Friday, October 31, 2014

WILD WESTERN WOMEN - NEW BARGAIN-PRICED BOX SET

What a pleasure to announce that I’m included in a box set with four of my favorite authors. WILD WESTERN WOMEN has been available for pre-order, but the release date is finally here! On November 1, the group of five historical western romance novellas and two bonus short stories is available for Kindle and iTunes and will soon be on Nook and Kobo. Woo Hoo!

The title doesn’t necessarily mean the heroines are wild—although you can form your own opinion by reading the box set. And it doesn't necessarily mean that the western women who wrote the novellas are wild.--but that might well be true. I'm not telling!

Actually, we intended the title to refer to the strong women who lived in the Wild West. Each deserved the equally strong man with whom she fell in love. Here are the five novellas and their authors:

USA Today Best Selling Author Kirsten Osbourne – MAIL ORDER MISUNDERSTANDING

Julia traveled West to be a schoolteacher. Thomas requested a mail order bride. When he arrives at the train station to pick up his bride, Thomas mistakenly thinks Julia is there for him. Julia sees Thomas and thinks he's there from the school board. She's married an hour later.

USA Today Best Selling Author Callie Hutton – A CHANCE TO LOVE AGAIN

Widow Rachel Stevens is very happy with her job as a cook for the Lazy Sunset ranch where she is raising her son. However, the new foreman, Rusty McIntyre, is turning her life upside down. She could overlook how her son has begun to idolize Rusty, but she’s having a heck of a time ignoring the flutters in her stomach every time the man smiles at her.

But Rusty has problems of his own. His previously unknown fourteen year old daughter has just arrived to live with him. Used to always being on his own, now he has a young boy following him around imitating his every move, and a surly young lady glaring at him. Throw into the mix the tug he feels toward the ranch cook—who wants no part of him—and life is no longer as easy as it once was.

Best Selling Author Caroline Clemmons – SAVE YOUR HEART FOR ME

After fleeing an abusive husband six years ago, Beth Jeffers wants nothing more than to protect her son Davey and to help her mother operate a Texas Hill Country boarding house. The strong women in her family have had no luck with men, and she has no intention of letting any man influence her son. Not even handsome lawman Matt Petrov, no matter how much her lonely heart urges otherwise.

Federal Marshall Matt Petrov, also known as Lone Wolf Peters, fell in love with Beth the first time he saw her. Then she was another man’s wife, so he kept his longing a secret. But he’s saved his love for her for six horrific years. Now, the lovely widow and he have crossed paths again. This time, he intends to risk all for a chance at happiness. First he must rescue his distant kinsman from an assassin’s clutches and protect Beth’s son Davey from the villain. Mystery, kidnapping, and twists await Matt and Beth. But will Matt’s secrets shatter the love he and Beth share?

Best Selling Author Sylvia McDaniel – DESPERATE

After the death of their father, the McKenzie sisters, Meg, Annabelle and Ruby try the normal ways for women to earn a living in a small western town. When they fail, the McKenzie sisters decide to take up their father’s profession, bounty hunting. They quickly learn they can use their feminine wiles and their Baby Dragoons to earn their way in the old west. They’re tough and resilient, badass women in this historical western novella. Kick off the adventure with the first installment of the new series, Lipstick and Lead with DESPERATE.

Best Selling Author Merry Farmer – THE INDOMITABLE EVE

The one thing Eve deLaurent has wished for in the two years since her sister, Amelia, was whisked away to America was to be a family again. But the tragedy that befell her once Amelia was gone has left her wounded, body and soul. Now, reunited with her sister, all Eve wants to do is run. Amelia’s new, happy life is a betrayal deeper than Eve can stand. She would leave and never look back, were it not for Mark Andrews.

As Cold Springs’s reverend, Mark is used to people confiding their darkest sins and looking to him for help. So when he sees the pain behind Eve’s mask of confidence, all he wants to do is help her. But Eve awakens a desire in him that reminds him that even a man of God is still a man. They seem to be everything the other wants and needs, but can the people of Cold Springs accept an actress in their pastor’s arms? Can they be together if bitter family betrayals keep Eve and Amelia at each other’s throats?

You’re only as strong as the loves that hold you together...

Plus Bonus Short Stories from Caroline Clemmons (“Stone Mountain Reunion”) and Merry Farmer, ("A Hero's Heart").

All of this at the bargain price of 99 cents!

Buy links are:
Amazon                AmazonUK             iTunes




Thanks for stopping by!

Wednesday, October 29, 2014

INTERVIEW WITH BESTSELLING AUTHOR CALLIE HUTTON


Friends, we're fortunate to have an interview with USA Today bestselling author Callie Hutton today.

