Things are a Changing for 2013

 

 

 

2013 will kick off with a few changes to this blog, and a chance for readers who comment to win a book at the end of each month. 

Monday – Tidbits and musings about a current work in progress or a new release.

Tuesday – Tuesday’s Wench spotlights at least one of a group of very talented authors!

Wednesday – The Bucket List (so what if this is one of the overused terms for 2012…it works here) will focus on travel.  Places I’ve been…over 50 countries and counting…or places I dream of going.

Thursday – Thursday’s Wench.  This group of authors is so talented they get two days!

Friday – Book of the Week.  A book I’ve read will be in the spotlight.  I have quite a print books that I've read and will spotlight one each week.  At the end of the month anyone who has left a comment on any of the week day features will be entered into a drawing for one of the books spotlighted each Friday. Some of these are signed by the author.

Saturday and Sunday may or may not have posts since they will be for guests who contact me requesting a spot.

So there you have it…a glimpse in what will be happening here in 2013. 

And a Happy 2013 to one and all!

Thursday's Wench-Holley Trent

Not only is Holley Trent one of the Wenches of Words, she is a delightful lady!  And her work is delightful too.  Mrs. Roth’s Merry Christmas releases 12/21…(tomorrow if you’re reading this today) and I already have my finger poised to hit download.  Or maybe I’ll preorder today so her book will be waiting for me in the morning!!!!

Mrs. Roth’s Merry Christmas

Author:  Holley Trent

Publisher:  Musa Publishing 

BLURB:

Santa gets more than he bargains for in his marriage of convenience to the queen of snark.

All Gillian wanted was to pick up a third job so she could buy her preschool students Christmas gifts. She didn’t think she’d be the one getting picked up instead.

Her new boss, Nicholas Roth, is the big man in charge at Santa Incorporated—what Gillian thought was a seasonal staffing agency. But the sexy CEO has a holly jolly secret; he’s an equal opportunity employer and most of his staff are elves.

Santa has another secret. When he’s not delivering toys for his charity, he’s contending with political unease in the magic realm. To take his father’s throne as king of the elves, he has to get married…and only magic-proof Gillian will do. Gillian agrees thinking Nick will cut her loose after the busy Christmas rush, but he has other ideas.

Nick wants a permanent Mrs. Roth but Gillian doesn’t think she’s it.

EXCERPT:

He dropped the smirk and stood with a preternatural speed. I blinked, and the next thing I knew Nick was in front of me with his hands clamped around my arms. His expression was dark—more Krampus than Saint Nicholas. When he spoke again, his voice was completely without mirth. All joking aside, literally.

“Gillian, your mouth is going to get you in trouble.”

I squirmed beneath his strong grip, which only caused him to pull me in tighter. My heart pounded so hard that my pulse thrummed in my ears, blocking out all other sound. With a great deal of apprehension, I looked up into his face expecting to see anger, but instead read something else in the hard set of his jaw and the icy blue gaze: a kind of neediness that seemed untouchable. Or at least Nick thought it was.

I looked away. He may have had magical insight to my desires, but I felt invasive reading the emotions he thought he had so locked down off his face. They were private things I didn’t want to concern myself with.
When I looked up again his face was softer, giving less away. He really was handsome, especially when he wasn’t acting like he knew it. I cleared my throat and averted my gaze to his chest. “If you dislike my mouth so much, fire me.”

“You don’t want that.”

“It’s just a job, Nick.”

“You’re lying. You know and I know there’s something going on here.”

I finally shrugged off his arms and backed up a few paces…or I should say, Nick let me. Nick didn’t let anything happen he didn’t want. “I’m in a North Pole dormitory and being hit on by a six-foot elf.”

He scoffed, that smarmy demeanor of his having returned, and jammed his hands into the pockets of his slacks. “You think this is mere flirting?”

“Isn’t it?” I knew better. My body knew better. His did too, obviously, judging by how happy he was about having me pressed against him moments before.

“No. There’s a lot at play you don’t understand.”

“So explain it to me.”

Nick shook his head and turned his back to me as he walked out of the kitchen and toward the outer door. “Get some sleep. I’m sure the girls won’t bother you on the sofa. There should be some spare blankets around somewhere.”

