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Showing posts with label A Snowy Christmas in Wyoming. Show all posts
Showing posts with label A Snowy Christmas in Wyoming. Show all posts

Saturday, January 26, 2013

The Not-So-Sweet Side of E. Ayers! (With Download)


I'm bursting with excitement to have a wonderful person and one of my favourite authors, E. Ayers as my very special Sunday guest. And she comes armed with gifts - a FREE download for your Kindle of her excellent and rather daring latest novel Coming Out of Hiding.  You really should download this book - I've started reading it and think I'll be in for a few very late nights until I finish it.  Here's Elizabeth to tell us a little bit more about it and also her forthcoming release, A Son - which, for River City series fans, is an absolute must.

Author E. Ayers
Hi, Lynette. Thanks so much for having me. I love visiting with you and your blog followers. With Valentine's Day just a few weeks away, it's a perfect time to read a romance.

There's been so much going on since the last time I was here that I almost don't know where to start. But I think I'll start with Coming Out of Hiding. It's not my usual romance as there's a touch of unusual heat to this book. Max was the good son. He attended to the best schools, was a fine athlete, and went into the military just as all the men in his family had done for generations. But he was wounded while serving his country. And before he had chance to learn the family business from his father, his parents died. Scarred on over forty percent of his body, he hides from the world while he attempts to run a small aeronautical company from his home. That is until Tae comes into his life and slowly drags him out of hiding.

Does it sound like the typical wounded hero of a romance novel? It's not. Under the story, is a deeper one of two people who not only love each other, they must learn to cope with Max's erectile dysfunction as a result of scarring. Yes, it's a male problem, but it affects the intimate relationship for both.

I wasn't expecting it to create such a stir, but it has. Maybe if more people are aware of erectile dysfunction, they will be better prepared. As men age, their chances of facing ED increases. But it can happen to any man at any age for any number of reasons. It's not a how-to manual. It's a love story of two people who are willing to try to express their love.

My second bit of news is that my fifth River City novel A Son should be available the first week of February so watch for it. Drop me a note and I'll be sure to add you to my list, so I can let you know exactly when it will be available. It's in its final stages prior to being released. And the fun part about River City novels is they don't need to be read in order. The city is the glue that holds them together.

In A Son, Katie has a big problem. She wanted to spend her life with Joey and have a nice house in the suburbs, but that's not what he wanted. She figured if she were pregnant that he would marry her. Instead, he denied paternity and tossed her out. Dallas and Rick take her in.

Katie has been pulled by her divorced parents her entire life. She's tired of it, and wants to stand on her own two feet to raise her son. She also realizes that being pregnant has given another responsibility, her health and the health of the baby. She needs to learn to eat right, and get more exercise. Both her parents are headed for a heart attack at an early age, and they have passed their lousy eating habits onto her. She has to make some major changes.

Falling in love with Gerald isn't an option when she's carrying another man's baby, but that's not stopping Gerald from falling in love with her. To make matters worse, she likes him more than she should. Especially, after she accepts his offer of being a gym partner for three months.

Gerald is the perfect Mr. Right, tall, blond, and blue-eyed, with plenty of money. But this is her mistake, and her child that she'll raise. Besides, she isn't about to let Gerald ruin his reputation by being seen with a pregnant female.

Joey's intelligent and very handsome. He has his life planned out, and it didn't include Katie or a baby. Yet he refuses to sign the paperwork releasing him from all rights to the child. Plus, there is one more piece to this story. Joey's mom is half Black.

So as you can see, I've been busy this month. I'm also working on a sweet historical western, The Diary of Clare Coleman that is mentioned in A Snowy Christmas in Wyoming. It's not exactly a glamorous life I'm leading when most of the day is spent at the keyboard.

