Top 10 Places to Travel

Posted on May 3, 2017 by Joanne Guidoccio

I’m happy to welcome author Vicki Batman. Today, Vicki will share her favorite cruise stops and a romantic short story from the anthology, Just You & Me.

Here’s Vicki!

I love to visit new places, especially on a cruise! No packing and repacking, someone cleans, someone cooks, someone takes you to nice places to visit.

I’d always wanted to go on a cruise and then my sister told me her hubby was taking her for a BIG birthday. I said I wished I could go. She called him up and he made the trip happen. Since, I’ve been addicted to this special way to travel.

1. Alaska – for the majesty of the mountains meeting the sea

2. Italy – duh, the food, and yes, there are great spots to see

3. Greece – sitting on a wall in Santorini on a glorious sunny day and people watching while having a gelato

4. Sardinia – swimming in the Mediterranean and good local food

5. Malta – their fireworks for our Fourth of July

6. Sicily – tomato everything

7. Gdansk – an absolutely charming Old Town and chocolate croissant

8. Stockholm – besides the ABBA Museum, Old Town and just walking around

9. Rhine River castle day – Castles here and there and everywhere. Sitting on the top deck and narration about the area while sipping a nice drink with snacks

10. Lucerne – one of the best towns ever. Surrounded by mountains, old town and shopping. Girl in a dress and heels riding a bike!

I’m fond of people watching and soaking in atmosphere. I don’t even do this enough at home!

Where do you like to travel?

I’m especially excited to share “Raving Beauty,” a romantic comedy short story from the Just You and Me boxed set:

Logline

A reluctant beauty contestant falls for the doctor treating her, only to discover the one she really loves has been right in front of her eyes the whole time.

Excerpt

“I can’t believe I let your loony brother, who’s tormented me all my life, talk me into this.” With my eye on the teenage competition, I tugged the leg opening of my swimsuit into place to better cover my hip. “Just because I did some modeling in college doesn’t make me a pageant diva. Back then, I was incredibly skinny, and clothes fit easily.”

“Daniel’s a rat. He took advantage of your third or was it your fourth margarita, Kelly?” Maggie Ackerman, my best friend and roommate, adjusted the scarlet satin sash draped across my body. Glittery stick-on letters spelled out Miss Yahoo! Ranch Steakhouse. “Hold still.”

With an old-fashioned teasing comb, she picked my brown hair into place at the crown of my head. The eerie suspicion I resembled a scary dame with Big Texas hair from the television show, Dallas, caused me to avoid looking in the mirror.

“Close your eyes.” She hit me with super freeze-it hairspray. “Now, that ain’t goin’ nowhere.”

My personal stylist needed to work on her aim, preferably with both of her eyes open. I spit-wiped the sticky spot on my right cheek. I hope nobody I know sees me like this.

“There.” The scrunch of her nose reflected how pleased she was with herself. “Feeling better?”

Like a slab of beef.

Pre-order Just You and Me

Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Kobo | iBooks

Where to find Vicki…

Top 10 “Behind-the-Scenes” Facts About Betting On Love in Vegas

Posted on April 26, 2017 by Joanne Guidoccio

I’m happy to welcome Soul Mate author Stacy Hoff. Today, Stacy shares ten behind-the-scene facts about her new release, Betting on Love in Vegas.

Here’s Stacy!

Here are my top ten “behind the scenes” facts for my latest release, BETTING ON LOVE IN VEGAS.

1. My husband and I traveled to Las Vegas twice during our marriage (in the “before kids” era). We strolled up and down the Strip in awe of the many hotels. Since we grew up in New York City, we’re used to gawking tourists. It was odd for us to have the tables turned; we were probably the biggest gawkers in Vegas.

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2. My husband and I ate at lots of hotels’ buffets. The feasts were heaven for our taste buds, but hell on our waistlines. We convinced ourselves that the weight we gained in Vegas would stay in Vegas. (Unfortunately, not the case.)

3. The Vegas Strip is an easy place to get around. There is a monorail system, plus buses and taxis. But the best way around is walking. Most of the hotels put on an elaborate street show, free to view. My favorite show was the Bellagio hotel’s “dancing” fountains. The water show was mesmerizing. I loved the fountains so much they appear multiple times in my story.

4. Of course, we wandered inside all the hotels, too. Walking through each hotel took us hours because there was so much to see. We saw everything from circuses (Circus Circus), to recreations of cities and countries (Caesar’s palace, New York New York, Paris, Monetcarlo), to pirate ships (Treasure Island). Being New Yorkers for most of our lives, New York New York hotel was our favorite.

