ONE RED SHOE is an N.N. Light's Pick ~ #99cent sale ~ #Giveaway

 My romantic suspense, One Red Shoe, is featured on N.N. Light's "Shake Off Winter Doldrums" Festival. https://www.nnlightsbookheaven.com/post/one-red-shoe-sowd

One lucky reader will win a $75 Amazon US or Canada gift card.

One Red Shoe is available in March for only 99 cents.

#IWSG: June

Happy Insecure Writers Support Group Day.

Apologies for not putting up all the usual info. My laptop is down and using an iPad is more difficult than I thought. Please check out our home page https://www.insecurewriterssupportgroup.com

Secrets is the question this month. I can’t think of a secret that my readers can’t figure out from my stories. Families are important to me, which is why my characters have families. In my cozy mystery series (Alex O’Hara novels), I show Alex interacting with her dad and her surrogate mother in book 3, The Case of the Meddling Mother. Her family and Nick’s family play a large part in book 4 (work in progress).

The main character in One Red Shoe, a romantic suspense, is the youngest and only girl in a family of five. Having overprotective brothers is a pain for her, but always my secret wish since I’m the oldest. In Numbers Never Lie, another romantic suspense, Maggie’s driving force is finding her brother’s killer.

Readers can learn a lot about us from our stories. Maybe not from just one, but from the whole body of work.

Hope you have a great month and continue to stay safe.

#WeWriWa - ONE RED SHOE: A Visitor With A Walther PPK

Is it the weekend already? Here I am with the Weekend Writing Warriors where we share an 8 - 10 sentence snippet. Be sure to visit the other authors. You can find them here.

I'm sharing snippets from my romantic suspense, ONE RED SHOE. Last week, Sam rushed back to his hotel room only to find the door unlocked.

Please excuse the creative punctuation, necessary to keep this within the guidelines. It's also edited some from the original.

“Hello, Samuel. Long time no see, as you Americans say,” Yuri Grashenko sat in the corner of the small room, his smile as deadly as the Walther PPK in his hand, “Please return what you stole from my employer—he is most unhappy.”

“Why you talk nice to thief?” the male voice came from behind.

Sam spun low with a move he hadn’t forgotten from his college basketball days, he slammed into the newcomer as a bullet from the PPK slammed into the wall where Sam’s shoulder had been seconds before. One good thing, Yuri wasn’t trying to kill him—not yet, anyway.

Sam and the newcomer rolled down the dark stairs in a tangle of arms and legs. Jesus, the guy was big. Elbows and knees wreaked as much havoc as the wood steps—Sam  was going to have bruises on bruises.

His dad was right. Sam should have gone to work in the steel mill. Shoveling slag had to be easier than this.

It Happened One Night meets Knight and Day.

Daria Mason’s life is too predictable. Nothing ever happens in her small Iowa town where everybody knows everybody else. But when she travels to New York City looking for a little excitement, she never expects to bring home a wounded spy.

From the moment agent Sam Jozwiak steals intel vital to US security from a Russian Mafia kingpin, Murphy’s Law takes over. No matter how he covers his tracks, the kingpin’s assassins find him. What’s worse than getting shot in the butt? Accepting help from an Iowa tourist.

Sam and Daria flee cross country with the assassins right behind them. Sharing danger and excitement—and a few kisses—with Sam soon has Daria convinced he’s the man for her. He thinks she’ll be better off once he’s out of her life for good. With their lives on the line, can she convince him they belong together?

ONE RED SHOE is available at:

Amazon: http://a.co/d/gqi3A9E

Smash: https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/901383

Kobo: https://www.kobo.com/us/en/ebook/one-red-shoe-4

iBooks: https://itunes.apple.com/us/book/one-red-shoe/id1439298014?mt=11

Be sure to check out the other WeWriWa authors. 

IWSG: End of the Year

Happy Insecure Writers Support Group Day. IWSG is the brainchild of Ninja Captain Alex J. Cavanaugh.

