Wednesday, August 31, 2016

LYRICAL PRESS DOUBLE RELEASE!

  



Breaking Hearts
 by Melissa Shirley


GENRE: Contemporary Romance

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The authors will be awarding a digital copy of both books to a randomly drawn winner via Rafflecopter during the tour.

BREAKING HEARTS Blurb:

Can tragedies have a happy ending in Storybook Lake?

Every town has one—a mean girl, hell-bent on taking down everything in her path—and Danielle Ranier played the role to a tee. She broke up Storybook Lake’s most beloved couple and to save herself from a lifetime of lectures on morality, she hopped on the first plane out of town. Six years, one child, and a big secret later, she’s back, fleeing from her abusive husband, who isn’t quite willing to set her free. Now on trial for a murder she didn’t commit, Simon Hunter, the only man she’s ever loved is offering her a lifetime of love and security. If she could only reveal the secrets long-held inside her, a family that never was might finally come together . . .



BREAKING HEARTS Excerpt:

How it all started.

Since the moment I first noticed boys in fifth grade, Simon Hunter was the boy I saw myself growing old with. He had the best smile, the most expressive honey-colored eyes, and a way with people that made an entire town love him. Even when he didn’t know it, he was everything to me. Any minute I could sneak into his presence was a minute I savored and cherished.

When we got around to the business of being adults, our schedules seldom coordinated, but we spent most Fridays together. I’d skipped out on the last three, wanting him to see what it would be like without me. I wanted him to miss me with a desperate passion.

The missing only happened on my end, and I had the phone log to prove it. As it went to voice mail, I glared at my phone and left my tenth message…a pitiful, I-miss-you-please-call-me-and-let-me-know-you’re-okay kind of message. Since high school, he’d been my reason for waking up in the morning, the hero in the dreams I had every night, and the focus of all the moments in between. And damn it. Friday was our day.

After a quick makeup check, I left my apartment, the one we’d planned to share up until a few months ago when he started making all those trips to LA with Gatlin. I kicked the jealousy away with the toe of my shoe against a rock on the sidewalk.

For three full blocks, I took my frustration out on chunks of concrete until I strolled past the bakery. It took every ounce of my will not to press my nose against the window to see if he’d decided to loiter inside while his sister worked, or if he’d just run in to get some free pastries. His car was parked out front, so I leaned against it for a few minutes, waiting…remembering the first time he kissed me…the way his hand cupped the side of my face, the brush of his lips so softly over mine. Had we been sixteen? Seventeen? It was a lifetime ago.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

AUTHOR Bio and Links:

As an author, Melissa Shirley believes in fairytales, happily ever after, and destiny. Born and raised in Illinois, and a mother of eight, she lives with her husband and three youngest children in a quiet town in the southern part of the state where she spends her time writing and watching her children grow into the people she has always dreamed.

