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’s an entertaining and inspiring perspective on aging from one of my favorite authors: Isabel Allende.
I’m happy to welcome author Lillian Marek. Today, Lillian shares her new release, A Match for the Marquess.
Blurb
Decisions, decisions…
Should Lady Anne Milhaven marry the wealthy and handsome young marquess, or should she resign herself to living out her life in poverty and disgrace, exiled from the world she was born to?
Should Philip Tremaine, the new Marquess of Penworth, redeem his honor and marry the proud and beautiful earl’s daughter whom he has unintentionally compromised, or should he prove himself as dissolute as his contemptible family?
They are not fools, but marriage is only the beginning. Now can they learn to work together and thwart the vile plots of their scheming relatives?
A Match for the Marquess is the prequel to the Victorian Adventures series.
Excerpt
“That’s enough from you, Anne,” Mrs. Craddock snapped. “I should not have bothered asking you. You’ve always been jealous of Corinne. Now go to your room, and the next time I see you, I want you to be wearing your cap. And what have you done to that dress? Put on one of the others. Remember what you owe to our charity.”
Penworth had had enough. His wife-to-be was not going to be disparaged in his hearing. And she certainly wasn’t going to put that hideous cap back on her head.
He stepped into the room and struck a dramatic pose with his arms outflung. “Beloved,” he exclaimed, “our troubles are at an end!”
“My lord?” Anne spoke uncertainly.
“I knew that once he saw you again, the earl would love you as I do. He has agreed to our marriage, and the wedding can take place at once.” Penworth stepped quickly to her side and drew her into his arms. “Oh my darling, tell me that you share my delight.”
Anne looked up at him, and he saw the shock in her eyes change to uncertainty and then to amusement. “Oh, my lord,” she said, “my joy is equal to your own.”
At that Philip gave a shout of laughter. She was indeed quick-witted, and he doubted that her aunt could recognize the sardonic note in her voice. He pulled her close and kissed her soundly.
Buy Links
Author Bio and Links
When she retired after too many years in journalism, Lillian Marek felt a longing for happy endings and stories where the good guys win and the bad guys get their just deserts. Having exhausted her library’s supply of non-gory mystery stories, she started reading romance novels, especially historical romance. This was so much fun that she thought shed like to try her hand at writing one. So she took her computer keyboard in hand, slipped back into the 19th century, and began.
She was right – writing romance novels is as much fun as reading them.
Giveaway
Lillian Marek will be awarding a $20 Amazon or Barnes and Noble GC to a randomly drawn winner via Rafflecopter during the tour. Find out more here.
Follow Lillian on the rest of her Goddess Fish tour. You can find out more here.
Writers need and crave inspiration.
Without that special spark, we would not be able to write our novels and short stories. But sometimes, that spark is nowhere to be found. We imagine a scenario and then just as quickly it evaporates, leaving us frustrated and worried that the well has finally run dry.
Instead of searching for “new” ideas, it might be better to focus on what already exists. Everything we have seen, heard, read, or done is simmering in our brains, waiting to be prospected.
Continue reading on the Soul Mate Authors blog.
Celebrate this National Day by treating yourself to a cookie (or more) containing those tasty bits of chocolate. If you’re looking for a quick-and-easy recipe, try this family favorite from my mother’s kitchen.
Ingredients
14 ounces brown sugar
14 ounces white sugar
1 pound Crisco
7 eggs
1 tsp baking soda
12 ounces chocolate chips
7 cups Monarch flour
Dash of Salt
Directions
1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit.
2. Cover the bottoms of cookies sheets with aluminum foil.
3. Beat sugar and Crisco.
4. Add eggs and continue beating.
5. Add flour and continue beating.
6. Add the remaining ingredients and continue beating.
7. Shape into balls and drop on cookie sheets.
8. Bake for 15 to 20 minutes.
Enjoy!
I’m happy to welcome Soul Mate author Nancy Lee Badger. Today, Nancy shares her new release, Heaven-Sent Warrior.
Here’s Nancy!
When I moved to the city suburbs of Raleigh, North Carolina from the rural mountains of snowy New England, my sisters raved about the newly opened wing of the nearby North Carolina Museum of Art.
I visited the museum grounds on 164-acres of open meadows, dark forests, and ponds. Inside the new building dozens of bronze statues by the French sculptor, Auguste Rodin, filled a whole section the idea for a new series formed. My 24th book, Heaven-sent Warrior, is now a reality. This is a full-length paranormal romance set in present-day North Carolina with a French twist.
