Cover Reveal: The Texan’s Favor

Posted on September 8, 2021 by Joanne Guidoccio

I’m happy to reveal the cover of D. K. Deters’ novel…

A stranger’s path, a broken promise, and a second chance…

Blurb

Ambushed, Texas Ranger Jake Fontaine’s a dead man until a Kansas spinster raises her shotgun in his defense. Despite the rogue lawman’s obsession to bring in his brother’s killer, duty demands he escort her to the next town.

Kat Collins is a thief, though an honorable one. She’s on the run from controlling kin and aims to escape her past. Traveling with Jake offers the perfect cover—until her uncle finds them sharing a campfire and imposes his own kind of justice—a wedding.

Marriage will cost Jake his freedom but refusing may cost him his life. Kat figures he’s bound to recognize her on a wanted poster. Would sharing passionate nights in his arms be worth the peril?

Excerpt

“Not that it’s any of your affair, Ranger, but I’m goin’ to St. Louis. I didn’t plan for any delays. You were in trouble, and I tried to help.” She lifted her chin. “Although you bein’ a Texas Ranger and all, I’d think you would’ve had the upper hand.”

He stuffed his hat back on. Contrary to his usual confidence around women, she baffled him. “Lady, you’re riding a horse to St. Louis, alone?” Stubborn woman, someone should be responsible for her welfare. Was Emmett involved with her decision?

She slammed the coffeepot to the smoking fire and a moment later stomped across the ground separating them. At over five-and-a-half feet tall and her boot heels adding an extra inch, she dug her forefinger into his chest. “Ranger, you question where I’m going? Don’t forget you’re in Kansas. Don’t Texas Rangers ride in—Texas?” She stretched the word Texas and placed her hands on her hips. “Did you lose your way?”

Her words strained his good intentions. He leaned forward, wrapped his hands around her thin wrists, and murmured, “Honey, it’ll be a cold day in hell before I ever lose my way to Texas.”

Available for pre-order on Amazon and Apple Books

About the Author

D. K. Deters is a fantasy and historical romance author. She was a communications consultant before turning to a writing career. Like many historical romance authors, she’s always had a deep interest in history, and the nineteenth century is her favorite. When she’s not writing, she enjoys spending time with her adult children and their families. Her hobbies include restoring old dollhouses and secondhand furniture. Christmas is her favorite time of the year. Her debut eBook, Christmas Once Again, was also published by The Wild Rose Press.

Connect with D. K. Deters

Cover Reveal: Aiden

Posted on June 1, 2021 by Joanne Guidoccio

I’m happy to reveal the cover of Peggy Jaeger’s next novel…

Blurb

Lexi Buckley wants answers about her younger sister’s death. The police have labeled it a suicide, but Lexi doesn’t believe it. Stymied in her investigation, she doesn’t know where to turn next. After a chance encounter with a private investigator, she thinks her prayers have been answered.

Aiden Keane has never been an answer to a prayer before, but he agrees to help Lexi. A quirky combo of brains and beauty, the pixie blonde makes him feel things no professional ever should for a client.

When their investigation puts Lexi’s life in jeopardy, her safety becomes his number one priority. The hard part is not falling for her.

Excerpt

Were you close with your sister?” Aiden asked.

Not the way we should have been. Not at the end.

“We had a sizable age difference between us. Almost ten years. I was the big sis. The oldest.” Her lips trembled when she pulled them into a sad line. Rolling her eyes she added, “The bossy one, according to her. She was the baby and took full advantage of her status from the moment she realized it.”

“And rightly so.” The corners of his eyes crinkled. “I’m the youngest of my brothers and I’ll can tell you with one hundred percent honesty, my oldest brother is the bossiest one of us. I think it comes with birth order. Although he takes his so called right uber-seriously. Especially at work.”

This time her grin was steadier. “What kind of business do you all own together?”

“We a run a private security company.”

“Security?”

“Personal bodyguards, if a client needs protection from something. Background checks for employers. Mostly we do investigations.”

“What, like private eyes? Like on television?”

He laughed. “Nothing so glamorous. The fast cars and hot babes are all fantasy. It’s a lot of boring research, computer work, and surveillance, but yeah, you could say I’m a private eye.”