5. BETTING ON LOVE IN VEGAS is my first go-around writing a book series from the very start. I decided on creating three stories, each being a stand-alone, yet connected by characters, industry (resort hotel construction), and soap-opera drama. The name of this new series is BUILDING LOVE.

6. The inspiration for my BUILDING LOVE series came from my childhood, watching the TV show “Dallas.” I hope people find my version of family secrets, lies, and scandals (with lots of steamy scenes) similarly addictive.

7. While the first two books of my BUILDING LOVE series are complete, book three is currently being written. It’s a fast writing pace to keep up. I don’t sleep much.

8. I chose a fun location for each of these stories. Book two (to be released October, 2017) takes place in the Caribbean. Book three takes place in Madrid, Spain. My trip to the Caribbean was about four years ago. My trip to Madrid just a few months ago.

9. I write best when I’ve actually visited the area I’m writing about. I’ve also been the to locations in my other books, such as the Everglades (DESIRE IN THE EVERGLADES, DESIRE series Book #1), Saratoga, New York (JOCKEYING FOR YOU), and Hartford, Connecticut (LAWFULLY YOURS).

10. The only place I have not personally visited is the Arctic Circle’s Gates of the Arctic National Park, in Alaska. For DESIRE IN THE ARCTIC (DESIRE series, Book #2), I binged watched Alaska realty TV shows, and visited New york City’s American Museum of Natural History to see taxidermy versions of the animals I needed for my story.

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Blurb

Catherine “Cat” Warner has problems. The profits from her inns are down. The pressure from her parents is up. Her love life is non-existent. But Cat did manage to get the attention of tough, powerful, gorgeous hotel magnate Ty Orland. Unfortunately, his interest in her is for all the wrong reasons. Instead of wanting Cat, this debonair CEO only wants her land—a parcel he desperately needs for his next big development deal. Too bad, it’s not for sale. A people pleaser by nature, Cat knows to stand strong. If she caves in to the demands of this sexy, alluring man, it will be her own neck on the line.

Ty Orland has a lot of things going for him. Success. Power. Respect. Unfortunately, he’s also got an old chip on his shoulder and a new financial nightmare. His development deal is going down in flames—and fast. His only way out is if Cat sells him her strategically located parcel. But romancing the land from her is not easy when love gets in the way. The woman is as beautiful as she is beguiling. And Ty no longer knows which prize is more valuable.

Bio

stacey_cartoon_v2-2 Stacy Hoff is a contemporary romance author, as well as an attorney. She has practiced law for over two decades, primarily handling contracts. Romance novels have always been her secret passion. She writes her romantic stories until the wee hours of the night. Stacy lives in New England with her husband and two boys.

Stacy’s full-length contemporary romance novels are: JOCKEYING FOR YOU, LAWFULLY YOURS, DESIRE IN THE EVERGLADES (DESIRE series #1), and DESIRE IN THE ARCTIC (DESIRE series #2). BETTING ON LOVE IN VEGAS (BUILDING LOVE series #1) will be released 3/22/17. Book #2 in the BUILDING LOVE series will be released October, 2017.

Where to find Stacy…

Amazon | Twitter | Author Website | Publisher Website

Happy National Find a Rainbow Day

Posted on April 3, 2017 by Joanne Guidoccio

Today is National Find a Rainbow Day, a time to reflect upon the beauty and magnificence of those multicolored arcs that remind us of the hope and possibilities that exist in Nature and in our own lives.

Here are my 10 favorite “rainbow” quotes:

Try to be a rainbow in someone’s cloud. Maya Angelou

There comes a point in your life when you realize your hardest times are your best times, too—you will see the rainbow of your life. Roy Bennett

And when it rains on your parade, look up rather than down. Without the rain, there would be no rainbow. G.K. Chesterton

If you want to see a rainbow you have to learn to see the rain. Paulo Coelho

When you reduce life to black and white, you never see rainbows. Rachel Houston

The way I see it, if you want the rainbow, you gotta put up with the rain.
Dolly Parton

One can enjoy a rainbow without necessarily forgetting the forces that made it. Mark Twain

Rainbows apologize for angry skies. Sylvia Voirol

My heart leaps up when I behold
A rainbow in the sky…
William Wordsworth

Don’t miss all the beautiful colors of the rainbow looking for that pot of gold. Author Unknown

Do you have a favorite “rainbow” quote?