Purpose: To share and encourage. Writers can express doubts and concerns without fear of appearing foolish or weak. Those who have been through the fire can offer assistance and guidance. It’s a safe haven for insecure writers of all kinds! Thanks, Alex, for starting this group and keeping it going. 

Thanks to this month's awesome hosts: J.H. Moncrieff, Tonja Drecker , Patsy Collins, and Chrys Fey!

Congratulations to everyone who entered NaNoWriMo, whether or not you officially "won" (by writing 50k words). Congratulate yourself. You have more words written now than you did at the end of October. Consider yourself a winner. I do. 

I hope you’ve had a great month and a terrific year. We’ve all had our ups and downs. Winter in Michigan is so dreary. It really got to me in February. My daughter gave me a “happy” lamp to boost my intake of Vitamin D. Despite the emotional aspect, when I feel "down" I don’t want to move. I veg out in front of the TV. Not moving is bad for my back. Then, moving is painful because I’m stiff. A vicious cycle. So, I’m determined to move more and write more.

Despite the rough beginning, 2018 has been pretty good. I released one new book, Numbers Never Lie, a Romantic Suspense, re-released One Red Shoe (another romantic suspense) in ebook form (I need to get it out in print), and released two books that had been ebooks only as print ones: Romance Rekindled and Mission to New Earth. When I released the last two novellas, I hadn’t planned on putting them in print. But, as I did more book events (11 this year), I realized I should offer less expensive books as well as the longer novels.

What’s left for this month? Since 2013, I’ve been a regular contributor for The Roses of Prose blog. In December, each author posts a 3-day holiday short story. Mine will be up starting this Saturday, December 8^th. I hope you’ll check it out.

Something I realized while doing the book events is that people are more willing to buy for their kids (and grandkids) than they are for themselves. I have a YA science fiction story in my computer that I’ve done nothing with. My plan for 2019 is to refresh and publish it. 

Here's my dilemma: my earlier books are spicy (R-rated) while my more recent books aren't but still are more for adults. For a YA, should I develop a new author persona (I have the domain name) along with a new website, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, etc.? Rick Riordan and James Patterson write both adult and YA books under one name, so why am I concerned? Am I being overprotective of my (future) young readers? I'm really interested in your opinion.

I hope you’ll enjoy the holidays.

Click here to find others on the Insecure Writers Support Group Blog Hop. Or go to IWSG on Facebook to see who’s blogging today.

#WeWriWa: ONE RED SHOE - An Unlocked Door

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.

Sorry I'm late getting this up. I'm sharing snippets from my romantic suspense, ONE RED SHOE. Last week, we left Sam in Smolensk, Russia, copying a mafia kingpin's files.

Please excuse the creative punctuation, necessary to keep this within the guidelines. It's also edited some from the original.

Intel this dangerous couldn’t wait for the normal fourteen-hour transport home—the hearing was next week. What he just read would send shockwaves through Washington, through the country. He had to report this to the Director now then upload that file to the agency.

An hour later, he raced up the worn wooden stairs of the shabby hotel. He’d contacted the Director who insisted that the package be hand-delivered. While that seemed odd to Sam, considering the tight time frame, the Director said the intel was too sensitive to trust to the Internet. He ordered Sam to meet him in New York City. Now he had to grab his gear and get the hell out of Dodge before Korioff discovered the little surprise in his computer.

Sam unlocked the hotel room, realizing too late that it wasn’t locked.

It Happened One Night meets Knight and Day.

Daria Mason’s life is too predictable. Nothing ever happens in her small Iowa town where everybody knows everybody else. But when she travels to New York City looking for a little excitement, she never expects to bring home a wounded spy.

From the moment agent Sam Jozwiak steals intel vital to US security from a Russian Mafia kingpin, Murphy’s Law takes over. No matter how he covers his tracks, the kingpin’s assassins find him. What’s worse than getting shot in the butt? Accepting help from an Iowa tourist.

