PERSONAL THOUGHTS

Craven House Collection by Christina McKnight

Mayfair just got a lot more wicked…and a lot more fun.

Available July 31st– Craven House Collection box set by Christina McKnight.

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Title: Craven House Collection
Author: Christina McKnight
Genre: Historical Romance, Regency
Release Date: July 31, 2018

 

Scandal is second nature to the children of London’s most notorious madame. Growing up in the unconventional Craven House, these four sisters become independent, determined women, perfect matches for the roguish lords that love them. Mayfair just got a lot more wicked

…and a lot more fun.

The Thief Steals Her Earl, Book 1

To save her family from bankruptcy, Miss Judith Pengarden must be very bad—but when she breaks into the stalwart Earl of Cartwright’s home, it’s not just his family heirlooms she steals, but his heart too.

The Mistress Enchants Her Marquis, Book 2

The Marquis of Ridgefield longs for tradition and routine, two things which the rebellious hellion Miss Samantha Pengarden can’t provide. Then why does he feel so drawn to her?

The Madame Catches Her Duke, Book 3

Longstanding secrets and deception have made Marce Davenport and the Duke of Harwich enemies. But when their agreement ends and they face a change to the lives they’ve known, they’ll discover the line between hate and the love of a lifetime is finer than they ever thought possible.

The Gambler Wagers Her Baron, Book 4

Miss Payton Samuels knows that the only person she can rely on is herself, until she becomes governess to Lord Ashford’s rambunctious children. A gambler knows not to wager it all, yet the longer Payton stays with Lord Ashford and his family, the more willing she is to risk it all for her happily ever after.

Available at: Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Kobo | iBooks | GooglePlay

 

Author Bio:
USA TODAY Bestselling Author Christina McKnight writes emotional and intricate Regency Romance with rebellious women and maverick heroes.

Her books combine romance and mystery, exploring themes of redemption and forgiveness. When not writing she enjoys coffee, wine, traveling the world, and watching television.

You can visit her online at the following places: Website Facebook | Twitter Goodreads | Amazon

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Dark Days of Promise by Shaunna Gonzales

 

Shaunna Gonzales currently resides with her family in the greater Seattle area. Married
over thirty years, her role as wife and mother of four continue to be her priorities.
 
A storyteller in her youth, she endevored to extend her love of stories to the written word and in 2005 began to write her first novel. Though that manuscript will remain buried, she has continued to learn.
Once told by her doctors that she would never leave her wheelchair — due to her Multiple sclerosis. It has been tucked in a closet while she continues on. (In other words muddles on.)
 
Shaunna has worked as a professional reviewer for InD’Tales eMagazine for three years. In 2012 she also served as the vice president of Moonwriters, the on-line chapter of American Night Writers Association (ANWA She prefers to write romantic fiction and has ventured into the romantic suspense, and time-travel genres. Her debut novel, Dark Day s of Promise was released by Desert Breeze Publishing in 2012 re-released 2015.

Although she prefers to spend her days writing, she is willing to share what she has learned from the school of life and is often found “giving back.” 

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Thirty-four year old Vicki Laramie must learn to trust before she can love, but she might die trying.
 

While Vicki’s children grapple with the death of their father — a man whom she’s successfully fabricated as loving, a lie her rebellious teenager recognizes — she must find a way to support her family and find a role model for her boys. 

She never intends to fall for Staff Sergeant Chase, her best friend’s son, who suffers from Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). She’d much rather choose a safer man to love, but her children have a voice in the decision she makes. 

With two deaths to deal with, a suitor after her money, a rebellious son, and Sergeant Chase’s repeated attacks, she can only hope to survive the danger she faces. If she doesn’t, her children will be left without either parent.
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Author Interview:
1.     How long does it take you to write a book, and what was your fastest book to write?
a.     A year but my shortest book took me about six months.
2.     What is your favorite thing to do in the summertime?
a.     Sit in the shade beside my garden.
3.     Is there a message in your book you hope to share with your readers?
a.     No not really but I did in my first book I did.
4.     Are any of your characters based on real people?
a.     Yes, some of my shady characters are based on an ex-boyfriend or my sister’s ex-husband
5.     What advice would you give to others who wish to become authors?

 

a.     Just do it, no matter what the nay-sayers say.
 

 

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The Dragons of Alsace Farm by Laurie Lewis


Laurie (L.C.) Lewis will always be a Marylander at heart—a weather-whining lover of crabs, American history, and the sea. She admits to being craft-challenged, particularly lethal with a glue gun, and a devotee of sappy movies. Her ninth published novel, her first romance novella, Sweet Water, was inspired by a visit to Oregon’s magnificent coastline, and time spent with Mother Eugenie, upon whom the character Mother Thomasine is based. 

