Tag Archives: fantasy romance

Self pubbing???

Southern Discoveries…

well … it looks like Finder’s Keepers Book Two : Southern Discoveries will have to be a self pub novel… the first book got some positive attention but not enough for my indie publisher to spend more on book two, even though she read it and enjoyed what she saw… thankfully, she also read my contemporary romance and loved it… so while she helps me to publish my first Skymann novel, I will be learning about self-publishing…

it is my goal to become a hybrid author… getting my books out there through indie publishing, self-publishing, and eventually traditional publishing… one would think that this would be a perfect time to query publishing house to try the traditional route, but I don’t want my readers to have to wait for me to find an agent/publishing house… especially when I fear they will want the rights to the character/series… I would rather try them with a book that doesn’t touch either the Finder’s Keepers novels, or the Skymann novels…

so for now, Southern Discoveries will be in my unknowledgeable hands… wish me luck… I already know how the Ebook format works, but I will have to look into the paper back version… especially since I would like to get both Shocking Finds and Southern Discoveries ordered in paper back for my coming book signings…

okay… I need to go because I have been blogging all night on my Multiple Sclerosis site… and I am exhausted… later guys…

happy wordage, tracey

#EggcerptExchange – Kryssie Forturn

eggs

the Eggcerpt Exchange is almost over, but there are still a few more authors coming your way…

7e1563ad5f6ebf7c3b6b51150eb03bfb

soon we will be back to just my insanity… but for now, check you Kryssie’s novel while I head back to my edits.. 😛

Meet Viola Lightfoot, heroine of Kryssie Fortune’s book, To Seduce an Omega    #Eggcerpt Exchange

Hello. I’m Viola Lightfoot.
I’m a healer and I was born right here in Prowlerville. In the alpha’s residence, actually. For the first six years, I was my father’s pampered darling. Then he tossed me out like a bag of trash.
I live in a deserted shepherd’s hut deep in the forest, and while I’d like to visit Prowlerville more often, as the Rock Prowler’s Omega wolf, I’m not welcome. Unless someone needs my healing skills, of course.
I don’t have a significant other, but I’m certain I’m coming into my first heat. I know, that’s odd since I’m in my late twenties. She-wolves’ breeding seasons usually start at puberty, but since the beating that left me with a crippled knee killed my inner wolves, I never expected to have a season at all.
I’m terrified that my father sends his thugs to attack me again. They almost killed me before. A few years later, they burned down the only real home I’ve ever known, and my foster mother perished in the fire. I dream of leaving Rock Prowler territory and starting over. It’s not going to happen though. No pack would accept a crippled wolf like me

kryssie1

Blurb
The Rock Prowler alpha condemns Viola for her inability to shift. Forced into poverty and isolation, she ekes out a meager existence as a healer. As the pack omega with a crippled knee, she’s forbidden to mate. Her first heat beckons, but no wolf will dare to bed her.

Titus, a wolf rejected by his true mate, overflows with violence and anger. The Lykae King sends him to take over the Rock Prowler pack. He condemns Viola for wanting payment before she treats her patients and threatens to bring in a new pack healer. With her crippled knee and no other income, she’d starve.

She-wolves from families who disagree with the alpha have vanished. When Titus investigates, the alpha’s allies imprison both him and Viola. To escape, he must seduce Viola—the she-wolf he insulted and reviled. If that’s not bad enough, she despises him for his seeming allegiance to the alpha. As he gets to know her, she steals his heart, but after all that’s happened, how can she accept him when even his fated mate refused him?

Buy links

Amazon US
Amazon UK

Amazon au
All romance books

Kobo

kryssie

Excerpt

After a quick assessment of Tansy’s injuries, Viola grabbed a knife and a packet of herbs from her dresser. “What happened to her?”

Titus’s expression softened as he stared at the injured woman. “I don’t have a clue. I heard a whimper from a thicket of murder thorns, and the poor woman was lying unconscious in the center. Elves’ blood, you’ve got your gold. Get a move on. Can’t you see she’s lost so much blood she’s going into shock?”

The arrow topped Viola’s priorities. Once she’d pulled a threadbare apron over her head, she poured alcohol over Tansy’s wound. If the archer had barbed the head, pulling the arrow out would tear the flesh from Tansy’s thigh. Given that this looked like a deliberate shooting, Viola prayed the bowman hadn’t poisoned the arrowhead.

Titus laid Tansy on the moss and sweet-herb pallet, his touch so gentle Viola wondered how it would feel if he laid her down with such care. Just once, she wanted someone to be gentle with her. That or teach her about orgasms and sex. I should be concentrating on Tansy, not drooling over Titus’s ass.

She swallowed hard and settled on the floor beside her patient, her bad leg extended in front of her. Getting up again would be hell, but Viola would manage somehow. She always did, but on bad days her knee ballooned to twice its normal size. Her gaze strayed back to Titus’s ass. She pictured herself running her hands over it or stroking it or rubbing up against him and breathing in his musky vanilla essence.

