More Beginnings by Iris Blobel

~~ More Beginnings ~~ by Iris Blobel

 

AMAZON US: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B071F7FPQ9/
AMAZON UK: https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B071F7FPQ9/
AMAZON AU: https://www.amazon.com.au/dp/B071F7FPQ9/

♥♦♥ BLURB ♥♦♥

Zach Taylor, an escort in Sydney, living in Hobart, enlists the help of Natasha Peterson when his teenage friend, Mia, runs away. He soon finds out that the ‘dragon’ is really more of a kitten. And although Natasha, Mia’s teacher, is attracted to him as well, she has her own problems to deal with, not to mention her initial reaction to Zach’s occupation.

Will Zach’s job keep him from a chance to be with Natasha?

Life is good for teenager Mia Levesque. But when Darren Schuster shows up in Hobart, she knows something is up once Sophie and Mark cut their weekend away short and rush home in the middle of the night. When Sophie won’t answer Mia’s questions, emotions run high, and Zach confirms Darren’s identity to Mia. Disappointed, angry, and feeling alone, Mia runs away.

Will life settle back into a routine for Mia once she finds out about the stranger in her life?

 New Beginnings have given the Levesque girls a new start in life, will More Beginnings be another chance for them?

♥♦♥ EXCERPT ♥♦♥

Zach Taylor’s young neighbour, Mia, let out a long sigh as she joined him on his front porch and sat next to him on the swing. Enjoying a cool lemonade, he invited her to grab a soft drink from the fridge as well. It was a warm summer day, and the air showed no sign of cooling down. A lot of people in Hobart were weary of the unusual hot spell for the very southern Australian city.

With another hefty sigh, Mia raked through her long, blond hair and stared into the distance. “Honestly, Zach, she’s a dragon. I’m sure she does it on purpose. She doesn’t like me. She thinks I’m spoilt.”

The dragon in question was Miss Peterson, Mia’s high school English teacher. There was no doubt that Mia liked school, and she enjoyed her classes. And even though English wasn’t her worst subject, it certainly was the toughest one, with Miss Peterson piling on homework one after the other.

Zach took a sip of his drink before he replied, “Hey, pumpkin, settle down. What’s that supposed to mean you’re ‘spoilt’?”

She lifted her shoulder in a slight shrug. “You know!”

Raising his brows, he replied, “Actually I don’t know! Isn’t she Sophie’s good friend?”

Another shrug. “Kind of, I suppose. They used to do the boxing stuff together, and since Soph’s carrying a baby, they go and enjoy coffee and cake instead every once in a while.”

Ignoring his chuckle, she went inside and helped herself to cold lemonade. She opened the can with a simple click as she returned outside and took a long sip.

♥♦♥ MEET THE AUTHOR ♥♦♥
  IRIS BLOBEL

Iris Blobel was born and raised in Germany and only immigrated to Australia in the late 1990s. Having had the travel bug most of her life, Iris spent quite some time living in Scotland, London as well as Canada where she met her husband. Her love for putting her stories onto paper has only emerged recently, but now her laptop is a constant companion.
Iris resides west of Melbourne with her husband and her two beautiful daughters.
Next to her job at a private school, she also presents a German Program at the local Community Radio.

Social Media Links: Click here to subscribe to Iris’ Newsletter Facebook
  ♠ Twitter ♠ Goodreads ♠ Bookbub ♠ Instagram ♠  Bookbub  ♠

Clelebrating the Release Day of Just For The Holidays

I'm delighted to welcome Sue Moorcroft today for the start of her blog tour to celebrate the release of her latest book Just For The Holidays.
 

Blurb:
In theory, nothing could be better than a summer spent basking in the French sun. That is, until you add in three teenagers, two love interests, one divorcing couple, and a very unexpected pregnancy.

Admittedly, this isn’t exactly the relaxing holiday Leah Beaumont was hoping for – but it’s the one she’s got. With her sister Michele’s family falling apart at the seams, it’s up to Leah to pick up the pieces and try to hold them all together.

But with a handsome helicopter pilot staying next door, Leah can’t help but think she might have a few distractions of her own to deal with…

A glorious summer read, for you to devour in one sitting - perfect for
fans of Katie Fforde, Carole Matthews and Trisha Ashley.