Lexi’s entire mood turned on his words. The sorrow flew, the hurt dissolved. Even her nervous trivia-speak went dormant. She sat bolt upright, her knees bumping against the tabletop when she shifted. Excitement shot from her system as she turned her body, placed a hand across his forearm and declared, “Oh, my God. You’re the answer to my prayers.”

A PRIDE OF BROTHERS: RICK is available now across all digital media and in print: https://books2read.com/u/38RV7O

Cover Reveal: Baked with Love

Posted on November 11, 2020 by Joanne Guidoccio

I’m thrilled to reveal the cover of Peggy Jaeger’s next novel…

Blurb

Innkeeper Maureen O’Dowd lives to cook and bake, spoils her family and friends, and is an expert at keeping secrets, especially about the man who’s held her heart for years.

Police Chief Lucas Alexander is dealing with an aging father and a moody teenage son, and he’s in love with a woman who only wants to be friends.
How can these two fiercely private people reveal their feelings for one another without destroying the friendship they already have? And if they’re successful, will another secret, if revealed, drive a wedge between Maureen and Lucas that can never be repaired?

Cover Reveal: No More Secrets

Posted on June 15, 2020 by Joanne Guidoccio

I’m thrilled to share this cover and trailer with you today!

Blurb

Angelica Delfino takes a special interest in the lives of her three nieces, whom she affectionately calls the daughters of her heart. Sensing that each woman is harboring a troubling—possibly even a toxic— secret, Angelica decides to share her secrets, secrets she had planned to take to the grave. Spellbound, her nieces listen to an incredulous tale of forbidden love, tragic loss, and reinvention that spans six decades across two continents. It is the classic immigrant story upended: an Italian widow’s transformative journey amid the most unlikely of circumstances.

Inspired by Angelica’s example, the younger women share their “First World” problems and, in the process, revisit their relationships and set themselves free.

But one heart-breaking secret remains untold…

Trailer

Coming September 2020!

Cover Reveal: Bear With Me

Posted on April 4, 2020 by Joanne Guidoccio

I’m thrilled to reveal the cover of Marilyn Barr’s debut novel…

Back Story

Bear with Me was originally a journal entry describing my family’s first full day after moving to Kentucky in 2015. Main character Alison’s struggle to act normal with sensory processing disorder mirrors my own challenges. Sensory Processing Disorder (SPD) is a dysregulation of how the body perceives the world and its use of our seven senses. Each person has a different combination of over-responsive and under-responsive senses.

Alison has the same combination as myself, where we are overly sensitive to smells, tastes, and hearing. Social events that involve eating are a nightmare. It is not that I am a picky eater, but that different food textures scrap along the inside of my mouth to varying degrees. I will cook a large repertoire of foods but would only eat five different meals when I went to college. I knew my husband was “the one” when he didn’t make fun of my eating in our college cafeteria.

While I have normal eyesight with contact lenses, Alison and I are under-sensitive to touch, proprioception, and vestibular senses. This is where most of my social problems occurred growing up. I cannot feel if my shoes are on the wrong feet, my clothes are on backward, a sign has been placed on my back, or a teen boyfriend was grabbing my behind. Because of these issues, I decided to turn this aspect of SPD into Alison’s superpower. The last two senses describe where our bodies feel they are in space. Those of us who are under-responsive fidget, dance, and use grand hand gestures to verify the gravitational input most people receive naturally. You can imagine the trouble I had sitting in a desk at school.

In addition to SPD, Alison and I homeschool our autistic sons, both boys have savant syndrome. This portion of the autism spectrum is the characterized in television shows like “The Good Doctor” and movies like “Rain Man” where the person has one outstanding area of expertise to the detriment of other skills. In Bear with Me, Henrik is a musical savant with behavior troubles in public school. He sings, composes, and plays the piano at a virtuoso level. My real son is a linguistic savant. He excels in the areas of grammar and syntax, not only in English but in many foreign languages as well.

I hope to show readers a growing section of the homeschool community in Bear with Me referred to as secular homeschoolers. These families homeschool for reasons other than religion. The children of rural Strawberry are an hour’s drive from the nearest school, so each parent teaches their area of expertise with all the children in the community as classmates. In real-life Kentucky, we call these groups of families: cottage schools or parent-lead co-ops depending on whether money exchanged between parents. In Strawberry, the parents exchange teaching classes but do not pay each other monetarily. Green Witch Alison teaches math and science. Pizzeria owner Rosie Paulino teaches language arts and Italian. Also, her son Henrik takes online classes from a local university in his area of expertise (as my son takes foreign language classes from Outschool Professors in different countries)

Blurb

Blue eyes, dimples, and silky brown hair; Grant Luther has all of Alison’s weaknesses.

