As part of an on-going feature of my blog, I’ll sometimes interview characters in a Character Corner post. These interviews are uniquely different from my author interviews because they involve make-believe people who exist only in the pages of a novel and in the mind of the author who created them.  So, I’ll have to interview the author rather than the actual character—since he or she doesn’t really exist.  I only ask that the author dig deep to find that character and answer from his/her perspective.

Today, my character today is  Meg Cameron from the novel, Loving Meg, by author Skye Taylor.

Lilly- Good morning, Meg. Let’s start the interview off with an easy question. W here were you born?

Meg- Wilmington, NC, but I came home to Tide’s Way where I grew up.

Lilly- I live in North Carolina, and I just love Wilmington. I’ve never been to Tide’s Way, but there are so many coastal towns along North Carolina’s coast. What do you do for a living in Tide’s Way?.

Meg- I’ve been a Marine most of my adult life. A Marine MP. As a reservist, most of my service has been at Camp Lejeune, but during the past year I was stationed in Iraq. I just got home.

Lilly-  I’ve driven by Lejeune many times heading toward the Crystal Coast and have often wondered about the families stationed there. Thank you for your service, by the way. I can’t imagine it’s easy being a woman in the military. Are you married? Any children? What are there ages?

Meg- Being a female Marine has been a challenge at times. Sometimes you feel like you have to be better than your male counterparts just to prove you belong. But I’ve had good fellow Marines to work with, and some of them were women. Awesome Marines, all of them.

Lilly- *smiles* Ooorah!

Meg- *lips stretch into a half-smile* I am married to the most patient and supportive guy in the world, and we have two little boys: Rick who’s 8 and Evan who  just turned 5.

Lilly- Fun ages. I bet they keep you on your toes when you are home. So, what about your husband? How did the two of you meet?

Meg- Ben is my big brother, CJ’s best friend. CJ runs the only auto shop in Tide’s Way, and he let Ben fix up an old Mustang there. I used to hang out at the shop to do my homework, but I spent a lot more time watching Ben work on his car and talking. He never treated me like CJ’s bratty kid sister, and I liked that.

Lilly- But how does he feel about you being a soldier? Has it complicated the relationship?

Meg- *sighs* It has definitely complicated our relationship. Ben has had to be Mom and Dad and everything and still run his business when I’m gone. He didn’t really like the idea of me joining the Marines to get an education. He said he could help me get through school, but I didn’t think that was really fair. Anyway, he’s been a Trojan though it all. Like I said, he’s the most patient guy ever. I know he’s proud of me and that means a lot, but even more, I’ve always known he loves me no matter what.

Lilly – How do you come back from a war zone and not feel differently.

Meg- You don’t. I doubt there has ever been anyone who came home from war and not been a changed person. We go off with all these Patriotic ideas of service and freedom, but war is worse than you ever imagined. You end up being there for your fellow Marines, praying you all get the job done and get home alive and unhurt. But inside, things get broken. Sometimes things that can never get fixed.

Lilly- I can’t even imagine. My son-in-law was in the army and while it was tough having my daughter living half a world away for the last nine years, we all feel blessed that he was never deployed to a war zone. But enough talk of war. What’s going on in your life now that you’re home?

Meg- Right now I’m trying to figure out what to do next. I can resign my commission come December if I decide getting out is the best for Ben and me. But I feel so out of it. Like life went into overdrive while I was gone. Rick and Evan have grown up so fast, and I’ve missed so much. Evan started school, and I wasn’t even here to see him off on his first day. Rick lost his front teeth while I was gone, and the new ones were already grown in before I got home. Then I come home, and my life seems to be on hold. I don’t miss the danger and the horribleness, but I do miss the closeness I felt with the men and women I was deployed with. I’m just trying to sort it all out.

Lilly- I can’t imagine it’s easy for you or Ben. Reconnecting on an emotional level and finding your rhythm again can’t be easy.

Meg- It isn’t. Ben is the same patient, loving, supportive man he’s always been, but he doesn’t understand that I’m different. I’m not the same woman he fell in love with, and I can’t seem to figure out how to explain why. It’s been hard. I want to tell him everything, but I can’t. He wouldn’t understand, because he’s never been there. Whenever I have nightmares, he’s always there for me, but he thinks I should talk about them, and I just want to forget them.

Lilly- How are the two of you going to work this out?

Meg- If I knew the answer to that, there wouldn’t be any problem, would there?

Lilly- Lack of communication is a big issue.  Are there any other obstacles preventing the two of you from getting back to how things were before you left?

Meg-  Well, there’s Kip. My husband breeds and trains dogs for police work. The day after I got home, a cop from the Wilmington PD brought him a dog who’s handler had been killed in the line of duty, and the dog wasn’t handling it well. Ben’s brother suggested maybe Ben could help. But one of the worst of my nightmares is about the military working dog that was attached to my unit that got killed by an IED. So every time I see Kip, who looks far too much like Scout, it’s like I’m seeing a ghost. I’ve got to get over it, I know, but it’s tearing me up. I don’t want to burden Ben by telling him about Scout because it would break his heart. He loves dogs, and it would just tear him up. Other than that, it’s just all on me. I’ve got to pull myself together and get over it. I don’t think I have PTSD, but it’s still hard being home. It’s hard believing I’m safe and not being afraid.

Lilly- So, do you think there’s a happily ever after in your future?

Meg- There better be. I have to believe it will get better. Breaking Ben’s heart or hurting my little boys is not something I ever want to do.

Lilly- I have faith that it will all work out, because you seem to really love Ben. And that can make all the difference. I’d love to talk more, but we need to wrap this up. But before I let you go, are there any last comments before I turn this interview over to  Skye?