Her nipples ached, and she felt as though flames licked at her cunt—all that for one of Zebadiah’s personal army. Despite his gentle treatment of Tansy, Viola couldn’t trust Titus an inch. This stupid urge to wrap her body around his and run her fingers through his short-cropped hair would fade soon. It had to. Nothing good could come of her having a fling with a stranger, no matter how much he made her heart race.

Tansy moaned when Viola cut the remnants of her skirt and probed her wound.

Titus’s eyes narrowed, and his jaw clenched. “Do you enjoy hurting the helpless?”

Her? Hurt the helpless. Viola would have laughed if he didn’t make her so fluttery and hot. She stood on quicksand, and the only way to stay safe was to cling to Titus. Yeah, like he’d ever offer his hand.

Her chin rose. “I’m a healer. Only an idiot would think I meant to hurt Tansy. I needed to know if the arrow had struck bone. Fortunately, the head’s embedded in her thigh muscle, but we still need to push it through rather than just yank it out. Once I’ve poulticed the entry and exit wounds, I’ll clean up her scratches.”

“Then get a move on.” Titus’s fingernails turned into claws, and he bared his fangs. At her. She should be scared or even screaming. Instead, she almost came when she pictured those fangs sinking into her flesh as she orgasmed around his cock. No. Not feeling anything for him…really. Besides, who the hell does he think he is? Judging me as though he’s the Rock Prowler alpha.

Viola did her best with limited materials. The alpha refused to let her leave Rock Prowlers’ territory to train further even though that left the pack without a qualified healer. She’d lost her books in the fire that had destroyed her home, and she hated when she didn’t know enough to help.

If Elspeth hadn’t taken Viola in when her mother vanished and her father banished her from her home, she wouldn’t have survived. Twenty-two years later, survival was still a struggle.

Healing was all she had left. She understood difficult childbirths and kept a stock of herbal remedies for the rare occasions a wolf couldn’t heal himself by shifting. Sadly, nothing would fix her knee. Without her inner wolves, Viola would never be whole again.

She stole a quick glance at Titus, and her heart rate sped up again. His confidence and strength along with the way he took charge of a bad situation made her envy his mate—assuming he had one.

The bonded couples in town never left each other’s sides unless they had to, which made her wonder what Tansy had been doing out here alone. Jealousy hit Viola like a fiery arrow. The thought of Titus bonding with another woman turned her stomach sour. Not that she’d ever have children or a mate, but a she-wolf could dream.

#EggcerptExchange – Kim Kasch

27c33bf0aa13ad0aeec14659b3b2a4e3

How many EGGcerpts have you guys got marked down on your TBR lists… I know I definitely found a few interesting finds over the past few weeks…and I swear, I will eventually get the time to read a few of them… just as soon as I get through a few more edits… lol… evil, evil edits… the month is flying by, and my edit-list is still pretty full…

I really like this next Exchange… it definitely sounds right up my TBR list alley… 😛 sooooo without further ado, here is Kim Kasch…. and her novel The Cats of Cullaby Creek….

kimk

   I’m a writer who grew up in a family with 9 kids and only 1 t.v. so I spent my days reading and, later, writing. I love books. . .maybe because I never got to pick t.v. shows we watched. But I’d run home after school to catch the last fifteen minutes of Dark Shadows…

I still love to run…and read. My favorite romance novels are The Hunger Games…okay, I know, it’s a survival book but it’s really all about romance. Then there were the series: Twilight, Fifty Shades, and more but I also love paranormal, Horror and even light books like Dewey the Small Town Library Cat… Mainly, I just love to read. . . and write.

Sorry to be so long-winded but did I say I love to write? …and talk and…knit, and sew, and bake… I could go on but I’ll stop by saying, I hope you’ll stop by and say “Hi”.

Thanks for listening.

SOCIAL MEDIA SITES:

And join me on Twitter or stop by and see what I’m pinning on Pinterest and, if you’ve read Demon’s Ink and have a question or simply want to share a comment, please feel free to send me an email. I love connecting with readers.

THE CATS OF CULLABY CREEK

Think The Animorphs” Grown Up

 kimk1

RELEASE DATE: January 21, 2016

PUBLISHER: http://cleanreads.com/

ISBN: 978-1-62135-483-3

BOOK TRAILER: https://youtu.be/JOft7ED0z2Y

BOOK TEASER:

https://youtu.be/729o2HWEAuE

YOU CAN BUY KIM’S BOOKS HERE:

AMAZON & iBOOK

LOVE IS ALWAYS RISKY

BUT

IN CULLABY CREEK IT’S DANGEROUS

IS IT ALREADY TOO LATE FOR SAVANNAH?

FIND OUT IN THE CATS OF CULLABY CREEK

TAG LINE:

Love is in the Air, something else is in the water

eggs

EGG-CERPT:

Kelly and Kyle

These two shared some sort of history. And now I was in the middle of their story.

Sparks flew through the air. But, they didn’t seem to notice—or maybe they just didn’t care how uncomfortable they were making the rest of us.

I scanned the room. The terribly odd thing was that while they stood in the center of the cafeteria—arguing—everyone’s eyes were on me.

What is so interesting about me?