Caroline: Tell us something about growing up and your life.

Callie: Hi everyone. Even though I now reside in the great state of Oklahoma, I am originally a Jersey girl, born and bred. I’ve branded myself an Okie-Jersey. I have two sisters still in New Jersey and one brother in Florida. My brother is a retired fire fighter who is my ‘go to’ expert when I need something answered on fires. As a child, I was such a bookworm. Oftentimes in the summer mom would snatch the book out of my hands and state, “Go play outside. It’s a beautiful day.” Actually, I think mom just wanted all of us out of the house so she could have some peace and quiet.

I am married for thirty-eight years to my biggest cheerleader, Doug. We have three children, one in Canada, and two in Oklahoma. My son and his wife (in Oklahoma) just had twin boys back in August. I’m really enjoying my grandma role.

Caroline: Who are your favorite authors and favorite genres?

There isn’t any way I can state a favorite author because it would overrun the page. Some of them, however, are Lynn Kurland, Linda Lael Miller, Madeline Hunter, Julia Quinn, Amanda Quick, Lynsay Sands, Stephanie Laurens, and so, so many more. I have tons of friends whose books I love, as well – Caroline Clemmons, Merry Farmer, Kirsten Osbourne, Peggy L. Henderson, Char Chaffin, Cheryl Yeko, Sylvia McDaniel. Goodness, I could go on forever.

My favorite genre is historical, both western and regency. I also enjoy a highlander story with a lad in a kilt.

Caroline: Thanks for including me, Callie. What’s your favorite way to relax and recharge? 

Callie: Relax and recharge time is precious. I love spending time with my grandbabies and I read all the time (even at traffic lights). I rarely go to movies and aside from a news program or two, never watch television. I can’t seem to find the time to do it.
  
Caroline: Do you have a favorite quote that sums up how you feel about life?

Callie: Carpe Diem
  
Caroline: How long have you been writing?

Callie: I’ve been writing all my life, magazine articles, company newsletters, etc., but only wrote my first book in 2010

Caroline: You’ve achieved a lot in that time, Callie. Where do you prefer to write? Do you need quiet, music, solitude? PC or laptop?

Callie: My laptop is my best friend. I write in quiet surroundings (my office). Sometimes I’ll listen to music, but I end up turning it off because I find it a distraction.

Caroline: Classical music helps drown out other distractions for me. Are you a plotter or a panzer?

Callie: Started out a panzer, switched a year ago to plotter, and now I find I’m somewhere in between. My publisher requires a synopsis for a contracted book before I start it, which I run by my editor and we bang out the story. Then I outline the first few chapters and write those.  By that time I know how I want the next few chapters to go, and it continues on that way.

Caroline: Do you use real events or persons in your stories or as an inspiration for stories?

Callie: I definitely use real events and places for my stories. I haven’t used real people, though. My book, A RUN FOR LOVE, the first book in my Oklahoma Lovers series, is set during the Oklahoma Land Run of 1889, and takes place in Guthrie, Oklahoma, as does the rest in the series. I relied on The Linnean Society of London for my book, THE DUKE’S QUANDARY, the second book in my Marriage Mart Mayhem series.

Caroline: Do you set daily writing goals?

Callie: Writing is my job. I go to it every day – even weekends. I’m in my office by 8 AM, and with breaks throughout the day I’m there until around 10 at night, Monday through Friday. On weekends I don’t write, but do about 4 hours a day in ‘writing tasks.’ I have a fabulous personal assistant who makes my life so, so pleasant, and relieves me of those annoying things I don’t have time for, and don’t want to do.

When I start a book, I figure out how many chapters it will take to tell the story. Then I look at my deadline (I always have one) and figure how many chapters a week I need to write to get it finished and edited and off to my editor on time. Right now my schedule is for four chapters a week to meet my goal.

Caroline: Similarly, I divide the target page count to get my weekly schedule. What do you hope your writing brings to readers?

Callie: Fun. Tears. Laughter. Joy. A way to escape. I one time had a reader send me an email where she said my books got her through chemo. It was a humbling moment.

Caroline: What long-term plans do you have for your career?

Callie: Keep on writing and writing and writing. Even if I never sold another book, I would continue to write.

Caroline: Would you like to tell us what you’re working on now?

Callie: I’m currently writing the fifth book in my Marriage Mart Mayhem series (regency). After that I will be writing the last book in my Oklahoma Lovers series.

Caroline: What advice would you give to unpublished authors?