“I’m—”

“Goodnight, Gilly,” he said without meeting my gaze again. The moment he shut the door, the elves came out.

Buy Link:  http://musapublishing.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=37_36&products_id=505

Wendy Ely Guesting Today

Wendy Ely is our featured author today.  Check out her latest release, Confessions. 

 

Wendy Ely is a contemporary romance author. She writes some romantic suspense, really hot stories, and the wonderful happily-ever-after. She lives in Phoenix, Arizona with her own real-life hero and her two teenagers.
Wendy loves to hear from readers: authorwendyely@gmail.com

Confessions
by Wendy Ely

Can Chelsea and Jordan find their child, and rediscover each other?

When Chelsea Montgomery vanished eleven years ago, her hometown thought she’d been abducted. In truth, she'd given up the daughter she'd secretly had with Jordan Case.

Now he confronts her to help find the child. With a little girl's fate hanging in the balance, will the uneasy partnership -- stained by the past -- transform into something else?

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EXCERPT

 

“I should never have kissed you. Not right now, anyway.”

“Sit down, Jordan. I need to tell you something.”

To her surprise, he sat down next to her on the couch.

She shifted in order to face him. He deserved as much.

Then he grabbed her hands with his. “Tell me everything. What’s life like for you and our child? What’s her name?”

“Elizabeth.”

“When are you going to bring her home?”

“Home?”

“Yes, to me. You and Elizabeth need to come home. Now I know about her, I want us to be a family. When can I meet her?”

She sucked in her breath. Now or never. “Jordan, we’re not coming home,” she whispered.

He dropped her hand. “What? Why the hell not?” He stood up and paced the room.

 

Buy Link:  http://www.amazon.com/Confessions-Desert-Secrets-Book-ebook/dp/B00A3FVT84/ref=sr_1_1?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1355926907&sr=1-1&keywords=wendy+ely#reader_B00A3FVT84

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Tuesday's Wench...Dusty Crabtree

Today we have the delightful Dusty Crabtree is our featured author.  Her book YA book Shadow Eyes has me wanting more.  Plus, I love the cover!!!!

Shadow Eyes

By Dusty Crabtree

Iris thought she could ignore the shadows...until they went after everyone she loved.

BLURB:

Iris Kohl lives in a world populated by murky shadows that surround, harass, and entice unsuspecting individuals toward evil. But she is the only one who can see them. She’s had this ability to see the shadows, as well as brilliantly glowing light figures, ever since an obscure, tragic incident on her fourteenth birthday three years earlier.

Although she’s learned to cope, the view of her world begins to shift upon the arrival of three mysterious characters. First, a handsome new teacher whose presence scares away shadows; second, a new friend with an awe-inspiring aura; and third, a mysterious and alluring new student whom Iris has a hard time resisting despite already having a boyfriend.

As the shadows invade and terrorize her own life and family, she must ultimately revisit the most horrific event of her life in order to learn her true identity and become the hero she was meant to be.

EXCERPT:

I meandered slowly to my locker. Even though I didn’t need anything, I rummaged through it as if I were searching for a tool on a job that paid by the hour. The longer I waited, the less people and, therefore, shadows would be waiting for me when I stepped into the parking lot.

I hated crowds and tried to avoid them as much as possible. Three years of dealing with the visions had taught me how to cope in various ways, but I’d never gotten used to walking among herds of people that were ignorant of the truth I was forced to see. It was like being the only one wearing ultraviolet glasses that unveiled every germ and bacteria around me and having to constantly witness unsuspecting people touching things and getting into things that are disgusting and potentially dangerous. Some people would feel lucky to have such insight. Me? I felt trapped, helpless, and exposed.

Luckily, since it was Friday, everyone wanted to get away from school as quickly as possible. By the time I stepped outside, the parking lot was basically empty. Only a few cars belonging to football players remained.

I began to trek the long distance to my car, which was at the end of the lot due to my near tardiness every day for the same reason I always left late. However, even though the lot was void of people, a couple of dark figures loomed over and around a yellow Camaro to my right. I recognized it as Marcus Beaman’s new car. He was a well-known football player and had been bragging about the birthday present for three months since he got it in June.