In Praise of Spinach

Posted on March 26, 2017 by Joanne Guidoccio

Today is National Spinach Day, a day set aside to honor and consider all the delicious ways we can incorporate this nutritional powerhouse into our diets.

Here are 10 interesting facts about spinach:

1. During Catherine de Medici’s reign as queen of France, spinach was served at every meal. Many modern dishes made with spinach are known as “Florentine” in honor of Catherine’s birth in Florence.

2. The earliest written record of the spinach plant was found in Chinese, suggesting the spinach plant was introduced in China via Nepal.

3. Medieval artists extracted green pigment from spinach to use as an ink or paint.

4. China is the world’s largest spinach producer with 85% of global production.

5. California accounts for almost three quarters of national production. Other spinach-growing states include Arizona, New Jersey, Texas, Colorado, Maryland, and Arkansas.

6. In the 1930’s, U.S. spinach growers credited Popeye with a 33% increase in domestic spinach consumption.

7. Alma, Arkansas—the home of “Allen Canning Company” which cans and ships spinach—holds an annual spinach festival each April. Alma proclaims itself to be the “Spinach Capital of the World”…a title also claimed by Crystal City, Texas.

8. An excellent source of protein, calcium, folic acid, fiber, and vitamins A, C, and K, spinach is also loaded with cancer-fighting antioxidants.

9. A half cup of raw spinach counts as one vegetable serving.

10. Studies have found that eating cooked spinach and carrots – versus raw – results in much higher blood levels of beta-carotene, an antioxidant thought to guard against heart disease and lung cancer.

On a personal note…

I look forward to my breakfast smoothie. Here’s one of my favorite recipes:

I start with one scoop of Sun Warrior Vegan Protein Powder (vanilla flavor). Recommended by my nutritionist, this brand contains brown rice protein and works well for anyone who is sensitive to eggs, dairy, and soy. I add one-half cup of blueberries, one cup of baby spinach leaves, and one teaspoon of cinnamon. I then add six to eight ounces of water and blend.

Do you have a quick-and-easy spinach recipe to share?

10 Things I’m Looking Forward to in Nova Scotia

Posted on March 22, 2017 by Joanne Guidoccio

I’m happy to welcome author Luanna Stewart. Today, Luanna shares her favorite memories of Nova Scotia and her new release, If Wishes Were Earls.

Here’s Luanna!

In no particular order…

1. Except for this one. The number one thing I’m looking forward to with our move to Nova Scotia is returning home. I was born and raised in Halifax, the capital city, and have lived elsewhere more than half my life. It’s time to go home.

2. The Atlantic Ocean. Even though I’m currently living on the coast of Maine, and the same ocean is just a fifteen-minute drive away, it’s not quite the same.

3. The air. Laugh if you will, but the air is different in NS. Probably from a combination of the ocean and the large expanses of evergreen forests. That balsam fir smell, especially after a rain, smells like NS to me.

4. The air. Not a typo. My mum has a summer house on an island off the coast and the briny fresh smell of the air is so luscious you just want to take a bite. On many occasions I’ve stood in her back garden, closed my eyes, and just breathed.

5. Small towns. I like the intimacy. From our new hometown of Lunenburg, to Wolfville where Son1 attended college, to Malagash where my dad was born and where we vacationed when I was a kid, they all have a distinct character. I love exploring the local history, and there is always at least one good restaurant serving a local brew and fish & chips.

6. Camping. There are pictures in the old family album of me camping whilst still in diapers. (They were cloth diapers back in those days – my mum was a saint!) So it’s no wonder camping is in my blood. Hubby and I went camping on our honeymoon, backcountry, the site accessible only by canoe. Our favourite park is Kejimkujik National Park, known as Keji (pronounced KEH-gee). It’s in the middle of the province, full of lakes, rivers and streams, and once you paddle for a few hours to your campsite all you can hear are the loons announcing sunrise and the beavers chewing on lily pads. The night sky is overwhelming in its brilliance.

7. Hiking. Nova Scotia is riddled with hiking trails over all sorts of terrain. Along the coast, deep into old-growth forest, around bogs and marshes, the trails allow for all levels of difficulty.

8. Kayaking. Our new home is right on the ocean so we can push our kayaks into the water from our beach and paddle away, exploring the bays and inlets nearby. If we’re particularly adventurous we can paddle into town!

9. Music. Ah, the fiddle and the bagpipe. On street corners, in pubs, at music festivals, toe-tapping folk music is alive and well. The three biggest influences on the local folk music are Scottish, Irish, and Acadian. Any and all will make you dance in your chair.

