Friday, December 22, 2017

Nancy Lee Badger Presents UK Author David Russell


Author David Russell lives in the United Kingdom and shares his new book, Pearlman. It was released December 9th, just in time for the holidays. David, please tell my readers more.

Pearlman was inspired by a passage in the Spanish epic poem La Araucana, which I have translated. In the original story, a Spanish soldier, after a battle, is accosted by an Indian woman who asks him to lead her to her husband's body, to pay her last respects. In the original story, she disappears. 

In Pearlman the hero is contemporary, but he does time and space travel to those legendary times, and the woman turns out to be Auchimalgen, the Araucanian Moon Goddess. She seduces and enlightens him. 

There is a backdrop of Chile, with its incredibly volatile ecosphere and long history of protracted conflict. This story combines romance with sci-fi and time travel. Check out the reviews. As well!

EBOOK Available at  AMAZON

More About the Author
b. 1940. Resident in the UK. Writer of poetry, literary criticism, speculative fiction and romance. Main poetry collection Prickling Counterpoints (1998); poems published in online International Times. Main speculative works High Wired On (2002); Rock Bottom (2005). Translation of Spanish epic La Araucana, Amazon 2013. Romances: Self’s BlossomExplorationsFurther ExplorationsTherapy RaptureDarlene, An Ecstatic Rendezvous (all pub Extasy (Devine Destinies). Self-published collection of erotic poetry and artwork, Sensual Rhapsody, 2015. Singer-songwriter/guitarist. Main CD albums Bacteria Shrapnel andKaleidoscope Concentrate. Many tracks on You Tube, under ‘Dave Russell’.

Friday, December 15, 2017

My Life Telling Stories by Author Joanna McKethan

Author Joanna McKethan stopped by to tell my readers about her life telling stories. Take it away, Joanna!

When I lived in Germany, I would take my legal sized, thin-lined pads of yellow paper in a leather open binder to a nice Lokal with plenty of pens to do my writing, creating my own private closet much more exciting than sitting at home thinking I need to clean my bedroom. There is nothing quite so exhilarating as an impersonal but lively atmosphere for getting the juices flowing. And the miniscule bits of action that come in such a location can inspire their own novels--I have two waiting in line that grew out of exactly that environment.

German restaurateurs are quite happy with authors who want to write on their premises--you can stay all day, unlike at American restaurants where the owner threw me out for staying too long. How humiliating was that!

My whole 9-year stay in the Munich area of Germany supplied me with countless themes, since we traveled out from there on secret missions into many of the East Bloc (Communist) countries crossing numerous scary borders in the Cold War days.

Take me back to Camp Monroe, a Presbyterian camp near Laurinburg or Wagram, North Carolina, and you will see me telling scary camp stories to my roommates in the screened-in, primitive porch, loving to hear them scream in horror as destruction approached. So in a way, like Grandmother used to say, “You’re a born story teller, Daughter,” I just kept on telling stories to create effect. And to think, I’ve been criticizing Stephen King and Daphne du Maurier for liking to do what I liked to do way back then, and now.

Because what I like to do is to search the normal for the one thing that is ‘off.’ Having an extremely suspicious mind, I can do that. I am also by turns gullible, so that sets the stage for playing one of my sides off against another. I also pick the ordinary for bits of intense tenderness or romance. It is amazing, once on the hunt, what you see--in newspapers, among friends, a whirlwind love story, a tragic accident or suicide.

I guess the clue is seeing, really seeing, and remembering, really remembering, because when you do the insight just jars you awake, and you think, why didn’t I see that before? Why did that not strike me. So staying close to people who are not always soothing, but who challenge the status quo is something I’m committed to doing, even when it is off-putting, because they are the people who jar loose the story threads, the moments of intense hunger, passion, love, and evil, the ones who discover the plot that makes the story.

‘What if’ clauses excite me, because they are so true. Although I write fiction, I do it because there is often more truth to fiction than to life.

And now that I’ve finished telling the story in Stone of Her Destiny which has at the very last minute spawned a sequel, I can’t wait to get back to my yellow legal-sized pads of thin-lined paper and my gel fountain pens to write fresh copy, fresh story.

Book Blurb of Stone of Her Destiny
Two unlikely characters meet--Kenna, a spunky but sophisticated heroine of Scottish descent, and the man of her dreams, Lane, Scottish owner of Blackheart Heights Castle--but it doesn’t look hopeful. He is betrothed to another and must keep his promise in order to keep his castle. Taste Scotland’s lovely atmosphere, the delicious food they eat, the sporting games they play, and the cold, but unique castle in which she stays during her visit. Kenna possesses a unique gift, which makes delving into her ancestry an exciting adventure, but at times can make life among the locals precarious. An old letter and an older still Stone speak, but you’ll have to read the book to find out if these star-crossed lovers end up in one another’s arms and how the Stone changes her future.

BUY LINKS FOR JOANNA'S BOOKS
Yuletide Folly at Amazon
Veiled in White at Amazon
Deadly Provenance at Amazon

For Nancy's Readers only, 
click this link to purchase a 
Specially Priced PDF of 


More About the Author
           
Joanna A. McKethan grew up in the country of the Old South in Harnett County, one of the offshoots of the Scots Presbyterians who came up the Cape Fear River in the 1700’s. After graduating from UNC-Chapel Hill she lived 9 years abroad in Germany and Austria working in Communist Bloc countries. She now writes and paints full-time from her studio in North Carolina. She loves everything Scottish and secret, loves combining gothic romance with thrillers and ‘a little Armageddon’ thrown in.

