Friday, May 31, 2019

Friday Elf Ahearn is visiting and Talking about Who She Was Before #MFRWAuthor


1. What were you in your life before you became a writer? Did this influence your writing?
I was a horse in my youth, which is why some say the hero of A Rogue in Sheep’s Clothing, the first book in the Albright Sisters series, is a stallion named Manifesto. You see, my childhood was spent on my hands and knees pretending to be a spirited filly with a penchant for bucking off my little sister. The floors in our house, though, were Spanish tile, which was rough on the knees. Therefore, the majority of my time as a horse entailed trotting, cantering, and galloping around the border of a fake Persian carpet in the living room.
Our lawn, however, was covered with soft grass fed by an awesome underground sprinkler system. On hot days, I hand galloped through those sprinklers, letting the water spray my face and belly as I leapt over the nozzles. My sisters, who were not horses, ran through the jets screaming. I whinnied.
In addition to living a four-legged life, every word of my reading material was exclusively equine-oriented. High on my list of favorites was the Black Stallion series by Walter Farley because each book featured a fabulous race that the hero horse won despite incredible odds. That’s what the heroine and Manifesto do in A Rogue in Sheep’s Clothing, except there’s this really sexy earl thrown in for good measure.
For those of you considering transitioning into a horse, here are a few tips: towels work well as tails, dry cereal is a good substitute for grain, violets and lemon grass are edible, so graze on them to your heart’s content.

2.  Are you genre specific or general? Why? I don't mean genres like romance, mystery, fantasy etc. There are many subgenres of the above. 
To date, all of my novels take place during the highly romantic Regency period in England, which was from 1811 to 1820. I’ve concocted a few plots for contemporary novels, but I’m an old soul and therefore unable to lure myself out of historical settings.


3. Did your reading choices have anything to do with your choice of a genre or genres? 
It was my sister’s reading choice that got me into writing Regency romances. She’s obsessed with them, and when I got laid off during the recession, she told me to write one for her. I obliged her to make up for all the times I bucked her off.


4. What's your latest release? 
The second book in the series is titled The Secret Life of Lords. It offers only one really big horse-related scene, alas, but it sports some excellent details about what to expect from a homicidal maniac.

5. What are you working on now? 
I’ve finished the third book in the series, A Duke in the Rough (It lacks a horse, but features a cat.), and I’m just a few words shy of completing The Baron of Bad Behavior, the fourth and final novel in the Albright Sisters series. The moment I find an agent, and by extension, a publisher, I’ll have both of these fine bits of literature on the market. (If not, I’ll self-publish.)

6. Where can we find you? 
My Website is ElfAhearn.com, but I’m also on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter. Be warned, though, Facebook and Instagram are my most frequented venues (145 characters are not enough for these hooves). Also, I infrequently produce a newsletter titled The Writer’s Cat. It concerns Sufie, my pesky feline, and it announces exciting updates about my publishing career. If you’d like to subscribe, please email elfahearn@hotmail.com.

