HOW ISLE OF FANGS CAME TO BE

By Alicia Dean

When I decided to write a vampire series, I wanted to create something a little different from the multitude of vampire stories on the market. One thing I did was to go back to traditional lore, such as…

My vampires…

Cannot go out in the sunlight, not even with magic rings or any other tricks

Do not sparkle

Cannot see their reflection

Cannot procreate

Are weakened by garlic, holy water, and crosses

Sleep in coffins

I created a main character/protagonist, a young woman, who is a descendant of Van Helsing, the vampire hunter. Lastly, I decided to set my story on a tropical island. I have had SO much fun with that. In researching which geographical area to use, I settled on French Polynesia due to its beauty, proximity to the United States, and uniqueness. I learned tons of interesting facts, some I’ve been able to use in the books, some I hope to use in future installments.

It's tradition to place a tiare (Tahiti’s national flower) behind your ear--left side means you're taken, right means you're looking. (I used this in Book 2 and the excerpt can be found below)

There are no poisonous snakes or insects in French Polynesia.

Outside the homes of locals, you will find boxes that appear to be for mail, but they are actually for French bread delivery. Residents get a fresh loaf dropped off twice a day. But alas, they must go to the post office to retrieve their mail! (I used this in Book 3)

The over-water bungalow was invented in the 1960s in French Polynesia, on the island of Moorea.

The official languages of the islands are Tahitian and French, however, English is widely spoken on most of the islands. (FUN fact: I wanted to create my own island, so I made up a name: Sang Croc – In French, ‘Sang’ means blood and ‘Croc’ means either crocodile, or fang – So, it more or less translates to ‘Blood Fang’ J

More than half of the population of Tahiti is under the age of 20 years old.

The word tattoo originated in Tahiti. The legend of Tohu, the god of tattoo, describes painting all the oceans' fish in beautiful colors and patterns. In Polynesian culture, tattoos have long been considered signs of beauty, and in earlier times were ceremoniously applied when reaching adolescence.

Blurb for Liberty Awakened – BOOK 1:

Liberty Delacort doesn't believe in Vampires. Then she meets the father she never knew, just before his death, and learns she's the last of the Van Helsing bloodline. 

Eli, a 300 year old Vampire, doesn't believe Liberty has what it takes to stand between the humans and the Evil Ones on Sang Croc Island, and orders her back to the mainland. 

Ryan, a friend of Liberty's late-father, disagrees and insists that Eli provide the promised training. 

Now the Full Moon has come and Liberty must stand in the gap. But unbeknownst to her--she's fallen for the wrong vampire. 

Excerpt from Liberty Divided – BOOK 2:

Just before they reached the parking lot, they passed a tiare shrub blooming with white flowers. "These are gorgeous." Liberty inhaled the fragrant scent. "And they smell amazing." She turned a delighted smile on him. "Can I pick one?"

"Of course. The natives of Sang Croc want people to enjoy the beauty of their flora. The motto is, there are always more to grow." Eli stopped and gripped a flower by its stem, pulling it from the bush. "Here you go."

She hadn't realized he'd moved, but suddenly he was close. Their bodies almost brushed. She didn't remind him of the rules about no flirting. If she did, she was afraid he'd step away. He locked his eyes on hers and lifted the flower, gently tucking it behind her ear.

She swallowed hard and took a shallow breath. His eyes dropped to her mouth. Involuntarily, her lips parted.

He was going to kiss her... and she was pretty certain she going to let him. Even in her drunken state, she vowed she wouldn't go as far as she'd wanted to go with Ryan. But she wanted to kiss Eli—had wanted to since she'd first seen him.

They'd come close a few times, but something had always interrupted them. Tonight, there were no distractions. She'd had enough to drink that she didn't feel her normal inhibitions. But she couldn't use the booze as an excuse. Her adrenaline was pumping, and she'd sobered considerably. Would she or wouldn't she? Would it be disloyal to Ryan? They hadn't exactly made a commitment, she hadn't told him she—

"Are you and Ryan a couple?" Eli asked.

She blinked, not sure she'd heard correctly. "Do what?"

"Are you and Ryan a couple?"

"That's not—not really your business."

"I need you to tell me that you are."

She frowned and put a hand to her forehead. "What?" He wasn't making any sense, and her head was fuzzy.

He stared down intently at her, his gaze roaming over her features. His voice was low in the hushed night. "If you say you're not, I'll do something stupid. If you belong to Ryan, tell me you do, and hands off."

