Johnny Talon and the Goddess of Love and War

              The things a gumshoe does to pay the rent.

Wild Women Authors focus on Johnny Talon and the Goddess of Love and War, a contemporary paranormal mystery, written by W.B.J. Williams and published by the Wild Rose Press.

About the Book: Spirits, sorcerers, and the truly desperate of San Francisco's seedy neighborhoods know Johnny Talon as a private detective who solves impenetrable cases in a way no one else can. His use of lucid dreams and subconscious insights lead him to the truth. Talon has his work cut out for him when he's hired by Eve, a sex worker, to find and free the soul of her deceased wife from a sorcerer who hopes to entrap Eve.

The closer he gets to finding the soul of Eve's wife, the more Talon's life may be on the line as he learns that there is more to his client than an angry woman. When his investigation leads him into hell, Talon has an epiphany: if he's going to free Eve's wife, he has to uncover her true identity.

The things a gumshoe does to pay the rent.

An Excerpt:

Her outfit had shifted to a full-length black gown and a black hat with a long black veil. The smell of freshly cut grass reinforced the peaceful feel of the place. Under my breath, I hummed an old Johnny Cash song, which ended conveniently as we came to a stop at a small tombstone. While questions clamored for attention in my thoughts, I forced my mouth into a respectful silence.

She knelt in front of the stone, placing her hands on either side of it, whispering some words that I could not catch. Behind me I heard a scream that froze my blood. I wheeled, pistol in hand to find myself staring at an orange skinned parody of a man with horns and fangs. I braced and fired at its orange face, my bullet placing a third eye between the two it came with. Unfortunately, this neither killed it nor gave it enlightenment. Instead, two others materialized behind it.

“You dare to attack me here!” screamed Eve, suddenly naked, blond hair free and blowing in the wind as she took her comb from her hair and held it in front of her, knees bent, ready for a fight. The demons raced towards us, screaming. I pocketed the revolver, crossed myself, and settled into a Tai Chi stance. All three seemed to want a piece of Eve, so I threw myself on the closest one, pummeling it with kicks and punches, which seemed to be doing nothing much while Eve’s comb was making them bleed.

Johnny Talon and the Goddess of Love and War can be found at:

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0CPZ62TQ4/thewildrosepr-20, 

https://www.barnesandnoble.com/s/Johnny%20Talon%20and%20the%20Goddess%20of%20Love%20and%20War-

 

News about author W.B.J. Willams can be found here:

https://wbj-williams.net/index.html
http://wbjwilliams.wordpress.com/

www.linkedin.com/in/wbjwilliams

www.twitter.com/wbjwilliams

https://mastodon.social/@wbjwilliams

www.facebook.com/wbjwilliams

https://www.instagram.com/wbjwilliams/

https://bsky.app/profile/wbjwilliams.bsky.social

https://www.threads.net/@wbjwilliams

 

Slow Train to Nowhere: Rosalee by Laura Strickland

 Sometimes a woman has to lose her head to know her own mind.

As part of our ongoing Books In A Series feature, Wild Women Authors is pleased to showcase Slow Train to Nowhere: Rosalee, written by Laura Strickland and released by the Wild Rose Press.

About the Book: Adopted as a tiny girl straight off the orphan train, Rosalee Thompson has always been pampered by her wealthy parents. Now a young woman, she chafes at the restrictive bonds of her ribbons and ruffles. When the choices made for her include a prospective husband, she becomes a runaway bride.

        Matthew Speedwell has a past he’d rather keep hidden and ideas for a future he’s not sure he can achieve. The last thing he expects is to be made part of a reluctant bride’s snowy escape. He believes he’s not good enough for Rosalee, but his heart has ideas of its own. As, so it seems, does Miss Rosalee.

An Excerpt:

The conductor moved on. The door of the car slid open and a woman tripped in. She was clad in pink from head to foot. Pink coat. Pink ruffles showing beneath. Even pink laces on her shoes. She wore a pink hat perched on her black hair and she lugged enough baggage to make her stagger.

At the sight of her, Matthew’s pulse quickened.

Well, I’ll be damned.

