Monday, June 29, 2020

Stranger in the Storm

     After she discovers the abusive side of his personality, Janet Mitchell leaves the professor who swept her off her feet. Will she discover the same darkness in Wes, the handsome young man who rescues her during a hurricane?
     Years before, Wes Corbett vowed not to get romantically involved again, fearing anyone close to him might be harmed by his brother William, a born criminal. Now as he weathers the storm with Janet, their mutual attraction becomes clear.
     Can he keep that vow—even though he knows William is on the loose and may be headed directly for them?

Wild Women Authors is pleased to welcome Patricia McAlexander as she celebrates the release of her debut romantic suspense Stranger in the Storm. With Pat is Janet Mitchell, herself a romance author, and female protagonist of the novel.
Hello, Janet. Tell us a bit about yourself, like where are you from? I grew up in Johnstown, New York, a city of about 11,000 in the foothills of the Adirondack Mountains, an hour west of Albany, New York.
Tell us a bit about Stranger in the Storm. I’d just run away from an abusive lover in New York City and was staying at my parents’ isolated lake house on Great Sacandaga Lake to write my second novel. While going for supplies during a hurricane, my car became stuck on a country road, and a young man, Wes Corbett, pushed it out of the mud. We ended up having to weather the hurricane together at the cottage. I was glad not to be alone—not only because of the storm, but because the news on the radio reported two escaped convicts in the area.
What did you think the first time you saw Wes? When he knocked on my car window and asked if he could help get my car out of the mud, I couldn’t see him very well through the rain. I was just was so frightened and so relieved someone had come to help—that was all I could think of.
What was your second thought? Then…after I lowered my window, I noticed how handsome he was.
Was it love at first sight? No—I was too scared of the storm. I think I began to fall in love with him back at my parents’ cottage when he helped me rescue my father’s boat that had come loose from the buoy.
What do you like most about him? His thoughtfulness.
Having read the book, we agree totally. How would you describe Wes? Sexy and nice.
How would he describe you? I hope the same way.
What made you choose writing for a career? That career chose me. I’ve always written stories. I majored in creative writing in college, and had some short stories published. And so when I graduated, I was excited about getting a masters of fine arts at NYU.
What is your biggest fear? Finding out that someone I care for isn’t what he at first seems to be. That happened to me in that relationship in New York City mentioned earlier, and I knew it could happen again.
How do you relax? I sit on the patio of my parents’ cottage and drink a glass of wine while I look at the lake.
Who is your favorite fictional character? That’s a hard one, but I’ll say Scarlet O’Hara in Gone with the Wind. She’s unusual in that, although she is selfish and manipulative, in many ways she is admirable—strong, a good business woman, ready to fight to save Tara and to be with the man she loves. And though Gone with the Wind’s ending is not HEA, Scarlet does learn something about herself and the mistakes she’s made.
What is the best piece of advice you ever received? My friend Dot told me, “If you’re in a bad situation, get out of it.” As I mentioned, a while back, I found myself in a very bad relationship. I hoped it would get better, but when I realized it wouldn’t, I walked. It’s not healthy to endure a situation that hurts you mentally or physically, and it’s unrealistic to hang on, thinking it will change. Hopefully you’ll learn something from the experience and the next time find a better, healthier relationship, one that lasts.
This has been a real pleasure, Janet. We wish you well in your blossoming career as a novelist and thank you for spending time with us. Now, we'd like to chat with your creator, Pat McAlexander.
What movies or books have had an impact on your career as a writer? Anita Shreve’s novels have had an impact on me. She is so good at portraying the awakening of love amid dramatic settings and circumstances. My favorite of her novels is Resistance, set in Nazi-occupied Belgium during World War II. I was very happy when one of the early reviewers of Stranger in the Storm compared me to her.
What event in your private life were you able to bring to this story and how do you feel it impacted the novel? I brought several events in my private life to the novel. One was a horrific storm on the Great Sacandaga Lake when I was a child. When it was over, my parents drove to the nearby town of Mayfield—called Mayfair in the story. My sister and I sat in the back seat looking out of the windows. The devastation was amazing—roofs, trees, and wires down everywhere. An ice cream store was serving up triple and quadruple-decker ice cream cones because they knew otherwise their ice cream would melt and be wasted. My sister and I loved that! But the storm was one source of inspiration for the hurricane scenes.
Tell us a bit about your publisher: how did you hear about them and what influenced your decision to submit to them? Someone in a writer’s group I’m a member of mentioned that the Wild Rose Press was her publisher, and I thought, “Ah, maybe that would be a place to submit Stranger in the Storm.” I read some books Wild Rose had published and was impressed. Their website gave good directions on how to submit—they asked for the entire manuscript. I took the plunge, sending it on November 18, 2019 to the “Crimson” line, the one for thriller-romances. Editor Kaycee John read and annotated the first several pages and suggested that I revise, recommending that I read Revision and Self-Editing for Publication: Techniques for Transforming Your First Draft into a Novel That Sells by James Scott Bell. I found that book so helpful, especially in suggesting how to work in back story and ramp up drama. Wild Rose accepted the revision, and Kaycee was a wonderful guide as we went through the complete editing process. Stranger will be released on June 29, 2020.
What book[s] currently rest on your TBR pile? I just finished Beautiful Boy, a memoir by David Sheff describing how he and his family dealt with his young son Nic's drug addiction. Next on the pile is Tweak by Nic Sheff himself, now an adult—his version of the story.
Lastly, what's up next and when can we expect to see it on the shelves? I’m working on Shadows of Doubt, a novel about a girl who becomes romantically involved with a disturbed young man. His parents are divorced, and, alienated from his father, he’d begun dealing drugs in college. I read Beautiful Boy as background for this novel. I don’t know when (or if!) we can expect to see Shadows on the shelves, but I am very much involved in the research and writing process.

