Tag Archives: the wild rose press

October 29, 2016 · 10:48 am

Halloween Romance: The Reaper’s Kiss

Last year, my OKRWA writing chapter held a fun contest where participants were challenged to write a 500 word story with a ‘monster’ as the romance hero. I’ll be sharing a few of those on my blog between now and Halloween. Enjoy!

FROM TAMRIE FOXTAIL

I wrote The Reaper’s Kiss as a short story for the contest. After I read the story to my husband he kept asking me questions about it. The answers to those questions led to my outlining a YA trilogy. I’ve finished the first draft of the first story and hope to have a final draft ready to submit in a few months.

The Reaper’s Kiss

The Grim Reaper stands outside my window. I don’t have to peek through the white eyelet curtains next to my bed to see his shrouded form. I don’t have to open my eyes and look for the shadowy outline made possible by the not quite full moon.

I don’t have to look for him because I can hear him.

His skeleton finger taps on the cold glass.

Local legend says that if you carve your name in The Reaper’s Tree—once known as The Hangman’s Tree and site of an accident that killed five people in the fifties—The Reaper will come for you before the next full moon. My boyfriend Daley and I carved our names there on Halloween night. Three nights later Daley’s brother heard a thud in the middle of the night. He went into Daley’s room and found him lying dead on the floor.

Tomorrow is the full moon.

I lie on my bed, eyes clamped shut. Now The Reaper taps on my window. His icy breath reaches me through the glass. I won’t look.

“Ivy.” I think I hear Daley’s voice. Impossible. I stood next to his grave this morning, tossing a single red rose on top of his casket.

“Ivy.” An icy finger traces my outer ear the way Daley used to.

I keep my eyes closed, shivering in the November chill as the blankets are tugged from my shoulders, sliding down my body.

A cold hand creeps beneath my t-shirt, the chill of it bringing my nipples to attention.

“It’s me, Ivy. I love you. You promised I was the only one.”

The cold vanishes, driven away by my first love. My only love if the reaper comes for me tonight.

I remember Daley’s touch, his fumbling, yet gentle hands; warm hands on a warm September night tugging my t-shirt over my head as we stretched out on his twin bed.

“I have protection,” he whispered, tugging at the snap on my jeans.

“Where’d you get a condom?” I asked, keeping my voice low. “You said I was your first, too.”

“I stole one from Jonah.”

I wanted to laugh, but didn’t want to draw the attention of his brother or parents.

My jeans slid over my hips. Daley’s hand stroked the inside of my thigh.

Warmed by the memory I give myself to my lover’s touch. He tugs my panties down. I kick them free. My legs begin to open, ready to welcome him.

It’s the touch of ice on my lips that make my eyes spring open. I stare into Daley’s sweet brown eyes; eyes now set in a skeleton’s grinning face.

Wrapped in my lover’s touch, The Reaper has come for me.

Check out Tamrie’s romantic suspense short story:

Blurb:

Daira Gleeson gave her heart and her virginity to Rory Trent when they were in high school. Twenty years later–reeling from her mother’s suicide and the death of her cheating fiance–Daira finds herself in possession of a cursed scrimshaw doll.

Now, Rory is back in town, wanting to pick up where they left off. But not only is Daira afraid he’ll break her heart, the doll’s curse has already caused harm to those close to her. If Rory leaves her again, he could pay with his life.

Someone is after the doll and willing to kill to possess it. Can the curse be broken in time to save those Daira loves…and to regain the true love she lost a lifetime ago?

Excerpt:

Daira jumped when her front door opened. Rory stood there for a moment, then stepped inside and closed the door behind him.

“You should keep your door locked.”

“You’re supposed to wait for someone to open it.” Her words lacked the scorn she had intended.

He crossed the room, then took her shoulders in his hands and kneaded them gently. “You sounded frightened on the phone.”

“I’m fine. I told you, it was just a mouse.”

He looked at Lemon, sitting on the arm of the couch, washing a white paw. The corner of Rory’s mouth twitched. “The cat mustn’t be doing its job.”

He studied her with those sexy brown eyes. Tiny flecks of gold and green encircled the pupil. His fingers flexed, settling on her shoulders more firmly.

Why couldn’t she look away?

He leaned closer. She pressed her hands against his chest and turned her head to the side. His kiss landed on her cheek. His lips moved to her ear, taking a little nip. She drew in a deep breath as her nipples responded.

“High school was a long time ago,” he said, amusement threaded through his voice. “When are you going to give me another chance?”

She turned to look at him. His nose was an inch from hers. She struggled to keep her eyes from crossing. “You think I don’t want you to kiss me because you dumped me twenty years ago?”

“You mean there’s another reason?”

“Yes! You’re little more than a stranger, now. I don’t go around kissing strange men.”

His smile deepened. He leaned closer, the tip of his tongue tracing the shell of her ear. She shivered.

“I’m not a stranger, sweetheart.” His hands slid down her arms and moved to her waist. “I’m the man who took your virginity in the backseat of my car.”

Click HERE to buy

Bio

Tamrie Foxtail is a librarian, and the wife of a Federal Agent (now retired). Raised in Florida, and now living in the Sooner state, she’s still searching for the beach in Oklahoma.

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Filed under Author Blog Post, Entertainment

Tagged as Halloween romance, OKRWA, Spooky Romance, Tales of the Scrimshaw Doll, Tamrie Foxtail, The Reaper, the wild rose press

October 27, 2016 · 9:44 am

“10 Moments That Changed My Life” by Kathryn Lively & Her Latest Release: Finish What You Started

I love that I have back to back ’10 Moments’ posts. They are sooo interesting. Please help me welcome Kathryn Lively, who is also sharing her latest release…

Thank you for having me here today!

When I sat down to write this post, I thought it would be easy to recall ten memorable moments in my life. I came to find so many things have happened, I’m not sure what takes priority. Of course, some milestones are easier to pick than others, so I’ll give it a shot. And now, my Ten Moments, in no particular chronological order:

Obviously, the day I had my daughter ranks high. She recently turned twelve, and I can still remember every detail of the day she was born. It was also the first of many days I gave up sleep, but it was worth it to see her grow.
My wedding day was pretty memorable as well. We married in Florida in 80 degree weather and no AC in the church…because they didn’t want the candles to blow out. At least you can’t see us sweat in the photos.
The first time I sold a short story, I was 19. I received an envelope in the mail, thin. That usually means a rejection, so imagine my shock when I opened it and found a check.
The first time I was offered a book contract, I was in my late 20s. The publisher was kind enough to call, so I guess that was “the call.”
I love to travel, and my first visit to Europe with my father to research our roots will remain one of my favorite memories. I wish I could travel more, and I would definitely go back.
I also love music, and live concerts. I’ve had the pleasure of seeing many great acts, including Paul McCartney for his “Back in the US” tour. We drove three hours to the show, and at one point it seemed like my car wasn’t going to make it. Scary, but we managed to get there in time.
The first time I attended a convention for romance authors overwhelmed me, but I enjoyed myself. I got to meet many authors I knew previously online, and to meet authors I’ve read for years.
I visit New York often, usually once a year, but the first time I stayed in Manhattan was part of a school trip. We went to a Broadway show and met all the side characters from David Letterman’s show, and ate expensive cheesecake. Every time I go there’s something new to see.
I have many fond memories of family reunions and holidays, but the year my grandmother turned 100 was something special. Longevity runs in the family, too, so I may just attend another centennial soon.
Lastly, this entire year has been memorable – not always in a good way. There have been upsides, though. I had two stories published, and the Cubs won the pennant! I’m hoping next year will show improvement.

Fantastic, Kathyrn. I think you rose to the challenge nicely. Thank you for joining me. Ha, yes, the Cubs finally did it! Let’s see how they fare in the World Series. They are off to a decent start!

About the Book

In this business, it gets hot under the spotlight…

Once a teen idol, Gabby Randall now spends her time behind the camera. With her show Danse Macabre scripted and a greenlit for a popular streaming site, she has everything she wants…except her star. Deadlines are looming and she’s desperate to cast the role of a modern-day, motorcycle-riding Grim Reaper. She never thought she’d end up hiring her former co-star, TV’s most beloved geek…and her ex-husband.

Until the day he dies, people will remember Dash Gregory as Freddie ‘Grody’ Grodin, the token geek friend of the cool kids at Wondermancer High. After years of casting agents overlooking him for plum roles, Dash wants to show Hollywood he’s more than a one-note player. He’s ready to break the vicious typecasting cycle, and he’s set his sights on the lead role in a sexy new series too hot for network TV.

When the director yells “Cut!” the star wants to keep up the action behind the scenes. Are Dash and Gabby willing to make ratings history again?

Buy Links

https://www.amazon.com/Finish-What-Started-ExStream-Love-ebook/dp/B01GRWHKLG

https://www.allromanceebooks.com/product-finishwhatyoustarted-2077389-177.html

http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/finish-what-you-started-kathryn-lively/1123895167?ean=9781786510501

https://store.kobobooks.com/en-us/ebook/finish-what-you-started-5

Excerpt

April, 2006, Las Vegas

Gregory. She was Gabby Gregory now. Or perhaps she should hyphenate to Randall-Gregory, and use her given name, Gabrielle. Maybe that would make her appear mature, and more professional when she met with prospective agents to help her transition from TV ingénue to a place behind the camera.

In her left hand she held the current issue of People Magazine, the cover of which featured her with the other five principals of Wondermancer High, the television show that had served as her work and home for the past six years. In her right, a marriage certificate affirming her union with Dash Gregory bent in her tightening grip. It had happened only an hour ago, and if she brought the paper closer she could smell the printer ink. Her thumb brushed the black-marker signature of the minister, a middle-aged Johnny Cash impersonator with authentic sideburns and a paunch. Dash had insisted using a fake Elvis seemed too cliché, and that his late father—a Cash fan—would have gotten a kick out of it.

Gabby had conceded easily. She’d have stood before a showgirl in all her ostrich plumage and glitter if it meant a legitimate marriage. The Cash impersonator hadn’t recognized either of them, which was good. He didn’t fit their show’s demographic, and apparently he didn’t have a teenager who forced him to sit in front of the set every Thursday evening at eight.

She set the license on the nightstand to prevent further creases, then focused on the magazine. Good Luck, Graduates! read the headline, in reference to the series finale due to air next month. Sadness barely touched her as she recalled the emotion and angst which had pervaded the set when they’d filmed their final scenes. Relief was more like it. She’d played the part of Tula Truebend for six seasons, and as far as the country knew, her real life mirrored that of the prim, straight-A student aspiring to the upper echelons of the magical world. Hardly. Her grades, passable enough to let her continue acting, wouldn’t get her into Harvard. She hadn’t planned on college, anyway.

With the series behind her now, she couldn’t wait to pursue a career as a screenwriter and producer—to create rather than regurgitate. First order of business—develop a project for Dash.

