Monday, September 29, 2014

What's News in Writing This Week


1.  New Release – Temptations of Desire by Tempeste O’Riley

Blurb from Temptations of Desire (Desires Entwined #3)

Can Dal prove to the beautiful and handsome Lexie that he sees Lexie for who he is and that his gender is perfect as is?

Buy Links:
DSP: http://www.dreamspinnerpress.com/store/product_info.php?products_id=5463
ARE: https://www.allromanceebooks.com/product-temptationsofdesire-1628544-149.html
Amz: http://smarturl.it/ToD-amz
B&N: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/temptations-of-desire-tempeste-oriley/1120377312?ean=2940150685826

2.New Release – Prince Charming Need Not Apply by Dara Young

Blurb:
 
Reformed party girl and Chief Cosmetics Officer for rising star Swirl Cosmetics, Sabrina Calihan has sworn off men. But when she meets beauty industry colleague Max March, new head of Christina Max beauty empire, she finds herself struggling to keep him at arm’s length.
Max is determined to have the sexy woman he first met on the red-eye from Los Angeles. Unconcerned about her professed vow of celibacy, he is ruthlessly determined to show her just how good things can be between them.
He wines and dines her despite her assurances that Prince Charming need not apply. But, as love begins to blossom on a personal level corporate issues bubble to the surface and threaten a happy ending. Now Sabrina must discover if she can win her prince charming back, or if all is lost.
 
Buy Link:
Pre-Order Link for Amazon -Amazon | Amazon UK | Amazon CA

3. New Release - Hope & Love Anthology

Blurb:

It is a collection of 15 short stories, all proceeds go to support the Milwaukee, WI LGBT Community Center.

Hope & Love Anthology
It all starts with Hope.
15 stories, only $2.99
100% of all proceeds go to support the MKE GLBT Center

Buy Link:
Amazon: http://smarturl.it/HopeLove

4. New Release Luke's Temptation, Redemption Book 3 by Cara Morsi
 
Danger and desire brew a volatile mix as two wounded souls fight to stay alive and find love.
Anita Santisi is an independent, successful businesswoman with a wounded heart. And some very bad people after her. Break-ins, home invasions, and attempted abductions have turned her comfortable life dangerous. Can she trust her mysterious, sexy new neighbor, Luke Corrado, or is he behind the criminal acts?
Special Agent Luke Corrado carries his guilt like a loaded Glock. A woman he loved was murdered because of him. Now, on a new undercover assignment to protect Anita Santisi, he’s determined to redeem himself. What he doesn’t expect is that Anita will tempt him to let down the barriers around his heart.
As Anita and Luke find themselves in ever-increasing danger, they must fight to stay alive. Will they open their hearts to each other before it’s too late?

This is the third book in the Redemption series and continues the story of the Callahan-Tanner-Santisi families. Readers have asked for Anita's story, which this is. The first book in the series, Logan's Redemption, is on sale for 99 cents.

Buy Links for Luke’s Temptations:
http://www.amazon.com/Lukes-Temptation-Redemption-Book-3-ebook/dp/B00MYC97LU/?tag=carmaraut-20

Friday, September 26, 2014

Haunted?

 
Do you have abandoned places near you that itch your curiosity about what happened and does it make your imagination take over? Are these places haunted? What stories do you imagine?

I love this topic, but I have limited personal experience. No abandoned or haunted houses in my area. I did a search and did find that we have a haunted lane in Kelowna. I remember the first time I walked down it a short way and it felt haunted.  It’s adjacent to an old house that has been turned into a restaurant. 

Built in the 1890′s for Governor General Lord Aberdeen and named after his wife’s childhood home in Scotland, it apparently wasn’t long until the clip-clop of invisible horses and carriages could be heard rolling down the drive. Seeming to stop for a moment before picking up again, this tormented coach must have dropped off its ghostly passengers before continuing on its way. While nothing had ever been seen, this spooky sound was heard many times over the years.

