Saturday, February 15, 2025

Doggy Distribution System


Baxter

I see cat people talk about the Universe's cat distribution system, but there is one for dogs, too.  I took one of our best dogs, Molly, from an abusive owner.  I wasn't planning to get a dog but there she was.  Baxter, pictured above, showed up terror-stricken on a neighbor's porch on July 4th.  The neighbor called Darling Daughter two to "come get that dog off my porch."  We looked for his owner but no one was looking for him.  At least, not that we found.  He is a sweet Poodle mix who loves to sit on my lap while Hero, Darling Daughter two, and I watch movies each night.

Most of our dogs have found us, not the other way around.  Both daughters have done doggy rescue and ended up with foster fails -- the dogs came in but never left.  What is the strangest way you have found yourself with a dog?

The heroine of Sidney and the Mail Order Bride, Antoinette Fournier, has a dog crash her wedding to Sidney.  In fact, he gets mud all over her wedding dress.  She asks Sidney if she can keep the dog and he reluctantly agrees.  You wouldn't believe how hard Antoinette, who grew up waited on hand and foot, found it to bathe her new dog.  Here is a tiny taste of her problems, which didn't end when she finished bathing Lucky -- she still had to empty the trough and refill it with clean water.

Excerpt

Holding the makeshift leash with her left hand, she bathed Lucky. Apparently he enjoyed the attention because he stood still. Soaping Lucky with her right, soon she realized she had to use both hands to distribute water and rinse away the soap. Lucky thought they played a fun game. He jumped and splashed until her shoes and skirts were soaked. She managed to get him clean, but when she tried to woo him out of the water, he acted as if tugging was a part of their game. 

“Come on, Lucky, time to get out and dry off.” She yanked hard on the leather leash. Lucky leaped out the opposite way—and dragged Antoinette into the trough.
“Luckeee!” Water in her mouth cut off her yell. 
Spitting and spluttering, she struggled out of the water and pushed her wet hair from her face. Wringing her skirt and petticoats to rid them of part of the water pouring from them, she wiped her face with the towel. 
Lucky shook himself, and then ran up to her, his leash dragging behind him. She ran the wet towel over him then went to the stable door. 
“Lucky, come here.”
Instead, he ran in circles between the mercantile and the barn.
Of course he needed exercise, but not now. How could she capture him and get him back into the barn? She retrieved the bone and held it so he could see it. “Look what I have for you, Lucky.” 
He must have smelled or sensed the meat on the bone because he darted into the stable. She dropped the bone on his food dish. After she’d filled the makeshift water dish, she removed the leather strip, left him gnawing his bone, and closed the barn door behind her.

To see what happened next, get the book.  Sidney and the Mail Order Bride, from Amazon.  It is also in Kindle Unlimited.




 

Wednesday, February 12, 2025

A Merry Murderous Midwinter by Dahlia Donovan

 

 

Welcome back to the Skeleton Crew. 

Bring your knitting needles, a good strong brew, and plenty of snacks. 

You’re going to need them.


A Merry Murderous Midwinter

The Skeleton Crew Paranormal Cozy Series Book 3

by Dahlia Donovan

Genre: Paranormal Romance, Cozy Mystery


Welcome back to the Skeleton Crew. Bring your knitting needles, a good strong brew, and plenty of snacks. You’re going to need them.

Gender-fluid, autistic vampire Hyde Snodgrass is living their best life with their bookshop, cats, and witch girlfriend, Teresa Vega. The colours of autumn are beginning to blend into winter. An ordinarily joyous midwinter is spoiled by the arrival of their estranged family.

When their murderous uncle is found dead in front of their shop, Hyde finds themselves unwillingly dragged into the investigation. Accusations swirl around South Myrddin. It takes a village to untangle the mystery.

Can the true killer be unmasked in time to save them?

Will there be anything to celebrate in the coming Yuletide season?

 

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A Fatal Autumnal Stew

The Skeleton Crew Paranormal Cozy Series Book 2 

Welcome back to the Skeleton Crew. Keep your knitting needles sharp and have a strong brew in hand for their next adventure.

Life for gender-fluid, autistic vampire Hyde Snodgrass has never been better. Her cosy village bookshop is thriving as is their new relationship with witch and taco bus owner, Teresa Vega. Autumn is in full magical tilt in their corner of the Scottish Highlands.

Everything is beautifully perfect right up until a tainted meal ends with Hyde sick and someone dead.

The police immediately suspect the restaurant owners. Hyde and Teresa find themselves drawn into yet another investigation, trying to save their friends from arrest and themselves from a murderer. The situation becomes even more complex when family feuds become tangled in the midst.

Can they find the killer?

Or will everything Hyde loves go up in flames?

