Thursday, November 30, 2017

Thursday's Third Scene from Seducing the Attorney #MFRWauthor #Contemporary romance #shared custody #Occupational therapy

Lauren held Jamie on her hip while she finished loading the washer. Anger simmered in her gut and she fought to keep her temper under control lest she scream and scare Jamie. She pushed the button. As the washer started her nephew crowed.
She kissed his forehead. “Time for a walk.” Maybe the activity would quench her fury. Ass, indeed. She had named the man perfectly. Where did he get off? The man who dated a new bimbo every night had no reason to talk, especially since he had no idea how much she had changed.
She grabbed Jamie’s jacket from a hook and her own. With a glance into the main room she opened the door into the garage.
After opening the stroller she dressed her nephew and slid her arms into the sleeves of her jacket. She opened the garage and pushed the stroller down the driveway. At the end she guided the stroller around the circle past clusters of red brick units. Jamie bounced and laughed.
“Tee, go.”
Lauren laughed and moved from a leisurely walk to a trot. Her thoughts drifted to the guardianship problem. Had Tony ever held his nephew? He was so different from his brother. Jim had spent time every day with his son. Those memories brought tears close to the surface. She sucked in a breath. No tears in front of Jamie.
She slowed. “Fast enough.”
He crowed.
Lauren brushed his cheek with a kiss. “Maybe more after.” They passed one of the yards where a bird feeder hung from a pole. She halted. Several brown birds perched on the feeder. “Look. Birds.”
“Bir. Bir.” Jamie shouted.
“Just where are you going?”
Tony’s deep voice startled her. The birds took flight. She grabbed the stroller handle and nearly toppled herself and her nephew. With care she straightened. “We’re out for a walk.” Her glare matched the one from his blue eyes. "Did you think we were running away?”
“Wouldn’t surprise me.” He ran his fingers through his dark hair. “I’ve heard stories.”
“I imagine you have but that was in the past. Put this conversation on hold. I’d rather not have Jamie upset again.” She met his gaze. “Since you’re staying tonight perhaps we’ll talk when he’s down for the night.”
“No perhaps. We will.”
Lauren pushed the stroller ahead. “I hope you left the garage door open. I didn’t bring the house key.”
“I did.” He grasped her shoulder.
Even through the layers of clothing she felt the heat of his fingers. Why him? Why was she attracted to man who wanted nothing good for her?
He stepped away. “Fine. We’ll talk but I’m ready to return to the condo."
“Go ahead. Jamie and I will finish our walk. Fresh air is good for him, not like city air with fumes and garbage. I enjoy the exercise.”
“I can think of more enjoyable ways of exercising.”
“I’m sure you can but they aren’t on my agenda.”
“Tee, go,” Jamie yelled.
Following his appeal for speed Lauren moved at a trot. Unfortunately Tony kept pace. Lauren stopped at the pond. “No ducks today.” She pushed the stroller up the slight rise and into the garage.
“Why don’t you move your car so I can park in the garage?” Tony asked. “You’re not using the space. Weather report calls for rain.”
His request reminded her of the car that would never park here again. She blinked a tear away. She had no time for another sob fest. “Stay with Jamie.”
“Up. Up,” Jamie chanted.
Lauren wanted to laugh at the expression on Tony’s face.
“You can make the move later,” he said.
“How are you going to be his guardian if you won’t pick him up?” Her question snapped with the anger churning her gut. She pushed the stroller into the garage, freed Jamie and carried him inside.
Tony followed. “There will be a nanny for all that stuff.”
She turned and glared. A dozen comments formed and were discarded. Though her childhood had ended during her teens after her parents had died Lauren remembered how her parents had loved and cared for her. Because her sister had been a junior in college and hadn’t been able to keep her in the college dorm Lauren had ended in a group home. The rules there had been unfair and she had run.
Had Tony’s childhood been strict? She remembered Jim saying after their mother had died there had been caretakers for them.
She glared at Tony. “Hugging and kissing their children are what parents do.”
He shrugged. “I’m his uncle. Didn’t Jim mention we were raised by nannies?”
“He said very little to me about your childhood. Wasn’t my business.” Lauren removed her jacket and Jamie’s. She put him on the activity quilt. “Watch him and I’ll move my car.” She handed the baby his favorite toys. “He’ll be content. You won’t need to touch him.”
“Just a minute,” Tony said. “I want to make sure you don’t run.”
“And leave Jamie to your care. Never.” As she reached the door of the garage she pulled the keys from the hook. “I’ll be right back.” She escaped before he reached her. She pulled her car from the drive and into the space beside his low black car. Then she dashed inside.
“You can move yours now.” She rubbed her arm to erase the chill from being outside without a coat.
As he left she breathed in relief to have a few moments free from his oppressive presence. She sat on the floor and opened the cloth book Jamie loved. “Cat.” She pointed to the picture. While repeating the word a second time she ran a finger under the letters.
She heard the garage door close and stiffened. Jamie patted the book. She turned the page. “Dog.”
“Dog,” Jamie repeated.
Tony loomed over them. “Isn’t he a bit young for reading?”
She glanced up and sat the bulge beneath his zipper. Is that all he ever thinks about? “Jim and Carrie read to him every day. I’m following their routine.”
“You’re joking. I can’t imagine my brother doing anything except patting the boy’s head the way our father did.”
“His name is Jamie.” She turned her attention to her nephew and the book.
Her words and Jamie’s continued. Tony slouched on the couch with his legs crossed at the ankles. Lauren knew he watched her with the intensity of a lion waiting to pounce. What was he planning? Nothing good.
The mantle clock struck five times. Lauren rose and lifted Jamie. “Time for dinner, love. Ready to eat?”
“Eat. Eat,” he chanted.
“What about us?” Tony asked. “A bit early isn’t it?”
Lauren shrugged. “I skipped lunch. You can go out. There are some good restaurants in town. For me, I’ll heat some chicken and barley soup my landlady sent and grill a chicken and cheese sandwich.”
“I’ll join you. Since I’m staying for the weekend I’ll carry my things to the bedroom. Guess there’s only one bed.”
Determined not to permit him to stir the embers of anger into flames, she drew a deep breath. “You’re right. I’ll change the sheets after I feed Jamie.”
“Is there a reason? Evidence you want to hide?”
She fastened Jamie in the high chair. “You’re sick.”
“Ick. Ick,” Jamie chanted.
“That too.” She kissed his forehead.
Tony moved from the couch to a stool at the bar separating the kitchen from the rest of the main floor. She felt his stare as she moved. Great. Now she had a stalker.
“I’ve a proposition.” Tony rested his elbows on the marble surface.
She glanced at him and was nearly lured by his mesmerizing blue eyes. Then she recalled his nasty assumptions. “And that is?”
“Move to the city. Stay at my apartment and be the child’s nanny.”
She set a jar of baby food in the bubbling water. “And become your mistress?”
“Sounds like a plan.”
“Yours not mine. I have a life here.”
“I’m sure you do. I can take you places you’ve never been. Why not accept my offer?”
“And settle for being a nanny when I’m listed in the will as one of Jamie’s guardians?”
“A position you’ll lose if we go to court.”