**********************************
Coming Out of Hiding is FREE through Jan 27 at Amazon.


Excerpt from Coming Out of Hiding:

"Your hand," Tae said putting her own out to Max. "Take it out."
"No," he said with sadness in his voice. "I’m sorry you had to see it."
"Don’t be that way. Please. I really didn’t see it."
"You don’t need to see it." His eyes narrowed and he shook his head.
"Yes, I do, because if I see it then you won’t have to hide it anymore."
"Ms. Harris, it was badly burned, I try to keep it hidden."
"Please, give me your hand," she said calmly, her eyes now focused on his pocket.
"It’s disgusting."
"Sir, I know all about disgusting. I’ve lived with it all my life. Your hand," she demanded. Slowly, his hand slid out of his pocket. Her heart thumped. Eww! Timidly, she took what was left of the disfigured and color-mottled hand in hers. She studied it for a moment and then gazed into his pretty golden brown eyes. "Does it still hurt?"
"Only the pinky finger on occasion," he countered with a crooked smile.
She glanced at his hand, caught his joke, and giggled. She could see the wide smile spread across his face. Turning his hand over in hers, she asked, "What remains still works?"
"Yes," he said and flexed his remaining fingers.
"Good, so stop hiding it. I really don’t mind that it’s scarred and missing fingers." She ran her other hand over the disfigured one. "It’s amazingly soft." She gave him back his hand. "Is that why you’re a recluse?"
"It plays a part," he said.
"And the limp? Does that have anything to do with what happened to your hand?"

********************************

Excerpt from A Son:

“Gerald has been trying to reach you all afternoon,” Dallas said.
“He’s so nice to me. I’m going to really miss him.”
“What are you talking about?”
“He’s not going to want to be my friend in a couple of months. Guys like that don’t want to hang around with someone who is pregnant.”
“You still haven’t told him?” Dallas loaded the grocery items onto the conveyer belt.
“No. We’re just friends. Don’t try to read something into the relationship. I promised him I’d be his gym partner for three months. I figure by then I’ll probably be showing, so that will end whatever we have in the way of a relationship.”
Dallas shook her head. “Gerald doesn’t sound as though he just wants a gym partner. Gym partners don’t panic when they can’t reach one another. I think he really likes you.”
Katie nodded. “I like him, maybe too much.”
Dallas frowned and said, “Then don’t keep this pregnancy from him. Secrets and half-truths will do more to ruin a relationship than anything else.”
“It’s not like it’s his baby. My relationship with Joey might have been a big mistake, but I can’t dismiss this baby as one. Selena raised her son, and I’m going to raise this child. There’s a daycare on campus, and I’ve already registered. Now really, what do you think is going to happen when Gerald finds out I’m having another guy’s baby?”
“I don’t know, but you do need to tell him before it becomes obvious. If he really is your friend, he’s going to stick by you. If he’s not, then it isn’t worth wasting the time to be with him.”

About the Author: 

Born and raised with wealth, E. Ayers turned her back on all of it and married her prince charming a few days after her eighteenth birthday. Her family disowned her, and her friends were shocked. A firm believer in love conquering everything, she never looked back. The love she and her husband shared became the springboard for her novels.

Fascinated with the way people deal with everyday problems, E Ayers has always been an observer and a listener. A simple problem for one person is a mountain for another. She utilizes those common predicaments, which is why her books touch so many lives.

Today, she spends most of her free time writing while living in a pre-Civil War home with her two dogs and a cat. Rattling around in an old money pit gives her muse plenty of freedom. Her idea of a perfect day is to spend it at the keyboard of her computer, coffee in hand, and everything in the house actually working as it should. She's the official matchmaker for all the characters who wander through her brain, and she likes finding just the right ones to create a story.

She adores hearing from her fans and can be found on Facebook, Twitter, and at her website.

@ayersbooks  (Twitter)


Thanks, Elizabeth.  It's always a huge pleasure to welcome you to my blog and to hear about your excellent books. 

Saturday, December 8, 2012

Three Christmas Writers and a Party Gift for You - The Party Continues


'Tis the season…♫♪ and all that.  I love Christmas, don't you?  I'm especially loving it this year because I have several parties organised and some great guests to mingle with and chat to.  Take my three lovely writers, Marie Higgins, Debra Holland and Elizabeth Ayers, for example.  They're very different people but they have one thing in common - they all have really great stories out for you to enjoy this Christmas.  Marie's story is called Dreaming of You and we're going to find out a bit more about it shortly. 


