Happy Labor Day!

Golden Gate Bridge photo by Eric Badger

 

Wherever you travel this Labor Day weekend, be

safe...and here is a quote to take along.

“You know more of a road by having traveled it than by all the conjectures and descriptions in the world”—William Hazlitt

Nancy

POSITIVE QUOTE OF THE WEEK

Hurricane Isaac is battering the southern United States. Here in North Carolina, we are expecting its rains within the next few days. Everything turns lush and green, and the skies will eventually return to blue. Reminds me of this quote...

Love is a canvas furnished by Nature and embroidered by imagination—Voltaire

Are you safe?

Nancy

Sounds, Sights, & Smells of the Scottish Games

I was reading my local newspaper the other day and a back page article caught my eye. Seems a local girl, Waverly Noble from Raleigh (NC), has spent half her eleven years learning to dance in the Scottish tradition.

It got me to thinking about the Scottish Highland Games and festivals that pop up around the area. I wish I could attend them all, but time and money seem to factor in when deciding where to go and what to see.

My boys, Eric and Robert

Highland dance, with the young women in beautiful kilts and socks, their hair in tight buns, and their hands on their hips, is a sight to behold. I raised two boys, so watching the girls perform is always a treat without the worry. Being a soccer mom was easier.

Have you ever attended a Scottish festival? If not, then you have missed out on the sounds, sights, and smells.

• Sounds such as a lonely bagpiper performing before a competition judge
• The sound of many marching bands as they march together playing Amazing Grace
• The happy sounds of kids petting sheep or a Highland cow
• The sight of muscular brutes tossing a telephone pole (the caber) end over end
• walking through a historical village and seeing how the Scottish lived long ago
• Seeing men of all sizes and ages strutting about in their Scottish finery. Yum!
• The smell of Haggis
• The delicious smell of baking meat pies 
• sheep

I will be heading north next month to again volunteer with my family at the 37th Annual New Hampshire Highland Games and Festival. It will be held at the Loon Mountain ski Area in Lincoln. If you plan to be in the area, it is well worth a stop, but get there EARLY. 30,000 people+ are expected!

Stop in and see me at the Information Tent.

For more information about the Games,

please click on NHScot.org

POSITIVE QUOTE OF THE WEEK

On Achievement…I feel that the greatest reward for doing is the opportunity to do more.

–Jonas Salk

The Hot Summer Heroes Blog Hop is over,

and I am working feverishly

to get my next book released.

Please watch for

MY BANISHED HIGHLANDER

Book #2 in the

Highland Games Through Time series.

And the winner is...

The HOT SUMMER HEROES BLOG HOP is history, and I am very happy with the results. Tons of wonderful comments were left but, unfortunately, only one person has been chosen as the winner of my book LOVE TO THE RESCUE.

I put everyone's name in a patriotic hat that I recently bought for my husband (see photo) and he chose the winning commenter. And the winner is....BLHmistress!

You will be contacted soon, and your name has been entered in the drawing for the $100 Barnes & Nobel GIFT CARD!

Nancy

HOT SUMMER HEROES BLOG HOP

Join me and other authors of ROMANCE when we pay homage to the hunky guys we write about by giving away prizes to you...our readers!

Dozens of blogs have joined together to salute our HOT SUMMER HEROES. I will be giving away an e-copy of my latest release,
LOVE TO THE RESCUE.

All YOU have to do is leave a comment, below.

 IS THERE ANYTHING HOTTER

THAN FIREFIGHTERS?

You might ask why summer? Well, the summer months are usually the best time to enjoy the out-of-doors, and all that nature can provide. My book is set in a small college town nestled along a river, surrounded by the White Mountains of New Hampshire. Small towns are filled with interesting characters, but I throw rescues, romance, and suspense at them. See who gets who in the end! 

Check out this EXCERPT:

Her scent, intoxicating as fresh–cut flowers in spring, filled his nostrils and made his head spin with the sudden sweetness. The pale skin of her neck beckoned him, the pulse just beneath the surface beating fast and strong. Her lips parted in response to his gaze. With an urge so strong his knees weakened, he kissed the gentle slope below her chin then slid up and captured both lips.

The kiss deepened, spurred on by a force screaming at him to take everything. She tasted sweet and spicy, of sugar and bitter coffee. He sucked her tongue and groaned with the pleasure of her particular taste. This isn’t right.

