Category: Writing

8 Romantic Tracks for Your Playlist Pleasure: JL Peridot

Sometimes I read with music playing in the background. When it’s the right kind of music, and I’m in the right kind of mood, it seems to add to the atmosphere of the book. The same goes for writing. Good sounds bring an energy that feeds the imagination.

Today, I’m rounding up eight of the gorgeous, romantic tunes that have graced my playlists over the last couple of years. Hope you like them!

8. Lo-Fang — You’re The One That I Want


This slow jam cover of that song from Grease — yep, that one indeed — features sultry vocals, warm percussion and woeful strings. It’s the perfect soundtrack to heavy emotional moments, perhaps where we learn the truth of what the MC and LI mean to each other even before they know it themselves.

7. Crywolf — Lemniscate


Another delectably moody song, only this time with airy vocals against a dreamy backdrop. Ideal for a paranormal romance or urban fantasy, maybe? I’m picturing that crucial moment in a vampire or shapeshifter story, where we walk the precipice between fear and love; savagery and compassion; immortality and the fleeting preciousness of life.

6. Ledes Diaz (feat. Santos Real) — Despacito


There are so many covers of Luis Fonsi’s Despacito, but I chose this one for its mellow and fat kizomba beat, plus Ledes’s smooth loverboy voice. Call it a chilled out, feelgood version of Fonsi’s smoking hot original, nicely matched with that turning point where the MC and LI realise their mutual attraction and look forward to the rest of the book together.

5. The Motans — 42


This wordy, easy-listening pop track from Romania carries an introspective yet optimistic mood. If you structure your playlists to suit the ups and downs of a story format, I’d pop this just after the middle. Right about where the LI comes up against a challenge that could easily be overcome with the right kind of effort.

4. Le Flex — Tangled


If you saw my post on retrofuturistic love songs, you’ll recognise this synthpop track. It’s got some serious romantic crush vibes, like say the kind you’d hear playing when the MC first falls for their love interest. It captures that dreamy split second where they realise they’re really into that person, and experiences that anxious joy of not yet knowing if those feelings are reciprocated.

3. Lo Moon — Tried to Make You My Own


An atmospheric track with a sexy beat, intriguing melody, and lush, layered vocals. Maybe this is our couple’s first pinch point, or those reflective scenes after a big fight: don’t leave me, I want you, here’s what I’m willing to do. Thank you, Stefanie Simpson, for recommending this song.

2. Nico Santos — Play With Fire


How’s this one for an angsty NA or YA romance? Even if you ignore the on-the-nose lyrics, this track conveys frustration and inner conflict within that smooth, high-produced contemporary commercial pop sound.

1. Blackpanda (feat. Mabbi) — Antes de Que Acabe el Verano


This song is a versatile one. The lyrics tell a “will they or won’t they” story, but that dreamy sound and driving beat might also work to foreshadow a “they definitely will”. In that vein, I’d call this one a good addition to a friends-to-lovers playlist, perhaps even a boy/girl-next-door kind of story.

Thank you, Nomad Authors, for having me today!

About JL Peridot
JL PeridotJL Peridot writes love letters to the future from her home beneath the southern skies. She currently resides in Boorloo (Perth, Australia) on Whadjuk Noongar country. Visit her website at jlperidot.com for the full catalogue of her work.

Preorders are now open for the relaunch of her steamy futuristic office romance, It Starts with a Kiss.

It Starts with a Kiss — preorders now open

Celeste is a talented engineer who doesn’t realize her job’s going nowhere fast. She’s a little naïve. She’ll cut code and solder cables forever as long as Owen’s around. Owen, on the other hand, knows exactly how badly things suck—he just doesn’t care. Sure, his skills aren’t what they used to be, but they’re still better than what Halcyon Aries deserves.

Then it happens. The company’s toxic management team finally cross the line. As both techies race to upgrade the station and to free the team from their oppressive contracts, they come to learn that life—and love—can only ever be what you make it.

Strap in for a steamy office romance in space, because sometimes It Starts With a Kiss!

Should fiction writers talk about POLITICS?

When I was a younger reader, I certainly wondered why on earth fiction writers would talk about politics. This was exacerbated by the strong opinions of readers around me: fiction is supposed to help people escape from the world, so stop dragging irrelevant politics into it.

But then I started taking my own writing more seriously and realised, wow… actually, politics has A LOT TO DO WITH FICTION.

This post isn’t about whether the author’s morals and beliefs are valid in fictional stories. I want to talk about world-building. Specifically, how worldly mechanics and market forces help shape the setting of a story and drive the drama. Even in romance fiction, where the conflict is about how the MC and LI succeed or fail in answering the call of love, it’s stuff like politics, economics and social issues that offers fertile ground for interesting conflict to grow.

Simmer Down by Sarah SmithTake Sarah Smith’s Simmer Down as a contemporary example. This novel may not feature US economic policy on the page, and the author isn’t writing a political romance, but we can’t ignore the economic circumstances that spark this story—if Nikki Di Marco lets Callum steal her parking spot, her sales are likely to suffer, resulting in her making less income to support her family. In this way, Simmer Down explores the impact of capitalism on two individuals in a super hot, sexy and entertaining way.

Speculative fiction, by necessity, may include its fair share of politics, which naturally stems from authors having to create an “otherworldly” universe by extrapolating from the real world. Policy influences how people behave, decides how technology may be created and used, and deems what actions are acceptable when we want something we don’t have.

The effect is subtle in Pia Manning’s Star Brides Star Brides by Pia Manningseries, where xenopolitics incentivises the interspecies marriages that lead to romantic tension. Thus we see how humans and aliens might resolve differing ideologies within an intimate partnership. In my own work, It Starts With A Kiss, the romantic conflict occurs against the off-page backdrop of issues surrounding industry automation and government regulation of a UBI (universal basic income).

But then there are stories where you actually get to see characters doing politics. Stories like Frank Herbert’s Dune, A.R. Vagnetti’s Storm series, Stephanie Meyer’s Twilight universe (the Volturi), and James S.A. Corey’s The Expanse.

But let’s get back to present-day realism.

We all share this world. We are all connected. Sometimes we connect intentionally, but most of the time it happens by accident. Global events since 2020 highlighted quite profoundly how strong these connections are, even when we can’t see them.

Politics (governmental or otherwise) is the means by which we negotiate the influences and resources within our world. It’s in the air we breathe, the water we drink, it even governs the ground we walk on. Just try setting foot in a restricted area and you’ll get a first-hand lesson in how your society approaches “property ownership”.

If we’re lucky enough to be aligned with the dominant political and socioeconomic position where we live, we get to take it all for granted. That doesn’t mean we’re apolitical, it just means we don’t have to think about it all the time. We get to roll along all happy-go-lucky, pretending that politics doesn’t matter.

If we’re not that lucky, though, then we remain almost constantly aware and conscious of the fact that everything stems from the forces that decide what we must endure. We may never get the experience of not having to think about it.

That book on top of your TBR pile got there because certain worldly forces permitted it to. Maybe you live in a place where books like that are allowed to be printed and sold. The author must have been afforded the ability to sit and write it, then to have it published and distributed. And you were able to acquire it because someone somewhere paid good money for it to be at the right place at the right time. All of the forces that put that book in your hands were shaped by the negotiations in our shared world.

I daresay fiction writers must be aware of this, at least on some level, in order to write relatable and interesting stories. I don’t think fiction writers should necessarily talk about politics, not if they don’t want to. But there’s certainly no reason why they shouldn’t.

And, appreciating how worldly forces have enabled me to sit here and write this post, I can’t help but wonder—how can anyone talk about anything without ultimately being political? 🤔

This is a revised version of a post originally published on JL’s blog.

About JL Peridot
JL Peridot writes love stories and more from her home beneath the southern skies. When not sweating over an incoherent WIP, she can be found playing videogames, eating meat pies, and arguing with her cats. Subscribe to JL’s mailing list for banter, updates, teasers, and more.

 

Website: https://jlperidot.com

Blog: https://blog.jperidot.com

About Henry: A Novella

About Henry: A Novella by JL PeridotLet me tell you about Henry. I could get fired for this, but what the hell.

