“The Call” #MFRWauthor

I haven’t had the pleasure of getting “The Call”—meaning from an agent or big time publisher. But I know people who have and to me, the only

Publishing contract

changes I’ve noticed is that they’re busier than ever, and, as with anytime someone gets a new job or position, their attention and time is necessarily taken up with new people. And they travel more, going to more conventions and such because it’s also part of the job that is writing. However, the authors I know who have been published with big-name companies are still friendly and inordinately helpful. Authors in general are a wonderful group of people!

I have been published for quite a while, and I hope those I know can say the same about me—that I’m friendly and helpful when I can be.

I will say, those working with larger companies than I have mostly earned decent money, allowing them freedom from worry and the chance to do things they weren’t able to do before finding their success. Writing has Successful authorgiven one the opportunity to live where she wants and to help her child attend the college of her choice. I know another who is able to spend more time with her family than when she worked a 9-5 job.

But for all of us, I think success in writing—whether in a large publisher or small, with or without an agent—has known a sense of accomplishment and well-being that can’t be found doing any other thing. I’m so grateful that I found writing and whatever success I have. It’s a blessing!

Read the next blog in the blog hop by going here.

Dee
Only a Good Man Will Do: Seriously ambitious man seeks woman to encourage his goals, support his (hopeful) position as Headmaster of Westover Academy, and be purer than Caesar’s wife. Good luck with that!

Naval Maneuvers: When a woman requires an earth-shattering crush of pleasure to carry her away, she can’t do better than to call on the US Navy. Sorry, Marines!

Besotted–FREE!–by Madison Michael

Here’s your chance to read Besotted for free!

Besotted
The Beguiling Bachelors, Book 4
By Madison Michael
♥♥♥ ~ Free June 19th – June 21st Only ~ ♥♥♥

About Besotted:

He Promised Forever, then Walked Away. Now he wants her back.

Tyler’s Winthrop, rich, handsome, elusive sees his moment to win Regan Howe slipping through his fingers. He has remained on the outskirts of Regan’s life since high school, reluctant to reveal his true past and expose her to danger. Despite their obvious attraction, Tyler has remained her friend and protector, keeping Regan at arm’s length for her own safety,

Regan Howe, won her coveted CEO position through hard work and a willingness to buck family tradition. Now, Brandon Hockney, a handsome US Senator with his eye on the White House, wants her to give it up, along with her home, friends and family for a move to DC and marriage to him.

Regan wants a family but is she prepared to leave all she loves, including the alluring Tyler Winthrop. Regan has waited twenty years for Tyler to commit. He once promised her forever, then he destroyed her trust and her hopes for a future together. Still, she cannot break the ties between them.

When Regan tests the waters with Brandon, Tyler is tapped as acting CEO, throwing the pair together, and forcing both to make a choice. Is this the end or their one last chance at love? Battling overwhelming odds and a racing clock, will Tyler be forced to release his one true love to find happiness with another man? How can he when he’s besotted?

As the danger mounts for Tyler,, can he wrestle free of his past and lure Regan away from her Senator? Join our handsome hero as he attempts to win back his love in this exciting and steamy page turner, the fourth of the sexy, contemporary Beguiling Bachelor romance series.


Excerpt from Besotted:

Regan was just too damn alluring in that dress for him to accept that he couldn’t have her if he wanted her.

He was an idiot. He should have told her years ago. He should have told everyone. Despite the tongue-lashing he was silently giving himself, Tyler was certainly no fool. “The professor” to his friends, he was generally serious and professional. He had the smarts necessary to obtain both an MBA and a law degree, and he was now CEO of LHRE and on hiatus from one of the fastest growing tech companies in the country. He kept his cool in general, but again and again he behaved like an idiot around Regan.

Since that damn frog almost thirty years ago, he had loved no one but Regan. Sometimes they made it work together, like in high school, but most times not. His feelings were unchanged, but something always stopped him from declaring his love and asking her to do the same. This time it was something insurmountable.

And yet Tyler couldn’t stay away. He was the proverbial moth to the flame, flirting with disaster every time he flirted with her. He had promised to stay away, to keep her safe,but the attraction was undeniable. Yep, prize idiot.

