Sunday 22 December 2019

The Librarian Picks her Poison



Amber Gilchrist lives in New Mexico with her husband and six children. She writes YA , Romantic Comedies, and series mysteries. She calls her lifetime of jumping from one job to another 'experience' for her books and not an inability to settle down. Amber loves mysteries and a good, happy romance. She also loves to laugh. Sometimes she likes all of them together.

A fan of quirky movies and indie books, Amber likes to be with her family, is socially inept, and fears strangers and small yippy dogs. She alternates between writing and being a mom. She tries to do both at the same time but her kids don't appreciate being served lunch and told, "This is the hot dog of your discontent." So mostly she writes when everyone else is in bed.


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Audrey Scott might be a childrens librarian, but that isnt all she can do. When her best friend, Gretchen Holden, stands accused of a murder, Audrey cant handle doing nothing more than bailing Gretchen out of jail. She has to figure out who really killed Gretchens step-father, a universally hated federal judge.



With a not small list of potential people the judge has wronged, Audrey and her friends have a rough ride ahead of them trying to decide who had a motive, means, and opportunity to put the judge in an early grave. With the help of Derek Hennessy, erstwhile enemy turned very good friend, and her normal crew of cohorts, Audrey wont stop until the threat no longer looms.






Snippet:
I laughed, despite the fact I wasnt sure what to make of his behavior.  It suggested an intimacy that hed seemed adverse to yesterday.  Maybe hed been telling the truth.  He didnt empirically dislike being touched.  He just had to be ready for it.  It was still tragic, either way. 
Stepladders?  You have no sympathy for my state of shortness.  I need these shoes.
He smirked.  “You need them, huh?
I pulled in a deep breath, which gave me a nose full of Dereks coat.  I had noticed it back when hed been John Smith.  Derek smelled incredible.  So did his coat.  Just the right mix of something smoky, something clean, and something distinctly male.  I assumed it was a combination of whatever he used to groom himself and the inherent smell of man, but whatever it was, I approved. 
I need them.  You are approximately seven hundred feet tall.  You have no idea what its like not being able to reach the upper cabinets.  These shoes allow me to function in normal society.
He truly laughed this time.  I loved the sound of it.  Id only really heard it twice.  Once when Id called him pretentious at the library before, and once now.  He had an impish sense of humor, but one would never know it from his behavior most of the time.  I shivered again, and this time it wasnt from the weather.
I wasnt aware that reaching the upper cabinets was the earmark of functioning properly in normal society.




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Saturday 21 December 2019

Cover Reveal



Cas lives in the lovely county of Hampshire, southern UK, where she was born. On leaving school she trained for two years before qualifying as horse-riding instructor. During this time she also learned to carriage-drive. She spent thirteen years in the British Civil Service before moving to Rome, Italy, where she and her husband, Dave, lived for three years. They enjoy returning whenever they can. Cas supports many animal charities and owns two rescue dogs. She has a large collection of cacti and loves gardening. She is also a folk singer/songwriter and is currently writing and recording nine folk-style songs to accompany each of her fantasy books. You can listen to and download all the songs from her website: www.caspeace.com 

See the video of her performing live at the King’s Envoy book launch here: http://www.caspeace.com/cas-peace/the-wheel-will-turn



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Pure evil rises once again in Albia…

Three years have passed since Baron Reen’s trial. A terrible accident on the island of his exile has transformed him into a nightmarish scarecrow creature with dark, mysterious powers. Staging his own suicide, Reen breaks free of his prison and, with the help of the former queen Sofira, embarks on a ruthless quest for vengeance against his worst enemy, the woman responsible for the overthrow of his schemes and his own ruination: Brynne Sullyan.

Sullyan is tasked with investigating Reen’s suicide. The missing body and a series of disasters in Port Loxton—a vicious murder, a brutal ambush, and a devastating fire—raise suspicions in her mind. She probes deeper, determined to uncover the truth, unsuspecting of the evil that’s about to be unleashed…



And now for the Cover

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Universal Amazon Link ~ 


  

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Friday 20 December 2019

Christmas Blitz Day 15




“Who were THOSE shepherds, and why were they so favored?” That one question stirred the imagination of author Michael I. Judson and led to the creation of Lost Shepherd, the fictional backstory of the first witnesses to the birth of the precious Babe of Bethlehem. After you read Lost Shepherd, watch for his answers to other compelling questions (his next books!)

