Blooming Has No Deadline
On Wednesdays, I share posts, fables, songs, poems, quotations, TEDx Talks, cartoons, and books that have inspired and motivated me on my writing journey. I hope these posts will give writers, artists, and other creatives a mid-week boost.
Here is an inspirational excerpt from You’ve Got This! by best-selling author Margie Warrell:
If you’re in your forties or fifties or sixties or far beyond, refuse to let the number of years you’ve been alive be your excuse for not taking the actions you might wish you’d taken years ago; the actions that would add a whole new dimension to your life today. As Rich Kaarlgard wrote in Late Bloomers, “Blooming has no deadline. Our future story is written in pencil, not carved in stone. It can be changed. There is no fixed chronology to self-determination, no age limit for breakthroughs.”
Julia Child was 49 when she wrote her first cookbook.
Laura Ingalls Wilder didn’t start writing until her forties, and didn’t pen Little House on the Prairie until she was in her sixties.
Vera Wang was 39 before she started designing clothes.
Colonel Harland Sanders was in his sixties when he started Kentucky Fried Chicken.
Diana Nyad was 64 when, after four failed attempts spanning 36 years, she finally achieved her long-held ambition of swimming the infamous channel of shark-ridden waters from Cuba to Florida (without a shark cage).
So whatever your age, whatever your situation, whatever the setbacks you’ve faced or the heartaches you’ve nursed or the stories you’ve told yourself about who you are and what you can do (or what you cannot do), decide right now that you will not settle for a life (career, relationships, etc.) that doesn’t light you up. More so, that you will set your sights on whatever vision—however humble or scarily huge—that does light you up. Research shows that while we lose some abilities as we grow older, the benefits of those we gain far exceed any that are lost. So rather than ask, “What can I accomplish despite my struggles?” ask yourself, “What can I accomplish because of them?”
Source: You’ve Got This! pp. 50-51
Happy November!
In the ancient Roman calendar (in use until 45 BC), November was named for the ninth (novem) month of the year. Despite its change in position on the Julian calendar, November was not renamed.
Here are ten interesting facts about November:
1. This month marks the end of Daylight Saving Time at 2:00 a.m. on the first Sunday. Clocks are set back one hour.
2. November 11 is Remembrance Day in Canada and Veterans Day in the United States. We honor the courage and sacrifice of those who have served our respective countries.
3. American Thanksgiving has been celebrated on the fourth Thursday of November since 1621.
4. November’s full moon is called the Beaver Moon. In North America’s early colonial years, hunters would set their beaver traps for the last time before the lakes froze.
5. The month’s birthstone is the topaz. A symbol of strength and honor, the ancient Greeks believed the stone had the ability to turn oneself invisible.
6. The month’s birth flower is the chrysanthemum
7. In Canada, Australia, United States, and United Kingdom, men grow their moustaches during the month of November. This annual event (Movember) helps raise awareness of men’s health issues, such as prostate cancer, testicular cancer, and men’s suicide.
8. People born between November 1 and November 22 fall under the sign of Scorpio and those born later in the month are under Sagittarius. Intense yet imaginative, Scorpios value trust and honesty. Generous and open-minded, Sagittarians are energetic and idealistic.
9. Famous people born in November include Marie Currie (November 7, 1867), Claude Monet (November 14, 1840), Georgia O’Keeffe (November 15, 1887), Margaret Atwood (November 18, 1939), William Blake (November 28, 1757), and Sir Winston Churchill (November 30, 1874).
10. November has been designated as National Adoption Month, National Diabetes Month, National Hospice Month, National Military Family Month, National Novel Writing Month, National Pomegranate Month, and Banana Pudding Lovers Month.
Ghosts and World Religions
I’m happy to welcome back award-winning educator, author and speaker, Dr. Randy Overbeck. Today, Dr. Overbeck shares an interesting perspective on ghosts and his new release, Scarlet at Crystal River.
Here’s Dr. Overbeck!
As I’ve shared my program about ghosts with groups around the country, I’ve encountered more than my share of skeptics. Every once in a while, a participant will be brave enough to challenge, “Ghosts? Really? You want us to believe there are that many people who actually believe in ghosts?”