Sam and Daria flee cross country with the assassins right behind them. Sharing danger and excitement—and a few kisses—with Sam soon has Daria convinced he’s the man for her. He thinks she’ll be better off once he’s out of her life for good. With their lives on the line, can she convince him they belong together?

ONE RED SHOE is available at:

Amazon: http://a.co/d/gqi3A9E

Smash: https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/901383

Kobo: https://www.kobo.com/us/en/ebook/one-red-shoe-4

iBooks: https://itunes.apple.com/us/book/one-red-shoe/id1439298014?mt=11

Be sure to check out the other WeWriWa authors. 

#WeWriWa - ONE RED SHOE: Copying Russian Mafia Files

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.

I apologize for missing last week. No excuse. I just spaced. I'm back to sharing a snippet from my romantic suspense, ONE RED SHOE. We leave Daria on her way to NYC and catch up with Sam in Smolensk, Russia.

Please excuse the creative punctuation, necessary to keep this within the guidelines. It's also edited some from the original.

Sam Jozwiak slid open the door to Korioff’s inner sanctum. It had been blissfully easy to get in—one guard, now sleeping quietly along with the rest of the compound; locks a rookie could open; the computer password taped under the mouse pad—even a minor kingpin in the Russian Mafia should have better security.

Hold on--no modem, no cable, DSL, broadband, not even dial-up—no way to transmit data back to headquarters. Okay, on to Plan B.

In the dark, with only the glow from the computer screen, Sam copied files onto a tiny memory chip. The financial records and client lists would make for fascinating reading back home. As the personal files were being copied, a name caught his attention. Why the hell did the Russian Mafia have a file on a U.S. senator, especially, that senator? Sam opened the file. Holy shit!

It Happened One Night meets Knight and Day.

Daria Mason’s life is too predictable. Nothing ever happens in her small Iowa town where everybody knows everybody else. But when she travels to New York City looking for a little excitement, she never expects to bring home a wounded spy.

From the moment agent Sam Jozwiak steals intel vital to US security from a Russian Mafia kingpin, Murphy’s Law takes over. No matter how he covers his tracks, the kingpin’s assassins find him. What’s worse than getting shot in the butt? Accepting help from an Iowa tourist.

Sam and Daria flee cross country with the assassins right behind them. Sharing danger and excitement—and a few kisses—with Sam soon has Daria convinced he’s the man for her. He thinks she’ll be better off once he’s out of her life for good. With their lives on the line, can she convince him they belong together?

ONE RED SHOE is now available:

Amazon: http://a.co/d/gqi3A9E

Smash: https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/901383

Kobo: https://www.kobo.com/us/en/ebook/one-red-shoe-4

iBooks: https://itunes.apple.com/us/book/one-red-shoe/id1439298014?mt=11

Be sure to check out the other WeWriWa authors. 

#WeWriWa: ONE RED SHOE - NYC, Here She Comes

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.

I'm sharing a snippet from my romantic suspense, ONE RED SHOE. This snippet continues from last week after her brother, Jimmy, gives her a new cell phone.

Please excuse the creative punctuation, necessary to keep this within the guidelines. It's also edited some from the original.

“Call every night,” Jimmy ordered—he just had to spoil the moment, “So, we know you’re okay.” The others nodded, they meant well, she reminded herself.

She put the key in the ignition. Oh, God. this was it. She was going after her dream, a mixture of fear and excitement shot through her. She hadn’t felt like this since. . . since leaving for summer camp when she was ten. How pathetic was that. When she got back, things were going to change. First, she was going on a real adventure.

New York City, here I come.

Blurb:

It Happened One Night meets Knight and Day.

Daria Mason’s life is too predictable. Nothing ever happens in her small Iowa town where everybody knows everybody else. But when she travels to New York City looking for a little excitement, she never expects to bring home a wounded spy.

