Tom's Wife by Alana Cash - Virtual Tour and Giveaway

This post is part of a virtual book tour organized by Goddess Fish Promotions. Alana will be awarding the winner's choice of a Screenprinted Camisole - "What Happens in the Bedroom Stays in the Bedroom" or a Brass Nuts T-Shirt - screenprinted "Brass" with 2 brass hex-nuts sewn to collar, to one randomly drawn commenter during the tour. (US ONLY)

We'll turn the blog over to Alana now...

I have only been in love a couple of times in my life and one of those times was with a drummer in a Latin band. He played with different groups and I got to know all kinds of Latin music – salsa, meringue, cumbia, bosa nova and more. I went to the different venues where he played and made a few friends. From the friends I learned to cook different types of food and learned the different types of dances. I got invited to visit a family in Puerto Rico where I studied Spanish for a week. Returning from my vacation, I decided I wanted to learn play percussion. So I took lessons in bongos and castanets. A few times – very few – I was invited to play with the professional musicians in front of an audience. It was quite unusual to see a female bongo player and the musicians got tips for that and got invited back, but I didn’t think I was good enough, so eventually I stopped accepting the invitations. And the relationship with the drummer didn’t work out very well, but it was a great time in my life. A really great time.

I gave the bongos away, but I kept the castanets and I used to play them sometimes at home listening to the Gypsy Kings. One evening I was playing with the windows open and a man came to my door explaining that his wife was a flamenco dancer in Spain and he asked if I happened to be a flamenco dancer as well. That was pretty flattering since I wasn’t sure I played well at all, but apparently I played well enough to attract strangers off the street. I did play castanets once with a band on my birthday – and once under the table at a restaurant in Serbia. I was in Novi Sad doing some research for a project and the family I was staying with invited me to dinner at the restaurant (steak dinner for five people with wine was a total of $22). A gypsy band was playing and singing. They had five-string guitars and sang in seven different languages. I had the castanets under the table and played along with them. No one complained, but I did stop after a couple of songs.

Honestly, I would have preferred to have music as my art form over writing and when I was a child I begged for a guitar, but didn’t ever get that for Christmas. I took piano lessons for a few weeks, but the teacher moved away, and anyway I didn’t enjoy playing piano.

It’s the Great Depression and 19-year-old Annie Huckaby is almost resigned to marriage with Tom. He works at a coal mine during the week, leaving Annie to take care of the house and their infant son. Tom’s Native American friend Jim takes care of the farm. Her best friend, Twila, visits every day and helps Annie make a little money selling eggs to the café on the highway. And there’s church on Sunday. Annie’s not always alone, but most times she feels like it…until one afternoon a peddler named Jake Stern steps onto the porch, tips his hat, and starts a world of trouble.

Now enjoy an excerpt:

The first time Annie ever saw Jake Stern, she was sitting with Twila on the porch after dinner. They’d been watching the men working on the new barn and they heard Butch growling and turned around and saw him. It was peculiar to see a fellow in a white shirt on a weekday, and she had to look away behind him, at the big oak tree.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Alana Cash is an award-winning author and filmmaker who used to spend summers on her grandparents farm at the foot of the Ozark Mountains in Arkansas. When she was ten, a red-headed stranger rode up on horseback asking her grandfather if there were horses needing to be broken. The cowboy wore spurs and a cowboy hat and was pretty exciting. Decades later, Alana wondered if any of the women living in that farming community got a crush on that wandering cowboy, and intending to write a short story about that romantic day, Alana ended up writing the novel TOM’S WIFE.

Website: www.alanacash.com

Blog: howyoulovetexas.blogspot.com

Barnes & Noble: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/toms-wife-alana-cash/1100486164?ean=9781449996321

Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Alana-Cash/e/B0058DLGXO

Reconstructing Jackson by Holly Bush - Review tour and giveaway

(Full length historical romance)

This review is done in conjunction with the author's virtual tour with Goddess Fish Promotions.

R. T. will be awarding a $25 GC to either Amazon or Barnes & Noble, winner's choice, to the winner of the Rafflecopter drawing, so comment today AND follow the tour (if you click on the tour banner above, it'll take you to a list of her tour stops) -- the more you read and comment, the better your odds of winning. You could be introduced to a great new author AND win an awesome prize!



1867 . . . Southern lawyer and Civil War veteran, Reed Jackson, returns to his family’s plantation in a wheelchair. His father deems him unfit, and deeds the Jackson holdings, including his intended bride, to a younger brother. Angry and bitter, Reed moves west to Fenton, Missouri, home to a cousin with a successful business, intending to start over.