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Head Over Heels
 by Crystal B. Bright
~~~~~~~~~~~~~

GENRE: Contemporary Romance

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HEAD OVER HEELS Blurb:

Sometimes it takes hurt to open your heart…,

At twenty-two, Thane Wells is the highest-paid pitcher in Major League Baseball—and he owes it all to his adoptive Mama, “Queen” Elizabeth Sommerville, a wise, beautiful, entrepreneurial African-American woman who always encouraged him and his two white brothers to reach for the stars…the woman Thane still talks to daily. He never dreamed their most recent conversation would be their last. With his beloved supporter suddenly gone, Thane is grief-stricken, shaken, and vulnerable—especially to a woman like Kari Meyers.

Kari’s had her eye on Thane for a while, but strictly for business. As a junior sports agent, she’s hungry to sign him, especially when she hears his current agent will be retiring soon. When she finally locates Thane, she’s shocked to discover he’s attending his mother’s funeral—and he’s shocked to find Kari in his hotel room. Assuming she’s an escort is just the beginning of their misunderstandings. But one thing that’s clear is their mutual attraction. As a single mom with an NBA ex, Kari has a rule against dating athletes. Yet as circumstances bring the two closer together, they just might find they’re on the same team, heart and soul…



HEAD OVER HEELS Excerpt:

“Hey!”

She turned, hoping to see Thane calling for her. Instead, she saw the other businessman who had been sitting with Alec Fogel. Out of curiosity, she waited as he walked up to her.

“Do I know you?” Kari asked as she held on to the strap of her purse.

“No. And I don’t know you, but I’d like to.” The statuesque older man ran his hand over his silver hair. “My name is Frank Milliner. I’m the owner of the Winning Edge Agency. I heard what you said in there to Thane Wells. What agency do you work at now?”

Kari regarded him for a moment before speaking. “I don’t. I was hoping to sign him up as my client.”

“Wait. You don’t work at an agency? How did you even know about him?”

Great. Another man who probably underestimated her passion for sports and her drive for a career. She would have to correct that perception right now.

 “I could use someone like you in my company. I’m assuming you’ve finished school.” Frank crossed his arms over his chest as he studied her.

“Just graduated.”

He laughed and shook his head. “Yes, you are exactly what I need for my business. We should talk.” He tried to guide her back into the hotel.

Kari stayed cemented to the cracked walkway. “I’m not exactly welcome back in there. Can we meet somewhere else?”

Frank smiled. “Of course.”

Although she’d missed one opportunity, she hoped this one would turn out to be a winner. That didn’t mean she would be giving up on Thane Wells. He wouldn’t be the one who got away.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

AUTHOR Bio and Links:

Crystal Bright graduated with a B.A. from Old Dominion University with a major in Creative Writing, a minor in Communications, and an emphasis on Public Relations. She earned her M.A. from Seton Hill University in Writing Popular Fiction. She is a member of Romance Writers of America and Chesapeake Romance Writers. For more information about Crystal and her writing, please visit her website at www.CrystalBrightWriter.com. Follow her on twitter: http://twitter.com/@CrystalBBright.

Buy the book:




The authors will be awarding a digital copy of both books to a randomly drawn winner via Rafflecopter during the tour.

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Monday, August 29, 2016

IS HE A MIGHTY LORD OR A LOWLY SERVANT?

$50 Gift Card or Paypal Cash Giveaway

The Fall of Lord Drayson



The Fall of Lord Drayson by Rachael Anderson


Who is he really? A high and mighty lord or a lowly servant?

When Colin Cavendish, the new earl of Drayson, informs Lucy Beresford that she and her mother need to vacate the house they've called home for the past two years, Lucy is fit to be tied. They have no money, no relations they can turn to for help, and nowhere to go. How dare the earl break the promise his father had made to the Beresfords without so much as a twinge of conscience?

Fate plays her hand when Lucy discovers the earl unconscious and injured in the middle of the road. When he awakens with no recollection of who he is, Lucy seizes the opportunity to teach the earl a much-needed lesson in humility and tells him that he is nothing more than a mere servant. Her servant, in fact.

And thus begins the charming tale of a pompous lord and an impetuous young woman, caught together in a web so tangled that it begs the question: Will they ever get out?


amazon


Excerpt

He stared at her incredulously, as though she had escaped Bedlam. “Are you in your right mind, woman?”

