Monday, December 19, 2022

The Cowboy Duke by Linda Nightingale

           Love came looking for Charlie Farrow late in life and in a most unexpected form. That form was shapely with curves in all the right places, but the unexpected part was that it belonged to an English aristocrat. Lady Dorothy Applewhite, Duchess of Langdon, didn’t come to Folly, Texas, looking for Charlie, but Fate gave her wheel a hard spin and…the rest happened with the speed of a runaway train. Charlie had to move fast to get out of its way.

Can a cowboy/ex-rodeo star make a high-maintenance duchess happy? There are only 24 dukedoms in the United Kingdom, so she’s high on the noble scale. Every ranch hand thinks she’s beautiful, but her visit to Marathon Ranch isn’t going well until Charlie steps in to help the boss with his ex-girlfriend by squiring the Duchess around town.

 Closing out 2022, Wild Women Authors features Linda Nightingale and The Cowboy Duke, book 2 in the Return to Folly series. With Linda is former rodeo star, current horse trainer-manager, Charlie Farrow who will go first.

Good morning, Charlie. Let’s begin with where you are from. I’m from Folly, Texas. A bump in the road. The nearest big town would be Waco, just so you can get an idea how to find us on the map.

Tell us a bit about The Cowboy Duke. It may read like drawing a tough bronc out of the shoot, but it’s our rough ride to romance. Maybe when I tell you the lovely lady’s name—and she is a Lady—Dorothy Applewhite.  If you’ve read The Texas Cowboy, you’ll be familiar with Dorothy. You see another side of her in The Cowboy Duke. Fate couldn’t have been kind and offered me a cowgirl. I fell for the snooty Duchess of Langdon, my boss’ ex-girlfriend.

What did you think the first time you saw Dorothy? I couldn’t think for staring. Every hand at Marathon in visual range let out a sigh. When I could think, I dismissed her entirely, well not completely. She began to star in my dreams.

What was your second thought? Out of my reach. A cowboy and a haughty British Duchess.  That’s a good joke.

Do you feel it was love at first sight? I know it was the other L-word. She’s very shapely and pretty.  I wanted to see her again but told myself it was hopeless. Hopeless seemed to be the operative word in our romance.

What do you like most about her? Her sense of humor and ability to adapt. She fell right in with being my companion.

How would you describe Dorothy? Two words. The best. Whether when that bronc comes out of the chute I can stay the course is anybody’s guess.  If you want a description, she’s slender, looks good in painted on jeans. She’s blonde and looks like a famous movie star. Her eyes are blue. She can cast a spell on you with those eyes.

What made you choose working as a cowboy for a career? As soon as I was old enough to work, I signed on at the King Ranch, a large ranch is southern Texas, and trained to be what I knew I was from the time I saw a horse. I followed the rodeo circuit for quite a few years, then settled in Folly.

What is your biggest fear? To be crippled so that I could never ride again.

How do you relax?  Hot shower, TV, or one night a week the boys and I go into town for beer and some fine Texas barbecue or Tex-Mex.

Who is your favorite fictional character? Dorothy!

What is the best piece of advice you ever received? Know when to leave the rodeo, son. It’s built on blood, sweat, and dreams, Not an old man’s game. And I took that advice when this position at Marathon came up.

Thank you, Charlie, for taking time out of the ranch’s schedule to speak with us. Now we’d like to chat with your creator, Linda Nightingale.

What movies or books have had an impact on your career as a writer? Both. A line from a movie or a book might send me to my computer to write.

Is there an event in your private life that you were able to bring to this story and how do you feel it impacted the novel? Much of the horse things except rodeo and being a real cowboy, I lived. I bred, trained, and showed my marvelous Andalusian horses.

Tell us a bit about your publisher. How did you hear about them and what influenced your decision to submit to them? I am still shocked to say that Magnolia contacted me. They were starting their romance line and actively recruiting new authors, I liked what I heard; met my editor by Zoom, and I have been pleased.

What book[s] currently rest on your TBR pile? I’d have to attach another page to list them all.  At the top is to re-read The Vampire Lestat. I admire Anne Rice’s ability to enchant her reader and make her unreal world more real than reality for the time you are immersed in her words. Another I’ll read later is The Other, an old book about identical twins—disturbing.  At the moment, I’m reading a book titled simply Angels with some very good information.

Last, what's up next and when can we expect to see it on the shelves? I will soon begin working on Cardinal Desires, a vampire novel (back in my own territory) for Magnolia. I don’t expect to see it released before early spring. My Muse is a bit slow and loves to go down paths that lead nowhere. A hazard of writing without outline or definite synopsis.

 Linda brought an excerpt for us:

Charlie kissed his fingertip and pressed it to her lips. “The answer is yes. You’re beautiful, regardless of makeup or a brush.”