She didn't answer. For several seconds.

His lips tightened. The two of them remained sheltered in silence in the darkness. It was so quiet, she could hear the ocean waves lapping the sand.

He took the flower from her right ear and moved it to her left. He trailed his fingers along her cheek, making goose bumps break out over her flesh. "There you are. Left side."

"Left side?" Her throat was so dry, she could barely speak.

He nodded. "It means you're taken. Now all the guys will know you belong to Ryan, and they'll stay away."

She clenched her teeth, angry at herself for feeling disappointed, angry at him for not giving her what she wanted. Rejected by two guys in two nights.

Screw this romance crap.

**** Book 1 is currently on sale for 99¢

Amazon Buy Page for all 3:

http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_noss?url=search-alias%3Dstripbooks&field-keywords=Alicia+dean+isle+of+fangs

Alicia Dean, Author

Award-winning author, Alicia Dean, began writing stories as a child. At age 11, she wrote her first ever romance (featuring a hero who looked just like Elvis Presley, and who shared the name of Elvis’ character in the movie, Tickle Me), and she still has the tattered, pencil-written copy. Alicia is from Moore, Oklahoma and now lives in Edmond. She has three grown children and a huge network of supportive friends and family. She writes mostly contemporary suspense and paranormal, but has also written in other genres, including a few vintage historicals. She is a freelance editor in addition to being an editor for The Wild Rose Press.

Other than reading and writing, her passions are Elvis Presley, MLB, NFL (she usually works in a mention of one or all three into her stories) and watching (and rewatching) her favorite televisions shows like The Walking Dead, Dexter, Justified, Sons of Anarchy, Haven, Vampire Diaries, and The Originals. Some of her favorite authors are Michael Connelly, Dennis Lehane, Lee Child, Lisa Gardner, Sharon Sala, Jordan Dane, Ridley Pearson, Joseph Finder, and Jonathan Kellerman…to name a few.

Find Alicia here:

*** Sign up for our Novel Notes Newsletter, a multi-author newsletter where we give away a $25 gift card each month: https://www.facebook.com/NovelNotesAuthors

Website: http://aliciadean.com/

Blog: http://aliciadean.com/alicias-blog/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100008364070487

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Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/468339.Alicia_Dean

AUTHOR REBECCA ZANETTI HAS A GIVEAWAY!



Author Rebecca Zanetti

 Please welcome Rebecca Zanetti to the blog. Rebecca is a college professor by day and romance author by night. Currently she’s busy writing the sexy Dark Protector Series from Kensington Brava, which has received excellent reviews. The second book, CLAIMED, is available for pre-order now. To find Rebecca on the web, drop by her website: http://rebeccazanetti.com/

Caroline: Readers love to get to know authors. Please tell us about growing up



Rebecca: Thanks for having me here, Caroline! I grew up with two sisters who live with their families less than a mile away from me right now. If we don’t meet up or at least talk on the phone once a day, it’s odd. As kids, we were pretty typical, and I’m the oldest, Type A but kind of shy. Though I’m the tallest at a whopping five-foot-four. My husband’s name is Tony and we knew each other as kids – in fact, I have a letter he sent me when he was six years old. We didn’t date each other until after college, however. He’s a six-foot-five tall Italian and is every bit as sexy as he sounds.



Caroline: How sweet that you still have his letter from when he was six! Who are your favorite authors and favorite genres?


Rebecca: You name it, I read it. My favorite authors are Nora Roberts, J.D. Salinger, Cynthia Eden, Sayde Grace, Lora Leigh…and I could go on forever.



Caroline: Nora Roberts is one of the reasons I write romance. So far, I haven’t been competiton for her, though. LOL How many books do you read a month? What are you reading now?



Rebecca: This is a tough one because it depends on the month and if I’m under deadline. Right this second I’m reading ENEMY WITHIN by Marcella Bernard. We’re on a group blog together called Darker Temptations, (http://darkertemptations.wordpress.com//) and this is the first chance I’ve had to read her. LOVE IT!

Caroline: With so many friends who are authors, we always have something to read, don't we? When you’re not writing, what’s your favorite way to relax and recharge? Hobbies?



Rebecca: I live in the Pacific Northwest, so we water ski, boat, camp, snowmobile and snow ski for fun. Or I read. Love to read.



Caroline: I envy your weather since we’ve had a horrid, drought-ridden summer here in Texas. Describe yourself in three or four words.