And I did have an experience with a ghost once. It was in the French Market  Inn in the French quarter of New Orleans – of course.  He was friendly and only rustled paper, moved things around and even through the grout between the bricks of the walls down on the bed.
Out room was beautiful!
http://ajmaguire.wordpress.com/
http://mizging.blogspot.com
http://rhobinleecourtright.com

Wednesday, September 24, 2014

5 SECRETS (What No One Knows About My Book)

Our guest author today is Kathy L Wheeler writing as Kae Elle Wheeler, who is going to share some tidbits about the writing of her book that no one knows--until today.

Kae Elle Wheeler (a.k.a. Kathy L Wheeler) has a BA in Management Information Systems with 40 hours of vocal music credits. She is a computer programmer and software expert by day, also utilizes karaoke to fulfill some of her artistic needs. She is a member of several RWA chapters including The Beau Monde, DARA and OKRWA. She is an avid sports fan for NFL and NBA, theater buff, and loves to travel. 

Everyone knows how awful the stepmother was to Cinderella. What we don't know is why. Even in the first three books of my Cinderella Series, Hilda is truly evil. Her goal is to kill Cinderella and have one of her own daughters marry the prince. Why, she would be mother to the future Queen of Chalmers. What is truly sad is that Lady Hildegard Marit Benegoir did not start out mean and vindictive. Oh, sure, she was a little spoiled, very temperamental, but what young woman of noble birth in a small community was not?

The Price of Scorn - book iv shows a path gone so far awry, there was no turning back—a hellish journey of survival. This heartbreaking story is no fairy tale. Here are five of Hilda’s deepest secrets.

Five Secrets From The Price of Scorn ~ book iv, Cinderella's Evil Stepmother

1) Lady Hildegard Marit Benegoir fell in love with the man of her dreams when she was but fifteen. Of course, the man was completely unsuitable. He was a prime horse trainer for the Alsace region of France. (Set In Stone - Anna Markland 6-Jun-2014) And to his credit, Pierre Tasse resisted her for two long years.

2) Hilda suffered two miscarriages, both of which were male, before finally giving birth to her cherished daughters, Pricilla Louise and Esmeralda.

3) Hilda witnessed her mother's murder right by none other than her own father.

4) Her name: "Hildegard" which is of German descent means battle guard. And her lover lovingly referred to her as "his little battle-guard." It's sweet actually.

5) Hilda married Lord Roche, Cinderella's papa, out of desperation and spite. Both of which, backfire.

The Price of Scorn Blurb:

Fourteen years after Esmeralda's marriage to Alessandro de Lecce, the birth of Pricilla's son, Jean-Luc, and Prince Charming's and Cinderella's coronation as King and Queen of Chalmers Kingdom, Lady Hildeguard Marit Benegoir-Simmon-Roch lies upon her death bed.

Hilda has never forgiven Cinderella for stealing Prince Charming from Esmeralda. But in a story of heartbreak, the sisters learn how tragedy and scorn shaped their mother's life into the woman she became. The question is: Can they forgive her?

To Buy The Price of Scorn go to:

The Price of Scorn - book is is not yet available, but its predecessors are!




You can find Kathy at:

@kathylwheeler
http://kathylwheeler.com

Thanks for checking out Kathy and her secrets. If you have any comments or questions, Kathy will be around to answer them today.

And don’t forget to check back next Thursday to find out even more author secrets about their book.

Monday, September 22, 2014

What's News in Writing this Week


1. Free Book- His Enemy’s Wife is free for your Kindle through 9/24.

Blurb

A con artist pulls a bait and switch on Matthew MacKendrick in a land deal. When faced with the possibility of prison, the crook signs over his home. When Mac goes to take possession of the house, he finds his enemy’s wife living there. Jillian has just buried her husband and knows nothing of his deception. Mac believes her, but his brothers don’t. They’re sure she not only knew, she participated in the fraud.

