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Saturday, August 26, 2017

#WeWriWa: THE PROTECTOR - Dillan To The Rescue #sfr


Welcome to Weekend Writing Warriors where authors share an 8 - 10 sentence snippet. Be sure to visit the other authors. You can find them here.

Thanks to everyone who visited last week. I always enjoy your comments. Here's where we are. The stranger offers to help Rissa and her friends rescue kids from a traffickers' spaceship, but they won't come out. We pick up where we left off last week.
 
Rissa Dix. Dillan would recognize her voice anywhere. He couldn’t believe he’d found her so soon . . . and in such a dangerous position. Once inside the cargo hold, he assessed the situation—children of both sexes and a variety of races huddled in small groups against the bulkhead. They weren’t moving.
In his sternest voice, and in Traishan like Rissa, he ordered, “Get out—now—danger.”
She whirled on him. “You can’t—”
Either his tone or his words had the desired effect—the children scurried around Rissa, carefully avoided him, and dashed down the ramp.


Who knew rescuing two girls from traffickers would bring down a world of hurt?

After tavern owner Rissa Dix rescues two girls from a slave ship, she must rally the townsfolk to prevent traffickers from returning. Mining heir Dillan Rusteran has loved her for years. Little do they know that by rescuing more children they're tangling with a galactic trafficking ring.

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Thursday, August 24, 2017

Meet Author Diana Rubino @DianaLRubino

My guest today is author Diana Rubino. I met Diana through that fabulous group Authors Helping Authors.


Welcome, Diana, please tell us about yourself.

My passion for history and travel has taken me to every locale of my books, and short stories, set in Medieval and Renaissance England, Egypt, the Mediterranean, colonial Virginia, New England, and New York. My urban fantasy romance, FAKIN’ IT, won a Top Pick award from Romantic Times. I’m a member of Romance Writers of America, the Richard III Society and the Aaron Burr Association. I live on Cape Cod with my husband Chris

Where can readers find you?








Let's learn a little about your writing. How long does it take you to write a book?

Since I write historicals, the research can take up to a year or longer. When I’m writing, I set a daily goal of 2500 words, about 10 pages.

What do you like to do when you're not writing?

I bicycle, golf, play my piano and devour books of any genre. My husband and I have a home on Cape Cod that we try to get to as much as possible.

What do you enjoy most about life?

Having something to look forward to—even something simple, like going to the beach on the weekend.

Where do you start when writing? Research, plotting, outline, or...?

I use Donald Maass's THE BREAKOUT NOVEL WORKBOOK, which has many probing questions about characters and the story. I then write a detailed outline, which I don't always follow when writing. My daily goal is 2500 words a day.
I do everything in Word on my computer, but sometimes I write in longhand; it helps me connect to the characters more closely.

Are your stories driven by plot or character?

Character, in the genres I write in…the characters are who drive the plot; they make the plot what it is. The plot happens because of who they are and what they do to make things happen.

If I was a first time reader of your books, which one would you recommend I start with and why?

I always ask readers what era they’re interested in—medieval, Renaissance (Tudors), or what part of American history. Then I recommend whatever book is set in that era—Richard IIIs time, Henry VIIIs time, colonial, Civil War, early 20th century…and I do have one about vampires on an Italian cruise ship if anyone wants to go there!

What do you hope readers take with them after reading your work?

My mission is to make readers forget their troubles for a while, escape into another time and place, and maybe get a few laughs along the way.

What two authors would we find you reading when taking a break from your own writing?

I read all of John Grisham’s books and for nonfiction, Ron Chernow writes the best biographies.

Tell us about your latest release.

My latest release is a time travel romance, DARK BREW.


          This story took 11 years from start to finish. In 2004, I read an article by Pamela Butler in the Richard III Society's magazine The Ricardian, about Alice Kyteler, who was accused of witchcraft in 1324. She then vanished into history. I couldn't resist writing a book about her.

Accused of her husband’s murder, druid Kylah McKinley travels back through time to her past life in 1324 Ireland and brings the true killer to justice.