Julie was perfectly fine, admiring the rich American Henry Aston from afar. That is, until he asked her out to dinner. But there’s just one problem: CapriLuxe Perth has a strict policy against employees fraternising with the guests.

Sorry, two problems: Henry Aston’s married.

ABOUT HENRY: A NOVELLA presents JL Peridot’s hot contemporary erotica short story, originally published in the notorious CapriLuxe Chronicles anthology, and featured on The Good Bits website and podcast.

It also includes the follow-up story, ABOUT HER, where we discover what happened when the Astons got back from their road trip; what happened after a chance meeting in a cocktail bar on the other side of town; and what happened when Henry finally introduced Julie to his wife.

JL Peridot: The perilous matter of reviewing books

It’s hard reviewing books. Even when all I did was read, and the only opinion I had to worry about was my own, it still took work. Sometimes you just want to enjoy the emotional experience of a book without having to put it into words. Publishing a review thrusts you into the public eye, turning your raw feeling into something that can influence another person—that’s one heck of a responsibility!

As an author, things get complicated. It’s often hard to share a raw opinion, especially if it’s not overwhelmingly positive, knowing there’s another writer out there just like you, who may be hurt or confused by what you have to say. “Suck it up, buttercup” is unhelpful on both sides, even though we authors are generally advised to grow a thicker skin and accept we can’t please everyone. The thing is, we’re all human—fallible, vulnerable, sensitive—it’s what makes us able to relate to each other and create good stories for our readers.

There’s also the matter of reconciling the technical self with the emotional self. What happens if you can’t stand the way an author writes, but the story’s so good you end up enjoying the book? Or what if the story is dreck, but perfectly written? What’s your criteria for adding up those stars then?

Then there are the times when things get uncomfortable. Early in my career, I agreed to participate in a review swap. In case you’ve not heard of these, it’s when the two (or more) authors agree to read each other’s books and leave a review, usually on Amazon and Goodreads.

I got right to reading, but found I couldn’t connect with the characters or the story. And when I wrote to the author privately to let them know, they responded asking me not to post a review because they only wanted 5-star reviews associated with their book.

Now, I understand the desire to write a 5-star book. I can appreciate that publishing is a business no matter how romantic the story, and that practices like this are common and accepted in some circles. But something about this exchange didn’t sit well with me.

As a writer, it made me feel like I chose a dishonest line of work. As a reader, it made me lose trust in the indie publishing sector, where we may lack the readership numbers needed to outshine these minor manipulations. I used to wonder why many reviewers state explicitly that they were giving “an honest review”. After this incident, I stopped wondering.

These days, I avoid review swaps, review requests, and any kind of review-related transaction. I’ve learned that I’m a “mood reader” and, as such, it would be unfair of me to promise a fair review if I’m emotionally incapable of delivering one.

Likewise, I don’t expect any of my writer friends—even close ones—to read or review my books. Reading fiction is a privilege and a pleasure, and I think sometimes we authors lose that in the deluge of our work.

If, like me, you’ve grown weary and wary of book review culture, here are a few alternative ways to support an indie author whose stories you admire:

  1. Recommend instead of review. A book may not be for you, but you might know someone who’s looking for that exact read.
  2. Include the book in literary discussions. Need an example in a blog post or forum discussion? Consider citing a lesser-known book alongside the customary bestsellers.
  3. Give that author a boost on social media. Even if you’re not sharing your in-depth opinion of their work, this helps them reach a wider audience and achieve stickier brand recognition.
  4. Engage with their online content. Social feed algorithms are diabolically good at helping bigger names overshadow smaller players. Every like, reply, save, repost and follow can help your favourite newcomer gain visibility and connect with more readers.

About JL Peridot
JL PeridotJL Peridot writes love stories and more from her home beneath the southern skies. When not chipping away at her current WIP, she’s chomping down on a new favourite book, watching Netflix, and chilling real good. Subscribe to JL’s mailing list for banter, updates, teasers and the occasional microfiction.

Website: http://jlperidot.com
Blog: http://jayelle.pink

Chasing Sisyphus by JL PeridotChasing Sisyphus

Bounty hunter Adria Yuan is hot on the trail of her final hit: a notorious hacker wanted by the city’s elite. With the reward, she can pay for her brother’s surgery and finally get out of Basilica City. Trouble is, her line of work’s not exactly legal, and she’s barely staying ahead of the cops who want her target, too.

Detective Rhys Carver may be a little unorthodox, but he’s a good cop. Born and bred in Basilica, he does his part to keep his city clean. As clean as it gets, at least. And with Adria suddenly in his sights, it’s going to take more than falling in love for him to let her go.

As the pair close in on their mark, they are unwittingly drawn into a high profile conspiracy that could thrust the whole of Basilica into chaos. Can Adria and Rhys set aside their differences, and their desires, to save the only home they know?

Excerpt

Adria hadn’t counted on the tripwire. This kid knew someone would follow him home one day. He’d strung a line of empty soup cans across the apartment hallway. When she kicked that out, a hefty serving of iced water came down squarely on her head. Gooseflesh prickled her neck and shoulders. The muscles in her jaw seized in the cold. Against the shock, she scrambled to her feet, fired up to catch the stomping and crashing in the other room before it got away.

A figure ran past the doorway.

“Stop!” she yelled.

It rounded the corner. Adria gave chase.

She scanned the room. It was dim at best, thanks to the streetlights from outside, but she saw enough. Computer equipment and various peripherals lay strewn across the floor, some still plugged into a transportable battery in the corner, emitting tiny lights and numbers.

A window slammed shut. The glass shattered. Shards crunched and ground beneath Adria’s boots as she hurried in pursuit of her fleeing target.

When she stepped out onto the fire escape, two hands rammed her into the ladder. The whole balcony shuddered from the collision. Pain flared down her shoulder, but she kept her grip on the gun. She held it up with her good arm and fired.

Two shots.

Missed.

She stumbled backward, clutching her burning shoulder, but the railing crumbled under her weight. Adria grabbed what was left of it with both hands as her footing slipped away.

It looked like a four-story drop. Maybe five if she’d miscounted. Her legs dangled over thin air while from below came the clatter of broken pieces of railing, along with her gun, as they hit the concrete.

Overhead, her target stomped away on the rungs and disappeared onto the roof.

Adria’s shoulder raged. She tried to pull herself up, but couldn’t take the weight with just one good arm. Her feet kicked out, searching for a foothold, but the grill beneath had long withered away to slivers of rust and sharp edges.

Water and sweat dripped into her eyes. She swiped them helplessly on her sleeves and winced as rough seams grazed the skin. The railing creaked in her clammy grip. She could always let go. If she timed her landing right, maybe she’d get away with a broken ankle and a tetanus shot. Surely it only looked like a long way down.

Then she heard a gunshot from inside the apartment.

Add Chasing Sisyphus to your Goodreads TBR.

The trick to writing a series by Eileen Troemel

Welcome, Eileen Troemel!!

How to Write a Long Series
(in theory)

Wayfarer series by Eileen Troemel

If you want to write a long series, you should probably start a spreadsheet for all your details. Names, descriptions, scenes, ideas, summaries of books, and so on. That would be the logical way to start a series. If you are a person who plots out your books, that’s probably the best way to start a series.

I don’t plot my books. I just write them. I sit down to my computer and start with an idea. I let things flow as they come. If I’ve finished something, I look through my WIP folder and open what sounds good and then I read. I edit as I go because the mistakes offend me (yes even in my own stories).

I wrote a series of nineteen books – one short story (prequel) and eighteen full length novels. I sat down to my computer and wrote. Before I started the second novel, I reread the first one. Then I let the characters take me where they wanted. This is how I’ve written most of my novels. I think it’s worked well.

Wayfarer series by Eileen Troemel

It sounds like I’m super disorganized, doesn’t it? How in the world did I manage to write so many in a series? The snarky(ish) answer is – one story at a time. Let me give you some background.

In 2014, I published my first books (romance novel, meditation self help book, and three poetry books). Like all new authors, I was pretty clueless. Reading articles – they all said don’t wait, publish your next book.
My middle daughter and I had this conversation about books – one of like a billion. She asked what I was doing next. I said I didn’t have any idea. She asked for a space scifi romance where the woman comes from a vulnerable point.

