Thursday, February 28, 2019

Book Spotlight & #Giveaway ~ Forever My Hero (Blessings, Georgia Novel) by Sharon Sala @SharonSala1 @SourcebooksCasa


Sharon Sala is a consummate storyteller.”—DEBBIE MACOMBER, #1 NYT Bestselling Author for A Piece of My Heart

About the Book:


Every storm they’ve weathered…has led them to each other

Dan Amos lost his wife and son years ago, when they inadvertently got in the way of a death threat meant for him. He’s never had eyes for anyone since, and he doesn’t want to. But fellow Blessings resident Alice Conroy sparks something inside him…

Newly widowed, Alice was disillusioned by marriage and isn’t looking to fall in love anytime soon. Then a tropical storm blazes a path straight for the Georgia coast, and as the town prepares for the worst, Dan opens his heart and his home. The tempest is raging, but Alice and Dan are learning to find shelter…in each other.

Read an Excerpt: 

School was officially out for the day, and parents were standing outside their cars, making sure they were in plain sight today so that their children would not be afraid. 

Dan was on his way back to his truck when Alice got out. She waved at him, then stood out on the sidewalk so Patty could see her. She would be looking for their car, not Dan Amos’s truck. 

Dan jogged over to where she was standing and tossed his crowbar into the truck bed. 

“You were amazing,” Alice said. “I was afraid you would get hurt, too.” 

He grinned. “It appears I haven’t lost my roping skills.” 

Alice’s eyes widened. “I thought you were a lawyer before you came here.” 

“I was once, but I grew up on a ranch in Texas. My parents still live on it, but both of my brothers run it now. When we were kids, we all worked the ranch,” he said. 

“So I guess you ride horses, too?” she said. 

Grinning, Dan pointed to his boots and belt buckle. “Yes, ma’am. This stuff’s not for show.” 

Alice laughed and then heard the bell ring and turned toward the school. Within moments, kids began emerging through the front doors. “Here they come,” she said. 

Dan was still trying to get past how her laugh made him feel when the children began coming outside. To his surprise, there was actually a kind of order to their exit. Teachers walked with part of the students toward buses, while other teachers walked with the in-­town riders. He was wondering who would be driving the injured driver’s bus when he saw a man come jogging out behind some of the kids and head that way. 

“That’s the PE coach. I’ll bet he’s going to be the substitute driver,” Alice said, and then pointed. “There’s Patty! Oh…she doesn’t see my car.” 

“We’ll fix that,” Dan said, and once again, he picked Alice up by the waist and swung her up and into the truck bed. Now she was heads above everyone. “Wave! She’ll see you,” Dan said. 

Alice’s heart was hammering as she turned and waved, and then kept on waving until suddenly Patty saw her, smiled, and waved back. 

“She saw you, right?” Dan asked. 

“Yes, she did! Thank you so much.” 

“Ready to get down?” he asked. 

She nodded. 

This time, he let the tailgate down and then held out his arms. She sat down on the tailgate, then he lifted her off and set her on her feet. 

“We should have driven my car. Then you wouldn’t have to be helping me up and helping me down,” she said. 

“What’s the fun in that?” he asked, grinning as he set her back into his front seat. 

She was a bit taken aback by the teasing, then laughed. Moments later, they began moving up in line along with everyone else. Within a couple of minutes, they were at the loading zone. Dan jumped out and opened the back door of his truck. 

“One more Conroy girl to load up, and then we’re good to go,” he said as Patty came running. 

As soon as she was buckled in the back seat, she started talking. 

“Mama, a girl named Shirley threw up on teacher’s shoes at lunch. I got a happy face on my workbook page and skinned my knee at recess! Did you know there were mean dogs at our school? Will they come back? I might be a’scairt tomorrow.” 

Dan was grinning. “Does she ever stop to take a breath?” 

“Rarely,” Alice said, then turned around to look at Patty. “Good for you for getting a happy face. That makes Mama’s face happy, too. We did know about the dogs. Mr. Amos saw the dogs and ran to help the bus driver. He stopped the dogs, and the police came and took them away. You don’t have to be scared about anything, okay?” 

“Okay, Mama. Thank you, Mr. Amos.” 

“You’re welcome, Patty.” Then he glanced at Alice. “Do you need anything before I take you home?” 

“No, thank you. We have all we need,” she said. 

“Okay then,” he said, and turned left at the stop sign by the school. 

“Mama, is Charlie gonna have to walk home by himself? Won’t he be a’scairt, too?” 

Alice shook her head. “Charlie walks home every day, and no, he won’t be scared. Charlie is a big boy, remember?” 

Patty nodded. 

Dan smiled as he drove, enjoying the little girl’s chatter and Alice’s calm demeanor. He was actually disappointed when he reached their house and pulled up into the driveway. 

“Well, ladies, you’re home. Alice, if you will bear with me one more time, I’ll help you two out and see you to the door like the gentleman my mama raised me to be.” 

He circled the truck, helped Alice down first, and then Patty. Once Patty’s feet touched the ground, she was running toward the house and already on the porch, airing her cheerleader skills by running from one end of the porch to the other, cheering as she went. 

Dan laughed out loud at the surprised expression on Alice’s face. 

Alice sighed. “Don’t encourage her.” 

“Is that even possible?” he asked, as he helped her up the steps. “House key?” 

She handed it to him. “It’s the one with the pink nail polish on it, remember?” 

“Got it,” he said, unlocked the front door, and then stood back out of the way as Patty danced through the doorway and into the house. Dan was still grinning as he dropped the key ring into Alice’s palm. “It has been a pleasure to spend this time with you and your mini me, Ms. Alice. Maybe we could do this again sometime when there’s nothing else calling your attention.” 

Alice was so shocked by the invitation that she forgot to answer. 

Dan hesitated. That wasn’t the response he was hoping for. “Uh…so, is that a silent yes, or a silent no?” 

She blinked. “Oh. I’m sorry. Uh…it’s a yes, and thank you?” 

His heart skipped a beat. Here he was, wanting to kiss her again. He settled for a touch on her forearm. “Take care of that hand,” he said, and left before he made a bigger fool of himself or she changed her mind. 

He was on his way home before the shock of what he’d done finally hit. “I cannot believe I asked her on a date.” He drove a whole block farther. “I can’t believe she said yes,” he added. He got home and all the way inside his house with one last question yet unasked. Was tomorrow too soon?


Meet the Author:

SHARON SALA has over one hundred books in print and has published in five different genres. She is an eight-time RITA finalist, five-time Career Achievement winner from RT Book Reviews, and five-time winner of the National Reader’s Choice Award. Writing changed her life, her world, and her fate. She lives in Norman, Oklahoma. Visit her on the web at sharonsala.net.


Enter the Giveaway:


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Stars: Alison Sweeney and Benjamin Ayres

About the Movie:

The latest edition of Alex McPherson’s true crime podcast leads her and the Chronicle staff to nearby Macklin, where they investigate a death ruled as an accident by the local police. Before Alex can get to the bottom of what she feels was a murder, another member of the family is felled by a bullet. She and her colleagues soon amass a formidable roster of suspects, all of whom had the motive and opportunity to commit the crimes.