She fixed her gaze on him and came along the aisle. He leaped up to help her with her bags.

“Here you are!” she exclaimed as if they’d known each other half a lifetime. “I searched three other cars for you.”

He gave her an incredulous look. “Miss, the train’s already movin’.”

“I can feel that.”

“But—you never came aboard to find me?” He told her in horror, “You’ll be trapped here now till the next station.”

“As good a story as any,” she remarked. “Are you sitting just here?”

She deposited her luggage opposite his seat while the other occupants of the car—not above six people—stared.

“Miss, uh—”

“Thompson,” she reminded him.

“Miss Thompson, you’re headed down the line. Into a heap of bad weather, I might add.”

“Yes, the weather aspect is unfortunate.”

“But—you’ll have to turn back at the first station.”

“I won’t.” She rummaged around inside one of her four bags and carefully extracted a doll.

The sight of it made Matthew’s eyes widen. Surely that had to be the most exquisite piece of frippery he’d ever seen. The doll had a head-full of golden curls and wore a lavender dress with a little purple coat over it. She even had a tiny white fur muff.

She held it out to Matthew. “Will this do?”

“Uh—miss, that must be worth a fortune. I’ll pay you for it, of course.” He reached for his money clip.

“I don’t want anything for it. I told you, it’s a gift.” Impatiently, she waved the poppet at him. Very carefully, he took it into his hands.

“Do you think the little girl—”

“Tillie.”

“Will Tillie like her?”

“She’ll be over the moon. I don’t suppose she’s ever seen the like.”

Miss Thompson gave a tight smile. “Good.” She began to gather her bags up again.

“Where you goin’?”

“To find a seat.”

He suggested, shyly for him, “You can sit right there, if you like.”

She collapsed into the seat. Twisted her hands together. Her gloves were pink.

“Uh, Miss Thompson, if I might ask—”

“Don’t ask, please. It’s really better if you don’t.”

“But if you’re in some kind of trouble—”

“Everything is under control.”

“If you require an escort—”

That made her shoot him a look, an intense, narrow-eyed one that darn near knocked him back in his seat. He managed to bite back the rest of what he wanted to say while she settled into the seat. All while the train picked up steam and, with it, speed.

Then he just had to speak. “You’re never traveling on your own, a—a young woman like yourself.”

She lifted a single black brow.

“If you have a companion in one of the other cars, why, by all means return there.”

“The question comes to mind, why can’t people keep to their own business?” She put her nose in the air. “By and large, they seem incapable of it.”

She looked like a porcelain doll, but she had some spit in her. Refusing to take offense, Matthew grinned.

“Beg pardon for being concerned. Young ladies don’t usually travel alone.”

“They do. Train travel being deemed by and large safe, they travel to visit relatives. Or to take up posts teaching school or such. Or to become mail-order brides.”

“Just goes to show what I know.” He hesitated a moment, letting his gaze move from her exquisite eyes to the decidedly stubborn chin and downward. “So which are you doin’? Going to teach school? No, wait a minute. The nasty woman in the mercantile said you were getting married. In a couple of days.”

“Tomorrow.”

Matthew stared. “So what you doin’ here?”

She rested her gaze on him again. This time she seemed to take stock of him the way he had of her. He squirmed beneath the long and steady regard. He knew he was no oil painting, but she seemed to weigh and measure him with particular interest.

“Mr. Speedwell, was it?”

“Yeah.”

“Can you keep a secret?”

He thought about that. “I can. Doesn’t mean I will. Depends what it is, I reckon.”

“Then never mind.”

“Miss Thompson, are you in trouble?”

“Do I look like I’m in trouble?”

Possibly a trick question. “Might.”

“I have a ticket and money in my pocket. What could possibly go amiss?”

