Wednesday 29 August 2012

Visiting lots of places!


 My new banner!
My editor at Crooked{Cat} Publishing has orgnised this fantastic banner.

You'll find me visiting lots of places as it approaches the launch of The Beltane Choice on the 31st August 2012. All of the posts will have something relevant to my writing of The Beltane Choice, and I'm hoping there will be something you'll like to read about!

My guest post might be up for more than one day at some of the following places. (If not it will probably be available in the archive.)

From Friday 24th Aug http://mark-patton.blogspot.co.uk
From Tuesday 28th Aug   http://cathiedunn.blogspot.co.uk
From Wednesday 29th Aug http://thewritersabcchecklist.blogspot.co.uk 

Friday 31st Aug   calisarhose.wordpress.com 
Friday 31st Aug   www.babettejames.com

Sunday 2nd Sept  http://hywelalyn.blogspot.co.uk/
Monday 3rd Sept    http://nutsandcrisps.wordpress.com/
Tuesday 4th Sept  http://www.abiteofreubensandwich.blogspot.com/
Thursday 6th Sept  http://authormariagrace.com

Please stop by and learn something new about The Beltane Choice

***Giveaways on the 31st of August*** 

There will be a copy of The Beltane choice going to one lucky commenter at each of the 2 places I'm visiting on the 31st Aug. It could be you. At my online facebook party I'll also be awarding an ecopy of The Beltane Choice, along with 4 packs of my exclusive Scottish Castle Cards and Gift Tags packs.

Slainthe!





Thursday 23 August 2012

Local feature!

*some happy dancing going on here*

I've just had an article printed in my local newspaper about my writing!
I realise it probably won't transfer well, but the jist of it highlights my next release-NEXT FRIDAY- of The Beltane Choice.

(It's so lovely to have a local reporter tell the community about it.  :-))  )

Slainthe!





Wednesday 22 August 2012

Diane Burton's here today!

Today I extend a warm welcome to my friend, Diane Burton. Diane's kindly given me some fabulous information about her current projects and what she's just had published. After the neat little interview there's a fantastic excerpt.

If you've not met Diane, yet, here's a little about her.
Diane combines her love of mystery, adventure, science fiction, and romance into writing romantic fiction. She's a member of Romance Writers of America as well as the Mid-Michigan, Fantasy, Futuristic & Paranormal and Young Adult RWA chapters. She is the author of the Switched series, about twins exchanging places—from Earth to a starship and the reverse. The first two books, Switched and Switched, Too, are available as e-books. The concluding book is a work in progress. Diane is also a contributor to the anthology How I Met My Husband. Diane and her husband live in mid-Michigan. They have two children and two grandchildren.

Diane can be found at:  


I put some questions to Diane...and here's her answers!

What work are you mainly promoting right now?

 Switched, Too is my latest book. It is a space adventure with romance in which a cocky downsized astronaut gets his chance to go into space. He just has to pretend to be his twin, the captain of an alien starship. With his reluctant co-conspirator, they have to return the crew to their home planet before a saboteur kills them all. Switched, Too is the second book in the Switched series but is still a stand-alone book.

What's your hero's biggest challenge in Switched, Too?

Scott's biggest challenge is watching his mouth. He's such a smart aleck whereas his twin was always very proper, controlled. Discovering who is wreaking havoc aboard the starship while impersonating another is almost as challenging. He has help from Veronese, a reluctant crewmate. The last time she broke the rules tragedy resulted. Her promise to the real captain overrides her fear of the deception being discovered.

Sounds like there's a bit of 'twin' comparison going on there! Are you a plotter who has the framework made first before you start writing chapter 1?

Nope. I'm a pantzer who just starts writing. The first scene usually just pops in my head and I'm off. The characters are sketchy at first then begin to reveal themselves as the story progresses. Switched, Too was a bit different. Scott and Veronese appeared in Switched (the first book in the series) so they were familiar to me, but I hadn't plumbed their depths so they still had much to reveal to me.

Do you ferret out a photo of a possible hero/heroine and use that for inspiration? I've now started to do that, and find it a useful process.

Not really. I'm not a scrapbook building person although I am using Pinterest more and have had fun finding pictures of people and places that could be in my books. Despite saying I don't use pictures, I always had the character Maverick from Top Gun in my head when I envisioned Scott—excellent pilot, risk taker, cocky with a sexy grin.

I've made some tentative Pinterest steps, too. Is your tendency to create their appearances in your imagination first, and wing it with their character developments as the story unfolds?

Oh, definitely wing it. My characters reveal themselves as I write. I'll be typing along and my subconscious will pull out a piece of the character's background that I didn't know. It's almost freaky. LOL With many of the same characters appearing in multiple books, I need to keep track of them so I keep a file with their physical characteristics, expressions, home planet, clothing, background. Readers are very sharp and will pick up on inconsistencies. That and the fact that my memory is often a sieve. :)

What about settings? Do you tend to write about places you’ve been to…or just ones you would like to visit?

