Guest post – Cat Shaffer

Today, Cat Shaffer joins us to talk about the joy of the unexpected gift! Welcome,Cat!

****

I love unexpected gifts. I’m sure everyone is excited by a surprise delivery of fresh flowers or a piece of jewelry that is absolutely perfect. Most of us, I figure, know the person who sent them. But what would it be like to receive presents from an absolute stranger?
And then discover the stranger is the man who’s occupied your dreams for years?
That’s what happens to Jessica Flint in “Man of Her Dreams,” part of the new Enchanted Lover set. Actually, that’s only a tiny bit of what happens to poor Jessi when she goes back to her small Michigan hometown.

The town is fictional but it’s built of bits and pieces from my past. I have had the great fortune to have been raised in a small farming community and lived or worked in small towns most of my life. What some people might see as dull or sleepy I consider a great place to hang around.

I spent the last two weekends in two different small towns enjoying their festivals. Yeah, there were funnel cakes and overpriced lemonade shake-ups but that’s not why I go every year. I love the chance to visit with people I haven’t seen for a while, pick up neat little craft items and enjoy the things that make the festivals so different even they’re only a few miles apart.
Like the skillet toss at one. Yes, people take turns tossing cast iron skillets to see which one travels the farthest. Or the other’s punkin chunkin where children toss little pumpkins at a target painted on the street.

Sometimes I set up my table and meet readers at these festivals. Other times I help with community projects like grilling up burgers for my Lions Club as I did earlier this month. It’s amazing how many people call my name as they come to purchase one, just wanting to say howdy.
Living in a city has separated Jessi from the quirks and qualities of the small town that nurtured her. Going home – despite being forced to go to her class reunion beyond her will, being trapped in a bridesmaid’s dress that defies description and falling for the stranger/fiancé she found waiting at the airport with her mother – throws her back into the organized chaos of being surrounded by people who love her.

Okay, I’ve never been forced to go to a class reunion. Or being trapped in a maid of honor dress that absolutely defies description. And I have never found myself falling in love with a man I’ve dreamed about all my life but never believed actually existed – and who may actually have been conjured up courtesy of her eccentric office assistant.
I hope you’ll join Jessi on her trip back home and the roller coaster of a love that spans the centuries.

Cat Shaffer, the daughter of a poet and a teacher/librarian, grew up in northwest Ohio, finally saw the light and moved to Kentucky, the land of beautiful horses and far better weather. She lives with a dignified but ultra-sneaky cat, and could not continue to live if coffee disappeared from the planet. Check out her website at www.catshaffer.com.

ENTER TO WIN A $25 AMAZON GIFT CARD & A SET OF 7 PRINT BOOKS HERE!

ENCHANTED LOVER: Tales of Everlasting Love

Seven Novels of Mystical, Magical and Paranormal Romance

PARAMOUR by Margaret Ethridge (ghost)
Two men: one living, one dead, and both vying for her love. Camellia Stafford has never been alone in her room. For twenty years, she’s been engaged in a fierce power struggle with her bedroom’s previous tenant, Frank DeLuca, the ghost trapped in the light fixture above her bed.

ENTRANCED by Maddie James (time travel, reincarnation)
Jack and Claire set out on a wild search through time, not only for the resolution to a powerful attraction between them, but also for a historical artifact that holds the key to their future happiness–the coveted silver-plated chalice made from Blackbeard’s skull.

MYSTIC THUNDER by JC Wardon (witch, mystic)
Millennia of tempestuous ancestral history forewarn Rayne Cavanaugh to hide her ability to communicate with ghosts. But– When the nephew of the man she just can’t resist goes missing in the mountains of Mystic Waters, West Virginia, she must decide between self-preservation and love.

RUNNING OUT OF TIME by Cheryl Norman (time travel)
When Stacy Webber travels to Germany for her best friend’s wedding, she loses more than her luggage and purse. She lands in a different time, fifty years ago, with no idea how to return to her world.

