OUT NOW @ an introductory price of only 99 cents https://www.amazon.com/dp/B071F7FPQ9/
or get the first three chapter here: More Beginnings
Blog
#SnippetSunday – DEFYING RULES – 18/06/2017 #romance #love #freebie
OUT NOW @ an introductory price of only 99 cents
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B071F7FPQ9/
or get the first three chapter here: More Beginnings
DEFYING RULES
For today’s snippet I moved a little forward again into Ethan’s POV. It’s the start of school assembly.
DEFYING RULES is set along the Australian Great Ocean Road and tells the story of Ethan Tomlin, single dad, and manager of a hotel chain.
This is still a WIP, so critique away.
Thanks … and enjoy 🙂
Ethan looked straight into a pair of beautiful blue eyes.
“Yes, he is. Don’t tell me he’s already in trouble?” he asked, noticing that instead of a smile he had a grin on his face.
The woman laughed softly. “No, not at all. I’m trying to put names to faces, and connect children to parents.”
He lifted a brow, well aware of who she was. After all, she’d been occupying his mind for a few days following the Christmas concert. He’d carefully asked around, but hadn’t been able to get a lot of information about her.
If any at all.
Not even Niall’s grandmother, who worked in the local newsagency had known much. From Melbourne… new teacher… cute little thing. As if he hadn’t noticed himself.
She dragged him back from his thoughts again. “Oh, sorry, I’m Addison Ryker. The new Grade Four teacher here this year.”
Ethan held out a hand. “Nice meeting you Addison Ryker. My name is Ethan Tomlin. Good to have you here at the school.”
She took his hand and everything inside him was on alert. Her touch was soft and gentle, her beautiful warm smile that went deep into her blue eyes. Close up, she looked even more attractive, sexier, than he remembered. Her black hair was neatly tied up in a ponytail. She wore a simple yellow summer dress with a scoop neck and sleeves, and cute little high heels.
Thanks for all your comments,
I do appreciate each single one of them!
And check out Snippet Sunday Facebook site for other writers.
4 stars
– NEW BEGINNINGS is a very emotional read, one that is heartwarming as well as heart wrenching. It gives you hope in the act of human kindness and that good things do happen to good people. I highly recommend this book.
“A car accident robbed Nancy Frost of her child” – Sworn to Protect by Susanne Matthews @jandsmatt
Sworn to Protect
by Susanne Matthews
I’m really pleased to tell you all about Susanne’s new book. I love her stories and can’t wait to read this one. It sounds like another winner!
Blurb:
Four years ago, a car accident robbed Nancy Frost of her child and her mother, taking what was left of her marriage with it in the process. A forensic accountant, she agrees to look at a company’s books in a divorce case, trying to find hidden assets, but her meeting with the lawyer goes terribly wrong when the restaurant is attacke
d.
The moment US Marshal Neil Copeland discovers his wife has been shot in a Baltimore restaurant, he rushes to her side, determined not to let her down again. As the police investigate, evidence suggests the attack was a ploy to hide a specific hit. When a professional assassin tries to kill Nancy a second time, it’s clear that she was the target and whatever’s going on is a lot more complicated than they think.
When Nancy awakes after a month in an induced coma, not only does she not remember the attack on the restaurant, she doesn’t remember marrying Neil.
Faced with the challenge of protecting his wife from a powerful, faceless enemy, Neil must bring her up to date, dredging up all the sorrow that tore them apart in the first place, hoping something will jar her memory.
As he races against time, can he save her from an unknown assassin and convince her to give the love they once had a second chance?
Buy link:
Sworn to Protect is available in both e-book and paperback from all Amazon retailers.
https://www.amazon.com/Sworn-Protect-Susanne-Matthews-ebook/dp/B072MHFQJF
Excerpt:
Mustering all the dignity she could, Nancy led the way back to the small space she’d called her own. In her absence someone had emptied her desk and packed up her photographs and other memorabilia. The partially filled box sat in the center of her blotter.
“If you’ll put your arms out at your side, I’ll search you.”
Gritting her teeth, her cheeks burned.
“Oh no, you won’t. I warned you what will happen if you put your paws on me again. There are no pockets in this skirt or jacket, and I’m not about to let you cop a feel,” she ground out, her chest heaving in her fury.
Glaring at her, he mumbled into the radio he carried. Within seconds, a woman, not an employee she recognized, arrived.
“Put out your arms,” the woman said brusquely.
Grudgingly, her mouth a thin line, Nancy complied, allowing the woman to pat her down, more roughly than necessary.
“She’s clean.”
“Satisfied?” Nancy asked, her fury and humiliation warring for dominance.
“Empty your purse,” he stated baldly, while the woman crossed her arms and stood by the open door.
Clenching her teeth to hold back the scathing remark on the tip of her tongue, Nancy turned over the bag allowing its contents to fall on the desk.