Blurb
Henrí Chevalier’s last memory, before stumbling naked into a museum’s moonlit garden, was Auguste Rodin and his dusty Paris studio in 1886. To escape his broken heart, Henrí volunteered to sleep inside a statue until needed. Expecting to die, he discovers he must learn to use the unexpected powers Heaven has given him. Without them he will fail his mission against otherworldly creatures, such as demons and faeries.
Kenzie Mackintosh, a dedicated art museum’s curator, spies a naked man hiding among bronze statues. A quick glance ignites desire within her, but she is too tied-up in work to act on it. Unaware of her fae heritage, their relationship heats up as he disrupts her job. While Henrí tries to process modern buildings, cars, and a broken elevator, a demon attacks and forces Henrí and Kenzie to enlist the aid of her powerful fae relatives. When the demon possesses the body of her ex-lover and threatens to kill him, then use her to take over the world, Henrí and Kenzie must learn to trust each other, even if Kenzie’s death might be the only answer to the world’s salvation.
Excerpt
Present Day Raleigh, North Carolina
Henrí Chevalier materialized in human form, stretched his naked limbs, and groaned. Bones, long unused, slid into place. He arched his back, raising both arms toward the night sky. Aching in a dozen places, he inhaled and savored crisp fresh air.
I am free.
Lowering his arms, he flexed all ten fingers, and shook the numbness away. His last memory was of a cold, damp wall at his back. No longer imprisoned, he relished his newfound freedom. Rubbing phantom pain at each wrist, Henrí soon relaxed, while he slid his fingers over one cheek. As he brushed the light stubble, the tips tingled. Moving his hand lower, he paused on the pulse pounding beneath the skin of his neck.
Life beats here. I am alive again.
A clean, grassy scent lingered on the night breeze. The sweetness made his lips twitch into a slight smile. Such normalcy, he thought, even as he turned in a circle with slow determination to get his bearings. Sleep-filled eyes adjusted to the inky night’s low light. Odd forms hovered near, and he fought the urge to crouch low, into a warrior’s stance.
I shall stand my ground this night.
Odd sensations cautioned him to move slowly. Rounded pebbles pressed into the soles of his bare feet until he tripped over something low and hard. His hand shot out into blackness, slamming against something smooth and icy.
“Mon Dieu!” Did God care that he was cold and achy, standing alone in a strange place? As if in answer, clouds moved aside, and the moon’s radiance spilled over a trio of statues. Familiarity made his eyebrows quiver. He brushed loose hair off his face and stared at the hard, cold bronze beneath his palm.
Find all Buy Links here
Enter here for a chance to win my book!
Bio
Nancy Lee Badger grew up in Huntington on New York’s Long Island. After attending Plymouth State, in the White Mountains of New Hampshire, she earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Art Education and met and married her college sweetheart. They raised two handsome sons in New Hampshire, where Nancy scoured the countryside for rusty old milk cans. She cleaned them and painted them as beautiful porch or living room decorations. She also created lap quilts to keep her family and friends warm during bitter cold winters. When the children had left the nest, and shoveling show became a chore, she retired from her satisfying job as a 9-1-1 Emergency Medical Dispatcher and moved with her husband to North Carolina, where she writes full-time.
Nancy is a member of Romance Writers of America, Heart of Carolina Romance Writers, Fantasy-Futuristic & Paranormal Romance Writers, and the Triangle Association of Freelancers. She loves to travel and attend Scottish Highland Games and is never far from her laptop. She finds story ideas in the most unusual places.
Connect with Nancy Lee Badger
Website | Blog | Twitter | Facebook | Amazon Author Page | BookBub | Goodreads
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.
When we dwell on past events (and transgressions), we remain stuck and unable to enjoy the gifts of the dynamic present. In the following Zen parable, one monk struggles with a rigid sense of right and wrong.
Tanzan and Ekido were once traveling together down a muddy road. A heavy rain was still falling.
Coming around a bend, they met a lovely girl in a silk kimono and sash, unable to cross the intersection.
“Come on, girl” said Tanzan at once. Lifting her in his arms, he carried her over the mud.
Ekido did not speak again until that night when they reached a lodging temple. Then he no longer could restrain himself. “We monks don’t go near females,” he told Tanzan, “especially not young and lovely ones. It is dangerous. Why did you do that?
“I left the girl there,” said Tanzan. “Are you still carrying her?”
I’m happy to welcome award-winning author Carol Kilgore. Today, Carol shares her new release, Bluebonnet Ballerina.
Blurb
Gracie Hofner returns, and chaos reigns—including a couple of ghosts trying to save their granddaughter. But as Gracie dances from problem to problem, she’s unaware the music has been orchestrated into a murderous symphony.
When a different melody reaches Gracie’s ears from a guitar played by the new tenant living in her garage apartment, her tension vanishes. She listens unseen, cocooned in the shadows on her patio, and wonders who he’s longing for—and how it would feel for someone to crave her that much.