Lucy leaned forward and planted her palms on his bed so that her eyes were level with his. “My name is Lucy Beresford. I have lived in Askern all my life. I’m the sole daughter of a vicar and a seamstress who lived most happily despite their differences in station. When my father passed away, I came here, to this dower house. So yes, I am in my right mind. It is you who are not.”

The earl’s jaw clenched, and Lucy took some pleasure at the sight. Perhaps he would come down off his high horse and show at least a small amount of kindness or respect.

“I may not know who I am or where I came from,” he finally said, “but at least I do not feel the need to tell tales.”

“Tell tales?” Lucy gaped at him. Was he accusing her of telling untruths? Her, of all people? What untruths? How dare he!

Lord Drayson glanced down at his fingers, frowning when he spotted grime under his nails. He began to scrape it out as he spoke. “Claiming to be the daughter of a vicar and seamstress is all very romantic, but it cannot possibly be the truth.”

“And why not?” she asked.

His gaze returned to hers. “In my experience, the daughter of a vicar would behave with more decorum, would know how to make a palatable broth, and would never allow herself to be alone in a room with a man who is not her relative. If there is one thing I know with absolute certainty, it is that you are no relation of mine.”

Lucy’s jaw clenched as she fought to control the rage building inside her. Ever so slowly, she pushed herself up to standing and glared down at the earl. “You are correct in thinking I am no ordinary vicar’s daughter. I do not love unconditionally. I show decorum only when I wish to. And I despise those who care for no one but themselves. But I do not tell tales.”

He actually chuckled, but it was more of a scoff than a show of humor. “Did you learn those traits from your father?”

“Do not speak of my father.”

“I would prefer to speak of myself, but you do not seem to share that preference, so perhaps we should speak of your father instead. Where is he, by the by? I would very much like to meet him.”

Lucy’s fingers became fists while her conscience became a battleground between all that was good and evil inside her. It was a short battle, with evil making a quick triumph.

Ever so slowly, her body still trembling with anger, she lifted her chin. If he was going to accuse her of telling tales, then tell them she would. “Very well, Collins. If you must know, I am your employer. And though you may not remember me, or this house, or your position in it, or the fact that you are perfectly susceptible to coming off a horse, just like any other human, I still expect some kindness and respect from you.”

“What on earth are you talking about? What position?”

There was not a hint of hesitation in her voice when she answered. “You are a servant in this house.”

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Rachael

Author Rachael Anderson


A USA Today bestselling author, Rachael Anderson is the mother of four and is pretty good at breaking up fights, or at least sending guilty parties to their rooms. She can't sing, doesn't dance, and despises tragedies. But she recently figured out how yeast works and can now make homemade bread, which she is really good at eating.



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$50 Amazon Gift Card or Paypal Cash Giveaway

Ends 9/18/16

Open only to those who can legally enter, receive and use an Amazon.com Gift Code or Paypal Cash. Winning Entry will be verified prior to prize being awarded. No purchase necessary. You must be 18 or older to enter or have your parent enter for you. The winner will be chosen by rafflecopter and announced here as well as emailed and will have 48 hours to respond or a new winner will be chosen. This giveaway is in no way associated with Facebook, Twitter, Rafflecopter or any other entity unless otherwise specified. The number of eligible entries received determines the odds of winning. Giveaway was organized by Kathy from I Am A Reader and sponsored by the author. VOID WHERE PROHIBITED BY LAW.


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I Am A Reader

Friday, August 26, 2016

COME FOR A VISIT WITH ME

Usually, I feature books by other authors, but I have decided to feature my books occasionally. This time I’m revisiting a fun duet Jacquie Rogers and I wrote titled MAIL ORDER TANGLE. These two stories are tangles created around mail order brides. The first is mine, MAIL ORDER PROMISE, which is set in Texas. No surprise there, right? The second is Jacquie’s, MAIL ORDER RUCKUS, and it’s set in Owyhee County, Idaho Territory near where her Hearts of Owyhee novels take place. Once again, no surprise.

Jacquie is a ton of fun, as you know if you are part of her Facebook group The Pickle Barrel Books and Bar. We had long phone conversations and lots of emails while we plotted these two linked stories. I'm pleased with the way both books have been received.



Here’s what happens.

Mail-Order Promise
by Caroline Clemmons

