WATCH OUT FOR THAT QUICKSAND!

Most of us have read stories in which the villain or the protagonist is trapped in quicksand. My first encounter was in a Nancy Drew book, where she sank to her thighs or waist. Then, one of the villains in a Sherlock Holmes story died in quicksand. Since then, I’ve read other accounts—fictitious and authentic—in which someone became victim to the engulfing, suffocating medium.

I live in North Central Texas near the Brazos River and not that far from the Red River. As a child, we visited my grandmother just over the Red River into Oklahoma. I always wanted to stop and play on the river’s red sand and water. My parents talked of people, animals, even wagons being lost in the river’s sands. I had doubts, for I knew they didn’t want to take time away from our visit.

When my husband and I moved to North Central Texas, I heard the same tales of quicksand in the Brazos River engulfing the unsuspecting. The water appears tranquil and the banks firm. I have to admit I was a skeptic. However, now I’m a believer. I have a friend who is almost 105 years old whose mind is still sharp even though her body is betraying her. Let me share her parents’ story with you.

Her Dalton parents were married in Weatherford TX and lived there for a year with her grandparents. They decided to move to Mineral Wells, which meant crossing numerous creeks and the Brazos River. By this time, Mrs. Dalton was six months pregnant with their first child.

They loaded their belongings into a wagon and set out for their future home. When they reached the Brazos, Mr. Dalton drove the team across a low area. Suddenly, the horses started squealing and sinking. So did the wagon. Mr. and Mrs. Dalton were able to leap from the back of the wagon onto firm ground.

The Brazos River near Mineral Wells

Unfortunately, the horses, wagon, and belongings sank into quicksand and out of view. All they salvaged were the clothes on their backs and a tiny bundle Mrs. Dalton grabbed as she jumped. The couple had to walk the fifteen miles back to Weatherford and the parents/in-laws. What a blow, but at least they survived and lived to raise a family of nine. Most of their children lived at least into their nineties and a couple passed the century mark.

Since my friend told me this story, I’ve heard of other families who had the same or a similar misfortune involving quicksand at the Brazos. One family cut the harness so the horses escaped, but lost the wagon. Another involved the wagon driver sinking into the quicksand while trying to free the animals. Being a pioneer was tough!

These stories caused me to speculate, as writers always do with any new kernel of information. Because I am somewhat claustrophobic, the mention of quicksand terrifies me. Even writing about the sucking, suffocating goo that swallows up indiscriminately creates shivers and a knot in my abdomen.

Since it terrifies me, I decided to use it in my latest series, Men of Stone Mountain. So far, two of the books mention or involve quicksand. If I have to be frightened, why shouldn’t my characters, right? (cue fiendish laugh) All three books also involve poison, but that’s another article.

The three Stone brothers are Micah, Zach, and Joel. These men are heroic, loyal, handsome, and want to settle near one another. They live in or near the fictitious city of Radford Springs near the Brazos River and in the real Palo Pinto County and Palo Pinto Mountains of Texas.

In the first of the series, BRAZOS BRIDE, Micah’s cattle are dying of thirst from the drought that has dried up all the natural springs and his tanks. Hope Montoya’s huge ranch borders the river, but she is being poisoned and fears she won’t survive without help. She and Micah make a deal that gives him land between his and the river in exchange for entering a paper marriage with Hope. While their union frees her of a guardianship, the wedding makes them both targets of the murderer’s escalating attacks. BRAZOS BRIDE is available from Kindle, Smashwords, Nook, etc.

Zach Stone’s story is HIGH STAKES BRIDE. Poor Zach has been jilted for the second time, this time by mail. He vows never to speak to another woman unless she is a relative. But then Alice Price crosses his trail. She’s on the run from her worthless stepbrothers who have wagered her in a high stakes card game with the meanest man in Texas. Zach thinks he has a plan to help himself avoid his brother’s ribbing about his lost mail-order bride and give Alice a place to hide. Zach changes his mind about the ease of protecting the event-prone Alice when one complication after another arises. HIGH STAKES BRIDE is available from Kindle, Smashwords, Nook, etc.