When he’s not writing, he has a large family to love, gardens to grow, fun places to see, ancestors to discover, and even chickens to raise! He also has a full-time job that occupies the bulk of his waking hours. Though still a few years off, retirement beckons with aspirations of writing (with all the fun imagining and discovery that goes with it) becoming his full-time pursuit.



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Just who were the shepherds that were singled out from among earth's inhabitants to hear the angelic announcement of Christ's birth? What made them so special, or what uniquely qualified them to be His first witnesses? The Bible tells us very little about them. Now there is an answer!
Eleazar grows up awash in a culture of shepherding, but not among ordinary sheep. No, the flocks he and his companions tend are destined for sacrifice on the altar of the great temple at Jerusalem. Like his fathers before him, his life's work fuels the faith of a nation that tirelessly awaits the signs of their long-foretold Messiah. But unforeseen circumstances lead Eleazar away from his purposeful existence and onto a path of doubt and life-altering decisions that threaten to destroy both his faith and his future. Only the miraculous power of the Christ Child can reclaim him and restore to him to a life of hope and peace—and to an understanding of his importance as a shepherd in Israel.
Lost Shepherd is a tale of real hope and redemption, of faith lost and reclaimed. Let the story transport you back in time as you discover anew the timeless healing power found only in the Savior Jesus Christ.


~ Universal Amazon Link
    




Snippet:


