Iris Wynne
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BUCCANEER BEAUTY BY VIOLA RUSSELL

7/19/2015

3 Comments

 
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I would like to welcome Viola Russell and congratulations on your   release of 
'Buccaneer Beauty'.

What inspired you to become a writer?

Writing Inspiration:

 
Several things have inspired me to write, but the first time I really decided I’d be a writer was when I read Little Women.  My mother and I would read it together.  It was her favorite book; she wanted me to love it as much as she did.  Well, she was right about my attachment to the book. I loved the March girls, especially Jo. I read that book and thought I was Jo March.

 

These days, I write historical fiction and contemporary romance, and I approach them differently. Historical romance/fiction requires a lot of research.  I started to write historical fiction after my mother died.  As I went through her papers, I found letters her brothers had written from Germany and Japan. More than anything, I wanted to tell that story.  I began researching and writing and didn’t stop for over 400 pages.  That was my first historical work, which will soon e re-issued by Soul Mate Publishing.  My recent release, Buccaneer Beauty, is the story of Grainne (Grace) OMalley, the 1500s Irish pirate. As a woman of Irish descent, I have always been intrigued by Irish heritage and the Irish struggle.  Grace’s story was extremely interesting to me. She knew when to manipulate but when to fight as well.  She was a woman who forged her own rules in a time when women were thought less than men. This novel also has a great deal of swashbuckling adventure as well as bodice ripping!



Book Blurb:
Buccaneer Beauty is the story of Grace, Grainne, O’Malley, the beautiful daughter of a powerful Irish chieftain and a conventional mother.  At the age of eleven, Grainne cuts her hair and sneaks aboard her father’s galley ship, determined to follow a life at sea and to seek the company of a handsome Scottish gallowglass, Bruce Donnel.  Grainne proves herself a budding warrior when Spanish marauders invade her father’s vessel, but her parents have other plans for her.  Though she proves an able sailor, Grainne is forced to marry Donal O’Flaherty, another powerful chieftain. Though enamored of Bruce Donnel, she nonetheless obeys her parents and proves an able helpmate to her violent and rash husband, continuing her own adventures at sea while raising children and supervising her husband’s home.  Her heart, however, still belongs to a handsome Scot who she can never have. 

 

Upon Donal’s death by ambush, Grainne continues her adventures along the Irish coast and Europe, secretly battling England’s growing power in her country.  Alternately sleeping with the devil or manipulating the British authorities to her own ends, Grainne is determined to save her family and people from the tyranny imposed upon them by England. To make her family stronger, she weds Richard Bourke, one of the most powerful men in the region, but she can never forget Bruce Donnel and the passion he incited within her soul.  Richard proves Grainne’s most stalwart supporter and she his, their minds and bodies uniting in an almost mystical union. Together, they faced the English with no fear—with only audacity and boundless courage.  Still, the shadow of a youthful gallowglass intrudes on Grainne’s peace.   

3 Comments

Summer FLING By M J Compton

7/12/2015

2 Comments

 
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Summer FLING is now available on Amazon.  So please welcome
MJ Compton and enjoy reading about her Summer FLING!


                                                                             
SUMMER FLING

By MJ Compton

HOOK

Caroline Maplethorpe’s respectable life is threatened when the man who shared her secret past as a plaything to a minor league baseball team reappears with demands she’s not sure she can satisfy.

BLURB

Caroline Maplethorpe spent a summer as plaything for a minor league baseball team…and oh, how Win Winston played. Seven years later, she’s respectable, and he’s in the big leagues. Now that he’s found her again, he still wants her in a major way. But their second-chance relationship attracts too much publicity, and the third member of their long-ago fling threatens to destroy the respectable life Caroline so carefully reconstructed after that crazy summer.

Please welcome M J Compton on her new release.
Excerpt


I never thought the indiscretions of my youth would return to bite me in the butt by walking through the door of the Susie Buddha Café in Syracuse’s trendy Armory Square district, but they did. Or rather, one did. Winslow Winthrop Winston the Whatever, commonly known as Win.

I don’t know if I lost my ability to breathe because I was terrified he’d recognize and expose me or because he was just so darned good-looking. Probably the result of both. Win had always had a paralyzing effect on me.

Chuck somebody or other, one of the Syracuse Saltboilers baseball team board members, accompanied Win. They headed straight for our table.

There was no escape. Life as I knew it was about to end.

“James!” Chuck greeted my father.

Dad stood, shook Chuck’s hand, and then turned to Win. “Welcome to Syracuse and the Saltboilers, Winston.”

Win’s gaze, however, fixed on me. “Carrie? Carrie Thorpe?”

