I’m happy to welcome author Katie Groom. Today, Katie shares her creative journey and new release, Fixed Moon.

Interview

What is your favorite quote?

This is such a great question, and sometimes my answer changes depending on my mood. Right now, I quote enjoy this quotation from the Twelfth Doctor at his time of regeneration:

Never be cruel. Never be cowardly. Hate is always foolish. Love is always wise. Always try to be nice, but never fail to be kind.

I think the world needs a little bit of everything that he said in that moment.

If you had a superpower, what would it be?

I believe that everyone has little superpowers. They are little seemingly-mundane things, so no one really notices. For me, my superpower is getting a really great parking spot! When I first started to notice this, no one believed me, but I started to take pictures to prove it – hahaha! Then one day, my family and I were at an extremely busy shopping center, and I *magically* got the best spot in the entire lot! They really started to believe in my “special” power then.

If I had to pick a traditional superpower, I think that I would pick a power that would let me take on someone else’s power with just a touch. It would never get boring, that’s for sure! I’m not sure if that’s a thing, but if I can dream it, it can be. Maybe I’ll add that superpower to a character in possible future stories in the Cardinal Moon Saga (Fixed Moon is the first novel in the saga, but Cardinal Moon is Hugh’s “origin story” — a short story in the Darkest of Winters side of Cinnabar Moth’s winter 2021 anthology).

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

I love music. I used to play the clarinet regularly, but it has been a while since I’ve done that. However, I love love LOVE live music. My favorite band is Hanson, and I go to see them any time they are in a nearby (and sometimes not-so-nearby) city.

I also am very interested in tarot, and have been teaching myself about the cards and how to read them. Additionally, I casually enjoy reading oracle cards and runes.

One other hobby I enjoy is learning Spanish. I took four years in high school, but it’s been more than twenty years! I’m refreshing my skills because I want to go to Spain (and another one of my favorite things to do is travel).

Any advice for aspiring writers?

I have three simple things that I try to remind myself, and I think they are good things for any writer.

One: Believe in your work. No one else will ever believe in your work if you don’t. You have to lead by that example.

Two: If you write, you are a writer. Even if no one ever reads the work — if it stays hidden in your laptop — you are a writer.

Three: Stay true to your style. Yes, grow and improve, but stay true to your voice.

What are you working on next?

I cannot say much, but Hugh’s story is not over. I’m very excited about what potentially comes next for Hugh & Co, but there’s not much to go on yet — just a feeling and the beginning of some ideas.

Blurb

After breaking her engagement and traveling 800 miles to start her life over, literature student Zoie is ready to live her life within the books she reads and the worlds she creates on the page. She will live her life solo — only her stuffed animal Judy by her side.

Werewolf and literature professor Hugh has long been wary of letting people into his life, even for someone who’s almost 200. His life in Birmingham, Alabama, and his only two friends in the world are enough to keep him content. Not happy, but as near as he figures is possible.

Neither is ready for the literal sparks that fly when they meet. But Hugh knows those sparks mean his heart belongs to Zoie, whether she wants it or not. Desperate to prove he’s worthy of her, Hugh takes Zoie to places mortals are forbidden, drawing dangerous attention to them both.

Now, together with their closest friends, Hugh and Zoie fight against ancient foes and even more ancient laws for their lives and their love.

Excerpt

Stevie placed her hands in front of her as if she was holding a big beach ball and closed her eyes. The boat shook ever so slightly and then the water started to rise above the sides of the boat.

Terrified that they were going to take on water, Zoie latched onto Hugh’s arm. She watched as either the water continued to rise above the boat or, maybe, the boat was sinking below the water.

As the water arched over their heads and created a ceiling, a fish fell at their feet. “Do I release it back or will that be an issue?” Zoie picked it up and waited for the signal — a nod from Stevie. Then she tossed it back towards the wall of water before it wiggled out of her hands.

The boat travelled further down into the depths of the ocean, slowly at first — as Stevie gauged Zoie’s potential reaction to increased pressure around the boat. The water grew a darker and darker blue until the only light was what was held in their own bubble.

Zoie was standing at the edge of the boat, holding the railing, when she saw a small light. She leaned forward to get a better look. Squinting her eyes, she tried to make out what was holding the light. She leaned further forward only to be inches from the wall of water — and inches from many rows of giant, pointy teeth.