 

To purchase Slow Train to Nowhere: Rosalee, go to: 

Amazon US:

https://www.amazon.com/Slow-Train-Nowhere-Laura-Strickland-ebook/dp/B0DM2NKGNG/

Amazon Canada:

 https://www.amazon.ca/Slow-Train-Nowhere-Laura-Strickland/dp/1509259775/

Amazon UK:

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Slow-Train-Nowhere-Laura-Strickland-ebook/dp/B0DM2NKGNG/

Amazon Australia:

https://www.amazon.com.au/Slow-Train-Nowhere-Laura-Strickland-ebook/dp/B0DM2NKGNG/

Barnes and Noble:

https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/slow-train-to-nowhere-laura-strickland/1146544121

Kobo:

 https://www.kobo.com/us/en/ebook/slow-train-to-nowhere-rosalee

iTunes:

  https://books.apple.com/us/book/slow-train-to-nowhere-rosalee/id6737810305

Goodreads:

 https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/221463827-slow-train-to-nowhere?ac=1&from_search=true&qid=nHjZPRnR8N&rank=3

 A bit about our focus author:

Multi award-winning author Laura Strickland delights in time traveling to the past and searching out settings for her books, be they Historical Romance, Steampunk or something in between. Married and the parent of one grown daughter, Laura has also been privileged to mother a number of very special rescue dogs, and is intensely interested in animal welfare. Her love of dogs, and her lifelong interest in Celtic history, magic and music, are all reflected in her writing. Laura's mantra is Lore, Legend, Love, and she wouldn't have it any other way.

 

To learn more about Laura Strickland and her stories, go to:

Web site: www.laurastricklandbooks.com

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100000002632317

Amazon page:  http://www.amazon.com/Laura-Strickland/e/B001KHSACW/ref=ntt_athr_dp_pel_1

Goodreads page: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/760146.Laura_Strickland

Twitter: Laura Strickland Author @LauraSt05038951

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

BookBub page https://www.bookbub.com/authors/laura-strickland

The Rain Lily by Kara O'Neal

 Wild Women Authors continue its Books In A Series feature with Kara O’Neal’s The Rain Lily, Book 2 of the Texas Wildflower Stories. Up first is electrical engineer Keaton Hayes.

Good morning, Keaton. Let’s begin with where you are from. Houston, Texas.

Tell us a bit about The Rain Lily. This story is about me hiring the woman I love to take care of my nephews. Adeline needed a job, and when she applies to be the nanny for Lorne and Tate, I couldn’t not hire her. Especially after she’s able to make Lorne talk and Tate ride in a carriage. My sister and her husband died in a carriage accident. Needless to say, it was hard on us, but even harder on the boys. I needed someone. I never expected it to also be the woman I love.

What did you think the first time you saw Adeline? I thought she was a shining ray of light. We mix with the wealthy, and many of them can treat life as if it’s one big bore. Not Adeline. She’s refreshingly happy and isn’t afraid to have fun.

What was your second thought? That I needed to turn her head as quickly as possible.

Was it love at first sight? For me? Yes. I’m not a man who shies away from commitment. I go after what I want.

What do you like most about Adeline? She’s unafraid to show joy, to have a good time. She’s not a cynic in any way.

How would you describe her? Adeline has to come work for me, because she was disowned by her family. Before that happened, she was filled with optimism and cheer. After the scandal, she tries to change and tries to hide in the shadows. I couldn’t let her do that. I told her that she’s like the Rain Lily. It’s a white flower that blooms after a really bad storm. It’s God showing us that blessings always come in times of trial. And that’s what Adeline is for my family. My sister and her husband died, leaving my nephews without parents. It was horrible. But then a blessing arrived, and it was Adeline.

How would she describe you? She would describe me as steady, calm, accomplished, and loyal.

What made you choose electrical engineering for a career? It’s 1905 in Houston, Texas and we’re on the cusp of amazing things. Times are changing, and I want to be a part of that. Electricity is the future. It’s going to help a lot of people.

What is your biggest fear? Losing Adeline and our nephews.

How do you relax? I spend time with my wife and nephews. Lorne is brilliant. Tate is a whirlwind of movement. It’s not quiet in our house, but I don’t want it to be.

Who is your favorite fictional character? Sir Percy Blakeney from The Scarlet Pimpernel.

Hmm. We weren’t expecting that response, so what is the best piece of advice you ever received? My sister wrote me a letter not too long before she died. She was speaking about her sons, but she said that everyone has strengths to be discovered, and the duty of a parent was too put children in situations that allow them to use those strengths. Her point was that if we try to make others just like us, we’ll end up with chaos. Once I became the guardian of her children, that statement in her last letter came to mind. It hasn’t left since.

