Friday, August 31, 2012
RED
Hi there, Fashionistas. Did you know that red is one of the big colors for fall? I like this outfit because it's so elegant. What do you say? Good way to get your red in, right?
Thursday, August 30, 2012
Do You Oww and Ahh Over Cars?
Do you oww
and ahhh over cars? I usually
don’t. I drive a 2001 Chevy Blazer which
still looks fine and runs great, but there are a few cars I can get excited
about. A Jaguar, for instance. I believe if I got into this car I might be
tempted to break the speed limit. Can
you see the speed and sophistication in the design?
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I like some
classic cars too. The 1968 GTO is my
favorite muscle car.
I’m also
fond of classic Mustangs. When I was in
high school I knew this girl who had a pepto pink Mustang. I don’t have a picture of it, but don’t you
like the Mustang style? This is the first Mustang ever. Ford started producing them in 1964.
Liesel
Wolfe, my heroine in Never Trust a Pretty Wolf, has a thing for fast
Mustangs. Liesel and her father restored
Mustangs before his death, a hobby she still enjoys. Besides owning several classic Mustangs, she
drives a new blue Mustang. She was
driving that car when she and US Marshal Andy Bryce set out on the biggest
adventure of their lives.
The blue Mustang barreled down the interstate at ninety miles an hour. Why had she thought she could escape William’s reach? She didn’t know those men, but she knew plenty more just like them−cold, hardened killers who’d just as soon murder you as look at you. William had surrounded himself with such men.
Liesel grimaced as a slow minivan blocked her way. Joseph knew the truth about William. Oh, he wasn’t any better than William, but he understood his son. Joseph hurt people or ordered hits as needed to further his ‘business’ dealings, but William killed just for the enjoyment of it.
A chill seized her when she remembered the man who had kicked her. She hated him for what he had done, but at the end she had felt nothing but pity for him. When the courts refused to punish him, William had taken justice into his own hands. He had apprehended the detective and taken him to a secluded warehouse. By the time William finished with him, she felt sure the man had wanted to die.
She had wondered why William insisted she take a ride with him that last afternoon. The doctor had told her to rest, but since she feared William she had gotten into the car with him. He had taken her to the abandoned building where the detective’s body lay. She had taken one look at him and lost her lunch.
“An eye for an eye, Liesel. We lost our baby, but he’s been punished. You can rest easy.”
Available at Amazon, Barnes and Noble, and http://www.astraeapress.com/#ecwid:category=662249&mode=product&product=11343720
Photo credits:
Wednesday, August 29, 2012
Dreams
I hardly
ever remember my dreams. For a few
moments after waking they’re fresh in my mind, but by the time I get out of bed
I’ve usually forgotten them. I had a
really wild one last night, but I can’t remember what it was. I just know it was wild and crazy. I decided to analyze a few of my dreams that
I remember, and this is what I found out.
Bear in mind that before I did this I thought I was a well adjusted
individual with a good handle on things.
One of the
worst dreams I’ve ever had is about a storm tossed lake with huge, roiling
waves. I did a little research and found
that this signifies an emotional battle.
It may also suggest suppressed feelings of hostility, wrath, and
terror. It might also mean that you’re
facing hardships in your life.
I’ve also
had a recurring dream of being in what looks like a haunted house. It’s always dark when I enter the front
door. A long staircase that curves to
the left is right in front of me.
There’s a window on the landing which is open. The wind is blowing filmy, white curtains
into the landing. I only get that far,
and then I see a door going to the basement.
I come back down the stairs and open the door to the basement. Two gigantic, black dogs appear at my back,
and I take a step downstairs. At this point,
I run away screaming followed by the two dogs who aren’t chasing me. They’re trying to get away too. Slow motion of course.
Yikes,
what could this mean? To dream of a
haunted house signifies unfinished emotional business related to my childhood or
perhaps some repressed memory. The fact
that it’s a recurring dream might point to a conflict or situation in my waking
life that remains unresolved. Some
urgent message is trying to get through.
The slow motion parts means I have a lack of self-confidence.
Well,
that was all bad. I’ve also dreamed of
being late. If you dream of being late
it means you’re afraid of some change or that you feel unsupported or unworthy. You may be overwhelmed or conflicted about
your future.