Excerpt:

Jillian glanced at Mac. Whether or not Stevens bought the house, Mac was a good client, one who knew how the business worked and was willing to do his part to make a sale happen. Too bad she didn’t have more clients like him.

Mindy took her buyer and the woman he’d picked up in the restaurant and left the house. Relieved the showing was over, Jillian followed them to the door. Mac tagged along.

When they drove away, Jillian breathed a big breath of relief. “Thank God they’re gone.”

Mac closed the front door. “Do you think he’ll make an offer?”

“With Torrie involved, it’s hard to tell. She might talk him into going to Seattle or Bellevue instead of buying in Gig Harbor. If she does, we’ll find you another buyer.”

“Yeah, okay. Something seems hokey about this guy. I haven’t figured him out. Is he a real buyer or a scam artist? Does he really want to live in Gig Harbor, or is he just looking for a woman?”

“Is that all guys think about? Finding a woman?”

“It’s near the top.” He grinned. “So how ’bout it? Want to get naked and help me paint?”

Jillian burst out laughing. Who knew Matthew MacKendrick had a sense of humor? The man had once frightened her with the intensity of his anger. And then made her melt with his intensity in the bedroom.

Mac unbuttoned his shirt and winked. “See anything you want?”

Oh, yes, she saw something she wanted. Seeing his strong chest, her entire body ached with need, and her panties were already damp.

“Come over here, woman.”

“Mac, you caught me in a weak moment before, and I can’t—”

He walked toward her. “Why can’t you? Let me love you, Jillian. C'mon, honey. Mindy and her weird buyer are gone. There’s nobody here but you and me.” He brushed her hair back from her face and kissed her gently, teasing and tasting, then pulled her closer and kissed her with so much passion she could barely stand.

Jillian’s phone rang, interrupting what could have turned into another passionate scene in the bedroom upstairs. Hands shaking, she stepped back and rushed to the kitchen to get the phone from her purse.

“Hey, it’s Mindy. Stay put. Stevens is going to make an offer, and that woman is still with him.”

“She can have him. I’ll wait at the house until I hear from you.”

“Okay.”

Jillian turned to Mac. “He’s making an offer.”

“I’ll have my brother check him out, make sure the guy is on the level.”

Mac pulled out his phone and called Finn. Pacing in the living room, Mac said, “I need you to check on a potential buyer. C. K. Stevens, short for Clark Kent Stevens, otherwise known as Superman. He’s from Southern California, probably the L. A. area. Says he was an actor, writer, director. Supposedly divorced and retired now. And wealthy. Says he intends to pay cash for the house.”

“So let him pay cash for the house. What’s the problem?”

“The guy smells funny. Can you do a quick check on him? See if he belongs to the Actor’s Guild or whatever they call it, and make sure he doesn’t have any wants and warrants. I don’t want to take the house off the market and then find out he’s playing me.”

“I’m on it now.”

“Thanks, Finn.”

“Wait until you get my bill.”

“Yeah, sure.” Mac had used Finn’s services three times and had yet to see a bill. Mac helped him build a new deck on the back of his house, so he figured it was a wash.

While they waited for an offer or a phone call from Finn, Mac changed into his painting clothes and started rolling the butter cream color from the kitchen on the walls of the family room. The soft color immediately brightened the space.

Jillian asked, “Did you buy the accent color yet?”

“No, I was waiting for you.”

“I like dark green. It’ll contrast with the light stone on the fireplace and coordinate with the green countertop in the kitchen. Since the family room and kitchen function as one big room, it should look good in here. You’ll need primer, though. A dark color isn’t going to cover these dingy white walls without a primer or a second coat.”

“Yeah, I know.” He thought she was softening toward him on a personal level, and now she was all business. He must be losing his touch.