Chronicle Mysteries: Vines That Bind is part of Hallmark Movies & Mysteries programming.

Find more information about the movie and other programming:

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Wednesday, February 27, 2019

Book Spotlight & #Giveaway ~ Hot For A Cowboy (Smokin' Hot Cowboys, Book 4) by Kim Redford ~ @kim_redford ~ @sourcebookscasa


Hot For A Cowboy 
Smokin' Hot Cowboys, Book 4
by Kim Redford 

Publication date: 2/26/19

About the Book:

Two flames burn way hotter than one...

Eden Rafferty has lost it all: big time career, high-profile marriage, and just about everything she owns. Coming back to Wildcat Bluff with her tail between her legs, the only person who can help her heal is cowboy firefighter Shane Taggart. But nothing is simple, and their high-octane past is just the beginning of their current problems… 

Read an Excerpt:


Shane didn’t dare touch Eden. He hardly dared speak. Everything that meant anything to him hung on his next few words. He was better with animals than he was with people. Still, he’d do his best. He knelt in front of her and drew her hands away from her face. “Look at me, Eden.”

“No.” She shook her head, causing her hair to fly out then back down. “I want to go home.”

“You are home. The Rocky T has always been your home.”

“No. It’s your home.”

“You’re wrong.”

She finally glanced up at him, but only to give him a baleful glare.

“It’s our home.”

“The lease—”

“I told you I’d renew it.” He abruptly stood up. “But that won’t do now, will it?”

“You can’t imagine how badly I wanted to get home, where nobody could take away what was mine and where I could feel secure again.”

“So you wouldn’t be vulnerable to the likes of Tanner.”

“I guess I’ve been running so hard since I got here, trying so hard to get back what I’d lost, that I didn’t stop to think about the reality of my situation. Maybe I should thank Graham for making me see the light of day.”

Shane felt sick at heart. He was losing her before his very eyes. And he didn’t know how to stop his loss or her pain.

She glanced around the room. “I adore this room, this house. It’s been a wonderful visit to happier days. Thank you.”

If he didn’t do something drastic, she was going to leave and she wouldn’t be coming back. She’d talk herself not only out of his life but out of Wildcat Bluff, too. He couldn’t let her do it. He knew her heart. He’d always known it. He’d just grown up too much to remember—or maybe, when she’d left, it’d been too painful to hang on to all the details of that night up on Lovers Leap.

“It’s not just a visit. You’ve come to stay.”

“I told you—”

“Do you remember the last thing you promised me on Lovers Leap?”

She abruptly stood up, eyes wide in wonder.

“Do you remember your promise?”

She turned away, paced across the room, and stood with her back to him.

“I waited.” He walked closer to her.

“We were young. We didn’t mean—”

“I promised I’d wait.”

“That’s why you didn’t marry?” She whirled around, searching every feature of his face with her wide blue eyes.

“I’ve had your ring for years.”

“My ring?”

“You showed me one you liked in a magazine.”

She put a hand over her mouth, blinking back tears.

He didn’t let her emotions stop or slow him. He had to be ruthless—for both of them. “We could go to Vegas, but I bet Wildcat Bluff would like to see a big, fancy wedding. Summer ought to be about right.”

“Wedding?” She stepped back, keeping her hand over her mouth as if to retain words or emotions.

“That’s what you promised me.”

“When I got back?”

“You told me you loved me and you’d be back to marry me.”

“I’m not comfortable with the L word or marriage anymore.”

“I love you. I’ve always loved you. I will always love you.” He reached up and gently brushed a tear from her cheek. “I know you love me, too.”

She closed her eyes, bowed her head, and then looked back at him. “I tried not to love you. It hurt too much being separated from you. I figured you’d moved on with life. I’ve tried not to love you since I got back.”

“Didn’t work, did it?” He felt a small frisson of hope, but he knew he wasn’t out of the woods yet.

“No.” She straightened her shoulders and stood taller. “But it doesn’t matter.”

“How can it not matter?” He felt his hope plummet again.

“If I married you, we’d both always wonder if I did it just so I’d have a home on the Rocky T, someplace where I’d feel safe and secure, someplace where I could build KWCB without worrying about losing it.”

“Stop right there. We’ve always loved each other. Marriage has nothing to do with what happened to you in LA. Once you get back on your feet, you won’t feel vulnerable anymore.”

She reached up and stroked his face with tears streaming down her cheeks. “I love you, but I’m leaving you.”

He simply pulled her against his chest, cradling her like he’d done when they were young and she’d stubbed her toe or fallen out of a tree. If she was hurting, he was hurting. Right now, they were both hurting.

She eased back from him and brushed her tears away. “I need to go home.”

“You can’t go back to Clem’s place. It’s not safe.”

“But I want—”

“You know it’s not safe.” He put his arm around her shoulders and tugged her against him. “You’ll stay here and get a good night’s sleep. Everything will look better after you’re rested in the morning.”

“I guess you’re right. It’s not safe. But I’ll sleep here in my room.”

“That bed’s too small for me.”

“I’ll sleep alone.”

“We’ll sleep in my room.” He guided her in that direction. “If I can’t watch over you to make sure you’re safe, I won’t sleep a wink.”

She gave a little huff, frowning. “But I’m not sure—”

“And if we both can’t get to sleep, we can make wedding plans,” he said with a chuckle to ease the tension, but he meant every word of it.

Visit the Author:

www.kimredford.com

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Tuesday, February 26, 2019

Spend a Morning with Dane Madden, The Hero of TUMBLE (Dogwood Lane, Book 1) by Author Adriana Locke & Enter the #Giveaway ~ @AuthorALocke


Please welcome Dane Madden, star of Tumble by Adrian Locke to the blog today!!

I looked in the mirror this morning to shave. As I lifted the razor to my cheek, I saw a little scar that sits just to the side of my right eye. It’s not something most people would ever notice. Hell, I don’t notice it every day. But the light caught it just right and suddenly it was all I could see.

I’m Dane Madden, the carpenter, not Dane Madden the philosopher, so why I stood there for a good five minutes remembering the night I got that scar is beyond me. But I did. I thought about how the barbed wire caught my skin and ripped the flesh and how Neely Kimber’s face filled with so much concern I was kind of glad I was bleeding. 

She and I were inseparable back then. From the moment she opened the door and our eyes locked, there was a bond between us that grew stronger. We went from finding ways to bump into each other, to hanging out with a group of friends, to dating in the sincerest way. She wasn’t just a girl. Neely wasn’t a pretty face I wanted on my arm, or in my bed as things evolved, like many of the guys I knew back then labeled their girlfriends. She was more than that to me—my best friend. My confidant when things with Dad went sour. My trusty right hand that bailed my ass out of more trouble than I was worth. 

The night my eye was cut, she remembered to go back and get my hat so it wouldn’t be found the next day. Had she not done picked up the evidence, the farmer whose cows my friends and I had been trying to tip (terrible idea, if you’re wondering) would’ve been able to track the mess in his field to me and my friends. Dogwood Lane is a small town. Word gets around easy enough without trying. Then there was the night my brother Matt, our friend Penn, and I went corning around Halloween. That’s another terrible idea, if you’re wondering, and involves throwing shucked corn at cars passing by. Let’s just say a certain driver in an oversized pick-up truck didn’t appreciate the sentiment. After being chased on foot to the outskirts of town, we had to hide in a chicken coop until Neely could come get us. 