10. Cycling. Along with the hiking trails there is a vast network of former railway lines that have been converted into hiking/cycling trails. A wonderful and safe way to explore the area. You can peddle for miles, and because the trails used to be rail lines into the various towns, you can travel into town and pop into a pub for lunch! The best part? No hills.

What are some things you particularly like about where you live? If you had to move away, what would you miss the most?

One commenter will receive a hand-knitted (by me) washcloth and a bar of handcrafted soap. (USA and Canada only.)

Tagline

A mysterious letter and an enchanted keepsake promise to lead Miranda to her heart’s desire. Or does her heart secretly yearn for more than a sexy earl?

Blurb

When a mysterious note directs Miss Miranda Large to a tiny village in Cornwall to find her heart’s desire, she has no choice but to go. An enchanted keepsake heightens her curiosity. A snowstorm forces her to accept the hospitality of a sullen, albeit sexy and handsome, earl and Miranda’s wish doesn’t seem so out of reach.

Edward Penhallion, the 12th Earl of Claverlock, is not in the mood to start his search for a new wife. He wants to be left alone with his books and his dreams of revenge. But the arrival of a headstrong, sharp-tongued spinster forces him to play the charming host. Not a difficult task, given her intelligence and beauty. Suddenly, he’s not terribly eager for her to leave.

But as the snow falls and the winds blow, Edward discovers there’s more to Miranda than a lively wit and a lovely face. And Miranda wonders if the trappings of wealth are enough for true happiness.

Buy Links

Amazon | Nook | Kobo | iBooks | All Other Retailers

Bio

Luanna Stewart has been creating adventures for her imaginary friends since childhood. As soon as she discovered her grandmother’s stash of romance novels, all plots had to lead to a happily-ever-after.

Born and raised in Nova Scotia, Luanna now lives in Maine with her dear husband, two college boys, and two cats. When she’s not torturing her heroes and heroines, she’s in her kitchen baking something delicious.

Writing under the pen name Grace Hood, she has two novellas published with The Wild Rose Press.

Where to find Luanna…

Happy Spring!

Posted on March 20, 2017 by Joanne Guidoccio

Last week, Mother Nature sent us a cold blast of winter. Confusion? Trickery? Passive aggressiveness? Or perhaps, a last hurrah to winter. But all is forgiven. Today marks a new beginning, a season of rebirth, reinvention, rejuvenation, renewal, resurrection, and regrowth.

Here are ten of my favorite “spring” quotes:

Expect to have hope rekindled. Expect your prayers to be answered in wondrous ways. The dry seasons in life do not last. The spring rains will come again.
Sarah Ban Breathnach

No winter lasts forever; no spring skips its turn. Hal Borland

Spring shows what God can do with a drab and dirty world. Virgil A. Kraft

You can cut all the flowers but you cannot keep spring from coming.
Pablo Neruda

Every spring is the only spring — a perpetual astonishment. Ellis Peters

Spring has returned. The Earth is like a child that knows poems.
Rainer Maria Rilke

Spring is the time of plans and projects. Leo Tolstoy

It’s spring fever. That is what the name of it is. And when you’ve got it, you want — oh, you don’t quite know what it is you do want, but it just fairly makes your heart ache, you want it so! Mark Twain

Spring is nature’s way of saying, ‘Let’s party!’ Robin Williams

The spring wakes us, nurtures us and revitalizes us. How often does your spring come? If you are a prisoner of the calendar, it comes once a year. If you are creating authentic power, it comes frequently, or very frequently. Gary Zukav

Do you have a favorite “spring” quote?

Plotting on the Parkway

Posted on January 25, 2017 by Joanne Guidoccio

I’m happy to welcome back C.D. Hersh. Today, Catherine and Donald share their plotting adventures and recent release, The Mercenary and the Shifter.

Here’s CD Hersh!

plottingontheparkwayhersh It’s getting kinda antsy at the C.D. Hersh household, because we’ve got book number five in The Turning Stone Chronicle series to finish plotting. We do our best plotting on the road and we don’t have any upcoming trips. Our paranormal romance series was conceived on a loooong, cross-country trip after we saw an exit road sign for a place called Turning Stone, New York. A bit of brainstorming and a series was born.