Thursday, May 30, 2019

Thursday's Fourth Scene from Healwoman #MFRWAuthor #BWLPublishing #Fantasy

The stones before the altar in the apex of the chapel held the chill of the Dark Moon and brought thoughts of the coming winter.  Ulrica steeled herself against the numbing cold and stared into the scrying cup.  The still water showed no images of what had been or what was to come.
She breathed deeply and sought to calm her anxiety.  A young woman’s fate depended on the answers she received.  “Midra, my sister must be swayed to follow the way You would have her walk.  The misbegotten must enter your service.  If not, there is no one of the clan Keltoi to serve you.  This temple will fall the way the others have.”
The water in the cup stirred.  Colors appeared.  Red, blue, white, yellow.  The churning increased.  *Beware.*
“Midra, beware what?  Does it mean if Norna becomes a priestess she will bring danger?”
Red filled the cup.  The Warrior’s color and that of Keltoi.  The curfew bell chimed the ninth hour and cut short her meditation.  She heard the scuff of boots behind her.  Bodlesa’s laughter rose.  Ulrica drained the cup and placed it on the altar.  She rose to face her sister.
“What said Midra?”  Bodlesa laughed.
“I haven’t interpreted the meaning of Her signs.  Will you permit Norna to enter the temple as a novice?”
“You know the answer.  She is doubly misbegotten and has no place in life except as a drab.”
“Doubly?  What do you mean?”
“She is unacknowledged by dame or sire.”  Bodlesa sat on one of the benches.  “Her first cries were made to the Dark Moon sixteen years ago.  Is it not among the teachings of the temples that those born during that lunar bring disaster to all?  I believe I am right.”
The impact of her sister’s words washed through Ulrica.  As she struggled to find an answer, she heard sounds in the hall.  Had the warriors arrived early or was some underpriestess spying in hopes of learning something she could use in a quest for power?  Ulrica brushed past the bench where her sister lounged and peered into the shadows.  She saw nothing suspicious and turned to her twin.  “So be it.  Norna will serve the temple as a drab.”
Bodlesa rose.  “Then in the morning, I’ll leave for the megara.”
“I’m afraid not.  You have a duty to the clan and the temple.  You must give birth to two daughters.”
“One childbirth was enough to endure.”
“Then you will remain here until you agree.”  Ulrica called to the waiting warriors.  “Take my sister to a meditation cell.”
“You have no right to order me to do anything.  I am Keltoi of Keltoi.”
“And I am the Voice of Midra.  You will do your duty.  Until you agree to the demands of the goddess, you will remain in the cell.”
The women grasped Bodlesa’s arms.  She spat.  “With a man I did not choose.”
“The goddess cares not for who sires your daughters, only that his lines are pure and you acknowledge the infants.”  Ulrica smiled.  After a few doses of somma, Bodlesa would have no choice except to follow the command.

My Places
 http://wwweclecticwriter.blogspot.com





Wednesday, May 29, 2019

Wednesday Past Betrayals, Past Loves #MFRWHooks #BWLPublishing #Paranormal romance #Reincarnation

Past Betrayals, Past Loves

Join the writers at #MFRWHooks here http://mfrwbookhooks.blogspot.com  for some great excerpts. Mine is a reincarnation story of lovers coming together to face disaster time and again until they can love freely.

Blurb:
A curse sends Astrid on a journey to ancient lands. She meets deceit and betrayal searching for true love and to break the curse. The search begins in Egypt. When she touches an ancient Egyptian necklace she is hurtled through time into the turbulent life of another woman. She discovers the words spoken in anger holding her spirit captive. Seven more times she finds a piece of jewelry and returns to a distant past. In each of these lives she encounters and falls in love with a man who seems to be someone recently met in her present as do the enemy man and woman. The heat between Astrid and Duncan is instant and becomes incandescent. Her dislike of two characters grows. Eight realms await her. Eight chances break the curse holding her spellbound and to end the cycle of past betrayals and find love. Eight chances to foil the evil man and woman who follow her and Duncan from era to era.



Excerpt:


In her rush to reach the ringing telephone, Astrid Logan nearly sprawled on the suitcases she'd left in the apartment hallway. She grabbed the receiver on the seventh ring. A deep voice spoke her name and her heart thudded in her chest. "Clive?" Had something happened to her father? Was there a problem at Antiquities?
"Been trying to reach you for hours. Where have you been?"
Astrid sucked in a breath. "Dad knows how to reach me at school." She sank to the floor. "What's wrong with him?"
"He's had a stroke."
"How is he?"
"Doctor believes he'll recover completely, but he'll need time in rehab."
"When did this happen and where?"
"This morning at the gallery. We were discussing the placement of several new pieces. He groaned and collapsed. Ambulance arrived maybe fifteen minutes later."
Astrid frowned. What was he holding back? Her father liked and trusted his younger assistant, but for no reason she could discover, Clive had always made her edgy. "Did they do tests?"
"CAT Scan. Then they gave him some kind of special IV. Guess this will make you change your summer plans."
"Why should it?" Clive had been her father's assistant at the gallery for a year and a half. He knew she spent every summer at Antiquities.
"Then you're really not coming."
"What are you talking about? I had planned to drive down tomorrow." Since she'd turned twelve, she'd spent every summer at the shop with her dad. In sixteen years, she knew as much about the shop as her father.
"Thought your dad said you wouldn't be here. Never mind. It's just ... I was going to move into his apartment."
"Why?"
"To keep an eye on the gallery."
Astrid frowned. That didn't make sense. The thirty-year-old playboy had an expensive co-op on the river. "Isn't there a sophisticated alarm system?"
"Alarms can be by-passed."
"Are there problems?"
"In a way. A few pieces have gone missing and your dad won't hear of calling the police."
"I see." She didn't, but once she was sure her father was recovering, she intended to check.
"When are you coming?"