Despite my antics, she was there. She might’ve laughed at me or pointed out how stupid we were, but she took my worst right along with my best. 

Our lives were entwined by shenanigans, stories, and so much love. Damn, I loved her. I didn’t know where she stopped and I started. I didn’t want to know. She was the best thing in my life. She made me better. And that was the ruination of us because I couldn’t bear to think I would make her life worse. 

Seeing her again after all these years lit a fire inside me that I didn’t think was possible. I haven’t felt this burn since the day I walked off her porch having broken her heart. I want to talk to her, touch her, hold her and I can’t do any of it. Even though so much of our lives were built together, our memories from the easiest time of our lives shared, we aren’t those people anymore. 

And it’s all my fault.

***


Read an Excerpt from Tumble:

Splat!

The sound of the hammer crushing my thumb—swung with more force than was necessary, to boot—ricochets across the front lawn. The tool falls from my hand, striking against the sawhorse, and flips into the soft grass with a gentle thud.

“Son of a...!” My hand shakes, the top of my thumb threatening to explode. I tilt my head to the sky and try to find some peace in the clouds.

I come up empty. “Matt!” I call to my younger brother. “I’m taking ten.”

He nods from halfway up the ladder leaned against the side of the house.

Wrapping my good hand around my thumb, I head toward my truck. Sounds of construction ring out behind me. It’s usually music to my ears, the lifeblood of the Madden name. But each cut of a sawblade, buzz of a power drill, and swing of a hammer feels like a distraction this morning. I have a throbbing thumb to show for it.

Beads of sweat cluster along my forehead. I remove my hat with my good hand and run the back of my forearm along my brow.

“Damn it.” Everything feels sticky. Mildly irritating. And the progress on the project that usually energizes me has failed me epically this morning. I just don’t want to be here. Not that I have a better place to be. Quite frankly, I have a lot of places I shouldn’t be, and with Neely, or thinking about Neely, is one of them.

I would’ve recognized her anywhere. Same gray eyes that glimmer like she’s about to tell you a secret. Full lips that spread into a smile so infectious you can’t help but feel your own mouth following suit. The hint of floral perfume, the golden hair that may as well be silk, and the aura about her that’s just as strong as the day she left Dogwood Lane and me—it’s all the same. It’s like time forgot to age her. She somehow has become more beautiful, sexier, stronger.

The world hates me. I’ve postulated this for a long time, but it’s obvious today.

The tailgate of my truck lowers. Scooping a handful of ice from the cooler in the bed into a bandanna, I wrap it around my injured digit. The relief lasts only a few moments.

“What are you doing down here?” Penn rests his forearms over the side of the truck, the tattoos carved in his skin like mini masterpieces on full display. He eyes my makeshift bandage. “What happened to you?”

“Hammer,” I groan, adjusting the ice.

“That’s interesting.”

“How you figure?”

“Never knew you to hit yourself with a hammer before. I find that interesting.”

“If that’s interesting, you need a hobby. Or you could work like I’m paying you to do . . .”

“I have a hobby, thank you, and you should’ve seen her last night,” he says, smacking his lips together. “Lord Almighty, she’s a—”

“Penn.”

“Yeah?”

The tip of my finger sticks out of the bandanna. It’s bright red and hot to the touch despite the ice packed around it. “All your escapades really sound the same at this point.”

“Is that jealousy I hear?” He cups his hand to his ear. “I thought so. Not my fault you’re in a dry spell.”

Leaning against the truck, I look at him. “Jealousy isn’t how I’d describe it. But if that makes ya feel good, go for it.”

“My hobby makes me feel good.” He moves his lips around, like he’s fighting the next words trying to pop out. He does this when he knows he shouldn’t say something but can’t quite convince himself not to. “From the looks of you, I’d say you’re more than jealous. I’d say you’re . . . tempted.”

My tongue presses on the roof of my mouth. “Tempted to what?”

He leans against the truck, too, the gold St. Christopher’s medal he’s worn since elementary school clamoring against the side. The corners of his lips nearly touch the corners of his eyes. He knows.

“Word travels fast, huh?” I say, prodding around to see if my guess is right.

He slow blinks. Twice.

“What?” I ask.

“That’s all you have to say about Neely being back in town? ‘Word travels fast.’ What’s wrong with you?”

We don’t have time for that conversation.

I sigh. “What do you want me to say?”

“I’d love to have been a fly on the wall for that little run-in.” Penn snickers. “Did you stutter around like I imagine? Or did you not manage to say an entire sentence?”

Working my jaw back and forth, I point a finger his way. “You better stop while you’re ahead.”

He reads me correctly, and his animation drops a notch. “Really, though. How’d it go? But before you answer that, let me toss out there that I heard sparks were flying all over the diner so hot Claire had to call the fire department.”

I shake my head. “Shut up.”

“Just telling you what I heard.”

“The firemen were there to order food, you idiot.”

He thinks he’s onto something. There’s a glee in his face that means only one thing: it’s going to be a long day around here.

“So, what happened?” he asks, resting his arms over the truck bed.

“You know, sometimes I think you should’ve been a girl with all the gossiping you do.”

“This isn’t gossip,” he contends. “This is Neely-freaking-Kimber, man. Every memory I have of my entire adolescence has her in it. She bailed me out of jail when I was too scared to call my dad and you and Matt were passed out on moonshine. Remember that?”

My chuckle is so hard, it causes my thumb to throb. “I forgot about that. She was pissed.”

“Neely came through, though. God, I miss her.”

Those last words echo through my mind.

I have shoved her out of my head for the last few years. Took over Dad’s business, took care of my business. Trudged forward without her because that was the only choice I had. I hardly even think about her anymore unless someone brings her up in conversation.

So why do I itch to crawl into the truck and hunt her down? 

Amazon 

***

Book Details:

Title: Tumble
Series: Dogwood Lane, Book 1
Author: Adriana Locke
Release Date: February 26, 2019
Publisher: Montlake Romance

About the Book:

After being burned by her dream job in New York City, sports journalist Neely Kimber suddenly finds herself jobless and paying a long-overdue visit to her hometown in Tennessee. Her plan? Relax, reset, and head back up the corporate ladder. There’s just one unexpected step. Neely’s back in Dogwood Lane for barely a day when she sees the man she ran from nine years ago: the bad boy next door who was her first kiss, her first love, and her first heartbreak.

Devoted single dad Dane Madden knows he hurt Neely in the worst way. He’s got a lot to make up for. And as passionate as their reconnection is, it’s a lot to hope for. Having her back in his arms feels so right. But falling in love all over again with a woman who wants to live a world away is bound to go so wrong.

What’s it going to take for Neely to give him—and Dogwood Lane—just one more chance?

Meet the Author:



USA Today bestselling author Adriana Locke lives and breathes books. After years of slightly obsessive relationships with the flawed bad boys dreamed up by other authors, she decided to create her own. She is the author of Tumble, the first novel in her Dogwood Lane series; the Exception series; the Gibson Brothers series; and the Landry Family series.