Joanna is a member of Romance Writers of America with PAN status, Heart of Carolina Romance Raleigh area, and North Carolina Writers’ Network. She has attended numerous writers’ conferences in many states.

She has completed six novels to date. She is an Amazon Author with three novels for sale on Amazon, two released for promotional, and one which is being soft-launched prior to publishing on Amazon.

Please visit her website at http://books.joriginals.net/ for books, and http://joriginals.net/ for her blog. She is on Facebook as Joanna A. Mckethan Author and on twitter as @JoMcKethan. She is also on LinkedIn, Pinterest, Goodreads, and Instagram.

See all her books on her 
Amazon Author Page


Friday, December 8, 2017

Have you Made YOUR Reading Resolutions Yet?


The holiday shopping season is upon us, and I have already made my annual visit to my local mall. I've accumulated a pile of gifts to be shipped to Vermont, and another pile headed to Florida. With families no longer living in the same house or even the same town, as they did back a hundred years ago, we have had to change the way we wish others 'Happy Holidays'.

I am a writer with a good amount of books to my name, including my award-winning novella, Dragon in the Mist. I keep active  around the house by cleaning, cooking, and caring for my dear hubby (so he can get to work). I volunteer with several groups, and just sold a manuscript to Soul Mate Publishing. 

2017 is coming to a close. I have published various books over the past year including my contemporary novels, With Every Heartbeat and With Every Kiss, and I want y'all to enjoy the coming year by READING A BOOK. 

I still love dragons, so I am giving away the following autographed print books in my
READING RESOLUTION 
PRIZE PACKAGE
and will ship the books out after the New Year, so you can start 2018 right!
* Shimmer: The Beginning
* SPARK, Clan of Dragons #1
* SMOKE, Clan of Dragons #2
* SMOLDER, Clan of Dragons #3
*no purchase necessary. Any international winner will receive an ebook from Nancy's selection of books. All entrants agree to me adding their names & emails to my Newsletter list, and will be eligible for future GIVEAWAYS. 



a Rafflecopter giveaway

Friday, December 1, 2017

Nancy Lee Badger Presents Author Barbara M. Britton

Barbara M. Britton stopped by to share another lovely story with my readers. Take it away, Barbara!

Thank you for hosting me on my print release day for “Jerusalem Rising: Adah’s Journey.” I am excited to bring the story of the daughters of Shallum to life. Little did I know that women helped Nehemiah restore the wall around Jerusalem. We don’t know the names of Shallum’s daughters, or how many there were, but I created two, Adah and Judith. Adah’s journey comes from the book of Nehemiah, chapters 1-8. This is the third book in my Tribes of Israel series where I bring little known Bible stories to light.


Excerpt:
    Adah slumped against the worn lumber, huffing like a slave girl. Sweat pooled beneath her head covering.
    “My mother is not home. She has gone to the well,” said a familiar male voice.
    Praise God. She scrambled to her feet. “Othniel, you are a vision. Hurry and help me. I have coins today.”
    Othniel slung his satchel near the door. The little storm of unsettled dust rising from the ground almost matched the amount clinging to his dark, curly hair. “What kind of greeting is this?”
    “A hasty one.” Adah shook the folds of her skirt to loosen any dirt. “Our governor is coming to Jerusalem and my father is not prepared for his arrival.”
    “Doesn’t Nehemiah send letters?” Othniel scratched his stubbled chin. He seemed in as much of a hurry as a bloated mule.
    “None that my father saw,” she said.
    His eyebrows raised as understanding brightened his eyes. “But someone received them?”
    And she knew who. A nobleman never traveled unannounced. Her father ruled a half-district of Jerusalem, but Rephaiah also ruled a half-district, and no one caught him or his brood of sons off guard.
    “Come now.” Her pulse sped as if in a race. “Open the room where your mother keeps her wares and help me find a polished pearl jar. I’ve seen it in the marketplace.” She urged him down the alley next to his home, wishing she could give him a powerful push. “My family has need of it.”
    “I should warn you. I have labored in the grove.” His steps still lumbered. “I smell like a dung heap.”
    “My nose has been in oils all afternoon. To me, you have the aroma of a blossom.”

Book Blurb:
When Adah bat Shallum finds the governor of Judah weeping over the crumbling wall of Jerusalem, she learns the reason for Nehemiah’s unexpected visit—God has called him to rebuild the wall around the City of David.

Nehemiah challenges the men of Jerusalem to labor on the wall and in return, the names of their fathers will be written in the annals for future generations to cherish. But Adah has one sister and no brothers. Should her father who rules a half-district of Jerusalem be forgotten forever?

Adah bravely vows to rebuild her city’s wall, though she soon discovers that Jerusalem not only has enemies outside of the city, but also within. Can Adah, her sister, and the men they love, honor God’s call? Or will their mission be crushed by the same rocks they hope to raise.

Barb’s bio:
Barbara M. Britton was born and raised in the San Francisco Bay Area, but currently lives in Southeast Wisconsin and loves the snow—when it accumulates under three inches. Barb writes romantic adventures for teens and adults in the Christian fiction and Mainstream markets. She is published in Biblical fiction and enjoys bringing little known Bible characters to light in her stories. Barb is a member of the American Christian Fiction Writers, the Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators, Romance Writers of America and Wisconsin Romance Writers of America. She has a nutrition degree from Baylor University but loves to dip healthy strawberries in chocolate.
Visit Barb on her website, Facebook, Twitter, or Goodreads.
Purchase her book on Amazon or B&N or from Pelican Book Group