Usually, I just smile…and then I share a little data.
Whether you think you are a believer of ghosts or not, if you are a member of faith community, you probably profess this belief, even if you weren’t aware. One vital part of the doctrine and mythology of every religion in the world is a belief in the spirit realm and, specifically, in ghosts. This belief shows up differently in different religions, sometimes with the understanding of spirits as benign, other times with the perception of ghosts as more malevolent. But where ever you live on the planet, if you go to temple, church, mosque, or mandir, a part of your creed includes a deep-seated belief in ghosts. A few examples may illustrate.
Most Christian sects retain a belief in spirits and ghosts, such as the Jehovah’s Witnesses’ belief that ghosts are demons or evil spirits who try to deceive humans. (Come to think of it, that’s pretty close to what I was taught as a young Catholic in my Baltimore catechism. For Judaism, those who attend temple are taught about several ghosts including a dybbuk, a ghost of dead person who can possess a human being for malevolent reasons.
Islam takes a very different tact on ghosts, one that you might well recognize. Muslims believe in particular ghosts called Jinns, spirits who inhabit a parallel world and cause mischief for humans. Americans are very familiar with these ghosts, only we call them genies.
Buddhists’ understanding of ghosts falls at the other end of the spectrum. They believe in what they call “hungry ghosts,” suffering spirits who should be treated with pity and compassion, rather than feared. For Hindus, ghosts are usually associated with individuals who experienced unnatural deaths like accidents and murder.
Perhaps, of all cultures, Native Americans have the most profound belief systems of the spirit world. Each tribe has their own particular version of belief in ghosts from the famous Skinwalkers of the Navaho’s to the Ojibwe’s understanding of a Wendigo. But one of the most interesting spirit myths comes from the Passamquaddy tribe of Maine. They believe in a creature called Skudakamooch, who they described as ghost witch.
So, what’s the point?
If, in fact, belief in the existence of spirits is universal across cultures, across countries, across religions, then perhaps, we should not be so quick to dismiss it.
But personally, I’m pulling for the kinder version. Happy Halloween.
Blurb
All Darrell Henshaw wanted was to enjoy his honeymoon with his beautiful wife, Erin, in the charming town of Crystal River on the sunny Gulf Coast of Florida. Only a pair of ghosts decide to intrude on their celebration. And not just any ghosts, the spirits of two young Latino children. Unwilling at first to derail the honeymoon for yet another ghost hunt, Darrell finally concedes when a painting of the kids comes alive, weeping and pleading for his help.
When he and Erin track down the artist, they discover the children’s family were migrant workers the next county over. But when they travel there, their questions about the kids gets their car shot up and Erin hospitalized. Torn between fear and rage, Darrell must decide how far he will go to get justice for two young children he never even knew.
Tagline
Darrell and Erin thought they were heading to Florida for a carefree honeymoon, but the ghosts of two immigrants’ children haunt them, pleading for help.
Review Blurbs
“Scarlet at Crystal River is an eerie paranormal mystery I couldn’t stop reading. Randy Overbeck is a masterful writer of the paranormal, drawing the reader in before instilling shivers down the spine. 5+ stars.” –N. N. Light’s Book Heaven
“A rollercoaster of a mystery, hurtling up and down hills and sharp corners until the very end, when the reader is left slightly breathless, waiting for their hearts to beat back to a normal rhythm. ★★★★★—ReadersView
“Scarlet at Crystal River is a suspenseful paranormal novel with compelling characters and an enigmatic mystery that drives the story to a riveting conclusion. Overbeck is a master at building tension–-this is easily a one-sitting read.” ★★★★★—Literary Titan
Trailer
Purchase Links
Amazon | Barnes and Noble | Goodreads
Bio
Dr. Randy Overbeck is an award-winning educator, author and speaker. As an educator, he served children for four decades in a range of roles captured in his novels, from teacher and coach to principal and superintendent. His thriller, Leave No Child Behind (2012) and his recent mysteries, the Amazon No. 1 Best Seller, Blood on the Chesapeake, Crimson at Cape May and Scarlet at Crystal River have earned five star reviews and garnered national awards including “Thriller of the Year–ReadersFavorite.com, “Gold Award”—Literary Titan, “Mystery of the Year”—ReadersView.com and “Crowned Heart of Excellence”—InD’Tale Magazine. As a member of the Mystery Writers of America, Dr. Overbeck is an active member of the literary community, contributing to a writers’ critique group, serving as a mentor to emerging writers and participating in writing conferences such as Sleuthfest, Killer Nashville and the Midwest Writers Workshop. When he’s not writing or researching his next exciting novel or sharing his presentation, “Things Still Go Bump in the Night,” he’s spending time with his incredible family of wife, three children (and their spouses) and seven wonderful grandchildren.