When he asks for one last chance to save their marriage, she agrees to relocate their family to isolated Strawberry, Kentucky in pursuit of his career dreams. Grant views Alison’s sensory issues as limitations and protects her from outside threats. When he finds his new job includes changing him into a shifter in a war against the soul-sucking Sluagh he vows to keep the changes a secret. What he doesn’t know is Alison has been hiding a magical secret of her own. One that makes her a target of the Sluagh.

Will Alison emerge from Grant’s shadow to protect her family? And can Grant learn that being different can be a strength not a weakness?

Excerpt

“You look perfect. I mean perfectly healthy. I mean mostly uninjured,” she stammers. She places her tiny hand over her eyes.

Feeling braver than ever, I walk right up to her. I gently remove the hand from her face and hold it to my own. “See, I’m fine,” I whisper as I gently rub my thumb over her tiny knuckles.

Her eyes lift to mine and lock our gazes. I have always found the golden color of her eyes fascinating but never studied them up close. They are light brown with a golden star in the middle. I am literally star gazing as she takes in the injuries to my face. We stand there for about a minute, lost in time.

I wonder if she is thinking about when we first started dating, the hard times that followed, the present, or the future. I search her face for clues but don’t want to break the spell by opening my mouth. I decide to put said mouth to better use by lowering my head toward hers.

Book Trailer

https://drive.google.com/open?id=1heqPeGLXyocP2ou3e_VJkxxCVdcMni4F

Bio

I have a diverse background containing experiences as a child prodigy turned medical school reject, published microbiologist, special education/inclusion science teacher, homeschool mother of a savant and advocate for the autistic community. This puts me in the position to bring tales containing heroes who are regular people with different ability levels and body types, in a light where they are powerful, lovable, and appreciated.

I currently reside in the wilds of Kentucky with my husband and son. When I’m engaging with the real world, I’m collecting characters, empty coffee cups and unused homeschool curricula. In my perfect world, we would use our talents to work together in the pursuit of the perfect, yet allergen free, pizza.

Website | Twitter | Facebook | Instagram | Goodreads

Cover and Trailer Reveal: A Different Kind of Reunion

Posted on March 26, 2018 by Joanne Guidoccio

I am thrilled to share this cover and trailer with you today!

Blurb

While not usually a big deal, one overlooked email would haunt teacher Gilda Greco. Had she read it, former student Sarah McHenry might still be alive.

Suspecting foul play, Constable Leo Mulligan plays on Gilda’s guilt and persuades her to participate in a séance facilitated by one of Canada’s best-known psychics. Six former students also agree to participate. At first co-operative and willing, the camaraderie is short-lived as old grudges and rivalries emerge. The séance is a bust.

Determined to solve Sarah’s murder, Gilda launches her own investigation and uncovers shocking revelations that could put several lives—including her own—in danger. Can Gilda and the psychic solve this case before the killer strikes again?

Excerpt

Jim whistled. “You sure don’t like it easy. With all your millions, you’d think this crap could somehow miss landing on you. But you do seem to attract it.” He chuckled. “Might be something to address with a therapist or maybe the psychic you’ve just met.”

“I didn’t just meet Cassandra. I got to know her and her parents very well during those seven months I taught in Parry Sound. They’re good people.” While I was also skeptical, I did feel the urge to defend her. She had been so sincere and so open. I couldn’t fathom the notion of Cassandra faking or putting on the airs of a psychic. It wasn’t in her nature to be deceitful.

“I’m sure they are,” Jim said. “But let’s face some facts here. Most psychics need to make a living. I don’t doubt this lady has some intuitive ability—as many women do—but I don’t think it’s enough to catch a murderer. The constable is grasping at straws. What did you say his name was?”

“Leo. Leo Mulligan.”

“Tall, dark-haired guy. Good-looking and a bit of a rascal.”

“He’s evolved.” I immediately regretted my response. Knowing Jim, he would pounce and tease me.

“And you’re interested,” Jim said, chuckling. “What does your boyfriend think about this cozy reunion you’re having?”