Some mysterious voice screamed in his head, but he ignored the warning. His hands roamed to her back before sliding lower. Each fingertip tingled with intense pleasure. Lower, still, his hands cupped her strong buttocks. One hand slid up to nestle against the nape of her neck. Her body squirmed, moving in increasing velocity to connect with his stomach, thighs, and groin.

“Easy, sweetheart, or this will be over before it’s begun.” Locked in his embrace, she kissed him in response. Agony, like a punch to the gut, made him realize whom he kissed. His partner.

He responded as if slapped.

But wait...there's more! You could win OTHER PRIZES simply by 'hoppin' over to the other blogs and placing your comment with them.

I would love you to consider reading my ebook LOVE TO THE RESCUE

available from

Red Rose Publishing

and Barnes and Noble

You might also want to download its predesessor,

DESTINY'S MOUNTAIN

WAIT...there is MORE! One lucky commenter from the tour WILL WIN  A $100 GIFT CARD  to Barnes and Noble! No purchase necessary! Simply 'HOP' over to some or all of the below listed blogs for another chance to WIN BIG!

My ebook winner will be drawn August 19th.
Please leave a comment below and don't forget
your e-mail or web contact.

As the Olympics wrap it up....

After a bout of indecision, today I submitted my latest manuscript to an agent. Was it ready? Would she like my plot? Would the story catch her interest? Some times you just have to realize…
Standing in the middle of the road is dangerous;
you get knocked down by traffic from both sides.

-Margaret Thatcher, former prime minister of Great Britain

Did you notice the tennis raquet on my cover?

 My heroine, Becca, yearns to get a coveted spot

 on the USA Olympics Tennis Team!

Title: SECRET LOVE MATCH

Author: Nancy Lee Badger

Genre: Contemporary Romance

Length: Novel

ISBN:  978-1-60435-731-8

Red Rose Publishing:  http://bit.ly/N5ulH6

WIN a FREE ebook at the Castles and Guns Blog

...featuring ME!

I am guest author at the Castles & Guns Blog and invite you to come over, read my article on creating a fictional Scottish castle for my Highland Games Through Times series, and leave a comment.

They will be choosing a winner to recieve a FREE ebook of my latest paranormal release, MY HONORABLE HIGHLANDER.

To enter, click HERE

Olympic Tennis & My Team USA GIVEAWAY

The Olympics are in full swing and I want YOU, my readers, to WIN. No, I am not giving out medals. Gold, Silver, and Bronze medals are only for our wonderful athletes.

Have no fear...you can still win!

My 1st book, SECRET LOVE MATCH, has a heroine who is struggling to claim a berth on the USA Olympics tennis team, I am giving away an official Team USA Backpack to one lucky person who leaves a comment*.

No Purchase necessary, but I would love you to check out this Book Blurb. Red Rose Publishing is in the process of replacing my REAL name on the ebooks, but know that whether you buy a copy by Nancy Lee Badger or Nancy Lennea, it is the same fun romantic romp, inside!

Book Blurb

Rebecca Delacourt has played and taught tennis for the last three years. At twenty-one, she knows what she wants. Without help from her wealthy parents, she buys a condo in Glen Cove, NY and plans to be on the Olympic Tennis team. She has no time for men, marriage, or children. Her mother gave up her acting career when she became pregnant with older sister, Laney, whose illegitimate son is mute due to recent emotional trauma. Rebecca still manages to squeak out some time for her charity work for breast cancer research in Baltimore every year.

Taylor, a former TV actor, notices Becka. She knows him—she’s dreamed of his TV persona for years. They meet at her parent’s country club. He thinks he’s found gold in the athletic blond. After beating him at tennis he meets her parents. Too bad he knows them—a former co-star, and the man helping get him auditions. Her sister moves in—thwarting any privacy. She’s hiding out and is attacked. Taylor finds himself falling for Becka. Will he change his arrogant ways, save her nephew from kidnappers, and realize she’s the one? Becka wonders if dreams can still be reached with someone beside her. Will they reach their dreams together?


*since I can only ship to addresses in the USA, if a commenter is from outside this country, they will win a choice of one of my 8 ebooks, and I will choose a second winner for the backpack. Good Luck!

Red Rose Publishing Buy Link

Amazon

NOOK

Nancy Lee Badger