TIMELESS by Jan Scarbrough (psychic, ghost, reincarnation)
When Beth Abbott receives a surprise inheritance from her birth mother, she travels to the family’s nineteenth century mansion in Old Louisville, KY, now a bed and breakfast. There she meets the resident ghost, a little girl whose crying not only scares, but also intrigues guests.

MAN OF HER DREAMS by Cat Shaffer (dreams, parallel times)
Jessi Flint has a perfectly good life with a successful business and the perfect man. So, he’s only in her dreams…until her flaky assistant goes to a New Age fair and Jessi suddenly begins receiving gifts with love notes signed by a mysterious Damian.

ALMOST MAGIC by J.M. Kelley (magic, witch, gifts)
When it came to Vivian Burroughs’ unique connection with nature, her grandmother always said, ‘Mediocrity may not burn as bright as a firecracker, but it seldom blows up in your face.’ But the old woman never advised her on what to do when a sexy new neighbor stokes the flames of attraction.

AMAZON | BARNES & NOBLE | IBOOKS | KOBO | SMASHWORDS

October 11, 2014

It’s my turn!

Funny to pimp my own book on my own blog, but hey, everyone gets a turn! Here’s a bit about Paramour – part of the Enchanted Lover boxed set available now!

Paramour was inspired by one of my favorite old movies, The Ghost and Mrs. Muir. Like Lucy Muir, I fell in love with the ghost of Captain Daniel Gregg. The bit when Anna told her mother that Captain Gregg used to visit her when she was a little girl and they had been friends stuck with me.

How cool would it be to be pals with a ghost? What if she grew up with that ghost in her room. Would she have fallen in love with him like her mother did? I also liked the idea of a tortured young hero trapped between worlds.

Here’s an excerpt from Paramour:

The scent was back, flooding her senses with the relief of homecoming. She wondered if he knew how many hours she’d spent at the men’s cologne counter sniffing samples, trying to place the fragrance. After twenty years of friendship, endless fights, and one unforgettable kiss, she’d wondered if she finally earned the right to ask questions.

“Are you really here?” she whispered, afraid she’d scare him away.

“Yeah.”

Their eyes met, and she tumbled into the depths of his dark gaze. Cam knew if she didn’t take the chance this time, she may never have another.

“What cologne do you wear?”

Frank’s eyes narrowed with typical caution. “Polo.”

“Huh. Smells different on you.”

His thick eyebrows rose, and a sardonic smile twitched his lips. “Might be because I’m dead.”

Cam swallowed hard and sat up. “I’m glad you’re here.”

“Welcome home. I’m sorry.”

She shook her head, forcing a small, flirtatious smile. “Did you miss me?”

“Every damn day.”

“Then don’t leave me again.”

Frank raised his hand. His fingers twitched. She could feel heat radiating from his palm. Those warm fingers curved along the contour of her cheek. “I’ll make sure you’re never alone.”

Cam smiled, smoothing her palm over the rough hairs on the back of his hand. “With you around, how could I be?”

ENTER TO WIN A $25 AMAZON GIFT CARD & A SET OF 7 PRINT BOOKS HERE!

ENCHANTED LOVER: Tales of Everlasting Love

Buy now at:

AMAZON | BARNES & NOBLE | IBOOKS | KOBO | SMASHWORDS

October 10, 2014

Guest Author – Megan Mitcham

Today I’m excited to have Megan Mitcham on my blog! Megan’s Base Branch series just released this month, and I’m thrilled to be able to celebrate her momentous debut with her. Welcome, Megan!

They say men are visual creatures, but are women not visual creatures too? We have eyes don’t we? They feed into our brain, albeit differently than men’s. So, in the spirit of sexual equality, ladies and gentleman feast your eyes on these teasers. Comment and let me know which teaser is your favorite for a chance to win a digital copy of Enemy Mine.

Enemy Mine – Base Branch Novel 1

When friends become enemies and enemies become lovers.

Born in the blood of Sierra Leone’s Civil War, enslaved, then sold to the US as an orphan, Base Branch operative Sloan Harris is emotionally dead and driven by vengeance. With no soul to give, her body becomes the bargaining chip to infiltrate a warlord’s inner circle. The man called The Devil killed her family and helped destroy a region.