"As soon as I pack the car."

My Places
 http://wwweclecticwriter.blogspot.com


Tuesday, May 28, 2019

Tuesday's Writer's Tip - Changing Cliches #MFRWAuthor #BWLPublishing #Cliches

So we all must admit there are cliches and how easy they are to use. There are cliche phrases, characters, effects, scenes and plots. While they fall so easily into our initial writing when we do those dreaded revisions, we need to find ways to change these cliches into something more dramatic and telling to keep the reader turning the pages.

How are some of these ways. Changing them can be done when one thinks of the genre or subgenre one is writing. What would be a cliche, can be changed when one is writing a romance, perhaps a historical. Look at the one we all know - from the frying pan into the fire. Say one was writing a science fiction romance. She felt like she had leaped from the hurtling space ship into the sun. Gives the same effect. Or He leaped from the slippery log into the bubbling pond. So when you come upon a cliche in your writing. Think of ways to turn it into the genre, the time period, the setting or the personality of the characters you've created. The same goes for any of the areas where cliches are found. Think beyond the box and find new ways to say those old worn cliches.


My Places
 http://wwweclecticwriter.blogspot.com





Monday, May 27, 2019

Meandering on Monday with Janet Lane Walters #MFRWAuthor #BWLPublishing #Poem #amwriting

Meander 1 - Poem  _ Becoming --

Being, becoming but never am
That's the way life should be.
Once you are
There is no reason for being.

Meander 2 - Weather - Just heard the word today in the gardening news. The time has finally come this year that there is no further danger  of frost and plants can be put into the ground. Hope the roses I bought a month ago are still viable. We lost somany roses when they had to dig up to replace the swere line from house to street. The remaining ones look great and have either buds or roses. Peonies are full this year but the daffodils and tulips were a disappointment. Good leaves but no flowers.

Meander 3 - Writing - Looking forward to finishing this book there are seven good chapters needing a bit of revision. Not sure how many more need to be written. At least 3. Then I'll be able to start on the revisions.


My Places
 http://wwweclecticwriter.blogspot.com


Sunday, May 26, 2019

Sunday's Book Healwoman #MFRWAuthor #BWLPublishing #Fantasy romance #Healing

Healwoman

Born under a dark moon, Norna has to battle rumors that she is tainted by evil and unworthy of being anything more than a servant. Discarded by her mother, she runs away from her aunt, a priestess who wants her to enter the temple.
Instead, Norna chooses to be a Healwoman, and a chance encounter with a novice hoping to be a priest helps her discover she has talents of water, air and fire at her disposal. With these gifts she is called on to battle treachery and attempts to prevent the promised prophecy of the god and goddess. As she battles evil powers, she loses her heart to Shandor, the man she met when her journey first began. She must come to grips with Britha who plots against her. Shandor has his own enemy Vorgan. When the pair of foes unite, the battles begin.


August 1, 2014
Format: Kindle EditionVerified Purchase

Saturday, May 25, 2019

Saturday's Blurbs featuring Books By Kathy L Wheeler #MFRWAuthor #Romance #Bride


Mail Order Bride: The Counterfeit (book 1) (Mail Order Bride Series)


Mail Order Bride: The Counterfeit: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07Q7P84ZB/
After a disastrous first marriage, Will Jeffers hasn’t the stomach for another emotionally entailed union. All he needs is a wife to cook, nurse his mother, and look after the homestead. But good women are few and far between in Colorado mining country. A mail order bride is the perfect solution.
Amelia Johannasen is running for her life. Her mother has decided it’s time her daughter joined the family business, shattering Amy’s dreams of marrying for love. Imagine her surprise when she is mistaken for Will Jeffers mail order bride. She’ll take it
With a head for numbers and talent for spinning tall-tales but no notion of how to cook or nurse a manipulative old woman how can she reach the heart of a man once burned so badly, he’s sworn off love?

