Spring Has Sprung?

But has it? I’m still seeing snow warnings and those poor crocuses’ are going to be covered in a white blanket.  Also it’s spring cleaning time (for some people). And maybe it’s a new start for writing.

Do you get energized and start new projects as the weather warms up? 

I check my list of goals from January and decide I need to get busy. Doing Book Hooks, which has been on that list, is my new project. We’ll see if I can get my blog together and posted correctly. If I didn't, someone please tell me. :)

Next is my WIP, which I need to dust off and get busy. I’m working on book two in The Foundation Series. The first book was Sara’s Story. The next one is Lydia’s story, and Carly’s in South America to save Link.

I find spring is a good time to write. Not only does the sun give me more energy but I write, work in the garden and work out plot points while I’m pulling weeds. I love spring for so many reasons – what about you?

Excerpt from The Fourth Victim Sara’s Story
        The office said he’d had a heart attack. Was he alive? Did she want him to be? What if her husband had to stay home for a few weeks to recuperate? Palms sweating, Sara’s breath came in short, shallow bursts at the thought. 
        The taxi jerked to a stop in front of the hospital emergency entrance.         Sara fumbled through her purse and counted out her meager number of dollar bills. Gordon didn’t allow her to have a credit card and he only allowed her to have a small amount of cash. She didn’t have enough money to pay the taxi.
            “I’m so sorry. I left home without any cash. I... I ... Would you take a check?” Tears spilled over and trickled down her flushed cheeks.

The driver spun around. A short stubby finger waved at the sign over the rearview mirror. “Look lady, it says right there - No Checks.”

“I know, I know. I’m sorry. My husband’s had a heart attack and I ... I don’t know what to do.” Sara ran her fingers through her hair and scrunched the tight bun at her neck.

The driver shook his head. “Aw, shit. Go ahead, lady. Write the check.”

Sara pulled the single crumpled check Gordon allowed her carry for emergencies out of her purse. When she touched the check a vision of Gordon floated in front of her.

She froze and rapidly blinked her eyes. She only saw the ghosts of dead people. Gordon didn’t believe her and forbid her to ever mention it.

Could he really be dead?

“Gordon?” she whispered.

“Lady, are you writing that check or not?”

“Yes, sorry.” Sara scribbled her signature on the bottom of the check. “Please, fill it in, and give yourself a generous tip. Thank you, thank you so much.” She clutched her worn purse to her chest, slid out of the cab, and scurried through the emergency room doors.

What if he was dead? She didn’t have any money. Gordon did all the finances and never shared anything with her.  How would she manage?

Twenty years ago she could have handled it. Could she do it again? But he couldn’t be dead. Gordon would never allow that to happen.

His face flitted in front of her, fixed in an angry glare.

He had to be dead or she wouldn’t be seeing him. He didn’t want to be dead. He didn’t want her to be free. If he thought she could see him he’d be furious.

Sara shuffled toward the reception desk. She glanced over her shoulder, searching for some sign of Gordon, listening for his voice, waiting for him to yell at her. She couldn’t believe he was really dead, even though she had seen him. She clung to the edge of the transition counter, her head down, chewed on her lower lip and waited to be noticed.

Finally a brusque voice snapped, “Can I help you?”

Sara looked up to see a heavy set, older woman in a loose blue top. The woman’s thick dark brows met in a v in the middle of her forehead.

“I’m sorry, I ...I’m looking for my husband. His office phoned to say he’d been brought here.” Sara shrunk into her body.

 “Name?” the woman commanded. 

“Gordon, Gordon Peters.” Sara stared at her worn black oxfords, then at the scuffed, gray linoleum with the red, blue and yellow lines that led to different areas.  Maybe she shouldn’t have come. Maybe she should have waited for Gordon to call and tell her whether she should be here or not. But if he was dead she would have to make her own decisions. Her pulse raced. Her head pounded. For the last nineteen years she had never made a decision. Gordon made all of them for her.

 “When was he admitted?” The woman reminded Sara of a sergeant major.

“I’m not sure, less than an hour ago. They told me to meet him here. Maybe he’s been discharged already?” She chewed her thumbnail. If Gordon had been discharged, he’d be furious at her for spending all that money on a taxi.  But she’d seen his ghost.

Tension twisted her stomach into knots. The pain caused her to clutch her purse tightly against her abdomen. She needed to get home and start dinner. She’d have to take a bus. Did she have enough money? She opened her purse.

The woman moved to a second pile of folders and pulled one out. “You’re his wife?”

Sara nodded. “Yes. Can I see him?”

