Birthday Bash-A Present for Readers by Paty Jager

First off, I'm delighted to have been asked to be part of this blog. I enjoy talking about writing, life, and my books and this will be a friendly, chatty place to do it.

This month is my birthday and readers are the ones receiving the present! From June 15th -30th the first book of my Spirit Trilogy, Spirit of the Mountain, will be available or $.99 in ebook format.

2012 Tamkaliks Celebration

The spirit trilogy is my book(s) or the heart. They are set among the Wallowa Nez Perce, a band of Indians that summered and wintered in the county where I grew up. During my childhood, we learned a little about the people how inhabited the valley before the Whiteman, but we only saw them during Chief Joseph Days when there was a rodeo, parade, and carnival. Today, the Wallowa band is purchasing land in the county and putting up interpretive centers. They hold a Friendship feast and powwow, or Tamkaliks(from where you can see the mountains) in July where they have dance contests, sell Native American crafts, and feast. It started as a gathering to bring the Wallowa band back to the county.

The spirit trilogy came to me after editors at a conference said they were looking for historical paranormal romance. I came up with the premise of Nez Perce spirits who traveled about as animals and could take the shape of humans when needed. The oldest is Himiin. He travels about the mountain as a white wolf keeping an eye over the Wallowa band. His brother, Wewukiye, prefers the form of a bull elk. Their younger sister watches over the tribe as a bald eagle. After hundreds of years of watching over the mortals, each one falls in love with a mortal and must face the consequences.

Here is the blurb and an excerpt for Spirit of the Mountain. You can learn more about all the book and the outlets to purchase the books at my website: www.patyjager.net 

A Nez Perce spirit angers the Creator and sacrifices everything to save the mortal maiden he loves.

Wren, the daughter of a Nimiipuu chief, has been fated to save her people ever since her vision quest. When a warrior from the enemy Blackleg tribe asks for her hand in marriage to bring peace between the tribes, her world is torn apart.

Himiin is the spirit of the mountain, custodian to all creatures including the Nimiipuu. As a white wolf he listens to Wren’s secret fears and loses his heart to the mortal maiden. Respecting her people’s beliefs, he cannot prevent her leaving the mountain with the Blackleg warrior.

When an evil spirit threatens Wren’s life, Himiin must leave the mountain to save her. But to leave the mountain means he’ll turn to smoke…

Excerpt

Wren’s eyes glistened with unshed tears. “My gift is to save The People. The weyekin who came to me in my vision quest said this.” She wrapped her arms around herself as if staving off a cold breeze.

Himiin hated that they argued when they should relish their time together. He moved to her, drawing her against his chest, embracing her. The shape of her body molded to his. Her curves pressed against him. Holding her this way flamed the need he’d tried to suppress.

He placed a hand under her chin, raising her face to his. The sorrow in her eyes tugged at his conscience. To make her leaving any harder was wrong. But having experienced her in his arms, he was grieved to let her go. Even for the sake of their people.

Her eyelids fluttered closed. Her pulse quickened under his fingers. Shrugging off the consequences, he lowered his lips to hers. They were softer than he imagined. Her breath hitched as he touched her intimately. Parting his lips, he touched her with his tongue, wanting to see if she tasted as sweet as she smelled.

Honey.

She tasted of sweet honey straight from the bosom of a bee tree.

One taste was not enough. He pulled her closer, moving his lips across hers, tasting and savoring the feel of them.

Her mouth opened and she sighed.

 His body came to life. The sensations transcended anything he’d experienced before. How could one woman make him feel powerful and vulnerable at the same time? Why did he wish to crush her to him and never let go and yet feel compelled to treat her with the tenderness

one would give the tiniest of creatures? He couldn’t continue this way.

To hold her, to touch her soft skin. He would never be able to let her go.

He must.

He released Wren and stepped back, avoiding her eyes. How could he show her the sensations she brought to him then turn around and tell her they couldn’t see one another any more?

“Himiin? Did I do something wrong?” The pain in her voice drew his gaze to her face.

The anguish and fear in her eyes cut through him like a knife.

“You did nothing wrong. It is I. I should not touch you so. It is wrong.” He took one step forward, before remembering he could not touch her and remain sane. “You are spoken for. We should not be together.”

