Thursday, March 31, 2016

Underpinnings for writing a suspense have to have happened.



Honest, deep research is critical.
I was writing Deadly Alliance at the time of the Paris attacks and was struck by the reality of drug trafficking within ISIS. In Deadly Alliance a fictitious terrorist fundraising arm takes over an Irish gang. The plot thickens as it follows Finbar Donahue and Amy Kintyre who get caught up in the mess.    



Much has been written about the funding for barbaric acts of violence on Paris and recently on Brussels.  According to research author, Justin Mckibben, who has been following brothers Ibrahim and Salah Abdesam.  The reality is this; Mckibbon writes, drug trafficking networks have been linked to terrorism for a long time. Maybe it is time for us to take notice and maybe find the connection between the opiate epidemic and terrorism. Poppy plants used for opium being the active ingredient in heroin, and the illegal industry funds terrorism in every aspect including bribery, recruitment, weapons, and corruption.


Monday, March 28, 2016

Didn't we have fun on the Little Things blog hop!

There's nothing more inspiring than sharing the Little Things that make us happy! On our last day, here are thoughts for the coming week--
Monday, today-- You can make a difference.
Tuesday-- Let your glow shine.  Smile.
Wednesday-- Dreams redesign lives.
Thursday-- Your best is always better than good enough.
Friday-- What you care about matters.
Saturday-- You don't need a reason to be happy. 
Sunday-- There's a whole world out there waiting to be discovered.  Enjoy!


Congratulations to Meg who won the purse jewelry key finder.


Thank you for visiting me on the Little Things Blog Hop.



Wednesday, March 16, 2016

Welcome to the Little Things Blog Hop!




Hi there Hoppers!  My name is Kathleen Rowland, and I am one of over 100 authors/bloggers/ on the Little Things Blog Hop! Make sure you visit each stop and enter the posted giveaway.
How do I live happy? I bring positivity to others. At the same time, I keep positive, giving people around me, and this keeps expectations in check. Happiness is about enthusiastically putting one foot in front of the other, looking forward to what's next, handling challenges, and being responsible to others and myself.

In addition be sure to enter the amazing rafflecopter, too, which has a ton of prizes to be won!

For those of you who don’t know me, I am the author of the Deadly Alliance which you can find on Amazon and many other places. Be sure to look around my page.  You are sure to find a book you will love!







The giveaway for my stop is the purse jewelry key finder.  Do you see it above the twitter image? This handy gadget hooks on your purse zipper and holds your keys. You'll never dig for your keys again.


🍀 To Enter, please: 


Follow me on Twitter (icon above)

➜ Like and Share this post

Comment below with your favorite dessert

🍀 Visit this next stop:



Wednesday, March 9, 2016

Spotlight on Carmen Stefanescu




Please welcome author Carmen Stefanescu.  She resides in Romania, the native country of the infamous vampire Count Dracula, but where, for about 50 years of communist dictatorship, just speaking about God, faith, reincarnation or paranormal phenomena could have led someone to great trouble - the psychiatric hospital if not to prison.  Teacher of English and German in her native country and mother of two daughters, Carmen Stefanescu survived the grim years of oppression, by escaping in a parallel world, that of the books.

She has dreamed all her life to become a writer, but many of the things she wrote during those years remained just drawer projects. The fall of the Ceausescu’s regime in 1989, and the opening of the country to the world meant a new beginning for her. She started publishing. Poems first, and then prose. Both in English.



Shadows of the Past, paranormal/light romance/light mystery/light horror was released at the end of 2012 by Wild Child publishing, USA.


Do you enjoy character interviews as much as I do? Please meet Genevieve, heroine in Shadows of the Past!
1. Please, have a seat. Make yourself comfortable Miss...

"Genevieve. My name is Genevieve, but Sister Clementa, the Abbess,  and some of her followers call me The witch."

