Tuesday, October 14, 2014
How I found my hero by Sheila Claydon
http://youtu.be/nKSOFuQL5e0
There I was, off to visit friends in the Yorkshire Dales for a weekend of over-eating and dog walking, with absolutely no idea that I was going to meet the hero of my next book!
Visiting the glorious Yorkshire Dales when the weather is good is, indeed, like visiting 'God's own country.' Ask any Yorkshireman. Visiting, as we did, when a blanket of grey mist hung like a pall over the whole landscape, was another story altogether. Walking left us damp and cold with our walking boots inches deep in mud, our trousers spattered with it from ankle to thigh and our hair lank and wet from the moisture swirling in the air around us. And when we climbed to the top of Middleham Low Moor we could have been at the end of the world. The gallops where race horses train most mornings were deserted. There was not a single sound, not a jingle of harness or a creak of leather, not the snorting effort of the horses or the sharp calls of the jockeys, not even the sound of a curlew or the harsh shriek of a pheasant, just that strange cotton-wool silence as the world closed in on us. Think <em>Never-ending Story </em>if you've seen the film, and you'll be close. It was like Fantasia once it had been destroyed by <em>The</em> <em>Nothing</em>, except that in Yorkshire on that day, there wasn't even colour. Just a bleached white-out that hid the wonderful views that we knew lay below us.
Of course the local beer, the pubs that welcome dripping walkers, muddy dogs and wet boots in no particular order, the excellent and abundant yorkshire food, all made up for it, as did the log fires and the hospitality. A delicious lunch of pork belly and apple washed down with beer soon had us putting the world to rights again. And then, right in the middle of everything, serendipity came to call.
I had only just decided that I wanted a musical background in my next book. I hadn't even got as far as deciding what sort of music, and I was still in a dilemma about the hero when...there he was playing jazz piano at a jazz evening that we were taken to later that day, and where we swayed and clapped and drank wine with the best of Yorkshire.
So thank you Yorkshire, thank you Red Stripe Band, and thank you jazz piano player. Don't worry. You won't recognise yourself in the book because it isn't you, so please don't fret and please don't sue! I just needed someone to point me in the right direction and you did it, with your music, your band, and your wonderful enthusiasm...so let's hear it for The Red Stripe Band.
Monday, October 13, 2014
My Cats and Dogs by Joan Donaldson-Yarmey
My Cats and Dogs by Joan Donaldson-Yarmey
I
have always loved cats. When I was a
child we had a gray cat named Smoky. He slept with me most nights and greeted
me at the door when I came home from school. When he was outside and wanted in
he jumped up onto the narrow ledge of the front window and sat down looking in
until someone opened the door. We had him many years and then one day he became
ill. My parents tried to cure him but nothing they tried made him better. He
lost weight and they finally decided to take him to the Pound and have him put
to sleep. It was a cool autumn day when
they put him in a box and set the box on the floor of the back seat. Mom and
Dad and we four kids went to the Pound to drop him off. It was a sad day and we
each took turns saying goodbye.
But he proved to be a tough cat. On a
cold winter morning when mom opened the drapes of the front window, there was
Smoky sitting on the ledge. She quickly opened the door and let him in. We
never found out if he had gotten better at the Pound and escaped or if someone
adopted him and he left them to find his way back to us. He lived another three
years before finally dying.
We then got brother and sister tabby
kittens and I named them Salt and Pepper. They were still around when I married
and moved away. Due to my first husband not liking cats and my son being born
with an allergy to animals, I was unable to have indoor cats. However, after my
daughter was born a collie dog showed up in our yard and we had ourselves an
outdoor dog. Over the years my second husband, Mike, and I had outdoor cats and
dogs but I disliked that they had to stay outside during the cold winter
months.
Shortly after my son’s eighteenth
birthday he came home with a Cockapoo pup which he was not allergic to. When he
graduated in the summer he headed to college and left Chevy with us. Chevy grew
to be about twenty pounds. We had him seventeen years before we had to put him
to sleep.