She moved quickly, grasping his hand before he could pull away. “I could not bear to not have you to speak with these last days.” She stroked his hand. “Or to touch.” She placed his hand on her cheek. “I may never feel this touch from the Blackleg.” She kissed his palm. “I wish to have this to remember.”

He growled and pulled her into his arms. “I wish I were the one to touch you so, but I cannot. It is wrong.”

“Why?” She leaned back, studying his face. “I should be the one to say if it is wrong or not. It is my heart, my body. My life.”

“You belong to another. He has spoken.” Himiin released her and took a step back. He should not have shown himself to her as a man. Wewukiye was right.

It complicated things.

Set a reminder to yourself that this book will be on sale starting June 15th. Then enjoy my gift! 

Paty

www.patyjager.net

www.patyjager.blogspot.com

TRIGGERING THE IMAGINATION

By: Ashley Kath-Bilsky



I’m delighted to be a contributing member to the ‘Smart Girls Read Romance’ blog, and so glad you stopped by today. I’ve thought a great deal about what my first post should be about, and decided to focus on one of the most common questions that readers and aspiring authors ask me.

How did you come up with the idea for your book?

I don’t think there is any rhyme or reason to what inspires a plotline or story. The glimmer of an idea can happen anywhere, anytime – often when you least expect it. It could spark from seeing a street sign or (in my case) an old photograph of a little chimney sweep which compelled me as a writer (not to mention a protective mom) to research the outrageous practice of forcing small children to sweep chimneys, particularly during 18th and 19th century England.


The hopeless plight of these young children, and the knowledge of how dangerous and deadly their lives had been, prompted me to include this horrific practice in my award-winning first novel, The Sense of Honor.

Music also inspires me and plays an important role in the creative process while I’m writing. I know some writers who must work in complete silence, no distractions whatsoever. Other authors can write anywhere, including noisy coffee shops. I prefer solitude and always retreat up three flights to my writing loft in the attic. Surrounded by my research books, I light a scented candle and listen to music. Because I write historical fiction, I love listening to Baroque Classical or music from the time period in which my book is set. I also listen a great deal to motion picture soundtracks and have added quite a few to my library. Think about how much music enhances a film on so many levels. Well, I find movie soundtracks also help immerse me into the world of my book. Instrumental music brilliantly scored to embellish a film not only conveys various moods and even fears of the characters, but sets the tone for scene transitions, as well as the powerful, emotional, dramatic or very dark moments.


Very often places inspire a writer. For my latest book, a sensuous time travel romance titled Whisper in the Wind, the proverbial ‘what if’ idea that triggered my imagination happened as I rode a vintage steam train with my children from Grapevine, Texas to the Fort Worth Stockyards National Historic District. As we walked about the Stockyards, it was very much like stepping back in time. The seed of such a fantastic possibility blossomed into something so vivid in my imagination it had to become a book.

The Fort Worth Stockyards not only inspired Whisper in the Wind, it provided the starting point for heroine Molly Magee’s adventure through time. However, I still needed some device to initiate the process, something so powerful it would cause an unexpected chain reaction. I decided upon the ‘Irresistible Force Paradox’ where an unstoppable force and immovable object collide and conjure a compelling far reaching result.

Living in Texas where the weather can change dramatically in a matter of moments, nature would provide the irresistible force. I then needed to locate a seemingly safe, immovable object. The pieces of my puzzle came together when I found an abandoned subterranean tunnel in the Stockyards. Here is a photograph of that tunnel and an excerpt from a pivotal scene from Whisper in the Wind.


EXCERPT FROM: WHISPER IN THE WIND©

Dear God, please protect me and get me home.

At once, a peculiar calm settled about Molly. It may not have been the voice of God, but it gave her precious seconds to look for suitable cover. Spotting the wooden structure where old cattle pens and chutes led to shops and restaurants near the depot, she lifted her hoop skirt above her knees and ran. Before she could reach it, the wind returned as if mocking her attempt to find safety, battering the building with savage intensity.

Winding corrals and wooden pens, already a rickety labyrinth under normal circumstances, offered no resistance against the brutal force of nature. Aged timbers creaked and broke apart like toothpicks. Glass window panes shattered with terrifying ferocity.

Desperate, she looked about and spied an old three-sided wooden fence near a gnarled oak tree. Having explored every nook and cranny of the Stockyards as a child, she remembered what the fence once guarded.