To paraphrase a modern day philosopher, ‘You’re killing us, Keaton’, and we thank you for your time and energy. Now we’d like to chat with Kara.

What movies or books have had an impact on your career as a writer? Probably the most influential is Anne of Green Gables. So many characters to love in those books. And I enjoyed discovering how they changed over time.

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? When I was young, I can’t tell you how much I loved going outside after a big storm. The air is different after a storm, and the world feels different. But, also, the Rain Lily would always appear. Like magic. Or…like a blessing. So, I wanted to use that impression and experience I had in a book at some point, and I was able to do so in The Rain Lily.

Tell us a bit about your publisher: how did you hear about them and what influenced your decision to submit to them? I am self-published now. I’d been with three other publishing companies, and I prefer self-publishing because I have so much freedom to do what I wish with my characters and my books.

What book[s] currently rest on your TBR pile? All God’s Dangers: The Life of Nate Shaw; Freely Given by Jan Scarbrough; Happy Nerd Year by Nancy Fraser

Last, what's up next and when can we expect to see it on the shelves? Book 4 in my Wildflower series is next. At the moment, it’s called SUNFLOWERS FOR JOHN. We’ll see if it lasts. It’s about a man with a very broken heart who carries a secret torch for Millie, a kind-hearted, red-head who’s a little wary of his handsomeness and quiet reserve.

 To purchase The Rain Lily, go to:  https://books2read.com/u/mdA0aO

To learn more about Kara O’Neal and the stories she creates, go to:

Website –  www.karaoneal.com

Bookbub –  https://www.bookbub.com/profile/kara-o-neal

Amazon –  http://www.amazon.com/Kara-ONeal/e/B00FL19TH8/ref=sr_ntt_srch_lnk_1?qid=1465007993&sr=8-1

Facebook –  https://www.facebook.com/KaraONeal84/

X –  https://twitter.com/KaraONealAuthor

Pinterest –  https://www.pinterest.com/karaoneal7/

Goodreads –  https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/7278350.Kara_O_Neal

Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/loveandletters7/

Found Among the Stars by Vicky Burkholder

 Will finding out about their pasts bring two people together or tear an entire world apart?

 Wild Women Authors focus on Found Among the Stars, a futuristic, sci-fi adventure, written by Vicky Burkholder and published by the Wild Rose Press.

 About the Book: Even in outer space there are dictators. Eiko, a crystal hunter for the Masaaki people, escapes marriage to a man she reviles. Forced to flee, she mourns the loss of her fiancé, Hopper, who disappeared thirteen years ago.

          Hopper's life is torn apart when he is kidnapped. His mind and body abused--leaving him with no memory of the past. Now, as captain of the ship Amaya, he finds information about the woman who haunts his dreams.

          Trapped and injured, Eiko is startled to find Hopper is not dead. His attempt to save her is derailed when some of the same forces who put his kidnapping into place abduct Eiko. Can Hopper, with Amaya, his living ship, their friends and the Blessed Three bring down a dictatorship or die taking a stand for honor, and right?

 An Excerpt:

A woman’s voice. But not someone she recognized, so not one of Nyoko’s cronies.

“Um, yes?”

“Who are you?”

Wouldn’t a god know who she was? “Um, my name is Eiko.”

“Eiko? As in Captain Hopper’s Eiko?”

Eiko’s stomach flipped. “You know Hopper?”

“Yes. I’m his second-in-command. I’m Maria.”

“How…how am I talking to you? I thought Hopper reached the ninth level. Are you a god?”

Maria laughed. “Me? A god? That’s rich. Right now, the captain is down on the planet we’re orbiting. And you must be using some sort of communication device. But you keep cutting out. Do you have the frequency set right?”

“Orbit? Frequency? What are these words? I don’t understand.”

“Eiko, is there a box or panel with a bunch of symbols or dials or buttons?”

“Yes. The cat led me to this strange box and showed me which button to push.”

“The cat led you…? Okay, we’ll skip that for now. Describe the box to me.”