Belle Richards, a dirt poor farm girl aching to learn how to read, cleans, cooks and holds together her family’s meager property. A violent brother and a drunken father plot to marry her off, and gain a new horse in the bargain. But Belle’s got other plans, and risks her life to reach them.

Reed is captivated by Belle from their first meeting, but wheelchair bound, is unable to protect her from violence. Bleak times will challenge Reed and Belle's courage and dreams as they forge a new beginning from the ashes of war and ignorance.



Though it starts a bit slow, Reconstructing Jackson makes it worth pushing through to find a truly heartwarming story set in the times immediately following the American Civil War. With a hero who's a crippled confederate soldier forced to face the reality of losing his inheritance (a southern plantation) and his fiancee to his non-crippled, younger brother and learning how to function in a post-war world we're plunged into a time when women were chattel, and former slaves had to fight for every single right they were given when emancipated. Seems most folks don't much care what the law says: once a slave, always a slave.

Author Holly Bush doesn't pull many punches with this book. There are such dark times, and heart-rending occurrences. She lets us see into the American past, both the good and the bad, and paints a picture with her words. Truthfully, had I not accepted this book for review, I might not have continued reading, as the hero was not very heroic at the start, and I struggled with watching how our poor heroine was trapped with an abusive family and treated worse than the furniture by her oldest brother and continually drunk father.

But I did continue, and discovered a deeply moving story filled with hope and tragedy, with good and evil and occasionally shades of gray. All-in-all a very good read and one I'm so pleased I was allowed to enjoy. The love between our protagonists was deep and unconditional, and it led them both from a difficult, dark place. How Belle developed such a strong will when she'd been raised as she had been, I have no idea, but she was absolutely perfect for Reed.

Reconstructing Jackson is a book that made me angry, sad, amazed at the resilience of the human spirit and eventually made my heart smile. Recommended.

4 Flowers - This was a very good book! I'd recommend it to my friends



Reed awoke from a troublesome sleep that night to crying and moaning outside of his window. There was no moon and Reed could not see the source of the noise, but heard movement in the hallway. He pulled pants on and lowered himself into his chair as he wiped the night from his face. On the porch, Reed heard Beulah’s voice, low and comforting in the still air. “Miss Beulah,” he whispered.

“Go back to bed, Mr. Jackson.”

Reed heard a moan and Beulah’s pleas to someone. “What is it?” he asked.

Beulah rose from the walk and Reed saw her eyes, angry, through the spindles of the porch. “None of your concern.”

“For God’s sakes, woman, tell me who cries so piteously.” Reed realized the moaning had stopped.

Beulah looked down and back to Reed. “She needs no more of your help, Mr. Jackson.”

Reed froze and the blood drained from his face. He wheeled down the ramp and to where Beulah held Belle Richards in her arms. “What happened?” he asked.

“I don’t know. She fainted or . . . died before she could she say.”

A lump of terror balled in his throat for a woman he barely knew. He forced words from his mouth. “Check her pulse.”

“Faint. But there.”

“Then hurry, Beulah,” Reed rushed on. “Can you lift her?”

“I was a slave, Mr. Jackson. I carried baled cotton on my back . . .”

“Enough with the lecture on the evils of slavery. She may die as we speak,” Reed hissed.

Holly Bush was born in western Pennsylvania to two avid readers. There was not a room in her home that did not hold a full bookcase. She worked in the hospitality industry, owning a restaurant for twenty years and recently worked as the sales and marketing director in the hospitality/tourism industry and is credited with building traffic to capacity for a local farm tour, bringing guests from twenty-two states, booked two years out. Holly has been a marketing consultant to start-up businesses and has done public speaking on the subject.

Holly has been writing all of her life and is a voracious reader of a wide variety of fiction and non-fiction, particularly political and historical works. She has written four romance novels, all set in the U.S. West in the mid 1800’s. She frequently attends writing conferences, and has always been a member of a writer’s group.

Holly is a gardener, a news junkie, has been an active member of her local library board and loves to spend time near the ocean. She is the proud mother of two daughters and the wife of a man more than a few years her junior.

www.amazon.com/Reconstructing-Jackson-ebook/dp/B009LMKGUW/ref=sr_1_1?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1360535974&sr=1-1&keywords=holly+bush

www.hollybushbooks.com

@hollybushbooks

www.facebook.com/pages/Holly-Bush/247399131941435

Rebel Bride by Morgan K. Wyatt - Virtual Tour and Giveaway

Today we're spotlighting author Morgan K. Wyatt on her tour with Goddess Fish Promotions for the early American historical romance, "Rebel Bride". She's sharing an exclusive excerpt with us.