From the moment agent Sam Jozwiak steals intel vital to US security from a Russian Mafia kingpin, Murphy’s Law takes over. No matter how he covers his tracks, the kingpin’s assassins find him. What’s worse than getting shot in the butt? Accepting help from an Iowa tourist.

Sam and Daria flee cross country with the assassins right behind them. Sharing danger and excitement—and a few kisses—with Sam soon has Daria convinced he’s the man for her. He thinks she’ll be better off once he’s out of her life for good. With their lives on the line, can she convince him they belong together?

ONE RED SHOE is now available:

Amazon: http://a.co/d/gqi3A9E

Smash: https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/901383

Kobo: https://www.kobo.com/us/en/ebook/one-red-shoe-4

iBooks: https://itunes.apple.com/us/book/one-red-shoe/id1439298014?mt=11

Be sure to check out the other WeWriWa authors. 

#IWSG: Creativity

Happy Insecure Writers Support Group Day. IWSG is the brainchild of Ninja Captain Alex J. Cavanaugh.

Purpose: To share and encourage. Writers can express doubts and concerns without fear of appearing foolish or weak. Those who have been through the fire can offer assistance and guidance. It’s a safe haven for insecure writers of all kinds! Thanks, Alex, for starting this group and keeping it going. 

Thanks to this month's awesome hosts:   Ellen @ The Cynical Sailor,Ann V. Friend, JQ Rose, and Elizabeth Seckman!

Question: How has your creativity in life evolved since you began writing?

I've been writing for twenty-five years. Prior to that, I did a lot of needlework: counted cross-stitch, needlepoint, quilting, embroidery. Music has always been a part of my life. Even though I never played an instrument as a child, one of my first purchases as a new homeowner was a piano, and I took lessons. Trying to learn to play at twenty-nine was difficult, which is why I "made" my kids take piano lessons when they were young. Despite my lack of talent, I've always loved listening to music. Just not when I'm writing.

When I began seriously writing with the intention of being published, I let those other forms of creativity fall by the wayside. All my focus has been on the writing. I guess we all need a release for that creativity. Writing is mine. 

Because so many of you are participating in NaNo, my post is short. Good luck to you. Write on.

Click here to find others on the Insecure Writers Support Group Blog Hop. Or go to IWSG on Facebook to see who’s blogging today.

It Happened One Night meets Knight and Day

When elementary teacher Daria Mason left Iowa for a writers’ conference in New York City, she didn’t expect to come home with a wounded spy. Sam Jozwiak works for a shadow agency that gathers intel vital to U.S. security. From the moment he steals digital files from a Russian Mafia kingpin, Murphy’s Law takes over. No matter how he covers his tracks, the kingpin’s assassins find him. What’s worse than getting shot in the butt? Accepting help from an Iowa tourist. Thus, begins a road trip that takes Sam and Daria cross country with the assassins right behind them. 

One Red Shoe released on October 22.

Amazon http://a.co/d/8DH9M5H

Smash: https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/901383

Kobo: https://www.kobo.com/us/en/ebook/one-red-shoe-4

iBooks: https://itunes.apple.com/us/book/one-red-shoe/id1439298014?mt=11

#WeWriWa: Eager to Get on the Road

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.

I'm sharing a snippet from my romantic suspense, ONE RED SHOE. This snippet continues from last week when her brother, Jimmy, tries to keep her from leaving for NYC.

Please excuse the creative punctuation, necessary to keep this within the guidelines. It's also edited some from the original.

“I hoped you’d get this foolishness out of your system.” Jimmy blew out a breath and thrust a small item at her, “Since you’re determined to go, this is a top-of-the-line cell phone. It has GPS tracking so if you have car trouble and call for help, they’ll know exactly where you are.”