“I’ve heard enough.” She pulled the jar from the pan and set it on the counter. She ran cold water over her stinging fingers. “Unless you plan to feed Jamie, I suggest you move. Better still. Take your car and return to the city.”

Wednesday, November 29, 2017

Wednesday Hooking Dragons of Fyre #MFRWBookHooks #MFRWAuthor #Fantasy romance #dragons

The Dragons Of Fyre



The excerpt is PG. The book is spicy.

Visit my site and then go on to visit the sites of the other great authors who are joining me on this blog tour.
Here is the spot   http://mfrwbookhooks.blogspot.com

Blurb:

After escaping from the temple of Fyre, Drakon returns to his home to find only two people and a yellow dragon. He and the Old One learn as much as they can about the land at present. The lord of Sea Cliff Tower has gathered the remaining dragons at his keep. On learning the High Peaks Tower’s red dragon is with egg they arrange her escape and rescue her eggs. Now they must find a way to defeat their enemy and return the dragons to the other towers.

Arana, sold by the temple priestesses to the slavers is bought by the lord of High Tower and made a part of the family. Before they are able to adopt her the lord of Sea Cliff Tower invades and destroys the family, taking her and her friend prisoner. Drakon is sold. Arana because she can speak to the dragons is made a slave care-giver. She saves a green egg and raises the green dragon. After helping the High Peaks Tower’s red dragon escape she is in danger and must find a way to escape. Her attempt to ride the green dragon succeeds and she arrives injured and ill. Once she recovers she and Drakon attempt to find a way to rescue the other dragons of Fyre.


Excerpt:
Drakon halted his horse at the end of the pass and stared at the collection of houses and the fields beyond. Last night he and his companion had ridded well past moonrise so they could reach the village this morning. Fall had arrived. Reds, yellows and oranges blazed across the hills.
Why had this village remained untouched? Ten years ago, the lord of Sea Cliff had attacked High Peaks and ravaged the villages closest to the tower. Of the three settlements sworn to High Peaks only this one remained. The answer had to be treachery.  Drakon wondered if he would learn the names of the traitors.
*You will not,* the Old One said. *They are dead.*
Drakon tightened his hold on the reins. Every time the ancient yellow dragon spoke to him, he felt warmth and delight. Years ago, his inability to speak to the dragons had doomed him to ten years as a slave.* I wish they were alive so I could see to their punishment. Their treason made me Lagon’s prisoner and a thing to be sold to the priestesses.*
*Better a slave than living under the evil one’s control the way the heirs of the other towers do.*
A year had passed since Drakon’s escape from the temple of Fyre. Though he had sworn to see the man died, the lord of Sea Cliff Tower remained alive. A need for vengeance invaded Drakon’s thoughts. His family, his near kin and innocent villagers had been slaughtered on that dreadful day.
*Patience,* the Old One said.
“Behold the lush growth of the fields.” His companion drew his steed to Drakon’s side. “Look at the height and fullness of the fyrethorns. The harvest will be abundant.” He raked his fingers through his gray-tinged brown hair.
Drakon shook his head. “I see but do we need all this for one dragon?”
Radlan shrugged. “Who are we to cry about good fortune? There are few dragons in the land. From what I have heard there are five pair at Sea Cliff and none at the other three towers.”
Drakon’s jaw clenched. His desire for revenge flared anew. If only there was a way to defeat Lagon and free the High Peaks dragons.
*Have faith. There will be more dragons at our tower.*

Some of Drakon’s tension ebbed. *First patience and now faith. I’ll try. Before I gain those virtues, there’s a harvest to be completed.* He prodded the steed with his heels and the horse trotted down the trail into the village.