“Thank you, Charlie. I think that’s the nicest compliment I ever fished for.” She winked.

“You don’t need to fish for compliments.” He tapped a fingertip to his chest, and her willful eyes followed the sexy gesture. “Especially not from me.”

“Good to know. I was undressed and ready for bed when I heard the commotion and saw the taillights speeding down the driveway. I decided I’d come and check on you. It just felt wrong, and I went downstairs to investigate.”

He rose, paced a few steps, and returned. “Thank you for coming.”

She took both of his arms, standing back and studying him. “Oh my word, you were in danger. I couldn’t help overhearing what you told the sheriff.”

“I’m fine,” he assured her, a charming blush stealing into his cheeks. “They hightailed it with an empty trailer, so at least…” he trailed off, shaking his head. “The horses have settled down. Tomorrow, I need to put a padlock on the barn doors. To think that in small, quiet Folly, we have to lock up our valuable stock.”

“Call Ash. He deserves to be awake, too.” She laughed, nodding. “We are. He should be. He’ll never believe that I’m at the barn with you.”

Charlie settled on the bench, cell in hand. With a voice command, the phone dialed the number. A groggy Ash answered on the fourth ring. Charlie leaned forward, propping his elbows on his knees. He took a deep breath and launched into his tale. As he talked, she could see him growing tense, beating himself up.

 “Well, Ash, the way I see it the score is Marathon one; rustlers zero,” he concluded.

Ash hadn’t interrupted with questions, listening silently to Charlie’s story, ending with the call to the sheriff.  “I have a nagging feeling the game isn’t over yet. The rustlers know we have some of the most valuable stock outside the King Ranch and Ranch 6666. We’re going to start locking the barn and posting guards. Thanks for scaring them away before they got what they wanted,” Ash said quietly.

While Charlie had spoken, the atmosphere had become solemn, muted, and Charlie’s shoulders looked like they’d been chiseled from stone.

“Charlie was very brave. He was on a horse with no saddle and bridle. He did not have a gun, and he was chasing armed men.” The phone was on speaker, and she added her account of the attempted robbery.

“Dorothy?” Ash gasped. “What are you doing at the barn at past one in the morning? In fact, at the barn anytime?”

“Charlie took me dancing at an actual country and western club.” She moved closer to the phone, which meant her shoulder and leg rested against Charlie’s.

“Charlie?” Ash gasped again.

“We left Buddy T’s a little before one. We’d closed the place.” Aside to her, he grinned and whispered, “I feel like a shamefaced teenager explaining why he was late home from a date,” then back into the phone, “The barn clock read one-twenty when I arrived to do the final walkthrough.”

Ash laughed. “You two are proper night owls, but it’s my good fortune that you are.”

To learn more about Linda Nightingale and the stories she creates, go to:

Twitter
Facebook
Web Site – Visit and look around. There’s a free continuing vampire story.
Blog
Goodreads
Pinterest
Amazon

BookBub

Instagram

TikTok

 To purchase The Cowboy Duke, go to: BUY LINK

 

 

Monday, December 12, 2022

The Fun of Oldies but Goodies

 



Wild Women Authors decided to take a break from our usual post about a current release by one author and take a look at what we call oldies but goodies: those books we keep on a shelf and revisit every so often. 

It’s sort of like coming home after a long time away or, like us, that annual reunion of our nursing school class. No matter how many years ‘the Marcy girls’ have been apart [ala Covid restrictions and, sadly, age] after five minutes it’s like we’re back to the old routine.

Years ago, as a young mother with three kids and a husband in graduate school, money was short and better spent on food, diapers and rent—never on a book. But then, while browsing in a secondhand bookstore, we discovered a series of political thrillers written by John R. Maxim. In them we found new friends and new adventures with Paul Bannerman and his posse of retired contract agents.

Here's the cover blurb from Maxim’s first book in this series, The Bannerman Solution: “... behind the Maginot Line of safe houses and front operations in Westport, Connecticut are Paul Bannerman and his elite group of contract agents. These [now retired] ruthless killers look no different from their neighbors. They run restaurants, a travel agency, a ski shop—until people in power try to bring them out of retirement…” 

With each successive book in this series, we settled into our battered arm chair and came to know more about the unique characters Mr. Maxim created, their fears, foibles and hidden terrors—and with each one it’s like meeting up with old friends for a nice visit.

Our question to you is: how many of you do the same as us?



Friday, December 2, 2022

Holiday Hitchhiker by Delsora Lowe

 Two strangers, one snow-worthy vehicle, and a cozy cabin in a blizzard

Wild Women Authors focus on: Holiday Hitchhiker, written by Delsora Lowe and part of the Christmas at Angels Glen trilogy.