I held my breath. It had been seven years. Surely I’d changed enough that Win couldn’t be certain of my identity. “Caroline Maplethorpe,” I corrected in a tight voice.

That might have been the end of it except for my father’s ego. People don’t usually ignore him. He liked to think of himself as the George Steinbrenner of Triple-A Baseball, even though he owned only a few shares of the Saltboilers. And Win had ignored him.

“Do you know Caroline?” Dad asked.

I blinked and waited to see what Win would say.

Chuck interrupted. “Win, this is James Maplethorpe, one of the Saltboilers’ shareholders.”

Win’s gaze jerked away from me and focused on Dad. “Nice to meet you, sir,” he said as he gripped Dad’s hand.

“Why don’t you join us?” Dad invited. “Then you can tell me how you know my daughter.” He looked around the table, as if searching for an empty seat or two.

Of course, there weren’t any. Dad had called us all together for this dinner meeting at the minuscule Susie Buddha Café, and there was barely room for the ten of us at the table.

I briefly thought about vacating my chair. I already didn’t want to be at a family dinner. Win’s appearance put the cherry on my resentment.

“We don’t want to intrude,” Chuck said.

Win nodded at me, and the two of them continued to a tiny table crammed into a remote corner of the café.

“How do you know Win Winston?” my father asked me once the other men were out of earshot.

I picked up my glass of water and sipped. I couldn’t tell him the truth, especially not with the entire family and its satellites sitting there. Waiting. “What makes you think I know him? He didn’t even get my name right.”

I glanced at Chandler Goodeve, my date for the evening. He seemed unperturbed. He was one of the Blandroids, the men our father had chosen for my sisters and me. Beige hair, beige eyes, beige skin, well-bred, and boring. Even their names were banal: Brandon Cummings, Andrew Armstrong, and Chandler Goodeve. The Blandroids.

I wondered what it would take to provoke a reaction from Chandler. Setting him on fire? A knee in the privates?

My answer seemed to satisfy my father. At least he dropped the subject. We were supposed to be having dinner to plan a tribute to my mother during the Syracuse Saltboilers baseball game on Mother’s Day. The Saltboilers always staged their Breast Cancer Awareness Day promotion on Mother’s Day. Dad decided the Kathryn Maplethorpe Foundation should participate. Dear old Dad would do anything to make himself look good to the community. Never mind the truth. As long as the result reflected positively on James Maplethorpe, he was content.

My old resentment against him preened for a moment. Then I reminded myself I’d outgrown my rebellious teenage furor, and I was a civilized woman now. I might never forgive Dad for what he’d done, but he was still my father. And I loved him.

Besides, I had bigger things to worry about. Like Win Winston showing up in Syracuse.

My head throbbed. My appetite fled. I forced myself to ignore the twosome at the corner table. For all of Syracuse’s size—one of New York State’s “Big Five”—it’s an incredibly small town. Six degrees of Kevin Bacon could take lessons. If Win was pitching for the Saltboilers…

“What’s wrong?” my sister Victoria whispered in my ear when the server whisked away our salad plates. Across the table, my younger sister, Alexandra, watched me with solemn eyes.

I shook my head and made sure I smiled. “I don’t know why Dad has to make a big production.”

“To assuage his guilty conscience,” Victoria assured me.

She and I were close, but even she didn’t know everything about me, especially about the summer I’d met Win. That was my secret. My shame.

I glanced around the table, wondering what these people would think if they knew the truth about me. My father would blow a gasket. Polly, my stepmother, would be shocked. Her mother, Marsha Lee, would smirk and gloat. Victoria would be appalled. Alexandra would be curious. Polly’s brother, Marc, would want the prurient details, and the Blandroids would probably not react at all. They were expected to merely marry James Maplethorpe’s daughters and be appropriate husbands, as long as they used my father’s definition of “appropriate.”

Winslow Winthrop Winston the Whatever—and yeah, “whatever” really was part of his name—had it in his power to expose all my secrets and destroy the life I’d so carefully pulled back together after that summer. The summer I went crazy. It had been seven years, but there is no statute of limitations on shame.
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MJ Bio

MJ Compton grew up near Cardiff, New York, a place best known for its giant, which inspired her to create her own fiction.

Although her 30-year career in local television included such highlights as being bitten by a lion, preempting a US President for a college basketball game, giving a three-time world champion boxer a few black eyes, a mention in the Drudge Report, and meeting her husband, MJ never lost her dream of writing her own stories.

MJ still lives in upstate New York with her husband. She’s a member of Romance Writers of America and Central New York Romance Writers. Music and cooking are two of her passions, and she enjoys baseball and college basketball, but she’s primarily focused on wine . . . and writing.