Why the Small Story Matters
On Wednesdays, I share posts, fables, songs, poems, quotations, TEDx Talks, cartoons, and books that have inspired and motivated me on my writing journey. I hope these posts will give writers, artists, and other creatives a mid-week boost.
Chuck Wendig’s informative guide, Damn Fine Story, contains a mix of personal stories, pop fiction examples, and excellent advice about storytelling. Here’s one of my favorite excerpts:
We don’t really care about the big story. We think we do. We think we care about the Empire versus the Rebel Alliance, we think we care about Spider-Man versus the Vulture, we think we care about Buffy versus the Vampires.
But we don’t. Not really. Not deeply.
What we care about is the small story embedded in there, the small story that’s the beating heart of the larger one. We care about the characters and their personal drama. We care about their families, their loved ones, their struggles to feel normal, their attempts to do right in the face of wrong. We care about Buffy wanting to fall in love and hang out with her friends and not fail out of school. We care that the villains fighting Spider-Man are often connected to him personally, and that they reflect some aspect of his troubled journey from a geeky high school student to a city-saving mutant. We care about the friendships that form between Luke, Leia, and Han.
We care because they care.
We care because their story is our story. Our story is one of friendships and family, of love lost and jealousy made, of birth and death and everything in-between.
A big story without a small story has all the substance of a laser light show. It’s pretty. It’s dazzling. And it’s very, very empty.
Look for the little story.
Look for the story about people.
Source: Damn Fine Story, pp. 79-80.
10 Interesting Facts About Forever Winter by Amber Daulton
I’m happy to welcome back multi-published author, Amber Daulton. Today, Amber shares interesting facts about her new release, Forever Winter.
Here’s Amber!
Thank you for letting me visit today, Joanne. I’m excited to share ten awesome facts about my new release.
1. Forever Winter isn’t a new book. Not really. It was originally published in a Christmas-themed anthology with Bradley Publishing back in 2012. The publisher went under two months after the release, but luckily, one of the authors I met who also wrote for Bradley suggested I submit my story to her other publisher, Books to Go Now. Thankfully, BTGN accepted Forever Winter in 2013 and re-released it as an individual book. It stayed there for years until the rights reverted to me a few months back.
2. Forever Winter is my debut book.
3. I’ve given it a makeover with a fresh cover and edit for the re-release. I’ve also added a new subplot, which carries strongly throughout the book. Honestly, I don’t know why I didn’t think of it when I first wrote the book almost ten years ago.
4. I love graphic design, so I created the cover for Forever Winter myself. After a couple failed attempts and repeat visits to the drawing board, I finally created something I really liked that also got great feedback from the artists and authors in my book design groups.
5. I prefer to write sensual to smoking hot romance, but Forever Winter is one of two sweet, no on-page sex stories in my backlist. (The other is Lightning Over Bennett Ranch.)
6. I love historical romances, and the Regency period is one of my favorite eras. Most Regency books take place in the heyday of the era—between 1811-1820—but the time period typically ranges from 1795 to 1837. Anyway, Forever Winter is set in 1834, an oddity in the world of Regency romances.
7. Most romance books begin with the protagonists meeting and falling in love with maybe a quick, sappy wedding ceremony before the book ends. Not so in Forever Winter! The reader meets Susanna and Camden on their wedding day. They’ve already courted for a year and are now ready to begin their married life together. Don’t let this put you off from the book, though! It’s a complete, standalone novella that focuses on a single day in the lives of two people who are madly in love.