“If you’re checking to see if I’ve stolen company pens, don’t worry about it. I haven’t. I prefer something of higher quality.”
The man rifled through the items, checking inside each small bag and pouch and finally nodded.
“Keys.”
“You could pretend to have manners,” she grumbled. Removing the keys and the electronic fob that opened the garage door from her key ring, she handed them to him. As quickly as she could, she stuffed the items back into her purse. He picked up the box.
“Hang on a second. Let me check to make sure whoever packed this didn’t miss anything.”
She opened her desk drawers, but each one was empty. Turning to her filing cabinet, the suspended files were nothing but frames. Even her trash can was gone.
Stunned by the speed with which they’d erased her presence here, Nancy grabbed her coat and followed the two security people out of her office. She didn’t look back. Walking between the rent-a-cops, she held her head high, looking neither left nor right, hiding the fact she was devastated.
Author bio and links:
Amazon bestselling author Susanne Matthews was born and raised in Cornwall, Ontario, Canada. She is of French-Canadian descent. She’s always been an avid reader of all types of books, but with a penchant for happily ever after romances. A retired educator, Susanne spends her time writing and creating adventures for her readers. She loves the ins and outs of romance, and the complex journey it takes to get from the first word to the last period of a novel. As she writes, her characters take on a life of their own, and she shares their fears and agonies on the road to self-discovery and love.
Her first novel, Fire Angel, set the tone for an exciting new career. While most of her books are romantic suspense, Susanne writes stories that range from contemporary to sci-fi and everything in between. She is a PAN member of the Romance Writers of America.
When she isn’t writing, she’s reading, or traveling to interesting places she can use as settings in her future books or as interesting entries for her blog, Living the Dream. During the summer she enjoys camping with her grandchildren and attending various outdoor concerts and fairs. In winter, she likes to cuddle by the fire and watch television.
Follow Susanne on her: Website Facebook page Twitter @jandsmatt
Amazon author page and Goodreads author page
Give some #AuthorLove to @ChristaMaurice and her #Book “Tender is the Night” #Romance
Love is a long journey.
Lisa Benedict needed a date for a bar mitzvah, but when the escort she hired arrives he’s not just good looking, he’s also kind, gentle, and protective. He makes her feel sexy again and she wants to keep him around. But she doesn’t know that the terrible abuse Gale suffered at the hands of one of the Hollywood elite keeps him from being able to trust her no matter how much he wants to.
Gale loved being with Lisa and her sons, but when she put a contract in front of him, he thought she wanted to enslave him as another woman had threatened to. He fled. Months later, with some therapy behind him, he wants to try again. Will she be willing to take him back after the way he stormed out?
And if she does, can he trust her to not reject him when she learns the truth?
Excerpt:
“Help me, Gale Wallace. You’re my only hope.”
Gale grinned. “I love that movie.” Too bad they couldn’t stay in tonight and watch it. They could cuddle on the couch, eat popcorn, and repeat their favorite lines. He swallowed. He should not be thinking of his client as a person. It would make the whole date more difficult. But it was impossible not to, especially when she was treating him as an equal.
“Me, too. See, we already have something in common.” She set aside her glass.
“We met at the Starbucks near where you work.”
“Yes, and we ended up chatting.” She patted his knee again.
“About Star Wars.”
She laughed and it was full of joy. “Of course we did. After coffee, we decided to have lunch. My ex had the boys last weekend, so we went to Brandywine on Saturday.”
“And you asked me to come with you this weekend.”
“Perfect. I did kind of invite you last Saturday.” She stroked his arm and then yanked her hand away. “I’m sorry. I don’t mean to manhandle you.”
“Actually, to sell it, you will want to.” Not entirely true, but Gale was enjoying being touched by her.
“Oh good.” She rested her hand on his forearm again. “I should probably know what you do. I suppose you want to be an actor. You’re good-looking enough.”
“I tell people that I’m a model, but I do want to get into acting. What do you do?”
“I work for ABN in development picking which shows are green lit for production.”
“That sounds important.”
She shrugged. “I guess it would be if I had any power at all.”
If he leaned in right now to kiss her, what would she do? Kiss back? Slap him? Too soon to tell.