 Blurb:

Cole Peters is ready to escape the bustle of the wildlife management symposium and the overpopulated conference complex in Reno, and get back to his solitary, mountain cabin in the state park. What he didn’t plan was a road trip with a stranger, clad in the most unnatural, fluorescent colors, who hops into his truck. With a blizzard approaching, how can he say no to a “hijacker” in tears?

Addy Adams had a rough night. Fired, no place to escape to, and a missing car service, how can she get to her parents for Christmas before the blizzard shuts down the roads? Now stranded on a highway, in a white out, with an accident up ahead, did she trust the right man?

Can two strangers find friendship and more, while stuck in a log cabin with a sweet and welcoming couple and their two kids who are super excited about the arrival of Santa? And will Cole and Addy make their way to their respective homes in time for Christmas? Or will they realize they were meant to celebrate together during the magical season?

 

Excerpt:

Cole’s gaze drifted to the floor and his boot toe scuffed against the floorboards. Message received. He needed space…from her. Addy swallowed the giant lump forming in her throat. They’d been glued together since she hijacked a ride. Earlier, she was sure they had bonded. Never mind the heat that seemed to bounce between the two. Had the chemistry flash been her imagination?

“On second thought, maybe I’ll hunker by the fire and read. And…I’m sure Donna could use some help.”

“I-I don’t mind company.”

She shooed him with the back of her hand. “Go. I’m saving energy for tomorrow.”

When he didn’t argue, she accepted the inevitable. Their time snowshoeing had been fun. And yeah, she liked this guy…a lot. No. She couldn’t fall for a stranger for some lame reason like he’d been nice to her a couple of times. Okay, nice was rather a mild description. More like heroic. He could have tossed her to the Reno resort curb yesterday afternoon. He could have ignored her the entire ride, and earlier today. Instead, he took her under his wing and got her to safety, treated her to the most incredible hot dogs she’d tasted…ever…and taught her to snowshoe. She suppressed a sigh of longing.

Kick those urges to the curb, girl.

 

A bit about Delsora Lowe:

The author of the Starlight Grille series, Serenity Harbor Maine novellas, the Cowboys of Mineral Springs series, and The Love Left Behind, Delsora Lowe has also authored short romances for Woman’s World magazine. This holiday season, look for both the novel, The Inn on Gooseneck Lane, and the novella, Holiday Hitchhiker.

Delsora Lowe is a transplanted big city gal, world-wide traveler, and foreign-service brat, who now lives in a coastal Maine town. She attended a 2-year college in Vermont, then married and had a family. As the kids grew up, she worked as a fraternity chef, started taking classes during her afternoon break, and ended up finishing college, one class at a time. She became the first to graduate in Women’s Studies, in a college that had been an all-male college until about fifteen years prior to her graduation. She was also on the committee to bring Women’s Studies in as a minor the year after she graduated. It is now a major. She went on to work in state government at the Commission for Women who advised the governor and agency heads on the role of women in the workplace and government. And with a lot of jobs in between from cooking and waitressing in restaurants, to catering, event planning, newsletter writer and editor, retail, managing alumni programs, and working in college admissions.

She’s a mom and grandmother, the best role of her entire life. She loves to write about small town heroes from the cowboys and ranchers of Colorado to the game wardens and lobstermen of Maine. Her work in the hospitality industry, rape crisis, admissions, alumni relations, and women’s advocacy allowed her to interact on a daily basis with real life heroines and heroes.

She was a member of Romance Writers of America for eighteen years. She is currently a member of romance writing groups, including Maine RW, New England RW, New Jersey RW, and Rhode Island RW, and the New England Indie Writers FaceBook group. And she recently joined a local writer’s group where she gets to think out of the box and write poetry, memoir, and non-fiction. Although she does sneak in plenty of romantic short stories to the mix.

To learn: more about Delsora Lowe and the stories she creates, go to:

Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Delsora-Lowe/e/B01M61OM39/ref=ntt_dp_epwbk_0

Books2Read: https://www.books2read.com/ap/8GWm98/Delsora-Lowe

BookBub: https://www.bookbub.com/authors/delsora-lowe-93c6987f-129d-483d-9f5a-abe603876518

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/16045986.Delsora_Lowe

FaceBook: https://www.facebook.com/delsoraloweauthor/

Instagram: @delsoralowe

Website: www.delsoralowe.com

Blog: http://www.delsoralowe.com/blog

 

To purchase Holiday Hitchhiker, go to: 

Amazon: Holiday Hitchhiker: A Sweet, Heartwarming Holiday Romance: Christmas in Angels Glen - Kindle edition by Lowe, Delsora. Contemporary Romance Kindle eBooks @ Amazon.com.