Ellie Dickerson and her sister are in desperate straits when she contracts to become a mail-order bride to a Texas rancher on the condition she can bring her sister. After her arduous trip from Virginia, she learns her fiancé has died. His brother is handsome. And single. And he doesn’t want her. But he has sworn to take care of her and see she has a home. Somewhere, but where? What will happen to her and her sister?

Kage Johannsen, co-owner of a ranch in Idaho with his cousin Matt, is forced to take over his family’s Central Texas ranch on the death of his older brother. Kage is in no hurry to get married, and when his brother’s bride shows up, she’s everything he doesn’t want in a wife—except she’s stunningly beautiful.  Despite his deathbed promise to his brother and his attraction to Ellie, he’s convinced she doesn’t have the grit to be a rancher’s wife.

When a greedy, sadistic villain attempts to take over the ranch and kill Kage, can Ellie save her true love?  What will it take to prove that she’s the only woman for Kage?

Mail-Order Ruckus
by Jacquie Rogers

Matt Johannsen returned to the ranch he and his cousin Kage started in Owyhee County, Idaho Territory, not knowing he took Laura Dickerson's heart with him.  Now that her sister no longer needs her, Laura wants a home of her own and a family to put in it.  No other man would fill the bill as well as Matt, but he’s not interested.  Not wanting to live as a spinster aunt the rest of her life, Laura signs a contract with a marriage broker, choosing to go to Silver City, near Matt’s ranch, in hopes that he might come around.  But he’s not on the roster of eligible grooms!

When Matt sees Laura among the brides on display on the balcony of the Idaho Hotel, he feels gutshot. He’s in no position to take a wife, not with a ranch eating up every spare moment and dollar. But if he doesn't step forward, the one woman he wants will be wed at the end of the week—and not to him.

Will Matt walk away from the woman who stole his heart or let go of everything he's worked so hard to build in exchange for love?



In 2017, Jacquie and I have planned a new duet involving Johannsen cousins. Once again, two sisters are the mail-order brides, but the grooms are in for major surprises. I’ll let you know when that duet is published.

Wednesday, August 24, 2016

AN ISLAND GETAWAY THAT ENDS IN DEATH



Murder on the Aloha Express
by Sally J. Smith and Jean Steffens

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GENRE: Cozy Mystery

Murder on the Aloha Express will be $0.99 during the tour.

Sally J. Smith and Jean Steffens will be awarding a $25 Amazon or Barnes and Noble Gift Card to a randomly drawn winner via Rafflecopter during the tour.

MURDER ON THE ALOHA EXPRESS Blurb:

Travel agent Gabby LeClair, a divorced big-city transplant trying to find some aloha spirit in her soul, prides herself on working hard to give the Aloha Lagoon Resort guests a once-in-a-lifetime experience. But that turns out to be more than anyone bargained for when the body of a client is found dead during one of Gabby's island tours. The victim is a lawyer who’s escorted a small group to Aloha Lagoon for distribution of a deceased billionaire’s estate...but it looks like someone believes the only good lawyer is a dead lawyer. Between the bad press causing her phone to go silent and the police working on "island time," it's up to Gabby it find the killer before her business goes belly up. With the help of her good friends, and a hot helicopter pilot with a flirtatious streak, Gabby turns sleuth to figure out just which member of the lawyer's party had it in for him. But before long it’s clear there’s way more at stake than her livelihood, and if Gabby isn’t careful, she and her friends may find themselves on an island getaway to death.



MURDER ON THE ALOHA EXPRESS Excerpt:

The twang of a steel guitar broke into the post-dinner chatter, followed by drums, and the MC announced the Aloha Lagoon Ahi Fire Dancers. I had to say this was my favorite part of the show, and I turned away from my amateur sleuthing to give my full attention to those muscular young men in their loincloths. It was an intense blend of pounding music and visual conflagration. Anyone who wasn't mesmerized by it was probably dead asleep.

One who was obviously wide-awake was Nina Wesley who leapt up, ran to the stage, and nearly incinerated herself and one poor dancer by scooting up beside him and shaking her personality at him.

"Oh, man." TJ rose and headed for the stage.

Her gyrations brought resort security, and between TJ and two security guards, Aunt Nina was carted off the stage and away from the luau, singing at the top of her lungs.

As they passed by our table, she called out, "Rick! Room 270." She made a phone with her thumb and little finger then blew a kiss.

Rick covered his face with both hands and shook his head.

"You've created a monster," I said softly in his ear.
   
Murder on the Aloha Express will be $0.99 during the tour.

Sally J. Smith and Jean Steffens, Authors