BLUEBONNET BRIDE is Joel Stone’s story. By this time, Joel is the Radford Springs Sheriff and keeps a safe town with his by-the-book law enforcement. He is quite smitten when widow Rosalyn Dumas and her daughter Lucy step off the stage. Lucy admires “Mister Sheriff” but Rosalyn wants nothing to do with the man who could destroy her new life. Back in Pearsonville in East she was convicted of murdering her husband and only escaped the gallows due to a tornado sweeping through town. Trouble always follows, doesn’t it? Joel fights to save the woman he loves from prison. BLUEBONNET BRIDE is available at Kindle, Smashwords, Nook, etc.

Currently, my work in progress is TABITHA’S JOURNEY, a novella about six foot six Bear Baldwin and his attempt to find a mail-order bride. Tabitha Masterson leaves her Boston home to escape a forced marriage to a man she despises and arrives in Radford Springs expecting to marry rancher Bear Baldwin. Or maybe not. Their story will be available very soon.

If you enjoy series books about the Old West, please give the Men of Stone Mountain a try. They are available in print and e-book from most online sources.

Thanks for stopping by!

STEPHANIE ALEXANDER AND THE CRACKED SLIPPER

BURB:

When Eleanor Brice unexpectedly wins the heart of Gregory Desmarais, Crown Prince of Cartheigh, she's sure she's found her happily-ever-after. Unfortunately, Prince Charming has a loose grip on his temper, a looser grip on his marriage vows, and a tight grip on the bottle.

Eight years of mistreatment, isolation and clandestine book learning hardly prepare Eleanor for life at Eclatant Palace, where women are seen, not heard. According to Eleanor's eavesdropping parrot, no one at court appreciates her unladylike tendency to voice her opinion. To make matter worse, her royal fiancé spends his last night of bachelorhood on a drunken whoring spree. Before the ink dries on her marriage proclamation Eleanor realizes that she loves her husband's best friend, former soldier Dorian Finley.

Eleanor can't resist Dorian's honesty, or his unusual admiration for her intelligence, and soon both are caught in a dangerous obsession. She drowns her confusion in charitable endeavors, but the people's love can't protect her from her feelings. When a magical crime endangers the bond between unicorns, dragons, and the royal family, a falsely accused Eleanor must clear her own name to save her life. The road toward vindication will force a choice between hard-won security and an impossible love.

The Cracked Slipper is a book club friendly fairytale retelling in the vein of Gregory Maguire, with a dash of romance. Set in a pseudo-renaissance, corset-and-petticoats enchanted kingdom, The Cracked Slipper brings a magical twist to women's fiction.

Excerpt: 

.

"He tugged at his earlobe. “I can’t, Mistress, and I would, just to get you out of this hallway, but Prince Gregory is not here.”

“Not here? What do you mean? It has to be—”

“Two in the morning.”

“Two in the morning,” she said. Something icy formed in her chest, and it wasn’t from the cold tiles beneath her feet. “I see. Well, I’ll be going.” She turned slowly.

“I’m sorry, Mistress.” The gruff voice followed her, but she didn’t want to turn around and see the sympathy on his face. She started up the steps but stopped midway.

There must be an explanation. She could not face tomorrow not knowing. She would wait and see, and it would all be revealed. Probably just some late-night meeting with his advisers, a problem that must solved before the wedding. She would wait until he returned, and then go back to bed happy.

Exhaustion caught up with her and she sat on the bottom step out of view of the guard. She wrapped her arms around her knees and in spite of the cold she nodded off. After some time, maybe ten minutes or maybe an hour, she heard voices. She sat up.

They were male voices, and some of them sounded familiar. She rocked forward on her numb toes and peered around the corner again.

She recognized Dorian first, and then Brian, Raoul, and several of Gregory’s other friends. Dorian struggled to hold someone up. Her heart sank as she recognized Gregory’s auburn hair.

He could barely stand. His legs kept buckling underneath him. Each time they crumpled he reached up with both arms. He grabbed Dorian’s neck and nearly dragged them both to the floor. The other men kept up a constant stream of harassment. She lost track of who said what, but their words rang painfully clear.

“What’s that Gregory? Those two Talessee girls where too much for you?”

“We should have quit after the redhead. She took care of him quite nicely.”

“Did you see the tits on that one?”

“Old Greg was probably seeing four of them. He was so smashed he was already falling over.”