Books2Read:
https://books2read.com/u/mY8eaW

Wednesday, November 16, 2022

If You Believe in Love by Luanna Stewart

 A blizzard … Krista Rhodes has seen a few in her lifetime.

Snowed in for days … once, when she was a kid.

Trapped in a house with Dr. Dreamboat … never saw that one coming. Not only cute, he’s also funny and kind and strong and how can she resist?

Eric Monroe has it all mapped out – drive cross-country to a new job with a brief stop to celebrate a buddy’s engagement. A giant detour with a beautiful, witty, no-nonsense woman makes the journey more fun than he ever thought possible. And bonus – he’s moving to her town.

Except she’s got something she has to do. Maybe. And he can’t ask her to change her plans. Can he? 

 Wild Women Authors focus on If You Believe in Love, A Christmas in Angels Glen story, written by Luanna Stewart.

 Excerpt:

Krista stood at the large window in the parlour, the snow swirling like smoke from a campfire. “I’m not having fun anymore.”

“The novelty has worn off for me, too.” Eric perched on the window seat. “How are you feeling?”

She laughed. “Ever the doctor. No symptoms, yet.”

“I didn’t ask as a doctor.”

She met his gaze. Soft, intense, focused. “What did you ask as?”

“As a friend.” He clasped her hand, his thumb counting her knuckles. “But I’d like to think we could be more than friends.”

Her insides danced a jig while riding a roller coaster. More than friends. The rightness of the idea came at her like a speeding train carrying her fairy godmother and unlimited chocolate.

 

To purchase If You Believe in Love, go to:

https://books2read.com/ifyoubelieveinlove

 Amazon ~ Apple ~ Kobo 

 

To learn more about Luanna Stewart and the stories she creates, go to:

 Website ~ Bookbub ~ Twitter ~ Instagram ~ Facebook ~ Goodreads ~ Amazon Author Page

Tuesday, November 15, 2022

Celtic Nollaig Moon by Ria Cantrell

Devon MacDougall never expected to find himself in the midst of an assassination attempt on the king. Surrounded by enemies and not knowing who to trust, he vows to find the would-be assassin before a second attempt is made. But when the lovely daughter of the MacCollum laird becomes involved, he's torn between protecting her and finding the culprit.

 

Wild Women Authors focus on Ria Cantrell’s Celtic Nollaig Moon, Book 4 of the Yuletide Kisses anthology. Grab your favorite adult beverage, curl up in front of a cozy fire and let yourself be taken away to Medieval Scotland for a spirited Yule celebration.

 

A bit about our focus author: Ria Cantrell:

Ria grew up in the suburbs of Long Island. She has enjoyed some very exciting endeavors in the past including competing as a figure skater, dancing professionally as a belly dancer and singing as a classically trained vocalist with auditioned chorales as well as working as a soloist. One of her great dreams was to go to Ireland and in 2017, she was blessed to be chosen as an American Delegate to sing with the International Summer School with Anuna in Dublin.

Ria began writing at a very young age and even had some of her early poems published in local literary magazines. Frequently, she would be seen carrying notebooks to scribble many of her stories and poems. As far back as she can remember being able to write, even in grade school, Ria began putting stories and poetry to paper. She was influenced by some of the great Romance writers of the past, including Bertrice Small and Jude Deveraux, to name a few. She remembers writing her first "steamy" stories as a collaborative effort with her best friend back in high school. These stories were lovingly called "Cabin Scenes" because they typically were staged in cabin and country settings.

With a love for history, Ria was fascinated with Medieval and Renaissance history and found herself drawn to participate with re-enactment groups that re-created the Middle Ages. Since fostering her love of all things medieval, Ria's stories soon became flavored with Medieval and Renaissance themes.

 

To learn more about Ria Cantrell and the stories she creates, go to:

Facebook

Amazon

Bookbub

Yuletide Kisses is available in KU, ebook, and paperback and https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0BGMZVT34 

Monday, November 14, 2022

A Gift From the Sea by Nancy Lee Badger

      A shipwrecked son of a clan chieftain, Monroe hides his full identity from the young lass who saves him from the waves, and her brothers. An attack by seafaring warriors puts all their lives in danger and the resulting deaths place a shadow over the upcoming Christmas Festivities. 

     Leading Gwyn and her family toward his home far from the coast of Scotland’s North Sea could be a mistake yet be the only way to keep them all alive.

Today, Wild Women Authors focus on A Gift From the Sea, by Nancy Lee Badger, book 3 the Yuletide Kisses anthology. So grab a cup of hot cocoa—or some other adult beverage of your choice, snuggle under the covers, and let yourself be swept away to the magic of Christmas in Scotland where braw heroes will do anything to keep the women they love.

