Weekend Writing Warriors ~ 3/27/16 Crashing Through Time~ An Abrupt Onslaught of Tears

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Crashing Through Time is March’s “Book of the Month” so I’ve put up 10 lines from my fun, sexy time-travel romance.

At this point in the  story, Corrine MacGowan has fallen down a well. She recovers and      staggers out of the woods only to be almost trampled by a horse and rider. The horse shies at her, throws its rider and Corrine is left to help the unfortunate man. When she discovers she’s fallen through time into the 1860s and into the arms of a man she’s researched, Ian Hunterly, Corrine finds herself falling in love. Unfortunately, Corrine knows Ian’s fate all too well–and must make some serious decisions. (Please forgive the creative punctuation.)

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Heartbeat hammering a heavy metal beat, Corrine smiled automatically and shifted her gaze down to her plate. Her appetite had fled. “That is most kind of you, Mr. Hunterly.”

“Not at all, Miss MacGowan.” The deep sultry tone of his voice sent a shiver of longing through her.

Oh, Ian.

She raised her head to look him in the eyes. In two weeks’ time, unless some miracle occurred, on the night of the May Queen Ball, this charming, sexy man would be burned to a crisp in his uncle’s barn. Her stomach churned.

“Are you quite well, Miss MacGowan?” he asked, concern lacing the words, making her clench her jaw against an abrupt onslaught of tears.

 

Crashing Through Time is available in the boxed set Crashing Into Love  here.

Blurb:

More than hearts can be broken when you crash through time.

Theatre professor Corrine MacGowan is in a sightseeing plane that crash lands in a field in Cornwall. She wanders away from the crash site, led by a strange buzzing in her head that is coming from a black well (think The Ring). She falls down the well and ends up in Cornwall in 1868 at the home of her Master’s thesis subject, playwright Sir Robert Graysill. She immediately meets Sir Robert’s nephew, Ian Hunterly, and once she comes to terms with the fact that she has fallen through time, realizes from her research that Ian is doomed to die within a matter of days. Can she save him and change history? Or let history run its course and lose the man she has come to love?

That’s all for this week. Hope you enjoyed it!

And don’t forget to check out the rest of the Warriors here.  There’s some fantastic snippets to be read.

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Posted in Historical Romance, On Crashing Into Love, On Crashing Through Time, On Weekend Writing Warriors, Promotion, Weekend Writing Warriors | Tagged , , , , , | 18 Comments

Cover Spot: Lady of the Imperial City by Laura Kitchell

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This week’s  featured cover is from Laura Kitchell, a fantastic author of multiple-genres of romance and a fellow member of my local chapter. This book is the first in her Imperial Ladies series.

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Cover Quote from Laura Kitchell~ “I had an artist design a cover for Lady of the Imperial City, but it looked too indie romance.  This story is a masterpiece in my body of work, so I needed something more literary.  I designed this cover myself using an actual photo of a Heian mansion and its grounds behind the model who is a close personal friend of mine.  Beautiful, isn’t she?  I’m particularly proud of this cover because it’s my own concept, wrought by my own hand.  One day, I’ll hold a contest, and the winner will receive the fan you she’s holding.  I still have it.”

BLURB:

Love isn’t forbidden to Lady Kirei as long as it’s with a proper gentleman of Kyō.  When a nobleman of provincial upbringing arrives in town and becomes an instant favorite of the emperor, he is sent to Lady Kirei for tutoring on city ways.  She’s not a conquest to be won, however.  She’s a woman of substance and worth, and she’s off limits.

Despite his unrefined manners, Lord Yūkan begins to touch her heart.  Lady Kirei is ever mindful that he’s not for her, especially when her uncle schemes to make her a consort to a prince.  Will her family’s honor relegate her to the shadow-life of a consort, or can love find a way?

 Lady of the Imperial City is available at Amazon.

 

 

Posted in Cover Spot, Historical Romance, Promotion | Tagged , , , , | 6 Comments

Medieval Monday: Betrayal ~ Heather by Lane McFarland

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Betrayal

 is our theme for this round of Medieval Monday!

Please welcome this week’s guest Lane McFarland with her romance

Heather

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Excerpt:

Heather.

Alec’s chest constricted. How long had it been since he last saw her? Three years? Would she remember him? Would she remember his kiss?

The maid rubbed her mistress’ cheek, and Heather wiped the same spot with a cloth. When the servant nodded, Heather hurried toward him.