 
Laurie’s women’s fiction novels include The Dragons of Alsace Farm (2016), Awakening Avery (2010), and Unspoken (2004), written as Laurie Lewis. 
 
Using the pen name L.C. Lewis, she wrote the five volumes of her award-winning FREE MEN and DREAMERS historical fiction series, set against the backdrop of the War of 1812: Dark Sky at Dawn (2007), Twilight’s Last Gleaming (2008), Dawn’s Early Light (2009), Oh, Say Can You See? (2010), and In God is Our Trust, (2011).

She is currently completing a political suspense novel planned for a summer 2017 release, a re -release of a romantic comedy, and she’s working on another historical fiction novel for a 2018 release. She loves to hear from readers.

Fears and secrets are the dragons we each must face. . . 
In need of his own redemption, Noah Carter finally confronts his childhood hero, the once-beloved uncle who betrayed him. Instead of vengeance, he offers forgiveness, also granting Uncle John a most curious request—for Noah to work on the ramshackle farm of Agnes Deveraux Keller, a French WWII survivor with dementia.
Despite all Agnes has lost, she still has much to teach Noah. But the pair’s unique friendship is threatened when Tayte, Agnes’s estranged granddaughter, arrives to claim a woman whose circumstances and abilities are far different from those of the grandmother she once knew.
Items hidden in Agnes’s attic raise painful questions about Tayte’s dead parents, steeling Tayte’s determination to save Agnes, even if it requires her to betray the very woman she came to save, and the secret her proud grandmother has guarded for seventy years.

 

The issue strains the fragile trust between Tayte and Noah, who now realizes Tayte is fighting her own secrets, her own dragons. Weighed down by past guilt and failures, he feels ill-equipped to help either woman, until he remembers Agnes’s lessons about courage and love. In order to save Agnes, the student must now become the teacher, helping Tayte heal—for Agnes’s sake, and for his. 
Author Interview:
1.     What is the thing you struggle with the most while writing? And how do you defeat it?
a.     Self-doubt is my biggest nemesis. The little voices tell me there are more critical things to do than write. And there clearly are, but then I  tell myself that the books authors write help others to push their own hard things back for a while, and then I feel good about hitting the keyboard again.
2.     What kind of music do you listen to while you write?
a.     I’m inclined to listen to soft music—Andrea Bocelli, Josh Groban, Alex and Sierra, and David Archuletta.
3.     What is your favorite part of writing? O
a.     h wow, there are so many delightful things. Creating interesting characters is fun. Sometimes I just laugh my head off at their idiosyncrasies, and sometimes they become part of you. I love seeing complex threads come together seamlessly. That’s when you know your story is tight and comes full circle. Typing THE END feels great because you met your goal. And the best part is hearing back from readers when they tell you your book touched them in some way. That’s immeasurably wonderful!
4.     Which of your personality traits did you write into you characters? (Deliberately or accidentally)
a.     All my characters have some part of me in them. It’s how I can relate to them and help them grow. Tayte from “The Dragons of Alsace Farm,” is very much me. She wants to do what’s right, but she has a tendency to be a steamroller. I think I do a pretty good job of reigning that trait in, but it’s there.
5.     Is there a message in your novel that you want readers to grasp?
a.     There are a few. First and foremost, I hope “Dragons” inspires readers to have the hard conversations with their aging loved ones early. There is so much guilt in managing an aging loved one’s life, and it triples when that loved one has dementia. Knowing their wishes and working out a plan before it hits, relieves so much of that guilt. Secondly, I hope readers feel the power of redemption in the book, that we all need to  be, and can be redeemed from even our biggest mistakes.
6.     Do you have any advice for other writers?

 

a.     Get started. Get a notebook to jot down things that inspire you—character treats of people you meet, places that wow you, fun words and names, story ideas, etc. Make a character bible for each of your characters. Know them and what they like look so well that you can see and hear them as you write. Outline your story. It’s awful, and the creative part of our brain hates doing it, but it will make your story stronger, and you’ll write more quickly with better continuity.

 

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The Guise of a Gentleman by Donna Hatch

 

Donna Hatch is the author of the best-selling “Rogue Hearts Series,” and a winner of writing awards such as The Golden Quill and the International Digital Award. A hopeless romantic and adventurer at heart, she discovered her writing passion at the tender age of 8 and has been listening to those voices ever since. She has become a sought-after workshop presenter, and also juggles freelance editing, multiple volunteer positions, and most of all, her six children (seven, counting her husband). A native of Arizona who recently transplanted to the Pacific Northwest, she and her husband of over twenty years are living proof that there really is a happily ever after.