Returning to the ballroom after the latest threats, Tyler briefly considered sharing the conversation, coming clean with Regan and perhaps moving their relationship forward. He was at a fork in the road but remained silent, Tyler knew he was on the wrong path but couldn’t summon the will to fix it. Not only were his problems unsolvable, but she was involved with Brandon. Tyler felt hopeless.

He was preoccupied just as Regan accused, but Tyler tried to give Regan the attention she deserved. He failed miserably until Regan suggested they just leave. That got his attention. Who knew when he would hold her in his arms again.

“Come dance with me again. It would be a crime to waste that dress.”

Encircling Regan in his arms, his body responded to her nearness, even as his mind worried over the earlier texts. He was unaware of his hand stroking her back, fingers lightly skimming over her bare skin. He wasn’t thinking clearly when he pulled her close or when he dropped kisses on her hair. He wasn’t paying attention, just acting on instinct, Regan was responding, her breath growing uneven, her hands clinging to his shoulders.


About the Author:

Madison Michael is an indie publisher, blogger and the author of the Beguiling Bachelor Series as well as the novella Desire & Dessert, from her sizzling B&B Billionaire Bachelor series.

A Chicago native and hopeless romantic, Maddy was raised on Chicago culture, fairy tales, great literature and swashbuckling movies. Maddy employs that history, writing steamy contemporary romance novels set against the sumptuous backdrop of Chicago’s elite society.

After receiving a BA in Journalism from the University of Illinois and an MBA from Loyola University of Chicago, Madison abandoned her writing to find her way in the corporate business world. Daughter of a librarian, it was inevitable that she would return to the world of books.

Maddy writes from high above Chicago where she can stare at its gorgeous skyline or the shores of Lake Michigan surrounded by feline assistants. When she is not writing, Maddy can be found lost in a book, fighting for the rights of the mentally ill, or dining on Chicago’s famous cuisine. Hot dogs and pizza, anyone?

Social Links:

My dream wedding #MFRWauthor

I am perhaps that unusual woman who did not spend her childhood dreaming of her wedding. When I was little, I thought I’d like a gown as Cinderella ball gownwide as the church aisle, all satin and with beads and sparkly doodads. And I’d have ten bridesmaids and a groom in a tux, and the church would be full of friends and family. Wow! Cinderella would have been envious.

Then I grew…and then I stopped growing. A five-foot-two bride doesn’t suit a heavy satin ball gown as wide as church aisles. And while I had a lot of friends, did I really have ten that I wanted to be bridesmaids? Probably not. Plus, we didn’t have a lot of money and weddings, whatever else you can say about them, can cost a lot of money. A friend once said, put the word “wedding” in front of anything and the cost jacks up 200%.

Maybe the thing that changed my mind about weddings most was Jack, the man (boy, at the time) of my dreams. He was practical. And not one for fancy ceremony or big crowds. I cameSimple wedding around to his way of thinking and each year we dated my wedding dreams became more conservative.

Add to that, we decided to get married and set the date for nine days from that decision. Nine days is not enough time for a big shindig. No one was very happy with that timing, but we put aside everyone else’s vision and had the wedding of our dreams, with close friends and family. I already had a dress, bought on sale for $75. We held the service in the chapel where Jack went to school, just after sunset. About 70 people attended. Chunky candles filled the chapel with the scent of magnolia. A neighbor played the organ and later, cake baked by local Mennonites was served along with apple cider Camping honeymoonat Jack’s parents’ house. We went camping for our honeymoon. The whole wedding, pictures and all, cost less than $500. And it couldn’t have been more perfect. For us.

I understand why other people want something totally different—I did myself for years. What I ended up with is a far cry from my little girl imaginings. But we grow and change, right? If we had do-over we’d go to Las Vegas and get married by Elvis. What fun those pictures would be to look back on!

It wasn’t formal or fancy, but I ended up with the wedding of my dreams. More importantly, I got the man and the marriage of my dreams. And he did wear a tux! What could be more perfect than that?

Read the next blog in the blog hop by going here.

Dee
Only a Good Man Will Do: Seriously ambitious man seeks woman to encourage his goals, support his (hopeful) position as Headmaster of Westover Academy, and be purer than Caesar’s wife. Good luck with that!

Naval Maneuvers: When a woman requires an earth-shattering crush of pleasure to carry her away, she can’t do better than to call on the US Navy. Sorry, Marines!