Rebecca: Romantic, goof-ball, idealistic



Caroline: Would you like to share any guilty pleasures that feed your muse?



Rebecca: Right now the pumpkin spice lattes from Starbucks are cutting into my budget. But they’re so yummy! But if you spill, it’s orange and makes quite the mess. Yeah, I spill.



Caroline: Sounds like me and salsa and an ongoing rocky relationship. How long have you been writing?



Rebecca: We were snowed in for December of 08 and January 09 – I wrote my first book during that time.



Caroline: Actually, isn't being snowed in why Nora Roberts wrote her first book? I love to be snowed in, but it’s bad for people who commute--another great thing about being a full-time writer is I don't have to go out unless I wish. Where do you prefer to write? Do you need quiet, music, solitude? PC or laptop?

Rebecca: Great question! I have dog hearing, so the high-pitched whines from laptops tend to drive me crazy. If I’m at home, I use my PC to write. But I do take the laptop out and about – I just use the earphones and my iTunes account at that point. In fact, the music is usually on when I write.


Caroline: I write to classical music, but listen to pop when doing email or my blog. Are you a plotter or a panzer?

Rebecca: Panster, panster, panster, panster, panster…

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

Rebecca: I think I pretty much make it all up. Though once in a while I’ll eavesdrop on a conversation and start thinking…

Caroline: Isn’t that the truth? I love to sit and observe and listen when I’m in a crowd. Tell us about your writing schedule. Do you set goals? Do you write daily?

Rebecca: I don’t set concrete goals, but I keep deadlines in the back of my head. While I do try to write daily, if I don’t make it, I don’t stress about it.

Caroline: What do you hope your writing brings to readers?

Rebecca: Fun entertainment with intriguing characters.

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

Rebecca: I just want to keep on writing. It’d be awesome if people keep buying my books so I can keep on writing and buying pumpkin spiced lattes.

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

Rebecca: Why, thank you for asking. I just finished a novella in the Dark Protectors Series called TEMPTED, which features a vampire bodyguard and a woman who just escaped from a mental institution. It’ll be released next April in e-format only…hopefully for a 99c read—though I don’t get to make that decision.

Caroline: Sounds intriguing. What advice would you give to unpublished authors?



Rebecca: Write what you want to read. Ignore people telling you that the topic you want to write about isn’t selling—if your book is good enough, it’ll sell. Also…don’t think about who will read your book while writing it because you don’t want to be held back. My books are sexy, and if I’d have stopped to think about my grandma reading them, I may not have written those scenes. And those scenes are hot.


Caroline: Tell us about your latest release.


Preorder Now


Rebecca: CLAIMED is book 2 in the Dark Protector Series and it’s available for pre-order now.

A DARING RESCUE


Emma Paulsen is a geneticist driven by science. But she’s also a psychic, so when a dark, good-hearted vampire frees her from the clutches of the evil Kurjans, she realizes he must be the man who’s been haunting her dreams. But with a virus threatening vampire mates, Emma may discover a whole new meaning of “lovesick”…


A DEADLY DECISION


As King of the Realm, Dage Kayrs has learned to practice diplomacy. Still, it’s taken three hundred years to find his mate, so he’ll stop at nothing to protect her–even if it means turning his back on his own kind…


Caroline: I love stories about psychics. Please give us an excerpt.

Rebecca: Here’s an excerpt:

Dage shook his head without opening his eyes. “No. I don’t sense evil anywhere near us. We’re probably safe for a couple of hours, then we should move again.”


A couple of hours? Damn. She needed him in fighting shape. “Will drinking my blood help heal you?”


His lids flipped open, revealing those silver eyes that had haunted her dreams for fifteen years. Hunger, raw and pure filled them. “Yes.”


Emma gulped in air. The husky timber of his voice caressed nerves she didn’t want to own. “I won’t become a vampire?”


His dimples winked at her. “No. Vampires are born, not made.”


Fear and her damn curiosity blended until she could only whisper. “Okay.” She held out her wrist and shut her eyes. And waited. The breeze picked up outside the cave, rustling pine needles and leaves inside the small entrance, and she shivered. Finally, she opened her eyes in exasperation. “What?”


Reaching out with his good arm, he lifted her chin with one knuckle, waiting until her gaze met his. “I want your neck.”


Caroline: Where can readers find your books?

Rebecca: Here’s a link to pre-order either a print or electronic copy of Claimed: http://ow.ly/6KzQ0

Comment to enter giveaway!