Morgan will award one $5 Amazon GC to one commenter at EVERY STOP on this tour, so comment today AND follow the tour (if you click on the banner above, it'll take you to a list of tour stops)! The more you read and comment, the better your odds of winning. You could be introduced to a great new author AND win a really cool prize!

Eileen Sewell sparks plenty of gossip by spiteful matrons and their horse-faced daughters that she’d find herself alone due to her picky ways. Of course, she didn’t believe them. Then again, she also didn’t expect to be a mail order bride either. It wasn’t easy snagging a husband who hadn’t heard about her willful nature. Eileen finally gave up hope of finding love, and decided to settle for whatever she’d find out west. If that wasn’t lowering enough, she’d just witnessed the first train robbery. Unfortunately, the outlaws saw her too. Enter Marshal Colt Sheppard, who excels at extracting information from reticent witnesses. His crooked smile and broad shoulders shouldn’t charm her. She’d played this game before, only she never had a worthy adversary. Talk about bad timing.

John, the robber, began whispering in his oily voice.

“I found you, Red. It wasn’t that hard. Most people remember a red-haired woman, especially one that causes as much trouble as you.”

She wanted to protest the charge, but even in what she hoped was a dream, she knew to keep her mouth shut. The man kept talking, not in need of a response. Perhaps, he was having a long conversation with himself.

“I heard talk you cozied up to the marshal. You wouldn’t have been foolish enough to talk about what you saw, now would you?”

The words touched her ear, causing a shudder of distaste. The threat contained in the words was explicit. She fidgeted in her seat, trying to fake sleep while cringing away from the man. She needed to let the robber know she hadn’t said anything. Oh, she had, but he didn’t have to know.

With her eyes still closed, she managed to murmur the words as if in a drowsy half-sleep. “Not foolish, did not trust marshal.” The words reflected the truth to a degree. She did not trust Marshal Colt Shepard with her heart. Nor was she stupid enough to tell an outlaw something that might get her killed.

She wanted to break free of John’s oily voice and smelly breath. Could this be a dream, a bad one? Did dreamers know when they were dreaming? The cold steel of a gun snout pushed into her rib cage obliterated the dream theory. It also shot her eyelids up. Beady dead eyes looked into hers, proving a disagreeable reality.

Townsend would not believe her luck. Instead, he‘d tease her about knocking over a wagon of mirrors after he dispatched the villain. No Townsend, no Colt, no one to come to her defense.

Morgan as a child had to suffer through movies with clueless heroines rescued by smart men. Her mother dutifully read her stories where princesses waited for princes to jumpstart their lives. There were no proactive female role models in the media at that time, with the exception of Wonder Woman. It is for this reason, and that it is fun, Morgan writes about strong women going after what they want.

She has a blog about dating after forty on www.datingafterfortyeight.blogspot.com

Morgan pinches pennies on her blog; www. http://thefrugaldivatellsall.blogspot.com/

She also reviews book for Novelspot and blogs about writing at: www.novelspot.net

You can find Morgan at www.morgankwyatt.com

On Twitter and FaceBook at: morgankwyatt

King Biscuit by Michael Loyd Gray - Virtual Tour and Giveaway

Today we're welcoming author Michael Loyd Gray  to the blog on his tour with Goddess Fish Promotions for the 1960s historical, "King Biscuit".  We had the privilege of reviewing this novel and you can read our review here.

Michael is giving away a $25 Amazon GC to one randomly drawn commenter during the tour, so comment today AND follow his tour (if you click on the banner above, it'll take you to a list of his tour stops)! The more you read and comment, the better your odds of winning. You could be introduced to a great new author AND win a GC!

Michael has a question for our readers that I hope you can answer.

Thanks for the opportunity to appear here and to promote my novel King Biscuit. I would love to hear from readers as to what they think makes a novel Young Adult. Or why we need a YA classification. I do understand that YA is a thriving genre, but I didn’t write King Biscuit as a YA novel, for example. I had a story to tell and didn’t worry much about how it might be classified. The publisher classified it that way—indeed, Tempest Books is their new YA imprint.

The novel’s protagonist, Billy Ray Fleener, is seventeen and that’s what made it YA, I guess. But the book has sex, drugs, and rock and roll and takes place in a world of adults – Elvis Presley and President Lyndon Johnson are in it, for goodness sake. So, readers, why do we make a distinction? How old would Billy Ray have to be for it to not be YA? I write novels in part to have people think and so I write this post to have people think about this issue, too. I’m not complaining about the genre classification – just trying to better understand it.