Buy Links:

MJ COMPTON LINKS

Website & Blog www.comptonplations.com

Twitter https://twitter.com/Comptonplations

Facebook https://www.facebook.com/AuthorMJCompton

Pinterest  https://www.pinterest.com/compton4555/

Tsu http://www.tsu.co/mj_compton

Tumblr http://comptonplations.tumblr.com/

Goodreads https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/8075221.M_J_Compton

Amazon Author Page: http://www.amazon.com/MJ-Compton/e/B00J9DFFIG/ref=ntt_athr_dp_pel_1

 

SUMMER FLING

LOOSE ID http://www.loose-id.com/summer-fling.html

ALL ROMANCE EBOOKS http://www.allromanceebooks.com/product-summerfling-1797313-149.html

AMAZON http://www.amazon.com/Summer-Fling-MJ-Compton-ebook/dp/B00X6EDJ82/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1432685480&sr=8-2&keywords=summer+fling

BARNES & NOBLE http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/summer-fling-m-j-compton/1121879015?ean=9781623009151

GOOGLE PLAY HtTps://play.google.com/store/books/details/MJ_Compton_Summer_Fling?id=MaH1CAAAQBAJ/

Ibooks https://itunes.apple.com/us/book/summer-fling/id992251460?mt=114

KOBO https://store.kobobooks.com/en-US/ebook/summer-fling-8
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My Book 'The Missing Mah Jongg Player ' is now available

5/23/2015

1 Comment

 
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I am pleased to announce my book debut, 

The Missing Mah Jongg Player. 
You can order below through Amazon.

You will also find my blurb , excerpt and a small bio. 
Thank you for dropping by!



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Blurb

Steve Wade is an ex cop with an ex-wife and girlfriends he could never commit to. Now he’s a private investigator known for his knack in solving crimes.

This handsome private eye never has a problem finding clients. His newest case involves five frantic Mah Jongg players who are in search of one of their players who disappeared after meeting a man on an online dating site.

Steve Wade is reluctant to take the case. He believes she is just another woman not wanting to be found. But the women are insistent that their missing Mah Jongg player did not vanish on her own. In the meantime, they organize a Valentine’s speed dating gig inviting all the suspects who dated Marilou Dickson, the missing Mah Jongg player, in an attempt to find out what happened to her.

As he watches the dinner play out he begins to realize she may not have gone willingly when all the suspects are presented before him. He even hires his sometime drop dead gorgeous girlfriend for the event to lure the culprit out into the open. Steve just hopes no one goes home with a potential killer.

He has to work fast when the case begins to unravel as lies and betrayal become evident and the truth of what happened to the missing player becomes clear. Will he be able to find the suspect before they choose another victim? This may be his biggest challenge yet.

Excerpt


Marilou Dickson was sitting at the bar, sixty miles away from Toronto on a Saturday night waiting for her date. The only problem was she didn’t know who he was. She got in touch with him on an online dating site and his picture looked great, even though he was much younger than her. A full head of dark hair, straight nose, large hazel eyes and great abs from a previous picture he sent her. She imagined his strong arms wrapped around her as he made love to her. She was tired of being alone as age and beauty were slowly taking its toll while drinking and smoking was becoming an obsession that a good man could help her control.

The noise in the bar was unbearable and she was dying for a cigarette. At least in the old days before cell phones and Internet, you could smoke. The place was packed with pretty girls in floozy outfits, some displaying unwanted flesh. Youth could get away with many things and the sleazier you got, the more attention from the men.

It was like that years ago before marriage and grown kids.

Her phone buzzed which made her spill her drink on her new gold cashmere sweater.

“Damn!” she said.

“May I buy you another drink?”

She looked up and there was her man, looking better in person.

“Hi!” she said tying not to slur her words.

“Let’s get out of here,” he whispered to her.

“What about my drink?”

“Let’s go to my place.” He smiled as his white teeth flashed at her.

She wanted to stay here and enjoy the bar and perhaps dance. She wasn’t ready to go to his place yet. She sighed and smiled up at him.

“Why don’t we just stay here?”

“You’ll get too drunk.”

She grinned at him, thrilled that he should be so concerned about her. Her phone buzzed again. She gave him a shrug.

“Sorry–I may as well answer this or I’ll never hear the end of it.”

She was going to tell him her friends were worried about her, warned her about going out with strangers–blah-blah. She decided not to say anything. She noticed that his hair was an unnatural black hue, almost like a wig. She wouldn’t care less if he was bald–didn’t men understand that? His glasses were tinted unable to really see the color of his eyes. Something in the pit of her stomach was telling her something was off. She answered her phone walking a distance away from him and the bar. He was watching her though, his look almost a leer. Perhaps it was because she was drunk that she thought this. Nevertheless she would not leave alone and go back into an empty house especially on a Saturday night.

