Saturday, May 30, 2015

Snippet Sunday and Weekend Writing Warriors



Welcome to Snippet Sunday and Weekend Writing Warriors, your chance to sample the work of a talented group of authors. Here's where you can find more excerpts: http://www.wewriwa.com and
https://www.facebook.com/groups/SnippetSunday/

I've been sharing posts from Return Engagement. To recap, my hero an FBI agent and my heroine an actress accidentally meet on a beach 10 years after his father broke them up. It's obvious that there is still something between them in spite of her engagement to prominent attorney Alex Crawford. They agree to have a hot dog together. In last week's post, my hero has put his arm around her and told her he'd like to kiss her. She liked the idea.

Shame abruptly flooded her. For some reason her thinking seemed muddled and messy tonight. I have a wonderful life. I have everything I ever wanted: wealth, fame, a great job, and they don’t make men any better than Alex Crawford. How can I risk my happiness by cheating on him, especially with a man like Richard? There’ s no possible hope of a future with him.

From under lowered lashes she caught sight of the amusement park in the distance. “Look, Richard, I see the merry-go-round; let’s hurry.” She broke away from him and sprinted down the beach with Richard right behind her.
After they rode the merry-go-round a couple of times, Elizabeth gave up her attempt to keep things impersonal. 

Return Engagement is available at Amazon and at http://www.whiskeycreekpress.com

Surviving Brooklyn

Scroll on down for Saturday Sample.


Title: Surviving Brooklyn
Series: Brooklyn Series #1
Author: Elizabeth York
Genre: Romantic Suspense
Release Date: May 15, 2015

Brooklyn Montgomery, daughter of a well-known criminal, just moved into a new apartment. She needed to be closer to downtown because she landed her dream job of becoming an assistant District attorney. Little does she know that the reason for her new job is because a killer is raining down on New York City. The killer is taking out anyone who looks like her, including the last A.D.A., and covering their bodies with thousands of forget-me-nots. Is this a clue to catching the killer or does the killer want to lead Brooklyn to her demise?

Mark Stone, Brooklyn’s childhood friend, is the lead detective in the city. He has been handed the case, but has a limited window until the FBI takes over. While he hunts to find the killer he guards Brooklyn with his life. He knows she has feelings for him, but can the past be overlooked so they can be together after they catch the killer? What happens if they can’t stop the killer in time? Will he catch the killer and capture her heart, or will the final victim be the one he wanted all along, Brooklyn?






I opened to him, and he pressed his body against mine, inhaling the moan that left my lips. All five of my senses were being overloaded by him. I could no longer hear anything but the rapid beating of my heart. I tasted coffee and whipped cream on his tongue as I inhaled his manly sandalwood scent. I looked into his eyes when he pulled away. My body burned with the need to touch him everywhere. 

“Tell me no,” Mark whispered as he dropped to his knees. I watched in fascination while he untied the bow on my drawstring shorts. I shivered as I watched him pull down my shorts, exposing a pair of black lace underwear.





Up and coming author Elizabeth York has been writing for about seven years. Located in the southeast, she spends her days drinking sweet tea on the porch with her laptop in hand. She has devoted her life to her family and her books. With the loss of her Father to cancer in 2010 she makes "Dear Daddy" dedication pages in each book and donates 10% royalties to cancer research.
Take the time to get to know the characters and you will love them as much as she does.


"This has to be one of the best new indie books out there. Elizabeth York packs a punch and delivers an awesome tale of suspense, mystery, anguish and love. Her characters are well written and the story grips you from the start, you won't want to put it down. Hold on for a helluva ride, because York delivers!" ~ Swoon Worthy Books
I love love LOVE this book. I can’t wait for the second installment to be released! AHHH dying over here, very impatient. Definitely recommend to other. ~ Amazon Customer
AMAZING! I was actually blown away by this story. I loved the story! It definitely kept me entertained and guessing. The twist near the end took me by complete surprise. ~ Amazon Customer










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Friday, May 29, 2015

The Devil's Music: Review

I have three posts today, including Fashionista Friday. Just scroll on down and enjoy all three.