Why were these shadows out in the parking lot without any humans around? The bizarreness of it made me pause, and my mind began fabricating all possible explanations—none of which I could do anything about. Lost in my thoughts, I must have peered at them with critical eyes just a tad longer than was safe. One of them stopped, inclined its head to glare at me, and flashed an evil grin. I shuddered, closing my eyes tightly in an attempt to erase the image and pretend the scene away as I cowered toward my car like a timid little girl.

I threw open the driver’s side door, jumped in, tossing my backpack on the passenger seat, buckled my seatbelt, and locked the doors. As if that would help.

BUY LINK: http://musapublishing.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&products_id=176

And also available at Amazon Kindle, Barnes & Noble and All Romance eBooks as well as other 3^rd party distribution sites.

Thursday's Wench - Clarissa Johal

Clarissa Johal shares interesting tidbits about herself with today's interview.  Her book, BETWEEN releases tomorrow and here we gain insight into this terrific author as well as a peek at her new book!

So without futher ado...here's Clarissa Johal

Tell us about yourself…

I write adult paranormal but also have a YA fantasy out. I love ballet, photography, fencing and running with my dogs. I’ve lived in so many places that I’ve lost count, but I was born in California. Right now, I live in North Carolina with my husband, two daughters, dogs, cats, tanks of fish, rescue turtles, rats, gerbils...the list goes on. I used to work in veterinary medicine and as a zoo keeper volunteer. These days, I try and help out with very basic wildlife rescue rehab when I can, which doesn’t explain all the other animals in my house, but I’m a sucker for strays.

Tell us about your Book…

Between will be released through Musa publishing on December 14, 2012.

Synopsis:

Since Lucinda was a young girl, she's been able to see spirits, a gift that didn't come without its problems. Now, a dedicated, young veterinarian, she is committed to the idea that everything can be saved. When Lucinda is involved in a car accident that kills her fiancé, she is devastated and moves to a small town to live a life of self-imposed exile. There, she meets a newcomer and feels an immediate connection with him. However, there is another mysterious stranger to the small town, one that stirs within her a mixture of unease and desire. The spiritual activity around her intensifies as Lucinda is increasingly haunted by memories of the accident. As she is drawn into a bitter tug-a-war from the forces around her, she is likewise pulled into a dangerous twist of past and present events. Forced to make difficult choices, she surprisingly finds that the two men are locked in not only a battle for her life...but a battle for their salvation.

 

Here's the Musa link to get a sneak-peek at an excerpt:  http://musapublishing.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=11&products_id=493

BBQ? Carolina, Tennessee, Texas or Kansas City?

Oh yikes, none of the above. I’ve been a vegetarian for about 20 years now.  My family is complicated. My younger daughter eats chicken, but doesn’t like fish, save for tuna. My older daughter eats fish of all kinds but no other meat, I don’t eat meat or fish, and my husband eats almost everything. Nobody eats beef, pork or lamb, because they don’t like it. Makes for an interesting dinner.

How can readers find you?

Just look over their shoulders. Haha, kidding.

Author website: http://clarissajohal.com/

Blog: http://clarissajohal.blogspot.com/

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/clarissa.johal.9

Twitter: https://twitter.com/ClarissaJohal

 What are your five favorite Novels?

Mythago Wood by Robert Holdstock, American Gods by Neil Gaiman, An American Tragedy by Theodore Dreiser, Lirael by Garth Nix, and the Skullduggery Pleasant series by Derek Landy. I also really love Shakespeare.  

If you could only have one vice what would it be?

I’m boring as I only have one vice now! But it’s mine so I’ll stick with it—I’m an unapologetic coffee drinker. And it has to be Peet’s Sumatra.

What do you prefer Roller Coasters, Carousels or the bumper cars?

I used to love roller coasters. On the first date I ever went on, I rode every single roller coaster at the California State Fair and ended up getting sick in my purse. That cured me from roller coasters forever. The guy even asked me out again but I was just too mortified. I’d probably pick carousels now. And I’d have to ride the seahorse or I’d have a grown-up tantrum.

What are you working on now?

My next paranormal novel. It’s about a young woman that gets struck by lightning and then begins to experience unexplainable things. That’s all I can say.

What’s your favorite movie?