Purchase links:
Amazon: http://amzn.to/2q2921k
Barnes & Noble: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/tender-is-the-night-christa-maurice/1126276898?ean=9781537897530
GooglePlay: https://play.google.com/store/books/details/Christa_Maurice_Tender_Is_the_Night?id=jia7DgAAQBAJ
iTunes: https://itunes.apple.com/us/book/tender-is-the-night/id1229909993?mt=11&ign-mpt=uo%3D4
Kobo: https://www.kobo.com/us/en/ebook/tender-is-the-night-58
Author Bio:
Christa Maurice spends a lot of time lost in imagination. When not writing, she loves to travel and has spent several years living overseas. She spent four years living in Abu Dhabi where the temperature was always hot, the sunrise and sunset were pretty stable year ‘round and she could go weeks without speaking to a man who wasn’t selling her groceries. You know that happens to a woman living in what amounts to a harem situation? She spends a lot of time talking about shoes and thinking about men. Which brings us right back to being lost in imagination…
Author Links:
Website: christamaurice.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ChristaMauriceWriter?ref=hl
Twitter:
Mailing list: http://eepurl.com/4VZuD
Bookbub: https://www.bookbub.com/authors/christa-maurice
Showing some #AuthorLove for a Hot Paranormal #Romance, Alpha Lover, by Brenda Sparks
Book Blurb:
Starved for blood, vampire, Nicholai Peterhof is greatly relieved when two tourists, in Russia for the Christmas holiday, decide to grace his 
restaurant, but one sip from the pretty brunette and his world is forever turned upside down. Juliette Staint-John is everything he could have asked for in a heartmate; pretty, smart, built with curves in all the right places…and totally unavailable.
Juliette doesn’t want anything to do with the handsome, young-looking Nicholai. As if their differences aren’t enough, the acute grief over the loss of loved ones keeps her heart guarded. He may be her fantasy, but that’s all he can ever be.
To get past Juliette’s defenses and in order to keep her safe, Nicholai must prove himself worthy of her love and trust. Unbeknownst to the couple, her personal demons are not the only ones threatening their relationship. Hiding virtually unseen by the vampires, Demon Royalty plots to destroy not only the couple but the entire vampire breed. Luckily, Nicholai will do anything for Juliette—even if it means sacrificing himself.
Excerpts: (Blogger’s choice)
She had only a second to realize Nicholai stood in the doorway before Desmond’s powerful thighs brought him to the door in a single bound.
He grabbed Nicholai’s shirt with one hand
, his other made a fist that landed squarely on Nicholai’s jaw.
Nicholai’s head snapped back. Shock took his face. With a mighty push, Nicholai threw Desmond backward across the room into one of the flowery couches. It moved under his weight, crashed into the end table, and the Tiffany lamp tumbled to the floor.
Julie’s eyes went wide. The two men became a blur of motion, bodies flying apart then back together. She had to concentrate to make out the shapes of hard forms in the powerful whirlwind.
Connor pulled, lunging at the whirling mass. His deep growls and barks added to the chaos as the two males swirled around the living room. They spun around the room like a tornado, moving so fast Juliette’s eyes did not register their kicks and punches. However, she heard bones crunch and the slap of skin while the two exchanged blows.
The furniture that exploded when the blurry mass neared evidenced the fierceness of their battle. Julie watched one piece of furniture after the next burst into pieces. First her delicate coffee table, next the end table where the Tiffany lamp had been, then the rocking chair. When the mass moved toward the antique credenza, Juliette screamed.
Her beautiful roses sprayed about the room. Red petals floated slowly to the floor in surreal contrast.
Buy the book:
Want Alpha Lover for Only $0.99? Pick up a Kindle copy on Amazon.
Buy the Book On Amazon.
Don’t want a Kindle copy? Don’t mind paying a little more for Alpha Lover? Get a copy at one of these other fine retailers.
Buy the Book on Barnes and Nobel.
Buy the Book on iTunes.
Buy the Book on Kobo.
Buy the Book from The Wild Rose Press.
Author Bio:
Brenda Sparks has always loved all things spooky and enjoys incorporating paranormal elements in her writing. She refuses to allow pesky human constraints to get in the way of telling the story. Luckily the only thing limiting her stories is her imagination. Her characters are strong, courageous, and she adores spending time with them in their imaginary world.
Her idea of a perfect day is one spent in front of a computer with a hot cup of coffee, her fingers flying over the keys to send her characters off on their latest adventure.
Find the Author on Social Media:
Visit the Author’s Website.
Visit the Facebook Fan Page.
Visit the Twitter Page.
Visit the Goodreads Page.
Share #AuthorLove for Kris Bock’s Free #Romance Adventure
The Mad Monk’s Treasure
“Smart romance with an ‘Indiana Jones’ feel.”
“Like Nancy Drew for grownups.”
A legendary treasure hunt in the dramatic – and deadly – New Mexico desert….
The lost Victorio Peak treasure is the greatest of treasure-hunting legends, filled with riches from a heretic Spanish priest’s gold mine, bandits, and an Apache Chief.
Erin, a shy history professor, uncovers a clue that may pinpoint the lost cave. She’s ready for adventure, but when a hit and run driver nearly kills her, she knows she’s not the only one after the treasure. And is Drew, the handsome helicopter pilot who found her bleeding in a ditch, a hero or an enemy?
