Who's Your Hero Blog Hop HAS ENDED

Congratulations to Renee R., the winner of the Prize Package I offered as a prize during:

Dear Readers: Thanks for visiting my blog during the Who’s Your Hero Giveaway Hop. This month we're celebrating the men and women (and animals too!) that rock a uniform--whichever uniform that may be. Military, Police, Firefighter, and even Scottish Highlanders. Who doesn't love a hero who will serve and protect? My heroes can be found in my six Scottish time travel romances. Some are 16th century Highlanders, and some are present-day New Englanders who are Highlanders-at-Heart, yet they are all heroes (or heroines!). Let me tell you a little bit about Niall Sinclair from My Hunted Highlander:

Excerpt

“We be the farthest from pirates, as pirates can be,” Niall said, without taking his gaze from her mud-spattered face.

Mackenzie walked closer to Niall. “Explain.”

“I am Niall Sinclair. I was in this bailey no’ a few weeks earlier. Do ye no’ recall my argument with my brother, Gavin?” Niall shouldered his guards aside.

“Ye be Niall, the true Sinclair laird?”

“No’ until Angus Sinclair is captured. We followed him here.”

Mackenzie raised his chin in Blair’s direction. “And she is?”

“Mine.” The word rushed from his mouth with no forethought, and without hesitation. Blair’s eyes widened, and she took a step toward him, but Mackenzie settled a hand on her muddy shoulder.

“Wait, lass. Ye will feel more comfortable explaining how ye two came to be here, after a bath, aye?”

A slight smile quirked her lips, and Niall exhaled a breath he had not realized he held. Mackenzie would not strike them dead. Yet.

 

May I share actual heroes? I have several in my life, but today I will share my dad and my youngest son, both veterans.

 My dad, a WW2 Vet, still going strong at 90!

 My son Eric, who served in Iraq,
now climbs cell towers!

Now...the MONEY-MAKING part:

Book Blurb

Niall Sinclair wakes bound to the mast of a pirate ship. Hiding his identity, his reaction to their female captain makes him nearly forget his need to escape. Kidnapped from modern day New Hampshire, and now at the helm of a pirate ship in 1603 Scotland, Blair MacIan sees Niall as a chance to escape to her world. 

         

MY HUNTED HIGHLANDER 

Ebooks

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Print Books   

 Amazon     BarnesNoble    B-A-M

Book Depository     Powell's

the GIVEAWAY has been
awarded to Renee R.
Congratulations! 

a Rafflecopter giveaway


Look! This week's FREE ebook is 
MY RELUCTANT HIGHLANDER 

AMAZON

Nancy Lee Badger Presents #ChristmasTreats Blog Hop and Giveaway

What are your favorite Christmas treats? Books, of course! How about cookies? Yum! Since this Blog Hop ends on December 25th, I have put together a Scottish Gift Basket to warm up your frosty New Year. (Enter below the Gift Basket's photo)

Don't forget to stop by each blog, also listed below, for a chance to win fabulous books and gifts for the holidays!

The holidays are here, and I want to give back to my wonderful readers. Have you read one or two of my books? Have you left a short review anywhere? Reviews are like gold, so please take a moment and leave one today (your gift to me)

In the meantime, here is an excerpt from My Hunted Highlander, a Scottish time travel romance

     Jenny passed Blair a small metal cup, and helped her bring it to her lips. “You have to keep drinking this. It’s an antidote. Gavin said you were poisoned.”

     “The apple…I remember. Something about Cinnie, the woman I met in the orchard. I can’t believe she meant to hurt me. Actually, she didn’t. I took the apple without her knowledge.”

     “Which means she planned to poison someone else!”

     “Quick, Jenny! Warn Mackenzie, before someone dies!”

     Jenny raced into the hall without shutting the heavy oak door. Too weak to get up, Blair sipped the bitter brew and wondered how much time had passed. When a servant poked through the door, she smiled. She didn’t want to be alone, not with all the craziness going on around her, and her missing son.

