A perfectionist equine vet.
A gorgeous fireman. An unrequited high school crush blazes hot twelve
years later.
Reliable Amanda McNeill’s
world toppled last summer when Hollywood invaded her family’s horse
breeding ranch.
Everyone’s moving onward and upward, but she’s in
a massive rut. Weary of her label as the dependable older sister, she
yearns to throw predictability to the wind and embrace
spontaneity. She can be impulsive, even wild, and a hot fling
with Jake Cruz might be the sizzle she needs to jump start her life.
When firefighter Jake Cruz
rescues a dog from a hit-and-run, the nearest vet is none other than
his high school tutor, Amanda McNeill. Face to face with his former
crush, he finds her to be even more beautiful than he remembers, and
her charming blushes and heated glances tell him she notices him this
time around. While Jake longs to discover if this Amanda
matches the girl who starred in his adolescent fantasies, his desire
to become fire captain, and earn his family's pride, requires he
focus on work, not passion.
Could his dream woman become
his real love or will his professional ambitions extinguish their
chances? Once the smoke clears, will Amanda realize Jake isn’t a
fling but her hero after all?
Wild
Women Authors is pleased to welcome back author Claire Marti
as she celebrates the release of Book 2 in her Pacific Vista Ranch
series, The Very Thought of You. With
Claire today is equine vet Amanda McNeill.
Where are you from?
Los Angeles, California
Tell us a bit about The
Very Thought of You: The author, Claire Marti, shares the
story of how Jake Cruz and I fell in love.
What did you think the
first time you saw Jake Cruz? Back
when I was a senior in high school, I tutored Jake in math. He was a
skinny, shy little freshman. I thought he was sweet, like a little
brother. What was
your second thought, as in when you saw him several
years later? Wow. When I saw him again this year, he’d
changed considerably. Now he’s 6’5 and looks like that actor from
[the movie] Magic Mike. You know, the firefighter?
Did you feel it was love
at first sight? I’m not sure I believe in love at first sight.
But it was definitely attraction at first sight. Butterflies in the
belly, tingles up the spine type of attraction.
What do you like most
about Jake? He is a sweetie beneath his big strong stoic
firefighter exterior. His kindness makes me melt.
How would you describe
Jake? Resilient, honorable, sweet, and drop-dead gorgeous.
How would he describe you?
He tells everyone I’m his first and only love.
What made you choose
veterinary medicine for a career? I’ve always loved animals and
I knew when I was ten years old that I wanted to be a vet. When we
moved to Pacific Vista Ranch, I fell more in love with horses and
here I am.
What is your biggest fear?
I’d love to say I’m fearless, but I’d be lying. Jake’s a
firefighter and every time he goes on a call, I’m afraid he won’t
return. But I can’t control that so, don’t tell him I told you,
okay?
Our lips are sealed. So
with all this stress, how do you relax? Read a good book, ride my
horse Bianca, and snuggle with Jake.
Who is your favorite
fictional character? Anne Elliot from Persuasion by Jane
Austen
What is the best piece of
advice you ever received? My sister Dylan told me to ask Jake
out.
Thank you for taking tie out
of your busy schedule, Amanda. Now it's time to chat with Claire.
What movies or books have
had an impact on your career as a writer? So many! I’m a huge
Hemingway fan. A Moveable Feast and The Sun Also Rises
are two of my favorites. Nora Roberts helped me fall in love with
romance––I love her witty dialogue and characters.
Tell us a bit about your
publisher: how did you hear about them and what influenced your
decision to submit to them? I decided to publish this series
myself, so I’m the publisher.
What book[s] currently
rest on your TBR pile? Liana de la Rosa’s To Tame a
Scandalous Lady, Michele Arris’ See Me, and Sonali Dev’s
Pride, Prejudice and Other Flavors.
Lastly, what's up next and
when can we expect to see it on the shelves? The third book in
my Pacific Vista Ranch series, For The Love of You, is Dylan
McNeill and Gabriel DuVernay’s story. Look for it in January 2020.
To purchase The Very
Thought of You, to to:
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07YNY6JHS/
Celebrating those who trifle with, exceed or otherwise defy conventional wisdom... Make Today Yours!