Erin heads into the New Mexico wilderness with her brainy best friend Camie and a feisty orange cat, Tiger. The wilderness holds its own dangers, from wild animals to sudden storms. Meanwhile, dangerous men are on Erin’s trail, determined snatch the treasure from her grasp. How far will Erin go to find the treasure and discover what she’s really made of? And will Drew be there to help her in the end?
“The story has it all—action, romance, danger, intrigue, lost treasure, not to mention a sizzling relationship….”
“The action never stopped …. It was adventure and romance at its best.”
“I couldn’t put this book down. You’ll love it.”
This book was originally published under the title Rattled.
Fans of Mary Stewart, Barbara Michaels, and Terry Odell will enjoy these stories of love in the wild, from an award-winning author.
The Mad Monk’s Treasure Excerpt:
Among all the legends, all the fact and fiction, one story stood out. The Victorio Peak legend had it all. A Franciscan priest and a swindler. Torture, murder, a government cover-up. Where was the truth, among all the stories? Erin wanted to find out. Over time, and with Camie’s encouragement, she’d started to take the treasure hunt more seriously. It wasn’t so much for the treasure itself, which would most likely belong to the government or the landowners. But it would make her reputation, open up new job opportunities – change her life in ways she hardly dared dream.
She touched the book gently. The pages were falling out; she didn’t want to risk carrying it around. Instead, Erin snapped a picture of the petroglyphs with her phone. That would be enough to show Camie for now.
The timing was perfect; she just had to turn in grades and field a few tearful last-minute requests for extensions, and she’d be done for the semester. What better way to spend the summer, than hunting for buried treasure?
Erin shook her head. Who would’ve thought that she, the quiet, studious girl who’d spent her entire adult life in academia in one way or another, would be planning such an adventure?
Erin wheeled the bike around the front of her house and mounted. At the corner, she paused and looked both ways. The long frontage road was dangerously narrow, with a cement wall on one side and a ditch on the other. Fortunately, traffic was normally light, and at this time of day the road lay empty. Erin pushed off, still grinning from her find. She rode on the right side, by the ditch, instead of facing traffic, because it was too frightening to ride alongside the wall when a car passed.
She’d gone a block when she heard the hum of a car engine as it pulled out from a side street behind her. She rode along the very edge of the pavement, even though the car would have plenty of room to pass her without oncoming traffic.
Erin glanced over her shoulder. The black SUV twenty feet behind her hadn’t bothered to pull out into the road at all. Jerk. When would drivers learn to share the road with bicyclists? Erin pulled onto the two-foot wide gravel strip between the pavement and the ditch. She couldn’t stop without risking a skid, but she slowed so the SUV could pass.
The engine roared. Erin glanced back again.
Black metal bore down on her. Her heart lurched and the bike wobbled. This guy was crazy! She whipped her gaze forward, rose up in the seat, and pumped the pedals with all her power, skimming along inches from the ditch. He was just trying to scare her. She’d get his license plate and—
She felt the bumper hit her back tire. The bike seemed to leap into the air, and she went flying. The dried mud and weeds of the ditch seemed to rise up to meet her.
She didn’t even have time to scream.
Get the book free at these ebook retailers:
Kris Bock’s Amazon page
Barnes & Noble
Apple iBooks
Kobo
Google Play
Kris Bock writes novels of suspense and romance with outdoor adventures and Southwestern landscapes. Whispers in the Dark features archaeology and intrigue among ancient Southwest ruins. In Counterfeits, stolen Rembrandt paintings bring danger to a small New Mexico town. What We Found is a mystery with strong romantic elements about a young woman who finds a murder victim in the woods.
The Southwest Treasure Hunters novels follow strong characters hunting for long-lost treasures in the dramatic and deadly southwestern desert. Each stands alone.
Read excerpts at www.krisbock.com or visit her Amazon page. Sign up for Kris Bock newsletter for announcements of new books, sales, and more.
Find, follow, or friend the author:
Kris Bock website
Kris Bock on GoodReads
Kris Bock on Facebook
Kris Bock on Twitter
Kris Bock on Pinterest
#MusicMonday “The Animal Song” by #SavageGarden
OUT NOW @ an introductory price of only 99 cents https://www.amazon.com/dp/B071F7FPQ9/
or get the first three chapter here: More Beginnings
#SnippetSunday – DEFYING RULES – 11/06/2017 #romance #love #freebie
OUT NOW @ an introductory price of only 99 cents https://www.amazon.com/dp/B071F7FPQ9/
or get the first three chapter here: More Beginnings
DEFYING RULES
For today’s snippet I moved a little forward again into Ethan’s POV. It’s the start of school assembly.
DEFYING RULES is set along the Australian Great Ocean Road and tells the story of Ethan Tomlin, single dad, and manager of a hotel chain.
This is still a WIP, so critique away.