Link for free book for His Enemy’s Wife: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00IOBY2X8

2. New Release – Dead Set by Aleah Barley
 

Blurb:

Hunting zombies is a tough job and Gemma Sinclair’s been working harder than ever to clear the streets of Detroit, Dead City.

She can deal with the feral Biters, by her mother, and even the reappearance of sexy secret agent Thomas Conroy. But an undead serial killer who rips his victims apart will take her to the limit.

Now the entire city’s on edge and if the zombies don’t get her the rioters might.

Buy Links for Dead Set:

 

3. New Release -Bake Love Write
Blurb:

What do most authors have in common, no matter what genre they write? They love desserts. Sweets sustain them through pending deadlines and take the sting out of crushing rejection letters and nasty reviews. They also often celebrate their successes—selling a book, winning a writing award, making a bestseller list, or receiving a fabulous review—with decadent indulgences. And when authors chat with each other, they often talk about their writing and their lives. Recipes. Writing. Relationships. In this cookbook 105 authors not only share their favorite recipes for fabulous cakes, pies, cookies, candy, and more, they also share the best advice they’ve ever received on love and writing.

Authors include: Brenda Novak, Lois Winston, Debra Holland, Dale Mayer, Shelley Noble, Caridad Pineiro, Diana Orgain, Lisa Verge Higgins, Lynn Cahoon, Jasmine Haynes, Jan Carol, Meg Bellamy, Bobbi Chukran, Melissa Keir, Amy Gamet, Kristy Tate, Terry Shames, Barbara Phinney, Kitsy Clare, Raine English, Cathryn Cade, Haley Whitehall, Shilpa Mudiganti, Melinda Curtis, Jessa Slade, Jill Blake, Daryl Devore, Molly MacRae, Elizabeth Rose, Helena Fairfax, Lourdes Venard, Jessica Aspen, Maegan Beaumont, Kay Kendall, Elizabeth John, Victoria Adams, Cyndi Pauwels, Alice Loweecey, June Shaw, Donnell Ann Bell, T. Michelle Nelson, Nina Milton, Pam DeVoe, Skye Taylor, Conda V. Douglas, Pepper Phillips, Judy Alter, Cadence Denton, Lesley Diehl, Erin Farwell, Regan Walker, Kaye Spencer, Barbara Monajem, Kathleen Kaska, Catherine Kean, Rose Anderson, Suzie Tullett, Deborah Hughes, Cynthia Luhrs, Judy Baker, Alicia Dean, Leslie Langtry, Janis Susan May, Mitzi Flyte, Ruby Merritt, Renee D. Field, Kathryn Quick, Susan Cory, Judy Penz Sheluk, Kay Manis, Kathryn Jane, Debra Goldstein, E. Ayers, Chantilly White, Sloan McBride, Triss Stein, Ana Morgan, Adele Downs, L.C. Giroux, Pamela Aares, Nancy Warren, Barbara Lohr, J.J. Cook, Lynn Reynolds, Cori Arnold, B.V. Lawson, Lynn Franklin, M.L. Guida, Irene Peterson, Sue Viders, Liese Sherwood-Fabre, Susan Santangelo, Sheila Seabrook, Elaine Charton, Sharleen Scott, Kathy Bennett, Jody Payne, Reggi Allder, Ashlyn Chase, Beverley Bateman, Susan Lohrer, Donis Casey, Barbara Leavy, Stacy Juba, Karen Rose Smith.
 
Buy Links for Bake Write Love: 
Paperback CreateSpace - https://www.createspace.com/4996888
Kobo:  http://store.kobobooks.com/en-US/ebook/bake-love-write  
Amazon Ebook: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00NO2DPTY/ref=as_li_qf_sp_asin_il_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=B00NO2DPTY&linkCode=as2&tag=loiswins-20&linkId=LNB5EGBYRZ6BEEP3
Paperback: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1940795133/ref=as_li_qf_sp_asin_il_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=1940795133&linkCode=as2&tag=loiswins-20&linkId=O527EADGSABCIA2J
iTunes https://itunes.apple.com/us/book/bake-love-write/id920146098?mt=11
Nook http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/bake-love-write-lois-winston/1120365873?ean=2940150401860

Saturday, September 20, 2014

Bake Write Love - Great New Group Cookbook

 

Bake Love Write a great new cookbook just out. Here’s a little information about the book and the authors. (Yes, I'm one of them.)