Pat brought along an excerpt from Stranger in the Storm:
           A wave of horror passed over her. It was true. Wes was the escaped convict. He had reunited with Richard Sturgess, the other convict. How he had fooled her! He was as good a performer as Jack, acting so convincingly to get what he wanted—in this case, shelter and food— then her father’s tools to free his truck.
Richard said to Wes, “Did you get the key?”
“Yes.” Wes held it up, then unlocked the door and motioned them inside. He looked at the pile of clothes and the wet mattress on the floor. “What a mess.”
“I need to get dressed,” she said.
“Sure, you can get dressed. But you aren’t getting out of my sight.” Wes noted her jeans, shirt, and underwear on the couch. “Here you go.” He tossed the items one by one to her, dangling her bra for longer than was necessary.
Anger boiled up in her. Snatching each item, Janet saw the blanket he had used on the couch the night before. She grabbed it and wrapped it about her like a burka. Then she pulled off her bathing suit and, rather awkwardly, dressed inside the blanket.
Wes watched her with mocking amusement. Finished, she threw the blanket aside. “Clever girl, aren’t you?” said Wes. “Now, how about getting me some dry clothes and fixing us something to eat?”

To purchase Stranger in the Storm, go to:



To learn more about Patricia McAlexander and Stranger in the Storm, go to:






Email: mcalexanderpatricia@gmail.com


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Thursday, June 25, 2020

On The Make, Margo Hoornstra

Brothers in Blue: To Serve and Protect Was Never More Personal

The Brothers In Blue series, created by author Margo Hoornstra, tells of four heroes who met at the police academy and became life-long friends. The dropout, the straight arrow, the movie star and the maverick: all share a passion to serve and protect, each in their own unique way.
     On The Make is the story of Adam Pride aka Adam Hollingsworth, one-time police officer turned reluctant movie star. He’s visiting Wild Women Authors this week and we are thrilled to meet him and welcome Margo back to our blog.
Where are you from? Everywhere and nowhere. At least until I was lucky enough to meet Madison Clark and her two boys Cameron and Dak. My whole life, my mother liked to move around a lot. We finally landed in the Detroit area, I hoped for good. When she took off again, I was old enough at eighteen to stay where I was for a change and support myself. That was a long time ago.
Tell us about your book. It’s a long story how I went from being a cop to becoming an actor, so I won’t go into that now. I first met Madison Clark when I was shooting a movie on location in Colorado. She’d recently moved there for a relationship that didn’t turn out at all as she’d expected. Then the accidents started, and she always seemed to be in the wrong place at the wrong time. Turned out I needed to revert back to my police officer skills when a would-be assassin got the better of her. Though it took a long time to figure that out. She never did, and I almost didn’t.
What did you think the first time you saw Madison? Aside from the fact she had a face sent straight from heaven? I thought she was someone I wanted to get to know better. No. Not thought. I was sure of it.
What was your second thought? One thing I did not know for sure was whether I had a snowball’s chance in you know where, whether or not that would or could happen. Unfortunately, we didn’t meet for the first time under the best of circumstances. She was really, really pissed at her oldest offspring, fourteen-year-old Cameron and, by extension, me. And I was immediately determined to somehow get into her good graces. Or die trying. (Okay that last part is a little dramatic. I’m a reluctant actor after all.) However, I did risk my life more than once for her. Something I’d do in a heartbeat over and over again if, God forbid I had to.
Was it love at first sight? Now that I think about it, for me yes. Definitely, yes. However, aside from the fact she wanted nothing to do with me, at the time we first met, I was under the mistaken impression she was married. In my world, that made her off limits. Period. Which kinda blew my mind.
What do you like most about her? Her devotion to her family. Which I’m lucky enough to be part of. She’s especially devoted to her kids. All three of them. Hard to believe our precious little one’s impending arrival very nearly broke us up at the beginning. Something I shudder to think about. All I would have missed. The woman is certainly not a Black Widow in the making as she was seeing herself when we, shall we say, first became friends.
How would you describe her? Aside from being gorgeous? Sweet. Caring. Courageous. Determined.
How would she describe you? I would hope much the same way. Without the gorgeous part, of course. Nice looking maybe. I’d like to think so, anyway.
What made you choose acting as a career? I didn’t. Acting chose me. And only temporarily. I kind of fell into the acting stint when, as a police officer, I was assigned to a personal protection detail of a high-profile producer. My first love has always been law enforcement. Ironically, Madison’s first husband had been a cop too. Complete opposite of her second husband, who died under rather suspicious circumstances.
What is your biggest fear? That I might lose any part of the family I always wanted and now have. Madison and the boys. Our newest addition, the light of my life, their sister. Even my new mother-in-law Kay Carmichael. She’s a real hoot. Woman has a heart of gold and nerves of steel.
How do you relax? Living with two energetic, adolescent boys and also the light of my life, their little sister, I no longer do that, too often anyway. Don’t get me wrong, I wouldn’t trade chaos for calm for anything.
Who is your favorite fictional character? Does Kyle Flynn count? He’s the cop I played in the movie we were making. Kyle sacrificed for his family too. What was left of it.
What is the best piece of advice you ever received? Always, always stick with the truth. It will never let you down. That from one of my Brothers In Blue. The straight arrow of our group, Vince Miller. He recently made captain. Well deserved.
Thanks for spending time with us, Adam. Now to Margo. What movies or books have had an impact on your career as a writer? Not only the books, but the authors. Kathleen Woodiwiss. Phyllis Whitney.
What event in your private life were you able to bring to this story and how do you feel it impacted the novel? Coming from a law enforcement family, as well as having many, many friends in the profession, I hope I was able to convey the personal side of, perhaps a behind the scenes perspective, about those who dedicate themselves to serve and protect us. And the people who find themselves loving them.
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 was first introduced to me by an author friend back in 2008, I think it was. I initially submitted a number of short stories to a very special editor at their Last Rose of Summer line Kathy Cottrell. She accepted each and every one of those for publication, then went on to publish my next six contemporary romance novels. When I switched to writing romantic suspense, Ally Robertson, an editor with The Wild Rose Press Crimson Rose line picked up this four-book series, Brothers In Blue.
What books currently rest on your TBR pile? Quite honestly, too many to count. For the most part, books by fellow authors. First drafts from my critique partner Jannine Gallant.
Lastly, what’s up next and when can we expect to see it on shelves? Thank you for asking. Next is the final book of the Brothers In Blue series due out sometime in 2021. On The Move features Luke Simms, the maverick of the four. Or should I say less traditional? In the previous three Brothers In Blue, Luke was happily engaged to Chelsea, a fellow officer. Kind of an example for the others to strive for. When Luke’s book opens, Chelsea, who never made it on stage, has recently walked out on him. More or less at loose ends in his personal life, Luke throws himself into an undercover assignment which would have gotten him killed if not for a very courageous woman, a former prosecutor turned matchmaker named CJ. I’m also working on a murder mystery novella. Twelve other authors are in the group. Our Friday The Thirteenth books will release on November 13, 2020. My contribution is titled Dead To Rights. In addition to the murder, it’s full of mistaken identity and second chances with the tag line – One step off the path could be her last.


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Monday, June 22, 2020

Love's New Beginnings

     Charlene Walker's life as a concert pianist is in shambles. First, her grandfather died, a mugging left her with a broken arm, her boyfriend manager ran off with her savings, and now, she's learned she's inherited an apple orchard business and a partner she doesn't want or trusts.
     The last thing Logan Taylor wants is a new partner, especially a woman. He doesn't trust easily. He believes, once her arm has healed, she'll leave him and the business just like his wife did after the birth of their son.
     Over time, Charlene learns everything isn't as it appears. Forced to work together, they come to an understanding, which grows into friendship. Is it possible that they both can obtain their goals and find love, too? And then, because of another accident, news she never wanted to hear forces her to make different decisions, sending her into a new beginning.

