Nancy Lee Badger Presents Author Kat Caulberg

Fellow Soul Mate Publishing author Kat Caulberg stopped by to talk about her new book which just happens to be set in my state, North Carolina! Take it away, Kat!

Hi, Nancy! I'm so excited. Thanks for hosting me. My book, Three Star Island, is a time travel romance novel set on the coast of Colonial North Carolina in 1721. It debuted on April 10, 2019, from Soul Mate Publishing. It’s a tale of love and redemption with a strong heroine, a hero worth adoring, and plenty of sassy banter.

Book Blurb:

Stepping through a time portal into 1716, historian Penny Saunders didn’t expect to get stranded in the past. Five years later, now a pariah to the townsfolk of Three Star Island, she endures solitude and ridicule until a hurricane tosses a dangerous castaway onto her shores. 

William Payne’s history precedes him. Pirate, outlaw, and ruthless captain, he’s a monster among men. . . or so it seems. Desperately seeking redemption for his blood-soaked past, he upends Penny’s world by showing her a passion she’s never experienced. 

But time is closing in on them; the governor of the Carolinas has rescinded his pirates’ pardon, the locals are growing suspicious of Penny’s new houseguest, and she can’t keep her secrets from William forever. When everything falls apart, she must use both wits and weapons against lawmen and pirates alike to save the one man who would tear down the world for her.  

Excerpt:

Penny stooped to dip her fingers into a mountain of sea foam. Lacework-white and delicate, it dissolved at her touch. A flicker of movement caught her eye. Slanting toward the beach on a downdraft, a laughing gull shrieked its peculiar, broken cry and swooped over a figure lying in the surf.

Her stomach dropped. The waves had disgorged a body.

Straightening, she fidgeted with her apron strings. The tide was rising. Soon, the ocean would reclaim the life it had taken, leaving no trace of the drowned man behind. Here, he was alone and unknown. Somewhere else, however, he would be an empty seat at a hearth, a bed half-filled, a promise unkept. Like her, he could never go home again. 

Penelope sighed. Unable to bury him, she could at least bear  witness to his return to the sea. Keeping close to the water, she  trudged toward him.  She stopped when his arm moved. It was a tiny motion she could’ve mistaken for a trick of the wind, his sleeve toyed by the breeze, yet when his fist clenched the sand, she was certain.

He was alive.

“Son of a . . .”

The ocean licked his feet, greedy for the life it had been refused. She picked up her skirts and ran. Speeding to him, she whispered a prayer to the waves, the tide, the elements, anything but the god she no longer believed in. Crashing to her knees beside him, she snatched off her broad-brimmed straw hat and shielded his face with it.

His skin was crimson, scorched past its tan by the sun. Sand caked the blood on his waistcoat and salted his hair, turning his  red locks blonde. Cracked lips attempted words. He managed a groan. 

Penny put a hand to his chest. “Don’t worry, I’m here. You’re going to be all right.”

Blue eyes slitted open, working hard to focus.

“Don’t move.” She plucked a strand of seaweed from his close-cropped beard.

“I’m going to go bring my cart closer to get  you in it, so you’re going to have to hang tight here for a bit.”

“I’m alive.” 

“Yes, and I need you to stay that way. Can you do that for me?”

Buy link: AMAZON

More about the Author

For as long as she can remember, Kat Caulberg has been obsessed with history and the paranormal. Somewhat to the dismay of her parents, her interests led her into both museums and graveyards as a child, a trend which has continued into her adulthood. This has influenced her reading tastes and her writing, whether it be a good ghost story, thrilling tales of time-travel, or devouring endless volumes of ancient warfare.

She signed a contract with Soul Mate Publishing in 2018 for her first novel, Three Star Island, a time-travel story set in 1721. She enjoys writing strong, quirky heroines, and has a weakness for cheeky heroes who have as much compassion as they have flaws. Kat currently lives in North Carolina with her Englishman and a few cats. Connect with her here:

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Nancy Lee Badger Presents Donna Steele

 They’re back from the past, but so much has changed

Thanks Nancy for having me over! I’m excited about my latest release – A Different Time. I’ve always enjoyed time travel, from books to movies to TV. But there was always that “don’t mess with the time line!!” warning. So, what if you ignore that warning and try to improve things?