Plotting on the road makes the time go faster for Donald, who drives, and keeps Catherine (who writes the notes in longhand a lot of the time) from seeing all the crazy drivers tailgating us and zipping between semi-trucks and our safety zone. Nothing drives Catherine nuttier than watching an F-150 Ford with a full jump cab try to squeeze into a space that barely fits a smart car, without giving us a signal! She truly believes all the imaginary braking with her right leg, while in the passenger seat, contributed to her arthritis. Fortunately, we aren’t considering traveling anywhere near the Jersey Turnpike where everyone drives like maniacs, although we think quite a few drivers we’ve encountered must have had lessons from a Jersey driving school.

So what’s the point of this post, you ask?

Here’s a few things we’ve learned during our loooong drives:

1. Aging knees don’t like being cooped up in a car. Imagine that.

2. It’s really hard to read plot notes written months ago while driving on a bumpy interstate.

3. It’s even harder to write on a bumpy interstate road.

4. Catherine should really transcribe her notes as soon as we get home.

5. Especially when words written while driving on the buzz strips on the shoulder of the road make her notes look like an EKG reading.

6. The new flash stick recorder we got works better than the old-fashioned pencil and paper, although it does allow Catherine to still see all the nutso drivers, and when Donald transcribes the notes they’re not always coherent. Catherine’s a blonde. J BTW, she’s writing this, so don’t take offense, ladies.

7. We like plotting almost better than writing—or maybe it’s the traveling we like.

8. Donald plots very well—most of the time. However, Catherine always has to throw a few suggestions out the car window. Isn’t that what a collaborator is for?

9. We need more road trips because we have two more books left in this series.

10. Writing with a collaborator is fun!

How and where do you plot your books?

Or do you travel—oops, write—by the seat of your pants?

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Blurb

When mercenary soldier Michael Corritore answers a desperate call from an ex-military buddy, he finds himself in the middle of a double kidnapping, caught in an ancient war between two shape shifter factions, and ensnared between two female shape shifters after the same thing … him.

Shape shifter Fiona Kayler will do anything to keep the shipping company her father left her, including getting in bed with the enemy. But when she believes the man trying to steal her company is involved with kidnapping her nephew, she must choose between family, fortune, and love. The problem is … she wants all three.

Bio

cdhersh Putting words and stories on paper is second nature to co-authors C.D. Hersh. They’ve written separately since they were teenagers and discovered their unique, collaborative abilities in the mid-90s. As high school sweethearts and husband and wife, Catherine and Donald believe in true love and happily ever after.

Together they have co-authored a number of dramas, six which have been produced in Ohio, where they live. Their interactive Christmas production had five seasonal runs in their hometown and has been sold in Virginia, California, and Ohio. Their most recent collaborative writing efforts have been focused on romance. The first four books of their paranormal romance series entitled The Turning Stone Chronicles are available on Amazon. They also have a Christmas novella, Kissing Santa, in a Christmas anthology titled Sizzle in the Snow, with seven other authors.

Where you can find CD Hersh…

Honoring Dr. Martin Luther King

Posted on January 16, 2017 by Joanne Guidoccio

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Today is Martin Luther King Day, an American federal holiday that marks the birthday of an inspirational clergyman, activist, and leader who is best known for his role in the advancement of civil rights in the United States.

My favorite quotations from Dr. Martin Luther King…

The ultimate measure of a man is not where he stands in moments of comfort and convenience, but where he stands at times of challenge and controversy.

Faith is taking the first step even when you don’t see the whole staircase.

Our lives begin to end the day we become silent about things that matter.

We must accept finite disappointment, but never lose infinite hope.

Life’s most persistent and urgent question is, “What are you doing for others?”

We must build dikes of courage to hold back the flood of fear.

Love is the only force capable of transforming an enemy into friend.

We must learn to live together as brothers or perish together as fools.

We may have all come on different ships, but we’re in the same boat now.

The time is always right to do what is right.

10 Inspiring Quotations for the New Year

Posted on January 4, 2017 by Joanne Guidoccio

Setting New Year’s resolutions can be daunting. If you struggle with this task why not draw on the collective wisdom of these poets, authors, and leaders.

inspiration

1. Take a leap of faith and begin this wondrous New Year by believing. Believe in yourself. And believe that there is a loving Source – a Sower of Dreams – just waiting to be asked to help you make your dreams come true. Sarah Ban Breathnach

2. The New Year stands before us, like a chapter in a book, waiting to be written. We can help write that story by setting goals.” Melody Beattie

3. Each year’s regrets are envelopes in which messages of hope are found for the New Year. John R. Dallas Jr.

4. For last year’s words belong to last year’s language. And next year’s words await another voice. T.S. Eliot

5. Maybe this year…We ought to walk through the rooms of our lives not looking for flaws, but for potential. Ellen Goodman