During that time Mike and I rescued an
abused and starved pup while on holidays in northern B.C. He was about the size
of our little cockapoo and on our two week jaunt home he slept on the bed with
us and Chevy. When we got home I thought Modie would be an outdoor dog. The
first night he howled so long and loud that I let him in the house but made him
stay at the back door landing. That wasn’t what he wanted and he continued
howling until I let him onto the bed where he settled into his spot with Chevy
and us. Even when he grew into a 130 lb, dog he insisted on sleeping on the bed
with us.
During the day Modi followed Chevy
around and grew to idolize him. However, Chevy was less than happy to have
Modie in our family and would turn and snarl at him. Modie thought Chevy was
playing and would run around him excited. If Chevy ignored him, Modie would
trab his tail and pull him backward to get his attention.
Our house had a three bedroom basement
suite that we used for family get togethers and when family and friends came to
visit. Because my son was allergic to Modie we kept the door to the basement
closed so he couldn’t get into it. Since my son was already allergic to one of
my animals I decided to get a cat. A couple we knew in the country had a stray
kitten show up at their place so I went to pick her up. It was a striped tabby
just like the two cats we’d had when I was a teenager. I named her Salt.
Just after that, my sister, Gwen, got a
male tabby and called him Pepper. When she got a female tabby she called her
Saltina. Unfortunately, Salt left us one day and never returned. Mike suggested
that I go to the SPCA and find another cat. I brought home two female cats. One
was a ten month old tabby that I named Saltwo and the other a three month old
gray and white kitten that I called Saltry. So we had two dogs and two cats but
then we had to put Chevy to sleep. Not a happy time in our household.
One day Mike noticed an advertisement in
the newspaper that was looking for a home for a cat that had been left by its
owners when they moved. The cat had survived the winter outside and the people
who found it already had three cats which was the limit allowed per house in
the city. I phoned and then went to pick up the cat. It was a short haired
orange tabby which I named Red. We were now a family of two adults, three cats
and one huge dog.
So those were the animals we had when we
moved from Edmonton to Vancouver Island. We settled on a small acreage and put
up a fence so Modie would remain in the yard. Red and Saltry liked to explore
our acreage as well as the neighbours. Saltwo was more inclined to stay close
to home so it was a real surprise when she got into some poison somewhere and
died.
Once I had recovered from her loss, I
called the SPCA and asked if they had any cats for adoption. One had just come
in. They needed a few days to check her over and then I went to pick her up.
She was six months old and a long haired orange tabby. I decided that I had one
orange tabby named Red so I named my second orange tabby Purple. Saltry took
over from Saltwo as the head of the pride (not sure if that is the word for
domesticated cats) and the others acquisitioned.
The next year when I was doing a book
signing for my first mystery novel at Comox B.C. While waiting for me Mike saw
some cats at an SPCA display. He took me there after my signing. He had looked
at a long haired white cat but I found a tortoise shell cat and decided on her.
Her name was Molly and she had been born in the SPCA and was now two years old.
She had never been outside except to be taken to these displays. When we got
her home I changed her name to Daisy.
Daisy had lived in large cage with three
other cats and was used to cats coming and going in her life. When she saw
Saltry she mewed and went over to her. Saltry was not that friendly with
strange cats and hissed and swatted at Daisy. Daisy stopped in surprise and Saltry
walked away. Daisy next tried Red who was a bit standoffish but friendlier.
After a couple of days, Red had taken Daisy under her wing and was grooming her
and they were sleeping together. Purple didn’t really care that there was a new
member to the family.
It didn’t take her long to figure out
how to go in and out the cat door and she was soon enjoying her taste of
freedom.
About a year later I looked out onto our
front deck and saw a skinny, long haired orange tabby eating the crumbs from
Modie’s treats. I went out but she took off. I found a small dish and put some
cat food in it and left it on the deck. The next day I saw her eating from it.