Of the six main actors on the paranormal-set show—created to capitalize on the success of the Harry Potter franchise—her new husband stood to suffer the most typecasting. While she’d played the brain, a pretty one to boot, he’d been the token geek. Glasses, perpetually bent wand, goofy laugh, and no fashion sense. The showrunners had neglected all requests to mature Freddie Grodin toward the end of the run, leaving ‘Grody’ to remain a beloved yet awkward and inept nerd in the eyes of Wondermancer High fans.

She promised herself Dash would have a long acting career, and not in variations of the same role. What the hell was taking so long with him, anyway? He’d gone for water…had he tried the Hoover Dam first?

The handle of their room’s door jerked and rattled, startling her. On instinct, she clutched the full-length robe she wore tighter around her chest. When they’d stood exposed on Fremont Street, walking from the chapel to the hotel, she’d fretted over possible discovery from fans and paparazzi. Instead people had brushed past them, oblivious. Only in a city like this could that happen, she realized.

“Finally,” Dash muttered and entered the room. “I hate these damn keycards. They only work half the time.” A plastic bag, heavy with bottles and snacks, hung from his forearm, and he wore his favorite Dodgers cap pulled low over his face. Gabby smiled upon seeing it, especially since Dash really didn’t need to wear it to conceal his identity. Without the taped-up glasses and slicked-back hair the world saw on Grody each week, Dash as himself resembled nothing of the character he played. She envied his ability to roam free.

No, Dash was gorgeous with his clear blue eyes and a hint of stubble shadowing his firm jaw. He removed the cap and ruffled his short hair, adding to his adorably scruffy look.

“I’m glad you’re back,” she told him, and approached him for a hug. “I don’t like being here by myself.”

“Hey.” He took the magazine from her and set it next to the license, then enveloped her in his arms. He felt safe, warm. “It’s okay. Didn’t I tell you we’d be all right? It’s official, we’re married, and there’s nothing anybody can do about it.”

“I keep thinking somebody saw us downstairs.” Visions bloomed in her mind of photographers stalking each floor of the hotel, disguising themselves as room service. Fans pulling out their cell phones or running for the nearest pay phone to tell their friends, or worse, announce it to the world via their MySpace pages and that new site, Twitter. Guess what…we saw Tula and Grody in Vegas! Why would they be here, checking into the same hotel room? Ooooh!

Friends tell other friends. Somebody knows a guy at the Enquirer. He calls his contact in Vegas. Somebody calls her parents…in three seconds the SWAT team will kick down their door…

About the Author

Kathryn Lively is an award-winning writer and editor, avid Whovian, and Rush (the band) fan. She loves chocolate and British crisps and is still searching for a good US dealer of Japanese Kit Kat bars.

Kathryn is a regular contributor to the Sexy To Go authors group and enjoys the outdoors, when she’s able to get out.

You can take a look at Kathryn’s Blog (http://www.kathrynlively.com) and follow her on Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/Kathryn-Lively-Author-674430962660461/?fref=ts) and Twitter (http://www.twitter.com/MsKathrynLively).

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Filed under 10 Moments that Changed My Life, Author Blog Post, New Release

Tagged as 10 Moments that Changed My Life, actor hero, Contemporary Romance, Contemporary Romantic Comedy, Hollywood romance, romantic suspense, second chances romance, television star romance, the wild rose press

October 23, 2016 · 8:35 am

Halloween Romance: Portrait of Love (The Picture of Dorian Gray)

FROM ANNA KITTRELL

The Picture of Dorian Gray is my favorite book. I love Oscar Wilde’s unmatched wit and timeless storytelling. Funny, heartbreaking, terrifying—the tale has it all. And I find the story’s premise so intriguing: Lord Henry, a twinkle in his eye, corrupting an innocent young man for his own amusement. Destroying a beautiful life filled with promise—just to see if he can. The creepy portrait, riddled and oozing with Dorian’s sins—while he stays young and gorgeous—is the icing on the cake. So it isn’t any wonder that when I imagine the perfect monster, I always “picture” Dorian Gray (sorry, couldn’t resist).

Please enjoy this twist on my very favorite monster tale of all time, The Picture of Dorian Gray. After all, the scariest devils are the ones painted on the inside.

Portrait of Love

Dorian stepped to the easel, pulled the drape from the canvas, and turned to face the mirror on the opposite wall. Comparing himself to the portrait was an activity to which he was well accustomed. He’d repeated the habit several times daily for the past hundred years. However, today the reason behind the ritual was quite different. Instead of seeking out changes with his usual morbid fascination, Dorian searched the grotesque features for consistency.

He scrutinized the portrait alongside his reflection. The murky eyes, glazed with the film of unatoned sin hadn’t resembled his own in years—but had they changed since yesterday?

He squinted, expecting to find a new cataract on one milky iris or a fresh boil on the surrounding wrinkled skin. He found nothing. The same brown blotches marred the gnarled fingers. The same arthritic bend stooped the back. For the first time since its creation, the painting hadn’t changed one iota.

Dorian checked the time. Seven p.m. Lydia would be there any moment. Exquisite Lydia. Down in whatever cancerous sliver of soul he had left, he knew she was the reason behind the painting’s sudden refusal to alter. After a century-long quest for pleasure, Dorian had found what his hardened heart searched for all along. Love. He adored Lydia, and tonight he would tell her so.

Footfalls echoed on the stairs. Dorian sucked in a breath, snatched the sheet from the floor, and flung it over the portrait.

“I let myself in,” Lydia said, dragging her eyes over him. “Mmm…don’t you look tasty.” She wrapped her red-tipped fingers around his tie. “Mr. Gray, this suit reminds me of another Mr. Grey whom I’ve read a great deal about.”

He pulled her close. “Perhaps we should stay in tonight. You can compare our…techniques.”

She nibbled his ear, stopping abruptly. “What are you hiding?”

Dorian’s heartbeat stalled. “Hiding? Nothing—”

“What is this?” She pulled away, touching the draped canvas.

Her movement shocked his heart like a defibrillator. “It’s—a surprise. You mustn’t see until it’s finished.”

“Surprise? Is it painting of me?”

“Patience, dear. Soon you’ll see.” He led her away from the portrait, making a mental list of artists he knew. He could surely commission one to paint his beautiful Lydia.

Halfway down the staircase, Lydia touched her throat. “I left my scarf in your room.” She kissed his cheek and dashed back upstairs.

A scream exploded above. Dorian bounded the stairs and burst into his bedroom.

“Is this a joke?” Lydia shrieked, staring at the portrait. “This is how you see me? An ugly old hag?”

“Let me explain.”

She threw the canvas to the floor and stomped it with her stiletto heel.

Grimacing, Dorian clutched his chest.

“What’s happened to your face?” she cried. “Dorian, you’re a monster!”

Dorian collapsed. He clawed the floor, searching for the portrait.

“I love you, Lydia,” he whispered as his hand stilled upon the torn canvas.

From between his gnarled fingers, peered the innocent blue eyes of youth.

Check out Anna’s spooky romantic suspense short story:

Blurb:

An ancient scrimshaw doll–does its gypsy magic protect? Or destroy?

As a child, Darcy Vaughan cowered beneath the malice of her twin sister, Scarlett. Now, Scarlett is back and Darcy hopes to establish the sisterly bond she’s always longed for. Instead, Scarlett tries to destroy Darcy’s life–and her new relationship with the town doctor.

Dr. Cabin Creighton returned to his hometown near Lake Chickasha, Oklahoma to take over his father’s practice. One look at Darcy and Cabin wants nothing more than to love her forever. But a guilty heart and memories of his deceased wife are holding him back.

When someone from Scarlett’s past reappears, bad things start to happen. Darcy and Cabin struggle to keep their love alive, but as danger draws closer, Darcy finds herself once more at her sister’s mercy, with nothing but the yellowed bones of an ancient doll to protect her.

Excerpt:

In the center of the doll’s chest bloomed an intricate rose. Cabin explored the flower with his fingers, fascinated by the small carving which held more detail than all the doll’s other attributes combined.

“So, it just pulls out a magical Tommy-gun and blasts the person it sees harming you?” he asked, pointing the doll’s arm at a lamp on the end table.

Darcy smiled and shook her head. “Not quite.”

“What is it, then? Is the doll psychic?”

She frowned. “I think it’s more like karma, in a way. It discerns the aura of the betrayer…feeds on the negative thoughts. The betrayer has to knowingly betray the doll’s owner, or at least have intent of wrongdoing. Some trace of malice the doll can pick up on.”

Intent of wrongdoing. Cabin thought of Samantha, how he’d watched her waste away, nothing but skin stretched over bones at the end. How he hadn’t done anything to help her. He shook away the thoughts, but couldn’t shake the guilt.

“And what sort of…things happen to the betrayer?”

“Oh, it can be anything from a mild annoyance to…worse, depending on the level of betrayal.”

“I’d better watch my step around you,” he spoke to the doll as he straightened its dress. He turned and looked into Darcy’s eyes, haltingly bringing his hand to her face, tracing her features. She closed her eyes. He wanted her, wanted to feel alive again, even though he didn’t deserve to.

“Only true love breaks the spell…” she murmured.

Cabin jerked his hand from her cheek. The movement knocked the doll from his lap, tumbling it onto the hardwood.

Darcy’s eyes sprung open. “Oh, I’m so sorry. How stupid of me to say that—”

A rough bang on the front door caused Darcy to gasp and widen her eyes. She jumped up, scooping the doll from the floor as she crossed the room.

Cabin followed, standing close behind her. She cracked the door open.

“Really? This is how you treat your sister? Your twin?” Scarlett pushed past Darcy, into the living room.

“What—”

“You promised to check on me. I had a coughing spasm and very well could have died in that house all by myself.” She shook a cigarette from her pack, looked around the room, then slid it back in.

“May I intervene?” Cabin asked, his piercing gaze aimed at Scarlett. “You’re perfectly fine. I would have sent you to the hospital if I’d thought otherwise. As for the coughing spasm…you can blame those cigarettes for that.”

“Thank you, Dr. Drew. I’ll check into Celebrity Rehab right away.” She cackled, her breath reeking of alcohol. She turned to Darcy, snatching the doll from her hand. “Where did you get this?” she demanded. “How many crap-filled Dumpsters did you have to dive into before you found the ridiculous thing? They should’ve buried these dried up bones right along with that crotchety old bat’s.” She pumped the doll’s legs in a suggestive manner and laughed, holding it from reach as Darcy grabbed for it.

Cabin circled Scarlett’s wrists with one hand, twisting the doll free with the other, and handed it to Darcy.

“My, you are a strong one.” Scarlett batted her lashes over bloodshot eyes. “I can certainly see why my sister…my twin sister…has such a bad case of Cabin fever.” She turned on her stilettoed heel and staggered through the doorway, onto the porch. “I hope you can remedy that, doctor.” She laughed as Cabin shut the door.

Darcy nestled the doll’s face into her neck, stroking its hair. “Scarlett makes it so hard. All I want to do is help her. I wouldn’t blame you if you never wanted to be around this again.” She motioned from herself to the wall separating her house from Scarlett’s.

“Well, that would screw up my next move.”