Jumping back, she gasped and placed her hand over her mouth.

Author Bio and Links

Katie Groom grew up in rural Pennsylvania, where she received her bachelor’s degree in Business Management from PITT and her master’s in Employment and Labor Relations from Indiana University of Pennsylvania. In 2016, she decided to move to Alabama in order to avoid as much snow as possible (and to advance her career in Human Resources).

When she isn’t working, Katie enjoys reading, writing, jokingly critiquing movies and TV, and campaigning that the plural of moose should be meese. She also loves to take in live music (especially Hanson) and traveling, with the goal of reaching each of the continents. Katie’s favorite pastime, however, is spending time with her beloved Shih tzu, Delta.

Website | Twitter | Book Links | Amazon Buy Link

Giveaway

Katie Groom will be awarding a $10 Amazon or Barnes and Noble gift card to a randomly drawn winner via Rafflecopter during the tour. Find out more here.

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

I’m happy to welcome award-winning Wild Rose Press author Kat Chant. Today, Kat shares her new release, God of Summer.

Blurb

Back in the Bronze Age, Angus McCraggan sacrificed his life to break the Celtic curse laid on his kind. He failed. Millennia later, he returns to modern Ireland to find his people have become feral, vengeful shadows. With his hollow hill now packed with tourists, he uses his power to keep his past hidden.

Until an American call him out.

Since a banshee attacked her as a teen, Erin De Santos has been tormented by dreams of a boy she’s never met. Armed with a new identity, she returns to the Emerald Isle determined to face her nightmare. But her discovery turns fatal.

When the banshee strikes again, Angus surrenders his heart—and his hope of freeing his people—to save her. With his life now hers and his curse descending, Erin must make a terrible choice: kill her savior or share his doom.

Excerpt

“Air in,” Angus said.

It was excellent advice so Erin took it, inhaling not any old air, but the smoke’n’sunlight scent she couldn’t get enough of. Her eyelids snapped open to find Angus’ firm, generous lips parted an inch from her own, close enough to kiss. His eyes were closed, the dark points of his lashes distinct against the white of his skin. Heat shifted from her arms to settle in the center of her chest and his expression turned pained.

“Ah, how you care, mo chroí, most especially when you pretend you don’t.”

She looked down. His hand pressed against her sternum while her heart bashed against her ribs as if seeking to return to its rightful owner and lodge in the palm of his hand. His fingers twitched and she looked up. A storm raging across his face, a tempest of desire, fear, and frustration.

“No! Don’t take it!” Extracting her hands from her thighs, she shoved against his shoulders. She might as well have tried to shift Newgrange. “I need it.”

Thundercloud brows twitched into a frown. “It’s yours to keep, Erin.”

Air in.

Not an instruction, but her name as she’d never heard it before, like she was something he needed to live. Had she known it was a loose thread that could unravel her, she’d never have shared it.

“What are you doing, McCraggan?”

“Feeling what you’re feeling.”

For a second, her shock wrote itself across his face.

Then his mouth pinched and his brow puckered. Her panic transmuted into a feverish heat. The heart he’d given her must be to blame, because her own had never felt like it was a furnace. The mix of the emotions churning inside her smelted into a single core of something new and precious and unfamiliar.

Author Bio and Links

Kat Chant is an award-winning writer. A bookworm who grew into a history buff, she swapped beaches for castles and moved from Australia to the UK. When studying medieval history, she fell in love with a lad from Ireland…and fell in love with his country, too.

She and her family live in the heart of Ireland, surrounded by fields in forty shades of green.

Kat is a keen cook and often experiments with traditional farmhouse foods such as making bread, cheese, jam and liqueurs. She also decorates the occasional cake.

Website | Facebook | Instagram | Pinterest | Twitter | TikTok | BookBub | Amazon | Buy Link | Booksirens | Booksprout

Giveaway

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

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

I’m happy to welcome paramedic and author L. T. Getty. Today, she shares her creative journey and recent release, The Mermaid and the Unicorns.

Interview

What was your inspiration for this book?

I wanted to write a book for my niece, who was just starting into chapter books. I aimed it for a little older than she was, now she’s in High School but that’s kind of how it goes in the publishing world. I basically wrote a book that I would have liked to read at the age of 8, but catered it towards things she enjoyed.

What’s the best part of being an author? The worst?