An interview with award-winning author, Jessica James

We’re happy to welcome award-winning Jessica James and her new newest book, Lacewood!

Lacewood by Jessica James

NA: How did you come up with the idea for your book?
JJ: Lacewood came about because I started noticing sycamore trees (once called Lacewood trees). Strange, but true. (You have to read the book to understand the connection).

NA: What is the main thing you want readers to take away from your book?
JJ: Two things: Trust that there is plan for your life—even if you have no idea what it is. And…history should never be forgotten.

NA: A fun fact about writing your book.
JJ: I planted a 10-foot sycamore tree in my yard to celebrate its completion and to remind me of the effort it took write it.

NA: Do you have a day job? What was your job before you started writing full time?
JJ: I work part-time as a stagehand at a local performing arts center as a means of getting exercise. Before becoming an author, I was a newspaper editor and freelance writer.

NA: What do your friends and family think about your being a writer?
JJ: I don’t think they believe it’s a real job.

NA: The biggest surprise you had after becoming a writer.
JJ: That after one book another would follow…and another and another.

NA: Do you outline books ahead of time or are you more of a by-the-seat-of-your-pants writer?
JJ: I absolutely write by the seat of my pants. I never know what is going to happen next.

NA: What has been one of your most rewarding experiences as an author?
JJ: Getting to travel to do research, and winning the John Esten Cooke Award three times. [NA: WOW!]

NA: What are your top three favorite books of all time?
JJ: Scarlet Pimpernel, Northwest Passage, Count of Monte Cristo

NA: A pet peeve.
JJ: That’s easy. People who are late. I believe in the old adage, “better to be an hour early than a minute late.”

NA: Why did you choose the shirt you have on?
JJ: Baggy. Comfortable. Perfect for writing.

NA: First thought when the alarm goes off in the in the morning?
JJ: What day is it?

NA: What are you working on now?
JJ: I’m still mulling over my options. My readers have been begging for another book in my Phantom Force Tactical series, so that’s where I’m leaning.

LACEWOOOD Blurb:

A love story that spans centuries…
Two people trying to escape their pasts find a connection through an old house—and fulfill a destiny through the secrets it shares. Part love story, part ghost story, Lacewood is a timeless novel about trusting in fate, letting go of the past, and believing in things that can’t be seen.

MOVING TO A SMALL TOWN in Virginia is a big change for New York socialite Katie McCain. But when she stumbles across an abandoned 200-year-old mansion, she’s enthralled by the enduring beauty of the neglected estate—and captivated by the haunting portrait of a woman in mourning.

Purchasing the property on a whim, Katie attempts to fit in with the colorful characters in the town of New Hope, while trying to unravel the mystery of the “widow of Lacewood.” As she pieces together the previous owner’s heartrending story, Katie uncovers secrets the house has held for centuries, and discovers the key to coming to terms with her own sense of loss.

The past and present converge when hometown hero Will Durham returns and begins his own healing process by helping the “city girl” restore the place that holds so many memories. As the mystic web of destiny is woven, a love story that might have been lost forever is exposed, and a destiny that has been waiting in the shadows for centuries is fulfilled.

EXCERPT:
Turning in a circle, Katie studied the room again. Faded wallpaper curled and peeled above the dusty wainscoting, but the walls themselves appeared sturdy. On the far side of the entryway, and dominating the wall, stood a mammoth fireplace with an ornately carved hearth. Her attention was immediately drawn to a painting of a woman in nineteenth century dress that hung prominently over the mantel.

“Who is she?”

The sheriff turned to the dusty, sun-bleached portrait in the heavy carved guilt frame. “One of the previous owners, they say.” He shrugged. “The family history kind of got lost with the house. Everyone around here calls her the Widow of Lacewood.”

Katie’s heart suddenly struggled to beat. The anguish in the woman’s eyes kept her riveted. She could see the pain. Feel a heart ripped apart. Something was missing that could never be replaced. Katie had felt such loss before. In a way that’s why she was here.

See the Lacewood trailer.

Lacewood Purchase Links:
Amazon
Barnes and Noble
Apple Itunes
Other

Lacewood by Jessica James

Author Bio:
Jessica James believes in honor, duty, and true love—and that’s what she writes about in her award-winning novels that span the ages from the Revolutionary War to modern day.