I love using places I've visited because I can include details I've seen and/or experienced. At least part of my stories usually takes place in Michigan. It's my home and has a unique beauty. Switched, for example, starts and ends in Ann Arbor, Michigan whereas the middle is on a starship and on an alien planet. Switched, Too is different—no Michigan, in fact no Earth, at all. How I would love to visit that setting. Space, a starship, alien planets. What an adventure that would be.

What's your bigggest writing related challenge in the coming year?

Making time for everything I want to do. Finishing and publishing the third book in the Switched series (and coming up with a title), promoting Switched, Too and finding homes for my unpublished manuscripts. Traveling. However, everything stops when my grandchildren come to play—files closed, laptop put away, no email reading. The time with them is too precious to miss.
 
(I totally agree about the grandchildren, Diane. I consider myself very fortunate that I'm now childminding my 11 month old granddaughter two days a week, my daughter having returned to part-tme work.)

Who do you think is your biggest fan?

Besides husband and family? An open-minded reader who is intrigued by space exploration, who wants adventure and suspense, who enjoys watching two people discover they are stronger together than alone and who roots for them to discover true love.

 Great answers, Diane, and now onto a lovely taster from Switched, Too. (I love the title!)  
 
Blurb for Switched, Too:

Be careful what you wish for...you might get it.

Down-sized astronaut candidate Scott Cherella leaps at the chance to go into space. He just has to pretend to be the captain of an Alliance of Planets starship. His lifelong dream quickly becomes a nightmare when sabotage erupts. To save the ship and crew he has to depend on an uptight, disapproving colleague.

The only time Veronese Qilana broke the rules tragedy resulted. She vowed never again. Now, to protect the real starship captain, she'll have to deceive the crew by helping the imposter. They must work together to uncover the saboteur and get the crew safely home. In doing so, they discover opposites really do attract.


Excerpt from Switched, Too:

Scott came closer. "No, you are not leaving until we get something straight."
He was a large man with broad shoulders. Almost against her will, Veronese backed up. When he came closer still, she could retreat no further. She flattened her palms against the wall behind her. He towered over her by at least fifteen centimeters. Once before, a Terran male had tried to frighten her with his presence. She would not allow Scott to do the same.
She straightened her shoulders. "Do not try to intimidate me, Captain."
"If I wanted to intimidate you, Lieutenant Qilana," he spoke very softly, "I would not do it like this." His voice, purring softer than a felox, resonated within her. The sensation excited and—all claims to the contrary—frightened her.
This was different from the other experience. Then, she had feared the man. Now, she was uncertain what frightened her. Scott or something inside her.
Mere centimeters separated them. Heat radiated from his body. Warmth rushed through her. When he placed one hand on the wall next to her head, an odd sensation settled in the pit of her stomach. His fingers brushed her ear and she shivered.
He began to smile, a coaxing smile accompanied by a feather-like stroke of his knuckle down her cheek. His mouth was so close she felt the warmth of his breath. This time the odd sensation settled lower in her abdomen. Her logical mind tried to analyze her body's reaction. Perhaps she had contracted a viral disease. Fever, chills, stomach disorders often characterized Terran ailments. If the symptoms persisted, she would have to consult the medical officer.
"The way things work, Lieutenant," he said in that deceptively soft voice, "is that I give the orders and you obey."
Still thinking about the odd sensations she was experiencing, she stared at him.
He stepped away. "What? Did you think I was gonna kiss you?"
"I'd rather kiss a Wookie." She slapped her hand over her mouth.
He threw his head back and laughed with abandon then reached out and ruffled her short hair. "You watched Star Wars. I knew there was hope for you, kiddo."
Hope? She feared not. They would be fortunate to return to Serenia without more catastrophes.

Switched, Too is available at Amazon and Barnes & Noble
Switched is available at Amazon and Barnes & Noble
How I Met My Husband is free at Amazon and Barnes & Noble

Thank you so much for sharing all this with me today, Diane. Best wishes for your future sales, and happy writing.

Slainthe!


Welcome Andrea Downing!

I'm delighted to catch fellow TWRP Rose, Andrea Downing, today and have her visit. She's been such a busy lady since her debut novel, Loveland, lauched recently from The Wild Rose Press, so settle down in your chair and switch off any distractions.  There are some nice answers coming, after we learn a little about Andrea, and the brilliant excerpt afterwards isn't to be missed!


Andrea has spent most of her life in the UK where she developed a penchant for tea-drinking, a tolerance for rainy days, and a deep knowledge of the London Underground system (or ‘Tube’).  In 2008 she returned to live in the city of her birth, NYC, but frequently exchanges the canyons of city streets for the wide open spaces of the West.  Her love of horses, ranches, rodeo and just about anything else western—especially cowboys (not one in particular, sadly, but still looking…) is reflected in her writing.  Loveland, a western historical romance published by The Wild Rose Press, is her first book.  She is a member of Romance Writers of America and Women Writing the West. Her WIP is contemporary women’s fiction with a Texas Hill Country meets the New York Hamptons setting.
  
