RONE nominees

The RONE awards are given by InDTale magazine each year for stories that are Indie or small-press published. This year, I'm honored to have two of my books nominated

Afterglow was nominated for best contemporary

India Othmar isn’t having a great year. Her husband of thirty-one years has left her for their son’s ex-girlfriend. Her grown children have moved home. Her best friend Eva seems determined to set her up with every oddball in their small Massachusetts town. And her most significant relationship these days is with Cherry Garcia.

But India is more resilient than she thinks. And though it will take a broken arm, a lawn littered with engine parts, some creative uses for shoes, and a scandalous love affair of her own, she learns, much to her surprise, that her life hasn’t ended with her marriage.

The book can be purchased at:

Champagne Books

Amazon: 

ARE: 

To the Wind was nominated for best historical novella

The Journey Continues

In this sequel to Sweet Lenora, Anton and Lenora sail away from trouble in Rio de Janeiro only to encounter new problems. With only half a crew and a first mate that is hated and feared, they venture to San Francisco plagued by threats, mutiny,and illness. As they arrive at their destination, the ghosts of the past come back to haunt them and may prove to be the greatest menace of all. At each turn, the love they have forged is tested. Will it prevail?   

The book can be purchased at:

Amazon

Champagne Books

Kobo

#Snippet Dancing in the White Room--Bell's Return

Here's another quick peek at Dancing in the White Room. In this snip, Bell has come back from Alaska.

He looks as though the Alaska Mountains have leaned hard on him. His collarbone sticks out like a hanger for the T-shirt he wears. His eyes, usually bright enough to catch me up, sag heavy over deep lines.

I’m gathered into him before I have the chance to say anything at all. He smells of sweat, I imagine how many hours he’s spent crumpled in an airplane seat. For a minute, I want all time to end here.

He kisses my forehead, and I burrow into the hollow of his arm. We stand there for an endless amount of time.

For more about Dancing in the White Room, please visit my webpage, TMP, or Amazon. 

Dancing in the White Room #snippet An Unwritten Promise

We're on a break from touring today, so I thought I'd post another short snippet here on the blog.
Mallory has called her father after having a fight with Creech.

“So why are you really calling, sweetie?” he asks.

And I’m ready to cry again, except that I’m too old to go crying to Daddy. He wouldn’t know what to do with it, if I did.

“I thought me and Em might come visit once the season’s done.” The thought has just popped into my head, as likely an excuse as any.

“That would be great.” He sounds like he really means it. “About the middle of April, maybe? Bell ought to be home by then.”

The mention of Bell is enough to do me in, and I find I’m telling him all my troubles, about Roddie and Bell’s continuing despite what happened. About how scared I feel. “And Creech is pissed at me too,” I finish, though I don’t even try to explain this part.

“Creechie will come round. He always does.”

But I don’t know. He didn’t seem very willing to come around when he left here.

I don’t feel much better after I hang up. What I’d really like to do is pack up and take Emily down to Wells right now. If this was seven years ago and there was no Emily and no Bell, I might go running home. But it’s not seven years ago, and it’s not so easy to just pick up and go. I have my job to consider. I couldn’t leave Albie in a lurch. It wouldn’t be right.

I go to bed but I don’t sleep. I tell myself I better stop obsessing. I’m going to pay for my insomnia tomorrow, but it doesn’t seem to matter what I tell myself. I keep playing my conversation with Creech over in my head. How could I have made him see it differently?

Then I get mad, thinking it’s really none of Creech’s business in the first place. He has no right to be upset with me. But that doesn’t sit well either.

Then I switch channels and think about Danny and try to imagine Bell running to his grandfather because I wouldn’t marry him. 

There’s still some kind of promise between us. Even if it’s unwritten.

Isn’t there?

Dancing in the White Room #BookTrailer

Ready, set, go! Dancing in the White Room is being released on February 11th! Holy smokes, that's on Tuesday! Stay tuned for places to buy the book and lots more about this ski-based story. 

Next week, I'll also be doing a Valentine's Blog Hop with some other great authors. There'll be lots of fun and prizes, including a grand prize of an e-reader loaded down with books, books, books. I'll have more for you on that on Monday.

Meanwhile, in the countdown until Dancing in the White Room's debut, here's the trailer for the book-

#8Sunday #SundaySnippets: India's Birthday

I'm done with part #3 of Anton and Lenora and taking a little breather before I move on to part #4. Since my birthday is coming up soon, I thought I'd share a bit on birthdays from my romantic comedy, Afterglow:

India is a kindergarten teacher of a certain age, who is in the midst of getting a divorce from her husband of thirty years. And also in the midst of a budding love affair with a handsome young doctor named Mitch. Eva is her best friend.