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The widowed Elise is a perfect English lady living within the confines of society for the sake of her impressionable young son. Her quiet world is shattered when she meets the impulsive and scandalous Jared Amesbury. His roguish charm awakens her yearning for adventure. But his irrepressible grin and sea-green eyes hide a secret.

 

A gentleman by day, a pirate by night, Jared must complete one last assignment from the Secret Service before he can be truly free. Elise gives him hope that he, too, can find love and belonging. His hopes are crushed when his best laid plans go awry and Elise is dragged into his world of violence and deceit. She may not survive the revelation of Jared’s past…or still love him when the truth is revealed.
The Guise of a Gentleman is a clean and wholesome Regency Romance, a.k.a. “clean” that explores finding one’s true self, loyalty, honor, and trusting loved ones. With plenty of swashbuckling action, it provides a several good twists that play off of familiar situations and proudly proclaims the redemptive power of love.

 

Author Interview:
1.      What is your favorite book that is not yours?
That’s almost like asking me which of my children is my favorite. I love so many! It might be a shorter list of favorite authors. One of my favorites as a child, that I read over and over was A Little Princess by Frances Hodgsen Burnett. I also ate up the Little House books by Laura Ingalls Wilder.
 
2.      Do you write in multiple genres? Which genre is your favorite to write?
I’m pretty stuck on historical—specifically Regency, but I’m also published in fantasy (with strong romantic elements) and plan to write more fantasies, too.
 
3.      How young were you when you started writing?
I dabbled with in when I was in second grade and go serious in junior high.
 
4.      If you could meet any author, past or present, who would it be and why?
Probably Jane Austen, partly to ask her questions about the era in which she lived to fill in research holes, but also because she was both snarky and romantic that I think we are kindred spirits.
 
5.      How long does it take you to write a book, and what was your fastest book to write?
Each book is different. I can write a novella in a few weeks if I really put my mind to it. Once, I wrote one over a weekend. A full-length novel usually takes several months. The fastest I ever wrote a full-length novel was probably somewhere in the area of three months.
 
6.      What is your favorite thing to do in the summertime?
Hands down, my favorite summer activity is go to the beach. In fact, I’ll do that in the winter, too—I just dress differently. I also love to swim if the water’s warm, and to go hiking if it’s not too hot.

 

 

 

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First Look: Catch Him If You Can by Jennifer Shirk

In Jennifer Shirk’s newest installment in her Accidently Yours series, town widower Wade Roberts is being bombarded by Cape Harmony’s matchmaking mamas. His only way to stop them: pretend to be in a relationship with his sister’s best friend, Arden Pearson. But when what started as an act begins to shift into something more, it might take a village to convince Wade that Arden’s his perfect match.

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About Catch Him If You Can:

Title: Catch Him If You Can

Author: Jennifer Shirk

Genre: Contemporary Romance

Release Date: August 13, 2018

Publisher: Entangled Publishing

Series: Accidently Yours

Format: Digital eBook

Digital ISBN: 9781640636156

Veterinarian Wade Roberts is done with love. But try convincing the elderly folk of Cape Harmony who are determined to play matchmaker. Now the young single women in town are bombarding him with baked goods and love notes, and being “taken” is the only way to stop the meddling grannies—which is why he needs a fake fiancée. Fast.

Arden Pearson loves planning weddings. Other people’s weddings, that is. After her own engagement ended in disaster, she prefers to live vicariously through her work. But when she needs to persuade a big client that she’s capable of planning the celebrity wedding of the year, she’s willing to go as far as pretending to be engaged herself to her best friend’s older brother.

Soon their ruse has everyone in town believing they make the perfect couple—including Arden. She’s always been nothing more than a kid sister to Wade, and it might take a village to convince him otherwise…

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Excerpt:

Copyright© 2018 Catch Him If You Can

Jennifer Shirk

“I don’t understand what difference it makes if you’re married or engaged or whatever on how you do your job,” he said.

Her shoulders slumped. “Normally, it wouldn’t make a difference, until I received that bad press a few months ago.”

“The Bahamas Bolter?”

Yes,” she grumbled. “Anyway, it’s a long story, but these particular clients were hesitant to sign until I kind of sort of blurted that I was engaged.”

Wade snorted. “Seriously? It’s not like my clients think I need to own a pet to be a good veterinarian.”