Click HERE to buy

Other Books by Anna:

Bio:

Anna works as a middle school secretary in her beloved hometown of Anadarko, Oklahoma, where she resides with her high school sweetheart-turned-husband, Tim. She has written for as long as she can remember. She still has most of her tattered creations—leftover stories she was unable to sell on the playground for a dime—written in childish handwriting on notebook paper, bound with too many staples. Her love of storytelling has grown throughout the years, and she is thrilled her tales are now worth more than ten cents.

Contact Links

Anna Kittrell Amazon Author Page/Books http://alturl.com/bchbw

Facebook author page https://www.facebook.com/AKittrell

email kittrellbooks@gmail.com

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Filed under Author Blog Post, Entertainment

Tagged as Anna Kittrell, Halloween romance, OKRWA, Oscar Wilde, Portrait of Love, Spooky Romance, The Picture of Dorian Gray, the wild rose press, YA Christian Suspense, YA Series

October 8, 2016 · 8:59 am

Nobody Knows – New Southern Gothic Mystery by Susan Coryell

Please help me welcome an author friend, Susan Coryell, with her latest release from The Wild Rose Press. I had the pleasure of being her editor for the entire Overhome Trilogy, and enjoyed each novel immensely. What better time of year for a spooky, Southern Gothic Mystery?

TELL US A LITTLE ABOUT YOU: I am a retired career English teacher now living at Smith Mt. Lake in Southern Virginia. My writer’s loft overlooks a pristine cove surrounded by hills and foliage. I have three grown children and seven grand-kids—no pets as my hubs and I often travel.

For my new release, the title, Nobody Knows, derives from an old Negro spiritual by that name. The hymn springs up in connection with some Civil War ghosts in an historic cottage on the property of Overhome Estate, the setting for the novel.

Nobody Knows is a cozy mystery/Southern Gothic, the third novel in the Overhome Trilogy. A Red, Red Rose is the first in the series and Beneath the Stones is second. In book one, the protagonist, Ashby Overton is twenty. In book two she is twenty-five and in book three she is thirty, but each novel may also be read as a stand-alone. The books are set at Moore Mt. Lake, a fictionalization of my current home.

With an historic estate as the setting, each novel carries a history-based theme involving Southern Virginia and the Civil War involvement there. Nobody Knows deals with the post-war neo-slavery imposed on slaves freed by Lincoln’s Emancipation Proclamation, inspired by a documentary I viewed at a local museum.

The most difficult thing about writing this series was knowing when to stop with the extensive research required to authenticate the background. I have been fascinated by what I have learned!

WHAT WAS YOUR FIRST JOB? It’s a bit surprising, even to me, that at the age of nine, once a month during the summer, I would ride into work with my father, who owned his own business, and using the adding machine, I would make up bills for his credit card customers. Work-life began early in those days!

WHAT DO YOU WANT READERS TO COME AWAY WITH AFTER THEY READ NOBODY KNOWS? I feel theme is an important element for my fiction. My novels are all multi-themed; some of the strongest underlying ideas include the value of family; the role of history in our present and future lives; finding self; and the awareness that the South still deals with long-held, deeply-felt beliefs that battle with modernity—our ghosts of the past. If my readers can identify with any or all of these themes I am a happy writer!

WHAT ACTORS WOULD YOU LIKE IN THE MAIN ROLES IF YOUR BOOK WERE MADE INTO A MOVIE? Love this question! A reader recently said, “You know, your mystery-Gothics would make a wonderful movie.” While I am gratified to hear that, I think a television mini-series would work best with my growing, evolving and dynamic characters. Emma Stone would make a wonderful Ashby Overton—just the right combination of “gee-whiz” and no-nonsense.

WHAT CELEBRITY WOULD YOU MOST LIKE TO BE STANDED ON AN ISLAND WITH? This one’s easy. William Shakespeare, for sure. While waving a palm-frond fan over him, I’d drill him endlessly about Hamlet’s affair with Ophelia, Romeo’s relationship with Mercutio and whether Lady MacBeth was based on a real person. Who was the person, really, that he adored so much in his sonnets? Then, I’d grill him for writing tips!

HAVE YOU WRITTEN ANY OTHER BOOKS THAT ARE NOT PUBLISHED? Sure. Hasn’t every published writer? Doubleheader, my first effort was probably not fit for publication, but it taught me that I could write a whole novel-length story with a beginning, middle and end. Also, a later “true” story about a sniper snagged a NY publisher but I had to renege when I discovered the subject of the book had lied about some of the “facts.” When the sniper dies, I intend to revisit the manuscript and re-tell it as “based on a true story” and try again to publish it. I have to wait for his demise because he’s a crack shot and he might come after me with an assault rifle.

WHAT IS THE TOUGHEST CRITICISM GIVEN TO YOU AS AN AUTHOR? WHAT HAS BEEN THE BEST COMPLIMENT? Compliment first: My sister read my anti-bully YA novel EAGLEBAIT and informed me, “I was so immersed in the story, I completely forgot it was my sister who wrote the book.” Toughest criticism came from a national review medium that considered that same book beneath them in every way. I think they disliked books for and about troubled teenagers. Interestingly, EAGLEBAIT won several awards, including the International Reading Association’s “Young Adult Choice,” and the NY Public Library’s “Books for the Teenage.”

HOW MUCH OF NOBODY KNOWS IS REALISTIC? All of the history in the Overhome Trilogy is real. I also searched until I found an old plantation that survived the filling of the lake as a prototype for Overhome Estate. Horse farm life depicted is realistic, as is the daily life of a contemporary rural upper-income family. I based Luke’s large animal veterinary practice on books and interviews about the topic. Whether or not a reader believes in the reality of an invisible spirit world is, of course, subjective. At the very least, I hope for suspended disbelief while readers turn the pages of my books.

HOW DID YOUR INTEREST IN WRITING ORIGINATE? My standard answer: Writers know who we are; writers have to write. Quick example: When I was in third grade, I wrote letters and, with Mom’s help, addressed and sent them to my friends and classmates. Each recipient would call and thank me for her letter. I turned to my mother with, “What is the matter with these people? I wrote them a letter. They are supposed to write back to me. NOT call me.” Mom laughed. “Susan, not everyone is a writer like you.”

A FAVORITE PLACE I VISIT: Has to be Hawaii. Our youngest son and his family live there and we visit every winter. Smart boy to marry a Hawaiian, eh? We’ve explored every island in the chain except Lanai and each is magical in its own unique way. The Hawaiian folks are warm, hospitable and generous; we’ve made many friends there and our Hawaiian extended family is delightfully thoughtful and loving.

Thank you, Susan! I enjoyed getting to know you better. I could definitely see Emma Stone as Ashby.

BLURB:

Why do ancient spirits hover at the crossroads between two worlds: the living and the dead?

With a successful writing career and blissful marriage, Ashby Overton is fulfilled and content at historic Overhome Estate in Southern Virginia’until a stranger walks into her life. The arrival of Professor Ellis O. Grady coincides with a violent and bizarre turbulence emanating from the dark world of Overhome’s ancient spirits.

As paranormal events build into chaos, Ashby must use her sixth sense to sort out the real from the imagined in both the visible and the invisible worlds as, stirred into fury, the souls of Civil War slaves engage in a dangerous battle destined to reveal long-held secrets of the past.

What is the connection between the enigmatic professor, a slave-built chapel and a restored overseer’s cottage on Overhome Estate? Ashby struggles to find the answers before the spirits destroy her family’s heritage, and the lives of those she loves.

EXCERPT

Walking over the weedy ground, I felt the desolate abandonment of those long-dead. A few tilting gravestones, so blurred with time that their epitaphs were illegible, listed toward the ground as if sheltering from a punishing wind. Scattered among the patchwork grasses were small, thin stone markers set in the dirt, little more than raw rocks, though several bore the faint outline of initials which had been chiseled into them so long ago. Ellis and I surveyed the bleak cemetery, each harboring our own thoughts. I don’t know how long we stood there breathing in the silence. Then, I heard the voice.—so clear, so distinct, that I startled and almost fell back. Did my companion hear it, too? I darted a look at him. He stood with eyes closed, evidently completely lost in his own reverie. I held my breath and listened with all my senses on alert. The voice wavered this time, as though trailing away, but its repeated message was identical to the one I had first heard at the Overseer’s Cottage when the candlestick went missing. I had thought, then, that I heard “red apple,” which made no sense. Now I understood. “Jared Chapel,” the voice warned. Yes, its tone was severe. Demanding. “Jared Chapel.”

I touched Ellis’s arm. “It’s here, Ellis. I know it is.” And when he blinked uncomprehendingly, I added, “You wondered if Jared Chapel offers anything in your search for your ancestry. It’s here—there’s something here. I feel it and I…I know it.”

He blinked several times, a serious expression on his face. “You know because…”

“Sometimes the past speaks to me. I can’t explain it, but I have to trust the voice that tells me things.”

He rubbed his chin. “You know…this is odd. Really odd.”

I raised my eyebrows in a silent question and he continued. “Because I thought I heard something. I definitely felt…a presence I can’t explain. Someone trying to get my attention. Someone very, very seriously trying to make me understand.” He shook his head. “Understand what? I confess, I’m baffled.”

“It’s a sign,” I said. “Something I’ve learned over my years at Overhome. We ignore the signs at our own peril.”

Nobody Knows Buy Link

Bio: A career educator, Susan has taught students from 7^th grade through college-level. She earned a BA degree in English from Carson-Newman College and a Masters from George Mason University. She is listed in several different volumes of Who’s Who in Education and Who’s Who in Teaching. Susan belongs to Author’s Guild, Virginia Writers, and Lake Writers. She loves to talk with budding writers at schools, writers’ conferences and workshops. Her young adult anti-bully novel EAGLEBAIT is in its third edition for print and e-book, updated with cyber-bullying. EAGLEBAIT won the NY Public Library’s “Books for the Teen Age,” and the International Reading Association’s “Young Adult Choice.”

A RED, RED ROSE, first in a cozy mystery/Southern Gothic series, was nominated for a literary award with the Library of Virginia. BENEATH THE STONES, the sequel, was released in April of 2015; it also was nominated for a literary award by the Library of Virginia. NOBODY KNOWS, third novel in the Overhome Trilogy, released October, 2016. All three novels were published by The Wild Rose Press in NY.

When not writing, Susan enjoys boating, kayaking, golf and yoga. She and her husband, Ned, love to travel, especially when any of their seven grandchildren are involved.

Please visit Susan Coryell’s website: www.susancoryellauthor.com and her blog: www.susancoryellauthor.blogspot.com or contact her on Facebook and Twitter.

A final word: Don’t forget that Halloween is upon us. What better way to celebrate than with a great series of ghost stories in the Overhome Trilogy!

(For a limited time, Amazon Prime members can get A Red, Red Rose for free!!)

A Red, Red Rose Buy Link

Beneath the Stones Buy Link

Thanks to Alicia for hosting me on her wonderful blog!