My birthday fell on a Thursday that year and coincided, as it happened, with Eva's and my last day of community service. Eva thought a birthday at Darrow with the derelicts was about as appealing as a birthday spent having your tonsils removed without anesthesia. I thought otherwise. Between work and the Darrow Street Mission, I’d been busy. And busy was exactly how I'd wanted to be. I felt about my birthday much as I felt about my divorce. Given a choice, I think I’d rather not. Given a choice, I would have skipped merrily ahead to Friday, when Mitch would come pick me up in his

brand new SUV and we’d head out for what Eva called The Great Northern Adventure.

Thanks for stopping by! For more great snippets please visit Weekend Writing Warriors and Snippet  Sunday 

                                      

India Othmar isn’t having a great year. Her husband of thirty-one years has left her for their son’s ex-girlfriend. Her grown children have moved home. Her best friend Eva seems determined to set her up with every oddball in their small Massachusetts town. And her most significant relationship these days is with Cherry Garcia.

But India is more resilient than she thinks. And though it will take a broken arm, a lawn littered with engine parts, some creative uses for shoes, and a scandalous love affair of her own, she learns, much to her surprise, that her life hasn’t ended with her marriage. 

 

For more on Afterglow, please visit my Afterglow web page 

 or Amazon:

 
 

                                                                                                                                                                 

Sweet Lenora Blog Tour

I'm touring cyberspace with Sweet Lenora, the first novella of my historical romance series, Anton and Lenora. Sweet Lenora is also part of Champagne Books Dark Heroes Series.

The blog tour starts Monday and runs through Sunday September 15: 

 Sept 2: Rose & Beps Blog
Sept 6: Theresa Stillwagon
Sept 7: Book Reviews
Sept 8: Reader's Edyn
Sept 9: Ali's Books
Sept 10: Rambling Reads
Sept 12: JM Stewart--Contemporary Romance Author
Sept 14: Blue Rose Romance
Sept 14: Harlie's Books (Review)
Sept 15: Bunny's Book Reviews (Review)
Sept 15: Jesse Recommends
Sept 15: Regina May Ross's

Lenora Brewer’s family owns the largest shipyard in Salem Massachusetts and Lenora, as her father’s only living child, is given free rein to learn the business. When Lenora’s father is killed in a carriage accident, her relatives arrange a marriage to a wealthy investor who is rumored to have beaten his first wife to death.

            Lenora devises a scheme to stowaway on The Sweet Lenora, a ship named for her.  

The last thing Anton Boudreaux needs is a naïve young woman stowing away on his ship. The dark and daring captain has secrets of his own to protect.

            When Sweet Lenora encounters a dangerous storm off the coast of Brazil, Lenora and Anton find in each other the courage and tenacity to brave the elements. As their love for one another grows it becomes a force to be reckoned with—and it will be sorely tested.

Sweet Lenora Buy Links:

Amazon

Champagne Books

BookStrand

ARe

It's a bird! It's a plane! It's Searching for Superman!

 

I love release day. It's so exciting to share a book with readers. This one is a light as air romantic comedy. I hope you'll enjoy reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it.

Here, for your reading pleasure, are ten of my favorite lines from the book. Since the opening line is a good place to start, I'll start there.

1.If the perfect man existed, why did he keep eluding her?

2.“The guy pretends to be Superman for a living. I find that a little suspect.”

3. Gary looked at Stephanie as though she ought to be stuffed with bacon and featured at the Tapas bar.

4.“Mother weighs ninety pounds when wet. In a tussle with a marble head, the head would win every time.”

5.She was clearly more interested in big bushy haired guys like Gary or calendar boys with six-packs, like Hawk the fireman. And what kind of name was Hawk, anyway? Who names their kid after a big predatory bird?

6.Stephanie had eaten two hot dogs, an order of cheese nachos,and a snow cone that was the most unnatural shade of blue she’d ever seen. The very thought of adding pizza to the mix made her

stomach do a somersault.

7. Doug heard footsteps behind him. Must Merry follow him everywhere? He began to wonder if he could keep climbing, out onto the roof and rapel down. It wasn’t that long a jump, he could aim for

the bushes.

8. “Well, I don’t think it does. Might as well call the Mona Lisa the Purty Picture. Might as well call the Sistine Chapel the Pope’s Hidey Hole.”

9. “Patience, darling, patience. Your knight-errant will come riding into the theater yet. If you’re lucky, he’ll be bearing gifts from Starbucks.”

10. His lips found hers. And there it was, the feeling she had been looking for all along, her heart flying out of her chest and swooping around the chandelier. Maybe she did get to change things. Maybe second chances were possible.