Daria ignored the first part of his rant, she’d heard it before but was surprised at his thoughtfulness with the phone. She gave him a hug then the others. Standing back, she looked at the four of them, and tears threatened. She blinked rapidly. For goodness sake, it wasn’t like she was leaving forever--a week away from home, that’s all. She got into her car, eager to get started.

Blurb:

It Happened One Night meets Knight and Day.

Daria Mason’s life is too predictable. Nothing ever happens in her small Iowa town where everybody knows everybody else. But when she travels to New York City looking for a little excitement, she never expects to bring home a wounded spy.

From the moment agent Sam Jozwiak steals intel vital to US security from a Russian Mafia kingpin, Murphy’s Law takes over. No matter how he covers his tracks, the kingpin’s assassins find him. What’s worse than getting shot in the butt? Accepting help from an Iowa tourist.

Sam and Daria flee cross country with the assassins right behind them. Sharing danger and excitement—and a few kisses—with Sam soon has Daria convinced he’s the man for her. He thinks she’ll be better off once he’s out of her life for good. With their lives on the line, can she convince him they belong together?

ONE RED SHOE is now available:

Amazon: http://a.co/d/gqi3A9E

Smash: https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/901383

Kobo: https://www.kobo.com/us/en/ebook/one-red-shoe-4

iBooks: https://itunes.apple.com/us/book/one-red-shoe/id1439298014?mt=11

Be sure to check out the other WeWriWa authors. 

#WeWriWa - ONE RED SHOE: No More Wounded Strays

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.

I'm sharing a snippet from my romantic suspense, ONE RED SHOE. This snippet continues from last week when Daria's brothers were examining her car.

Please excuse the creative punctuation, necessary to keep this within the guidelines. It's also edited some from the original.

While they debated whether she should get a new tire, Rover dashed up, the reddish-brown mutt of indeterminate heritage nearly knocked her over with his usual enthusiastic greeting.

“Billy, don’t feed Rover any table scraps--only two cups of kibble a day and, Andy, you’re going to put food in the barn for Archy and Mehitabel, right?” She didn’t wait for his response, “And, Tommy, you’ll take care of—”

Jimmy straightened, “For crissake, Daria, it’s a goddamn zoo around here.”

At least he wasn’t trying to delay her with talk about new tires. She reached up and patted his cheek, “Don’t swear.”

“I mean it, Daria Jean,” Jimmy said, “Don’t you dare bring home some wounded stray. I don’t care if it’s bleeding--no more. You have no idea what you’re getting yourself into--you’ve never even been east of Chicago.”

She smiled, “I know.”

Blurb:

It Happened One Night meets Knight and Day.

Daria Mason’s life is too predictable. Nothing ever happens in her small Iowa town where everybody knows everybody else. But when she travels to New York City looking for a little excitement, she never expects to bring home a wounded spy.

From the moment agent Sam Jozwiak steals intel vital to US security from a Russian Mafia kingpin, Murphy’s Law takes over. No matter how he covers his tracks, the kingpin’s assassins find him. What’s worse than getting shot in the butt? Accepting help from an Iowa tourist.

Sam and Daria flee cross country with the assassins right behind them. Sharing danger and excitement—and a few kisses—with Sam soon has Daria convinced he’s the man for her. He thinks she’ll be better off once he’s out of her life for good. With their lives on the line, can she convince him they belong together?

ONE RED SHOE is now available:

Amazon: http://a.co/d/gqi3A9E

Smash: https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/901383

Kobo: https://www.kobo.com/us/en/ebook/one-red-shoe-4

iBooks: https://itunes.apple.com/us/book/one-red-shoe/id1439298014?mt=11

Be sure to check out the other WeWriWa authors. 

#Release Day for ONE RED SHOE #RomanticSuspense

I'm excited to present another new book. Rather, it's the re-release of a book that was published five years ago. When the rights were returned, I couldn't wait to re-issue it. I love this story.