Ideas popped into my head. I pulled from different experiences in building my character and the world (or more appropriately universe) she was in. Put in ideas on travelers, gypsies, and other nomadic societies, my love of Star Trek, Star Wars (and other space type movies) and about a thousand other ideas and experience into my head, mix and spew out the results. Five months to the day from my first book, I published Wayfarer.

Wayfarer series by Eileen Troemel

For me, it was one and done. Then my readers got a hold of it. My daughter finished it and said – what’s next? (this is a theme). I said – no I told her story. I’m done.

I was but Adara and Decker weren’t. I don’t think it took long and I was working on Wayfarer Clans… and then Wayfarer Immemorial… and – well you get the idea. By the end of 2014 I’d published four Wayfarer novels. In January 2015, I published Wayfarer Wedding and I thought I was done. My main characters were married. They had their happy ever after – right?
Nope. I wrote the prequel next and then just kept writing their story.

Clearly, I did not start out to write a series. I almost never plot out a book. When I started Wayfarer – I only had the female main character, her race, and a vague setting. I’m pretty sure I wrote several scenes before she even had a name.

Wayfarer series by Eileen Troemel

As soon as people – i.e. authors – hear I wrote a series with eighteen novels and a short story, the first question is – How did you keep track of everything?

First book, I didn’t. I think I was three novels in when the idea of keeping a spreadsheet came to me. One thing I did not want to do as I wrote a series was to mess up someone’s backstory or say someone had green eyes in one place and blue in another.

So I started a spreadsheet. I reread all the books and each new character, Wayfarer words, ship, and other details in the books went into my spreadsheet. I’ve got nine tabs in it. On some of the tabs, I’ve got a ton of information and others ended up being just a short list.

I know at one point, I added the number of books so I could track who came in when and who was in which books. I used this to keep a summary of each book. I cannot tell you how many times I used the summary to figure out days between events. There’s a lot of pregnancies in my series so making sure the right amount of time had passed was key. But I also used it to figure out ages and other things. If I was working on a Wayfarer novel, I had my spreadsheet open. It was my ultimate referral.

One other thing which helped me was to reread the books. One reason to reread the previous books was to get the feel for the characters, setting, and tone. It helped me fall back into Adara’s head or whichever character I needed to write about.

Wayfarer series by Eileen Troemel

Rarely did I start a book with a plan. When I reached book ten (Wayfarer Expansion), I freaked out a bit. TEN books. It seemed like such a big deal. Was the story good enough to be book ten? Obviously it had to be BETTER! I edited and edited and edited. In passing, I told a friend how I was feeling and she reminded me numerological a ten is a one so it’s a beginning. It was simple. It’s just another step in the series. I finished my edits and published.

My middle daughter and I talked (another of those billion book conversations) about authors who kill off characters. Somewhat to tease her, I said maybe I should kill someone off in the Wayfarer novel. What was meant to tease my daughter turned into a serious discussion of how it should be done. When I started writing Wayfarer Acceptance, there were two things I knew – I did not want to write another birthing scene and one of the characters would not survive the end of the book.

Around book twelve (Wayfarer Convictions) or thirteen (Wayfarer Limits), I realized the stories were leading to a huge change in the storyline. I knew at this point where Adara was going to end up. What? Plotting? Yes – minimally.

One of the things I hate about long series is without fail, repeats occur. I looked at where I’d been in the series and realized I was coming to the end.

My daughter and I talked about different crimes and different overall themes and at some point, I realized – wow this is so hard to write without giving spoilers. Let’s just say my characters evolved to a point where their lives were changing. By book fourteen, I knew how many books I had left to write. It was supposed to be three more but when I wrote the last book it ended up being too long for one book. I split it and the series ended with eighteen full length novels.

My lessons from this… well bullet points work for me:

  • Each book has to have a beginning, middle, and end. This doesn’t mean a storyline can’t carry over but there has to be some sort of conclusion.
  • Use a spreadsheet or something like it to keep track of all the details in your series.
  • Avoid any kind of formulaic format.
  • Stretch yourself and your skills by taking risks.
  • Follow the story and be true to your characters.
  • Know when it’s time to end the series.

It doesn’t matter how you write – plotting or writing as it comes or jumping all over the place. What matters is the story. Each book has to be unique and different so the reader doesn’t know what to expect. Once your reader knows what to expect, they start to get bored. Bored readers are never good.

The answer to the question – how do you write a long series? – is not simple or easy. You write your way, honor your characters and your story, and hope the readers LOVE what you write.

Read Eileen’s interview about writing the Wayfarer series

About Eileen:
Author of Moon Affirmations as well as poetry, novels, and short stories, Eileen enjoys telling a good story or expressing a heartfelt emotion.  She’s been published in The American Tarot Association’s Quarterly Journal, What’s Cooking America, Children, Churches and Daddies, and many other publications.  In addition to her writing, she loves to read, crochet, crafting, research genealogy, and spend time with family.  She has three adult daughters and has been married to her husband for 38 years.

I hope authors will check my social media for information to help authors who are featured.  I have four categories which specifically pertain to authors.

Tips for Authors (https://eileentroemel.com/category/tips-for-authors/).  This is a series of blog posts which I hope will help writers who think they are ready to step from final draft to editing and hopefully publishing.  As I think of more topics I plan to add to this.  Editor Interviews (https://eileentroemel.com/category/editor-interview/) which asks editors key questions.  This gives authors a chance to get to know editors and how they think. Book Tour (https://eileentroemel.com/category/book-tour/) which I get book information from companies who offer book tours. 

However, I also post for any author who asks.  All they have to do is provide me with the information.  I’ve worked with a lot of authors and I’m now starting to get requests from publisher.  Author Interviews (https://eileentroemel.com/category/author-interview/) In this section, I send out 10 questions to authors who want to be interviewed and they provide me answers and pictures and graphics to post.  These all get posted on my web site and then they go out to my social media. 

One last thing – though this isn’t on my blog but in my group on Facebook – I’ve been doing live (typed) interviews.  I create a post about the author and the book we’re talking about.  Then in the comments I ask question and the author answers.  Others are invited to ask as well. 

One thing I want to say – I don’t charge for any of this.  Yes, it takes time and effort but I’m not out any money.  I’ve gotten to know some great authors and learned about genres I don’t write in. 

My philosophy – hmmm well I’d like to have some lofty esoteric response here but the answer is simple.  I’m an author.  Almost daily, I get requests to advertise with some group or someone wants to do a review – but of course there’s a charge for it. Being an author is expensive.  Most of us in this field are saving for expensive items like editing and book covers.  While we put out a lot for these ($300+ for editing and anywhere from $50 up for covers) we make very little in royalties – even as a self published author a lot of people take their share first.  I don’t have the money to help in most situations but I can say – hey come put your stuff on my site and I’ll post them. One post – if it’s sent to me in an organized fashion – takes very little time and effort on my part.  If it takes very little effort and it helps people, then why not do it? So I do.

Website: https://eileentroemel.com/ 
Twitter https://twitter.com/EileenTroemel
Facebook https://www.facebook.com/EileenTroemelAuthor/ 
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LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/eileen-troemel-6667825b/
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2020 was a HECK of a year! What did I learn? Alice Renaud

Welcome back, Alice Renaud, author of the wonderful (and award-winning Sea of Love series! Also, we love her contributions to Mystic Desire and the fourth installment in the Sea of Love series found in Desire Me Again.

Things I learnt in 2020

1. Anxiety shortens my attention span
I thought, with all this time in lockdown, I’ll get a lot of writing done! Yes? Er, no. I struggled to focus on my WIP, the first book in my new series Conjuring Love, about time-travelling warlocks and witches. A month ago, between our second and third lockdown, I reread what I had written in March and April. Oh dear. I hated my characters. They were just doing and saying such silly things. I ended up scrapping three chapters and rewriting them.