“But his flagpole was standing up!” They all roared with laughter.

“A fine tribute to Cartheigh!”

“Tell me, Gregory, how will your sweet little maid compare with those last two?”

Gregory’s head swung up. “See, what you boys don’t realize…is I can have the sweet little maid and still bang as many whores as I see fit. Benefits of the crown.”

Eleanor could barely breathe. She head Dorian’s voice for the first time. “All right, all

right, let’s get you to bed or you’re liable to pass out on the altar.”

Gregory spoke again. “And you know, boys, little Eleanor is not quite as sweet as you may think— I’ve already had my hands on her—”

“Enough, Gregory,” Dorian said. He thrust the stuttering prince off on Brian and Raoul. He took the keys from the guard, who gazed resolutely at the wall.

“Tonight was just practice for tomorrow—”

“Enough!”Dorian exclaimed.

Eleanor couldn’t take any more. Without any further thought she stepped out into the hallway.

They all froze, a bunch of possums blinded by a woodsmen’s torch. Eleanor couldn’t speak. She simply stood there, staring at Gregory strung between Brian and Raoul like a pair of wet stockings left out to dry. Her hands clenched at her sides in tight fists. Blood roared in her ears, but her eyes were dry.

Dorian finally broke the silence.“Eleanor.”

Gregory cocked his head. “Sweetheart, how good to see you.”

His body jerked and he vomited. It covered his boots, and the sentry’s. The guard never moved. The acidic scent hit Eleanor’s nose and broke her paralysis. She fled up the steps. She heard Dorian calling after her but she didn’t stop. She brushed past her own sentry, threw the door open with both hands, closed it and drew the latch. She leaned against it. She had left her candle in the hallway, but she’d built the fire well and it still burned. She jumped at a gentle tap on the door behind her.

Dorian’s voice through the thick wood loosened the tears that had not come downstairs. “Eleanor,” he said, “please open the door. Let me explain.”

“No, go away.”

“He’s just drunk. It’s just talk among men. He didn’t mean any of it.”

“So where were you all? You weren’t out pitching lawn bolls!”

“I don’t deny it, or defend it. But Gregory loves you. He never meant to hurt you. ”

She leaned her head against the door. There was no way she could open it. “I don’t know what to believe,” she said. And then, louder, “Please go away, Dorian. Please.”

“As you wish.”

She sensed him standing on the other side, and then his footsteps moved down the hallway."

Stephanie Alexander

AUTHOR 

Stephanie Alexander grew up in the suburbs of Washington, DC, the oldest of three children. Drawing, writing stories, and harassing her parents for a pony consumed much of her childhood. After graduating from high school in 1995 she earned a Bachelor of Arts in Communications from the College of Charleston, South Carolina. She returned to Washington, DC, where she followed a long-time fascination with sociopolitical structures and women’s issues to a Master of Arts in Sociology from the American University. She spent several years as a Policy Associate at the International Center for Research on Women, a think-tank focused on women’s health and economic advancement.

Stephanie embraced full-time motherhood after the birth of the first of her three children in 2003. After six wonderful years buried in diapers and picture books she returned to her childhood passion and wrote her own fairytale. Her family put down permanent southern roots in Charleston in 2011. Stephanie is an adjunct professor of Sociology at the College of Charleston.

www.thecrackedslipper.com

blog.thecrackeslipper.com

www.facebook.com/thecrackedslipper

twitter: @crackedslipper

Amazon Buy Link: 

http://www.amazon.com/The-Cracked-Slipper-Series-ebook/dp/B007FLG8KS/ref=sr_1_1?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1364778060&sr=1-1&keywords=the+cracked+slipper

Thanks for stopping by!

NICK GREEN AND THE STORM BOTTLE

                                      

The Storm Bottle

Swimming with dolphins is said to be the number one thing to do before you die. For 12-year-old Michael, it very nearly is. A secret boat trip has gone tragically wrong, and now he lies unconscious in hospital.

But when Michael finally wakes up, he seems different. His step sister Bibi is soon convinced that he is not who he appears to be. Meanwhile, in the ocean beyond Bermuda’s reefs, a group of bottlenose dolphins are astonished to discover a stranger in their midst – a boy lost and desperate to return home.

