Ute Carbone
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Coffee with Friends

Blog hops, Guest posts, and other get togethers

Inside the Writer's Garret

A #review of The Tender Bonds from Tome Tender

7/27/2015

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Talking about writing with Kim Smith

7/1/2015

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I recently did a podcast with Kim Smith. We had a great conversation about writing, poetry and few other things. You can give a listen here:
Pod Cast With Kim Smith
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Visiting with Audra and talkin #humor #amwriting

6/25/2015

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I'm over at Audra Middleton's Blog today, talking about all things funny. Come stop by, why doncha?
http://www.audramiddleton.com/monthly-blog/interview-with-author-ute-carbone
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Mariana Gabrielle and her #NewRelease The Black Goddess

6/2/2015

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Marianna Gabrielle's new book, The Black Goddess, is an interesting mix of regency and multicultural romance. I'm pleased to welcome her to Coffee with Friends today as she blogs about why regency romance doesn't always have to be about upper class white  characters.
Be sure to leave a comment and enter the rafflecopter for a chance to win an e-copy of the book



We Need Diverse Romance

La Déesse Noire: The Black Goddess was such a great book to write, because I love the characters and the twisty plot, and I really love Regency England, but it was scary, too. The main character is an [East] Indian courtesan living in London. Her mentor is Indian, her best friend is a gay man, and all of them are treated much as one might expect in that time and place—badly—subject to racism and contempt and oppression from all sides, most especially from the dominant culture. 

But here’s the scary part: I am white.

The topic of diversity in romance is a raging discussion these days, and rightly (finally!) so. White people are not the only ones who ever have (or deserve) happy endings; we aren’t the only ones who fall in love; we aren’t the only ones deserving of shelf space. But if you look at the mainstream selections in the genre (most other genres, too), you would think you were looking at a polar bear eating vanilla ice cream with his straight, albino girlfriend in a snow storm. Further, when you look at historical romance titles in general, there are acres of dukes and virginal debutantes, and relatively few poor people, LGBT characters, sex workers, people with disabilities… In short, we read about rich, pretty, straight, law-abiding white people and occasionally, their white servants.

I’ve written characters from marginalized groups in all of my books—slaves and free blacks, immigrants, people with mental illness or no education, poor people and criminals. I make a point of writing at least one LGBT character into every book, though sometimes I am the only one who knows. (While these groups may not consider themselves marginalized now, I write historical fiction. You can bet your bottom dollar they were marginalized in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries.)

Every time I write a character from the non-dominant culture, I have to research the situations people with these characteristics might have found themselves in, the laws lined up against them, the way they spoke and dressed, the mores of the subcultures they occupied. And every time, I shake in my shoes hoping I didn’t get anything wrong. Hoping I won’t offend. Hoping it won’t appear I am appropriating someone else’s history for the sake of my own storytelling.

And yet, I do it anyway.

Not because diversity is a hot topic or because I am trying to prove a point (though I have been accused of both), but because our world is diverse. It always has been. Without me, these particular characters would have no voice. I might not get everything right. I might unintentionally offend. I might tell a story someone with similar experiences could tell better.

But even though I have not shared my characters’ experiences, history, or encounters with oppression, those experiences can be shared through me.

It doesn’t have to be mine, but next time you are shopping for books, make a point to buy one that centers on a person of color or a character with a disability or one in love with a same-sex partner. Give a hand to an author who is trying to change the paradigm, and in so doing, change it a little bit yourself.

#WeNeedDiverseRomance

#WeNeedDiverseBooks

Support the #WeNeedDiverseRomance movement by buying a t-shirt, only available for a limited time. http://buy.teespring.com/weneeddiverseromance-tee?

About the book
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Sired by a British peer, born of a paramour to Indian royalty, Kali Matai has been destined from birth to enthrall England’s most powerful noblemen—though she hadn’t counted on becoming their pawn. Finding herself under the control of ruthless men, who will not be moved by her legendary allure, she has no choice but to use her beauty toward their malicious and clandestine ends.
When those she holds most dear are placed in peril by backroom political dealings, she enlists some of the most formidable lords in England to thwart her enemies. But even with the help of the prominent gentlemen she has captivated, securing Kali’s freedom, her family, and the man she loves, will require her protectors stop at nothing to fulfill her desires.