A Merman's Choice by Alice Renaud

2. Dreams are a great source of inspiration… when they make sense
On the other hand, the first lockdown gifted me a dream which I used to write my first ever sci-fi romance story. “Space Cowboy Blues” will be included in the new BVS anthology “Cowboy Desire,” which will be out soon. It features a cowboy, a beautiful alien, and space blue unicorns. I found it easier to write short stories than full length novellas in 2020. Of course dreams only work as a source when they make some sort of sense. I once had a dream where I was moving through dimensions by taking my clothes off and jumping through a guitar… I haven’t managed to fit that into a story yet.

Music for a Merman by Alice Renaud

3. I quite like people really
Before Covid, I thought I needed more time on my own. Now I know that you can have too much of a good thing. I will always need some time alone… but I miss my family very much (I haven’t been able to see my mother or my aunt since last summer). I even miss the office, and chats with work colleagues. So during 2020 my online friendships have been a lifeline, particularly with the other BVS authors like Dee S Knight, Jan Selbourne and Callie Carmen. Chatting about books and interacting with readers and other authors on social media has also proved a boon. And writing is not as solitary a pursuit as it sometimes looks. Some of the best ideas for my characters and books were given to me by my editor, publisher, or fellow authors.

4. It’s good to stretch
Literally, if like me you spend most of your time sitting at a computer. But 2020 has also been the year when I experimented with different styles and genres and stretched myself as a writer. Short stories are a great way to do that. As well as the sci-fi cowboy tale, I have written my first ever gay/menage romance, a F/F/M tale set in Vegas with a mermaid, a witch and a warlock! It will hopefully be out in another BVS anthology soon. The idea came from my fellow author Callie Carmen. I wrote this story during our second lockdown in November, and it really helped me to pass the time and take my mind off things.

Mermaids Marry in Green by Alice Renaud

5. We are made of stories
Stories shape us and make us who we are. The stories we tell ourselves drive how we see ourselves and others. Stories colour the world around us and it’s much better to fill one’s head with stories than with dark thoughts. I’m not normally one for New Year’s resolutions, but I have made one this year – to keep creating stories, and making them positive, sunny stories. At least until the sun shines again.

About Alice Renaud:
Alice lives in London, UK, with her husband and son. By day she’s a compliance manager for a pharmaceutical company. By night she writes fantasy romance about shape shifting mermen, water monsters and time-travelling witches. Her first book, “A Merman’s Choice,” was published in January 2019 by Black Velvet Seductions. It is the first book in a fantasy romance trilogy inspired by the landscapes and legends of Brittany and Wales. The second book, “Music for a Merman,” is out now and the third, “Mermaids Marry in Green,” will be released on 1 November. It is on pre order now at the discount price of $0.99! Alice has also written a short story, “The Sweetest Magic of All,” included in the BVS “Mystic Desire” anthology, out now. Alice loves reading and writing stories, and sharing them with anyone who’s interested!

Social Media Links:

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

Twitter: https://twitter.com/alicerauthor

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/alice-renaud-author-4219b6166/

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Amazon page: https://www.amazon.com/Alice-Renaud/e/B07L52P17B

Website: https://nomadauthors.com/alicerenaud/alicebooks.html

Buy Links:
A Merman’s Choice $1.99 https://books2read.com/u/31xw7a

Music for a Merman $1.99 https://books2read.com/u/mdG7Bw

Mermaids Marry in Green PRE ORDER SALE only $0.99 until release date 1 November https://books2read.com/u/3LglAN

Creating a character #MFRWauthor

Create a characterI used to think that creating a character for a book would be easy. After all, we all know a bunch of people. Just make a character like one of them. But the people we know are already true, full people (though I have to admit, I know a lot of people who could use a little more work). To take a concept, a thought of a person you want to play a part in your story involves developing every single facet of personality, appearance, habits, quirks. It can be daunting! Consider the difference between buying a house that needs to have the walls painted to starting from ground zero and building the whole house from scratch.

I use a couple of techniques to create characters. First, I generally think about the character for a while. It can be any length of time, from a week to a year. By the time I start, I have a good idea of who the character is going to be. Then I use a character sheet I found in a plotting book a long time ago. It helps me see the character as more than two dimensional. The character sheet forces me to think about physical characteristics like hair and eye color, tattoos, piercings, and such. I also fill in things like hometown, siblings, general background material, internal and external goals, what they want, and what they never want to do.

I love the character sheet! But I have found that even the sheet can Charactersbe a little short of what it takes to make a character real. Kayelle Allen provides character interviews for authors who post on the Romance Lives Forever blog and I love them. Interviewing the character and really thinking about the answers make the hero or heroine come to life as a person. Such a great help!

What do you do to make your characters real? And as a reader, what do you notice most about characters?

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

Dee
Burning Bridges by Anne Krist: old letters put the lie to Sara’s life. Now, mending her past mistakes while crossing burning bridges will be the hardest thing she’s ever done.

One Woman Only
Only a Good Man Will Do
Naval Maneuvers

More feisty lawyers! Martimus by Seelie Kay

Martimus
Feisty Lawyers Series (Book 5)
by Seelie Kay

About Martimus: 

 Martimus. An underwater habitat dedicated to pharmaceutical research. Martimus. A facility that staffs its vessel with inmate labor. Martimus. The place where inmates visit and never return.

Agent Cate Creighton is in love. Unfortunately, as the Agency honeypot, she is knee-deep in an assignment that tests the bounds of her new relationship. It seems eight socialites have gone missing, all wealthy twenty-somethings with influential parents. No one seems to care until a former vice president’s daughter disappears.

When the vice-president shares a tale of false arrest, a broken promise of deportation, an illegal diversion into a private prison, and an alleged trip to an unwater habitat called Martimus, Cate and her colleagues must find a way to follow the same path. In other words, they must enter the right prison, meet the right fixer, wind up on Martimus, and hopefully return in one piece. And it looks like Cate is the perfect bait.

That doesn’t sit well with Cate’s lover, former U.S. Navy Seal Warren Hazelton. He intends to protect her until death ‘til do they part.

 Fortunately, another possibility appears, in the form of an MISix agent who has interfered in one too many Agency operations. Tillie Henderson owes them and they are all too willing to serve her up on a plate. It’s race against time as the Agency attempts to lure their adversary out of hiding and into their somewhat ambiguous trap. Maybe then Cate can finally focus on love.

Release Date: May 29, 2019
Publisher: Extasy Books
Romantic Suspense, Contemporary Romance, four flames

 Buy links:

Publisher: https://www.extasybooks.com/978-1-4874-2862-4-martimus/
Amazon: coming June 1
Barnes and Noble: Coming June 1
Kobo: Coming June 1


 Excerpt from Martimus: 

Tom cocked an eyebrow. “Warren, you’re a former Navy Seal. Isn’t there some sort of limit on the amount of time you can spend under the sea before it starts to seriously impair your health?”

Warren frowned. “Usually two weeks. After that, the lack of exposure to the sun and the constant high pressure oxygenated environment would begin to take a toll. There’s also a psychological impact. Think sensory deprivation. Your senses are out of whack because you’ve been dumped into a soundproof sponge. There is no normal sensory stimulation. No sunlight, no sound… Even taste and smell become compromised. Coming back to the real world would be an adjustment.

“In addition, those underwater stations are small. People are right on top of each other. Things we take for granted, like privacy, hot showers, home cooked meals, are in short supply. That can create anxiety, depression, and stress. No way he served that sentence consecutively. He had to take a break in between.”

Warren gazed at Tom. “That environment is more hostile than a prison. You may not be in danger from other inmates, but you are putting your life at risk. Three months sounds like way too much time to be stuck underwater though, especially if you’re not leaving the station for deep sea diving on a regular basis. They must be breaking up the time somehow, otherwise they’d have a pretty tough situation on their hands. A lot of contract workers would be headed to a rubber room. It would be extremely difficult to survive a month, much less three, down there.”

“Could they be treating the inmates like guinea pigs?” Hope asked. “Testing their limits? Tracking actual survival rates?”

Warren sighed. “Possibly. It’s not like they have to answer to anyone. They are located in international waters. No country in particular has legal oversight. I imagine they could be doing anything they want without recourse. Unfortunately, when the prospect of a reduced sentence is dangled in front of some people, they grab it, damn the consequences. If one or two inmates suffer some sort of harm or die along the way, they chalk it up to collateral damage.”

