It's Here!

It's finally here!  Northern Temptress is for sale exclusively on Kindle right now!!!

Lots to Smile About

Northern Temptress is just back from the copy editor at TWRP, who had this to say:

I thoroughly enjoyed every word. Alexa is a complex character, full of spunk, love and compassion. Caleb, wow... he is the ultimate Southern dashing gentlemen, quiet strength. Together, they light the page on fire. Great story, really a great story. Even the setting, Gettysburg in the Civil War with blood shed, made me feel as if the house shook with the cannon shots. I can not express how much this story really hit my senses. I loved it. Thanks for a fantastic read.

Wow.  It doesn't get any better than that!

And for last fall's release, This Moment in Time, there is a new review on Amazon by Larura Hartland who had this to say:

I love time-travel romances, so I was overjoyed to see this one available for my kindle. And from the very first page I was hooked both by the heroine, Josette - also known as the Rose of Virginia - and the hero, Jamie, a modern-day knight looking for a cause. What could be better?

Josette Beaumont is a woman in an impossible situation, caught in the midst of the Civil War, her husband dead and her beloved home overtaken by Union Soldiers - including one General Stillwater, an absolutely loathsome character whom I loved to hate. Josette has been passing information to aid the Southern cause through one of the few people she's permitted to see during her imprisonment, her pastor, Reverend Huckabee. But the vile Stillwater is suspicious and not above using any available means to intimidate her.

Enter Jamie D'Alessandro, a man of our time who seems like he's been given every advantage, not the least wealth and devastating good looks. But Jamie has already lost so much, including his parents and his direction in life, and he's searching, though at the beginning of the book even he doesn't know exactly for what he's searching. He takes on the job of restoring the ruined mansion that was once Josette's home and stumbles into a portal through time, where he finds a cause that claims his whole heart.

I don't want to ruin any surprises and give away the ending here, but it's a thrilling ride after that through danger, love, achingly sweet sex and Josette's misguided desire to sacrifice herself for Jamie's sake. In the end, Jamie proves he's well able to fight for the woman he loves, and Josette is faced with the choice of two lifetimes.

Though this book is, in fact, a novella, it didn't feel like it while I was reading, and it certainly lacks nothing in suspense or character development. I was so satisfied at the end! I only wish I could give it six stars!

Amazin, Laura, thank you so much for "getting' my characters and their story.

As if all this wasn't enough to plaster a permanent goofy grin on my face,  this weekend is the TWRP author luncheon here in Rochester, and I can't wait to meet some TWRP authors and editors.  Lots to look forward to --and lots to smile about!

Positively Giddy!!

Here is the cover for Northern Temptress, my new release from TWRP which I hope will be out this summer to celebrate the anniversary of the Battle of Gettysburg.

The blurb and a little excerpt are below.

When the Civil War arrives on her door step, Gettysburg doctor Alexandra Winters uses her knowledge of medicine to help the wounded. When an uncommonly handsome rebel officer finds her tending the wounded in his battlefield, he takes her for a spy until she confesses her darkest secret; her brother fights for the south. He vows to find her brother and insists on escorting her home. But Alexa already has enough gossip attached to her name thanks to a scandalous divorce; she doesn’t need to be seen keeping company with the enemy at a late hour.

Major Caleb McKenna, CSA, has grown weary of war and bloodshed. Dreams of glory and valor are long gone, as is the memory of his beloved fiancée back home in Georgia. Try as he might, he can’t recall her face. Instead, it’s the bewitching image of Alexa Winters that haunts his every thought. Her stubborn refusal to show weakness is put to the test when he brings news of her missing brother.  His attempt to comfort the stoic beauty quickly engulfs them in a firestorm of passion, leaving Caleb torn between a promise made to the gentle belle awaiting his return – and an emerald-eyed, jet-haired Northern temptress.

When the major is gravely wounded, Alexa comes to his aide. Hiding a Confederate officer in a house filled with recuperating Union soldiers is risky… but fighting their growing attraction is a battle they can’t afford to lose. 