2. Tell me, Genevieve, where are you living?

 Genevieve ( a small sigh escapes her lips. Then she shrugs) "Well, for the moment I reside at St. Mary’s Abbey. On top of a mountain in Britain, in the...cursed forest."

3.  Do you have any schooling?

Genevieve  (nods and pats and invisible crease of her dress) "Kind  Old Bertha, who took care of me after my family perished, taught me to read and write. Not only English but also Latin. And, most important, she taught me how to prepare healing potions from plants and herbs. Perhaps that’s why the Abbess hates me so much. A peasant girl of the 13th century is dangerous if she knows more than her superiors, I think."

4. What are your worst fears or nightmare?

Genevieve (throws a shy look around her. She shivers and her voice is small) "I fear the cursed forest. This forest is responsible for what happened to my family. My father’s odd behavior, the death of my siblings. All the evil that lurks in it.

My nightmare - the Abbess, sister Clementa, who threatens me all the time with sending me to the stake. I can’t understand why she wants me out of the way."

5.  Is it anything that you secretly desire?

Genevieve (blushes and wrings her hands. Then she looks me directly in the eyes. Her voice is strong now. ) "To become Andrew’s wife and grow a family. If his family agrees....If the Abbess lets me go... If God  forgives me for giving up being a nun.....If I escape alive from the forest.... If....”
Next, here is an excerpt from Shadows of the Past by Carmen Stefanescu

 

The peal of the church bells from the abbey tower startled Genevieve. The sound added to her mounting anxiety.

The massive abbey loomed over the stone paved path.  All the nuns were at evening mass.  With a bit of luck her disappearance would go unnoticed for a few more hours. The Abbess would assume she was cleaning the toilets as ordered.

Fear skittered through Genevieve when she turned away from the abbey towards the path leading to town. Nothing stirred.  She hesitated.  Evil emanated from the forest surrounding the abbey. With a shiver, she leaned against the solid oak gates that flanked the abbey's main path. They had hidden her from detection for the past couple of hours, but how much longer would she be safe?

The mountain shadows grew thicker and closer.

She moved her weight from one leg to the other. They ached from so much standing, but she lacked the strength to return to the gardener's cottage and wait for Andrew's arrival as planned. Genevieve closed her tired eyes. The image of old Ryan, slumped dead in his chair in his cubicle, caught life in her mind and made her whole body ripple with fear.

She'd rather wait for Andrew here, outside.

Had he forgotten his promise? What if something terrible befell him during the last three days, or he had changed his mind? Why should he risk all for an ordinary nun?

Had his folks talked him into giving her up, made him see reason? Helping her out of her predicament meant a huge risk for him -- losing his family, his friends and his position among his peers. His words echoed in her mind. "I will risk everything for you, even life, if necessary."

 

 

* * * *

 

"Anne, Anne, wake up. Wake up, please," the insistent voice whispered next to her ear.  The touch of a hand, on her shoulder, startled Anne.

She opened her eyes, still half between sleep and reality. Her gaze stopped on a stranger, a woman, by her side.

The moon's pale face, the only light, filtered through a small gap in the tent's entrance; yet the stranger's whole body emanated a kind of soft ray, a yellowish halo making her figure and face easy to discern.

A long, dark robe, similar to those worn by nuns in monasteries centuries ago, covered her body. No traditional headdress covered the woman's red hair, which fell loosely over her shoulders in long, heavy tendrils and continued down her chest and back.

Anne stood up and studied the intruder with open curiosity. The stranger’s wax pale face looked corpse like. Anne opened her mouth to ask her who she was. She looked Anne straight in the eyes, placed her forefinger on her lips and whispered, "Hush, come. Follow me."

Anne's eyes widened.

The woman, moving away from the sleeping bag, appeared to glide above the ground. Her bare feet didn't make a sound.

As if hypnotized, Anne followed the illuminated silhouette heading into the forest, without questioning her own actions.