Mail Order Bride: The Breakaway: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07Q7R46CF/
Tragedy sent Sherman Elias McHuay west twelve years ago. But his troubled past barrels in like a runaway train or—more appropriately—smacks him over the head in the form of a violet-eyed miss without a lick of common sense to her name. If one could actually determine her name.
Amaris Johnston’s carefully laid plans to head west as a mail order bride ratchet up when an announcement for her impending nuptials to the son of a prominent US Senator are set to go public. Not that she’d agreed to marry in the first place. A forced engagement and her family—a conniving slew of ambitious and power-hungry tyrants—send her running for the Colorado hills.
Can a slow talking sheriff and a headstrong girl bent on recklessness outwit her powerful family?

The Wronged Princess – book i—Cinderella Series  https://www.amazon.com/dp/B007MF3NK0/
Finding his mysterious princess by trying her glass slipper on every maiden in Chalmers Kingdom sounded like a brilliant scheme until the silly thing slid quite easily on the foot of the wrong girl. Now how is Prince Charming supposed to find his true love? Unbeknownst to either, his mother, the queen and her feisty twin (Cinderella’s infamous fairy godmother) have a lesson to impart—impulsive decisions, do not a future king make!

Friday, May 24, 2019

Kathy L Wheeler is Visiting and Talking about Who She Was Before


What were you in your life before you became a writer? I was a computer programmer at Hertz for almost sixteen years. I started writing about halfway through that period. After surviving several laysoff, it was finally my turn, and I focused on my writing. My husband and I relocated from Oklahoma to the Seattle area for a change—and we love it!

Did this influence your writing? My programming life did not really influence my writing, but I do tend toward the artistic side. I love museums, I have a vocal music minor degree, so I love singing, and I draw and paint. I guess programming wasn’t really in my heart.

2. Are you genre specific or general? I’m specific to the romance genre, because I want the happy ending. It’s the sub-genres where I go off kilter. Considering I have a contemporary series, and a gothic novella. My Historicals include a Cinderella twist series through the evil stepmother (that one is not a happy ending—what can I say? She’s the evil stepmother) set in the late 1700s; My other Historicals range from 1920s with my Martini Club friends, a Regency, a civil war, and now a Mail Order Bride series coming out in June.

3. Did your reading choices have anything to do with your choice of a genre or genres?
I love a well-written story with a strong heroine and hero. A believable clash of wills. But my favorite reads tend toward Contemporary and Regency era.

4. What's your latest release? My mail order bride series is the latest project. The Counterfeit (June 11th) and The Breakaway (June 18th). That’s my main focus at the moment…

5. What are you working on now? However, while they are with the editor, I am working on the second book in my Regency Rebel Lords of London. Book 1 is The Earl’s Error with Trifecta Publishing House, the second book is The Marquis’s Misstep. But this work is in the very early stages.

6. Where can we find you? I am everywhere! 😊
Kathy L Wheeler (a.k.a. Kae Elle Wheeler for her Cinderella Series) has a BA in Management Information Systems from the University of Central Oklahoma that includes over forty credit hours of vocal music. She was a computer programmer for the Hertz Corporation for over fifteen years and utilizes karaoke for her vocal music talents. Other passions include the NFL, the NBA, travel musical theatre, painting, reading, and writing.
She is a member of several chapters of the Romance Writers of America: Greater Seattle chapter, Olympia and Eastside chapters, The Beau Monde Chapter and Hearts Through history.
Her main sources of inspiration come from mostly an over-active imagination. She currently resides in the Seattle area with her musically talented husband, Al, and their bossy cat, Carly, and sweet dog, Angel.