I love being creative. To me, writing is about making sense of the ideas in your head, and giving them form and structure, and making a product that can be enjoyed by others. In particular for this project, I made something for someone else, even if she technically outgrew it before I decided to go ahead and publish it. You have no idea how happy she and my other nieces were when they saw their names in the dedication.

The worst for me is the elitism and the sense that some stuff is worthy, other stuff is rubbish and some people are real authors and writers, and then there’s us plebs. Don’t get me wrong: There’s plenty of product that doesn’t appeal to me and I’m very likely to talk about the quality of the writing of something I’ve read, but I’m not someone who is going to pretend that anyone’s intrinsic value is more than anyone else’s. My work can speak for itself and it’s also not for everyone. I’d rather ask you what you like to read, and steer you to another table then sell you a book I suspect you won’t enjoy.

Describe your writing space.

I have my own office, but 90% of my writing takes place at my kitchen table on my main floor when the sun’s out. At night, I’m likely to go upstairs and write. I love the natural light in my house, plus I’m in close proximity to the tea pot so I don’t have to run down the stairs for a top up.

What is your favorite quote?

I’ll give you my favourite from a book, then a favourite just in general.

From “Till We Have Faces” by CS Lewis

If you had a superpower, what would it be?

I’d like to be able to fly.

Any advice for aspiring writers?

Usually when you’re starting out you have really good taste but you don’t have the skill level to pull off what you want to do. There are exceptions, but even if you are very gifted in writing I’m sure by the time you’re on your third or fourth title, you’re looking back at your first one going, “I really should have…” that’s normal.

My general rule is write the best you can, and get feedback from people who know what they’re talking about. When you’re starting out, generally speaking you’ll get feedback from whoever, and sometimes that’s great, but I find that different people want to focus on different things in a book. Usually great advice may be out of place for certain types of genres; for instance the general rule is “Show, don’t tell” the audience. If you’re writing a very technical science fiction novel and you have an audience who actually would like to know, it’s a rule you can break but I think it also needs to be broke with caution.

I’m not saying you can’t take advice from someone who writes very different than you, but I think if you and I are both writing an intermediate middle grade book, we should find someone who’s more familiar with the market and audience expectations then someone who has been writing for a very intellectual adult audience. I think lots of people can offer different insight and can help you grow the book, but what might be a deal breaker for say, someone who likes contemporary fiction might be a great plot twist for someone who reads science fiction.

If you want to write a certain genre or length, read that genre or length. One of my problems was acknowledging that most publishers were scared of books much longer than 100k, and I was regularly reading books in the 150k+ range and meanwhile I was trying to write a short story without really reading them. I’m not saying know market trends, I’m saying learn how they pace their books and hey, if you’re hung up on an issue – let’s say, you’re not certain how to communicate how mermaids speak under water – see what other people have done and how they’ve dealt with the same issue. Most people are okay wih Aquaman talking below the sea without any explanation, but a certain audience may want specifics.

What are you working on next?

I signed the second book of the Rogue Healer series with Champagne, and they have the third book under consideration but I have work to with the editor on book 2. I’ve technically started work on book 4, but really the plan is to really go at it for NaNoWriMo. I am finishing up a YA novel that’s about the Puppeteers from The Mermaid and the Unicorns, but it needs to percolate and I’ll send it to my niece/creative consultant and get her to tell me what she likes, what she doesn’t. I also have to pick a project that’s written to edit for self-publishing for next year; there’s no rush and I’ve narrowed it down but I lack commitment at this time.

Blurb

Daphne’s a typical mermaid, and at least according to her, that’s a problem. She’s courageous and has a beautiful singing voice, but lacks the power of an elemental, the ability to command water with the sound of her voice. Jealous of her best friend, she makes a deal with a sea-witch, only to be betrayed, in place of her beautiful tail and flukes Daphne’s left beached with a pair of human legs. The spell keeping Daphne looking human will become permanent, unless Daphne can hunt down and bring the scheming Lorelei a unicorn horn before the next full moon.

Unable to reach her friends and family for help, Daphne doesn’t know how to walk, much less where to find a unicorn or how to catch one. Even if she’s successful, Daphne’s still not sure if she can trust Lorelei and her pint-sized kraken to keep their end of the bargain and let her return to the sea.