A sob slipped out. If she didn’t find see him soon, he’d be furious. He’d think she was too stupid to even find him in a hospital and he’d be right.

His ghost floated in front of her. This time confusion mixed with his anger. 

“Have a seat, Mrs. Peters. I’ll have the doctor speak to you.” The sergeant major’s voice softened. She indicated a chair near the desk.

“No, please, I need to see him right away. He’ll be upset if I’m late.”

The woman rounded the desk and laid her hand on Sara’s shoulder. She squeezed gently for a second. “It’ll be okay, honey. You just sit down for a minute. The doctor will be right out.”

Blurb from The Fourth Victim Sara’s Story

Sara’s emotionally abusive husband dies unexpectedly. She’s struggling to reclaim the intelligent, independent person she was before she married.  She vows never to let a man take over her life again. Now she’s part of a special team, training to help other women.
Mac is has been responsible for training women in special ops techniques so they are prepared when they are challenged to save other women. When he meets Sara, sparks fly between them. He wants her to quit the training and let him take care of her.
Sara graduates and now she and her team have to save Sara’s daughter from a serial killer. Can Mac step back and trust her in a dangerous situation? Can Sara and Mac resolve their issues, or will they go in opposite directions?

Buy Links from The Fourth Victim Sara’s Story

Amazon https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07JQ97L8M?ref_=pe_3052080_276849420
Kobo https://www.kobo.com/ca/en/ebook/the-fourth-victim-9 
Itunes https://geo.itunes.apple.com/us/book/the-fourth-victim/id1440048796?ls=1&mt=11
Google Play https://play.google.com/store/books/details/Beverley_Bateman_The_Fourth_Victim?id=_Od3DwAAQBAJ
Barnes and Noble https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/the-fourth-victim-saras-story-beverley-bateman/1129787236;jsessionid=DCE3DC6D307F1874CC82403A3F744C44.prodny_store01-atgap02?ean=2940155751731
24Symbols https://www.24symbols.com/book/x/x/x?id=2957078
Playster  https://play.playster.com/books/10009781386760245/the-fourth-victim-saras-story-beverley-bateman  

Check out other blogs Powered by Linky Tools
Click here to enter your link and view this Linky Tools list...

Like Dark Fantasy, Futuristic, Paranormal, Romance?

The child of a painter and a psychic dreamer, Kate Hill feels spirituality and storytelling go hand-in-hand. She loves the scent of gardenia, the sound of wind chimes and the taste of honey. By listening to what isn’t said, she creates works based on unspoken desires. Kate prefers blurred gender lines and many varieties of romance. In a world where passion must at times be restrained, she believes erotica is a pleasure to be shared. With her stories she would like to make her fantasies yours and hopes you enjoy the ride. She also writes under the name Saloni Quinby.

2018 Character Interview

Beverley: What’s your name?

Jolanda: Jolanda.
Beverley: Where did you grow up?
Jolanda: I grew up with my wolf pack. I don't want to give details about which pack or where it was. The demon masters are still around, watching and listening. The last thing I want to do is lead them to more wolves.
Beverley: During what time period does your story take place?
Jolanda: The too near future.
Beverley: What’s your story/back story? Why would someone come up with a story about you?
Jolanda: I don't consider myself special. Some might call me unusual, and I feel that I'm lucky. I wasn't accepted by my birth pack because I'm a wolf who also practices magic, but that's what's going to help me against the demon masters
Beverley: What’s your goal in this story?
Jolanda:To free the captive wolves and defeat the demons. It's a tall order, but we wolves don't give up.
Beverley: What conflicts are you facing?
Jolanda: Wow! I'm facing more conflicts than I ever thought possible. The demon masters are powerful. They're more than cruel. They get off on suffering. If they discover my true purpose, I'll be lucky if they kill me fast.
Beverley: Do you have a plan for resolving them?
Jolanda: Oh yes. I've got a plan, but it's not one I'm willing to share. You'll have to watch it unfold.
Beverley: Is there anything else you’d like us to know about you?
Jolanda: I'd like everyone to know this, especially wolves who are still anti-magic. My clan is as much a family as any pack. We're wolves. We're witches. We're not evil and we're not traitors. If we were, we--I--wouldn't be risking so much to help our brothers and sisters.

Blurb for Fangs and Fists 3: Victor:  

Werewolf gladiator Victor vows to escape captivity by demons or die trying--which nearly happens when his latest opponent takes him by surprise.

Jolanda is a member of a secret pack of wolf witches who want to free their kin from the dreaded demon tower. Strengthened by the power of her pack, she defeats Victor in the arena and demands that he be given to her as a mate.