Meg- Yes. Ask your readers to pray for all the soldiers, Marines, sailors, guardsmen and airmen who are sent to war. Pray that they come home safe and that they have someone like Ben waiting for them when they do.

Lilly- *snifs* Oh, Meg, you’ve just made me cry. God bless you and all the men and women who serve in our armed forces, and God bless their families.

Author bio:

Skye Taylor lives in Florida where she divides her time between writing novels, walking the beach, occasionally dressing up as a 17^th century Spanish colonial and participating in historical re-enactments in old St Augustine, and trying to keep her to-be-read pile from taking over the house. She considers life an adventure and in a world of people who ask why, she has decided to ask “why not?” She spent two years in the South Pacific with the Peace Corps (2002-2004). She’s jumped out of perfectly good airplanes and earned a basic sky diving license. She loves to travel and has visited twenty-six states and fourteen countries on four continents and the South Pacific. Her bucket list includes at least that many more places to see. Having been born and lived most of her life in New England where her children grew up, she is now a transplanted Yankee soaking up the sun, warmth and history of St. Augustine. She’s a member of Women’s Fiction Writers Association, RWA, Florida Writer’s Association and Ancient City Romance Authors. Her published works to date: Non-fiction: Essays on life in the Peace Corps (2003), Fiction: Whatever It Takes (2012), Falling for Zoe (2014) and Loving Meg (2014.) Trusting Will, due out in 2015 and the short Tide’s Way story out just this month, Loving Ben.

Book blurb:

LOVING MEG – When Meg Cameron joined the Marines to get an education, she never counted on being deployed to a war zone. Now that she’s home, both she and her husband Ben are beginning to realize the toll war, guilt and regrets have taken on their marriage. Out in Ben’s kennels, there’s a dog named Kip, a police K-9 who lost his handler and his spirit to a perp with a gun. While Ben tries to help these two wounded warriors find healing, Meg struggles to fit back into her civilian life. As Meg debates returning to active duty, a move that would surely end in another deployment, Ben’s fears climb. What if her pain and confusion take her back into harm’s way again, and he lost her forever?

Excerpt for LOVING MEG

Meg shot out of bed. It was the middle of the night. Where was she? The room was cold. Not Baghdad! She shivered. She was home. In her bedroom. Immediately her heart rate eased off its frantic pace. She slid her feet to the floor and stood.

She shivered again and stepped silently away from the bed. The sexy red shirt was probably still on the kitchen counter. She groped blindly in the ink-dark closet she shared with Ben, hunting for her bathrobe. Unable to locate the robe, she settled for a soft chamois shirt of Ben’s that came nearly to her knees. She wrapped it about herself and crossed the room to the window.

Ever since that first night so far from home, she’d had daydreams about her first night back home. Daydreams of sleeping in their luxurious, king-sized bed where she could spread out and get really comfortable. Sleeping the whole night through without the sound of war at her doorstep. And being able to reach out and touch Ben any time she wanted to.

But it hadn’t turned out anything like the daydreams that had gotten her through their year of separation. After a year on an army cot, she wasn’t used to sprawling, or sharing her bed. Ben seemed too close, too possessive, even in his sleep. His arm draped across her middle, his breath in her hair. It felt claustrophobic.

Meg had gotten used to sleeping the way soldiers have always slept, half on alert and ready to respond in an instant. She’d grown accustomed to having people awake and moving about, on guard while she slept. But home was eerily still with just the little creaking sounds of a settling house and no one keeping watch.

She’d been dozing fitfully, and now that she thought about it, she decided it must have been Ben’s dogs barking that woke her. Which was puzzling. There had been a constant cacophony of dogs roaming loose in the streets, day and night, in Baghdad. Stray dogs barked all the time, but she’d gotten used to them. So, why tonight had the barking brought her bolt upright in bed in a cold sweat reaching for a rifle that wasn’t there?

Hugging the chamois shirt closer, she stared out over the yard that was so familiar, and yet in a weird way, so unfamiliar. The dogs had already quieted again. Some stray animal must have gotten them going. Maybe a raccoon moseying about, hunting for something to eat.

Scout hadn’t barked unless he was alerting someone that he’d detected unseen danger. He hadn’t barked when he’d stepped on a hidden detonation plate either. Meg shuddered and hugged herself harder.

That hadn’t been her fault.

“Not my fault,” she whispered the mantra aloud in the hushed dark room.

Everyone in her unit had insisted that Scout’s death was not her fault. Scout’s handler hadn’t blamed her either. But she’d clung to her self-recrimination and had a melt-down over the dog’s death in her commanding officer’s arms. Unexpected and inexcusable desire had flared up between her and John, and she had wanted to lose herself in the passion of it and forget about Scout.

That desire had been her fault.

“You all right?” Ben slipped his arms about her waist and bent his head down next to hers.

Meg’s heart slammed into overdrive at Ben’s sudden closeness. “I’m—I’m fine.” It appalled her that she hadn’t heard him getting out of bed. It appalled her that her mind had been so full of the things she’d left behind in Baghdad that she’d become completely unaware of her surroundings. A shocking breach in good soldiering.

Author links, webpages, fan pages, and book trailers.

http://www.skye-writer.com/

FB: http://www.facebook.com/skyewriter2

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/7056804.Skye_Taylor

Loving Meg is available on Amazon and Barnes & Noble 

And starting today, Loving Meg is on sale for just $1.99, so grab copy before the sale ends! Or, enter  your email address in the comments below for a chance to win an ebook copy of Loving Meg or Falling for Zoe. Winner’s choice!

Hard cover Large Print edition will be released by Thorndike Press in June.

And if you like Loving Meg, you might also like Skye’s novella, Loving Ben, also due out in February.