Release Date: April 23, 2018

Cover Reveal: Eye of the Pharaoh

Posted on September 15, 2016 by Joanne Guidoccio

I’m thrilled to reveal the cover of Nancy Fraser’s next novel…

eyeofthepharaoh

Blurb

Publicist Teri Hunter has her hands full promoting Professor Joshua Cain and his new non-fiction book, The Pharaoh’s Mummy. She’s not convinced it’s even possible to turn this absent-minded, modern-day, Indiana Jones into a best-selling author.

Dr. Cain’s PhDs in archaeology and art history have prepared him for almost anything on the lecture circuit and among ancient ruins. He’s just not sure about a book tour…or the sexy publicist sent to monitor his every professional move.

When an odd request falls in their laps while in New Orleans, Josh and Teri find themselves transported to 1920’s Egypt where they must resolve an ancient curse in order to be sent home. Will the dangers facing them hinder their success and threaten their very lives? Or will help from an ancient guardian keep them on-track and safe?

Excerpt

Wake up. Kick ass. Repeat.

Teri Hunter mouthed the motivational phrase she’d chosen for her personal mantra as she stepped across the threshold into the dark and musty storeroom.

A dim light shone from a glass-enclosed workroom in the far corner. Taking a tentative step forward, she faltered when the floorboards creaked beneath her feet. Something fast and furry brushed against her ankle. A shiver ran down her back, yet she fought the urge to retreat.

Do one thing every day that scares you.

This was obviously today’s obstacle. Were it not for her professional commitments and intricately organized schedule, she’d have no doubt bolted for the door and returned to the safety and illumination of the main building.

‘Sorry, but the storage area doesn’t have overhead lighting. Preservation of the antiquities. You understand.’ The dean’s words echoed in her head. To make matters worse, what little outside light there was had become nearly non-existent due to an impending thunderstorm.

Drawing a deep breath, she took a second step and then a third, winding her way past a half-dozen crates, some open, some not. To her left she heard a rustling of paper; to her right the distinct sound of footsteps.

Her apprehension grew, the hair on her forearms stood at attention. She’d barely made it halfway across the room before bumping into something large and solid. Reaching out, she laid her hand against the oversized object. Slowly, she raised her head and came face to face with the painted mask of an Egyptian noble. The chipped finish gave the death mask a deranged look.

“You come here often, big boy?”

Fun Fact

The idea for Eye of the Pharaoh came about following a trip to the Field Museum in Chicago. For the longest time afterward, I couldn’t get the images of ancient Egypt out of my head. Then, out of the blue, I received a gift from a relative who had passed…a gorgeous necklace fashioned like an Egyptian collar. The late relative had no way of knowing about my recent fascination with Egypt so I took it as a sign. There was obviously a story inside me begging to come out.

Bio

nancyfraser Like most authors, Nancy Fraser began writing at an early age, usually on the walls and with crayons or, heaven forbid, permanent markers. Her love of writing often made her the English teacher’s pet, which, of course, resulted in a whole lot of teasing. Still, it was worth it.

Published in multiple genres, Nancy currently writes for four publishers. She has published twenty-two books in both full-length and novella format. Nancy will release her 25th book in early 2017. She is currently working on her next Rock and Roll novella and two other equally exciting projects.

When not writing (which is almost never), Nancy dotes on her five wonderful grandchildren and looks forward to traveling and reading when time permits. Nancy lives in Atlantic Canada where she enjoys the relaxed pace and colorful people.

Rafflecopter Giveaway

First prize: $10 gift card to book retailer of their choice
Second prize: (3) Digital copies of Time and Again, my futuristic time travel.

Enter here.

Where to find Nancy…

Cover Reveal: Retribution

Posted on August 6, 2015 by Joanne Guidoccio

I’m thrilled to reveal the cover of Rachel Sharpe’s next novel…

Blurb

“What started out as a star-studded vacation has turned into a sensational avalanche…”

When private investigator Jordan James decided to join her best friend on the set of her hit television series in the Rocky Mountains, she had no idea she would become a key player in a murder mystery more suited for the big screen than the slopes. With one actor dead and a killer on the loose, can Jordan uncover the culprit before another victim makes headlines on Hollywood Minute?

Coming this Fall from Soul Mate Publishing!!!