It’s 1966. The Beatles have taken over the airways, Star Trek is in its first season on NBC, and 389,000 American troops are stationed in Vietnam.

A war is going on Argus, Illinois as well, between sixteen-year-old Billy Ray Fleener and his father. While his father dreams of Billy Ray joining the family business, Billy Ray dreams of moving to California, becoming a surfer, and getting into Margie Heinrich’s pants—not necessarily in that order. Instead, he gets a summer laying pipe and the dubious distinction of town hero after saving Purdy Boy, the mayor’s wife’s dachshund.

When his beloved uncle and role model Mitch is killed in combat, Billy Ray feels like he must leave Argus or be stuck there forever. With little more than the clothes on his back, he hops a bus for Helena, Arkansas to visit Mitch’s grave. Along the way he meets up with a cast of characters as varied and polarized as America itself, from a marine captain home on leave to a band of hippies bound for Graceland. Each teaches him something about love, loyalty, and the true meaning of freedom, but what Billy Ray really learns is that everyone has the power to define who they are. He may have left Argus a boy, but he returns a man.

Billy Ray had never heard of Moby Grape or Jefferson Airplane or Buffalo Springfield. And soon his thoughts had drifted back to Argus, back to Moss. There wasn’t anything he could do about that. He didn’t understand it and there wasn’t anything to do about it. Casualties, Milt had said. Life piles up casualties. Part of the deal. You move on as best you can and avoid becoming a casualty yourself. But Billy Ray understood it was still new to him and so he still was hurting inside for Moss, but accepted it was out of his hands. Life, that great maker of rules and decider of consequences, would sort it out. Or so Billy Ray figured. He’d said his goodbye to Moss and even prayed for him. Moss was the only one Billy Ray had told other than his parents about hitting the road to see the world beyond Argus; and Moss seemed relieved to talk about something other than his own problems. He understood that Billy Ray needed to escape, joking that he’d like to escape, too. When Wino pulled over for burgers in Cape Girardeau, the nearly-twins ate lustily, said hello to Billy Ray, then crawled back into their comas.

“Saving their voices, I suppose,” Billy Ray told Wino.

“Something like that.”

Michael Loyd Gray was born in Jonesboro, Arkansas, but grew up in Champaign, Illinois. He earned a MFA in English from Western Michigan University and has taught at colleges and universities in upstate New York, Michigan, Illinois, Wisconsin, and Texas. He graduated from the University of Illinois with a Journalism degree and was a newspaper staff writer in Arizona and Illinois for ten years, conducting the last interview with novelist Erskine Caldwell.

He is the winner of the 2005 Alligator Juniper Fiction Prize and the 2005 The Writers Place Award for Fiction. Gray’s novel Well Deserved won the 2008 Sol Books Prose Series Prize. His novel Not Famous Anymore was awarded a grant by the Elizabeth George Foundation and was released by Three Towers Press, an imprint of HenschelHaus in 2011. His novel December's Children was a finalist for the 2006 Sol Books Prose Series Prize and was released in 2012 by Tempest Books as the young adult novel King Biscuit. He has written a sequel to Well Deserved called The Last Stop, and another two novels called Blue Sparta and Fast Eddie. Recently he finished a novel entitled The Salt Meadows. A lifelong Chicago Bears and Rolling Stones fan, he lives in Kalamazoo, Michigan, and teaches as full-time online English faculty for South University, where he is one of the founding editors of the student literary journal Asynchronous and sponsor of an online readings series featuring fiction and poetry.

Website http://www.michaelloydgray.com/

Blog http://odious1.wordpress.com/

Review: King Biscuit by Michael Loyd Gray

 

(Full Length, 1960s American Historical)

It’s 1966. The Beatles have taken over the airways, Star Trek is in its first season on NBC, and 389,000 American troops are stationed in Vietnam.

A war is going on Argus, Illinois as well, between sixteen-year-old Billy Ray Fleener and his father. While his father dreams of Billy Ray joining the family business, Billy Ray dreams of moving to California, becoming a surfer, and getting into Margie Heinrich’s pants—not necessarily in that order. Instead, he gets a summer laying pipe and the dubious distinction of town hero after saving Purdy Boy, the mayor’s wife’s dachshund.