As son of the warlord, Baine Kendrick will happily use Sloan’s body if it expedites his father’s demise. Yet, he is wholly unprepared for the possessive and protective emotions she provokes. Maybe it’s the flashes of memory … two forgotten children drawing in the dirt beneath the boabab tree… But he fears there is more at stake than his life.

In the Devil’s den with Baine by her side, Sloan braves certain death and discovers a spirit for living.

Justice Mine – Base Branch Novel 2

For justice. For country. For love.

After witnessing her friend’s sexual assault, seven-year senior Magdalena Wells escapes an attack with a few bruises and a thousand questions. As a journalist in practice, if not in pay, Mags vows to utilize the skills she mastered in the Democratic Republic of Congo and answer every single one—just as soon as she gets the hell out of town.Law Pierce’s aim is rest and relaxation after two years undercover in South Africa on an extended Base Branch mission, but restlessness puts him in trouble’s path. As a servant of justice, Law will do everything in his power to keep trouble safe. The fact that trouble’s petite stature and luscious curves stir his every primal instinct is a massive inconvenience he struggles to ignore.

Together Magdalena and Law uncover a web of corruption and dirty lies that could set their country’s top official ablaze—if the inferno doesn’t consume them first.

Stranger Mine – Base Branch Novel 3

One takes control. One finds balance in letting go.

Base Branch operative Ryan Noble is accustomed to taking orders—whether from his commander or his overbearing mother. His best friend urged him to take control of his life, but the only thing worse than an angry woman is a teary one. He has no desire to upset his mother’s fragile emotions. Losing his sister was hard enough; his mom couldn’t bear losing another child—even if it is just to the other side of D.C. It’s a damn good thing she doesn’t know what he does for a living.On a routine mission to destroy a cargo-free human-trafficking facility and exterminate its operators, Ryan blows his extraction to rescue a woman he finds chained inside.

Piper Vega is caught between metal and a hard place. She needs information and it has taken far too long to cull it from her leads—also known as her captors. She finally has the facts she needs to complete her task, but it’ll take a miracle to set her free and see it achieved. Santo Padre knows she never expected her good favor to come in the form of a man.

Ryan takes the reins of life in his sturdy grip while Piper discovers balance in loosening hers. Through intense battles of will, both find the unexpected.

Megan lives in Southern Arkansas where she pens heart pounding romantic thriller novels and window steaming erotic romance.

Author Links

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/megan.mitcham.5

Facebook Like: https://www.facebook.com/meganmitchamauthor

Twitter: https://twitter.com/MeganMMMitcham

Pinterest: http://www.pinterest.com/meganmitcham5/

Website: www.meganmitcham.com

Book Links

Enemy Mine

Amazon | iBooks | Kobo | Google Play | B&N

Justice Mine

Amazon | iBooks | Kobo | Google Play | B&N

Stranger Mine

Amazon | iBooks | Kobo | Google Play | B&N

October 9, 2014

Guest Post – Jan Scarbrough

Today, Jan Scarbrough shares what she learned while writing her novel, Timeless.

I lived in Louisville, Kentucky, April 3, 1974, when the tornado struck the city. That means I lived through what was known the Super Outbreak of 1974—148 tornadoes that tracked across 13 states between the Gulf Coast and the Canadian Border. The storms took 315 lives while injuring 6,000 more. Two people were killed in Louisville. I was at my mother-in-law’s home when it hit, not in the public high school where I taught. That part of town was devastated by the tornado.

Until I wrote Timeless, my ghost story set in Old Louisville, I thought the 1974 tornado was the only big tornado in Louisville history. Not so. There was another one in 1890 that killed over one hundred people. I read about it in The Great Louisville Tornado of 1890 by Keven McQueen. The tornado became part of my book.