“And who’s going to know?” Cate shook her head. “Someone dies, they probably flush them down a chute into the deep sea and they become shark chum. No evidence left behind.”

Hope cringed. “God, that’s kind of evil. But that still doesn’t answer our original question. Where the hell is Fuzzy? Has he already served out his sentence? Has he been released, and if he has, where the hell is he? He’s the one we need to find. He could have a lot of the answers.”

“That lack of governmental oversight is troubling,” Tom said. “If Cassie McIntyre is down there, I can’t believe the CIA isn’t all over it. At least, our government should be doing a welfare check through the Red Cross or something.”

Warren grimaced. “Unless no one knows she is down there. Think about it. They are on the bottom of the ocean, more than two miles under the sea. It’s not like you can just go down there and knock on the door. Any regular monitoring would be impossible.”

Cate nodded. “And we haven’t been able to confirm that she embarked on the same path as Fuzzy. All we’ve got are suspicions. Right now, she’s missing. We need to sit down with her family and get more information. And we need to find other prisoners who contracted with Martimus.

“Otherwise, we’ve got nothing.”

About Seelie Kay:

Seelie Kay is a nom de plume for a writer, editor, and author with more than 30 years of experience in law, journalism, marketing, and public relations. When she writes about love and lust in the legal world, something kinky is bound to happen! In possession of a wicked pen and an overly inquisitive mind, Ms. Kay is the author of multiple works of fiction, including the Kinky Briefs series, the Feisty Lawyers series, The Garage Dweller, A Touchdown to Remember, The President’s Wife, The White House Wedding, and The President’s Daughter.

When not spinning her kinky tales, Ms. Kay ghostwrites nonfiction for lawyers and other professionals. She resides in a bucolic exurb outside Milwaukee, Wisconsin, where she shares a home with her son and enjoys opera, gourmet cooking, organic gardening, and an occasional bottle of red wine.

Ms. Kay is an MS warrior and ruthlessly battles the disease on a daily basis. Her message to those diagnosed with MS: Never give up. You define MS, it does not define you!

Seelie’s Author links:

 www.seeliekay.com
www.seeliekay.blogspot.com
Twitter: @SeelieKay https://twitter.com/SeelieKay
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/seelie.kay.77
Amazon author page: https://www.amazon.com/Seelie-Kay/e/B074RDRWNZ/


 Prior Books:

http://www.extasybooks.com/kinky-briefs/
http://www.extasybooks.com/kinky-briefs-too/
http://www.extasybooks.com/kinky-briefs-thrice/
http://www.extasybooks.com/978-1-4874-1734-5-kinky-briefs-quatro/
http://www.extasybooks.com/978-1-4874-2023-9-kinky-briefs-cinque/
http://www.extasybooks.com/the-garage-dweller/
http://www.extasybooks.com/978-1-4874-1504-4-a-touchdown-to-remember/
http://www.extasybooks.com/978-1-4874-1795-6-the-presidents-wife/
http://www.extasybooks.com/978-1-4874-2263-9-snatching-diana/
http://www.extasybooks.com/978-1-4874-2032-1-the-presidents-daughter
https://www.extasybooks.com/978-1-4874-2291-2-infamy/
https://www.extasybooks.com/978-1-4874-2349-0-seizing-hope/
https://www.extasybooks.com/978-1-4874-2538-8-cult/
https://www.extasybooks.com/978-1-4874-2658-3-hope/
https://www.extasybooks.com/978-1-4874-2796-2-the-white-house-wedding/

An Interview with Seelie Kay:

Q. Why do you write romance?

 Because I am fascinated by the games people play to find and secure a lasting relationship, which is not always love. There’s the chase, the courtship, the falling, the surrender. That’s what I try to capture in my stories.

 Q. Do you prefer a certain type of romantic hero?

 I adore smart, dashing gentlemen who aren’t afraid to live on the edge. They can be a bad boy, a billionaire, a prince, or a secret agent. That hint of danger just hooks me! However, I they have to be paired with strong, independent women who aren’t afraid to fight for what they want, even love.

 Q. Why did you write “Martimus?”

 This is the final book in the series, so I needed a way to tie up a lot of loose ends. That meant the Feisty Lawyers needed a compelling story to accomplish that. Something in space was beyond the realm of believability, but something at the bottom of the ocean? The possibilities were endless. I went in all sorts of directions at first, but ultimately made Martimus a key step in a much broader journey. The bottom of the ocean is an unforgiving environment. Survival is never guaranteed. Divert a few socialites there to serve out a prison sentence, make then disappear, and you’ve got what I hope is an exciting story!

 As a former lawyer, I also developed an interest in private prisons. These are institutions that are governed by a different set of rules and not all institutions follow the same rules. In some cases, the private prison an inmate winds up in can mean the difference between survival and death. In addition, there have been several cases of prosecutors and judges who received a financial incentive to divert inmates to private prison. Some were so incentivized that people innocent of the crimes with which they where charged have been convicted just so the prosecutor or judge could get their kickback. It is an industry that requires serious regulation and monitoring.

 Q. How does your former profession as a lawyer impact your writing?

 My friends say I am obsessed with justice and I guess that’s true. After 30 years, the law and the legal world are so firmly embedded in my brain that I can’t flush them out. That has become the lens through which I view the world and that naturally guides my characters and plots. Injustice infuriates me, but it also leads me to great stories!

Cover Reveal! Invincible Dreams: Denise Devine

Invincible Dreams anthology: Denise Devine

Boxed set: Invincible Dreams
Participating Authors:
Tamara Ferguson
Jen Talty
Denise Devine
Natalie Ann
Stacy Eaton
Nancy Radke
Jennifer St. Giles
Suzanne Jenkins

INVINCIBLE DREAMS – 99 cents on Kindle and available on KU. Pre-order now!

EIGHT STORIES (3 new) From USA Today Bestselling, Award-Winning Authors!

Freedom has a price, and sometimes the past and present collide. Our heroines are determined to reach the goals they’ve set for themselves and fight for their dreams to come true. It might require them to start over, forge a new path, or even change directions along the way. Sometimes they might get more than they’ve bargained for…

RESTORATION (New): Tamara Ferguson, USA Today Bestselling Author
AFTER THE FIRE (New): Jen Talty, USA Today Bestselling Author
GUARDING THE BOOTLEGGER’S WIDOW (New): Denise Devine, USA Today Bestselling Author
ALL THE WAY: Natalie Ann, USA Today Bestselling Author
YOU’RE NOT ALONE: Stacy Eaton, USA Today Bestselling Author
THE SUNNIEST GAL FROM TENNESSEE: Nancy Radke, USA Today Bestselling Author
THE MISTRESS OF TREVELYAN: Jennifer St. Giles, USA Today Bestselling Author
FRIENDS TO LOVERS: Suzanne Jenkins, USA Today Bestselling Author

Blurb for Denise Devine’s story, Guarding the Bootlegger’s Widow:

It’s 1926 in St. Paul, Minnesota and Prohibition is in full swing. A woman can vote, work full time, show her legs in public and cut her hair but she can’t enter a speakeasy without a man by her side…

Charlotte LeDoux is struggling to pick up the pieces of her shattered life. Her late husband, Gus, has left her a lot to deal with—his sprawling business empire, his enemies and an ex-mistress who desperately needs a friend. It’s tough for a woman to compete in a man’s world and even though it’s a never-ending uphill battle, she is determined to succeed.

Char gets a new Model T and is excited when William Van Elsberg offers to give her a driving lesson. She’s attracted to the handsome private detective, who, in many ways, is the polar opposite of Gus. Will takes her out for a spin in the car and instructs her how to drive, but at the same time, teaches her how to love again. She’s never been so happy!

Meanwhile, Gus’ enemies are circling like vultures. An anonymous note threatening Char’s life forces Will to become her personal bodyguard. He’s highly qualified, but Char’s stubborn belief in her own independence makes it the most difficult job he’s ever taken. Can he keep her safe or will he lose her in the most dangerous fight of her life?