Callie: If you want to be published, make writing your priority. After God and family, your writing has to come next. Write every day, read craft books, and read, read, read.

Caroline: Share a fun fact readers wouldn’t know about you.

Callie:  I gave the commencement speech at my college graduation at age 57.

Caroline: Share something about you that would surprise or shock readers.

Callie: I one time interviewed Peter Lawford for a magazine. (I think I’ll keep the shockers to myself, LOL.)

Caroline: I know the answer to this but always ask if your book is a series.

Callie: Yes, A CHANCE TO LOVE AGAIN is the third book in my Oklahoma Lovers series. The others are, A RUN FOR LOVE #1, A PRESCRIPTIONS FOR LOVE, #2, then A CHANCE TO LOVE AGAIN, followed by A WIFE BY CHRISTMAS (even though that came out three years ago, time wise the story happens after A CHANCE TO LOVE AGAIN.) They are about the Henderson family, consisting of Tori Henderson and her four nieces and nephews that she is the guardian for.

Caroline: Readers (including me) love series. Can you give readers a blurb about your book?

Callie: Widow Rachel Stevens is very happy with her job as a cook for the Lazy Sunset ranch where she is raising her son. However, the new foreman, Rusty McIntyre, is turning her life upside down. She could overlook how her son has begun to idolize Rusty, but she’s having a heck of a time ignoring the flutters in her stomach every time the man smiles at her.

But Rusty has problems of his own. His previously unknown fourteen year old daughter has just arrived to live with him. Used to always being on his own, now he has a young boy following him around imitating his every move, and a surly young lady glaring at him. Throw into the mix the tug he feels toward the ranch cook—who wants no part of him—and life is no longer as easy as it once was.



Caroline: How about an excerpt?

Callie: Here you are:

Rusty rested his hands on his hips. “Ma’am, I don’t mean to criticize, but you need to take better notice of what your boy is doing.”

“Indeed?” Her eyebrows rose to her hairline.

“He came barreling around that corner like his feet were on fire. Crashed into me, which caused this entire counter of thread to land on the floor.”

The woman turned to the boy. “Will, please apologize to the—gentleman.”

Rusty almost grinned at her hesitation to call him a ‘gentleman.’

The kid hung his head. “I’m sorry.”

“It’s not me you have to apologize to, young man. You have to go on up there to the front of this store and tell that woman behind the counter that you’re sorry. Then you need to fix up the display that you—”

“Wait just a damn minute!”

Rusty jerked and glanced from the boy to the woman. She was so red in the face, he wouldn’t be surprised if her cheeks caught fire. Her eyes snapped, and she worked her mouth as if she wanted to say something, but was too agitated to get it out.

“How dare you presume to tell my son what the proper thing is for him to do!”

She surprised the hell out of him by poking him in the chest. Not once, or twice, but several times until he had backed up and was pressed against the counter with the thread all piled in the jumble in the middle.

Despite her agitation, he couldn’t help but notice her smooth skin, dark blond hair and crystal blue eyes. And when she’d come racing down the aisle after her child, he’d taken in her curves. Yep, a fine-looking woman.

Caroline: Intriguing excerpt. Where can readers find your books?

Callie: A these sites:

Caroline: How can readers learn more about you?

Caroline: Is there anything else you’d like readers to know about you?

Callie: I enjoy hearing from my readers. You can contact me through my website, or email me at: calliehutton11@gmail.com


 
Callie Hutton, Author

USA Today best selling author of THE ELUSIVE WIFE, Callie Hutton writes both Western Historical and Regency romance, with “historic elements and sensory details” (The Romance Reviews). She also pens an occasional contemporary or two. Callie lives in Oklahoma with several rescue dogs, two adult children, and daughter-in-law (thankfully all not in the same house), and her top cheerleader husband of thirty-eight years. She also recently welcomed twin grandsons to her ever expanding family. Callie loves to hear from readers, and would welcome you as a “friend” on Facebook. You can contact her through her website: www.calliehutton.com.

If you would like to keep informed on sales, contests and new releases, sign up for her newsletter, Callie’s Comments here: http://bit.ly/1rsc7Ae or join her street team, Callie’s Cohorts, where fun, gossip, contests, and general mayhem lives and flourishes. https://www.facebook.com/groups/calliescohorts/



 On Friday, please return for the preview of the box set in which Callie and I have titles included.

Thanks for stopping by!

Monday, October 27, 2014

KRISTABELL REED'S CURVY GIRL'S GUIDE TO LOVE TRILOGY



Curvy Girl’s Guide to Love Trilogy:
Countess Curvy: A Curvy Girl's Earl, and Boss Likes Curves: A Curvy Girl's Billionaire, and Curvy's Cad: A Curvy Girl's Mistake?
by Kristabel Reed
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Kristabel will be awarding a $25 Amazon or B and N gift card to four randomly drawn winners via Rafflecopter during the tour.