Two months of hell change Kylah’s life forever. On her many past life regressions, she returns to 14th century Ireland as Alice Kyteler, a druid moneylender falsely accused of murdering her husband. Kylah’s life mirrors Alice’s in one tragic event after another—she finds her husband sprawled on the floor, cold, blue, with no pulse. Evidence points to her, and police arrest her for his murder. Kylah and Alice shared another twist of fate—they fell in love with the man who believed in them. As Kylah prepares for her trial and fights to maintain her innocence, she must learn from her past or forever be doomed to repeat it.


Excerpt:

Kylah shut Ted’s den door. She couldn’t bear to look at the spot where he gasped his last breath. His presence, an imposing force, lingered. So did his scent, a blend of tobacco, pine aftershave and manly sweat. Each reminder ripped into her heart like a knife. Especially now with the funeral looming ahead, the eulogies, the mournful organ hymns, the tolling bells . . .
These ceremonies should bring closure, but they’d only prolong the agony of her grief. She wanted to remember him alive for a while longer, wishing she could delay these morbid customs until the hurt subsided.
Throughout the house, his essence echoed his personality: the wine stain on the carpet, the heap of dirty shirts, shorts and socks piled up in the laundry room, the spattered stove, his fingerprints on the microwave. But she couldn’t bring herself to clean any of it up. Painful as these remnants were, they offered a strange comfort. He still lived here.
“I’ll find that murderer, Teddy,” she promised him over and over, wandering from room to empty room, traces of him lurking in every corner. “I’ll do everything in my power to make sure justice is served. Another past life regression isn’t enough anymore. I know what I have to do now. And I promise, it will never, ever happen again—in any future life.”
She inhaled deeply and breathed him in. “Go take a shower, Teddy.” She chuckled through her tears as the doorbell rang. She cringed, breaking out in cold sweat when she saw the black sedan at the curb.
“Not again.” No sense in hiding, so she let the detectives in.
“Mrs. McKinley, we need your permission to do a search and take some of your husband’s possessions from the house,” Nolan said.
“What for?” She met his steely stare. “I looked everywhere and found nothing.”
“Mrs. McKinley, the cupboard door was open, four jars of herbs are missing, and the autopsy showed he died of herb poisoning. Those herbs,” Nolan added for emphasis, as if it had slipped her feeble mind. “Foxglove, mandrake, hemlock—and an as-yet unidentified one,” he read from a notebook. “The M.E. determined it was a lethal dose.”
Sherlock Holmes got nothin’ on him, she thought. 
“Where’s this cupboard, ma’am?” Egan spoke up.
“Right there.” She pointed, its door gaping exactly the way she’d found it that night. Nolan went over to it and peered inside.
“Ma’am, it would be better if you left the house for a half hour or so. Please leave a number where you can be reached,” Egan ordered.
Nolan glanced down the hall. “Where is your bedroom?”
What could they want in the bedroom? “It’s at the top of the stairs on the right. But we didn’t sleep together,” she offered, as if that would faze them. It didn’t.
After giving him her cell number, she got into her car and drove to the beach.
An hour later, she let herself back in and looked around. They’d taken the computer, her case of CDs, her thumb drive, her remaining herb jars, Ted’s notebooks, and left her alone with one horrible fact: This was now a homicide case and she was the prime suspect.

Purchase Dark Brew  


 Thanks for coming, Diana. It's a pleasure getting to know you better. Best wishes on your latest release.

Monday, August 21, 2017

New Release: Cézanne's Ghost by Rolynn Anderson

Artists Support Each Other: Two Portrait Painters Inspire an Author of Suspense

First let me thank Diane Burton for offering me a blog spot on my release day!  This is the very first time a blogger has sought me out for an entry, and I’m humbled by the gesture.  Diane is an active member on the Roses of Prose Blog, and though we’ve never met, I know her as a fine writer and a good friend.  Thanks for the invitation!

I want to talk about two other artists who helped me immensely in creating my romantic suspense novel, Cézanne’s Ghost http://a.co/i5Ve5w2   You probably won’t be surprised that Cézanne, the great French Post-Impressionist, is a painter who inspired me.  Though he died in 1906, his brilliance lives on.  Here’s a self-portrait of Cézanne’s to help me introduce him to you.