She is a three-time winner of the John Esten Cooke Award for Southern Fiction, and has won more than a dozen other literary awards, including a Readers’ Favorite International Book Award and a Gold Medal from the Military Writers Society of America. Her novels have been used in schools and are available in hundreds of libraries including Harvard and the U.S. Naval Academy.

Contact Links:
Website: https://www.jessicajamesbooks.com
Amazon Author Page: https://www.amazon.com/-/e/B001IYTXOG
BookBub : https://www.bookbub.com/authors/jessica-james
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/586216.Jessica_James
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/RomanticHistoricalFiction
Pinterest: http://www.pinterest.com/southernromance/

Congratulations to IPPY winner, Carol Schoenig!

The Caretaker--Carol SchoenigBlack Velvet Seductions author Carol Schoenig has just won the Independent Press Award for romance! Her book, The Caretaker, was chosen from hundreds of submissions to be announced as the winner of the prestigious award.

Ted Olczak of Publishers Weekly said, “I understand how difficult it can be to promote the great books that independent presses work so hard to develop and share with the rest of the world. Here is just another way for ‘indies’ to get the recognition they deserve.” So true! Which makes it all the more exciting that a colleague is taking home the prize this year.

Congratulations, Carol!

Find Carol:

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A Family Tree–convicts and all! Jan Selbourne

Anyone who has delved into their family history will know how fascinating and addictive it can be. Finding old letters, diaries, birth, marriage and death certificates can expose well-hidden secrets. Intrigued, we dig deeper to find more surprises waiting for us. Was our prim and proper great grandmother really a beer hall dancer on the goldfields? Why is great uncle Bert’s death certificate at odds with his marriage certificate – how many wives did the old boy have? My family research began with my daughter’s family tree school project.

My first surprise came when I applied for my dad’s birth certificate. I was informed there wasn’t one in that name. Convinced the register office had made a mistake, I was about to contact them when an old, vague reference to his father’s dying early came to mind. I probed a bit more and discovered dad had been registered under his mother’s maiden name (Ferguson) because he was illegitimate. In those days unmarried mothers were shamed and bullied into giving up their babies which was so cruel, considering the unmarried fathers were never shamed or rejected. Dad’s birth certificate is sheer fabrication because my grandmother, Elizabeth Ferguson, stated she was married. I don’t know how she got away with the falsehood, but she did. I am so proud of her courage and determination to keep her baby.

My curiosity aroused, I began researching my family history and I’d like to share a story of my Irish convict ancestor.

In the mid 1800’s, Eleanor Stanford, widow of Galway Ireland, was convicted of “receiving” ten sovereigns from a small child. (The closest I can find to receiving is “…property taken by theft or robbery…” Wikipedia.org Tasmania and AustraliaCreative Commons) For this act, the equivalent today of taking 10£, she was sentenced to fourteen years imprisonment in Van Diemen’s Land (now Tasmania Australia, the sort of triangular-shaped island off the southern coast of Australia). The 13,000 miles journey on the convict ship Hope took approximately three months.

Port Arthur Tasmania Historic Convict Site Tasmania, now seen as a beautiful island and a vacation destination, was not viewed with much hope when it was one of the harshest penal colonies in a land of penal colonies. There are stories of convicts choosing almost certain death by escaping into the bush because death was better than lifeTiger snake in the colony. If they weren’t recaptured, they died due to lack of skills and the deadly snakes or other wild animals in the bush. Still, taking a chance against the huge tiger snakes was seen as better than the horrible floggings they suffered otherwise. Eleanor fared better than some.

Once in Van Diemen’s Land, Eleanor was put to work in the home of a government official. According to one of my descendants living in Tasmania, after five years Eleanor was given her ticket of leave, a type of good behaviour bond. She immediately begged her master to apply for her children to join her. As the colony was actively seeking new settlers, her request was granted. A year later, three of her four children arrived in Van Diemen’s Land on the ship Jardine. (There is no record of what happened to her fourth child.) Embarking on that long voyage to the other side of the world must have been overwhelming and frightening.