Amazon: http://amzn.to/19cKUjY
Amazon UK: http://amzn.to/1Fc31m3
Barnes and Noble: http://bit.ly/1K1vMGq
iTunes: http://apple.co/1E4ajHF
Kobo: http://bit.ly/1Bx1OCV
All Romance eBooks: http://bit.ly/1DeYx8O
Smashwords: http://bit.ly/1wmBxTE
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/22885020




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Mariana Gabrielle is a pseudonym of Mari Christie, a professional writer, editor, and designer with almost twenty-five years’ experience. Published in dozens of nonfiction and poetry periodicals since 1989, she began writing mainstream historical fiction in 2009 and Regency romance in 2013. In all genres, she creates deeply scarred characters in uncommon circumstances who overcome self-imposed barriers to reach their full potential. She is a member of the Bluestocking Belles, the Writing Wenches, and the Rocky Mountain Fiction Writers. Her first Regency romance, Royal Regard, was released in November 2014.
Find Mariana Here
Facebook Launch Party, June 10, noon - 8 pm EDT: https://www.facebook.com/events/1423746821261258/
Website and Blog: www.MarianaGabrielle.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MariChristieAuthor
Twitter: https://twitter.com/mchristieauthor
Pinterest: http://www.pinterest.com/marichristie/
Amazon Author Central: http://www.amazon.com/author/marianagabrielle
Goodreads Author page: https://www.goodreads.com


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J.S. Watts and her #NewRelease, #Witchlight

5/20/2015

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I'm excited to welcome online writer-friend JS Watts to Coffee with Friends today. JS has a new release coming out and the book, which combines a strong female lead character with some magic and maybe a bit of mayhem, sounds wonderful.   JS is here with a  blog on how her main character, Holly, is something like the author who created her. 



Say Hello to Holly
JS Watts

I’m over the moon that the wonderfully generous Ute Carbone has invited me back to her superb blog to talk about (or should that be write about?) my new paranormal novel, Witchlight. 

Witchlight is being published this week by Vagabondage Press in both paperback and e-format and Ute’s kind invitation provides me with a brilliant opportunity to introduce you to my novel’s lead character, Holly Jepps. I become very attached to all my characters, but there’s something about Holly that has made her especially special to me and I hope readers of Witchlight are going to like her as much as I do. 

Witchlight is a paranormal tale, with a touch of romance. Like Harry Potter, Holly discovers she has previously unknown magic powers, but as she is thirty-eight rather than eleven, all similarities end there. Holly lives on her own with her much-loved pet cat, Barny. She’s a talented personal counsellor, hasn’t had a smooth-run, romantically speaking, and leads a normal, unexceptional life, until one day, and without warning, her fairy godfather turns up to tell her that she’s a witch with inherited magic powers. Needless to say, this comes as something of a shock to Holly, who suddenly has a lot of adjusting to do


They say that writers always put a little bit of themselves in their characters. To a greater or lesser degree, I agree and that partially explains why I feel such a close affinity for Holly. Whilst I have never been gifted with even the slightest hint of magical powers, I am aware that there is probably more of me in Holly than in most of my other characters. Admittedly I’m not going to see thirty-eight again anytime soon, but Holly is a short, independent woman living on her own in Cambridgeshire, England: a description that pretty much fits me too. Holly lives with Barny, her beloved black and white cat. My life is ruled with a paw of iron by Dickens, a black and white lad who is proudly feline to the tips of his very fine whiskers.  

Both Holly and I share a love of folk music, an appreciation of a decent wine and an upbringing in London (although Holly comes from Croydon, which is south of the Thames and I come from Wembley, to the north of the city.) 

If I am honest, Holly and I share a number of personality traits. Feisty is a good description for both of us, as is pragmatic, cynical and a tad prickly. As Partridge Mayflower, Holly’s fairy godfather, says when Holly queries the implications of being a witch, “Holly girl, you are all too human, I can assure you. Prickly and awkward and human, because that’s what witches are – human, that is, not necessarily the prickly and annoying bit. That’s just you.” 

Holly may not always be the easiest person to get along with, but it doesn’t prevent her from attracting the attention of Jake Wortham, a rather good-looking and single, local veterinary surgeon. In the midst of a blossoming romance, Holly finds herself investigating the mystery of her parentage and the origins of her witchlight. Her natural stubbornness, another trait I’ll admit to, stands her in good stead as she tracks down the elusive source of her magical power and the root cause of an increasingly dark series of events. 

Whilst, if truth be told, I have come to identify somewhat emotionally and mentally with my heroine, physically, apart from the lack of height, there isn’t that strong a similarity between Holly and myself. Holly has “hazel eyes and quaintly natural mid-brown hair”, which is short, bobbed and frequently tousled. I imagine her looking like the actress Holly Hunter or Anna Belnap from CSI New York. I wouldn’t mind looking like either of these formidable women, but I must admit that I don’t. So I guess the similarity between Holly and myself stops there and that’s fine because, despite my input, Holly is very much her own woman and at the heart of her own, special story. I hope you get the chance to meet her, because I’m convinced you’ll come to love her as much as I do.