     “Can I help ye dress, my lady?” Her head was down, and wrapped in a triangle of white linen. One gold braid hung down her back. She shut the door behind her, and strolled to a large armoire.

     “Yes, but I’m pretty weak.” Blair swung her legs to the side of the rumpled bed, but held tight to the bedclothes. The woman, her back to Blair, dug through clothes. “Those must be Jenny Morgan’s dresses. I am lucky we are both tall.”

     When she noticed that the servant was no more than four feet tall, she changed the subject. “Is it still snowing?”

     “Nay, the sun is shining. ‘Tis morning, and still early, but the menfolk have left the castle grounds.”

     “What? They left without me?” Blair hopped to the floor, wobbled, and nearly fell to her knees.

The servant’s hands clasped her waist from behind. “Take care, my lady. The poison is still in yer system. We would no’ wish ye injured.”

     A shiver zipped along her spine. “We?”

    

Buy links for My Hunter Highlander:

Amazon   NOOK   Smashwords     

iBooks   AllRomance   Amazon print

Barnes and Noble Print    Kobo

         Books-A-Million    Book Depository           

Powells Books

p.s. Check out my latest endeavor: 
MEDIEVAL REDEMPTION, a four-author Bpxed set
Over 1,000 pages of bad boys! Only $.99
AMAZON

Please enter to win this 
Scottish Gift Basket
containing:

*Autographed copy of My Hunted Highlander*

*Autographed copy of DRAGON Bites*

*Scottish Shortbread * ButterSCOTCH Candy * 

*Booklet of quick chicken dinner recipes*
*Pretty Napkins to brighten your table* 

*BC Cherry Pain Relief (because the holidays can be...)

No purchase necessary, open to Continental USA  residents. 
International Readers will receive ebooks from Nancy's backlist.

Christmas Treats Blog Hop 

Ends December 25th

I would LOVE you to tell me 
about the books you 

want for Christmas! 

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Highland Games: a Research Opportunity

After writing several novellas that wove a tale around Scottish dragons,I wanted to use my love of modern Scottish Highland Games to weave tales using time travel and Highlanders. Since my family volunteers annually at the New Hampshire Highland Games, I filled notebook after notebook with my interpretation of the sights, smells, sounds, and history of the games. 

Research added to my list of possible story ideas. I have since completed six books set in both the fictional present-day New England Highland Games and 16th century Scotland. What do modern games have to do with a story of ancient Highlanders? Plenty, especially since I match heroines and heroes from different times.

Besides the costumes and weaponry people wear to these festivals, there are sports, food, craft displays, music, and vendors beneath tents selling everything under the sun. The aroma of meat pies mingles with the tang of fresh-squeezed lemonade. Sheep, herded by a border collie, run near tent-covered platforms where pretty girls dance a Highland fling. Bagpipers march while craftspeople spin wool or tell tales to kids, giving me dozens of ideas, which I carefully noted. 

The modern games are so much more than an athletic competition yet watching burly, kilt-wearing men tossing a tree called a ‘caber’ end-over-end is a favorite sight. 

Historically, the games were a way to hone skills. Coming together once or twice a year gave a community a sense of camaraderie during a time of upheaval in Scotland. Skill, stamina, and determination easily kept young Highlanders ready for war or any threat to their livestock…and women. Foot races kept messengers ready should they need to spread the word of a battle.  Even the simple tug-o-war kept a warrior’s body ready to answer the call to war. 

When my fascination with pirates entered my head, I created a female pirate plying the North Sea in a ship I named The Black Thistle. That story, released this year, is titled My Hunted Highlander. 

Book Blurb

Niall Sinclair wakes bound to the mast of a pirate ship. Hiding his identity, his reaction to their female captain makes him nearly forget his need to escape. Kidnapped from modern day New Hampshire, and now at the helm of a pirate ship in 1603 Scotland, Blair MacIan sees Niall as a chance to escape to her world. 