Sunday, November 10, 2019
Sunday, November 3, 2019
A Stranger in the Family
Wild
Women Authors is pleased to feature Wild
Rose Press author Nancy S. Reece who is celebrating the release of A
Stranger in the Family, a contemporary
romantic suspense out of the Crimson Rose line. Nancy has brought
along female protagonist, Lyric
McKinney-Takeda.
Where are
you from? Originally from Shannon, Ireland, I’ve been living and
attending school in the Atlanta, Georgia area for the past five
years.
Tell
us a bit about A
Stranger in the Family.
It tells of how I met my
husband, Colonel Yuri Takeda of the United Russian Republics Special
Forces, and our struggles to move past the nasty polarization that
comes from working on opposite sides of the conflict our world finds
itself embroiled within. As both of us are engineers at heart, Yuri
and I desire to leave the military and its headaches behind to work
together on a truly new fighter that can take this planet to the
stars. But our families are determined to keep us apart for purely
political reasons. In our case, the enemy of my enemy is my true
love.
What
did you think the first time you saw Yuri
Takeda? My first thought on meeting
Yuri after a conference at the Georgia Institute of Technology on
gyroscopic engines, an important component of space going vehicles,
was that he was tall. Given that I’m almost six feet tall myself,
it was a relief to meet a man I had to look up to in order to
appreciate.
What
was your second thought? My second thought
was he’s a world-class asshole. And he still is, at times. It took
a while to figure out that the coldness and distance was only a way
of protecting himself from the outside world. We’ve both grown up
in families that put duty to country before family, which left us
feeling very alone. That shared life experience, along with our
passion for flying, also helped us overcome the initial awkwardness
in our conversations. Though we both travel quite a bit for our jobs,
text messaging and Facetime calls helped ease the loneliness as well
as gave us time to really get to know each other, our dreams and our
fears.
Was
it love at first sight? I was intrigued at
first sight, but given our relative positions in our respective
organizations it seemed like madness to try and build anything more
than a professional friendship. However, I underestimated Yuri’s
interest in me, and by the time I realized this was more than ‘like’,
we were headed full speed toward a permanent relationship.
What
do you like most about him? Yuri is my
touchstone. He keeps me grounded when things begin to fall apart.
He’s always thinking five steps ahead, which served us well once
our relationship was exposed to the press, and we had to make a run
for our lives to escape military tribunals for fraternizing with the
enemy. Our rough edges mesh well together.
How
would you describe him? Intelligent,
compassionate, calculating, and sexy as hell.
Works
for us; how would Yuri describe you? On a
good day or a bad one? A good day, I’m his every wish come true. On
a bad day, I’m an Irish Banshee.
Good
one! What made you choose the military for a career? My
step-father wanted me to marry for political reasons. The only way to
assert my independence and escape a loveless marriage was to join the
Allied Forces. Given my background in engineering and flying,
Research and Development of Future Vessels was a natural fit. Also,
with really pissing off my step-father was a delightful bonus.
What
is your biggest fear? Being trapped in a life
not of my choosing where I’m a doll to be trotted out for special
functions and ignored or berated for my intelligence.
How
do you relax? I love to swim, I love to fly,
almost any outdoor activity really eases my stress.
Who
is your favorite fictional character? Frodo
from The Lord of the Rings.
A perfect example of how it isn’t the size of the hero, it’s the
size of the heart inside that hero. The smallest mouse can bring down
the mightiest elephant.
What
is the best piece of advice you ever received? Live
your own truth. Nothing else will feel natural, and the falseness
will eat away like a cancer.
Thank
you, Lyric for taking the time away from your career, married life
and the new baby. [oops, spoiler alert!]. We'd now like to talk with
Nancy.
What
movies or books have had an impact on your career as a writer? All
the books I’ve read have had an impact on my writing. My mother was
a librarian, so I grew up among the stacks and card catalogs. Every
story fed my imagination, allowing me to grow my own fantasies. As
for movies, the ones I enjoy the most are the ones closest to the
actual books. There have been several series where the movies
disappointed as they varied so wildly from the books.