Thanks … and enjoy 🙂
Ethan watched his son walk along to the Assembly Hall, all excited about another year ahead. More so being in the new teacher’s class. It was a relief to see a smile on his son’s face, because the previous couple of weeks had been anything but easy for the boy. But over the last few days, Nick remembered about his new teacher and some of the troubles seemed forgotten. He’d been eager to meet Miss Ryker.
Actually, so had Ethan. He wondered whether there were rules not to drool over his son’s teacher. She’d caught his attention already at the Christmas concert in her tight pants and white T-shirt with the slogan Be aware of the new teacher. Not to mention the cute Santa hat she’d worn all afternoon despite the heat.
There was nothing better than a woman who was comfortable in her own skin as well as having a genuine love for children.
With all the patience in the world, she’d given each child her fullest attention during the Christmas concert and listened to it as if no one else mattered. It’d made him a little envious. Ethan had thought of introducing himself, but in the end, everyone had been too busy. It’d been a great afternoon. Nick had met Connor for the first time. His son had been so excited, he’d bombarded his old friend with a thousand questions. Fortunately, the boy had warmed up to Connor very quickly.
Assembly began with the National Anthem and pride rose within him as he watched his son sing along.
What would life have been without him?
Taking a deep breath, he thought how tough the summer break had been on both of them when he was brought back to the moment by somebody pointing the finger at Nick, “This is your son, right?”
Ethan looked straight into a pair of beautiful blue eyes.
Thanks for all your comments,
I do appreciate each single one of them!
And check out Snippet Sunday Facebook site for other writers.
4 stars – NEW BEGINNINGS is a very emotional read, one that is heartwarming as well as heart wrenching. It gives you hope in the act of human kindness and that good things do happen to good people. I highly recommend this book.
#AuthorLove exchange Unholy Alliance– steamy romantic #thriller from #TirgearrPublishing @RowlandKathleen
Unholy Alliance
by Kathleen Rowland
Blurb—Unholy Alliance (2nd book in the Irish American Donahue Cousins series)
A decade ago, Tori Rourke, and her cousin, Vivienne, ran from the Irish mob after witnessing a brutal murder. Tori was framed by the mob, and while she served time in prison, she worried that the killer, Seamus McGinn, had kidnapped her missing cousin.
Attorney Grady D. Fletcher, defender of the wrongly condemned, appeals Tori’s case and wins her release. Now, going by Victoria Morningstar, she runs a food truck from a seedy waterfront neighborhood, hoping to find her cousin’s kidnapper.
When Grady agrees to defend a new client, Samuel Peterson, who’s been accused of beating to death the wife of a noted professor, the evidence mounts. The professor is missing, as well as his laptop that contains data dangerous to national security.
And Seamus McGinn is back, and rumors of a massive annihilation is about to begin. As they race to assist the FBI, the bonds between Grady and Tori are about to be tested. It becomes clear Grady and Tori are falling fast for each other, but what to do about it is a different story. He’s a divorced dad who wants more time with his kid. She brings danger to his front door.
Grady has questions of his own; Is Vivienne at the center of the mob’s operation? How much will it cost Tori before she learns the truth? All Grady knows is the biggest danger is the one standing right behind you.
Excerpt—
“Don’t let the anxiety of freedom consume you.” Attorney Grady Donahue Fletcher clenched his teeth and rehearsed what he’d say to his client, Victoria Morningstar. He’d won her appeal and drove to pick her up at Gladstone Penitentiary. “At least you won’t be placed in solitary.” That was worse.
Six months earlier Grady had phoned a reporter at the Los Angeles Globe. “Drew Barker. Grady Fletcher here.”
“Ah, the lawyer. Calling about a tip?”
“I am. Here’s something you can investigate. Tori Morningstar, did she murder Irene Brennan?”
“I wrote that story many years back,” the journalist had said. “I assume you have new discoveries.”
“Fraud, illegal testimony. Do you want the story first?” A second passed. “Otherwise, I’ll call the Orange County Guardian.”
“Okay, okay. We want it.”
Three days later Grady had a hand in writing the first article in Drew Barker’s column. “The public labeled Tori Morningstar as an undesirable. Not black and poor, but disfavored, accused, incarcerated, and wrongly condemned. Her cellphone has been recovered. Her call to 911 identified her voice and substantiated screams of the victim in the background. Could she have beaten someone while speaking to dispatch at the same time?”
The reporter had written the second article. “People who get their ideas about criminal lawyers from TV probably would be disappointed in Grady Fletcher. He lacks flash but stands up straight, his posture neither ramrod nor slouched. He doesn’t smoke, doesn’t wear thousand dollar suits. His voice is soft and low, one of his assets. He speaks truth with a voice inviting confidences.”
As nice as that was, Grady’s stomach cramped over pressure and strain from Drew Barker’s final article with the headline, Tori Morningstar, Released Today. Picked up by the online service, Newser, KTLA, and CBS Los Angeles, they planned to broadcast his arrival to escort his client from Gladstone.