Blurbs:

Countess Curvy: A Curvy Girl's Earl

Audrey Mills is in London to organize a charity fashion event, where she meets Duncan Collins, the Earl of Thronhill. Confident in her curves, Audrey doesn't expect Duncan to want more than a holiday fling. But when things begin to heat up, will she panic and run?

Boss Likes Curves: A Curvy Girl's Billionaire

VP of Development, Sabrina McKenna, has worked hard to get where she is with Gideon Hotels. When Gideon Marquez asks her to attend several important business functions, Sabrina agrees. It's only after 2 months of these functions that she realizes they've been dating. And she's fallen hard for her boss. Can Gideon convince her what he feels for her is forever? Or will Sabrina's insecurities make her flee?

Curvy's Cad: A Curvy Girl's Mistake?

Eliza Lyons isn't interested in Craig Grant's attentions beyond the platonic. He's a playboy and boy does she know better. They lunch, they gossip, he tells her things about her current dates she doesn't want to hear and she thinks he'll never outgrow his playboy ways. Then Craig lays down the gauntlet and informs her he intends to show her what a real seduction is.

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


Excerpt from Countess Curvy: A Curvy Girl’s Earl:

“That was cruel, Ms. Mills,” Thornhill stated. His eyes twinkled with amusement, and a slow smile spread over his lips. “You’d curse me to an evening of inane conversation, followed by inappropriate groping?”

“You don’t strike me as a man to shun inappropriate groping,” Audrey added with a smile of her own.

“Well…not from the right woman.” He pushed off the wall, all coiled grace and sex.

Audrey studied him for a long moment. Suddenly their conversation had turned from a game of fun flirting to more. Much more. She came to the astonishing conclusion that this shockingly handsome tall drink of deliciousness was actually into her. She could feel her eyes widen as she looked up at him.

“Come now, Ms. Mills.” Thornhill took a step closer, his gaze steady on hers. “I can’t believe you aren’t pursued every waking moment.”

“I must admit while I’m used to the delivery man or the odd photographer appreciating my curvaceous figure,” Audrey was surprised her voice held steady. “You are my very first…earl.”

“It’s good to be first.” His smile was slow and suggestive, and it took Audrey more than one moment to look away from his lips. What would they feel like against hers? What did he taste like? She licked her own lips at the thought, and then regretted it when his eyes followed the move.

Maybe not regret, not if the rush of heat through her was any indication. No definitely not regret.

“So, what do you say?” Thornhill asked, his voice low, a caress over her bare skin. “Will you rescind your rejection and accompany me to dinner tonight?”

A million things went through Audrey’s mind—everything from Is he joking? to Can I really do this? It would be such a fantasy to enjoy this man, to joke with him, to kiss him. To have him. Audrey had never really fallen headlong into the self-esteem chubby girl trap, but she still knew full well that this type of pairing never happened. Never.

She tore her gaze from his mouth, a small, thin voice telling her that wondering what he tasted like was the last damn thing she should be wondering. “Between two evils, I always pick the one I’ve never tried before.” The Mae West quote raced through her mind, and she heard herself saying, “I suppose it would nice to experience London with a native.”


About Kristabell Reed


Kristabel Reed lives on the East Coast and loves to explore the steamier side of historical romance. She loves reading, watching old movies, and anything Cary Grant. And is always interested in talking about romance. Because...yum!

Join in the conversation! Wickedly Wanton Tales Blog and to join my mailing list. Follow me on







Countess Curvy: A Curvy Girl's Earl

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Boss Likes Curves: A Curvy Girl's Billionaire

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Curvy's Cad: A Curvy Girl's Mistake?

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Friday, October 24, 2014

#NEW RELEASE #STONE MOUNTAIN CHRISTMAS - A #SWEET #CHRISTMAS #NOVELLA


If you’re like me, you're already eager for the days from Thanksgiving up to Christmas Eve. That’s my favorite time of year. I love the decorations, the songs, the anticipation associated with choosing gifts for my family.

I confess to feeling letdown once the gifts are opened and the dinner eaten. The tree looks letdown, too, with no gifts underneath. I can’t explain why Hero and I leave our tree up until after Twelfth Night, but we always have. Probably this year will be no exception.

You can see why I love reading Christmas stories at any time of year. In fact, I read them all year, but especially from October until Christmas. However, this is the first time I’ve written a Christmas story.