Eiko did.

“Okay. Do you see the little blue knob on your…hmmm. Are you facing the box? Is the machine in front of you?”

“Yes.”

“Okay. There should be a blue knob on the right side of the box.”

“There is. I used it before.”

“Good. I want you to turn that knob, slowly, toward the back of the machine. One click at a time until I say stop. Count the clicks out loud as you do.”

Carefully, Eiko grasped the knob and turned. “One. Two. Three. Four…”

“There! Stop!”

Eiko jumped back as if she’d been burnt. “Did I do something wrong?”

Maria chuckled and now Eiko could hear her as if she were standing in the same cavern. “No, not at all. You did something very right. We were a tiny bit out of sync, and you got us where we needed to be.”

More words she wasn’t sure she understood. “Oh. How are we talking?”

“The machine in front of you is a communication device. I have a similar device here with me. These machines allow us to talk to each other across great distances. So…Eiko. You’re a real person?”

Eiko laughed. “Yes, I am real. But if you are not a god, are you one who leads us to the ninth level?”

“What are you talking about? I don’t understand.”

“The ninth level of life. The final one. The one where we dwell with the gods.”

“You mean death? You think Hopper is dead?”

“Yes. The priests told me he was.”

“Oh, my, you two do have a lot to talk about. No, Hopper isn’t dead. He’s very much alive.

 Found Among the Stars is available through these fine retailers…

Amazon
Walmart
Target
BooksAMillion
Indie Bound
Barnes & Noble
Kobo
Google Books
ITunes

 About our Focus Author:  Vicky Burkholder lives in a small town in southeastern Pennsylvania. She has been married forever to the one man who accepts that she sometimes lives in a fantasy world or among the stars. At various times in her life, she has been a teacher, a secretary, a short-order cook, a DJ, a newspaper journalist, and a librarian. When not busy reading, editing or critiquing, she can be found puttering around the kitchen, baking gluten free goodies or working on crafts.

Vicky learned to love reading and writing at a young age thanks to her father. They spent long hours together doing crossword puzzles and word games. By the time she was in junior high, Shakespeare and the Greek tragedies shared book space with the likes of Marguerite Henry, Walter Farley, and Carolyn Keene. While her tastes have grown up, her love of a good story hasn’t. As a writer, she writes fantasy, science fiction, paranormal and romance novels and novellas.

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

Website: https://www.vicky-burkholder.com

Goodreads:

Amazon:

BookBub:

FaceBook:

BlueSky: Vicky Burkholder

 

Other titles by Vicky Burkholder:

Danger Among the Stars

Lost Among the Stars

Searching Among the Stars

Found Among the Stars

 

The Gingerbread Lodge

Raining Jellybeans

 

The Cane, the Puzzle, and Magic

 

Finding Akashan’te

 

Blowing Bubbles on the Moon

 

Slow Train to Nowhere: Milo

 What must he surrender in exchange for love?

As part of our Books In A Series events, Wild Women Authors offers Slow Train to Nowhere: Milo. This American Historical Romance, written by Laura Strickland, is Book 3 of the Slow Train to Nowhere series, released by the Wild Rose Press.

About the Book: Milo Digsby remembers life before he rode the orphan train to Clabber Mills, Indiana, including the farm back in England where his father worked so hard. He’s always done his best to get along, but now as a grown man he’s being asked to give up the one thing he won’t: his name.

Jessica Downing is the new schoolteacher in Clabber Mills, though she prefers her ancestral vocation of fortuneteller and witch. Milo stirs her instincts and her desire. But before she can belong to him, this man so often denied his liberty must have the chance to choose his future, even if it doesn’t include the gift of her heart.

An Excerpt:

“Miss? Have you hurt yourself?”

“I don’t know.”

She’d landed hard on her knees and Milo feared the worst. Even as he reached to help her up, she scrambled, and the rest of her parcels tumbled from her arms.

“Oh, dang,” she said breathlessly.

Milo hauled her up with one hand beneath her elbow and scanned for blood.

A tiny thing once on her feet, she barely reached his ear. She wore a quite incredible set of garments, a skirt with deep ruffles, a blue coat over it all and a small hat set at an angle.