 

 

Sue has kindly agreed to interview her heroine Leah Beaumont for us....

 

Sue Moorcroft: So, Leah, what’s taking you to France for all of August? It sounds lovely.

Leah Beaumont: My sister Michele said ‘Please’ a lot. She’s just ended her marriage and discovered she’s pregnant so I’m not sure that ‘lovely’ is the right word.

SM: Oh. Inconvenient.

LB: Agree. I’m on gardening leave before taking up a new post at Chocs-a-million in September and she’s feeling weak and weepy so she’s asked me to take Alister’s place. She doesn’t like driving on the ‘wrong’ side of the road and she wants me to do the outdoorsy stuff with the kids.

SM: Your kids?

LB: My kids? I don’t have kids. Natasha and Jordan are Michele and Alister’s kids. I love them to bits as their cool auntie and take them karting and stuff but I’m definitely not mother material.

SM: But you don’t mind driving on the continent?

LB: No, I like driving. I was feeling despondent at the idea of driving Michele’s big pink people carrier, ‘The Pig’, but now Alister’s coming with us to Alsace he’ll drive that and I can take my lovely Porsche. It’s a bit middle-aged but it’s a lovely drive. Pretty much everything is, when compared to The Pig.

SM: Back up! Alister’s going on holiday with you? I thought you said he and Michele have split up?

LB: It’s a novel arrangement, isn’t it? Michele asked me to go instead of him but then he said there was room for him and he’d miss the kids too much if they were away for the whole month, so there was no reason for him not to go. Michele knew Jordan and Natasha would hate her if she said ‘no’ so she said ‘yes’.

SM: You don’t need to go then! You’re free.

LB: That’s what I thought. But Michele said, ‘You’re not going to back out on me. Are you?’ To be honest, she’s in a mess and it’s impacting on the kids so it’s probably better if I’m there. I just hope that the weather’s fine so we’re not all cooped up in the gîte.

SM: Tense.

LB: I can entertain the kids for a couple of hours with a bit of a family ‘bake off’ but not for four weeks.

SM: Bake off? Are you a devoteé of the TV programme?

LB: A bit. I’m a chef by profession but I’ve moved into food products. I’m a chocolate taster. And, before you ask, yes it is a real job, and no, it’s not silly, and yes, I do get paid for it, but, no, I don’t sit around munching Mars Bars all day.

SM: Oh, OK. So what do you do?

LB: I assess chocolate and chocolate products for quality and for marketability. Yes, I do taste it, but I also create chocolates for boxed collections and trial other people’s recipes.

SM: Wow. That sounds like one of the world’s coolest jobs.

LB: I think it’s #1 on the cool list. I’m very lucky! I wish Michele would take me a bit more seriously sometimes but, apart from that, I love it.

SM: OK, well, time’s up. Enjoy your holiday in the gîte in France. Bon voyage! Try and defuse the tension between Michele and Alister – finding out she’s pregnant just as she gave Alister his marching orders couldn’t have been much fun.

LB: You’re right. And how bad can it be to live with Michele’s family at this awkward time? It’s just for the holidays.

Just for the Holidays by Sue Moorcroft (Avon) hits the shelves, tomorrow,on 18^th May 2017. getBook.at/JustfortheHolidays

Author Bio:
Best-selling author Sue Moorcroft writes contemporary fiction with occasionally unexpected themes. The Christmas Promise rose to #1 in the Amazon Kindle chart; The Wedding Proposal, Dream a Little Dream and Is this Love? were all nominated for Readers’ Best Romantic Read Awards and Darcie’s Dilemma for Readers’ Best Short Romance. Love & Freedom won the Best Romantic Read Award 2011 and Dream a Little Dream was nominated for a RoNA in 2013. Sue’s a Katie Fforde Bursary Award winner, a past vice chair of the RNA and editor of its two anthologies.

Sue also writes short stories, serials, articles and writing ‘how to’. 

Sue’s book: Just for the Holidays,

is available from tomorrow ~the 18th May

 

 

You can find Sue Moorcroft at:-

Website: www.suemoorcroft.com. 