For this novella, I blame Darling Daughters 1 and 2. Each of them asked me to write a Christmas story. Guess the Christmas spirit is genetic, right?

Kim Killion did the perfect-for-the-novella cover. I chose the woman's photo from Kim’s studio stock, but there was no background. Kim used the photo to create exactly what I had in mind. Don’t you love when that happens?

Here’s the blurb of STONE MOUNTAIN CHRISTMAS:

Christmas has been Celia Dubois’s favorite time of year as long as she can remember. When she moves to her parents' home a year after the death of her husband, the young widow is appalled at the town’s lack of Christmas spirit. Two months earlier, banditos had burned the church and crushed the townspeople.  Celia vows to return holiday joy to the town. Perhaps doing so might help mend her aching heart. Will Celia’s plan work magic on the town?

Rancher Eduardo Montoya knows Celia is the woman for him. She enchants him with her winning smile and vivacious nature. When her father warns Eduardo away from Celia, Eduardo is both angry and frustrated. After he stops a robbery in the mercantile, will Celia’s parents change their minds about him? Can handsome Eduardo heal Celia’s sorrow?



Here’s an excerpt of STONE MOUNTAIN CHRISTMAS:

Radford Crossing, Texas, November 1874

Eduardo Montoya focused on the beautiful redhead who swept the walk in front of Sturdivant’s Mercantile across the street. He turned to speak to his friend. “She is a vision, is she not?”

Micah Stone, his cousin’s husband, asked, “Have you met her or spoken to her?”

Eduardo’s gaze returned to Celia Dubois. He refused to let anyone shatter his dreams. “See how graceful she is even when performing a menial chore? When we are wed, she will not have to be concerned with such things.”

Sounding incredulous, Micah said, “I repeat, have you even met or spoken to her?”

Eduardo had no doubt his friend believed he had taken leave of his senses. He wasn’t so sure he hadn’t, but he placed a hand over his heart. “In good time, my friend. All in good time.”

Micah clapped him on the shoulder. “Come on, Romeo. We’ve finished our business with Joel. Hope’s expecting us for lunch. You can daydream about the pretty widow on our way home.”

“I suppose we must go.” He exhaled, reluctantly willing to leave town but unwilling to let anyone derail his plans.

Micah untied his horse from the hitching rail in front of his brother’s law office and mounted. “Have to say this is the first time I’ve known you to be shy about flirting with a woman.”

Determination steeled Eduardo’s resolve as he swung onto his gelding. “Never before has a woman been so important to me. You will see. One day, she will become my wife.”

The two rode toward Micah’s ranch.

From where she stood on the walk, Celia had known the men watched her. One was the youngest Stone brother. Identifying him was easy because the three Stone men looked so much alike.

But she hadn’t yet met the handsome man dressed as a Spanish Don. He fit the description she’d been privy to of Eduardo Montoya, one of the wealthiest men in this part of Texas. At least, that’s what she’d overheard while helping in her parents’ store.

He certainly cut a dashing figure in his black clothes trimmed with silver buttons. She wondered if he was entitled to dress like Spanish nobility or if he merely played a part. The silver on his saddle flashed in the sunlight and she questioned the safety of such a display.

One thing she’d noticed in her few days in town and working in her father’s mercantile, she heard tidbits of local gossip whether intentionally or not. She wondered what the gossips had to say about her. Probably best she didn’t know. Most people she’d met were friendly but there were a few prunes eager to criticize everyone.

Wasn’t that true everywhere? Yet she thought an unusual pall lay over Radford Crossing. The town definitely needed a large dose of cheer. As a matter of fact, she wouldn’t mind a measure for herself. With a sigh, she went back inside the store.

You can purchase STONE MOUNTAIN CHRISTMAS here:



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Wednesday, October 22, 2014

MARTHA CONWAY SHARES HER NATIVE AMERICAN RESEARCH FOR THIEVING FOREST

Five Things You Didn’t Know About Native American Families
By Martha Conway

These days there is so much information available that I’m fairly sure that whatever is news to me will not be news to someone else. That being said, however, there is a lot I learned about Native American families and communities while I was researching my novel, THIEVING FOREST. Previous to this, most of my “knowledge” came from Hollywood or from my 6th Grade Ohio state history class. And I don’t even want to tell you how many decades ago that was!

Ohio forest


I had certain prejudices. I thought that some tribes settled in villages, others roamed about hunting and fishing, while still others traded and lived in portable houses (tepees). But as it turns out, in 1806 many Native Americans did a combination or even all of the above, regardless of their tribal affiliation. Much like today, families could be very fluid, moving from one part of the country to another, sometimes living with other families, sometimes going it alone, depending on what we might now call the economy.