Alone, they surrender to their overwhelming lust for each other, but Jolanda needs him for more than sex. She's been sent to rescue the captive wolves and Victor is the Alpha she needs to help her. Together he and Jolanda plan a mass escape from the tower, hoping to strike a blow the demon masters will never forget.

Excerpt from Fangs and Fists 3: Victor:

Two demon guards clad in black body armor entered the barracks. Their red eyes glowed behind dark face shields. They approached Victor and one guard said, “Get up and come with us.”

All the guards sounded and looked alike. They were even the same height and body structure.

Victor knew better than to refuse. There would be no point in fighting, even if he was so inclined.

He guessed he would be going to one of two possible places. It would either be the punishment chamber because he’d killed Slate too quickly or -- and this was more likely -- to the demon masters who had bargained with him to kill for their entertainment.

The guards brought Victor out of the barracks and down a steel corridor to an elevator at the end. They boarded it. Except for the soft whir of the elevator descending, there was silence.

It stopped with an almost imperceptible lurch. The door opened and Victor, accompanied by the guards, stepped into a spacious room with an enormous glass ball in the center of it. Several couches surrounded it. While the upholstery resembled leather, Victor’s sense of smell told him the couches were covered with material that hadn’t come from any four-legged animal.

He’d been in this room before. Here, the demons had bargained with him for the lives of his fellow gladiators, their mates, and their cubs. Here, he’d traded his integrity and his soul for their lives.

The guards disappeared into dark corners of the room.

Since he had no intention of sitting on the foul furniture, Victor stood near the glass ball and waited.

The ball glowed faintly at first. Then it brightened. From within, two demon masters -- one male and one female -- stared at him. He knew they weren’t actually there. The ball was similar to television. He could see and hear them, but they were far away.

The male had ink-black, elbow-length hair. Tall and slim, he was dressed from head to foot in red. The female had short white hair. Her skin was nearly as pale as her form-fitting white dress. Both demons stared at him with black eyes.

“Your game has improved, Victor,” said the male, “but I’m afraid you still haven’t mastered the art of performing. Your kills aren’t entertaining enough, but for now that’s beside the point. We haven’t called you here to critique your style, but for another reason.”

“We have something special planned for you,” the female continued. “There’s a new contender in the tower -- one who has seen you fight and wishes to face you in the arena.”

Buy Links for Fangs and Fists 3: Victor:

Amazon - https://amzn.to/2UAUM2c
Changeling Press - https://www.changelingpress.com/victor-fangs-and-fists-3-b-2610

*♥*♥*♥*15% off any order when you shop Kate Hill *♥*♥*♥*

Code: Fangs-and-Fists

Will work on the entire cart, as long as there's one Kate Hill book in the cart.

Only at Changeling Press

You can find Kate at:

kate-hill.com
twitter.com/katehillromance
twitter.com/compbeastsblog
facebook.com/compellingbeasts/
facebook.com/katehillsaloniquinby/

Kate is giving away a $10 Amazon GC during the tour. Please use the Rafflecopter below to enter. Remember there is a chance to enter everyday so be sure to follow the Blog Tour. You may find the tour schedule and locations here https://bit.ly/2G1mPye

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Blog or Taxes

I’m busy doing my taxes (dues April 30^th) and suddenly I quit adding numbers and realized I’m supposed to have a blog ready to post today. Yikes!

My mind is mush.  All I can think about is finding all my receipts. I was missing a couple of government ones and had to phone and listen to their lovely music waiting for an agent. They send it by the postal system. I’m working around it for now, adding and subtracting all my receipts and putting numbers into my working copy.

The reason I do it myself is I feel it keeps my brain active and I resent paying for programs of to have someone do it for me. I know I should probably take my shoebox with all the receipts and tax forms and give it to an account.

What do you do, as a writer? Do you do your own or pay someone to do it?

I figure out the percentage of the space and utilities etc. I use for my writing space, books, internet and take deductions for it. Once I figure out my business forma I can use the number and move on to the general form.  Why do they have all these funny formulas and percentages? Why can’t they say if you make $20,000 you pay certain amount? My theory is, if you do them yourselves, you’re so exhausted by the end of all the formulas you don’t care, you just want to finish them.

That’s my thought and I’m sticking to it, as I dive back into the numbers.

Depending what country you’re in, have you finished your taxes? Your thoughts on the process?