Thursday, May 23, 2019

Thursday's Fourth Scene from Healwoman #MFRWAuthor #BWLPublishing #Fantasy romance #Healing


The stones before the altar in the apex of the chapel held the chill of the Dark Moon and brought thoughts of the coming winter.  Ulrica steeled herself against the numbing cold and stared into the scrying cup.  The still water showed no images of what had been or what was to come.
She breathed deeply and sought to calm her anxiety.  A young woman’s fate depended on the answers she received.  “Midra, my sister must be swayed to follow the way You would have her walk.  The misbegotten must enter your service.  If not, there is no one of the clan Keltoi to serve you.  This temple will fall the way the others have.”
The water in the cup stirred.  Colors appeared.  Red, blue, white, yellow.  The churning increased.  *Beware.*
“Midra, beware what?  Does it mean if Norna becomes a priestess she will bring danger?”
Red filled the cup.  The Warrior’s color and that of Keltoi.  The curfew bell chimed the ninth hour and cut short her meditation.  She heard the scuff of boots behind her.  Bodlesa’s laughter rose.  Ulrica drained the cup and placed it on the altar.  She rose to face her sister.
“What said Midra?”  Bodlesa laughed.
“I haven’t interpreted the meaning of Her signs.  Will you permit Norna to enter the temple as a novice?”
“You know the answer.  She is doubly misbegotten and has no place in life except as a drab.”
“Doubly?  What do you mean?”
“She is unacknowledged by dame or sire.”  Bodlesa sat on one of the benches.  “Her first cries were made to the Dark Moon sixteen years ago.  Is it not among the teachings of the temples that those born during that lunar bring disaster to all?  I believe I am right.”
The impact of her sister’s words washed through Ulrica.  As she struggled to find an answer, she heard sounds in the hall.  Had the warriors arrived early or was some underpriestess spying in hopes of learning something she could use in a quest for power?  Ulrica brushed past the bench where her sister lounged and peered into the shadows.  She saw nothing suspicious and turned to her twin.  “So be it.  Norna will serve the temple as a drab.”
Bodlesa rose.  “Then in the morning, I’ll leave for the megara.”
“I’m afraid not.  You have a duty to the clan and the temple.  You must give birth to two daughters.”
“One childbirth was enough to endure.”
“Then you will remain here until you agree.”  Ulrica called to the waiting warriors.  “Take my sister to a meditation cell.”
“You have no right to order me to do anything.  I am Keltoi of Keltoi.”
“And I am the Voice of Midra.  You will do your duty.  Until you agree to the demands of the goddess, you will remain in the cell.”
The women grasped Bodlesa’s arms.  She spat.  “With a man I did not choose.”
“The goddess cares not for who sires your daughters, only that his lines are pure and you acknowledge the infants.”  Ulrica smiled.  After a few doses of somma, Bodlesa would have no choice except to follow the command.


My Places
 http://wwweclecticwriter.blogspot.com





Wednesday, May 22, 2019

Wednesday Healwoman #MFRWHooks #BWLPublishing #Romance #Fantasy #Medicine

Healwoman

Join the authors at #MFRWHooks here  http://mfrwbookhooks.blogspot.com for some great excerpts. Mine is a fantasy romance

BLURB:
Born under a dark moon, Norna has to battle rumors that she is tainted by evil and unworthy of being anything more than a servant. Discarded by her mother, she runs away from her aunt, a priestess who wants her to enter the temple.
Instead, Norna chooses to be a Healwoman, and a chance encounter with a novice hoping to be a priest helps her discover she has talents of water, air and fire at her disposal. With these gifts she is called on to battle treachery and attempts to prevent the promised prophecy of the god and goddess. As she battles evil powers, she loses her heart to Shandor, the man she met when her journey first began. She must come to grips with Britha who plots against her. Shandor has his own enemy Vorgan. When the pair of foes unite, the battles begin.