Sally J. Smith and Jean Steffens, are partners in crime—crime writing, that is. They live in the Valley of the Sun in Arizona, awesome for eight months out of the year, an inferno the other four. They write bloody murder, flirty romance, and wicked humor all in one package.


ADDITIONALLY: (U.S. ONLY) We will also have a giveaway through our Website—http://www.smithandsteffens.com —consisting of a beach towel, coffee mug, and signed copy of Murder on the Aloha Express.


Twitter:  https://twitter.com/SmithSteffens

Sally J. Smith and Jean Steffens will be awarding a $25 Amazon or Barnes and Noble Gift Card to a randomly drawn winner via Rafflecopter during the tour.


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Monday, August 22, 2016

DEBORAH CAMP RELEASES SOLITARY HORSEMAN!



Solitary Horseman
by Deborah Camp

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

GENRE:  Historical Romance (Western)

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One randomly chosen winner via Rafflecopter will be awarded a $50 Amazon or Barnes and Noble gift card.


SOLITARY HORSEMAN Blurb:

Texas rancher Callum Latimer believed that the Civil War had killed everything tender and yearning inside of him until he struck up a partnership with Banner Payne. His dark-haired, golden-eyed, spirited neighbor stirred embers that he thought were long dead . . .

Sunlight glided over hair as she shifted from one boot to the other, and before his mind could catch up with his instincts, Callum reached out and wrapped his index finger around one of her auburn curls. Its softness against his calloused skin sent longing through him like a rushing river. She’d be like that all over – soft where he was hard, giving where he was not. He heard her gasp and his heart bucked.



SOLITARY HORSEMAN Excerpt:

They finished eating, sopping up the last of the gravy with biscuits and popping the final bite of bacon or sausage into their mouths. All except for Callum, who seemed to have lost his appetite. He pushed aside his plate, nodding when Banner reached to take it away.

In the kitchen, she began preparing to wash the dishes, as she went over and over the unsettling conversation. So, the vigilante groups were stirring up more trouble along with memories that some people were trying hard to bury. She’d noticed that Hollis seemed to be worse lately. Sullen. Anger simmering just below the surface. Stalking off to be alone with his thoughts. Snapping at her when she questioned him about his moods.

Her brother was a sensitive soul and when there was unrest around him, he felt it, through and through. Living with him when he was jittery was like handling a porcupine. There was no way to touch it without getting pricked.

Someone cleared his throat right behind her and Banner spun around with a gasp, her wet hands flying up and slinging drops of water across Callum’s faded red shirt.

“Didn’t mean to startle you.”

“I . . . got your shirt wet.”

He shrugged. Banner hoped to see a softening in his eyes and she was disappointed.

“I’ll be back tonight, but it will be late. You go on home at the usual time.”

“I was mighty proud of you just now.”

He raised his brows and shook his head, clearly puzzled.

“What you said about the war and how nobody wins a fight.”

He held his hat in one hand and rubbed his chin with the other. “I don’t think I said that exactly. Fights are won, but sometimes the cost isn’t worth it.” He took a step back from her, running his hand down the front of his shirt and Banner watched the journey.

She so loved his hands. Long fingers, wide palm. She knew the tenderness of his touch and how they could trail fire along her skin. “I’ve missed you.”

He stared at her a few moments and something vulnerable shimmered in his eyes before he abruptly turned and walked away from her. “I need to get.”

“Callum!” She grabbed the back of his shirt. “Wait.” When he didn’t face her, she stepped around him. “Is something wrong? I feel like we’re on a seesaw here. Up and down. Up and down.”

Walking his fingers around the brim of his hat, he avoided her probing gaze. “I guess that sums it up. I’ve had a lot of time to think lately and maybe you’re right. We need to keep our heads clear and . . . well, a woman like you and a man like me . . .” He shrugged.

What in tarnation did that mean? Was this about her being a lowly Payne? Feeling as if he’d ripped opened an old wound, she glared at him, but he wasn’t looking at her. Finally, he glanced up and his eyes widened fractionally.

“Go on then.” Banner snatched his hat out of his hands and whacked him with it. “Get. I don’t have time anymore for this silly game.” His look of surprise angered her even more and she crushed his hat against his chest, making him grab it. She caught sight of Shane standing in the dining room, not hiding his curiosity at the scene unfolding. “Shane needs to talk to you. I’m finished with you.” Whirling around, she stomped through the kitchen and out the back door where the air was bitterly cold, matching the season in her heart. She would not cry! She wouldn’t! Should have known that he’d finally realize that he was too good and proper to be sporting with that Payne gal. He’d been raised to see her as filth and he couldn’t shake it.