I went outside to talk to her but she scurried through a hole in the skirting
under our mobile home. I called to her and heard her answer but she never came
out. The next day was the same but this time I went to another opening under
our mobile and talked with her. She answered me and slowly came to me. I picked
her up. She was so light, it felt as if she weighed about three pounds although
she was a full grown cat. I carried her inside to the pails of cat food I leave
out for our cats. She ate but then left again. The next day she was back and
this time after she ate she allowed me to carry her into our bedroom and lay
her on our bed. Over the next three days all she did was sleep, eat, and use
the kitty litter. She became our fifth cat. Even though I was naming our orange
tabbies after colours, this time I couldn’t think of a colour that suited our
latest addition. She was quiet, demure, aloof and just wanted to be left alone
so I named her Lady
By this time Modie was 13 and had very
bad arthritis. He was overweight because we had had to stop our walks, and was
having a hard time walking and standing up when he laid down. We finally
decided it was time to put him out of his misery. Mike took him to the vet and
two days later we had his ashes.
So we were left with five cats. Three
years later Gwen’s cat, Saltina, died. A few weeks later Gwen was at our place
and Lady spent the night with her. Gwen said that if we ever had to get rid of
Lady she would take her. We offered Lady to Gwen and she accepted. So we are
now down to four cats, the same four cats that my husband and I are now on a three
month tour with through the United States.
Illegally Dead
The Only Shadow In The House
Whistler's Murder
I was born in New Westminster B.C. and raised in Edmonton.I have worked as a bartender, cashier, bank teller, bookkkeeper, printing press operator, meat wrapper, gold prospector, house renovator, and nursing attendant. I have had numerous travel and historical articles published and wrote seven travel books on Alberta, B.C. and the Yukon and Alaska that were published through Lone Pine Publishing in Edmonton.
One of my favourite pasttimes is reading especially mystery novels and I have now turned my writing skills to fiction. However, I have not ventured far from my writing roots. The main character in my Travelling Detective Series is a travel writer who somehow manages to get drawn into solving mysteries while she is researching her articles for travel magazines. This way, the reader is able to take the book on holidays and solve a mystery at the same time.
Illegally Dead is the first novel of the series and The Only Shadow In The House is the second. The third Whistler's Murder came out in August 2011 as an e-book through Books We Love. It can be purchased as an e-book and a paperback through Amazon.
i live on a small acreage in the Alberni Valley on Vancouver Island.
Sunday, October 12, 2014
REVIEW WITH CLASS by Rita Karnopp
There’s no reason you
can’t review a book with class and professionalism. A book review is a description, judicious
analysis, and an evaluation of the quality, gist, and impact of a book. It’s so important to realize . . . a book
review is not a retelling. It’s not a book report or a summary.
A book review should
focus on the book's purpose and content. How did the book affect you – the
reader? You should evaluate the
strengths and weaknesses of the how well the author told his/her story. Your review should include a statement of
what the author has tried to do, evaluate how well he/she has succeeded, and
present evidence to support your appraisal.
There’s no right or
wrong way to write a book review. Face it, book reviews are highly personal and
reflect the opinion(s) of the reviewer. Your review can be as short as 50-100
words, or as long as 1500 words, depending on the purpose of the review.
I might add a
personal note here – “If you can’t say something nice, maybe it’s best left
unsaid in public.” If you truly dislike
a book, that’s okay, not every book we read will be our favorite. But chastising a book in a review could make
or break an author. Is that your intent?
I would hope not. If I don’t care for a book I’ve read, I let
it go. It’s not necessary to berate or
trash the book or the author.
The
following is a simple guide for writing a book review that works.
1. Write a statement including basic information
about the book: title, author, type of book.
2. Write a sentence indicating point of
view and genre.
3. Evaluate the quality of the writing
style by using some of the following standards: consistency, clarity, creativity,
strength, pithiness, development, and even fluidity.
4. Ask yourself does the story reach the
intended audience?
5. To me the most important question to
ask yourself – then review from your heart – “how did this book affect me?” Did
you have preconceived notions about the subject matter and now they’ve changed or
perhaps they’re reinforced due to this book?
6. Did the book realize its goal(s)?
7. End your review with the oh-so-important,
‘would you recommend this book to others’? Why?
