Midnight Supper at the Rise & Shine

BLURB:

Bad luck and worse choices—that’s Irene. She’s been a widow half her life and now splits her time between waitressing at the Rise and Shine café and singing in an oldies cover band. And she’s having an affair with a married man—something that even her eclectic, super liberal family can’t condone. 

She’d be the first one to admit she has faults, but she’s not a bigot. The genetic pool in her nuclear family spans the globe. And it’s not that she’s prejudiced against people with disabilities but that doctors and wheelchairs give her the heebie-jeebies. So when a cute guy in a chair keeps showing up in the restaurant, she’s clumsy, awkward and strangely drawn. Can Irene let go of the past or is she too emotionally broken to find a future worth the risk?

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

EXCERPT:

The restaurant buzzed with conversation and the familiar clank of silverware on plates. Movement near the front made me glance over. A massive, shaggy-haired creature stared up at me from under table one. My heart pounded. It looked like a fucking bear. I screamed. Everyone in the restaurant turned to look.

Adam trotted over, his face aflame. “Mom, get a grip.”

As I moved toward the table, I pointed to the bear and scowled at the guy sitting beside it. “What the fuck is that?”

He looked up at me, a man about my age, who had the most amazing blue eyes. “Um, it’s a dog, ma’am. A Newfoundland. He’s very civilized. He’s a—”

“You can’t have a dog in here,” I shouted as he finished “—service dog.”

That’s when I noticed the bear’s blue backpack.

“Shit. Oh, I’m so sorry…” Great. Now I was yelling at the disabled. I moved to get out of the way of the huge dog. Something jabbed into my hip, and the guy with the great eyes jerked sideways. He clutched the table and swore.

I looked down and saw the wheelchair I’d just bumped into—unobtrusive, low-slung, a nice red that blended in with our décor.

“Sorry.” I grabbed the handle to straighten it back out for him.

“Don’t!” he barked.

I backed away, mortified. Adam glared at me. Someone put a hand on my shoulder.

Edward smiled down at me. “I see you’ve met my friend, Mark Redfield. Mark, this is Irene, the mother of our charming server. She’s quite pleasant most of the time. Maybe you could bring us some pie?”

AUTHOR Bio and Links:

Tara Woolpy is the author of The Lacland series, loosely linked novels set in the fictional upper midwestern town of Lacland, including Releasing Gillian's Wolves, Raising Wild Ginger and Midnight Supper at the Rise and Shine. Tara earned her bachelor’s degree in English Literature from Whitworth College after which she spent a year at the Women Writers Center in Cazenovia, New York. While pursuing her writing career she paid the rent through an astonishing number of jobs—she’s been a waitress, a shop owner, a retail clerk, a half-way house counselor and a commercial diver. Eventually, she took a midlife hiatus from writing to become an aquatic scientist. As such she also holds a Masters degree from Oregon State University and a Ph.D. from the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Now she teaches online for the University of Wisconsin-Green Bay and has come back to writing fiction with new passion and wonder at the long, serpentine beauty of life. In addition to the novels, her work has appeared in Focus, Corymb, Kalliope, Alligator Juniper and the anthology The Things that Divide Us from Seal Press.

Contact information:

Email – tlwoolpy@gmail.com

Follow Tara on Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/tara.woolpy), find her on Google+

For more about the Lacland books—www.batsintheboathouse.com

BUY Links:

Amazon Author Page:  http://www.amazon.com/Tara-Woolpy/e/B00596GT28/ref=sr_ntt_srch_lnk_1?qid=1431446687&sr=8-1

BN Author Page:  http://www.barnesandnoble.com/s/tara-woolpy?store=allproducts&keyword=tara+woolpy

The author is giving away a $25 Amazon/Barnes and Noble gift card. Use the rafflecopter link below to enter. You can find her tour schedule at http://goddessfishpromotions.blogspot.com/2015/05/super-book-blast-midnight-supper-at.html

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The Other Man

 The Other Man -- Book Two of the Sins of the Flesh Series

eLectio Publishing, released December 16, 2014

ASIN: B00PSGEKFW

Genre: Inspirational Fiction/ Romance

About The Author

Parker J. Cole is a writer and radio show host who spends most of her time reading, knitting, writing, cooking, and concocting new ideas for stories. Her first novel, Dark Cherub, won Best of Spring Reading 2013 from eMediaCampaigns. She lives in Michigan with her husband and their beloved dog, Sarah.

About The Book

Leah Westwood loves her husband Jacob with all her heart, even as the smoldering glances of her ex-flame Vincent Miller continue to affect her. What she once shared with Vincent threatens to rip apart the bonds she is trying to build with her husband. Jacob's heart belongs to Leah, but his body refuses to accept that. Rachel is the one who has been his mainstay at the most difficult times in his life. How could he leave her alone? Vincent wants Leah back and all he has to do is watch and wait as Jacob and Leah's relationship unravels. Ultimately, Leah must make a choice . . . between fantasy and fidelity.