“Marilou is that you?” Harriet said, her voice full of concern.

“What’s up, I’m in the middle of a date.”

“Just checking to see if you’re okay.”

“I’m fine really, you don’t have to worry.”

“Where are you?”

“Outside of Toronto.”

“What!”

“Harriet, I’m a big girl.”

She glanced over at him. He bought a drink and was sipping it rather quickly. He was watching her so she waved to him.

“What does he look like?”

“I don’t know, he’s wearing a dark wig and glasses.”

“Marilou, that is not a good sign.”

Harriet could hear a deep voice asking her friend something.”

“Gotta go Harriet, see you Monday night.”

There was a click and the line went dead.

BIO

Iris Wynne is a book lover, a day dreamer and a hopeless romantic. She is a writer of cozy mysteries with an element of romance. She is a mother of two girls and in her spare time she dog walks, plays golf in the summer and of course grabs a game of Mah Jongg whenever she can. ‘The Missing Mah Jongg Player’ is her book debut.
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Cover Release for Son of the Moonless Night

5/13/2015

6 Comments

 
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Today I would like to introduce author C.D. Hersh's new novel and cover release.

 

Title – Son of the Moonless Night, The Turning Stone Chronicles, book three

Author – C.D. Hersh

Genre – Paranormal Suspense Romance

Heat Level - Sensual

Release Date: May 27,  2015

 



Thrust back into the world of paranormal huntress, Deputy Coroner Katrina Romanovski must unravel a string of murders she believes are vampire attacks. When she discovers the shape shifter she’s in love with is the murderer, she must reconcile her feelings for him, examine her life of violence against paranormals, and justify deceiving him in order to bring him to justice.

 

BLURB

Owen Todd Jordan Riley has a secret. He’s a shape shifter who has been hunting and killing his own kind. To him the only good shifter is a dead shifter. Revenge for the death of a friend motivates him, and nothing stands in his way . . . except Katrina Romanovski, the woman he is falling in love with.

 

Deputy coroner Katrina Romanovski has a secret, too. She hunts and kills paranormal beings like Owen. At least she did. When she rescues Owen from an attack by a werebear she is thrust back into the world she thought she’d left. Determined to find out what Owen knows about the bear, she begins a relationship meant to collect information. What she gets is something quite different-love with a man she suspects of murder. Can she reconcile his deception and murderous revenge spree and find a way to redeem him? Or will she condemn him for the same things she has done and walk away from love?

 

Excerpt

A crash in the alley stopped Katrina Romanovski mid-stride. Like the October mist swirling in off the lake, her gypsy blood stirred sending her intuition into high gear. Something unnatural was happening.

Go see what’s wrong. She heard her father’s voice as clearly as if he stood next to her.

On the heels of his words came her mother’s pragmatic warning in clipped British tones. You know what curiosity killed. Katrina pushed the ever-present warning aside. Mom never approved of Dad’s supernatural hunts and even less of his drawing her into them.

Pulling the oversized cross she always wore out from under her shirt, Kat looked around for a weapon. Please, not a vampire. I hate vampires! A piece of wood sticking out of the trashcan at the front of the alley caught her eye.

Grabbing it, she broke the end off into a sharp point. The mist-filled air filtered the light from the single bulb over one of the alley doorways. The wind swirled the loose trash around making a quiet approach difficult. Sidestepping the paper, with the stake in one hand and holding the gun she took from her purse in the other hand, she crept into the alley.

A roar echoed against the buildings, the sound nearly sending her running. That roar wasn’t a vampire. It sounded more like an animal. Kat inched closer. In the yellow pool of light from the back door of the building, a black bear, over seven feet tall, reared on its back legs and swung its paw at the man standing at the edge of the light. He crashed to the ground, shirt torn open from the slashing claws. Blood covered the fabric, and he clasped his left hand over his shoulder to stem the flow. The bear bent toward him, teeth bared in a smile. A wicked smile.

Kat aimed her gun, but before she could pull the trigger, a shot rang out. The flash of gunpowder lit the face of the injured man. The blast reverberated against the buildings. With an enraged bellow, the bear staggered backward against the wall. Shaking his head, the animal dropped to all four paws. Weaving like a drunk, he lumbered toward his attacker. The man took aim again, shooting the animal between the eyes. Animal and human collapsed on the dirty, littered pavement.

As she started to move forward, Kat’s gypsy senses crawled over her skin like angry red ants. As she slipped back into the shadows, the bear shed fur. Changing size. Then, finally, turning into a man.