Potawatomi dancer


Here are five other facts that surprised me:

1. Different tribes lived together in harmony
Villages might not consist of only one tribe. In fact it was common in northwest Ohio, especially after the Iroquois Wars, for several tribes to live together. It was better for the sake of protection, and it worked to build up tribes that had lost a lot of members to war and famine.

2. Separate checking accounts
Women in certain tribes owned their own land and farmed it themselves. When they sold their crop, they kept the money. Their husbands had their own sources of income.

3. Chiefs could be female
I know, surprising, right?! Never saw that in a Hollywood movie. Also, you might find more than one chief in a village, especially if the village was a large one. Different chiefs had different responsibilities: one might oversee agricultural disputes; another might interview guests and newcomers.

4. Not all tribes took captives
Different tribes had different attitudes about this. Some tribes did not take prisoners at all, some let their captives go after hostilities were over, while others converted captives into adopted tribal members and treated them like family.

5. Intermarriage and adoption was common
Inter-tribal loyalties were strengthened by marriages, much like European royalty. And in fact, in some cases relations through marriage took precedent over tribal affiliation.

Of course, generalizing about Native Americans is like generalizing about Europeans—not everyone is going to be culturally similar, even if they live on the same continent. And my focus was very small: the Great Lakes Indians, or Forest Indians as they were sometimes called. But even so: some surprising facts, yes? Or did you know all this already?!



FIVE SISTERS. FOUR ARE KIDNAPPED. ONE GOES AFTER THEM.
ALL THEIR LIVES ARE CHANGED FOREVER.

”Conway's historical novel features prose as rich as its characters ... hypnotic.” —Kirkus Reviews

"An extraordinary historical novel." —Akron Beacon Journal

On a humid day in June 1806, on the edge of Ohio's Great Black Swamp, seventeen-year-old Susanna Quiner watches from behind a maple tree as a band of Potawatomi Indians kidnaps her four older sisters from their cabin. With both her parents dead from Swamp Fever and all the other settlers out in their fields, Susanna makes the rash decision to pursue them herself. What follows is a young woman's quest to find her sisters, and the parallel story of her sisters' new lives.

Potawatomi man's costume
Field Museum, Chicago

The frontier wilderness that Susanna must cross in order to find her sisters is filled with dangers, but Susanna, armed with superstition and belief in her own good luck, sets out with a naive optimism. Over the next five months, she tans hides in a Moravian missionary village; escapes down a river with a young native girl; discovers an eccentric white woman raising chickens in the middle of the Great Black Swamp; suffers from snakebite and near starvation; steals elk meat from wolves; and becomes a servant in a Native American village. The vast Great Black Swamp near Toledo, Ohio, which was once nearly the size of Connecticut, proves a formidable enemy. But help comes from unlikely characters, both Native American and white.

Both a quest tale and a tale of personal transformation, Thieving Forest explores the transformation of five pioneer women and one man as they contend with starvation, slavery, betrayal, and love. It paints a startling new picture of European and Native American communities, along with compelling descriptions of their daily lives. Fast-paced, richly detailed, with a panoramic view of cultures and people, this is a story of a bygone place sure to enthrall and delight.

Thieving Forest is the gripping story of Susannah Quiner’s quest to find and recover her sisters, kidnapped as part of a plot against the family, all struggling to survive in the unforgiving wilderness that was 19th century Ohio. The interwoven tales of each sister – and Susannah’s search through the vast forest and swamp that once bordered Lake Erie – are told in fast-paced prose that vividly portrays a time long past and the timeless challenges and choices of life both then and now.

Fans of literature about early life in America from Last of the Mohicans to Little Women will be delighted to discover Thieving Forest and add it to their list of books to enjoy again and again.”
– Alice K. Boatwright, author of Collateral Damage and Under an English Heaven

For an excerpt of THIEVING FOREST, go to Martha’s website at http://www.marthaconway.com


ORDER


Martha Conway, Author


Martha Conway’s latest novel, Thieving Forest, has been called “extraordinary” by the Akron Beacon Journal. Her first novel 12 Bliss Street was nominated for an Edgar Award, and her short fiction has appeared in The Iowa Review, The Mississippi Review, The Quarterly, Folio, Puerto del Sol, Carolina Quarterly, and other publications. She graduated from Vassar College and received her master’s degree in Creative Writing from San Francisco State University. She has reviewed fiction for the San Francisco Chronicle, The San Francisco Review of Books, and The Iowa Review, and is a recipient of a California Arts Council fellowship in Creative Writing. Born in Cleveland, Ohio, she now lives with her family in San Francisco.