When his beloved uncle and role model Mitch is killed in combat, Billy Ray feels like he must leave Argus or be stuck there forever. With little more than the clothes on his back, he hops a bus for Helena, Arkansas to visit Mitch’s grave. Along the way he meets up with a cast of characters as varied and polarized as America itself, from a marine captain home on leave to a band of hippies bound for Graceland. Each teaches him something about love, loyalty, and the true meaning of freedom, but what Billy Ray really learns is that everyone has the power to define who they are. He may have left Argus a boy, but he returns a man.



When I began reading this story, I wasn't sure what to expect. Would I be bored reading just another YA book about a teen-aged boy?

I quickly discovered this wasn't "just another book". Yes it was a book about a teen-aged boy, but it was so much more than that. The writer skillfully places the reader into the head of his protagonist and I became immediately invested in Billy Ray and worried about the direction his life would take.  As the story progressed and, as he learns about life and begins to mature, I really got hooked. 

The story began in the late 60's and follows him for a couple of years.  At the start, he's pretty typical:  all he wants from life is to date Margie, the most popular girl in school, and to go to California and become a surfer.  I don't want to go into any more detail about the story itself because l don't want to spoil this story for anyone.

I didn't want to put the book down.  I admit to being surprised at how deep my interest ran.  This isn't the type of book I normally read.

I want you all to know that this is a wonderful story of a young man's growth and maturity. I really loved him, and the story. I recommend this book for anyone looking for a realistic and tender story of a young man during a difficult period in our country.  I challenge you to read this and not come away at least a little affected by what he went through and the choices he made.

4.5 / 5 Flowers - This was a very good book! I'd recommend it to my friends.

Cera's Place by Elizabeth McKenna - Author Interview

Today I'd like to welcome author Elizabeth McKenna here to talk about her romance release, "Cera's Place".

Thanks for stopping by, and for being kind enough to answer all my prying questions! The floor is yours.

Why do you write in your genre? What draws you to it?

When I decided to write a book, I chose historical romance because of my love of history and a happy ending. When I was younger, I was very jaded and disliked romance books. Life didn’t happen that way! You don’t get the guy you want in the end! So instead, I read books filled with angst and pain, and sometimes the characters were happy in the end, but mostly they weren’t. Around the time I hit 40 years old, I decided I wanted a sure thing. If I was going to invest time in a book, everything had better work out. I wanted love and happiness. As for the historical part, I love to do research. Before I had children, I was studying for a Masters in Library Science. I also love to learn something when I read, whether it is about history, another culture or another country. Historical romance is a perfect fit for me.

What research is required?

Once I pick a location for my story, I research the history of the place, which then leads me to choose a time period, subplots and backstories for the characters. For example, when doing research on San Francisco for Cera’s Place, I found several articles on Chinese prostitution, which then became a conflict for Cera and her friends to resolve. Since Jake was an ex-Civil War hero, I researched battles and a regiment for his backstory. I found a 19th century map of San Francisco to determine where Cera’s saloon would have been located. I made sure language, clothes, and scenery were as accurate as possible, often consulting old photos and archives. I looked up details such as how far a horse could travel in a day, what type of guns were popular, and whether telegraph messages were available. Because I wanted the story as believable as possible, I think I researched every other paragraph I wrote – which is probably why it took me so long to finish!

Name one thing you learned from your heroine.

I learned from Cera to accept help when offered and to take time for myself. As a mother and a control freak, I try to take care of everybody and do everything myself to the point of exhaustion – a common problem for mothers everywhere! Cera is the same way. She never stopped to consider what she needed or wanted out of life. Her only mission was to help her friends. When Jake enters her life, she says she doesn’t have time for romantic love. Can you imagine? However, she finally comes to her senses. (I’m still trying to.)

Any odd or interesting writing quirks, habits or superstitions?

Before I can work on my story, I have to check all of my various websites (Hotmail, Facebook, Twitter, Google+, Amazon, Barnes & Noble, etc.) I can’t concentrate unless I do.

Plotter or pantser?

With Cera’s Place, I was definitely a pantser. I had ideas on what I wanted to happen, but I never did a formal outline. I just wrote. With my current story, Venice in the Moonlight, I am paying more attention to formal story structure. I’ve had an outline from day one.

Look to your right – what’s sitting there?

I’m sitting on my couch watching the Green Bay Packers (Go Pack Go!). To my right is a Diet Coke, a glass of water, an empty Reeses Pieces wrapper (it’s Trick or Treating today), a few writing reference books, and a folder containing notes for my current story, Venice in the Moonlight.

Anything new coming up from you? What?