Please let it still be there.

Debris sailed passed her head, prompting Molly to scream. She stumbled and fell several times, struggling against a malevolent opposing wind. When, at last, she’d reached the oak tree, hope blossomed in her heart. Although the fence quickly broke apart, faded red bricks still marked the entrance to the old Pig and Sheep Subway, a subterranean tunnel once used to lead smaller stock to underground holding pens.

With no other option for cover, Molly followed the descending path. At mid-point in the tunnel, she crouched down; her hoop skirt billowed like a graceful blue mushroom cap. There, shaking with terror, she covered her face with her hands and prayed.

The horrific sound of the wind seemed never-ending; the rumbling of a freight train always associated with tornadoes and something more—a disturbing and distinctive high-pitched whistle that penetrated her body and soul like a powerful current of electricity. The piercing noise, combined with an unrelenting pounding of the earth made it seem as if the world was coming to an end. Terrified the tunnel would collapse and bury her alive, Molly trembled—unable to move or dare open her eyes.

Caught in a whirlwind of death, and air so clouded with dirt she could barely breathe, Molly feared that just like her life over the past six months, she would die alone.



For more information about Whisper in the Wind, here is the back cover blurb.

BACK COVER BLURB:

When Molly Magee is suddenly swept back in time, she finds herself in the Old West with gunslingers, high stakes gamblers, Victorian ideology toward women, and a Pinkerton detective named Jordan Blake. As she tries to understand what happened to her and find a way home, danger seems to follow her at every turn. Survival is a daily challenge, but it's a hundred times worse when--to avoid answering questions from a persistent and seductive Pinkerton--she fakes amnesia. She soon realizes the biggest threat of all is the one Jordan Blake poses to her heart.

Jordan Blake has lost everyone he's ever loved. As a Pinkerton detective and former Texas Ranger, Jordan has become a cynic about people and justice, and is ready to walk away from a life that has lost its meaning. He never knew that a prayer whispered in the wind would bring him an angel of mercy, and a love he'd never hoped to find.

From the open splendor of 1885 Texas to dark decadence and murder in New Orleans, Molly and Jordan learn that when fate takes a hand, finding the love of your life is often just a matter of...Time.



Thanks for stopping by and remember to leave a comment for your chance to win a signed print copy of Whisper in the Wind. This sensuous time travel romance made its debut on Amazon's Best Seller List for Time Travel Romance Books and Time Travel Romance Kindle Paid. It is also available in digital format on Apple iBook/iPad, Nook, Kobo, Sony Reader, and Smashwords.


Ashley Kath-Bilsky is a best-selling, award-winning author of Historical Romance with Mystery/Suspense and/or Paranormal, Time Travel elements. She also writes Historical Gothic Young Adult fiction. For more information about Ashley, visit her at:
Website: www.ashleykathbilsky.com
Twitter: www.twitter.com/AKathBilsky
Facebook: www.facebook.com/pages/Ashley-Kath-Bilsky/302554710513

Rethinking A Storyline? 

In 2011 when I penned Running To You, I really intended on including a serious storyline involving my lead character, Alexandra, that was completely out of the norm for medical issues commonly included in romance novels. 

In character, Alexandra lost her mom to breast cancer at the age of 12. She grew up without a motherly figure in her life and with an absent father, who buried himself in his company. The staff practically raised her. After college, she went on to sell medical devices to surgeons performing surgeries in the Breast Cancer field. 

The storyline that I scrapped included Alexandra having the test for the Breast Cancer Gene (known as BRCA I and BRCA II) because her mother had the disease and could’ve potentially passed the gene to her. Her test would’ve turned up positive, indicating her very high risk for developing breast cancer. It would’ve been discovered during her pregnancy and a turning point in her relationship with her boyfriend, Grayson, who just happened to be a surgeon, performing mostly breast cancer surgeries. 

Why would this be important and who would care, you might ask? 

In my real life, I sell products for the diagnosis and treatment of breast cancer, a disease that has probably affected someone you know. It is a subject that is near and dear to my heart, since I have devoted over 20 years in this arena. At the time the novel was written, I wanted to write a medical romance, but I also wanted to use the opportunity to touch the reader in another way, a way that was real and relatable, but different and possibly new to readers. 