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http://www.bwlpublishing.ca/authors/lane-walters-janet-romance-fantasy-usa/


Tuesday, November 28, 2017

Tuesday's Writer's Tip - From the Beginning #MFRWauthor #amwriting #story openings

Where to begin the story? That's the question. You have all your story elements in a row but setting your characters on their adventure is important. What you need to look at is one of three things. The moment before the change arrives. During the moment the change occurs. The moment after the change has occurred.

To start the story you need to develop one of those situations. What is coming to change your characters' lives. This could be an approaching storm, war, any one of a number of thing. If you choose to begin with this scenario, the one thing to remember is not to start with too large of a coming event. The event and what it will do to your characters is the focus. Another pitfall here is getting involved in the backstory and forgetting what's coming.

Beginning in the middle of the change can be a good place. Here the character knows what has happened and they must decide what to do. Problem here is that the character may become mired in making a decision that he or she has problem deciding what to do. This leads to looking at their every thought and the possible consequences.

Beginning a moment after the change has arrived puts the characters in the midst of reacting to the change. One problem here is they become scattered and their actions become meaningless.

The change might bode  disaster or it might not. Good news such as the winning of a lottery, an unexpected inheritance or some other thing can bring a change that will produce problems. Bad enws is a given for propelling the characters into action.

So look at the change. What is the situation. Just what is the change. Who is the focus of the change . What are the consequences.

Monday, November 27, 2017

Meandering On Monday with Janet Lane Walters #MFRWauthor #Poem #Writing #Apple Pies

Meander 1 - Poem People

People are like that.
Like what?
Different, yet the same.
They're problem filled
And full of love. Indfferent yet understanding.
The whole spectrum they undergo
Forward, backward and standing still.
People are like that.

Meander 2 - Apple pies - I made two apple pies from almost scratch. I don't make the crust. They're much easier to buy pre-made. Then I set down to prepare the apples. We have a great farm, Dr. Davies, where I buy apples. I bought four kinds to see what the variety of flavors could bring to the pies. Then I set down to prepare enough apples for two pies. A lot of apples were needed. I spent an hour and a half peeling them. That is a long time. Perhaps there is an easier way than doing each one with a paring knife, cutting out the cores and removing the skins. Then I set out to make crumble. Not as successful this time as prior attempts. I forgot to take the butter out to get less than frozen. Finally finished. Put to bake. Soon the aroma of baking pies filled the air. The pies were done and they tasted great, though some of the apples didn'thold their shape but sort of became apple sauce.

Meander 3 - Writing - Am rough drafting the new book the Leo Aquarius Connection. The writing is going well but when I was ready to begin the sixth chapter, I discovered a glitch. The chapter synopsis was totally off base. I'm not sure what happened but this needed to be an interval chapter and somehow it wasn't. There needed to be some time pass and for the characters to re-group. I think I've solved the problem. I'll know when I begin to write.

Sunday, November 26, 2017

Sunday's Book - Seducing the Attorney #MFRWauthor #romance #occupational therapy #contemporary #law

Seducing the Attorney (At First Sight Book 5)

Lauren Grant’s first meeting with Tony Carlin happened four years ago at her sister’s wedding to his older brother. There’s been an attraction but a wary one. The handsome arrogant attorney had showed disdain. At that time Lauren had been a troubled teen with streaked hair and piercings. Now, she’s working toward her Master’s in OT and has no time for more than school and her infant nephew. The death of Jamie’s parents has left Tony and Lauren as joint guardians of the baby.

Tony makes assumptions about Lauren’s current life-style. He’s as attracted to her as he was four years ago. But he’s a player and has no thought of making any commitments other than having sole custody of his nephew. He is grieving for his brother. Lauren grieves for her sister and Tony’s brother. A moment of mutual comfort sends them on a spiraling course.

Will they solve the problem of the custody and come to admit their feelings for each other?



 http://wwweclecticwriter.blogspot.com


http://www.bwlpublishing.ca/authors/lane-walters-janet-romance-fantasy-usa/

Saturday, November 25, 2017

Saturday's Blurbs featuring Books by Rosemary Morris #MFRWAuthor #Regency romance #Romance historical

Monday’s Child

Monday’s child is fair of face
                  
Love, despair and renewed hope amid the gaiety and anxiety in Brussels before Napoleon’s defeat at the Battle of Waterloo.”