The Devil’s Music
by Pearl R. Meaker

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

BLURB:

Emory Crawford doesn't do martial arts nor is she an athletic, leggy woman who is built like a model. She's a wife, grandmother, and empty nest lover of crafts, reading, birding and bluegrass music.


When an acclaimed scholar, best-selling author and fellow bluegrass musician is found murdered on the Twombly College campus where her husband teaches chemistry and forensics, Emory takes up her knitting caddy, to help her channel the spirit of Miss Marple, and heads off to help solve the crime.

EXCERPT:

Naomi explained, “I play cello and love chamber music so ethno-musicology is starting to look like a good field to go into. Interest in it will surely pick up now that Dr. Dawson’s book is so popular.”

Archie looked up at the mention of his book.

“Speaking of which, do you have it with you, Naomi?”

“Oh yes! I forgot.” She easily folded in half to dig into her M.A.S.S. canvas tote. “Here.” She held the book out for me to take.

“Personally signed to you and Jebbin.”

Archie made sure he was loud enough for everyone at the table to hear him.

They all looked at me.

“Ah, thank you, Archie.”

“What’d he write?” Myra asked me.

I opened the cover.

 “To my dear friends, Dr. Jebbin & Emory Crawford. Even a banjo picker should be able to understand this. Ha Ha. May none of your murder songs come true! Dr. Archibald Finlay Dawson.”

I closed the cover.

“Well, I guess I can return the one I checked out of the library this afternoon. We were planning on buying one at your signing table anyway, Archibald. Can’t pass up having a signed best seller for a new doorstop.”

Archie raised his eyebrows.

“I’m joshin’ ya, Archie. Just joshin’.”

Archie looked relieved. He laughed it off and we all went back to our own meals and conversations.

MY REVIEW:

Emory Crawford does a credible job channeling Miss Marple in this cozy mystery. I liked that she was an ordinary person (like Miss Marple) and not a storybook heroine who was beyond beautiful and so good it's unnatural. I enjoyed following along as she formed and rejected theories and eventually solved two murders. 

I thought the plot was well done, and I didn't guess who did it. My money was on a character who turned out to be innocent. The supporting characters were nicely done and played their parts well. Ms. Meaker created a realistic setting that I think people will enjoy.  

If you like cozy mysteries I think you'll like this one. Five out of five stars.



 AUTHOR Bio and Links:

Pearl R. Meaker is an upper-middle-aged, short, pudgy homemaker, mother, and grandmother who in 2002 became a writer. Initially writing fanfiction she soon tried original fiction at the encouragement of her regular readers. She has been a life-long lover of mystery stories and automatically went to that genre for her first book, The Devil’s Music. She and her husband of nearly 40 years live in central Illinois. They both love bluegrass music, playing fiddle and banjo and singing. Pearl also does many crafts –  when she’s not reading or writing - knitting, crochet, origami, needlepoint, and cross-stitch among them. She also enjoys birding and photography and is a former fencer.

Visit Pearl here:          

pearlrmeaker.com
                                   
https://www.facebook.com/PearlRMeaker
                                   
Twitter link: https://twitter.com/PearlRMeaker
                                   
https://www.pinterest.com/PearlRMeaker/

Buy The Devil’s Music:          

http://www.amazon.com/Devilss-Music-Pearl-R-Meaker/dp/1927559642/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1424818666&sr=1-1&keywords=Pearl+R.+Meaker

https://www.promontorypress.com/books/pearl-r-meaker/the-devils-music

Pearl will be awarding a $25 Amazon or Barnes and Noble GC to a randomly drawn winner via rafflecopter during the tour. Use the link below to enter. You can find the tour schedule at http://goddessfishpromotions.blogspot.com/2015/03/vbt-devils-music-by-pearl-r-meaker.html


a Rafflecopter giveaway

Not Every Girl


Olivia Davenport’s plan is destined to fail.