Arriving at the half-way point at the junction with the road to Bethany, the shepherds turned the sheep into a pasture by a small stream. By this time the sheep were beginning to tire and, for many, the call of the tender spring grasses was too much of a distraction for their hungry stomachs. As they began to graze, the shepherds each sought a comfortable resting spot, preferably under the shade of a low-hanging tree.
This was hardly the first time the shepherds had taken this excursion, and Benjamin and the others had anticipated the need for this rest stop. But their lack of progress was more than a little surprising and they found themselves questioning whether they would be able to complete the Jerusalem leg of their journey before the temple closed and those who would receive the sheep had gone to their homes for the evening.
As the sheep foraged for a meal, the shepherds sat themselves down to enjoy whatever foodstuffs they had packed. Eleazar’s mother had anticipated her son’s need and assembled for him a hearty meal of cold chicken and goat cheese, with dried figs. He downed the food without so much as a thought of his mother’s kindness, so absorbed was he contemplating what he assumed lay ahead for himself.
In his anxious mind he envisioned this, what he believed would be his last shepherding trip to Jerusalem, as the final exclamation mark on his short career, and the opening chapter on his new life of freedom and fulfillment. Ostensibly he was doing it for his mother, but had he been more honest with himself, he would have been forced to admit the truth that this was at least equally about satisfying his own desires.
Finishing the last bite of his meal, he rose from his resting spot to survey his surroundings. The sheep were feeding peacefully and the dogs were resting beside the other shepherds, who themselves were reclined and enjoying a brief nap. Looking back toward the highway, Eleazar could see a herd of about ten camels moving toward Jerusalem. Two drivers on camels, one at the front of the herd and the other at the rear, were the only keepers of the notoriously unruly creatures. Each camel wore a braided collar with a brass ring. A rope was strung between the rings and attached at either end to the drivers’ camels, which seemed to maintain perfect order in the procession. Approaching the shepherds’ position, Eleazar was fascinated at how a single command from the leader brought the entire herd, in near-perfect unison, off the highway and onto the path leading to the shepherds’ resting place.
Approaching Eleazar, the only shepherd who wasn’t napping, the lead driver asked, “May I assume that there is water in this place?”
“Yes,” Eleazar replied, pointing. “There’s a small stream just past that stand of trees.”
“May I also assume then that this stream can be used to water my camels?”
“Sure,” Eleazar responded, “take all you want. But I thought camels didn’t need much water.”
“Oh, they need as much as any animal, it’s just that they can store it up so that they don’t need to drink as often as your other beasts of burden. It’s been three days since our last watering and I’d like these animals to get their fill before we get into the confusion of Jerusalem. Camels are ornery enough even when they’re not thirsty. Watering them now will eliminate at least one potential distraction when we arrive.”
“Well, help yourself then. I’ll move the sheep back to make room.”
“I appreciate your kindness, sir,” the camel driver said as his camel kneeled, allowing him to dismount. It was the first time Eleazar had ever been addressed so formally and he rather enjoyed the feeling.
The driver then removed the rope to free the animals. The camels needed no further invitation to partake. In their haste they overtook Eleazar, beating him to the stream and effectively driving off the sheep themselves. The large beasts were generally unfamiliar to the sheep and, being intimidated, the smaller animals willingly retreated to a place several paces away from the stream. The camels were soon wading into the stream for their fill of the cool water.
“Well, it looks like your camels have done my job for me,” said Eleazar, a bit surprised at the rather orderly exchange between the sheep and camels.
“I’m afraid they are generally used to getting their way,” the driver admitted, as he stepped lightly from his kneeling animal. “It’s one trait of the species that breeding doesn’t seem to effect. What I wouldn’t give to have a camel that was docile and obedient like your sheep.”
“Would you also have it be stupid and helpless like a sheep?” Eleazar asked sarcastically.
“Well, I’m no expert on sheep, but I perceive them not as stupid and helpless, but as humble and meek, easy to be entreated. They seek peace, whereas my camels are arrogant and argumentative, always looking for a way to assert their dominance.”
“The sheep are meek,” Eleazar admitted, “but I think it’s just a reflection of their big, empty heads.”
Approaching the shepherd, the camel driver chuckled, extended his hand and said, “My name is Asher.”
Returning the gesture, Eleazar gripped his hand and said, “I’m Eleazar.”
Just then the rear driver approached and held out his hand. “Shalom. I’m Ishmael,” he said. “You have some fine-looking sheep there.”
“Only the best will do for the temple,” Eleazar responded, sarcastically.
Ignoring Eleazar’s apparent cynicism, Ishmael remarked with surprise and respect, “Do you mean that you and your companions are the shepherds who raise sheep for temple sacrifice? I am so honored to meet you!”
“Don’t be,” Eleazar remarked. “We’re nothing but lowly shepherds.”
“Oh but that can’t be true,” Ishmael replied. “You are the honored ones who guard The Lord’s flock.”
“Yes,” Eleazar replied incredulously, hoping to swiftly end this nonsense. “We are the shepherds who watch ‘The Lord’s sheep,’ from the moment of their birth making sure nothing bad happens to them, keeping them pure and protected, coddling and cuddling them their whole lives and delivering them safe and sound to the temple…so that men with sharp knives can slit their throats.” Eleazar, looking his questioner straight in the eyes, concluded his speech with a wry smile.
“Well,” Ishmael responded, sheepishly, looking alternately between the ground and Asher’s understanding face, “it sounds like, uh, well, maybe you have some rather well-formed opinions on the matter. Uh…thank you, yes, thank you for sharing them.”
With that he turned and walked toward the stream to look after the camels.
“My friend,” Asher said, trying to soften the situation, “you must forgive my partner. He is a very devout man who holds rather strong views of his faith. Sometimes he forgets that not all Jews share his zeal.”
Recognizing how caustic his response must have sounded to one so faithful, Eleazar hung his head and said, “I understand. I once was like your friend. I should be more careful about others’ feelings.”
Encouraged, Asher added, “I hope you know that your work truly does matter. Me, I drive camels to market where I haggle with potential buyers all day. In the end, I may be a little richer and the merchant may have a new camel, but that is where the blessing ends. Nothing of lasting value comes of it for either of us. But you, though you seldom see the ultimate result of your work, you provide a service that blesses lives. Your efforts bring satisfaction and peace to hearts that need mending. True, it is all symbolic, but symbols are powerful motivators for they speak of a reality that cannot be seen. You and your companions—you bring that reality to life.”
Humbled, Eleazar could only thank Asher for his thoughts and wish him well on his journey. By this time, Ishmael had the camels roped together again and was preparing to mount his own animal. Asher gave the command for his camel to kneel at which point he swung his leg over the animal’s shaggy back, then ordered the beast to rise. The camel let out a barking groan as it stood, dust falling from its hairy coat.
As the caravan slowly made its way back onto the highway, Asher waved and called to Eleazar, “God be with you, temple shepherd! Shalom!”
“Yes, shalom,” Eleazar whispered, as he waved to the departing men.