An onrush of sensations unfamiliar to her followed. Dizziness and a malevolent feeling of unreality suffocated her. The presence of evil, creeping up and enveloping her, became almost palpable. Her throat turned dry, and she gasped for air.
You can find Carmen's book in many places, below is the link at Wild Child Publishing:





Amazon

 

All Romance

https://www.allromanceebooks.com/product-shadowsofthepast-1013184-140.html


Barnes & Noble


Carmen Stefanescu's Links:






Tuesday, March 8, 2016

Spotlight on author Pamela Thibodeaux and her book, Tempered Fire!



Today I am spotlighting Pamela Thibodeaux's Book 3 in her Tempered series, Tempered Fire.


Amber Harris is a good girl on the brink of womanhood.

Stanley Morrison is a young man at the start of his life. For each other, they have always felt the fireworks that two people in love should feel. But the questions about his past, his pride, and Amber’s father might be the end of what could be a strong relationship. As the two try to protect their budding romance, some unlikely but powerful forces conspire to keep them apart. Will they survive the wishes of everyone around them with their relationship intact?


Would you like to get to know her characters, Amber Harris and Stanley Morrison? Read on!


1. Nickname: My full name is Arthur Stanley Morrison but my friends call me Stan / sometimes Stanley.


2. Job: I raise/breed/train horses.


3. Level of schooling, or self-taught: Totally self-taught when it comes to the horses but I did graduate high school.


4. Birthplace: Greenville, Arkansas


5. Favorite type of pet: Horses - except they are more than a pet to me, they’re my livelihood. I also love Rat Terriers. Breed and raise them too.


Blurb: Amber Harris is a good girl on the brink of womanhood. Stanley Morrison is a young man at the start of his life. For each other, they have always felt the fireworks that two people in love should feel. But the questions about his past, his pride, and Amber's father might be the end of what could be a strong relationship. As the two try to protect their budding romance, some unlikely but powerful forces conspire to keep them apart. Will they survive the wishes of everyone around them with their relationship intact?


 


Excerpt: Emotion burst to life within her and swarmed through Amber until it overflowed, warm and wet down her cheeks.


Stan tasted her tears and groaned. Loosening his hold he broke the kiss, burying his face against her shoulder. “God,” he mumbled, lifting his head to meet her gaze. “I’m sorry.”


She looked at him wide-eyed and trembling. Anger, desire, and wonder warred in her eyes. She rolled them in an exaggerated gesture. “Now, he apologizes,” she muttered then leveled her gaze on him.


“Why haven’t you kissed me like that before?”


His breath heaved while he struggled for control. “Didn’t think it was proper, still don’t.”


“So that’s what you meant by all lips and teeth and tongue?” she asked, her voice quivering with awe.


He stepped back, touching her cheek with his uninjured hand. “Yes.” His voice was raw, eyes fierce. “But not with anger, never with anger. I’m sorry.”


Grabbing his hand, she pressed a kiss into it. “Show me,” she urged her eyes soft and warm. “Kiss me again, Stanley.”


“No, Amber.” But she was pressing against him, her arms sliding around his neck. Senses dulled by fatigue, resistance clouded by pain, control ravished and weakened by desire, Stanley succumbed with a groan. Hauling her gently but firmly against him, he buried his lips on hers, this time with devastating tenderness.


His mouth embraced hers tasting, teasing, savoring her lips as though he were a starving man biting into his first meal in weeks. His teeth nipped at her lip, tugging a moan from deep within her. Amber clung to him weakly as they slid to the floor.


Purchase Links:




Amazon Print: http://bit.ly/Zwr3X2








 


Author bio: Award-winning author, Pamela S. Thibodeaux is the Co-Founder and a lifetime member of Bayou Writers Group in Lake Charles, Louisiana. Multi-published in romantic fiction as well as creative non-fiction, her writing has been tagged as, “Inspirational with an Edge!” ™ and reviewed as “steamier and grittier than the typical Christian novel without decreasing the message.”