What
event in your private life were you able to bring to this story and
how do you feel it impacted the novel? My
father was an Aeronautic Engineer, and a flight instructor in the
Army Air Corp during WW2. After the war he worked for United Air
Lines for more than 35 years. I took my first flight at the age of
three months and have loved flying ever since. The careers of Yuri
and Lyric are in honor of him, and our shared love of the open skies.
Tell
us a bit about your publisher: how did you hear about them and what
influenced your decision to submit to them? My
publisher is The Wild Rose Press, and I ADORE them! My first fantasy
series was published with a small company and I wasn’t terribly
happy with the results. I asked several of my friends who have been
published by several houses and got their input based upon what this
series is about and the books themselves, and the overwhelming
response was TWRP. I love my editor, who is so so patient with me,
and has really worked hard with me to help the texting messages in
this book show up as this encompasses a large portion of the romance
between the main characters.
What
book[s] currently rest on your TBR pile? Every
year I re-read The Lord of the Rings so
they stay on my pile. Lately I been reading a lot of fan fiction
online, mainly to get out of my own head and clear out the cobwebs.
Lastly, what's up next and when can we expect
to see it on the shelves? The
next book in the Family Devlyn series, “The Family Business” is
ready for my final editing and should be to my editor within the
month. I also have a Paranormal I’m finishing titled “Urban Wolf”
about a pack of Lycan’s who live in a high-rise downtown.
To learn
more about our feature author, go to:
Email: nancyreece62@gmail.com
Website: www.NancySReece.com
To
purchase A Stranger in the Family, go to:
Amazon.com
BN.com
Friday, November 1, 2019
Sinners' Opera
Morgan
D'Arcy is an English lord, a classical pianist, and a vampire. He has
everything except what he desires most—Isabeau. As the Angel
Gabriel he’s steered her life and career choice, preparing her to
become Lady D'Arcy. Many forces oppose Morgan's daring plan—not the
least of which is Vampyre law.
Isabeau
Gervase is a brilliant geneticist Though she no longer believes in
angels, she sees a ticket to a Nobel Prize in Gabriel's
secrets—secrets that have led her to a startling conclusion.
Gabriel isn't human, and she fully intends to identify the species
she named the Angel Genome.
Morgan
is ready to come back into Isabeau's life, but this time as a man not
an angel. Will he outsmart his enemies, protect his beloved and
escape death himself? For the first time in eternity, the clock is
ticking.
Wild Women
Authors
is pleased to welcome Linda Nightingale, author of Sinners'
Opera,
a recent release out of the Wild Rose Press and protagonist, Isabeau
Gervase.
Where
are you from, Isabeau? Beaufort, South
Carolina. I now live on lovely, historic Orange Street in Charleston
and work as a geneticist at Life Gen, a genetics and stem cell
laboratory. I love Charleston. From the Antebellum mansions along the
Battery to the cobbled streets that mottle the city, Charleston is a
treat. To describe the city would take my entire time. My love affair
with an English lord played to the backdrop of Charleston’s famous
Battery and to the sound of the waves crashing against the seawall.
This time, too, will remain a part of Charleston to me.
Tell
us a bit about Sinners’ Opera. You’ve
heard the quote, “It was the best of times. It was the worst of
times.” This describes my part in our intense love story...ours was
a Sinners’ Opera, but I wouldn’t spare the tears to miss the
dance. Morgan D’Arcy is beautiful, arrogant, talented, but there is
darkness in him. He’s a vampire, a real one, but not a reanimated
corpse. He’s a viral mutation of human DNA. The result resembles
but is not like homo sapiens.
For five months, we lived our idyll on the Battery. Morgan turned my
life into a fairytale, and I love him still, will never love another.
When the whole thing crashed down, I was shattered. He was my
everything. Our story is passionate, sometimes thrilling, witty as
Morgan himself, and as much about obsession as it is about the kind
of love that comes once in a lifetime. Such love comes only to a man
once because mortals are not strong enough to bear it twice.
What
did you think the first time you saw Morgan? That
he was an angel. Morgan D’Arcy was a man, a beautiful man, playing
a grand piano, but he looked exactly like the angel who used to
appear to me when I was a child. My earliest recollection of Gabriel
was at two when I cried for the light to stay on, but my mother
switched it off anyway. My angel turned it back on for me. He asked
me not to tell anyone, and he became my imaginary friend.
