Announcing the Best Ever Summer Blog Tour! Second Stop: Corinne Davies

 

 

It’s week two of the Best Ever Summer Blog Tour. Nine fabulous authors in mixed genres trading blog space for eight weeks for your enjoyment. It’s a chance to meet great authors and discover exciting new books. Someone on the blog tour is giving a prize every week – I’ll leave it for you to discover whose blog is featured – with more prizes to come at the end of the tour. What will the big prize be – a Kindle, a hefty gift certificate, a unique needlepoint Kindle cover? Enjoy the blogs and leave comments for the opportunity to be the grand prize winner! Today I am thrilled that author Corinne Davies is visiting. Welcome!

Hi everyone and welcome to the second week of the Best Ever Summer Blog Tour. I’m Corinne Davies and I first off want to give Regina a BIG thank you for hosting me here today!

 

One of the things that drew me to this blog hop is that we all write a variety of genres. Touring around the blogs on this tour you get to experience a wide variety of styles and perhaps find something new to tempt you.

 

 It’s very easy to get lodged into reading the same genre. I associate it to drinking wine, (like, I do most things in life LOL). You might love Cabernet Sauvignon and experimenting with one from a different country is fun but every once in a while it’s a nice to have a big rich Shiraz or really shake things up and go for a  Gewürztraminer. You never know when you might find a new favourite.

 

When I started writing I really didn’t have a genre in mind. I started writing and let the characters dictate where they belonged. Because of that, I have a variety of genres in my portfolio that, coincidentally, they reflect my reading habits as well. 

 

The Believing series were my first two books and they’re heavily influenced by my love of Greek mythology. I had a great time working in some of the lesser known or recognized gods and goddess from the Parthenon.

 

Then I tried my hand at a classic romance with Haunted Hearts. I originally planned that Mac and Gwen would have a third. As I started writing, I realized that they were only interested in each other. My obsession with ghosts and ghost stories heavily influenced some of the situations that they faced.

 

          Then came, Steampunked Lust. I’m not sure if you are familiar with Steampunk but think of it as all the glamour of the Regency/Victorian time period with advanced technology. This style/genre has always fascinated me and in the world I’ve been creating the skies over the Atlantic ocean are ruled by pirates and their flying ships. William Wallace was never killed and the New World battle the Old World for moral superiority.

 

          Then while hiking through Algonquin Park one day, I discovered Ecstasy Lake, a small tourist town in Northern Ontario that is home to a variety of shape shifters and other magical beings. 

I’ve loved getting to know the inhabitants of this small town who are free to live their ménage relationships. (Which is why someone keeps vandalizing the sign outside of town by painting a 3x over Ecstasy.) Ever since I was a kid, I loved the idea of being able to shape shift into an animal. Writing stories about werewolves and tigers and bears, (Oh my! ) I get to live that existence vicariously through my characters.  

 

          And that is a little peek into the genres I have found myself playing in. I’m always on the lookout for a new favourite book, to enjoy along with a new favorite wine, of course I’ve found a few with the great authors that I’m sharing this blog tour with.

 

 

Excerpt from Believing is Seeing.

 

“Pasithea…”

“That’s not my name. It’s Amy or Amaryllis.” If her dream kept going this way, she wanted to hear her own name, not that of a long gone goddess.

 “Little flower, one would never be enough for you.”

Amy stood between the two men feeling petite. At five foot ten, she hadn’t experienced such an unusual feeling before. The hands on her shoulders gently kneaded, as another pair slid over her ribs and down her back in soothing circles. Sighing she could feel the anger and sadness drain out of her. The winds calmed down and the clouds dissipated until it seemed as though the storm had never happened. Color flooded back into the world around them, seeming so much more intense after her eyes had become accustomed to the gray.

She would have commented on the weather, but when she lifted her face and opened her mouth to talk, a pair of lips gently brushed against her own. “Let us take care of you.”

“This is a dream.” The thought floated down to subdue the rising nervousness.

“If you would just believe, it could be so much more,” Hypnos gently kissed her shoulder, his words a soft caress against the sensitive skin under her ear.

“But, I don’t know where to start.”

“Then look at me, Amy.” A finger pressed gently on the underside of her chin tilting her head. She looked over her shoulder and up into Death’s warm chestnut eyes. Hypnos took advantage of her arched neck to slide his satiny lips along it.

“A life time ago, you called us Nos and Than. Why don’t you start there?

 

http://www.bookstrand.com/believing-is-seeing

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Announcing the Best Ever Summer Blog Tour! First Stop: Ann Tracy Marr

 

 

It’s the Best Ever Summer Blog Tour. Nine fabulous authors in mixed genres trading blog space for eight weeks for your enjoyment. It’s a chance to meet great authors and discover exciting new books. Someone on the blog tour is giving a prize every week – I’ll leave it for you to discover whose blog is featured – with more prizes to come at the end of the tour. What will the big prize be – a Kindle, a hefty gift certificate, a unique needlepoint Kindle cover? Enjoy the blogs and leave comments for the opportunity to be the grand prize winner!