That sounds very intriguing! We'll catch up with your WIP soon.

After the wonderful buzz of the contract offer for Loveland died down a bit, were you prepared for how hard you have to work at marketing your novel? I know it has scared me to death at times!
     No!  Nothing prepares you for that, I don’t think.  You keep hearing you have to have a platform, you have to be on all the sites, you have to blog until you’re blue in the face, but you never really realise how very time consuming it all is, or how many emails it is going to entail. It keeps you away from the real writing and I find that tremendously depressing.  And then the disappointments…  I just heard today that a bookshop that originally offered me a signing in Loveland itself has retracted because they are renovating.  Loveland isn’t exactly a huge town so bookshops aren’t thick on the ground.  It’s truly upsetting.
I definitely sympathise with that, Andrea. We have very few stores, where I live, and only a few of them stock books.
 
Tell me about Loveland. 
     It’s a western historical romance set against the background of the ownership of large cattle companies by British aristocrats in the 1880s.  The heroine, Lady Alex, has been sent to the Faringdon Ranch after a scandal in London; she lived there a short period earlier on.  Now she is reunited with the ranch hands who love her…especially one! 
What's your hero's name?
     Jesse Makepeace!  Jesse is very gentle and kind because Lady Alex has been through quite a lot in her young life and wouldn’t want someone who knocked her about a bit.  But that doesn’t mean he’s a complete wimp.  He does throw her over his shoulder at one stage and carry her off!

Here's a little more info about Loveland
When Lady Alexandra Calthorpe returns to the Loveland, Colorado, ranch owned by her father, the Duke, she has little idea of how the experience will alter her future. Headstrong and willful, Alex tries to overcome a disastrous marriage in England and be free of the strictures of Victorian society --and become independent of men. That is, until Jesse Makepeace saunters back into her life...
Hot-tempered and hot-blooded cowpuncher Jesse Makepeace can’t seem to accept that the child he once knew is now the ravishing yet determined woman before him. Fighting rustlers proves a whole lot easier than fighting Alex when he’s got to keep more than his temper under control.
Arguments abound as Alex pursues her career as an artist and Jesse faces the prejudice of the English social order. The question is, will Loveland live up to its name?

Were there any triggers which led to the plotline?
      I’m so glad you asked this question, Nancy.  The trigger was my own return to the USA where I was born after living in Britain almost all my life.  When my daughter was growing up we used to have long vacations out west.  You know, the English school system has these month long vacs at Easter and Xmas and then just 2 months in the summer.  We used to spend the Easter vac in Arizona on a ranch in Tucson and the summer ones further north in Wyoming, Colorado or Montana.  So I began to think…and Loveland is where that thinking got me.
Did the names for characters just pop into your head as soon as you started to write?
     Almost!  Alex was easy because Alexandra is such an aristocratic name and Calthorpe, you may know, is a very old English name.  Jesse is such a western name, that part was easy, but the Makepeace came to me after a time.  He was meant to have an English background. The others—Cal , Garrett, Garrison, Joe—they really did just pop into my head.  Tom and Annie Yost took a little more effort—especially the Yost part.  I needed something that sounded like a settler in the west and suddenly came upon Yost in some reading I was doing so chose that; the Tom and Annie followed.  Oliver was always Oliver no matter what.

What's Jesse's biggest challenge?
      Loving Alex, accepting that she is what she is—a strong, independent woman who will never be under his control, for whom he will always, always have to make concessions.  And he has a temper and that is going to have to be controlled because of what she has been through.  He adores her, and he is willing to let her have her way, but it isn’t always easy!
Which was the hardest part to write-beginning, middle or end? My answer is probably all of the bits, but what's yours?
     Oh, the middle for sure.  I always know the opening, and I always know the ending—but the middle.  Ugh!  Getting from A to Z is VERY hard.  I was reading a piece by John Updike recently and he said he always knows the last sentence or paragraph and he always knows the beginning but until he gets the middle he can’t write.  I have what I think is a terrific idea for my third book and I know the beginning, the first sentence, and I know the last sentence but the middle—nada!  Sometimes I find it’s just smart to start writing and see what the characters do, which is what happened with the book I just finished.  I was surprised at what the characters did, where they took me.

What's your favorite time of year? 
     I’m a winter person actually.  When I was writing Loveland I really luxuriated in writing the winter of 1886/87, which was thought by some to be a second Ice Age, it was so horrid.  Temperatures dropped to minus 60 in some places in the USA (that’s Fahrenheit!) and about 60 to 75% of some of the herds died.  They said you could walk on the carcases of dead cattle for miles on end.
I like winter too, but not when it's slushy snow. Walking over dead cattle has never been an issue, but I can't say I fancy that!