Remember, your review should include a
brief summary, analysis, and comment on the book’s content. Include your general conclusions. If you feel
strongly to make a statement, use specific references and quotations to support them. And always
end with a comment of support and referral.
Rita Karnopp
Author ~ Romancing the West
ritakarnopp@bresnan.netAuthor ~ Romancing the West
http://ritakarnopp.com
I would say writing is my passion . . . I see a story in just about every situation. I love Native American history and all the lessons it has to offer.
Saturday, October 11, 2014
Thinking About to Kill a Mockingbird Karla Stover
To Kill a Mockingbird is
approaching its 45th birthday and the movie its 43rd. I
love both the book and the movie and, like many other people, am curious about
Harper Lee. I read Charles Shields’ biography, I am Scout and just this past week, Marja Mills’ book, The Mockingbird Next Door. Mills’ book was on the best seller list for a
few weeks. Perhaps other readers discovered, as I did, that as writer, Harper
Lee wasn’t a very interesting person. Granted she is older now, but her post-Mockingbird life, seemed to be spent
fishing for catfish, feeding ducks, having coffee with friends, and reading.
According to Mills, she became friendly with Harper’s sister, Alice, during a
routine newspaper retrospective; Alice talked a lot about the Lee family and
through her Mills met Harper. Harper, in turn, introduced her friends to Mills,
and paved the way for people Mills could interview. The book about Mills and
her friendship with both women came out and Harper immediately denied approving
it—even though she saw the tape recorder running during get-togethers. I say,
Pish Tosh to Harper Lee.
Shields’ biography was more
interesting, but here’s what he left me thinking about: In its initial state, Mockingbird was said to resemble a string of short stories. Tay Hohoff, an editor at J.
B. Lippincott & Co., spent two-and-a-half years helping Harper
rewrite the stories to turn them into a book. Mockingbird came out and was a huge success. Harper has said she
started another book, but then her literary agent died and Hohoff retired. I think she knew that without their help she
couldn’t write anything else as good as her first book. Perhaps she saw what happened to F. Scott
Fitzgerald. His first book, This Side of Paradise, published in 1920, made him
famous. He only wrote four more books (plus some short stories and novellas)
and died at age 44 after years of alcoholism, not to mentioning plagiarizing
some of his wife’s stories.
Maybe none of this matters.
We have a book to read and re-read and a movie with what Gregory Peck called
his “roll of a lifetime.”
Friday, October 10, 2014
Sweet As..... by Cheryl Wright
Each month I look forward to sharing a card with you. The one I'm sharing this month is totally different to the previous shares.
Last week I went to the country for a few days (along with my husband Alan) to visit hubby's mother, who sadly has dementia.
While I was there, I came across a card magazine that I'd never been able to find in Australia before. Card magazines always have a 'free gift' included, and quite often the gifts are stamps. This magazine included two very cute rabbit stamps, along with two small embossing folders. (The blue design along the bottom of this card was done using one of those embossing folders.)
Apart from the colouring, this was a fairly quick and easy card.
I think I've mentioned before that I make and donate cards to soldiers overseas. This card will be going in my next bundle. This one is already bagged and ready to go.
Here's the inside as well:
Very simple, but it extends the design to the inside as well. I hope this card will make a soldier's child very happy.
Til next time,
Links:
My website: www.cheryl-wright.com
Blog: www.cheryl-wright.com/blog
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/cherylwrightauthor
Make sure you join my Facebook page as I run regular giveaways for followers, and a new one will be starting soon!
Multi-published author, Cheryl Wright, former secretary, debt collector, account manager, writing instructor, and shopping tour hostess, loves reading. She writes romantic suspense, contemporary romance, and the occasional comedy.
She lives in Melbourne, Australia, and is married with two adult children and has six grandchildren. When she’s not writing, she can be found in her craft room making greeting cards.