 

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About Witchlight: Holly has been mortal all her life. Now at thirty-eight, her fairy godfather arrives to tell her she’s a witch, and suddenly she's having to come to terms with the uncertainties of an alarmingly magic-fuelled world. Magic is not like it is in the books and films, and Holly starts to doubt whether her fairy godfather, Partridge Mayflower, is the fey, avuncular charmer he appears.

When appearances are magically deceptive, Holly cannot afford to trust those closest to her, including herself. Accidents start to happen, people die, Old Magic is on the hunt, but in the age-old game of cat and mouse, just who is the feline and who is the rodent?


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J.S.Watts is a British writer who lives and writes in the flatlands of East Anglia in the UK. Her poetry, short stories and reviews appear in a diversity of publications in Britain, Canada, Australia and the States. Her poetry collection, “Cats and Other Myths”, and subsequent multi-award nominated poetry pamphlet, “Songs of Steelyard Sue”, are published by Lapwing Publications. Her dark fiction novel, “A Darker Moon”, is published in the UK and the US by Vagabondage Press. Her second novel, “Witchlight”, is due out from Vagabondage this week. 
You can find her on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/J.S.Watts.page
or on her website www.jswatts.co.uk


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Jessica Cale and her new #HistoricalRomance, Virtue's Lady

4/9/2015

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The Southwark Saga

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Jessica Cale's historical romance series, The Southwark Saga, is set in Britain during the restoration.  I'm pleased to have her as my guest today to tell you about Virtue's Lady, the second book of the series and  why she chose this exciting period of time in British history for her story.



Romance and the Restoration

With so many British historical romances set in the nineteenth century, you would be forgiven for thinking nothing happened in England before the Regency. Although the nineteenth century was a time of progress, change, and those famous balls at Almack’s, I decided to set my new historical series two hundred years earlier in the seventeenth century.

The Southwark Saga begins in 1671, eleven years after the restoration of Charles II. The Restoration is an exciting period to read, write and research. It was a time of change and was characterized by cataclysmic events, such as the English Civil War that saw the execution of Charles I and the exile of his son with a significant part of the Court. The Plague killed an estimated 200,000 people between 1665 and 1666 and was chronicled in Defoe’s nightmarish Journal of a Plague Year. The last of that was wiped out by the Great Fire of London, which incinerated most of the medieval City of London over a four day period, destroying 13,200 houses and 87 churches including St. Paul’s cathedral, and killing or displacing thousands of people. After the fire, London was rebuilt with a new street plan designed by Christopher Wren, and began to take on the shape it is today, with the new St. Paul’s Cathedral as its crowning glory.

There were also many larger than life figures who we still remember to this day. Charles II, “The Merry Monarch” had more mistresses than there are days in the week and several illegitimate children, and when the Great Fire threatened to consume the entirety of London, he and his brother, the Duke of York, fought the fire themselves. Diarist Samuel Pepys meticulously recorded his daily life in the 1660s, providing an invaluable resource for historians, while John Wilmot, the Earl of Rochester, kept people laughing with his bawdy verse. Lower down the chain you’ll find Solomon Eccles, a composer who had a religious awakening and spent his days nude with a dish of burning coals on his head, urging passers-by the repent as they did their shopping.

The Restoration is a wonderful time to set fiction, and particularly romance. With the Civil War behind them, London was in the mood to celebrate. The theaters reopened and women were allowed onstage, providing cheap entertainment to people of any class most nights of the week. The rigid social structure and excessive manners of the nineteenth century had not set in yet, and the social mobility of the time was second to none. Courtesans regularly rose above their stations, such as Nell Gwynn, who rose from an orange seller of humble birth to become Charles II’s favorite mistress.

The poor could still marry with little more than a declaration and a witness. Highwaymen haunted the forests and roads around the city, and execution at Tyburn was a real threat to them and anyone caught stealing anything worth more than a shilling. For excitement, color, and danger, you’ll be hard pressed to find a time better for fiction than the seventeenth century.

Tyburn, the first book of The Southwark Saga, follows Sally Green, a French immigrant and Covent Garden prostitute as she tries to escape her unfortunate circumstances. Hero Nick Virtue is a private domestic tutor turned highwayman who saves her though it means risking his life.