Do you have favourite snack foods while writing?
     Ah ha!  You must know that sitting for long periods is very unhealthy, so I’ve begun to be very health conscious and don’t snack—unless for some reason there is chocolate in the house.  Chocolate is my nemesis!  But I try to drink mostly while working!  Water mainly, tea of course, possibly a treat of hot chocolate in cold weather or a ‘coke float’ in heat and, yes, a glass of wine when the sun is over the yard arm—or even Jack and Ginger.  I realise Jack is something of an anomaly to you Scots—one can’t have an American whiskey but we do have them and it mixes with ginger ale or Coke very well.  Then again, you’re probably thinking it’s only FIT to be mixed with such horrible sodas…
I have to confess that I let the Scottish side down when it comes to whisky. I hate the smell of it, and never drink the stuff, but my husband has been known to like a very peaty malt. 

Did any music inspire your book? Do you have a playlist?
      I’m a Country and Western fan, big time, and it’s part of the western genre but I can’t say any of it inspired me and I can’t really work with lots of noise of any kind, including music.
If I'm writing I can't have music on, but when I'm editing I play something that's not demanding.

Which of your characters would you invite for a lovely, tempting, evening meal?
     Well, if I can’t steal Jesse away from Lady Alex then I’ll settle for Cal and have him to dinner…and more!  Cal is the best friend for anyone, anywhere; he is completely and utterly loyal, has terrific good sense and sees through the lies people tell themselves and gives good advice.  He is also extraordinarily kind and has a great sense of humour.  The character I would least like at my dinner table is Oliver Calthorpe who is completely ego-centric, selfish and, quite honestly, an utter fool.  He’s a liar and a cheat and although he does have redeeming features—and, indeed, redeems himself more or less at the end—he is not very likeable.

What's next on the writing cards for you?
     When I get Dances, my current WIP, off and running and can start the next, it’s about a woman who recalls a former life and goes in search of…well, I don’t think I should give too much away at this point in case the characters write something other than what I have in mind!
I think that's fair enough, Andrea. I don't like to talk about anything I've written till I'm sure it's my absolute last version...in case it changes a lot during self-editing!  

But now here's an excerpt that won't be changing...

The two men looked over at Jesse who was leading his own horse into the stable, anger etched in every muscle of his face. Joe nodded toward the chuck house and they followed the others in to leave Alex alone when Jesse came out.
She was starting back to the main house when Jesse grabbed her arm and turned her around. “You ever do that again,” he said in a voice she had never heard, intense in its anger, rage just below its surface, “I swear to God, Alex, I’ll...I’ll take you over my knee and give you a lickin’ once and for all.”
“How dare you!” She shook him off. “How dare you talk to me like that! How dare you! Who the hell do you think you are?”
Jesse jabbed his finger at her to emphasize he meant what he was saying. “Who do I think I am?”he snarled back. “Who do I think I am? You ever, ever take a gun off me again and point it at someone, you’ll find out who the hell I think I am. You know that coulda gone off? You know you coulda killed someone? I told you—out there yonder—I told you, you never point that thing at anyone less’n you mean bus’ness.”
“I did bloody well mean business! They were destroying that horse. Furthermore, I knew, and you knew, and they both knew, there wasn’t a shot under the hammer. You taught me that, didn’t you? So there was no chance of an accident!”
“That don’t matter none. You coulda pulled the hammer back twice. Way you was, you were nothin’ better’n a loose cannon, Alex. You ever do a thing like that again—”
“You’ll what?” She shook with her rage as tears pooled against her will. “I apologized to them both and they accepted my apologies. It’s none of your concern—”
“None of my concern! You pulled my gun! You ever do that again— Don’t you walk away when I’m talkin’ to you!”
She turned back to him after a few steps. “You’ll what? You’ll what, Jesse? What will you do? I want to hear it! Say it again. What will you do?” And she stood there in the evening darkness, facing him down, wearing him out like she’d faced down the stallion.
Wow! I'm hoping those sparks don't set fire to the barn, Andrea!  Loveland can be bought at:  http://www.tDescription: https://mail.google.com/mail/images/cleardot.gifhewildrosepress.com/index.php?main_page=index&manufacturers_id=99
Andrea can be found at: 


 Thanks so much for having me, Nancy.  It’s been fun!

 It's been a pleasure having you here, too, Andrea. Best wishes with the sales of Loveland, and for your continued writing success.   

Slainthe!









Thursday 16 August 2012

P &O

Today it's P and O.

A little more of those reverse alphabet sneak peeks from THE BELTANE CHOICE! Things are not looking so good for Lorcan and Nara...

PETILIUS -The messenger delivered the devastating news, “The Romans marched north-west from their base at Eboracum. They mobilised the whole Legion, and swamped the warriors of Swale the day of Beltane. Their Roman leader, Governor PETILIUS Cerialis, is determined to subdue the whole of the Brigante tribes and continues north.”

OWTON… One of the fleeing tribe cried out, “The Roman fleet landed on the coast near OWTON. Two whole cohorts disgorged to subdue everyone around here. We are heading north to the Votadini. We pray they will shelter us even though we are Brigantes.”

Wednesday 15 August 2012

Still going backwards

Here's a little more of that alphabet countdown.