I’m working on Venice in the Moonlight, a historical romance set in 1753. Here is the story so far:

After her husband’s death, Marietta Gatti is banished from the family’s villa by her spiteful mother-in-law. With nowhere to go, she returns to Venice only to find her estranged father has also passed away. According to his friends, the once esteemed painter died distraught, drunk, and penniless. Upset by the gossip, Marietta retraces her father’s last days and discovers someone may have wanted him dead. When the prime suspect is the father of the man she may be falling in love with, Marietta faces a heart-breaking decision. Should she risk her future happiness to avenge the death of a man she has hated for the past five years? Elizabeth McKenna’s latest novel takes you back to the days of Carnival and Casanova, where lovers meet discreetly, and masks make everyone equal.

Do you have a question for our readers?

What is your favorite historical period? Why?

In 1869, San Francisco saloon owner Cera Cassidy offers redemption to any woman looking for honest work. At Cera's Place, men can get a decent hot meal with a whiskey, but if they want anything more, they have to take their desires elsewhere. One summer night, a distraught Chinese girl bursts through the swinging doors with a shocking tale of murder, kidnapping, and prostitution. Outraged, Cera vows to set things right.

Jake Tanner, a scarred ex-soldier haunted by the horrors of the Civil War, is on a mission to fulfill a friend's dying wish. The trail has brought him to Cera's door. Captivated by her Irish beauty, he wants to join her fight - but will she let him?

Elizabeth McKenna's debut novel is a fast-paced adventure filled with memorable characters that will leave you wanting more. Get lost in a time gone by and fall in love today!

Cera noticed the stranger while she leaned against the bar, drinking her third cup of coffee for the day. It was the first chance she’d had to catch her breath. Business was brisk, as everyone wanted to talk about last night’s fire over some food and drinks.

He sat alone, hunched down into his faded officer’s coat, reminding Cera of the many war-weary drifters who had passed through her place. His worn boots rested casually on the seat of a chair, and though his Stetson sat low over his eyes, she got the sense he could see just fine. He seemed to be waiting.

More often than not, Cera could see trouble coming. When she looked at this stranger, an uneasy feeling rose in her belly. Unfortunately, she couldn’t decide if it was because of the bowie knife and Colt revolver strapped to his sides or because his tangled, dark hair and chiseled jaw made him the best-looking man she had seen in months.

As she pondered the stranger, his face moved out of the shadows, revealing a thick jagged scar running from the outer edge of his left eye to the corner of his mouth. Startled by the sight, Cera’s hand jerked, sloshing coffee over the cup’s rim. Their eyes met and, for an instance, Cera thought she saw a flash of anger in the stranger’s gaze.

Embarrassed, she turned away to hide the blush blooming in her cheeks. As she wiped her wet hand on her apron, she chided herself for such squeamish behavior. Since the end of the War Between the States, plenty of men had walked through the saloon’s doors with injuries far worse than a scar. There was no reason for this one to unsettle her.

When her composure returned, she sought out Ginger. “See that drifter over there?” She inclined her head slightly in the stranger’s direction. “Has he said anything to you?”

“Oh my, my, my, that dusty Yankee? I’ve been trying to catch his eye since he sat down. I think they’re blue, by the way. Too bad about his face, but luckily I’ve never liked my men prettier than me.”

Cera laughed, despite her present worries. “Well then, you’re the perfect girl to go charm him—find out what he’s about.”

Ginger’s painted on eyebrows knitted together as she cast a discreet glance at the stranger. “You think he’s trouble?”

“Maybe, but maybe I’m just nervous because of last night. Either way it will be good to know who he is and what he wants. He looks barely able to afford the beer sitting in front of him. Who’s been serving him?”

“Sonya, I think.”

“Try to get him talking. I’ll go see if he’s paid for anything yet.” Cera gulped the rest of her coffee and moved to where Sonya sat playing cards with three other men.

Author Bio: Elizabeth McKenna is a full-time technical writer/editor for a large software company. She never read romance novels until one Christmas when her sister gave her the latest bestseller by Nora Roberts. She was hooked from page one (actually, she admits it was the first love scene).

She had always wanted to write fiction, so when a psychic told her she would write a book, Elizabeth felt obligated to give it a try. She combined her love of history, romance and a happy ending to write her first novel Cera's Place. She has also written a short story titled The Gypsy Casts a Spell, which was published in eFiction magazine and can be read on her author website.

Elizabeth lives in Wisconsin (Packers, Brewers, and Badgers - oh my!) with her understanding husband, two beautiful daughters, and sassy Labrador. When she isn't writing, working, or being a mom, she's sleeping.