Wild Women Authors is pleased to welcome back author Diana Stout and concert pianist turned reluctant orchard owner Charlene Walker from Diana's recently released contemporary romance: Love's New Beginnings. Charlene is up first.
Where are you from? New York City, but for the next six months, I'm living in Willow Junction, Michigan.
Tell us a bit about Love's New Beginnings. I'm a concert pianist and had to cancel a tour because I'd been mugged, ending up with a concussion and a broken arm. While in the hospital, my grandfather who lives in Willow Junction, Michigan died. I wasn't able to attend his funeral, which saddened me. Because I was inheriting his estate, I flew to Willow Junction in a private plane—all arranged by my mentor, who is also my conductor and manager for the tour I was on—my first. As a result, I brought my two talking parrots. I never liked leaving them home alone when I traveled and having just come back from a long tour where I did have to leave them, I brought them to keep me company.
     In Willow Junction, I learn I have inherited all of Gramps' personal belongings, house, business and a partner. Gramps left the business to both of us and I have to stay in Willow Junction or I will lose everything. I need the money I can get from selling the house and the business, so I don't dare leave. Since I can't play with a broken arm, it isn't that much of a hardship to stay.
     What I didn't expect was the day-to-day close proximity to Logan and that he is fighting me on selling the business. We're being forced to work together.
What did you think the first time you saw Logan Taylor? I met him at the lawyer's office that first time. He had the bluest eyes I've ever seen and that he was as tall, strong, and sturdy as a Sequoia tree. At least, that was my first impression as I sat in the chair looking up at him. Even Paul Newman would have been jealous of his blue eyes. His deep voice surprised me, and when he was nearby, he smelled of chocolate covered cherries. One wickedly handsome package.
What was your second thought? That I had met him before, but at that first meeting, I couldn't remember from where. I will remember later.
Was it love at first sight? No. Not at all. We were adversaries from that first meeting. We both want different things for the business. It's been a struggle from the very beginning.
What do you like most about him? That he doesn't give up and that every layer of him is a surprise.
How would you describe him? At first, I thought he was cold and withdrawn. Now, I find him to be sensitive and caring.
How would he describe you? Stubborn, yet helpful. A pain in his ass probably. The last thing he expected to land on his business doorstep.
What made you choose becoming a concert pianist as a career? I loved music. I grew up with a piano. I love playing as often as I can. Practicing is play. I never tire of it. And then, when I met the Maestro who became my mentor, he said I was a natural. He was the one who enticed me to do the tours.
What is your biggest fear? That I'll never get to play again. The break in my arm was a nasty break. The doctors have warned me that I might never be able to play again, but I don't believe them.
How do you relax? Normally, it would be at the piano. Here in Willow Creek, I'm going through Gramps' house, cleaning out cupboards and closets, getting rid of the things I don't want. With only one good arm, everything takes me twice as long as I'd like. Plus, I've noticed that I tire easily. No doubt because of the accident and having come off a long tour.
Who is your favorite fictional character? Anna Karenina. I like her grit.
What is the best piece of advice you ever received? That gifts come in strange packages and that we shouldn't question why we receive them. It's all about what we do with them. Gramps used to tell me that all the time the summer I stayed with him. He would have said my broken arm was a gift. It was also the summer when I first met Logan.

We thank you for taking time away from the orchard, Charlene. Now, we'd like to chat with Diana.
What movies or books have had an impact on your career as a writer? Growing up, I read a lot of books and watched a lot of old movies. One of my favorites, a black and white movie, was The Uninvited, a Gothic-like ghost story, starring Ray Milland. I had read the book by Dorothy Macardle. My mother, seeing me reading it, told me about the movie. I love ghost stories like The Univited and time travel stories and movies, as well. Somewhere in Time is probably my all-time favorite time-travel movie, and it was filmed here in Michigan on Mackinac Island, which I enjoy visiting. It's famous for having no automobiles, only horse and buggies in the summer and snowmobiles in winter.
What event in your private life were you able to bring to this story and how do you feel it impacted the novel? This novel is set in Willow Creek, a fictitious community in Calhoun County, Michigan. I was raised in Marshall, a nearby community setting for this novel, along with a couple of its restaurants—namely The Stagecoach Inn and Cornwell's Turkeyville. At forty, I moved to Florida, then South Georgia, but would return ten years later, first to Battle Creek, then Kalamazoo.
Once I retired, I returned to Marshall for a multitude of reasons and thoroughly enjoy being back home. For such a small community, it's a happening community with a historic downtown and the second largest historical district in the United States, with over 850 architectural buildings from the 19th and 20th century. Marshall's annual Historical Home Tour is mentioned in the book, along with a few other area events. Basically, I brought home into this novel.
Tell us a bit about your publisher: how did you hear about them and what influenced your decision to submit to them? This book was first published by Avalon Books, with whom I had already published. Today, I'm an indie publisher. Having the rights back, I changed the book's title, the cover, updated the story, corrected all the errors that the publisher missed, and have republished it through my own company Sharpened Pencils Productions LLC.
What book[s] currently rest on your TBR pile? Another pile of genre books on my TBR pile are history novels, especially those about Great Britain's royalty, anything Arthurian, and that of the Medici family. Five books that I want to read are The Red Queen by Philippa Gregory, Stonehenge by Bernard Cornwell, (both being favorite authors), The Forever Queen by Helen Hollick, The Queen's Conjurer by Benjamin Woolley, and My Just Desire by Anna Beer.
Lastly, what's up next and when can we expect to see it on the shelves? Currently, I'm still writing and editing my Laurel Ridge novella series of seven romances. After publishing the first one, and while writing the third one, thinking the second was ready for publication, I discovered I was writing myself into a corner. Not good news for the remaining stories; so, I decided to write all seven first drafts before publishing the second one—which I hope will be this fall—to ensure I wasn't making plot, setting, or time line mistakes that readers would no doubt catch.
     After that I have several projects to choose from: a historical drama based on a mid-1800 event, a mystery, a horror, or a time-travel. All four projects are screaming me first, me, me, me!