Loving Ben is a Bell Rabbit release, and it’s the story of  Meg and Ben first becoming a couple. Look for it on Amazon or wherever you find Loving Meg.

As part of an on-going feature of my blog, I’ll sometimes interview characters in a Character Corner post. These interviews are uniquely different from my author interviews because they involve make-believe people who exist only in the pages of a novel and in the mind of the author who created them.  So, I’ll have to interview the author rather than the actual character—since he or she doesn’t really exist.  I only ask that the author dig deep to find that character and answer from his/her perspective.

My character today is Becca Morgan from the novel Whatever It Takes by author JM Stewart.

Becca: *takes a seat* Hi. Glad to be here.

Good Morning, Becca. Happy to have you.  I guess we should get started with an easy question. Where were you born?

In a rural area of Tacoma, Washington, in a little farm house. I miss that place. We had so much fun there. We’ve all since moved out, including Mom. My older brother Chase lives there now with his wife, Lila.

Sounds like you’re a bit homesick. But any place you’re happy can be home. Where do you live now, and what do you do for a living?

Well, at the moment, I live with my ex-husband, so I’m currently living in Graham, Washington. I’m a karate instructor. I own a dojo. Learning karate taught me how to defend myself, taught me self-confidence, discipline and respect, and I enjoy teaching what I’ve learned to others. I also teach a self-defense class for women once a month.

Living with your ex, huh? That sounds a bit awkward. I’m thinking there’s a lot more to that part of the story than you’re sharing. So, care to tell me what’s going on in your life right now?

*laughs* You mean besides that my house burned down, taking everything I own with it, and I’m forced to live with my ex-husband again? Oh, nothing special.

Oh. That sucks. I’m sorry to hear about your house. But if you’re living with your ex, how does that affect your social life? Is there a special person in your life?

*sighs* Okay, so I can’t deny it. That would be Jackson. Said ex-husband.

Ouch. That definitely sounds awkward, with a capital “A.” So, how did you two meet?

Jack and I met in Seattle seven years ago. I was walking back to my car, after a martial arts expo late one night, when a man tried to mug me. Jackson was walking on the other side of the street and ran over, thinking he’d save me. *laughs* I don’t think I’ll ever forget the look on his face when that man hit the ground.

Ahh, I guess he wasn’t expecting you to be able to take care of yourself. But that doesn’t seem to have stopped him from asking you out, or for asking you to marry him. And apparently, you still care for him. So, what’s keeping you two apart?

At the moment? Divorce papers. *winks* Oh, you want honest. *sighs* All right. I don’t think he loves me. He’s a good man, deep down, and he’s a good father, but I need more than that. He wants to take care of me, but I can take care of myself. I want the fairy tale. I want to be the reason he gets up in the morning and the reason he comes home every night, and I don’t think I am. Jackson’s a workaholic. I’m not his priority. I think his mother was right, that he only married me because I was pregnant, and he’s the kind of man who tries to do the right thing. He insists I’m wrong, but I have six years of loneliness that proves otherwise. It’s one thing to be single. It’s quite another to be married and still feel alone, you know?

I can’t imagine a worse kind of lonely. But surely you’re not going to give up. Or are you? How would you like to see this situation resolved?

I need him to tell me he loves me. And I need him to prove it.

Has he said I love you before? If he has and he shows it, what other obstacles stand in your way?

I’m not sure I can trust him anymore.

So, is there a happily ever after in your future?

I won’t spoil it for you, but I’m happy to say there is.  Though it wasn’t easy. I had to learn to trust Jackson again. I will hand it to him, though. Jackson stepped up with style. He’s a hopeless romantic at heart. I’m still finding rose petals in my office, and I’m not sure I’ll ever look at a limo the same way again. *grins* I still don’t like snails, however.

It is an acquired taste. *smiles* So, any last comments before I turn this interview over to JM? 

Only that we had some fun along the way. With Jackson, things are never dull. I hope readers enjoy our story.

I’m sure they will. JM knows how to pack an emotional punch!

Author bio:

JM Stewart is the author of passionate, heartfelt contemporary romance. She’s a wife, a mother, a spiritualist, and lover of puppies, and happily addicted to coffee and chocolate. She lives in the rainy Pacific Northwest with her husband, two sons, and two very spoiled dogs. She’s a hopeless romantic who believes everybody should have their happily-ever-after and has been devouring romance novels for as long as she can remember. Writing them has become her obsession.

Book blurb:

 She’s been dying to hear the words…

 Walking away from her husband was the hardest thing Becca Morgan has ever done, even if it was the only way to save her heart from being broken by a loveless marriage. Still, when a terrible accident forces her to stay at her ex Jackson’s house for a few days, emotions she thought she’d buried long ago start coming to the surface—and, to her surprise, seem to be reciprocated…

 …he just doesn’t know how to say.

 Jackson Kade has never known love like he knew with Becca, but his cold upbringing left him unable to show her how deeply he feels. When Becca winds up under his roof once more, he knows it’s his only opportunity to prove his devotion—and passion. But old habits die hard, and even one mistake could shatter their last chance at love…

Short 1 page excerpt.

“What are you afraid of, Jack?” She stiffened her spine and stood straighter. “That you might actually feel something?”

As quickly as he’d shut her out, he pivoted and stalked across the deck toward her. She took a step back, but in a few long strides, he reached her, seized her waist, and dragged her against him. As her body hit his, a gasp escaped, but she could only stare at him, stunned. A war raged in the depths of his eyes. More emotion than she remembered seeing there in a long time. Desire, anger, pain, frustration, all fighting for supremacy.

She braced her hands on his chest, to push him away, but his head dipped down, his lips brushing over hers, the barest of kisses.

“Or else I may do something I’m pretty sure you’ll hate me for in the mornin’.” The low huskiness of his voice washed over her like a heated caress, sending shivers down her spine, and obliterating whatever defenses she’d manage to build against him. “The feel of your hands on me about drove me mad. Do you have any idea how aroused I am right now? I’m two seconds from picking you up and carrying you upstairs.”

 

Purchase links:

 The entire first chapter is available to read on Amazon and Barnes and Noble (links below):

 Amazon US: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00FFFSZDE

B&N: http://ow.ly/CZijn

iTunes: http://ow.ly/CZiko

Kobo: http://ow.ly/CZipW

Author links, webpages, fan pages, and book trailers.

Website: http://authorjmstewart.com/

Blog: http://jm-stewart.blogspot.com/

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

Pinterest: http://pinterest.com/authorjmstewart/

Tumblr: http://jmstewartwriter.tumblr.com

Twitter: https://twitter.com/JMStewartWriter

 

 

 

For those who celebrate Christmas, I hope yours was as filled with love and family as mine was. No matter how far away your family lives, technology makes it possible to connect in some way or another. We spent Christmas (or the day after Christmas) with my daughter, son-in-law, and granddaughter who live in Germany via FaceTime. It was close to lunch time on the east coast of America and almost supper time in Germany, but we managed to get the gifts unwrapped before my granddaughter demanded a bottle! Being able to hold that little girl and squeeze those chubby cheeks would have been better, but I’m grateful for the technology that allowed us to exchange gifts in real time.

In my opinion, being with friends and family is the best way to end a year. And I have done both this holiday season. From spending time with girlfriends, to spending time with co-workers and family, it has been a wonderful Christmas.

And spending time at the beach this weekend was like icing on the Christmas cake. God not only gave us two beautiful days at the coast, but a beautiful sunset as well.

So as 2014 comes to an end and we look ahead to 2015, I wish you all a joyous end to one year and a prosperous beginning to the next. And I hope that when Slightly Noble releases sometime in February (I hope!) that readers will love it as much as I loved writing it.

In the meantime, I wish you all a Happy New Year!

 

 

 

In England, 1270 A.D., Auriella (pronounced yurr-ee-ella) flees her village after being accused of witchcraft. Pursued by nightmarish creatures, she struggles to accept the truth about her humanity.

Filled with fairies, dwarves, pixies, dragons, demons, and monsters, Knight of Light is an enthralling tale that will capture the imaginations of readers young and old.

The Watchers Series has been described as Braveheart meets Supernatural.

The mythology for the series is based on many theological texts from dozens of sects with correlating themes. Ancient writings include The Dead Sea Scrolls, The Traditional Apocrypha, The Pearl of Great Price, and The Kabbalah.

“The Watchers” are supernatural beings in human form whose duty it is to protect and guard mankind from the armies of darkness.
Unfortunately, as the Book of Enoch mentions, some of these Watchers go bad. Although the mythology is based on these texts, Deirdra Eden’s The Watcher’s Series is written in a traditional fairytale style with a young girl’s discovery of incredible, but dangerous powers within herself, a cast of humorous side-kicks, a quest for greater self-discovery and purpose, and villains of epic proportions

 

 

 

 

“My goal in writing is to saturate my books with intrigue, mystery, romance, and plot twists that will keep my readers in suspense. I want to see fingerprints on the front and back covers where readers have gripped the novel with white knuckles!

Aside from writing, I enjoy jousting in arenas, planning invasions, horseback riding through open meadows, swimming in the ocean, hiking up mountains, camping in cool shady woods, climbing trees barefoot, and going on adventures.”

-Deirdra Eden

Find Deirdra Eden and The Watchers Series online on Amazon, Deirdra’s website, Facebook, Twitter, Goodreads, Wattpad, and Pinterest.

 

Yesterday was Thanksgiving and while I had a fabulous time with family, it’s not like it used to be. Don’t get me wrong, I enjoyed myself, but times have changed and I am not the only one who’s noticed.

When I’m not writing romance novels, I work at my local hospital as a mammogram/radiologic technologist. While waiting for my patient to fill out her screening sheet for her mammogram on Wednesday, I noticed the volume in the imaging waiting room had increased and wondered what people were discussing. They were laughing and talking with such optimism and joy that I new they weren’t discussing the news. It sounded like the den in my grandmother’s house after a Thanksgiving meal. So, when I called my patient back to the mammo suite, I asked her what all the excited chatter was about and to my surprise, she said Thanksgiving. The patients in our waiting room were all elderly and they were discussing with much fondness, memories from Thanksgivings past.

And so, my patient and I began sharing stories before her exam. Afterward, we both came to the same conclusion. Thanksgiving isn’t what it used to be.

Oh, it is still a time to celebrate and be with family, but families no longer live clustered together in the same community. Heck, my own daughter lives in Germany and has been there for the past eight Thanksgivings. In all that time, she has only been home once. That’s not her fault by any means, but it’s still sad in a way. When I was her age and my grandmother was still alive, the entire family would converge on her house at once. She lived in a large farmhouse, but even then, she had to set up tables in various rooms to accommodate the crowd. She had four sons who all had wives and she had nine grandchildren who were all married and had already started giving her great-grandchildren. Then there were the occasional great grandaunts and uncles and second and third cousins who would occasionally show up.

Nope, I don’t think anyone does Thanksgiving like that anymore, but I will not mourn what is past and will instead celebrate with those I can. I still hope that somewhere in America, someone’s grandmother is hosting a huge feast for her large extended family. But in today’s society, not only is distance a factor, but so is divorce. There are too many families whose children are dividing their time between parents and grandparents, making it impossible for families to gather the way they used to. Then there is Black Friday shopping which has suddenly encroached on Thanksgiving Day the way Christmas slowly has.

I mean really, I love Christmas as much as anyone. Maybe more than most, but I cannot in good conscience decorate for one holiday before celebrating the prior. And, I refuse to let sensationalized news ruin what should be a time of celebration and gratitude.

So, today, I offer a bit of advice for anyone who mourns the past or fears for the future.

Do not mourn what you have lost. Do not envy what you do not have or those who have more. Be grateful for your blessings, no matter how small. Today is a time to celebrate and give thanks. It is not a time to worry about the future or fume or mourn over the past. Be thankful and move forward with a grateful heart.

Happy Thanksgiving!

I like to think of myself as crafty. Besides writing, I love arts and crafts. When I was younger, my mom and a friend of hers co-owned a craft store. I learned how to do decoupage and how to paint. I even took an online art class when I was twelve. I’m no Van Gogh by any stretch of the imagination, and I don’t draw all that well, but it’s quite a bit better than stick people.

One year for Christmas, I painted seashell Christmas ornaments for my coworkers at the hospital where I work during the day. Another year, I painted wine glasses. I don’t know what I”m going to do this year, but I have done another art project. I got inspired after replacing the windows in my office.

My husband and I live in an older home. It was built in 1956, the same year my husband was born. I’m not sure which of them is holding up better. lol! Even after all these years, I think my hubby is still a cutie. But the house is holding its own too…except for my office.

It was a side porch before we owned the house, but someone at some point, turned it into an extra room. When we bought the house fourteen years ago, we replaced the ugly 70’s style orange sundial pattern carpet  in the office with Berber carpet. But after a few years, I decided I didn’t like carpet. So, we pulled  up the carpet throughout the house and found lovely hardwood floors. In the office, however, we found nasty, stained concrete. So, we covered the floors with floating laminate. (not sure how much I like this, but it looks a lot better.) The room, however, was still dark and dreary because of the ugly 70’s paneling, but that’s a project for another day. In the meantime, the windows were bothering me.

The rest of the home has vinyl windows, but the office did not. The windows in that room were old, not energy efficient, and the argon gas from between the panes was completely gone and moisture had settled between the inside and outside panes, making the glass impossible to clean.

The windows looked so bad, I kept the blinds closed 24/7. No wonder my office was so dark. They had to go!

So, a few weeks ago, we called Home Depot and set up an appointment for an estimate on the two windows. It was a bit pricey but oh so worth it. Just look at the difference!

Not only do the windows look clean, but I can see out of them. They’re so pretty, I leave the blinds open all day and the sunshine pours in. I can’t wait to be able to start my next project: a re-do of those ugly paneled walls.

In the meantime, however, I had four old window panes to get rid of–or re-purpose.

A few weeks earlier, my youngest daughter and I went shopping at a trendy little gift store in Oxford, NC. We saw old house windows that had been painted and my daughter mentioned that she’d like to have one, but they cost between $65 to $150.

So, when I looked at those four window panes, I decided I could paint them myself.  I looked at some ideas on Pinterest and decided to paint Christmas windows. That way, if I decided to give them away as Christmas gifts, the recipient could stash them in the attic after the holidays if he/she didn’t want my art work hanging around all year.

My first attempt was a winter scene with Santa. Aside from the fact that the reindeer look like deformed camels, it’s not too bad.

For my next “window” I decided to paint one for my daughter, Lauren, since she said she wanted a painted window. She loves the lake, but again, I didn’t know if she’d want mommy’s art work hanging on her wall all year long. So, I took a photograph I’d taken at Kerr Lake on a family camping trip and changed it a bit so she could use it for a Christmas decoration.

Here’s the original photograph:      

And here is my version of the picture with snow and a wreath added to make it Christmasy.

 

 

 

 

 

Just as I was starting on the third window, Lauren came over. She loved my paintings and wanted to help. So, we turned my re-purposing window project into mommy/daughter craft day.

I loved spending time with Lauren. And I loved the Christmas card-like picture she painted on her window, using a photo of an old Christmas card. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

My husband didn’t want me to paint another Christmas picture. He wanted a lighthouse scene for the house. So, I thought I’d give it a try, using a picture of Cape Lookout.

Johnny insisted on hanging it in the house. So, I hung it in my office. 

Now, I want to paint more windows. So, I guess I’ll have to troll re-stores and thrift shops to find the my art medium of choice.

If you’d like to see some of my other craft projects, check out my Pinterest page. I don’t have all my projects there, but I’ll get them loaded one day.  http://www.pinterest.com/lillygayle/

Today I have Kayden Claremont on my blog. Welcome, Kayden. Can you tell us a little about your new book.

Hell’s Bounty is the first book in my Heaven and Hell series. It is a paranormal erotic novella, and it’s published by The Wild Rose Press.

Great publisher. Then again, I am also published with TWRP and might be just a bit biased. lol! But they do publish great books. Here’s a blurb from Kayden’s new release, Hell’s Bounty.

Blurb:

Raven Hart, a succubus bounty hunter for Hell, is on a hunt. With her query in sight, she hits a brick wall, or rather the very hard chest of a giant sexy man. She might have lost the prize for now, but she’s a winner when the hottie wants to get physical. Marcus Dionysius, a Nephilim working for Heaven, has one mission—to prevent Hell’s beauty from stealing souls meant for the higher plane. But he soon realizes he’s met his sexual match. She’s naughty enough to tempt his senses, but her innocence means he can’t walk away when she needs him most. Working together to discover who’s snatching souls.

Buy Link

http://www.wildrosepublishing.com/wildcatalog_v151/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=182&products_id=1013

 What were you like when you were in school?

Oh, this is such an easy question. I was a geek. I was the girl in the library doing research for projects or just reading. Not sure how I ended up marrying the captain of the football team, but it’s still working out.

 Well, they do say opposites attract! What was the last movie you watched?

The November man with Pierce Bronson. It was a great story and it had Pierce Bronson in it.

Love him! Even in slightly less believable movies like Dante’s Peak. What is your favorite quote?

Live, Love, Laugh. That sums up my life.

Aboslutely! Was there any particular inspiration for your characters or story?

This is a funny story. I was sitting in a coffee shop working on a romantic suspense story when two men stat down beside me. They were talking about how their wives suck the life out of them and they were trying to outdo one another so the stories became interesting. Before I knew what had happened, I had a scene where the character literally sucked the life out of a sleazy politician.

Years later I was in a critique meeting and we were talking about the weirdest scene we’d ever written. I told my friend about this scene and they both said, “That’s a succubus.” I went home and looked it up and sure enough they were right. I liked the character so much I built the book around her.

What a cool story, and I bet your book is just as awesome. Thanks for sharing the excerpt below!

Excerpt

She’d never liked Stephen, but she didn’t want a new partner. Especially not Marcus Dionysius, the giant who had taught her the true meaning of animalistic lust.

Even though he stood a distance away, she could smell his raw sexuality, and her libido kicked in. Damned, she couldn’t afford to react like a silly schoolgirl. She was sure he hadn’t recognized her. All she had to do was control her sexual urges and act normal around him.

The captain glared at her as if he read her lusty thoughts, and she turned away from him, watching the floor.

He faced the group of detectives. “Let’s get out there and keep the citizens of this fair city safe.” He hurried away before she could get to him.

Raven walked over to her desk and sat down, wondering what she should do. She’d been trying to talk to the captain for the last few days, but he had been locked behind closed doors and she knew he was avoiding her. Grabbing her phone, she pretended to call her informants, but all she wanted to do was get the captain alone and demand that he tell her what in hell was going on.

Marcus approached her desk. His scent made her breasts ache for his touch and her sex hot and juicy. “Detective Hart?”

He held a file in his enormous hand, and she yearned for the pure bliss those fingers had given her last night. Desire grew deeper inside her body.

Marcus pointed to the file he held in his hand as he cleared his throat. “Nothing like a stiff to make Saturday night special.”

Raven watched the dark humor shining in his angelic eyes, and her clit stiffened. “That’s what I always say.” She stood on shaky legs, grabbed her leather jacket from the back of her chair, and followed him out of the squad room. Waving at the desk sergeant as they walked past, she followed Marcus out of the precinct station, his scent driving her wild.

 

 Kayden’s Bio

Kayden is hooked on Paranormal Romance. She loves writing about the rollercoaster ride of demons, angels and watchers and the consequences they must endure when they falling in love.  Her sensuous style drives the characters in lustful romps.

Kayden is a member of Sisters in Crime International; Sisters in Crime Toronto; Romance Writers of America, Toronto Romance Writers.

When she’s not at her day job she’s crafting more tales of love, crime and the supernatural or spending time with her husband and children.

She lives outside of Toronto with her husband.

You can contact Kayden at:

• Facebook: www.Facebook.com/kayden.claremont
• Twitter: Kayden Claremont
• Email at: Kayden Claremont@bell.net

 

Today, I’m interviewing  fictional romance hero, Steven Mitchell from Law of Attraction, the latest novel by author Darlene Fredette. 

Hi Steven, and welcome to my blog. Let’s start this interview off with something simple. Where were you born?

I was born and raised in Halifax, a big city on the East Coast.

We have a Halifax in North Carolina and one in southern Virginia too, but neither of those are big by any stretch of the imagination. Do you still live in Halifax? What do you do for a living?

Yes, I’m still in Halifax, working as a lawyer, but I’m building a house an hour outside of Ottawa. I’ll be closer to my family, and it’s a great place to start a family of my own.

Canadian, then. That’s cool. So, what’s going on in your life right now?

A divorce case was just assigned to me. Well, that’s not exactly the truth. I requested the case in order to reconnect with the opposing lawyer.

A-ha. Sounds like there’s a story in there somewhere.  Is she that special someone in your life right now?

Yes. Her name is Christina Crawford, and I’m head over heels for her. She’s the love of my life

How did the two of you meet?

We met at a party five years ago. We dated until a misunderstanding tore us apart.

That sucks, but what’s keeping you two apart now?

My stupidity. I should have believed in us and our love, but jealousy blinded me. Christina doesn’t trust me…and she despises me.

Maybe not. But you can’t leave things the way they are. You need resolution. Or closure. Or something. Or, maybe that’s just my opinion. So, how would you like to see the situation resolved?

I have a plan, which is already in action. I’m hoping to regain Christina’s trust, and more importantly, her love.

How? And what obstacles are stand in your way?

A stubborn woman. Christina claims to despise me, but I know better. I see the truth in her beautiful brown eyes.

That’s a start. But is there a happily ever after in your future?

Damn right! I will win back the woman of my dreams, even if I have to play a little dirty.

As long as it’s not the kind of dirty that will piss her off, you just might stand a chance. Especially if you turn on the charm. So, any last comments before I turn this interview over to Darlene Fredette.

Wish me luck, because I’m going to need it.

 

Author bio:

An avid reader since childhood, Darlene loved to put a pencil to paper and plot out stories of her own. She writes heartwarming contemporary romances with a focus on plot-driven page-turners. When Darlene isn’t writing, editing, or reading, she enjoys spending time with her husband, daughter, and Yellow Lab.

 

Law of Attraction

Release Date: October 01, 2014

Publisher: The Wild Rose Press

The Wild Rose Press Purchase Link: http://www.wildrosepublishing.com/maincatalog_v151/index.php?main_page=index&manufacturers_id=1186

 

Book blurb:

Lawyer Christina Crawford has a successful career and stable financial future, but is it enough?  Her world is disrupted when a routine divorce case means working with a man she never expected—or wanted—to see again.  During their first meeting, she can’t deny a connection still exists.  Her head warns her to run, but her heart yearns to stay.

Steven Mitchell is ruthless in the court room, but outside those doors, his easy charm, good looks and unlimited stream of female companions gives him an unscrupulous reputation.  Six years ago Christina saw beyond his façade, but the emotions she evoked scared him and he pushed her away.  Now he wants a second chance and he is determined to get her back…even if he has to play dirty.

Excerpt:

Heart pounding in her chest, she closed the door behind him.  Wearing her best business face, she returned to this disastrous meeting and sat. Christina drew in a deep breath, and a measure of control was restored. She picked up her pen and flipped open the case file. “So, according to these documents, your client is contesting the divorce?”

Steven reached across the table and snatched the pen from her hand. “What’s the rush, Christina? We haven’t seen each other in years. There’s a lot of catching up to do.”

She clenched her teeth together, barely parting her lips as she spoke. “We have nothing but this case to discuss.”

“Come on, don’t be like that.” He leaned back in his chair, frowning. “You’re not still holding a grudge, are you? What happened was so long ago. I hoped we could start fresh, as friends.”

“Are you freaking serious?”  She glared an icy stare. Forget a slow death by high heel. She’d get more pleasure strangling him with her bare hands. “You accused me of misconduct, had me fired, and now you want to be friends?” Her heart thumped a rapid beat in her ears. “You’re out of your mind.”

A heavy silence filled the room.  Steven stared down at the table, flicking the tip of her pen with his thumb. “You look fantastic,” he finally whispered.

“Go to hell.” Christina couldn’t believe his nerve. Did he think she would fall for his act? Those dark captivating blue eyes wouldn’t sway her, not this time. Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice, shame on me.

 

Author links, webpages, fan pages, and book trailers.

Be sure to drop by my web site to enter an awesome giveaway to celebrate the release of Law of Attraction!

Web: http://findingthewritewords.blogspot.com

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

Twitter: https://twitter.com/DarleneLF

Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/DarleneLF

 

 

 

Monday is Labor Day, which is the unofficial end of summer. I can’t believe it’s over already. I know life is a highway with ups and downs, but this summer has been one crazy ride.

The problems actually started back in February when I had what I believed to be  a kidney stone or an exacerbation of my IBS. Turns out, I had a perforated diverticulitis that required surgery and I spent Easter Sunday drinking laxatives in preparation for abdominal surgery. I lost eight inches of sigmoid colon, part of my bladder, spent a week in the hospital and missed 7 weeks of work. I also now have a not so attractive scar bisecting my lower abdomen.

But it wasn’t all bad. Once I got home from the hospital that first week in May, my oldest daughter who lives in Germany flew home to be with me during my recovery process. Even better, she had come home to await the birth of the daughter she and her husband were adopting in the states.

During the next few weeks, my wound healed and I regained my strength. By Memorial weekend I felt well enough to go to the beach and my daughter was able to join us. Things seemed to be looking up and I eventually returned to work.

 

I know Jennifer was missing her husband, Michael, but we were having such a good time. My husband’s nephew got married on June 14 but on that same day, my cousin’s wife lost her battle with leukemia. So, it was with a heavy heart that we attended the wedding. The next day was Father’s Day and my daughters planned a fun-filled family day. We went to the batting cages and rode go-carts, and thoroughly enjoyed ourselves. But as we were sitting down for a late lunch, I received a devastating phone call. My husband’s grand nephew had been killed in a motorcycle accident. We had just seen Christian the day before at his uncle’s wedding. So the next week, we attended two funerals. We managed to make the best of a bad situation and my girls and I were able to spend good, quality time with my mom in sort of a girls night out after one of the funeral home visitations.

The next weekend, my oldest daughter’s husband joined her in the states and my youngest daughter and her boyfriend went with us to the beach.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Then on June 29th, my beautiful granddaughter, Caroline was born out of state. Two weeks later, my husband and I spent half a week at the beach for vacation but we came home early to meet our granddaughter.

We had a baby shower for Caroline and she was able to meet relatives who would not have gotten to see her had she been born in Germany. My daughter remains in the states waiting on Caroline’s birth certificate and now, her passport. But sadly, my son-in-law had to return to Germany where he works as a civilian air traffic controller for the army. But oh, what a blessing it has been,  having a baby in the house again. I do have to “share” her and Jennifer with Jennifer’s in-laws, but nothing brightens my day more than Caroline’s smile.

I returned to work on June 9th, but I kept wishing I had more time to spend with Caroline and Jennifer.  I got it in the form of a torn medial meniscus that required surgery. This operation was minor and did not require an overnight (or week -long hospital stay) but I have been out of work AGAIN for more than a week.. Which means I may not have enough paid leave to go to Germany for Christmas as planned. But I do get two more weeks with my daughter and granddaughter, another plus.

On the minus side, I don’t get to go to the beach this weekend.

My husband and I have gone to the beach for Labor Day  every year since 2004. But my knee isn’t fully recovered and the doctor advised against riding in a car for 3 hours. So, we’re staying home. Since Caroline and my daughter will be spending the weekend with us, I’m not that bummed about it. What does have me stressed though, is my youngest daughter’s crazy-ass cat Cha Cha.  While she and her boyfriend are camping at the lake, I get to cat-sit the neuritic feline. Yes, that same beast of a cat that was recently put on Prozac for an anxiety disorder. Now, he’s on antibiotics and some medicine that is supposed to stop urethral spasms, just in case there is a physical component to his anxiety. So, I tried to give the bastard his meds this morning and he almost took off my arm!

After a half hour battle that I finally won, although not without a clawed thumb and a sore knee, I got the drugs inside the cat. But when I tried to pet him later and apologize, he growled at me like the panther he resembles. And when I took out my cell phone to get the evidence to prove to Lauren that her cat is a beast, he almost ripped the phone out of my hands.

I guess having that beast in the house this weekend is another negative on the scale of “How was your summer?” But having my daughter and Caroline just a little bit longer tips the scales into the fantastic range. And, I now have a new fan for my paranormal romances. So, it’s all good.

 

Today I have a super author celebrating the release of her super romance. Please welcome UK author, Rachel Brimble!

Summer is upon us and after a fabulous two weeks in Rhodes, it is back to juggling the kids around getting the work in progress finished. Well, the first draft, at least. This will be book five in my Harlequin Superromance Templeton Cove series.

It has always been a writing goal of mine to write a series – having loved Nora Roberts’, Robyn Carr’s and Jill Shalvis’ series. I loved the idea of revisiting the same town and creating a cast of characters with whom I can pick and choose how much page space I give them. Having said that, in reality, it’s the characters who choose how much space they’ll have rather than me!

The latest book in the series (and available to buy now!) is What Belongs To Her. This is Sasha and John’s story and set against the Cove’s fairground. A contemporary romance with a hint of suspense, I loved writing this book because I not only have many happy, childhood memories of our local fairground, but it also gave me a great starting place to mix the bad with the good. In fairgrounds you have lots of corners, mayhem and noise…along with a lot of laughter, cotton candy and fun. The blend of these things inspired my imagination.

All the books in the Templeton Cove series can be read as stand alone, but I really hope my editor wants me to continue the series once I hand in this book. There are still at least three secondary characters who have appeared in What Belongs To Her as well as the first two books (Finding Justice & A Man Like Him), who I think deserve their own happy ever after.

Do your readers have a favorite series? A childhood memory that they would love to one day use as the backdrop for a story?

Blurb & Excerpt from What Belongs To Her – Harlequin Superromance

She’s ready to take back what’s hers

Since the moment a local crime boss claimed ownership of her family’s fairground, Sasha Todd has dreamed of righting the wrong. Now it’s time to act, and backing down from the man’s estranged son is definitely not an option. After all, giving up her legacy to hot-blooded John Jordon means losing the chance to finally heal the wounds in her past.

Stopping John in his tracks—and resisting the sizzle between them—is Sasha’s best defense. But there’s more to him than she thought, which changes everything. With what matters most at stake, she’ll have to risk a brand-new future with John, or walk away from the man whose heart belongs to her.

 

Buy Links:

Amazon US

Amazon UK

Barnes & Noble

 Excerpt

The machine rumbled to life and John froze.

What the hell??

Gripping the lap bar, he hauled it up and stood. Sasha Todd gracefully skipped up onto the steel platform beneath the carriages. She was dressed in white shorts that revealed her long slender legs and a simple red T-shirt. His breath caught. Did she have any idea how stunning she was?

She smiled, mischief glinting in her black eyes. “Sit down, John. Let’s take a ride.”

He blinked. “Are you crazy?”

“What’s the matter? Don’t you like rides?”

He tried and failed to muster some semblance of authority as the machine started to move. “No. Turn this thing off.”

She quirked an eyebrow and curved her fingers over the back of the carriage. “Yet you want to run this place? You can’t do that without knowing the fairground inside out. That includes the rides. Move over, I’m jumping onboard.”

Their eyes locked and once again, his tongue stuck to the roof of his mouth. Why the hell did the woman managing the fairground have to be so physically arresting? God, he wanted to write about her. Describe her in words in a vain attempt to let the damn world know how unnervingly beautiful she was.

He lowered into the seat, steadfastly avoiding her gaze. He concentrated on keeping his pride in place and not giving in to the temptation to grip the bar again. The ride picked up speed and the carriage shifted as she hauled herself up and sat down next to him, pulling the lap bar down with her.

The distinct smell of something musky and sexy drifted as she tossed her long hair over her shoulders. The tendrils whispered across his cheek and John closed his mouth, trapping the inconceivable urge to groan.

She wriggled her behind deeper into the seat and settled back with a sigh. “So…what’s the plan today? Enjoy the fair? Cook the books? Fire me?”

Attraction gave way to irritation, fueled by the nonchalance in her voice. “You do realize this thing is moving, right?”

She shrugged and glanced around before focusing entirely on him. “Sure. Now is as good a time as any to get acquainted, don’t you think?”

John swallowed. Jesus, her eyes are ebony black, like two huge pieces of jet. He snapped his face forward. “Do you know something?” He slid his arm across the back of the carriage above her shoulders. “If you want to play some stupid game in a bid to annoy me, that’s fine. I’m the one in control here, whether you like it or not.”

Bio:

Rachel lives with her husband and two young daughters in a small town near Bath in the UK.  After having several novels published by small US presses, she secured agent representation in 2011. In 2012, she sold two books to Harlequin Superromance and a further three in 2013. She also writes Victorian romance for Kensington–her debut was released in April 2013 and she has since signed for three more.

Rachel is a member of the Romantic Novelists Association and Romance Writers of America. When she isn’t writing, you’ll find Rachel with her head in a book or walking the beautiful English countryside with her family and beloved black Lab, Max. Her dream place to live is Bourton-on-the-Water in South West England.

She likes nothing more than connecting and chatting with her readers and fellow romance writers. Rachel would love to hear from you!

Links:

Website

Blog

Twitter

Facebook