Excerpt:

He stroked a thumb over the moisture on her cheeks.  “Alexa,” he sighed.  “Don’t cry.”
Hot tears spilled over his thumb.  “He was so calm, so much braver than I’d have been.”
Edwards had been like a brother to him, he’d felt every damn bit as helpless when his friend had been hit.  “I shouldn’t have put you through it.”
“There was nothing I could do for him.” Her voice was raw with pain and exhaustion.
He pulled her into his arms, needing to comfort her and needing comfort himself.  She held herself rigid for several moments before settling her head on his shoulder.  “I’m sorry. I don’t usually give in to such feminine displays.”
“I won’t tell a soul.”  He gently stroked her back, keenly aware that only a thin cotton barrier stood between her flesh and his palms.  A tangle of emotion tore through him and like her, he fought against the need to give in to the grief gnawing at him.  “It was my fault.  I ordered the men forward.”
“You were following orders.” She relaxed against him a bit more.  “It’s no one’s fault.”
He nuzzled her hair, breathed in the lingering aroma of lilacs.  For the rest of his days, he’d associate that heavenly smell with Alexa Winters. “I hate this damn war.”
She raised her head from his shoulder and though shadowy leaves dappled her face, making it impossible to clearly see her, he could feel her gaze on him. 
Without a thought he brushed his lips against her forehead, intending only to comfort her as he would his sisters.  The teasing smell of those damn lilacs and a scent that was uniquely Alexa filled his nostrils.  Tormented by the soft curves pressed against him, his cock roared to fully erect.  A dizzying sensation enveloped him, urging him to move closer, hold her tighter. He forced aside the thoughts even as he struggled against the demands of his body.
“Alexa,” he whispered against her ear.  “I came here tonight with honorable intentions.”
She turned toward him, the movement bringing her face into close contact with his lips. “A—and now?”
He stroked her cheek with the back of his fingers. The hand at her back flexed, bringing them another inch closer. “God help me, right now all I can think about is kissing you.”

The Sunshine Award

The lovely and talented Stacy D. Holmes has awarded me with the Sunshine Award!   Thanks, Stacy, you made my day--and made me get off my lazy behind and blog LOL.

The Sunshine Award is a lovely sunny flower that bloggers give to other “bloggers who positively and creatively inspire others in the blogosphere”.

And like any award, there are rules....

(1) Thank the person who gave you the award in your blog post.

 (2) Do the Q&A below

(3) Pass on the award to 10-12 deserving and inspiring bloggers, inform them and link to their blogs.



Favorite Color:  It changes but usually a deep royal purple of a nice soft bubblegum pink. 

 
Favorite Animal: Dogs. I truly believe their unconditional love is a reflection of God's love for us. And I don't care how bad my day has been, that wagging tail to greet me--even if I was only gone long enough to take out the trash or walk to the mailbox-- just lifts my spirits.
 
Favorite Number: Five
 
Favorite Non-alcoholic Drink: Ice cold water or unsweetened iced tea, both with a lemon wedge
 
Facebook or Twitter: Facebook makes more sense to me though I'm not that comfortable with either one--I just don't have time to sit down aand figure it all out, life is too busy!
 
Your Passion: American history, especially the Civil War era.  I just can't read enough about it and every time I learn something new, it leads me to read even more.  It's a vicious cycle!
 
Giving or getting presents: Giving.  I love to brighten the days of my loved ones with a little unexpected something that I know they'll enjoy, whether it's a pack of gum, or a special treat in the boys' lunches, or buying hubby a bottle of his favorite soda and sneaking it into his lunch for the next day, I love to give.  
 
Favorite Day: Thursday.  It sounds totally "Pollyanna" but I really like knowing the weekend is right around the corner.  Once the weekend gets here, it's gone in a flash ...but on Thursday, it's all still ahead of me.
 
Favorite Flowers: Daisies and tulips.  Daisies are so sunny and cheerful with their little faces tilting toward the sun --and tulips are so elegant and graceful. 

I'm supposed to tag ten people now but am not having much luck finding people who haven't already been given the Sunshine Award so I choose:

Roni Adams 
Kat Henry Doran 
Leanne Tyler
Susan Macatee
Isabel Roman


 

Chocolatey, yummy...and good for you??