One of my favorite Cézanne landscapes came home from Aix-en-Provence on a little magnet.  Mont Sainte-Victoire and the Viaduct of the Arc River Valley, completed by the artist, between 1885 and 1887, now gains more fame on the cover of my novel.   Here it is in all its beauty.



Very much alive and still drawing is my other artist contributor, Jeff Haines.  I’m thankful he drew himself so you could meet him, as well.  Meet my friends, Jeff!




I found Jeff by bumbling around on Pinterest, looking for the ‘ghostly’ portrait of a woman to represent my heroine.  I found a drawing of just the right woman and asked Jeff if I could buy a copy of the print.  Now, he’d never sold a print to a novelist for a cover, but he was happy to negotiate with me.  He crafted a special rendition for me to grace my story; his portrait of Aline inspired me throughout my writing journey.
Take a look at some of his work on his website:   http://www.jeffhainesart.com/ 


Enter: my cover artist, Kris Lynn, a whiz at pulling graphics together with extraordinary effect.  Say hello to the cover of Cézanne’s Ghost.



What creative art or artist is integral to your success as a writer?

And here is Cézanne’s Ghost http://a.co/i5Ve5w2

Three young American women vanish in  Aix-en-Provence, France.
The FBI suspects their American tour guide.
Leon Beaudet, formerly a U.S. Olympic wrestler, is proud of his five-star guide business, but when tourists disappear on his watch, the FBI dredges up a violent episode in Leon’s past and tap him for the crime. Worse, his new tour group includes Aline Kerig, who is as beautiful and carefree as the three missing women. Leon is fascinated and puzzled by Aline even while he fears for her safety. She refuses to go back to the States, forcing the FBI and local police to involve her in the hunt.
With the French tourist industry about to collapse and Leon as a prime suspect, how does he protect Aline and find his lost tourists?

Cézanne’s Ghost http://a.co/i5Ve5w2


About Rolynn Anderson

Scandinavian, Army Brat, Wife, English Teacher, High School Principal, Golfer, Boater, World Traveler, Author.  She delights in creating imperfect characters faced with extraordinary, transforming challenges.  Her hope: You'll devour her ‘makeover’ suspense novels in the wee hours of the morning, because her stories, settings and characters, capture your imagination and your heart.


Web and Blog:  http://rolynnanderson.com



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Saturday, August 19, 2017

#WeWriWA: THE PROTECTOR - Not Leaving


Welcome to Weekend Writing Warriors where authors share an 8 - 10 sentence snippet. Be sure to visit the other authors. You can find them here.

Thanks to everyone who visited last week. I always enjoy your comments. Here's where we are. The stranger offers to help Rissa and her friends rescue kids from a traffickers' spaceship. We pick up where we left off last week.

In the dim light that barely penetrated the dark hold, Fortuna nodded to a girl about fourteen clutching a limp bundle and whispered, “I think that’s Sophira’s baby.”
Rissa sucked in a breath. “By the Matriarch, they drugged her, like they did the boys.”
“Help me make them understand we mean no harm--my Traishan is pretty rusty.”
Rissa stooped in front of the knot of children in the corner and, in her native language, said, “Come with us, we’ll protect you. We will not harm you, but you must come now.”
The children looked to the girl holding the bundle. She didn’t get up. “We’re not leaving.”


Who knew rescuing two girls from traffickers would bring down a world of hurt?

After tavern owner Rissa Dix rescues two girls from a slave ship, she must rally the townsfolk to prevent traffickers from returning. Mining heir Dillan Rusteran has loved her for years. Little do they know that by rescuing more children they're tangling with a galactic trafficking ring.