EXCERPT:
The Hodara of Healing in Bethsada

Mabe sat on one of the stone benches in the Grotto.  The Eldest had called her here and she didn’t know why.  She didn’t think she had done anything to deserve a judging, but why else would the god and goddess want her presence?  Soon, the moon would rise and she would dip her hands in the chill waters of the crater lake.  Midra and Midran would speak.  The only time she had heard their voices had been the night she’d finished her training and had been accepted as a Healwoman.  She rubbed her hands along her arms.
The Eldest touched her shoulder.  “The time is near.  There are things I must tell you.”
“Are you sure ’tis me they want?”
“You are part of their plans for the future.”  The old woman smiled.  “In the days of yore, the Three of Midra--Seer, Warrior, Healer--united with their mates.  Together they defeated those who embraced the dark faces of Midra and Midran.  For a time, the priestesses and priests who served the god and goddess walked in the light and brought miracles to the land.  But as time rolled on its circular path, what was once came again.  The dark face of Midra enthralled the priestesses.  They turned from the light.  Then the power of the goddess faltered.  Midran drew his priests into the shadows.  Still, what was will come again.”
Mabe nodded.  She’d read the old tales kept in the archives.  She had found them fascinating, but were they true?  They told of the days when the face of the goddess had darkened.  ’Twas then the Healwomen had walked away from the temples to found their own place.  In the years that followed, the temples had ruled and men had little power in ruling any of the four divisions of the land now known as nomes.  Gradually, the priests of Midran had gained strength, first in the light.  Then they had embraced the dark face of the god.
She glanced at the dome over the cavern.  Rays of moonlight shone through the four crescent shaped holes, one for each nome.  Keltoi, Sippal, Nilos and Incal.  Bands of color--red, yellow, blue and white--spread across the water.  The arrival of the colors never failed to startle and amaze Mabe.  What caused them to appear?  She turned to the Eldest.  “What do the legends have to do with me?”
“One will come from Keltoi.  She is a daughter of this nome.  Her lineage rises from the Seer, the Warrior, the Healer and their spouses.  She will have four talents and will be the gleaner who finds the Four and Four.  One pair for each nome.  They will bring light from darkness.  You will seek and find her.  Bring her to Bethsada so she can enter the hodara and learn.”
Mabe nodded and accepted the task.  She felt both humbled and excited to be chosen.  “When do I leave?”
The Eldest rose.  “The god and goddess will tell you when.”  She placed her hands on Mabe’s head.  “Seek their blessing.  Their commands are for you alone.”
Once the shuffling footsteps of the old woman no longer echoed, Mabe closed her eyes.  Her thoughts turned inward.  She had hoped to remain in Bethsada and join the other women who taught in the hodara.  Though her talents in Earth and Fire were moderate, her years of travel had brought her knowledge of the customs and ways of the people in each nome.  This knowledge was valuable to the Healwomen who staffed the many hodaras.
She rose and walked to the rock shelf surrounding the crater lake.  She knelt and dipped her hands in the icy water.  “Midra, Midran, I have come.  What would you have me do?”
As the voices of the god and goddess sounded in her head, awe filled her being.  The desires to laugh and cry co-mingled.  She remained silent and listened.
*Go.  Seek the one who will find the Four and Four.  Beware all who serve the dark faces.  They will try to keep you from completing your task.*
“How will I know the one I seek?”
*She will find you, for she prays for refuge from the ones who slink in the shadows.*
“And the enemies?”
*One you know, for you have faced and defeated her in the past.  Of the other, if he knew the girl was his daughter, he would be filled with joy.  While he is not of the dark, he might seek to sequester her so her growth would be stunted.*
*Of her enemies, there are two she must face.  One would see her dead.  The other will crave her as a possession.  Rise.  Gather your supplies.  Choose a companion for your journey.  On the morrow, leave for Keltoi.*
Mabe sank back on her heels.  She dried her hands on her skirt.  She rose and left the Grotto.  There was much to do before morning.  As she strode through the tunnel, she considered who to ask to accompany her.  Glena was her choice.




Tuesday, May 21, 2019

Tuesday's Writer's Tip Cliched Books #MFRWAuthor #BWLPublishing #Cliches #Books


Just what is a cliched book? There are only so many plots so how can a book not be a cliche.  Much depends on how an author presents her material. I read a lot, and I tend if i find an author I enjoy to read more than one of their books. There are some authors who I can read every book they write. Some of these are friends so I don't count them as either cliched or not. I've started to read say author X and really liked the first of the books she's written. So I buy another book and I also like that. This leads to a third. My passion begins to lessen. Still I buy a fourth and start to read and I find it painful to finish the book and I never buy another of that author's books.

