Friday, June 17, 2016

Happy Father's Day

Dad & me Father's Day 2016
Some people think Father's Day is a celebration of fathers, but it means different things to different people. At this writing, I am lucky my father is with us (he turned 91 years old at the beginning of this month).

Writers are naturally curious, so I did some research. The holiday was started in the United States in the early twentieth century. Although you might think it is the same as our Mother’s Day holiday, it is not as popular as Mother's Day. More research found that Father’s Day only became official in 1972. Mother’s Day started in 1914. I am not sure why it took so long to recognize dads…the real dads, whether biological or those who have taken in step kids or adopted children, but they all count.
I was out of the house by the time Father’s Day started back in '72, and I hope I did not ignore the concept. (Dad, did I send you a card at least?) I have always loved my dad, and appreciated him the best I could...well I did present him with two grandsons.
Robert & Eric Badger 
Don’t forget your father on Father’s Day.

*share your thoughts with my readers!


Nancy Lee Badger
Proud daughter of Robert Beegle 




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Friday, June 10, 2016

Ria Cantrell Presents: Celtic Peril

Ria Cantrell stopped by to share her latest release. CELTIC PERIL is a historical time travel romance set in Scotland.

In 1387, the peace of the Highlands is shattered when the young English King, Richard of Bordeaux announces that he will be touring the Northern Territories in what is known as the Great Gyration. All young maidens of marriageable age must be presented to him. Richard is seeking a bride to forge an alliance between England and Scotland. Sir Andrew and Lady Bronwyn Brandham have been requested to entertain the English king and his retinue during the last harvest. Sir Drew's daughter, Jenna, refuses all suitors; especially the likes of the English king. In a willful show of disobedience, Jenna Brandham flees to the Highlands and seeks refuge among her uncles and grandfather of the Clan MacCollum. Her absence puts her family in grave danger of disobeying the king's request. They are desperate to keep the peace and to not anger the Royal guest. 

Morag, the healer and chatelaine of the Clan MacCollum knows of a ruse to appease the unpredictable king, but it would mean traveling ahead in time to bring Kiera Campbell back in Jenna's place as a decoy. Kiera agrees to go back in time to help her old friend and to seek forgiveness from the past for her beloved husband, Derek.

Tom Callum has just landed a spot with a prestigious road show called Celtic Storm as the lead singer and front man. When he reaches Scotland to visit his cousin Kiera, he is drawn to seek his heritage and uncover the mysteries of his past. He is fascinated with a painting of a girl who lived more than six hundred years ago. Something about her tugs at his long forgotten memory. Little does he know that he will soon be plunged into a world of intrigue, deception and peril. The past and present collide in an adventure that brings danger at every turn. Only love will give Tom the strength he needs to thwart an attempt on King Richard's life. Tom must save the reputation of the Clan MacCollum and the Brandhams. How can he succeed without destroying what has already been written in history? Will Tom be able to survive his leap into the past? Will he be able to survive his return to the present, only to leave his heart behind?

More About the Author
Ria grew up in the suburbs of Long Island, New York. Her family has promoted her love for the arts, especially music. She learned to read music at a very early age and started singing at the age of four. Ria has enjoyed some very exciting endeavors in the past including competing as a figure skater, dancing professionally as a belly dancer and singing as a classically trained vocalist with auditioned chorales. She also enjoys working as a soloist.

Ria began writing at a very young age and even had some of her early poems published in local literary magazines. Frequently, she would be seen carrying notebooks to scribble many of her stories and poems. With a love of the past, Ria was fascinated with Medieval and Renaissance history and found herself drawn to participate with a reenactment group, The Society for Creative Anachronism, which re-creates the Middle Ages. Since fostering her love of all things medieval, Ria’s stories soon became flavored with Medieval and Renaissance themes.

Ria is a hopeless romantic. She married the love of her life after a long-distance courtship, spanning two continents. She now lives in the sunny tropical paradise of Southwest Florida with her English rock-star husband. The two share their love for music and writing. They perform together locally and they collaborate on writing endeavors. Her husband’s first full length novel, Reflections of Love, is being released simultaneously as Morag’s Tears. 
Connect with her HERE


You can also find Ria Cantrell
(and me!) 

in the Time Travel Boxed Set
WHEN LOVE CONQUERS TIME






Friday, June 3, 2016

SIZZLE by Barbara Brett

Barbara Brett stopped by to share all the intimate details about her new book. SIZZLE, Where the Boardroom Meets the Bedroom

BOOK BLURB:
She’s the most beautiful and ruthless CEO in the nation. He’s the most dangerous corporate raider in the world. Neither has ever lost a battle in the boardroom—or  the bedroom. Now they’re warring for America’s biggest publishing prize. 