Did she stuff a black scarf in her sleeve? His eyes narrowed.

“Laird Campbell, welcome to MacDougall Castle.” She extended a hand. “Yer timing could not have been better.”

“Mistress MacDougall.” He bent and placed a kiss on her knuckles. Calluses covered her once soft palm. He straightened and studied her blue eyes. “Why so formal?”

“It’s been years since we last met. I’m afraid that young lass ye knew grew up.”

The gorgeous azure depths of her eyes mesmerized him. “Aye, she grew into a beautiful woman.”

A flush spread over her cheeks and she withdrew her hand. “I understand we’ve ye to thank for our lives.”

“One of yer da’s men—a young lad—is who ye should thank. He saved Laird MacDougall from certain death.”

Something akin to caution flittered across her eyes. Had he not been watching closely, he would’ve missed it.

She crossed her arms over her waist. “My da’s fortunate to have many good men defending the castle.” Her eyes widened, and she reached out. “Ye’re hurt. Forgive me, I didn’t notice.”

Alec caught her hand and rubbed her skin with the pad of his thumb. “’Tis nothing to worry over.”

“If ye’ll permit me, I’ll tend ye and yer men so ye can be on yer way. I’m sure ye’re anxious to return home.”

Was she eager to be rid of him?

He hesitated. “We are ready to be home, but we’ll repair yer keep first.”

Her back stiffened. When she smiled, it didn’t quite reach her lovely eyes. “Thank ye. If ye will excuse me, I need to see to Da.”

“I understand.”

Heather slipped past him. Her hips swayed as she stepped around a lass carrying blankets and hurried through the hall to her father.

Alec exhaled and raked a hand through his hair. He was needed out-of-doors. Rubbing the stinging cut on his chest, he marched past the injured. As he strode down the grey steps and into the bailey, his thoughts turned to the slender lad with the black scarf.

Why did he feel something was amiss? Why was the lad spirited away? And why did Heather make light of his fighting?

 

Blurb:

Bent on overcoming the belief he’s failed his aging father, Laird Alec Campbell concentrates on proving his worth to his people. He provides for them and leads men into battle, vowing never again to disappoint his clan or lose his heart.

Bound by a promise to her dying mother, Heather MacDougall secretly leads rebel warriors in her quest to keep her clan intact and hold off those who plot to overtake her father’s land. She fights to keep her secrets safe, while resisting the lure of the handsome young laird who challenges her defenses.

They can’t deny their passionate attraction, but can their love survive their secrets?

BUY LINK: Amazon

 

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Weekend Writing Warriors ~ 3/20/16 Crashing Through Time~ A Devastating English Accent

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Crashing Through Time is March’s “Book of the Month” so I’ve put up 10 lines from my fun, sexy time-travel romance.

At this point in the  story, Corrine MacGowan has fallen down a well. She recovers and      staggers out of the woods only to be almost trampled by a horse and rider. The horse shies at her, throws its rider and Corrine is left to help the unfortunate man. (Please forgive the creative punctuation.)

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f553ebbcd83301f285a1dc1496d25171“Damn and blast.”

The curse brought her attention to a young man lying on the ground to her left. He lay flat on his back, his face screwed into a furious frown. If not for that, he would’ve been pretty hot. Dark brown wavy hair, a ruddy complexion, and very full, sexy lips sent a little thrill through her. A typical Englishman, he even had those odd mutton-chop sideburns like Colin Firth in Pride and Prejudice. Were those back in fashion over here? She didn’t remember seeing anyone else wearing them.

“I say, have you seen my hat?”

God, he had a devastating English accent—she could listen to an Englishman talk all day long; she sighed with sheer joy.

Crashing Through Time is available in the boxed set Crashing Into Love  here.

Blurb:

More than hearts can be broken when you crash through time.

Theatre professor Corrine MacGowan is in a sightseeing plane that crash lands in a field in Cornwall. She wanders away from the crash site, led by a strange buzzing in her head that is coming from a black well (think The Ring). She falls down the well and ends up in Cornwall in 1868 at the home of her Master’s thesis subject, playwright Sir Robert Graysill. She immediately meets Sir Robert’s nephew, Ian Hunterly, and once she comes to terms with the fact that she has fallen through time, realizes from her research that Ian is doomed to die within a matter of days. Can she save him and change history? Or let history run its course and lose the man she has come to love?

That’s all for this week. Hope you enjoyed it!