Now
that I know how conflicted I am, let’s analyze my characters in A New
Dream. Both of them have big dreams that
ultimately come to pass.
Matt
dreams of being a pro-football player.
To dream of playing a sport means that you can accept the rules of
society. It also may reflect the skills
that you possess which might make attaining your dream a reality. Hmm.
Matt sounds better adjusted than I am.
Violet
dreams of owning a catering service. To
dream of cooking means you want to take care of others and comfort them. It also indicates you want affection and
closeness to another person. Folks, I
think I just described Violet to a T.
In
this excerpt from A New Dream, Matt is giving Violet a ride home after she
accidentally smashed the cake he ordered for his brother’s birthday.
Matt
lost his mind somewhere between the bakery counter and his reserved parking
space. As Stacey had taught him, beautiful women like Violet didn’t want a
cripple in their lives. They didn’t
especially want a man with a dull nine to five job either. Still, he’d like to
invite her to Chris’s party.
Would
she go with him if he asked? Something about the way she’d touched him when she
scraped the cake off his shirt made him think that maybe she would. Maybe he
imagined it, but once or twice he thought she’d been tracing the outline of his
pecs.
Her
eyes sparkled, too. Every time she looked at him her violet blue eyes started
to twinkle. When they did, his chest got
tight, and he started to sweat. He thought about it, but he couldn’t remember
feeling like that when he and Stacey started going out.
Violet
demanded his attention by apologizing yet again. “I really am sorry about the
cake.”
“Forget
it. No harm done.” Why was she so concerned about his reaction? Nobody got
hurt. Come to think of it, Marjorie too had seemed worried. They were worried about their jobs, he thought in amazement.
For
the first time he considered the responsibility he owed to the Chef’s Pantry
employees. They needed their jobs to put food on the table, pay for college,
and make car payments. It was up to him to see that everything ran smoothly so
they could keep those jobs.
Violet
sighed as she ran her finger along the top of the cake box. “It had a football
player in a stadium, and I even labeled the lines on the field.”
A New Dream
is available at http://www.astraeapress.com/#ecwid:category=662245&mode=product&product=2676585 and at most retail outlets including B&N and Amazon.
Tuesday, August 28, 2012
Beyond the Book: Aww, Look at That Kitty
Hello, and
welcome to this issue of Beyond the Book.
Today’s visitor is Rachel Amos Hayes my heroine in The Sentence. Rachel came today to tell us about her new
crusade. Rachel, take it away.
Gosh, Elaine
made me sound important! LOL. I’m not terribly important, but I think my
new crusade is. I recently joined an
animal rescue organization. Most people
probably don’t see the need for such organizations, but if so, I bet they don’t
know how many animals are subjected to horrific abuse and torture each
year. Estimates vary as to how many, but some sources estimate that in the US about half a million per year are victimized.
Maybe people
don’t understand that even animals suffer pain and fear when they’re
abused. I hope that’s the case. Otherwise, we’re dealing with some cruel
human beings.
My own
little cat is a rescue cat. Someone
dumped her from a car and sped away, leaving a small kitten to fend for itself. My husband Clint saw the kitten and tried to
catch her, but she was afraid and ran away.
Over the next week we fed her, and she gradually let us pet her.
She was real
sick which might be the reason her owner threw her away. We took her to the vet who said she had a
cold. Kittens are very susceptible to colds. He said to keep her warm and feed her
well. We did that, and she’s now a
beautiful, healthy cat. I took this
picture of her sitting in one of my flower pots last year. I called it potted cat. And please don't think that black cats are bad luck. They aren't. That's just a silly superstition.
If you’d
like to help animals, here are some things you can do.
1. If you see an animal being abused,
contact your local law enforcement officials or the humane society.
2. Adopt a pet from the local animal
shelter. Sometimes they have purebreds,
but a mixed breed dog often makes a better pet because they’re sometimes not as
sickly as their pedigreed relatives.
3. Never buy puppies from ‘puppy mills’
or places of that sort.
4. Volunteer at your local shelter.
5. Spread awareness wherever you can,
maybe on your Facebook page.