Her children now with her, Eleanor didn’t let the grass grow under her feet. She married a ticket of leave convict, stating her age as 30 when in fact she was 39, and settled into colonial life. Here my searching hit a brick wall until I discovered her daughter Bridget’s marriage certificate. I don’t Bullock drivers, lifeblood of the Bushknow when Bridget left Van Diemen’s Land for the mainland or why she moved on to western New South Wales but there, aged 25, she married Richard, a bullock driver.

In those days, bullock teams were the lifeline of the bush. They carried the precious cargos of wool, wheat and sugar cane, and timber to shipping ports, and returned with essential supplies to the isolated country areas. Travelling at 6 to 8 miles a day, these bullock teams would be away for weeks on end, leaving the women to manage everything. Bridget’s five children, who called her Biddy or Blue Bonnet, were born at the mining town, Lake Cargelligo.

Life in the Australian bush wasn’t easy. No running water and push button mod cons. It was a two or maybe three-room slab hut with a dirt floor and water from the pump or creek, and watch out for the snakes. Wash day was lighting the fire under the copper tub, filling it with water and shreddingSlab house as seen on the Bush slivers of hand-made soap on top. After the clothes boiled for a few minutes they were pulled out with a copper stick and heaved into the rinse trough. Many a naughty child’s backside felt the whack of the copper stick.

Bridget was also a bush midwife, one of the wonderful women of the outback who helped deliver babies day and night, in good and bad weather. Like many colonial bush midwives Bridget had little training and a lot of practical hands on experience.

The Bush of today is not like when Bridget lived there, but it’s still very rural, with neighbours living miles apart. Today people in our vast interior still rely on the Royal Flying Doctor Service for medical services and the School of the Air for children’s education. For example, Anna Creek, the largest cattle station in the word, has an area of 23,677 square kilometres (9,142 sq. miles). Wilgena Sheep Station currently occupies an area of 4,742 square kilometres (1,831 sq. miles).

Bridget passed away at Narrandera on the Murrumbidgee River, aged 70 years. From a little girl joining her mother in a penal colony, to a young woman moving to mainland Australia, marrying a bullock driver and rearing five children in the Outback, to steam trains and motor cars and a new century, Bridget earned her place beside Richard on the New South Wales Pioneer Register.

Up to the middle of the last century one didn’t admit to having convicts in the family. We looked to our British roots for status. Our beginning as a penal colony was embarrassing and good fodder for snide comments and jokes. The English and our Kiwi cousins rubbed it in with relish. Then we got out of the cringe shadow and began to take pride in our heritage. Now, having a First Fleeter – a convict on the first fleet which landed in Sydney cove January 26th, 1788, – is a status symbol. An ancestor on the Second Fleet is a slightly less status symbol, but still, nothing to be ashamed of. My convict was just one of the thousands that followed.

I’m happy and proud to be the descendant of such strong women, and I’m teaching my own granddaughter about them! To Eleanor, Bridget and Elizabeth, three strong women, I salute you.

The Author:
Jan Selbourne

Jan Selbourne was born and educated in Melbourne, Australia and her love of literature and history began as soon as she learned to read and hold a pen. After graduating from a Melbourne Business College her career began in the dusty world of ledgers and accounting, working in Victoria, Queensland and the United Kingdom. On the point of retiring, she changed course to work as secretary of a large NSW historical society. Now retired Jan is enjoying her love of travelling and literature. She has two children, a stray live-in cat and lives near Maitland, New South Wales.

Contact Jan:
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For more information on:
Van Diemen’s Land, try this Wikipedia article.
Penal transportation
Australian history
Island of the Dead

Gardening and other tortures #MFRWauthor

My husband once told someone that I kill silk flowers. And sadly, he’s right.

GardeningI truly admire people who garden. They make the world a brighter place, a happier place. I could sit for hours surrounded by green plants and brilliant blooms…and talk to the person digging in the ground. But ask me to dig and pull weeds and plop a tiny seedling into rich loam? I’d destroy the whole setting in a matter of hours. I can’t tell a weed from a begonia. I don’t know which roots go shallow and which go deep. I can’t differentiate between a creeper and a tall plant that needs support. In short, I’m hopeless in a garden. Please don’t ask me to help in any way.