And don’t forget to check out the rest of the Warriors here.  There’s some fantastic snippets to be read.

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Posted in Historical Romance, On Crashing Into Love, On Crashing Through Time, On Weekend Writing Warriors, Promotion, Weekend Writing Warriors | Tagged , , , , , | 19 Comments

Cover Spot: Diarmaid the Irishman by Beppie Harrison

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To celebrate St. Patrick’s Day on the blog, I’ve gotten a gorgeous cover to a just released historical romance set in Ireland in the early 19th century. Hope you enjoy it!

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BLURB:

It’s 1810. The English have a firm grip on Diarmaid’s beautiful green Ireland. But Diarmaid McGuiness is determined to make that grip impossible to maintain. In the first half of this two-volume combination (The Divided Heart) we meet the reckless, red-haired Irishman as he tries out his wings as a rebel to follow in his dead father’s footsteps. In the second half (The Defiant Heart) we find Diarmaid as the determined leader of rebels that he has become, and the equally fierce, equally red-headed girl whose resolve to free Ireland is as strong as his own. Their clash leads them into unforeseen complications and new ambiguous challenges.

Diarmaid the Irishman is available at Amazon!

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Used E-Book Sales: Amazon’s Hidden Agenda?

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When I heard a reference to this topic at my chapter’s conference the other weekend, I was appalled at the thought. No one seems to know if this is true or not, but the rumor reared its head on one of my loops after The Fussy Librarian made mention of Amazon’s “used e-book marketplace.”

So I thought I’d look in to it just a bit and familiarize myself with the concept, with the arguments for and against. And wound up finding a lot of articles from 2013 and 2014, but maybe one from 2016. Hmmm. I wonder what that means exactly.

After going through several of these articles, I thought I’d share this one that lays out the situation very succinctly. It also has links to additional editorials about the subject. So if you want to know more about the possibility of used e-books being sold through Amazon, read Brian Merchant’s 2013 article for Motherboard entitled :

Used E-Books, the Ridiculous Idea that Could Also Destroy the Publishing Industry

If you are a reader or a writer, what do you think of this proposal? Is it a tempest in a pot of tea, or a monsoon heading right for us?

Posted in On Publishing, Reblogs, Writing Craft | Tagged , , , , , , , | 7 Comments

I Need Your Votes!

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A couple of weeks ago I entered my medieval boxed set (which is really one book plus a novella) in The Romance Reviews Choice Awards. Well, nominations are now being made to get to finalist status and I’d really like your vote!

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Readers or writers can nominate books (and you can nominate as many as you like), but each book needs 50+ votes to advance. So if you’d like to help me out and vote, I’d really appreciate it!

Here is the link to my entry.  If you click on it, it takes you to my TRR book page and at the top is a bar to click to nominate it. Voting ends on March 31!

Click HERE to nominate.

Thank you so much! I’ll keep you updated with the results.

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Posted in Contests, Promotion, The Romance Reviews | Tagged , , , , | 4 Comments

Medieval Monday: Brother Against Brother in Sirona by Bambi Lynn

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Welcome back to Medieval Monday! This month our theme is Betrayal and my guest this week is Bambi Lynn with her medieval romance Sirona.

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Excerpt:

Ty stepped away from the Cleary lass, much to Rhain’s relief. He had been on his way to Father Baen’s apothecary when he rounded the corner and found Sirona in the man’s arms. The monster, dormant most days, rose up within him. If he had had a weapon, he would have attacked Ty on the spot. Rhain curled and uncurled his fists, ready to beat the life out of him.

“Doona fret, cousin. The lass is safe.”

“’Twas no’ her safety I was worried about.”

Ty fixed him with a look, the look of an elder who knew so much more about the world, despite his much younger mien. “Perhaps, ye should be. I caught Fergus assailing her, his intentions less than noble. If I had not come along when I did…”

Fury, violent and ferocious, welled up within him. “I’ll kill him,” he ground out through clenched teeth.”

Sirona seemed to get her bearings and spoke up. “Please, Rhain. I doona want to cause a rift betwixt you and yer brother.” She looked at Ty and placed a hand on his arm. “Thank you,” she said.

Rhain crossed the distance and put one arm around her possessively. With a sly grin, Ty pulled his arm from beneath Sirona’s touch. “Think nothing of it, lass. But doona be wandering about the castle alone.” With a curt nod to Rhain, he left them. The clack of his boots echoing down the length of the corridor as he disappeared around a bend.