A bit about Nancy Lee Badger:

Nancy Lee Badger grew up in Huntington on New York’s Long Island. After attending Plymouth State, in New Hampshire, she earned a Bachelor of Science degree and met and married her college sweetheart. They raised two handsome sons in Rumney, New Hampshire while she dreamed of being a writer. When the children had left the nest, and shoveling snow became a chore, she retired from her satisfying job as a 911 Emergency Medical Dispatcher and moved to North Carolina, where she writes full-time.

Nancy is a member of Romance Writers of America, Heart of Carolina Romance Writers, Fantasy-Futuristic & Paranormal Romance Writers, and the Triangle Association of Freelancers. She finds story ideas in the most unusual places, especially at Scottish Highland Games.

 To learn more about Nancy and the stories she creates, go to:

Website

Facebook

BookBub

Blog

 Yuletide Kisses is available in KU, ebook, and paperback and can be purchased at: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0BGMZVT34

 

Friday, November 11, 2022

Christmas Reunion by Sue Ward Drake

 Wild Women Authors is pleased to focus on Christmas in Angel’s Glen, a contemporary holiday trilogy. The first book is Christmas Reunion by Sue Ward Drake:

City girl and dedicated Christmas-aholic, Rebecca MacDonald returns to Angels Glen to operate her family’s inn over the Christmas holidays. She needs to do something right after a costly mistake and plans to create the perfect holiday for visiting VIP guests. The last person she wants to meet is Alec Stewart, her gorgeous, childhood nemesis.

Alec, retired dot-com millionaire and local Scrooge, loves his quiet life as a fishing guide in his small hometown. He’s always had a crush on Becca, his best friend’s baby sister, so when he’s asked to  keep her safe while she’s in town, he knows he’s heading for trouble.

As they work together to get the inn decorated, can they admit the real magic of the season is love… and lock their own in time for the town’s caroling on Christmas Eve?

 Here’s an excerpt for Christmas Reunion:

          “After you.” Alec held the Nugget’s outside door open and clicked his key fob. The lights on his pickup truck flashed in recognition.

          Becca walked past, and he caught a whiff of something floral and exotic. Becca had never been a perfume kind of girl before, but she’d obviously changed. He recognized the scent as the one he’d chosen once as a gift for a girlfriend, which meant absolutely nothing. He shouldn’t even be noticing, because now he wanted to lean in closer.

          “What happened here?” Becca gestured to the passenger door secured with tape and rope to the frame.

          “A bear broke in. I haven’t had time to get the door replaced.”

          “A bear.” Alarmed, she looked up at the forested slopes rising behind town. “Ugh. I forgot about all the wildlife around here.”

          “We’re in the mountains. How is it possible you forget?” He distinctly remembered the time he and her brother had let Becca come exploring with them up a trail, and she’d freaked when they’d passed a posted notice about bears in the vicinity.

          She hitched her purse strap higher. “Bears aren’t something I worry about on a day-to-day basis in San Francisco.”

          “You don’t need to worry about them here, either. Bears hibernate in the winter.”

“Will you stop over-explaining, Alec? I am not an imbecile.” She gave him a disgusted look. “What did you leave inside your truck that was so enticing to the poor animal?”

          “Groceries. I had to take care of an emergency before I could get home and unpack.”

“When was this?”

“A couple of months ago.” He set his toolbox in the truck bed.

Becca lifted her chin. “From what I understand, bears eat everything they can find before hibernating.” 

Now who was over-explaining? Alec shook his head. “It wasn’t one of my better moves.”

She nodded, her expression smug. “But you had to take care of someone’s overflowing sink or lose the job.”

In fact, he’d helped search for a lost hiker, but he let Becca think whatever she wanted. He didn’t care. So why were his shoulders clenching as if bound together by a rubber band? “Come on.” He walked around to open the driver’s door, forcing himself to take a deep breath. “You have to get in from this side.”

She minced her way up to him in her high-heeled boots and rose on tiptoe to peer inside.

“You want a boost up?” He raised an eyebrow.

          “I don’t know if you remember, but I ran the high hurdles in high school.” She gripped the arm rest and lifted a leg.

          “There’s nothing wrong with my memory.” He could recite almost every detail of their various interactions, but, if he’d been smart, he would have filed those in the Forget folder. “Put your foot in my hands.” He bent and made a stirrup. “No spiked heel, please.”

          She gave him an exasperated look but settled the sole of her left boot against his fingers. He lifted her, noting the way her black stretch pants curved over certain intriguing parts of her anatomy. She made it into the driver’s seat, and after she crawled over the console, he climbed behind the wheel. “You passing through?”