The second book is Virtue’s Lady. In this follow-up to Tyburn, Lady Jane Ramsey attempts to marry out of wealth when she falls for Nick’s brother, Mark, an ex-convict and carpenter who lives in the slum in Southwark. Five years after the fire, Mark is still struggling to adapt his business for a city that no longer wants wooden houses, and the last thing he needs is an earl taking shots at him for ruining his daughter.

I wrote both books with the aim to show you what the Restoration was like from the ground up. You’ll feel the dirt, smell the river, and taste the terrible, terrible coffee right along with the characters as you are introduced to a new world in historical romance. I invite you to join me in the seventeenth century, and I very much hope you’ll enjoy The Southwark Saga.



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Virtue’s Lady

From toiling for pennies to bare-knuckle boxing, a lady is prepared for every eventuality.



Lady Jane Ramsey is young, beautiful, and ruined.

After being rescued from her kidnapping by a handsome highwayman, she returns home only to find her marriage prospects drastically reduced. Her father expects her to marry the repulsive Lord Lewes, but Jane has other plans. All she can think about is her highwayman, and she is determined to find him again.

Mark Virtue is trying to go straight. After years of robbing coaches and surviving on his wits, he knows it’s time to hang up his pistol and become the carpenter he was trained to be. He busies himself with finding work for his neighbors and improving his corner of Southwark as he tries to forget the girl who haunts his dreams. As a carpenter struggling to stay in work in the aftermath of The Fire, he knows Jane is unfathomably far beyond his reach, and there’s no use wishing for the impossible. 

When Jane turns up in Southwark, Mark is furious. She has no way of understanding just how much danger she has put them in by running away. In spite of his growing feelings for her, he knows that Southwark is no place for a lady. Jane must set aside her lessons to learn a new set of rules if she is to make a life for herself in the crime-ridden slum. She will fight for her freedom and her life if that’s what it takes to prove to Mark—and to herself—that there’s more to her than meets the eye. 

Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Virtues-Lady-Southwark-Saga-Book-ebook/dp/B00VC6B9SS/



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Jessica Cale is a historical romance author and journalist based in North Carolina. Originally from Minnesota, she lived in Wales for several years where she earned a BA in History and an MFA in Creative Writing while climbing castles and photographing mines for history magazines. She kidnapped (“married”) her very own British prince (close enough) and is enjoying her happily ever after with him in a place where no one understands his accent. You can visit her at www.authorjessicacale.com. 



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Tyburn (The Southwark Saga, Book 1): Notorious harlot Sally Green fights for survival in Restoration London. When a brutal attack throws them together, Sally is torn between the tutor who saves her and the highwayman who keeps her up at night; between new love and an old need for revenge. Winner of the Southern Magic Gayle Wilson Award of Excellence 2015. 

Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00PQV6H9Q

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Barbara Freethy and The Incredible Callaways #NewRelease #Series

4/6/2015

1 Comment

 
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I'm excited to be a part of New York Times bestselling author Barbara Freethy's Incredible Calloway Tour. 
 The Calloways, Barbara’s new connected family series, follows each of the eight siblings in a blended Irish-American family as they find love, mystery and adventure, often where they least expect it!
The Tour includes lots of great prizes. Enter the rafflecopter at the bottom of this post for a chance at $100 Amazon Gift Certificate and visit Novel Publicity for more chances to win!


Barbara is here today with a blog about strong women characters; characters like Sarah in On a Night Like This,  book #1 of the series

Tea Bags, Hot Water, and Strong Women

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One of my favorite quotes of all time is by Eleanor Roosevelt: "A woman is like a tea bag. You don't know how strong she is until you put her in hot water." 

This quote perfectly describes the heroines in my new connected family series:  The Callaways. I love to write about ordinary women who get caught up in extraordinary adventures. My heroines don't always know what they're made of until they're tested. 



While we sometimes associate strong female characters with over-the-top roles like vampire slayer or some other kick-ass profession, I believe most women, even the quiet ones, have a superhuman core of strength that enables them to change the world they live in and also to change the men who love them. In my books, the heroine's strength is enhanced, not only by a new and powerful romantic relationship but also her personal journey to find herself.

In the first book in the Callaway series, ON A NIGHT LIKE THIS, the heroine, Sara, has grown up in a troubled family and is estranged from her father. She grew up next door to the chaotic, fun-loving Callaway family and often envied the relationships she saw on the other side of the fence. She also had a huge crush on the second oldest male in the family, Aiden Callaway.

While Sara was a studious, serious girl in high school, Aiden was the charming rebel. As teenagers they were not ready for each other, but now they meet again as adults and both are facing pivotal moments in their lives.  