My pleasure, Susan…thank you for sharing your fabulous stories and a great interview with us today. Susan would love visitors and comments, but she might not answer right away as she’s out for the day. She’ll check in as soon as she can, though!

21 Comments

Filed under Author Blog Post, New Release

Tagged as Amazon Prime, Civil War history background, Contemporary romance and suspense, cozy mystery, FREE Ebook, Southern Gothic, the wild rose press

October 3, 2016 · 7:54 am

“10 Moments That Changed My Life” by Author Kimberly Keyes

I am pleased to introduce today’s guest, Kimberly Keyes, a delightful new author friend, who is sharing the moments that changed her life and her latest release…

The first pivotal moment that comes to mind, is when I met the man who would be my husband. I knew right away I’d met someone special. Sure enough, he turned out to be the love of my life. We married five short years later haha. I often likened my husband to a thoroughbred—beautiful, talented, and temperamental.

My husband was part of a package deal, and the day we married, I became a step mom. Toughest job you’ll ever love? Oh yeah. My step-daughter blessed me in so many ways—and continues to do so now that she’s *grown*.

Love seems to be the theme here, doesn’t it?

The next moment has to be when I found Frank on the side of the road in an industrial part of the city. Who is Frank, you ask? A Florida black dog. The president of the Black Dog Club. A pacifist. The leader of the Quakers. A pilot for Her Majesty’s Royal Air Force. Okay, you might be scratching your head now. Yes, I admit to creating wild tales surrounding my puppy boy while talking in a funny pretend puppy voice. Suffice it to say finding that seven week old mange-covered puppy 16 years ago was the best thing that ever happened to me.

One thing hubby always did right (besides allowing me to adopt rescue puppies) was to support my dreams—like urging me to complete the masters degree I put on hold before I met him. Let’s call this moment the day I decided to finish my masters in history. Because writing my 200 page thesis not only grew my writing and research skills, I acquired the all important ability every author needs: sit-butt-in-chair-and-write.

After graduating, I took a hiatus from reading all things non-fiction. Instead, I binged on romance novels. I’m not sure how many books I devoured before the thought struck: I wanted to write romance novels.

The desire wasn’t new. In high school I announced my desire to be a career romance novelist. People laughed and rolled their eyes. More dispiriting than that, I didn’t know anything about anything. How could I write an entire book? So I tucked my dream in a box and shoved it beneath my bed. But the time had come. I unearthed that dusty box and I decided to write a historical romance. I hadn’t finished drafting the first chapter before realizing I’d found what I was always meant to do. Writing is my calling. I cannot begin to express the joy it gives me.

I entered my 100,000 word baby in a writing contest, and not only didn’t I win, I came in 50th out of 50 in my category! It hurt! I had a choice to make, keep writing and learn my craft or quit. The latter was an impossibility, so I forged on and got better. Of the last six contests I’ve entered, I’ve finaled in five. Yay me!

Life was going along pretty well. And then…I was diagnosed with Inflammatory Breast Cancer. IBC has a pretty high mortality rate, so the outcome looked grim. My new normal was going to chemo appointments, sleeping, and seeing family and friends whenever possible because, hey, if you’re going to die you have to make the time. Surgery followed six months of treatment, and radiation came after that. During the span of my treatment I had tons of support, family and friends who loved me, and a husband who did everything he could to be there for me, from going to every one of my doctor’s appointments to dying his hair pink to bring attention to the cause.

I survived.

Soon after my treatment ended and I was on the mend from the cure that is chemo, surgery, and radiation I faced my biggest challenge yet. The disease we’d fought so hard to beat had taken its toll on my husband. Something in him broke, is the best way to put it. Long story short? I got divorced. It was hands down the hardest thing in the world I have ever faced. But I never faced it alone. I had and have the unswerving love and support of my family, friends, and, of course, my black dog club headed up by Frank-Foo—and my faith.

I put my head down and pushed on. I did not survive cancer to crumple up and die of a broken heart. It was time to start a new chapter. As Ms. Wolff says so well, “A woman must have money and a room of one’s own to write fiction.” So, I bought a house, set up my office in my nice little house, and equipped it with dog beds for the BDC. Within two years (after having written for over six years with the goal of publication) I signed not one but two contracts with The Wild Rose Press. Lover’s Leap, a contemporary romance, was my first published book, and The Trouble with Tigers, a Victorian romance came out next. I’m now a multi-published romance author and well on my way to being a best selling author! (According to me *grin*)

Oh my gosh, Kimberly. What a roller-coaster of pivotal moments. I love that you ended on such a positive note, and thank God you survived the breast cancer. Thank you for joining me today!

And now, please tell us about your latest release…

BLURB:

After finding her fiancé in bed with another woman, Candace, a twenty-something, up-and-coming romance novelist takes off for a friend’s vacation home in Tahoe. The good news? She’ll share the place with fellow house guest, Logan, her best friend Eric’s lover. Except…

Logan, the nearly-irresistible-to-women photographer, isn’t Eric’s lover. Not now, not ever. He’s in Tahoe licking his own personal wounds, and before he’s allowed near Candace, he’s sworn off of her. No problem. Except…

There’s something about Candace. She’s not simply beautiful and enticingly off-limits. It’s in the way she doesn’t flirt with him. In the way she treats him like he isn’t a shallow pleasure-seeker. In the way, somehow, she brings peace to his world-weary soul.

Too bad she thinks he’s gay. But even if he can clear that hurdle, can he really entrust Candace’s heart to his own haphazard keeping?

EXCERPT

After a while she turned to gaze at Logan’s profile. One tanned forearm rested easily on the steering wheel, the other settled over the stick shift, just inches from her upper thigh. Her eyes drifted over his long, denim covered legs, stretched out in front of him in an almost leisurely sprawl. It struck her she couldn’t remember ever feeling so utterly feminine, and so totally safe, in a man’s presence. Being with Logan felt so…right.

The peace inside her snapped in the face of her inappropriate affection for a man she hardly knew. A man involved with one of her best friends–who also happened to be a man. She dragged her gaze away, pinching her eyes closed and fisting her hands in her lap. What in the world was wrong with her?

“Everything all right?” Logan asked, his words piercing the silence.

She shot him a look and saw his eyes flicking over her clenched hands. Did the man miss nothing?

She forced her hands to unfurl. “Just thinking.” Over thinking. So she enjoyed his company. That was no crime. Besides, it was already Wednesday and he’d be leaving some time this weekend. How much trouble could she possibly get herself into?

BUY LINKS:

Amazon:

https://smile.amazon.com/dp/B014T3FG8O/ref=smi_se_mit_rcol_smi_2537928482?_encoding=UTF8&btkr=1&pldnCmp=rcol&pldnCrt=my-impact

Ibooks:

https://itunes.apple.com/us/book/lovers-leap/id1040722478?mt=11

Barnes and Noble:

http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/lovers-leap-kimberly-keyes/1122591025?type=eBook

The Wild Rose Press:

http://www.wildrosepublishing.com/maincatalog_v151/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=191&products_id=6445

BIO:

Kimberly writes single title contemporary and Victorian era historical romance, and is in her happy place working on two books in the two different genres, simultaneously.

The bulk of her time she spends writing, and re-writing, plotting, and dreaming up ways to perplex the characters living inside her head (though she squeezes in a bit of Yoga practice and binge-watching episodes of Game of Thrones and Outlander).

She lives in sunny Florida where she enjoys the unswerving support of her family, and most especially her three faithful companions: Frank, a.k.a. “President of the Black Dog Club,” who she found wandering on the side of a busy road when he was about 7 weeks old, Pappillon, a twenty pound rescue puppy from Puerto Rico who looks like she could be from Who-ville, and Roxanne, a tiny bit of miniature dachshund wonderfulness she inherited from her mom. The three are constantly by her side offering love and encouragement, and occasionally demanding chewies.

Contact links:

Website

www.kimberlykeyes.net

facebook

https://facebook.com/kimberly.keyes.romance

Amazon

http://amazon.com/author/kimberlykeyes

Goodreads

https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/14291041.kimberly_keyes

Twitter

https://twitter.com/AuthorKeyes

21 Comments

Filed under 10 Moments that Changed My Life, Author Blog Post, New Release

Tagged as 10 Moments that Changed My Life, Award Winning Author, Contemporary Romance, Friends to Lovers, Maggie’s Award for Excellence Finalist, Mistaken Identity, multi-published author, romantic suspense, the wild rose press

September 7, 2016 · 7:34 am

Linda Nightingale ~ New Release: A Vampyre Rhapsody

Please help me welcome Linda Nightingale with her latest release…

Morgan D’Arcy: A Vampyre Rhapsody
By Linda Nightingale
From The Wild Rose Press
Cover Artist: Debbie Taylor
Editor: Callie Lynn Wolfe
Digital Price: $3.99
Print Price: $13.99

Book Trailer:

YouTube Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wlbRLTFQUHE&feature=youtu.be

A titled lord, concert pianist, and … vampire, Morgan D’Arcy has everything he wants…except what he most desires…the woman of his dreams—the search is on.

Blurb:

The greatest enemy of a vampire is boredom. Four centuries of existence have taught Lord Morgan Gabriel D’Arcy to fear nothing and no one. Humans and their weapons have little chance against his preternatural speed and arcane powers. Vampires are viral mutations of human DNA. Still, the Vampyre code requires secrecy, and he has learned to hide his nature from the world. The lure of mortality, of a life in the sun, puts Morgan again and again at the mercy of calculating human women though they fail to consider his charm and determination into the equation. However, even grooming a future bride from infancy proves to be fraught with heartbreak. And second chances are not always what they seem unless… you are Morgan. Immortality and beauty, aren’t they grand?

“…Morgan…is a tour de force of egotism, wit, sensuality, and talent…” ~Author Toni V. Sweeney

“Morgan D’Arcy is a class act and the most arresting vampire I’ve ever encountered in literature or films.” ~ Historical and Paranormal Romance Author Beth Trissel

Excerpt:

Snow built castles on the windowsills. Wispy flakes swirled in the night air. I stood at the mullioned window with my back to the Chief Councilor of the ruling body of the Vampyre. The pure white silence of a snowy night echoed in the room. A fire crackled in the fireplace, but cold seeped through the stone walls.

At midnight, Lucien St. Albans had arrived with shocking news.

Royal Oak wasn’t on the beaten path. The castle perched on a hill above a small village on the Devon coast. From my bedroom window, I could see the ocean. Lucien had driven his new motorcar hard to tell me that there was no such thing as forever. He was pale and drawn, worried. I’d never seen the Chief Councilor rattled. Lucien St. Alban’s self control was legendary. The emotion in his black eyes was fear, and a shudder chased over me.

“I drove straight from an emergency meeting of Les Elus,” he announced without preamble. “We are all in jeopardy.”

In a small principality between France and Spain, an epidemic of anthrax ravaged the countryside. Not only human villagers died in Andorra. Two vampires had perished.

Grief for Daphne and guilt for her suicide had wearied my spirit. “Why send me? I’m not a scientist.”