 

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A Curse for Samhain

The Skeleton Crew Paranormal Cozy Series Book 1

Welcome to the Skeleton Crew. Bring your knitting needles and a good, strong brew.

Gender fluid, autistic vampire Hyde Snodgrass runs Between the Leaves—a cosy village book store. Their life revolves around books, all things autumnal, and the two cats who rule their world. The shop also plays host to a weekly knitting group called the Skeleton Crew.

When one of the leaders of the village coven fails to show up for the weekly knitting meeting, Hyde finds themselves investigating a horrific murder side by side with their long-term crush, Teresa Vega.

Suspicion immediately falls on other members of their group. Hyde and Teresa struggle to find answers to the growing list of questions. It’s made all the more difficult when the killer has them in their sights.

Can working together spark the romantic flame within them?

Will they solve the mystery before death comes too close?

 

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Dahlia Donovan wrote her first romance series after a crazy dream about shifters and damsels in distress.  She prefers irreverent humour and unconventional characters.  An autistic and occasional hermit, her life wouldn’t be complete without her husband and her massive collection of books and video games. 

 

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Monday, February 10, 2025

Delay of Game by Tam Derudder Jackson

 

 


Football was my first love. Now I’m playing for my only love.
Game Time.


Delay of Game

Game Time Series Book 4

by Tam DeRudder Jackson

Genre: Contemporary Sports Romance


Danny Chambers is back.

I lost my heart to Danny Chambers in high school, even though he parked me in the friend zone five minutes after we met. It’s taken years to stop thinking about him at least once every hour. It helped when he enlisted in the Air Force. But he’s back, and he’s walking onto the football team. He could go to college anywhere, so why does it have to be Mountain State?

Even best friends keep secrets from each other.

When Danny earns a spot playing receiver for the Wildcats, I’m in the clear. I can admire him from the stands and go back to my boring life of finishing my undergrad and resigning myself to being married to my career. After what went down with my one-and-only boyfriend last semester, well, I need to stop dreaming about happily-ever-after. Which makes the head games Danny is playing with me so painful. Why is he acting like he wants something more with me?

Five years ago, I made a colossal mistake.

I need a second chance. Growing up a military brat, the one constant in my life was playing football. Though I met all kinds of people while switching schools on the regular, one look at Taryn Hamilton and she’s my girl. Yet after we met, I discovered quick she was off-limits if I wanted to catch passes on Friday nights. I paid a big price for my bad choice. Now after giving Uncle Sam four years so I could attend college, I’m at Mountain State where I’m taking every opportunity to show Taryn how I truly feel—how I have always felt about her. She is so much more than my best friend.

Football was my first love. Now I’m playing for my only love.

Game Time.

 

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**Don’t miss the rest of the Game Time series!**

Finding the End Zone

Game Time Series Book 1

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Out of Bounds

Game Time Series Book 2

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Offsides

Game Time Series #3

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Tam DeRudder Jackson is the author of the paranormal romance Talisman Series and the contemporary romance Balefire Series. Her favorite “room” in her house is her patio where she dreams up stories of romance and risk. When she’s not writing her latest paranormal or contemporary romance, you can find her driving around in her convertible or carving turns on the slopes of the local ski hill. The mom of two grown sons, Tam likes to travel, attend rock concerts, watch football and soccer, and visit old car shows with her husband. She lives in the mountains of northwest Wyoming where she spends most of her free time trying to read all the books. Her TBR piles are threatening to take over her office, and she’s fine with that.

 

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Follow the tour HERE for special content and a giveaway!

Friday, February 07, 2025

LISTEN TO MY STORY

 By Caroline Clemmons

Medina River in the Texas Hill Country

 My latest series is the Texas Hill Country Mail Order Brides. I’ve enjoyed writing this series, which now includes six books. If you haven’t yet read them (hand to my breaking heart, I’m crushed), this is a great time to listen to the audiobook. The narration will leave your hands and eyes free to do mundane tasks like folding laundry or unloading the dishwasher or struggle through traffic. Of course, you could always choose my way to listen and just curl up in your favorite chair. <G> My dogs prefer that method because it leaves my lap available. Baxter the labradoodle doesn't realize he's too large to be a lapdog. Murphy the Maltese fits nicely and leaves space for Baxter.

I’m tremendously excited that this series and my other books are available as audiobooks from Amazon and Audible. This may not seem like a big deal to you, dear reader, but—trust me—it is for any author. So, if you’ve read the series, hearing them narrated will be a pleasant experience in which you’ll catch things you overlooked or forgot from the ebook or print.

The first of this series, GENTRY AND THE MAIL ORDER BRIDE, is on sale now for 99¢ as an e-book. So, I suggest you start your audiobook quest with JESSE AND THE MAIL ORDER BRIDE.