Heroines born on different days of the week. Book 2

In March 1815, Napoleon Bonaparte escaped from exile in Elba. In Brussels, eighteen-year-old Helen Whitley, is aware that war with France between Britain and her allies, is inevitable. A talented artist, Helen is aware of the anxiety and fear underlying the balls, breakfasts, parties, picnics and soirees - held by the British. In an attic, she paints scenes in which she captures the emotions of daily life during the hundred days before the Battle of Waterloo.
While Helen lives with her sister and wealthy brother-in-law, Major Tarrant, she waits for Major, Viscount Langley, to arrive in Brussels and ask her to be his wife. Langley, who serves in the same regiment as Tarrant, is her brother-in-law’s closest friend, therefore she assumes her sister and Tarrant will be delighted by the match.
She is grateful to her brother-in-law for including her in his household. Nevertheless, Helen regrets being dependent on his generosity, so she’s looking forward to being mistress of Langley’s heart and home.
Before Langley leaves England to join his regiment, he visits his ancestral home, to inform his parents that he intends to marry Helen. Yet, when he arrives in Brussels to join his regiment, he does not propose marriage to Helen, and her pride does not allow her to reveal the misery caused by Langley’s rejection.

Tuesday’s Child

“Tuesday's child is full of grace.”

“Prejudice and pride demand Reverend Dominic Markham marry a suitable lady, but he is spellbound by Harriet, an unsuitable widow.”

Heroines Born on Different Days of The Week Book 3

Harriet Stanton followed the drum until the deaths of her husband and father, army officers in the war against Napoleon Bonaparte. Destitute, on the verge of starvation, she returns to England, with her three-year-old son, Arthur. Although she has never met her father-in-law, the Earl of Pennington, with whom her late husband had cut all ties, for Arthur’s sake, Harriet decides to ask Pennington for help. Turned away from his London house by servants, she is rescued by Georgianne Tarrant, who founded an institution to help soldiers’ widows and orphans.
Desperate for an heir, the earl welcomes Harriet, and Arthur, whose every wish he grants.
At first, Harriet is grateful to her father-in-law, but, as time goes she is locked in a silent battle to control Arthur, who has tantrums if he is denied anything. 
After Pennington refuses his permission for Arthur to swim in the lake, Arthur defies him. About to drown, he is rescued by charismatic Dominic, Reverend Markham, the Earl and Countess Faucon’s son.
At the lakeside, Dominic meets Harriet. She is so dainty that his immediate impression is of a fairy. Despite her appearance, he is mistaken. Harriet is not a pampered lady by birth. During brutal campaigns, she milked goats and cooked over camp fires.

Wednesday’s Child

Wednesday’s child is full of woe.


“Sensibility and sense are needed for Amelia Carstairs to accept her late grandmother’s choice of her guardian, the Earl of Saunton, to whom Amelia was previously betrothed.”

Heroines Born on Different Days of The Week Book 4

In 1816, Mrs Bettismore lies on her deathbed. Her twenty-year old granddaughter, Amelia is distraught by the imminent loss of her only relative, who has raised her in an atmosphere of seclusion and unyielding discipline.
Amelia inherits her grandmother’s fortune, but after such a sheltered upbringing she finds herself lost and alone. Her emotional growth, stunted by Mrs Bettismore she is afraid to do or say anything of which her grandmother would disapprove.
The heiress is unprepared for her introduction to Saunton, her guardian’s noisy household and his family of irrepressible sisters. 
Will this cause Amelia to retreat into herself even more, or will a home filled with love and high spirits change her outlook and encourage her to find love?
Or do the long-hidden secrets of her birth threaten to spoil everything?

“I like the way Mrs Bettismore’s strong personality weaved throughout the novel, providing conflict. Like Daphne DuMaurier’s Rebecca, even dead, she’s a great character.”

Katherine Pym, Author of Erasmus T. Muddiman: A tale of Publick Disorder; Pillars of Avalon (with Jude Pitman) Canadian Brides Book 5, and other historical novels.









Friday, November 24, 2017

Friday's Guest - featuring Rosemary Morris - On Writing Her Way #MFRWauthor #historical romance #Days of the week

A.     The plots for my Romantic Historical Fact Fiction novels arise from historical non-fiction.

Before I finished Tuesday’s Child, Heroines Born on Different Days of the Week, Book Four, the basic plot for Wednesday’s Child occupied my mind while doing housework, shopping and gardening.

Before I wrote Sunday’s Child I read a book about to write in which the author advised novelists to plot their novels in detail. I spent hours outlining the plot in each chapter. The method didn’t work for me because I follow the characters’ lead in my novels. I like them to surprise me and take unexpected routes which add twists to the tale. 

Q.  Which comes first - characters or plot for you?

I jot down a mere sentence or two about the plot which my characters might reject.

Until I have chosen names for the main characters, which are appropriate for the era in which my novel takes place, and filled in detailed character profiles I can’t write the first line. I fill in the names of their great grandparents, grandparents, parents and other relatives. I enter their likes and dislikes, their idiosyncrasies and much more. When I write the first line paragraph I know them almost as well as I know members of my family.