What do most authors have in common, no matter what genre they write? They love desserts. Sweets sustain them through pending deadlines and take the sting out of crushing rejection letters and nasty reviews. They also often celebrate their successes—selling a book, winning a writing award, making a bestseller list, or receiving a fabulous review—with decadent indulgences. And when authors chat with each other, they often talk about their writing and their lives. Recipes. Writing. Relationships. In this cookbook 105 authors not only share their favorite recipes for fabulous cakes, pies, cookies, candy, and more, they also share the best advice they’ve ever received on love and writing.

Authors include: Brenda Novak, Lois Winston, Debra Holland, Dale Mayer, Shelley Noble, Caridad Pineiro, Diana Orgain, Lisa Verge Higgins, Lynn Cahoon, Jasmine Haynes, Jan Carol, Meg Bellamy, Bobbi Chukran, Melissa Keir, Amy Gamet, Kristy Tate, Terry Shames, Barbara Phinney, Kitsy Clare, Raine English, Cathryn Cade, Haley Whitehall, Shilpa Mudiganti, Melinda Curtis, Jessa Slade, Jill Blake, Daryl Devore, Molly MacRae, Elizabeth Rose, Helena Fairfax, Lourdes Venard, Jessica Aspen, Maegan Beaumont, Kay Kendall, Elizabeth John, Victoria Adams, Cyndi Pauwels, Alice Loweecey, June Shaw, Donnell Ann Bell, T. Michelle Nelson, Nina Milton, Pam DeVoe, Skye Taylor, Conda V. Douglas, Pepper Phillips, Judy Alter, Cadence Denton, Lesley Diehl, Erin Farwell, Regan Walker, Kaye Spencer, Barbara Monajem, Kathleen Kaska, Catherine Kean, Rose Anderson, Suzie Tullett, Deborah Hughes, Cynthia Luhrs, Judy Baker, Alicia Dean, Leslie Langtry, Janis Susan May, Mitzi Flyte, Ruby Merritt, Renee D. Field, Kathryn Quick, Susan Cory, Judy Penz Sheluk, Kay Manis, Kathryn Jane, Debra Goldstein, E. Ayers, Chantilly White, Sloan McBride, Triss Stein, Ana Morgan, Adele Downs, L.C. Giroux, Pamela Aares, Nancy Warren, Barbara Lohr, J.J. Cook, Lynn Reynolds, Cori Arnold, B.V. Lawson, Lynn Franklin, M.L. Guida, Irene Peterson, Sue Viders, Liese Sherwood-Fabre, Susan Santangelo, Sheila Seabrook, Elaine Charton, Sharleen Scott, Kathy Bennett, Jody Payne, Reggi Allder, Ashlyn Chase, Beverley Bateman, Susan Lohrer, Donis Casey, Barbara Leavy, Stacy Juba, Karen Rose Smith.

Want to check it out and purchase a copy?
Here are the links for Bake, Love, Write

Paperback CreateSpace - https://www.createspace.com/4996888


Wednesday, September 17, 2014

5 Secrets (What No One Knows About My Book)

Our guest author today is James DiBenedetto, who is going to share some tidbits about the writing of her book that no one knows--until today.