Sheriff Jesse Cameron came from Scotland several years ago, directly to Texas. After wandering through several towns, he found the place for him. That one is Harrigan Springs, county seat of Harrigan County (a fictitious county squeezed in between real Bandera and Medina Counties, with the Medina River flowing along the town’s edge). Before he became sheriff, there were rough characters causing trouble in town. Now that he’s cleaned the troublemakers away, it’s a pleasant and mostly peaceful place to live. He's a popular man. 

Jesse’s home is only a short walk from his office at the jail. His chief deputy, Zan Crain, has a home on the street behind him. Each man wants a wife to offer comfort and companionship and start a family. Together they send letters to a matchmaker and hope their wives will be friends. They certainly are.

The story of how their wives arrived in Harrigan Springs and how their arrival affected the men’s lives is this book. It’s a sweet romance with danger and adventure and children. Jesse is one of my favorite heroes. I’m sure you’ll see why when you listen to his story.

 https://www.amazon.com/Audible-Jesse-Mail-Order-Bride/dp/B0CY4HR8PY/

 


Thanks for stopping by.

Wednesday, February 05, 2025

Kyle Ann Robertson Author Spotlight and Giveaway

 

 

Behind Closed Words: Exploring the impact of miscommunications and misperceptions within families, delving into the chaos that ensues, even when driven by love.

 

White Picket Fences

Behind Closed Words Collection #1

by Kyle Ann Robertson

Genre: Women’s Fiction

 

White Picket Fences is a heartfelt family drama fueled by an honest story of motherhood, written for those of us caught up in our own self-searching journeys. The one thing Julie Cahill knows because of her transitory upbringing as a military brat is that she never had a hometown. So she has made sure her kids would grow up in one forever home, in a forever neighborhood, with lots of forever friends. Yet her dream of a permanent hometown has her feeling fenced in.

Set in the Delaware Bay area, Julie has achieved her dreams but struggles with having to accept invisibility, underappreciation, and being taken for granted by her family in trade for her unconditional love. Her guilt over not being available for her family on that one fateful day has her challenging karma by tightening her grip on her daughters and husband, ultimately pushing them away.

 

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Not So Little Things

Behind Closed Words Collection #2


Tina Edwards loved her childhood and creating fairy houses, a passion shared with her father, a world-renowned architect. But at nine years old, she found him dead at his desk and is haunted by this memory. Tina's mother abruptly moved away leaving Tina with feelings of abandonment and suspicion. Raised by her loving, wheelchair-bound Aunt Liddy, her father's sister, 33 year old Tina has become a miniature room artist and cherishes the control she has over her life in Northeast Georgia as she works hard to please her beloved dead father's wishes of following in his footsteps in art and history. 

 

 At the same time Mr. Jake Martin, all six-foot three of him, with a heavy southern drawl and winsome dimple, hires Tina to build replicas of the original rooms of his own family's Victorian mansion purchased to turn into a B&B, Tina's estranged, dying mother re-enters her life with family secrets that must be told. Amid their research for Jake, Tina and her assistant find out that stories from his past were unfounded and prove that miscommunications and misperceptions passed down through families create unwarranted, painful separations, echoing Tina's life story.

 

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Since achieving her Creative Writing Certificate from Emory University, Kyle Ann has authored the children's book series " Nissa The Woodland Fairy." as writer BB Walsh. is the CWO (Chief Writing Officer) of the blog IF CORKS COULD TALK. And now her first novel WHITE PICKET FENCES with more to come. Kyle Ann's a retired Physical Therapist Assistant with most of her education coming from raising four children who are all out of college, happy in their own space, and paying their own bills! She spends as much time as possible reading, writing, golfing, gardening, and enjoying a glass of wine with friends and family. KyleAnnRobertson.com

 

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Follow the tour HERE for special content and a giveaway!

$20 Amazon giftcard,

Audiobook of White Picket Fences,

Audiobook of Not So Little Things

-1 winner each! 


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Monday, February 03, 2025

Bullets and Dandelions by Gail Koger

 

 


It’s 1990, women snipers are unheard of & Tess Reynold’s mission In the Middle East just got complicated. She has a rogue CIA agent on her trail, and her life depends on trusting a hot, but infuriating Force Recon Marine.


Bullets and Dandelions

A Deputy Gemma Stone Prequel

by Gail Koger

Genre: Action, Comedy, Romance 



My name is Tess Reynolds, and I’ll admit few people would think I’m a badass Army sniper called the Scorpion. Afterall, women snipers were unheard of in 1990. People look at me and see a petite blonde who is cute as a button. My father calls it my natural camouflage.

