Merry Christmas

The blog is on hiatus for this week as I have a houseful.
I'll be back to posting in January.
Enjoy what ever holiday you celebrate.

Imajin Books Celebrates the Season with a Massive eBook Sale

Here's the perfect opportunity to load up your ereaders (Kindle, Kobo, Nook etc.) over the holidays with fantastic fiction from a wide assortment of authors and genres.

From December 20th to January 3rd, check out the eBook Sale from Imajin Books, part of their 25 Days of Christmas Giveaways event. Most titles will be priced at $0.99 or $1.99, so stock up and/or gift great ebooks to your friends and family this Christmas season.

And don't forget, Imajin Books is giving away prizes, including a Kindle Fire HD or Kobo Vox 7 HD, and two $50 Amazon gift cards. This contest ends December 25, 2013. To enter, visit http://www.imajinbooks.com/contests-events. You can enter multiple times a day.

To check out the ebooks on sale, visit http://www.imajinbooks.com/sale

First Position

by Prescott Lane
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
BLURB:

Emory faces life’s challenges at the one place that’s never failed her, the ballet barre. But even the barre can’t steady her when fate brings her face-to-face with her old college flame, Mason, who’s hoping to return to the NFL after a career-threatening injury. Before they can surrender to their sexual desires and find salvation in each other’s arms, they need to come to terms with their past. Mason must confront the demons that have set him on a path of self-destruction, while Emory must decide whether to keep her painful secrets locked away, or expose them and risk losing the love of her life. But nothing can prepare Mason for what Emory has kept hidden, or the possibility that he himself may be to blame for the very secrets she keeps – and why they continue to haunt her.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~ EXCERPT:

Emory sat between Olivia and Wesley, as three nail technicians worked on their feet. “This is the best idea you’ve had in a while, girl,” Wesley said, wiggling his toes in the water. “Thanks for inviting me.” Emory pointed to Olivia giving her credit.

“She told me about Tomás, and honey, there’s nothing better for a broken heart than hitting the spa.”

“Thank you, Olivia, I’m feeling better already.” Wesley leaned his head back, easing his mind. “We’re not just doing feet, huh?”

“We’re doing it all!” Emory said, giggling. “Manis, pedis, facials, massages, and Olivia, you’re getting your hair and makeup done for our shoot.”

“We deserve it all,” Olivia said, “for all the shit we put up with from our men.” Wesley and Emory nodded in agreement, but then Olivia turned serious. “But what I really need is a wax. Must be a damn forest down there by now!” Wesley and Emory, along with the technicians, erupted in laughter. “Was that inappropriate?”

“No way,” he said. “I come here once a month to take care of that area. They have this hard wax they use. Hurts less.”

Olivia appreciated the tip. “I might try that.”

“Too much information, Wesley,” Emory said.

“Whatever, it’s not like I said she should vajazzle herself.”

Emory hid her face, mortified, regretting she’d allowed Wesley to come, but Olivia was intrigued. “Is that popular in Charlotte? It seems all the Texas housewives are doing it.”

Wesley quickly asked, “Emory?”

“I wouldn’t know,” she said, then apologized to the technicians for her friends.

“Oh, come on,” he said, “we ballerinas are all bare down there. You can’t have more than a landing strip.”

“I prefer Brazilian,” Olivia volunteered.

Emory turned bright red. “Someone help me!”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~
AUTHOR Bio and Links:

Prescott Lane is originally from Little Rock, Arkansas, and graduated from Centenary College in 1997 with a degree in sociology. She went on to Tulane University to receive her MSW in 1998, after which she worked with developmentally delayed and disabled children. She currently resides in New Orleans with her husband and two children.

Social Media
https://www.amazon.com/author/prescottlane
facebook.com/PrescottLane1
www.twitter.com/prescottlane1

Prescott will be awarding an eBook copy of "First Position" to 5 randomly drawn commenters during the tour.