  
What's for T?  
Tarras-Nara sought her Beltane lover at Raeden, for there was no warrior at the hillfort of TARRAS who stirred her senses.
 
...and S?
Selgovae-Aware of his change of mood, Nara hastened for her weapon. Almost letting her grasp it, Lorcan tugged it from her reach, his chortle derisive. “Nay. I do not think so. Not yet, woman of the SELGOVAE, of the tribe who call themselves hunters.”
 Here come the R and Q 
Roman- Recently he had journeyed to southern Brigante clan holds, had heard tell of marauding Roman scouts moving northwards, but this woman did not fit the criteria even if she did have a Roman horse.

Queen- The Roman invaders had conquered much more territory than she had realised, and that the treaties between Queen Cartimandua’s Southern Brigantes and the Roman Governor had been abandoned lately was distressing news indeed. Her thoughts whirled, her glance rarely straying from Lorcan’s features while she absorbed every nuance of his moods.

Keep tuning in for more little snippets.
Enjoy!

Monday 13 August 2012

It's V and U day!



It's V and U day at The Beltane Choice reverse alphabet countdown. Nice and simple...:-))

Victuals- Nara marvelled at the plethora of treats offered when the Beltane VICTUALS were brought for Chief Tully to approve. Lips curved widely around the long fireside, and more than one murmur of appreciation rumbled around the room.
Under-Nara came to UNDER a weighty pile of skins, the smell of newly tanned leather nauseating.

Sunday 12 August 2012

THE BELTANE CHOICE- LAUNCH NUMBER 2

My Take Me Now launch tour is now over, and I'm gearing up for my second August release day. The Beltane Choice is coming on August 31st!


As a pre-launch taster of TheBeltane Choice I'm doing a REVERSE ALPHABET countdown, posting in 13, or maybe 14 slots.

Here are my first 2 posts for it....

Zing- The ZING of the harp echoed in the roundhouse, a signal for all ears to attend.

York- Lorcan of the Brigantes bargained with Petilius Cerialis, the Roman Governor of Eborcum - Eboracum being the name the Roman Empire gave to what is now present day YORK, England. (Oh, yes, it is a bit contrived and I have to concur) 

Xiphisternum- The shrill whistle of the vibrating pilium alerted Lorcan-too late. He staggered back, the sharp tip having pierced him in the XIPHISTERNUM. (:-) ) 
Wild Boar-The folds of the WILD BOAR's hairy flesh quivered, its trotters pounding the earth, thudding minor tremors. Nara scanned around for refuge. In the past, she had felled a boar, though never such a hefty beast, and this one exuded such vigour it would pursue her till she dropped if she could not climb out of its reach.

Look out for the next instalment!

Thursday 9 August 2012

Welcome -Andrea Downing

A hearty welcome goes to Andrea Downing. She's a very excited lady since her debut novel, LOVELAND, releases tomorrow-Friday 10th August-from The Wild Rose Press. 

Congratulations, Andrea! 

I'm delighted that Andrea has brought along a taster of 'Loveland' to share with us in advance. Here's the blurb:



When Lady Alexandra Calthorpe returns to the Loveland, Colorado, ranch owned by her father, the Duke, she has little idea of how the experience will alter her future. Headstrong and willful, Alex tries to overcome a disastrous marriage in England and be free of the strictures of Victorian society --and become independent of men. That is, until Jesse Makepeace saunters back into her life...
Hot-tempered and hot-blooded cowpuncher Jesse Makepeace can’t seem to accept that the child he once knew is now the ravishing yet determined woman before him. Fighting rustlers proves a whole lot easier than fighting Alex when he’s got to keep more than his temper under control.
Arguments abound as Alex pursues her career as an artist and Jesse faces the prejudice of the English social order. The question is, will Loveland live up to its name?


Andrea Downing has spent most of her life in the UK where she developed a penchant for tea-drinking, a tolerance for rainy days, and a deep knowledge of the London Underground system (or ‘Tube’).  In 2008 she returned to live in the city of her birth, NYC, but frequently exchanges the canyons of city streets for the wide open spaces of the West.  Her love of horses, ranches, rodeo and just about anything else western—especially cowboys (not one in particular, sadly, but still looking…) is reflected in her writing.  Loveland, a western historical romance published by The Wild Rose Press, is her first book.  She is a member of Romance Writers of America and Women Writing the West. Her WIP is contemporary women’s fiction with a Texas Hill Country meets the New York Hamptons setting.