Excerpt

“What’s wrong?”Esperanza asked as Daphne went to retrieve the arrow.

“Nothing,” Daphne said, unstringing the bow. “Not like I’m ever going need to use this skill. Let’s just pack up and go.”

“What are you talking about?” Esperanza asked. “You’re already better than I am. Here, let me have a try and I’ll show you.”

“I’ve already unstrung it,” Daphne snapped.

“Fine,” Esperanza said, matching Daphne’s tone. Esperanza went to go get more water from the river with the large buckets to boil so that they could wash their dishes.

“I’ll do that. Water’s heavy,” Sean said, ignoring Daphne as she struggled to take their tent down.

“Here, let me help you,” Esperanza said to Daphne once Sean started towards the river.

“Sure—let’s send the person with the tallest reach to the river, great plan,” Daphne muttered, climbing onto the wagon to reach the tip of the tent as Sean descended towards the river.

“What’s your problem?” Esperanza demanded as soon as Sean was out of earshot. “We’re helping you get to Taralee. Sean didn’t have to come all this way, you know.”

“He didn’t come for me, Espy. If it was just me who wanted to go, he wouldn’t care that I had to walk the whole way. What do you want, me to kiss your feet and sing your praises? Wait, I forgot—you’re the better singer, you should sing your own praises. I might not do it good enough without a four-stringed harp and a cat to squeeze for background noise.”

“Our voices are different. Neither one is really better than the other.”

“It’s just… do you know what it’s like to be overlooked?”

“All the time,” Esperanza said. She looked away, towards the river. “Hey, wait… be quiet for a minute.”

“Don’t you tell me what to do—” Daphne became mildly insulted when Esperanza put a hand over her mouth.

“Listen.”

They heard singing. A beautiful, high pitched and soft melody, barely audible above the breeze. The sound had a haunting quality. “Doesn’t sound like it’s Sean’s range,” Daphne muttered, but then really heard it. She ran, and got the arrow and the quiver as well as Sean’s knife and axe. She quickly strung the bow before heading towards the river bank.

“What are you doing?” Esperanza asked, following after Daphne.

“Stay with the wagon!” Daphne ordered.

***********NOTE: The e-book is only $0.99***********

Author Bio and Links

L.T. Getty is a rural paramedic from Manitoba. She enjoys writing science fiction and fantasy and generally being creative.

Blog | Goodreads | Amazon US | Amazon CA | Kobo | Barnes & Noble

Giveaway

L.T. Getty 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 the author on the rest of her Goddess Fish tour here.

I’m happy to welcome author Jennifer Ivy Walker. Today, Jennifer shares her debut novel, The Wild Rose and the Sea Raven.

Blurb

In this dark fairy tale adaptation of a medieval French legend, Issylte must flee the wicked queen, finding shelter with a fairy witch who teaches her the verdant magic of the forest. Fate leads her to the otherworldly realm of the Lady of the Lake and the Elves of Avalon, where she must choose between her life as a healer or fight to save her ravaged kingdom. Tristan of Lyonesse is a Knight of the Round Table who must overcome the horrors of his past and defend his king or lose everything. When he becomes a warrior of the Tribe of Dana, a gift of Druidic magic might hold the key he seeks. Haunted and hunted. Entwined by fate. Can their passion and power prevail?

Excerpt

He opened the brilliant blue eyes that she’d seen in the vision.

As she gazed into them, the earth tilted. Her heart raced; her bearings were lost. In the depths of his eyes, she glimpsed a fountain in a forest. The turquoise waters of the ocean. An underground well encased by sacred stones. She, the forest fairy, was immersed in the blue waters of the warrior’s eyes, the waves emanating from him flowing through her, cleansing her. Beckoning her.

In Tristan’s eyes, Issylte glimpsed a black bird—a sea raven—soaring over an open sea, hovering now before her. A small dove fluttered in her breast, called forth from her soul. White wings unfurled as she took flight, rising into the azure sky alongside the black seabird—-floating together through the diaphanous clouds scattered across the vast ocean.

In the breadth of an instant, Issylte was bound to this warrior, the Blue Knight of Cornwall, as if fate had indeed entwined them. Through the windows of his eyes, she peered into his soul, her own blending with his, as if they were the forest and the ocean, encircled now within the three layers of protective stones, the holy trinity of sacred elements of the Goddess.