Dee Knight Blogs on Knowing What's Important

A few years ago, Dee S. Knight began writing, making getting up in the morning fun. During the day, her characters killed people, fell in love, became drunk with power, or sober with responsibility. And they had sex, lots of sex. Writing was so much fun Dee decided to keep at it. That's how she spends her days. Her nights? Well, she's lucky that her dream man, childhood sweetheart, and long-time hubby are all the same guy, and nights are their secret. For romance ranging from sweet to historical, contemporary to paranormal and more join Dee on Nomad Authors.

Knowing What’s Important

Fair warning, this post is not about writing. It’s just about everyday life.

A few weeks ago I muttered and whined to myself because I seemed to be hitting every light red on a long street I used to get home. Fate seemed to be keeping me trapped in the car when I was tired and my back ached to the point of distraction. Hitting all the lights green, the trip would have taken twenty minutes. I’d already been twenty minutes and I was only half way home, where I could walk out a Charlie horse, take off my shoes and put up my feet until an Aleve took off the pain’s edge.

Later that night, I complained to Hubby about all the red lights and he casually commented that, yeah, that’s happened to him a lot, too.

What had bothered me so much rolled right off his back, making me admit what I knew all along: I’d made more of the situation than I should have It was just a trip home that took a bit longer than usual. Nothing bad happened, I was simply inconvenienced. Wow.

Hubby excuses these little bumps in my equilibrium because he knows that once in a while, little things get to people, and I’m only human. (And all this time I thought he thought I was a goddess. Funny the things one learns…)

Anyway, sometimes it’s a good thing to be reminded that everyday life is what it is. I’m lucky that most of the time, life rates somewhere between good and wonderful. Once in awhile, it sucks big time—hopefully not very often or for very long. For quite a while, I’ve had back trouble. For me it’s sometimes hell (for Hubby, too, putting up with me. Sorry, honey!). But it’s not the end of the world. My back problem can be controlled for the most part. Lots of bad things happen that are out of our control.

I’m reminded of something that happened a long time ago. A colleague of Hubby’s delivered a premature baby boy. He was born just under two pounds and had to fight for every breath. All his parents cared about was life and living. They hoped that someday their son could experience the inconvenience of being stopped by a few red lights. That he would get to swat at mosquitoes and cry over a stubbed toe. That years from the day he was born he’d be able to fall in love, fall out of love, and fall in again as he grew into being a man.
That he could live. And (spoiler alert in the best way) he did.

Look, intellectually I know what to worry about and what to let go. But remembering that tiny baby, recalling his daily effort just to stay here among us, sure puts everything in perspective in a way that’s anything but intellectual.

The perspective is all heart. All love.

Maybe I was wrong. Maybe this post is about writing, after all.

Like me, my main character in Only a Good Man Will Do, is suddenly faced with all kinds of road bumps in an otherwise smooth path. Will he swear and complain like a wuss or suck it up? I’ll just share that one of his “problems” becomes his greatest asset. Find out how Daniel Goodman shapes up into becoming a very “good man” indeed!

Blurb for Only a Good Man Will Do, Book 1 in The Good Man series :

Seriously ambitious man seeks woman to encourage his goals, support his (hopeful) position as Headmaster of Westover Academy, and be purer than Caesar's wife. Good luck with that!
Daniel Goodman is a man on a mission. He aims to become headmaster of Westover Academy. For that he needs a particular, special woman to help him set high standards. Into his cut and dried life of moral and upright behavior, comes Eve Star, formerly one of Europe's foremost exotic dancers. Her life is anything but cut and dried, black and white. Daniel is drawn to her like a kid to chocolate. Nothing good can come of this attraction. Or can it? He is after all, a good man.

Excerpt for Only a Good Man Will Do:

“Daniel, am I talking to myself, here?”

“Oh, no, I’m…” He chuckled an amused admission. “Tell me what you said again.”

He could almost hear Eve smile. “I said, you called at four-thirty on Saturday and Sunday, so I took a wild leap that you would today, too.”

“Ah.” Smiling to the empty room, he squirmed to get into a more comfortable position. “A woman of logic.”

“Absolutely. You don’t want to play me in chess. I think five or six moves ahead.”

“I’ll remember that. There’s nothing worse than seeing a guy cry when he’s been beaten at chess by a girl."

Buy links for Only a Good Man Will Do:
Amazon: https://amzn.to/2q7ovi4
B&N https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/books/1129630612?ean=2940161770603
Smashwords: https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/898008
Kobo:https://www.kobo.com/us/en/ebook/only-a-good-man-will-do

You can find more about Dee at:
Website: https://nomadauthors.com
Blog: http://nomadauthors.com/blog
Twitter: http://twitter.com/DeeSKnight
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/DeeSKnight2018
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/265222.Dee_S_Knight
Newsletter (sample): https://preview.mailerlite.com/o2g1i0?fbclid=IwAR0COlyuPY-Hu30KTBdT092j_GZeuN5z4pc1LtsvHTyr6IbiSpsGqeIgT90
Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/-/e/B079BGZNDN

Check Out Finding Euphoria and C. Becker

A native of western Pennsylvania, C. Becker earned a B.S. degree in Medical Technology and MT (ASCP) certification. She has worked in clinical settings analyzing body fluids and testing drugs of abuse.