During beta reads of Running To You, the feedback provided to me indicated that the readers didn’t really understand the premise of having the BRCA tests performed and therefore, didn’t relate to it. So, I made the tough decision to scrap that part of the material and refocus the storyline a different direction. 

Fast forward to May 16, 2013

Angelina Jolie announces that she recently underwent a preventative double mastectomy in Feb. 2013 because she tested positive to the BRCA genetic testing, confirming that she carried the Breast Cancer gene. It was discovered that her risk of developing Breast Cancer was greater than 85%. Removing her breast decreased her likelihood of developing the disease by over 80%. (In an effort not to plagiarize prior writings, please see her story at http://www.cnn.com/2013/05/14/showbiz/angelina-jolie-double-mastectomy .) 

I’m very inspired by Angelina’s strength to be proactive in her health and more than likely, the most difficult decision she has ever made. I am even more in awe of her ability to undergo such public awareness and applaud her for her motivation and tenacity. I’m certain that her story will reach millions and influence many women to undergo the tests and feel confident about seeking further treatment, with the attitude “if Angelina can do it, I can do it.” I also applaud Brad Pitt for standing beside her and making a very public commitment to love her with or without breasts.

The recent events leave me revisiting my thoughts about my storyline.  At the time, I didn’t believe readers would’ve understood what it meant for my character to undergo treatment of removing her breast prophylactically for carrying the breast cancer gene and how this would affect her in such a profound way or how it would fit into the couple’s relationship.

In the future, I won’t be so timid about stepping out of the norm with my storylines. After all, we don’t want to read the same things over and over. My passion for all-things-pink haven’t gone away. Who knows, maybe the storyline will appear in another form in another story along my writing journey.

Up until two weeks ago, this storyline of genetic testing wasn’t a normal everyday conversation. Now, it’s epic! Cheers to Angelina for coming forward and graciously educating women everywhere! 

Hugs,

DeLaine

 

Author of Contemporary Romance

The Running Series:

Book 1: Running To You- now available in paperback and ebook at all major retailers.

Book2: Two Sides of a Heartbeat- expected Summer 2013

Book 3: Chasing Air- expected Fall 2013

Book 4: Forgiveness Creek- expected Holidays 2013

 

 

One lucky person commenting today today will receive an autographed copy of Running To You, released April 28th and a little bit of swag to go with it. All commenters will be entered to win the drawing for a Kindle Fire Giveaway at the end of June.

 

Follow DeLaine at:

@delaineroberts

Facebook: DeLaine.Roberts Author

delaineroberts.blogspot.com

www.delaineroberts.com

 

You did...WHAT?!?

By Ellie James

His bound wrists would prevent him from using his arms to swim, but with his hands holding onto the wood, at least he could keep himself afloat while he kicked. Fifty yards. He could do that.

He grabbed the branch, ran to the dock, and dove into the dark, brutal current.

            Hmmm.  Would that work? Is it possible to make your way across a swollen river wearing handcuffs? It sure seemed possible, especially for the resourceful, tough-as-nails Sandro, but I couldn’t let myself run with the scene, not until I knew. So I did what any dedicated writer would do: I brought rope to my husband and asked him to tie my wrists together. Yeah, I got a look at that, but he (quite happily I might add) obliged, and off I went to the backyard. My husband quietly followed. I found a 2x4 to play the role of the stick, then jumped into the deep end of the pool, fully clothed (couldn’t wear a swimsuit, since poor Sandro didn’t have that luxury.)  Then I swam. Kind of.  Holding the wood beneath my chest, I kept my head above water and kicked my way to safety, and voila! Presto! I had my answer: If I could do it, surely my fantasy guy Sandro could. Dilemma solved!

            Research. Sometimes there are no shortcuts.

The Internet is a writer’s best friend. While the thought of research can send you straight back to school and that term paper you didn’t want to write, the reality is getting the facts straight is critical. (Just be careful you don’t end up on the FBI watch list. That’s happened!) We all love making stuff up, but you can’t say a heroine can free herself from being duct-taped to a chair just because you want her to. You need to know if that’s possible. That’s the challenge bestselling author Virginia Kantra faced when she decided to duct-tape herself to her office chair to make sure she really could free herself. Um…she couldn’t. And it wasn’t even noon yet, DH was at work, the kids at school, the phone across the room. So there she sat, in her office, bound to her chair as minutes dragged into hours. Finally her teenage son came home, followed her voice to her office, and walked in on something he’d never imagined walking in on! I would have loved to have seen the look on his face!  Fortunately, being a writer’s son, he immediately deduced that he hadn’t walked in on a home invasion, but rather, his mom doing what all good writers do. Research.