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Thursday 19 December 2019

Christmas Blitz Day 14






Award-winning author, wife, mother, grandmother, Harry Potter geek, Army veteran, karate black belt, and online gamer girl.









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~ Amazon





 "Recently widowed Rae Cavanaugh just survived the worst birthday of her life. She and her two young children must now face a holiday season filled with so many reminders of what they've lost. But when a coworker who’s raising his young nephew moves next door, Rae discovers that the support of a good friend, and the gift of a child, can bring back some of the joy of the season. 

**A Novelette**"










Q&A With the Author:

1.  What inspired this Christmas/Winter book?

The Story Behind the Story
A real event inspired this novelette. I originally wrote it for two reasons. First, to honor my sweet son David. Second, as a gift to my newsletter followers. 
While the friendship between Rae and Dylan is fictional, I shared the following with Rae:
· I lost my husband when I was twenty-six.
· I had two young children to raise alone.
· I experienced a dismal birthday that just happened to fall on the two-month anniversary of my husbands death.
· My son did for me what Preston did.
But Im a romance author at heart, and I fell in love with Dylan. He was perfect for Rae, but by the end of The Gift of a Child, it was still too soon after the death of her husband for her to fall in love again. Being the great guy Dylan is, he recognizes she needs time even though hes already fallen for her.
And thats when I knew there had to be another story, a true romance this time. Thats where the idea for The Forever Gift came from.

2. Do you have other Holiday books? If so, which Holidays? If not, what other books do you write?

I'm currently writing a book that's set during Christmas of 1905 in WyomingA Lady for Luke. It's part of my Lilac City Novella Series.

Torn Canvas, book 2 in my Safe Harbors Series, spans nearly three years but includes a Christmas wedding.

3. What is your largest unfulfilled dream, and what are you doing to reach it?
That's a hard one. As a child, my career Navy father was stationed in Seoul, Korea. The country has changed so much since then, and I'd love to visit there again. But it truly is a dream. I have no active plans.

If I ever make enough money as an author to take my entire family on a cruise, I'd totally do that.

4. Tell us about things you enjoy what you do for fun or personal satisfaction besides writing?
I love to cruise. As a Navy brat, I'd sailed the Pacific three times by the time I was thirteen. That's a bit of what inspired me to write A Change of Plans, book 1 in my Safe Harbors Series is the story of a woman who goes on a cruise and ends up shipwrecked after being attacked by modern day pirates.

I enjoy many things but especially reading. I love books! So far this year, I've read (or listened to via audiobook) 173 books. You can see them on my Goodreads Challenge here: https://www.goodreads.com/user_challenges/14884768

And I love to game. My favorite right now is League of Legends. It's a battle arena game and inspired my Billionaires of REKD Series about four Harvard graduates and their journeys to love.

5. Are your characters/stories/scenes, etc. based on anything in real life?

As I've mentioned, The Gift of a Child was strongly influenced by a personal event, but except for my connections with Rae, the rest of the people are fictional. 

I think there's always a little of an author that bleeds into real life. I spent over twenty years working as a city recorder. One of my duties was to run municipal elections. My own experiences plus those shared by others in my profession influenced some of the events in my book Swing Vote, book 3 in my Safe Harbors Series.

6. Tell us one Christmas or Winter tradition that you love to do every year, and why it is so special to you. 

When our children were still at home, we'd choose a family that was struggling and do a twelve days of Christmas ding-dong-ditch. For twelve days ending on December 23rd, we leave them an inspirational or humorous Christmas story/poem/etc. along with a treat that matched. I miss that.






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Wednesday 18 December 2019

Christmas Blitz Day 13



Through a crazy twist of fate, Caroline Clemmons was not born on a Texas ranch. To compensate for this illogical error, she writes about handsome cowboys, feisty ranch women, and scheming villains in a tiny office her family calls her pink cave. She and her Hero live in North Central Texas cowboy country where they ride herd on their dog and three rescued indoor cats as well as providing nourishment outdoors for squirrels, birds, and other critters. 