Buy Link: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B088C3L5JD

Excerpt:
Prologue

According to the gossip on the streets of St. Paul, my late husband was a man of many secrets. One of the most widely spread stories I found intriguing, but also amusing, involved a secluded hideout where he supposedly had a wall literally lined with stacks of cash. If he did, Gus had taken this information to the grave because he’d never shared it with me.

Gus had been a bootlegger who’d made his fortune running “Minnesota 13,” the Dom Perignon of bootlegged whiskey from two Minnesota counties—Stearns and Morrison—to distributors in the Dakotas and Chicago. Ruthless and powerful, “Lucky” Gus LeDoux had earned an unfathomable amount of money and gained a notorious reputation, but made permanent enemies along the way. I always knew someday he’d die a violent death. I just never envisioned it would be by my hand.

I hadn’t planned to shoot my husband; I’d acted purely in self-defense. It did no good to dwell on it, but the memory of that horrific, life-altering day still haunted me…

Desperate to escape his life of crime, I’d run away from my husband and found refuge working as a domestic servant in the home of a private investigator. Gus eventually found out and stormed my place of work, forcing me to leave with him. As Federal agents surrounded the area, two men tried to apprehend him and he gunned them down—while I helplessly watched. My husband had a reputation for brutality, but to witness it firsthand horrified me and caused me to fear for not only my own safety, but also the well-being of my unborn child. I refused to go on and told Gus I wanted nothing more to do with him. He roared that if he couldn’t have me, no one would, and he tried to choke me.

Determined to save my baby, I grabbed his gun. We struggled. The gun went off. The memory of that deadly, piercing sound still left me numb; a stark reminder that my son, now three and a half months old, would never know his father. And I was to blame.

Only one other person saw what happened, but I knew Will Van Elsberg would never divulge my secret to anyone. To rescue me from the fray, he had lifted me in his arms and carried me to a secure place to keep me safe, proving himself to be the only true hero I’d ever known.

The events of that dark, rainy afternoon altered my life forever. As Gus’ widow, I inherited a fortune and became the sole parent to my newborn son. Though I was on my own for the first time in my life, I felt safe. I was free.

Then fate pulled me back to the dark side of Gus’ world, the most dangerous place I could be.

~*~

Author Questions:
NA; How did you come up with an idea for your book?
DD: I grew up listening to my grandmother talk about the 1920s. She was born in 1902 so she was eighteen at the time the Roaring Twenties began. She wore a flapper haircut with Marcel waves all her life and favored jewelry from the twenties. When the 20s trend started to become popular in the romance and mystery genres, I decided it was time to write my story.

NA; What sort of research did you do to write this book?
DD: The book takes place in Minnesota in the mid-twenties, so I wanted to write about Prohibition and the Roaring 20s from a local perspective. The Minnesota Historical Society had a number of really good books on the subject by local historians. Interestingly, I found that moonshiners in Minnesota made a high-grade bootlegged whiskey called “Minnesota 13” that was better quality than many of the commercial brands at the time!

NA; A fun fact about writing your book.
DD: The names of the two main characters—Charlotte Esther LeDoux and William Charles Van Elsberg are my grandparents’ names. LeDoux is Charlotte’s married name in the book (and her maiden name is Johnson). My grandmother’s correct maiden name was Charlotte Esther Smith before she married Will Van Elsberg. And if you’re wondering—the personalities of these characters are my own creation.

NA; What started you on the path to writing?
DD: As I indicated in my bio, I’ve had a passion for books since I learned to read. Little House in the Big Woods was the first book I read that I couldn’t put down. Growing up, I always thought you had to be rich and connected to publish books (got this impression from TV), but when I was thirteen, my family took a train trip out to Oregon and I found out that my cousin was writing a mystery with her friend. That gave me a new perspective on the idea and I wrote my first story in a notebook on the train on the way home. I still have that story locked away in my hope chest.

NA; What do your friends and family think about your being a writer?
DD: My non-writing friends think it’s fascinating. My family is so used to it, they pretty much ignore it. One of my brothers, however, reads every book I write and is always asking when the next one will be finished. I dedicated one of my books to him.

NA; The biggest surprise you had after becoming a writer.
DD: I had no idea there were so many people writing books—especially romance. I didn’t learn this until my husband showed me an article in the Sunday paper (back in the late 80s) about Romance Writers of America holding a conference in Minnesota at the Mall of America. Unfortunately, this was after the conference happened. The internet wasn’t available yet and the journalist who wrote the article didn’t give any contact information for how to join. I didn’t find a local chapter of RWA in Minnesota until 1991. I found so many new friends through that chapter that I still hang out with today.

NA; Do you outline books ahead of time or are you more of a by-the-seat-of-your-pants writer?
DD: Yes, I do! I need to know what my main characters want, why, and what’s keeping them from it otherwise I find myself in a corner eventually and don’t know how to get out of it. I start every book the old-fashioned way with a pencil and a cheap wire-bound notebook. I start scribbling pages of notes until I get so many I have to reorganize them in a Word doc. That’s when the outline starts to take shape and I can see what’s missing. I always know the beginning and end of every story before I start plotting.

NA; What do you like to do when you’re not writing?
DD: My husband is a travel agent so you know what I like to do best! I’ve been all over the world. When I’m home I love to garden, sew, read, go to movies and have lunch with writing friends.

NA; A pet peeve.
DD: People who think writing is easy. Everybody wants to write a book but very few people have a clue what that entails. My biggest pet peeve are self-published authors who don’t research the market at all and don’t have a single clue how to market their books because they don’t bother to find out.

NA; What errand/chore do you despise the most?
DD: Making supper every night! I hate having to stop what I’m doing and figure out what to cook.

NA; Strangest place you’ve brushed your teeth?
DD: Not really strange but totally fascinating. I stayed in a hotel in Egypt that was nearly walking distance of the pyramids at Giza and it used to be the hunting lodge of a former Arab prince. The architecture absolutely blew me away.

NA; What are you working on now?
DD: I’m starting a new small-town series called West Loon Bay and book one is called Small Town Girl. Growing up, I lived in small Minnesota towns for 5 years. My husband was born and raised in a small town and his family still lives there so I have a pretty good handle on the daily life of rural Minnesota. West Loon Bay is a tourist town on Lake Tremolo (resorts, golf and fishing) so there is always a lot going on.

NA; What question didn’t we ask that you’d like to answer?
DD: What I write specifically. I write sweet books, and by “sweet” I mean no profanity or onscreen sex, but there is plenty of conflict in the relationship. I also write romance, romantic comedy, romantic suspense, historical suspense and cozy mystery. I also have one inspirational romance. I have a private group on Facebook that I host with Raine English called Happily Ever After Stories – Sweet Romance. It’s a fun group with no controversial stuff ever, but we do have fun FB parties

About the Author
Denise DevineDenise Devine is a USA Today bestselling author who has had a passion for books since the second grade when she discovered Little House on the Prairie by Laura Ingalls Wilder. She wrote her first book, a mystery, at age thirteen and has been writing ever since. She loves all animals, especially dogs, cats and horses, and they often find their way into her books.

She has written twelve books, including books in the Beach Brides Series, The Perfect Match Series and the Hawaiian Holiday Series. Her books have hit the Top 100 Bestseller list on Amazon and she has been listed on Amazon’s Top 100 Authors.

If you’d like to know more about her, visit her website at:
https://www.deniseannettedevine.com
or join her VIP list today to get the scoop on free books, new releases and lots of goodies at:
http://eepurl.com/csOJZL

Unsuitable for a Lord–but very suitable for us! Cathleen Ross

An Unsuitable Lady for a Lord by Cathleen Ross

An Unsuitable Lady for a Lord
Series: Scottish Lords and Ladies Series
Author: Cathleen Ross
Publisher: Entangled Publishing
Release date: 13 April 2020
Genre: Regency
Pages: 192  52,000 words

Blurb:
Lord Aaron Lyle has one hell of a choice: a bankrupt dukedom, or marriage to some simpering society miss so his spendthrift father can get his hands on her huge dowry. He won’t do it. He has a reputation to maintain, and besides, he’d rather run naked through the streets of London than marry anyone at all. Surely, there must be a third option.