Andrea can be found at: 


Now here's a fabulous excerpt to whet the appetite:

The two men looked over at Jesse who was leading his own horse into the stable, anger etched in every muscle of his face. Joe nodded toward the chuck house and they followed the others in to leave Alex alone when Jesse came out.
She was starting back to the main house when Jesse grabbed her arm and turned her around. “You ever do that again,” he said in a voice she had never heard, intense in its anger, rage just below its surface, “I swear to God, Alex, I’ll...I’ll take you over my knee and give you a lickin’ once and for all.”
“How dare you!” She shook him off. “How dare you talk to me like that! How dare you! Who the hell do you think you are?”
Jesse jabbed his finger at her to emphasize he meant what he was saying. “Who do I think I am?”he snarled back. “Who do I think I am? You ever, ever take a gun off me again and point it at someone, you’ll find out who the hell I think I am. You know that coulda gone off? You know you coulda killed someone? I told you—out there yonder—I told you, you never point that thing at anyone less’n you mean bus’ness.”
“I did bloody well mean business! They were destroying that horse. Furthermore, I knew, and you knew, and they both knew, there wasn’t a shot under the hammer. You taught me that, didn’t you? So there was no chance of an accident!”
“That don’t matter none. You coulda pulled the hammer back twice. Way you was, you were nothin’ better’n a loose cannon, Alex. You ever do a thing like that again—”
“You’ll what?” She shook with her rage as tears pooled against her will. “I apologized to them both and they accepted my apologies. It’s none of your concern—”
“None of my concern! You pulled my gun! You ever do that again— Don’t you walk away when I’m talkin’ to you!”
She turned back to him after a few steps. “You’ll what? You’ll what, Jesse? What will you do? I want to hear it! Say it again. What will you do?” And she stood there in the evening darkness, facing him down, wearing him out like she’d faced down the stallion.

Nancy says: Oh my! Whatever comes next? Does she walk away...or is it the first kiss?....
Loveland can be purchased from:

amazon details will follow soon.


Thank you so much for bringing 'Loveland' today, Andrea. Best wishes for tomorrow and for great sales!



Wednesday 8 August 2012

Babette James is my host today!

Hi.

Today I'm visiting Babette James and talking about decisions, and changes, that sometimes have to be made for a mss to fit better into already pre-set categories. Not sure what I mean?

Check out this post and find out how I had to make some changes to TAKE ME NOW after my first submisssion to my editor.

 http://babettejames.com/2012/08/08/decisions-changes-by-nancy-jardine/

Monday 6 August 2012

The LOOK Challenge


http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-bLbVb_iUi6Y/UBxo9IO4x5I/AAAAAAAABc4/98xKnzB-CQw/s1600/Look.jpg



I've Been Tagged!
 According to the rules, you're supposed to do a search in your work in progress for the word "look" and then paste the surrounding paragraph(s) and tag as many people as possible.
So here goes....
 

My post comes from my next release, THE BELTANE CHOICE.

   “You claim to be a branded warrior-woman?”
   His tone was contemptuous when he stared at the spear brand decorating her upper arm, though she wore no armbands below it. It was Nara’s turn to scowl, exasperated by the aspersions he cast on her abilities. Though his glances were askance, the warrior considered her just as thoroughly as she did him. Two moons ago no man would have given her such frank assessment, but it was impossible to look away now. An instinctive tremor prickled her spine when the centre of his eyes darkened to cavernous black.
      A conflict of sensations washed through her. She hated his superiority in the situation, detested his contempt, but could not deny his seductive stare made things happen inside her–which no man had ever managed to do before. Quelling the stimulation at her womanly core seemed impossible. Yet, try she must. 


I'm tagging: Liz Flaherty, Hywela Lyn, Joanne Stewart, Paula Martin, Catriona King, Carin Walker, Mark Patton, Kim Walker, Michela Sacchi O'Brien.
           

Sunday 5 August 2012

SWAP SHOP WITH SANDRA DAILEY!

I'm delighted to welcome fellow TWRP Rose Sandra Dailey onto the blog today. We've both had new releases last week, and Sandra's here to tell you about 'THE CHIEF'S PROPOSAL'.

And while Sandra is here I'm over at her blog http://www.sandradailey.blogspot.com
and... I'm ALSO being interviewed at http://yougottaread.com/welcome-nancy-jardine-2/


Now it's over to Sandra:
 
Hi Nancy! Thank you so much for hosting me on your blog. Also, I want to thank you for being the first guest on mine. I hope everyone will pop over to see you there when they’re finished here. The address is  http://www.sandradailey.blogspot.com

You’ve been so generous; I want to share something special with you.
My new release, ‘The Chief’s Proposal’ is a marriage of convenience story. This is something I know a little about. My own marriage began in a similar way.

I was living alone, raising two toddlers and scraping to get by. My son was two-years-old and my daughter was three. The only job I could find was part-time at the local drug store. Most of my pay was going to childcare. The only place I could afford to live was in an old trailer, barely bigger than a camper.

One day an attractive man knocked on my door. He’d been living in the trailer before me, while his large home was being repaired after a fire. He was returning some things that had been mixed into his own possessions. When he saw my children, he told me that he had two of his own, a daughter 4 and a son 2. He was so shy; it took another day for him to ask if I’d like to bring the kids over for dinner. I was excited to meet another single parent with kids similar in age to mine.