After a few seconds, I heard whispered accusations slammed back and forth, like a ping-pong ball. My name, muttered in odd and angry tones. No one seemed to mind staring at me, but only the bravest few were sneaking sideways glances over at Kelly and Kyle, hoping no one noticed.

This wasn’t what I needed on my first day at a new school. I hadn’t come here looking for instant enemies, but I knew I’d accidentally stirred a private pot and things were already starting to boil.

I needed to do something and quick. From the sounds floating around me, if they got into an actual argument, I was going to get the blame.

I spit out the first words I could think to say, “What’s a new kid to do, after school, around here… for fun?”

Kyle sighed and chuckled, “That depends on what you’re hoping to find and what you think is fun.” He stepped back away from Kelly for a moment. “You big city kids always think something needs to be going on. But in real life, in a small town, not much ever happens.”

“We could ask my Mom to drive us into Astoria to do some shopping,” I suggested. It was a little too obvious—even to me—Kelly wanted me out of the picture and was trying everything she could think of to keep me away from Kyle. I almost felt sorry for her—but only for a second.

“Or,” Kyle sat down and nodded for me to join him. I could feel a warm rush of air and his scent worked its way up inside my head. I barely heard him finish, “We could go for a run.”

“What?” Kelly demanded, clenching her hands into tight-balled fists at her side.

“Savannah,” Kyle lowered his voice and said my name slow, putting an emphasis on the last syllable, like it was a soft sigh, ‘ah’. And, for the first time in my life, I loved the sound of my own name. “Is a runner. And she’s fast. Aren’t ‘cha?” He nudged me and moved even closer. I could barely think. His smell overpowered my senses; it was the sweet woodsy scent of him that took me by surprise. I closed my eyes and drank it in.

When I opened them back up, Kelly’s eyes were shooting red flames of rage straight at me.

I gazed at Kyle and felt a warmth in my stomach again. It was working its way up into my chest. “That’s not what you said this morning,” I laughed then spun away.

“You two went running this morning?” Her voice came out in a squeak that broke into a high-pitched screech, like fingernails on a chalkboard.

“Yeah,” Kyle said casually, then back to me he added, “And, I’d like to see how fast you are.”

I wondered if everything he said was going to have a double meaning but I wasn’t ready to question his motives. He was my only real friend in this place, and it looked like I was going to need a few because I was making more than a few enemies, without even trying.

“I could use the exercise,” I nodded, looking around the table at the other kids’ faces and wondering why no one else had said a single word. “Plus, you could show me around the town.”

“No problem,” Kyle agreed, and I couldn’t help looking forward to it, even though I knew Kelly wasn’t going to be happy about my running off with Kyle. “But I only think it’s fair to warn you, there’s not much to see—so don’t get your hopes set too high.”

“Great—I mean about the exercise,” I smiled, and without even thinking how it might sound, I added, “Then it’s a date.”

Kelly only heard one word and it was like I’d pulled back a rubber band—hard—and snapped it against her forehead.

She wailed like a wounded animal, “Agghhh!” and spun around on her heels, stomping out of the room.

Kyle shrugged and started to walk toward the exit, then he twisted around to call out, “I’ll meet you out by the flag post after seventh period.” His lips curled softly, throwing me a quick backwards nod, “And, remember, it’s a date.” The last thing I saw was his warm, sensual grin, as he glanced around the room before he gave me an exaggerated wink—meant more for everyone else to see than for me, and then he disappeared out into the hall.

I wished he would have used a different word because he didn’t need to rub it in.

I shrugged. Who cares? I told myself, he’s been the nicest person in the entire school. If it weren’t for Kyle, I wouldn’t want to ever come back to Mist High.

The rest of the day dragged on and on. All I wanted was to see Kyle again, with his sleek body and powerful frame. But what I found fascinating was the casual way he had about himself. He said whatever he wanted, while I worried about everything I said, how it would be taken, and what people would think of me.

Somehow, Kyle was working his way into my system, like a powerful drug. And I was beginning to feel addicted. I couldn’t wait for our meeting out by the flag post.

Finally, after what seemed like absolutely for…ev…er, the bell rang.

I rushed out of class, down the hall, and out the front doors of the school to meet up with Kyle.

But as I got closer, my spine tingled. Something was wrong. I could feel it. Then I knew why.

Kyle wasn’t standing underneath the flagpole; someone else was there, waiting for me.

“Kelly,” I muttered under my breath.

She stood beneath the red, white, and blue banner with an enormous grin carved into her face, like a giant jack-o-lantern beaming up at me. But this look was way more sinister and gloating. My knees suddenly felt weak and my throat went dry.

This girl just kept surprising me.

BLURB:

When Savannah meets Kyle, its love at first sight. And why wouldn’t it be? He’s perfect, as far as she can tell. But Kyle appears whenever things go wrong. Maybe he isn’t everything she thought he was. It’s a complete mystery until she discovers the water in Cullaby Creek is being bottled and sold as vitamin “infused” water. Mistic Water promises the impossible. And then, like a magical elixir, it delivers. People who drink it feel younger, smarter, faster…healthier. But it doesn’t take long before side effects hit. Literally. The secret has to be in the water…or is it something more?