8. Weddings in the Regency period were typically low-key affairs for the common-folk and just a little better for the wealthy. Most took place in a church before noon, but if you obtained a special license—which was very expensive—you could marry wherever you wanted at whatever time you liked. In addition to the bride, groom, priest, and two witnesses being present, family and friends could of course attend, but few people traveled to attend a ceremony. It was just too expensive, difficult, and time consuming to travel from town to town or clear across the country to witness an event that would be over in less than an hour. There wasn’t a big to-do about the flowers, seating arrangement, or the dress, though some wealthy women did buy a new dress for the ceremony, which they later wore as a regular dress. In Forever Winter, Camden purchases a special license and Susanna orders a new dress, but their big day doesn’t compare to the extravaganzas lots of people throw today.
9. Susanna and Camden’s wedding day tanks! Everything that could go wrong, goes wrong in a spectacular fashion. If I were Susanna, I probably would’ve postponed the wedding, but she didn’t have that option—not as a young woman living under the strict rules of 19th century England. Poor girl.
10. Forever Winter shows the strength of love, friendship, and mutual respect in the face of adversity and that no matter what happens, love will prevail.
Synopsis
A perfect Christmas wedding, a snowstorm, and a shocking secret. What could go wrong?
Susanna Lorican must marry the man she loves before the truth is discovered, or face the gossip of the ton. With an unexpected snowstorm injuring the minister, her future hangs in the balance.
Viscount Camden Beckinworth vows to keep his bride safe, even if he must betray her confidence. When their love is put to the test, how will he uphold her honor without jeopardizing his own?
– Warning: this sweet, complete Regency romance novella features a brief scene where the heroine is assaulted.
– Second edition. Newly revised and edited.
Tagline
Will their love withstand the storm to come?
Excerpt
“Susanna, please, talk to me. Let me know your thoughts.”
He grasped her arms in a firm but gentle hold. Did he expect her to flee rather than confide in him? She couldn’t lie to him, nor did she want to. The truth spilled from her lips in a rush—her shame, her frustration, her anger. Everything poured out of her, except for the most precious reason of all.
“Oh, my darling.” He pressed her close to his chest.
She sniffled. His rich scent of smoke and pure male radiated from him in a soothing balm she scarcely deserved. “I-I planned the perfect wedding but never imagined things might go wrong. I didn’t consider anyone but myself. If I could change what I did, I would, but it’s too late. Too much is underway.” She gritted her teeth and pulled back from Camden’s embrace. She wrapped her arms around her churning stomach and paced again.
As Camden rubbed his creased brow, she bit back a cry of frustration. He tried so hard to be patient with her. Every fiber in his body probably urged him to snatch her arm, pin her against his chest, and kiss her until she melted in a puddle at his feet. She almost wished he would. Who cared about the gossip that might ensue if someone caught them in the act?
“You were right.” Susanna pressed her knuckles against her aching temples. “Mama was right. A spring wedding would have been wonderful, but with my luck, these catastrophes would have happened regardless.”
“There is always the possibility of something bad happening—rain, wind, anything. The dress still might have been late, or a highwayman could have robbed the coach and stolen it. The reverend could have fallen from his horse on a dry road.”
His words rang with truth, but the misery clenching her heart doubled.
Camden blocked her path. “I’m glad you chose today, the anniversary of the day my life changed for the better. I will never forget your blue muslin dress, or how you moaned over your hurt ankle then clammed up when you saw me. You were so stubborn, so beautiful, that I lost my voice. I had never truly seen you until that moment.”
She flushed warm as the memory calmed her racing heart.
She’d been playing with a few of the servants’ children in the courtyard when she fell and twisted her ankle. While the children hurried off to find help, Camden found her and carried her inside. They were inseparable for the rest of the evening. Though his kiss in the library startled her so much that she’d slapped him, her heart had soared and nearly split her rib cage.
He suckled her lower lip between his teeth until a moan escaped her throat. He pulled back and stared deep into her eyes. “You are so kind, darling. I wish you realized that.”