Buy Links:

Amazon   NOOK   

Smashwords    iBooks   

AllRomance   Amazon print

Barnes and Noble Print    

Kobo    Books-A-Million    

Book Depository                    

Powells Books

Thankful For You Blog Hop & GIVEAWAY

This week we're letting everyone know just what we're thankful for. And that includes...YOU! There's a new giveaway at every single stop so be sure to hop around and visit your favorite blogs and find a few new ones to follow too! 

Giving thanks on the 4th Thursday of the month is an American holiday, but this time period is also a way for me to give extra special thanks to all my readers. You are what keeps me wanting to write the next novel, and the next. Without book sales, and reviews, we cannot succeed.

To thank you, I have lowered the retail price of the ebook SHIVER: a White Mountains Thriller to an unheard of 99¢. (reg. $5.99) 

During this super sale, I will be GIVING AWAY a gorgeous ice blue Celtic Raven Decal to one lucky reader.  Enter below!

Sexy Excerpt from My Hunted Highlander-my latest Scottish time travel romance

     “So, talk,” Blair said. She wrenched her wrist from Niall’s grasp, and crossed her arms over her chest. The green vest swelled above her arms, as if offering her breasts to him. He doubted she realized it. Her top teeth bit into her bottom lip. She was eager for an argument, but all he wanted was her breath mingled with his.

     “Kiss me?” Niall whispered.

Blair’s eyes widened, and she stepped back. She was pinned against the stone building, in a perfectly private corner. He swooped, pressing his hands flat against the wall, so as not to touch her, which would be his undoing. He feathered his lips over her mouth, then stepped closer, until his lips caressed her mouth, then kissed the soft flesh beneath her right ear.

     “Ye taste of sunshine and shortbread.”

     “Keegan had a few shortbread cookies, and he shared them. He is such a good boy.”

     “Cookies?” Niall sighed. “Yer odd words make me smile. The lad has a lovely, intelligent mother. Ye have cared for him when others would no’. My sire is an evil cur, for begetting him on his poor dead mother.”

     “Begetting him? I bet he raped her.”

     “I will no’ argue the point. I am no’ like him. I swear.” He kissed her again, then cupped her face in his hands. Her skin was smooth, and far lighter than his weathered skin. Pulling back to see her reaction, his eyes narrowed. When he felt her body stiffen, he remembered that a man she called husband had treated her ill.

Did you enjoy that? Wait until you read about my hero's ordeal aboard the pirate ship, and the longbow competition. Lots going on in ALL my books.

My Hunted Highlander Buy Links (only $4.99):

Amazon   NOOK   Smashwords     

iBooks   AllRomance   Amazon print

Barnes and Noble Print    Kobo

Books-A-Million    Book Depository           

Powells Books

SHIVER Buy Links 
(only 99¢ Hurry sale ends soon!)

Amazon    NOOK    Smashwords

iBooks    AllRomance  

Thankful to my Readers

Blog Hop Giveaway

Ends Friday Nov. 27, 2015
No purchase necessary, open to USA & International Readers

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Happy Friday the 13th from Nancy Lee Badger

One of the Cats living at the Dayton Beach VA Home with my Dad

The number 13 and Friday, mentioned in mythological, spiritual and religious traditions, means something different to many people. I hear that Scientists wonder about all the hype about Friday the 13th, since during a 400-year period, the 13th falls on a Friday more than any other day: 688 times.

November 13th brings on the northern hemisphere's dark and dreary months, followed by winter. Do you believe in black cats being unlucky? Do you avoid walking under ladders? Do you have other superstitions that govern your days? Whatever you believe, know that I am embracing the day and using the vibrant energy because I was born on Friday the 13th.

Yes, the 13th means something different to me and my mom. She delivered me, her first child, around 8 o’clock, at night, on Friday, November 13^th  (many, many years ago).