FOLLOW DIANA AT:
Facebook: www.facebook.com/writerDianaStout
Twitter: https://twitter.com/ScreenWryter13
Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/drdianastout
Goodreads: http://goodreads.com/user/show/43124185-diana-stout
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/authordianastout/
BookBub: https://www.bookbub.com/authors/diana-stout

Diana brought an excerpt from Love's New Beginnings:

Out on the sidewalk, Logan waited for her.
Once she spotted him, he saw her hesitate. Charlene Walker, world-renown pianist, looked just like her publicity photos. Picture perfect. The forest green silk suit hugged her lush curves, the breeze ruffling the smooth material tight against those curves, the skirt hugging her thighs. Earlier, it'd been difficult keeping his gaze on Norton when he'd rather watch her skirt creep up her thigh. He was both relieved and crushed when she had jumped up, those legs no longer tantalizing him. Now a strand of brown hair had escaped the confines of the bun at the nape of her neck that was her signature hairdo. Every picture Charlie had ever shown him and those he saw on the covers of magazines, she always had that bun.
He wondered what her hair looked like down.
Coming out of the door and coming down the steps, she looked frail, her hand clasping the handrail in a death grip. For just an instant, he considered stepping forward and helping her.
Then he saw her lift her chin and straighten her spine, a purposeful look in her brown eyes.
He didn't want to care one hoot about this woman even if she was his partner. The first chance he had, he was buying her out. Yet, there was something about her that attracted him. He couldn't stop watching her. He felt like an over-stretched rubber band, the tension he felt inside so taut, he thought he'd snap.
With precision and grace unlike anything he'd seen before, she walked toward him, then stopped. She had to. He blocked the sidewalk.
He looked down at her. No bigger than a child, he thought, slight and obviously tired, but she looked ready to do battle. "We have to talk," he said.
"I agree," she replied. "I want to know your intentions, your plans, and what kind of influence you had over Gramps."
Logan squinted his eyes. Of all the raw, rotten—
"Right now isn't a good time. I've got to be out of the motel by noon, and it's—," Charlene glanced at her watch. "—nearly that already. The boys are going to chew me out for leaving them alone that long. Can you meet me at Gramps' house, say in two hours? It's the best I can offer."
"Fine. I've got some repairs to finish anyway." He knew he sounded waspish, but at this moment, he didn't care. He could be just as short but polite with her as she was with him.
"Good. I'll see you then." She started to move forward, but couldn't. "Excuse me."
Forced to step aside, he stared after her. Darn, if she wasn't great to look at as she walked away. He should be riled at the high-handed way she had accused him of manipulating Charlie. Fortunately, he'd had lots of practice thanks to Charlie—and Beth—on how to control his temper and how to bide his time. Charlene didn't know it yet, but she was just like the old man. Logan knew how to handle her. There was plenty of time to straighten things out. Straighten her out, too, if he had anything to say about it.