Also a young co-worker explained a drinking game to me called Flip Cup. I’d never heard of it. I went to the Internet for research. It’s strange what a novelist needs when writing. Some of the things I learned about from the Internet were Baxter Square Park—Louisville’s first park—post-traumatic stress disorder, and details of September 11, 2001. I also researched a hill in Cherokee Park where people sled in the winter, but that is still called “dog hill.” I investigated carriages from the 1890’s and period clothing.

But most of all, when I wrote Timeless, I learned to trust myself. To let the writing flow. To let the characters come alive on the computer screen and drive the action. Now I try to let it flow like that with all my books.

When I mentioned Timeless to my medium friend Dale, she told me something fascinating. My spirit guides where helping me write it! And having a good time doing it! How cool is that?

The origin of the word “inspiration” is Middle English (in the sense ‘divine guidance’): via Old French from late Latin inspiratio(n-), from the verb inspirare (see inspire).

As easy as Timeless was to write, who’s to say I didn’t have supernatural help?

Timeless

When Beth Abbott receives a surprise inheritance from her birth mother, she travels to the family’s nineteenth century mansion in Old Louisville, now a bed and breakfast. There she meets the resident ghost, a little girl whose crying scares, but intrigues guests. Beth sets out to discover the identity of the ghost and why she appears happy to Beth, not sad.

Jeff Halstead, a man with several secrets, runs the bed and breakfast. But he’s more than that to Beth, and she feels their connection immediately. A psychic medium who doubts his skills, Jeff slowly uncovers the truth of their past lives. Will he be in time to reveal the identity of Beth’s enemy? Will the love they shared in the past follow them into the future?

Jan Scarbrough is the author of the popular Bluegrass Reunion series, writing heartwarming contemporary romances about home and family, single moms and children, and if the plot allows, about another passion–horses. Living in the horse country of Kentucky makes it easy for Jan to add small town, Southern charm to her books, and the excitement of a horse race or a big-time, competitive horse show.

Jan also contributes to the Ladies of Legend series, a collaboration with writers Maddie James, Janet Eaves and Magdalena Scott. Set in fictitious Legend, Tennessee, these romances bring together the small town family atmosphere so many readers enjoy.

Leaving her contemporary voice behind, Jan wrote a medieval called MY LORD RAVEN. Her first paranormal Gothic romance, TANGLED MEMORIES, was a RWA Golden Heart finalist, and she’s recently released a second romance with paranormal elements called TIMELESS.

A member of Novelist, Inc. and the Romance Writers of America, Jan has published with Kensington, Five Star, ImaJinn Books, Resplendence Publishing and Turquoise Morning Press. She has recently self-published another romance set in the Bluegrass called BETTING ON LOVE.

Jan lives in Louisville, Kentucky, with three rescued dogs, two rescued cats, and a husband she rescued fourteen years ago.

ENTER TO WIN A $25 AMAZON GIFT CARD & A SET OF 7 PRINT BOOKS HERE!

ENCHANTED LOVER: Tales of Everlasting Love

Buy now at:

AMAZON | BARNES & NOBLE | IBOOKS | KOBO | SMASHWORDS

October 7, 2014

Guest post – JC Warden

Over the next couple of weeks, I’ll be featuring the authors who have books included in the Enchanted Lover boxed set (available now!). I hope you enjoy getting to know them. Today’s guest author is JC Warden, author of Mystic Thunder.

Mystic Thunder – Book one of The Cavanaugh Sisters Trilogy by JC Wadron

Rayne Cavanaugh and her two identical sisters all have different inherited mystical gifts. Rayne is of The Devine, which means she is able to cast and conjure spells, but they each have another gift which manifests before they learn of this particular ability, and Rayne’s is to see and talk to ghosts. She flees to Mystic Waters, West Va., to hide from the notoriety she’s suddenly exposed to in LA, but what she finds when she gets there is a man whose nephew is missing, and a ghost who insists she follow him into the dark reality that someone has been murdering young men for years on Mystic Mountain. She must choose between protecting herself and helping the man she is falling in love with, while conscious of the three thousand year old curse that warns all Cavanaugh women to never fall in love.