Aiden is recovering from an injury he acquired as a smokejumper and grieving for the loss of his best friend, who died during their last jump together. Sara has come home to repair the relationship with her father, only to discover that there are family secrets that will change everything she thought she knew about her past and her parents.

Sara has to find the strength within herself to risk her heart on a man who could quite possibly break it, to face a terrible lie and to find a way to forgive her father. Aiden also has to find a way to deal with the secret that took his friend's life. Together these two characters find strength within themselves and also draw strength from each other, which is, really, what love is all about.  

As a reader, I love books that have layers:  romance, mystery, adventure and surprises. As a writer, I strive to bring those same elements to all of my stories. My heroines have to be as strong as the heroes. And I always hope that they inspire my readers in some way, too.  

I grew up reading books about strong female characters, and I know those reading experiences helped shaped some of my own attitudes about the kind of woman I wanted to be.  

Who are some of your favorite female characters? And what do you love most about them? 



*****

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Barbara Freethy has been making up stories most of her life. Growing up in a neighborhood with only boys and a big brother who was usually trying to ditch her, she spent a lot of time reading. When she wasn’t reading, she was imagining her own books. After college and several years in the P.R. field, she decided to try her hand at a novel. Now Barbara is a #1 New York Times and USA Today bestselling author loved by readers all over the world. Her novels range from contemporary romance to romantic suspense and women's fiction. Learn more on her website, Facebook page, or in her Street Team.


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About the Callaway Blog Tour & All Its Great Prizes! This is the week you finally meet the Callaways! Not only are they all over the web as part of their extraordinary blog tour, but they are also out and about in your neighborhood. That's right; we're celebrating the print launch with Ingram by throwing a party all over the world! Make sure to follow this tour closely for your chance to win gift cards, swag, autographed books, and other incredible prizes.

All the info you need to join the fun and enter to win amazing prizes is RIGHT HERE. Remember, winning is as easy as clicking a button or leaving a blog comment—easy to enter; easy to win!

To Win the Prizes:

  1. Purchase any of the Callaway novels by Barbara Freethy (optional)
  2. Enter the Rafflecopter contest on Novel Publicity 
  3. Visit today’s featured social media event (that's where the HUGE prizes are)
a Rafflecopter giveaway
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Jennifer Anderson Finding You #NewReleases

4/1/2015

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I'm so pleased to have  Jennifer Anderson in the house today. Her new adult novel, Finding You released last week with Turquoise Morning Press.  She's here to tell you all about the new book, and also to 'fess up about her shopaholic tendencies.


In with empty hands. Out with armloads.

I’m not sure what it is about a nice day, but while most are out riding bikes, gardening or something, outside, I’d rather be in a store shopping. Maybe it’s the lure of bare legs and shorts. Or spring colors splashed across my chest (as in a nice shirt!). But it calls to me. Nagging me all day until I buy something.

For instance, last Sunday, it was a decent day and I was able to go outside and watch my son play soccer but while I cheered him on, I mentally prepared a shopping list or things I didn’t need. And even after we were home and I was so tired from the long day and the end of the weekend fall on the couch slump, I still found a reason to hit the store. My son needed underwear. Honestly, I had to buy him under garments. I mean, he only owned like 5 pairs that fit and we were heading out of town and the kid cannot go commando! He could but what kind of a mother would do that.

But even after I prepared a mental list of items I needed, I still only managed to purchase one item that I actually needed (under roos) and a basket full of stuff I didn’t need (fingernail polish in a rainbow of colors).

Am I the only one? What do you do when it’s nice out? I should have been inside writing the follow-up novel to Finding You, but the call of my plastic credit card was enough to send this girl outside
I’m not sure what it is about a nice day, but while most are out riding bikes, gardening or something, outside, I’d rather be in a store shopping. Maybe it’s the lure of bare legs and shorts. Or spring colors splashed across my chest (as in a nice shirt!). But it calls to me. Nagging me all day until I buy something.

For instance, last Sunday, it was a decent day and I was able to go outside and watch my son play soccer but while I cheered him on, I mentally prepared a shopping list or things I didn’t need. And even after we were home and I was so tired from the long day and the end of the weekend fall on the couch slump, I still found a reason to hit the store. My son needed underwear. Honestly, I had to buy him under garments. I mean, he only owned like 5 pairs that fit and we were heading out of town and the kid cannot go commando! He could but what kind of a mother would do that.

But even after I prepared a mental list of items I needed, I still only managed to purchase one item that I actually needed (under roos) and a basket full of stuff I didn’t need (fingernail polish in a rainbow of colors).