Then Lady Crystal Wilding walks into his life, a bluestocking, full of subversive thoughts, who hates the notion of marriage even more than he does. He is intrigued…and suddenly he has an idea. He invites the totally unsuitable lady home on the pretext of presenting her as a possible match…but in truth, Aaron has something far more pleasurable in mind. For her part, Lady Crystal has her own reasons for going along with his harebrained scheme.

Imagine their shock when his highly proper family loves her and starts planning the wedding. Good lord. Now what?

Excerpt: (Heat Rating) Medium

Buy links:
B&N
KOBO
Amazon

Excerpt:
Edinburgh, 1811 Friday evening

When the wild Scottish wind swept Lady Crystal Wilding’s straw bonnet from her head, she didn’t expect it to fly, complete with ostrich feathers, right into the hands of the most compelling gentleman she’d ever seen.

He leaped with masculine grace, snatched the offending black hat from the air, and, on seeing its owner, bowed deeply. His thick, dark hair and perfectly trimmed sideburns had not been mussed by the leap, and the first thing she noticed was the amusement in his midnight blue eyes. He was exquisitely attired in a double-breasted black tailcoat, tan breeches, and black leather shoes. His cream silk cravat was tied superbly in a complicated pattern only a highly paid servant could manage. A hint of his brocade waistcoat showed under his well-tailored tailcoat.

“Lord Lyle at your service, Miss…”

“Lady Crystal Wilding.”

She strode a few feet over to him, bobbed a curtsy, and caught his compelling blue-eyed gaze for a second too long. She usually regarded powerful lords with some contempt… but something about this man grabbed her attention and wouldn’t let go.

She deliberately shook it off. She really needed to refocus and not allow herself to be distracted. “Thank you for saving this miscreant of a hat, my lord. I dinnae ken how it came loose.”

He fluffed the elaborate plumed creation before placing it in her hands and giving her a wicked smile. “Perhaps it was trying to return to its former avian owner.”

A ripple of laughter left her lips, and he joined her, his stern, noble face softening with enjoyment. Up close, he smelled of fine wool and the delicious scent of lime.

Just then, Hilda, Crystal’s maid, approached her. “I’m sorry, my lady. I should have tied the hat better.”

“No matter. You may go, Hilda. Take the hackney cab back to Old Town. I can see Sir Walter Scott is waiting for me at his front door,” she said. She was looking forward to meeting the famous poet and author.

“Aye, my lady.” Hilda curtsied and left her.

“So, you’re attending Sir Walter’s soiree? I heard there is a right harridan of a speaker tonight,” Lord Lyle confided, leaning close to her. “Let me escort you to the door.” He held out his arm for her.

She took it and walked with him down North Castle Street, conscious of how well built he was, with broad shoulders, narrow hips, and long legs.

“A harridan, you say?” she mused, biding her time. “She sounds right frightening. Does she come with horns?” He laughed again, and she noticed how his intense blue eyes warmed to her humor. He had a dimple in one cheek when he smiled, which was rather appealing, despite his cutting words.

“She’s a bluestocking, I’m told. One of those dreadful mannish creatures, no doubt with a mustache, who’ll probably bore us. Certainly, she’ll not be a bonny lass like you.”

He found her beautiful? Well, her heart certainly beat faster when he was close, but it irritated her that he thought a woman should be comely if he was expected to listen to her. She turned to him, raised her eyebrows, and looked him up and down as they approached Sir Walter’s gate. “Why are you attending the salon if you’re not interested in this boring, frightening orator?”

“The whisky is excellent, and Sir Walter is a dear friend,” he said with a wink.

Sir Walter Scott held on to the rail and limped down his front stairs to greet them. “Lord Lyle, I see you’ve already met our charming presenter, Lady Crystal Wilding.”

Lord Lyle blanched, his handsome face becoming all angles and planes, making his blade of a nose appear sharper under his high cheekbones. “Our speaker, you say?”

Crystal calmly rubbed above her upper lip, where her mustache would be if she were the harridan he had expected. “Aye, the lord has made my acquaintance and entertained me with his views. I look forward to sharing some of mine, for I’m sure he’ll eat up my words.”

Or learn to eat his own.

Meet Cathleen Ross:

NA: How did you come up with the idea for your book?
CR: I said to my editor that I was going on a trip to Scotland and she asked would I like to write a Regency with a Blue Stocking heroine.

For my research, I read the Vindication of the Rights of Women by Mary Wollstonecraft because I wanted to understand how women thought and felt at that time. I also read The Last Highlander by Sarah Frazer so I could understand the history behind the rebellion. It gave me a feel for the mentality of the Highland people in 1745. The kicker was that when I was doing my research, I realized I was related to some of the main players – The Frazer lord and the Ross lord.

I’m descended from a Scottish Frazer Lady , the sister of the lord who married a Ross—that side fought for the Rebellion—and another Ross Lord, which I’m directly descended from, fought for the English. So, I’m writing about my ancestors.

A lot of little things I put in are about Ross lords. They were a wild lot. One of them cut off the king’s enemies’ heads and presented the heads to the king. That’s how he became an earl. Nice lot I come from.

I used my research to fashion my heroine. My heroine is very strong minded and refuses to accept her place in society. She also has a strong social conscience. From the reviews of Goodreads I can see my readers have enjoyed the humor and the heroine’s strength and ideas.

NA: What was your job before you started writing full time?
CR: I used to be an Assistant Principal of an Adult English College and later a writing teacher for another college but I always wanted to write romance.

NA: What do your family and friends think about your writing?
CR: My friends and family are used to me being a writer as I’ve been published for many years. The first book I sold was an erotic best seller and I sold it to Random House. No one in the family talked about it and some friends were shocked. I was happily married and my husband used to tell everyone I wrote all about him, which made everyone laugh.

NA: What has surprised you about being an author?
CR: One of my big surprises was for winning an award for my first and only science fiction romance about an apocalypse. Although my editor asked me for another, I didn’t want to go back into that world. It was too stressful and now we’re all living it anyway.

NA: Do you outline books ahead of time or are you more of a by-the-seat-of-your-pants writer?|
CR: I have to outline for my Entangled editor. She then sends the story idea up the chain for approval. I sign a contract and then start work on the book. For my other books, which I self-publish, when I’m not contracted, I write into the mist.

NA: What has been one of your most rewarding experiences as an author?
CR: Being able to earn money from a passion, having good reviews and emails from readers.

NA: What do you like to do when you’re not writing?
CR:  I like walking because I have to sit so much for my job.

NA: What are you working on now?
CR: I always have a few projects going. I’m writing a Scottish Highlander book set just after the Battle of Culloden. The hero, although he is Scottish, fights for the English side because he wants to get his confiscated Scottish estate back from a treacherous old lord.  He refuses to marry the heroine even though she begs him, so she is then forced to marry the old lord.  Her husband, the treacherous old lord, is killed at Culloden, so technically she owns the hero’s estate and she can’t forgive him for rejecting her and leaving her to make his fortune, or for his fighting for the English.

I’ve just finished a book set in 1920s about the Theosophists. They are far more fascinating than the name suggests. That’s with my agent at the moment.

Hello, Cathleen…

Cathleen RossCathleen Ross is a quirky writer who lives on Sydney Harbor with her husband, daughter and very loved dog, Denzel. As an English teacher and editor, she has always surrounded herself with books. When she’s not giving psychic predictions for her family and friends, she’s writing romances where her heroines always get their man. She’s a multi-award-winning author who regularly hits the Amazon best-seller lists.

You can find Cathleen here on https://www.facebook.com/cathleen.ross.3

Southern charm! I love it! Emma Ames and Secrets, Lies, and Homemade Pies

Secrets. Lies, and Homemade Pies by Emma Ames

Secrets, Lies, and Homemade Pies
A Sweet Thangs Mystery, book 1

Blurb:
Not only does Tizzy Donovan think her cup is always half-empty, she’s pretty sure someone has spit in it. When she discovers a murder victim in the cemetery and lead after lead points to her as the culprit, her looming damnation comes in the form of handsome Texas Ranger, Ridge Cooper.

With pressure mounting, Tizzy uses her ability to communicate with the dead to help clear her name, but will their clues be enough to prove her innocence and solve the case?