One favorite? Right now it would have to be Castaway on the Moon. It’s a Korean film that came out in 2009. Big Trouble in Little China and Woman in Black with Daniel Radcliffe are close seconds.

If you could live anywhere in the world where would it be and why?

The Dumfries and Galloway area of Scotland, hands-down. My husband and I backpacked all over the UK many years ago and I fell in love with Loch Skeen. I actually got choked up when it was time to leave. I wanted to sleep on the moors. The remoteness and beauty of the area really struck me.  

 Are you a Plotter or a Panster?

Oh, panster all the way. I have a general idea of plot and maybe one character, it may even be a supporting character, but I never know what’s going to happen until the characters tell me. With the exception of Between, which I wrote from beginning to end, I usually start by writing a random scene and it will build from there. If I tried to plot everything out, I think it would destroy my creative drive completely.

 Where do you find inspiration?

In art and in mythology. My favorite artists are Waterhouse, Michael Parkes and BROM. I love reading all kinds of mythology but especially Celtic and British.

Name 5 things that are on your desk right now?

Victor, my gargoyle, a handout from MOMA featuring one of Tim Burton’s awesome drawings, a painting my daughter did in grade 5, a lava lamp, and my Nikon camera.

How do you handle writers block?

With oven mitts. Kidding. I jump on my trampoline and I blog. Usually in that order.

Visit Clarissa Johal on her website: http://clarissajohal.com/ and blog. http://clarissajohal.blogspot.com/. Stay connected on Facebook http://www.facebook.com/clarissa.johal.9 and Twitter. https://twitter.com/ClarissaJohal

 

 

 

Wenching Tuesday - Samantha Combs

Tuesdays and Thurdays will be devoted to the Wenches of Words...A fun group of authors that will entertain you with their work. 

Today's Wench is Samantha Combs!!!

Waterdancer
by Samantha Combs

For Bailey Wasserman, being Bailey has recently become an incredible challenge. It's not enough that she must come to terms with her mother's new husband, their new life, and a new surfer boyfriend. When she meets her real father for the first time, she discovers a secret family trait that will alter the course of her own life and those she loves…maybe forever.
Bailey and her mom have always met life’s challenges as a team of two, more like best friends than mother and daughter. But her mom’s recent marriage has changed all of that, and having her little brother Landry is the only good Bailey can find in that union. The move to wealthy Del Mar from their humble beginnings has turned Bailey sour, until a chance meeting with surf hottie Jack West. Then Bailey’s father, with his annoying Zen-surfer lingo and a talking turtle he claims is no less than her spirit guardian, reenters her life and threatens the only relationship Bailey thinks is working in her world. She soon finds out that’s not all his arrival will do. His presence and their shared family trait could ultimately force Bailey to make a decision that will alter the course of her own life and those she loves…forever.

Excerpt

My mom dropped me at the edge of the high school driveway. “Honey, are you sure you don’t want me to go in with you?”
I glanced out the window of my mom’s car. Already we were attracting more attention than I wanted. Why did my mom have to park right in front of the school, not at the edge of the parking lot like I’d begged her to? Wasn’t it bad enough that she had married Warren in the first place and plunked me down in the middle of this alien nation like Valentine Smith in Stranger in a Strange Land? It was true, my mom, the former Sharona Wasserman, couldn’t wait to become Mrs. Warren Meyers. But I’d failed to consider the consequences of her marriage at the time. If I had, I would have realized at some point that a man that made as much money as Warren would never want to live in our simple three-bedroom house in Otay Mesa, three miles from the border and a hundred miles from the world he was used to living in. No, the first chance he got, he whisked us away to Del Mar, the most beautiful city I’d ever seen.
I’d learned to love it. It was perfect all summer long, and I went to the beach every day and sometimes didn’t come back to the gorgeous rented condo full of brand new furniture till well past nightfall. Then we all went to restaurants or had take-out, ’cuz Mom hardly cooked anymore, but I had never seen her so happy. I had to admit, my brother seemed pretty happy, too. I could fake my own happiness where appropriate. It didn’t really matter that Warren didn’t seem to like me so much. He loved my mom, and that was all that mattered, wasn’t it?

Buy link:
http://musapublishing.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=5&products_id=376