Thanks in
advance for all you do to help animals.
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Monday, August 27, 2012
Animal Instinct
Lynette Endicott and Tami Dee,
Authors
Desert Breeze Publishing
Time After
Time Saga: Animal Instinct
Dr. Allison
Green, descendent of a line of women who bear the Heartmark, a heart-shaped
birthmark that identifies them as the target of an evil time-traveling enemy. Can Allison find a way
to live with the sudden onslaught of ancestral memories depicting an epic
battle for love?
Sean Barnett, the new detective in town.
Will Sean be the man to foil Meredith's ancient
vow to wreak revenge on his Heartmark woman and deprive him and Allison of their
true love?
Can their animal helpers come to their aid?
Time After Time Saga: Animal
Instinct
Authors: Lynette
Endicott and Tami Dee
Length: Short
Novel
Category: Contemporary,
Speculative Romance
Rating: Warm
Photography/Artwork: Gwen
Phifer
Available for Kindle, Nook,
Kobo, Sony, iBook and PDF
Excerpt:
The spicy smell of the best Mexican restaurant in the state tickled her senses awake. She opened one eye. Mer was standing by the bed, grinning and waving a hand over a steaming plate to send the aromas her way.
"Like what you smell? Come and get it." Her friend turned on her heel and headed back to the dining nook where the take out containers were lined up, already half empty. Al rubbed her eyes and her stomach growled loudly. There were some advantages to having an impromptu roommate.
Allison slipped her fingers through her hair in an effort to smooth it. "Looks and smells amazing. How long did I sleep?" She glanced at the clock on the stove in some surprise.
It was almost eight o'clock.
Eyes gleaming with a rather manic light, Mer waved her down. "Sit, sit. Eat, while I tell you about the most scrumptious man ever to grace our fair city."
Allison only half listened. There was always someone in Mer's sights. She had dated most of the eligible men in town, some of them more than once. New man in town, new meat.
The rice and beans settled in a heavy ball in her stomach, and Allison tried to push away the bitter taste of disappointment Mer's words caused. It was Sean, of course. They worked together. She had met him when he went into the precinct office. Of course. All their adult lives, Mer had been the one to get the men that interested Allison. While no relationship lasted long, no man could turn away what she offered. Allison wasn't interested in her cast-offs, so when Mer started being interested, she stopped. It wasn't worth it.
Mer didn't seem to notice Allison had gone quiet. Or, rather than shoveling the delicious food down her throat, as she had been, she now pushed it around her plate with a fork.
She sighed and swallowed the unexpected tears building in her throat. Too bad. She had liked Sean Barnett. He was great with animals, and in her experience that usually meant he was a good guy. He was one she would have enjoyed getting to know. Ah, well, another prospect bites the dust.
Scan the image below to download and buy.
Saturday, August 25, 2012
Six Sentence Sunday: The Cheerleader Messed Up
This sample comes from an unpublished work called The Captain and the Cheerleader. In this excerpt my hero just found out why a woman he always wanted to date asked him out, and he found out in front of a room full of people he works with.
She caught Kurt right
in front of his office door. “Please,
Kurt! Listen to me. It isn’t like Robin’s making it out to be.”
“You didn’t make a
bet that you could make me ask you out?”
Picture: http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Miami_Dolphins_cheerleaders_visit_Guantanamo_-e.jpg
Sweet Saturday Sample: Don't Look At His Rear End
Welcome to Sweet Saturday Sample. My excerpt today comes from Her Kind of Man. Her Kind of Man was designated A True Gem by Guilty Pleasures Book Reviews. You can buy the book at http://www.lachesispublishing.com/proddetail.asp?prod=HerKindofMan or at http://www.fictionwise.com/ebooks/b133189/Her-Kind-of-Man/Elaine-Cantrell/?si=0blurb:
Is it possible she’s finally found Her Kind of Man?
Ross Williams has been in love with Kara Cochrane since they were kids so
when Kara's fiancé Brandon Miles cheats on her and calls off their wedding—Ross
steps in to rescue the damsel in distress.
A heartbroken Kara just wants to get on with her life and hunky Ross
provides her with a definite distraction—that is until she starts falling for
him. Big time.