REVIEWS:

“I would say that J.C. Wardon is a shining new star in the paranormal genre.” Debra Taylor, The Romance Reviews

“Wardon has crafted a page-turner with the first of the Cavanaugh Sisters Trilogy.” Karen Sweeny-Justice, RT Book Reviews

EXCERPT:

Rayne broke free of the tangle of cars and sped-up to head toward the highway and home. Tears formed from both the pain in her skull and the realization that she was forever trapped by genetics that had finally exposed her to the world, and, not unexpectedly, ended what she’d hoped was a promising relationship.

She wanted to scream out her anger and frustration. She wanted to crash into something and shatter it to smithereens. After years of extreme caution, one persistent child ghost succeeded in making her break the first and most important rule her family lived by. She had failed to keep the secret that safeguarded them all. And she had to hurry home to let them know before they heard about it from someone else or saw it on the news.

The exit ramp leading to the highway was as congested as it always was this time of day, so Rayne ignored that route and kept on driving, ending up in the lower income side of the city few tourists ever saw. Los Angeles, the city of Angels, was not so angelic here.

Disreputable business establishments gave way to weathered homes with shabby yards, some with garbage littering streets and lawns, and many with rusting cars sitting atop concrete blocks. It wasn’t a part of the city she knew well. She kept on driving and continued wiping at her nose until the leather seat on the other side of the console filled with bloody tissues.

Rayne kept her speed down and her eyes on the residential road as she reached for another tissue, only to feel the box was empty. She pinched her nose with her finger and thumb, and was nearly gasping for breath as she glanced over to see if there was a used one that wasn’t too saturated. When she looked back up, her breath hitched as an image jumped in front of the car.

Slamming on the breaks flung the used tissues, the empty box, and her purse from the passenger seat onto the floorboard. Her heart beating wildly, Rayne stared at the large ghost before her as its glittering essence mingling with the heat vapors radiating from the hood of her car. Panic turned to anger and finally to despair as she recognized the pesky ghost who made a habit of harassing her.

AUTHOR BIO:

JC Wardon is the author of the Mystic Waters Books, published through Turquoise Morning Press. As a lover of the paranormal romance, the psychological thriller, and the suspense of dangerous plots, all woven into one, JC creates stories that will curl your toes, and make your heart pound.

Her Cavanaugh Sisters Trilogy kicks off a thirteen-book series rollercoaster ride that will leave you captivated. Whether you’re titillated, tantalized, breathlessly horrified, or shocked to the core, JC’s books always conclude with a sneak peek into the next breathtaking trip.

As of this writing, seven of the thirteen Cavanaugh Series Books are in publication, with the remainder to come out over the next year. Though the trilogy: Mystic Thunder, Touch of Lightning, and Tempest’s Embrace novels must be read in order and in their entirety, to solve the two major quests the characters are burdened with, as well as set up the complicated foundation for the future Cavanaugh series novels, the remaining books can stand alone. However, each subsequent book’s characters build from the ones that came before. (They are a family, after all!)

Due to the time constraints of meeting publication deadlines, JC does not currently have a blog, but you can check out all her current and upcoming releases at: http://jcwardon.com where you are free to comment on your reading experience, or even ask questions.

or tweet her at: @jc_wardon or drop by her FaceBook Author page (and feel free to “Like”): https://www.facebook.com/JCWardonNovelist

ENTER TO WIN A $25 AMAZON GIFT CARD & A SET OF 7 PRINT BOOKS HERE!

ENCHANTED LOVER: Tales of Everlasting Love

Buy now at:

AMAZON | BARNES & NOBLE | IBOOKS | KOBO | SMASHWORDS

October 6, 2014

Monday Mayhem – Starting to get spooky!

This week, my first novel to be published, Paramour, will see new life as part of the Enchanted Lover paranormal boxed set!

Paramour features not one, but two of my favorite heroes: Bad-boy-turned-ghost, Frank DeLuca and hunky-guy-almost-next-door, Brad Mitchum.