Martha has taught fiction at UC Berkeley Extension and at Stanford University’s Online Writer’s Studio. She tweets ten-minute prompts and exercises every day on twitter (#10minprompt, #WritingExercise) via @marthamconway.

Sunday, October 19, 2014

MYA O'MALLEY AND WHERE THERE IS LOVE




Where there is love



Where There is Love by Mya O'Malley


Mia Dennsi is a beautiful young woman who has experienced a challenging childhood. As an out of work teacher, Mia accepts a position for home-schooling a troubled, misunderstood teenager. Mia makes it a priority to help Cassidy overcome her challenges and reach for her dreams. In the process, Mia experiences healing of her own; she is faced with issues she must now come to terms with.


Mia finds a rare friendship in Jamie, her caring and attractive neighbor. The relationship starts off as friendship, but will Mia let this healthy friendship bloom into something more or is she destined to a repeat the vicious cycle of making the same mistakes over and over again?


Through the various twists and turns of Mia’s love life, she is forced to make a decision that will affect her entire future. The reader cannot help but root for this character to succumb to true love and happiness.









Excerpt


I would have done anything for that girl. Anything. I have dreamed of Mia, I have waited for Mia. I have loved Mia.

I can’t trust Mia.

I can’t get my hopes up again, only to be crushed by her. I couldn’t stand it.

She doesn’t allow herself to be happy. What has happened in her life to cause her to reject the people who love her, who care for her?

I remember the first time I ever laid eyes one her. The way she bumped into me, how embarrassed she was. I swear to this day that she is the most beautiful creature I’ve laid eyes on. Her slim build, dark hair and striking eyes. And that smile, that smile still warms my heart.

I went to see my grandma in Maine for the weekend once I realized that I was falling in love with Mia. My grandmother and I have always been close. She has been there for me through thick and thin ever since I was a child. I grew even closer to her as I was growing up, finding my way in life. For some reason, I always found it easiest to share my feelings with Grandma, the two of us like kindred spirits.

My feelings for Mia scared the life out of me. I told my grandmother that I didn’t want to risk getting hurt again and that Mia seemed so unsure of herself. She offered me a piece of advice that I will hold true to my heart forever: She placed her hand over my heart and said, “Go where there is love, surround yourself with love.” So I did, I went to Mia and tried to tell her how I felt, only to be brushed off with news of Josh coming back into the picture.

I’m happy with Danielle, she’s smart and she’s beautiful. Yeah, I’m going to give this a chance, I would be a fool not to.

But...I think...she’s not Mia. My heart can’t take Mia.

She has the power to hurt me, and I can’t survive that again.





MyaAuthor Mya O’Malley


Mya O’Malley was born and raised in the suburbs of New York City, where she currently lives with her husband, daughter and three step-daughters. The family also consists of two boxers; Destiny and Dolce and a ragdoll cat named Colby. Mya earned an undergraduate degree in special education and a graduate degree in reading and literacy. She works as a special education teacher and enjoys making a difference in the lives of her students.

Mya’s passion is writing; she has been creating stories and poetry since she was a child. Mya spends her free time reading just about anything she can get her hands on. She is a romantic at heart and loves to create stories with unforgettable characters. Mya likes to travel; she has visited several Caribbean Islands, Mexico and Costa Rica. Mya is currently working on her fifth novel.



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Friday, October 17, 2014

CHRISTMAS SERIES FROM MELISSA McCLONE



Bar V5 Dude Ranch Series
by Melissa McClone



BLURBS:

Three couples. Three stories, where you can follow one pair from meeting to wedding day!

1. Mistletoe Magic – short story – Free at Amazon and Smashwords
2. Kiss Me, Cowboy – eBook novella — $0.99 on Kindle Oct 16 - 22
3. Mistletoe Wedding — eBook novella — New Release! only $2.99



Mistletoe Magic

Spending a quiet Christmas housesitting and reading novels about hot cowboys sounds perfect to Caitlin Butler. Until a stray kitten brings her face-to-face with Noah, her crush from college. Watching the handsome vet in action melts Caitlin's heart and brings back long forgotten emotion. She would be safer back at the house lost in the pages of a book. But a toe-curling mistletoe kiss tempts her to stay. Maybe she won't be spending this Christmas... alone.