She resides in the Midwest with her husband, her sons, two dogs, two cats, and a bird. She spends a large amount of time playing with her kids, drinking coffee, and cooking. You can find her outside if the weather’s nice, and there’s always a piece of candy in her pocket. Besides cinnamon gummy bears, boxing, and random quotes, her next favorite thing is chatting with readers. She’d love to hear from you! Look for her at www.adrianalocke.com.

Enter the Giveaway:

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Saturday, February 23, 2019

The Writing Process by Dan Jolley, Author of The Storm ~ @_DanJolley ~ Suspense Thriller


Discover a great new suspense thriller in Dan Jolley’s The Storm Blog Tour, 
taking place February 18-25!



Please welcome Dan to the blog today!

I get asked about the writing process, and about the best advice I can give to writers, on a semi-regular basis. I’ve basically boiled it down to four rules. (I can, and will, go on at unreasonably great lengths about each of these three if prompted, but for now here’s the bare bones.)

RULE #1: Never go back and read what you’ve written until you’ve finished an entire draft.

RULE #2: Give yourself permission to write a terrible first draft. First drafts are supposed to be terrible. It’s not a big deal. You can fix it once it’s done.

RULE #3: If you’re writing any kind of serialized work – a comic book series, a novel series, a webcomic, anything that keeps going – recognize that your characters are more important than your plot.

RULE #4: Get a good editor. Every writer needs an editor. No exceptions.

Expanding on Rule #3, one of the things I encourage aspiring writers to do, either purely as an exercise or by way of creating characters they’ll use in a story, is to base a fictional character on someone they know in their real life.

I’m not talking about just taking inspiration from someone you know, or using a couple of features of their personality. I’m talking about launching into a serious, meticulous study of this person, analyzing their personality, their speech patterns, their likes and dislikes, the way they walk – everything. It’s a little bit like an art student recreating a painting by one of the masters. If you can re-create someone you know on the page, convincingly enough that someone else who knows that person can recognize them by what you’ve written, then you’ve succeeded in the exercise.

I advocate for this because it gets you in the habit of considering every aspect of a character. It’ll help you avoid the pitfall of coming up with a protagonist whose single defining characteristic is, for example, “angry.” Instead, you’ll think about your original characters, ideally, with as much depth and nuance as you used to mimic the person you know.

In my new novel, The Storm, I’ve done quite a bit this. The story is set in a tiny, fictional northwest Georgia town directly inspired by the tiny, real northwest Georgia town where I grew up, and I’ve populated it with characters familiar and recognizable (sometimes uncomfortably so) to other residents of the area.

One of the aspects of the book that this approach informed was the relationship between the main character, Sheriff Zandra Seagraves, and her older brother Perry. Now, I don’t know anyone who’s exactly like either Zandra or Perry, but the dynamic between them came pretty naturally, because I took it straight from the relationship I have with my older brother Clint.

Perry is eleven years older than Zandra. Clint is eleven years older than I am. What that meant was that when I started second grade, Clint started his first year at Georgia Tech. He was a larger-than-life figure to me when I was a kid, and I’ll readily admit that I basically worshipped him as a hero. Everything Clint was into, I was into, in a big way (except for math – he’s an engineer, and I’m, uh, very much not).

Clint read science-fiction and fantasy novels, so from the time I could read, I tore through all the Larry Niven and Robert E. Howard I could get my hands on. (Not to mention Fritz Leiber and Poul Anderson and Ursula K. Le Guin and Harry Harrison and… I should stop, or this post will just turn into library listings.)

Every time Clint came home from college, he’d bring me a big Xerox paper box filled with comic books. We were not collectors; these comics were just thrown into the box loose, bent and curled and squished. But I read each and every one hundreds upon hundreds of times, and fell in love with Iron Man and Batman and Wonder Woman and Spider-Man.

Clint discovered Dungeons & Dragons in college. He would be the first to tell you that it became a bit more of a distraction from his studies than he wanted, so eventually he brought all his D&D stuff home and left it with me. And I ended up basically memorizing the Monster Manual and the Fiend Folio and everything else I got.

Clint was the living embodiment of awesome to little grade-school me. I wanted to be him when I grew up, except of course that I had already figured out I couldn’t do math, so engineering was out. (I made the decision to become a professional writer at age 13, though, and haven’t looked back.)

But then, as I got up into high school, a funny thing happened. I started to get to know my older brother as a person. Not as my hero. Not as this demi-god who could do no wrong. But as Clint, a guy with a degree from Georgia Tech. Who got married at twenty-two. Who became an Industrial Engineer. As it turned out, he was not a demi-god. I discovered that he was a flesh-and-blood person who could make mistakes just as well as I could.

But as I went through college myself, graduated, and eventually became the guy-wondering-when-everyone-else-will-notice-that-he’s-just-pretending-to-be-a-grown-up you see before you today, a miraculous sort of thing happened. My brother, the former hero, former demi-god, became my friend.

A bit about my personality: I am introverted like you wouldn’t believe. (I know, I know — an introverted writer? The hell you say!) Part of that means that I’ve only ever had two or three close friends at a time. In fact, my brain has basically developed what I think of as “friend slots,” like the places on a motherboard where you can plug in extra memory cards. My brain’s friend slots are finite and low in number.

But now Clint occupies one of them. We can talk like equals. We can commiserate on the day-to-day minutiae of just living life. We can go to each other for advice.

In the last six months, our father has fallen terribly ill, and that’s a subject for a whole other post at some point. But Clint has been coming to visit from his home in South Carolina much more frequently, and he always stays with my wife and me, and that’s strengthened our friendship even more.

And it’s that friendship that I lifted directly from my own life and plugged into The Storm. No, Zandra isn’t all that much like me, and no, Perry isn’t really similar to Clint. But their relationship — the ease of it, the banter, the deep-seated mutual respect — came naturally to me, because I’ve been cultivating it with my own brother for the last several decades.

So, for a glimpse into a friendship that I value incredibly highly — set in a tense mystery-thriller that shines a light on some truly vile aspects of human nature in other characters — I invite you to check out The Storm.

Dan Jolley



An intense tale that explores murder, mystery, and race relations in a rural area of modern day Georgia, The Storm delivers a captivating reading experience!

About The Storm:

RED SPRINGS.

A tiny town in Georgia’s northwest corner — ninety-five percent white. Five percent black. Utterly unprepared for the devastating tornado that rips and smashes through it one dark August day.

SHERIFF ZANDRA SEAGRAVES already faced an uphill battle. Elected by a fluke, Red Springs’ first-ever black, female sheriff leads the recovery efforts, despite knowing how much the townspeople–and her own department–loathe her. But Zandra has no idea just how hellish things are about to get.

Because one of the relief workers stumbles across a ghastly secret: the tornado tore a long-abandoned house off its foundations, revealing a grisly, recently-used torture dungeon below it.

A monster has been dwelling in Red Springs. Undetected for years. Preying on the unsuspecting populace. His atrocities only brought to light because of the storm.

Now, amid the tornado’s wreckage and surrounded by people who want her gone, Zandra has to hunt this monster down before he disappears again.