 

Ann Tracy Marr is the world’s worst book promoter. She has published three, but when it comes time to promote – to urge someone to lay out money for her books – she falls apart.

 

Ann lacks promoting talent but she does have a gift for storytelling. She writes for the love of it and it shows. Her view of life is a little off the wall, sometimes class clown, but with an underlying thread of realism. She likes to read about real women looking for joy, so that is what she writes.

 

Knowing we wouldn’t learn much about her books, I asked Ann questions that would reveal something about her approach to writing and life.

 

Question: Who was the toughest character for you to “get right”?

Ann: The hero in Round Table Magician took a long time to evolve. Brinston started out as a conventional Regency hero, but when I added a paranormal twist to the plot, he demanded he be a magician. Magic fit with his reclusive tendencies, giving him reasons to hide his true nature from the ton. Other than that, I struggled to cleverly convey his motives in ignoring Martha. It was a matter of finding the best tailoring for the story. Once the jacket fit, Brinston himself filled it out.

 

Question: Is there a genre that you love to read but don’t want to write?

Ann: I love the Sookie Stackhouse novels. Funny and all about vampires, you know. But I doubt I will ever write a vampire novel. I don’t have anything to add to their mystique; they scare more than attract me.

 

Question: What profession other than yours would you like to attempt?

Ann: I would make an excellent Rich Bitch. It’s a full time job, but I wouldn’t mind getting up at 10 am, donning the haute couture uniform, jetting past rush hour traffic in my Maserati on my way to a five star restaurant. I’d donate freely to charity and spend money all over the place to keep the economy going.

 

Question: Can you tell us about your books?

Ann: Awestruck published my three book series set in Regency England. King Arthur and Merlin are not myth, but history. They are traditional Regencies with the addition of a splash of magic.

 

Where can readers find you?

Website: www.AnnTracyMarr.com

Purchase the books (e-book or trade paperback) on Amazon.com:

http://tiny.cc/7p0xew

 

And where can readers find Lynn Hones this week?

Head to www.daviesromance.blogspot.com

And, you all can find moi at http://www.regantaylorsworld.blogspot.com

 

Excerpt from “Round Table Magician“: Short, to conserve space!

 

Brinston watched Martha, aware of her every breath. He couldn’t help but smile at the infectious levity. He could see his brother Michael with his beloved through the window. That silly Maria must have done or said something to make Martha laugh so. But when she pulled a handkerchief from her sleeve and wiped her eyes, it shook him to his soul. Just so did the duchess leak tears when she was filled with mirth.

 

It was then he realized how much Martha resembled his adored mother. Brinston could almost feel his heart tightening. They were silken bonds, those bands clenching around his heart, not painful in the least. A man could get used to them, which was a good thing. They didn’t feel like they were going to dissolve any time soon.

 

He heard the echo of his father’s words. “I couldn’t resist the way she laughed.” It was always said with a chuckle and an underlying honesty that couldn’t be doubted. It was why his father had married his mother. They were devoted to each other, but it all started with her laugh.

 

Everyone, including Brinston himself, joked at how much the son resembled the father. He stared at the sky, silently begging Merlin to have pity on him.

 

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Follow-up with Authors Nike Chillemi and Barbara Robinson

  

We’ve spent the last few days chatting with authors Barbara Robinson (left) and Nike Chillemi (right). They were nice enough to answer a few more questions!

First, Nike asked Barbara:

Barbara, Although I love Gotham (NYC), I envy you so much because you live in Florida. I know you’ve spent a good deal of time in the Keys. I love Key Largo. Do you have a favorite Key and why?

And here’s Barbara’s answer:

Key West is the only Key I’ve spent much time in, but I’ve heard Key Largo is great. I’d like to visit it one day instead of merely driving through it to get to Key West. Key West is the big tourist attraction, but I’ve heard the other Keys are pretty laid back and not as crowded. If Nike ever retires with a Florida beach house, I’d love to accept her invitation and bring the strawberry shortcake. We’d sit out on the deck and listen to the roar of the surf while we enjoy it.

Then I got up the courage to ask our authors a few questions. Here’s Nike’s answer

1. Where did you come up with the inspiration for your work? Not just this recent book, but for your writings as a whole?

Nike:  I’ve been writing for a long time. As a teen I penned the usual poetry with angst. My poor, dear parents had to suffer through me reading those truly bad poems to them.

2) How has your sense of yourself changed since you became a published author? PLEASE elaborate   (Lots of writers, especially women, would find this really interesting.)