That was the premise for Another Time. Dusty and Dee didn’t know how they got to 1891 or whether or not they’d ever get home. So why not make improvements, emphasize a few things that could make life better?

Now they’re back in the present to see all of the changes their hints have wrought – and there’s a ton of them. A Different Time, released June 20, is their struggle to adapt once again to a time they don’t recognize. People are missing, or changed, and some outside force seems to be affecting a lot of people—Dee most of all.

A Different Time is my second book with Soul Mate Publishing, and the second in the Guardians of Now Series. The third book – A New Time – is under construction now.

I love writing paranormal and science fiction. There are no restrictions to where your mind can go. As a pantser I’m often surprised at where my characters lead me, so I can enjoy the journey as you can. Here’s a snippet for you…

Excerpt from A Different Time

Dusty kept a protective eye on Dee as she readied for their wedding. She appeared calm, almost serene which was remarkable given last night’s events.

Now he had a greater understanding of Dee’s reluctance to contact her mother and stepfather, though neither had been aware of the true extent of the circumstances prior to the dinner. The whole thing had been worse than he had envisioned, and he hated to see her deal with such a mess. Wasn’t a woman supposed to be happy on her wedding day, with her mother around to support and indulge her?

Maybe he’d never given weddings in general any thought, but he wanted Dee happy.

They’d discussed the whole “not seeing the bride before the wedding” superstition, but under these circumstances decided they could chance it. Besides, helping with her zipper—and again assuring her the pregnancy did not show—seemed to steady both of them.

She’d chosen a creamy dress that came to her knees and made her pale complexion glow. Beads were sewn all around the top of the dress, and she’d left her hair down. Dusty saw a few beads winking here and there through the thick strands, redder than ever probably due to all the time they’d spent out of doors in the past.

He had not one qualm about marrying her. The uncertainty came from who might show up at the gardens as witness. Ben and his father were the two they wanted at their sides. No one else.

“Are you ready?” Dee asked, breaking into his thoughts.

“More than you can know.” He kissed her knuckles and she blushed.

Blushed.

They hadn’t made love last night, in anticipation of their wedding night as well as the fact they were both emotionally and physically exhausted from the evening. He might’ve held her too tightly most of the night but she hadn’t complained. Neither had slept much, though she drifted off for a long nap around three.

As Dusty finished donning his best suit, he couldn’t help but miss his friends from Braddock’s Crossing—and wonder how Caleb, proprietor extraordinaire from the town Mercantile, would have dressed him for this occasion.

Buy Link:

Amazon

My Review of the 1st book, Another Time (posted on Goodreads)

I just finished reading this author's book and could not put it down. Another Time, a story I have read front to back without stopping, starts out hot and steamy. What happens the 'day after a one-night stand' to the characters, Dusty and Dee, gets more and more action-packed and incredible. The characters don't know each other, but they're all they have to hold onto in this strange time. The writing is crisp, clean, and makes me see the odd world Dee and Dusty fall into from their eyes.  

More About the Author

Women strong enough for love.

Donna writes science fiction, paranormal and small town romances about women coming into their strength and having the courage to find and accept love. Now that she has retired from going into an office every day, she created an office at home and writes full time. Talk about living the dream!

She was the girl at the party who was yearning for the quiet corner and a book to read (go Rory Gilmore!), and has been writing in her head since she learned to read. Getting those stories down on paper (or in her laptop) has been more fun than she ever imagined it could be. The possibilities of science fiction have always drawn her and she's read them all, there just needed to be a little more romance in them. She finally got up the courage to write them herself and is delighted to be able to share these stories with you.

She is a member of Romance Writers of America, the Fantasy, Futuristic & Paranormal Chapter of RWA and the Heart of Carolina Romance Writers. Connect with her here:

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...and do not miss the first in the series
available HERE