And to do it, she’ll have to peel back all of Red Springs’ dark, corrupted layers. One vile secret at a time.

Purchase Links:

Amazon

Barnes and Noble

Meet the Author:



About the author: Dan Jolley began writing professionally at age 19. Starting out in comic books, Dan has worked for major publishers such as DC (Firestorm), Marvel (Dr. Strange), Dark Horse (Aliens), and Image (G.I. Joe), and soon branched out into licensed-property novels (Star Trek), film novelizations (Iron Man), and original novels, including the Middle Grade Urban Fantasy series Five Elements and the Urban Sci-Fi Gray Widow Trilogy.

Dan began writing for video games in 2007, and has contributed storylines, characters, and dialogue to titles such as Transformers: War for Cybertron, Prototype 2, and Dying Light, among others. Dan lives with his wife Tracy and a handful of largely inert felines in northwest Georgia, and enjoys connecting with readers via his website (www.danjolley.com) and on Twitter (@_DanJolley).

Author Links:

Twitter: @_DanJolley

Website: www.danjolley.com

Tour Schedule and Activities:

2/20 The Sinister Scribblings of Sarah E. Glenn https://saraheglenn.blogspot.com/ Top Ten's List

2/21 Breakeven Books https://breakevenbooks.com Guest Post

2/21 I Smell Sheep http://www.ismellsheep.com/ VLOG

2/22 Horror Tree https://www.horrortree.com Guest Post

2/23 Sapphyria's Books https://saphsbooks.blogspot.com/ Guest Post

2/23 Sheila's Guests and Reviews http://sheiladeeth.blogspot.com Guest Post

2/24 The Book Lover's Boudoir https://thebookloversboudoir.wordpress.com/ Review

2/24 Books, Reviews, and More http://bookworm1977.simplesite.com/435597726 Interview

2/25 Jazzy Book Reviews https://bookreviewsbyjasmine.blogspot.com/ VLOG

2/26 MyLifeMyBooksMyEscape http://mylifemybooksmyescape.wordpress.com Interview

2/27 Honestly Austen https://honestlyausten.wordpress.com/ Review

2/27 Willow's Thoughts and Book Obsessions http://wssthoughtsandbookobsessions.blogspot.com/ Review

Thursday, February 21, 2019

Hallmark Movies & Mysteries "Chronicle Mysteries: The Wrong Man" Premiering this Sunday, Feb. 24th at 9pm/8c! #ChronicleMysteries #Sleuthers @HallmarkMovie


Stars: Alison Sweeney and Benjamin Ayres 

Podcaster Alex McPherson seeks the truth behind the tragic death of a young lawyer, while partner Drew finds himself diving into the shady mishaps of a shipping company. 

Chronicle Mysteries: The Wrong Man is part of Hallmark Movies & Mysteries programming.

Find more information about the movie and other programming:


Upcoming New Release: Bad Influence (Bad Bachelors, Book 3) by Stefanie London ~ Enter the #Giveaway ~ @SourcebooksCasa


Bad Influence 
Bad Bachelors, Book 3
Stefanie London 


Publication date: 2/26/19 

About the Book:

He’s the bad bachelor who inspired it all…

Annie Maxwell had her whole life figured out…until her fiancé left her when his career took off. If that wasn’t bad enough, every society blog posted pictures of him escorting a woman wearing her engagement ring. To help the women of New York avoid guys like her ex, Annie created the Bad Bachelors app. But try as she might, Annie just can’t forget him…

For bank executive Joe Preston, his greatest mistake was leaving the love of his life when she needed him most. Now, all he wants is to make things right—and she won’t have him. But when Annie’s safety is threatened by a hacker determined to bring down her app, Joe is the only one she can turn to. He’ll have to lay himself on the line to prove to Annie that he’s a changed man. But will their hard-won bond survive the revelation that Annie is the one pulling the strings behind Bad Bachelors?

Books in the Bad Bachelors Series:

Bad Bachelor (Book 1)

Bad Reputation (Book 2)

Bad Influence (Book 3) 

Read an Excerpt:

Connie snorted. “That sounds like her.”

“Ma! You’re supposed to be on my side.”

Her mother walked over and wrapped her arms around her, her head barely coming up to Annie’s chin. She smelled like lemon and sweet basil and perfume. Like always. It struck Annie, even now, that her mother’s shape was so permanently changed. She’d decided not to have reconstructive surgery after the double mastectomy—one to address the cancer and one as a preventive measure—having always hated her huge bust. But they’d never actually talked about it. And Annie hadn’t wanted to pressure her mother when she knew it was still a painful topic.

Her mother and Sal had always been determined to “protect” their kids from anything painful in life, including their health problems. At the time, they’d hid Connie’s diagnosis until it was decided she needed to have surgery. Had Annie known about her mother’s situation earlier, she might never have agreed to go to Singapore. Perhaps with that on the table from the get-go, things might have turned out differently between Annie and Joseph.

But it hadn’t, and knowing her parents were inclined to harbor such big secrets had made Annie jittery. And untrusting.

Wow, and the hypocrite of the year award goes to…?

“You know I love you, topolina. But you are a giant pain in the ass sometimes.” Connie’s loud laugh ricocheted off the worn linoleum and weathered walls.

“Charming,” Annie replied, extracting herself from her mother’s embrace and heading behind the breakfast bar to gather more dishes. “Let me know when we want to do dessert, and I’ll get some coffee going.”

“Soon. The girls have gone for a walk and the boys are in the garage.” She attempted to muscle her way into the kitchen to help, but both women waved her away.

Connie rested against the breakfast bar. Her once-chocolate-brown hair was now peppered with gray. The lines had deepened around her eyes, which still had a mischievous twinkle, and she wore her signature bright-pink lipstick.

To Annie, she would always be the most beautiful woman on the face of the earth. And the bravest.

“So,” Connie said. Annie’s ears pricked up at her tone. It was the I’ve heard something interesting tone. “When were you going to tell me Joseph is back in town?”

Darcy made a choking sound and Annie froze, her back to her mother as she dried one of the white ceramic platters. “Huh?”

“I ran into Zia Mariella at Costco, who said she’d had lunch with Anna-Maria from down the street, and she had spoken with Petra—Petra who’s married to Tony—whose grandson works for one of the banks, and he read an article saying Joseph is now the chief something-or-other.”

Annie blinked as her brain took the necessary time to catch up with her mother’s story. “Wait, which Petra?”

Connie ignored her question and narrowed her eyes. “Did you know?”

Darcy looked like she was about to back out of the kitchen, so Annie grabbed her wrist, shooting her a Don’t you dare leave me look. Crap. What was she supposed to do now? She never lied to her parents. Ever.

“Uhhh…”

“You did know.” Connie’s lips flattened into a line so thin that almost all of the pink lipstick disappeared. “How could you not tell me?”

“I didn’t think you’d want to know, to be honest.” Annie tucked her hair behind her ear. Shit. This was not a time for her tells. When it came to dealing with her mother’s warpath, the mantra needed to be: Show no weakness!

“Well, I do.” Connie planted her hands on her hips. “So now I can tell him to leave again. He’s not welcome in this city.”