          He expected an immediate comeback, but she must have mellowed. Twelve years would do that to a person. You either mellowed, or you had a heart attack. He waited for the engine to warm and backed into the street and looked her way, waiting for an answer.

          “My car battery’s dead, Alec. I can’t go anywhere. How can I be passing through?”

          “I didn’t mean right this second.” Was she teasing him again? “What are you doing in Angels Glen in the first place? If you don’t mind my asking.”

          She straightened her legs into the footwell, eyes straight ahead. “I’m staying a few days at my dad’s inn.”

He headed down the street to the mini-mart. “Only a few?”

          She turned his way, the smile flirting with her pretty mouth a match for the glint in her gaze.

          Darn it! She was playing him, exactly the way she had as a teenager. That made sense in a perverse way, but he didn’t care, right? He cleared his throat. “My inside source says you swore you’d never return to this place.”

          She flashed those sassy blue eyes at him. “You can’t believe everything you hear, Alec. I’m surprised you don’t know that by now.” 

         

To purchase Christmas Reunion, go to: https://books2read.com/u/bMxE7X

 

To learn more about Sue Ward Drake, go to:

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/16679714.Sue_Ward_Drake

Twitter: www.twitter.com/@SueWardDrake

Facebook: www.facebook.com/SueWardDrake

Instagram: www.instagram.com/suedrakeauthor/

Bookbub: https://www.bookbub.com/profile/sue-ward-drake

·       Website signup for newsletter:  https://suewarddrake.com/sign-up-for-my-newsletter/

 

Wednesday, November 9, 2022

The Making of an African Priest

 In celebration of the release of Rogue the Durum, we asked author Steven J. Kolbe to speak on how he came to create Remy Mbombo, perhaps the most compelling of all the characters in his Ezra James mystery series. This is what he said:

The Making of an African Priest

Father Remy Mbombo is arguably my most complex character. From the scar running down his cheek to his nuanced approach with his parishioners, Remy refuses to fit into a box–and there are some good reasons for this.

Artful incongruity is an idea that I absolutely require of myself and of my writing students. When two things are incongruous, I say, it means they don’t fit easily together. Take a character who works for the IRS. Every morning he counts his toothbrush strokes, he counts his steps to work, and he does complex multiplication in his head. This is Harold Crick. Through the course of Stranger than Fiction, he begins hearing the voice of a literary narrator, learns to play guitar–a lifelong wish–and falls in love with an anarchist baker. None of these are characteristic of an auditor, but they’re believable because Crick is written and acted as a real person.

Likewise, I strive to make my characters multifaceted and real. The inspiration for Father Remy came from a writing exercise in Brian Kiteley’s book The 3 A.M. Epiphany. He advices writers to take two real people and merge their personalities, taking what makes sense from both to form a new real person. For Remy I took a priest and a former roommate from Senegal Africa.

My roommate was probably the most religious person I’d ever met. He rose every morning to lay out his prayer rug. Every night, he took out his subḥa, a kind of Islamic rosary. While I felt quite accomplished speaking English, a little Spanish (from home), and a little French (from school), my roommate spoke fluently in English, French, Wolof, and Arabic, and he was studying German for business. He also had so much gratitude for little things. It might seem too incongruous to merge a priest with a lay Muslim, but the parallels, as I have found, are numerous. Both are Abrahamic religions, both use rosaries in their meditative prayers, and both emphasize praying at specific hours of the day.

The priest I put most into Remy is one of the most open-minded and kind priests I’ve ever confessed to. When a friend read book one, she commented on several things she found unbelievable about Remy. “A priest would never say this or that or this.” I assured her that one would and in fact had.

In book one, I worked to make Remy more than just his job. His relationship with my primary detective, Ezra James, is where that develops the most. During slow times, they play games of sans voir chess, exchanging chess notation to launch assaults and mount defenses, and Remy helps Ezra process his divorce, figuring out how to move forward. In book two, I look at what made Remy the priest he is, specifically what gave him the distinctive scar that runs down his cheek–a story that takes us to the violent history of Rwanda.

 Follow me on Instagram @StevenJKolbe or visit my website at www.StevenJKolbe.com

 Where to find Rogue the Durum:

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0BBDDN93R?_bbid=92109537&tag=individualbookpagesite-20

https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/rogue-the-durum-steven-j-kolbe/1141982790?ean=2940186631200

Tuesday, November 8, 2022

His Christmas Angel by Aurrora St. James

 Christmas wishes lead to Yuletide Kisses in this collection of four new Scottish Medieval Christmas novellas written by Allison Butler, Aurrora St. James, Nancy Lee Badger and Ria Cantrell who have employed the time proven tropes of Friends to lovers, marriage of convenience, hidden identity, and best friend’s sister to this delightful series.