Am I the only one? What do you do when it’s nice out? I should have been inside writing the follow-up novel to Finding You, but the call of my plastic credit card was enough to send this girl outside




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A long-lost grandfather dies, leaving Jessica Crispin a sizable inheritance. The only catch? She has to find her mom, whom she hasn’t seen since she was two, and she only has thirty days to do it.

Enlisting her best friend Violet, Jessica sets out on a road trip determined to solve a mystery fed by deceit and misinformation from people she thought she could trust.

On the way, she meets Jackson, whose kindness and sexy pale blue eyes make her wish he would come along for the ride.

Clues from her mother lead her far from home and to a secret Jessica never imagined. And as the deadline looms, Jessica must make peace with the ghosts of her past and risk dreaming of a future pursuing her secret passion with Jackson by her side.


Available at these e-book retailers:
iBooks    http://apple.co/19tTGcu
Amazon   http://amzn.to/1DdeEdJ
Barnes&Noble   http://bit.ly/1FXET8t
ARe   http://bit.ly/1Eij1UF
Smashwords   http://bit.ly/1F4QG1D
Kobo   http://bit.ly/1F4QKP0

An Excerpt from Finding You

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“Excuse me. But can I help you guys.”

Our heads popped up, looking at the person who spoke. If we’d broken down on a dusty highway in the desert, I might have thought he was a mirage and not the gorgeous guy who stopped to offer help.

College changes a girl’s perspective when it comes to guys. Athletes, they hate being called jocks, don’t have much time to date with practices, games and mandatory study hall and quiet hours. Musicians were okay but unless I liked smelling like an ashtray and waiting in a long line of groupies to say hello, I tended to avoid them.

Smart guys were the ticket. Not rocket scientists but more like the quiet, intellectual type that attended classes, wore clean clothes, held open doors, and enjoyed reading a good book. And this guy who stopped to help two stranded girls didn’t give off a creeper vibe but a knight in shining armor vibe. Full dark brown hair that didn’t require much maintenance rested above a firm jaw and a brilliant smile. I held back a groan because the scenario was too good to be true.

As quick as we popped up, we popped back down.

“Oh my god. Do you see what I see?” I whispered from behind the trunk lid.

“I don’t know. Was it a hot guy with a smile that could melt off my panties?” Violet wanted to be a writer like her mom, except she was aiming for more romance and chick lit.

Maybe even borderline erotic.

We each moved around to opposite sides of the car, Violet to the driver’s side and me closer to the man candy who’d stopped to help us out.

“Um…hi,” I offered inching closer and closer to where he remained examining my flat tire. He bent down, pushing his dark sunglasses on top his head full of dark, run-your-fingers-through hair. The lean muscles cording his bicep bulged as he griped the tire. Was it hot out here or just him?

“Do you have a jack and spare?”

I blinked in his direction, processing his words among all the eye feast. If I waited longer, I’d look like a lunatic.

“Um.

He rose from a squatting position. His pale blue gaze met my dumbfounded look. And too soon, he pulled his glasses back into place, shutting me off from seeing his eyes.

“That’s what it’s called.” Violet yelled over the top of the car. “That sounds way better than tire thingy.”

 

 

 


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What's in a Name? #amwriting

3/28/2015

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Join me at the Vineyard today, where I'm blogging  about naming characters.
The Writer's Vineyard
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The Martini Club

1/17/2015

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I'm pleased to have the Martini Club here at coffee with friends today. When four romance writers from Oklahoma get together, you never know what might happen...
Martini Club 4 – The 1920s

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Amanda McCabe, Alicia Dean, Kathy L Wheeler and Krysta Scott have a unique friendship. Yes, they are all romance writers, and at different stages in their writing careers. But every Friday night, schedules permitting, they meet at the Martini Lounge in Edmond, Oklahoma where they chitchat, plan retreats to get away and for just a general get away. Over a period of time the idea to create a series of stories where the Martini Lounge would serve as a backdrop—well, as writers, that was inevitable. So here we are with our first go at it. Welcome to 1920s New York City where four young women run away from England excited to make their own way in a new world.

 All four stories are now available for the pre-order price of **$0.99** until February 26, 2015, the official release
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Rebellous

Can an aristocratic lady melt the cold heart of a Russian gangster? 

Lady Jessica Hatton fled her high-society London debutante life for one of investigative journalism in New York—only to be relegated to the fashion pages. Searching for a juicy story leads her to Club 501, the city's most glamorous speakeasy—and its handsome, mysterious owner, Frank Markov. But his past of war and revolution puts their hearts—and their lives—in danger... 