Author Links:

KIM’S AMAZON AUTHOR PAGE

Goodreads

Website

YouTube

BlogSpot

Facebook

Twitter

Google+

Pinterest

LinkedIn

#LittleThings Blog Hop – Freebies

Hey guys… I need help… and not mental… though that is definitely in question… I mean… what have I gotten myself into… Oh, not this hop… this is easy and fun… no I am talking about one of the book signings I will be at this year… one that I will be needed a costume for, for the costume ball… But I am getting ahead of myself… let me introduce the Hop and then Please, for the love of mud, help a girl out… 😛

little things

Little Things Blog Hop

Hi everyone Tracey Clark here and I am one of over 100 authors/bloggers/ on

the Little Things Blog Hop! This hop has over 200 chances to win prizes, the rafflecopter for the overall event has a ton of prizes just waiting to be won… and each of the 100+ blog stops will have their own give away…

My Giveaway

Make sure you visit each stop and enter the posted giveaway… for this stop, I am giving away an eBook copy of Shocking Finds (epub, pdf, or mobi)… to be entered to win, simply answer the follow:

—If you had to pick a book/movie character to dress up as, who would it be (description of outfit would be great)?

lol… sounds silly, but I am in serious need her peeps… I will be going to a costume ball at the Imaginarium Convention… I am already nervous about being on one of the panels (not sure what they want me to do) and being in front of a lot of people for any reason always throws my system into whack… I can see it now… sweating, red in the face, about to throw up, when I just kill over and pass out…. yep… that would so be my luck… to help me out… use the comment section below and give me some ideas… and be entered to win …

And not to worry… if you already have a copy of Shocking Finds, I will be sure to send you an Arc of Southern Discoveries (Book Two – Finder’s Keepers) when all the bugs are worked out…

And be sure to enter the amazing rafflecopter too which has a ton of prizes to be won!

For those of you don’t already know me, I am the author of Shocking Finds (A Finder’s Keepers Novel), I plan to be attending three book signings this year (Wild in West Virginia – June in Charleston, WV; Imaginarium Convention – Oct in Louisville, ky; & Rebels and Readers RARAE – Nov in Huntington, WV) And I am working to get two more novels ready for the signings… and as stated above, I will be attending the Imaginarium Costume Ball (EKK) I hope to see you all there…

Now… let’s keep this Hop hopping…

Next name on the list: PJ Fiala’s Little Things

Rafflecoptor Link : a Rafflecopter giveaway

Join the Little Things Blog Hop Event for more fun https://www.facebook.com/events/562506680576207/

Link to all the Blog Hop spots: http://theclubbookpromotions.blogspot.com/2016/02/LittleThingsBlogHop.html

Thank you for hopping by! Happy Wordage, Tracey

Winner (s) will be chosen by random and announced on this page and on the Little Things Event Page by April 6th.

FB is not in any way responsible or affiliated with this giveaway or the Little Things Blog Hop

 

 

#LittleThings – Join the Explosion

Little Things Blog Hop Use Me

Personally, I will be giving away an eBook copy of Shocking Finds, or for those that have already read Shocking Finds, you can choose to wait for an ARC copy of Southern Discoveries: Book Two – Finder’s Keepers and read before it comes out to buy…

20151007 Shocking Finds cover

If you want to be on the blogger list, or maybe you have a read of your own to enter into this blog-fest, be sure to head to the following link to enter the fun… you have until March 11th to sign up… check out the 70+ list of blog sites already listed to participate, and join the explosion… just click the ‘click here’ button below…

Powered by Linky Tools

Click here to enter your link and view this Linky Tools list…

#EggcerptExchange – P.J. MacLayne

eggs

Oh yeah… hold the presses….

b7dd4ac35daf24d48d06190d3c9dfd74

along with P.J.’s guest post, I had the chance to read her novel… you can find my thoughts at the end of this post, as well as on Amazon and Goodreads… Reviews… we have to have them… give me, give me… give me the reviews… muhahahaha

Character interview with Tasha Roeper, the main character of Wolves’ Knight

What is your job?

I am currently contracted with Lapahie Enterprises to provide assistance with getting their physical security beefed up. I’m helping to train the students at the school sponsored by Lapahie in basic security skills, and I sometimes provide bodyguard services to the CEO, Dot Lapahie. My training with both my pack, the Fairwoods, and the Radferd pack of security specialists has given me a unique set of skills that I’ll be able to use to enhance the reputation of the Fairwood pack in the future.

Where is your favorite place to visit?

I haven’t travelled much, and my bucket list of places to go is really small. I’d like to make it out the redwoods of California some day, and visit the Grand Canyon. I really enjoyed the year and a half I spent in Maine training with the Radferds, but it sure was nice to come home. I haven’t found anything yet to match the rolling hills of Pennsylvania, especially in the fall when the trees are turning colors.

What is your worst fear or nightmare?

My worst fear is that I’ll somehow let the pack down. I’m not your typical pack female, and if I do something wrong, I can bring shame to the pack and make Gavin, my pack leader, look bad. I don’t have the strength or size that the males have, so I have to depend on my wits, training and skills in a battle. I know that one day they won’t be enough. But when I run into that opponent I can’t beat, I hope I’ll do some major dame before I die.