“Dear God, Morgan, I wouldn’t send you into danger.” Behind me, Lucien’s reflection appeared in the window. He rested his hands on my shoulders. “One of our scientists plans to travel to Andorra immediately and investigate. He believes the bacteria secretes an endotoxin that is a reverse mutagen. When infected, the disease progresses at a phenomenal rate. The victim reverts to mortal, and the body disintegrates to ash.”

A thrill pierced my lethargy. Dead vampires presented an intriguing mystery. Members of our select society should not perish to a disease fatal to humans, or very few others of the Grim Reaper’s tricks. It was time for me to stop lurking in Death’s shadow. My grief for Daphne was useless to her corpse. She was quite simply and forever gone. Reverse mutagen. The mere idea sent a shiver of excitement over me. If the Vampyre Effect could be undone, then the possibility of returning to human existed.

Buy Link: Morgan D’Arcy: A Vampyre Rhapsody

About Linda:

Born in South Carolina, Linda has lived in England, Canada, Miami, Ft. Lauderdale, Atlanta and Houston. She’s seen a lot of this country from the windshield of a truck pulling a horse trailer, having bred, trained and showed Andalusian horses for many years.

Linda has won several writing awards, including the Georgia Romance Writers Magnolia Award. She is the mother of two wonderful sons, a retired legal assistant, member of the Houston Symphony League, and enjoys events with her car club. Among her favorite things are her two marvelous sons, a snazzy black convertible, and her parlor grand piano. She loves to dress up and host formal dinner parties.

Twitter: https://twitter.com/LNightingale – @Lnightingale

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/LindaNightingaleAuthor

Web Site: http://www.lindanightingale.com – Visit and look around. There’s a free continuing vampire story.

Blog: https://lindanightingale.wordpress.com/ – Lots of interesting guests & prizes

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/4839311.Linda_Nightingale

Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/lbnightingale1/

Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Linda-Nightingale/e/B005OSOJ0U

Other Reads by Linda Nightingale:

Gemini Rising – Controversial Dark Fantasy with deep psychological undertones

11 Comments

Filed under Author Blog Post, New Release, Uncategorized

Tagged as aristocracy, Ebooks, Gothic, Kindle, paranormal, pianist, print books, Romance, short story collections, the wild rose press, TWRP, vampire books, vampires

August 22, 2016 · 12:35 pm

Author Interview with Marilyn Baron & New Release: Stumble Stones: A Novel

Please help me welcome an author friend, Marilyn Baron, with an interview and her new release: Stumble Stones: A Novel

Where did you get the idea for Stumble Stones: A Novel? The idea for the book was sparked when my former next door neighbor who moved to Stuttgart, Germany, e-mailed me and told me about some stumble stones that were placed in front of his house. Stumble Stones is a real project. German artist Gunter Demnig has placed five thousand of these brass plaques—known as Stolpersteine or “stumble stones,” cobblestone-sized Holocaust memorial stones—in Berlin and some fifty thousand of them in eighteen countries in Europe. Every letter on every plaque is hand carved by the artist or one of his apprentices. Every plaque contains a name, the year of birth, the date the victim was deported, and the place and date of death. They are located in the last known home of the person or persons who lived in a house before they were taken. Sometimes the stones are placed where the victim worked or studied. There is often a ceremony including music, poetry and flowers at the placement. No one I’ve talked to about stumble stones has heard of this unique Holocaust memorial project, but once they find out about it, they are fascinated. In my book, the hero witnesses a stumble stones ceremony in front of his house and finds a cache of diamonds from WWII during a remodeling project and sets out to find out who they belonged to.
Why did you choose this genre (is it something you’ve written in before)? I’ve written romantic suspense before and it’s one of my favorite genres to write. This story is set in contemporary Europe and WW II Europe. It involves Nazis, art theft and the Holocaust. Those themes almost ensured it had to be a mystery/thriller.
Was there anything unusual, any anecdote about this book, the characters, title, process, etc., you’d like to share? Yes, most chapters in the heroine’s point of view start out with a soap opera script. The heroine is obsessed with Polly Winthrop, the character she writes for As the Planet Spins and her life often mirrors that of her alter ego.
What is the most difficult thing about writing a book? Finishing it.
What was the most difficult thing about this one in particular? Judging the right balance between dark and light—the darkness of the Holocaust women’s stories and the comedic elements of a contemporary romance between the rabbi’s daughter and a German-American hedge fund manager in Berlin, who cross the great religious divide and cultural prejudice to be together. I want readers to contemplate the horror of the Holocaust and at the same time be satisfied because of the hopeful ending.
Are there any tricks or habits you use when creating a story? I have to come up with a title and the names of the characters before I start a book. Sometimes, listening to the music of the period where the book is set is helpful to get in the mood to write.
What book have you read that you wish you would have written? The Outlander series.
Do you have another occupation, other than writer? If so, what is it and how do you like it? I’m a public relations consultant and I write and edit newsletters, annual reports, brochures, ads, etc. I really enjoy what I do because I love to write.
What do you love that most people don’t like and wouldn’t understand why you do? I love to watch soap operas. My grandmother got me hooked and now I watch (or record to watch later) two shows: The Young and the Restless and The Bold and the Beautiful. That’s where I learned to write dialogue and why I made my heroine in Stumble Stones a soap opera writer.
What’s your favorite book of all time and why? That’s a difficult question because there are so many great books and I’m an avid reader. But one of my favorites is The Book Thief by Marcus Zusak because it’s written from the POV of death and the voice was amazing. My favorite childhood book is Little House on the Prairie by Laura Ingalls Wilder because that book inspired me to become a writer.
If you could change something about one of your books that’s already released, what would it be? I would make Stumble Stones: A Novel longer.
What genre have you never written that you’d like to write? I’ve written in a variety of genres, including women’s fiction, romantic thrillers/suspense/mystery, historical and paranormal. So about the only one left is Young Adult.

** GIVEAWAY: Readers should leave a comment for a chance to win a copy of Marilyn’s romantic suspense Landlocked and a Stumble Stones logo notebook. The question they have to answer from Stumble Stones is “What is the name of the Berlin suburb where Alexander lives?”

Teaser/Blurb

Teaser: Stumble Stones is multilayered, dark and humorous Romancing the Stone-style suspense novel about a cache of priceless diamonds hidden in World War II that sparks a hasty wedding on the high seas and a dangerous chase through Europe that holds the key to an unsolved mystery and a promise of lost love.

Hallelujah Weiss, a writer for the steamy sudser As the Planet Spins, gets a second chance at love when she flees to Italy to get over her recent divorce, courtesy of her cheating ex-husband’s credit card. A woman scorned, Hallelujah has sworn off men and is determined to reinvent herself. The new Hallelujah is eager to live life on the edge, more like Polly Winthrop, a character she writes and idolizes.

Lonely Berlin hedge fund manager Alexander Stone, a number cruncher who puts his faith in numerical data, still believes in destiny, despite the fact his fiancée just dumped him. Always a man with a plan, Alexander did not plan on Hallelujah.

After a chance encounter on a flight to Rome, the unlikely pair faces danger when they team up to return to their rightful owner a stash of WW II vintage jewels.

Excerpt

Life was better in Business Class, especially when your cheating ex-husband was paying for it. Hallelujah couldn’t wait until Lloyd got the bill—for the airline ticket, the set of top-of-the-line TUMI luggage, the fashionable, Italian-worthy wardrobe, a two-week stay at a first-class hotel in Florence, an expensive day of pampering at the hotel spa, dinner in the city’s finest restaurant, and front row seats to the Il Volo concert. It’s not like Lloyd Evans couldn’t afford it. It would hardly make a dent in the bastard’s bank account.

Her short-term plan was to spend as much of Lloyd’s money as she could before his skanky secretary/fiancée Olivia Brewster got her greedy little hands on it. Polly would be proud of me.

But she wasn’t Polly. Polly lived life on the wild side, and she had a vindictive streak. Hallie Evans was practical. She believed in playing it safe and paying her own way. But she deserved this final fling. She had scraped together the last of her savings, and she would use those funds when Lloyd’s credit card was tapped out. Then she would go back to the single life and the single paycheck and try not to dwell on how much her ex had hurt and humiliated her. But right now, Polly was in the pilot’s seat. And, from now on, Hallie was determined to live life on the edge, just like Polly.

Settling into her roomy Magnifica seat, she signaled the Alitalia flight attendant for another amaretto sour before the plane took off. Getting properly sloshed mid-air was a strategic and recent addendum to the plan. Oh, and part of her plan was to swear off men.

Bio Marilyn Baron

Marilyn Baron writes in a variety of genres, from humorous coming-of-middle age women’s fiction to historical romantic thrillers and romantic suspense to paranormal/fantasy. Stumble Stones will be her 11^th novel published with The Wild Rose Press. She’s also published five short stories with TWB Press and self-published three books, including a musical about Alzheimer’s called Memory Lane. AmazonEncore republished her book Sixth Sense on September 15, 2015. She’s received writing awards in Single Title, Suspense Romance, Novel With Strong Romantic Elements and Paranormal//Fantasy Romance. She is a Georgia Romance Writers (GRW) Maggie Award winner, a PAN member of Romance Writers of America and GRW and winner of the GRW 2009 Chapter Service Award. A public relations consultant in Atlanta, Marilyn graduated with a BS in Journalism and a minor in Creative Writing from the University of Florida. She worked in Public Relations for AT&T in Atlanta for 13 years before starting her own PR firm. She serves on the 2015 and 2016 Roswell Reads Steering Committee. She was selected as a featured author in the 2015 Atlanta Authors Series. She presented on two panels at the AJC-Decatur Book Festival (the largest independent book festival in the country) on September 6, 2015. She was a 2016 Nominee for the 52^nd Georgia Author of the Year Awards (books published in 2015) in two categories—Detective/Mystery for Landlocked and Romance for The Widows’ Gallery. She’s a member of two book clubs. Read more about Marilyn at www.marilynbaron.com.

Contact links

Website www.marilynbaron.com

Twitter https://twitter.com/MarilynBaron

Facebook https://www.facebook.com/pages/Marilyn-Baron/286807714666748

Goodreads https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/4722647.Marilyn_Baron

Amazon Author Page http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=dp_byline_sr_ebooks_1?ie=UTF8&text=Marilyn+Baron&search-alias=digital-text&field-author=Marilyn+Baron&sort=relevancerank

Buy Links:

Amazon Pre-Order E Book

https://www.amazon.com/Stumble-Stones-Novel-Marilyn-Baron-ebook/dp/B01HLSSXSY/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1467292613&sr=1-1&keywords=stumble+stones+baron+kindle#navbar

Stumble Stones E Book The Wild Rose Press

http://catalog.thewildrosepress.com/all-titles/4473-stumble-stones-a-novel.html

Stumble Stones Paperback The Wild Rose Press

http://catalog.thewildrosepress.com/paperback-books/4433-stumble-stones-a-novel-paperback.html?search_query=Stumble+Stones+Paperback&results=1

Barnes & Noble Nook

http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/stumble-stones-marilyn-baron/1124055735?ean=2940158118838

All Romance ® eBooks

https://www.allromanceebooks.com/product-stumblestonesanovel-2069711-153.html

Kobo

https://store.kobobooks.com/en-us/ebook/stumble-stones-a-novel

17 Comments

Filed under Author Blog Post, New Release

Tagged as action adventure, Marilyn Baron, Romantic Comedy, romantic suspense, Suspense/Mystery/Thriller, The Holocaust, the wild rose press

August 11, 2016 · 7:42 am

Author Interview with Charlotte O’Shay – NEW RELEASE: The Marriage Ultimatum

Please help me welcome author Charlotte O’Shay…

Thank you for joining me today, Charlotte. Please tell us a little about yourself, where are you from? Where do you live now? Family? Pets?