As the kids played, we talked. I learned that he was a terrific dad and a farmer. He worked from sun up to after dark and worried about the care his children were getting in his absence. After a few play-dates, he told me that it made sense for us to combine forces. I had time and he had money.

We had met in the first of July, married in mid December, and he adopted my children the next March. It took each of us a little time to get past our failed marriages and learn to trust again, but we did it with each other’s help. Before long, we were in love.

My children have asked me what made it work. I told them to throw away all their expectations and preconceived notions. Show their partners respect and demand respect in return. Give as much as they take and allow their partners some space. Most important, say ‘I love you’ every day.

I’ve never regretted a minute of the last thirty-two years. I wouldn’t be where I am now if Lee hadn’t knocked on my door.


 Blurb:
 Ginny Dearing has finally realized her goal of teaching, but finding a position is proving impossible. After exhausting all possibilities, an Internet ad is her only hope. In a small town hundreds of miles away there is a job with one huge string attached...a husband.
Burned by love once, Brett Silverfeather finds his bachelor life more than satisfying. He’s facing re-election for sheriff, but this time the voters are looking for a family man. Brett finds himself pursuing a marriage he doesn’t want.
Ginny and Brett are opposite in every way, but opposites do attract. Can Brett protect his heart as well as he does his town? Can Ginny hide a secret past that could possibly destroy her future?

Now I’d like to share an excerpt of Ginny and Brett’s first conversation after meeting:

 “You know, you could have called,” Brett blurted. “I expected you to be here early this morning. I didn’t know if you’d had an accident and died on the side of the road or just changed your mind and stayed up north.”
Ginny wished she’d done either one at that particular moment. She crossed her arms tightly over her chest and slouched slightly. “I didn’t have your number.”
“You knew I worked for the sheriff’s department. You could have called the office at any time. What held you up for so long—sightseeing, souvenir shopping, or mountain climbing?”
Ginny’s temper rose to a bubbling boil. “You have no idea what I’ve been through in the last forty-one hours. This was supposed to be a leisurely drive down I-75. My route was supposed to practically take me from my front door to yours.
“Instead, I’ve driven through monsoons in four different states. There were nothing but eighteen wheelers and RVs around me, throwing water over my windshield. It was like being the marble in a pinball machine, a wet and foggy pinball machine.
“The number of accidents was incredible. I spent hours just sitting still. It’s a good thing there was nothing to drink because there were also no bathrooms. I pictured myself turning into a big, dried up piece of jerky.” She stopped for a breath.
“I was only detoured off the interstate four times, which believe it or not, was lucky. I lost count of the construction sites at twelve. That was when one of my tires blew out.
“At that point, I decided to stop for the night. I’d intended to get a nice hot shower and a good night’s sleep. Do you want to know what I got instead? A shower in a tub, with what I hope was rust in the bottom, which only gave lukewarm water. And, a bar next door that featured a very loud band until four in the morning. Is that even legal? There was a neon sign outside flashing Redneck Rendezvous…all night long.
“I started back out this morning at the crack of dawn. The only thing to eat for miles was stale donuts and acid based coffee. Where’s all that great southern cuisine I always hear about?” Another breath.
“Do you want to know how my day was today? I drove through more rain, huge vehicles, accidents, and construction sites. The only difference, it was even hotter. For Heaven’s sake, is this Georgia or did I take a wrong turn into hell? My car doesn’t have air conditioning, that’s right, no air. And, my radio is broken, no tunes either.”
Ginny threw her head back against the seat and closed her eyes. “I should have asked the doctor for a tetanus shot and a valium.”
Brett was impressed. She had barely taken a breath. She might have broken his record for endurance in the tantrums and tirades category. He turned to her and said, “You still could have called.”
So, that was their first conversation. Ginny saw her life going south in more ways than one.

I hope you enjoyed my story as well as a part of Ginny and Brett’s.

I’d love to hear from you:
www.sandradailey.com
www.facebook.com/sandradailey.author

The Chief's Proposal available from The Wild Rose Press
Amazon for Kindle


Thank you so much for being so candid, and telling us that wonderful story, Sandra. My best wishes to you for mega sales of The Chief's Proposal. I've got my copy of it waiting for me on my kindle -just have to make time to read it because it sounds like a perfect read! 


Slainthe!




Saturday 4 August 2012

Day after Release day

Wow! 
They do say that too much partyIng can give you a sore head!!  Well TAKE ME NOW is well and truly launched. I had a fabulous time with Oliver and the hostesses at authorroastandtoast yesterday-so merci bien for that ladies! 


Today is another party day! You'll find me over at www.theromancewritersreads.com

!!!Breaking news!!!

Here's what Whitney Stephens at theromancewritersread  has to say about TAKE ME NOW...


Whitney Stephens says:

Take Me Now is full of humor and sensuality. The characters are engaging, and I don't just mean the main characters. I especially liked Ruaridh, Nairn's father. The chemistry between Nairn and Aela is palpable and full of tension, which I love. The setting (a Scottish castle) was exotic and rich and Nancy's descriptions were powerful and mentally stimulating. Nairn was sexy, and an engaging hero. Aela had a sense of humor that made me smile several times. This was a great read, one that I think you all will enjoy.