As an author, C. Becker has published multiple stories in various genres.

Character Interview

Beverley: What’s your name?

Hailey: I’m Hailey Robinson Langley.
Beverley: Where did you grow up?
Hailey: I grew up near Sacramento, California, but moved to Austin, Texas when I was seventeen. I stayed there until I went to college on the East Coast.
Beverley: During what time period does your story take place?
Hailey: The majority of the story takes place in 2016.
Beverley: What’s your story/back story? Why would someone come up with a story about you?
Hailey: I ask myself that question all the time. Maybe because I have many secrets. Very people know about them, though. I was kidnapped and assaulted, even lost my sight and hearing for a time. My world came crashing down when I got pregnant and put my baby up for adoption. That’s when I fell in love with my doctor Tom Parker. When I joined the Special Crimes Agency, Parker worked alongside me solving crimes.
Beverley: What’s your goal in this story?
Hailey: My goal is to find joy in life again. I’ve been going through the motions, raising my kids, but the regret of giving up my oldest son constantly haunts me. In this first story of the Euphoria Trilogy, my son needs my help and I need to track down the drug he took so I can save his life.
Beverley: What conflicts are you facing?
Hailey: The first struggle I have is facing my past when my oldest son falls in a coma and Tom Parker, the adoptive father, asks me to track down the drug so the doctors can treat him. My husband Mark doesn’t have a clue about my past, at least I think he doesn’t.
Beverley: Do you have a plan for resolving them?
Hailey: Not yet. I know I’ll do whatever it takes to save my son, but maybe, just maybe, I can do it without my husband discovering my secrets. I’m the only one at the agency with a biochemistry background to help ID the drug and stop it from spreading across the country.
Beverley: Is there anything else you’d like us to know about you?
Hailey: My husband has been acting very strange lately. He said it’s because he’s under a lot of stress at work, but I wish he’d tell me what was wrong…(Shakes her head). No, he couldn’t know about my past….I want to open up more to Mark but I’m afraid he won’t understand if he finds out. I’ve never fully given myself to him (both heart and soul) and I’d like to have that type of intimacy between us.

Blurb for Finding Euphoria

Hailey Langley refuses to be a victim and has moved on from her traumatic past. But her marriage problems worsen when a deadly illicit drug threatens to draw her into the life she left behind.

Mark Langley has allowed his job to interfere with his marriage, but he never suspected the secrets in Hailey's past might hold the key to solving both of his current investigations.

Together, they must unravel the mystery of the drug called Euphoria and find a way to save not only their marriage, but countless lives, before it's too late.

BUY LINKS for Finding Euphoria:

Amazon Finding Euphoria ebook link
Barnes & Noble Finding Euphoria ebook link
Apple itunes Finding Euphoria ebook
Kobo Finding Euphoria

You can find C Becker at:

Website http://cbeckerauthor.com/
Blog https://cbeckerauthor.wixsite.com/cbeckerauthor/blog-1
Facebook https://www.facebook.com/CBeckerauthor/
Twitter https://twitter.com/cbeckerauthor
Amazon Author Page Amazon Author Page C. Becker
Instagram: Instagram C.Beckerauthor

Settings

I’m in the desert and leaving in a day or so. I was looking at all the desert plants and thinking about how to incorporate them into a setting in a novel.

I put together a few questions you might want to think about when you develop a setting.

What kind of cactus are there? The most common are the Saguaro, the ocotillo and maybe the prickly pear, but there are dozens of other types. I’m making notes.
And if you’re not in the desert, what type of trees are in your setting?


What about flowers? The cactus itself has flowers, but there are also many colorful desert flowers. What about the flowers in your scene?

When describing the setting, you can point out if there are clusters of trees or flowers, or solitary ones. Saguaro cacti are usually solitary at least several feet or more apart. The reason is because of the water which is difficult to find in the desert.

 

Other things to consider are, what color are they, how do they smell or look, and do they have any particular characteristics? For example, the cacti have the thorns that can be very dangerous.

When describing a setting, maybe include the season, the weather, the birds and the animals if there are any. Make sure your reader can see themselves in your setting.