Hi Alicia. So happy to be on your blog.

I’m a born and raised New York City kid. I grew up in the Chelsea section of Manhattan, the middle child and now the eldest female in a large family. From a very early age I dreamed up stories about the people I encountered and always had my nose in a book, usually romance. I also love detective stories, non-fiction and history.

I met my husband (who after many years of marriage is still my best friend and love of my life) at my first legal job, became a lawyer and a mother of four in ten action packed years. During those years we lived in the suburbs of the city. Recently, we moved back to Manhattan and I have fulfilled a lifelong dream of writing romance.

We have a very sweet, adopted cockapoo who has a way of getting treats from everyone in our family as well as everyone in our building.

The Marriage Ultimatum is the first of three loosely tied together tales of women and men who are either born in or travel to New York City to make their mark in the world. My hero Vlad and heroine Sabrina view the city as the place to transform their dreams into reality. At the moment they least expect, they meet and begin the journey to happily ever after.

For me, choosing New York City as the setting, with all of its energy and chaos, makes the city a character of each story. I chose a contemporary setting because it’s what I most like to read. The most difficult thing to me about writing this book or any book is the discipline of staying with it when life’s little and large interruptions happen. Sometimes it’s easy to get side tracked.

The hero and heroine in The Marriage Ultimatum came to me full force and I just started writing. Sabrina and Vlad are two New York strivers with every reason to distrust each other but who are instantly attracted to each other.

Are there any tricks, habits or superstitions you have when creating a story? Sit down and write. If the words won’t come, take a walk and then force yourself to write even if it’s stream of conscious.

What book have you read that you wish you had written? I’m a fan of so many books I couldn’t possibly choose one. The books that stay with you, that you don’t want to end, where the characters are so real you could reach out and touch them——those are the ones that I wish I had written. What’s helpful about having all of those favorites for me is that they have helped me find my unique voice, my place in the large world of writers.

Do you collect anything? I collect signs, large or small, of many materials, whether wood or framed or ceramic that have some saying or blessing to do with HOME.

What do you want readers to come away with after they read The Marriage Ultimatum? First and foremost, I would hope that my book is a page turner, that my reader had a good escape from her or his usual life by coming into the world of my story. I would want them to realize that instant attraction doesn’t happen all the time but it is very real. I want them to see that when you peel beneath the layers of anyone, we all want the same thing: love and home.

Would you rather have a bad review or no review? No review or a review that is thoughtful but might have some constructive criticism. Personally, when I really don’t like a book, I don’t review it.

What genre have you never written that you’d like to write? Historical early American colonial period. I’m a total history nerd and that’s my favorite time period.

Are your characters based off real people or did they all come entirely from your imagination? The character of Sabrina was informed in part by some women I met as a lawyer. Women who are struggling to hold families together and feel beaten down and fearful of the system. From that point on every other character and the conflicts are all dreamed up by me.

How much of the book is realistic? Even with a contemporary romance I believe a larger than life aspect in the characters and the conflicts is essential for the escape into the story. Fantastic things happening in the lives of real but also flawed characters. It’s a tall order when you think of it and I’m still finding my way and trying to get it right.

How did your interest in writing originate? I’ve always written, notes, compositions, short stories. Always. It took me a while to want to share my writing with anyone else. I have also always wanted to paint. I dream in very vivid color.

Your favorite…

Movie The Terminator (the original)

Place you’ve visited: Italy and Ireland

Place you’d like to visit: Wyoming

TV show from adulthood Game of Thrones, VEEP

Sports team: Baseball (Yankees) and softball

Which do you prefer board games, card games or television?: I like cards and charades and anything interactive with people as opposed to a phone or a board.

Giveaway:

I welcome readers to come take a look at and sign up to my WordPress website charlotteoshayauthor.com for news about my upcoming release entitled A Model Engagement.

I will gift a signed paperback of the Marriage Ultimatum to one person, chosen at random, who has signed up to my blog.

Thank you SO much for an interesting interview, Charlotte, and for the giveaway offer. You DID pack a lot into ten years. 🙂 Sounds like a great life. And, thanks for the writing advice. I believe it’s the most important thing a writer can learn to practice. Now, please tell us about your book…

Blurb:

Dead-end job? Dreary apartment? Disastrous love life? Check, check, and check. Toddler who makes it all worthwhile? Absolutely. Juggling work, college, and the care of young Alex was never Sabrina’s plan. But Sabrina’s dreams are bigger than any curve ball life can throw at her. Her top priority is keeping her small family together, no matter what the cost. Vladimir Grigory doesn’t believe in dreams. He earned his position at the top of New York’s corporate ladder with his own sweat. His empire is his baby, and he’ll destroy anyone who threatens it. Even the sexy employee who challenges him on every level. When the New York tabloids and the world call him the baby daddy of Sabrina’s son, Vlad believes Sabrina is part of a plot to expose the secrets of his past. He threatens to destroy her future. But since Sabrina has secrets of her own, she has no choice but to agree to Vlad’s marriage ultimatum.

Excerpt:

Once again, she passed through the gauntlet that was the VGI executive floor and kept her head up, gaze focused straight ahead. The whispers buzzed feverishly around the woman in the train wreck of an outfit as she strode down the corridor—this time with a toddler in a stroller.

“Ms. Boyd,” his assistant stepped in front of her, guarding the domain of the boss like a rabid pit bull, “you can’t—”

Sabrina looked her straight in the eye. That was what you did to make a dog back down. Or was that what made a dog attack? She couldn’t remember, and she didn’t care.

“I’m not leaving, so you might as well move before I shout this place down.”

There was steel in Sabrina’s tone, and her voice was pitched loud enough for the hapless woman to know that she couldn’t care less who heard.

The assistant stepped aside. “Now this should be interesting,” she muttered.

She shoved the door open and pushed the stroller inside as if she did it every day of the week, then nudged the door shut with her elbow. “It’s not gonna be that easy to get rid of me.”

“I get the feeling nothing is easy with you,” he said.

Buy the book here:

amazon.com/author/charlotteoshayauthor.com

The Wild Rose Press: http://catalog.thewildrosepress.com/all-titles/4358-the-marriage-ultimatum.html

ISBN(s) 978-1-5092-0814-2 Paperback

978-1-5092-0815-9 Digital

Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Marriage-Ultimatum-City-Dreams-ebook/dp/B01FCBBAMI

ASIN: B01FCBBAMI

https://www.amazon.com/Marriage-Ultimatum-City-Dreams-ebook/dp/B01FCBBAMI

Kobo: ISBN: 10:1509208151

ISBN: 13: 9781509208159

https://store.kobobooks.com/en-us/ebook/the-marriage-ultimatum-4

Barnes & Noble: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/the-marriage-ultimatum-charlotte-oshay/1123790857/

ISBN-13: 2940158185540

Find Charlotte here:

Website: (wordpress) http://charlotteoshayauthor.com

Facebook: Charlotte O’Shay http://facebook.com/charlotteoshayauthor

Twitter: @charlotte_oshay http://twitter.com/charlotte_oshay

Instagram: charlotte_oshay_author

30 Comments

Filed under Author Blog Post, New Release

Tagged as Author Interview, Contemporary Romance, marriage of convenience, single mother, the wild rose press

August 1, 2016 · 1:02 pm

Author Interview with Sylvia Hubbard – New Release: Tanner’s Devil

Please help me welcome the lovely Sylvia Hubbard with an interesting interview and her latest release!

Where did you get the idea for your new novel, Tanner’s Devil?

I was researching another novel and came across street doctors and loved that I could put a woman in the place of a “profession” little knew about, but with a past. I loved the tainted unperfect woman kind of story that was not looking for love but found the most perfect man for her. Combining her past, with this story line, I created Tanner’s Devil.

Why did you choose this genre?

I’ve always loved the romance suspense genre since I was in my twenties. When I was young, I fell in love with romance the moment I stole a Johanna Lindsay book from the library (which I later replaced when I was in my thirties because I didn’t want to go to hell). Yet, I didn’t want just a straight romance. Growing up in Detroit, I never saw a straight romance in real life and because of what I know being an urban girl, going romance suspense was the only way to go.

Was there anything unusual, any anecdote about this book you’d like to share?

Love is never perfect, but it’s the imperfect people who try to fall in love make love perfect.

What was the most difficult thing about writing this book?

Making Devlin face his past as well. He’d been put on a pedestal by everyone and as his life is falling apart, he comes to realize maybe everything he’s meant to believe even about himself is not true. He needs Tanner’s voice as much as he needs her love to see the truth.

What do you love that most people don’t like and wouldn’t understand why you do?

I hand write my stories before I type them. I’ve used electrical pens to keep track of my writing because I kept losing pieces of paper. I also must have it loud and not quiet, like some writers. Due to the fact that I am a single mom and I needed the noise the kids made to make sure they weren’t hurt, now that they are grown, I continue to need a lot of noise outside of my head in order to hear the quiet voice of storytelling in my head.

What’s the main thing that you could get rid of in your life that would give you more writing time?

Facebook. I think you could agree.

What do you want readers to come away with after they read your book?

Imperfect people need love too.

What genre have you never written that you’d like to write?

I’ve love to write sci-fi and hope to do a three part book on YA Sci-Fi with a religious twist called The Trinity soon. I want to incorporate faith, fallacy and fiction for those who have forgotten about mercy.

Fantastic interview…yes, I agree about Facebook. And, I also love Romantic Suspense!! 🙂

Check out Sylvia’s great cover and intriguing book…

What does an ex-prostitute, duke and pimp have to do with each other in 21^st Century Detroit?

Excerpt:

“Take off your clothes.”

Would that mean this cornbread fed giant take off his? And if he did would he look just as magnificent without his clothes as he did with clothes?

Using this opportunity to move away from him and catch her own breath, she walked over to the bed to place the cell phone and condoms there. He hadn’t followed her and Tanner looked down at the candle to gather her own thoughts together. He’s just some weird perv john probably from the boondocks Michigan trying to get a taste of city life before he goes back to Pinkie, Michigan.

That had been a running joke when she had been out in the life doing this all the time. Pinkie, Michigan was actually nowhere, but it was a terminology used occasionally to say that since Michigan was shaped by a glove this was where this john was from – where no one black in their right mind would be, so they came down here to Detroit to taste life by requesting a black girl to their room.