The day after the snowstorm, there wasn't a lot to do but stay inside and enjoy it.  So I pulled out a cookie recipe that I've been wanting to try.  It's basically a chocolate chocolate chip cookie but it has a secret ingredient that makes it good for you, too.  And know what? It's yummy!  I didn't tell my kids what was in them...I didn't have to, they loved them! 

It's a great recipe for Valentine's Day, you can make this for your sweetie and feel good knowing that at least they're eating their vegetables LOL.

Here's the recipe:

1 box Devil's Food cake mix
2 large eggs
1 15 oz. can beets, drained, juice reserved
1 bag semisweet chocolate chips, divided

Heat oven to 350 degrees.  In blender, puree beets with 2 tbs reserved beet juice for one minute or until smooth.  In bowl, combine cake mix, eggs and 1 1/2 cups chocolate chips and beet puree until blended. Drop spoonfuls of batter (go small with these, they really puff up) 2" apart on greased baking sheet.  Sprinkle tops with remaining chips.  Bake ten minutes or until done.  Let cool completely.

Hint: make two batches, they disappear fast!

Friday Friends: Susan Macatee

I'm very excited to have my friend and fellow American historical author here today, Susan Macatee.  I've been a fan of Susan's work for many years, now it's your turn to get to know this super talented and lovely lady.

Hi Susan!  Welcome!  Tell us a bit about yourself and why you write the genre you do.
I've always loved books and dreamed of being an author someday. But I came to my chosen genre in a roundabout way. As a teen and young adult, I devoured science fiction. So, that's what I first tried writing. It wasn't until years later, as a young mother, that I discovered romance. Times travels, followed by historicals, were my favorite escapes. Then my husband pulled me into Civil War reenacting. I love the romance of the period, as well as the grit, and just had to place my romances in this time period. As a result, my first romance novel was a Civil War time travel.

How long have you been writing?
I could honestly say since childhood. I remember writing picture books to distribute to friends. I had kind of a start in my early college years, when I tried submitting short stories to magazines and wrote for a 'Star Trek' fanzine. But it was after my youngest son started school that I joined Romance Writers of America and began to write both short stories and book length romance and submit my work to publishers. So, we're talking about 23 years.

Describe your typical writing day
My writing day doesn't start until afternoon, although I do a couple of email checks, plus a little book promo in the mornings. Once I settle down to write, I either have a word quota, if I'm writing a first draft, or a page or hourly quota, in the case of revisions, edits or plotting. I start with whatever project I'm currently working on, but if I have extra time before I have to start dinner, I might make notes on my next project before I stop for the day.

What was your “Aha!” moment—when you knew you had to write?
I took a creative writing class my junior year in high school. For my fiction assignment, I wrote a 12 page horror story and got an A++. My teacher would have read it to the class, if not for the length. From that point on, I knew writing in some form was something I was meant to do.

If you weren’t a writer, what would you be?
In college, I took a few elective psychology courses and did really well in them. I think I would've majored in psych if I wasn't fixated on writing.

What is your best cure for writer’s block?
The absolute best cure is to read a good book by another writer. Always gets me in the mood to get back to work on my own project.

Tell us a little bit about your new release, Thoroughly Modern Amanda

Thoroughly Modern Amanda is a sequel to my 2009 Civil War time travel romance, Erin's Rebel. This new story is set in 1880 and the heroine, Amanda Montgomery, was a child in Erin's Rebel, the daughter of the widowed hero. The hero, Jack Lawton, is a modern day construction worker who wants to refurbish an old Victorian home, but the owner dies and her heir wants to sell the land and have the house demolished.


Believing anything is possible, magazine reporter Amanda Montgomery dreams about being a modern woman in a nineteenth century world, much like her exceptional step-mother.  But society expects well-off young ladies to focus on finding a suitable husband and raising a family.  And then Jack appears—with no past and unconventional ideas. Does he hold the key to another century as well as her heart, or is she destined to stay in her own time?

Construction worker Jack Lawton wants to preserve an old home that's scheduled for demolition.  But when he sneaks inside for a final look, a loose beam falls on his head, and upon waking, he finds himself in the arms of a beautiful woman.  His only problem—he's no longer in the twenty-first century.  Can he find his way back home? Does he really want to?

Jack blinked, focusing his gaze. Blinding pain in the back of his head nearly caused him to pass out again. The last thing he recalled was a beam blindsiding him.