Before that, however, I have my own little Christmas gift for you - a free copy of my Christmas fairy tale, Wishful Thinking. To claim this, just go to https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/177240 and enter coupon code: LU54Y at the checkout.  Hurry though; it's only valid for a week.  I hope you enjoy it!


Marie Higgins
Now to my lovely writers, I was curious to know how my guest authors felt they had best encapsulated the spirit of Christmas in any one of their novels.  This was especially difficult for Marie with over twenty to choose from but she felt that Love Me Always came closest because "Christmas means having a loving heart and the kindness to give without expecting to receive.  Nicholas Fielding is my hero, and to make his dying uncle happy, he goes along with his uncle’s last wish—to marry. Unfortunately, the woman Nick’s uncle has chosen to marry is the woman Nick gave his heart to years ago. It breaks him to see his uncle planning to marry Catherine, but Nick wants to make his uncle happy and so gives up his happiness and hopes for the future."  Sounds like I'll need a full box of Kleenex to go with that one!

Dr Debra Holland
When I asked Debra, she chose A Christmas Pageant, from the Christmas book "because the whole town comes together to celebrate the holiday. I have a little German girl who is homesick and doesn't speak English, yet she sings Silent Night in German during the Christmas pageant and brings everyone to tears."  Another tear-jerker for sure!  On a more practical note though, Debra wouldn't need to play Santa to any of her heroes or heroines because each one receives a special gift that leaves them wanting nothing.  Except sidewalks, that is!  Laughing at our puzzled faces, she explained: "The town [Montana] could use sidewalks [it's 1894], and characters often complain about not having them. Maybe I'll write a story and give them sidewalks for Christmas."  Well that beats socks and scarves any day, Debra!

Elizabeth Ayers
Elizabeth chose A Snowy Christmas in Wyoming, explaining "Andy couldn't afford much, so he made his little daughter a set of blocks that he'd cut from scrap wood and sanded smooth. He gave her a little part of him, and it was filled with love."  How sweet!  She also said if she could give a special Christmas gift to one of her characters it would be an e-reader for Andy, "because of the audio capabilities. He's terribly dyslexic, and he'd be thrilled to be able to enjoy a book."  Now I would say Elizabeth has a bit of a soft spot for her hero - and who can blame her - I confess I fell a little bit in love with him myself when I read this great book.


Time to find out a bit more about Marie's lovely Christmas book, so here's an excerpt:


Katelyn Palmer never believed any harm could come from using her college crush as the hero in her first romance novel—the novel that jumpstarted her writing career. However, when Shane Hunter storms into town, demanding to meet the writer who used his identity Katelyn is confronted with more than her long, silent emotions. If Shane takes her to court for invasion of privacy, her career would be over.
Here's an Excerpt from Dreaming of You
Katelyn took a step toward a booth when a familiar face caught her attention. She took a double take at the patron sitting closest to the aisle. He had his eyes turned toward her, and she came to a stop. When recognition struck, she gasped.

What is he doing here?

Of all the days she chose not to apply make-up or style her hair, why did she have to run into Shane Hunter—the man of her dreams?

More specifically, the dreams she’d had seven years ago.

She gawked at him, knowing a dog on a hot day would probably drool less than she was, but she couldn’t bring herself to look away. Shane Hunter—in the flesh—sat in the booth with his gaze directly on her.

He hadn’t changed that much from when she knew him in college. Still gorgeous as ever, his dark brown hair was slightly longer than she remembered and waved gently against his neck. Much broader shoulders filled his blue cotton shirt perfectly, and just as before, his brown eyes made her heart flutter.

The last Katelyn had heard he was out of the state expanding his very successful lumber business. So what was he doing in this small hometown diner when his wealth could have him sitting at home eating breakfast in bed while a servant catered to his every whim?

Did he recognize her? Probably not. She hadn’t been popular on campus, except maybe in the library. Guys back then didn’t notice the girl with thick glasses and freckles, and who always wore their hair wound up in a tight bun that nearly had her eyes popping out of her head.

Moisture coated her palms, and she fisted her hands. He must think her crazy for gawking the way she did, but heaven help her, she couldn’t look away.