I’d love to give away a signed copy of FATED to a commenter here today. Let me ask you this: How long did you know your significant other before getting married/getting serious?


Rebecca: Thanks for your generosity in the giveaway. I'll announce the winner on Monday.
Readers, remember to include your email if you want to be entered in the drawing.

Thanks for reading!

AUTHOR AMBER SCOTT TALKS WITH READERS

Please help me welcome author Amber Scott as our guest..




Amber Scott



Caroline: Amber, readers love to get to know authors. Please tell us about growing up.
A: I’m the middle girl of five girls and while we started out in Winnemucca, NV, we moved to Sparks, NV and mostly I was raised there. I moved to Arizona after college at UNR and fell in love with Monsoon season and the huge, blue sky here. I have two kidlets, age 6 and 3 and am married to their daddy. As a kid, I was painfully shy. In high school, I hung out with a crew of rough and tumble guys but took all honors classes. According to my sisters, I live in “romance novel zone” and I love it here.


Caroline: Oh, yes, the romance novel zone is a wonderful place to dwell. Who are your favorite authors and favorite genres?


Amber: I’m a huge Gini Koch, Carolyn Crane, Julia Quinn, Ann Charles, Carolyn McCray and Rachel Gibson fan. Anything they write, I’m reading. Maggie Steifvater, too. I prefer romance but any sub-genre will do.


Caroline: How many books do you read a month? What are you reading now?


Amber: I read about four a month, depending on how many projects I have going on. Every summer I give myself a mental vacation and just read all I can. Then it gets up to be more like fifteen books in a month. Right now, I’m reading “Fated” by Carolyn McCray and “Stolen Dreams” by Stacey Kennedy. Loving both!


Caroline: When you’re not writing, what’s your favorite way to relax and recharge? Hobbies?


Amber: Besides reading? I love a good movie. I really enjoy getting crafty with the kids, too. Making goodies for the HOT Club, my fan group that’s on Facebook is a lot of fun, too. It allows me to follow my inner geek.


Caroline: Describe yourself in three or four words.


Amber: Determined, comedic, optimistic, considerate.


Caroline: Would you like to share any guilty pleasures that feed your muse?


Amber: Right now my guilty pleasure is new Britney Spears music. I used to detest her bubble gum pop music. I guess it’s the anti-establishment too cool for mainstream rebel in me from high school who didn’t like her back in the day. Now, though, I adore her. Does that make me a sell out?


Caroline: Whatever you enjoy is perfect for you, not a sell out. How long have you been writing?


Amber: With the intention to publish, for six years. I wrote all my life but didn’t really do it consistently or with any idea of how I’d make a career out of it. Once my son was born and I found myself with a couple hours of free time during naps, it came down to laundry and dishes or try this dream out for real. I got addicted and have been writing every day since.


Caroline: Writing is addictive, isn't it? Where do you prefer to write? Do you need quiet, music, solitude? PC or laptop?


Amber: I thrive in quiet with my iPod tuned to whatever playlist I created for each WIP but I long ago had to give up needing it to write. My little girl came along and like many other things, her naptime isn’t up to me. She sleeps when she wants to. So I learned to daydream a lot and sneak in a little here and a little there in order to keep sane.


Caroline: I admire anyone with small children who squeezes in time to write. Are you a plotter or a pantzer?


Amber: I’m both. I plot a few chapters ahead and create plot arcs and character interviews but do need a sense of being able to change course if need be. If I plot too much my muse, Milla, gets a bit stifled and miffed that I don’t trust her. I’ve learned to not piss her off.


Caroline: Hmmm, I wonder if my muse has a name? Do you use real events or persons in your stories or as an inspiration for stories?


Amber: I sometimes see similarities in characters to people I know and making that connection will help me understand the character better but when I’ve tried to base a character on someone real, the character always took over.


Caroline: Do you do your research before you begin a new project, or as you go along?


Amber: Both. I research what I need to in order to get a strong sense of setting and rules. Then as I write, things pop up that need verifying. Or I think of a detail I need to flesh out and research more.


Caroline: Tell us about your writing schedule. Do you set goals? Do you write daily?


Amber: I’m a huge goal person. I write at least 1000 words a day, preferably fiction, but any format will do. I also try to edit daily. Both are part of deep, daily practice that even though it can be really challenging, I know my brain thrives on and learns faster from. I have so many stories itching to get out that I tend to write pretty fast.