Tori’s decade-long prison sentence ended today but with a sobering fear over tomorrow.
When was a July morning this hot? Grady balanced her release papers on his lap as he rolled up one sleeve then the other while gripping the damp steering wheel. Sweat blossomed on his throbbing forehead, wrapped like a python’s grip. He adjusted the dial for the AC and embraced the challenge of helping another client get back on track. Embrace and conquer. Or at least sound like it.
You will find all buy book links for Unholy Alliance here:
http://www.tirgearrpublishing.com/authors/Rowland_Kathleen/unholy-alliance.htm
Interview, Kathleen Rowland
Is there a message in your novel that you want readers to grasp?
True colors, virtue and character, are revealed in crisis. In their own ways, heroine Tori and hero Grady undergo personal drama but exhibit calm and rationality when their loves are rocked by a murderer. She stops beating herself up for her mob family’s mistakes. He becomes more empathetic.
How do you come up with your characters?
Protagonists need four solid characteristics and one flaw. Antagonists need one good quality. Otherwise characters would be lifeless. After determining qualities (which involves their horoscopes) how they react is set in stone.
Do you have any writing rituals that you do while writing?
Prior to writing a book, I write the intended blurb for the book, followed by a synopsis. I place chapter headings in Scrivener. This avoids a saggy middle and forces forward writing with goal, motivation, and conflict. Often another twist takes over, but I don’t stray far from the intended plot points. I write tight and steamy romantic suspense.
What types of books do you enjoy reading in your free time or what do you like to do with your free time?
I bring my Kindle everywhere. The types of books I enjoy most are sexy contemporaries and romantic thrillers. I often select books from Tirgearr Publishing. My husband and family are in the center my life, but I love travel to Hawaii, Europe, and favorite places in the U.S. We rent some type of small boat if possible on vacations.
Does your family read your books?
Yes, particularly my husband who also loves hearing what I’m writing now. For my teenage grandchildren I wrote a sweet futuristic Intervenus series. The first book of the series, A Brand New Address, finaled in the Book Buyers Best contest in 2015. The hero in the series is Black, and the series is dedicated to our grandson D’mitri who is Black.
Quick Draw:
Coffee or Tea?
Coffee in the morning, tea in the evening. Morning coffee is a strong latte.
Jeans or sweats?
Fitted jeans with a midriff top—good for doing yoga stretches.
Beer or Wine?
Now and then, a glass of wine is nice. In addition to wine I like Asti Spumanti champagne.
Chocolate or Chips?
Dark chocolate kisses. I like chips, too. Oh my, temptations! Kathleen1 wants to be strong and thin. To be in the light she has to push impulsive Kathleen2 back into the shadows and not write-while-munching either of these appetizing items. It’s a challenge to eat fruit instead.
Anything else you’d like to share with us?
I write every day but set aside time in mid-morning to swim laps. After lunch I do floor stretches and gardening. Although I’m active on social media, I get out face-to-face. Conversation is stimulating at my weekly local book club. At the Orange County Chapter of Romance Writers of America. I will chair The Orange Rose Contest for unpublished writers.
I teach a writing class entitled: Spin reverberating scenes that resonate with your readers.”
A little more about Kathleen Rowland—
Book Buyers Best finalist Kathleen Rowland is devoted to giving her readers fast-paced, high-stakes suspense with a sizzling love story sure to melt their hearts. Writing a romantic suspense Irish American series for Tirgearr Publishing, Deadly Alliance is followed by Unholy Alliance. Bittersweet Alliance is in the works. Keep an icy drink handy while reading these hot stories.
Kathleen used to write computer programs but now writes novels. She grew up in Iowa where she caught lightning bugs, ran barefoot, and raced her sailboat on Lake Okoboji. Now she wears flip-flops and sails with her husband, Gerry, on Newport Harbor but wishes there were lightning bugs in California.
Kathleen exists happily with her witty CPA husband, Gerry, in their 70’s poolside retreat in Southern California where she adores time spent with visiting grandchildren, dogs, one bunny, and noisy neighbors. While proud of their five children who’ve flown the coop, she appreciates the luxury of time to write. If you’d enjoy news, sign up for Kathleen’s newsletter at http://www.kathleenrowland.com/
Tirgearr Publishing – Leading The Pack
https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/786656.Kathleen_Rowland
http://www.amazon.com/Kathleen-Rowland/e/B007RYMF7S/
https://twitter.com/rowlandkathleen
https://kathleenrowland.wordpress.com/
http://www.kathleenrowland.blogspot.com
https://www.facebook.com/romanticsuspense.kathleenrowland/
#BlogTour “Bear With Me” by Jennifer Blackstream ~~ @jblackstream @StarAnge13 #bearwithmetour
Bear With Me
Series: The Blood Realm Series #4
By: Jennifer Blackstream
Publication Date: April 4, 2017
Publisher: Skeleton Key Publishing
Genre: Paranormal Romance
Cover Designer:YOCLA Designs
A PRINCE TRAPPED IN THE BODY OF A BEAR
Torben is a bear shifter struggling to pass a test laid on him by his power-hungry stepmother. Bound into his beast form during th
e day, able to be human only at night when the darkness hides him, he must find a wife. She can know him only as a bear and a bodiless voice in the night. For one year, she must let him keep his secrets, trust him as a wife should trust her husband. But what woman will climb into bed with a bear and trust it is a man waiting for her?