Concentrating on the candlelight, she pushed off the peach summer dress along with her underwear over her boots and kicked them off.

She started to unzip her boots, but he barked, “Leave’em.”

His hands came behind her and firmly gripped her waist. “Lay on the bed on your stomach,” he ordered.

She did as she was told and forced her rapidly beating heart to relax.

Author Bio:

Detroit Author & Founder of Motown Writers Network, Sylvia Hubbard has published over 37 books on suspense romance and one book on Internet Marketing for Writers.

As a happily divorced mother of three, Ms Hubbard has received numerous awards and recognitions for her work such as the Spirit of Detroit from Detroit City Council and State of Michigan Governor’s Certificate of Tribute Emerging Minority Business Leader Award. She’s spoken all over the United States and Canada about independent publishing, social media, 21^st Guide to Marketing Online & Offline for writers and authors, How Readers can make money promoting their favorite authors and even how to be a single mom.

Recognized as an avid blogger by HoneyTech Blogs, Ms. Hubbard runs over five blogs including How To Love A Black and has had five #1 Best Sellers on Amazon. Her current work is Tanner’s Devil and she has six books coming up in 2016, including four live stories on her website. http://sylviahubbard.com

Related websites:

www.SylviaHubbard.com

www.MotownWriters.com

www.HowToEBook.org

Social Media:

www.facebook.com/sylviahubbard

www.twitter.com/sylviahubbard1

www.instagram.com/sylviahubbard1

www.youtube.com/sylviahubbard1

www.periscope.tv/sylviahubbard1

www.snapchat.com/sylviahubbard

Get Your Copy of Tanner’s Devil at the following bookstore:

SMASHWORDS (ebook)| AMAZON (Paperback & Kindle) | B&N/Nook| Kobo Reader| iTunes Apple Bookstore

Also Available in Paperback wherever books are sold

Excerpt |Video

25 Comments

Filed under Author Blog Post, New Release

Tagged as Award Winning Author, etc. #romancesuspense #SummerReads #Interracial #urban, romantic suspense, the wild rose press

May 30, 2016 · 7:59 am

INTERVIEW WITH JOE COSENTINO author of CHINA DOLL, a Jana Lane mystery, published by The Wild Rose Press

Please help me welcome Joe Cosentino. He is sharing an interview about his new release, the fourth installment of the Jana Lane Mystery series:

Interviewer: What inspired you to become a mystery romance writer?

Joe: I have always been a mystery fanatic. As a child I read three mystery novels a week, watched The Alfred Hitchcock mysteries on television, and saw every mystery movie possible. This passion continued throughout my teen and young adult years. Eventually I became an actor in film, television, and theatre, working opposite stars like Bruce Willis, Nathan Lane, Rosie O’Donnell, Holland Taylor, and Jason Robards. One of my jobs was playing Ross (I mean Ross not Hercule) Poirot in a murder mystery dinner theatre show. Since a great deal of that show was improvisation, it occurred to me that acting is storytelling in the same way that writing is storytelling, so I decided to give writing a try. After writing some plays, I knew my novels would include show business in some way, since show business has always been such a huge part of my life. As an avid mystery reader, it was clear to me that my novels would also be page-turning mysteries with clever plot twists, engaging characters, romance, and lots of clues leading to a surprising conclusion a la Agatha Christie. Since coming from a funny Italian-American family, I also knew humor would play a role in my novels.

Interviewer: Can you tell us readers a little bit about creating the Jana Lane mystery series?

Joe: As a child I loved child stars like Shirley Temple, Hayley Mills, and Patty Duke, seeing their movies over and over. So I created a heroine who was the biggest child star ever until she was attacked on the studio lot at eighteen years old. Through the course of the books, Jana not only solves the mysteries, but also reclaims the courage and fortitude she had as a child. This is an important message for all of us. As one reviewer wrote, she starts out as a wounded bird, and ends as tiger.

In PAPER DOLL Jana at thirty-eight lives with her family in a mansion in picturesque Hudson Valley, New York. Her flashbacks from the past become murder attempts in her future. Forced to summon up the lost courage she had as a child, Jana ventures back to Hollywood, which helps her uncover a web of secrets about everyone she loves. She also embarks on a romance with the devilishly handsome son of her old producer, Rocco Cavoto.

In PORCELAIN DOLL (The Wild Rose Press), Jana makes a comeback film and uncovers who is being murdered on the set and why. Her heart is set aflutter by her incredibly gorgeous co-star, America’s heartthrob Jason Apollo. The other suspects include Jana’s James Dean type young co-star, her older John Wayne type co-star, her children’s Eve Harrington type nanny, the film’s gossipy makeup and hair artist, a local reverend trying to stop the film’s production, and Jason’s agent.

In SATIN DOLL (The Wild Rose Press), Jana and family head to Washington, DC, where Jana plays a US senator in a new film, and becomes embroiled in a murder and corruption at the senate chamber. She also embarks on a romance with Chris Bruno, the muscular detective. Jana rubs elbows with senators on both sides of the aisle, a lobbyist, and a Washington reporter. Her husband also goes through a personal crisis.

Interviewer: How have the reviews been for the series so far?

Joe: Amazing. Here are a few examples:

“A book that will captivate any reader! A page turner that won’t let you go! This is one author you can always depend on to publish a good read!!” Stormy Nights Reviewing

“Joe Cosentino is a brilliant mastermind when creating the perfect mystery series. In each novel in this intriguing series of his, Jana Lane Mysteries, readers are blown away by his writing. The instant readers jump into Joe Cosentino’s fictional world, the danger feels real, the suspense is killing, and the plot moves so fast. Action, lights, camera!” “A fast-paced murder mystery that readers will easily fall in love with…and one they can’t live without. Overall, I highly recommend this new title in the Jana Lane Mysteries and look forward to the next best adventure from Joe Cosentino.” Danielle Urban, Universal Creativity Inc.

“Beautifully written and intensely detailed, Porcelain Doll is one not to be missed. Flirtatiously decadent with a strong moral undertone, set in a decade of extraordinary social change this is a story of its period that is as poignant today as it was then. Joe Cosentino controlled the emotions that the book encouraged with a deft but delicate touch. Suspenseful and mysterious, Porcelain Doll is a masterful creation, one that was impossible not to be affected by.” Carol Fenton, BooksLaidBare Reviews

“Paper Doll is a superbly crafted mystery with an eclectic cast of characters that will engage you and elicit some very emotional responses as you are completely caught up in the events that unfold in these pages. Everyone has secrets and the people in Paper Doll have them in spades!” Fresh Fiction

“Mr. Cosentino has produced a masterpiece of mystery (Paper Doll)” “The story gripped me from the start and there were enough twists and turns, with a bit of romance thrown in for good measure, to keep hold of me until the end of the book.” “Great book, can’t wait for book 2.” Readers’ Favorite

Interviewer: Tell us about the current release, CHINA DOLL.

Joe: In CHINA DOLL (The Wild Rose Press), Jana heads to New York City to star in a Broadway play, enchanted by her gorgeous co-star Peter Stevens, and faced with murder on stage and off. It is old home week and nepotism in action as the play is produced and written by the same producer (Stanley Rothman) and author (Katrina Wright) who produced and wrote Jana’s first Broadway play when she was five years old, Sweet Nothings. Jana’s co-star from Sweet Nothings, the aging but still gorgeous and mysterious Savannah Stevens, is co-starring in China Doll, along with Savannah’s incredibly handsome and muscular son, Peter Stevens, in his Broadway debut. Rounding out the cast are Rothman’s granddaughter Bella, Jana’s nephew Brad, and Jana’s youngest son B.J. And the play is directed by Katrina’s new and much younger husband, the studly Tony Cuccioli. Also in the cast are Sally Chen a recent Tony Award winning actress, and Tate Moonglow a transplant from Off-Broadway.

During rehearsals, attractions come to the surface between Tony and Sally, Brad and Bella, Tate and Gary (B.J.’s new nanny), and even Jana and Peter.

Art imitates life as members of the production team of China Doll are murdered, personal secrets are revealed, and Jana once again uses the skills she learned as a child star to solve the crime.

Also, Jana and her husband go through a personal crisis, however, her son B.J. is bitten by the acting bug and has the time of his life.

Interviewer: Who is your favorite character in CHINA DOLL? And why?

Joe: I really enjoyed writing the comically neurotic Gary Royale, B.J.’s (Jana’s youngest son) new nanny, and of course the Broadway musical buff Detective Douglas was great fun.

Interviewer: Which one of your characters was the hardest one to write? And why?

Joe: Savannah Stevens is an aging beauty with fond memories from her past on Broadway and as a movie star in Hollywood, yet she carries the burden of an aging actress in a youth-oriented society.

Interviewer: With her gorgeous violet eyes, is Savannah based on Elizabeth Taylor?

Joe: Savannah is a smart, strong, talented woman like Elizabeth Taylor, however, she doesn’t have anywhere near as many husbands or such a troubled life.

Interviewer: Is Katrina Wright the highly successful mystery writer supposed to be Agatha Christie?

Joe: They are both very successful, older female writers, but Agatha Christie wrote many novels and a few plays, Katrina has written many many plays and no novels. Also unlike Agatha Christie, Katrina has a young stud husband.

Interviewer: David Mamet wrote a play on Broadway in 2015 called CHINA DOLL. Any connection to your novel.

Joe: None. I think it’s fascinating that there really was a play on Broadway called CHINA DOLL, though Jana wouldn’t know about it since my novel takes place in 1984.

Interviewer: You acted onstage with Bruce Willis in A MIDSUMMER NIGHT’S DREAM and Nathan Lane in THE ROAR OF THE GREASEPAINT. Were you able to use your theatre background in writing CHINA DOLL?

Joe: I wrote, directed, and acted in a number of plays. I used my experiences many times in CHINA DOLL when writing about the role of the playwright, director, stage manager, producer, actors, designers, and technicians. I know first-hand what it’s like to do a read through, a blocking rehearsal, rehearsals, dress rehearsals, and performances. Though thankfully nobody was murdered in any of my plays.

Interviewer: How amazing that Jana’s youngest son B.J. takes so well to the stage.

Joe: Like mother like son—and grandfather and uncle.

Interviewer: In the novel Katrina and Stanley use their religious beliefs as a weapon to try to fire one of the cast members. Do you think people of faith will be offended by that?

Joe: I sure hope not. Jana is a Christian who prays and goes to church on Sundays. She seems like a true Christian to me since she tries to love her neighbor as herself, not judge others, and help the downtrodden and outcasts. Jana stands up to Katrina and Stanley because she believes any kind of discrimination is wrong, and that freedom of religion is far different from the freedom to discriminate. I assume Jana would defend Katrina or Stanley if someone tried to discriminate against them as well.

As in the first three Jana Lane mysteries, Jana is tempted by a gorgeous man, this time the heartthrob younger actor, Peter Stevens.

I can’t imagine anyone not being enticed by Peter Stevens. He’s what used to be a called a matinee idol.