But sometimes research means leaving the house. How else do you find out if it’s possible to escape while handcuffed to a police cruiser?  When romance author Diana Duncan found herself in line at Starbucks behind a uniformed cop, she immediately seized the opportunity to solve a key plot problem. Thrilled, Diana struck up a dialog with the cop and soon found herself out in the parking lot being handcuffed to his car, while her horrified teenage daughter looked on.

For my current YA series, the Midnight Dragonfly books, there’s not one New Orleans locale that I haven’t explored myself, including a late night sprint from Bourbon Street to the levee, to see how fast you could feasibly get from one place to the other. I’ve sat with the psychics and had my palm read, and I’ve climbed the fences and hidden behind trees and…um….sorta gone somewhere no one was supposed to go.  I can’t say where, but the second I learned about This Certain Place, abandoned since Hurricane Katrina, I knew it was perfect for a crucial dramatic sequence. And despite the abundance of YouTube videos about This Certain Place, I knew I had to make a visit myself. I needed to see the swamp encroaching upon the parking lot and the chain link fence (to make sure it could be climbed), the abandoned buildings and…well, I can’t say what else I needed to see, except whether it was true that certain objects were still there after over five years of abandonment. I needed to breathe the air and smell the decay. I needed to see the graffiti and feel the despair.

And I did.

And it was amazing.

I was scared to death, but that’s okay. Knowing that, how frightening it was to be there, how many places there were to hide, the realization that there were probably others there, hiding—watching—only enabled me to add that much more authenticity to the scenes.

And that’s what it’s all about. Authenticity.

I do have to add that not all research involves risking your life (or breaking the law). When I first started writing Shattered Dreams, I researched the most popular brands of jeans among teenage girls, and found myself in a Buckle store to see for myself. The next thing you know, I’ve been fitted for my own awesome pair of Big Stars!! 

Research definitely has its perks, the more extreme the better.

 You can follow Ellie on Facebook at: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Midnight-Dragonfly-Books-by-Ellie-James/154988421236309

Remember to leave a comment to receive a copy of one of Ellie's Dragonfly series. You'll still be eligible for the Kindle Fire HD Tablet.

Did you know in Florida, SINGLE GIRLS CAN'T JUMP? #Giveaway

Character Interview: Shelley Clark
Star of

Single Girls Can't Jump

by Jacquie Rogers

Welcome to Smart Girls Read Romance!

For my debut post, I've interviewed Shelley Clark, star of the short story, Single Girls Can't Jump, set a thousand years in the future.  It's a wild, romantic adventure and hey, there are bounty hunters!

Back cover copy

Activist Shelley Clark parachutes out of a plane to protest a silly Florida law prohibiting single women from skydiving on Sundays, and makes a hard landing a thousand years into the future. In jail!  Can she trust the sexy rebel, Kael Gibson, who busts her out?  And how about Kael's mom, who's decided Shelley would make the perfect daughter-in-law.  Kael agrees, and now wants to trap Shelley in another form of imprisonment--marriage!

Interview
Jacquie: How long have you been skydiving, and what got you started?

Shelley: I've been jumping since I was sixteen, every weekend, and then I got a job with a skydiving company where I trained people for their first jump, so even though I'm not that old, I have a lot of experience under my belt.

What got me started?  Well, I was sixteen and my boyfriend wanted to give skydiving a try, so I went with him.  He chickened out but I jumped--and was it ever exhilarating!  We broke up that same day, and I went back to the airstrip and begged for another go.

Jacquie: About your boyfriends--seems like you've been unlucky in love.

Shelley:  Most of them want my undivided attention but I have other things to do, and to be honest, I wouldn't want a man who didn't have convictions himself.  If he has no passion for anything else, how can he have passion for me?  At any rate, I wasn't at all surprised when my boyfriend (at the time of the accident), slurped up as much attention as he could.  We wouldn't have been dating much longer anyway.