Nike: I think I have more confidence now then I did before I was published. I doubted that I could be me, the real me and be accepted in Christian publishing. But I have been accepted, warts and all. It’s been a great blessing to me. I love my readers, who have supported me with such loyalty.

3) If you didn’t live where you live now, how would your writing be different? Please explain (if possible)

Nike: I have several places I’d love to live. Saratoga Springs, NY, Quebec City, Canada, and Montauk, NY. I’d bring a crime wave to the area to be sure. Although I don’t live in Montauk, I’ve spent quite a bit of time there and I’m plotting a contemporary story there.

4) About the adage that writers should adhere to the theory of ‘write what you know’: please share how you feel about that.

Nike: I agree whole heartedly with “write what you know.” I only write about settings that I know quite well. Sanctuary Point is a fictitious village on Long Island, NY. However, I know Long Island quite well. I write about the type of people I grew up with, or met along the way. The dialog I write are words I’ve heard before…that resonate with me.

5) If you could change one thing about the world, what would that be and why?

Nike: If I had a magic wand and could change something…I’d cause the church to get into a love mode. I’d want the entire church to start loving…as Christ commanded us to.

6) Most fun memory? Most fab writing moment? Most favorite get-away-from-it-all activity? (Okay, sorry, that was 3!)

 Nike: One of my best memories happened when we visited my grandmother and grandfather. My grandma baked bread. When it came out of the oven it smelled so good. I hurried to the kitchen and I saw my grandfather standing behind my grandmother at the stove. He had his arms around her waist and pulled her to him, holding her close. They turned around, saw me, and smiled. My grandmother gave me a slice of warm bread slathered with butter.

                                               

What beautiful and thoughtful answers. Thank you so much, Nike, you are amazing!

And here are Barbara’s answers:

1)   Where did you come up with the inspiration for your work? Not just this recent book, but for your writings as a whole?

Barb: Life experiences provide fodder for my writing. My mother, father, friends, and family have all provided inspiration, but most of all, my inspiration is God-given.

2) How has your sense of yourself changed since you became a published author? PLEASE elaborate (Lots of writers, especially women, would find this really interesting.)

Barb: I’m still the same old me, and I love to write just as much as before I was published. I have grown as a writer since publication though, and I hope improvement shows with each book published. Like with anything else in life, practice helps. Being published doesn’t mean you’ve arrived. You still have to work just as hard to promote, write, and market your work. I have made many new friends through writing and grown closer to God in my studying His Word and writing devotionals and Christian fiction. So, the main thing that has changed with my sense of self with publication is it’s afforded me a closer walk with God and allowed me to serve Him with my writing.

3) If you didn’t live where you live now, how would your writing be different? Please explain (if possible)

Barb: I enjoy writing about places I’ve lived or visited during vacations, so if I lived elsewhere my fiction would be set in different areas. I feel writing about places I know makes the story more realistic.

4) About the adage that writers should adhere to the theory of ‘write what you know ‘ : please share how you feel about that.

 Barb: In a way, I feel it’s true, and that’s what I do, but in another way, writing is also about discovery. It’s a process of self-discovery as well, and involves research when you decide to write about what you don’t know. I do feel people who have lived in a place and know it inside and out can do a better job of writing about those places. In fact, I feel I do a better job of writing about what I know because it comes more naturally, but that doesn’t mean I can’t write about what I don’t know. I can research and learn and have fun researching.

5) If you could change one thing about the world, what would that be and why?

Barb: I’d change the violence and evil that seems to have overtaken the world, but I’m a mere human being without the power to achieve such a task alone. Only God can accomplish such a feat, and He will when He’s ready, in His own perfect timing. It’s heartbreaking to hear of abused children and women, robbery, and murder. If I had such power, I’d change the world to a peaceful, nonviolent place, a paradise like God intended in the first place, so there would be no pain, no heartache, tears, sickness, death, and evil, only love for one another and happiness.

6) Most fun memory? Most fab writing moment? Most favorite get-away-from-it-all activity? (Okay, sorry, that was 3!)

Barb: My most fabulous writing moment was winning first prize for a short story in fiction-writing competition because it made me realize I could keep writing and write books, not just stories. Though, if I thought about this one long enough and wasn’t rushing this question, I’m sure I’d write something different, to be honest.

My most favorite get-away-from-it-all activity is spending time in a Tennessee mountaintop cabin, standing on the deck and looking out at the clouds and treetops, feeling closer to God and being filled with a deep sense of peace and contentment.

Oh Barb, thank you for your wonderfully beautiful answers, you are incredible.

 It has been such fun to visit with both of you. I feel really blessed that I got to know you better. Now friends, what questions do YOU have for Barbara and Nike?