Bermuda is a place of mysteries. Some believe its seas are enchanted, and the sun-drenched islands conceal a darker past, haunted with tales of lost ships. Now Bibi and Michael are finding themselves in the most extraordinary tale of all.

Book Trailer

Praise

'I loved it... An absolute winner.'
- LA Weatherly, author of the Angel Burn trilogy

'A writer who knows how to grip the imagination, make you sit on the edge of your chair, and make you laugh out loud.'
- Michelle Lovric, author of The Undrowned Child, The Mourning Emporium and The Book of Human Skin

'If you only ever buy one Kindle book in your life (although that sounds a bit unlikely, now that I stop and think) this has to be it.'
- The Bookwitch blog.

Author Nick Green

Nick Green is a UK children's and YA author, best known for his trilogy THE CAT KIN, published in the UK by Strident Publishing and in Germany by Ravensburger, and also as a BBC audiobook. He has appeared on BBC radio talking about his books, and has been shortlisted for two UK children's book awards. He regularly does school visits and other children's literary events. THE STORM BOTTLE is his first straight-to-Kindle novel.

Twitter * Website

Tour Giveaway

$25 Amazon Gift Card or Paypal Cash

Ends 5/26/13

a Rafflecopter giveaway

I WON, I WON, I WON!!!

Normally I don’t enter contests but—luckily for me—I entered the Winter Rose Contest with two of my 2012 books. As the saying goes, “you could have knocked me over with a feather” when I learned that BRAZOS BRIDE came in first in the historical category and HIGH STAKES BRIDE came in second. Even better, BRAZOS BRIDE won the grand overall prize!  You can imagine how happy I am.  Picture me dancing around the room. . . well, dancing in my mind.

Although my win still seems like a dream, I have a lovely certificate plus a beautiful silver rose necklace to prove to myself this actually occurred.

Grand Overall Winner, First Place in Historical Category,
Winter Rose Contest

For those of you who don’t know, BRAZOS BRIDE is the first of the Men of Stone Mountain series. I know there is a Stone Mountain in Georgia, but this one is in the Palo Pinto Mountains of North Central Texas.  To those from Colorado and other mountainous locales, the Palo Pinto Mountains might seem more like hills. Nope, they are genuine mountains due to the geological formation.

Modified longhorn cattle in a field
near a part of the Palo Pinto Mountains

The hazy, blue-green appearance is due to a large amount of cedar on the slopes as well as live oaks and deciduous trees. The cedar has been harvested at least since anglos came to the area. Cedar makes good fence posts and many cabins were built of cedar logs. It may have made good support posts for tipis. Certainly Native Americans inhabited this area of good springs and creeks each summer. The Gibson family, current Quail Creek Ranch owners who descend from the Henry Belding, have found evidence of Native American encampments dating back to the 11^th century in the form of middens, points, arrows, pottery, and so forth. Their ranch is at the intersection of two creeks, one of which has a spring that doesn’t dry up in droughts.

Ranch house side door between original Belding cabin, right,
and original smoke house, left. Both round
cedar log structures are a part of the Gibson home.

In fact, one of the inspirations for this series was Quail Creek Ranch, which was a part of the larger Belding Ranch formed in 1859. For you New England and European folks, that’s early for ranches here. Comanche and Kiowa, and occasionally Apache, made certain settlers knew they were not welcome on these hunting and camp grounds. The last raids were early 1870, which is when BRAZOS BRIDE is set.

Second Belding Cabin now part of Gibson's main house.
Note squared off cedar logs for this two-room cabin
with cedar beaded board ceiling.

The original Belding cabin is still intact, although now it functions as a bathroom for the Gibson family. I love that the family has preserved and incorporated the original cabin and smokehouse, The second cabin functions as a family room and a bedroom, and all the original structures are surrounded by newer rooms. This is a beautiful ranch and the owners are gracious, friendly people whose home is on a historic tour every few years. This past month was our second visit there. I feel so privileged to have seen this home. 

Second Place in Historical Category,
Winter Rose Contest

HIGH STAKES BRIDE, second in the series, is set just after the last white children were kidnapped by Comanche and Kiowa. I based the rescue referenced in the book on an actual event from this area. Three children, two brothers and their younger girl cousin, were kidnapped and taken to Indian Territory. Someday, I’d like to write a story about the children. They were only in captivity eighteen months, but the trauma they endured caused them to forget English. At last they were reunited with their families, or what was left after the raid in which they were captured.