 
Excerpt:
“Do you smell that, Meggie?” Jessica Hatton cried as she leaned into the cold, salt spray wind, her t-strap shoes perched on the lowest rung of the ship's railing.  She'd lost her hat, and the short strands of her hair blew into her eyes, but she didn't care.  England was far behind them.  They had escaped.

          “It smells like freedom!” she shouted, and threw up her arms.  It felt like she could fly all the way to America.

          “I only smell old fish,” Meggie said.  “Now come down from there, Jess.  If you tumble into the drink, it will all be over before it even starts.”

          Jessica laughed and shook her head, but she did climb down.  She spun around to see Meggie stretched out on one of the deck chairs, the glossy mink collar of her coat drawn close around her.

          The sky was grey and dismal-looking, the water not as glassy-smooth as when they slid past Ireland yesterday and headed out to open sea.  Several of the passengers had retreated to their cabins, but Jessica couldn't stand staying inside.  Not when there was so much to be seen.

          “It smells like fish and freedom,” Jessica insisted.  “But we can go in now.  Maybe Charlotte and Eliza will want to play some cards or mah-jong.”

          “Finally,” Meggie grumbled as she swung her feet down to the damp deck.  But her smile was broad.  Jessica knew Meggie was loving it all just as much as she was.


 Amanda McCabe wrote her first romance at the age of sixteen--a vast historical epic starring all her friends as the characters, written secretly during algebra class (and her parents wondered why math was not her strongest subject...)

She's never since used algebra, but her books have been nominated for many awards, including the RITA Award, the Romantic Times BOOK Reviews Reviewers' Choice Award, the Booksellers Best, the National Readers Choice Award, and the Holt Medallion.  She lives in Oklahoma with a menagerie of two cats, a Pug, and a very bossy miniature Poodle, along with far too many books. 

When not writing or reading, she loves taking dance classes, collecting cheesy travel souvenirs, and watching the Food Network--even though she doesn't cook. 

Amazon buy link: http://amzn.com/B00RICWBC8 

Contact info: http://ammandamccabe.com

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Ruined

She vowed she’d be no man’s doxy, but fate had other plans... 

After the Earl of Goodwin attempts to force himself on her, housemaid Eliza Gilbert flees England for New York, hoping to build a better life. But the land of opportunity proves as harsh as the London docks, and she finds herself in a situation more dreadful than the one she escaped. 

Former boxer, Vince “The Fist” Taggart dreams of marrying, having a family, and living a quiet, peaceful life. But when a girl he's known since childhood disappears, he heads to New York in search of her and meets Eliza, a woman with a less than honorable reputation. Inexplicably captivated, Vince can’t force himself to stay away, especially when he learns Eliza is the key to finding his missing friend. 


 

Excerpt:

 Eliza lifted her gaze, then looked away when she met his eyes. They were just too…striking, too blue. “I’m afraid you’ll have to speak to Oscar. He handles all my transactions.” She could never have a normal outing with a man. A lump of regret rose in her throat. She turned and started up the stairs.

Vince caught up to her in a few steps and grabbed her arm, taking the bag from her at the same time. “That was a lousy thing to say.”

She opened her mouth to accuse him of going around Oscar so he didn’t have to pay. But that was ridiculous. He hadn’t taken what he’d paid for the first time. She lifted a hand and rubbed her forehead. His attention confused her. What was his angle? He didn’t want sex. Did he think she was hiding something about Cynthia and if he spent time with her he could draw it out? “What do you want from me?”

“A picnic.”

 

Alicia Dean lives in Edmond, Oklahoma. She has three grown children and a huge network of supportive friends and family. She writes mostly contemporary suspense and paranormal, but has also written in other genres, including a few vintage historicals.
Other than reading and writing, her passions are Elvis Presley, MLB, NFL (she usually works in a mention of one or all three into her stories) and watching her favorite televisions shows like Vampire Diaries, Justified, Sons of Anarchy, Haven, The Mindy Project, and Dexter (even though it has sadly ended, she will forever be a fan). Some of her favorite authors are Michael Connelly, Dennis Lehane, Lee Child, Lisa Gardner, Sharon Sala, Jordan Dane, Ridley Pearson, Joseph Finder, and Jonathan Kellerman…to name a few.



Amazon buy link: http://amzn.com/B00RICLM2I

http://aliciadean.com

http://aliciadean.com/alicias-blog/

https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100008364070487

https://twitter.com/Alicia_Dean_

http://www.pinterest.com/aliciamdean/

 

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Reckless

Lady Margaret turned Lady Bootlegger… 

Singer Margaret (Meggie) Montley needs money…fast. Her friend is in a dire situation with nowhere to turn. While Meggie is on the brink of stardom, it’s not soon enough to save her friend. 