To Rhain’s surprise, Sirona snuggled against him. He held her, savoring the way she fit him perfectly. Her slender body molded to his as if she had been created just for him.

“I am sorry I was not here to protect ye,” he said over her head. “I barely made the promise err I broke it.”

She shook her head. “Doona fash yerself. He dinna hurt me. Not really. Asides, I shall be going home soon. Your da promised.”

His heart tightened. Without a doubt, the best thing for her was to be gone from this place. But already Rhain dreaded her departure like the threat of plague.

Blurb:

She has the power to heal his body, but can she heal his soul?

Sirona Cleary tries to hide her unholy healing powers from everyone around her, denying her divine heritage even as she saves those who would see her punished. When she is kidnapped by a rival clan, she is sure her execution is near. Rhain Comyn is dying from a mysterious disease, and he couldn’t be more glad of it. After the atrocities he has committed, Rhain believes he has no right to a decent life and welcomes the ailment that leaves him with unquenchable thirst and hunger, extreme fatigue, blurred vision and ultimately drives him into a deep slumber from which no healer can awaken him. Can a witch from the clan of his enemy save him?

 

BUY LINKS

Amazon US: http://www.amazon.com/Sirona-Gods-Highlands-Novella-Book-ebook/dp/B0113S6RA4/ref=asap_bc?ie=UTF8

Amazon UK: http://www.amazon.co.uk/Sirona-Gods-Highlands-Novella-Book-ebook/dp/B0113S6RA4/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1455037893&sr=8-2&keywords=bambi+lynn

iTunes: https://itunes.apple.com/us/book/sirona/id1076588155?mt=11

Nook: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/sirona-bambi-lynn/1123276720?ean=2940152815764

Kobo: https://store.kobobooks.com/en-us/ebook/sirona-1

 

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Weekend Writing Warriors ~ 3/13/16 Crashing Through Time~ What the hell was going on here?

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Crashing Through Time is March’s “Book of the Month” so I’ve put up 10 lines from my fun, sexy time-travel romance.

I’m starting near the beginning, when the heroine, Corrine MacGowan, notices smoke coming out of the engine of the sightseeing plane she’s on over Cornwall, England. The pilot manages to land the plane, but all hell has broken loose in the cabin and Corrine has had enough. Once she exits the plane she has an extreme urge to pee and takes off into a nearby stand of woods. Once finished with her business she hears a strange noise and heads toward it. (Please forgive the creative punctuation.)

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This is the well from The Ring, but it’s what I imagined Corrine found in the woods.

Before she quite realized it, she’d stopped only a single pace from the lip of the well. The structure stood waist high, the stones pockmarked, the mortar black with age.

Corrine dropped her hands to her sides. The volume of the jingling glass choir no longer felt painful, although it was certainly much louder than when she’d begun walking toward it. Had someone put an amplifier in an abandoned well? What the hell was going on here?

Curiosity replaced fear and she stepped up to the structure until the well’s rim pressed into her stomach. Taking a deep breath, she leaned over the edge, peering into the darkness. The angelic choir hit a single high note with the force of a gale wind. Her head filled with an eerie white light, she swayed over the edge, and plunged into the inky depths.

 

Crashing Through Time is available in the boxed set Crashing Into Love  here.

Blurb:

More than hearts can be broken when you crash through time.

Theatre professor Corrine MacGowan is in a sightseeing plane that crash lands in a field in Cornwall. She wanders away from the crash site, led by a strange buzzing in her head that is coming from a black well (think The Ring). She falls down the well and ends up in Cornwall in 1868 at the home of her Master’s thesis subject, playwright Sir Robert Graysill. She immediately meets Sir Robert’s nephew, Ian Hunterly, and once she comes to terms with the fact that she has fallen through time, realizes from her research that Ian is doomed to die within a matter of days. Can she save him and change history? Or let history run its course and lose the man she has come to love?

That’s all for this week. Hope you enjoyed it!

And don’t forget to check out the rest of the Warriors here.  There’s some fantastic snippets to be read.

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Posted in Historical Romance, On Crashing Into Love, On Crashing Through Time, On Weekend Writing Warriors, Promotion, Weekend Writing Warriors | Tagged , , , , , | 24 Comments

Book of the Month: Crashing Through Time ~ It Wouldn’t Be Proper

My Book of the Month for March is my time-travel romance Crashing Through Time, part of a boxed set called Crashing Into Love.  I’ll be running giveaways all month involving Crashing Through Time. For this week there is a signed copy of Ella Quinn’s Three Weeks to Wed, the first book in her The Worthingtons series.