Originally, I had intended only three books for this series. However, I’m now writing the fourth and have two more planned. TABITHA’S JOURNEY is a novella spin off from the third book, BLUEBONNET BRIDE. Sometimes characters pop into an author’s head and demand a story. That's always a good thing. ☺ Although his appearance in BLUEBONNET BRIDE was brief, that’s what happened with Bear Baldwin for TABITHA’S JOURNEY. I love Bear and his mom, Erna, and would like to keep going and going to let readers know what interesting people they are. But that’s not a story. The part of their story that has conflict and resolution is the novella. I’ll let you in on the rest in later blogs. ☺

For now, I’m celebrating my contest win and basking in happiness.

Thanks for stopping by!

  

VICTORIA BERNADINE SHARES A LIFE LESS ORDINARY

Have you had those weeks where things are either disastrous or heavenly? That's what my past week has been, with no happy medium for me to allow me to coast. For instance, we thought we had sold our house, but the deal fell through. Then I learned I won the Winter Rose Contest for BRAZOS BRIDE and my HIGH STAKES BRIDE came in second. Plus, BRAZOS BRIDE won the overall grand prize. See, roller coaster week.

Once of the disasters is the disappearance of the copy for today's blog on A LIFE LESS ORDINARY by Victoria Bernadine. Yep, it's out there somewhere in the cybersphere, floating along looking for my computer. This is especially upsetting because A LIFE LESS ORDINARY sounds like a terrific book. I downloaded it, but haven't had a chance to read it yet.

So, with apologies to Victoria, here is the most I have.

Now Available on Amazon and Smashwords

About A LIFE LESS ORDINARY

For the last fifteen years, Rose “Manny” Mankowski has been a very good girl. She turned her back on her youthful fancies and focused on her career. But now, at the age of 45, she's questioning her choices and feeling more and more disconnected from her own life. When she's passed over for promotion and her much younger new boss implies Manny's life will never change, something snaps. In the blink of an eye, she's quit her job, sold her house and cashed in her pension, and she's leaving town on a six month road trip. After placing a personal ad for a travelling companion, she's joined in her mid-life crisis by Zeke Powell, the cynical, satirical, most-read – and most controversial – blogger for the e-magazine, What Women Want. Zeke's true goal is to expose Manny's journey as a pitiful and desperate attempt to reclaim her lost youth – and increase his readership at the same time. Leaving it all behind for six months is just an added bonus. Now, armed with a bagful of destinations, a fistful of maps, and an out-spoken imaginary friend named Harvey, Manny's on a quest to rediscover herself – and taking Zeke along for the ride.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Victoria Bernadine (a pseudonym) is, as the saying goes, a "woman of a certain age". After twenty-something years of writer's block, she began writing again in 2008. She began with fanfiction about a (now-cancelled) TV show called "Jericho" and particularly about the characters of Heather Lisinski and Edward Beck. From there, she expanded into writing original fic and she hasn't stopped since.

Victoria enjoys reading all genres and particularly loves writing romantic comedy and post-apocalyptic science fiction. What those two have in common is anybody's guess.

She lives in Edmonton with her two cats (The Grunt and The Runt). A LIFE LESS ORDINARY is the first novel she felt was good enough to be released into the wild.

I'll update Victoria's post information as soon as I receive replacement copy. Please stop back by. 

The Rest of the Tour

5/13/2013 The Sinner Author
5/13/2013 SECOND STOP A Writer's Life  - YOU ARE HERE! THANK YOU!
5/20/2013 Books and Other Spells
6/3/2013 Wake Up Your Wild Side
6/10/2013 TeacherWriter
6/17/2013 Worlds of Possibilities
6/24/2013 Read Your Writes Book Reviews
6/24/2013 SECOND STOP MeganJohnsInvites
7/1/2013 Book 'Em North Carolina
7/8/2013 The Life (and lies) of an inanimate flying object
7/15/2013 My Devotional Thoughts
7/22/2013 Andi's Book Reviews
7/29/2013 Uttley's Take –
8/5/2013 Christy McKee Writes for Women in the Sweet Spot of Life
8/12/2013 Hope Dreams. Life... Love
8/26/2013 World of Dreams

Thanks for stopping by!