For many pagans, 13 is a lucky number, because it corresponds with the number of full moons each year, but I celebrate each and every Friday the 13th as extra birthdays. I don't COUNT them as birthdays, of course. The older you get, the more you will understand. Trust me.

See all my book buy links HERE

My Hunted Highlander-Scottish Time Travel & GIVEAWAY

Would you like to win this Scottish Window sticker? First, let me tell you about my latest Scottish time travel romance. My Hunted Highlander takes place in two distinct locations. Can a location be a character in a romance novel? YES! 

The fictitious New England Highland Games are located in the present-day White Mountains of New Hampshire. The mountains in September, the oddly changing weather between this place and the wintry weather of the other locale, give my hero and heroine many problems to overcome, while falling in love.

The North Sea plays a vital part, as my hero starts the book by being rescued by pirates. When he escapes the Scottish pirates' hidden island, and heads to the mainland, the snow begins to fall. Keep warm with My Hunted Highlander!

Here is an excerpt from My Hunted Highlander, a full-length novel available in ebook & print:

   The small craft slipped into the surf. Niall jumped into the boat, and helped Blair climb in. Waves thundered nearby, and the memory of Blair’s crushed skiff made him set the oars into motion. Thrusting them into the turbulent sea, they rode over the waves, until the boat entered calmer water. Keegan unfurled the sail, and Blair worked the rudder.

   “What can I do?” Niall asked, after pulling in the oars, feeling slightly useless.

   “Take over when I tire. Right now, my adrenaline is making my blood race!”

   “Adrenel-what?”

   “Never mind. No time to explain. We have to get away, in case we’re followed.” She turned to her son. “Keegan, hide under that canvas and get some sleep.”

   Keegan nodded, then gazed up at her. “What happened? Why do we no’ take The Black Thistle?”

   She sighed. How much of their problem would she share with the lad? Though small, Keegan was smart. He trusted his mother. Niall did, as well.

   “Raven has mutinied against me. He tried to kill Balfour.”

   “Nay, I canno’ believe that.”

   “He tried to slay yer mother, as well, lad,” Niall added, “so ‘twas time to go.”

   The lad’s eyes widened, and he swallowed hard, but did not say another word. He had not burst into tears, even though they had left behind everything, and everyone, he knew. Once Keegan was safely secured beneath the tented canvas, Niall sat beside Blair, with the rudder between them.

   “He is a brave lad. Just like his mother.”

   She smiled, but the smile did not reach her eyes. “Yes, but he’s a handful. I could not have left without him.”

   “Understandable, Blair.”

   She visibly bristled, then her shoulders sagged. “Right. I am no longer the captain of a Scottish pirate ship. Now, I’m nothing.”

   “Nay, lass. Ye be more than a title. Yer a mother, a lover, and I wish to know more.”

   She smiled sheepishly. When her cheeks darkened beneath the moonlight, she cupped his cheek. “You know more about me, than most men.”

   “Aye, we have shared our bodies, yet I yearn to learn more about the woman.”

Amazon   NOOK   Smashwords     

iBooks   AllRomance   Amazon print

Barnes and Noble Print    Kobo

Books-A-Million    Book Depository           

Powells Books

Please Take a Moment to enter my 

GIVEAWAY!

One lucky reader will win a 

SCOTTISH DRAGON

WINDOW STICKER

which makes sense...since the drawing ends

October 31st... SAMHAIN!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Me on an Australian Blog? Aye, Mate!

Last November, another writer suggested I try to land a spot on the Australian Romance Readers Association Blog, which she highly recommended.

My Scottish-themed books sell well in Australia, so I gave it a try. I had just released My Dark Highlander November 1st, and had SHIVER: a White Mountains Thriller coming out December 1st. I was also working on bringing out My Honorable Highlander as an audio book with Audible in January.

When the contact person at ARRA got back to me rather quickly, she stated they were booked through mid-August. Well, I was also working on the final book in my Kilted Athletes Through Time series. Would I be done and published by then?