Q. What are you working on now? Is this a book in a current series or something totally new?

A.  I am working on Thursday’s Child, Book Five.

Each stand-alone novel in the series is linked by a character or characters from previous novels, but it is unnecessary to read them in sequence.

Q.  Do you have some kind of object or place that figures in most of your books? I use gems a lot, hospitals and caves.

A. In each of my eight published novels set in the reign of Edward II of England, Queen Anne Stuart’s reign 1702 – 1714 and my early nineteenth-century Regency novels I focus on something applicable to the era. For example, the events in Monday’s Child take place during the 100 days between Napoleon Bonaparte’s escape from Elba and the Battle of Waterloo. 

Q. Do you write every day or just when the spirit hits?

A. If I waited for my spirit to hit it would take me years to write a novel. I have so many other interests which try to lure me away from my work in progress and other ‘writerly’ matters.


To complete a novel, I apply strict self-discipline. Although this routine is not, as the saying goes, set in concrete, with short breaks, I write from 6 a. m to 10 a.m, for an hour after lunch and from four or five p.m. until eight p.m. 

Thursday, November 23, 2017

Thursday's Third Scene _ Featuring Seducing the Doctor by Janet Lane Walters #MFRWauthor #Medical #romance


Hot water chased the chill from Matt’s bones. Several spots ached but he agreed with his hostess. No serious injuries and bruises were to be expected. He wasn’t sure if the accident had brought good luck or bad. He groaned and thought of his bike. How much damage?
An image of the woman who had rescued him appeared. The accident hadn’t been all bad luck. Auburn hair, green eyes, long slender fingers. The shapeless shiny yellow raincoat had covered the rest of her. What had she kept hidden and why had she continued to wear the garment.
Mentally he removed the coat and envisioned a tall, slender naked body. Long legs were a given. She was taller than his usual preferences. He gave her a slender waist and breasts large enough to fill his hands. A few subtle moves on his part and the night could turn into a lover’s delight.
His cock throbbed. Down boy. Rushing this lady would mean a strikeout. She had seemed shy and even skittish. He couldn’t give in to his desire to leap into action. Seduction was the way to go. He grabbed his erect member and worked a bit to remove the edge. He had all night.
After drying he pulled on sweatpants and his favorite tee shirt. The blue matched his eyes and acted like a magnet drawing eyes to his chest. He shoved the towel in the hamper and hung his trousers on the towel bar.
Matt left the bathroom and collided with his hostess. He grabbed her around the waist to prevent their crashing into a wall. He’d been on target with every imaginary feature of her body. Need flared.
“Are you accident prone?” she asked.
“Not usually.” He stepped back to leisurely study her. His gaze followed long legs to a slender waist. Even her breasts were as perfect as he’d hoped.
Their gazes locked. A fire spread over her cheeks. Had she read his intentions? In an instant his thoughts leaped from a simple thank you to finding a way into her bed. He grinned. Her stare made him wonder if her intentions matched his.
She stepped back until she pressed against the wall. He braced his hands near her head. “Thank you.” His mouth brushed hers. She tasted of chocolate. He ran his tongue over her lips. She gasped. He plunged inside.
His hands slid around her and pressed her closer. Their tongues danced. He cupped her rear and held her against his erection.
She pushed against his shoulders. He gasped a breath. She turned her head away. “You’ve taken your thank you far enough.”
Laughter he dare not release choked him. He planned to take his thanks a long, long way. “You’re right. We should introduce ourselves. I’m Matt Blakefield, Editor of Good Livin’, one of the Good Magazines.”
“I know.”
He frowned. “How? Have we met? There’s no way I could forget you.”
“Try high school.” Frost coated her voice.
“I’m drawing a blank.”
“Cassandra Moore.”
Knowledge arrived like boulders rolling down a mountain slope during an avalanche. Shame washed through him. “You’ve changed.”
Great line, jerk.
Her eyes narrowed. “I have. I’m no longer a scarecrow with bottle bottom glasses and carrot hair.”
He groaned. “What I said that day was wrong.”
“In a way but the description fit. Wasn’t nice to hear though.”
Her voice chilled him. Visions of an uncomfortable time formed. Did she want an apology? He would give her one and more. “Believe me or not, after you ran off I tried to find you. I stopped at your house. Your mom said you weren’t home. At school on Monday I looked for you. You weren’t there. You never returned. What happened?”
She stared at the floor. “Asking you out that day was my last chance to make my dream work. We moved that weekend. My step-father was reassigned.”
“What spurred you to ask?”
“The cheerleaders said you were shy and liked me. I took a chance. Dumb move.” She shrugged.
Shy. Him? That was a joke. A flurry of emotions cascaded. “Can I make it up to you, Cassandra?”
“Cassie. Only my mother calls me Cassandra.” She slipped down the hall to the main room and sat on the couch. “What happened years ago can’t be changed.”
“I could try.” The desire storming his body should have subsided following her chilling glare and the fountain of guilt. His younger sisters had told him of how the words and actions of teenage boys hurt girls. How badly had his ill-chosen words hurt Cassie? He sat beside her and rested an arm on the back of the couch. “Are you sure there’s nothing I can do?”
“Absolutely sure.” She reached for the remote and turned the movie off.
How could she be so sure? Hadn’t she experienced the urgency of his kiss? His body hummed with energy and need. He glanced at the champagne flute on the table. “Expecting company?” If some man arrived they would surely lock horns. For tonight this woman was his.
“No one.”
“Why are you here alone?”
She looked away. “Needed time and a quiet place to think. What are you doing miles from nowhere?”
“Escaping a wedding.”
Her eyes narrowed. “Yours?”
“Not in a million years.” What had happened to cause the bite in her voice? “My brother’s. Do you remember Mark?”
“I do.” She folded her hands in her lap. “How are your sisters?”
“Getting married in December. Double wedding. Dad recently married.” He shuddered. “Had to escape the celebration and all the schemes to make me the next victim.”
“Victim?”
He inched his hand toward her shoulders. “All the recently paired spend hours trying to match me with their single friends. I hate weddings.”
“So do I.”
He edged closer. A woman who shared his views. The possibilities of this chance meeting excited him. “I thought all women loved the fuss and bother.” Then he noticed her name engraved on the champagne flute. “I see. What happened?”