ONE RED SHOE began as a writing assignment at a Mid-Michigan RWA chapter meeting. Some writers hate writing on demand. I enjoy it. Give me a sentence or a clue and my imagination takes off. Through the late 1990's and early 2000s, I wrote and rewrote this story. My friends (like Nancy Gideon, Jolana Malkston, and the LaSenorita critique group) gave me lots to think about. They made me rethink motivation and goals. Nobody likes to have people tear apart their work. Biting my tongue and listening to their advice made this story so much better.

If you haven't read ONE RED SHOE, here's a little about it, followed by an excerpt. I hope you enjoy.

Blurb:

It Happened One Night meets Knight and Day

When elementary teacher Daria Mason left Iowa for a writers’ conference in New York City, she didn’t expect to come home with a wounded spy. Sam Jozwiak works for a shadow agency that gathers intel vital to U.S. security. From the moment he steals digital files from a Russian Mafia kingpin, Murphy’s Law takes over. No matter how he covers his tracks, the kingpin’s assassins find him. What’s worse than getting shot in the butt? Accepting help from an Iowa tourist. Thus, begins a road trip that takes Sam and Daria cross country with the assassins right behind them.

Excerpt:

Sam Jozwiak slid open the door to Korioff’s inner sanctum. It had been blissfully easy. One guard, now sleeping quietly along with the rest of the compound. Locks a rookie could open. The computer password taped under the mouse pad. You’d think even a minor kingpin in the Russian Mafia would have better security.

Hold on. No modem. No cable, DSL, broadband, not even dial-up. No way to transmit data. Well, shit.

Okay, on to Plan B.

In the dark, with only the glow from the computer screen, Sam copied files onto a tiny memory chip. The financial records and client lists would make for fascinating reading back at headquarters. As the personal files were being copied, a name caught his attention. Why the hell did the Russian Mafia have a file on a U.S. senator? Especially, that senator. Sam opened the file. Holy shit!

Intel this dangerous couldn’t wait for the normal fourteen-hour transport home. The hearing was next week. What he just read would send shockwaves through Washington, through the country. He had to report this to the Director now then upload that file to the agency.

An hour later, he raced up the worn wooden stairs of the shabby hotel. He’d contacted the Director who wasn’t pleased about the change in plan. Sam had wasted too much time explaining why he couldn’t hook up a connection instead of copying the files. The Director insisted that the package be hand-delivered. While that seemed odd to Sam, considering the tight time frame, the Director did have a reason. The intel was too sensitive to trust to the Internet. He ordered Sam to meet him in New York City. Again, odd. But he learned long ago not to question his superiors. All he had to do now was grab his gear and get the hell out of Dodge before Korioff discovered the little surprise in his computer.

Sam unlocked the hotel room, realizing too late that it wasn’t locked.

“Hello, Samuel. Long time no see, as you Americans say.” Yuri Grashenko sat in the corner of the small room, his smile as deadly as the Walther PPK in his hand. “Please return what you stole from my employer. He is most unhappy.”

Jesus, how did he know? How did Grashenko get here so—

“Why you talk nice to thief?” The male voice came from behind.

Sam spun low with a move he hadn’t forgotten from his college basketball days. He slammed into the newcomer as a bullet from the PPK slammed into the wall where Sam’s shoulder had been seconds before. One good thing. Yuri wasn’t trying to kill him. Not yet, anyway.

Sam and the newcomer rolled down the dark stairs in a tangle of arms and legs. Jesus, the guy was big. Elbows and knees wreaked as much havoc as the wood steps. He was going to have bruises on bruises.

His dad was right. Sam should have gone to work in the steel mill. Shoveling slag had to be easier than this.

ONE RED SHOE is available at:

Amazon http://a.co/d/8DH9M5H

Smash: https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/901383

Kobo: https://www.kobo.com/us/en/ebook/one-red-shoe-4

iBooks: https://itunes.apple.com/us/book/one-red-shoe/id1439298014?mt=11

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