Shape shifters. Her stake wasn’t any good against them, and her bullets weren’t silver. This one appeared dead anyway. Had the wounded man seen the shift? Tossing the stake aside, she paused by the shifter and quickly moved to the wounded man. Out cold. Still human.

When she touched him, his eyelids fluttered open. “Did I get it?”

“What?”

“The bear.”

 

Amazon buy links:

The Promised One (The Turning Stone Chronicles Book 1):

eBook: http://amzn.com/B00DUMODKI

paper back: http://amzn.com/1619353504

 

Blood Brothers (The Turning Stone Chronicles Book 2):

eBook: http://amzn.com/B00OVNFC8W

 

The Son of the Moonless Night (The Turning Stone Chronicles Book 3):

            eBook coming soon



Buy link: http://amzn.com/B00XK3E172


 

Bio:

Putting words and stories on paper is second nature to co-authors C.D. Hersh. They’ve written separately since they were teenagers and discovered their unique, collaborative abilities in the mid-90s. As high school sweethearts and husband and wife, Catherine and Donald believe in true love and happily ever after.

 

Together they have co-authored a number of dramas, six which have been produced in Ohio, where they live. Their interactive Christmas production had five seasonal runs in their hometown and has been sold in Virginia, California, and Ohio. Their most recent collaborative writing efforts have been focused on romance. The first two books of their paranormal romance series entitled The Turning Stone Chronicles are available on Amazon. The third book in the series Son of the Moonless Night is to be released mid-May by Soul Mate Publishing.

 

Where you can find CD:

Website: http://cdhersh.wordpress.com/

Blog: http://cdhersh.wordpress.com/blog-2/

Soul Mate Publishing: http://smpauthors.wordpress.com/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/cdhershauthor

Amazon Author Page: http://www.amazon.com/C.-D.-Hersh/e/B00DV5L7ZI

Twitter: https://twitter.com/AuthorCDHersh

Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/CDHersh


6 Comments

Easy and Healthy Spring Recipe

3/29/2015

3 Comments

 
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Spring is the perfect time to try new recipes.  If your busy and always on the go, these easy Spinach and Artichoke quiche cups will be perfect for you. They are light and delicious and go perfect with your morning cup of coffee or tea. This a great way to start your day or perhaps another story.

Spinach and Artichoke Quiche Cups

Prep: 10 mins Cook: 20 mins Total: 30 mins

Ingredients:

·       1 (14.5-ounce) can artichoke hearts, drained and chopped

·       1 package frozen spinach, drained

·       5 eggs, whisked

·       3/4 cup shredded mozzarella cheese

·       2/3 cup milk (any kind)

·       1/2 cup chopped white onion

·       1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese

·       2 cloves garlic, minced

·       1/4 teaspoon salt

·       1/4 teaspoon pepper

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Prepare 12 baking cups by either spraying them liberally with cooking spray, or lining them with paper liners.

Stir all ingredients together in a large mixing bowl until combined. Portion the mixture into the 12 prepared baking cups so that they are all nearly full.

Bake for about 20 minutes, or until the eggs are set and a toothpick inserted in the middle of the quiche comes out clean. Serve immediately.

 
I have author, Camille Faye, on my blog today, sharing with us her book, Voodoo Butterfly. 

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Voodoo Butterfly

When twenty-five-year-old Sophie Nouveau inherits her grandmother's voodoo shop, she knows nothing about voodoo. Or her family's history of Mind Changers who have the power to change evil people good. To complicate matters, someone doesn't want Sophie in New Orleans and sends a series of death threats to scare her away from her new enchanted life. 

Tipped off by her grandmother's ghost, Sophie realizes her mind changing spell has been missing one magic ingredient: true love. If Sophie cannot experience transformative love, she cannot make her spell work, and she will be powerless to fight back when confronted by the one who wants her dead.



If you’re interested in buying this book, you can buy a copy here: 
http://www.amazon.com/Voodoo-Butterfly-Book-ebook/dp/B00OQR0N5K/ref=asap_bc?ie=UTF8

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Click on the below link for your chance to win some fun prizes:

https://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/153622a63/

Also, check out the host page to take a look at Soul Mate Publishing's other great authors:
http://cynthiagail.com/spring-for-love-blog-hop/ 

Camille Faye Bio

Camille Faye lives in Missouri, loves on her family, and writes during the baby’s naptime. She grew up in a haunted house, which sparked her fascination with the paranormal. The Northwest Houston RWA named her novel, Voodoo Butterfly, a 2013 Lone Star Contest finalist. Read an excerpt at www.camillefaye.com.

When I asked Amanda one this she loved about spring she answered, “Flowers! My grandma scattered daffodils in her front lawn and, when I was a kid, I used to think it was so magical to see them pop out."