What would you do if you won the lottery?

What’s the line? You can’t win if you don’t play? Okay, I’ve bought a scratch off ticket or two in my time, but the most I’ve ever won is $5. I think I used that to fill the tank of my motorcycle. If I ever had a lot of money, I’d make that trip to California. And I think I’d donate some of it to a veteran’s charity. I’ve had the privilege of fighting alongside quite a few men and women who served in the military, and although the pack takes care of its own, there are a lot of vets out there that could use some extra help.

On the lighter side-what’s your favorite type of pet?

I’m a wolf-shifter. I don’t do pets. Can’t you just imagine it, some sweet little kitten hanging around the house, being freaked out every time I shifted into my wolf form? I’m a meat eater, and I’m sure a pet would be able to sense that. Maybe I could get away with a goldfish or something, but it’s never been something I’ve ever considered.

 

 pj1

Wolves’ Knight Blurb:

 

Tasha Roeper knows what it means to protect your own. So when her friend, Dot Lapahie, CEO of Lapahie Enterprises, suspects that the Free Wolves are under attack, Tasha immediately signs on to lead the investigation and guard Dot.

But Tasha’s not convinced it’s the Free Wolves that are the target. She fears that her own pack—the Fairwood Pack—are the actual quarry and Dot is only a decoy.

The deeper Tasha digs, the more puzzles she uncovers.

Torn between tradition and a changing world, will Tasha risk everything to save a friend—including her own life—when old enemies arise?

Excerpt

“This isn’t much different than getting ready to go on a raid,” Dot said as she strapped on the belt that held her throwing knives.

“In a way; it is,” Tasha told her. “Only instead of going to your target, you’re searching for someone coming to you. Which can be even more nerve-racking.”

“I wish you two could come along.”

I will be, Tasha thought, but not officially.

“Chief agrees with you, but it wouldn’t look right,” Samantha said. She was double-checking Dot’s preparations. “You have to do this on your own.”

“Do you know how many times I bugged Gavin to let me run patrols with the Fairwoods?” Dot adjusted the shoulder harness for the revolver that the arms master had supplied. “And he’d never let me. I can’t believe he caved and agreed to this scheme.”

“I guess he realized how important this is,” Tasha suggested.

“Either that or someone blackmailed him. What do you have on him, Tasha?”

“Me?” Tasha fluttered her eyelashes and attempted to look innocent. “All I had to do was explain how important this is.”

“I’ll force you to tell me later.” Dot turned around slowly. “What am I missing?”

She didn’t look like the CEO of a growing organization any more. Instead, she’d gone back to her roots and looked every inch the warrior. From the combat boots on her feet to the cropped hair tinged with streaks of red, she was prepared for battle. Tasha decided it was a good thing that Gavin wasn’t there to see her. They’d never make it out the door. Nothing was sexier to a male wolf that a female prepared to do battle for her cubs.

“One minor detail.” Samantha reached into her pocket and pulled out a small, round container. “Pink stripes on your cheeks. Then you’ll be ready.”

A small cluster of people waited for Dot when she reported to the staging area for her patrol assignment. As she shook hands with her well-wishers, Tasha used the diversion to slip away. She had her own preparations to make.

 

Purchase links:

https://store.kobobooks.com/en-us/ebook/wolves-knight

http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/wolves-knight-pj-maclayne/1123127673

https://itunes.apple.com/us/book/id1066865102

pj

Author Bio: Born and raised among the rolling hills of western Pennsylvania, P.J. MacLayne still finds inspiration for her books in that landscape. She is a computer geek by day and a writer by night who currently lives in the shadow of the Rocky Mountains. When she’s not in front of a computer screen, she might be found exploring the back roads of the nearby national forests and parks. In addition to the Free Wolves’ stories, she is also the author of the Oak Grove mystery series. P.J. MacLayne can be reached on: Facebook https://facebook.com/pjmaclayne

Twitter https://twitter.com/pjmaclayne

Google + https://plus.google.com/u/0/+PJMacLayne/posts

Amazon http://www.amazon.com/P.J.-MacLayne/e/B00HVE8WZI

And here are my thoughts….

this novel was between a 3 and a 4 for me, but definitely closer to a 4… it was cute, well paced and dropped enough debits about Mark (Elder Fennar/may be spelling wrong) for me to be rooting for Tasha to hook up with him, way before I actually knew if he was actually in the running… (nothing explicit for those faint of heart)

the beginning is a little rough, well written but I turned back multiple times to see if I had missed a prologue or something… but after the first few paragraphs the story takes off… knowing that I have the most trouble writing my own first page, I continued and enjoyed the read…

 

 

 

 

Get Beta’ed… muhahaha

Okay… fingers crossed, my first contemporary romance is in the hands of a Beta Reader… while I am still looking for a few more, I am cringing on the inside… I don’t think this process will ever get any easier… my baby is out there in the hands of a stranger…. okay, not a stranger exactly… the first person to accept the challenge of beta reading my first Skymann novel has gone through this process with me before… and she did a wonderful job on Shocking Finds: a Finder’s Keepers Novel…

so maybe I will get through this without chewing on my lip until it bleeds… it really is too bad that I’m not a nail biter, but ewwww…. I have never been able to stand that habit, in myself or in others… lol… mom is a notorious nail biter… but I once saw her keep at it until she ended up with an inflamed infection puffing and oozing around her nail… yeah… that is not the type of thing you un-see…