Her mother would definitely freak the hell out if she knew he’d been in Annie’s apartment.

“Thanks, Mayor Mama. I’ll be sure to revoke his Connie visa.” She rolled her eyes.

Purchase Links:

Amazon: https://amzn.to/2TONgNf

B&N: http://bit.ly/2GidHIi

B&N eBook: http://bit.ly/2MXL837

Apple: https://apple.co/2Gz0aeD

Indiebound: http://bit.ly/2WJdJxI

BAM: http://bit.ly/2GieFUW

Visit the Author:


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Wednesday, February 20, 2019

How To Properly Create a Fake Relationship with the Heroine from THE (HALF) TRUTH by Author Leddy Harper ~ #Montlake #Romance @LeddyHarper #Giveaway


How To Properly Create a Fake Relationship with the Heroine from THE (HALF) TRUTH 

My name is Tatum Alexander, and I’m a liar. There…I’ve said it. Now, before you judge me, hear me out. While I understand this might sound preposterous (if it hadn’t happened to me, I wouldn’t believe it, either), trust me when I say it’s 100% true.

You see, what had happened was…my fiancé dumped me in the most epically humiliating way—while sitting at a table in a fancy restaurant, waiting for my friends and family to join us for my birthday dinner. But, he wasn’t just my fiancé (well, technically, my ex-fiancé), he was also the owner of the posh restaurant I worked at. And rather than quit my job after he dumped me, I stayed because it would’ve been career suicide to leave after I’d gotten so close to being a sous-chef (my dream job). The one thing I hadn’t expected was that a few months later, my ex-fiancé would hire his new girlfriend—who happens to work in the kitchen, one station away from me. Needless to say, I was unable to escape the embarrassment and devastation that surrounded my breakup…especially since the kitchen was full of nosy-bodies.

And since my ex has the heart of a corpse, he decided to schedule me and his new girlfriend to work side by side at the town’s annual foodie festival. She’s not a bad person—kind of sweet, really, aside from the whole dating my ex thing—so it wouldn’t have been that bad had she not spent the whole time discussing how “wonderful” her relationship was. Before I knew it, I was telling them all about the new guy I was dating. (I’ll let you in on a little secret…I wasn’t dating anyone. Didn’t really even know the guy, but that’s what I get for trying to sound like I wasn’t bothered by her stories of her “amazing” boyfriend.) I guess you can say that was the beginning of the train wreck. And boy, what a train wreck it was!

Looking back on it now, I can see where I went wrong. Then again, hindsight’s twenty-twenty. If I had to make a list of all the mistakes I made while forming this “half” truth of sorts (AKA my new boyfriend), I’d probably start with the boyfriend himself. You see…I had recently met my best friend’s older, extremely hot, sexy, and single cousin. And somehow, while describing my faux-beau, I ended up giving a very detailed description of said older, extremely hot, sexy, and single cousin of my best friend. The very next mistake happened about five seconds later when I was asked what his name was. Jay. Sounded simple enough. Except my bestie’s cousin’s name is Jason. Technically not the same name. But still, it would’ve been smarter to have gone with Ricardo…or Thor. Anything other than the first syllable of his real name. And the very next mistake happened five seconds after that…when I stupidly showed the girls his picture. It could be argued that that had been the biggest mistake of them all, considering the real Jason showed up to the very same foodie festival I was working. Although, with as well as I’d detailed his entire body, they could’ve very well picked him out of a crowd without a picture.

My story doesn’t end there, but I don’t want to bore you with the details of how my “lie” became somewhat of a “truth”…right after everyone I worked with witnessed him cheating on me (in his defense, he had no idea we were dating. In my defense, I had no idea he’d become interested in me after all my co-workers thought him to be a lying, cheating scumbag. But I digress.) All of that could’ve easily been avoided if I was a better liar, if I wasn’t such an awkward person—especially around a certain extremely hot, sexy, single guy—if I hadn’t kept it all from my best friend, or if that same best friend hadn’t “forbidden” me to see him in the first place. So all in all, it wasn’t entirely my fault.

But at least I now know what not to do when creating a fake relationship. So, if any of you find yourselves in a situation like I did (oh, who am I kidding? I’m literally the only person on the planet who could manage that) or in any situation where one might need an imaginary boyfriend, I have a few tips to keep in mind. One—never use a real person. Especially his name. It would be best if you take eleven or twelve different men and describe their physical traits as if they were one person. That way, the chances of anyone “finding” him will be slim to none. And if he is found…I’d say that’s as good as any sign I can think of that he’s your soul mate—which might behoove you to pick some pretty delicious-looking men, if you ask me. Two—and this one’s important, so pay very close attention…never, and I mean never show anyone a picture of this guy. If anyone asks why you don’t have any photos, make sure you have a realistic list of excuses. Such as: he’s camera shy; you lost all your pictures in the last software update on your phone; he’s a celebrity and doesn’t want to risk putting you in the public eye. Okay, that last one might be a bit too much. I never claimed to be a good liar. And three—which might very well be the most important tip I could ever give…do not, under any circumstances, fall in love with him (especially if you’ve made him up…because then you’d have a few additional problems to deal with rather than just getting caught in a lie).

Trust me…getting caught in what I call a “domino-effect” lie (once one falls apart, the entire thing comes crashing down) is not fun. So, if you’ve learned anything from me today, I hope that it’s the importance of a well-crafted lie. But in the event you get caught, always remember…it’s not a lie; it’s a “half” truth.


About the Book:

Tatum Alexander is so close to realizing her dream of becoming a sous chef she can taste it, but working at her ex-fiancé’s restaurant with his new girlfriend was never in her career plan. To save face and prove she’s moved on, Tatum cooks up a lie that she’s in a relationship with her best friend’s superhot cousin. There’s just one problem: Jason only recently moved to town, and he has no idea they’re already “dating.”

Jason’s a recovering ladies’ man who shouldn’t be on the menu, but that doesn’t mean he’s immune to Tatum’s quirky charm. Giving her lie a kernel of truth, they decide some no-strings-attached fun between the sheets can’t hurt. But as Tatum’s forced to keep making up stories to cover her original fib, she has a hard time separating what’s real and what’s fake—including her feelings for Jason.

With too many tales spun, Tatum can only watch in horror as her collection of yarns begins to unravel, leaving everyone she cares about feeling betrayed. After so many lies, will it be too late to set the record straight? And more importantly, will she be able to convince Jason there’s truth in their love?

Read an Excerpt from The (Half) Truth:

“You do know Michael used to be engaged to Tatum, right?”

“Yeah, he told me. But that was a while ago. Does it bother you, Tatum? You’ve never said anything about it.”

I thought about pointing out that six months wasn’t really a while ago, but I decided to let that go. And the idea of admitting how it felt to see him smile at her or whisper into her ear, let alone hear about all the things I didn’t have to witness, made me want to disappear. “Oh, no. I’m so over it. So, so over it.” And since stopping while I was ahead had never been my strong suit, I added, “In fact, I’ve been dating someone.”

“You have?” Both Rebecca and Amanda asked the same question at the same time, but while Rebecca’s voice was filled with excitement—which matched her bright eyes and ridiculous hand clap—Amanda’s was more cynical.