Links:
Elizabeth McKenna website: http://elizabethmckenna.com/
Cera’s Place on Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Ceras-Place-ebook/dp/B005PNP3BI/
Cera’s Place on Barnes and Noble: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/ceras-place-elizabeth-mckenna/1105957860?ean=2940013430365&itm=5
Cera’s Place on Smashwords: https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/104546
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ElizabethMcKennaAuthor
Twitter: @elizamckenna

Kira: Daughter of the Moon by Beth Trissel - Virtual tour and giveaway!

Today we're spotlighting author Beth Trissel on her one day Book Blast with Goddess Fish Promotions for the early American historical romance, "Kira: Daughter of the Moon".

Beth will be awarding a digital copy of "Through the Fire" to one commenter, a digital copy of "Red Bird's Song" to one commenter and a grand prize of a $25 Amazon GC to one randomly drawn commenter during the tour, so comment today AND follow her tour (if you click on the banner over there on the left, it'll take you to a list of her tour stops)! The more you read and comment, the better your odds of winning. You could be introduced to a great new author AND win a GC!

Logan McCutcheon returns to colonial Virginia after seven years in the hands of Shawnee Indians. But was he really a captive, as everybody thinks? He looks and fights like a warrior, and seems eager to return to those he calls friends and family.

Kira McClure has waited for Logan all those years, passing herself off as odd to keep suitors at bay––and anyone else from getting too close. Now that he's back, he seems to be the only person capable of protecting her from the advances of Josiah Campbell and accusations of witchcraft. And to defend the settlers against a well-organized band of murderous thieves.

Head tilted to one side, he appraised her with a keen eye, approval in his gaze. “The years between us don’t seem to make such a difference now, do they?”

A shiver darted through her. “Not like they once did.”

He ran his fingers lightly over her cheek. “I’ll have to make amends for my past neglect.”

Her chest thudded wildly. “Will you?”

“Oh, yes.”

As though she’d issued an invitation, Logan slid closer to her so they were pressed thigh to thigh, nearer than she’d sat to any man. He turned, circling an arm around her waist, and drew her into his hard chest. His low voice a shivery whisper in her ear, he said, “This’ll do for a start.”

Too stunned to speak, she wondered if her galloping heart might give out altogether. This must be a dream. He couldn’t be real. Yet he felt wonderfully solid and smelled of the sun-warmed earth mingled with his own appealing essence, heightening her acute awareness of him. But he was overtaking her with the sudden fury of a gale.

She found her tongue. “I hardly know what to think.”

He didn’t loosen his grip. “Don’t think just yet.”

Married to my high school sweetheart, I live on a farm in the Shenandoah Valley of Virginia surrounded by my children, grandbabies, and assorted animals. An avid gardener, my love of herbs and heirloom plants figures into my work. The rich history of Virginia, the Native Americans and the people who journeyed here from far beyond her borders are at the heart of my inspiration. In addition to American settings, I also write historical and time travel romances set in the British Isles. Historical Romance novel Kira, Daughter of the Moon is available in print and eBook from:

Amazon 
The Wild Rose Press 
NookBook Barnes & Noble 
and from other online booksellers.

Train Station Bride by Holly Bush - Virtual Review tour and Giveaway

(Full length historical romance)

This review is done in conjunction with the author's virtual tour with Goddess Fish Promotions. The author will be awarding a $25 Amazon GC to a randomly drawn commenter during the tour, so comment today AND follow the tour (if you click on the tour banner above, it'll take you to a list of his tour stops) -- the more you read and comment, the better your odds of winning. You could be introduced to a great new author AND win a fun prize!



1887 ... Julia Crawford, Boston debutante, corresponds with an aging shopkeeper and travels to North Dakota to marry him, hoping to escape the ridicule she endures as the plump, silly daughter of one of Boston’s premiere families. What happens when the train station groom is not who Julia bargained for? Will her secrets keep her from love and acceptance? Or will Julia’s love be strong enough to conquer her past and give her the future she’s always dreamed of?



This story had me hooked in the first paragraph. We meet our heroine, Julia, a poor little fat girl, with a domineering mother and three beautiful sisters. That was only the beginning and not totally true.

Sneaking out to catch a train to South Dakota late one night, she was on her way to marry someone she had been corresponding with, but had never met. Things didn’t work out quite the way she had planned however, and when she got off the train and found a man waiting to marry her, along with the preacher to do it right away, she went along with the plan. Unfortunately, this was not the man she had been writing to, but they were now married and stuck. The story gets more and more complicated as it goes on and becomes far more than the simple romance I'd expected.