What was your second thought? That
he was the handsomest man I’d ever seen, and in his tux the
most elegant and sophisticated. You have to understand—Morgan is a presence,
a feast for the senses, and the most talented pianist I’ve heard.
Did
you feel it was love at first sight? Yes. He
was my Gabriel. Twenty-five years before that concert, I’d known he
was kind, affectionate, and caring. I remembered the feel of that
silky blond hair drifting through my little fingers, those eyes so
blue they put the July sky to shame. He was my guardian angel, and I
loved him already.
What
do you like most about him? I’m not sure.
He tells me often that I’m beautiful, intelligent, and fun to be
with, but now I’m not certain I believe these compliments. My
innovative thinking, I suppose, and the fact that I can rub elbows
with people from academia to the man on the street. I know he likes
the sex.
How
would you describe him? He’s 6’2” of
gorgeous. He’s blond with long hair, big beautiful blue eyes, and a
perfect body. He is a passionate and tender lover, and the easiest
man in the world to fall in love with. He will enchant you. When he
walks into a room, every woman, from spinster to teenager, stares at
him. He makes people smile. He will make you his princess, but he is
not always what he seems.
How
would he describe you? As the woman he wants
to marry, but his reasons behind this trouble me. I know his DNA
isn’t human. I haven’t quantified the difference quite yet, but
I’m working on it. I call his DNA my ‘angel genome’.
Physically, in his aristocratic accent, he’d describe me as 5’8”
tall, highlighted light-brown hair, and a quick mind. I know my
career has something to do with it, but his purpose escapes me. I
don’t believe in coincidence.
What made you choose to be a geneticist?
My Angel Gabriel. He predicted one
day I’d hold the basis of life in my hands, that I’d
be a geneticist. I love my work,
wouldn’t change professions. I love examining what
makes a person the person
they are, from a genetic point-of-view. My career is
fascinating, and I don’t regret
my choice at all, but I do wonder why ‘geneticist’
when the field was nowhere near
as advanced as it is now.
What
is your biggest fear? That I’ll return to
Morgan and our idyll by the sea…or that I won’t. Most of me longs
for him, but I must stay away. I lose myself in him, become someone
else. I regret leaving, but I can’t go back, you see.
How
do you relax? I listen to music, read, or
hang out with my friend Kirsty. Music, of course, I like piano. Books
I like romance, sci-fi and fantasy. Kirsty has been my best friend
since grade school.
Who
is your favorite fictional character? Dorian
Gray. In a way, Morgan resembles him, but not the seediness or innate
darkness of spirit.
What
is the best piece of advice you ever received? From
Kirsty…Never return to Morgan. He devours you body and soul. I
don’t know. She didn’t live as his lover or be the princess in
his fairytale. He left me alone to work; never interfered. I just
don’t know.
This has
been most enlightening, Isabeau. Thank you for sharing your love and
your pain with us. It couldn't have been easy. Now, it's time to
speak with your creator, Linda Nightingale.
What movies or books have had an
impact on your career as a writer?
“Interview
with a Vampire”, in part I guess. I liked the surreal qualities and
the drama. When I was young, I read the old gothic romances—Mary
Stewart, Victoria Holt, Jean Plaidy, for some. I read one super
romance about the Doan Boys, Quaker outlaws during the American
Revolution, called “Firebrand”, and that book stays with me
today. I love to read, be transported to another life and world, put
under a spell so that you surface from the book when it is over.
That’s what I strive for in every book I’ve written.
What
event in your private life were you able to bring to this story and
how do you feel it impacted the novel? This
book is purely fiction. If my life had anything to do with it, I’ve
been left before, and I could write the pain. Oh, and I made my
ex-husband the villain though he wasn’t the one who left me. I
wrote briefly about the Andalusian horse, as I always do, because I
love the breed. I bred trained and showed the Andalusian for many
happy years. Sinners’ Opera is a long figment of my imagination.
Tell
us a bit about your publisher: how did you hear about them and what
influenced your decision to submit to them? The
Wild Rose Press is a fantastic publisher, and I’d recommend them to
both writers and readers. They publish between 4 and 5 books per week
and are very well known in publication circles. For several years,
they’ve won the Best Publisher in the Preditors & Editors Poll.