“Yup. And he’s amazing.”

“What’s his name?” Again with the doubtful tone from Amanda. She’d been part of my postbreakup support system, so I couldn’t exactly blame her for questioning my sudden confession. After everything Michael had put me through, this was something I definitely would’ve told her … had it been true.

“Uh … Jay. His name’s Jay.”

“Where’d you meet him?” This time, it was Rebecca asking, as if we were girlfriends sharing juicy gossip over mimosas at a spa.

I had no idea why I’d even started this. I should’ve known they’d jump all over it like rabid dogs on a T-bone. Yet I couldn’t back out now.

“We met at a barbecue.” Short and sweet, not many details I’d have to remember. Perfect.

“When?” Dammit, Amanda. She was no longer on my Christmas card list—not that I’d ever sent any out, but that didn’t mean I didn’t have a list in case one year I felt ambitious. And if that year ever came, this heifer wouldn’t get one.

“Two weeks ago.”

“What’s he look like?” Rebecca’s blue eyes shimmered.

“Yeah, tell us what he looks like, Tatum.” And now she could forget getting a birthday present from me. It also helped that I had no idea when her birthday was.

“He’s tall. Hot. A man’s man.” That could’ve been anyone. I was still safe.

“How very nondescript of you.”

“Well, you know how it is, Amanda.” I glared at her, hoping she’d get the hint and go with it. “It’s still new, and I wouldn’t want anyone to get jealous of how perfect he is.”

“No need to worry about me. I’m very secure in my relationship with Michael.”

I wanted to ask Rebecca how secure she could possibly be with a man who, six months ago, had broken up with his fiancée on her birthday because he said he wasn’t sure if he was ready for something so serious. But I held back the wicked comments that longed to slip off my tongue.

The next words out of my mouth were Michael’s fault. Had he not forced me to spend the day with his new girlfriend, listening to every detail of their relationship, I never would’ve been in this position.

“He has dark hair that’s trimmed short on the sides and a little longer on top, just enough to look messy if he runs his fingers through it. His eyes are this amazing shade of green—sometimes they’re light, like blades of grass at the beginning of spring, and other times they’re darker, similar to the color of a Christmas tree. And he’s gotta be over six feet tall. When I stand next to him, I’m eye level with his chest.” I glanced at my phone in my hand, noticing that the photo still filled the screen, and realized I had described Jason to a T.

“Go on,” Rebecca prodded. “Is he fit like Michael?”

By this point, I was in it to win it.

“He makes Michael look like a wimp. And I’m not just saying that because Michael’s my ex, either. I could wash my clothes on his abs.” Well, that was taking it a little too far. I had to rein it in some if I wanted her to actually believe me. “He works out all the time, so he’s totally in shape. Not an inch of fat on him.”

“He sounds dreamy,” Rebecca said with a sigh.

“Yeah, he does. Almost too good to be true … like you made him up. You probably don’t have any pictures of him, do you?” As only a friend would, Amanda loved watching me dig my own grave.

“As a matter of fact, I do.” I thought about sticking my tongue out at Amanda in an immature “shows what you know” kind of way, but then I realized what I’d just done. In my need to prove her wrong—even though she wasn’t—I’d inadvertently dug my hole even deeper.

“Well, let’s see it.”

I had no choice but to show them the photo on my phone. I had to admit, though, the surprise on Amanda’s face when she saw it gave me a sense of victory—like winning Monopoly only because I cheated. Rebecca’s approval was simply the icing on the cake.

A cake that came crashing to the ground about thirty minutes later.

Rebecca stared at something over my shoulder and asked, “Hey, Tatum, isn’t that Jay?”

“Huh? Jay who?”

“Uh … your boyfriend,” Amanda reminded me with a quirked brow.

I craned my neck so fast it gave me a cramp. There was no way it was him. Okay, so that was wishful thinking on my part. Not only was there a chance he was here, but he was, in fact, here. At Taste of the Town. Standing a few tents away next to another guy.

My life was over.

Having Amanda believe I had lied about a boyfriend was one thing—having multiple people catch me in said lie was another. Add in the probability of Jason being one of those people, and … shoot me now.

***

Book Details:

Title: The (Half) Truth
Author: Leddy Harper
Release Date: February 19, 2019
Publisher: Montlake Romance

Amazon

Meet the Author:


Leddy Harper had to use her imagination often as a child: she grew up the only girl in a family full of boys. At fourteen, she decided to use that imagination to write her first book, and she never stopped. She often calls writing her therapy, using it to deal with issues through the eyes of her characters.
Harper is now a mother of three girls, making her husband the only man in a house full of females. She published her first book to encourage her children to go after whatever they want, to inspire them to love what they do and do it well, and to teach them what it means to overcome their fears. You can learn more about Harper at www.leddyharper.com or find her on Facebook at www.facebook.com/Leddy.Harper.

Social Media Links:

Website: https://www.leddyharper.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/AuthorLeddyHarper
Twitter: https://twitter.com/LeddyHarper
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/8573706.Leddy_Harper

Enter the Giveaway:

Tuesday, February 19, 2019

Cover Reveal ~ The Gimmal Ring by Karen Koski ~ Urban Fantasy, Adventure, Middle Grade @MirrorWorldPub #MG

She wants the ring and she wants it bad!


Book Details:

Title: The Gimmal Ring
Author: Karen Koski

Page Count: 124

Genres: Urban Fantasy, Adventure, Middle Grade

Publisher: Mirror World Books

About The Gimmal Ring:

Gwendolyn Gimmal desperately wants an invitation to the mysterious Gimmal Gala where her family’s coveted ring is bestowed upon new inductees. It’s not that she particularly likes bling, but because she knows it will unlock exciting secrets and reveal what she believes will be her true life’s path. Her younger brother, Gage, also wants to attend the party, but mostly for the food.

After finding her way into the hidden gala, Gwen learns that The Gimmal Ring is not only a piece of jewellery, but also a secret society of people. Things go awry when their parents are kidnapped from the Gala and held for ransom. Gwen and her brother must solve the clues and find the hidden formula the kidnappers have demanded by midnight, or they will never see their family members again. 

Their newly discovered enhanced abilities, while fun, are not completely reliable. Cracking newspaper codes, deciphering invisible maps, and playing a high stakes game of Enigma Machine Twister, are just some of the challenges they must overcome if they are to succeed in time. The adventure starts when they flush themselves in The Tele-Potti, a teleporting commode, and it all goes down the drain from there.


Meet the Author:


Karen Koski writes stories set in magical Windsor and Essex County, Ontario where she was born and raised. Karen’s love of a good mystery inspired her to become a licensed Private Investigator. She is intrigued by anything that is not what it appears to be.

Karen resides in Windsor, Ontario with her husband, two daughters and a Moose.