But a devastating family secret threatens to destroy everything that Kara
holds dear—including her relationship with Ross.
Excerpt:
Kara laid the kitten beside
its mama, but before she could get to her feet, Ross gave her a little push and
toppled her over into the hay. A second later he stretched out beside her.
“What’s your hurry?” He
closed his eyes and teased Kara’s lips with his own. “Hold me.”
Kara didn’t mind if she did
because Ross felt good in her arms. The fragrant, warm hay that kept her safe
from prying, curious eyes gave her a feeling of security. Her arms slipped
around Ross who kissed her again.
Punch-drunk from the
destruction of so many hopes and dreams, kissing Ross still sent little shivers
up and down Kara’s spine. Her entire body felt warm, pliant, and alive. She
made no protest when Ross grabbed her bottom to pull her against him.
Ross did, though. He made a
strange sound low in his throat, pulled out of her arms, and sat up.
“What’s wrong?” Kara
whispered. “Hold me, Ross. I like it when you hold me.”
Ross ran a hand across his
face. “I can’t, Kara. I want you too much. If I don’t stop now I won’t be able
to.”
“Does it matter? We’re
getting married in less than two weeks.”
Ross’s eyes blazed as his
breath quickened. “If we could be sure nobody would interrupt us…. No, Neil or
Bobby might walk in. Last thing I want them to see is my naked rear end.”
Friday, August 24, 2012
Fashionista Friday: Can You Guess
Some days just call for jeans, don’t they? I searched for an outfit I liked, and I found one for only $1175. Yikes! Too much for me. So, I searched for a second outfit like the first one but with a price tag of only $135. Can you tell which is which? Maybe, but remember, over a thousand for one, just over a hundred for the other. Without looking at the item sources, can you pick the thrifty one? I’ll tell you which is which at the end of the post.
Okay, did you guess right? The second outfit is the inexpensive one. Are you going to buy it? It looks good to me.
I like the first one.
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Thursday, August 23, 2012
The Gold Crucifix
Welcome to Nickie Fleming's blog tour. Nickie is the author of The Gold Crucifix. Here's a bit about Nickie.
Nickie Fleming was born and raised in the historical
town of Dendermonde , Belgium
She read English Literature at the University of Ghent
Her interests besides reading and writing are
travelling, skiing in winter and enjoying fine food.
Links:
I asked Nickie if she'd talk to us about the challenges of being an author. Nickie, thank you so much for sharing with us. Take it away!
When you
are not being offered a million bucks to write a novel – like some of the
authors I know personally – it is rather a challenge to write.
In my case,
I did not set out to become an author and only live for my art. No, I wanted to
do something entirely different, so I became a high school teacher. Lots of
people think that being a teacher is like a lifelong vacation – hey, they have
all these holidays, and being in a class with a bunch of kids can’t be very
demanding, right??? Despite the hardships of confronting difficult students
(and their parents) I do like my job and I believe I can say in truth that I
have good interaction with those in my classes. I all treat them the same, for
me it makes no difference where they come from or what their parents do. It’s
what they do in my class what counts. They also know they can come to me if
they’ve got a problem, and I will try to help them the best I can.
So writing
is only a hobby for me. One that I have cherished since I was a little kid,
since I grew up in a house full of books. I soon knew I could write novels in
the tradition of Dumas and Dickens. I believe I was only 16 when I completed my
first full length novel, Maria Gonzalez. Yes, the book which was published two
years ago!
Although I
kept making up stories all of my life, it took me until I reached my 50th
birthday to realize I also wanted to be a published author. I’ve been lucky to
find a publisher almost immediately.
As long as
I can’t earn as much money as I make by being a teacher, I won’t give up my day
time job. Being a woman, I’m able to do more than one thing at a time, so I can
keep up with the preparation of my lessons and the correcting of papers, doing
my part in the housekeeping (I live with my sister, and we both share the
tasks) and the rest of the time is divided between my hobbies: reading, writing
and travelling.