Thursday, March 3, 2016

Spotlight on Elizabeth Delisi and her Lottie Baldwin Mystery Series


Do you enjoy interviews with book characters as much as I do? 

Meet Lottie Baldwin and Harlan Erikson from the FATAL FORTUNE,  the first book in the Lottie Baldwin Mystery Series by talented Elizabeth Delisi.


Interviewer: Tell us how you two met.

Lottie: We met when I was moving to Cheyenne, ND and nearly got arrested by Harlan.

Harlan: <protesting> I didn’t arrest you! I just pulled you over for speeding.

Lottie: Well, you *could* have arrested me, if you hadn’t gotten another call. <sticks out tongue>

Harlan: I knew from the start you’d be trouble. Believe me, the last thing I want to do is arrest you.

Lottie: <smiles> You’re so sweet.

Interviewer: So Lottie, tell us a little about how you solve crimes using your tarot cards.

Lottie: I’m psychic, and my tarot cards are the most common way I uncover information that can be used to solve—

Harlan: *You* don’t solve crimes. *I* do. It’s my job.

Lottie: I know, honey. <pats his hand> I just help. <whispers to interviewer> But he couldn’t do it without me.

Interviewer: What other psychic abilities do you have?

Lottie: Sometimes I get visions. When one appears, I just have to go with it. They can be helpful, but they don’t come on command.

Harlan: They usually come during dinner. <grins>

Lottie: <ignores him> The visions can be hard to interpret, as are the tarot cards. But eventually the truth reveals itself.

Interviewer: Do you have a favorite tarot deck?

Lottie: Actually, I do. A friend created a special deck for me, and it’s the one I always use. My friend calls it the Lottie Baldwin tarot. I just call it mine.

Interviewer: To change the topic, I understand you two are engaged.

Lottie: Yes! My sweet man proposed to me on Christmas Day. We’re planning the wedding now. Well, *I’m* planning the wedding.

Harlan: Lottie, you know I’m doing all I can. But the Sheriff’s Department has been busy with—

Lottie: Yes, I know. You’re doing all you can. <winks at interviewer>

Interviewer: Any plans for the future?

Lottie: Beyond the wedding? No. I’m concentrating on getting Harlan down the aisle. Sometimes you can over-plan these things.

Harlan: Baby, you know I’ll be there—

Lottie: And leave your pager at home?

Harlan: <groans> Okay. Yes. Pager at home. Satisfied?

Lottie: <smiles sweetly> Yes, honey. One hundred percent!

***

Check out FATAL FORTUNE, Book 1 in the Lottie Baldwin Mystery series, at Tirgearr Publishing: http://tirgearrpublishing.com/authors/Delisi_Elizabeth/fatal-fortune.htm

Also available: OBSERVANT ORACLE and MISTLETOE MEDIUM, Books 2 and 3 in the Lottie Baldwin Mystery series: http://tirgearrpublishing.com/authors/Delisi_Elizabeth/observant-oracle.htm


Also available from Tirgearr:



Tuesday, March 1, 2016

Spotlight on Kimbra Kasch and her book, The Cats of Cullaby Creek



Let me introduce you to talented writer, Kimbra Kasch, and her book! 



Here is a blurb for THE CATS OF CULLABY CREEK:


 


When Savannah meets Kyle, its love at first sight. And why wouldn't it be? He's perfect, as far as she can tell. But Kyle appears whenever things go wrong. Maybe he isn't everything she thought he was. It's a complete mystery until she discovers the water in Cullaby Creek is being bottled and sold as vitamin “infused” water. Mistic Water promises the impossible. And then, like a magical elixir, it delivers. People who drink it feel younger, smarter, faster...healthier. But it doesn’t take long before side effects hit. Literally. The secret has to be in the water…or is it something more?