A BARD LOOKING FOR HER VOICE
After witnessing her mother’s murder left her blind, Leta had to put away her sword and her dreams of becoming a bard. Now she is resigned to a calm life where the best she can hope for is a good marriage that will take the burden of her care from her father’s shoulders. When her father claims the gods have sent a man to be not just her husband, but perhaps her savior, Leta has to take a leap of faith…and hope she falls in love.
Even a blind woman can see when something is worth fighting for…
Amazon US – http://amzn.to/2s6WyXK
Amazon UK – https://goo.gl/0PZ3pm
Amazon CA – https://goo.gl/y5ey1u
Barnes & Noble – https://goo.gl/Ig6RNA
Kobo – https://goo.gl/Q3XmsN
iBooks – https://goo.gl/s1jfvd
It was on the tip of Leta’s tongue to argue, to tell her father what he could do with his suitor who thought he could fix the poor little blind girl. But she bit it back. This was what they’d hoped for, what they’d thought would be impossible. This was no time for her battered pride to make a stand.
“I’ll meet with him.” She took a deep breath and straightened her spine. “Perhaps you could invite him to dinner this week?”
Her father cleared his throat. “He’s here. Now.”
She slumped, hands going limp in her lap. “What? What do you mean he’s here now?”
“He’s here…for you.”
“He’s…” Her voice was a pathetic squeak, and now it was her turn to clear her throat. “Father…are you telling me you’ve already given him my hand?”
“I signed the marriage contract five minutes ago.”
His voice was a whisper, so quiet she might not have heard it two months ago, before she’d lost her vision, when her other senses had not been quite so keen. She swayed and put a hand on the floor to steady herself. She’d agreed to an arranged marriage, had given him her blessing to find her a suitor. But…
“I don’t understand. Why so quickly?”
“Leta, it’s been two months. I’d hoped you would come through this on your own. I prayed you would come through this on your own. But you haven’t. I don’t know how to help you. I…” His voice broke and he groped for her hands, took them in his trembling fingers. “Leta, you need someone who will make you feel safe, who might be able to bring you through—”
“And what if there is no through this? What if this is who I am now, what I am now?” Her muscles tingled with the urge to stand, to stalk away from him, storm off in a healthy fit of justified indignation. “You couldn’t let me have any dignity? Couldn’t let me go into this arranged marriage like any other woman? You had to send me off to be fixed, as though I were a table with a wobbly leg?”
Experience kept her kneeling on the floor. If she tried to fly off in a rage, she would succeed only in humiliating herself. High emotions flustered her, made it harder to remember where all the furniture was, how far the wall was. A broken nose or bruised shins wouldn’t help anyone, and it certainly wouldn’t do her wounded pride any good. And so she sat there, a prisoner. Locked in a dark world.
“Well then,” she said, her voice tight, “I suppose I’d better go meet the man who will be my nursemaid from now on.”
“Leta—”
“Are you going to escort me out, or would you like me to feel my way there, give him a good idea of what he’s getting himself into?”
“Leta, please—”
“Very well.” She was being childish now, but she didn’t care. She surged to her feet and stuck her arms out in front of her, swinging them side to side as she took small steps toward where she thought the doorway was. Her nerves screamed with heightened awareness, bracing to be struck by something, as if the room were suddenly full of stalactites. Ignoring her father’s protests, she shuffled forward, feeling in front of her with the toes of each foot and the tips of her fingers.
Her father tried to take her arm when she reached the door, but she shrugged him off. Composing herself as best she could, she groped along the wall of the hallway, inching closer and closer to the main room of the house. She was grateful there were no stairs, and she was able to make it to the sitting room attached to the foyer without falling or striking anything.
It was hard to describe how she knew someone was in the room, even though she couldn’t see. Something about the hairs on the back of her neck, a tingle down her spine that screamed at her she was being watched. She always knew when someone else was in the room with her, but this time there was something more. A thrill that brushed her fight-or-flight reflex, filled her with a strange, warbling anxiety. Someone was watching her. Someone…big.
Don’t be ridiculous. You can’t possibly feel size, her mind chastised her. Still, her senses stubbornly refused to admit any doubt. Whoever was watching her had a weight to his presence, and she could feel it. She blinked and moved her eyes around, trying to see something, anything, a slice of shadow or light that would give her a clue. But the darkness remained as thick as it always was, silent and impenetrable.