You can stay connected with Camille with any of the below social media networks:

Camille's Website:  www.camillefaye.com

Camille's website blog: http://www.thelitladies.com/

Camille's Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/camillefaye

Camille's Twitter
:  https://twitter.com/camillefaye

Goodreads:  https://www.goodreads.com/user/show/1575594-camille

Amazon Author Central:  http://www.amazon.com/Camille-Faye/e/B00OU01J74/ref=ntt_athr_dp_pel_1




 



3 Comments

Spring is in the Air

3/28/2015

1 Comment

 
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Can you feel it? Winter is slowly on it’s way out. Temperatures are rising and winters clothes are disappearing as spring is trying to find its way. Now is a perfect time to take walks outside and enjoy the sun on your skin.

One of my favorite spring past times is to walk through the ravine as the river awakens, the bulrushes and cattails grow and you can hear the flow of the water.  You get to see all of the animals; the ducks, the deer, the birds and even the coyotes come out of hibernation. Everyone’s garden starts to come back to life as I look forward to seeing those first tulips, daffodils and hyacinths poke through the ground. Now this is when you truly know spring is in the air.

What is your favorite spring past time?

On another note – I am very excited to have Annette Bower on my blog with me today sharing with us her newest book, Moving On. 


Moving On
Anna Jenkins, a mysterious woman arrives in the resort town of Regina Beach as the heir to a cottage, even though there isn’t an obvious family connection. The residents of the town know everyone’s business and they are very keen on discovering Anna’s secrets. Anna meets Nick Donnelly with a secret of his own.  As a soldier, the injuries he sustained in an IED explosion were greater than most people realize.

During his rehabilitation, Nick and Anna become friends. Nick begins to dream of a life on the land with a family of his own. When Anna discovers that Nick plans to return to active duty, she puts the brakes on loving a man who might die because of his career. Nick must convince Anna they have a future to live for.



You can pick up your copy of Moving On here:  
http://www.amazon.com/Moving-Annette-Bower-ebook/dp/B00O2HZ4LW/    


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Click on the below link to enter to win great prizes:
http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/153622a63/

Also, check out the host page to take a look at Soul Mate Publishing's other great authors:
http://cynthiagail.com/spring-for-love-blog-hop/ 

Annette Bower Bio
Annette Bower writes about women’s roles in families, in communities and women’s emotions at the beginning and end of love in her home office in Regina, SK. Her short stories are published in magazines and anthologies in Canada, United States, and United Kingdom.

Her romance novels, Woman of Substance and Moving On are published by Soul Mate Publishing.

When I asked Annette what her favorite thing about spring was, she replied with, “I can kick off my winter boots and walk the four miles from my home around Wascana Lake and back, every day.“

If you would like to stay connected with Annette, you can keep connected with the below link:

Annette's website: 
http://www.annettebower.com/

Annette's website blog: http://annettebower.com/blog/

Annette's Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/MovingOnAPrairieRomance?ref=hl

Annette's Twitter:  https://twitter.com/BowerAnnette

Goodreads:  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/23397675-moving-on

Amazon Author Central:  amazon.com/author/annettebower

Annette's Pinterest:  https://www.pinterest.com/abower0549/

 
If you like Annette's book, feel free to check out her other book, Woman of Substance here: 
http://www.amazon.com/Woman-Substance-Annette-Bower-ebook/dp/B00AN9TE8W/
1 Comment

Easter is Around the Corner

3/27/2015

3 Comments

 
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With spring comes Easter and what better way to celebrate the holiday by making these beautiful, fun and festive deviled eggs. Whether you are entertaining or just enjoying the holiday with your family, these colored eggs are sure to impress everyone! Do you have any favorite Easter recipes you would like to share?

Devilled Eggs:
Step by Step Directions to get the perfect, Colored Devilled Eggs or check out the full recipe here: 

http://www.foodjimoto.com/2011/04/easter-eggs.html

Ingredients:

10 hard boiled eggs (makes 20 devilled eggs) 

About 1/2 cup mayonnaise

Directions:
  • Put the eggs in a pot and cover with water. Bring the water to a boil, turn down the heat to low and cover for 15 minutes.
  • After the 15 minutes,  remove the eggs from the pot and cool the eggs under running cold water.
  • Once the eggs are cooled, peel the eggs and then cut them in half. (It's okay if some of them tear a little, the filling will camouflage that. Or just eat that one. )
  • Put the yolks in a separate bowl.
  • Next, you’ll need food coloring. Make the colors just as you would for Easter egg dye. (A teaspoonful of cider vinegar in each glass helps and you can use about 3 drops of food coloring in each glass.)
  • Take the eggs out when they're a pretty pastel color and drain them on a paper towel.
  • Now mash the yolks with a fork and when they're uniformly crumbly, add about a 1/2 cup mayonnaise. You can add more or less, make it as creamy as you like.
  • When it's nice and creamy, you can add any extras of your liking--mustard, minced chives, freshly ground pepper, bacon bits, etc.
  • Finally – It’s time to fill the eggs! You can just fill the eggs by hand with a teaspoon 
  • Garnish with a little bit of paprika.