So grab your favorite adult beverage—from hot cocoa, to fresh brewed coffee or egg nog, even something stronger and snuggle under the covers or cozy up in front of a warm fire with these four medieval romances by best-selling and award-winning authors. Let yourself be swept away to the magic of Christmas in Scotland where braw heroes will do anything to keep the women they love.

Today,
Wild Women Authors’ focus is on His Christmas Angel by Aurrora St. James:

Reclusive Laird Dougal de Giffard knows that no woman will have him. Thanks to his infamous father, rumors of black magic have overshadowed his life until even strong men avoid him. When he’s ambushed and left for dead just days before Christmas, he’s rescued by his neighbor's feisty daughter. Slaine de Morham might be enticing, and raising every one of his protective instincts, but he intends to keep her at a distance. That is, until she’s threatened. Suddenly, Dougal finds himself with an unexpected wife, new enemies, and an assassin drawing near. The more time he spends with Slaine, the more he wants to protect her, and love her. But it’s going to take a Christmas miracle to keep her. Who could ever love the devil of Goblin Hall?

A bit about Aurrora St. James:

Aurrora St. James writes sexy, paranormal romances featuring tough heroes, strong women, quirky characters, and a touch of humor added in for spice. Her novels span Medieval to Contemporary and will soon include Regency time travel. Her second book, Gavril of Aquina, received First Runner Up for the 2015 RONE award for best fantasy/sci-fi romance. She loves coffee, making her own journals, old B, C, and D-movies, and the magic of a happily ever after.

To learn more about Aurrora and the stories she creates, go to:

Website

Facebook

BookBub

Blog

 

Yuletide Kisses is available in KU, ebook, and paperback at:

Amazon link: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0BGMZVT34

 

Monday, November 7, 2022

Keep the Yule Fire Burning

 Wild Women Authors is pleased to focus on Yuletide Kisses, a collection of four new Scottish Medieval Christmas novellas written by authors Allison Butler, Aurrora St. James, Nancy Lee Badger and Ria Cantrell. The anthology was released on November 1, 2022

So grab some hot cocoa and snuggle under the covers this season with four all-new medieval romances by best-selling and award-winning authors. From friends to lovers to a marriage of convenience, hidden identities to his best friend’s sister, you’ll be swept away to the magic of Christmas in Scotland where braw heroes will do anything to keep the women they love.

Keep the Yule Fire Burning by Allison Butler:

Finley Blalock has always loved Mor Forester. But when her brother Liam confronts him, he can’t reveal the truth. After losing his mother, he refuses to ever tell someone he loves them. When Liam’s quest to find a husband for Mor pushes Fin to breaking point, a fight ensues. As punishment, they are challenged to keep the Yule fire burning for twelve days. If they fail, the tension between them will be dealt with using swords instead of fists. With his love for Mor and friendship with Liam at risk, Fin will need Yuletide wishes and the magic of mistletoe to find the courage to tell the woman he loves how much she means to him before he loses her – and his best friend – forever.

Available in KU, ebook, and paperback

Amazon link: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0BGMZVT34

 Allison Butler is an author of Scottish historical romance. She spent her early years in country NSW building pretend castles with hay bales and leaping white posts with her army of two older sisters and a younger brother. Many years later, with her mother’s influence, she discovered a passion for words and history, read her first historical romance and was inspired to create her own. She writes most mornings and cares for the elderly in the afternoons. Her love of travel has given her the gift of many amazing sights but none more heart-stirring than the rugged beauty of Scotland. Allison lives in a small town in NSW, Australia, with her very own Scottish hero. Their two beautiful daughters have left the nest to feather their own and have begun their own adventures. Allison loves spending time with family and friends, travelling, taking photos, reading, dancing like no one’s watching and seeing the sights from the back of her husband’s motorcycle.

To learn more about Allison and the stories she creates, go to:

Website

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Bookbub

 

Tuesday, November 1, 2022

The Wild Rose and the Sea Raven

Mirror, mirror, on the lake.  Reveal the path the queen will take.

       In this dark fairy tale adaptation of a medieval French legend, Issylte must flee the wicked queen, finding shelter with a fairy witch who teaches her the verdant magic of the forest. Fate leads her to the otherworldly realm of the Lady of the Lake and the Elves of Avalon, where she must choose between her life as a healer or fight to save her ravaged kingdom.

Tristan of Lyonesse is a Knight of the Round Table who must overcome the horrors of his past and defend his king or lose everything. When he becomes a warrior of the Tribe of Dana, a gift of Druidic magic might hold the key he seeks.

Haunted and hunted. Entwined by fate. Can their passion and power prevail?