I decided I could make it work, which is another great attribute of being a self-published or Indie Author. So I grabbed the August 16, 2015 spot.

Their organization asked for an article...a story from my perspective, which can then explain how I came to write my book. My Hunted Highlander is my 6th Scottish time travel book and was released June 16th. Inspiration came my way through my volunteer work, which is why the article is titled

Inspiration Wrapped in Plaid

Please check out the article HERE

I would love to hear what you think!

Nancy Lee Badger

1st Page: My Hunted Highlander by Nancy Lee Badger

 

CHAPTER 1

1603 Scotland

The North Sea

Niall Sinclair blinked, trying to open his eyes, but pain shot across his left brow and cheek. His vision was nothing more than a wavering fog, with pinpricks of bright light sending stabbing twinges shooting through his skull.

Disoriented, he struggled to clear his head and regain his sight. However, when he attempted to raise his right hand to feel the aching left side of his face, his arm would not obey his command. His hands were bound behind him. When he shook his head to clear the cobwebs, a searing pain tore through his temples. He stopped. In all his thirty years, even when the tip of a broadsword wounded him during battle and left its mark across his chest, he had never endured such pain.

A sudden wave of nausea had him swallowing bile. Pain erupted once more from his wrists to his neck. While he contemplated whether he had broken bones or dislocated a shoulder, a movement to his right made him as rigid as a Scottish standing stone. Until he knew if the movement was either friend or foe, his best option was to appear docile and unconscious.

“He be awake. Better fetch the capt’n.”

Too late.

The voice rumbled low and craggy, like an old hound coughing up a bone. Its owner came no closer. Niall threw his head back in an unwise attempt to see the owner, and slammed against something hard and unyielding. They had bound his hands around whatever stood behind him. From its circular shape, his first thought was a tree. However, the wood was smooth against his naked back and buttocks, and the gentle rolling of the hard surface beneath his feet suggested the mast of a ship. The stranger’s use of the word captain added to his conclusion, yet how could he have ended up on a ship?

Several other voices, along with the heavy stomping of boots, drew closer. A breath of cool air swept his damp hair across his face, and he could see little of his surroundings. When the same breeze made certain body parts shrink, he realized he was soaking wet, and naked.

My Hunted Highlander Buy Links

Amazon  

NOOK  

Smashwords             

iTunes 

AllRomance  

Amazon print

Nancy Lee Badger   paying-it-forward, helping authors         

Twitter @NLBadger

SHIVER, a White Mountains Thriller

***Available from Audible: My Honorable Highlander

Now out! My Hunted Highlander

RELEASE DAY!

My Hunted Highlander

Book #3 and the final book in my 

Scottish time travel romance, is out!

Currently available in ebook form at

Amazon

Barnes & Noble

Smashwords

Coming soon in print

Cover reveal: MY HUNTED HIGHLANDER

The third and final installment in my 

Kilted Athletes Through Time 

series

will be released later this month

Pirates, the long bow, and a quiver? You'll have to read the book to find out why I included them on my cover... *

Book Blurb

Plucked naked from the North Sea, bruised and nearly drowned, Niall Sinclair wakes bound to the mast of the pirate ship, The Black Thistle. Hiding his identity, and brutalized by the first mate and other seamen, their captain comes to his aid. Her identity, and gender, are a surprise, and his physical reaction to her makes him nearly forget his need to escape, and return to his clan.

When kidnapped from her shipbuilding business in modern day Portsmouth, New Hampshire, the last place Blair MacIan figured to end up, was at the helm of a pirate ship in 1603 Scotland. With her abusive husband dead, and the ship, the crew, and their people under her care, the last thing she needed was to fish a naked man from the sea. His ravaged face and ragged sandy hair could not detract from his magnificence, and she sensed in him, a means for her own escape.

Nancy Lee Badger

*author & cover artist