When you write about things you know and love, you're more passionate and knowledgeable about your work. It makes the work more real to the reader and more real to you.
“It all started with a favor…”
When private investigator Jordan James agreed to search for the missing son of a U.S. Ambassador, she didn’t realize she was walking into a case one hundred years in the making. The deeper she delves into this unusual assignment, the more shocking, and the more dangerous, it becomes. With time running out and lives at stake, Jordan must race to identify the culprit of an elaborate plot while also uncovering a far more personal truth too intimate to ignore...
Also, be sure to check out Jordan's first case in Cold Ambition, available now on Amazon!
Excerpt:
We stood there in silence, considering the significance of this discovery. Although there was still no proof, this threat suggested there could have been more to Arthur’s disappearance than we realized. If Arthur was kidnapped, we might not be looking for a missing person. We might be looking for a murderer or his victim.
When Jordan James decided to embark on a career as a private investigator, she never could have imagined that a chance encounter would lead to her staring down the barrel of a gun on the roof’s edge of a high-rise building. As she begins to investigate her first case, the puzzling murder of a prominent businessman that has left Boston’s finest mystified for more than two decades, she finds herself suddenly immersed in a treacherous underworld brimming with betrayal, raw greed, and political subterfuge of international proportions. In the midst of this, she discovers she is falling for her mysterious client despite the hints of his dark past. Can this feisty Southern girl with a penchant for trouble solve this baffling case, or is she doomed to become another tragic chapter in an international conspiracy?
Rachel Sharpe is the author of Cold Ambition and Lost Distinction, the first two novels in the Jordan James, PI series. Although born and raised in the South, "Yankee" relatives first led Rachel to historic New England, which she has come to consider her second home and is the setting for the series.
After obtaining a Bachelor of Arts in English, Rachel began dedicating her free time to her childhood passion, writing, and in the fall of 2013, she signed with Soul Mate Publishing. An active member of Sisters In Crime, Rachel currently resides with her husband in the Greater New Orleans area. Find Rachel:
December 1, 2014
December Christmas Extravaganza Giveaway
Welcome to the Multi-Author December Christmas Extravaganza Giveaway.a Rafflecopter giveaway
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$5.00 Amazon Gift Card from Sophia Kimble!
When Gavin of Ashgrove and his closest friend are captured in a fierce battle during the Hundred Years’ War, their captors demand a hefty ransom from their fathers for their return. Robert is quickly set free, but Gavin’s father refuses to pay for his son’s release, leaving him to rot in a squalid French prison. Aided by a sympathetic priest, he escapes and returns home to England, only to find he has been proclaimed a bastard and disinherited.With nowhere to turn Gavin journeys to Kentwood, where he fostered as a boy, hoping Lord Aldred will take him on as a knight in his guard. The old warrior is close to death, but he soon realizes Gavin is his son. Aldred plots to have Gavin inherit Kentwood and marry his much younger wife, Elizabeth, a famed and opinionated beauty who remains a virgin after a decade of marriage.Will the king recognize Lord Aldred’s first request of a marriage between Elizabeth and Robert, uniting Robert’s estate with Kentwood—or will the temperamental Edward reward Aldred’s years of service and honor a dying man’s final request?
A divorced professor, Marilise, struggles with an unintended pregnancy from a foolish one-night stand. When her high school sweetheart, Tommy, shows up as a student in her class, she’s scared to get involved. He’s a short-tempered homicide detective working on a case where a sportscaster is accused of shooting his ex-wife. Tommy is attracted to the new Marilise.
She attends the sportscaster’s trial to see Tommy testify. In the bathroom on a break, she overhears a thug threaten a woman juror to vote not guilty. She tells the judge and becomes a target and a risk to a local politician’s plans. Tommy and Marilise rekindle their relationship while he attempts to protect her. Can their new relationship survive the threats and will he accept her pregnancy?
Margaret Angelo, a New Orleans homicide detective, works to catch a serial killer, the Slasher. Despite the sexism of the NOPD, she heads the task force to stop this killer, who kidnaps women, assaults them, and gets off on licking their bodies before he kills them.Although devoted to her job, Margaret longs for a life partner. She reconnects with a high school acquaintance, Jim, whom she hires to paint her house. They begin a relationship, but Margaret is kidnapped by the Slasher and faces certain death. The other detectives manage to rescue her although the Slasher escapes their trap. He is losing control and hunts Margaret down, determined to finish her. With Jim’s support, can she escape this mad man?
In Unconditional Surrender by Patricia charles, Creed gives Kirsten a locket with their engagement picture in it. Patricia is giving away a locket with their picture
Hope only wants to find out if her ability to infuse euphoria or despair with her touch makes her the devil's spawn, or his exterminator. But when the woman who raised her is murdered by something not human, she loses the only family she knew and discovers one she might wish she hadn’t.
Drawn back to the home town she vowed never to return to, her ability is seen as an asset to everyone but Hope, and she doesn't know who to trust. Her family wants her to help them overcome an enemy oppressing the human population, while the man of her dreams is courting her for the Underworld.
Time is running out, and Hope’s choice may be made for her, as she discovers she’s a pawn in a bigger game played by a merciless ruler who doesn't lose.