Striding purposefully across the frozen ground, she made a beeline for the hen house. It would be warmer in there. Mary had already collected the eggs, but there were probably a few more that she could—.

Out of the corner of her eye, she saw the scrawled lettering across a big white banner that had been nailed to the side of the barn and her shoes slipped in the snow. She almost fell, but regained her balance in the nick of time. Staring at the ugly message, she was aware of pounding footfalls behind her.

“Damn it all, Banner! Just hold up. I didn’t mean to—.” Callum’s grouchy apology stopped at the same time he did. “What the hell?”

JOIN OR DIE

A Confederate flag was nailed below the fluttering white sheet that bore the menacing order. When had this been done? Banner wondered, her mind spinning back to when she’d been out earlier. She would have noticed it then. And the men had ridden up for breakfast! They would have seen it. Someone – no, more than one person – had done this while they’d all been inside. The audacity!

“Sons-of-bitches.”

Banner looked at Callum, sharing his disgust but not the wrath stamped on his chiseled features. She touched his hand. “Callum . . .” she whispered, trying to calm him.

He backed away, having none of it. “No. Don’t. Not now, Banner.” Then he spun about and marched toward the house again, yelling to Shane. “Take that bullshit down off the barn and burn it. The flag, too! Do it now.”

“Yes, sir,” Shane said, already trotting toward the barn.

Banner stood rooted to the spot as Callum swung up into Butter’s saddle and rode away, the horse’s hooves muffled by the snow. Cold air wrapped around her and she shivered, her teeth rattling.

Looking toward the house again, she saw Seth Latimer standing on the front porch, his squinty eyes fixed on the barn. He shook his head slowly, then turned and made his way back into the house.

Banner went inside, too, but she stood at the kitchen window and watched as Shane jerked down the big sheet and Confederate flag. He bundled them up and set them on fire, standing near them until they were nothing but ashes scattered by winter’s breath.

Gone. But the malevolence had left its stain like the black hole in the snow.




Deborah Camp, Author

Author of more than 45 novels, Deborah lives in Oklahoma. She has been a full-time writer since she graduated from the University of Tulsa. She worked for a few years as a reporter for newspapers before becoming a freelance writer. Deborah's first novel was published in the late 1970s and her books have been published by Jove, New American Library, Harlequin, Silhouette, and Avon. She has been inducted into the Oklahoma Authors Hall of Fame and she is a charter member of the Romance Writers of America. She is also a member of the Author's Guild.

Lover of the west and the people who tried to tame it, Deborah likes to write about strong, independent women and the men who are their equals. She grew up on a diet of TV westerns which have served her well. Since she appreciates men with devilish twinkles in their eyes, she likes to mix laughter in with the love scenes in her books. Also widely published in non-fiction, she writes and edits for a magazine focused on small businesses. Deborah taught fiction writing for more than 10 years at a community college. She is currently working on her next historical romance set in the wild, wonderful west.

Her books have been re-issued on Amazon for Kindle Direct and have attracted tens of thousands of new fans. For a list of them, visit her website.


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Friday, August 19, 2016

FEARLESS DESTINY BY ANNETTE BOWER



Fearless Destiny
by Annette Bower

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

GENRE: Women's fiction with romantic elements

Annette Bower will be awarding a $20 Amazon or Barnes and Noble Gift Card to a randomly drawn winner via Rafflecopter during the tour.

First, here's a lovely interview with Annette.

Good morning Caroline, thank you for sharing your followers and time with me today.

Where did I grow up?

I was born, attended elementary school, high school and nurses’ training in Regina, Saskatchewan, Canada. My grandparents were German immigrants from Russia who came to Saskatchewan as part of the government’s plan to open the land to farmers, on what is commonly referred to as Canada’s Bread Basket to the world. My parents moved into the city and raised me and my five siblings here. However, we were close to the land, when we visited grandparents and extended family. We often spent part of our school vacation on the farm, jumping in hay stacks, being led around a clearing and told stories about our First Nations gathering around fire camps, and getting stuck in the mud in our Easter finery. I recall one day on my cousins’ farm, from the kitchen window, seeing a bull mount a cow. I commented that the animals were playing piggy back. My much younger cousin confided in me years later that she asked her mother if she should tell me what was really happening. Her mother said, I’d find out in good time. And she was right.