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The authors in the set all started out with the premise that the hero and heroine are brought together because of a plane crash. Most couples were in the tropics, however, one was set in the Canadian Rockies, one on a “distant” island. Mine begins with a plane crash in Cornwall, England, where my American heroine soon discovers she’s not in Kansas any more!

The WINNER from the previous contest is

 Ashley F! 

( Ashley, I’ll be contacting you shortly.)

BLURB:

More than hearts can be broken when you crash through time.

Theatre professor Corrine MacGowan is in a sightseeing plane that crash lands in a field in Cornwall. She wanders away from the crash site, led by a strange buzzing in her head that is coming from a black well (think The Ring). She falls down the well and ends up in Cornwall in 1868 at the home of her Master’s thesis subject, playwright Sir Robert Graysill. She immediately meets Sir Robert’s nephew, Ian Hunterly, and once she comes to terms with the fact that she has fallen through time, realizes from her research that Ian is doomed to die within a matter of days. Can she save him and change history? Or let history run its course and lose the man she has begun to love?

 

EXCERPT:

“Miss MacGowan, you needn’t have resorted to such subterfuge.” He crossed to her, limping but without his cane.

Subterfuge?

“You simply could have told me you wanted to audition for my uncle’s next play, my dear, and I would’ve been happy to speak to him for you. He’s in London, mounting his current play, but I will certainly tell him about your splendid performance.” Ian’s kind brown eyes, the color of shelled walnuts, twinkled.

His suddenly friendly look was the one bright spot in this spectacular failure of a plan. He thought she was an actress instead of a spy. So much for helping her with her mission. She’d never been good on stage because she’d always had a tendency to overact. Unfortunately, that was just what the Victorians craved.

Corrine had hoped to stir Ian’s patriotism so he’d take her back to the woods to find that damned well. According to her research, spies and smugglers weren’t common in this area of Cornwall, but they weren’t unheard of. And France and England were always fighting, weren’t they? It wasn’t impossible that someone would have sent her to spy in France. Was it?

“You did have me thinking you quite mad in the beginning, you know.” Ian looped her arm through his and started for the door. An agreeable buzz of warmth, like a low-grade shock, shot up her arm. “I could not imagine a more hare-brained scheme than to send a woman such as you to spy in France.”

“A woman such as me?” The hairs on the back of Corrine’s neck rose. “What do you mean by that?”

“Only that it would be unconscionable to waste the talents of a woman as beautiful and accomplished as you on the French.” He stared into her eyes, the darkness in his transfixing her.

The next thing she knew, he’d drawn her into his arms, his face inches away. Blood pounded in her veins so forcefully, her body shook with each pulse. She couldn’t look away, even as he leaned closer. Her breathing became fast and shallow. The damned corset wouldn’t let her take a deep breath. She gasped for air just as Ian covered her lips with his.

He accepted her invitation, sliding his tongue into her mouth, bringing with it the sweet taste of whiskey and a smell of bergamot that made her think of Earl Grey tea. His masculine presence—so close, so vital, so insistent—stole her thoughts and made her weak in the knees.

He explored her mouth with a tender thoroughness she’d never experienced before, one that seemed to go on forever. The intense kiss melted her inside, leaving her a limp shell clinging to him to keep from sinking to the floor.

At last, he let her go and stood staring at her, brows furrowed in contemplation. “I beg your pardon.” His frown deepened. “I should not have taken such a liberty, Miss MacGowan.”

“Pardon granted, Mr. Hunterly,” she said once she could breathe again. He looked so confused—almost embarrassed—she longed to smooth the deep lines on his forehead away, brush the dark curly hair to the side, and stroke his cheek. If she touched him again, though, she wouldn’t be responsible for what she would do. It certainly wouldn’t be proper by Victorian standards—maybe not even by those of her own time.

REMEMBER!  To enter to win a signed copy of Three Weeks to Wed, just comment on this post telling me that you’d like a copy of it.

Want to read more? Crashing Into Love is available at Amazon!

Good luck and happy reading!

Posted in Book of the Month, Book Spotlights, Historical Romance, On Crashing Into Love, On Crashing Through Time, on Victorian Romance, Promotion, Regency Romance | Tagged , , , , , , | 13 Comments