Tuesday, October 7, 2014
A Haunted Hotel by Tia Dani
As a writer sometimes you need to get away and
re-charge your brain. The best way we
found to light a fire under our dormant muse is to hang out with like-minded
friends, brainstorming, eating chocolate, and drinking wine. We do this several times a year by going on a
weekend retreat at a fun place in our state.
And nothing is more fun for us than staying in a hotel that is
supposedly haunted. For us half the fun is
delving into ghost lore and learning the story behind the haunting then
exaggerate it to another level.
A couple of years ago a group of our writer friends
reserved the entire third floor of the Jerome Grand Hotel. Jerome AZ is an old
mining town set on the side of a mile-high mountain now mostly home to artists
who sell their work in the local shops. Originally the Grand Hotel was the
United Verde Hospital, but as mine operations phased out the hospital closed and
remained vacant until the building was turned into the Jerome Grand Hotel. Local
legend tells the story of a lady who roams the building looking for her
daughter who died at birth.
"What
makes the Jerome Grand Hotel a worthwhile place to stay, is the fact that this
is probably one of the most active haunted locations in the world," according to www.ghostlyfavorites.com
As we checked into the hotel we were told stories of
strange noises coming from empty rooms such as coughing, labored breathing, and
even voices. We were told not to be
surprised if the lights or TV's turned on and off by themselves. Spines tingled in anticipation of a ghostly
encounter as we made our way toward our rooms.
The first night, several of the girls reported strange sensations and
several said they felt cold spots in the hallway but nothing unusual happened
to us…yet.
On Saturday night, the Jerome Grand took our group
on a fun ghost hunt where we got some great orb pictures. We didn't see any ghosts while on the tour,
but some creepy events happened to us after we went to bed. Our room phone rang at midnight waking us up,
but when answered, no one was there. The ringing phone was a bit spooky, but
the scariest of all was the feeling of panic Bev aka/Dani had as unseen hands
tugged on her body as if trying to scoot her off the mattress. Since the hotel was once a hospital could it
have been a nurse trying to move a patient?
Convincing ourselves it was only a dream, we tried to go back to sleep,
until Chris aka/Tia screamed that someone had yanked her hair. After that happened neither of us slept until
the sun came up.
When we all met up for breakfast Kathy Twohawks
complained that someone or something had pinched her hard during the night. She
rolled up her sleeve and showed us the beginning of a large bruise on her arm.
Were all these incidents real or just active
imaginations of creative romance writers?
A personal experience can either change your mind or reinforce your
belief in paranormal activity. We
believe there are things that can't be explained. And, besides, who doesn't love a good ghost
story?
Our next book has a couple who are trapped in time
by an evil shape-shifter. We're finishing up the last chapter as we write this
blog. Meanwhile check out our latest release, Time's Enduring Love. It's a time travel set in Kansas during 1866.
We think you will enjoy reading it and we promise that you won't be scared.
Happy Halloween,
Tia Dani
Sunday, October 5, 2014
Jason Voorhees, Jaime Lannister and Me by Jamie Hill
Ah, October. Leaves are changing color, and everyone is
talking about football, or the return of The
Walking Dead. (YES!) Halloween is just around the corner. As a child I
loved everything about Halloween from making decorations to dressing up to
trick-or-treating and bringing home a mountain of candy. I didn’t particularly
like being scared, but a little bit was okay—the kind of scared when I knew I
was really safe, such as a tour of a haunted house, or going to a scary movie. (These
days, the prices of the ‘good candy’ alone are enough to scare me!)
We love scary movies in my house. I married a man who grew
up watching Vincent Price and shows called Chiller
and Thriller and even Twilight Zone. Movies back then used to
advertise that there would be a doctor in the theater for those who might find
themselves in need of one. One oldie I watched even had flashing lights and a
clanging bell when something scary was about to happen, in case the viewer
wanted to avert his or her eyes. *snort*
On our first date, my future husband took me to the drive-in
movies to watch Friday the 13th, the first movie starring villain Jason Voorhees.
It scared me sufficiently that I spent the second half of the show much closer
to my date (possibly his ulterior motive for choosing that movie?) My mother nearly
passed out when we told her later. Much later.