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Monday, June 15, 2020

Hunting the Devil by Suanne Schafer

Wild Women Authors is thrilled to introduce author Suanne Schafer, Dr. Jessica Hemings, and Hunting the Devil, “. . .part global-thriller and part justice-seeking novel, [it] is the gut-wrenching story of an American physician caught up in one of the most grotesque moments in world history, the Rwandan genocide. . .” First up is Jessica.
Where are you from? Like Katherine Hepburn, I was born in Hartford, Connecticut, but my family moved to Gladwyn, Pennsylvania, just outside of Philadelphia. Hepburn went to college at Bryn Mawr while I attended Swarthmore, a campus fourteen miles to the east. People tell me I sound like her, but I don’t hear it myself.
Tell us a bit about Hunting the Devil. My long-time live-in lover, Tom Powell, was unfaithful just before we were to get married. Devastated, I volunteered for a medical mission in Rwanda. Unfortunately, I am biracial, and my Tutsi-like features plunged me into the worst of Rwandan Genocide. I became trapped in the enmity between Hutus and Tutsis. Dr. Cyprien Gatera, my superior, took an instant dislike to me. I never knew if it was because I was female or because I looked Tutsi. A Hutu radical, he eventually commandeered my clinic, slaughtered my patients and murdered my two adopted sons, then forced me to treat his wounded.
     I escaped his clutches and survived three weeks in hiding before finding refuge at Benaco refugee camp in Tanzania. There, I fed on dreams of revenge. With the help of Michel Fournier, a French lawyer-turned-war-correspondent, and Dr. Tom Powell, my long-time ex-lover, I searched for that bastard, Gatera. When an unknown informant passed information to me about my nemesis, I returned to Rwanda—against my better judgment and despite warnings from the Belgian Secret Service that Gatera planned to assassinate me. In our final showdown, I had to decide if revenge was best served cold—or not at all.
What did you think the first time you saw Michel Fournier? He had a long, hooked nose and looked like he could be a Saracen riding across the desert. 
Excellent description. What was your second thought? I was too vulnerable from being betrayed by Tom, that I didn’t want to get involved.
So it wasn't love at first sight? Not at all.
What do you like most about him? He seemed to care about me in a kind way. I knew he was a reporter, but he never seemed to be reporting on me. I was attracted to him, not in a sexual sense, but as a comrade-in-arms. Though later, we had sex, not so much because we were attracted to each other, but we survived such horrible things in the genocide that we need to feel something that wasn’t war-related, something intimate. After that I wasn’t sure if I was in love with him or not, but it didn’t matter—he was married and had a baby on the way.
How would you describe him? Michel Fournier was an international war correspondent. Silver strands ran through his temples and the scruff on his face. He was tall, at least six-three, with a looseness of limb that was somehow elegant. Perhaps being French gave him the sartorial grace to pull off the slouch hat and lumpy safari-type vest filled with camera lenses and filters. His long narrow nose appeared to have been broken. He had such an exotic look, I immediately envisioned him in a burnoose, waving a scimitar, and riding a horse across the desert.
How would he describe you? We first met when I was working at the Benaco Refugee Camp. First, he’d have seen a petite woman examining a pregnant patient’s abdomen. He’d think I appeared competent and reassuring as I handled the mother-to-be. He’d also say I wasn’t just thin, but maigre, that under-nourished kind of skinny, with hollows beneath my cheekbones, no flesh to soften my collarbones, wrists of pure bone, all covered with too-big clothing topped wild uncontrollable curls and the most phenomenal eyes he’d ever seen, eyes the blue-green of the Mediterranean Sea in Cannes, his childhood home.
What made you choose medicine as a career? I read Albert Schweitzer’s Out of My Life and Thought when I was a teenager. I decided I wanted to be him when I grew up and be a doctor in service of humanity.
What is your biggest fear? Failing to fight injustice.
How do you relax? What’s relaxation? I’m a doctor with a horrible schedule, no time off. I’m also more than a bit obsessive-compulsive, so relaxation is rare. When I do have down-time I read medical journals and nonfiction on almost any subject. I also run.
Who is your favorite fictional character? Dr. Zhivago. I loved the book and loved the movie even more. Omar Sharif is yummy.
What is the best piece of advice you ever received? To not go back to Rwanda. But I didn’t listen—and paid the price.

Jessica, thank you for spending time with us. We wish you all the best for the future. Now, we'd like to chat with Suanne.
What movies or books have had an impact on your career as a writer? Camelot. I read T.H. White’s book The Once and Future King about a million times and have seen the movie at least fifteen times. I love the scope of pictures in the 1960s like David Lean’s Dr. Zhivago and Lawrence of Arabia. Romeo and Juliet by Franco Zeffirelli. And, of course, Star Wars and the Jurassic Park series!
What event in your private life were you able to bring to this story and how do you feel it impacted the novel? The mother of a Black son, I have a vested interested in racism and its long-term effects on people. I fulfilled a bucket list item by going on a three-week safari in Tanzania and took along my fifteen-year-old biracial son. He had some vague notion of connecting with his African roots. After the trip, he seemed to wrestle more with his dual identity. A self-confessed Oreo who’d never been in a place where Blacks were a majority, he struggled internally with his racial identity. I wrote about his discomfort in a personal essay that was published by Brain Child Magazine. Soon, I realized there was a book waiting to be written. I took his discomfort and amplified it. Thus the seed of Hunting the Devil was planted.
What book[s] currently rest on your TBR pile? I am so far behind on my ARCS and TBRs that I finally sat down and made a list of them by publication date. I’m trying to make a point to read a current one, a middle-aged one, and an ancient one every week. This week’s list: Master Class by Dalcher, The Crescent Stone by Mikalatos, The Half-Drowned King by Hartsuyker.
Lastly, what's up next and when can we expect to see it on the shelves? I’ve just gotten the rights back to A Different Kind of Fire, my first novel, so I’m reading it with an eye to revising and putting out a second edition. I’m also revising Thunder, Rain and Ashes, my third novel, and will hopefully release it this fall. I’m also writing book #4, a southern Gothic novel about a teenager confined to an insane asylum in the 1890s.