She has many secrets and gradually tells her husband some of them. But not all of them. I can’t go into any more details, because I don’t want to ruin this story for you. However, believe me when I say this story kept me on the edge of my seat from the beginning to the end. There were so many complications and things that happened very unexpectedly, that I couldn’t wait to read the ending.

I picked this up to read a few pages before I went to bed and couldn’t put it down until I turned the last page. This is really one of the best stories I have read in a long time.

4.5 / 5 Flowers - This was a very good book!

Holly Bush was born in western Pennsylvania to two avid readers. There was not a room in her home that did not hold a full bookcase. She worked in the hospitality industry, owning a restaurant for twenty years and recently worked as the sales and marketing director in the hospitality/tourism industry and is credited with building traffic to capacity for a local farm tour, bringing guests from twenty-two states, booked two years out. Holly has been a marketing consultant to start-up businesses and has done public speaking on the subject.

Holly has been writing all of her life and is a voracious reader of a wide variety of fiction and non-fiction, particularly political and historical works. She has written four romance novels, all set in the U.S. West in the mid 1800’s. She frequently attends writing conferences, and has always been a member of a writer’s group.

Holly is a gardener, a news junkie, and vice-president of her local library board and loves to spend time near the ocean. She is the proud mother of two daughters and the wife of a man more than a few years her junior.

Links: www.hollybushbooks.com
Twitter - @hollybushbooks
Facebook - http://www.facebook.com/#!/pages/Holly-Bush/247399131941435

Romancing Olive by Holly Bush - Review tour and giveaway

(Full Length, Early American Romance)

This review is done in conjunction with the author's virtual tour with Goddess Fish Promotions. The author will be awarding a $25 Amazon GC to a randomly drawn commenter during the tour, so comment today AND follow the tour (if you click on the tour banner above, it'll take you to a list of his tour stops) -- the more you read and comment, the better your odds of winning. You could be introduced to a great new author AND win a fun prize!



1891 . . . Spinster librarian, Olive Wilkins, is shocked to learn of her brother’s violent death at a saloon gaming table. Compelled to rescue and raise his children, Olive travels to Ohio, intending to return to her Philadelphia home with her niece and nephew. Little does she know that the children have come to love their caretaker, widower Jacob Butler. Will Olive return home without them or learn to love Jacob as well?



I wasn’t certain that I would like this story when it began, but within a couple of lines, I was hooked. It was in 1890 and I was really curious to see what would happen to this prim, proper and straitlaced thirty-something spinster calming walking into a sheriff’s office in a small farming town in Ohio.

Having been informed that her niece and nephew had been orphaned, she had come to find them and return to Philadelphia with them. The sheriff offered to take her to where they were staying and she climbed into his wagon and left for an adventure of a lifetime.

Things were not what she was used to, and it all came as a shock to her. However, she was determined to manage somehow. Being unable to take the children back right away, and being accustomed to having a maid and cook, it was fun watching as she attempted to adapt to the workload on a farm.

She was a strong willed and determined woman, and began to learn the ins and outs of this rough life. I really enjoyed reading about how she managed the house, the children, and of course the handsome young rancher.

This really isn’t a typical romance. It has a lot more to it than that. I was fascinated watching the people change, not just her, but the children, the rancher, and the people she encountered.

I would recommend this to anyone looking for a really good story about the early west. I liked it very much.

4.5/5 Flowers - It was a very good book!

 

Holly Bush was born in western Pennsylvania to two avid readers. There was not a room in her home that did not hold a full bookcase. She worked in the hospitality industry, owning a restaurant for twenty years and recently worked as the sales and marketing director in the hospitality/tourism industry and is credited with building traffic to capacity for a local farm tour, bringing guests from twenty-two states, booked two years out. Holly has been a marketing consultant to start-up businesses and has done public speaking on the subject.

Holly has been writing all of her life and is a voracious reader of a wide variety of fiction and non-fiction, particularly political and historical works. She has written four romance novels, all set in the U.S. West in the mid 1800’s. She frequently attends writing conferences, and has always been a member of a writer’s group.

Holly is a gardener, a news junkie, and vice-president of her local library board and loves to spend time near the ocean. She is the proud mother of two daughters and the wife of a man more than a few years her junior.

Links:
www.hollybushbooks.com
Twitter - @hollybushbooks
Facebook - http://www.facebook.com/#!/pages/Holly-Bush/247399131941435