“How could you believe such a falsehood? I’m selfish and—”
“Would a selfish woman invite servants to her wedding, and their brood?” He cupped her cheek. “Of course not. You wanted them to enjoy this day too. I have seen the way the children—both your flesh and blood and the others—gravitate to you. Your goodness calls to them.” He tapped his palm on her upper chest, right above her heart. “If something else happens and prohibits our union, God forbid, we will marry as soon as possible. Nothing will keep me away from you.” He hooked a stray lock of her hair behind her ear and lowered his mouth to hers.
Add to Goodreads – https://bit.ly/foreverwintergoodreads
Check it out on BookBub – https://bit.ly/foreverwinterbookbub
Purchase Links
Amazon | Barnes and Noble | Kobo | Apple/iBooks | Google Play
About the Author
Amber Daulton is the author of the romantic-suspense series Arresting Onyx and several standalone novellas. Her books are published through Daulton Publishing, The Wild Rose Press, and Books to Go Now, and are available in ebook, print on demand, audio, and foreign language formats.
She lives in North Carolina with her husband and demanding cats.
Universal link – https://linktr.ee/AmberDaulton
Blurb Blitz: The Assasin’s Legacy
I’m happy to welcome author D. Lieber. Today, she shares her new release, The Assasin’s Legacy.
Blurb
He hasn’t been Aleksandr Sergeyevich Volonov, legendary monster-hunting assassin for ten years. Now, he is only Sasha, charming deckhand on a merchant airship so recently destroyed by pirates.
All he wants is to find another job and keep moving. But that simple plan is thwarted when his sister sends an assassin to murder him. His only choice is to return to Saint Petersburg and renounce his claim to his family’s title.
Trapped by his late father’s machinations, Sasha finds himself surrounded by death threats, engaged to a brutal villainess, shadowed by his cheeky assassin, and forced to lead the organization bent on eliminating all supernatural creatures from the Russian Empire.
As he struggles to keep hold on the man he is, Sasha must face who he used to be in this modern steampunk fantasy adventure full of folklore, banter, and artifice.
Excerpt
The cold wind off the Gulf of Finland seeped into my soul, greeting me like a mother’s caress. I had left the pleasant autumn of the west behind. Nothing warmed the heart quite like the promise of a Russian winter. Sighing, I smiled to myself and strolled in the direction of the river. A line of small steamboats with black and yellow striped canopies patiently waited on the river’s edge. Their smoke stacks, which stuck up through the canopies, puffed white water vapor, telling us they were ready at any time.
After we’d hopped into a taxi, I asked the driver to take us to Volonov Manor. We chugged up the Neva, and I watched the grand palaces and mansions drift by. I could still remember the names and faces of their boyar residents, those I’d grown up with. Their salons and drawing rooms, the many balls and parties, the dinners and concerts: the gilded façade that was my youth. I also remembered their cellars and basements: prisons for the creatures of the night, poor souls who were only kept alive to torture for information and study to find better ways of killing others of their kind.
Of course, not all of the noble families were members of the Ubyzniki, just the trusted few. Five families, still favored by the empress, made up the Ubyzniki. Five families with their many branches filled the ranks of “monster” hunting assassins. They lurked in forests, alleys, and ballrooms alike, stalking their supernatural prey and keeping the unknowing citizens of the Russian Empire safe. I scoffed at their hypocrisy, their righteous hubris, as all the contentment I’d felt upon landing in Saint Petersburg drained out of me.
Author Bio and Links
D. Lieber has a wanderlust that would make a butterfly envious. When she isn’t planning her next physical adventure, she’s recklessly jumping from one fictional world to another. Her love of reading led her to earn a Bachelor’s in English from Wright State University.
Beyond her skeptic and slightly pessimistic mind, Lieber wants to believe. She has been many places—from Canada to England, France to Italy, Germany to Russia—believing that a better world comes from putting a face on “other.” She is a romantic idealist at heart, always fighting to keep her feet on the ground and her head in the clouds.
Lieber lives in Wisconsin with her husband (John) and cats (Yin and Nox).