Amazon ~ Kobo ~ Smashwords ~ B&N ~ iTunes




Thursday, August 17, 2017

ALL IN FOR LOVE with Kat Henry Doran


ALL IN FOR LOVE
An Inn Decent Proposal By Sharon Buchbinder
Perfect Odds By Lashanta Charles
A Ghost To Die For By Keta Diablo
Raising Kane By Kat Henry Doran
For Money Or Love By Margo Hoornstra

Take A Chance On Me By M.J. Schiller


Genre: Contemporary Romance/Romantic Suspense Anthology
Release Date: June 1, 2017
ASIN  B071V94BWM                                          
ALL IN FOR LOVE

Six award-winning authors bring you six *sweet to sensual* romances filled with suspense, thrills and maybe even a ghost or two—for less than the price of a cup of coffee—99 cents!

Welcome to La Bonne Chance Resort & Casino!

With thousands of people passing through the casino’s doors on a daily basis, it’s no surprise that a variety of lives and loves are on the line there. It’s said that you’re more likely to lose your heart at La Bonne Chance than a hand of poker. Whether you are the Director of Casino Operations or the guy who created its software, a jilted bride or a black jack dealer, a past guest’s ghost or a sous chef--when it comes to love, the stakes are high.

Thank goodness what happens at La Bonne Chance, doesn’t always stay at La Bonne Chance….

Ready to roll the dice?

An Inn Decent Proposal, Sharon Buchbinder
Can an hotelier with a past and a chef with a future revive the grand dame in a neglected old inn?

Perfect Odds, Lashanta Charles
When a jilted bride meets the man of her dreams, will she embrace the new plan, or cling stubbornly to the old one?

A Ghost To Die For, Keta Diablo
She didn't believe in ghosts...until one showed up in her room.

Raising Kane, Kat Henry Doran
Funny how a night in jail will change a woman's outlook on life.

For Money Or Love, Margo Hoornstra
She's the one woman he can't afford to lose.

Take A Chance On Me, M.J. Schiller
Who do you count on when the chips are down?

Giveaway
To add to the fun, we are giving away one gambling themed handmade item to ONE lucky commenter who will be selected by a Random Number Generator.

Links


* * *

Excerpt from Raising Kane by Kat Henry Doran
Lt. Kieran Pollack signs in to work and comes up against the woman of his dreams: Mallory Kane, ace investigative reporter. Unfortunately she's just spent the night in jail and is in no mood to speak with anyone--particularly a cop.

Anything I need to know before I head upstairs, Sarge?”

It’s all there.” The night duty man passed him the report from the previous platoon. “The usual pugs, thugs and mugs threw themselves a circus down at The Dirty Dawg last night.”

Kieran scrawled his name on the sign-in roster. “Again? Somebody ought to look into closing down that pest hole.”

I bet the Mayor is thinkin’ along those same lines. With the Chief on vacation and the Deputy Chief at a meeting out of town, as PIO it’s your job to handle the fallout. Lucky man.”

Fall-out? “What are you talking about?”

A woman with mile-long legs and hair the color of roasting chestnuts strode past the desk, heading in the direction of the revolving door.

Overnight guest,” the sergeant advised under his breath. “TV Reporter. I was you, I’d head that one off at the pass.”

In addition to a talent for scoping out shapely legs, Kieran possessed the good sense to act on sound advice. After shooting both cuffs and ensuring his tie hung straight, he glided up beside the woman. “Excuse me, miss?”

She stopped, threw back her shoulders, then turned. Yes?

In the shimmer of an early morning sun he saw a nasty bruise blossoming across one cheekbone and winced. 

Does that hurt as bad as it looks?

Who are you and what do you want?”

She possessed a voice designed to make a man think of hot nights and cool sheets. Extending a hand, he launched into his usual PIO song and dance. “Kieran Pollack, Public Information Officer for the Victory PD. What’s a pretty thing such as yourself doing in a joint like this?”

The screech of tires on the street outside obscured any response she might have made. Panel vans bearing the logos of the local TV affiliates disgorged reporters and camera-persons who wasted no time in storming the doors to the Public Safety Building.

Kieran attempted to head her off at the pass with a fast two-step and a faster line of bull. Look, can you help out this hard working public servant?

She raised one hand to shield her injured cheek. Not without my attorney.