They are currently seeking submissions, and often run special calls.
I heard about them from a friend and fellow author Beth Trissel. What
she told me about them and what I found out when I did my research
influenced me to submit. I don’t regret that decision.
What
book[s] currently rest on your TBR pile? A
classic old gothic, the Mary Stewart Merlin trilogy; the final in the
Game of Thrones series, and the list goes on. Like the old saying,
“My eyes were bigger than my belly,” my case is, “My stack is
bigger than my eyes.” Between promoting, being fairly active on The
Wild Rose Press loop (supportive group of authors), writing, and
doing general living things, my reading time is woefully limited.
Last week, I joined the Elks Lodge BPOE #1206, and I plan to devote
some time to their charitable works. So, I’m now an Elk!
Lastly, what's up next and when can we expect
to see it on the shelves? Yesterday,
I received my rights to Sinners’
Obsession back from the
original publisher. It is the sequel to Sinners’
Opera, but it has yet to
even be submitted. I’m working on Mr. Piano Man, a companion story
to Sinners’ Opera, starring Morgan, of course. It’s told in a
frame, beginning in the roaring 80s in Charleston, flashing back to
WWII during the Blitz in England for an entire story; The story then
returns to 1989 for the conclusion. When either of them will see
light is a ways away. The next probably is Life for Sale, the sequel
to Love For Sale. It is at least with my editor! I’ve more ideas
than time it seems.
Linda brought along an excerpt for
us:
Isabeau
halted inches from Morgan, and a wonderful sense of release flooded
her. Against a backdrop of stone and fragrant flower, he stood alone.
People moved but they were outside the sphere of power he radiated.
“Isabeau.” His voice still enchanted, but his
expression twisted her heart.
A band tightened around her chest. Why was he frowning?
Morgan didn’t touch her with his hands. His gaze
touched her like a physical caress. “You needn’t go home with
him.”
She shook her head. “I can’t just leave him.”
His voice dropped an octave, eyes dark, stormy. “Will
you sleep with him?”
The question was too personal for strangers. Yet she
wasn’t offended. He took her hands, and he took her breath away.
She longed to counter with, “Will you sleep with the brunette
tonight?” but, gazing into his eyes, she couldn’t speak.
“You hesitate. Is it such a difficult question? Are
you going to bed with him?” He trapped his lower lip between
sharp-looking incisors.
She glanced at his hands—cool, strong, elegant—and
his grip tightened. “No, not tonight. Nor ever again I think.”
How could total strangers speak vows, ignore polite
banter to dive to the heart? But they weren’t strangers, were
they? She didn’t know when, but her belief that Morgan was Gabriel
had solidified. Too many similarities teased her; coincidence not a
word in her vocabulary.
The anger faded from his eyes, again luminescent blue.
“Good.”
People scattered to a staccato of rain. A hand at her
waist, he guided her into the shadow of an eave, shielding her from
the storm. Sheet lightning flashed across the sky. Thunder crashed
as the storm gathered momentum. Even in darkness, she could see his
eyes. He seemed to have stopped breathing, seemed on the verge of a
confession. She waited, trembling inside.
To purchase Sinners’ Opera in
print and eBook go to:
About Linda:
After
14 years in Texas, Linda just returned home to her roots. She has
seven published novels, four of which are available from Audible.com
in audio. For many years, she bred, trained and showed Andalusian
horses. So, she’s seen a lot of this country from the windshield of
a truck pulling a horse trailer. Linda has won several writing
awards, including the Georgia Romance Writers’ Magnolia Award and
the SARA Merritt.
She
retired from a career as a legal assistant at MD Anderson Cancer
Center to write full time. She has 2 wonderful sons—one in Texas;
one in England—and 4 equally marvelous grandchildren. She loves
horses, sports cars, music, and piano, and enjoys dressing up and
hosting formal dinner parties.
To
learn more about Linda Nightingale and the stories she creates, go
to:
Twitter:
https://twitter.com/LNightingale
Web
Site: http://www.lindanightingale.com
Pinterest:
https://www.pinterest.com/lbnightingale1/
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)