Website | Goodreads | BookBub | Amazon Buy Link
Published Works
Conjuring Zephyr June 2016
The Exiled Otherkin (Minte and Magic Adventure, #1) November 2017
Intended Bondmates (Intended Fates, #1) June 2018
In Search of a Witch’s Soul (Council of Covens Noir, #1) March 2019
Dancing with Shades (Council of Covens Noir, #0) August 2019
Once in a Black Moon) March 2020
A Very Witchy Yuletide ) October 2020
The Treason of Robyn Hood ) March 2021
The Assassin’s Legacy (Minte and Magic Adventure, #2) October 2021
Giveaway
D. Lieber will be awarding a Russian tea kit, which includes: podstakannik and glass, tea, jam, and spoon to a randomly drawn winner via Rafflecopter during the tour. Find out more here.
Follow D. Lieber on the rest of her Goddess Fish tour here.
Eight Pieces of Wisdom That Can Change Your Life
On Wednesdays, I share posts, fables, songs, poems, quotations, TEDx Talks, cartoons, and books that have inspired and motivated me on my writing journey. I hope these posts will give writers, artists, and other creatives a mid-week boost.
Simple and straight-forward advice for living our best lives:
Spotlight on Julie Howard
I’m happy to welcome back Wild Rose Press author Julie Howard. Today, Julie shares her author journey and new release, The Three Widows of Wylder.
Here’s Julie!
Thank you, Joanne, for hosting me today! This is a lucky day for me because my eighth book, The Three Widows of Wylder, releases today.
I never thought I’d have eight books out. My dream was to someday have one published. My journey to becoming a novelist was both long and short. My childhood dream was to be a novelist and I was always creating stories and jotting down plot and character notes. I majored in journalism in college and was a newspaper reporter, columnist and editor for a number of years. This was a great training ground as I learned quite a bit about human behavior during the stories I reported on (motivations), how different people speak (dialogue), and understanding what made an interesting story (plot). For a few years, I worked in marketing before I realized time was growing short for realizing that old childhood dream.
In my forties, I quit work and started writing my first novel. I learned writing fiction was very different than nonfiction. While I had the technical abilities, I still had a lot to learn. I took a few classes, attended conferences, and read a number of books on writing fiction. I spent a few years researching and writing a historical fiction novel and then, mentally exhausted by that effort, decided to write a mystery to clear my mind. That book, Crime and Paradise, was picked up by The Wild Rose Press.
What seemed like an immediate success to those around me was actually the culmination of years of work putting the building blocks in place. I’ve stayed with the same publisher for seven subsequent titles and am now working on my next novel. Finally, after all these years, I’m living my childhood dream.
Tagline
Three women. Three terrible secrets.
Blurb
Three women on the run.
After the death of her husband, Clara flees a hanging judge and seeks refuge with her brother in Wylder, Wyoming.
With secrets of her own and good reasons to flee, spoiled and vain Mary Rose joins Clara on the trek to Wyoming. Surely a suitable man exists somewhere.
Emma is a mystery. A crack shot and expert horsewoman, her harrowing past seeps out in a steady drip. She’s on the run from something, but what?
After the three women descend on Wylder, a budding romance leads to exposure of their pasts. As disaster looms, will any of them escape?
Excerpt
Emma stood, legs apart, one hand on the pistol at her hip. The covered wagon was the type used years ago by pioneers, before trains tamed the prairie, and they still lumbered across areas where tracks hadn’t been laid. Two women sat side-by-side, too focused on their argument to yet notice the camp they entered. Their one horse, overmatched by the heavy wagon, was damp with sweat, its mouth flecked with froth.
“We should have stayed on the main road.” The peevish one appeared much younger, curly gold hair topped by a large straw hat. She wore a light-yellow dress with lace at her wrists and throat, a perfectly inadequate outfit for travel. “Someone could have provided directions.”
The older woman had finely-drawn features, a few strands of gray threaded through her dark, uncovered hair. Dressed in sensible blue calico, she gripped the reins too tight and the poor horse gave a pathetic shake of its head. “The whole point was to avoid people,” she sniped.
Emma strode forward and seized the reins. “For God’s sake, you’re killing him.”
The two women gaped as though at an apparition. The horse, released from harsh hands, lowered its head and halted. Its sides heaved as flies drank at its sweaty flanks.
“Whomever let you two fools handle a horse should be whipped.” Tempted to dispatch the women to hell for their cruelty, Emma rested her hand on the pistol’s handle.
They two travelers spoke in tandem. “Who are you?” and “How dare you call me a fool.”