Why? What I found is this. By the fourth book, I know the writer's pattern. Certain things happen in the same place in each book. The scenes while take place in different locations all have the same crisis, actions and reactions. The books have been cliches.

This isn't plagiarism. This is a pattern the reader has encountered time and again. To keep a book from becoming cliched, the pattern must be broken. This can be difficult since the familiar is always easy. This is done by adding twists to that tired old plot and finding that spark.


My Places
 http://wwweclecticwriter.blogspot.com


Monday, May 20, 2019

Meandering on Monday iwth Janet Lane Walters #MFRWAuthor #BWLPublishing #Am writing #Poetry

Meander 1 Poem - Life Up and Down 

Somedays life has made me old
Other days quite young.
All depends on who I meet
And where I go.
There are some whose knowledge
Makes me infantile.
Others need my wisdom
To help their daily growth.
This is how life should be.
There never should be a time
When we hold ourselves above others
Or when we cast ourselves below.

Meander 2 - Watching a Loved One Growing Old.  It troubles me daily when I speak to him about something that happened yesterday and he doesn't remember. He even forgets things that caused a problem. Now he can remember clearly things that happened before I came into his life. Somethings he remembers didn't happen the way he remembers. Maybe they didn't happen the way I remember either. Still this process of aging bothers me. Life is full of memories.

Meander 3 _ Writing - Working hard on the next book and now have six chapters pretty much all right. I'll say five need little work. Six needs some things added but that will happen when I finish two drafts beyond the rough one. There may be six more chapters to go or maybe less.

Sunday, May 19, 2019

Sunday's Book Moon Summoned #MFRWAuthor #BWLPublishing #Fantasy #Romance

Moon Summoned

Three Moon Summoned women. Ashiera the Seer who controls the winds and sees into the thoughts of others. Dian the Warrior who controls fire and fights with the sword. Egeria the Healer who controls fluids and heals those who are injured. They are joined in their battle by Sieper a sailor who knows the winds, Kobe once sworn to the Lord of Shadows and Jetan a healer of animals. These three vow to help the three women against those sworn to Evil.
Lugal the Cabal reads the winds and thoughts. Sargon the Gladius controls fire and the armies of the Lord of Shadow. Lugal the Cabal has knowledge of herbs and uses them for evil. These three with their cohorts will face the three and three sworn to the Mistress of the Moons. 

Previously published as Mistress of the Moons


Janet Lane Walters has written a story that will take you to another time and place. She gives vivid descriptions of her characters and their role in this story. Ms. Walters has constructed a civilization so real that you will feel its very existence. A place where men rule women as chattel for their sexual needs, and three evil rulers who drain their bodies of their very essence for spells and to gain power. There is betrayal and treachery inside of plots, as each priest plans to rule alone. Ashiera, Egeria, and Dian are bound to the spirits of the ones who came before them. They discover a truth that will astound them, and have them doubting their chosen path. They will experience a love that is forbidden and discover that two stand together better than one. I could feel the emotional struggle between love and destiny, described so passionately by the author. I hope Ms. Walters plans to continue this story. I could feel that this is just the beginning of this tale. Janet Walters book, Moon Bright, Moon Dark will go on my keeper shelf, beside such authors as Charlotte Boyett-Compo and Nancy Gideon. I give this story Five Hearts and recommend it highly. Enjoy! 


My Places
 http://wwweclecticwriter.blogspot.com

Saturday, May 18, 2019

Saturday's Blurbs featuring Books by Kate Hill #MFRWAuthor #Romance #Contemporary #Historical #Paranormal

Demon's Grotto (Demon's Grotto 1)

Demon's Grotto
(Dark Fantasy, Paranormal)

Ben wants Laura to reconsider staying overnight at Demon’s Grotto, and he has information about the club’s history that should convince her. He tells her three creepy love stories, hoping she will change her mind.
Rise of the Creature: When a mad doctor brings a dead man back to life, only his beautiful assistant can make that life worth living.
The Demon Within: A man on the run stops to rest at a rooming house, not knowing that it’s the hunting ground of a gorgeous succubus bent on devouring handsome guests.
Don’t Cry, Wolf: An ad for a maintenance man at a bed and breakfast is answered by a former soldier who’s harboring a hairy secret. The business’s lovely co-owner becomes involved with this sullen hunk who’s more than she imagined possible.
After hearing these stories of love and murder, will Laura decide to spend the night at Demon’s Grotto?