The over fifty titles she has created in her pink cave have made her an Amazon bestselling author and won several awards. She writes sweet to sensual romances about the West, both historical and contemporary as well as time travel and mystery. Her series include the Kincaids, McClintocks, Stone Mountain Texas, Bride Brigade, Texas Time Travel, Texas Caprock Tales, Loving A Rancher, and Pearson Grove as well as numerous single titles and contributions to multi-author sets. When she’s not writing, she loves spending time with her family, reading her friends’ books, lunching with friends, browsing antique malls, checking Facebook, and taking the occasional nap.





Such a tiny lie… 

Desperation drove her… 

She couldn’t know the risk… 


After the death of her grandmother, Melody Fraser must quickly leave what has been her home in South Carolina. There are those who think she murdered her Nana Fraser. She’s innocent but there’s talk about arrest and prosecution. To escape, this Southern Belle agrees to become a mail-order bride in far away Montana. Several of her friends will be living in the same town. Traveling so far to marry a man she’s never met is daunting. Surely things will work out, won’t they?
Nicholas “Nick” Walker is a doctor from Gettysburg whose wife and children were killed when mortar fire destroyed their home. Eager to escape the memories and ravages of the Civil War, he buys a medical practice in Montana Territory. He wants a competent nurse who can assist him with operations and care for patients as his plans expand for a hospital. He wants a well-organized wife to keep him company and start a family. With his usual efficiency, he combines the two into one job description when he requests a mail-order bride. What will it take to teach Nick that—although she isn’t what he expected—Melody is exactly what he needs?




Top Ten List:

1.What inspired this Christmas/Winter book? MELODY is one of a multiple-author project in which I was lucky enough to be invited to participate. Last year, there were five books and this year there are six. Mine is the second to be released this year. Since I love Christmas and read Christmas books all year, this was a good project for me. I was able to choose Melody’s plot and characters. The stipulations were that the heroine came from Charleston, South Carolina, and went to Angel Creek, Colorado. Each book has the same cover with only the author’s name and the name of the heroine changed.

2.Do you have other Holiday books? If so, what are they and for which Holidays? If not, what other books do you write? My other Christmas books are STONE MOUNTAIN CHRISTMAS, MISTLETOE MISTAKE, and AN ANGEL FOR CHRISTMAS. The first two are historical western romances and the last is a contemporary romance set in Texas. WINTER WISH is a historical western romance in the box set CHRISTMAS WISHES: WISHES DO COME TRUE, set in Hopeful, Colorado. As you can guess, I write both historical western romance and contemporary western romance—but also time travel romance, and mysteries.

3.What is your largest unfulfilled dream, and what are you doing to reach it? I’ve always wanted to make enough money to buy my husband something really nice, like a car or something. I’m writing as fast as I can but I’m not even close yet.

4.Tell us about things you enjoy — what you do for fun or personal satisfaction besides writing? I love to read, especially books written by my friends. My husband (Hero) and I enjoy watching British or Australian mysteries or American shows like the Jack Ryan series. Although we don’t go much now, Hero and I enjoy travel. My youngest daughter and I like to browse antique malls. We used to have booths in a couple of malls but became too busy to buy stock. Dining with friends is always fun. Just yesterday I met with my book club for lunch and had a wonderful afternoon.

5.Are your characters/stories/scenes, etc. based on anything in real life? I believe that everything we’ve seen or done becomes a part of us, and that comes out in our writing. I don’t consciously pattern characters after a person, although I may take a characteristic from one person and use it. Characters are composites of people I’ve known and those I’ve created.

6.Tell us one Christmas or Winter tradition that you love to do every year, and why it is so special to you. When our youngest learned who filled the stockings at Christmas, she said, “So, you always know what you’ll have in your stocking? That’s not fair!” The next Christmas morning when I opened my stocking, there was a small wrapped gift as a surprise. Our daughter had used her allowance at some time and purchased a set of tea bag holders. (I drink a lot of hot tea and use tea bags rather than loose tea.) You can bet I still have those and always will! Since that time, this has grown into a tradition of all four of us placing a small gift in each of the other three stockings. While she was alive, my mother joined in the tradition, too. This tradition is so important to me because it arose from our youngest daughter’s compassion and unselfishness and has become a part of our family’s Christmas each year.





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