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Welcome, Author Diane Craver!

What an exciting day! Today I am thrilled to welcome Diane Craver as my very first guest of the New Year! An accomplished author, Diane is sharing a blurb, excerpt and review of her book , “The Proposal” with us today. Thank you for visiting, Diane, and welcome!

 

BLURB for “THE PROPOSAL:

Jacqueline Andrews hopes her boyfriend Brad’s surprise is an engagement ring for her twenty-sixth birthday. Her best friend, Tyler Jordan, wants Jacqueline to be happy but not with Brad. Tyler regrets blowing off Jacqueline’s confession of love for him before he left for college. When he returns to their small town as a physician’s assistant, he falls in love with her. He needs to win her love back. Will his hot kisses sway her? Or is she going to marry Brad?

EXCERPT:

She nodded. “To show my appreciation for the great birthday gift and for you treating everyone to dinner tonight, I’ll even make extra bars just for you to eat with lots of cream cheese frosting.”

He put his fork on his empty plate. “You can show your appreciation in another way.”

“Oh really, what way is that?”

“A thank you kiss is definitely in order.”

She shifted toward him and planted a sweet kiss on his lips. Even though, Jacqueline’s quickness in responding surprised him, he wanted more and reclaimed her lips. He loved feeling her quiver at the tenderness of his kiss. She definitely wasn’t just giving a chaste kiss to her best friend. I might be getting through to Jacqueline that we should be a couple. How would Brad take it if Jacqueline broke up with him? He did feel guilty about not speaking up in the beginning to Brad, but he couldn’t say anything when Jacqueline’s happiness was more important. He never expected their feelings for each other to escalate so fast.

“You two need to get a room,” Alex said as he put his plate on the counter.

Jacqueline blushed as she moved slightly to look at her brother. “I was just thanking Tyler for everything.”

Alex chuckled. “I don’t go around kissing people to say thank you.”

“Hey, don’t tease your sister. It’s not everyday I get a kiss that tastes like candy.”

“I heard your phone. Did Brad call?” Alex asked, leaning against the counter.

She nodded. “It was good to hear his voice. I can’t wait to see him next week.”

Alex looked amused. “The competition is on. Two guys in love with my sister. May the best man win.”

LASR REVIEW:

This charming tale of second chances holds few surprises, but don’t let that put you off. Ms. Craver packs plenty of anticipation and emotional swings and round-a-bouts into this sweet romance that would give credit to a full length novel.

Discovering you’ve made a bad judgment that has your dreams crashing and burning is not an easy discovery to handle; but with the help and support of her long-time friend, and once hoped for future, Tyler Jordan, Jacqueline Andrews has some hard decisions to make and a lot of soul searching to work through.

This is not a simple story of friends to lovers to happy ever after; there is a need to forgive, understand past actions and come to terms with their consequences. Ms. Craver does not offer her readers a perfect heroine. Indeed, Jacqueline is a heroine most women can relate to. So full of future dreams she misses plenty of signals out there for her to spot is she only removed her rose coloured spectacles.

When Brad, the man she hopes to marry, fails to fulfill Jacqueline’s hopes and dreams she discovers his agenda is so far off beam from hers, her faith in her own judgment is once again sorely tested. Tyler, her friend let her down many years ago and now she’s back to square one, or is she…?

The hero, Tyler, has a mammoth task ahead of him if he’s going to persuade Jacqueline to believe in his feelings for her now. It is the way the author takes all her characters through the multi-faceted emotions in this story that make it such a charming read, and yes, I will use the word ‘cute’ to describe The Proposal.