REVIEW AND POST: JENNIFER RICHARDSON AND AMERICASHIRE

FIVE THINGS YOU SHOULDN'T MISS 

IN THE COTSWOLD

By Jennifer Richardson

The Cotswolds, a picturesque network of hamlets, villages and market towns in southwest England, is known for its honey-colored stone cottages, stately homes and stunning scenery. Each year, tourists from around the world visit gardens and sip tea in just a handful of the more well-known spots. But there’s much more to the Cotswolds than gardens and tea shops. Here are my five can’t-miss activities for any visit.

Gustav Holst Way near Guiting Power

Walk: The single essential experience of the Cotswolds is to go for a walk. The idyllic scenery–rolling hills dotted with contented herds of cows and sheep–is best experienced through direct immersion. The Cotswold Wardens offer guided walks, but armed with an Ordnance Survey map you can go it alone. I’ve also documented four of my favorite Cotswold walks in Americashire: A Field Guide to a Marriage, and you can find interactive guides to them all online at www.americashire.com/bookextras.  Tip: pack a waterproof jacket and a pair of lightweight hiking boots; sneakers don’t stand a chance on this often-muddy terrain.

Favorite Sunday Roast, Naunton

Eat: The quintessential British meal is a Sunday roast, and there’s no better place to experience it than a country pub. Armed with the Sunday papers, lunch can turn into an all-day affair. Whether its lamb, beef, chicken, or pork, the meat is likely of local provenance, and will come with a slew of vegetables, roast potatoes and a Yorkshire pudding. My favorite spot is the Black Horse Inn at Naunton. Slightly more upscale offerings include the Village Pub in Barnsley and the Wheatsheaf Inn in Northleach. Vegetarians will fare best at the excellent Abbey Home Farm Shop and Café. Tip: book in advance. Despite the sleepy feel of the area, pubs and restaurants fill up.

Dog-friendly Dayleford Organic

Shop: My favorite shopping experience in the Cotswolds is rummaging through the reclamation yard at Little Rissington, chock full of everything from garden ornaments (stone orbs and mushrooms are particular favorites in the Cotswolds) to antique ledge and brace doors. Not much here will fit in the overhead compartment of a plane, but you may find a brass door knocker or an antique book that will make a suitably portable souvenir. Nearby, and at the opposite end of the shopping spectrum, is a pristine set of converted farm buildings that is Daylesford Organic. Known as the Harvey Nics of the Cotswolds, Daylesford has a tasteful selection of kitchenware, gardening tools, and clothing. If all the shopping has worn you out, a spa and an excellent café are onsite to revive you. Tip: If you’re a royal enthusiast, head further south to the market town of Tetbury. Here you will find a great selection of antique shops along the High Street, as well as the Highgrove shop, named after Prince Charles and Camilla’s nearby Highgrove estate and offering a selection of tasteful memorabilia.  

When in Rome: The Cotswold’s Roman lineage includes the Fosse Way (A429), also known as the Roman Road and one of the main north-south routes through the area. Of more interest are the National Trust’s Roman Villa near Chedworth and the Corinium Museum in the market town of Cirencester (pronounced siren-cess-ter). If your timing’s right at the Villa, you will be treated to a gladiatorial display by middle-aged men (and at least one woman on my visit) of questionable fitness, in addition to some fine mosaics and, of course, tea and cakes. Tip: If your visit to England includes a stop in London, head to the British Museum where several of the Roman mosaics on display are from the Cotswolds.

Horses in the Coln Valley

Horseplay: Drive or walk around the Cotswolds and it won’t take you long to realize this is horse country. Stud farms, racehorse training facilities, jumping equipment and, depending on your timing, the Hunt are all in bountiful evidence. Equestrian-themed outings include a match at the Beaufort or Cirencester polo clubs, point-to-points, and a day at the races at the Cheltenham Racecourse.  Cheltenham Week, which includes Ladies’ Day—the Cotswoldian equivalent of the Kentucky Derby—takes place each March. Tip: Check the dates of Cheltenham Week when planning your visit to the Cotswolds. Even if you’re not attending the races, restaurants and accommodation are extremely busy during this period.