Caroline: Setting goals helps me, too. Do you write full time or do you have a day job. If you have a day job, what is it?


Amber: I’m a stay home mom so I just fit it in where I can between laundry, kid activities, grocery shopping. I also run programs with the Indie Book Collective and am on two Blog Talk Radio shows which I absolutely love doing.


Caroline: You're a busy, busy lady. What do you hope your writing brings to readers?


Amber: You know when you see an amazing movie and you tell a friend and then they see and tell you how much they loved it? Or when you hear a really good joke, laugh you butt off then tell it? And they laugh their butt off? That feeling. I want that for my readers. I want readers to experience the thrill of each story as I did and then get to connect with another person through sharing it again.


Caroline: Perfect. What advice would you give to unpublished authors?


Amber: Write every day no matter what. Try to get to that place where you surrender to the story. Then surround yourself with positive driven authors who will help lift you up and dust you off when the business knocks you around. It will, no matter how successful you become. Such is the case with any career. Don’t let the knocks keep you down.


Caroline: Positive, driven authors to critique and encourage are a terrific aid to all authors. Tell us about your latest release.

Available now from CreateSpace!

Amber: FIERCE DAWN is a paranormal romance where blood is a drug and vampires are the immortals addicted to it. We see shifters, elementals, seekers, and more in a realm that exists in parallel to the mortal world. But realm lines are at risk and humankind is evolving. Some humans are becoming changelings, no longer human but not truly immortal either. This evolution will put humankind and immortals at risk plus there is a secret immortal sect who wants the mortal realm destroyed.

“X-MEN action meets True Blood heat.” -Ann Charles
NEARLY DEPARTED IN DEADWOOD, 2010 Daphne Winner

“Intensely satisfying!” -Carolyn McCray
Kindle Bestselling author, 30 PIECES OF SILVER

Blurb: Snarling teeth, glowing eyes. Someone--something--is after Sadie Graves.

Elijah Stokes, the man who haunts her dreams, enters her reality claiming she’s transforming into a changeling--not quite immortal but no longer human.

Battle lines are drawn and blood spills as the two fight not only for Sadie’s life, but for all of mankind's as well.

Excerpt: 


He stepped closer, so close he could see thin gold flecks in her sky blue eyes. “Do you remember the night something chased you past the park?”


Her eyes widened. She perceptibly swallowed. “A werewolf?”


“No,” Elijah said, not wanting to correct the mortal term and create even more confusion. “I thought she was a shapeshifter, but she claimed to be a changeling. And that you are, too.”


“It doesn’t sound like you’re sure I am.”


“I wasn’t. Until now. The changeling has been following you. I can’t get a strong enough trace to hunt her again.”


“She wants me dead?”


“I don’t think so, but she wants something. She’s waiting, watching.”


Her hand went to her throat but her gaze hardened. “That’s why you want me to come with you?”


“Yes,” Elijah said. “There are immortals who would kill you just to keep the realms pure. Half-breeds aren’t tolerated in the immortal realm. They’re seen as inferior, tainted perfection by many. A changeling would be far worse. Right or wrong, your existence threatens both realms. The fact that I’m not the only one who knows you are transforming puts you in higher danger.”


She threw her hands up and started yanking drawers open, tossing clothes aside. Impatient but not angry.


He took in her every move, listened to the even keel of her vibration. She sounded resolved. Elijah’s worries subsided. She was far sturdier than he’d first assumed.


She paused but didn’t face him. “And?”


“And there is a faction—The Illeautians—who consider humankind parasitic. They want the human realm destroyed. If humans start evolving….”


She pulled off her tee. The smooth bare skin on her back, two crescent shaped scars at her shoulders, filled his vision. Elijah couldn’t look away as she strapped a bra around her slender ribcage and put her arms through the straps. His gaze caressed the slope of her back. Two hollows above her ass peaked out from her bottoms. His imagination filled in what he could not see.


His body tightened against his will. He had no business wanting a mortal.


Even a changeling one. Because a part of her might always be human.


Humans died. Immortals lived.


“If you’re right and I’m not going to be human anymore, why would anyone care what I am?” She brought a snug blue shirt over her head then glanced meaningfully over her shoulder.


He should turn around, give her privacy. “Because, what are realm lines for if humans are evolving? Mortals live, they die, they do not become immortal. In human terms, it could be seen as the first stages of Armageddon. Only this wouldn’t be a war between Heaven and Hell.”