And Jana goes through a major personal event.

I love that part of the story. It still brings tears to my eyes when I read it.

And Jana is reconnected with her nephew.

Who has changed his name and become a hungry for fame actor. Jana tries to give him advice, but like many young people. He doesn’t take it.

Interviewer: I find it fascinating how Jana uses the skills she learned as a child star to solve the crime. How do you remember all of Jana Lane’s old movie titles and storylines?

Joe: I keep really good notes on Jana’s old movies, and on each room in her Hyde Park, New York mansion. I also enjoyed writing about Jana’s gorgeous penthouse hotel suite.

Interviewer: Since the book takes place in 1984, you included a great deal of history, music, and fashion from the era.

Joe: Though China Doll is a fictitious play, I was able to place the theatre between the marquees of real shows playing at the time: Hurlyburly starring William Hurt and Christopher Walken and The Rink starring Chita Rivera and Liza Minelli. Since the book takes place in 1984, I included a great deal of history, music, and fashion from my favorite era. Layered hair, parachute pants, shoulder pads, lace gloves, leggings, and scrunchies are all there along with music like Bruce Springstein’s “Cover Me.” New York City is prominently featured in the novel with its luxury hotels, Central Park, Washington Square Park, Little Italy, and of course the theatre district. I was also able to include, the still new AIDS epidemic and the devastation it caused when ignored by our political representatives, as once again Jana sponsors a benefit for AIDS research.

Interviewer: Which scene in the novel did you enjoy writing the most? And why?

Joe: I loved writing the hospital scene the most. It’s so touching.

Interviewer: Many of the men in the series are strapping, muscular, good looking guys. Did you do that intentionally?

Joe: You mean since I’m not? Hah. Many of the women are gorgeous too. I’m enjoying exploring how the other half lives and loves. However, in CHINA DOLL, I have characters like Katrina, Gary, and of course Simon and Cornelius who don’t fit that mold.

Interviewer: Everyone in CHINA DOLL seems to have a secret. Thank you for revealing them by the book’s end.

Joe: Yes, each Jana Lane mystery is its own story. Readers get a complete mystery with each novel, as you said, full of revealed secrets.

Interviewer: You play fair in your mysteries, meaning the clues are there, and so are the plot twists and turns, and white knuckle shocking ending.

Joe: I don’t like mysteries where characters are introduced and the writer arbitrarily picks the murderer at the end. The readers feel cheated. At the end of a mystery, the readers should say, “Of course! How did I not see that?” I agree about the ending. It still makes my heart race when I read it—and I’m still surprised.

Interviewer: Do you see the Jana Lane mysteries as a TV show?

Joe: Totally! I want to play Simon Huckby!

Interviewer: Who do you see as Jana Lane?

Joe: I’m not sure. I hope the readers will send me some ideas!

Interviewer: Do you have another mystery series besides the Jana Lane mysteries?

Joe: Yes, the Nicky and Noah comedy mysteries published by Lethe Press. Each novel is loaded with wacky humor and romance in a fast-paced whodunit. Since I am a college theatre professor/department head, and theatre departments are havens of mystery, secrets, romance, and high humor; the series takes place at an Edwardian style New England college. In DRAMA QUEEN theatre college professors are dropping like stage curtains. With the inept local detectives, it is up to Directing professor, Nicky Abbondanza to use his theatre skills (including playing other people) to solve the murders, while he directs a murder mystery onstage. Complicating matters is Nicky’s intense crush on Assistant Professor of Acting, handsome Noah Oliver, the prime suspect in the murder. In DRAMA MUSCLE Nicky and Noah have to use their theatre skills to find out why musclemen are dropping like weights in the Physical Education department while Nicky directs the Student Bodybuilding Competition. In DRAMA CRUISE (not released yet), Nicky and Noah go on a cruise to Alaska, and discover why college theatre professors are going overboard like lifeboats while Nicky directs a murder mystery dinner theatre show onboard ship.

Interviewer: Have you written other books besides mysteries?

Joe: My MM romance novellas are published by Dreamspinner Press. They are AN INFATUATION, A SHOOTING STAR, A HOME FOR THE HOLIDAYS, and THE NAKED PRINCE AND OTHER TALES FROM FAIRYLAND.

I also have an MM series COZZI COVE: BOUNCING BACK and COZZI COVE: MOVING FORWARD taking place on the Jersey Shore and published by Nine Star Press.

Interviewer: Is writing an MF series different from writing an MM series?

Joe: Not at all. People are people. Love is love. Mystery is mystery. We’re all connected.

Interviewer: As a college professor/department head, how do you have the time to write?

Joe: I write at night after my spouse has gone to bed. I have a beautiful cherry wood study with a fireplace, huge desk, bookcases, and window seat. My mother asked me, “How do you think up all those stories?” I told her I had a colorful childhood. Hah.

Interviewer: How long does it generally take you to write a book?

Joe: About three months working evenings and weekends. When I complain about my time, my mother says, “Just think how hard you’d have to work if you had a real job like your cousins” (lawyers).

Interviewer: Who is your ideal reader of your books?

Joe: My ideal reader is a lover of mystery, romance, and Hollywood. Someone who craves being swept away by a story and becoming part of the novel. My reader loves clues, suspects, and plotlines that zigzag with numerous surprises leading to a shocking yet totally justified conclusion. Finally, my reader relishes in beautiful, lush locations and captivating characters as she/he enters the portal of my book.

Interviewer: What are you writing now?

Joe: The next Jana Lane mystery of course: RAG DOLL, where Jana is offered the leading role in a TV pilot about an amateur sleuth. Of course murder and romance ensue.

How can your readers contact you?

I love hearing from readers! They can contact me at: http://www.JoeCosentino.weebly.com

CHINA DOLL, a Jana Lane mystery

by Joe Cosentino

published by The Wild Rose Press

http://catalog.thewildrosepress.com/all-titles/3830-china-doll.html?search_query=china+doll&results=2

http://amzn.com/B01E2UD4HY

Jana Lane is back on Broadway in 1984—starring in a murder mystery. Life imitates art when members of the company are murdered. As Jana investigates, it’s clear she may be the next victim. Complicating matters is Jana’s uncontrollable infatuation with her leading man, gorgeous and muscular Off-Broadway actor Peter Stevens. Will Jana find the murderer before the curtain comes down on her?

Excerpt of CHINA DOLL, the fourth Jana Lane mystery, by Joe Cosentino, published by The Wild Rose Press

Tall, muscular, aristocratic-looking with dark hair and blushed cheeks, Peter shook Jana’s hand. “It’s a pleasure to meet you, Miss Lane.”

Feeling the warmth and smoothness of his strong hand, Jana felt like a shut-in at a blind date with Mr America. “It’s Miss Otley…rather Mrs. Lane…Mrs. Otley, but please call me Peter.” Jana turned the color of her avocado dress.

He seemed to enjoy her attraction to him. Amazing dimples emerged as Peter said, “I thought I was Peter.”

Jana giggled in spite of herself. “You are. I’m Nana. I mean…I’m Jana.”

Peter’s peaches and cream complexion complimented his white pants, coral T-shirt, and marigold blazer. He whispered in her ear, and she smelled fresh mint. “I’m nervous too. Everyone’s thinking I got this role because I’m Savannah Stevens’ son. They’re probably right.”

I have to stop gawking at him. “I’m sure you’ll be fine.”

Peter seemed genuinely touched. “That means a lot to me, coming from such a fine actress. I hope you’ll give me a few tips in rehearsals.”

Author’s Bio:

Bestselling author Joe Cosentino won Divine Magazine’s awards for best mystery novel, best humorous novel, and best contemporary novel of 2015. He is the author of the Jana Lane mysteries: Paper Doll, Porcelain Doll, Satin Doll, and China Doll and the upcoming Rag Doll (The Wild Rose Press); the Nicky and Noah mysteries: Drama Queen, Drama Muscle, and the upcoming Drama Cruise (Lethe Press); the Cozzi Cove beach series: Cozzi Cove: Bouncing Back and Cozzi Cove: Moving Forward (NineStar Press); and the romance novellas: In My Heart anthology (An Infatuation & A Shooting Star), A Home for the Holidays, and The Naked Prince and Other Tales from Fairyland (Dreamspinner Press); and The Nutcracker and the Mouse King (Eldridge Plays and Musicals). As an actor, he has appeared in principal roles in film, television, and theatre opposite stars such as Bruce Willis, Rosie O’Donnell, Nathan Lane, Holland Taylor, and Jason Robards. Joe is currently Head of the Department/Professor at a college in upstate New York, and is happily married. http://www.JoeCosentino.weebly.com

Web site: http://www.JoeCosentino.weebly.com

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/JoeCosentinoauthor

Twitter: https://twitter.com/JoeCosen

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/4071647.Joe_Cosentino

Amazon: Author.to/JoeCosentino

Tag Archives: the wild rose press

Halloween Romance: The Reaper’s Kiss

The Reaper’s Kiss

“10 Moments That Changed My Life” by Kathryn Lively & Her Latest Release: Finish What You Started

I love that I have back to back ’10 Moments’ posts. They are sooo interesting. Please help me welcome Kathryn Lively, who is also sharing her latest release…

Fantastic, Kathyrn. I think you rose to the challenge nicely. Thank you for joining me. Ha, yes, the Cubs finally did it! Let’s see how they fare in the World Series. They are off to a decent start!

Halloween Romance: Portrait of Love (The Picture of Dorian Gray)

Portrait of Love

Nobody Knows – New Southern Gothic Mystery by Susan Coryell

Please help me welcome an author friend, Susan Coryell, with her latest release from The Wild Rose Press. I had the pleasure of being her editor for the entire Overhome Trilogy, and enjoyed each novel immensely. What better time of year for a spooky, Southern Gothic Mystery?

“10 Moments That Changed My Life” by Author Kimberly Keyes

I am pleased to introduce today’s guest, Kimberly Keyes, a delightful new author friend, who is sharing the moments that changed her life and her latest release…

Linda Nightingale ~ New Release: A Vampyre Rhapsody

Author Interview with Marilyn Baron & New Release: Stumble Stones: A Novel

Please help me welcome an author friend, Marilyn Baron, with an interview and her new release: Stumble Stones: A Novel

** GIVEAWAY: Readers should leave a comment for a chance to win a copy of Marilyn’s romantic suspense Landlocked and a Stumble Stones logo notebook. The question they have to answer from Stumble Stones is “What is the name of the Berlin suburb where Alexander lives?”

Author Interview with Charlotte O’Shay – NEW RELEASE: The Marriage Ultimatum

Please help me welcome author Charlotte O’Shay…

Author Interview with Sylvia Hubbard – New Release: Tanner’s Devil

Please help me welcome the lovely Sylvia Hubbard with an interesting interview and her latest release!

INTERVIEW WITH JOE COSENTINO author of CHINA DOLL, a Jana Lane mystery, published by The Wild Rose Press

Please help me welcome Joe Cosentino. He is sharing an interview about his new release, the fourth installment of the Jana Lane Mystery series:

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