Now… I need to get a few pieces of swag ready for tomorrow’s signing… Info HERE… it may only be a local signing but you never know… 😛

51sxwlZOJcL__SX331_BO1,204,203,200_
Anthology/ Hidden Bounty

Buy Link – Amazon

Kindle version only 99 cents…. Happy Wordage

Anthology Update

792a5d3eada28a45d47c63dc5677ef73

very excited… it is official… my published works now number 2 shorts/in anthologies and 1 full length novel… that is three stories from the Finder’s Keepers world… and Feb 13 I am off to a signing for anyone near the tri-state area… (ky/wv/oh) … all those from the local writer’s group will be sitting down for a signing at the South Shore Library… just follow rt23 and watch for the library building with the green roof… 😛

hopefully, after the signing I will have more information about buy links and a picture of the cover… I do know that my short story was a wee bit long, which caused my fellow writer (Cathy) to need to shorten it a little… she had to cut out some of the less important bits… still… it is an excellent way to learn more about Joffrey, a Sentinel… Joffrey has a bigger part in book two of the Finder’s Keepers series… Southern Discoveries (and yes, I hope I am done messing with my title… lol)

Using The 12 Stages of Physical Intimacy To Build Tension In Your Novel

Source: Using The 12 Stages of Physical Intimacy To Build Tension In Your Novel

I spotted this blog post the other day, and thought it would be helpful for a lot of writers that hear the words ‘now add some romance’ either from a publisher or critique group, and cringe…

7773a676de6313131a849039db134d78

yep… intimate moments can be embarrassing for us to write, but readers love them… and you don’t just dive straight into the bedroom and call it romance… even erotica, the luster version of romance writing, calls for some build up… even if you like to keep you private moments behind literary closed doors, there can still be a slow build up of attraction… this blog post is an excellent cheat sheet, especially when you’re first getting started… but then I have been at this for a while, and I found myself double checking my romance progression… I hope the rest of you enjoy, and happy wordage, tracey

#EggcerptExchange – Stefanescu Carmen

 

eggs

Hey guys… this is another Egg for your basket… Stefanescu Carmen is here to tell us a little about herself and her novel Shadows of the Past… helping writers get the word out about their books is the only way for anyone to know if they will enjoy it or not… and while I haven’t read this book, I do love the cover… 😛 ymmm …

ebd75c1a80df35b50a0084d9ca48716b

lol… sorry…just had to add this before you checked out Carmen’s post… I love this… cracks me up every time I see it… pinterest has the best GIFs… okay… I hope you enjoy this eggcerpt from Carmen

Shadows of the Past

Carmen Stefanescu

Publisher: Wild Child Publishing

Genre: paranormal/light romance/light historical/light horror.

Blurb

Anne’s relationship with her boyfriend Neil has disintegrated. After a two-year separation, they pack for a week vacation in hopes of reconciling. But fate has other plans for them.

The discovery of a bejeweled cross and ancient human bones opens a door to a new and frightening world–one where the ghost of a medieval nun named Genevieve will not let Anne rest. This new world threatens not only to ruin Anne and Neil’s vacation but to end all hopes of reconciliation as Anne feels compelled to help free Genevieve’s soul from its torment.

Can Anne save her relationship and help Genevieve find her eternal rest?

A touching, compelling story of tragedy, loss and the power of endless love and good magic.

The twists and turns in this paranormal tale keep the reader guessing up to the end and weave themselves together into a quest to rekindle love.

Carmen

Wild Child Publishin

Amazon

All Romance

Barnes & Noble
Here is a little about Carmen…. (Don’t forget to check out the short Excerpt, as well as a little Character Q&A… 😛

s_carmen

Author bio:

Carmen Stefanescu resides in Romania, the native country of the infamous vampire Count Dracula, but where, for about 50 years of communist dictatorship, just speaking about God, faith, reincarnation or paranormal phenomena could have led someone to great trouble – the psychiatric hospital if not to prison.
Teacher of English and German in her native country and mother of two daughters, Carmen Stefanescu survived the grim years of oppression, by escaping in a parallel world, that of the books.

She has dreamed all her life to become a writer, but many of the things she wrote during those years remained just drawer projects. The fall of the Ceausescu’s regime in 1989, and the opening of the country to the world meant a new beginning for her. She started publishing. Poems first, and then prose. Both in English.

Shadows of the Past, paranormal/light romance/light mystery/light horror was released at the end of 2012 by Wild Child publishing, USA.

Carmen Stefanescu’s Links:

http://shadowspastmystery.blogspot.ro/

https://twitter.com/Carmen_Books

http://www.pinterest.com/carmens007/

http://www.facebook.com/pages/Carmen-Stefanescu-Books/499245716760283

http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/6624397.Carmen_Stefanescu

https://plus.google.com/117216040843648957646/posts

http://www.amazon.com/Carmen-Stefanescu/e/B00APVDGAA/ref=ntt_athr_dp_pel_pop_1

and here are the promised Excerpt and Character Q&A….