Harry Dempsey is out to avenge the deaths of his father and brother at the hands of a ruthless gangster. But trouble spirals out of control when Meggie Montley shows up the night he meets his nemesis to settle the score. Saving the impetuous woman from a crime lord might be easier than saving her from her own reckless behavior. 


 

Excerpt:
Meggie launched herself from her hiding place and threw her arms about Harry’s neck. Locked in his muscular embrace, she rested her chin on his shoulder. His arms tightened around her. “Oh, Harry. I came as fast as I could. Just as we’d planned.” The words, she’d intended to carry, came out breathless.

“Fast, huh?” The whisper was against her ear where no one else could hear, raised goose prickles over her entire body. “Guess I’ll have to do something about that.” He lifted his head. “What are you doing with my girl, Joe?”

Joey’s hands flew into the air, indicating his surrender. “Sorry, Dempsey. Had no idea she was anyone’s quiff—”

Meggie’s cheeks burned, and she stiffened at the insult. Harry’s one arm gripped her closer. The other shot up, jerking her body like a rag doll. She couldn’t see Harry’s face with her own now buried in his neck, but she felt the corded muscles contract.  

 

 Kathy L Wheeler (also known as Kae Elle Wheeler) writes both Contemporary and Historical Romance. She was born in Presque Isle, Maine.  How she ended up in Texas, then Oklahoma is as much a mystery to her as anyone. She graduated from the University of Central Oklahoma with a BA in Management Information Systems and a minor in Vocal Music.

She is published through The Wild Rose Press. She loves to travel.  Ports of call include a three week stint in Europe covering Madrid, Barcelona, Avignon, Paris, Koln, Amsterdam and London.  Other exciting places she’s visited are Grand Cayman, Puerta Vallerta, Mexico, Vancouver, Canada, and roaming from one romance writing conference to another nationwide.  You may have met her in Seattle, Dallas, San Francisco, San Diego, New York or Atlanta.  She is a member of the Oklahoma RWA Chapter, Dara, and The Beau Monde. Kathy lives with her musically talented husband in Edmond, Oklahoma. They have one grown daughter and one bossy cat, Carly!

Amazon buy link: http://amzn.com/B00RICW0G0

Contact info: kathy@klwheeler.com

http://kathylwheeler.com

http://kathylwheeler.blogspot.com

http://facebook.com/kathylwheeler

http://twitter.com/kathylwheeler

http://pinterest.com/kathylwheeler

 

 

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Runaway

Can she prove her innocence before more than her dreams are destroyed? 

After escaping an arranged marriage, Lady Charlotte Leighton lands on a new shore, determined to realize her dream of opening her own bakery. But her plans are shattered when her former fiancé follows her to New York. Now, she finds herself in a fight for her freedom. 

Haunted by a string of failures, Detective Felix Noble is determined to solve his latest case. But his efforts to find a murderer are jeopardized by a forbidden attraction to his number one suspect. While he’s certain Charlotte Leighton is keeping secrets, instinct tells him she’s not the murderess he first believed. 


 

Excerpt:
Long thin fingers curled around a glass and lifted it from the tray. Charli followed the direction of the drink. Derrick Chaunce, or as the local duffs referred to him, “Slick”, grinned, exposing yellowed teeth.

“You … You…” Her throat closed. The rest of her diatribe wouldn’t budge.

He winked. His thin hair slicked back in the latest fashion exaggerated the gaunt cheekbones and sunken eyes, tinging him with an unhealthy, dilapidated look. He gulped the whiskey. A bit of the amber liquid escaped through the gap in his teeth and down his chin. Her stomach lurched.

“Thank you, sweet cakes. Put it on my tab.” He skulked off.

Charli whirled around. How did the bounder get past Tiny? Ira fumed about customers who ran up a high tab without reconciling at the end of the night. Now she would have to explain yet another charge added to Slick’s mounting debt. She sighed and rolled her eyes to the heavens. The customer was always right. Even when they were wrong.

 Krysta Scott is a family law attorney in her false life. After years of writing and winning contests, she is now taking the plunge into publishing. A fan of sci-fi and dark stories surrounding people in crisis, she also enjoys way too much TV including Vampire Diaries, Breaking Bad, and Sherlock. Runaway is her breakout story.

 

Amazon buy link: http://amzn.com/B00RIFHGPC

Contact info: http://krystascottauthor.com

 

 

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