To learn more about Suanne Schafer and the stories she creates go to:
https://suanneschaferauthor.com
https://www.facebook.com/SuanneSchaferAuthor
https://twitter.com/SuanneSchafer
https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/7703847.Suanne_Schafer
https://www.pinterest.com/suanneschaferauthor/
https://its-suanneschafer-author.tumblr.com/
https://www.instagram.com/suanneschafer/

We have an excerpt from Hunting the Devil:

Kirehe, Rwanda, April 11, 1994
Powered by a potent mixture of hatred and fear, Jess raced up one hill, down the next in the pitch-black night. She couldn’t stop. Branches sliced her arms and legs. Stones bruised her soles. With every gasp, a side stitch lanced through her right ribs.
Jess glanced back. With that distraction, her feet tangled. She stumbled down an embankment. Her feet fought for purchase on the water-slicked slope. Rocks rolled beneath her, their rumble audible above the rain. While sliding down the gully on her belly, she grabbed a tree trunk to break her fall. She pulled herself semi-up-right and clutched her aching sides. As she caught her breath, she glanced around. The thick brush surrounding her provided good cover. She could rest a moment.
After making so much racket, she held her breath and listened. No sounds of pursuit. She wasn’t sure when she’d last heard the baying of the dogs tracking her. May- be her pursuers had given up and returned to her clinic. For the moment, she was safe.
She let her racing heart slow. Only then did she realize her right hand was empty. She’d lost the photograph of her children during her plunge. Darkness masked the surrounding landscape. She’d never find it now. Her search would have to wait ’til first light. She closed her hand, now as empty as her heart.
Two years ago, when Dr. Jessica Hemings had volunteered for a medical mission, she never dreamed she’d be fleeing for her life among the mille collines, the thousand hills of Rwanda. Now, to survive, she had to get as far as possible from her clinic in Kirehe. The Interahamwe, the Rwandan paramilitary group, lay behind her. To the east, the Rusumo Falls Bridge that spanned the Kagera River led to Tanzania—and safety.

To purchase Suanne's books, go to:
https://amazon.com/Different-Kind-Fire-Novel/dp/1641368659/

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07ZDK985K/

Hunting the Devil video trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uF1rjKomAJU

A Different Kind of Fire video trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jpuI1yCGpe0




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Monday, June 8, 2020

New Banker In Town by Susan Payne

     Wild Women Authors welcomes back Susan Payne with New Banker in Town, the latest offering in her popular Welcome to Sweetwater series, released by the Wild Rose Press. Accompanying Susan is Colette Dubois, photographer.

Where are you from, Colette? A plantation outside of New Orleans, Louisiana.
Tell us a bit about New Banker in Town. I have recently found the lovely little town of Sweetwater, Kansas, where I set-up a photography studio.  I was searching for a prosperous town needing my services and I packed up everything in Chicago and went west.  I was settling in very well when I found the new banker everyone was expecting was, in fact, a man I thought lost to me.  I had been told he had died on a battlefield.   
What did you think the first time you saw Paul Weaver? Well, I was a girl when I first met him. His older brother, Phillip, and Paul rode over one day.  It was a young girl’s crush that grew to a young woman’s love.
What was your second thought? That he was perfect.  For me, that is.  But when it came to his brother, Paul couldn’t see the truth. Phillip joined the Confederates right away.  Paul thought the war could be prevented if men went to the negotiating table.  WhenPhillip was killed, Paul felt guilty and joined the same regiment.  I never saw him again.  Later, news came of Paul’s death and I fell apart. 
Did you feel it was love at first sight? Yes, for me.  I believe it was the same for Paul although he didn’t love me enough to keep from going to war.
What do you like most about him? He is very steadfast.  In his beliefs, in his loyalty, in his love.
How would you describe him? He is intelligent, diligent, trustworthy.  Those qualities saved him during the war.  Now they make him an excellent businessman.
How would he describe you? I’m sure head-strong would come in there somewhere.  Strong willed.  He had trouble believing in my loyalty, but he has come around to believing so now.
What made you choose photography as a career? I wanted to capture history.  I took photographs of what the south was when I left, as I left.  Later, I took photographs of Chicago first growing and then recovering from the Great Fire.  It was another sad time in my life.  One reason for me searching for a smaller town.
What is your biggest fear? That I won’t be able to complete my tasks.  The reason I came west with my cameras and equipment.  Everything is changing and I want to capture that.  Both the old and the new.
How do you relax? Drinking a little wine and paging through my photograph albums.  Remembering where I was at the time.  How things smelled or felt while I took them.
Who is your favorite fictional character? I prefer real life heroines.  Mary Todd Lincoln would be my choice although as a one-time southern slave owner it may seem strange. 
What is the best piece of advice you ever received? A voodoo priestess told me I was stronger than I realized and if I were to succeed to look no further than a mirror for help.