Buy links:

Amazon
Audio

Excerpt:
By the time Tizzy and Rayann finished the dishes, swept the floor, and cleaned the kitchen, it was past six o’clock. They swung by Tizzy’s, picked up Gracie, and headed out toward the Philpot’s place with four dozen muffins. Frank’s family lived in the boonies down a dirt road about five miles outside the city limits. When they wheeled into the drive, the sun had set, and stars were appearing in the night sky. With no help from streetlights, darkness came earlier in the country.

Rayann unbuckled, opened her car door, and quickly closed it. “Do you smell that?”

“It’s a polecat.”

Rayann widened her eyes and fidgeted in her seat. “I don’t like them. They scare me more than anything. Even vampires.”

“You’ve been watching too much television. However, your fear is logical since skunks are real and vampires aren’t.”

“You don’t understand. If vamps were real, I’d still be more afraid of skunks. Vampires transform you, and you’ll stay young and live forever. But skunks make you stink, bite you and give you rabies. I don’t want to get out of the car. That stinker is somewhere close. What if it’s rabid? What if it bites us? We’d have to take those awful shots. I’m afraid of needles.”

Tizzy rolled her eyes and lowered her voice, “Let me get this straight. You wouldn’t mind a vampire sinking his long, sharp fangs deep into your neck and sucking out all your blood, but you’re afraid a skunk might bite you? This is only my opinion, but I’m sure you can outrun a skunk. They don’t move fast.”

“Okay, but leave your lights on. They hate light.” She eased the door open again.

Tizzy slung her purse over her shoulder and stepped to the back of the van, then spoke to Gracie. “Baby, we’ll be right back.”

She and Rayann picked up two boxes, approached the front and knocked.

No sound came from inside.

Rayann pressed her face to the front window. “I don’t think anybody’s home.”

“They have a screened-in back porch. If it’s open, we can leave the boxes inside.”

They made their way to the back, found the screen open, and placed the muffins on a small table. As they rounded the corner of the house, they stopped in their tracks at the sight of two glowing eyes. Rayann moved behind Tizzy. “Oh, no! It’s a skunk.”

“Don’t move. Once he sees we’re no threat, he’ll leave.” The creature gave a quick little nod, sniffed the air, and twitched his tail.

Rayann prayed. “Oh, Holy Mother. The Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost. Sweet Mary, Mother of Jesus. Jesus, Mary, and Joseph. Jesus, Jesus, bo-besus-banana-banta-bo-besus. He’ll bite us! We’ll get rabies!” She screamed and jumped on Tizzy’s back.

Tizzy’s purse catapulted into the air. The contents exploded and rained down. She fought to dislodge her friend, catch the purse, and keep herself upright, but lost her footing. Stumbling, she fell forward with Rayann riding her all the way to the ground.

The animal turned, lifted his tail and sprayed, hitting them dead center. A duet of blood-curdling screams echoed into the night. Rayann jumped to her feet and ran for the car. Tizzy quickly followed.

The skunk skittered away.

“I told you we shouldn’t get out! We stink! We’ll never get this odor off. I may throw up.” Rayann gagged.

“No. No. Don’t throw up in my car! Take some deep breaths!”

“Momma, somebody tooted.” Gracie said from the backseat.

Rayann gulped for air. “Hurry, start the car.”

Tizzy rested her head on the steering wheel and stared at her purse, spilled on the lawn. A large, mangy black dog appeared out of nowhere, lay down and chewed her wallet. “I can’t start the car because an insane person blaspheming the name of our Lord and Savior jumped on my back and caused me to lose my car keys. Damn, Rayann!”

“Damn, Rayann,” Gracie repeated.

“I’m sorry, baby. I shouldn’t have said that. It wasn’t nice.”

“This is not my fault, Tizzy! I told you I was afraid of skunks. I gave you fair warning. You should have known I’d go a little crazy if I saw one.” Rayann fumbled with her purse, then pulled out her cell. She punched in the number and ranted, “Hello, Dwayne? Tizzy and I have a situation. I need you to come and get us! We’re out at the Philpot place. Bring your gun and at least two bullets.”

Let’s meet Emma:
NA: How did you come up with the idea for your book?
EA: While visiting the local cemetery to choose a family plot—that sounds like a fun trip, right? One member of the mowing crew working that day, knew my daddy and came over to visit with him. Everything the guy said was funny! Not the content so much, but the way he said it—in true redneck fashion! Later that day, I related that incident to an uncle, and he said, “you should write a book.” And, so it began.

NA: What is the main thing you want readers to take away from your book?
EA: Enjoyment. If the silliness in my books makes a reader laugh, then I’ve accomplished what I set out to do. Nothing makes us feel better than laughter. It reduces stress, lowers blood pressure, increases memory, learning and creativity, and boosts our immune system. It’s so important, they have laugh yoga clubs all over the world. I’m not making this up. People get together and practice laughing because it’s contagious and you reap the benefits even if it isn’t sincere. Because, it turns out, your brain can’t tell if you’re really laughing or faking it. I suspect women are better at that than men!

NA: A fun fact about writing your book.
EA: The town is real. It’s where I grew up. Much of the silly stuff in the book really happened. Dan, Saint, Nana, Pattiecake, and Sugarpie are all relatives. The name Saint was in my family long before Kanye and Kim used it! Pattiecake and Sugarpie are what our grandchildren call me and my sister. Since we both love to bake, it was a natural fit to make us owners of the town Bakery, Sweet Thangs. Of course, in the story, I made us younger and gave us bigger boobs! That’s the beauty of fiction.

NA: Do you have a day job? What was your job before you started writing full time?
EA: I currently work part-time as an assistant property manager for an apartment complex—120 units. Before that, I was a school secretary.

NA: What do your friends and family think about you being a writer?
EA: They are not impressed.

NA: The biggest surprise you had after becoming a writer.
EA: The second book I released, a YA romance caught fire and I sold thousands and thousands of eBooks—along with having almost half-million pages in one month! I still haven’t figured out how that happened. If I could, I’d sell the formula.

NA: Do you outline books ahead of time or are you more of a by-the-seat-of-your-pants writer?
EA: Both. I start by the seat of my pants, but at some point, I make an outline—at least a loose one. I’ll make notes of funny scenes and even dialogue I want to include. I tend to write wayyy more stuff than is needed, so by the time I’m done editing a book, I’ve usually cut 10,000 words or more!

NA: What has been one of your most rewarding experiences as an author?
EA: Speaking events, and getting to judge writing contests. Some of those actually pay, so that’s just icing on the cake. Getting to do something I love (talking about writing and publishing) and making a few bucks.

NA: Which kind of scenes are the hardest for you to write? Action, dialogue, sex?
EA: All of them! Holy Moly, writing is not easy. I find every chapter and every scene a challenge, and I’m rarely satisfied with the end result. I always think it can be better.

NA: Why did you choose the shirt you have on?
EA: Well, actually, I’m currently wearing my pajamas. So, I guess I chose because I didn’t want to get dressed!

NA: First thought when the alarm goes off in the in the morning?
EA: I can’t remember the last time I used an alarm. I’ve always been an early riser so I’ve never needed one.

NA: What errand/chore do you despise the most?
EA: I HATE dusting. Maybe that comes from the years I spent cleaning houses and businesses. Even though I now live in a small apartment, and don’t have much to dust, I still hate it.

NA: What are you working on now?
EA: I’m currently finishing edits on the third book in this series, Pretty Bows and Turned Up Toes.

NA: What is any question we didn’t ask that you would like to answer?
EA: Probably what advice would you give to new writers? Which is, join a critique group. I’ve belonged to an online group for ten years and the feedback I get is solid gold. I have readers of all ages, ethnicity, and geographical locations. Some are doctors, lawyers, school teachers, ex-cons, etc. Not only do I get help, I’m able to offer help to writers just starting out, and that gives me great joy. I’m a true believer in paying it forward, so to know I might help someone become better, just as others help me do the same, is a wonderful thang!

Emma’s info:
Emma AmesEmma Ames is an alter-ego of Amazon bestselling author, Ann Everett, who is an alter-ego of a real person. All three live in Texas.

Find out more about Emma and her books at: https://www.anneverett.com/emma-ames-books/