J.J. (James) DiBenedetto’s fans would swear he’s got sixth sense when it comes to seeing into the minds of others and often wonder if his stories could possibly be fiction. He enjoys suspending disbelief with suspenseful paranormal tales that are a perfect blend of reality meets  fantasy. 
Born in Yonkers, New York, he currently resides in Arlington, Virginia with his beautiful wife and a cat he is sure has taken full advantage of its nine lives. When it comes to the cat, he often wonders, but then again it might just be his imagination.


Dream Student

FIVE THINGS YOU DON’T KNOW ABOUT THE BOOK

1. I had two reasons for setting the book in 1989-90 (which might seem like kind of a random choice).  First, it’s when I was in college, and as the book is set at a very thinly veiled version of my alma mater, it seemed like a logical thing to do (“write what you know” and all that).  Second, setting it then meant that I didn’t need to deal with my characters having cell phones, Google and all the other technological goodies that would have made solving the mystery a trivial matter.

2. A totally random coincidence.  Midway through the book, Sara and Brian go out to dinner on New Year’s Eve, and I made up a fancy restaurant called the Blue Duck Inn, which I modelled after a DC-area legend, the Inn at Little Washington.  But I discovered shortly after I released the book that there actually IS a Blue Duck Tavern in downtown D.C., maybe ten minutes drive from my home.  I had no idea!

3. I’m still not sure what genre the book fits in, even though it’s been out

for eighteen months.  It’s got romance, mystery, suspense and a paranormal aspect (Sara’s ability to step into other people’s dreams).  But no one aspect is really dominant, so when you ask me what kind of book it is, my answer changes based on the time of day or phase of the moon. 

4. As far as being a mystery, I’m not even sure if that’s accurate.  If I had to pick a story to compare DREAM STUDENT to, as far as the way the plot is structured (but in no other respect!), I’d have to say “The Silence of the Lambs.”  Why?  Because, like in “Silence,” we know early on who the killer is, but that’s not really the problem.  The difficulty is in using what the characters know about him (or can dig up) to figure out where he is and stop him before he can strike again.

The second book in the series, DREAM DOCTOR, is much more of a traditional mystery: in that book there are several suspects, all of whom want one particular person dead, and the challenge is figuring out which one it is, before they can do the job.

5. The cover you see here isn’t the original one.  The first cover was hand painted by a local artist, working from my direction (and my truly horrible initial sketch).  The result was beautiful…but not at all what readers expected, and so a change was needed.  I was lucky enough to connect with Emma Michaels (www.emmamichaels.com), who did an amazing job on the new cover.

Blurb from Dream Student

College junior Sara Barnes thought her life was totally under control.  All she had to worry about was her final exams, Christmas shopping, applying to medical school – and what to do about the cute freshman in the next dorm with a crush on her.  Everything was going according to plan, until the night she started seeing other people’s dreams.

It’s bad enough that Sara is learning more than she ever needed to know about her friends and classmates, watching their most secret fantasies whether she wants to or not.  Much worse are the other dreams, the ones she sees nearly every night, featuring a strange, terrifying man who commits unspeakable crimes.  Now Sara wonders if she’s the only witness to a serial killer – and the only one who knows when and where he’s going to strike next.

Dream Student is the first book of the Dream Series.

To Buy Dream Student go to these links:

http://getBook.at/DreamStudentAudio (Audible audiobook)
http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/dream-student-jj-dibenedetto/1114915766?ean=2940044622265
https://itunes.apple.com/us/book/dream-student-dreams-book-1/id671190922?mt=11
http://www.kobobooks.com/ebook/Dream-Student-Dreams-book-1/book--RdsnkggY0aCler_nkUDAQ/page1.html?s=_9EhiuMFgkmlihBzSq1PwQ&r=1

You can find James on these links:
http://www.writingdreams.net
https://twitter.com/jjdibenedetto
https://www.facebook.com/pages/The-Dream-Series/107699179403603?ref=bookmarks

Thanks for checking out James and his secrets. If you have any comments
or questions, James will be around to answer them today.

And don’t forget to check back next Thursday to find out even more author secrets about their book.