The Protectors Series

by Margaret Daley
Excerpt

Samantha entered the lobby of the Grand Hotel and instantly understood why Mark had said the hotel didn’t live up to its name. The furniture with its faded material and scratched wood had seen better days. The tiles were worn and several ceiling fans were the only means of cooling the room. The humidity of the jungle city at the “wedding” of two mighty rivers, the Amazon and the Rio Negro, was stifling.

But at the moment Samantha didn’t care about those things. She only wanted to locate her brother, and this was the last place he had been heard from. Mark hadn’t returned to Rio as she had hoped; no one there had seen him in weeks.

She squared her shoulders and walked up to the reception desk, setting her suitcase on the floor beside her, then rummaging through her purse until she found the pamphlet she had been looking for. Spanish for the Traveler was the only thing she had had in her store, and though she had known Spanish wasn’t the official language of Brazil, she had grabbed it as she had left her store.

She flipped through the pamphlet until she came to the phrase she wanted, praying her high school Spanish would be enough in a country that spoke Portuguese. Why hadn’t she stocked up on some phrase books in Portuguese?

“Do you speak English?” Samantha winced at her awful imitation of Spanish. She had barely made passing grades in the subject in high school.

The young man behind the desk frowned and looked at her questioningly.

“Uhh…” Samantha scanned her phrase book. Weren’t the Portuguese and Spanish languages alike, at least enough for her to be understood? She tried again in her stilted Spanish, “Do you speak Spanish?”

The clerk began to speak rapidly, but not in Spanish or English. Samantha didn’t understand a word he said. Why did Brazil have to be the only country in South America that didn’t speak Spanish? Then she would at least have a fighting chance—well, maybe a fighting chance to be understood.

Samantha held up her hand to stop his flow of words, but it seemed he didn’t even understand sign language. She glanced about frantically, and her gaze collided with a man’s across the lobby. Amusement brightened his gray eyes. He rose to his feet and strode toward her in one fluid motion.

Blurb:

Reading about danger never prepared Samantha Prince for the desperate phone call from her brother in Brazil that sent her from the safety of her New Orleans bookstore into the rugged, inhospitable Amazon in search of him and a hidden treasure. And reading about romance never prepared Samantha to resist the mysterious appeal of Brock Slader, a guide she hired to help her in her quest.

Alone with Brock in an alien world of orchids and anacondas, primitive headhunters and very up-to-date gunmen, she struggles to keep their relationship strictly business. Will Samantha survive the dangers in the jungle only to have her heart broken by a man who lives on the edge—no strings attached?

Bio:

Margaret Daley, an award-winning author of eighty-five books, has been married for over forty years and is a firm believer in romance and love. When she isn’t traveling, she’s writing love stories, often with a suspense thread and corralling her three cats that think they rule her household.

To find out more about Margaret visit her website at

http://www.margaretdaley.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/margaretdaleybooks
Twitter: @margaretdaley
Buy Dangerous Pursuit at Amazon
Buy Dangerous Pursuit at Barnes and Noble

Join the Imajin Books Twitter Party

Ever wonder what life must be like for a writer? Ever want to ask an author how they come up with their plots? Want to ask a publisher what they're looking for? Now you can!

On December 14 & 15, from 5-10 PM ET, join the Imajin Books Twitter Party, part of their annual 25 Days of Christmas Giveaways event. You will have the opportunity to chat with various Imajin Books authors and the publisher herself, international bestselling author Cheryl Kaye Tardif. Cheryl will be giving away random prizes to participants during the Twitter Party, so get your questions ready.

To join the Party, simple use #ImajinAuthors in all your tweets and follow the #ImajinAuthors thread on Twitter.

And don't forget, Imajin Books is holding a massive eBook Sale and giving away lots of prizes, including a Kindle Fire HD or Kobo Vox 7 HD, and two $50 Amazon gift cards.

To learn more about all these events, please visit http://www.imajinbooks.com/contests-events.

My paranormal romantic suspense, Corpse Whisperer, is on sale today and the next two days. $1.99.