Wild Women Authors features author Jennifer Ivy Walker as she celebrates the release of The Wild Rose and the Sea Raven, her first release with the Wild Rose Press via the Write Advice program. With Jennifer is Issylte, Emerald Princess of Ireland, who will go first.

Let’s begin with where you are from. Castle Connaught, at the edge of the Hazelwood Forest, in the northwestern region of the country,

Tell us a bit about The Wild Rose and the Sea Raven. It is a paranormal fantasy-medieval romance adaptated from the French legend of “Tristan et Yseult”. I am the wild rose, for “Églantine” is the name the fairy witch Maiwenn chooses for me when she shelters me from the evil queen.  The sea raven is the royal bird of Cornwall, and the symbol for Tristan, the Blue Knight of Cornwall.

What did you think the first time you saw Tristan? The first time I saw him was in a vision. I felt inexplicably drawn to him, as if our fates had been entwined.

What was your second thought?  I thought he had the most incredible blue eyes—a deep turquoise, like the ocean.

Do you feel it was love at first sight? No, because I was romantically involved with someone else when I had the sighting. I was shaken to my very core by the intensity of the connection I felt to him in the vision.

What do you like most about Tristan? He is fiercely loyal to those he loves.

How would you describe him? He is a ruggedly handsome, well over six feet tall, with a scar on his left cheek. His dark brown hair tumbles in waves to his broad shoulders. He is often sullen and angry, for he is haunted by the horrors of his past.

How would Tristan describe you? He would say that I am the green and golden goddess who healed him. He nearly died in a battle, and I was the Priestess of Avalon who saved him.  When he regained consciousness, my face was the first thing he saw. He later told me that he’d seen my golden hair and emerald eyes, so that’s why he called me his green and golden goddess.

What made you choose healing for a career? I was taught to wield the verdant magic of the forest and heal with medicinal herbs. When fate brought me to Avalon, I expanded my knowledge of herbal medicine to include healing crystals and the curative essence of the sacred waters of the Goddess.

What is your biggest fear? That the Black Widow Queen will poison my father and starve my people.

How do you relax? Horseback riding is my greatest pleasure.  I love the sting of the cold wind on my cheeks, my long hair flowing in the breeze,

Who is your favorite fictional character? Roland, Charlemagne’s paladin from La Chanson de Roland.

What is the best advice you ever received? My beloved Maiwenn, the fairy witch who sheltered me in the Hazelwood Forest, taught me to wield its verdant magic, and told me to never turn my back on my Goddess-given power to heal.

Thank you for this time, Issylte. Now we’d like to speak with Jennifer.

What movies or books have had an impact on your career as a writer?  The Mists of Avalon by Marion Zimmer Bradley, A Court of Thorns and Roses series by Sarah J. Maas, and Where the Crawdads Sing by Delia Owens

Is there an event in your private life that you were able to bring to this story and how do you feel it impacted the novel? So very many experiences!  I have an MA in French literature and wove a lot of French history and legends into the story. I spent several summers in France, and many of those places are in my trilogy. I grew up on a tidal bay in Maine, and my protagonist learns a lot of the things I did as a child. I am deaf in my left ear, and my character Issylte is as well.

Tell us a bit about your publisher: how did you hear about them and what influenced your decision to submit to them? I chose my publisher at first because of the name. My novel is entitled, The Wild Rose and the Sea Raven, so when I saw a publishing company named The Wild Rose Press, it caught my eye.  When I saw how many awards they had won as a publishing company, and how warmly they welcomed me, that clinched my decision.

What book[s] currently rest on your TBR pile? A Ruin of Roses by K F Breene, and Forging Silver into Stars by Brigid Kemmerer.

Lastly, what's up next and when can we expect to see it on the shelves?  The Lady of the Mirrored Lake—book 2 of The Wild Rose and the Sea Raven trilogy—will be published in January or February 2023 by the Wild Rose Press.  The conclusion, The Emerald Fairy and the Dragon Knight, will be published soon thereafter.

To learn more about Jennifer Ivy Walker and the stories she creates, go to:

Goodreads:  https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/22671046.Jennifer_Ivy_Walker

Bookbub: https://www.bookbub.com/books/the-wild-rose-and-the-sea-raven-by-jennifer-ivy-walker

Website:  https://jenniferivywalker.com/

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

Twitter:  https://twitter.com/bohemienneivy

Instagram:  https://www.instagram.com/jenniferivywalkerauthor/

Amazon link:  https://www.amazon.com/~/e/B0B91R2MJZ

Barnes and Noble:  https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/the-wild-rose-and-the-sea-raven-jennifer-ivy-walker/1141977954?ean=2940186736387&fbclid=IwAR3DwraRnElU-XxxDXI-iVIItQ4X3HPeHlx7sS3l8fugfrthoIsfftXRUpk