Seven years ago, she’d fallen hard for his knee-buckling grin and sparkling charisma. Being shy in college, there wasn’t anything she could do about her secret crush. Before graduation, he left town and within a few years had become successful.

Shane’s eyebrows lifted as his gaze slid over her gray sweats down to her worn athletic white shoes with old grass stains on the toes. When his focus met hers again, a different look accompanied his expression. Did he recognize her?

Holding her breath, she waited for him to say something. She prayed he didn’t know what she’d done. He couldn’t possibly know, could he?

Katelyn swallowed hard, wondering why he still stared at her. From the gossip circles, she’d heard he was now divorced. Her heart hammered quicker.

Finally, he gave her a friendly smile, breaking their staring competition. She wanted to sigh dreamily, but refrained. Her knees threatened to give way and let gravity bring her down.

“Hello,” he said in a deep voice.

Inwardly, she quivered. That reaction hadn’t changed since college, either. Silently, she scolded herself. Why was she acting like a love-struck teenager? Not only did he have a new life, so did she. After he’d left California to start his family, she had reached her goal of becoming a romance writer. He’d helped her whether he knew it or not.

Now there's a heroine we can empathise with in more ways than one!

More About Marie Higgins


Marie Higgins is a multi-published author of romance; from refined bad-boy heroes who makes your heart melt to the feisty heroines who somehow manage to love them regardless of their faults. Visit her website / blog to discover more about her – http://mariehiggins84302.blogspot.com

Buy Links:
Print $10.79 – http://amzn.com/1480234087

Quickfire:

Who interests you more - your heroes or your heroines? Heroes!
E-books or print? Print
Dogs or cats? Definitely dogs!
Sunshine or snow? Snow!
Christmas or Thanksgiving? Hands down – Christmas!
Favourite party drink? I don’t drink…so I’ll say Coke.




Saturday, December 1, 2012

Three Christmas Writers and a Lovely Gift for You



It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas… at least, it is in my house.  To put me in the mood I've thrown the first of several parties of the season and from my mile-long list of awesome peeps, I've managed to round up three star guests and lure them to a quiet corner away from the noisy festivities for a little chat.  The cat graciously made space for us (even though two of these ladies secretly admitted to preferring dogs, which didn't impress Miss Cat too much, but never mind - a little bit of smoked salmon and she's anybody's).  Anyway, let me introduce them.  They're three top writers whose wonderful Christmas romances are warming hearts on both sides of the pond this season: Elizabeth Ayers, Marie Higgins and Debra Holland.

Elizabeth
Marie
Debra
So, champagne glasses filled (well Elizabeth's and mine, anyway - Debra sipped her lemonade while Marie nursed a Coke); and Christmas music crooning out from the sound system, we naturally started reminiscing about childhood Christmases and early memories.  Debra made us all smile with her amusing story of Santa visiting her house when she was five.  Reluctant to let him leave, she ran outside with her cousin and younger brother to wave him off in his sleigh, "But all we saw was a car driving away.  Our parents said we hadn't been fast enough to see the sleigh."  Awww!  Or maybe Rudolph just had the night off?  Elizabeth's first Christmas memory was seeing the magic of the Christmas tree, the lights, "They were big bulbs, but they had these tin reflectors on them (which, thinking back on it, kept the needles from touching hot bulbs).  And it was covered in silvery tinsel."  It's not difficult to imagine a three year old's fascination at the sight.  Marie, on the other hand, touched our hearts with her story of how her family gave away Christmas.  Yes, you heard right!


"My aunt and her family did not have any money to buy their three boys a Christmas," Marie told us. "So my parents talked to me and my older brother and younger sister, and we decided to give our Christmas to our cousins who were much younger than we were."  Marie, the middle child of three, couldn't have been more than eight so this was a huge sacrifice for her and her siblings.  Resigned to nothing but clothes for Christmas, imagine their astonishment on Christmas morning when they found presents for all stacked under the tree.   "Apparently, one of my mother’s cousins heard what we were doing, and so she bought us our Christmas."  What a magical Christmas story.



