Category Archives: The Wild Rose Press

The Power of the Mask

31 Monday Oct 2011

Posted by in charades, Elizabeth Means, Halloween, Lilly Gayle, masks, romance novels, The Wild Rose Press, TWRP

≈ 4 Comments

Happy Halloween my fellow bloggers and blog followers. Today I have guest blogger Elizabeth Means talking about The Power of the Mask–and her new release, Dangerous Charade.

Welcome Elizabeth!

All Hallows Eve…the night ghosts of the dead return to earth to wreak havoc upon us mere mortals.  That’s what the Celts believed some 2000 years ago.  They also believed if one absolutely had to go out on this most treacherous of all evenings a mask should be worn for protection.  The theory being  the wicked spirits would be unable to identify anyone wearing a mask and therefore would pass them by without causing harm.  
Perhaps the dead can easily be fooled by something as simple as a mask but I don’t believe the living can be.  It seems to me, rather than hiding our identity masks only serve to better reveal the true personality of the one who wears it.  It is liberating to shed our everyday persona and pretend to be someone we’re not.   Do things we normally wouldn’t dream of doing.  All without the fear of judgment or repercussions thanks to the anonymity of a mask.  Who among us doesn’t find the notion at least a teensy bit tempting? 
No doubt this is why masquerade balls have been popular social events for centuries.  And why they’re still wildly popular today in many historical romance novels.  They provide the perfect setting for flirtatious banter, coquettish games and the intricate dance of seduction.  They also provide the ideal backdrop for mystery and dare I say…murder. 
 So what are you doing on this evening of opportunity?  Chances are you plan to hand-out candy at the door.  Then around nine o’clock you’ll see there are only a few Snickers left so you’ll turn out the light, eat them and go on about your normal routine. 
Live a little.  Go get a mask, put it on…and play.   Seduce your lover in a way that blows their mind, fool your neighbors, play tricks on little goblins that come to your door.  Throw restraint to the wind, just for one evening.
It’s Halloween!  What are you waiting for?
BLURB: Dangerous Charade
To escape an arranged marriage Gabrielle Broussard flees her home to become an undercover investigator with an elite, all-female investigative agency.  Her first assignment, as governess at Westford castle to investigate the suspicious death of the Countess of Westford, quickly becomes complicated when she finds herself attracted to her number one suspect.
Lord Julian Blackwell is a survivor.  After his father’s bankruptcy, he becomes a self-made man in Victorian England’s booming industrial era.  Trapped into a loveless marriage, he has survived the shock of his wife’s sudden death.  But now he must survive rumors and outright accusations.  Hiring a private agency to investigate and prove his innocence seems like a good idea…until desire threatens to compromise both the case and the life of the investigator.
EXCERPT: Dangerous Charade
Gabrielle raced across the lawn toward a side entrance most often used by the servants at Westford. Dawn was breaking and she needed to move fast. If anyone saw her, she would be hard-pressed to explain why she was returning from a ride at this time of day, in the dark. And carrying a fancy parasol, no less.
She’d almost reached the door when Julian’s voice cut through the still morning air like a knife.
“Gabrielle.”
“Oh!” Her free hand flew to her mouth as she whirled toward the sound of his voice. He stood close to the building, hidden in the shadows. “My lord, you nearly scared me to death! I didn’t see you there.”
“Clearly.”
“Just what are you doing out here, lurking about in the shadows?” she demanded, adrenaline pumping.
“What am I doing?” He stared at her incredulously. “Not that I owe you any explanation for my actions while on my own estate, but I came out to watch the sunrise. What the devil are you doing?”
“I was…checking on Buttercup. I’m told she’s been acting strangely.” Gabrielle took a few more steps toward the building. “But—good news—it appears she’s doing fine.”
In a flash Julian was between her and the door. He regarded her closely. “That doesn’t explain why you’re lugging a parasol around in the dark.”
Gabrielle swallowed hard. She saw his green eyes narrow. “One never knows what one might encounter lurking about in the shadows. I may have needed it to defend myself from something. Or someone,” she added pointedly.
Julian stepped closer to her; they were less than an arm’s length apart. “Do you think you need it now?” The suggestive tone in his voice was unmistakable.
Her breathing quickened, and she averted her gaze. “What I think is that you are most unnerving.”
Julian reached out and tilted her chin up with his fingers. “What kind of game are you playing, Gabrielle?”
She didn’t answer. And he didn’t ask again. Instead he brought his head down very slowly and claimed her mouth with his own.
Thanks Elizabeth for joining us today. Hope everyone has a safe and fun Halloween. And be sure to stop by Elizabeth’s website www.elizabeth-means.com to learn more about this amazing new author. And if you’re looking for a good read, check out Dangerous Charade. http://www.thewildrosepress.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=195&products_id=4629

Toni V. Sweeney’s Breast Cancer Message

28 Friday Oct 2011

Posted by in breast cancer, breast cancer awareness month, breast cancer survivor, romance author, romance novelist, romance novels, The Wild Rose Press, Toni V. Sweeney

≈ 6 Comments

It’s still breast cancer awareness week and today’s message to women is from fellow author and breast cancer survivor, Toni V. Sweeney.
Good to Go for Another Year
Dear Ms. Sweeney:
            The radiologist has interpreted your recent mammogram and/or breast imaging study, and we are pleased to inform you that the results are normal or benign (no evidence of cancer).
            As you know, early detection of cancer is important…
Okay, so I can breathe easier for another year.  Had my yearly oncology check, my mammo, and I’m A-OK and good to go.          
It’s been ten years now since I had the mammogram that wasn’t benign, or normal.  Ten years since I detected that small lump during a self-exam.  Ten years since I sat in an exam room, waiting for the confirmation of what I was afraid I was going to hear.
When I found what I thought was a lump, I didn’t delay making an appointment and going to a doctor.  I’m usually a wait-and-see person but this time, I decided to meet the problem head-on.  Surprisingly, it was my doctor who dilly-dallied around.  Perhaps it was because I was unemployed and uninsured at the time, I don’t know, but after the biopsy confirming his diagnosis, I was told to “go home and wait,” that he’d call me with a referral to a surgeon.
Four weeks later, I was still waiting, and becoming panicky.  After several phone calls which weren’t returned, I tried to think what to do.  I was a stranger in a strange city in a new state, so I turned to the only place I could think of:  the American Cancer Society.  Three days after speaking to someone on the phone, I was on a gurney, being wheeled into surgery for a lumpectomy.  I didn’t know that a few hours later, as soon as I walked through the door of my apartment, in fact, I would get a phone call asking me to come back—right then!—because they needed to do a second one.
Everything went well.  I proceeded through radiation therapy, driving myself to the sessions each morning for six weeks.  Then, I was started on Tamoxifen therapy instead of the traditional chemo.  I gained 60 pounds on that route, going from a svelte 109 to a lumpy 165.  Never going to lose it, they tell me, but—hey! You’re alive, so stop your complaining that you’re not attractive any more.  (Forgive my sarcasm here.  That has been, and always will be, a source of psychological upset to me.)
As to the rest of that letter…”early detection…is very important.”
Don’t I know it! 
The year before I was diagnosed, I saw an ad on TV, stating that very thing, and the man I loved made me promise I’d do those self-exams and have a mammogram each year.  I assured him I was already doing that.  Soon afterward, he died, but my promised stayed in place.
The point of all this rambling is that, no matter what the AMA or any other medical association says, I personally think self-exams are important.  Early detection counts.  Train yourself to do the exam at the same time every month.  After your period is a good time, because then the breasts are sensitive to touch and you’re able to find lumps easier.  Some women prefer to do them in the shower, using soap and water to aid sliding fingers over surfaces; some prefer to lie prone; some stand in front of a mirror…but all do them, and that’s what counts.  Even if you find what you think is a lump and it turns out to be simply a swollen gland…well, that’s good, too, because you found something and you had it checked.
Keep doing just that, and let’s head off breast cancer at the pass!
 
Toni, your story is similar to so many stories I hear as a mammogapher. I’m so glad you did NOT ignore the lump. Too often, women ignore those lumps and the warning bells in their heads. They justify not going to the doctor because they assume it’s just another cyst or feel secure because they don’t have a family history of breast cancer. I didn’t have a lump or a family history but I was diagnosed with stage 1 (sneaking into the stage 2 category) invasive carcinoma and DCIS (ductal carcinoma insitu) on a screening mammogram.
So, please ladies, don’t ignore ANY changes in your breasts. Do self breast exams. Know your breasts. If you feel a lump, see your doctor. If you are under 35, he may not order a mammogram because of your breast density, but please insist on a breast ultrasound. Breast cancer in women under 40 isn’t common. But it happens. EVERY day. So be aware. Get informed. And if you’re over 40, schedule an annual mammogram. 
And now a bit about Toni~
AUTHOR BIO:
Toni V. Sweeney was born some time between the War Between the States and the Gulf War.  She has lived 30 years in the South, a score in the Middle West, and a decade on the Pacific Coast and now she’s trying for her second 30 on the Great Plains.  Her first novel was published in 1989. An accomplished artist as well as writer, she has a degree in Fine Art and a diploma in Graphic Art.  Toni maintains a website for herself and her pseudonym Icy Snow Blackstone, and has been associated with the South Coast Writer's Association, the Pink Fuzzy Slipper Writers, several other writer’s loops, myspace, Facebook, and YouTube. Her latest novel is Runaway Brother (Class Act Books, http://www.classactbooks.com/Runaway-Brother-by-Icy-Snow-Blackstone-Trade_p_308.html) and her next book, due for released November 15, is Blood Bay, a thriller, also to be released by Class Act Books.  It will be her 27th novel. 

Breast Cancer Screening Update

26 Wednesday Oct 2011

Posted by in breast cancer, Breast Cancer Awareness, breast cancer survivor, Lilly Gayle, The Wild Rose Press

≈ 8 Comments

In 2009, the US Prevention Service Task Force (USPSTF) a government agency, issued new recommendations  for mammograms and breast cancer screenings. This controversial new recommendation suggested women younger than 50 without a family history of breast cancer didn’t need an annual mammogram. They also recommended that screening exams for women between 50 and 74 were needed every OTHER year, not annually. This reversed the USPSTF’s 2002 recommendations and went against the American Cancer Society and the American College of Radiology, both of which recommend baseline mammograms at age 35 and annual screenings of ALL women after age 40. There’s also no cut off age, as healthy women in their  early to mid 80’s should still have mammograms.
The USPTF’s recommendations to NOT screen before age 50 was based on a study that showed screening 1,330 women over age 50 saved one life but it took 1,904 screening mammograms to save the life of one woman in the 40-50 age group.  Hmm. I’m betting that one woman was damn glad she got screened!
The agency also suggested that screening led to false positives which then led to negative biopsies. They implied the biopsies were unnecessary. I don’t know about you, but I’d rather have 4 negative biopsies than 1 positive one. Oh. Wait. I’ve had one of each. And let me tell you, after being diagnosed with breast cancer in 2007, I was relieved my 2008 biopsy was negative. 

The thing is, doctors are not going to biopsy women willy nilly. If a doctor recommends a biopsy, it’s because the radiologist saw something suspicious in the breast. It may turn out to be a cyst, lipoma, fibroadenoma, inflammation, or fibrocystic changes. But it could also be cancer. I’m not willing to bet my life on it and I don’t think most informed women would either.
The truth is, doctors have been ordering mammograms since the 1940’s but it wasn’t until the 1990’s that the government (and insurance companies) recognized the need for early detection and the need for screening mammograms.  From 1940 to 1990, the death rate from breast cancer remained unchanged. From 1990 to present day, more women are getting screening mammograms and the death rates from breast cancer have decreased by 30%. That in itself says a lot about the need for early detection. Also, breast cancer is usually more aggressive in women younger than 50. 

Honestly, I think extending the life expectancy of everyone is a good idea, but it is an especially good idea for women under 50. Early detection saves lives and women in a breast cancer screening program who are diagnosed with breast cancer are more likely to be diagnosed in stage one than women who find a palpable lump. Any woman who has annual clinical breast exams and a mammogram is in a breast screening program. And the program works better if the patient has their mammogram at the same facility each year. 
If you decide to change facilities, remember to have your prior mammograms sent to the new facility.

Many doctors have chosen to ignore the US Prevention Service Task Force’s mammogram recommendation. Unfortunately, the task force recently denounced self-breast exams. The agency claimed women didn’t know how to do them and would therefore, stress needlessly if they found a lump that was actually normal glandular tissue. Now imagine how much more stress those women would undergo if they followed the government guidelines and stopped doing self-breast exams and were later diagnosed with breast cancer after the doctor found a palpable lump on clinical breast exam. I’m betting most women would rather find a lump that wasn’t a lump than not find a lump that was cancer.

So please, follow the recommendations of The American Cancer Society, The American College of Radiology, The FDA, and a mammogapher who happens to be a breast cancer survivor. If you are older than 20, do self breast exams. If you are older than 25, have your doctor or medical health provider do a clinical breast exam each year. If you are 35, have a baseline mammogram and then once you turn 40, have a mammogram every year. If you find a lump, have unilateral nipple discharge that is bloody or green, see your doctor. If you have a mother diagnosed with cancer before age 50, subtract 10 years from her age and that is when you should have your first mammogram.

Know your breast. Be informed. And get screened!

Conquering the Abyss by Mackenzie Crowne

21 Friday Oct 2011

Posted by in breast cancer, Breast Cancer Awareness, breast cancer awareness month, romance novelist, romance stories, romance writers, The Wild Rose Press

≈ 30 Comments

Today’s blog needs little introduction. So, I will just say thank you to my new cyber friend and fellow TWRP author, Mackenzie Crowne.
Cancer. 
Though it’s not a four-letter word, it sure conjures up a lot of them.  Fear, sick, pain, loss, hell, dead, you get the drift.  I can’t tell you the first four-letter word that popped into my mind when I got the call diagnosing me with stage-three breast cancer.  My mother would wash out my mouth with soap. 
At the time I was a healthy forty-seven years old.  I’d been married to a great guy — since about the end of the bronze age — we’d raised two wonderful boys to special men, and I’d just become a grandmother.
It was October.  You know — Breast cancer awareness month.  Suddenly everywhere I looked there were pink ribbons, and survivors were coming out of the woodwork like members of a secret society, calling to me to enter into the fold.  But I didn’t feel I belonged.  I wasn’t anything like those women.  They danced, victorious on the other side of an abyss, while I staggered under quiet disbelief.
I’m normally a, the glass is half-full, kind of woman, but these circumstances weren’t normal.  My glass had dropped to the floor, shattering into a thousand different pieces, a thousand different emotions.  I was overwhelmed, and no amount of superglue, or duct tape, was going to put my glass back together.
Some wise person once said, ‘Life happens.  It’s time to pull on your big girl panties and deal with it.’
Big girl panties in place, I took those first, staggering steps toward survival. Three life-altering years later, I have somehow found my way from cancer patient to survivor.  I didn’t do it alone.
My family and friends were there for me as I went through double mastectomies, chemotherapy, radiation, and numerous reconstructive surgeries.  They were there for me when I was scared, when I hurt so badly I cried, when I lost my hair, and when I was too sick to stand.  I can’t express how blessed I am to have them all in my life.
Having said that, the one thing they couldn’t do was fight the battle for me.  I had to do that on my own.     In an effort to remain sane in the midst of insanity, I relied on many different internal forces.  There are too many to mention here.  The following are the top three on my list of lifesavers.
Number one is my faith.
 
Don’t get me wrong, I don’t mean to belittle the many doctors, nurses, and other health care professionals I’ve become acquainted with in the past three years.  I’ve met some very talented, very dedicated people.  But even as well-trained as they all are, what they do is not an exact science.  They couldn’t give me assurances.  The best they could do was increase the odds of my survival.  I needed those assurances.  I found them in my faith. 
I can’t tell you how many times I climbed into God’s lap, spiritually speaking, to rest in the confidence of His love. I think of the practice as slipping into Scarlett O’Hara mode. 
‘I can’t think about that right now,’ Scarlett said. ‘If I do, I’ll go crazy. I’ll think about that tomorrow.’
Scarlett, I know the feeling. 
I was Scarlett so often during the past three years, I may as well have been wearing a dress made out of drapes.  I think I even started to speak with a southern accent.  As long as I didn’t have any cancer related appointments on my calendar that day, I handed future stresses to God, and considered myself on cancer vacation. 
Thank you, God, and thank you, Scarlett.
Number two is remembering to laugh.
Chemo days- Mac with her granddaughter.

Many of the things I heard during my battle were ridiculous.  Like the day I was asked, ‘When would you like to start chemo?’  Um, let me think.  Never?  Others things were downright funny.  Believe it or not, I am a woman who was once asked the question, ‘Where would you like your nipple?’

Then there was the day I was changing clothes in front of a mirror and noticed a dime sized blood-blister at the center of one of the incisions from reconstructive surgery.  It was on the side where I’d had radiation, and my first thought was, Oh crap, what now?
My daughter-in-law took one look, and said, ‘Mac, that isn’t a blood blister.  That’s your implant!”
By ten that morning, I was booked for emergency surgery.  I’d already spoken to the doctor, the hospital, and my insurance company when the phone rang.  The call was from my plastic surgeon’s office assistant.
‘We have a problem,’ he said.                                     
‘What’s that?’
He went on to explain that the implant contact at the hospital was on vacation, so he hadn’t been able to procure the new implant I would need.  They had implants on hand at the office, but with the doc in surgery all day, he wouldn’t be returning there before he was to meet me later that afternoon.  A courier could be called, but we’d be cutting it close, time wise.
‘So, you want me to come get the implant?’ I asked.
‘I can’t believe I’m asking this, but yes.  Would you mind?’
I could have said no, and let a courier deliver it, but hey, how many woman can say they’ve driven across town with their boobs in the passenger seat?  So, I walked into the hospital with my new boob, and two spares, in a box.
‘What have you got there?’ the registering nurse asked as he led me back into pre-op.
‘I picked up the new implant from the doc’s office,’ I explained.
He opened the box and looked inside, the looked up, confused.  ‘There are three in here.’
“Yeah, well,’ I said.  ‘I think the doc is planning to make me into a Picasso.’
Remember to laugh.
Number three is the keeping of a journal.
 
As a writer, I suppose writing down my thoughts was a natural thing for me to do, but I’d never actually kept a journal before.  The daily focus helped me deal with the wild swing of emotions I was experiencing.  It also had an unexpected benefit. 
Shortly before I began chemotherapy, I read back over my entries from those first few weeks.  I was concerned at what I found.  The entries documented my nearly complete absorption in the diagnosis.  It was as if my real life, the one that had come to a screeching halt with that fateful phone call, had all but disappeared. 
My words described the thoughts and fears of a victim.  I had become a woman with a dark present, and a bleak future.  Externally, I was waging battle.  I had chosen the most invasive of surgeries, and the most aggressive of treatments, but internally, I seemed to be embracing defeat.
In contrast, interspersed throughout the dark entries in my journal, were a handful of positive memories that stood out like bright beacons of light.  I was drawn to them.  They were glimpses into the soul of the woman I used to be, before the diagnosis had left me paralyzed.
Disgusted, I made an effort to find more of those moments; like my wonder at the rainbow off my back patio one morning, or the beauty of the hummingbird that visited the feeder several times a day, or my laughter at some silly comment my granddaughter had made.
If you’ve received a similar diagnosis, I know what you’re thinking.  Really, lady?  You’re telling me to look for rainbows, hummingbirds, and silly comments from a toddler?  I’m facing having a chunk of my breast removed, or the whole of it, and having toxic chemicals shot through my veins until I’m so ill I can hardly stand. 
Yes, you are, and I’m the first one to agree, that sucks.  But if you’re going to beat breast cancer, treatment is an inescapable fact.  There’s no getting around it, and no matter what protocol is prescribed, some of it won’t be pleasant. 
The next year, at least, is going to be jammed full of cancer related appointments, constantly reminding you of your diagnosis.  The cancer battle can easily become a vortex, sucking you in, until nothing else exists.  It’s debilitating and demoralizing, and human nature being what it is, it’s very easy to let yourself come to be defined by your cancer. 
But by definition, fighting cancer is a battle.  I didn’t want it to be my cancer.  I wanted to defeat it.  I wanted it gone. 
It may seem insignificant to focus on the flight of a hummingbird in the midst of mastectomies and toxic treatments, but amazingly, focusing on the world beyond the vortex reminded me there was a whole existence out there that had nothing to do with cancer.  It was a turning point for me.  Thanks to those little blips of joy life delivered, I began to claw my way back from the dark, and I was able to take those first tentative steps toward the other side of the abyss.  Toward victory.
As I write this, it has been almost four years since I found the lump that changed my life.  It’s been a long and arduous adventure.  I’ve experienced a range and intensity of emotions I never expected, and if you’ve received a similar diagnosis, you will as well.  If you’re like me, you’ll know disbelief and fear, anger and frustration, but you’ll also know humor and hope.
Yes, being diagnosed with breast cancer is devastating. Yes, it’s frightening, and the treatment is horrendous.  And yes, my life has changed.  So will yours.
Keep in mind that not all changes are bad.  Facing this kind of illness strips you down to the bare bones of life, and forces you to focus on what is important.  In my case, that change has been a positive development on so many levels.
It goes without saying that family and friends come first, but since my diagnosis, I’ve also learned to allow myself my dreams.  These days, I treat my love of writing with more respect.  Five manuscripts later, six actually, as I finished another just this week, I’m seeing results.  GIFT OF THE REALM, my first published novel, will be available this spring through The Wild Rose Press, with more to come.   
I’ve met many women who have gone before me, and many of them faced this disease without the incredible medical and technical advances that we have at our disposal today.  If there is one common characteristic I’ve seen in all the survivors I have met, it would be strength. 
If you are just beginning your walk through this frightening disease, you probably don’t feel strong.  Don’t beat yourself up if that is the case.  You’ll get there.
Remember that everything they throw at you is doable.  Take cancer vacations as often as possible.  Allow yourself to take things one-step at a time, and try not to stress over what comes next.  It will come whether you stress over it or not. 
Remember to laugh, and try Scarlett on for size.  She not only dressed well, she was a smart woman.  Lastly, whether you know Him or not, God knows and loves you, and hears your pleas.  His lap is always available. 
Mac today, posing with a good friend.

So, close your eyes, take a deep breath, and take that first step toward conquering the abyss.  I’m dancing on the other side.  I’ll see you there.

Mac
You can find Mackensze on Facebook at
https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100002947742754
Or on her blog at  http://macsmadmania.blogspot.com/
And coming this spring, her first published novel, 
Gift of the Realm will be available from The Wild Rose Press.

Book Signing and Blogging

30 Friday Sep 2011

Posted by in blogs, book signing, Caroline Clemmons, Lilly Gayle, OUT OF THE DARKNESS, Slightly Tarnished, The Wild Rose Press, Wholesale Husband, writing tips

≈ 2 Comments

Me with my mom at Stovall’s last year when OTD was released.

On Saturday October 1, 2011, I will be signing books at Stovall’s Gifts: 101 Main St. Oxford, NC.
I’ll have at least 10 copies of Wholesale Husband, my American historical, 6 copies of Slightly Tarnished, my British-set historical, and 3 copies of my paranormal vampire romance, Out of the Darkness.

If you live in the area, please stop by. I’d love to see some friendly faces and meet some new folks.

I’m also blogging at Caroline Clemmons’ blog today. http://carolineclemmons.blogspot.com/2011/09/lilly-gayle-discusses-her-writing-plus.html Stop by and comment for a chance to win an e-copy of one of my books!

Release Day is Today!

28 Wednesday Sep 2011

Posted by in historical romance, Lilly Gayle, new release, romance novel, The Wild Rose Press, TWRP, Wholesale Husband

≈ 2 Comments

Today is release day for my American historical, Wholesale Husband.

Blurb:

She needs his name. He needs her money. But can a rich New York socialite and a poor Irish immigrant find true love in the gilded age?
Betrayed by her fiancé and heart sick over her father’s death, Clarissa Burdick is further devastated when she learns she can’t inherit her father’s company—the company she loves—until she’s twenty-five or married. And Clarissa is neither. So she sets out to find a husband strong enough to protect her from her uncle’s thugs, too uneducated to run the company himself, and poor enough to marry a woman in name only.  But Irish immigrant Devin Flannery is smarter than he seems and more educated than Clarissa expects.  Her Wholesale Husband soon proves a greater risk to her heart than her company.
Excerpt:

“This is a serious proposal,” she insisted, gnawing her lip.
            “Who are you codding?” He leaned forward, stretching his leg, ready to descend from the suffocating confinement of the hansom cab.
            Again, she stayed him with a touch and again, his body reacted to the contact in a most unwanted way. He narrowed his eyes and pried her hand from his wrist.
            “Surely, you’ve heard of marriages of convenience,” she insisted rather desperately as she rubbed her wrist. “Well, this is an honest proposal. If you come with me to Mr. Tate’s office, I can give you a copy of the contract outlining a proposed marriage agreement between us. If you don’t trust my word or that of my attorney’s, then you can find someone to read the documents to you before you sign them.”
            She rubbed her wrist again. He considered apologizing for his rough handling but after her last comment, he thought better of it. Even after he’d confessed to some schooling, she still thought him too stupid to read.
Well, if she wanted a dumb Irishman, he’d give her one.
            “Aye, lassie. I’ll not be taking yer word for it and that’s fer sure.”
            “Then you’ll come with us?” 
            There must be something seriously wrong with me. But he’d play along, just to see how far Miss Burdick would take this dangerous game she played.
            “Aye,” he all but snarled. “I’ll go with you to the lawyer’s office, but I ain’t signing nothing until someone I trust has a look at those papers.”
            Miss Burdick’s luminous smile shone like the sun bursting through the clouds on a stormy day. Devin’s heart dropped to his stomach. Fiona would smile like that if he had the money to send her to that fancy boarding school.

Damn if he wasn’t actually considering her proposal.

The book is available through the publisher at http://www.thewildrosepress.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=191&products_id=4651 

Or from Amazon:  http://www.amazon.com/Wholesale-Husband-Lilly-Gayle/dp/1601549768/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1317161945&sr=8-1

Or, you can come to Stovall’s Gifts in Oxford, NC on Saturday October 1st where I’ll be autographing copies of Wholesale Husband and Slightly Tarnished. Hope to see some new faces there!

Meet British Author, Rachel Brimble

23 Friday Sep 2011

Posted by in Lyrical Press, Paying the Piper, Rachel Brimble, romantic suspense, The Wild Rose Press

≈ 16 Comments

British author Rachel Brimble was kind enough to drop by today to answer some questions.
Thanks for visiting Rachel!
1-      When do you do your best writing? Morning? Evening? Or mid-day? And  how do you organize your writing time?
Morning, definitely – I tend to start my writing day at 9am and do an hour of interviews/blogs/emails and then spend the next four hours creatively with a ¾ hour dog walk in between. Then it’s the school run and chores…often with sneaks to and from the laptop until 7.30pm 😉
Chores sure do cut into a writer’s valuable time. Huh? lol!
 
2-      Are you a reader as well as a writer? What have you read lately?
Can you be a writer if you don’t read?? I read as much as possible and tend to have two or three books on the go at any one time. Currently reading Iris & Ruby by Rosie Thomas which is fantastic, Remember Me? By Sophie Kinsella, hilarious & Highland Arms by Cathie Dunn, fabulous Scottish romance from a lovely fellow Wild Rose Press writer.
I’ve met writers who no longer read for lack of time. I admit, I don’t read as much as I used to or as much as I’d like. But I’m trying to fit more pleasure reading into my life.
3-      How do you spend your free time when not reading or writing? Do you even have free time?
My evenings are usually spent in front of the TV with hubby and my two young daughters. On the weekend, we walk a lot. We spend hours walking our Labrador around the fantastic English countryside especially Wiltshire and the Cotswolds.
Visiting England is definitely on my bucket list!
 
Biddestone Box
4-      Since I love to travel and seldom do, I like to hear about other places. It’s one reason I love to read and write. I get to travel in my head. Much cheaper that way. Lol!  So, where do you live? What’s the climate and topography like?
See previous question, lol! I live in Wiltshire in South West England. It is full of surrounding fields and countryside steeped in history. I am attaching some pics of the surrounding villages, beautiful!
Bourton
Who needs to go on vacation with such beauty right at your back door? Gorgeous!
5-      Where is the most exotic place you’ve ever visited?
I haven’t really visited anywhere exotic yet although it is on the ‘to do’ list once the kids are grown. We’ve been to Zante and Fuerteventura which are beautiful places to holiday for sun, sea and sand.
Fuerteventura

Fuerteventura
I’ve never heard of Zante and Fuerteventura. I’ll have to Google them. I love the sea and sand too. But I usually visit the NC coast since it’s only about a 3-4 hour drive.
6-      Was it vacation, business, or research? And, have you ever combined travel and research?
Holiday – although most of the places I visit usually end up in one story or another. I think us writers just can’t help ourselves. We have to glean every idea possible from wherever we go and experience
I agree. I also find myself taking pictures of random places and things in case I ever need it for a blog or inspiration for a story.
 
    7- Where is your most recent release set?
In a bustling town in South West England – I based it on my own town but gave it a fictional name. Even though Paying The Piper is novel number six for me, I haven’t used my own town as a setting before so this one was quite easy to imagine, lol!
   8-     Tell us something about the book.
Sure. Paying The Piper is a great romance about two people fighting their demons in order to be together, set against the darker world of nightclubs.
Here’s the blurb:
Nightclub manager Grace Butler is on a mission to buy the pub where her
mother’s ashes are scattered but the owner wants to sell to anyone but her. And that owner happens to be her father…who has a secret she
will do anything to discover.
Social worker and all around good guy Jimmy Betts needs funds to buy a house
for three special kids before their care home closes. Time is running out
and he’s desperate for cash. He agrees to to a one-time ‘job’ for bad-man
Karl Butler. But in a sudden turn of events, Jimmy finds himself employed by
Karl’s beautiful, funny and incredibly sexy daughter, Grace. Their lives
couldn’t be more different, yet one thread binds them: they’re both trying
to escape the bonds of their fathers. Maybe the only way they’ll be free is
by being together, instead of alone.
Sounds like a great read!
 
9-      Lastly, what are you working on now?
I am currently writing a sexy contemporary romance that will be shorter than I usually write at around 65,000 words rather than the usual 85,000. This one is more category than single title and revolves around a heroine who wants to move her sexy lingerie and toy store next door to a single dad with four-year-old twins. Say no more… 😉
Talk about conflict. lol! That’s going to be a fun read when it’s done.
You can find Rachel’s Paying the Piper at:

http://www.lyricalpress.com/store/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=81&products_id=424

Other books by this author can be found on her website:
http://www.rachelbrimble.com/books.html

September is Ovarian Cancer Awareness Month

09 Friday Sep 2011

Posted by in Kiss and Teal, Lilly Gayle, love stories, ovarian cancer, The Wild Rose Press

≈ 8 Comments

September is Ovarian Cancer Awareness Month. And unlike breast cancer, there are no routine screening tests. Each year in the United States, more than 21,000 women are diagnosed with ovarian cancer and about 15,000 women die of the disease.One of those diagnosed this year is fellow HCRW and TWRP author Heather McCollum http://www.heathermccollum.com/

You can join Heather in her fight against ovarian cancer at https://www.facebook.com/SHOUTagainsttheWhisper?sk=wall&filter=2

Ovarian cancer is the 5th most common cancer among women.
The cause is unknown.
Some possible risk factors include:
Having no children or few children later in life.
Certain genes defects (BRCA1 and BRCA2) are responsible for a small number of ovarian cancer cases. Women who’ve had breast cancer or a family history of breast or ovarian cancer have an increased risk for ovarian cancer.
Women who take estrogen replacement only (not with progesterone) for 5 years or more seem to have a higher risk of ovarian cancer. Birth control pills, however, decrease the risk of ovarian cancer.(But can increase the risk of breast cancer.)

Older women are at highest risk for developing ovarian cancer. Most deaths from ovarian cancer occur in women age 55 and older but women in their twenties can also get ovarian cancer. It doesn’t discriminate against age.

Symptoms-

Ovarian cancer symptoms are not overt. That’s why it is known as the Silent Whisper. Often, the cancer isn’t diagnosed until the cancer has spread beyond the ovaries because the symptoms are missed altogether or miss diagnosed.

See your doctor if you have the following symptoms on a daily basis for more than a few weeks:

  • Bloating- abdominal tightness, enlargement, or consistent tenderness.
  • Difficulty eating or feeling full quickly.
  • Pelvic or abdominal pain

Other symptoms can also inclued:

  • Abnormal menstrual cycles
  • Constipation, increased gas, indigestion.
  • Pelvic heaviness
  • Swollen abdomen or belly
  • Unexplained back pain that worsens over time
  • bleeding between periods.
  • lower abdominal discomfort
  • Weight changes

A physical examination may reveal a swollen abdomen and fluid in the abdominal. A pelvic examination may reveal an ovarian mass.
A CA-125 blood test is not a screening test but it can be used if a woman:

  • Has symptoms of ovarian cancer
  • Has already been diagnosed with ovarian cancer to determine how well treatment is working

Other tests that may be done include:

  • Complete blood count and blood chemistry
  • Pregnancy test (serum HCG)
  • CT or MRI of the pelvis or abdomen
  • Ultrasound of the pelvis

Laparoscopic surgery can also be done to evaluate symptoms and take samples for biopsy. There are no lab tests or imaging test that will diagnose ovarian cancer in its early stages.

Treatment

Surgery removal of the uterus, ovaries, tubes. Or surgical removal of both ovaries and tubes.
Partial or complete removal of the fatty layer that covers the abdomen and it’s organs.
Women who have had there ovaries removed could still get ovarian cancer if ovarian cancer cells are in the omentum (fatty layer) of the abdomen.

  • Examination, biopsy, or removal of the lymph nodes and other tissues in the pelvis and abdomen

Surgery performed by a specialist in female reproductive cancer has been shown to result in a higher success rate.
Chemotherapy treatments are given after surgery and again if the cancer returns. 

For more information on ovarian cancer or to donate, please go to http://www.ovariancancer.org/about-ovarian-cancer/statistics/
Another way to support ovarian cancer research and awareness is to read an Avon Book. I don’t write for Avon, but I love some of their authors. Check out there Kiss and Teal link: http://www.avonromance.com/kissandteal/

Welcome Nancy Jardine from Scotland!

02 Friday Sep 2011

Posted by in Lilly Gayle, Monogamy Twist, Nancy Jardine, Romacne, Scotland, The Wild Rose Press

≈ 17 Comments

Hi Nancy!
When do you do your best writing? Morning? Evening? Or mid-day? And  how do you organize your writing time?

Since leaving full-time teaching a couple of years ago I have more daytime available for writing. I write around the occasional teaching day and other household commitments like gardening, which in the north-east of Scotland is very weather dependent.  I write best in the mornings, the late afternoon and evening. The post lunch session tends to be the garden one since I find it a dead time for writing anyway.
 I usually feel bogged down after lunch too.Are you a reader as well as a writer? What have you read lately?

Absolutely a reader. I can’t go to bed without reading something every day or I feel deprived…or disappointed that I’ve not organized my day well enough. I’ve been a romance junkie for years and years, but I do occasionally read other work. I just finished a (oops it’s a Harlequin) historical called ‘A Dark and Brooding Gentleman’ by Margaret McPhee. I’m currently reading two novels ‘Jezebels Wish’ by AJ Nuest and back to rereading Jayne Eyre before going to the cinema soon to see the newest film version. 

I loved AJ’s book! How do you spend your free time when not reading or writing? Do you even have free time?

I don’t really have much that I consider free time. A cup of coffee and a book is my idea of free time or when I watch a film on TV or video, which is fairly rare. I’m into Ancestry though which does eat into my day, but I love getting buried-no pun intended- in the mire of historical facts and intrigues.  

 I love historical research as well and my mom’s into genealogy. 

Since I love to travel and seldom do, I like to hear about other places. It’s one reason I love to read and write. I get to travel in my head. Much cheaper that way. Lol!  So, where do you live? What’s the climate and topography like?

Kintore Townhouse built 1747
Hallforest Castle-Kintore

I live in a village called Kintore in the north-east of Scotland, 15 miles from the city of Aberdeen, in what is usually termed ‘castle country’.  That means loads of castles on my doorstep within short car rides! It’s very picturesque, I love living here, but the weather just isn’t to be relied on. We can have all seasons in one day. This summer hasn’t made an appearance yet…we’ve had pretty constant grey skies and it’s been very cool. 53 deg Fahrenheit is not unusual for our daytime temp. If it’s a few degrees warmer we celebrate and warm up the barbeque!! Last week when hurricane ‘Irene’ hit the east coast of the US we had 65mph winds. In sympathy you might say but they’re not uncommon here, though thankfully we didn’t have much rain. We’d call it ‘just a wee summer breeze’.  That’s why my 190 year old house is made of very thick grey granite slabs!

Crathes Castle in Aberdeenshire

Wow! I love old homes. And I adore castles. We visited several while in Germany and Austria in 2008 and again in April of this year. And Scotland and Ireland are on my bucket list of places to visit one day. And these castles are definitely on the list.

Germany, Holland, Austria and the Bahamas are the most exotic places I’ve ever visited. And the Bahamas don’t have castles. lol! So, what about you? Where are some of the places you’ve been?

I’ve done a lot of European and Mediterranean travel over the years. I lived in Holland for three years and gave birth to two daughters there, so I know the Netherlands pretty well.  It was also easy enough to spend long weekends in neighboring Denmark, Germany, Belgium, France, and Luxembourg. Most of those cities have been memorable in one way and another, but not exotic for me. I’ve also been to Norway, Canada and North America but again, though fabulous, not exotic.  My daughter’s wedding and combined holiday for 14 guests was on Cuba. That was great fun and very different. Cairo for me was getting closer to being almost exotic, but I guess the most exotic place was Muscat in Oman. The stunning backdrop of dark purple rugged hills against the blue sea and white sand beaches was incredible.  

That sounds awesome. Was it vacation, business, or research? And, have you ever combined travel and research?

Being a teacher of 11-12yr olds for a long time meant being tied to school vacations.  It was pretty ironic though; I’d visit places at all the wrong times.  My husband was a Computer Consultant, working mainly for oil companies or involved in ‘energy’ projects all around the globe- always working away somewhere. I only got to visit a fraction of the places he’s been to. I was delighted to visit Calgary, but since he was working there around Christmas time it was in temps ofminus 30/32 Fahrenheit. It was so cold our Ski package was cancelled since the tows etc were closed down and my kids  were tickled with the fact that the polar bears in Calgary Zoo had a partially inside enclosure! That particular Christmas was followed by a summer vacation for me in the Middle East-dotting between Bahrain, Dubai and Abu Dhabi in temperatures of…wait for it…yes…humid  110 deg Fahrenheit. You get the drift, I think. Where my husband was working I’d tow my two daughters for a holiday, cold or boiling hot, but we did see quite a lot of the world that way.    

I have a cousin who lives in Bahrain. This summer, when NC had temps in the upper 90s to lower 100s for several weeks running in July, she didn’t even break a sweat. lol!

  Where is your most recent release, Monogamy Twist set?
I’ve only had one novel published so far. It’s a sort of contemporary history mystery set in the north of England.
8.       Tell us something about it.

     Monogamy Twist is a ‘twist’ on a Dickensian bequest theme. My handsome hero, Luke, has a surprise bequest dropped on his lap- a slightly dilapidated English estate of a woman he’s never heard of before, or ever met. Hence the mystery. To eventually inherit he has to fulfill certain quirky terms set down by the will, and to do that he needs a woman. Not just any woman though, as he also wants to unearth the secret of him being the benefactor. Enter my lovely heroine, Rhia, who just happens to be a neighbor and a family history researcher!! How convenient is that? Well, maybe not so as Rhia has some terms of her own that Luke must meet before she agrees to help him.                    

              

       Blurb- Monogamy Twist- Nancy Jardine
     Luke Salieri thought he’d seen everything. But when he inherits a dilapidated English estate from a woman he’s never heard of—and with quirky conditions besides—it’s a mystery he wants resolved immediately. There must be a woman out there who can meet his needs. But how far will he have to go to persuade her? Lucrative employment for a whole year? The job of researching the old house and its fantastic contents is enticing – but Rhia Ashton can’t see herself living with gorgeous Luke Salieri and not wanting his body as well. Can she live and sleep with him for a whole year and then walk away? Rhia has her own ideas about what will make it worth her while.
     Here’s the link: http://www.thewildrosepress.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=191&products_id=4613
      It’s also available on Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Monogamy-Twist-Nancy-Jardine/dp/1601549652/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1313524579&sr=1-1 

                       Love the cover! So, what are you working on now?

I’m nail biting at present since I sent in a second contemporary novel to TWRP. No news on that yet though. (Worldwide locations and again a bit of a mystery to solve, though no ‘history’) I’m currently revising –oh dear! yet again- an historical novel that I’m determined to ‘master’ (having been rejected a couple of times already). I’m also working on another contemporary set in European locations – Heidelberg, Vienna, The Hague, Edinburgh- not sure where else yet. (All places I’ve visited). This, too, has a bit of a history mystery to it.  I’ve also started a historical ‘saga’. My ancestry research has uncovered some very interesting family skeletons that I’m using in a piece of fiction. (Oh how naughty they were!) I’m also actively trying (and not succeeding yet) to find an agent to take on my fiction novel for 9-12yrs to help me get it published. Children’s fiction in the UK is really difficult to get into as there are no publishers who will accept un-agented work as submissions. It’s the first of a potential series and straddles the contemporary/ time travel/ and history genres. It’s set in north east Scotland in the time of the Roman Occupation of Emperor Severus around 210 AD. If anyone out there knows of an agent who’ll take me on I’d be soooo pleased with you. *hugs and kisses in anticipation*
Great questions, Lilly. I just hope my answers haven’t bored the pants off you!  Thank you very much for inviting me today, it’s been a pleasure.

Thanks for joining me. I love hearing about other places. And your WIP’s sound as good as your new release.

To learn more about Nancy, please visit: http://nancyjardineauthor.weebly.com/