The Details

EAT

The Black Horse Inn

Naunton

+44 (0)1451 850565

http://www.theblackhorsenaunton.co.uk/

The Wheatsheaf Inn

West End, Northleach

Gloucestershire, GL54 3EZ

+44 (0)1451 860244

reservations@cotswoldswheatsheaf.com

http://www.cotswoldswheatsheaf.com/

The Village Pub

Barnsley

Cirencester GL7 5EF

+44( 0)1285 740421 

info@thevillagepub.co.uk

http://www.thevillagepub.co.uk/

Abbey Home Farm Shop and Café

Abbey Home Farm

Burford Road

Cirencester GL7 5HF

+44 (0)1285 640441

http://www.theorganicfarmshop.co.uk/

SHOP

The Cotswold Reclamation Company

Unit 2, Sandy Lane Court

Little Rissington

Gloucestershire GL54 2NF

+44 (0)1451 820 292

info@cotswoldreclamation.com

http://cotswoldreclamation.com/

Daylesford Organic Farmshop & Café

Daylesford near Kingham

Gloucestershire GL56 0YG

Telephone +44 (0)1608 731 700

http://www.daylesfordorganic.com

Highgrove Shop

10 Long Street

Tetbury

Gloucestershire GL8 8AQ

+44 (0)845 521 4342

http://www.highgroveshop.com/

VISIT

Chedworth Roman Villa

Yanworth, near Cheltenham

Gloucestershire GL54 3LJ

+44 (0)1242 890256

OS Grid Ref: 163:SP053135

chedworth@nationaltrust.org.uk

www.nationaltrust.org.uk/chedworth-roman-villa/

Corinium Museum

Park St, Cirencester

Gloucestershire GL7 2BX

+44 (0)1285 655611

http://www.coriniummuseum.cotswold.gov.uk/

Hunts in the Cotswolds

http://www.cotswoldhunt.co.uk/

http://www.northcotswoldhunt.co.uk/,

http://www.beauforthunt.com/

Cirencester Polo Club

The Bothy, Cirencester Park

Cirencester, GL7 1UR

+44 (0)1285 653225

www.cirencesterpolo.co.uk/

Beaufort Polo Club

Down Farm

Westonbirt, Tetbury

Gloucestershire,GL8 8QW

+44 (0)01666 880510

enquiries@beaufortpoloclub.co.uk

www.beaufortpoloclub.co.uk/

Cheltenham Racecourse

Cheltenham

Gloucestershire, GL50 4SH

http://www.cheltenham.co.uk/

Still want to visit gardens and drink tea? Try these for both:

Hidcote

Highgrove Gardens

Barnsley House

National Gardens Scheme

The Author

Jennifer Richardson is an American Anglophile who spent three years living in a Cotswold village populated straight out of English central casting by fumbling aristocrats, gentlemen farmers, and a village idiot. She is married to an Englishman who, although not the village idiot, provides her with ample writing material. She currently lives in Santa Monica, California along with her husband and her royal wedding tea towel collection, but her first book, Americashire: A Field Guide to a Marriage, is based on her experience in the Cotswolds. Americashire is out now from She Writes Press, and you can purchase it here. You can find Jennifer online at:

www.americashire.com

www.twitter.com/baronessbarren

www.facebook.com/americashire

www.pinterest.com/baronessbarren

 Caroline's Review of AMERICASHIRE: A FIELD GUIDE TO MARRIAGE

My husband and I wanted children right away, so I wasn't certain how I would like Jennifer Richardson's book in which she questions whether or not she's ready for motherhood. (I most assuredly agree that those who don't genuinely want children should not have them. There are far too many bad parents in the world without adding another set.) However, I need not have worried, because Ms Richardson sweeps the reader into a picturesque life my husband and I dreamed of living some day for a long vacation. Not the depressing parts, of course, just the fun parts. ☺

First of all, I loved her descriptions of life in an English village. We had a glimpse of this life while staying with a friend in Kent on several occasions, but living for an extended stay in the Cotswolds would be so much nicer than a visit. The author's descriptions painted vivid pictures that delighted me. She doesn't poke fun at England/the English, but at all of us. We are the same people everywhere, aren't we? There are tiers of society in every village, including mine in North Central Texas. Her clever wit merely brings the eccentricities into sharp focus. 