As Emma crooned into in the horse’s ear, her expert fingers undid the buckles at its shoulders and haunches. By the time the older of the two women climbed to the ground, the horse was unhitched and Emma led it to the creek.
“That’s our horse,” cried the one in yellow. “Clara, what is that insane girl doing? She’s stealing him.”
Emma halted, shoulders stiff. She turned and pointed the pistol at the one with lace at her throat. “I’m no horse thief.” She cocked the hammer. “Apologize.”
Buy Links
Amazon | iBooks | Barnes and Noble | Bookbub | Goodreads
Author Bio and Links
Julie Howard is the author of the Wild Crime mystery series and Spirited Quest paranormal mystery series. She is a former journalist and editor who has covered topics ranging from crime to cowboy poetry. She is a member of the Idaho Writers Guild and editor of the Potato Soup Journal.
When she’s not writing, she enjoys spending time outdoors cycling, walking or gardening. A fifth generation Californian, she now lives in Idaho.
Website | Facebook | Goodreads | Amazon | Bookbub | Twitter | Instagram
Book Blast: To Entice a Spy
I’m happy to welcome multi-published author Diane Scott Lewis. Today, Diane shares her new release, To Entice a Spy.
Blurb
In 1794, Widowed Countess Eseld Trehearne seeks revenge for the brutal death of her female companion during a Paris riot. On her return to England, Eseld delves into espionage to defeat the French rebels.
Baron Robert Penhale, Eseld’s childhood love, rejoins the Secret Services after his wife’s death. He’s determined to protect England from the revolution terrorizing France.
A ruthless French spy fights for the common man while disguised as an English aristocrat. He’s intent on revenge against those who oppose him.
With the spy stalking them and Robert in fear for Eseld’s life, the fate of the couple verges on disaster.
Excerpt
Pierre entered the Blue Anchor tavern. At a table in the far corner, he sat and ordered a small beer. He reached into his greatcoat pocket and pulled out the letter he’d just picked up from the General Post Office. Crackling it open in the dim candlelight, he started to read the coded letter.
Men laughed and talked in the low-ceiling taproom, puffing on pipes. The word, “revolution,” popped up now and then. Had their arguments been for or against?
The nerve of the English to care about his country’s events, but the murder of useless royalty across the Channel had made George III fear for his crown. Now Britain, along with Austria, attacked France to demand the status quo.
A pretty wench in apron and cap sauntered up to his table.
“You promised to visit me. I’m that earnest to run my fingers through your hair blacker than coal, an’ gaze into them blue eyes. Handsome devil.”
“Not now, I’ll come back later tonight. I’m busy.”
Pierre was anxious to finish his note and turned from her. Another chit he dallied with. He heard her walk off in a huff.
He hunched down and snickered.
The note confirmed that a woman, a spoiled aristocrat, was in town to interfere with him.
“How delightful,” he muttered under his breath. Could that be the recent arrival, Countess Trehearne?
He crunched the paper in his fingers as if to rip apart anyone who impeded his operation. This woman, the delectable Eseld, would be easy to fool, and dispose of, if necessary.
Buy Links
Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Target | Book Depository
Author Bio and Links
Diane Parkinson (Diane Scott Lewis) grew up near San Francisco, joined the Navy at nineteen, married in Greece and raised two sons in Puerto Rico, California, and Guam. She’s a member of the Historical Novel Society and wrote book reviews for their magazine. She’s always loved travel and history and has had several historical novels published. Her most recent is the Oyster War Novel set in the 1950s: Ghost Point.
Her spy novella, To Entice a Spy, set in England during the French Revolution—two former lovers chase a ruthless spy; will love rekindle as murder stalks them? — will be released on October 11, 2021.
Diane lives with her husband and one naughty dog in western Pennsylvania.
Website | Amazon | Bookbub | FB Fan Page | Goodreads | Instagram | Twitter
Giveaway
Diane Scott Lewis will be awarding a $20 Amazon Barnes & Noble gift card to a randomly drawn winner via Rafflecopter during the tour. Find out more here.
Follow Diane on the rest of her Goddess Fish tour here.
Goodreads:
Joanne Guidoccio 