 Then our cousins would come into the city and be awe struck at the life of leisure we had, making our bed and doing the dishes was considered easy. After I married my husband and I moved to Ottawa, the capital of Canada. We had an exciting life mingling with politicians and the movers and shakers of our world, however, I was too inexperienced to realize the full impact of this. But I did learn that people in power have problems very similar to the rest of us. They may have more connections to get things done, and more money to help but the sorrow, pain, and joy is the same. The old saying that they put their pants on one leg at a time, just like everyone else, is true.


(In the photo, I’m next to my oldest sister, three years older than me. My mom dressed me and my younger sister the same, even though we were three years apart.)

What are your favorite authors and favorite genres?

I read on a wide range of subjects as most writers do. We need to research and continue filling our imagination and knowledge well. I picked three books from my self that have influenced Fearless Destiny.  The first is When I Fall in Love by Iris Rainer Dart. She writes about characters who are differently abled and they have HEA lives.

Next is The Kabul Beauty School by Deborah Rodriguez who spent five years teaching at and later directing the Kabul Beauty School. This is a creative non-fiction about a woman who took charge of her destiny and in her courage helped many other women realize and change their lives.

And a book of poetry, Exile on a Grid Road by Shelley Banks. This is poetry about the land I live in and write about, I relate to the experiences and the solitude writers need to create. Banks uses compressed language and images to bring landscape and emotions to her readers.

What is your favorite way to relax and recharge?

The last ten years my husband and I take advantage of low fees to travel to Europe in the shoulder season-late fall or early spring. We can’t swim in the ocean but we can explore other words, museums, galleries, and I can find other authors’ books translated into English. We’ve been to Portugal, France, Greece, China and a river cruise down the Rhine, Maine, and Danube. I’ve been to Spain, London, and Italy with women friends.

I enjoy walking in new countries and watching how they live and checking out the architecture. This photo is a picture of the Monastiraki Flea Market in Athens, Greece.






Do you have a favorite quote that sums up how you feel about life?

Late Fragment


And did you get what
you wanted from this life, even so?
I did.
And what did you want?
To call myself beloved, to feel myself
beloved on the earth.”

AND,




How long have you been writing?


I’ve been writing for many years as part of my other careers. I recall when I was an assistant to Regina Beach’s Village Secretary, I wrote a two-page letter to a man who was not obeying the village dog bylaw. His dogs ran around the village and frighten people. I don’t think I changed the dog owner’s mind. 

I began seriously after I graduated from University with my BA majoring in English. I then attended every workshop, writers’ retreat, conference, and joined the Saskatchewan Writers Guild and the RWA. I began with success as a short story writer to gain some publishing credits and then found a publisher willing to take a chance on my way of writing in the romance genre. My first novel, Moving On was published by a small Canadian Press which went out of business. Soon after that Soul Mate Publishing contracted Woman of Substance, and then re published Moving On, when I received my rights back, and now Fearless Destiny.

I write in the quiet of my office without music but a fabulous view of the city skyline. Because Regina is a small city, I look out past the few tall buildings and toward the fields on the horizon.

I usually have a rough idea where my story will go. I do a great deal of research before I begin and then I’m a panzer. I write and rewrite and rewrite, and therefore I am a slow writer. A new book every two or three years.

What do you hope your writing brings to readers?

What I would like my stories to bring to readers is a HEA romance as well as shine a little light on a social issue. In Woman of Substance I tap societies’ views on women’s body shapes. In Moving On I discuss grief and loss. And in Fearless Destiny I discuss the challenges of being an artist and a member of the community and family with all of those responsibilities calling on such limited time in a day.

After readers read, Woman of Substance, they told me that they looked differently at women who were larger and a young man came up to me and told me that he was raised by his grandparents and they saved his life.