Author Bio and Links

Enthralled with legends of medieval knights and ladies, dark fairy tales and fantasies about Druids, wizards and magic, Jennifer Ivy Walker always dreamed of becoming a writer. She fell in love with French in junior high school, continuing her study of the language throughout college, eventually becoming a high school teacher and college professor of French.

As a high school teacher, she took her students every year to the annual French competition, where they performed a play she had written, “Yseult la Belle et Tristan la Bête”–an imaginative blend of the medieval French legend of “Tristan et Yseult” and the fairy tale “Beauty and the Beast”, enhanced with fantasy elements of a Celtic fairy and a wicked witch.

Her debut novel, “The Wild Rose and the Sea Raven”–the first of a trilogy– is a blend of her love for medieval legends, the romantic French language, and paranormal fantasy. It is a retelling of the medieval French romance of “Tristan et Yseult”, interwoven with Arthurian myth, dark fairy tales from the enchanted Forest of Brocéliande, and otherworldy elements such as Avalonian Elves, Druids, forest fairies and magic.

Explore her realm of Medieval French Fantasy. She hopes her novels will enchant you.

Website | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | Amazon Link | Barnes & Noble Link

Giveaway

Jennifer Ivy Walker will be awarding a $25 Amazon/Barnes & Noble gift card to a randomly drawn winner via Rafflecopter during the tour. Find out more here.

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

I’m happy to welcome Wild Rose Press author Corinne LaBalme. Today, Corinne shares her creative journey and new release, Summer People.

Interview

What was your inspiration for this book?

The beach… and specifically the beaches of Cape Cod. I believe that our first contact with the ocean becomes “The Beach to which all others are forever compared. My UR beach is on the Nantucket Sound, in Harwich Port, at the end of the road where my maternal grandmother lived.

However, my French father always thought that the Riviera hotel beaches – with three-course restaurants and deck chairs arranged in mathematical precision – were the rule. I’ve been to some beautiful beaches – from the Gulf of Mexico and Greece – but IMO, Rick and Jessica hit the sandy jackpot when they chose to meet on Cape Cod.

Which authors have inspired you?

Every book I read has an influence but writers I wish to emulate are not always in my genre. I’m mad about the gotcha moments that make me catch my breath. John Le Carré, in the first pages of THE RUSSIA HOUSE, has someone telling a long story to a guy named Harry… and suddenly we get: “Though Harry is not my real name.” It’s a throw-away line that totally establishes the fact that we are deep in the world of espionage.

Wow…

What is your favorite quote?

I am not a sports buff but I’ll go with the hockey super star Wayne Gretzky:

“YOU MISS 100% OF THE SHOTS YOU DON’T TAKE”.

In SUMMER PEOPLE, Nancy has the quote engraved on her ID bracelet.

If you had a super-power, what would it be?

I do have a super-power. I just don’t know how to harness it. I can speak directly to Aphrodite, the Goddess of Love. When I was being courted by a bunch of guys in their eighties, I asked for a younger man. How did I know she was listening? On my way into the metro,, I was propositioned by a 14-year-old with a skateboard. When I turned him down politely, a grade-school kid in the subway car started stroking my hair. You see, I have the super-power… I just don’t formulate my questions correctly. I just said ‘younger’ but didn’t specify ‘past puberty’ or only ‘high school graduates need apply.”

Ah well…

What are you working on next?

Last January, I published a rom-com cozy mystery about a ghost-writer who gets stranded in Paris when the evil French movie star who hired her to write his sleazy memoirs dies under suspicious circumstances. That was FRENCH GHOST. Now I’m fine-tuning the sequel, FRENCH TOAST, in which our amateur detective gets involved with the high stakes (steaks?) of fancy French cuisine when she signs up to write a cookbook for a famous TV chef.

Blurb

Jessica Stratton’s long-cherished dream of opening her own Folk Art gallery in an idyllic Cape Cod setting finally comes true. However, her start-up is anything but smooth sailing. Her ten-year marriage hits the rocks and, when the hunk next door to her shop – a brooding ecologist on a mission to save the planet – proves too irresistible to ignore, she’s got to relearn the rules of the dating game while working overtime to lure clients to her boutique. Unfortunately, someone’s already far too interested in a 19th century example of advertising art in her collection and will go to any means – legal or illegal – to acquire it. Maybe the planet isn’t all that needs to be saved…

Excerpt

“To you…” he began.