Veterinarian Noah Sullivan isn't a Scrooge, but the Christmas Eve tradition of hanging mistletoe in the clinic's waiting room annoys him. Kissing doesn't belong at the Copper Mountain Animal Hospital. Noah rethinks his position when Caitlin arrives with a stray kitten she found freezing in the snow. All he wants now is to maneuver the pretty preschool teacher under the mistletoe. If he's not careful, he'll wind up on Santa's naughty list.




Kiss Me, Cowboy

She didn’t mean to kiss him…

When dude ranch wrangler Charlotte – aka Charlie – Randall kisses Zack Harris in an act of empathy, she falls hat over spurs for the handsome military veteran turned cowboy. Zack has too many demons, however, and refuses to get involved. A year later, he's still stonewalling, and Charlie needs to move on with her life so she can find a fulfilling relationship, not frustrating unrequited love. Putting distance between them seems the best way to get Zack out of her head and heart...but that means quitting the job she loves and accepting a position in Colorado.

He didn’t mean to kiss her back…

Growing up, Zack longed for a real family, and had one with his squad while deployed in Afghanistan. Now, he's back in the States and doesn't want anything messing up his new ranch family, no matter how much he's attracted to the sexy, hard-working Charlie. She could break his heart and ruin the comfortable working relationship they and the other wranglers enjoy. Besides, her friends claim she's looking for the perfect guy, and perfect he's not.

A kiss is just a kiss…or is it?

When Zack learns Charlie's thinking about leaving the ranch, he decides to find her a boyfriend — someone so good, so perfect, she has a reason to stay in Montana. Until he realizes too late that the only cowboy he wants her kissing is him. Can he commit to love and convince Charlie not to leave? Or has she made up her mind to put the past, and the kiss that started it all, behind her and move on without him?



Mistletoe Wedding

Longer: Event planner at the Bar V5 Dude Ranch, Meg Redstone is dreaming of a white Christmas with twinkling lights, sparkly decorations and strategically placed mistletoe. She loves making dreams come true for others, whether planning a holiday wedding or giving her young daughter the best Christmas ever.

Ranch foreman Tyler Murphy loves the holidays, but his newest employee has taken over his barn with her over-the-top decorations. He admires Meg’s desire to give her daughter the perfect Christmas while planning a winter wonderland wedding, but he wants to show her that a Montana Christmas is more than glitter and lights.

After raising his younger sister, an instant family is not on Ty's Christmas wish list. But he finds himself falling hard for the single mom and her little girl. Meg, however, is not interested in a romance with a cowboy like Ty, or any man. Getting her under the mistletoe is going to take a Christmas miracle . . . or a little help from Santa.

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


Excerpt from MISTLETOE MAGIC

The clinic’s front door opened.

A woman in a puffy powder blue down coat entered. Her hat pushed long strands of brown hair over her face. She carried something bundled in a black and white checked fleece blanket. “Please help me.”

The crack in her voice and pale complexion sent him into action. Two long strides, he was at her side. “I’m Noah. A vet.”

Worried green eyes met his. Familiar eyes, except these weren’t as young and innocent as the ones he remembered. These eyes were wary and concerned. But they still reminded him of that girl he’d just thought about, the freshman with cute freckles and twinkling jade-green eyes.

Her gaze widened with recognition. “Noah. It’s you.”

His heart crashed against his chest. His world tilted.

“Caitlin.” His arm reached forward, as if touching her would assure him this —she—was real. That of all the vet clinics in Montana, she’d walked into this one. “I can’t believe it.”

“Me, either.” She gave her head a shake, then lifted the blanket toward him. “I found a kitten in the snow. Something’s wrong with him. Or her. I don’t know which. Can you help?”

Noah remembered where he was, what he was. He took the bundle, ignoring the million questions racing through his mind. Talking could wait.

Buy links:

1.         Mistletoe Magic

Smashwords:

Mistletoe Magic is FREE on Smashwords:  https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/380641

2.         Kiss Me, Cowboy

3.         Mistletoe Wedding




Melissa McClone, Author

With a degree in mechanical engineering from Stanford University, Melissa McClone worked for a major airline where she traveled the globe and met her husband. But analyzing jet engine performance couldn’t compete with her love of writing happily ever afters. Her first full-time writing endeavor was her first sale when she was pregnant with her first child! Since then, she has published over thirty romance novels with Harlequin and Tule Publishing Group. She’s also been nominated for Romance Writers of America’s RITA® award. When she isn’t writing, you can usually find her driving her minivan to/from her children’s swim practices and other activities. She also sends care packages to deployed service members and fosters cats through a local no-kill animal shelter. Melissa lives in the Pacific Northwest with her husband, three school-aged children, two spoiled Norwegian Elkhounds and cats who think they rule the house. They do!



Twitter: @melissamcclone