As the book progresses and I learned of her medical problems, I sympathized with the couple. Although her wit takes the sting from the reader's view of her diagnosis, it is sad nonetheless. Does she make the right choice? I'll leave other readers to determine that for themselves. In the meantime, I recommend this book for those who love memoirs, travel books, and introspection.

Thanks for stopping by.

MELANIE ATKINS AND BLOOD BOUND

About BLOOD BOUND

Fueled by grief after his fiancée is brutally murdered, Detective Sam Walker focuses on finding her killer -- a calculating predator who binds books with human skin. Dani Barrington, the newest member of NOPD's Victim and Witness Assistance Unit and a survivor of another frightening attack, helps him discover the terrifying link between the monster's known victims.  Despite his anguish, Sam is struck by Dani's strength and determination, especially when her inquisitive nature makes her the killer's next target. He must find a way to protect her or risk losing the one woman who can bring his dead heart back to life.

Excerpt from BLOOD BOUND:

Kristen was gone.

She wasn't at work. She wasn't at home. She hadn't gone out to run an errand. She had simply... vanished.

New Orleans Detective Sam Walker stood in the center of his fiancée's cluttered bedroom and struggled to piece together the timeline of her disappearance. Last night they were supposed to meet for dinner, but he'd caught a case. They'd talked on the phone around eleven, and he'd asked her to meet him for lunch today.

He hadn't spoken to her since.

She was supposed to arrive at the Victim and Witness Assistance Unit for work at nine a.m., but never made it. One of her co-workers had called him about ten o'clock. He'd tried Kristen again, but she hadn't answered.

So he'd come here and found her car in the driveway.

Yet she sure as hell wasn't here.

Her bed was meticulously made, the way she left it every morning, dumping him out if he'd stayed over. A damp towel lay beside the bathroom sink. Soulful jazz drifted from the iPod dock on her nightstand. What terrified him most, though, was the spot of blood marring the door frame and the lone pink sandal lying in the living room floor beside her purse, keys, and cell phone.

His heart lurched. He couldn't breathe, couldn't think. Simply could not absorb that she was missing. They'd been engaged for five months and three days, with only a month to go until the wedding. They should be mulling over the guest list, squabbling about where to go for their honeymoon, and deciding where they wanted to live.

Instead, Sam stared at an empty bed.

"There's no sign of forced entry, so she either let the guy in or he jumped her when she went after the paper this morning." Major Sabbatini's voice seemed to come from far away. "I'm thinking she fought him off and ran, and he caught her here in the bedroom."

"She would have clawed him." Hell, she would've drawn blood with those nails. Sam should know. He had the marks on his back to prove it. Moisture blurred his vision as he eyed the smudge on the door jamb. "She... she just had her nails done a couple of days ago. They're like talons."

"We'll check the blood for DNA. You know that. What were her plans for today?"

"Um... just work, far as I know. She and I were supposed to have lunch." Sam shook his head. "Then tonight, she was going to a wedding shower. I just--"

"When was the last time you spoke with her?"

"Late -- last night." Sam's eyes fell on a partially-filled mug on the table beside Kristen's favorite chair, where she liked to read. A hard knot formed in the center of his chest. "She didn't... even finish her coffee. She loves coffee."

"We're gonna find her, son."

"You don't know that." Sam's voice cracked. He turned to his boss. "What if I never see her again?"

About the Author

Melanie Atkins a multi-published author of romantic suspense, an editor for an online publishing company, and an avid reader. Writing is more than an escape for her—it’s a way of life. She grew up in the Deep South listening to tall tales and penning stories about her cats. Now she writes gripping stories of love, suspense, and mystery with the help of her furry little feline muses.

Melanie is an active member of Romance Writers of America®, the Magnolia State Romance Writers (MSRW), the Published Author Network (PAN), the Electronic and Small Press Authors' Network (ESPAN), the Electronically Published Internet Connection (EPIC), Sisters in Crime (SinC), the Red Dog Writers, the Gulf Coast Writers Association, the Southern Writers, the Mississippi Authors Guild and the Byram Writers’ Group. She currently serves as Past President of MSRW.

www.melanieatkins.com

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