Over the years I’ve been asked how I envision my characters. Here are some pics I’ve found that might come close. In my opinion, Portuguese footballer Cristiano Ronaldo would make a lovely Frank:

Jennifer Aniston has Cam’s quirky charm:

And Brad, well, Brad has that guy-next-door mischievousness that makes Gerard Butler so irresistible:

So yeah, in the next couple of weeks you’ll be seeing a lot from me on the Enchanted Lover release. I would appreciate your help in spreading the word about this boxed set. If you would, please share this post or my Facebook and Twitter posts with your friends. We need every bit of word-of-mouth that we can get. And please bear with me, I’ll try not to be too obnoxious about it.

You can pre-order your copy here:

AMAZON | BARNES & NOBLE | IBOOKS | KOBO | SMASHWORDS

As an added incentive, I would be happy to send a digital copy of Paramour‘s sequel Inamorata to the first five people who forward their Enchanted Lover order confirmation to mkethridge1(at)gmail(dot)com.

September 29, 2014

Monday Mayhem – Home again!

We had a fabulous time on our trip to New Orleans and Vicksburg. Here is the story of our trip in photographs:

I’m back to work in every way this week. Be sure to look for Paramour in the upcoming Enchanted Lover paranormal boxed set! You can pre-order your copy now at:

Amazon ~ Barnes & Noble ~ Smashwords

In other news, I just typed ‘The End’ on another Maggie story and will be revising and adding to it in the coming weeks. I have an idea for a new series (fired by our trip down the Mississippi) that I’ll be fleshing out, and some edits coming from Kensington/Lyrical.

So yeah, I’m ready to hunker down and get to work.

How about you? What are you up to now that they days are getting cooler and the nights growing longer?

September 22, 2014

Monday Mayhem – Drive by posting

I’m just back from a fabulous weekend with some of the Diamond State Romance Authors! We had our annual writing retreat at this weekend and it was incredible. Not only did I add over 8,000 words to my work in progress, but we got to spend the weekend in this fabulous house on Lake Hamilton.

It even had this fabulous infinity pool (Author Megan Mitcham as Vanna White)

But we were there for a purpose, and that was to put words on the page. So I wrote. I wrote in the comfy recliner:

And on one of the nice, shady balconies:

And for a little while, I did the word putting into sentence doing out by the pool:

All in all, I added 8,143 to my work in progress. Whoo hoo!

Then I did this:

When I got home, I got to see the new carpet!

We still have a lot of work to do on the room, but it’s really starting to come together. I even picked up a pretty piece of inspirational artwork for the big wall:

So that’s the update on my works in progress. What’s up with you this week?

September 15, 2014

Monday Mayhem – An-ti-ci-pation!

This weekend I worked a little and goofed a little. In my book, that’s the best kind of weekend.

I kicked the weekend off by picking up the latest Susan Elizabeth Phillips book, Heroes Are My Weakness.

I’ve been parsing it out chapter by chapter between construction duties. The walls in the upstairs bedroom/office are up and the seams mudded. The new windows are in. We start priming and painting today and the carpet comes Wednesday.

It’s bound to be a crazy busy week again. I’m within striking distance of finishing the first draft of Full Court Press and I have a new story to plot. The good news is, annual DSRA writing retreat starts this Friday and I can’t wait! And after that, I’ll be on vacation.

In other words, this will be the longest short week of my life.

How about you? Anything coming up in your world that’ll make the seconds between now and then drag by?

September 8, 2014

Monday Mayhem – It’s a mess ’round here

Sorry I don’t have anything fun to blog about, we’ve been up to our ears in renovation. We’re finally gutting the room upstairs:

My handy hubby has been wearing his tool belt and putting this stuff to good use:

I’m his lovely assistant. My job is to hold things, help him measure, and listen to him cuss. The only thing I can tell you conclusively is that we do not have a wall in this house that is square and true. But we will have walls.

Eventually.

And one day soon, I’ll have a lovely new office/guest room.

In the meantime, I have dust. Lots and lots of dust.

What’s new in your world?