Blog: https://suemoorcroft.wordpress.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/sue.moorcroft.3
Facebook author page: https://www.facebook.com/SueMoorcroftAuthor
Twitter @suemoorcroft
Google+: google.com/+Suemoorcroftauthor
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/suemoorcroft
Instagram: suemoorcroftauthor
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/862993.Sue_Moorcroft
Take Five Authors: https://takefiveauthors.wordpress.com

Healing Seas ~ New Release

I'm delighted to share in fellow author and good friend Christina Lorenzen's release of her latest book Healing Seas.

In just a matter of days, Addie Mayfield’s life is upended. Through an arrangement her father makes, she sets sail on the RMS Titanic as governess to the two young Fairchild children. When tragedy strikes, she finds herself rescued alongside strangers on the RMS Carpathia, headed for New York City. Far from home, she is taken in by the O’Reilly family to wait for her family to send for her. With no money for her passage home, she’s brought to the small hamlet of Montauk to become a caretaker for a great aunt she has never met.

Captain Frank Shea is a man without a ship. Removed from duty as captain of the RMS Morrow, he’s come to Montauk to recover from a leg injury. More painful than the injury is his fall from grace after spending his entire life at sea. The ocean was his home and he has never needed anyone. Now faced with an uncertain future, he’s desperate for a way back to the sea. Until he meets Addie Mayfield, a woman who is just as lost as he is.

Can these two people find hope for the future after all they’ve lost? Can an unexpected
love heal two broken souls?

Interview of heroine, Addie Mayfield.

CL: Tell me how you came to be traveling on the Titanic’s maiden voyage.

AM: It’s something I would never have dreamed of. My family doesn’t have a lot of money so a trip like that would be something we wouldn’t even think about. My parents have always wanted a better life for my sister Emma and I. When my father was introduced to Aesop Hancock, the owner of the Bedford Wake, which is a very fancy hotel, Mr. Hancock told him how the Fairchild family was looking for a governess to join them on a trip to the America. The family was sailing on the Titanic and eventually would head to Boston. My father thought it would be a wonderful opportunity for me to work for this family.

CL:  How did you feel about becoming a governess for the Fairchild family?

AM: Well, it wasn’t my dream. I’ve always loved art. Drawing to be exact. I thought maybe working for Mr. and Mrs. Fairchild might help me with my art career. So in that way I was excited. And the Fairchild children were just lovely.

CL: Unfortunately, things didn’t turn out as planned as the Titanic sank during the voyage. The Fairchild family did not survive, but you did.

AM: Yes. I still can’t believe it. I can’t get the images out of my head. I can’t forget what I saw. I can’t bare to think about all those people. And the Fairchilds.

CL:  You were one of over a hundred people brought to New York City on the RMS Carpathia. What happened when you arrived?

AM: I was in shock. I didn’t know what to do. I was alone. I don’t even remember all the details, but I did end up with a lovely family, the O’Reillys. If it weren’t for them I don’t know what might have happened to me.

CL: How did you come to the small fishing hamlet of Montauk after being with the O’Reilly family?

AM: I had been waiting for word from my family back in England. I thought I might be going home, when I realized they would never have that kind of money for the passage back home. An arrangement was made for me to go to Montauk to be a caretaker for my Great Aunt Tillie.

CL: You had never met Great Aunt Tillie? Had you ever heard of her?

AM: No, I never knew I had an aunt in America. She’s my father’s aunt.

CL:  Tell us about meeting Captain Frank Shea.

AM: Well, he came to my aunt’s door on the first day I had gotten there. He was quite…quite fall of himself I felt. Rather abrupt and rude. He was looking for money from Aunt Tillie.

CL:  And finally, what was it about Frank Shea that led you to fall in love with him?

AM: <blushes profusely> He just seemed to understand what I’d been through with so very few words. I didn’t have to tell him everything. He just seemed to understand. And while I thought he was rude I began to realize that he had his own wounds that he was hiding behind. He’s really quite a tender, sensitive man. I don’t know what’s going to happen in the future, but since I have to stay on here in Montauk at Aunt Tillie’s I want to spend time getting to know more about Frank. I’m beginning to feel hopeful about the future – for us both.

To Buy Links:-

Amazon UK   Amazon USA 

  

Amazon Canada   Amazon France 

 

Amazon Germany

 

Amazon Italy   Amazon Japan

 

* * * * *  

About the author...

Christina started writing as a young teen, jotting stories in wire ring composition notebooks. Her 

first typewriter made it faster to get all those stories out of her head and down on paper. Her love of writing has sustained her through a myriad of jobs that included hairdresser, legal secretary, waitress and door-­to-‑door saleswoman. 

Luckily for her, writing proved to be successful and a lot less walking than going door to door. Healing Seas, her first historical romance, is Christina's fifth book. She is also the author of A Husband for Danna, its sequel, A Wife for Humphrey, Snow Globe Reunion and Harvest Blessings. She is busy working on a modern retelling of the classic tale, Rapunzel. When she isn't writing or reading, she can be found walking her dog, talking to her herd of cats and spending time with her family.

 

Social Media links:

Website: www.christinalorenzen.com

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ChristinaLorenzenAuthor/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/ChrisFoxLorenz

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/christina_lorenzen/

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/8472143.Christina_Lorenzen

 

Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Christina-Lorenzen/e/B00NI9ELKA/ref=sr_ntt_srch_lnk_2?qid=1493299929&sr=8-2

 

 

Betth Elliott joins Books Revisited today.

Today it is a pleasure to welcome Beth Elliot who is sharing her book

~The Rake's Challenge~ on Books Revisited.

 

WHAT DOES IT TAKE TO CHALLENGE A RAKE?

Suppose you were one of Regency London's most notorious rakes; gambling, racing, duelling, having your pick of exquisite women and all to excess. No matter how scandalous your latest exploit is, everyone fawns on you because you’re titled and wealthy. Bor-ing!! But you chance upon a girl being molested by a pair of drunken young bloods. She is alone, so you have to rescue her - and dammit!! - advise her - not once but time after time. The chit has her own outrageous ideas of living a life of adventure but she always ends up in trouble. You can't abandon your protegee...not when your mistress is out to ruin her and the Prince Regent has a lascivious eye on her!

Giles and Anna
Another day, another duel for Giles Maltravers, Earl of Longwood. London’s worst rake lives up to his scandalous reputation, but admits to his close friend Ned that it’s all getting wearisome. Then his father, the duke, orders him to reform and marry. Giles responds by driving out of town in search of fresh adventures. But when he sees a young lady being molested by a couple of drunken gentlemen, he rescues her.
Shaken by her narrow escape, Annabelle Lawrence reluctantly accepts help from Giles. When she declares she is setting off on a life of adventure, he recognises a kindred spirit and escorts her to her destination. A month later, they meet again in Brighton. But the agreeable summer holiday nearly goes horribly wrong when the Prince Regent is the target of a sinister plot, involving Anna. Giles has to rescue her yet again. He comes to realise that looking after her makes life more worthwhile, but of course, the path of true love does not run smooth.

What inspired this story?
I was flicking through a glossy magazine and suddenly, there was Giles, staring at me in a most arrogant and bored manner. His dark hair tumbled over his forehead, his pose radiated energy and impatience. As I gazed back, scenes of his life appeared in my mind. All I had to do was to work out which order they came in, and to find him some reason to channel his energy in a positive way. Add into this that my lifelong French friend had recently complained that in every story, all my villains were French, so I knew that had to change. And to complete the mix, my heroine is a devoted fan of Lord Byron’s poems and wants to model her life on the adventures of Childe Harold.

EXCERPT
He leaned forward and looked directly into her eyes. 'That was said in a very serious tone. What are you fleeing from, my child?'
Suddenly, there was a lump in her throat. She wanted him to put a strong arm round her, so she could lean against his shoulder and sob away all the hurt and frustration of being an unwanted stranger in her own home. She swallowed hard several times and at last managed to say, 'My mother kept me away at school until I was nineteen. And almost as soon as I came home, she had a suitor arranged for me.'
'Was that so terrible?' he asked, 'It’s the usual way of our world.'
'Yes, but he’s so old,' she exclaimed, 'at least thirty-five!'
'Ah!' he said faintly, 'my infant, I myself am thirty years of age. I shall need a cane any day now.'
She gave a shaky laugh. 'I cannot believe that, sir. Why, there is no comparison between you and cousin Frederick. He’s bald and stooping and…and he’s a parson and very conscious of his moral superiority.'
'Oh, I have no moral superiority,' he murmured, 'no moral anything, in fact.'
'Well, I’m sure you would not come running only because it was suggested you could marry an heiress, sir.'
The horses broke into a gallop. Giles muttered something under his breath and gripped the reins, slowing them to a canter. He gave a heavy sigh. 'Miss Lawrence, just what am I doing, helping you to disappear in such a way?'
Anna gave a gasp of horror. Her cheeks went white with apprehension. One shaking hand flew up to her throat. But before she could speak he went on, 'If I were a man of honour, I should undoubtedly insist on returning you to your family forthwith. But…' he shook his head, 'I do sympathise with your point of view. You see, I’m fleeing from my family also.'
She frowned over that. 'But you’re a man. You can do as you like.'
He gave a short laugh. 'Alas, not always. However, I do my best. Which is why my reputation is so bad. You do realise you must not admit to knowing me.'
'I will not be so base,' said Anna hotly. 'You are most truly a gentleman.'
He shook his head. There was a strange, twisted smile on his lips.
A short while later they were driving past high walls and soon came to a set of imposing entrance gates. The woman at the lodge confirmed that it was indeed Rosevale Court and Giles turned into the avenue. Anna surveyed the large building in silence, her hands pressed against her throat.
'I do trust you will be well treated here.' Giles swept the curricle round the circular drive and pulled up in front of the main door. Morgan leapt down to take her portmanteau. Giles helped her down without leaving his seat. Anna clung to his hand, the last bit of solid comfort in her uncertain new world.
'Thank you…for everything…' she whispered. She had to blink hard to see his face clearly.
His gloved hand briefly touched her cheek. His green eyes were glinting at her. 'Courage, little Anna. This is your first big adventure.'
The butler was standing in front of the open door. Morgan climbed back into the curricle. Giles touched his whip to his hat, gathered up the reins and then the curricle swung away. Anna took a deep breath and turned to walk through the door into her new life.

Review Ms Elliott knows how to write just the kind of Regency romance I enjoy. This is a story where two people really do get to know - and like - each other and it is full of enjoyable moments. This is a relaxing, sunny treat of a novel with much to recommend it for fans of writers like Georgette Heyer. Rachel A Hyde at Myshelf.Com

After a career teaching languages in several countries, Beth Elliott changed from writing school reports and exam papers to writing stories. Her childhood discovery of Jane Austen opened the door to a world she still goes back to with pleasure, and so most of her novels are set in the wider Regency era. Her Regency Tales are stories of intrigue, adventure and romance. It’s amazing what can befall people who simply expect to live a normal life. Beth is a member of the RNA and the Historical Novel Society. She is on Twitter as @BethElliott and Facebook as Beth Elliott. www.bethelliott.webs.com

You can purchase The Rake’s Challenge here: http://tinyurl.com/j64yvrf
And I’m very proud that the cover was designed by talented artist David Young.

Ros Rendle's Flowers Of Flanders is this week's Book Revisited

Please welcome Ros Rendle to The Heart of Romance's Books Revisited today.

Flowers of Flanders

About the book

A malicious lie between rival sisters changed lives. Which sister does Michael need to  survive?

Set just before and during WW1 this book is a commemoration of both the living and the dead and those who fought so bravery. While it’s not their story my grandparents were the inspiration for the book and it’s my Granny’s picture of the front cover.

I’ve been told the research ‘is impeccable’ which is so important for the setting to enhance the story but it’s ultimately a feelgood read about both men and women surviving intolerable times with dignity

Shortly to be published is a novella to complete the two older sisters’ story and a sequel will be coming soon set in Vichy France in 1940. A third book, set during the Cold War will follow.

Extract:~

Early summer 1912 – A town near Manchester, England

 

Rose’s heart was singing with the joy of the sun and the birds and the glossy, bright leaves above her head. She and her two younger sisters strolled home along the lane when the peace was shattered by a lot of clattering and shouting.

“What on earth is that noise?” She stopped to listen.

 Izzy, only twelve years old, grabbed Rose’s arm and whispered, “I don’t like it, Rose. What should we do? It may not be safe to venture further.”

“Oh don’t be such a wet, Iris,” Delphi said, using her given name as she often did. She tossed her head.

Rose, who always maintained the peace, answered her youngest sister, “Don’t worry Izzy, it’s probably the boys playing rowdy games.”

“I don’t think…” Delphi’s words were interrupted.

There was an ear-splitting bellow and then, “Bloody hell, Crispin.” It was a deep male sound.

Rose, certain she recognised the voice, felt her stomach churn and her heart beat faster. She had known Michael nearly all her life and loved him for almost as long.

The older girls looked at each other with widening eyes and ran. Izzy followed. Their steps were short and quick; long, narrow skirts hindered their progress. They didn’t have far to go round the corner of the lane when through the trees their fourteen-year old brother, Hector, came bounding.

Seeing his sisters he called out, “That stupid fellow Crispin has walloped Michael good and proper. We were play-acting but he’s done it now.”

“What do you mean?” wailed Izzy.

Delphi ran ahead. She held onto her hat with one hand.

“These wretched skirts,” Rose heard her say to no-one in particular as she hitched them up. “It’s alright for you Hector,” she called as he disappeared through the trees ahead of her. Rose knew that as the most active sister, it was frustrating for Delphi to endure her skirts. Many times she had said it was so much easier for men.

There were shouts at the hapless Crispin as she arrived.

Rose came with Izzy through the trees that bordered the lane. Her gaze, generally gentle and myopic, took in the situation and she looked on in horror. The sun through the branches slapped the group with searing tiger stripes. Michael stood with head bowed. The deep gash on his forehead was a slash of vermillion vividness which dripped unheeded; a violent splash on his shirt, so white. A long log of wood lay at his feet and three other lads stood and looked aghast but clueless.

Delphi’s voice rose as she berated them all for their stupidity but Crispin, as the main culprit, received her full wrath.

“You’re fighting with sticks! What on earth for?” Delphi demanded. “Hector you should know better,” she continued, looking at her brother who had got back to the scene of the crime ahead of her. With the full force of her words again upon Crispin she added, “That’s a dirty great log. It’s not even a stick, you dolt.”

Rose saw Crispin regard Delphi. She recognised the look he gave, admiring her beautiful face with its prominent high cheekbones. Rose felt a pang of envy. Everyone looked at Delphi that way including Michael. At that moment, though, Delphi was frowning yet it still didn’t detract from her exotic looks. Her lovely dark eyes, so often dancing with fire lights glared at the culprit.

To buy link

 

About the author:~

Having worked as a Headteacher, Ros has been used to writing policy documents, essays and stories to which young children enjoyed listening. Now she has taken up the much greater challenge of writing fiction for adults. She writes both historical sagas and contemporary romance; perfect for lying by a warm summer pool or curling up with on a cosy sofa. Her books are thoroughly and accurately researched. This is her third book.

Ros is a member of the Romantic Novelists' Association and the Historical Novelists' Society.

Author link

Praise for Flowers of Flanders

An industry professional: I like the idea of setting these successive stories against the backdrops of the great conflicts of their ages, and in the strong family you have created an interesting web of family relations with some vibrant and interesting characters. You have also done a huge amount of research to anchor it in the era. There were several tear-jerking moments, and it is fascinating also to have a more female, familial perspective on the events of the Great War, as you do in Flowers of Flanders.

An Amazon customer: A thoroughly good read which held me gripped right up to the end. The characters are well drawn and the descriptions of the trenches.

Samben: An engaging and heart-warming story set before and during the First World War. Ros Rendle has captured the era beautifully and has vividly portrayed the lives of people who endured such turbulent times.

 

R. E. Mullins shares It’s A Wonderful Undead Life In Books Revisited

Today please welcome R. E. Mullins who is telling us about...

It’s A Wonderful Undead Life

First in the Blautsaugers of Amber Heights series

by R. E. Mullins

How my very first book came to be…

Working as a phlebotomist in a busy medical laboratory, I spent my days sticking needles into patients collecting blood. A couple of nights a week, I helped train budding phlebotomists at a local tech college. I was surrounded by blood. So it seems perfectly natural I would begin to wonder…What would happen if a phlebotomist was turned into a vampire?

A plot began to slowly weave its way through my mind. Since it was right around Thanksgiving several co-workers were already pulling out Christmas decorations. Everywhere I went or looked I felt bombarded by Christmas—and not always in a good way.

I noticed a commercial for the holiday classic, IT’S A WONDERFUL LIFE, and for some reason it lingered in my mind. I started amusing myself with the question: What would happen if a down on her luck phlebotomist prayed for an angel and got a vampire instead?

Blurb:

It's been a rough couple of years for Cailey Kantor. Facing her first Christmas alone and bad financial news, she prays for an angel to fix her problems. Instead, a sadistic, sociopathic vampire, with the goal of starting a vampire war, attacks her and forces her to drink blood stolen from the Nosferatu Gabriel Blautsauger.

Gabe must complete Cailey's turning or she will die. In doing so he risks losing his yet unfound soulmate. But something about the lovely mortal speaks to his heart. Once her transformation is complete, he and Cailey find themselves embroiled in a battle that could cost them all they hold dear.

Faced with lies, abduction, and betrayal Cailey wonders if the vampire she is falling fangs over heart for is in it for love or if she's just a means to stop a war.

Excerpt:

     Cailey’s scrub top was gone, exposing her lacy bra, and she was in the process of stepping out of the drawstring pants. She glanced up, her gaze a bit wild. “Hurry. Hurry. I think I might explode from all this energy inside me. I feel like a popcorn maker and all the kernels are popping at once. So much pressure in here.” She dropped a hand to the juncture of her thighs and pressed it against her.

     “Cailey?” Gabe’s tone was an octave higher than normal. When she straightened up, clad only in her underwear, he gulped for air. “What are you doing?”

    “Getting ready, of course.” Holding her wadded up pants in front of her, she frowned at him. “I thought you said you knew what you were doing.”

     “I thought I did…” His voice trailed off, his gaze locked on Cailey’s tight body. How had he missed just how beautiful she was? Hidden beneath the baggy scrubs was a living miracle. He took in the slight swell of flesh above the lucky bra cupping her breasts, and his fingers itched to run down the indentation of her waist.

     She dropped the pants to the floor. “Come on. Come on, Gabe the Babe. I know all about when you were at university and all the female vamps used to chase you around and gloat if they made time with you.”

     “Ahem.” Gabe realized he had his sister to thank for this new conundrum. More than a bit leery, he asked, “What else did Metta tell you?”

     “That we’re both kind of like virgins.”

     “I beg your pardon?”

Print ISBN 978-1-61217-584-3 Digital ISBN 978-1-61217-585-0

 

Bio~ About Me
Born and raised in Joplin, Missouri, I've also resided in Tulsa, Oklahoma, Mt. Clemens, Michigan, Springfield, Missouri, and Colorado Springs, Colorado. Though I have loved each area, the Ozarks will always hold a special place in my heart and that’s why I set my fictional town of Amber Heights there.

Author side note: I gave my vampires the Blautsauger surname as it is an old Bavarian word for bloodsucker.

Buy links:  TheWildRosePress    Amazon   Kobo

Contact info: remullins.com

However, every once in a Christmas moon a rare and exciting thing happens - the gift that you didn't expect but is absolutely perfect. Finding R E Mullins was my unexpected Christmas gift this year!

It's a Wonderful Undead Life takes the best concepts and themes of the beloved Frank Capra holiday classic and completely reworks them for a creative and captivating read. Yes Virginia, it is another paranormal vampire series but happily one with truly unique features - it's own mythos and rules and an action packed story that the reader doesn't see coming

Grab yourself a cup of your favorite holiday cheer, a cozy chair and settle in for a not-too-long winter's read with It's a Wonderful Undead Life! May it be the surprise gift under your tree this year as well!

Review from Guilty Indulgence bookclub by J C Shanks

I loved this book. And I am not one to say that lightly. Fiona Tate

I purchased this book out of curiosity, I had never read a Paranormal Romance Novel before or for that matter anything Paranormal. I loved it! I couldn't put it down until it was finished and I purchased the next volume before I had finished the first.

Verified Amazon Purchaser

Colleen Donnelly's book revisited ~ Mine to Tell

 

Please welcome Colleen L. Donnelly today and discover her chosen backlist-book to share with you today.

Writing Mine to Tell:

Mine to Tell went from a NanoWriMo novel to an Amazon #1 Bestseller. Quite a trek for a seed of an idea about betrayal and forgiveness, and a budding voice I merely felt inside as an author.

A bit about the book:

"Mama, would you please tell me about my great-grandma?" Annabelle Crouse grew up under the family shame that had been there for three generations, and at the age of twenty-one she still didn't know why. The boarded-up house down the road her great-grandfather had secluded her great-grandmother in, had to hold the reason.

Denying her family's demand she let the past lay, Annabelle followed what felt like her great-grandmother's voice telling her there was another story to be told, one that was different from the accusations claiming she had been unfaithful. Stripping the house of its boards and dust, Annabelle moved in. She listened and searched for that one voice beneath the insults and criticisms of her family and fiance. She along with Kyle - a long ago childhood neighbor - together unearthing her great-grandmother's story, the one she claimed was Mine to Tell.

* * * * *

 

Not every love story begins or ends with the passion of a bodice-ripper. Some develop slowly - an occasional look or a choice word the only spark they ever know. Some endure adversity - lies, infidelity, or opposition creating flames of distrust instead of the warm thaw of a hesitant heart. And some are so unlikely, so unexpected -  no one sees the connection coming, not even the lovers themselves. "Mine to Tell" is a gentle story of adversity and forgiveness, a tale of mystery you won't forget.

 

Mine Tell Excerpt

“Mine to tell,” Kyle said suddenly. It was a jolt. I was yanked from my mental tumble into a pit of unredemption. Alex looked up too, a quizzical expression on his face. “Julianne left a story behind,” Kyle continued. “Some of it speculation and rumors by people who don’t know, and the rest of it by her own hand. It was a love story. One that was countered with suffering.”

We were all quiet. I looked at him, my heart melting as I heard his masculine voice speak of love and suffering. I wanted to lean across the table and hug him, but I was too afraid.

Alex leaned back in his chair. “What my father went through didn’t feel like love when we were little.”

“But maybe it was,” Kyle persisted, his tone smooth and even. “Does love always turn out the way we want it to?” Then he looked at me. “Julianne Crouse was a fine woman. We haven’t finished her story, but she suffered, and she was fine indeed.”

Tears came to my eyes. “Thank you,” I squeaked. Kyle stood and walked around the table to me. He helped me stand as he thanked them for their time. He retrieved Julianne’s picture, took my hand, and together we went to the door, Alex and his wife following us.

“I hope you’re right,” Alex said, running his hand through his thin, brittle hair as we stepped outside. “My father had some things to come to terms with, but he was a good man. A better man later in life, when he told us he was sorry. I never knew for what.”

Buy it Here

 

A little bit about Colleen L. Donnelly who resides in the Midwestern United States. Born and raised in this central part of the country, she eventually broadened her horizons by exploring and experiencing other areas and cultures until she returned to her home ground to settle for good. Colleen always knew, or was told, she could/should write, but there was never enough time until education, family, and career were well established.

 

Now she loves creating character driven tales, telling her stories with a literary style that flows at a gentle and smooth pace. Besides writing, Colleen enjoys the outdoors, theater, treasure hunting through antique malls and flea markets, and rubbing shoulders with other creative people. Colleen always has her eyes and ears open for that one statement or unexpected incident that sprouts like a tiny seed into her next new novel.

 

My website  

 

Mine Tell Excerpt

“Mine to tell,” Kyle said suddenly. It was a jolt. I was yanked from my mental tumble into a pit of unredemption. Alex looked up too, a quizzical expression on his face. “Julianne left a story behind,” Kyle continued. “Some of it speculation and rumors by people who don’t know, and the rest of it by her own hand. It was a love story. One that was countered with suffering.”

We were all quiet. I looked at him, my heart melting as I heard his masculine voice speak of love and suffering. I wanted to lean across the table and hug him, but I was too afraid.

Alex leaned back in his chair. “What my father went through didn’t feel like love when we were little.”

“But maybe it was,” Kyle persisted, his tone smooth and even. “Does love always turn out the way we want it to?” Then he looked at me. “Julianne Crouse was a fine woman. We haven’t finished her story, but she suffered, and she was fine indeed.”

Tears came to my eyes. “Thank you,” I squeaked. Kyle stood and walked around the table to me. He helped me stand as he thanked them for their time. He retrieved Julianne’s picture, took my hand, and together we went to the door, Alex and his wife following us.

“I hope you’re right,” Alex said, running his hand through his thin, brittle hair as we stepped outside. “My father had some things to come to terms with, but he was a good man. A better man later in life, when he told us he was sorry. I never knew for what.”