 http://wwweclecticwriter.blogspot.com

http://www.bwlpublishing.ca/authors/lane-walters-janet-romance-fantasy-usa/

Wednesday, November 22, 2017

Wednesday Hooking The Temple of Fyre #MFRWBookHooks #MFRWAuthor #Fantasy romance

Temple of Fyre (Island of Fyre Book 1)

The excerpt is PG but the book is spicy.



Today I'm joining other authors here #BookHooks My selection is The Temple of fyre a fantasy romance. I'l sure other authors will have great books to show off. find them here,  http://mfrwbookhooks.blogspot.com

Blurb:
Sold by her family to the priestesses of the Temple of Fyre, Ria soon masters using each of the four fyrestones, white, yellow, orange and scarlet. Her curiosity leads her to the archives and there, she learns things that disturb her. There are no men serving as priests but in the past there were. Men are kept in the harras where the priestesses visit. On the day of her testing she is ordered to perform a task she dislikes and refuses to destroy a town. Many of the priestesses fall into unconsciousness. Melera, the chief priestess, beats and banishes Ria for the carrion crows to consume.

Ari was abandoned as a child and found by two elderly firestone miners. He has pursued this and is the best of the finders. He goes to the temple to sell the stones he has gleaned. On leaving, Ria attempts to steal the fyrestone he has worn since the day he was found. He thinks she is a boy and a thief and he takes her to his room at the inn. On discovering her identity, he refuses to turn her over to the priestesses and they leave town. They are searching for the fabled blue fyrestones. They also learn to use them they must be bonded physically, emotionally and spiritually. Can they learn to master the blue stones and defeat Malera so they can rule the temple with love and understanding?


Excerpt:


Ria stuffed the scroll she’d taken from the shelves beneath her caftan and tightened the sash to make sure the cylinder holding the rolled papyrus remained hidden. Beads of perspiration covered her forehead. She rubbed the sleeve of her robe over her face. The night air held sultry remnants of the heat of the day. Usually, the thick walls of the temple complex kept the rooms and corridors cool. Tonight was different. The usual night breezes were absent so the heat remained. Perhaps the approaching solstice was the cause?
Or, maybe her fear of discovery caused her heart to thump against her chest and her muscles to tighten into confining bands? She was in a place where she had no right to be without the presence of one of the priestesses. Acolytes were forbidden full access to the scrolls found in the scriptorium. She drew a deep breath. She’d acted out of necessity. The scroll beneath her caftan was one she’d discovered during another of her night searches. She wasn’t permitted to read this one, but she had and the words had stirred questions her tutors had refused to address.
On the morrow, her ability to control the flames of the fyrestones would be tested. She would be ordered to call flames from a pair of scarlet crystals and blend her blaze with those raised by the priestesses of the circle. Then, the chief priestess would assign her a task. Ria believed the things she’d read in this particular scroll would help her during the ordeal. The test was not without risk. One slip and the flames she sought to control could turn her into a living torch.
She crept to the scriptorium door and peered into the hall. With senses alert, she listened and searched the shadows cast by the flickering torches on the white plaster of the walls. Sensing no one was nearby, she scurried along the corridor toward the living quarters of the priestesses and acolytes. With luck, she would reach her room without being discovered.
Her hand pressed against the scroll she wanted to read again. The words of this particular one were vastly different from the lessons she’d been taught by the priestesses. Had they lied? Were the ways to use the fyrestones described in these writings true, or were they only a fable invented by some ancient scribe?
There were other scrolls that told tales that seemed unreal. The aged priestess in charge of the scriptorium had laughed when Ria had asked about dragons with eyes the color of the scarlet fyrestones. The old woman had scoffed when Ria had showed her passages describing wands wielded by wizards that sent lashes of bright or dark flames to control people.
There was no one she could ask if this scroll contained truths. Questions weren’t encouraged. Still, she wanted to believe what she’d read in this scroll about the uses of the stones, for they told of helping the people and that appealed to her.
Ria sighed. Since the day she’d been bought from the slavers by the chief priestess, her life, though interesting had been lonely. Not for her the crowded classrooms, or the dormitory where she could form friendships with the other acolytes. She had her own chamber and a private bathing room. During her lessons, she’d been the only student. Even her meals had been taken with the priestesses, not the other acolytes.
Why had she been kept isolated from the other acolytes? What make her so different? Like Ria, most of the others had been brought to Rosti by the slavers. At twenty, she was a year or two younger than most of the young women who had entered the temple with her.
She’d learned to call fire from every color of the crystals and learned how to blend the flames to form sheets of fire. She could impose maps and pictures on the sheets and knew the ways of sending spears of flame to various places. From the tiny flames of the white, to yellow, orange, and scarlet fyrestones, her progress had been steady.
A peal of laughter made her stiffen. She ducked into a shadowed alcove. After the evening meal, acolytes were to be in their rooms, not wandering in the halls. A pair of senior priestesses, their orange robes gleaming in the light from the hall torches, appeared. The women hurried past Ria’s hiding place and entered the harras.
Ria trailed behind them. The noises from the studs’ quarters stirred her curiosity. The men seldom left the harras, except for exercise in the garden, or when they were summoned to the room of one of the priestesses. Until Ria passed her final test, she wasn’t allowed into the rooms where the men were kept. Several times, she had spied on the studs, but only during the day and never in the evening when the priestesses visited. She paused beside the beaded curtain and peered inside.
Her eyes widened. Most of the men were nude or scantily clad. Priestesses reclined on low couches. Studs offered beverages and finger foods. Ria watched as one of the men fondled a priestess’ breasts. Another man swayed to the sound of a flute. He held his organ in his hand. Ria felt a stirring low in her belly. Her breath caught in her throat.
Malera’s husky laughter rolled toward Ria. Before the chief priestess could discover her, Ria ducked into the hall leading to her chamber. When she reached the doorway, she carefully parted the beaded curtain and slipped into the room. If she’d been caught, Malera would have been furious. The chief priestess’ temper outbursts often ended in an injury for the culprit.
Ria sank on the bed. The scene in the harras filled her thoughts and stirred her curiosity. What would have happened next? Though she’d been betrothed before her clan had sold her to the slavers, he had died and the women hadn’t yet instructed her on the ways of a woman and a man.
A frown wrinkled her brow. The lessons of her teachers arose. Acolytes were forbidden to interact with men, except for official business. A priestess was permitted encounters, but she must never allow a man’s organ to enter her body. Such a surrender would destroy her ability to control the flames she drew from the fyrestones.
Memories of her first training session with the chief priestess had been a series of commands. Once again, Ria had heard Malera’s throaty voice raised in warning.
A priestess is not permitted to bear a child. To give birth means the loss of power. She must find a daughter among the acolytes. For that reason, I called you from the plains before your clan brought you to the marriage bed. If I hadn’t, your talent would have been lost. When my days as chief priestess end, you will take my place. Though you are not of my body, you are the child of my spirit.

At first, those words had brought Ria pleasure and a sense of smugness. If all the acolytes in the temple, she was special. Lately, she’d begin to question her mentor’s motives. Ria remembered no call. All she knew was her betrothed had died suddenly, and the next day, her clan had sold her. Had Malera sent the slavers?

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Tuesday, November 21, 2017

Tuesday's Writer's Tip - The five story elements in use #MFRWAuthor #Writing #story elements


Before you write the book you need to organise your five story elements into a statement and question. Many thanks to Dwight V. Swain for this little trick. I'm still learning how to mke this work completely but it really shows you where the story is going. Since the book I'm working on now is a romance, I do two of these since that helps me put the characters into focus.

I'll do Caleb's since I believe he has the most to gain.

Character Caleb Winstone MD.
Situation - He's returned home to begin his practice as a pediatrician.
Objective To avoid his family's decision that he should marry Regina Bishop.
Opponent Suzanna Rollins the woman he hurt and angered.
Disaster She has also arrived in town to begin as the nurse manager of the Pediatric Unit

So now what
When Caleb Winstone MD returns to his hometown to begin his practice as a pediatrician he finds his wealthy parents have chosen his bride, Regina Bishop, a woman he doesn't like and also the woman he wanted Suzanna Rollins, is the new nurse manager of the Pediatric Unit.

How can he fight his parents mechanizations, Regina's willingness and convince Suzanna he was a fool and she is the woman he wants in his life?

Monday, November 20, 2017

Meandering On Monday with Janet Lane Walters #MFRWAuthor #Poetry #Writing #Christmas stockings

Meander 1 - Poem Man's Gift

Love is never a selfishness.
It doesn't hide inside.
It's not a hidden vastness thing.
It's infinitely spaceousness.

Love never keeps itself apart.
It recognizes needs
And finds a way to give itself
To another's yearning pleas.

Love understands a wordless cry.
It reaches out a hand.
To hold another's hand in love
Is the greatest gift of man.