She is going through with it anyway, of course. After all, it is the chance of a lifetime. The unreasonable rules of others should not stand in her way.

In her small kingdom of Stewartsland, Olivia trains with the squires and harbors a secret dream. She longs to become a knight under the command of the Master-of–Arms, who just happens to be her father. He has indulged her passion so far, but they both know a simple fact – girls may not attain knighthood. Dismayed by the constant discouragement of her ambitions, she makes an impetuous decision to disguise herself as a boy in order to sneak on a mission. The consequences are not at all what she anticipated.

When her deception is revealed, she is sent home in disgrace; however, an unexpected turn of events puts her at the center of a dangerous plot against the King. The ensuing adventure finds her grappling with mercenaries and outlaws, yet these pale in comparison to her newly awakened emotions. She finds not only her life at risk, but also her heart, when the aloof Prince Liam begins to affect her in ways she never thought possible. In the end, it is her courage and unique spirit which must guide her through the challenges she encounters both physical and emotional.

EXCERPT:

"I came to offer the young lady one of my guards as an escort home."
What?
That is not part of my plan! And besides, my father could not seriously consider sending me off into the woods with a strange man, royal guard or not. It takes every ounce of my restraint to not jump up and protest.
"That is gracious of you, Your Majesty," my father answers. "However, I am concerned about the propriety of that arrangement. Not," he adds hastily, "that I would expect anything less than the highest scruples from one of your men."
Good. So Father has a grasp on the situation. Sending me back with any strange man and no female chaperone is entirely inappropriate. And there are no other women on the trip. Too bad Puck isn't here; my father would trust him with me. Now, they will all have to work out the only viable option—that I continue on the trip. I merely sit quietly and wait for them to come to this inevitable conclusion.
"Well, I certainly understand your feelings. Especially since the young lady in question is your daughter," King William agrees. "I am sure if I had a daughter of my own, I would feel much the same way."
They discuss me as if I am not sitting right here, as if I have no capacity for thought—or hearing. I am actually quite capable of taking care of myself and could get home without help from any man, thank you anyway. Not that I will suggest this as an option, of course.
Time drags into a prolonged silence. Birds chatter in the trees, the river bubbles happily by, the men are all packed and ready to go. They stand in a huddled mass waiting for instructions from their superiors. Come on guys, surely one of you can figure out the answer. My father must be aware of the only solution, so why isn't he saying anything? Perhaps he is waiting for the King to suggest it, so it appears he thought of the idea and can take credit for it.
"If I may make a suggestion, Sir Jack…" Prince Liam begins.
I am so happy someone is finally going to state the obvious, I don't even care that it is coming from his egotistical mouth. But then, he decides to become the next person to throw a wrench in my plans.
"Why don't I accompany the young lady home along with one of the guards. I give my word that everything will be handled with the utmost discretion."



 Reading was always a big part of Jane’s life. Over the years, creating stories developed out of this love. Finally, she decided to try her hand at writing a novel and that was when Not Every Girl was conceived.
She lives in New Jersey in a house full of boys, including one over-indulged cat. When she is not running around with her family or writing, she can be found curled up with a good book and said cat. It is her belief that a good book, a loyal pet and anything made of chocolate can brighten just about any day.
You can visit her online at: www.janemcgarrybooks.com .

Author and Buy Links:

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Thursday, May 28, 2015

Charmed, I'm Sure



Charmed, I’m Sure
by Lynda Simmons
~~~~~~~~~~~~~

BLURB:

Laugh Out Loud Funny...With Just a Touch of Magic


One minute Maxine Henley is the happy bride-to-be and the next she’s the girl who gets dumped over the phone. Max has never believed in magic and fairy’s tales, but if wearing a love charm can warm her fiancĂ©’s cold feet, she’s happy to stuff that little wooden heart next to her own and wait. The charm came with a promise that the right man will find her, guaranteed, but how can that happen when her teenage crush Sam O’Neal keeps getting in the way!

EXCERPT:

“Excuse me, miss,” a male voice said. “I seem to have lost my phone number. Could I have yours?”

Max smiled. She’d know that voice anywhere. She just hadn’t expected to hear it in Schomberg. “Your lines don’t get any better with age, O’Neal,” she said, stuffing the charm into her back pocket as she turned around.

“I’m a little out of practice.” He grinned and stepped from the shadows. “How are you, Max?”

 “Better now,” she said, meaning it.

 Sam O’Neal had been the boy next door, her older brother’s best friend and the one voted most likely to get out of Schomberg. She’d had a crush on him once, the kind of heart-pounding, breath-stealing obsession that fifteen year-old girls do so well. Watching him come toward her now, she wondered if it was her imagination or perhaps some trick of the light that made him look even better than she remembered.

Max moistened her lips even as she felt the faint shift in her shoulders, the tiny flicker of awareness that was as unexpected as it was inappropriate. This was Sam, after all. The one who didn’t think twice about taking her baby-sitting money in a poker game, or daring her to steal peaches from the Jenkins’s’ orchard, and turned out to be the best friend she’d ever known.

“I can’t believe you’re here,” she said, rising up on her toes to wrap her arms around his neck. “And without even a hint of elf anywhere.”

 “I hid until they ran out of size eleven curly toes.”

She looked up into his eyes and for the first time was glad she’d made the trip. “I have missed you,” she said softly.

 “Me too,” he said, kissing her on the cheek, the way any friend might, and pulling her close for a hug. She held on tight, feeling the strength of his hands on her back, the hard wall of his chest against her breasts and a warmth from both that reached through her fine cotton tank top, making her shiver. She started to step back and wondered for one brief moment if he would stop her, maybe hold on a moment longer, and what she would do if he did.

MY REVIEW:
I offered to review this book because I'd read a previous book by this author and liked it very much. Ms. Simmons didn't disappoint me this time either. I like the cozy little world she created, and I could see why even though people left the small town, they eventually were drawn back to it. Not that everything is perfect, though. The strong emotions and tragedies that sent both the hero and heroine running for the city are still there, and of course in a little town, everyone knows everyone's business.

The heroine Max must be the most stubborn woman in the world. Once she made up her mind nothing could change her even though it was obvious to everyone that she was making some bad choices. 

The hero Sam was my kind of man. I loved the way he dealt with Max and the pain of the past. 

I also liked the other characters in the book, but let's just say that Max's mother was almost as stubborn as Max. Like her daughter, she threw happiness away with both hands.

Don't worry, though. Toss in a little magic, and the book has a positive, upbeat ending that I loved. I can recommend this book without reservation. 5 out of 5 stars.

AUTHOR Bio and Links:

Lynda Simmons is a writer by day, college instructor by night and a late sleeper on weekends. She grew up in Toronto reading Greek mythology, bringing home stray cats and making up stories about bodies in the basement. From an early age, her family knew she would either end up as a writer or the old lady with a hundred cats. As luck would have it, she married a man with allergies so writing it was.

With two daughters to raise, Lynda and her husband moved into a lovely two storey mortgage in Burlington, a small city on the water just outside Toronto. While the girls are grown and gone, Lynda and her husband are still there. And yes, there is a cat – a beautiful, if spoiled, Birman. If you’d like to read the legend of Birman cats click here. If you’d like a link to allergy relief, click here.

When she’s not writing or teaching, Lynda gives serious thought to using the treadmill in her basement. Fortunately, she’s found that if she waits long enough, something urgent will pop up and save her - like a phone call or an e-mail or a whistling kettle. Or even that cat just looking for a little more attention!

Website www.lyndasimmons.com

Facebook https://www.facebook.com/pages/Lynda-Simmons-Author/149740745067442

Twitter @LyndaMSimmons

Amazon Link http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_noss?url=search-alias%3Daps&field-keywords=charmed%2C%20i'm%20sure%20lynda%20simmons

The author is giving away a $50 B&N/Amazon gift card via rafflecopter. Use the link below to enter. 

a Rafflecopter giveaway