Celebrate the Season with Imajin Books' 25 Days of Christmas Giveaways

This Christmas season, Canadian publishing house Imajin Books decided to do things a bit differently. Instead of only 25 days of contests and discounts as in past years, they're holding various events from December 1st to January 3rd. Okay, so they can't count, but they believe readers deserve to be rewarded. And we agree!

From December 1-25, Imajin Books will be awarding random prizes to those who leave comments on their Facebook page. So drop by, check out their posts and leave a comment or question.

Want to win even more? Check out their Share the Imajin Books Buzz contest. You could win a Kindle Fire HD or Kobo equivalent, or one of two $50 Amazon gift cards. This contest also runs December 1-25. To enter, visit the Rafflecopter contest widget below or at http://www.imajinbooks.com/contests-events. You can enter multiple times a day.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

The Girl from Long Guyland

by Lara Reznik
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
BLURB:

Laila Levin enjoys a successful marriage and a thriving career as an I.T. executive in Austin, Texas, but she can't quite shake her lifelong sense of not truly belonging anywhere.

When her company announces a major layoff, Laila finds herself caught between an unscrupulous CEO and her promiscuous boss. Then news of her college roommate's suicide stirs up a dark secret involving three devious friends from her past. One has betrayed a vow, another wants to rekindle their romance, and the third is out for revenge.

Suddenly for Laila, it's 1969 again. She's only seventeen, and she's left her sheltered home in Long Island for college in Connecticut. Amid protests of the Vietnam War, she's tempted by the sex, drugs, and rock 'n' roll that rule her generation. Laila gets swept up in a deceptive love triangle with two older locals and initiated into their unethical hippie family. Too late she realizes her search to belong has led to tragedy.

Laila must now juggle the demands of her perplexed husband and her baby boomer past forcing her to make choices that endanger her survival and challenge her conscience.

She learns that the lines between right and wrong are often blurred, and sometimes you have to risk everything to be true to yourself.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~ EXCERPT

Easy Rider

Bridgeport, Connecticut, 1969

The guy in the passenger seat of the Mercedes ordered Joey and me to get into the back seat of the car. He had a bushy mustache streaked with grey, and a sparkling diamond stud in his ear. He brushed my cheek with his finger and said, “I’m Angel,” then poked the driver’s arm. “Get a move on.”

I caught the driver winking at me in the rearview mirror and realized it was Rojo.

“You got it, boss.” Rojo said, and stepped on the gas pedal.

I clung to the plush leather seat as Rojo sped the car down the icy roads.

Angel turned up the volume of the radio and sang along to Jefferson Airplane’s “White Rabbit” in an off-key raspy voice. When the song ended, he leered at me through rimless spectacles. “So, what’s a nice girl from Long Guyland doing with a couple of jerks like Ben and Chris?”

Did he know I’d been with both of them? Did everyone know?

I-I guess I’m not as nice as you might think.”

Angel laughed. He had perfect white-chicklet teeth and a sexy smile. “You’re cute, honey.”

Joey cleared his throat. “Laila’s a classy chick. Too good for those dudes, if you ask me.”

Angel whacked Joey’s head with his hand. Not hard, but enough to show he called the shots.

“No one asked you, jerk-face. Let her speak for herself.”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~ AUTHOR Bio and Links:

Lara Reznik grew up on Long Island but escaped to New Mexico in 1970 in a Karmann Ghia that she and her boyfriend jump-started cross-country. As an English major at the University of New Mexico, Lara studied under esteemed authors Rudolfo Anaya and the late Tony Hillerman. She also attended a summer program at the prestigious Iowa Writers Workshop.

Ambidextrous from birth, Lara preferred her right-brained creative side, but discovered she could make a better living with her left-brain skills, so entered the I.T. field in 1985.