Meander 2 - Christmas stockings. I've been shopping lately and finding interesting and cute or practical things to put in the stockings of my family. This is something I really enjoy doing but I wonder who will do this when I no longer can. There are stockings for my family in Florida and some are hard to figure what to give. They've been away so long that I don't totally know their likes and dislikes. But I struggle on. There are the two family members in Georgia but they'll be here this year. That's good but what I include in their stockings depends on if they are going to drive or fly. There are the five in the town near us. I do see them frequently though not so much these days since going out to dinner night has changed due to work schedule. But I can find lotsof interesting things for them. Finally there are the ones for the people in this house. They are relatively easy to find little things for. And I have and amazed myself by choosing a scarf for one that totally matches her new coat I hadn't seen before I made the purchase. So I'll soon be done ant they comes the fun of packing them, plus the ones for the members of the critique group who I will party with in a month.

Meander 3 - Writing - The new story is going well, surprisingly well. I have nearly 10,000 words on the page and this is just the rough draft. There are a few things to add and some to change but that will happen once I have the whole story down in black and white. I love starting a new story and following the plot and the characters who exist in my head. The characters change the plot and the plot changes the characters. An amazing thing.

Sunday, November 19, 2017

Sunday's Book - Seducing the Doctor #MFRWAuthor #Contemporary romance #medical romance

Seducing the Doctor (At First Sight Book 4)

“You’re next.” 

Those words send Matt Blakefield fleeing his brother’s wedding. Marriage or even falling in love is the last of his desires. What he wants to learn is the identity of the owner of the house he wants to use as a make-over for the magazine he edits, Good Livin’. A fall rainstorm and a pine tree sends his motorcycle into a spin and into the arms of an old acquaintance, a girl he hurt in high school.

Cassie Moore has borrowed a cabin from one of her partners in a cardiology practice to come to terms with a broken engagement. The news came via an email. Her fiancĂ©e had married another woman just weeks before their scheduled marriage. The appearance of Matt at her door brings an old attraction into full bloom. She realizes love is lurking but he’s a player and she needs to forget the connection.

Is it possible that a weekend of love can become a lifetime? 


on June 2, 2016
Format: Kindle Edition


A K/U book.

This is a cute story. I loved Cassie and Matt's characters and I loved how his family
couldn't keep their noses out of their business.

Matt has sat around long enough and watched everyone pair off and get married. No matter
who is getting married, Matt always finds himself getting set up with someones co-worker or
friend. The last thing that Matt wants is to settle down and get married, but his family has other
plans. Going away for the weekend to one of his families cabins seems to be just what he needs
right now.

Cassie is a doctor and up until a couple of weeks ago, she was engaged to Tim. Much to her
surprise, Tim marries the office nurse, all of a sudden, out of the blue and on a Thursday no less.
Needing to escape, Cassie borrows one of her Senior Partners Cabins for a much needed get away.

This book is filled with surprises, some more pleasant than others.

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Saturday, November 18, 2017

Saturday's Blurbs featuring Books by Tricia Mc Gill #MFRWAuthor #Blurbs #romance


Laurel’s Gift (Paranormal/Contemporary):

The plaintive singing of a ghostly child in the night sets off a chain of events that lead to Laurel learning the dark secrets that dwell in her Great Aunt Maggie’s house in a Melbourne suburb. When Eli comes into Laurel’s life, instead of instantly uncovering the secrets that have been buried in this house for many years, their joint efforts lead them to discover even greater mysteries.
Eli’s past is tied up with the ghost of the child who haunts the house, and there are many hurdles to cross before he discovers just why he also sensed strange vibes in the old house as soon as he entered.
In their search for the answers to an extraordinary mystery they uncover a passionate love affair shared by the people dear to them or those who dwelt in the house at one time of another. Despite their shared psychic abilities can the couple also find such a love?

Amethyst (Contemporary Romance):
Love comes in many guises. Although Amy cares for Tony, and in the small country town where they live they are considered a couple, Amy still carries a torch for Tony’s older brother who spurned her adolescent avowals of love.

When Andrew returns home, now a wealthy, prosperous man, Amy’s whole world is in turmoil. Because of his rejection in the past, how can Amy trust this man who proposes to settle down in the small town he walked away from years ago? Amy has no doubt that he will soon long to be back in the bustling world he has become accustomed to in the city, and is determined to keep her head and not let her heart divulge its secrets this time around.

A Call Through Time (Time-Travel):
The Lord of Castlegrove Manor, heir to a vast fortune, is a studious History buff who loves reading about the years following the Roman occupation of Britain. Dissatisfied with running his extensive estate, a distraction from Bart’s boredom is his erotic dreams. No woman but his dream lover will ever offer him the satisfaction he craves.
During one of these dreams Bart wakes up miles from his comfortable existence and in the year 450AD. When he comes face to face with Haesal, he knows instantly this is the woman who has shared so many of his heated fantasies.

Most Celts have fled west to escape invaders from over the seas. Haesal and her brother have been captured by an evil barbarian and Bart comes to realise that his mission is to rescue them and return them safely to their home in Cornwall. Haesal’s belief in shapeshifters and the fairy folk helps her better understand the sudden appearance of this handsome stranger in her life who claims to have a deep knowledge of her. But can the love they find with each other survive through time and treachery?