Book Blurb:
Stephanie Holbrook has finally found a job she really loves: working as an assistant to Conrad Finch in a small regional theater that’s about three dollars and a power outage from being torn down.  Stephanie wishes her love life would be as perfect as her job. She’ll be thirty on her next birthday and she still hasn’t found Mr. Right.  According to Stephanie, Mr. Right has to be strong and brave, with great values and good looks. A guy a lot like Superman. 

 When Doug Castleberry shows up at her niece’s birthday party dressed as Superman, Stephanie is positive he’s not the real deal. Sure, he’s great with kids and he’s kind of cute.   But he’s just a high school teacher making extra money by dressing up for kid’s parties. Hardly the strong, brave, and drop-dead gorgeous guy she’s looking for.

 As the theater teeters ever closer to the edge of disaster, Doug proves to be a better man than Stephanie had ever imagined. Could he be the Superman she’s been looking for all along?


To buy this book, still steaming hot off the e-presses, click HERE!! 

#8Sunday: Superman is out tomorrow!

Click HERE for more WeWriWa Snippets

It's going to be an exciting week for me. My romantic comedy, Searching for Superman, releases tomorrow, June 3. It's my third romantic comedy with Champagne Books and this release is every bit as exciting as the first.

In eight this week, Conrad, the manager of the Rialto, the down-but- not-quite-out theater in Searching for Superman, has just gotten a major sponsorship to pay for theater restoration.

 “This, my lovely girl Friday, this is our ticket to Nirvana.”
 “Nirvana, huh?”
  Conrad handed Stephanie the business card. “You’ve heard of Cluck and Chuck?”
“The chicken guys?” Herbert Cluckman and Chuck Ingraham were Schenectady’s version of Ben and Jerry, two local guys who had opened a chicken restaurant. They had expanded and now Cluck and Chuck’s Chicken was a national operation.
“One man’s chicken is another man’s salvation.”



For more on Stephanie, Conrad and Cluck and Chuck, click HERE
For more great writing snippets, click HERE

#8 Sunday: Monster Trucks

Hi Sunday Warriors. This week, I've been busy reading through the proofs for Searching for Superman. The book is coming out on June 3, so it won't be long now.

Today's eight come from the middle of the book. The heroine, Stephanie, goes on several not so great dates in a row. The first is with a fireman named Hawk, who takes her to a monster truck rally:

     More trucks, including King Crush, each took their turn in the ring. In the end it was determined, much to Hawk’s dismay, that Big Dog was champion.
     “We’ll get them next time,” he said as they left the arena.“You want to go grab a slice?”
     Stephanie had eaten two hot dogs, an order of cheese nachos,and a snow cone that was the most unnatural shade of blue she’d ever seen. The very thought of adding pizza to the mix made her stomach do a somersault. “I think I’m good.”
     “Oh.” Hawk’s smile faded.


For more great snippets, click HERE
For more about Searching for Superman, click HERE

#8Sunday: When Stephanie met Doug

For more snippets, click on button

I've been busy getting ready for the release of my romantic comedy, Searching for Superman, which will be out in a few weeks.
This week's snippet is from the book, the scene where the heroine, Stephanie, meets the hero, Doug. Doug is dressed up as a character for Stephanie's niece's fifth birthday party:

“You are not supposed to be Superman.”

      “What?” Superman went to the van and drew a paper off the seat. “I’m sure, yup-says right here, Superman.”

      Stephanie took the paper from him and crumbled it. “You are supposed to be Cinderella.”

      “No.” Superman looked at her with a combination of horror and confusion. “Cinderella?”

For more great snippets, check out Weekend Writing Warriors HERE

For more about Searching for Superman, click HERE

#8 Sunday. The Rialto

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Welcome back, snippeteers! I'm gearing up for the release of my latest romantic comedy, Searching for Superman. The book's heroine, Stephanie, works in an old theater called the Rialto.
This week, I'd like to share the reader's introduction to Stephanie's workplace

She was Conrad Finch’s assistant and her job consisted of answering phones and e-mail, sorting the bills, and bringing Conrad soy vanilla lattes from Starbucks like the one she was trying not to spill as she walked.

      That is not to say that Stephanie didn’t love the Rialto. It was the oldest theater in the Capitol district, though like the rest of the city of Schenectady, it was struggling to make a comeback. Conrad Finch was nothing if not passionate about making this happen and Stephanie was proud he’d chosen her to help him. Conrad had a strong vision of someday, when the theater would attract name acts and Broadway road revivals. They would host a regional theater group and maybe they would even show the Metropolitan Opera live on screen as they had in a similar theater in New England last year.

      Stephanie could almost see it. Though today, with the cold March wind sweeping stray paper to the curb in front of the marquee, the place looked downright shabby, like a garish old woman who had insisted on one too many face lifts.

Searching for Superman releases on June 3. For more on the book, click HERE

For more great Sunday writing snippets from Weekend Writing Warriors, click HERE