The color of the coat picked up that of her eyes when she looked up at him. curious eyes they were, deep, deep blue with a silvery ring around the irises, set in a fair, sharp-featured face.

For an instant they regarded one another as if taking measure. Hastily, Milo looked away, assessing the number of packages with his eyes.

“Are all these yours?” he asked stupidly. Of course they were hers. Hadn’t he just seen her drop them?

“Yes. I shouldn’t have tried to carry so many at once, but I thought I could do it all in one trip.

She had yellow hair beneath the tiny hat. Not all one color yellow, but streaked—some tresses darker, some golden. Curly hair.

“Sure you’re not hurt?”

“I banged my knees, but I think my petticoats cushioned things.”

“Ah—good.” Milo rarely discussed women’s petticoats. He imagined Temperance must wear such things, but he hadn’t touched her in order to find out for himself.

To be truthful, he considered the prospect of finding out—well, mildly horrifying.

He should leave this young lady to her business. Walk away. Collect Temperance’s packages. Whoever she was, she was nothing to him.

Instead he found himself reaching for the scattered packages as might any gentleman. He deposited them around her feet, wondering what they could be.

After an instant she joined the pursuit, and soon enough the last errant parcel had been retrieved.

Time for Milo to walk away. For sure.

“Where you headed?” he asked instead.

“The land office.”

“Oh?” One of Milo’s eyebrows crept up.

“My uncle, Henry Scaggs works there.”

“I see,” said Milo, who didn’t really. Why couldn’t he just walk away? Fetch Temperance’s packages. “Well, Miss Scaggs, the land office is just along there.” He pointed. “You can’t miss it.”

“I’m Miss Downing.” She thrust out a tiny hand. “Jessica Downing. My mother is Uncle Henry’s sister.”

Milo’s mind untangled that even as he reached for her hand. Not an especially large man, standing at around five-ten, square-bult but spare, he nevertheless felt large and strapping when his fingers enfolded hers.

“Milo Digsby. Er—welcome to Clabber Mills.”

He didn’t exactly hear the chime of bells when his flesh met hers but he definitely felt something. He went dizzy for an instant and thought he smelled roses.

His ma had grown roses back in England, just one cherished bush beside the cottage door. He hadn’t been able to smell them since, without thinking of her.

But it was the wrong time of year for roses.

To purchase Slow Train to Nowhere: Milo, go to:

Amazon US: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0DH8DDV19

Amazon Canada: https://www.amazon.ca/gp/product/B0DH8DDV19

Amazon UK: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Slow-Train-Nowhere-Milo-3/dp/1509258949/ref=sr_1_2

Amazon Australia: https://www.amazon.com.au/gp/product/B0DH8DDV19

Barnes and Noble: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/slow-train-to-nowhere-laura-strickland/1146256710?ean=2940186032526

Kobo:  https://www.kobo.com/us/en/ebook/slow-train-to-nowhere-milo

iTunes: https://books.apple.com/lu/book/slow-train-to-nowhere-milo/id6692628014  

Goodreads:  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/219580573-slow-train-to-nowhere?ac=1&from_search=true&qid=1aEboV4SlC&rank=3

BookBub: https://www.bookbub.com/books/slow-train-to-nowhere-milo-by-laura-strickland

 About our focus author: Multi award-winning author Laura Strickland delights in time traveling to the past and searching out settings for her books, be they Historical Romance, Steampunk or something in between. Married and the parent of one grown daughter, Laura has also been privileged to mother a number of very special rescue dogs and is intensely interested in animal welfare. Her love of dogs, and her lifelong interest in Celtic history, magic and music, are all reflected in her writing. Laura's mantra is Lore, Legend, Love, and she wouldn't have it any other way.

 

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

Web site: www.laurastricklandbooks.com

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100000002632317

Amazon page:  http://www.amazon.com/Laura-Strickland/e/B001KHSACW/ref=ntt_athr_dp_pel_1

Goodreads page: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/760146.Laura_Strickland

Author Twitter: Laura Strickland Author @LauraSt05038951

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

BookBub: https://www.bookbub.com/authors/laura-strickland