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For the first day of our blog hop, I would like to introduce to you, author, Anne B. Cole and her most recent book, Souls Entwined.

Souls Entwined
A tree crashes upon two strangers. Time stands still. A cursed family heirloom catapults eighteen-year-old Gretta Dobbs back in time with Sam Daggett, who reluctantly agrees to help despite an instant infatuation with her. Their souls entwine within the bodies of young lovers on a Greek island in 1829, where they collect information on the mysteries behind Gretta's ring all while avoiding revenge-seeking pirates. Can Gretta and Sam find the secrets needed to save her from an afterlife in purgatory? Or will they become trapped in the past, continuing the evil cycle of the ring's curse?

Check out Anne's book trailer below: 




If you would like to purchase Anne's book, Souls Entwined, you can do so here: 

http://tinyurl.com/n73rur5 


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Click on the below to enter and win great prizes:
https://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/153622a63/

Also, check out the host page to take a look at Soul Mate Publishing's other great authors:
http://cynthiagail.com/spring-for-love-blog-hop/ 



Anne B. Cole Bio

Souls Entwined is Anne B. Cole’s debut release combining sweet romantic suspense, time travel, and paranormal elements in a novel attractive to a wide range of readers.  In addition to writing, Anne teaches preschool and is raising three very active teenagers with her husband of twenty-two years. With an Education degree from Penn State University, Anne began her teaching in elementary schools. A move to Indiana and becoming a mom of three kids in three and a half years sparked her interest in teaching preschool where she has been for the last eleven years. Anne began writing in 2010 when she realized she didn't have a book to read during her kids’ swim meet. With over ten hours of sitting in the stands, she decided to make the best of it and flipped over the heat sheet. Ideas for a book were jotted down and the outline of Souls Entwined was born. Anne's writing hobby turned into an addiction! The Souls Trilogy continues July 2015 with Souls Estranged. Anne is currently writing the final book in the trilogy, Souls Endure with a tentative release date of 2016.

When I asked Anne what her favorite thing about spring was she responded with, “Spring is my favorite time of the year because I love watching daffodils, tulips, and irises burst from the ground and color my flower beds.”

If you would like to connect with Anne, you can do so with any of her social links below: 

Anne's Website:
  www.annebcole.com
Anne's Website Blog: www.annebcole.com/blog
Anne's Facebook:   www.facebook.com/pages/Anne-B-Cole/576718832392205
Anne's Twitter:   https://twitter.com/AnneBCole
Goodreads:  http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/22157266-souls-entwined
Amazon Author Central:  http://www.amazon.com/Anne-B.-Cole/e/B00K0Z8RDC/ref=ntt_athr_dp_pel_1






3 Comments

The Shoebox

3/22/2015

0 Comments

 

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The art of getting a book published is not easy and is  complicated. Writing is also just as complicated. I believe it takes years for someone to develop a writing style, a formula that works with readers. A writer must read as much as they write. However there are some writers who rarely read which I believe is a disaster waiting to happen. Reading books helps you form your own style and what you like and don't like when writing a book. 

Now I want to talk about the shoebox. 
Years ago before the Internet, publishing a book was a lot harder. You had a typewriter with a paper carbon copy underneath for a duplicate copy. And when you made a spelling mistake—it was a calamity. Going back later to change your wording or idea was also a nuisance. But the writers survived and their books got published. An American writer though had it easier since most publishers and agents resided in the States. A writer in those days would take a shoe box to put their manuscripts inside and mail it to the publisher or agent. (I'm bypassing the slush pile for another day). You'd take the box to the post office, wait in line and pray it would arrive safely. As a Canadian it was much more difficult. The publisher and agents would no longer accept coupons from the Canadian post office since Canadians were not allowed to buy American stamps at the post office. And I agree this was a real hassle for the publishing industry in the States. They did not have the time nor manpower to deal with coupons from the Canadian post office. So I would drive to Buffalo to buy US stamps or purchase them in Florida when I was on holiday. Soon it became too expensive to mail the manuscripts or even the first three chapters.
For a time my hopes were dashed to find a publisher or agent.