Jacquie:  What was it like waking up a thousand years in the future?

Shelley:  Whoa, talk about trippy.  It took me a while to figure out what the deal is.  Things were the same but very different, too.

Jacquie:  Do you prefer the future? or contemporary?

Shelley:  The world doesn't make any more sense in the future than it did in my own time, so the answer to that is wherever Kael is, the scenery is better. [big grin]

Jacquie:  Are you planning to star in any more stories?

Shelley:  I have no plans at this time, but if Hollywood calls...

Shelley's off getting into more trouble so let's take a look at what others are saying about Single Girls Can't Jump.

Reviews

FIVE STARS! Every state has old laws that have been almost forgotten because they are outdated. Yet, legally, they are still laws. (For example, in Florida it is illegal to tie an alligator to a fire hydrant.) This story is based on one of Florida’s inane laws and at times I could not resist shaking my head in wonder. This tale was originally published in an anthology (No Law Against Love); however, this version has been edited for even more fun. 

Jacquie Rogers is an author with eclectic taste and showcases this variety in her writings. Packed with romance, excitement, and sass, this adventure has something for everyone. 

~~ Detra Fitch, Huntress Reviews

Have you heard ridiculous laws that leave you wondering not only why they were ever passed, but also why they are still on the books? Obviously Jacquie Rogers has in her tongue-in-cheek comedy SINGLE GIRLS CAN'T JUMP. This delightful short story will leave you laughing. Shelly is determined to protest a law preventing single women from parachuting on Sundays. Unfortunately, her plan sends her a thousand years into the future. Well, not so unfortunately, because she meets a truly heroic hunk who shares her ideals. His mother is a corker and totally fun. This short story is a fast-paced fun read that is sure to please. I'm so glad I read it. I will undoubtedly reread it when I need a smile. 

~~ Caroline Clemmons, author of the Men of Stone Mountain series

Win a Kindle version of

Single Girls Can't Jump

All you have to do is leave a comment!  Be sure to include your email address.

Drawing will be held June 7 at 9pm Pacific Time.

And you'll also be entered in the Kindle Fire drawing at the end of the month.

All Smart Girls Read Romance commenters are eligible!

Smart Girls Star In Video by Joan Reeves

Good morning! Just back from the Texas Hill Country and facing a week of hard work. So, of course, it's time to procrastinate. What better way to procrastinate than to play around on the Internet?

Get better acquainted with this blog's authors by watching the video that stars them! Take a look so you can match a name with a face. Next month I'll embed the video at the bottom of the sidebar.

Enjoy!

WELCOME TO SMART GIRLS READ ROMANCE!

Grand Prize for June 30th!

To celebrate our Grand Opening, we are offering prizes every-other day during the month of June to those who leave comments. On June 30, a Grand Prize winner will be selected from the comments to win a KINDLE FIRE HD 7” with Dolby Audio , Dual Band Wi-Fi, and 16GB.

We're kicking off our giveaways today with an e-copy of TABITHA’S JOURNEY, a western historical romance novella by Caroline Clemmons. (Description near end of today’s post.) *Just leave your email with your comment to be included in the drawing. Also, if you follow this blog with the form you’ll find on the sidebar beneath our author photos, that counts as 2 extra entries!

MEET THE AUTHORS

Anna Jeffrey is an award winning author of steamy mainstream contemporary romance loaded with strong characters. Her latest novel, THE TYCOON, SONS OF TEXAS BOOK 1, is set in the Fort Worth area and is the first of a family saga. Her previous novels are set in Idaho and Texas. Those include LOVE OF A LAWMAN, LOVE OF A STRANGER, LOVE OF A COWBOY, SWEET WATER, SWEET RETURN, and SALVATION, TEXAS. She is also half the writing team of the Dixie Cash series.

Ashley Kath-Bilsky’s first novel, A SENSE OF HONOR, is set during the English Regency period and won numerous awards, including being voted #109 of the 1001 Best Books Ever Written. Her current release is the sensual western time travel set in Texas, A WHISPER IN THE WIND, and also garnered awards.