Check what you have to do to win a PDF copy of TAKE ME NOW.

SEE YOU LATER.

Slainthe!

**IT,'S PARTY TIME TWICE OVER**

**Today is dual party time for 'she said, he said'**
image from www.123rf.com
TAKE ME NOW by Nancy Jardine, and GRAVE SECRETS by Linda Trout, are both being released today by The Wild Rose Press! I'm very excited :-)) to have a fellow TWRP author share my blog on this very special day. 

I'll be over at http://authorroastandtoast.blogspot.com so come and join in the fun.

And now I'm delighted to give over my blog to Linda who'll  tell you all about her DEBUT novel- GRAVE SECRETS. 

I'm quite jealous about the location of it since I'd love to go there, too, someday. I got to British Columbia a few years ago, but not quite as far north, and west into the US, as Linda did! 

So...over to Linda!


Hello. I’m Linda Trout and I’ve hijacked Nancy’s blog today. Well, okay, she offered it to me. Like Nancy, my debut novel, GRAVE SECRETS, released today and I’m absolutely thrilled!
Let me tell you a little about myself. My husband and I are both retired and we love to travel, usually someplace with lots of trees. Our favorite destination spot is Alaska…ANYWHERE in Alaska.



We like to stay at a B&B in whatever town we’ve chosen for that trip, rent a car and get to know what the area has to offer. 
Back home in Oklahoma, we have 2 black Labrador Retrievers and 4 cats, who take turns watching me write. I think it’s to make sure I get the scene right. LOL 
I write contemporary romantic suspense. I tried writing a straight romance once, only to have a bad guy show up out of the blue within the first 25 pages. Pretty much took me by surprise. So I gave up and accepted the fact I had to have villains in every story.
The idea for GRAVE SECRETS came about at a plotting workshop. We broke into smaller groups and went through newspapers to find a germ of an idea for a story. When we saw a picture of a casket being wheeled through a cemetery, I said maybe there was something odd about the man’s body in the casket. The lady next to me, who is hard of hearing, said, “Did you say there was a baby in that casket?” So that’s how the story originated.


Here’s a blurb:
When Sara Adams' infant daughter is abducted, she moves heaven and earth to find her. But six months later, time is running out and Sara turns to the one man she shouldn't—insurance investigator Morgan Daniels. Dangerously attractive, he's a threat to more than just her heart, and if she isn't careful, he'll unearth secrets better left buried.

Proving Sara murdered her husband is Morgan's top priority. Helping her find her child is the perfect opportunity to get the proof he needs. But when he starts to think of her as a woman rather than a suspect, she slips under his armor. He can't trust her. Worse, he can't trust himself around her.

All evidence points to Sara as a murderer, but Morgan's gut tells him the evidence is wrong. Is his obsession with her blinding him to the facts? Or is the real murderer still out there…stalking Sara?

Excerpt:

Sara’s sobs, the first he’d heard from her, broke through his stupor. Was this the reason behind those dark circles under her eyes? The logical side of his brain said to back out of the room and get the hell out of the house. He didn’t need another mental case in his life, didn’t need the responsibility, and later the guilt, when he failed them.
Instead, he gathered her in his arms, then pressed her head against his shoulder. She cried so hard, her entire body shook, and her keening touched him in places he’d thought long dead. He had the feeling this was the first time she’d truly cried since they’d dug up her husband’s body. No wonder there were so many tears.
His shirt was soaked. He didn’t care. He forgot about his mom, about how Sara could already be headed down the same road and simply held her close. When the tears had abated and she’d blown her nose on the handkerchief he’d offered, he kissed the top of her head, whispering it would be all right. She looked up at him, parting her lips. Remnants of tears still trailed down her cheeks. Without thinking, he lowered his head and gently pressed his lips to hers to comfort her.
Sara had been clinging to his shirt, but now moved her arms around his neck, pulling him closer. She opened for him, inviting. Am I out of my mind? He couldn’t get involved with a client. Or a suspect. Sara Adams fell into both categories.
He chuckled to himself. He was about to make the biggest mistake of his life, but right now he didn’t care. When she whimpered he scooped her into his arms, her weight a turn-on by itself, and strode across the hall to the nearest bed he could find.

  
Thank you so much for allowing me to visit your site and talk a little about my book. It’s been great fun!

You can find Linda at these places:

Website: http://www.LindaTrout.com
Facebook: http://facebook.com/lindaperrytrout
Twitter: @LindaTrout2

Buy links for Grave Secrets:
The Wild Rose Press: http://tinyurl.com/d4cxc7h
GIVEAWAY: Linda says...
Leave a comment for a chance to win a digital copy of my book, which I’ll be giving away at the end of my blog tour. 

(Please add your email address for Linda to contact the winner) 


Your story sound fabulous, Linda. Best wishes from me for mega sales!


Slainthe!