Jenna leaned forward, both hands cupping her wineglass.

“To you and…” Wait a second! Where was that humongous gem she had on her left hand ring finger this morning? What kind of crazy game was this woman playing with him?

“Yes…?” prompted Jenna.

“To you… and to the unexpected,” said Rick slowly.

“To unexpected pleasures, at any rate,” said Jenna brightly after the pause threatened to become uncomfortable. “Like this marvelous homemade chili. I think the toast should be to the chef.” She raised her glass and took a sip.

Plan B. What the hell is Plan B? wondered Rick as he watched her intently. He didn’t detect any come-hither in her straightforward gaze. In fact, her smile conveyed nothing except neighborly concern that he might have been struck deaf and dumb all of a sudden. He raised his glass again, took a long swallow, and turned to his plate. Plan B is all hers, he decided.

Author Bio and Links

Corinne LaBalme lives in France and loves everything about it… except eating snails. Her articles about European fashion, food and fun destinations have appeared in The New York Times Travel section, Diversion, La Belle France and France Revisited. Her favorite place to write? Any Parisian café with a good croissant connection…

The setting for SUMMER PEOPLE is founded on childhood memories of vacations on Cape Cod and based on my mother’s (very real) house in Brewster.

The romantic hero of SUMMER PEOPLE — Rick Martell — is the kind of guy who exists only in our sweetest & beachiest dreams…. sigh!

Website | Twitter | Instagram | Goodreads | Amazon Buy Link

Giveaway

Corinne LaBalme will be awarding $10 Amazon/Barnes & Noble gift card to a randomly drawn winner via Rafflecopter during the tour. Find out more here.

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

I’m happy to welcome multi-published author Vogue to my blog. Today, she shares her novel, Diamonds N’ Roses.

Blurb

After battling through the highs and lows of an intense and often dramatic relationship, fashion designer, Carmen Davenport, and business mogul, Jay Santiago, are finally ready to plan their most anticipated event to date – their wedding. However, before they can get down the aisle, they must endure a few unexpected surprises, twists, and turns.

Excerpt

Finally hearing her voice, Jay set the pencil on the desk. “I’m serious about this wedding. Lately, I haven’t been showing that side of me, but I promise, all that is going to change. I’m going to be more involved like I should’ve been in the beginning.”

“You better,” Carmen replied, rising from her chair. “I don’t know what’s going to happen if we have this conversation again.” She picked up the rest of the papers, organizing the documents into a stack, which she set on top of her laptop. “Everything will be right here if you want to look at it. I’m gonna head upstairs. I’m done for the day.”

Jay didn’t pressure her into staying, but he did make sure to get a kiss before she left. To him, the kiss served as confirmation he was officially in her good graces. He still had a lot to prove, but at least he was off to a start. The only thing he had to do now was play catch up.

Once she left, he reached for the stack of papers. He reviewed each one until he was up to date. For Carmen to be the only person majorly contributing aside from the planners, she had put a major dent in the planning stage. There were still things which needed to be decided upon, which led Jay to grab a sheet of paper from the printer. He started jotting down ideas and by the time he was there was hardly any white space on either side of the page.

Author Bio and Links

Born and raised in Greenville, South Carolina, Vogue’s journey through the world of creative writing first began in middle school with poetry and songwriting. However, it was her discovery of prose that opened the door to a world of endless possibilities.

A graduate of Winthrop University (Rock Hill, S.C.), possessing a bachelor’s degree in social work, Vogue, first birthed the idea of The Diamond Collection in the halls of her alma mater. In 2003, she put pen to paper and thus was created, Diamonds in The Rough, part one of The Diamond Collection series.

By 2010, Vogue had written drafts of the entire ten book series and in June of 2010, Diamonds in The Rough, was published. Soon followed by Diamonds Are Forever in October of 2010, The Ace of Diamonds in February of 2013, and Black Diamonds on July 4, 2015, Vogue joined a league of other writers, determined to make her mark in the literary world.

Vogue released the fifth book in the series, Diamonds N’ Roses, on December 25, 2016. She took a hiatus to earn a Master of Fine Arts degree from Queens University in Charlotte, NC, but released parts six and seven of the Diamond Collection series, The Diamond Tiara and Dirty Red Diamonds, on June 7, 2022.