Lara published her first novel, The Girl From Long Guyland in November 2012. The novel ranked #1 during its recent Amazon Kindle promotion and has over 115,000 Kindle downloads. In addition to her novels, Lara has written and optioned three screenplays that have garnered semifinalist and finalist wins in the Austin Heart of Film, Southwest Writers, TV Writer, Chesterfield and Writer's Digest contests. Currently, Lara is working on a new novel based on her screenplay, The M&M Boys.

LINKS
AMAZON LINK:
http://www.amazon.com/Girl-Long-Guyland-ebook/dp/B00A45OYD0/ref=sr_1_1_bnp_1_kin?ie=UTF8&qid=1369930673&sr=8-1&keywords=THE+GIRL+FROM+LONG+GUYLAND
FACEBOOK
https://www.facebook.com/LARAREZNIK23?ref=hl&bookmark_t=page
WEBSITE
https://www.larareznik.COM

Brenda Maxfield

Brenda Maxfield 1. How did you pick the genre you write in?

I think my YA actually picked me! I teach high school so I’m plunged into teen drama every day. I really appreciate my students: what they share with me and what they teach me. So, writing about teen life was a natural outgrowth.

2. Do you plot or do you write by the seat of your pants?

I’m a mix. I do plot the overall story line, and I know where I want the story to end up. But my characters take over! Often, they’ll do something totally unplanned and I’ll cry, “Wait! You can’t do that.” But they talk right back and tell me that they most certainly can – and in fact already did! I’ve learned to leave them alone when that happens. Ha! I do admire those writers who can plot down to the last detail. Wow, totally amazing.

3. What do you know now that you are published that you didn’t know pre-published that you wish you knew?

Hmmm. I’ve learned so much, and I continue to learn. I think one happy thing I’ve learned is how wonderfully generous and knowledgeable my fellow writers are. We all know that writing can be lonely work, yet I can’t count how many times wonderful writers have stopped in (via Internet) and given friendship and support. I appreciate them so much!

4. How many rejections have you received?

I haven’t kept count! Ha! Plenty. It’s part of the game. The trick is to see rejections as proof that you’re going forward as an author. (Which, admittedly, is sometimes easier said than done.)

5. What was the best writing advice someone gave you?

Put butt in chair. Write. That’s really what it comes down to, isn’t it? Produce those words. You can edit them later.

6. Describe your book.

Seeking Christmas is a short story about forgiveness. I often hear my teen friends talk about their struggles to forgive absent parents or parents who neglect or abuse them. I’ve seen their determination to put it all behind them and go forward with their lives. It’s hard. More than hard. In Seeking Christmas, Courtney wants to do the right thing, not only for herself but for her brother. But she finds that the right thing is often the hardest thing of all.

7. What’s your writing schedule?

I get up very early and attempt to get 1,000 words written before school starts. After school, I work on editing, social media, promotion, etc. (Will someone please figure out how to add 3 – 4 hours to the day?)

8. What is your favorite word?

I love this question! I don’t really have a favorite word, but I do love words. When I teach vocabulary at school, I sometimes have the students repeat a word aloud over and over because it feels so good on the tongue. They think I’m nuts, but it’s fun!

9. What’s your favorite food?

I adore pizza. Now, that I’m vegan, I’ve learned to love pizza without cheese. (Sounds impossible, but actually, it’s quite good!)

10. What would you like to learn to do that you haven’t?

I’ve often thought it’d be cool to learn how to fly an airplane. I’ve been on hundreds and hundreds of flights, and I think it’d be fun to do the driving!

Author Bio

My passion is writing! What could be more delicious than inventing new characters and seeing where they take you?

I've lived in Honduras, Grand Cayman, and Costa Rica. Presently, I live in Indiana with my husband, Paul. We have two grown children and three grandchildren, special delivery from Africa.

When not teaching, I love to hole up in our cabin and write -- often with a batch of popcorn nearby.

I enjoy getting to know my readers, so feel free to write me at: contact@brendamaxfield.com.