Excerpt

Shadows of the Past

Carmen Stefanescu

 

The peal of the church bells from the abbey tower startled Genevieve. The sound added to her mounting anxiety.

The massive abbey loomed over the stone paved path. All the nuns were at evening mass. With a bit of luck her disappearance would go unnoticed for a few more hours. The Abbess would assume she was cleaning the toilets as ordered.

Fear skittered through Genevieve when she turned away from the abbey towards the path leading to town. Nothing stirred. She hesitated. Evil emanated from the forest surrounding the abbey. With a shiver, she leaned against the solid oak gates that flanked the abbey’s main path. They had hidden her from detection for the past couple of hours, but how much longer would she be safe?

The mountain shadows grew thicker and closer.

She moved her weight from one leg to the other. They ached from so much standing, but she lacked the strength to return to the gardener’s cottage and wait for Andrew’s arrival as planned. Genevieve closed her tired eyes. The image of old Ryan, slumped dead in his chair in his cubicle, caught life in her mind and made her whole body ripple with fear.

She’d rather wait for Andrew here, outside.

Had he forgotten his promise? What if something terrible befell him during the last three days, or he had changed his mind? Why should he risk all for an ordinary nun?

Had his folks talked him into giving her up, made him see reason? Helping her out of her predicament meant a huge risk for him — losing his family, his friends and his position among his peers. His words echoed in her mind. “I will risk everything for you, even life, if necessary.”

 

* * * *

“Anne, Anne, wake up. Wake up, please,” the insistent voice whispered next to her ear. The touch of a hand, on her shoulder, startled Anne.

She opened her eyes, still half between sleep and reality. Her gaze stopped on a stranger, a woman, by her side.

The moon’s pale face, the only light, filtered through a small gap in the tent’s entrance; yet the stranger’s whole body emanated a kind of soft ray, a yellowish halo making her figure and face easy to discern.

A long, dark robe, similar to those worn by nuns in monasteries centuries ago, covered her body. No traditional headdress covered the woman’s red hair, which fell loosely over her shoulders in long, heavy tendrils and continued down her chest and back.

Anne stood up and studied the intruder with open curiosity. The stranger’s wax pale face looked corpse like. Anne opened her mouth to ask her who she was. She looked Anne straight in the eyes, placed her forefinger on her lips and whispered, “Hush, come. Follow me.”

Anne’s eyes widened.

The woman, moving away from the sleeping bag, appeared to glide above the ground. Her bare feet didn’t make a sound.

As if hypnotized, Anne followed the illuminated silhouette heading into the forest, without questioning her own actions.

An onrush of sensations unfamiliar to her followed. Dizziness and a malevolent feeling of unreality suffocated her. The presence of evil, creeping up and enveloping her, became almost palpable. Her throat turned dry, and she gasped for air.

——-

1. Please, have a seat. Make yourself comfortable Miss…

“Genevieve. My name is Genevieve, but Sister Clementa, the Abbess, and some of her followers call me The witch.”

2. Tell me, Genevieve, where are you living?

Genevieve ( a small sigh escapes her lips. Then she shrugs) “Well, for the moment I reside at St. Mary’s Abbey. On top of a mountain in Britain, in the…cursed forest.”

3. Do you have any schooling?

Genevieve (nods and pats and invisible crease of her dress) “Kind Old Bertha, who took care of me after my family perished, taught me to read and write. Not only English but also Latin. And, most important, she taught me how to prepare healing potions from plants and herbs. Perhaps that’s why the Abbess hates me so much. A peasant girl of the 13th century is dangerous if she knows more than her superiors, I think.”

4. What are your worst fears or nightmare?

Genevieve (throws a shy look around her. She shivers and her voice is small) “I fear the cursed forest. This forest is responsible for what happened to my family. My father’s odd behavior, the death of my siblings. All the evil that lurks in it.

My nightmare – the Abbess, sister Clementa, who threatens me all the time with sending me to the stake. I can’t understand why she wants me out of the way.”

5. Is it anything that you secretly desire?

Genevieve (blushes and wrings her hands. Then she looks me directly in the eyes. Her voice is strong now. ) “To become Andrew’s wife and grow a family. If his family agrees….If the Abbess lets me go… If God forgives me for giving up being a nun…..If I escape alive from the forest…. If….”

Phoenix tracks

bc3dafdc547cb969e52a2862de1ebfe3

okay… I am laughing so hard, I’m afraid there may be tears in my eyes… lol… but this GIF (as funny as it is) is not the point of this post… sorry… I just can’t stop watching it…

I am actually posting to give a shout out to Yasmine Phoenix… about a year or so ago, she did a post with a handful of authors in various stages of their wordage lives… the hopeful, the multi-published, and those in between… and every once in a while she sends us some questions, a type of update… to see where we are in our writing journeys…

now, my memory is lacking on the best of days, but I am pretty sure that this is the third post that Yasmine has done on the topic… if you want to check out her post, just follow the link below….