The characters are believable, the plot may appear simple but is not, and the conclusion, though not unexpected, still creates a sigh of satisfaction at the end.

~~~~

The Proposal sells for 99 cents on Amazon (http://www.amazon.com/The-Proposal-ebook/dp/B005895S4G/ref=sr_1_1?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1309113290&sr=1-1) and Smashwords (http://www.smashwords.com/books/view/69282 )

Thank you again, Diane! 

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Welcome Author Tami Dee: Part One of Three

Today I am thrilled to welcome author Tami Dee, whose book, “Under a Viking Mist” book four of her ‘Time Viking’ series, has just been released by Desert Breeze Publishing.

1. What’s your genre or do you write in more than one?

Right now, I writeTime travel, romantic adventure. I will be trying my hand at a Scottish Historical, Innocent Deception, to be released by Desert Breeze Publishing October 2011.

2. Did you choose your genre or did it choose you?

I would have to say it choose me.

3. Is there any genre you’d like to try? Or is there one you wouldn’t?

I would love to try and write romantic suspense, one of these days I will give it a shot.

4. What fiction do you read for pleasure?

A little bit of this, a little bit of that…. I have a wide variety of genres which I enjoy reading.

5. Tell me a bit about yourself and how long you’ve been writing,

I have been writing for about five or six years now. I have always wanted to write, since I can remember, but I have dyslexia and growing up, writing even the simplest of things was a struggle. But, one day, I just had to write the story that was sifting through my mind. I discovered ‘editors’ and, well, the rest is history.

6. Which of your characters is your favorite?

I can never, ever, pick a favorite. They each become such a part of me, my thoughts, my life, that I grow close to all of them.

7. Are there villains in your books and how were they created?

My stories are character driven, and I have to tell you, when I start a book, I never even consider who the villain will be, why he or she will be a villain, or what might motivate them. As the story unfolds they simply ‘become’.

8. What are you working on now?

Lots of promoting for the last book in my Mists of Time Viking Series, Through A Viking Mist, available now! lol. And I mentioned in an earlier question, I am writing my very first Scottish Historical. I am already at 15,000 + words, and still have not nailed down what date the book takes place in. I seriously have to figure that out before to much longer. haha.

9. What’s your latest release and how did the idea arrive?

My latest release is book four, the final book, in my Mists of Time Viking Series, Through A Viking Mist. The series started with a dream, and one book evolved into four. The series itself took five years to complete. It spans thirteen years of the Nabboddrson brothers’ lives. As you may suspect, by the time I typed the last line in book four, I felt as if I were saying good bye to members of my family, rather than fictional characters. I often become inspired by dreams, and also while I shower. haha I guess all that movement of the water spraying gets my brain moving also.

10. Tell me about your latest book and how it came about.

Through A Viking Mist takes the series full circle. Characters once lost will be found, new choices will be made, with each choice leading to a thrilling conclusion. I hope when the last page is turned, readers will blow out a heart felt sigh and that the Nabboddrson brothers and their wives sagas will live on in the readers minds and hearts for a good wile.

Blurb: Through A Viking Mist

Two enemies left standing on a blood drenched battlefield.
Who will take the as yet unclaimed land for their own?
Ofeig Nabboddrson, a warrior from his youth up, is determined to claim the rich land now stained with blood as his.
The only thing standing in his way is a magnificent Valkyrie, a woman who he has seen only in battle and who is called
‘The Protector’.
Eva Samsdottir, an extraordinary woman who singlehandedly saves the children of her village from slavery amidst a deadly raid.
Unbeknownst to her a bigger battle awaits her in a Time not her own.
Will she have the courage to survive the future?

Book Four, Through A Viking Mist, ends this epic series with a thrilling battle for land between Ofeig Nabboddrson, a warrior, and a magnificent Valkyrie, Eva Samsdottir. They soon discover that Time has other plans for them as it sweeps both combatants to San Francisco, CA, 1991, where each face an even bigger battle just trying to survive the future world.
A world where old scores are settled new directions are chosen.

http://stores.desertbreezepublishing.com/-strse-147/tami-dee-mists-of/Detail.bok

ISBN:

978-1-61252-023-0
$5.99
Publisher: Desert Breeze Publishing Inc. http://www.desertbreeze.publishing.com
My web site: http://www.tamidee.com
Facebook page: http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?ref=profile&id=100000198842347
Twitter: http://twitter.com/AuthorTamiDee

Please enjoy an excerpt:

Ofeig brushed back Eva’s hair and kissed her forehead. Their bodies were still intertwined in the most intimate of embraces as he shifted his weight off her.
Her body hummed, slight trembles attested to the great passion she and her husband shared. Her mind and heart were not completely at peace as yet, there were too many unknowns regarding their future after the raiders were eliminated and her women and children were settled.
But she did not wish to think about that now. Now she relished the feel of her husband’s strong arms holding her so tenderly.