In Moving On readers have shared their feelings of loss of a loved one. And Fearless Destiny is new, so I haven’t heard back from anyone yet.

I hope your followers will comment on their challenges between creating art and other responsibilities.

What advice would you give to unpublished authors?

My advice would be to keep working on your craft. Get the best person you can to read your work and help you edit. If you can afford it hire a professional editor, or at least the best one you can afford. And if after a while you don’t find a publisher, now is a good time to be an Indie publisher. Also know that the work doesn’t stop once you are published, whether it be with a publisher or as an Indie. It’s a big genre out there and readers have to find you. Tell people anyway you can that you are an author and you have a book/books. Have your pitch ready.

An opportunity came up through the Saskatchewan Writers Guild to sell books at Save On Foods. I was there with bells on.




Thank you Caroline for hosting me today and allowing me to present myself to your followers. 

FEARLESS DESTINY Blurb:

From the Romance Review Readers Choice nominee, Annette Bower, comes a new small town romance, Fearless Destiny.

Tiffany George, riding high on her commission as a fresco artist, returns home for some deserved rest and relaxation.

The drive is uneventful until she rescues Will Cleaver on the side of a highway. While savoring memories of a kiss and a well formed butt, her future goals do not include a romance.

Once in town, she discovers the hopes and dreams of her community hinge on the development of a new resource mine and Will Cleaver’s designed neighborhood. Her parents demand she give up art and resume her working partner role in the family business.

Tiffany George is pulled by her community roots and stretched by her newly discovered independence.

Will Cleaver knows about taking charge of destiny. He models the courage she uses to become the woman she needs to be.




FEARLESS DESTINY Excerpt:
The words “hello there” ploughed down the silent hallway as Tiffany’s roadside linebacker advanced with a synchronized arm and leg crutch-walk.

Tiffany bit her cheek while she watched her father grab the railing on the wall. She stepped forward. “Tiffany George of George’s Family Plumbing. There’s a water break.”

His gaze traveled up from her chest to the collar of her pink coveralls and then to the top of her head, where she was sure her spikes had tumbled like dominoes. Then down to the tips of her lime-green boots. “Nice boots, real nice boots.”

Tiffany tugged at the weight of the tool bag across her body.

“A sprite of many talents, I see.” He gripped his walking aids.

“We can’t all be just a pretty face.” She could have bitten off her tongue.

He raised his eyebrows and his eyes sparkled. They weren’t black after all, but a deep brown.

“You think I’m pretty?” He sounded amused.

She took a wide stance and began an assessment of him from the tip of his dusty loafers, gray trousers, a rumpled white shirt with the sleeves rolled up to the elbows exposing firm, and tanned arms. His whiskers shadowed across his firm jaw, his full lips held neutral, his straight nose and those dark watchful eyes had deep etched laugh lines around them.

“You have a certain road weariness that I’d like to capture on paper.” Reaching with her callused fingers, she touched his beard.


Amazon Buy Link for FEARLESS DESTINY:



Annette Bower, Author

Annette Bower sets her romance novels in Saskatchewan because she believes home can be as exotic as anywhere else in the World. Annette travels extensively, but always returns home to Regina, Saskatchewan. Born in Regina, her experiences as a nurse, administrator, town councillor, teachers’ assistant and student inform her stories and reflect the experiences of many readers. Annette’s stories are read around the world and have been shortlisted on many national and international stages.

Annette Bower writes about women’s roles in families, in communities and women’s emotions at the beginning and end of love in her home office in Regina, SK. Her short stories are published in magazines and anthologies in Canada, United States, and United Kingdom.

Her women’s fiction novels with romantic elements, WOMAN OF SUBSTANCE and MOVING ON are published by Soul Mate Publishing.

Annette Bower’s day-to-day experiences as a nurse, administrator, town councillor, teacher’s assistant and student means that her stories are the real thing because they are about you and your neighbours. Her short stories and novels are read around the world. Her romance novels are set in Saskatchewan because she believes home is as exotic as anywhere else in the wide world she has visited.


Links:
https://twitter.com/BowerAnnette

Annette Bower will be awarding a $20 Amazon or Barnes and Noble Gift Card to a randomly drawn winner via Rafflecopter during the tour.


a Rafflecopter giveaway