From Christmases past to Christmas present, Debra told us how, being part-German, Christmas Eve holds particular significance for her.  Her huge extended family (on her mother's side) always gathers together then and Christmas begins in earnest. "We eat, talk, sing Christmas Carols, and open presents." And the festivities continue throughout the next day.  Sounds wonderful.  Marie listened to this looking rather wistful.  Her family has not had an easy time lately and what would make her Christmas would be a turnaround for her husband and daughters.  I hope so too, Marie.  For Elizabeth also, family is all.  Her best Christmas ever was the first she spent with her husband (more about her romantic past later!)  Elizabeth long ago realised that the perfect Christmas was more a state of mind, than about material possessions "I could squeeze out a batch of my family's traditional cookies and my husband's traditional French Canadian meat pie - well, it was Christmas and we were a family".

Over the next couple of blog posts, I'm going to reveal a bit more about each of my special guests and share excerpts from their wonderful Christmas stories.  Today I'm starting with Elizabeth, whose story, A Snowy Christmas in Wyoming, I'm currently reading and loving - and this can also be yours, because Elizabeth is offering this as a FREE Christmas download from Smashwords just for you lovely readers.  Simply visit www.smashwords.com/books/view/106948 and at the checkout use the coupon code: ZL82A and the book is yours!  It's also available from Amazon for only 99 cents).  Happy Christmas reading.

A Snowy Christmas in Wyoming

Is love preordained? An old diary from when Jessie and Clare Coleman settled on the land in the 1840's provides a history of their life. But tucked between the pages is an unrequited love between Clare Coleman and a tall Native American. Does love and land come full circle? In this season of giving, will fate reach through time to give a gift of love?

Intrigued?  Well here's an excerpt from this wonderful story:

Caroline Coleman hadn't seen the place look this good since she was a teen. The flowerbeds were mulched and tidy. There was a new coat of green paint on the shutters and front door. Garlands of fresh pine wrapped the porch rails that encircled the log house, and a pretty, matching, pine wreath hung on the front door.
She knocked once and opened the door. "Grandmamma. It's me! I'm home."
"Thank goodness, you're here," a voice from a distant room called back. "I was worried about you coming in with this snowstorm on its way."
The stress of her journey slipped from her shoulders as she breathed in the familiar scent of home. Caroline let go of her rolling suitcase and looked around. Inside, everything looked the same, even though it was decorated for the holiday. A beautiful Douglas fir tree, covered with ornaments, stood in front of the window. Its tiny lights twinkled as if they were welcoming her.
The house was neater, cleaner, except there was a basket of toys next to the sofa. But everything else was exactly the way it had been all of her life. That familiarity wrapped her in a warm blanket.
"Darling, I'm so glad you're here. You're needed. This storm is going to be bad," Barbara Coleman said.
Caroline turned to her grandmother. The woman was holding a toddler whose eyes were filled with tears.
"What are you doing? Babysitting?" She hugged her grandmother and offered to take the child, but the child clung to the older woman.
"I guess you could call it babysitting. I'm trading, and I got the best end of this bargain. This is Sarah Anne Coyote. Isn't she a cutie?" Barbara took the child to a highchair in the kitchen. "Coffee?"
"Thanks. I'll get it. How did you wind up with a child?"
"Long story. You remember Margaret Simpson?" The older woman started fixing a snack.
"Double T ranch, of course."
"Her kids are selling everything since she died. Remember when I told you I was buying some of her land?" She put a handful of baby carrots on a plate, and stuck them in the microwave.
"Yes." Caroline poured a cup of coffee, then watched her grandmother fix a cup of milk with a sipping lid, and hand it to the toddler.
The child's enormous chocolate brown eyes were still washed in unshed tears and her long eyelashes were clumped with moisture. Chubby hands grabbed at the handles on the sippy-cup and tipped the cup of milk to her mouth. She watched Caroline with a reserved curiosity.
"Are you thirsty? Did you just wake up from a nap?" Caroline asked the child.
Little Sarah pursed her lips and banged on the tray in front of her. "Milk."
"How old is she? She's adorable. She's got the prettiest eyes."
"Thirteen months. She's a little handful. She's really coming out of her shell since she's been here." Barbara put several crackers spread with cheese on the child's tray. "Eat, sweet baby. You like creamed cheese." The microwave beeped and Barbara lifted the plate of baby carrots off the unit's carousel and put them on the child's tray after checking each one. "She's such a good thing. Just never thought I'd be playing with a baby at my age."
"Why did you nuke her carrots?"
"It slightly softens them. Makes them easier to eat. She doesn't have all her teeth."
"Grandmamma, you still haven't told me how you've wound up with a child."
"Well, I'm buying the eastern portion of Margaret's land, which includes her house and barn because it backs up to mine."
"Nice house."
"Yes, it is. I'm hoping to rent it. The one barn is in perfect shape, but the other barn has some problems and that's going to take more money."
Caroline rolled her eyes. Sarah giggled.
"Anyway, when Margaret died, her foreman lost his job."
"Oh, no. Sarah is one of those Coyotes?"
The back door opened and Andy Coyote walked into the kitchen. "Miz Barbara…"
Caroline stared at Andy. He wasn't the scrawny kid she'd known most of her life, and if it hadn't been for the scar across his cheek, she wouldn't have recognized him. His shoulders were broad and he'd grown very tall. The long straight nose, strong cheekbones, and his coloring conveyed his Crow Indian heritage, except he was taller than most.
"Excuse me, I didn't know you had company." He took his jacket off and hung it on the peg by the back door.
"Company? I doubt that anyone would call me company," Caroline shot back at him. She couldn't remember the last time she'd seen him, maybe high school.
He looked at her for a brief second, then grabbed a mug, and poured a cup of coffee.
"Caroline, you remember Andy?" Barbara asked.
"How could I not remember Andy?" Memories of the young man and his family flowed through her brain like a bad news story.
Sarah squealed with delight as Andy took her in his arms. "How's my baby girl?"
The child pointed to Caroline.
"Yes, that's Caroline," Andy said with a big grin. "Have you been playing with her? I thought you just got up from your nap."
"She did just get up from her nap as Caroline came through the door. I brought her in here for her snack. She hasn't had a chance to play."
He pulled his mobile phone from his pocket and looked at it. "We're in trouble."
"What kind of trouble?" Barbara asked as she cleaned up the crumbs off the child's tray and handed the toddler the last tiny carrot. "Are you talking about the storm?"
Andy turned on the TV and watched the weather channel. "I've been watching the storm track on my phone. I'm gonna need help getting that herd down here. I can't do it alone. If I can find help, I'll leave tonight. That is if you don't mind keeping Sarah for me."
Barbara turned to her granddaughter. "Caroline'll go with you."
Andy turned around and stared hard. "You? You think you can ride herd?"
"Darn right, I can ride. Won't be the first herd I've ever brought in, but I…" She bit her tongue.
"But what?"
She forced a smile. "Let's just say I always ride with a gun, and I know how to use it."
"Good. So do I. We'll leave at six. Make sure you're saddled and ready to go."
Hot anger boiled through Caroline. "I'll be ready."
She stormed out of the kitchen, grabbed her suitcase, and headed for her room.

More about the author:
Born and raised with wealth, E. Ayers turned her back on all of it and married her prince charming a few days after her eighteenth birthday. Her family disowned her, and her friends were shocked. A firm believer in love conquering everything, she never looked back. The love she and her husband shared became the springboard for her novels.
Fascinated with the way people deal with everyday problems, E Ayers has always been an observer and a listener. A simple problem for one person is a mountain for another. She utilizes those common predicaments, which is why her books touch so many lives.
Today, she spends most of her free time writing while living in a pre-Civil War home with her two dogs and a cat. Rattling around in an old money pit gives her muse plenty of freedom. Her idea of a perfect day is to spend it at the keyboard of her computer, coffee in hand, and everything in the house actually working as it should. She's the official matchmaker for all the characters who wander through her brain, and she likes finding just the right ones to create a story.
She adores hearing from her fans and can be found on Facebook, Twitter, and at her website.

Quickfire:
Who interests you more - your heroes or your heroines? Both
E-books or print? E-books
Dogs or cats? Dogs
Sunshine or snow? Snow!
Christmas or Thanksgiving? Christmas
Favourite party drink? Spiked Eggnog! LOL

@ayersbooks  (Twitter)