They both heard the sudden change of noises in the great hall. Good-natured laughter was suddenly relapsed by alarmed shouts and the scraping of benches as feet hurried about.
She and Ofeig looked at one another then silently dressed themselves and pushed out of their alcove.
Ofeig grabbed a young warrior by the scruff of his neck as he raced past. “What’s happening?” he demanded.
“It’s your brother-in-law,” the lad rasped. “He’s been shot while out on patrol.”
Eva gasped and slung the alcove door back open. She passed Ofeig his weapons and then strapped her own to herself before they ran from the keep and into the courtyard.
Singlee lay draped across his mount, the tip of his long braid brushed the ground. An arrow was embattled deep into his back. Blood stained his clothing and dripped to the dirt.
The courtyard was crowded with clansmen yet not a word was said. Alisa stood next to her husband’s body, as still as he, her face empty of emotion in her shock. Leif and Davyn eased Singlee’s limp form from his mount and Leif shifted him over his shoulder to carry him into the keep. Rosie and Kat wept openly, the women holding one another’s hands like a lifeline.
Balmung held Iris as she cried into his chest.
Eva could not take her eyes off the arrow. Dread rode heavy in her belly as she followed Leif. She waited until he laid Singlee onto the head table before approaching and running a trembling finger over the shaft of the arrow.
She felt the carving. She knew the symbol and who it belonged to.
She raised stunned eyes to Leif, then Ofeig.
Leif’s gaze pierced her. “This arrow did not come from the raiders, did it?” he asked in a dripping ice.
She shook her head. “Nay,” she choked out. “The carving marks it as Gyda’s.”
Without another word she strode from the great hall to the stables.
She did not know if the family would blame her for having brought the women here, to their land, and at the moment she did not care. She would find Gyda. She would take from her what she had taken from Singlee.
And if the other women were in involved in any way, they would pay the same price.
She went to mount her horse when Ofeig grasped her wrist.
“I am coming with you.”
She tugged her wrist, to no avail. “Your family needs you here.”
“You are my family,” he said, “and we will take care of this matter together.”
She nodded and waited as he readied a mount.
She only half heard Leif’s captain order a regiment of men to ride with them.
They rode into the forest in silence, heavily armed and ready for anything.
They pulled their horses to a halt at the edge of the women’s camp.
Eva noted the men from Singlee’s patrol spread out, surrounding the camp.
“If the other women were involved,” Eva said. “There is no way we will make it into the camp to confront Gyda.”
He nodded, scanning the trees. “Aye,” he said. “Are you ready?”
She nodded, a stiff jerk of her head. “Aye.”
They dismounted and walked their horses, keeping as close to the large shields as possible. Silence greeted them, but Eva knew their presence was known.
Not a woman was in sight, the trees remained free from the hiss of flying arrows.
The absolute stillness caused the fine hairs at the nape of her neck to stand on end as they searched for either women or a trap.
Jodis stepped from behind a wide tree trunk. “Eva,” she swallowed, her fair skin chalk white and her eyes wide with what looked like shock. “You have to come.”
Eva and Ofeig shared a quick look and followed her as she silently moved through the brush of the forest.
Gyda stood, pale yet clearly defiant, surrounded by several of the women, their arrows clutched in their hands and pointing in threat towards her.
Eva pushed through the women stopping a foot away from Gyda.
“What happened?”
Gyda’s mouth was set in a mutinous line and she refused to meet Eva’s eyes, staring instead at a point over her shoulder.
Eva leaned in until her face almost touched the other woman’s. “What happened?” she shouted.
“I know about you,” Gyda said, so softly Eva had to strain to hear. “I know where you went to recover. The only reason you came back was to take the women from me. I was their leader when you left!” She pounded a fist against her chest to punctuate her words. “I was the one who helped them survive. But the second you come back they all turned to you as their savior. You don’t deserve their devotion. You lied to us all. I know you did, Bennie told me!”
Eva’s heart slammed into her ribs. The blood rushed through her veins so fast and hard she could barely hear from the roaring of it.
She slanted a look at her husband.
Ofeig had gone pale as he listened to Gyda, his Adam’s apple bobbed as he swallowed.
“He told me to shoot someone, anyone, with my arrows.” Gyda confessed in a hiss. “He said that would get your attention, and I should tell you when you came that he wants to go home. And the blood of the man I shot is on your hands, and more would die if you did not figure out how to get him home.”
Eva shivered. Bennie had fed her facts, and lies, and whipped up her insecurities and fears.
Bennie.
How was it possible?
She shook her head.
The how of it did not matter. He was here, somewhere in this forest, likely close enough to watch the drama he had created. He had played Gyda in order to get to Eva, and somehow Gyda had lost her sanity along the way.
Eva placed her hand on Gyda’s shoulder. “Did Bennie tell you what would happen to you for killing the Jarl’s brother-in-law?”
Gyda’s eyes widened. “That man was not related to the Jarl, he was just a guard!”
Eva smiled sadly and shook her head. “That’s where your wrong, Gyda. But even if he had not been a family member, your punishment would be exactly the same.”