“IT ALL STARTED WITH A FAVOR…”
WHEN PRIVATE INVESTIGATOR JORDAN JAMES AGREED TO SEARCH FOR THE MISSING SON OF A U.S. AMBASSADOR, SHE DIDN’T REALIZE SHE WAS WALKING INTO A CASE ONE HUNDRED YEARS IN THE MAKING. THE DEEPER SHE DELVES INTO THIS UNUSUAL ASSIGNMENT, THE MORE SHOCKING, AND THE MORE DANGEROUS, IT BECOMES. WITH TIME RUNNING OUT AND LIVES AT STAKE, JORDAN MUST RACE TO IDENTIFY THE CULPRIT OF AN ELABORATE PLOT WHILE ALSO UNCOVERING A FAR MORE PERSONAL TRUTH TOO INTIMATE TO IGNORE...
When Jordan James decided to embark on a career as a private investigator, she never could have imagined that a chance encounter would lead to her staring down the barrel of a gun on the roof’s edge of a high-rise building. As she begins to investigate her first case, the puzzling murder of a prominent businessman that has left Boston’s finest mystified for more than two decades, she finds herself suddenly immersed in a treacherous underworld brimming with betrayal, raw greed, and political subterfuge of international proportions. In the midst of this, she discovers she is falling for her mysterious client despite the hints of his dark past. Can this feisty Southern girl with a penchant for trouble solve this baffling case, or is she doomed to become another tragic chapter in an international conspiracy?
A Man Without A Heart.
Morgan Bartholomew Langston, Earl of Whetherford, has finally decided to accept his fate. Tired of dangerous assignments and putting his neck on the line, he has returned to his ancestral home to accept the title of his birthright and produce the required heir. But, when he arrives, he finds his home has been invaded and a female has taken off with his mother’s jewels. Morgan decides the traitorous jade will not get away, so he sets into motion a plan to bring her back. When he abducts the wrong woman, his reaction to her brings him dangerously close to breaking his vow of forbidden emotions.
A Woman Without A Love.
Katherine Elizabeth Radbourn is a strong, independent woman and at the age of twenty three, is still unwed. In a desperate attempt to find her brother, she is abducted which leads her on a journey to love and mistaken identity. Once she meets her captor, fear and indignation dissipates to an overwhelming awareness. Even though he tells her she is the wrong one, Kat realizes she has finally met a man that – not only she is attracted to – but has awakened her woman’s body. Does he really care for her or does he secretly yearn for the woman she is supposed to be? Uncertainty makes her risk the very man she has given her soul.GIVEAWAY FROM SAMANTHYA WYATT JUST IN TIME FOR CHRISTMAS.
Antique Malls are popular here in Virginia. Among the many dealers, I came across some interesting jewelry. I found these lovely Black Onyx - Artisan Stone Earrings. So I am offering these lovely earrings for my contribution to Sophia’s contest giveaway. Enter to win.
Her personal and professional life on the skids, a family emergency forces writer Hank Jerry to return to the small town and the aunt she left behind.
Fresh out of prison, Jack “Gent” Darcy is bent on cutting ties with the Creds, but when you're a war counselor in a national gang, they don't let you just walk away.
Injured and on the run, Jack lands on Hank’s doorstep, and makes her a proposition she can’t refuse: write his story about life inside one of the most powerful gangs in the country. It’s simple—she’ll get her career groove back, and he’ll bury the gang, then disappear—his version of freedom.
The only problem? They can’t help falling for each other, and they’ve both got something to hide that could blow up in their faces. With time running out and gang enforcers closing in, will the trust they’ve forged survive the ultimate test?
A MIGHTY GOOD MAN is a fast, punchy read that puts a new spin on family, second chances, and the power of love.
The Blarmling Dilemma (Hearts in Orbit: Volume one)
“They’re not animals. They’re people!”
Phoebe Callista’s pleas fall on deaf ears and she’s forced to rescue two helpless Blarmlings from certain death. Fleeing across a backwater sector of the galaxy, with Galactic Marshals in hot pursuit, Phoebe falls into the hands of a handsome but determined bounty hunter.Rigel Antares has captured wanted criminals throughout the galaxy rim, but he’s never come across anything like Phoebe Callista. The gorgeous blonde sure knows how to play the innocent, and something deep inside wants to believe her, but Rigel has problems of his own—a ship that’s falling apart and an unscrupulous Galactic Marshal looking for any excuse to send him back to the prison planets of the Theiler System. An intergalactic circus, vicious space pirates, and a planet full of backtechers cross their paths as two hearts go into orbit to save a pair of adorable Blarmlings.
Golden Alexander is trapped in a nightmare.
Trying to flee her hallucination of a demon, she runs heart first into the brooding alpha male she’s been dreaming about for years, and then her nightmare really begins.
Kris Pietka is done with women . . . he’s broken. But when he meets Golden, an overwhelming need to protect her tests everything he thought he knew about himself, and the paranormal.
A bond forged centuries ago thrusts them together as they search for a way to break an ancient Druid curse prophesying their demise. Racing against the clock, they travel from Vermont, to the Carpathian Mountains in Poland, and the Scottish Highlands in search of answers and a way to break the curse.
But something evil watches—it covets, and time is running out.
Will fate allow love to prevail against unbeatable odds, or will Golden wake to find it was all a delusion?
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