“Exactly! Thank you.” She bit her lip. “Normally, I’d dismiss clientele who thought like that. However, they are pretty big clients, Wade. Huge. Huge enough that if all goes as planned, everyone will easily forget that wedding snafu I had a few months ago. I had no choice but to tell a teensy lie. And, well, since you had wanted me to pretend to be your girlfriend earlier, I figured…”

“You figured I could be your fake fiancé.”

“Yes. Will you?”

“Uh, here’s the thing. I wanted a girlfriend,” he said, folding his arms. “I didn’t say anything about a fiancée.”

“Oh, Wade, really?” She spluttered. “What’s the difference?”

“What’s the difference? It adds a whole other element to the charade. And besides, don’t you think you’re moving a little fast in our fake relationship? I had no idea you were so pushy. Fake boyfriends don’t like to be—”

“Okay, I get it!” She huffed. “So sorry I didn’t fulfill your time requirement to be fake courted properly, but like I said, this is an actual emergency.”

He took a bite of banana bread and chewed, pretending to think it over. “I don’t know…”

Arden planted her fists on her hips with a harrumph. “What don’t you know, Wade? Whether you actually missed out on the fake wooing or how unreasonable you’re acting right now?”

“Now, now. A short temper is not something particularly attractive in a fake girlfriend slash fiancée.”

“Well, maybe when a person’s career is in jeopardy and she asks a friend for help and gets turned down flat, she wouldn’t feel the urge to punch the fake boyfriend slash fiancé in the throat.”

He wanted to grin but didn’t dare. It was rare to have the upper hand with Arden—and he found he was quite enjoying this sudden little nuance, along with her begging him for help.

About Jennifer Shirk:

Jennifer Shirk is a USA Today bestselling and award-winning author of sweet (and sometimes even funny) romances for Montlake Romance and Entangled Publishing. Her novel, FIANCE BY FATE—a 2015 Readers’ Crown Finalist—became an Amazon #1 best seller for Series Romance. And recently, Wrong Brother, Right Match, WON the Sweet Traditional category of the 2017 Golden Quill Contest and became a #1 Amazon bestseller for Holiday Romance.

She resides in a beach resort in NJ, so when she’s not writing or working on her tan, she’s taking care of her most treasured possessions: her husband, daughter and puppy (Sox).

Check out her website for News and Links: http://www.jennifershirk.com

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Zenobia – Challenging A Legend by Russ Wallace

 

Russ Wallace is long-time student of history and religion. He employs a vivid imagination to fill in the life of Zenobia, a real historical figure and one of the most fascinating women who ever lived. 
 
He is working on future books in the Zenobia Book Series. Zenobia – Birth of a Legend won a 2012 IPPY award in Historical Fiction.

 

Sequel to the award-winning Zenobia – Birth of a Legend.
The continuing saga of the deadly young warrior who will one day challenge Rome for the supremacy of her world. As the dynamic girl continues her education in Egypt, for a time she is diverted from her warrior path. Complicating Zenobia’s life is a budding romance with her brilliant and charismatic instructor. The challenge – he is the scholar, she the warrior. Can they blend their worlds to become the most exciting couple in Alexandria?
Learning of a slave trade in kidnapped young women, Zenobia determines to free the oppressed. Warrior skills will not be enough. Her new challenge – to become a pirate, then a temptress in her fight for justice.

The Author is putting both books in this Series on special offer on Amazon 25 – 26th of July 2018! 

·       Click the Amazon Link below to view the steeply discounted price!

 

Author Interview:
1.     What inspired your book?
a.     A Watchtower article back in 1999 originally triggered my interest, where a poet referred to Zenobia as “The dark-haired mistress of the Syrian wild.” 
2.     How do you spend your free time?
a.     Reading history books and novels, studying the bible, playing chess, bridge, and watching movies.
3.     What is the thing you struggle with the most while writing?
a.     Writers block. And how do you defeat it? I reread already written scenes to stimulate my imagination.
4.     Is there a message in your novel that you want readers to grasp?
a.     To hate the enslavement of our fellow humans.
5.     Do you recall how your interest in writing originated?
a.     I learned to love fiction books even as a young child, because my mother read to my sister and I a lot. In 6th grade school I wrote some Sci-fi, which my classmates generally liked. But for some reason, which I can’t explain, I never wrote seriously. The first book I began writing was Deluge, a novel about Noah, his family, the pre-Flood world, and the Flood itself. I do intend to finish it eventually. Zenobia – Birth of a Legend was my first published novel.
6.     Do you have any advice for other writers?

 

a.     Write about things you love

 

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