Gyda raised shocked eyes to Eva’s then dropped her gaze to her stomach. Gyda’s blood spilt over Eva’s hand in a hot rush. Eva twisted the blade expertly, ending the life of a woman she had once saved so many years before.
Gyda had taken the life of a good man, and Eva had obtained justice for that man in the direct way of her Time.
She tried to ignore the sick churning of her stomach.
Gyda’s knees buckled and her lifeless body fell to the earth. Ofeig took the knife from her hand without comment.
Singlee’s men had closed in on the women and stood at the ready.
“Take care of this,” her husband ordered.
The body was lifted from the ground and Eva did not turn to see who was moving her or where they were taking her.
She took a deep breath and squared her shoulders, then turned to the women surrounding them who had remained silent until now.

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Welcome to Author Stephanie Burkhart’s Blog Tour for Her New Release, “The Count’s Lair”

It’s such a thrill to welcome author Stephanie Burkhart today as she celebrates the release of her newest book “The Count’s Lair,” offered by Desert Breeze Publishing. Let’s hear what she has to say!

I’m excited to be here at Regina’s blog today. Thanks so much for having me here.

Just a little about me: I was born in Manchester, New Hampshire. After graduating from Central High, I joined the US Army. I spent 11 years in the military, 7 in Germany. While in the military, I earned a BS in Political Science from California Baptist University in Riverside, CA in 1995. I left the Army in 1997 and settled in California, but my favorite football team is still the New England Patriots. I work for LAPD as a 911 dispatcher. I’ve been married for 19 years. I have two boys, Andrew, 8, and Joseph, 4.

How a story grows organically

Count Anton Varga is the handsome, yet moody hero in my latest release, “The Count’s Lair,” a paranormal romance set in Budapest, Hungary during Christmas in 1901. Lady Amelia Andrassy is the beautiful, yet melancholy heroine. Their story came to me naturally, an outgrowth of the events that occurred in Book 1 of the series, “The Hungarian.”

In “The Hungarian,” I always intended Anton to be a redeemable foil for Matthias. He comes close to crossing the line, but thankfully, doesn’t. There’s a touch of humanity underneath his feral nature.

Amelia is Kate’s good friend in “The Hungarian.” In Book 1, Anton and Amelia meet in the middle of the story, but it’s not until the spark that passes between them in the Duma’s bookstore toward the end of the novel, does Anton and Amelia realize their attraction.

Anton decides he wants to court Amelia, but he needs to sort out his emotions and tame the best. Amelia also has issues to deal with. When “The Hungarian” ends, neither Anton nor Amelia are ready for romance.

“In Moonlight Sonata,” a free prequel to “The Count’s Lair,” Anton and Amelia become friends. Anton goes outside of his comfort zone to offer Amelia the support she needs to get through the bitterness of her husband’s death. Amelia expresses her pain and regrets through playing Beethoven’s “Sonata Pathetique.” At the end of the prequel, she thinks of Anton and dares to play the “Moonlight Sonata.”

“The Count’s Lair” opens after Anton and Amelia have spent two months apart. Have their heart’s healed enough to let love bloom?

Enjoy this excerpt:

A hesitant smile crossed her lips, as she wrapped her arms around herself, her gown hardly warming her. “Aren’t you cold?” she asked.
He frowned. No, thanks to the moon, he was as hot as an oven.
“I’m sorry.” Quickly, he took off his tuxedo’s jacket and walked behind her, draping it over her shoulders. He stayed close to her, hoping his body’s unnatural warmth would help her. She smiled her thanks. Curious, he stepped out from behind her, but stayed close by her side. She turned to look at him.
He flashed her a gentle smile. “Why did you ask if I was Catholic?”
She cocked an eyebrow. “Well, it is Christmas time.”
“It is.”
“I just wanted to know how you celebrate the holidays.”
He pursed his lips. “I normally don’t celebrate.”
“You don’t get a tree? Put up garland?”
“No.”
“Why not?”
“My mother died young. My father and brother weren’t religious,” he replied.
Her eyes softened. “Your father didn’t give gifts? Sing carols?”
“My father wasn’t one to sing carols or give gifts.”
She stepped into his personal space and cupped his cheek. “I’m sorry.”
“Don’t be. It’s the way I was raised.”
“I have pleasant memories of Christmas.”
“Share them with me,” he said.
She flashed him a tender smile. “Well, my mother was musical. She played piano and sang. My sister likes to sing. My father would take us out into the woods, and we’d pick our tree. He’d cut it down, and we’d bring it home. We all decorated it with glass ornaments, garland, and popcorn. My mother would take us caroling with her church choir. We’d even bake special foods for the holiday.”
“What? Yorkshire pudding and rib roast?”
“How did you know?”
He chuckled. “You grew up in England, if I remember correctly.”
“I did grow up in England.”
“Near London, right? Ester?”
“It’s Esher — just outside of London.”
Again, he chuckled. “I’m sorry. I know you told me–”
“Before you left.”
“Yes, before I left.”
She stepped away from him, as if forcing distance between them for not remembering. He grabbed her wrist. “I’m sorry.”
“Don’t be,” she said quietly.
“Perhaps you can help me to enjoy the Christmas season,” he suggested. “Let me take you to the Kris Kringle Market in Budapest.”
Her eyes danced with delight at the suggestion. “I’d like that. When?”
He frowned. “A week from now.”

YOU TUBE BOOK TRAILER:

The Count’s Lair is avail as ebook for Kindle, B&N Nook, Sony Ereader, and Kobo. You can also download a copy from the Publisher’s Website at:

http://stores.desertbreezepublishing.com/-strse-142/Stephanie-Burkhart-Budapest-Moon/Detail.bok

You can find me on the web at:

BLOG:

http://sgcardin.blogspot.com

WEBSITE:

http://sgcardin.tripod.com

FACEBOOK:

http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=1357922219

Goodie Time: Leave me a comment and I’ll be back to pick a winner who will receive a print copy of my sweet military romantic adventure, “Destination: Berlin.”

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Hey Mr. Postman, Look at Me!

The mail has long been a topic of fascination in American cultural history. We all remember the stories from history class about Ben Franklin and his idea of the Postal Service, and the tales of the Pony Express, galloping from one coast all across the country to the other to deliver important documents, revised maps of the territories and of course, love letters.

How many songs and movies refer to the mail, Mr. Postman or delivering the letters? Lots! Did you, or someone you know have a stamp collection? Did you ever play Post Office? Do you eagerly await the next arrival in the mail of the newest catalogue from your favorite retailer?

It seems like the mail permeates such a great portion of our lives, and even though we have seen the advent of the electronic process of delivery known as e-mail, the post office, snail mail and all its relations by extension play an enormous role in our personal and business lives.

Rhode Island, the smallest state, has a particularly large distinction as far as the mail is concerned. It is the location of the world’s First Automated Post Office, which opened on October 20, 1960.

For our family in particular, the Post Office holds great sentimental value. My father was Personnel Director at the Main Post Office in Providence Rhode Island until his retirement. One of the highlights of his career was the opening of the new Automated Main Post Office. Also known as the “Turnkey” Post Office, mail was sorted and dispatched quickly from this central location throughout the state.

Prior to the opening of the Turnkey facility, my father actually worked at the downtown location for many years. It was there, starting as a mail sorter and handler, that he endured the teasing of his colleagues when my mother, his then-girlfriend, would stop by before she began her nurse’s shift at Rhode Island Hospital.

He worked there until the Army sent him to help run the Postal Service in Algeria during World War II. (Of course, he married my mother before he went overseas.) And upon his return from the war in 1945 he went back to work at the downtown location.

In fact, their story was the inspiration for my Desert Breeze Book, “Spotlight on Love.”

By the 1950′s, so many things were changing in the United States, and the dramatic increase in the amount of mail being sent was one of them. The hand-stamping and hand-sorting methods previously used were too time-consuming for the volume of mail being handled. In 1958, The Postmaster General gave the go-ahead for construction of an Automated Post Office, located in Providence. It would become the prototype for turnkey automated postal facilities throughout the country.

The Post Office was designed with the most up-to-date electronic and mechanical systems available in the late ’50s-early 60s. The ultimate objective was to move more than one-million pieces of mail automatically per day with unprecedented speed and efficiency.

A Control Tower reaching 25 feet in height, similar to a forest ranger’s outlook tower, served as the central command post of what my father referred to as “the floor”. This was the main area with conveyor belts carrying the mail throughout its journey into and out of the new building. On the way, the mail would be sorted, stamped and routed via the building’s culling, canceling and sorting machines.

It is a vivid memory, recalling my very first visit to “the floor”. The cavernous space was gleaming with fluorescent light, no daylight, and the ceilings stretched up as high as my eyes could see. Most memorable, though, was the commotion from the clackety-clacking conveyor belts, racing frantically against time.

What a treat, on subsequent visits after touring “the floor,” to take the elevator up three floors and visit my father’s office. I’d run across the carpet and perch on the leather sofa in front of the floor-to-ceiling vertical blinds.

“Ready?” my father would ask.

“Now!” I’d shriek, and he’d comply, pulling the string to open the blinds and reveal a wall of windows overlooking “the floor”.

As far as the eye could see, and three stories down, I would see a Santa’s workshop of mail mania. But this view was soundless, unlike the ruckus on “the floor”.

The Post Office was really a social center. April 15^th was a key date for the Post Office, with tax filers rushing into the lobby with their last-minute tax returns. The Postmaster at the time would make the lobby a party floor, with ice cream, bands and even the Philharmonic playing music to file by until midnight for the customers. This lasted up until last year, when the Internet cut back on the numbers of people filing paper returns.

So many big memories from Little Rhody and our Automated Post Office on Corliss Street! Remember that date, October 20, 1960? The day of the Grand Opening? With new crews, government dignitaries and civic leaders? It was also, by some grandly-unplanned but incredibly romantic ‘correspondence’, my parents 18^th wedding anniversary.

And that, as they say, is a story that is “sealed with a kiss”! Do you have a special memory about the mail?

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