Beth Trissel is an award winning author of historical and paranormal romance. Her historical romances often contain a kernel harvested from her family’s rich history in Virginia’s beautiful Shenandoah Valley and include RED BIRD’S SONG, THROUGH THE FIRE, and KIRA, DAUGHTER OF THE MOON and more. Her acclaimed Somewhere paranormal series includes SOMEWHERE MY LOVE, SOMEWHERE MY LASS, and SOMEWHERE THE BELLS RING.

Brenda Chitwood is writing the humorous romantic cozy mystery Cookie Devereau series. Brenda also devotes a great deal of time to her local writers chapter, of which she is a charter member.

Caroline Clemmons is an award-winning and bestselling Amazon author of numerous contemporary and historical western romances plus a couple of mysteries. Her latest release is the sweet novella TABITHA’S JOURNEY, a spin off from the sensual Men of Stone Mountain series that includes BRAZOS BRIDE, HIGH STAKES BRIDE, and BLUEBONNET BRIDE. Her upcoming fall release is sensual THE MOST UNSUITABLE COURTSHIP, Book 3 in the Kincaid series.

Carra Copelin is an award-winning author putting the finishing edits on the contemporary romance, CODE OF HONOR, the first in her Code series due to be released this summer.  

DeLaine Roberts writes contemporary romance. Her current release is RUNNING TO YOU, the first of her Running series.

Ellie James is the author of the acclaimed and amazing young adult Dragonfly series for St. Martins. Those include HAUNTED DESTINY, BROKEN ILLUSIONS, and FRAGILE DARKNESS. Visit her website for a walk where her heroine treads.

Geri Foster is the award winning author of the sexy, action-adventure, romantic suspense Falcon Securities series. Her first two books are OUT OF THE DARK and OUT OF THE SHADOWS. Soon to be released are OUT OF NOWHERE and the novella OUT OF THE PAST.

Jacquie Rogers is an award-winning author who writes an eclectic mix of western historical, fantasy, and young adult. Her lastest releases are the fun-packed western historical Hearts of Owyhee series: MUCH ADO ABOUT MARSHALS, MUCH ADO ABOUT MADAMS, and MUCH ADO ABOUT MAVERICKS. She has also co-authored two non-fiction books for writers, NAIL IT! and GROWING YOUR AUDIENCE.

Joan Reeves says: “It’s never too late to live happily ever after.” She proves that with a slew of fun-filled, sensual romance series: The Lingerie Covers; San Antone Two-Step; The Good, The Bad, and The Girly; and Texas One-Night Stands. She also has authored two non-fiction books of memoirs and personal essays. Her latest release is SCENTS AND SENSUALITY, a romantic comedy filled with strong, lovable characters.

Paty Jager is an award winning author of western historical romance, Native American paranormal romance, and romantic mysteries. Her latest releases are the Isabella Mumphrey romantic mysteries, SECRET OF A MAYAN MOON and SECRETS OF AN AZTEC TEMPLE. She has also released a boxed set of two of her historical romances, WESTERN DUETS, VOLUME I, which contains SHANGHAIED HEARTS and LAST STAND FOR LOVE.  Paty is a prolific author whose books garner frequent accolades.

Vonnie Davis says, “Love is a single syllable with infinite emotion.” Vonnie is the award-winning author of STORM’S INTERLUDE; MONA LISA’S ROOM: BOOK 1, RED HAND CONSPIRACY; RAIN IS A LOVE SONG: BOOK 2 RED HAND CONSPIRACY; and the novellas THOSE VIOLET EYES, TUMBLEWEED HEARTS, WHEN PAISLEY MEETS PLAID, and BACK WHERE YOU BELONG.

Now you know a little more about us. Here’s something about today’s prize, TABITHA’S JOURNEY.

Would you become a mail-order bride?

Tabitha Masterson is certain whatever awaits her in Radford Springs, Texas will be better than what her brother and that awful William have in mind in Boston. After her father’s death, her brother has become a tyrant. She escapes to begin her new life in Texas, but trouble can’t be far behind. She believes if she’s married when trouble arrives, she’ll be safe. But her fiancé is reluctant to accept her as a substitute for the mail-order bride he’d courted.

Bear Baldwin is crushed when he receives a wire notifying him that the woman with whom he has corresponded for almost a year has passed him off to her friend. Do the two women believe he’s like an old shirt to be handed down? His mother urges him to give the substitute fiancée a chance, but his pride is stung and he hasn’t decided.

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