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


Amber: Pretty much anywhere online for ebook and paperback. I’ve found them in a few bricks and mortar stores but with the way the industry is going, I’d count on online if you want a copy.


Caroline: How can readers learn more about you? 


Amber: http://amberscottbooks.com/ is my weblog. There, I stalk my fave authors, talk music and news about my releases. I’m hooked on Twitter and my handle is @amberscottbooks and I’m on Facebook under that same name, too. For fans, I also have the not so secret, secret Facebook group, The HOT Club, where I give first dibs on swag and extras and news. I sneak over to http://www.darkmediacity.com/ a lot, too because I’m a paranormal junkie.


Caroline: Thanks for visiting with us today, Amber. Continued success with your writing career.

AMY CORWIN'S HOLIDAY "TO BE READ" STACK PLUS PRIZES!!!

Prizes? Prizes? The information is at the bottom of this post. Please also read the post about Amy. 

Amy Corwin, Author

 Welcome Amy Corwin who will tell us about her stack of to-be-read novels for the holidays. Amy Corwin is a charter member of the Romance Writers of America and has been writing for the last ten years and managing a career as an enterprise systems administrator in the computer industry. She writes Regencies/historicals, mysteries, and contemporary paranormals. To be truthful, most of her books include a bit of murder and mayhem since she discovered that killing off at least one character is a highly effective way to make the remaining ones toe the plot line.

Available Now!

Amy’s books include the Regency, SMUGGLED ROSE; three Regency romantic mysteries, I BID ONE AMERICAN, THE BRICKLAYER’S HELPER, and THE NECKLACE, and her first paranormal, VAMPIRE PROTECTOR. These are all available at the Wild Rose Press


Amy Corwin’s “To Be Read” Pile of Books


I hope readers won’t be too disappointed to learn that my reading habits are very…seasonal. Starting around September and lasting until January, my taste for creepy, spooky stories and mysteries is irresistible. The long nights and falling temperatures, combined with the evening fire in our fireplace make me long for ghost stories and the occasional mystery. Oh, not horror—I dislike the current blood-and-gore fests that are the typical horror fare these days—but atmospheric, spooky stories. What I crave are ghostly tales such as “The Haunting of Hill House” by Shirley Jackson, or Barbara Michaels’s “Aimee Come Home.”

Available Now!

If only they still sold Gothics. Sigh.


During the spring and summer, I turn my attention back to lighter romances, like those by Crusie and Mayer, but for now, my TBR pile is filled mysteries and ghost stories.


So, if I haven’t lost your attention, here is my current TBR pile. I should note that I just finished a terrific vampire story by fellow TWRP Lilly Gayle, called “Out of the Darkness” and it was wonderful!


“Dark Whispers” by Marie Kenward (another TWRP author)

“The Mammoth Book of Modern Ghost Stories”

“The Ghostly Tales of Joseph Sheridan”
“Bryant and May Off The Rails” by Christopher Fowler

Regency Available Now!

If you like British cozy mysteries, then check out Fowler. He’s absolutely terrific. I’ve read several other Bryant and May mysteries and I’m really looking forward to this one. The two old codgers who “star” in this book are wonderful old, grumpy gents I wouldn’t mind having to tea one day.


“The Crying Child” by Barbara Michaels


If anyone is looking for a spooky mystery with a romantic subplot, I really recommend the last one on my list, “The Crying Child” by Barbara Michaels. I haven’t read it for years, but I just got it downloaded on my Kindle and I’m looking forward to reading it again.


There aren’t too many nice things you can say about having a bad memory, but one of the nicest is that you can re-read books over and over again without recalling anything except the fact that you liked it the first time around. So Michaels book ought to be as good this time as it was when I read it back in the late 70’s.


So that’s it for the TBR pile. With luck, I’ll get a few more books added over the holidays, and then it’ll be time to think about adding some romances for my spring and summer season…


Website: http://www.amycorwin.com/

Twitter: http://twitter.com/amycorwin

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/AmyCorwinAuthor
Blog: http://amycorwin.blogspot.com/

And now for the prize information! This Wednesday and for the next three Wednesdays, a few of the authors from The Wild Rose Press have a Christmas Blog Tour. A comment on any of the blogs qualifies you for once chance in the drawing. You're smart or you wouldn't be reading this blog (in my opinion), so you know more comments you leave on the participating blogs increases your chances.  The prizes and schedules can be found at

http://rosestour.blogspot.com/