That was the beginning of our relationship, and our joint
love of scary movies. We’ve seen a good share of them. Many were really awful. Some
were just gory. A few were top notch, such as the first Halloween movie. (The
sequels slowly went downhill.)
Hubby doesn’t like demonic or satanic themes, so we don’t
watch those. I don’t like violent gore-fests where bad things happen to
good, innocent people for no reason. (This does not include those teenage camp
counselors in the Friday the 13th movies. Those kids
should have known better.)
I am guilty of recently watching the 2013 supernatural thriller Mama because it starred Nikolaj Coster-Waldau (Jaime Lannister from Game of Thrones). But that’s a whole ‘nother topic, right there. And don’t even get me started on The Walking Dead. Best zombie show ever!
Happy October and Happy Halloween to those who celebrate it!
Jamie Hill
Friday, October 3, 2014
Finding Focus
I find it ironic that when my body and mind are busy and I have "no time" to sit still and write, my body creates time. Usually, I either get sick or sidelined by an injury because I'm too scattered and not paying attention.
September for me has been a blur of deadlines, training an employee, learning a whole new job, kids at school, out of town company, karate gradings (not mine!), and other assorted activities. It was almost expected I would hurt myself during a 5km charity run. I hadn't slowed down in weeks. Thanks to a knee injury, I've been forced to slow down - a little anyway.
When life becomes a blur, we may have momentum, but lose our focus. Whether on writing, raising families, or just our day to day lives, we also lose the joy in doing the things we do. Things we once loved suddenly become a chore. "I have to" replaces "I like to." Hence the creature known as the dreaded Writer's Block.
I would highly recommend slowing down a little before injury or illness occur because sometimes that's exactly what it takes for us to step back and recall the things we "like" to do. To remember how much we like to write when we don't "have" to. To bring back the thrill of being creative, of being able to move without pain, and of taking life one day at a time.
In between all the "have tos" over the past few days, I settled down to write a short story. Something I've wanted to do, but "didn't have time" for. Suddenly, the short story is done and off to a publisher for an anthology. A little bit of fun to wrap up my hectic month. Suddenly, all seems right with the world again and my creativity is re-ignited.
Find your focus. Find your bliss.
Diane Bator
Author of Wild Blue Mystery Series
September for me has been a blur of deadlines, training an employee, learning a whole new job, kids at school, out of town company, karate gradings (not mine!), and other assorted activities. It was almost expected I would hurt myself during a 5km charity run. I hadn't slowed down in weeks. Thanks to a knee injury, I've been forced to slow down - a little anyway.
I would highly recommend slowing down a little before injury or illness occur because sometimes that's exactly what it takes for us to step back and recall the things we "like" to do. To remember how much we like to write when we don't "have" to. To bring back the thrill of being creative, of being able to move without pain, and of taking life one day at a time.
In between all the "have tos" over the past few days, I settled down to write a short story. Something I've wanted to do, but "didn't have time" for. Suddenly, the short story is done and off to a publisher for an anthology. A little bit of fun to wrap up my hectic month. Suddenly, all seems right with the world again and my creativity is re-ignited.
Find your focus. Find your bliss.
Diane Bator
Author of Wild Blue Mystery Series
Labels:
busy life,
doing too much,
finding focus,
illness,
injury,
like to vs. have to,
short story,
writer's block
Prolific author, Editor, Associate Publisher, and Book Coach. Also mom of three grown ups and two fur babies.
Thursday, October 2, 2014
ROMANTIC CLICHES AND STORYLINES - MARGARET TANNER
THESE ARE MY FAVOURITE ROMANTIC CLICHÉS AND
STORYLINES – MARGARET TANNER
I write historical romance, so maybe my
take on the cliché and storylines is different from that of contemporary
romance authors.
I like to base my stories around:
Love lost and foundThe rogue makes good
The poor girl and the rich man
The soft sweet heroine taming the ruthless hero. (This is a particular favourite of mine and one I use a lot).
Then there are the three “Rs” – Revenge,
Retribution and Redemption.