Available Now in the Jordan James, PI Series

“It was my life-long dream to become a private eye. Little did I know that with my very first case, that dream would become a life-threatening nightmare…”

When Jordan James decided to embark on a career as a private investigator, she never could have imagined that a chance encounter would lead to her staring down the barrel of a gun on the roof’s edge of a high-rise building. As she begins to investigate her first case, the puzzling murder of a prominent businessman that has left Boston’s finest mystified for more than two decades, she finds herself suddenly immersed in a treacherous underworld brimming with betrayal, raw greed, and political subterfuge of international proportions. In the midst of this, she discovers she is falling for her mysterious client despite the hints of his dark past. Can this feisty Southern girl with a penchant for trouble solve this baffling case or is she doomed to become another tragic chapter in an international conspiracy?

“It all started with a favor…”

When private investigator Jordan James agreed to search for the missing son of a U.S. Ambassador, she didn’t realize she was walking into a case one hundred years in the making. The deeper she delves into this unusual assignment, the more shocking, and the more dangerous, it becomes. With time running out and lives at stake, Jordan must race to identify the culprit of an elaborate plot while also uncovering a far more personal truth too intimate to ignore…

Bio

Rachel Sharpe is the author of Cold Ambition and Lost Distinction, the first novels in the Jordan James, PI series. Although born and raised in the South, “Yankee” relatives first led Rachel to historic New England, which she has come to consider her second home and is the setting for the series.

After obtaining a Bachelor of Arts in English, Rachel began dedicating her free time to her childhood passion, writing, and in the fall of 2013, she signed with Soul Mate Publishing. An active member of Sisters In Crime, Rachel currently resides with her husband in the Greater New Orleans area.

Check Out Rachel’s Sites to Keep Up with Jordan James!!!

Website | Facebook | Twitter

Cover Reveal: The Coming of Arabella

Posted on July 14, 2015 by Joanne Guidoccio

I am thrilled to share this cover with you today!

Blurb

On the day of her engagement party, an ex-mermaid’s life is disrupted by the unexpected arrival of another mermaid—a sister she has never known. Under normal circumstances, Barbara Davies would be overjoyed, but her special day is already wrought with tension. While Barbara is not the first mermaid from the Mediterranean kingdom to settle in small town Ontario, she has yet to reveal her origins to her fiancé. So when Arabella, the gorgeous sister whose disturbing black eyes banished her to the island of Crete, saunters into her life, clutching the arm of Barbara’s discarded lover, a powder keg of emotion is released.

Relationships falter and careers stall as envy stirs in the hearts of the sisters. On the verge of meltdown after her fiancé leaves Canada for a teaching job in Vermont, Barbara flees to Arizona hoping for a reprieve. There, she finds solace at a retreat for ex-mermaids and a second chance at love with a charismatic preacher. As she contemplates a new life in the desert paradise of Sedona, shocking secrets emerge and tragedy strikes. A stronger and wiser Barbara rises up to face these new challenges and embrace the best parts of her mermaid heritage.

Enter the Giveaway – You could win a $10 Starbucks gift card.

Coming August 19, 2015

Cover Reveal: Dancing in the Athenian Rain

Posted on July 6, 2015 by Joanne Guidoccio

I’m thrilled to present the cover for Katie Hamstead’s novel…

Blurb

When Donna is sent back in time to Classical Athens, she’s furious at Dr. Stephens for sending her against her wishes. Then a Greek soldier purchases her to be his wife.

She’s forced to learn a new language and culture, and faces her fears of never returning to her own time. The society hates her, especially because they think she’s an Amazon, which forces her to confront her issues—being compared to her genius brother, borderline abusive friends, and a cheating boyfriend.

But her husband, Peleus, is kind and patient. Although against her best judgment, she allows him into her heart. He counters all the negative voices from her past, but those voices drive a wedge between them. She must let go of her fears, her inhibitions, and insecurities, and admit her feelings, or she could lose him and the life they’ve built.

Bio

Born and raised in Australia, Katie’s early years of day dreaming in the “bush”, and having her father tell her wild bedtime stories, inspired her passion for writing.

After graduating High School, she became a foreign exchange student where she met a young man who several years later she married. Now she lives in Arizona with her husband, daughter and their dog.

She has a diploma in travel and tourism which helps inspire her writing. She currently works as an Acquisitions Editor with Curiosity Quills Press to help support her family.

Katie loves to out sing her friends and family, play sports and be a good wife and mother. She loves to write, and takes the few spare moments in her day to work on her novels.

Where to find Katie…

Blog | Facebook | Twitter | Goodreads