SIZZLE—a  novel of breathtaking power and ambition, set against the jet-setting world of Manhattan’s elite! 

“[A] battle fraught with...the dirtiest of tricks...the stuff that destroys marriages, people, lives.... Sizzle through the summer with Sizzle.”—The Salem News


EXCERPT:
      At Ledoyen, Marietta and Craig were seated at a table with an excellent view of the garden. Their wine was poured into crystal glasses, their courses dispensed from Louis XV serving carts. In such an atmosphere, it was difficult not to be warm and cordial, and Marietta sensed Craig's reserve yielding a little with every sip of wine.
She kept the conversation sprightly and flowing, and saw to it that they spoke a great deal about Craig's career and not at all about hers. By the time they were sipping their demitasse, the years seemed to have slipped away, and they were once again sharing special looks and laughter.
Before they left, Marietta turned for a last look at the garden. Craig's gaze followed hers, and he said:
"Everything they say about April in Paris is true, isn't it?"
"Suddenly I have a terrific yen for more chestnuts in blossom. Let's take a walk in the Bois de Boulogne."
Craig smiled indulgently. "Why not? Sounds like a pleasant way to work off some of our excess calories."
It had been ages since Marietta had been in the Bois. For years, Paris trips for her had meant board meetings and boutiques by day and café society by night, but her intuition told her that a stroll together through the park might awaken in Craig's mind fond memories of similar strolls through Central Park. Perhaps it did; he seemed even more relaxed and happy in the sun- dappled woods than he had been in the restaurant. It was his idea to hire a horse-drawn carriage so that they could view in style the lakes and waterfalls and the charming Parc de Bagatelle.
As they passed the nearby children's playground, Craig turned to Marietta and asked, "Have you ever been to the Jardin d'Acclimation?"
She shook her head.
"You don't know what you've been missing," he said, and he told the driver in perfect French to take them there.
Marietta had expected—or hoped—that they were heading for romantic gardens where he'd suggest a stroll beneath shady trees beside a sparkling lake, and was surprised and disappointed when the driver reined his horse before the entrance to a combination children's zoo and amusement park.
Craig paid the driver and helped her from the carriage. "You're going to love this," he said.
She doubted that very much.
She was wrong. The Jardin d'Acclimation was designed to charm both child and adult alike. Perhaps adults enjoyed it most of all, for the true joys of childhood, like so many of life's delights, are never really appreciated until they are forever lost. Marietta and Craig paddled a boat across a clear lagoon, laughed in the house of funny mirrors, tried their luck on the archery range and at miniature golf, ate warm waffles, and fed the animals. She couldn't remember when she'd had so much fun. Or perhaps she could: seventeen years before, bundled up against the cold, strolling hand in hand with Craig, tasting New York City's delights.
Later, Craig whisked her in a cab to the Porte Dauphine. "You've never seen Paris until you've seen this," he said, and gestured toward the Etoile, painted gold and pink in the light of the setting sun.
Marietta caught her breath. "It's beautiful!" she said. But even as the words were leaving her mouth, even as her eyes continued to take in the scene before her, she was aware of a subtle change in Craig. He was no longer gazing in awe at the Etoile. He was looking at her; she could feel it. And she could feel, too, that if she turned to look at him, she'd find the awe still in his eyes, but directed toward her. Sunsets enhanced her charms, silhouetting her fine profile, deepening the coppery tone of her hair. Slowly, her heart pounding, she turned to him. She was right. In his eyes she saw the same desire that had been there seventeen years before.
"I don't want this day to end," she said.
He didn't kiss her, as she had hoped he would, but his gaze slipped down and caressed her lips, then returned to meet hers. "Neither do I," he said huskily. "I'll pick you up for dinner at eight-thirty."

BUY LINKS

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AUTHOR BIO
Barbara Brett’s colorful publishing career includes stints as the editor of True Romance and True Confessions. During that time, she began writing mainstream novels, and after the publication of Between Two Eternities and Love After Hours, she was named vice president and publisher of Thomas Bouregy & Company, where she oversaw Avalon Books, the company’s hardcover fiction for libraries. Later, she established her own company, Brett Books, devoted to hardcover inspirational nonfiction. She is now back to her own writing and delighted to see Sizzle published. She promises to follow it with many more exciting books.

You can contact Barbara on 
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