There again, what about the clichés used
in novels. You know what I mean, those overused phrases:
Crushed her against his hard maleness
Her heart fluttered like a caged birdThe night was as black as ink.
A million stars twinkled
She ran like the wind
He covered her face with hot kisses
His warm breath fanned her cheeks
Cold as ice
The blood flowed through her veins like molten lava.
I have to confess to having used them
myself, but in all honesty, I doubt that there would be one romance author who
could say she hadn’t used some of these lines at some time or another.
My real favourite is the one that
Barbara Cartland, the queen of romance, used for her hero in nearly everyone
one of her romance novels. “He was a rake who had lived a life of debauchery.”
Don’t get me wrong, I don’t see anything
wrong with using these clichés, I think they set the scene very well. Many
editors don’t like them, of course. The secret is – use them sparingly.
My take is this: If you want to use clichés be selective. If
all else fails you can invent a few of your own.
Margaret writes historical romance set
mainly in Australia. Her latest release, The Loves We Left Behind, is a 3 book
Combo (three separate novels, all stand-alone stories in the one book.) This is a special release to mark the
centenary of the 1st World War.
It tells the stories of three different
women who triumph over loss, heartache and betrayal.
THE LOVES WE LEFT BEHIND:
A hundred years ago, from the far
flung corners of the British Empire, young men rushed to fight for Mother
England. They left their wives and sweethearts behind. Many of these brave
women waited in vain for their men folk to return. How did they cope with the
loss and heartache? Could they ever hope to find happiness with another man? Three
full novels, each telling a brave young woman’s story of triumph over tragedy
and adversity. Allison’s War, Daring Masquerade and Lauren’s Dilemma.http://amzn.com/B00MASTCHM
Available in Print also from your
favourite bookstore.
I am an award winning multi-published Australian author. I love delving into the pages of history as I carry out research for my historical romance novels. I pride myself on being historically correct. Many of my novels are inspired by true events, with one being written around the hardships and triumphs of my pioneering ancestors in frontier Australia. Outside of my family and friends, writing is my passion.
Wednesday, October 1, 2014
Spirit Travel and Keriam's Dilemma by Shirley Martin
Imagine a kingdom where magic is forbidden,
where guilt of practicing sorcery is punishable by death. In my fantasy
romance, "Night Secrets" Princess Keriam has preternatural powers,
one of which is spirit travel. This phenomenon also goes by the names of astral
travel and out-of-body experience. No matter what it's called, it's an ability
that many people possess. Keriam agonizes, what if someone sees her spirit
while she's having one of her out-of-body experiences? If found guilty, she
will suffer a horrible death, and not even her father--the king--could save
her.
One night,
she has an astral trip that begins thusly: "A slight tug
released Keriam from her body. She floated toward the ceiling, amazed as
always that she could look down at herself in bed. With a certainty
borne of past experience, she knew this was no dream. Ever since her mother's
death two years ago, preternatural powers had evolved within her, and why, she
didn't know. Was it her mother's way of watching over her from the Otherworld?
These nightly journeys were even more recent, and something she must learn to
control, if only she knew how...
She drifted outside
and traveled over the countryside, her soul finally setting down in the dark
forest. While there, she overheard three men plotting her father's
assassination. What could she do now? How can she reveal the plot to her father
without betraying her supernatural power?
One of the
plotters, Roric Gamal, is about to disclose the details of the plot when
Keriam's body calls her spirit back, and she must return...
"A tug pulled
her spirit back. No, not now! She must discover more of the plotters'
plan."
And is Roric Gamal
really one of the plotters, or only pretending to be? Throughout "Night
Secrets" Keriam fights her growing attraction for Roric, confused about
his loyalty to the kingdom and to her father.
"Night
Secrets" is the first romantic fantasy of the Avador series. I invite you
to read this fantasy and the others in the series.
"Night Shadows"
is the second.
"Enchanted
Cottage" is the third, followed by "Allegra's Dream" and
"Wolf Magic."
For lovers of
fantasy romance, these romances are bound to please.
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