I set
myself the goal of writing one book a year. Up to now it has worked out fine. I
try to do some writing in the weekend, or during the holidays (of which we have
so many!) but also when I’m at work. Sometimes my students are working on a
task, while I makes some notes on my laptop. They can’t see it, but then I’m
working on a novel… Also on the train
home to and from work I manage to write some pages, and sometimes the person
sitting next to me asks what I’m doing and then I can explain about my being an
author. You never know you’ll be selling a book by doing so.
To
conclude, I don’t find it very challenging to write – but more so of having
dinner ready (I hate cooking) or painting the walls of my house….
Nickie, we have a lot in common. I too am a teacher. I could relate to what you were saying. Now let's read an excerpt from The Gold Crucifix.
Blurb:
England London
Excerpt: This is where Sarah meets Richard, the brother of her employer, for the first time)
Blurb:
Richard cannot forget the young woman her met at his
brother’s. He is determined to find Sarah and make her his own--even his wife,
despite what his family thinks of it. But love never comes easy. Richard and
Sarah will have to face many a storm--even the Great Fire of London--before
they can become one.
Excerpt: This is where Sarah meets Richard, the brother of her employer, for the first time)
It happened in the last bend of the lane, just before the clearing
where the lawns and flower-beds of the manor became visible.
All at once Sarah heard the thundering of a horse in full
gallop, and before she could even jump to safety, she was pushed off the road
into the soft grass of the verge. She was so stunned she did not hear the curse
of the horseman and how he pulled his mount to a standstill.
Slowly, she crawled to an upright position and immediately
noticed the pain in her right knee. Neglecting the fact that her basket had
fallen and its contents were shattered over the path--some of them trodden
on--she started to rub her knee fiercely. Only then did she notice the man, who
had turned his horse and who was now throwing disdainful looks in her
direction.
Suddenly, she realized what danger she had barely escaped.
This notion triggered a fit of anger, which became so violent she turned hot
and enflamed. Returning his glances with eyes that shot fire, she snarled,
"You fool! You could have hurt me!"
The look in his eyes remained cold, but the tone of his
voice revealed a show of interest.
"In case you shouldn't know, let me warn you that you
find yourself on private property," he said.
She refused to be intimidated and was quick to answer.
"So right you are. But I am the housekeeper of the Grange…sir," and
she put all her contempt into the word, "and I have every right to be
here. I was walking alongside the road and you should have been more careful!
The least you can do is offer your apologies to me, and if you're a gentleman,
you will help me pick up my belongings."
Thanks for including me in your blog tour. Your book sounds wonderful.
Wednesday, August 22, 2012
Jennifer, Can you
tell us five things about you that nobody would ever guess? Actually,
you’d probably be able to tell if you met me more than once, but I love to
change my hair color, and I mean drastically. From blond to a deep red
mahogany, and even to an orange creamcicle color I found myself with the other
day. In addition, my heroines tend to have the flavor of the season too. For
instance, Persephone, from Knight of the
Dead, has long, wavy deep red mahogany hair to match my color this past
winter when I was writing the romantic suspense. Today I’m a brunette, and my
newest heroine Randi has the same light brown color.
Wow! I’m going to
count that as two things, Elaine. Okay,
would you believe that I’m actually a shy person, uncomfortable in the
spotlight? Yet I always find myself being selected as the spokesperson when in
a group situation; others must get the impression that I’m outgoing. Maybe it’s
because I can lean toward the bossy side. Just ask my family.
Finally, sports and
competition, at times, consume my life. During the volleyball season—I coach
varsity volleyball at Pickens High School—I lose myself in the passion of the
sport, and in the thrill of winning. With the season started, I’m obsessed with
getting my fifth state championship, and a fourteenth for Pickens High School.
However, I hope to find some time to write, and to read some great books.
What do
you think makes a book a page turner? A solid plot and
characters that make you feel.
Which
genre of books appeals least to you? Why? Probably anything
in the non-fiction section—I read to escape rather than to learn. Also anything that is super technical. That
goes back to the reading as entertainment rather than to further my knowledge
these days.
On the
average, how long does it take you to write a book? Considering
my first unpublished novel and sequel took about ten years, and my published
book Knight of the Dead took about
six months from start to release, that would put my average at a little less
than five years!