Aw, now. Why do you want to go and do something like that? We don’t need no lousy lawyers to make things right, do we?”

I believe it’s somewhere in the Bill of Rights,” she murmured, eluding his out-stretched hand with a fast step to the left.
Please. Hear me out,” he pressed, one eye on the camera-persons now jockeying for position just inside the doors. “I can make this all disappear―if we could go someplace to talk. It would be to your advantage, I promise.”
A spark flared in those dull, pain-filled eyes. “I’d sooner walk barefoot through a nest of pit vipers than spend one second alone with any member of the Victory Police Department.”

About Kat Doran
There was the time I played private duty nurse for my uncle, after he underwent a resection of an aortic aneurysm. Very scary for a number of different reasons. It became my job to ensure Father Joe got sufficient rest which boiled down to playing traffic cop and time-keeper on visitors. On one afternoon, I could see Joe was fatigued and needed a nap. As I rounded up the crowd to send them out the door, one smirked at me. "Who's Nurse Ratched, Joe?" he asked.
I said, "Who are you, the Pope?"
He said, "Close to it, honey. I'm the Bishop."
Aw geez.

Follow Kat Henry Doran on social media.

Email:         WildWomenAuthors@yahoo.com

Blogs:              http://www.WildWomenAuthorsx2.blogspot.com
           
                        www.ApronsWithAttitude2.blogspot.com

                        www.LoneTreeEditing.blogspot.com

                        http://www.Goodreads.com/author/show/16883086.Kat_Henry_Doran



Pinterest:         http://www.Pinterest.com/KatHenryDoran




Monday, August 14, 2017

Ethan’s Temporary Fling by Monique DeVere #Sale





Book Details
Title: Ethan’s Temporary Fling
Series Title: Sexiest Eye Candy
Book Number: #1
Publisher: Crystal Swan Publications
SubGenre(s): Contemporary, Romantic Comedy
Length: Novel
Rating: Spicy
Language: Clean
Page Count: 216
Word Count: 67,000
Digital Price: $2.99 (on sale: 99 cents thru August 31)
Release Date: June 2, 2017
ASIN: B00KCUU8PU
ISBN:  9781310945373

Back Cover Copy

He’s so sexy he has the title to prove it!

Super-hunky, weight-loss celebrity Ethan Stone brings out Dr. Karis Van de Burke’s inner bad-girl. To prove it, when Ethan accepts the challenge to persuade the sassy, love-rejected cosmetic surgeon to appear as a guest on his show, she ends up inviting him into her bed for one night of guilty pleasure instead.

Used to women throwing themselves at him boobs first, Ethan knows his way around every female erogenous zone, but the sizzling chemistry he has with Karis blindsides him. Soon he’s convincing her to extend their one-night to another ... and another ... and...

Karis can’t resist! Yet, if Ethan discovers her secret, he’ll ditch her as fast as her ex-fiancé had – but really, what could go wrong in a one-week tangle-free affair?

  
Excerpt
Copyright © Monique DeVere 2014
Crystal Swan Publications
All Rights Reserved