Thank you, Colette. We wish you many good wishes in your new life with Paul in Sweetwater. Now, we’d like to chat with Susan.
What movies or books have had an impact on your career as a writer? I read books about Lincoln and began to get a feel for the people involved.  Common people as well as officers on both sides.  I often bring the War Between the States into my stories because it was a divisive point in history. Our Now hinges on what happened then.  It could have gone so many other ways, but that is another story.
What event in your private life were you able to bring to this story and how do you feel it impacted the novel? I incorporate many things from my life into my writings.  I enjoy history and historical items so I add them in when I feel it is appropriate. In this story, it was the newer photography methods rather than the tintype used during the Civil War.
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 was suggested because they did both independent publishing as well as regular.  They have been wonderful to work with and sincerely want to help all their authors prosper.  A great group with lots of ideas to help a writer succeed.
What book[s] currently rest on your TBR pile?  Letters and Lies by Colleen L. Donnelly through Wild Rose Press is newest on my list.
Lastly, what's up next and when can we expect to see it on the shelves? I have an exciting 2020.  A Regency called The Persistent Marquess is out on July 15th.  Forever Kind of Woman, a story of a woman dedicated to helping others through new medical procedures will be released this summer as well. To accomplish her plans, she moves to Forever, Texas to marry a man who has since fallen in love with another woman.  Also, around September, a Regency Christmas anthology will be released with three short stories.

To learn more about Susan and the books she creates, go to:
Website:   www.authorsusanpayne.com  
e-mail:     authorspayne@gmail.com

To purchase the Sweetwater series, go to:
Amazon
Barnes and Noble





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Wednesday, June 3, 2020

Julie Howard's Sea-Salt Lavender for Aphrodite

A case of murder with sweet complications
     Rosella Rivers enjoys the perfect life, loving her new ice cream food truck business featuring exotic flavors. But her beach view parking space is not so lovable when she finds an acquaintance stabbed to death in the boardwalk bathroom.
     Detective Mark Pruitt knows murder is bad for small-town Olympus Bay. He must find the suspect before he strikes again. When he first sets eyes on Rosella, the only witness, he is smitten. However, there's no time for romance when danger lurks. 

     Together he and the lovely ice cream maker must discover the killer before he turns his sight on Rosella.

Excerpt:
     The echo of a drip-drip-drip resonated from within. Rosella glanced around, wishing a man would pass by, someone she could send inside on her behalf. On this side of the structure, though, the beachfront was hidden from view and the building backed by sand dunes. Unless someone needed to use the facilities, they wouldn’t approach. 

    “Mick?” 

     A distant chime from the town clock made her heart sink. Ten a.m. Opening time. She had to get back to her truck. A fresh round of anxious yips sounded. She 
scooted to the corner of the building and peeked toward 
her truck. Aphrodite stood at attention, straining at the 
leash. The dog barked twice at spotting her and renewed efforts to break free of the tether.
     She returned to the doorway. “Mick, I’m just going 
to step inside since I’m a little bit worried, just to make sure you’re okay. Let me know if I shouldn’t come in.” No response sounded. “All right, coming in.”
     The odor hit her first. Heavy, sweet, sickening. Then her eyes registered the scene. Mick lay face down in the middle of the tile floor, a steady stream of deep red blood winding its way toward a drain. 


A Bit About our Focus Author:
     Julie Howard is the author of the best-selling Wild Crime and Spirited Quest series. She is a former journalist and editor who has covered topics ranging from crime to cowboy poetry. Now she edits an online anthology, Potato Soup Journal, and spends many delightful hours writing her books.

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