Join my newsletter gang: http://mad.ly/signups/85744/join. Visit me to learn about all my books: www.brendamaxfield.com

Book Blurb
Seeking Christmas (an Ocean Mist short story Two)

The Christmas season has eighteen-year-old Courtney crossing the state line with her little brother Dennis to rendezvous with the man who deserted them years ago. Courtney remembers him only as the tall man who ran away. Dennis doesn’t remember him at all.

Courtney is furious, but Denny is curious. Will their meeting result in a happy Christmas memory or another miserable disappointment?

Seeking Christmas Purchase Links:
Amazon: http://tinyurl.com/ky7oxzu
Barnes and Noble: http://tinyurl.com/jvktfxz
Smashwords: https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/373439


Contact Links for Brenda Maxfield:
Website: http://www.brendamaxfield.com
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/AuthorBrendaMaxfield
Goodreads Page: http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/6570620.Brenda_Maxfield
Twitter: https://twitter.com/BrendaMaxfield
Blog: http://www.brendamaxfield.wordpress.com
Email: contact@brendamaxfield.com
Amazon Author Page: http://tinyurl.com/psj82bj
Newsletter Sign-up: http://mad.ly/signups/85744/join

Timeless

Chadwick Bed and Breakfast
Old Louisville

I tried to go to sleep. My new life would be better in daylight. I could at least get a better look at my surroundings. Falling asleep would make the day come sooner.

But it didn’t work. Even though my eyes were shut tight, I couldn’t relax. Time went by. I don’t know how much time. And then I heard a faint noise.

It was the giggling of a child.

Could it be television from someone’s room?

But it didn’t sound like television. It sounded real, as if a child was playing in the hall maybe. It was a high-pitched laugh, like a little girl’s. My skin prickled, and my stomach tightened. Another chilly sensation swept over me. I was being watched. But there was no one in my room with me.

Tossing back the covers, I jumped out of bed and ran to the nearby window. Could the sound be coming from outside? A streetlamp pooled light on the sidewalk. Gray fog swirled in the air making the deserted street below seem spooky as if from a B-rated horror movie. I shivered at the thought and turned to hop back into bed.

At that moment, a flash of white raced past me, and I caught it out of the corner of my eye. I heard the giggling again, louder now. Looking back at my bed, I spotted a little girl standing on the other side of it. She was dressed in white and her slender hand reached toward my doll as if she wanted to touch it and play with it.

“Hey!”

She looked up, startled, and smiled at me as if she knew me. And then she ran from the bed toward the door to the parlor which was shut. My heart raced. I followed her, flinging open the door to stare out into the empty parlor with the gray streetlights creating a defused, half-light glow in the room.

How had the little girl gone through the door? It had been shut! How could she have disappeared so quickly? Was I dreaming? Hallucinating? I pinched myself to see if I was awake.

I was. The floor was cold even through my socks. I crossed the parlor and unlocked and opened the outer door to the hall. All was quiet except for the deep tick-tock of a grandfather clock at one end. I bit my lower lip and retreated to the parlor, making sure the door to the hall was locked.

Standing silently for a moment, listening for laughter, I let my heart settle into a normal rhythm. What was the matter with me?

Thinking back at the vision of the little girl, I realized something was wrong about it. The child’s clothes were more fitting for the nineteenth century, not the twenty-first. In fact, her clothes reminded me of the lacy frills of my doll. And the girl’s hair was long, curled in dark blond ringlets down her back, and she wore a white ribbon in her hair. Her body didn’t seem solid. It was transparent, almost ghost-like.

Ah, shit!

Timeless Blurb

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

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

Jan Scarbrough Bio

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

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

Leaving her contemporary voice behind, Jan has written a medieval romance MY LORD RAVEN, and several sensual Medieval romantic short stories. Her Gothic romance, TANGLED MEMORIES, was a Golden Heart finalist. TIMELESS is her newest Gothic romance.

A member of Novelist, Inc. and the Romance Writers of America, Jan has published with Kensington, Five Star, ImaJinn Books, Resplendence Publishing and Turquoise Morning Press.

Follow me on Twitter @romancerider

Website: http://www.janscarbrough.com/