A strange scent wafted past her nose. Musk and the crisp scent of the wind off the mountains to the north. The faintest hint of sea air. The floor creaked as someone shifted their weight. Her heart skipped a beat and her instincts crowed in vindication. There was definite weight to that sound.
If that was her husband, he was not a small man.
“Are you really going to let the blind woman stand here wondering if she’s alone in the room?”
“You seem very aware that you are not alone.”
The voice was masculine, and so deep that it vibrated things low in her body, quickened the pulse in her neck. She angled her ear toward that voice, forming a mental picture of the room and her visitor’s location based on where his voice had come from. It was lower than she’d expected, as though he were sitting down.
“Leta, this is Torben Biorna. Torben, this is my daughter Leta.”
“I understand I’m your wife now.”
She threw the words down like a gauntlet, using her tone to make it clear what she thought of such things being settled without her presence, let alone input. The floor creaked again, and somewhere underneath that was a different sound that she wasn’t familiar with. Something hard sliding against the wood. It was brief, too brief for her to consider it closely. She frowned and tilted her head a little more, waiting to hear if it would happen again.
“Yes, you are my wife.”
Again his voice did strange and wonderful things to her body, teasing sensations from her with that hint of promise, that faint brush of heat. Warmth washed over her cheeks, and she was horrified to realize she was blushing.
If he noticed her embarrassing reaction, he kept it from his voice. “Things progressed quickly, and I don’t blame you for being displeased at your lack of participation. It is not how I would have liked to begin our relationship, but I hope you’ll give me a chance to make it up to you.”
She groped for her temper, needing it to bolster her defenses against that voice. “My father says you think you can fix me.”
“Leta,” her father warned.
“No, it’s all right. I would be offended too, were I in her place.”
Another creak of the floorboards, followed by that same sound. Leta leaned forward, and it stopped immediately.
“You do not need to be fixed, Leta. You are not broken.”
Her father had spoken those same words to her, more times than she could count. But they were different coming from this man. He spoke with a definite authority, an unwavering confidence that said he knew he was right. It touched something inside her, something frightened. A tiny knot of tension she hadn’t been aware of relaxed.
“Torben was a solider.” Her father’s voice was gentle now, encouraging. “He’s known a lot of men who had very strong reactions after witnessing horrible things. He’s helped them.”
“Your father told me what happened to your mother,” Torben said quietly. “I’m sorry for your loss.”
Echoes of her mother’s screams filled Leta’s ears. Her chest rose and fell more rapidly, her breaths sharper, painful. Ice water trickled through her veins, chasing away the warm feeling Torben had summoned with his words, his voice. The knot of tension returned, trailing a string of others until she stood hunched in on herself, falling into an all-too-familiar nightmare.
“I don’t want to talk about it.” Her voice was weak, strangled by the memory peeking out at her like a monster from the mouth of a cave. She held her hands out, feeling around herself for orientation.
“Leta, here, come sit down.”
Her father took her arm, and she wilted with relief and let him lead her to a chair. Sitting calmed her, took away the awful feeling of disorientation that struck her when her emotions overwhelmed her spatial sense. She fought her way out of the panic, tried to reorient herself, remember where her husband was.
“We don’t have to talk about it.” He spoke as if he’d sensed her discomfort, her need to know where he was. “Know only that I am here to listen if you change your mind.”
She bobbed her head, grateful for his willingness to let it go. “You’re going to stay with us for a while, then?”
Awkward silence billowed into the room like dense fog.
“Leta…he’s your husband.” Her father shifted on his chair, his discomfort announced by every squeak of the wood. “You’re leaving with him.”
Jennifer Blackstream is a USA Today bestselling author of fantasy/paranormal romance. Urban Fantasy will soon be joining her repertoire, and if she doesn’t get hold of the insidious roving gang of plot bunnies, there’s going to be steampunk sprinkled in there too…
For news, new releases, and a free copy of What Big Teeth You Have, sign up for Jennifer’s mailing list on her website at jenniferblackstream.com.
Jennifer has unfailing affection for the authors who have influenced her, including Laurell K. Hamilton, Jim Butcher, and the sorely missed Sir Terry Pratchett. Her books include humor, romance, and action, with enough darkness to keep things very interesting.
When Jennifer isn’t writing, she can be found re-watching Boondock Saints, Noises Off, or Gross Pointe Blank. With one of those classics in the background, she might also be searching Amazon for something she wants, but doesn’t need (Is there any such thing as a kitchen gadget that isn’t an absolute necessity? And don’t even get me started on office supplies…).
Social Media Links
Facebook – https://www.facebook.com/JenniferBlackstream8675309/
Goodreads – https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/6153605.Jennifer_Blackstream
Twitter – https://twitter.com/jblackstream
Website – http://www.jenniferblackstream.com/