Thursday, February 14, 2019

New Releases! Cupid’s Schemes Volumes 1 & 2 Two Collections of Sweet Romances by Kelli A. Wilkins ~ #Romance ~ @KWilkinsauthor

New Releases! Cupid’s Schemes Volumes 1 & 2
Two Collections of Sweet Romances 
by Kelli A. Wilkins


 Hi everyone,

Today I’m sharing a look at my latest contemporary romance releases, Cupid’s Schemes - Volumes 1 & 2. As many readers know, I write romances in all genres (historical, fantasy, gay, paranormal, and contemporary) at all heat levels, but these novellas are something new for me. Instead of full-length romances, each book is a collection of flash-fiction stories.

Both volumes contain a dozen or more sweet romances where the characters meet under unusual circumstances and develop an intense connection. And that’s where I leave them—at the start of their relationship. Why?

I wanted to show how two people meet, feel a spark of romance, and then leave the rest of the story up to the reader’s imagination. What happens next is up to you. I end each story with the characters in good places and the potential to have a happy-ever-after ending with their new love interest. These feel-good stories are perfect for a boost of romance whenever or wherever you need it.

The settings vary from New Year’s Eve parties to snowstorms, summer picnics, and even a haunted corn maze. I grouped the stories by season, so as you read through each book, you’ll be following the calendar year. And believe it or not, some of these settings and “first meets” were inspired by true stories people have told me over the years.

Here are the summaries and links to each book, plus an excerpt from the first story in Volume 2.

Cupid’s Schemes - Volume 1 
A Collection of Sweet Romances


In these 16 flash fiction vignettes, Cupid’s arrow hits the mark and ignites a spark between two strangers—whether or not they’re looking for romance. Their unusual meetings lead to new beginnings and new chances at love.

Sweet stories of couples falling under Cupid’s spell include:

* a Medieval knight courting a pretty lady
* two neighbors discover that romance can happen when you least expect it
* a dehydrated mermaid rescued by a handsome stranger

These lighthearted mini-romances are perfect reads for a quick lunchtime escape or an after-work indulgence.

Order your copy here:

Amazon

All other platforms

And don’t miss Cupid’s Schemes - Volume 2
Another Collection of Sweet Romances


In these 12 mini-romances…

* a photographer falls for a sexy cowboy in a supposedly abandoned ghost town
* new neighbors discover that romance can happen when you least expect it
* a long-lost love returns in an unexpected setting

Order Cupid’s Schemes: Volume 2 here:

Amazon

All other platforms

Read an Excerpt:

New Year, New Love

“This New Year’s Eve party is going to be fun. I’m glad you could come at the last minute,” Sharon said to Diana as they stepped into the hotel lobby.

“Thanks for inviting me. I didn’t want to let your extra ticket go to waste,” Diana replied. She hated to admit that she’d had no other plans for tonight other than to curl up on the couch and watch a movie. She turned as Sharon’s boyfriend, Matt, and another man strolled up to them.

“You remember my cousin Eric, don’t you?” Sharon asked.

Diana gazed up at the six-foot-three blond hunk. Eric looked absolutely adorable in his dark gray suit, crisp white shirt, and blue and gray striped tie.

“Yes, of course.” How could she ever forget Eric? Even though she had only spent an afternoon with him, meeting a dreamboat like Eric stayed with a girl for a long time.

“Hi Eric. Happy New Year,” she said, then glanced at Sharon, confused. Why was Eric here? Was he alone? Where was his girlfriend, Melissa?

Eric stepped to her side. “Hi Diana. It’s nice to see you again. Can I take your coat?”

“Sure. Thanks.” She let Eric help her out of her gray wool coat. She caught his eyes roving down the front of her midnight-blue dress. She almost hadn’t worn the low-cut dress tonight, but then reconsidered. Why not? It was New Year’s Eve and she should dress up and look nice, even if she was single. One of her New Year’s resolutions was to jumpstart her boring life, starting tonight.

They handed their coats to the coat check attendant and strolled into a grand ballroom decorated in silver and gold. Eric kept pace with her as they followed Sharon and Matt to a table.

“This is some change, huh?” Eric said as he pulled out a chair for her. “The last time I saw you it was ninety degrees outside and we were both in a pool.”

Diana felt a blush creep into her cheeks. “I know. Sharon’s Labor Day party seems like yesterday.” She sighed as she recalled seeing Eric’s lean, tan body in nothing but blue swim trunks. She and Eric had gotten along fabulously at the party and they had a lot in common. They had been having harmless fun playing volleyball when Melissa showed up and everything went to hell.

But Melissa wasn’t here tonight. Did that mean Eric was single?

She looked at Eric and felt her pulse surge. Now she was elated that she had accepted Sharon’s invitation. This was one New Year’s Eve she’d never forget.

***

I hope you enjoy these collections of sweet romances. I welcome comments and questions from readers and other authors. Contact me via my site, blog, or social media pages.

Happy Reading!

Kelli A. Wilkins

Meet the Author:

Kelli A. Wilkins is an award-winning author who has published more than 100 short stories, 19 romance novels, and 5 non-fiction books. Her romances span many genres and heat levels, and she’s also been known to scare readers with her horror stories.

In January 2019 Kelli released the second half of her flash fiction series, Cupid’s Schemes. These two volumes of lighthearted mini-romances are perfect reads for a quick lunchtime escape or an after-work indulgence.

She also authored her first online writing course, Fiction Writing for Beginners, through Teachable. This course is perfect for anyone who wants to learn how to write. Visit: https://kelliwilkins.teachable.com/ for more details.

Kelli’s historical romance, Redemption from a Dark Past, was published in 2018. This full-length Gothic novel is set in the kingdom of Hungary in 1723 and blends a sensual romance with mystery and suspense.

If you like horror fiction, don’t miss her latest novella, Nightmare in the North.

Kelli posts on her Facebook author page: https://www.facebook.com/AuthorKelliWilkins and Twitter: www.Twitter.com/KWilkinsauthor.

Visit her website www.KelliWilkins.com and blog http://kelliwilkinsauthor.blogspot.com/ to learn more about all of her writings.

Catch up with Kelli:

Here’s a full list of where you can find Kelli on the web.

Website: http://www.KelliWilkins.com

Blog: http://kelliwilkinsauthor.blogspot.com/

Amazon Author Page: www.amazon.com/author/kelliwilkins

Twitter: www.Twitter.com/KWilkinsauthor

Facebook Author Page: https://www.facebook.com/AuthorKelliWilkins

Facebook Historical Romances: https://www.facebook.com/Historical-Romances-by-Kelli-A-Wilkins-1703805359922371/

Facebook Contemporary Romances: https://www.facebook.com/Contemporary-Romances-by-Kelli-A-Wilkins-1965702023664339/

Facebook Gay Romances: https://www.facebook.com/GayRomancesbyKelliAWilkins/

FREE READS: http://www.manicreaders.com/KelliAWilkins/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/kelliwilkins2/

Bookbub: https://www.bookbub.com/authors/kelli-a-wilkins

Books2Read: https://www.books2read.com/ap/nkvddR/Kelli-A-Wilkins

Pinterest: http://www.pinterest.com/KWilkinsAuthor/

Shutterstock: https://www.shutterstock.com/g/kelli+wilkins

iStock: https://www.istockphoto.com/portfolio/kelliwilkins

Newsletter sign-up: http://eepurl.com/HVQqb

Teachable Online Writing Course: https://kelliwilkins.teachable.com/