“Sir?” a female voice cooed. “What’s happened? Did the beam hit you?”

He tried to focus on a face hovering above him. “Yeah, the beam hit me. It must have knocked me out.” He lifted his arm, intending to probe his aching head.

“Don’t move,” the woman said. “I have a rag covering the gash. You need a doctor, I think.”

He gazed at the woman. With her red-gold hair piled on her head and her old-fashioned looking gown, she didn’t seem real. Like something out of a crazy dream. If her face wasn’t so smooth and youthful, he’d believe he was back at Mrs. Grayson’s house, but the old woman was dead and she’d never dressed like this.

“Where am I?” he groaned. A flash of pain shot through his skull.
The woman’s blue eyes widened. “You don’t know where you are? The beam must have taken your memory.” She glanced around. “This house is under construction. You’re obviously one of the workmen hired to build it.”

“Under construction?” A new wave of pain pierced his skull. “No. This house is going to be torn down.”

“Shh.” She placed a finger over his lips. “You must have had a memory lapse.”

Her soft touch and scent enveloped him. Something seemed familiar about her, but he wasn’t sure what. He tried to rise, but she pushed him back.

“Don’t try to get up. I’ll go for help.”

“No.” He rubbed his head. “I think I can sit up with your assistance. Pushing onto his elbows, he gazed around the room. His heart dropped as he realized this wasn’t the dilapidated house he’d been exploring. The scent of fresh cut wood and unfinished walls chilled him.

“You say this house is under construction?” He made an effort to sit up straight.

She moved to brace his back. “You mustn’t move so quickly. You could aggravate your injury.”

“This doesn’t make any sense.” He reached for the towel she’d placed against the back of his head. The rag slid down his back.

She retrieved it, then gently probed his head.

He winced at the pain.

Her gaze met his. “It doesn’t look so bad now. The bleeding’s stopped, but you will need someone to look after you. I’ll contact your family.”

“There’s no need. I can drive. Just help me to my car. It’s parked outside.”

“Car?” She bit her lip, drawing his attention to her full, ripe mouth. “You mean carriage? I saw no carriage outside.”

“No, I mean a car. It’s a dark green four door.”

“I saw no carriage as you describe.” She wrung her hands glancing toward the open doorway. “I’ll go find help.”

His hand shot out to stop her. He didn’t want her to go, even to get help. If he was able to stand…

“Help me up,” he said.

She frowned, but grasped his hand. Pushing up on his legs with her assistance at his side, he stood. But his equilibrium seemed off. She braced her weight against his.

“Are you sure you don’t want to stay here? I’ll find a neighbor to help you to go…” She hesitated. “Where do you want to go?”

“Home, but I need my car to get there.” His hand dropped to his pocket to search for his wallet, but a strap and two buttons on his waistband diverted his attention. He wore a pair of suspenders, a loose fitting shirt with four buttons reaching from his mid-chest area to his collar, and baggy wool pants. These weren’t the clothes he’d been wearing when he’d explored the house.

What the hell?

His alarmed gaze drifted down to the woman who still supported his weight. The clothes he wore matched the period of her gown. And the condition of the house, compared to the dilapidated building he'd been in, set his brain awhirl.

“Where in hell am I?” he gasped.

The woman’s eyes widened as she gazed open mouthed at him.


Anything else in the works you can share with us?
Yes, I’m currently working on a novella based on a minor character from my 2009 Civil War romance, Confederate Rose. In ‘The Physician’s Irish Lady’ the hero is a small town doctor, who served as a Union army surgeon during the Civil War. The heroine is an Irish immigrant on the run from a man she met in New York City, who tried to sell her to a brothel.

Leave a comment on this post for the chance to win a PDF copy of Thoroughly Modern Amanda and a $10.00 gift card for The Wild Rose Press.

Buy link: http://www.thewildrosepress.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=195&products_id=5074

Susan, thanks so much for visiting with us today!

Baking Cookies with Isabel

Please stop by my friend Isabel Roman's blog today for a guest interview featuring me...and a super easy cookie recipe I just know you're going to love!

Hope this final week before Christmas is shaping up to be a good one for you.