Yasmine Phoenix’s Blog Post

I have done a little more than when I answered Yasmine’s questions, but you can still check out her other questions… both to me, and the others in the group

Free Friday

Since there are five Fridays this month, I thought I would do a writing Prompt… hmmm…

2cf422e5c80aca6ea1b5cd142efc12a8

lol… I love this

I found this gif on pinterest, but I actually had a dog that ran into his reflection once… he ran into the room and came flat face to flat face with the dog in the mirror that was propped up against the wall… I can’t remember why the mirror was off the wall… It is Spike’s reaction that I remember… lol…

unlike the little guy up at the top of the post, Spike freaked out… he screeched and fell over backward… but he kept doing it… we ended up leaving the mirror on the floor so we could watch the poor dog run back and forth like he was going out of his mind… lol…

Now… the writing prompt is to write a scene with either a child or animal, or hey… a visitor from another realm, one unused to reflective images with no other purpose than to show your reflection… how would your character react???

#RRBC & OBC connections

8bf721078b1f9ec887ffab726af2321c

Just a quick up date… I decided to give a few online book clubs a try… I decided to go with #RRBC Rave Reviews Book Club, and OnlineBookClub.org  … it has only been a few days, but I have already meet some lovely people… Writers & Readers alike… 😛

Michelle Abbott from over at #RRBC even introduced me to a blog hop that I will be doing in the months of Feb and March… if you see #EggcerptExchange in the subject line, you will know that my usual dose of insanity will be coupled with the introduction of an author I have meet while hopping around… Annnndddd …

In the book front, I have some good news/ bad news… (well for me, not so much everyone else) I realized that the title Twin Findings would be perfect for book three of the Finder’s Keepers series… which means I now have to decide on another purrrrfect title for book two… grr….

quick book update

Shocking Finds (A Finder’s Keepers novel) can be found in the following blog hop… three fantasy books up for grabs… just wanted to let everyone know… hop ends on 1-15-16 … head on over and enter to win… woo who… free books 😛

Blog Hop Site

 

what’s on your mantel

I have two book on my mantel… and soon there will be three… I have been told that the anthology written by the people from those in the local writing group will be published in Feb… Hopefully I will have more information for you after the meeting on Saturday…

To tell the truth, I had given up hope on this day ever coming… but that is mostly because I am an impatient gal…  😛 this idea was started back in 2014, then the RWA issue with the smaller groups like the one in this area disbanding… while the others in the group decided to start their own writing group, I stayed home and focused on online promotion and editing (and the ever present MS)

But now that Book two of the Finder’s Keepers series is getting closer, one edit at a time, I realized that the story I had submitted to the group needed to be told before Book Two, Twin Findings, came out… I mean… it isn’t a life or death issue, but the main characters from the story have a lot to say in Twin Findings…. Joffrey (the last Sentinel remaining Earth-side) and his lady love, Sophia Ann…

this could be Makayla

4ba9c099c5fc608d6dcd492486e50d58

this could sooo be Makayla LaPine… she only had a few lines in Shocking Finds: A Finder’s Keepers Novel, but she is making her mark in book two… Twin Findings…

this picture is definitely worth a thousand words when it comes to Makayla’s younger days… she tells us all about her younger days as she sits with Marin, going through the details of the day her twin went missing… poor Makayla… so young, so sad, and oh so strong… stronger than she should have had to be… our sexy southern bell has a few crack in the shield she presents the world, but the woman will always be sassy and strong when the end of the day comes out to play…

I can’t wait until you guys get to read this book… between the continuation of Marin’s story, and this peek into Makayla, this book is gonna rock… happy wordage everyone… tracey

still time for free reads

sdfghjkl

there is still time to win free books and prizes from GWP for those of you that didn’t win the Christmas mystery box… head HERE to find out more… happy wordage…

Book Progress!!!

ahhhh…. Book Progress… everyone loves getting some book insite… Just check back here to see all the articles related to book progress…

Finder’s Keepers Series…

51n5v9khhel-_sx331_bo1204203200_1

I will do my best to give book updates ever first week of the month…

As of right now, Book Two in the Finder’s Keepers series is almost ready for beta readers… very exciting, but first I would like to have another look through… woo who … and I am vacillating between two titles.. Twin Finds or Doubled Findings… but that could all change… 😛

book spotlight on VL Locey’s site

Just another quick note… VL Locey was kind enough to share a sneak peek of the rough rough rough copy of Twin Findings, the second book in the Finder’s Keepers series… I want to thank her and all the other support I have found in the writing community, readers, and bloggers alike… you all rock… and if you haven’t seen the sneak peek yet, just head HERE to check it out…

and yes, I think I will be sticking with Twin Findings… 😛 Happy Wordage… Tracey

Rockin’ Book Reviews

I just wanted to share the wonderful interview Lu Ann over at RockinBookReviews.com did for me… she is having a giveaway for Shocking Finds… so head over HERE and check out the pictures and Q&A, followed by her Raffle-copter… This woman rocks peeps, and always has new book info on hand, and lots of giveaways to join in on…

happy wordage, Tracey

PS the giveaway ends on 1-8-2016… enjoy