LOL. That's funny. Readers, I've read those first two books. You wouldn't believe how good they are. Would you
share your links with us? Right now I’m in the process of designing a
website with a blog, and I haven’t taken the plunge into the world of twitter.
Remember, I told you, I am a shy person at heart! But you can find Knight of the Dead at Astraea Press,
Amazon, Barnes and Noble, and any number of other sites offering ebooks under
Jennifer Rae Gravely.
We’d love
to read an excerpt. Be sure to give us a buy link. Thanks,
Elaine, for letting me stop by your blog.
From chapter two:
the heroine works at a daycare, and is waiting with the new child for the
father.
The
pristine white SUV pulled in the church parking lot at a
quarter
to six. This had to be him. Persephone ushered Rose out the
door
and met the businessman as he slid from his vehicle. At least
six
feet two inches with broad shoulders and an athletic build, he
oozed
confidence as he stepped forward.
He
didn’t offer an apology for keeping her waiting but
instead
addressed the child, “How did you like your first day,
Rosebud?”
He ruffled her short brown hair.
“My
teacher read me a story about a giraffe. When can we
go
see a giraffe?” Rose hopped from side to side.
“Someday,”
he answered. “When it gets warmer.” He pulled
her
navy blue wool coat tighter around her, but they continued to
stand
in the space beside his immaculately detailed vehicle.
Persephone
didn’t have time for the tender moment, but she
tried
to remain patient rather than risk offending the man. Rose
resembled
her father, with the same blue eyes and high
cheekbones.
Even though his dark hair belied a hint of gray at the
temples,
it did nothing to detract from his arresting good looks. No
doubt
his wife was gorgeous too — the picture perfect family. An
unexpected
wave of envy caught Persephone off guard.
“Can
Miss Purr-So-Funny come home with us and read
another
story?”
After
glancing in Persephone’s direction, he turned his
attention
to his daughter. “It’s Persephone,” he corrected. “Did
Miss
Persephone tell you the story of her name? Her story explains
why
we have spring.” Rose shook her head and then looked at
Persephone
in excited anticipation.
Persephone
hesitated. She needed to be gone ten minutes
ago.
“Can I tell you tomorrow morning?” It was now completely
dark,
and she still had one headlight that didn’t work on her car.
Rose
looked crushed. “I thought you were coming home
with
us.”
Persephone
shook her head slowly. “Not tonight. I have
plans.”
“We’re
not going home anyhow, Rosebud.” The father
opened
the back door and hoisted Rose to the booster seat and
buckled
her in. Rose waved, and then he closed the door.
As
Persephone turned to leave, Rose’s father spoke, “I have
to
go back to my office. I know you said you had plans, but I really
need
someone to watch Rose while I work. I’ll pay you thirty
dollars
an hour.” His blue eyes were serious. “Cash.”
Persephone
quickly did the math. “I need to run an errand
first.
Can you give me the address and I’ll meet you there?”
“Absolutely.”
He reached in the pocket of his brown blazer
and
pulled out a business card. She noticed the wedding band as he
handed
her the card. His nails were trimmed and neat. The address
was
on the north side of town. “It’s the free standing white-washed
house
with the towering magnolia tree in the front beside the
stairs.”
“I
know the place.” She smiled, looking up into his blue
eyes.
“The old Timmon’s Home at the end of the business block on
North
Main Street.” Breaking her eyes from his intensity, she
glanced
again at the card.
“Yes,”
he confirmed. He ran his hand through his dark hair,
making
the front flip up. “I’ll tell Rose that you’ll join us later.
She’ll
be thrilled.”
“She’s
a sweet girl. See you soon, Mr. Lawrence.”
Persephone
spun on her heel and paced the length of the
playground
to the employee lot. She checked her phone for the
time. Ten
minutes. Maybe she could still make it.
Jennifer, thank you so much for sharing with my readers. Persephone is a heroine that most of us can relate to and admire. In one week she gets thrown out of an insurance agency, loses her job, is mistaken for a ... Well, never mind. As you can see, there's a lot going on! Here's a link to the book at Astraea Press. They sell pretty much all formats there. http://www.astraeapress.com/#ecwid:category=662245&mode=product&product=13594241
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