Connect with the Author

Tour Hosted by: WLN Book Tours

Smart Blondes

Coming Soon

Smart Blondes

by Sonia Koso

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

BLURB:

Austin socialite Carrie Pryce has no clue her criminally charming husband is carrying on with another woman until she returns home unexpectedly, mistakes the sounds of passion for a home-invasion robbery and accidently shoots him in the backside. Stunned, Carrie drives all night to her quirky hometown and collapses in a near-catatonic state.

A crew of ladies spanning three generations realize it’s up to them to help Carrie get her life out of the ditch. Known as the “Presbyterian Mafia,” these are not sweet old gals. They have a book club that never reads, a garden club that doesn’t garden, and a bible study class that gossips about the Methodists. They’re known around town for antics including catfights, car chases and Voodoo rituals. The women enlist Carrie’s former childhood best friend Portia (now a lawyer) and her flamboyant cousin Eric (recently returned from New York) in their effort. 

While dealing with the after-effects of her imprudent gunplay and managing a hair color disaster, Carrie meets Rhett Richards. He’s an attractive oil field worker who can make women think un-Christian thoughts by the mere act of wearing a pair of tight wranglers. Carrie soon learns that hometowns can be the perfect places to bury old scandals and create new ones. 

EXCERPT: His cheating heart and other parts

“Baby, put the gun down,” Jake said in a tone of voice one would use with a naughty three year old. “It’s…it’s not what you think.”

Carrie froze. She couldn’t have lowered her arms if she tried. As she scanned the room, she saw the remnants of a well-planned romantic event including champagne, massage oil, and discarded lingerie.

Jake was slowly moving away from the defiled kitchen island and found a potholder to shield his now deflating manhood.

“I wanted to tell you for a while,” Jake started. “I hate that you had to find out about it this way.” Carrie recognized this as his salesman tone of voice—over-articulated, round tones that were completely full of shit.

“This has been going on for a while?” Carrie asked.  Jake looked down and then nodded his head.

He exhaled slowly and gazed downward, his default action before saying something awful. “We’ve been having problems...I’ve tried, but the excitement is gone.”

Excitement? Carrie immediately knew this was man code for I want to trade you in for a new one.  She’d seen it many times but never thought it would happen to her. The phrase I’ve tried but the excitement is gone would run through her head in a relentless loop a thousand times.

“I need to be on my own for a while,” Jake continued in round tones. “With you and Kayley around, I can’t figure any of this out.  I can’t be a grown man. I need fewer responsibilities…”

“You want me and Kayley to leave so you can figure out how to be a grown man? Jesus H. Christ!” Carrie screamed it more than speaking it. She couldn’t help herself.

“Maybe you need to get a few things,” Jake began, “And I’ll call the Driskill Hotel and get you a suite. We’ll talk in a day or two after we both cool down.”

“Let me get this straight. I walk in on you with your cock in the help… and you think I need to leave?” She firmed up her grip on the tiny Kel-Tec pistol. “I’m not leaving this house, this room or even that damn Aga!” It was an out-of-body experience. She wasn’t sure why she did it but Carrie fired the pistol at the stove.

 There was bang followed by a ping and a whoosh and Jake’s scream.  The bullet hit the front of the Aga, ricocheted off the cast iron and bounced into Jake’s naked butt cheek.

The next few seconds seemed like a year. Jake’s hand went to his ass then up to his face where he saw blood.

“Holy shit, Carrie!”

AUTHOR Bio and Links:

Sonia Koso grew up in the eccentricity-filled piney woods of North East Texas.  She has been writing since an early age and considers it her first love. After receiving a B.A. in English Writing, her life took a drastic turn and she went to law school. Sonia practiced law for over a decade but was drawn back to writing in 2012. Sonia's stories feature strong women, good-looking guys, legal dilemmas and a dose of humor.  Smart Blondes borrows many characters from her childhood as well as her legal career.

Sonia does most of her writing at her condo in Austin’s hip SOCO district. It’s in walking distance from landmarks including Lady Bird Lake, the Continental Club, and the Congress Avenue Bat Bridge. When not writing, Sonia divides her time between the live music of Austin and the sunshine of Boca Raton. She loves Tex-Mex food, blue water, cocktails and good friends. Sonia often dreams of a man who can do his own laundry and a walk-in closet with a chandelier…but not necessarily in that order. 

Links:

 www.soniakoso.com

 www.facebook.com/sonia.koso

www.pinterest.com/soniakoso 

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