6. Every time you tear a leaf off a calendar, you present a new place for new ideas and progress. Charles Kettering

7. We will open the book. Its pages are blank. We are going to put words on them ourselves. The book is called Opportunity and its first chapter is New Year’s Day. Edith Lovejoy Pierce

8. And now we welcome the New Year. Full of things that have never been. Rainer Maria Rilke

9. Hope smiles from the threshold of the year to come, whispering, ‘It will be happier.’ Alfred Lord Tennyson

10. Cheers to a New Year and another chance for us to get it right. Oprah Winfrey

10 Things You Need To Know About Flora Vastine

Posted on December 14, 2016 by Joanne Guidoccio

I’m happy to welcome author J.R. Lindermuth to this blog. Today, John will share ten interesting features about Flora Vastine, the protagonist in his latest release, Shares the Darkness.

Here’s JR!

dispatcher1 1. Fresh out of high school and lacking the self-confidence needed to fulfill her dreams, Flora was a minor character, working as a part-time dispatcher for the Swatara Creek Police Department, in Something In Common, the first of the Sticks Hetrick series.

2. Flora’s admiration for her brothers Ed and Donnie, both of them State Police troopers, was a factor in her desire for a career in law enforcement. They, along with brothers Bill and Steve, encouraged and helped her achieve the goal.

3. With the help of her brothers Flora honed her skills in driving, marksmanship and self-defense and, with the support of Daniel ‘Sticks’ Hetrick, former chief and now unofficial consultant to his less experienced successor, joined the police department in Cruel Cuts, the second novel in the series. Though she’d cleared the final hurdle of her Act 120 certification, Flora still had to deal with Chief Aaron Brubaker’s dubious opinion of female officers.

4. Flora was attracted to Corporal Harry Minnich even before joining the department. But it took some time before the big lug seemed to notice her other than as a novice officer in need of the guiding influence of his broader experience.

5. Flora loves to run. It’s her favorite form of exercise. Either fresh in the morning before a shift or to mellow down after a grueling night tour, you’ll find her pacing along the streets of Swatara Creek, usually with her iPod tuned to some appropriate running music.

6. Flora lives with and keeps house for her widowed father Bill Vastine, a retired factory worker. They have a close relationship and Bill is always available with fatherly advice or help.

7. Flora’s acquaintance with a strange Amish girl nearly leads to her death in Corruption’s Child, third of the Hetrick series. In this same novel, Flora demonstrates her developing skills and finally wins the respect of Chief Brubaker.

8. After pondering sometime over a suitable name for the Border Collie Harry gives her for her birthday in Being Someone Else, Flora decides on Change. “That’s her name,” Flora said. “I got to thinking, nothing ever stays the same. For good or bad, life deals us change and it’s up to us to accept the challenge or consequences.”

9. While Sticks and Anita Bailey, the new woman in his life, are on a Caribbean cruise (where he deals with two murders with roots back home in Pennsylvania), Flora puts her life in jeopardy as she solves the mystery of assaults on young women in town.

10. Both Hetrick and Flora confront troubling, dangerous people from their pasts in A Burning Desire, sixth novel in the series. Flora’s compassion puts her on the hot seat with Chief Brubaker but proves to be a life-saving misstep.

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Blurb

Jan Kepler and Swatara Creek Police Officer Flora Vastine were neighbors and schoolmates, but never close.

When Jan, a school teacher, avid birder and niece of a fellow officer, goes missing and is found dead in a nearby tract of woods Flora finds herself thrust into the middle of an examination of the other woman’s life, as she searches for clues.

As usual, the police have more than one crime to deal with. There’s illegal timbering and a series of vehicle thefts taking up their time. And there are other issues to deal with. Flora is concerned there’s some shakiness in her relationship with Cpl. Harry Minnich who seems to be making a lot of secretive phone calls.

Still Flora maintains focus on the murder. Despite evidence implicating other suspects, the odd behavior of another former classmate rouses Flora’s suspicion. Flora’s probing opens personal wounds as she observes the cost of obsessive love and tracks down the killer.

Buy Links

Amazon | Torrid | Simon and Schuster | Barnes & Noble

Bio

jrlindermuth J. R. Lindermuth is the author of 12 novels, including six in his popular Sticks Hetrick mystery series and two in the new Sheriff Sylvester Tilghman series, and a non-fiction history book.