She can’t dwell on those thoughts, however. Problems of murder and missing prisoners abound. To say nothing of the ghosts. No one ever said being a law enforcement consultant would be easy.
Bluebonnet Ballerina follows Jalapeno Cupcake Wench and is the second book in The Amazing Gracie Trilogy.
Excerpt
“Ow! Ow! Ow!” Gracie Hofner twitched with each exclamation.
“For crying out loud, Gracie, you’d think I was trying to kill you.”
“You are. This is supposed to feel good.” Gracie tried to lift herself up.
Ariana held her down with one arm and tortured her with the other. “You’ve got a knot bigger than Thor’s fist in here. I’m working it loose.”
“It’ll work itself out.”
“No it won’t. It’ll give you a headache and neck spasms and a hitch in your side. Now lie still and shut up.” A hundred and ten skinny pounds of pure muscle and bone returned to attacking Gracie’s back.
Ariana Ayala was Gracie’s best friend, but when Ariana went into massage mode, arguing was futile. This was her first massage in her friend’s new studio, but nothing about her technique had changed. Gracie sighed and tried to relax. The more she loosened up, the harder Ariana dug. The woman had forty fingers and ten elbows, all of them poking Gracie’s sore back.
“Much better now.” Ariana continued to knead the same spot, except with much less pressure. That’s what it felt like, but Ariana always said the pressure was the same. The difference was the muscle had relaxed. “Next time, I’ll work on it again. It won’t be as bad. You must’ve had one hell of a week.”
“Something like that.”
“You can tell me later. Relax now. You’ll enjoy the rest of this.”
Author Bio and Links
Carol Kilgore is the award-winning author of The Amazing Gracie Trilogy. In addition, she is the author of In Name Only, Solomon’s Compass, and Secrets of Honor, three standalone romantic suspense novels set along the Texas Gulf Coast.
She and her husband live in San Antonio, the setting for the Amazing Gracie books, with two quirky herding dogs who still require help opening the food bin and the door.
You can learn more about Carol and be the first to know when the third book in the Amazing Gracie Trilogy will be released by visiting her website and subscribing to her newsletter or connect with her on Facebook and Twitter.
Carol is a member of Romance Writers of America, Mystery Writers of America, and Sisters in Crime.
Website | Amazon | Facebook | Twitter
Giveaway
Carol Kilgore will be awarding a $50 Amazon/BN GC to a randomly drawn winner via Rafflecopter during the tour. Enter here
Follow Carol on the rest of her Goddess Fish Tour. You can find out more here.
At a recent workshop, one woman commented, “Everything you’ve suggested sounds great, but what if you’re not naturally creative. What happens then?” Several other participants nodded in agreement and looked to me for answers.
I didn’t want to get into a lengthy discussion about whether or not creativity was an innate trait. Instead, I suggested that it was never too late to explore creativity and launch second, third, and fourth acts in life. I then shared three strategies that have helped me on my writing journey.
Continue reading on the Nights of Passion blog.
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.
A while back, a good friend sent me this video about a man who persevered despite his circumstances. An inspiration for all of us!
Born this day in 1897, author and aviation pioneer Amelia Earhart was the first female pilot to fly solo across the Atlantic Ocean. For this flight record, she received the United States Distinguished Flying Cross.
Ms. Earhart continued to set record after record demonstrating that women could aspire to the same heights as men. And even more amazing she was able to transform her hobby into a career going on to become an author, lecturer, poet, and airline industry vice-president.
A powerful role model, she continues to inspire girls and women of all ages.
My favorite quotations from Amelia Earhart:
Everyone has oceans to fly, if they have the heart to do it. Is it reckless? Maybe. But what do dreams know of boundaries?
Never interrupt someone doing something you said couldn’t be done.
Some of us have great runways already built for us. If you have one, take off! But if you don’t have one, realize it is your responsibility to grab a shovel and build one for yourself and for those who will follow after you.
There’s more to life than being a passenger.
Never do things others can do and will do if there are things others cannot do or will not do.
Preparation, I have often said, is rightly two-thirds of any venture.
The more one does and sees and feels, the more one is able to do, and the more genuine may be one’s appreciation of fundamental things like home, and love, and understanding companionship.
The most difficult thing is the decision to act, the rest is merely tenacity. The fears are paper tigers. You can do anything you decide to do.
A single act of kindness throws out roots in all directions, and the roots spring up and make new trees. The greatest work that kindness does to others is that it makes them kind themselves.
Decide whether or not the goal is worth the risks
Happy National Amelia Earhart Day!
Joanne Guidoccio 