When my mom, aunt, and I went to England and Scotland several years ago, I was astounded by the yards, first in Edinburgh and then throughout the rest of our trip. Front yard might measure 10×12—not much compared to a lot of American yards. But every inch, save the walkway, was chock full of plants. The roses were spectacular, and every yard had some variety. I English gardenmade the comment to my mom and aunt that I wondered how one particular yard had such beautiful, big blooms, and a woman I hadn’t seen standing there said, “It takes a lot of work.” I imagine so!

But it would take me no time to wipe it all out—and I wouldn’t even try. Without touching anything, I went on my way.

Read the next blog in the blog hop by going here.

Dee
Only a Good Man Will Do: Seriously ambitious man seeks woman to encourage his goals, support his (hopeful) position as Headmaster of Westover Academy, and be purer than Caesar’s wife. Good luck with that!

Naval Maneuvers: When a woman requires an earth-shattering crush of pleasure to carry her away, she can’t do better than to call on the US Navy. Sorry, Marines!

4 Ways to recognize true love #MFRWauthor

True loveI absolutely, positively, without question believe in TRUE LOVE. I believe because I’ve seen what it looks like and what it doesn’t look like. I’ve known some fine, wonderful women who have not won in love. Here are four ways I know true love exists.

  • The emotion has staying power. Jack and I spent a lot of time away from each other. All of the time we dated, I was in a different state or city from him. We wrote lots of letters and (less, because this was the time before cell phones) we called once a week or so. We did not see each other every weekend, we didn’t date exclusively, and except for a week or two during summers, we didn’t even see each other during school breaks. Even after we were married, after spending nearly every moment of ever day with each other in the truck, we spent months apart while he worked in one state and I worked in another. But we stayed in touch always and we communicated our thoughts, feelings, dreams. We never doubted our feelings for each other. We built a foundation that allowed us to overcome difficulties in being apart. NOT true love, gets bored and wanders off.
  • The individual is not as important as the other person—or the couple. Many times over the years, Jack gave up comfort and things he wanted so that I could thrive. If one or the other had to prevail in a situation,True love we always talked about it and decided which solution best fit us as a team. He moved to Idaho because I had a job opportunity. I gave up my work in order to follow him while he succeeded at consulting. When I had such horrid back problems I could barely stand to get out of bed, Jack got up with me at butt-ugly o’clock and walked around the parking area until I could function, then he faced a full day’s work. He never complained. We’ve always accommodated each other for the good of the team and for love. NOT true love thinks of themselves and not the other person.
  • Each person feels cherished. In a loving relationship, people don’t just say “I love you,” they show it. It can be in small ways like helping with daily activities or with a touch, a look, a smile when the other person needs it. Jack never gives me flowers, but he gives me humor. He’s not big on romantic gifts (see last week’s post) but he’s good with a Giving what is neededsurprise ice cream sandwich from Sonic or a hot cup of coffee. 😉 Feeling cherished means giving the other person what they need when they need it. For me that includes hearing “I love you,” too, but it goes far beyond that. NOT true love might say the words, might give the big gifts, but doesn’t show the meaning beyond them.
  • There’s deep feeling, not superficial. I know that appearance is what draws people to each other at the beginning of a relationship, but I don’t think it’s what keeps them together. Love, unlike beauty, is more than skin deep. Whether you are model-beautiful or not, your true love sees the real you, not your outside shell. Think about it. If you have true love, you’re going to grow older with that person. None of us looks the same at 60 as we did at 20, but the soul stays as beautiful. NOT true love falls in love with the outside, not the inside, and then holds that against you.

Jack and I have been with each other for forty-six years of marriage and seven years of dating. Has it always been easy? Well, no. Being in love doesn’t mean you don’t have problems. It means that you work through them together, and with attention to your lover more than to yourself. I’ve been the luckiest woman in the world to be in love with the world’s best man (your sweetie excepted!). And what’s better, I’ve been loved back. That’s something I thank God for each and every night.

Read the next blog in the blog hop by going here.

Dee
Only a Good Man Will Do: Seriously ambitious man seeks woman to encourage his goals, support his (hopeful) position as Headmaster of Westover Academy, and be purer than Caesar’s wife. Good luck with that!

Naval Maneuvers: When a woman requires an earth-shattering crush of pleasure to carry her away, she can’t do better than to call on the US Navy. Sorry, Marines!