Captain's Mercy
(Historical, Romantic Suspense)
Mercy Brown’s life changes when she accepts a position as companion to the disabled sister of wealthy shipyard owner Jonah Barnes. She is instantly attracted to the rugged former sea captain, even if his brusque manner offends her. Mercy soon finds herself entangled in the quirky family’s secrets.
From the first, Mercy is troubled by prowlers, disturbances from the attic, and unearthly howls on the property. After meeting several unusual household members, including a groundskeeper who works by night and the mischievous Maxwell Barnes, Mercy realizes she should flee while she can.
Pages from Mercy’s first novel go missing and Jonah’s domineering personality causes tension in the house. Only Mercy’s fondness for her young companion, Faith Barnes, as well as her fascination with Jonah prevent her from leaving, but will her desire for him endanger her life?

Everything Nice
(Contemporary Romance, Romantic Comedy)

Will Antonio’s romantic confession win Orlanda’s heart, or destroy their partnership? A partnership made in heaven/hell–they secretly lust after each other, but … business first! How can they build a successful business together if their focus is on the bedroom instead of the bakery?





Friday, May 17, 2019

Friday Kate Hill is visiting and talking about Who She Was Before #MFRWAuthor #Writing #Romance

 !. What were you in your life before you became a writer? Did this influence your writing?

I've been writing for as long as I can remember. I think life experiences sometimes affect my writing and sometimes my writing prompts experiences that affect my life.  Here's what I mean. Years back, I visited Morocco during a vacation and it influenced the setting of a book I wrote. Later, I wrote a book in which one of the main characters was a belly dancer. I took lessons for research and I still like to belly dance today. I'm not good at it, but I still enjoy it. In the first case, the vacation influenced my writing and in the other case, my writing guided me toward a form of exercise I probably wouldn't have tried without a specific need.

2.  Are you genre specific or general? Why? I don't mean genres like romance, mystery, fantasy etc. There are many subgenres of the above.  

I'd say I'm general because I like to write many different subgenres of romance, but I also enjoy writing horror and fantasy at times. I don't like to place limits on my writing. 

3. Did your reading choices have anything to do with your choice of a genre or genres? 

Definitely. I've always loved romance novels, but I sometimes had trouble relating to the characters, in particular the heroines. Way back in the day, romance novels also didn't have much action or paranormal/horror elements like they do today, so I started writing stories that I'd like to read and couldn't generally find.

4. What's your latest release? 

My latest release is a dark fantasy romance called Demon's Grotto. It includes three stories set in the same building. The stories are self-contained, but they're also part of an overall plot. Here's a short blurb about the book.

Ben wants Laura to reconsider staying overnight at Demon’s Grotto, and he has information about the club’s history that should convince her. He tells her three creepy love stories, hoping she will change her mind.

Rise of the Creature: When a mad doctor brings a dead man back to life, only his beautiful assistant can make that life worth living.

The Demon Within: A man on the run stops to rest at a rooming house, not knowing that it’s the hunting ground of a gorgeous succubus bent on devouring handsome guests.

Don’t Cry, Wolf: An ad for a maintenance man at a bed and breakfast is answered by a former soldier who’s harboring a hairy secret. The business’s lovely co-owner becomes involved with this sullen hunk who’s more than she imagined possible.

After hearing these stories of love and murder, will Laura decide to spend the night at Demon’s Grotto?

Demon's Grotto was released by Changeling Press on March 15th.



5. What are you working on now? 

Right now I'm working on a series of books about former military buddies and how they meet the women of their dreams. I'm also nearly finished with a historical romance, the sequel to my novel, Captain's Mercy.

6. Where can we find you? 

You can find me online at https://www.kate-hill.com. I'm also active on twitter at https://www.twitter.com/katehillromance and https://www.twitter.com/compbeastsblog. The former is attached to my Compelling Beasts Blog (https://www.compellingbeastsblog) that focuses on antagonists, antiheroes, and paranormal creatures.