Alas, the arrival of the Internet brought new hope to all writers!
My generation grew up without the Internet. Some writers, my age and older though took to it right away. 
I however did not. It wasn't until I left my  job to work on my writing that I knew sending chapters,
letters and manuscripts by the Internet was the way to go. My paper manuscripts, my hopes and dreams no longer had to be shredded and put into a someone else's garbage can because I didn't have the stamps for the publishers or agents to send the rejected manuscript back to me. 
Now all they have to do is press delete while I have my own copy to send anew. No more shoe boxes and lining up at the post office.

Young writers have it easier now. They can send their manuscripts a click away to as many publishers and agents as they want to. And every publisher, agent, author, and fellow writers are there on the Internet for advice and guidance. They can help you with tax guidelines and rules only a click away. Some authors will gave you examples of what you need and you only have to ask. And when writers become discouraged they can self publish. 
So my advice is to write away because you no longer have to worry about keeping shoeboxes hidden away somewhere inside your closest.


0 Comments

The Bedspread

2/15/2015

1 Comment

 
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I bought a new bedspread for my youngest daughter's bedroom. Her room has always been messy and mismatched pretty well since the day she was born. I can't remember how many times I've told her not to peel the border wallpaper off the walls or bring food or drink into her bedroom. Or use scotch tape or nails in the wall to hang up posters. But I do confess she still has a baby picture hanging in her bedroom called the 'Grand Baby Show.' There's a notice in the picture saying "The Grand Baby Show for Children under one Month but all are welcome.' Dressed up bunnies including a duck, a bird, and frog among other animals are displayed in the picture. 

She has since gone to university and college and is now living with roommates downtown. Did I mention she always had the smallest room? Her room at home is half the size of a normal room as was her room at university. And now she has the smallest in the three bedroom apartment. This is why I fear, her room has always been uncoordinated.
       
The nice pink carpet in her room is now faded and stained. At one point her clothes covered the floor and I had to close the door when guests came. Piles of books are aligned along  the bookshelf beside a white teddy bear in an antique wooden barrel. In the corner are containers full of notebooks and textbooks among plastic bags with clothes in it. She says she will come by and clean out the rest  . . .
Meanwhile the room looks dated and ill-matched. My one goal for the last few years was to find a bedspread that would make an attempt for the room to look presentable. But time went on and other things came up and I would peer in and see my daughter's room undone. Then one day I went with my cousin to pick out a bedspread since she is good at this sort of thing. 
       
Did I mention how small my daughter's room is? Only a twin size bed can fit in there. Do you know how hard it is to find a twin bedspread for an adult bedroom? After much thought at Homesense, my cousin suggested the children's area. Needless to say I picked out one that was a striped quilted bright turquoise plaid. I really took it home out of desperation because I wanted something to tie the room together. At home I realized it had pictures of small airplanes on the other side of the the turquoise bedspread that had blue, brown, yellow, and orange plaid stripes. I had it for a week and was about to return it when my husband suggested to try it on the bed since the airplanes would be on the other side. 

Alas, the room came to life with the matching turquoise walls, the dark brown furniture and the bedskirt with the white, yellow and green flowered leaves that also had a turquoise background. If you really look hard at it you can see an antique airplane here and there. But it looks like sunshine every time I peer into the room. It's not perfect but it looks like someone cared.


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1 Comment

Where Does Your Talent Come From?

1/13/2015

0 Comments

 
This is an interesting question because everyone has talent.  You may not know it but it's true.  Does It really come down to ambition or 
the fixation to work on your gift.  

For example, why do some people become successful singers when other talented people with beautiful voices give up on that career
and seek out another. I suppose , however, you need money to survive and pay the rent. How much do you want to sacrifice, how far do you want to go, which is part of it too.  So Is it luck or just raw talent? 

I know a well known pastry chief  whose mother years ago complained to my mother that all her daughter wanted to do was bake.  She was worried about her future. How was she going to make a living? All her products now have been in supermarkets across Canada in the last decade. Her mother had worried for nothing. 

 An old childhood neighbour of mine is a successful artist in New York City.  I remember many years ago being at a girl's tea party and everyone was complaining that there were no women in the government.  One girl piped up and said quite seriously that  the President of the United States had a secretary. We all laughed and laughter is good karma.  Anyway just a few years later that young woman  started a successful business and the last time I heard was living in one of the wealthiest areas in the city.  See we all have talent if we know what it is.  

So use your talent or find out what it is or what  you're good at and you will be surprised where it will take you. I have been writing most of my life and I finally got a publishing deal. But it took a long time until I got comfortable with my stories and found my formula. We shall see what happens when my book debut is released. In the meantime I am crossing my fingers.
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    Residing in Toronto, ON. I love to write, travel with my husband, worry about my kids, and befriend the dogs in my neighborhood. I have a passion for all things romance and fiction - and I am excited for my new book release. Thank you for stopping by my blog!

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