My time in the Middle East has been full of unforeseen complications. I have a rogue CIA agent trying to kill me and I caught the attention of a Force Recon Marine by the name of Alexander Stone. Wowzer! He’s hot but he’s also the biggest jackass I have ever met. To make things even more interesting, I need the Jackass’s help to stay alive.

This novella is the prequel to the Gemma Stone series. How it all began.

 

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Pain and the need to pee woke me up. I sat up and looked around groggily. Where was I? 

“What do you need?” 

  I stared up at Sergeant Stone. “Bathroom.” 

 Stone held out his hand. “I’ll show you the way.” 

  “Okay.” I took his hand and blinked in confusion. All I was wearing was a baggy green tee shirt. “Where are my pants?” 

“They were covered in blood.”  He led me across a hallway and opened a door. 

 “Oh.” I frowned and pointed. “That’s a urinal.” 

“Yes, it is.” 

  “Why are we in the men’s restrooms? I’m a girl.” 

  “That you are.” Grinning, Stone guided me over to a stall and opened the door. “In you go.” 

“No peeking.” I shut the door. 

“No, ma’am.” 

I sat on the toilet and did my business. “Are you laughing at me?” 

“No, ma’am.” 

“Why are you ma’aming me?” 

“Because you’re high on morphine and too damn cute.” 

Was he being nice to me? No way. I pulled off some toilet paper and stared at it for a moment. “Well, stop it.” 

 “Are you done, soldier?” 

I wiped myself. “Yes.” I stood, flushed the toilet and pulled up my panties. Wait a minute. These weren’t my panties. 

“Open the door, Tess.” 

I did as he asked. “These aren’t my panties.” I yanked up my tee shirt. “See?”   

His grin got bigger. “We got you fresh underwear.” 

“Why?” 

  “Because your clothes were covered in blood.” 

  “Oh.” I sat on the floor. “Tired.” I laid down. 

  “No, you don’t.” Stone scooped me up. “You need to take your pills.” 

“Don’t wanna.” I laid my head against his shoulder. “Promise you won’t let him kill me.” 

“I promise.” Stone sat me on a bed. “Open your mouth.” 

“What if I have bad breath?” 

“You don’t.” 

“You sure about that?” 

  “I am. Now take your pills.”   

 I opened my mouth. 

Stone dropped two pills on my tongue and handed me a bottle of water. “Swallow them and you can have some chocolate.” 

“Okay.” I washed the pills down. “Where’s my chocolate?” 

“In my backpack. I’ll get it.” 

  A wave of weariness rolled over me. The minute my head hit the pillow I fell asleep. 


**Don’t miss the other books in the series!**

Find them on 

Amazon!


 

 


Howdy. My name is Gail Koger and once upon a time I was a 9-1-1 dispatcher. Too many years of wild requests, screwy questions, bizarre behavior and outrageous demands have left me with a permanent twitch and an uncontrollable craving for chocolate. I took up writing science fiction romance to keep from killing people. So far, it has worked.

 

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Saturday, February 01, 2025

Gentry Is On Sale by Caroline Clemmons

 


Gentry and the Mail Order Bride
Book 1 of the Texas Hill Country Mail Order Bride Series
by Caroline Clemmons
In Kindle Unlimited

The cold days of winter are a good time to curl up and read a book.  Gentry, the first book in my Texas Hill Country Mail Order Bride Series, is on sale this weekend for just $0.99.  Gentry and the other five books in the series are sweet romances set in the time after the Civil War.  Families are trying to find each other after the horrors of war destroyed homes and lives.  Thoughts turn toward marrying and starting a family.  Many people set out for Texas.  Some of them end up in Harrington Springs.

Gentry Blurb:

Nothing much riles Gentry McRae. He works hard on the ranch he co-owns with his best friend, and is content with his life. He’s proud of all they’ve accomplished in the ten years since the war. That is, until his partner dies and leaves his half of the ranch to his mail-order bride—and wills the bride to Gentry. “Now just a doggone minute, I don’t plan to marry for years!” But, a single woman can’t reside on a ranch where four men live without ruining her reputation. What’s a good man to do, except marry the woman when she arrives?


Heidi Roth has been spurned for being too plainspoken and too tall. In addition, her sister constantly makes fun of her for those reasons. That’s why—with many doubts—she’s willing to travel for months from Bavaria to Texas to marry a man who once lived in her town. When she arrives, she learns her prospective groom is dead, but left her his share of a ranch. She has serious doubts, but agrees to wed Gentry to protect her reputation. Sure enough, from the next day, one event after the other happens to complicate her life—yet she is happy. Until she sees the will and learns they are not equal partners as Gentry had led her to believe.

Sometimes the perfect match is the one you didn’t expect.