Ethan Stone.
The reason his name seemed familiar was that his producers had been hounding her to agree to appear on a segment on his health and weight loss show. They claimed to want the sisters to try to mend their relationship so Andie could have closure.
Karis knew better than to put herself within arm’s reach of her sister.
The doorbell rang.
Karis puffed out a delicious sigh of relief and binned the carton. At eight p.m., it could only mean one thing.
“Thank the Lord—dinner.”
“What did you order?” Her mum’s chastising tone filtered into her ear. “Nothing unhealthy, I hope.”
“It’s usually a surprise. A few times a week my friend from the deli drops by with food. She knows I hardly have time to shop and takes pity on me.”
Karis practically bounded to the front door. She was star-ving. She yanked open the door, ready to devour whatever mouth-watering yumminess was on the other side and nearly dropped the phone.
Her mouth fell open. She blinked, unable to believe her eyes. For sure, something yummy stood before her, but not hers to devour—not that she wouldn’t have equally welcomed dinner in this form. She let her gaze roam down then back up again.
Ethan Stone—he of the title Sexiest Eye Candy To Lust After—towered outside her door. He was tall, far taller than she imagined from his magazine photo. At five-foot-eight—eleven in heels—she looked most men in the eye, but to do the same with Ethan Stone she had to tip her chin six inches.
She must have conjured some kind of freaky fantasy after snagging her own copy of the gossip magazine. Because there was no way Ethan Stone would be standing outside her door at eight-o-five at night in a dinner suit holding a single white rose as he unleashed that incredible smile. Karis glanced behind her to where she’d left the magazine, then back at him.
“Karis Van de Burke?” His deep intonation did something strange to her solar plexus. Made it quiver.
“Darling? Are you still there?” Her mum’s voice was an unwelcome intrusion.
“I’ll call you back, Mum.” She cut the call without taking her eyes off the man in front of her. He was striking, with a straight-edged aquiline nose, chiselled features so even and appealing she couldn’t stop staring. His hair was a lighter brown than his photo depicted, but his eyes ... those eyes were just as remarkable. Dark-blue rings surrounded the vivid blue irises, creating a contrast, which added a mysterious air that surely made him stand out in a crowd.
“Yes, I’m Karis Van de Burke.” She cleared her throat. What was up with her voice?
“I’m Ethan Stone.”
“I know who you are.” She tucked the phone behind her back so he wouldn’t notice her slight nervous tremor. “Why are you here?”
He offered her the rose. “I came to proposition you.”
She blinked. The evening sun was still bright and framed him in golden light, making him appear almost dreamlike.
He smiled. Someone should outlaw such a lethal smile. “I’m hoping you’ll let me take you out to dinner, ask you to reconsider my producers’ offer.”
Karis released her grip on the door and took the rose. “I’m sorry to inform you, you’re wasting your time, Mr Stone. As I’ve told your producer—Rob, was it—?”
“Ray.”
“Ray ... I’m not interested in becoming a circus act.”
“He relayed your thoughts on the matter. However, I was hoping you’d give me one hour of your time so I can—”
“Try to convince me to let you make a fool of me on national television?” She handed back the rose. “Thanks, but no thank you.”
His fascinating blue eyes flicked to her outstretched hand. He left her hanging.
Choosing that moment, her stomach growled a ravenous reminder.
“You’re hungry, and I’m offering to take you to dinner.” He sniffed the air. “Since I don’t detect the aroma of food, I think I can safely presume you haven’t eaten yet.”
“I was just on my way to pick up something.”
His smile told her he knew she was fibbing. “In that case, will you allow me to join you?”
Arm tiring from its outstretched position, Karis drew the rose back and placed it, along with the phone, onto the side table next to the door.
“So you can talk me into appearing on your show?”
“Because I’m hungry too, and I’d like an opportunity to share my ideas for your sister’s follow-up episode, in the hopes you might consider rethinking your position.”
She couldn’t hold back the wicked smile tugging the corners of her lips, so she bit down on her bottom lip. Any position involving Ethan Stone did deserve some consideration.


*~*
QUOTE: “If you love your romance with a dose of humor, this is the book for you. Monique DeVere is a master at tugging at your heartstrings and your funny bone, all at the same time. Highly recommend!” ~ Alicia Dean



Author Bio
Monique DeVere is a full-time author of Sweet 'n' Spicy Romantic Comedy and Contemporary Romance. She also writes Christian Supernatural Suspense movie scripts. She was born on the beautiful island of Barbados, where she grew up on a large plantation with enough wide-open space to let the imagination run free. She moved to the UK as a teen and shortly after met and fell instantly, and irrevocably, in love with her very own strong-silent-type hero. When Monique isn’t writing or spending quality time with her family, she likes to armchair travel to distant and exciting parts of the world and considers herself to have the best job on earth.
You can visit her at moniquedevere.com where she invites you to join her exclusive Sweet ‘n’ Spicy Readers Club packed full of goodies for her members. Monique loves to hear from her readers, do contact her at monique@moniquedevere.com.

Book Purchase Links:



Where to Find Monique: