I’m happy to welcome author Sarah Dressler. Today, Sarah shares interesting facts about her creative journey and her new release, Christmas Cove.

Here’s Sarah!

What was your inspiration for this book?

On the morning of July 17, 2022, I woke up from an incredible dream. It was unlike any dream I had ever had. It was the complete story of Christmas Cove as though it had been downloaded into my consciousness. I had been praying about what my next project should be, and bam! Here it was, a Christmas story. The previous three novels that I wrote were in a completely different genre, and even though Christmas is my favorite holiday, I hadn’t considered writing sweet contemporary romance. But boy, did that dream have a huge impact on me! That morning, I got my notebooks out and regurgitated every detail that I could remember, and by lunch time, I had a detailed twenty-chapter outline drafted. I dove headfirst into writing Christmas Cove and never looked back.

What is the best part of being an author? The worst?

Sometimes, being saddled with so many stories in my head is a curse. Putting the scenes on paper, or screen, is a daunting task. But seeing the stories come to life, knowing that strangers will read something that I created, is the best gift. I always say that the story must be told, and I believe deep down that all the stories in my mind were put there for a reason, to share with you. The worst part about pursuing a writing career is that I have more stories than I have time to write.

Describe your writing space.

I have a beautiful office in my home where I write. A dark, moody green paint coats all the walls and highlights the ornate mouldings on the ceiling. A crystal chandelier hangs from a carved medallion in the center of the room and two large windows frame the breathtaking mountain view outside. Sumptuous velvet curtains hang from floor to ceiling and velvet upholstered furnishings provide somewhere cozy to curl up. Whether I’m writing a science fiction thriller, or a sweet contemporary romance novel, as in my debut Christmas Cove, the room evokes an old-world romanticism that allows me to step into my life as an author and leave the day-to-day grind at the door.

Which authors have inspired you?

I enjoy many types of books and authors. Some of my favorites include the likes of Dan Brown, who I credit with showing me what reading for fun feels like, Suzanne Collins, for letting me know it’s ok to break the rules, and Anne Rice, for knowing when to spice things up a bit.

What is your favorite quote?

“To a love so big, only angels can carry it.” – Christmas Cove

If you had a superpower, what would it be?

If I could have a superpower, it would be to slow down time. As a parent of two teenagers, I see the way minutes tick by. I work at being present each day, but there just aren’t enough hours to do all the things I want to do and do them all well.

Besides writing and reading, what are some of your hobbies?

One of my most beloved activities is making giant sand sculptures at the beach. Seeing as how I currently live in the mountains, beaches are hard to come by, but snow is a suitable yet decidedly cooler alternative material. On a more regular basis, my husband and I go for sunset walks nearly every day, no matter where we are in the world.

Any advice for aspiring writers?

Aspiring writers need to know that there aren’t any rules. You have to decide the process that works best for you, know how a schedule of goals fits into your lifestyle, and you have to find your own unique voice. None of this can be accomplished by doing as you’re told. Feel free to experiment and try new things until you find yourself in your writing.

What are you working on next?

I’m thrilled to share the news that my next novel, Spring Showers, will be released in mid-2024. Spring Showers is a stand-alone sequel to Christmas Cove. It features a brand-new cast of main characters. While some of the original cast makes guest appearances, Spring Showers follows the healing journey of two strangers who are desperately running from their pasts. When they collide at a wellness retreat, their lives change forever.

Blurb

With only three weeks left in December, travel editor, America Greene, arrives in the idyllic Christmas Cove to find it… Christmasless!

America needs a story, and fast, so she teams up with the town’s good-looking (and eligible) mayor, Leo, to light up Main Street and salvage her chance at being a full-time writer. The connection between them heats up, halls are decked, sleigh bells ring, and lights twinkle. Just when she thinks the holiday is saved, a nearby city threatens the future of Christmas Cove. With her heart, and career, hanging in the balance, she must learn that Christmas is much more than just a place on a map before time runs out.

Excerpt

Night came and went with another solid sleep. America looked at herself in the mirror, unable to believe what she had done, or what she had offered to do. Sure, she knew her reasons for wanting to bring back Christmas were purely in the interest of self-preservation. Wanting to succeed with her first article assignment was a huge driving factor, but the task at hand was so much bigger than anything she should have taken on. There was no denying her reign as the office elf, and she knew that if anyone had enough Christmas spirit to spread around, she did.

Now that the offer was out there, she would need to follow through. One way or another, she was getting her Christmas Cove experience, and an article drafted to prove it. Sure, she had enlisted Leo’s help, but if she had any real chance of success, they would need reinforcements. America checked her watch. Leo would be back any minute to pick her up. In the meantime, she pulled her coat back on and tidied her hastily twisted bun atop her head.

The pine tree, so generously given to her that previous morning by Leo, stood in its bare state beside her. There is nothing sadder than a Christmas tree with no lights. Except perhaps, she thought, one without ornaments too.

“This simply will not do,” America said.

Buy Links

Amazon | iTunes | Barnes and Noble | Kobo | Smashwords | Google Play | 5PP

Author Bio and Links

Sarah Dressler, originally from Florida, now calls the mountains of Colorado home. Beginning her writing career as an award winning fashion blogger, Sarah now writes fiction full time. She has spent her life traveling the world, first as the daughter of a US Air Force officer, and later as a military spouse. She enjoys sunset walks with her husband of nearly twenty years, and raising two very busy teenagers.

5PP Page | Instagram Author Page | Goodreads

Giveaway

Sarah Dressler will be awarding a $25 Amazon or Barnes and Noble gift card to a randomly drawn winner via Rafflecopter during the tour. Find out more here.

Follow Sarah on the rest of her Goddess Fish tour here.

I’m happy to welcome author donalee Moulton to my blog. Today, Donalee shares her creative journey and recent release, Hung Out to Dry.

Here’s donalee!

Hi everyone. It’s wonderful to connect with you – and thank you Joanne for this opportunity.

Writing has always been part of my life. Over the years, it has become a central part of my life. Growing up I wanted to be a lawyer. I started university prepared to be a lawyer. Then I was introduced to academia and research. I wanted to teach at a university and publish papers in esteemed journals. Then I had a scholarship to get a PhD. I was thrilled. I turned it down. I had a chance to go to Harvard to research perceptions of time. I was thrilled. I turned it down. Clearly something else was at play. I finally realized what I wanted to do with my life was write.

My mother taught me to love language – and to respect it. She cared about words and getting the words right. She was my greatest influence.

When I was about eight or nine, a next-door neighbor tossed me a Nancy Drew book. She thought I might like it. I sat on the curb between our two houses and read the entire book cover to cover. I loved the puzzle, figuring out who dunnit, and being propelled into a world outside my own.

That same year someone gifted me Charlotte’s Web, and my life was forever changed. Not only could words transport you to new worlds, they could become a part of your heart, change you in ways you could not have imagined. I wanted to do that.

My first mystery book Hung Out to Die was published earlier this year. The main character is Riel Brava. Attractive. Razor-sharp. Ambitious. And something much more. Riel just wants to be left alone to do his job and one day run for president of the United States. He has a plan. Murder gets in his way. It isn’t easy being a psychopath.

My second book, Conflagration, will be released in January. It follows the real-life trial of an enslaved Black woman accused of setting much of the town of Montreal on fire in 1734. Two other books are in the works, part of a series featuring three women who meet doing a downward dog.

As I hope you’ll discover, not everything that happens in a yoga studio is Zen.

Blurb

Meet Riel Brava. Attractive. Razor-sharp. Ambitious. And something much more.

Riel, raised in Santa Barbara, California, has been transplanted to Nova Scotia where he is CEO of the Canadian Cannabis Corporation. It’s business as usual until Riel finds his world hanging by a thread. Actually, several threads. It doesn’t take the police long to determine all is not as it appears – and that includes Riel himself.

Pulled into a world not of his making, Riel resists the hunt to catch a killer. Resistance is futile. Detective Lin Raynes draws the reluctant CEO into the investigation, and the seeds of an unexpected and unusual friendship are sown. Raynes and Riel concoct a scheme to draw a confession out of the killer, but that plan is never put into place. Instead, Riel finds himself on the butt end of a rifle in the ribs and a long drive to the middle of Nowhere, Nova Scotia.

Excerpt

It’s 6:46 a.m. The plant will be in full swing in 44 minutes but right now it is in darkness except for the grow-op lights installed for the benefit of 24/7 plant profusion. My three-storey building is also wrapped in darkness, at least from this angle, which raises the question: How long has the damn security system been down?

I’m moving full steam ahead now up three flights of stairs to my office. Speed is not second nature to me. Given my state of being, caution is synonymous with survival. The faster you move, the more likely you are to misstep. Generally, that’s something I can’t risk.

I’m reaching for the hallway switch when I realize there is a light three doors down. That’s Norm Bedwell’s office. And that’s unusual. Our comptroller is typically among the last to arrive. Only a fresh honey crueller from Tim Horton’s has been known to change his

I’m running to Norm’s office now, tirade at the ready. The only thing that can prevent the outside security system from working – aside from someone hacking into our server – is if the door doesn’t latch closed behind the entering employee. A loud audible click let’s you know the system is armed and you can move forward. Employees have been trained to wait for the click. If they don’t, an alarm, albeit relatively soft as alarms go, will sound for two minutes. At this time of day, however, there is no one around to hear it.

It has to be Norm’s fault, which may mean the system has only been down for minutes if he just arrived. It’s a question I’m tossing at our comptroller even before I’ve stepped inside his office.

Norm doesn’t answer.

He can’t. He is swinging from a rope tossed over an open beam (the designer’s brilliant idea), a noose tight around his neck. He’s blue, but not as blue as I believe a dead man should look.

This poses a dilemma. I’d like a few moments to assess my options and identify the safest and most effective course of action. However, I am aware I don’t have the luxury of time. I’ve seen enough Law and Order episodes to know if you don’t call the cops immediately the time delay will be noticed, and you’re more likely to find yourself on the suspect list.

Dammit. I’m a suspect.

This realization hits at the same time I’m dialing 911. The perky young woman on the other end asks how she can help. “I’m in the administrative office of the Canadian Cannabis Corp., and my comptroller appears to have hanged himself. He is dangling from a noose and turning blue.”

“Sir, I have radioed for police; they are on their way,” she says, inhaling to continue her sentence.

I cut her off. “Look, I know I shouldn’t disturb anything, but Norm may be alive. I’m going to grab his legs so the noose doesn’t cut into his windpipe.”

Great, now she knows I understand how hanging kills someone. Doesn’t matter. I’m trying to reduce the pressure around Norms neck. His feet are tucked into the crease in my left arm, his testicles about on par with my bottom lip. I’m not a small man – 6’2” – and I work out regularly, so I can maintain this, albeit distasteful, posture for some time.

I hear sirens, and it hits me. The police won’t be able to gain access to the building without destroying a lot of expensive tech. I explain this to the 911 operator. She’s really not that interested in the cost of our tech.

“I’m going to get someone to open the gate for the police,” I tell her. “That mean’s I’ll have to hang up. I’m on the third floor of the admin building. It’s the only office on the floor with a light on. My name is Riel Brava. I’m CEO.”

I end the call, rapidly going through the list of 47 employees who work for the company. Only senior managers are likely to be in. Of those, Michael Graves, head of our legal department (well, actually, our entire legal department) is likely to be at his desk. He’s ambitious, comes out of private practice where 60-hour weeks are the norm, and has a young daughter who likes to get up at 5 a.m.

I dial his extension. Mike answers. “Mike, I don’t have time to explain, but police are on their way. Please meet them at the front gate and bring them to Norm Bedwell’s office. And hurry.”

I like to think I could hear his feet pounding one floor below, but the walls, even in the admin building, are very well insulated. Truth is, flowering cannabis stinks, and we’ve gone to great lengths to keep our facility and the nearby community odour free.

The next thing I remember is someone tapping me on the shoulder. “Sir, you can let go,” a uniformed officer says to me. I loosen my grip; Norm’s testicles inch closer to my lower lip.

“I’ve got him,” the officer says and pries Norm loose from my elbow socket. It sounds like he’s trying to be thoughtful or compassionate. I’m not sure why.

Of course. Norm is dead.

Social Media/BuyLinks

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I’m happy to welcome multi-published author Virginia Barlow. Today, Virginia shares her new release Once Upon a Christmas Castle.

Blurb

Lady Rosalind Chatham journeys with her family to Weston Castle to wed an ancient earl on Christmas day. Yearning for true love, she falls for the duke, her stepfather’s cousin, while preparing for her nuptials.

Lady Rosalind entrances the Duke of Weston. Concerned for her future with the tempestuous earl, he can’t afford to get involved. The fines and scandal will be too great for a man of his wealth and power.

When the truth comes to light, and he almost loses her forever, he finds he cannot afford to give less than his whole heart.

Excerpt

Careful not to make a sound, she sat on the window ledge and slipped her feet out the window. Turning to face the interior of the room, she inched her hips over the window ledge. She slipped on the ice, frozen to the brick outside the window, and slid down faster than she intended, cringing when the silk of her day gown ripped.

Panic gripped her like a cinched corset. She did not fear falling. No. The fine sheen of terror covering her brow appeared out of fear she might wake the earl.

Catching the edge of the brick where she lay against it halfway between her bosom and her waist, she sucked in a deep breath, conscious she must present a sight with her skirts bunched up and wedged between her and the window ledge. Her white pantalets and silk-stockinged legs dangled as she maneuvered her hands so she could drop to the ground. Thank the gods no one wandered the flower gardens beneath her to see her unladylike display.

Her prayer of gratitude stopped dead, and she received the shock of her life when a large pair of hands caught her about the waist!

She froze in terror, not daring to breathe.

“Lady Rosalind, how unexpected of you to drop by like this.” The duke’s deep voice laughed at her as he held her still.

She swallowed her cry of surprise and choked. God, what Cousin Lucius must be thinking about her right now.

Buy/Read Links

Amazon | Barnes and Noble | Goodreads | BookBub

Author Bio and Links

I have always loved reading romance novels. I used to sneak into my mom’s room as a young girl and read them while she was gone. As I grew older, my reading and tastes expanded to sci-fi, dystopian, paranormal, and fantasy.

I considered becoming an author in my late twenties but as a busy mother with toddlers, I didn’t have the time nor the energy.

Later, in my fifties, I decided to give it a try and have enjoyed every moment of it since. I recently signed my fourteenth contract and am doing my happy dance as I type this. My husband of forty-one years is my greatest support as are all my kids. Most of them are grown and carving out lives for themselves. They are the beat of my heart and with every grandchild, the rhythm gets stronger. I enjoy every moment of my life.

Website | Twitter | Instagram | Facebook | TikTok | YouTube

Giveaway

Virginia Barlow will be awarding a free copy of Gamble of Hearts to a randomly drawn winner via rafflecopter during the tour. Find out more here.

Follow Virginia on the rest of her Goddess Fish tour