 


 


EXCERPT:


Kelly and Kyle


These two shared some sort of history. And now I was in the middle of their story.


Sparks flew through the air. But, they didn’t seem to notice—or maybe they just didn’t care how uncomfortable they were making the rest of us.


I scanned the room. The terribly odd thing was that while they stood in the center of the cafeteria—arguing—everyone’s eyes were on me.


What is so interesting about me?


After a few seconds, I heard whispered accusations slammed back and forth, like a ping-pong ball. My name, muttered in odd and angry tones. No one seemed to mind staring at me, but only the bravest few were sneaking sideways glances over at Kelly and Kyle, hoping no one noticed.


This wasn’t what I needed on my first day at a new school. I hadn’t come here looking for instant enemies, but I knew I’d accidentally stirred a private pot and things were already starting to boil.


I needed to do something and quick. From the sounds floating around me, if they got into an actual argument, I was going to get the blame.


I spit out the first words I could think to say, “What’s a new kid to do, after school, around here… for fun?”


Kyle sighed and chuckled, “That depends on what you’re hoping to find and what you think is fun.” He stepped back away from Kelly for a moment. “You big city kids always think something needs to be going on. But in real life, in a small town, not much ever happens.”


“We could ask my Mom to drive us into Astoria to do some shopping,” I suggested. It was a little too obvious—even to me—Kelly wanted me out of the picture and was trying everything she could think of to keep me away from Kyle. I almost felt sorry for her—but only for a second.


“Or,” Kyle sat down and nodded for me to join him. I could feel a warm rush of air and his scent worked its way up inside my head. I barely heard him finish, “We could go for a run.”


“What?” Kelly demanded, clenching her hands into tight-balled fists at her side.


“Savannah,” Kyle lowered his voice and said my name slow, putting an emphasis on the last syllable, like it was a soft sigh, ‘ah’. And, for the first time in my life, I loved the sound of my own name. “Is a runner. And she’s fast. Aren’t ‘cha?” He nudged me and moved even closer. I could barely think. His smell overpowered my senses; it was the sweet woodsy scent of him that took me by surprise. I closed my eyes and drank it in.


When I opened them back up, Kelly’s eyes were shooting red flames of rage straight at me.


I gazed at Kyle and felt a warmth in my stomach again. It was working its way up into my chest. “That’s not what you said this morning,” I laughed then spun away.




I'm a writer who grew up in a family with 9 kids and only 1 t.v. so I spent my days reading and, later, writing. I love books. . .maybe because I never got to pick t.v. shows we watched. But I’d run home after school to catch the last fifteen minutes of Dark Shadows...


 I still love to run...and read. My favorite romance novels are The Hunger Games...okay, I know, it's a survival book but it's really all about romance. Then there were the series: Twilight, Fifty Shades, and more but I also love paranormal, Horror and even light books like Dewey the Small Town Library Cat... Mainly, I just love to read. . . and write.


 


KIM’S AMAZON AUTHOR PAGE














 
Here's some fun information about the heroine:


1. Nickname: Vannah
2. Job: Student
3. Level of schooling, or self-taught: High school
4. Birthdate: 8.15.2009
5. Birthplace: Portland, Oregon
6. Currently residing in...Mist, Oregon
7. Favorite type of pet: Cat
8. Favorite place to visit: Portland
9. Significant other: Kyle
10. Most important goal: Get her family out of Mist
11. Worst fear or nightmare: That Kyle won’t make it out of Mist
12. Favorite food: Chili Dogs
13. Wealthy, poor, or somewhere in between? In-between
14. Secret desire or fantasy: To Morph into a cougar
15. What would you do if you won the lottery? Move and buy out Mistic Water






#BookQW word is DRINK-- excerpt from Unholy Alliance, a #Tirgearr Publishing #RomanticSuspense --

Book quote Wednesday's word is drink.   Here's how we play it-- find the word in an excerpt.  Below in Unholy Alliance , the...