When she isn’t writing, Vogue enjoys cooking, blogging about food (Instagram: Miss Black Foodie), attending concerts, festivals, and traveling.

Website | Instagram | Amazon Purchase Link | Barnes & Noble Purchase Link | Books-A-Million Purchase Link

Giveaway

Vogue will be awarding a $10 Amazon or Barnes and Noble gift card to a randomly drawn winner via Rafflecopter during the tour. Find out more here.

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

I’m happy to welcome author Jacie Middlemann. Today, Jacie shares her box set, Home to Clare Harbor.

Blurb

They started out as strangers…but didn’t stay that way for long…

A devoted granddaughter willing to do whatever it takes to keep everyone safe. Strangers who meet during the worst of conditions and become friends in the midst of chaos. Unexpected romance under the most unlikely circumstances. A puzzling mystery with its roots in historical events that took place centuries ago. And a storm that hides an ominous purpose that could change all their lives forever.

Sara knows before she walks into her grandparent’s home that her grandmother’s greatest fear will never be the storm or the threat it poses but instead the unknown that lays just beyond her front door. She knows too its cause and grieves that there is nothing she can do to change it.

Throughout the years of his career John has covered numerous battlefields including those that are a result of nature’s unyielding tempest. He fears this might be the worst one yet.

Mel didn’t expect to spend more than a few days in the large house where they’d taken refuge. She figured the storm would pass by and then they’d be off to their next assignment. The last thing she expected was David Payne.

Despite the fact that Lance was the bane of her teenage years, Tish knows that without the help of her father’s assistant, that the trip to North Carolina likely would have been a lot more challenging than it was. She’d been unequivocally terrified but his presence gave her strength she didn’t realize she had. She wasn’t certain how she felt about that…or him…or that he no longer irritated her the way he used to.

When Gary arrived at his family’s home in the mountains of North Carolina, he’s relieved that Sara and her grandparents along with their elderly friends are already there. But he is unable to take an easy breath until Tish finally arrives with Lance…and is not at all surprised at what he hears from Lance about their trip and the potential dangers they’d just barely been able to avoid.

He’s determined to do everything he can to keep their location safe…and unknown. Their knowledge, skills, and ingenuity are their greatest defense. For a time they would have to depend on themselves…it hadn’t take long to discover that the storm was never their greatest threat…but what is could change all their lives for the immediate future…or longer.

If you enjoy uplifting and heartfelt women’s fiction, young and older heroes and heroines filled with courage and compassion as they share joys and triumphs, and united they face and overcome tremendous challenges and tragedy, this book is for you.

Excerpt

“I’m so sorry, dear. I know I’m being foolish,” Maisie said quietly.

“No one could ever accuse you of being foolish, Grandma,” Sara said meaning every word. “We’re in a scary situation that none of us have ever been in before. You’d be far more foolish if you claimed it didn’t bother you.”

“It’s not just the storm,” Maisie admitted slowly but she kept her eyes steady on those of the young woman sitting next to her.

“Tell me, Grandma,” Sara asked softly. She knew sometimes if her grandmother was able to give voice to her fears it helped to diminish them.

Lord only knew that she’d talked with enough professionals to learn ways that could successfully help her grandmother to cope with the many fears that too often held her in their grip. She knew at the moment the primary one came from not being in familiar surroundings…not being in her own her home. Everything else was peripheral to that.

But at the moment there was little she could do to remedy the greatest of her fears.

“I won’t be able to go home, will I?”

The trembling voice that was filled with so much more than just fear broke Sara’s heart. She knew it was the exact same fear of so many others who were her grandmother’s age.

“Oh, Grandma.” She wrapped her arms around the frail shoulders that had once been so strong and sturdy. They had been her buffer against the world for so many years during her childhood and all the years after. She could do no less for her now.

********The box set is on sale for $0.99********

Author Bio and Links

Jacie Middlemann lives in Texas with her husband and a couple of cats who believe they rule…and sometimes they do.

When she’s not watching classic sitcoms or working on a needlework project for one of her kids, she loves to read women’s fiction and sometimes a good mystery suspense.

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Giveaway

Jacie Middlemann will be awarding a $50 Amazon/Barnes & Noble gift card to a randomly drawn winner via Rafflecopter during the tour. Find out more here.

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