Disclaimer

DISCLAIMER:

I do not read every book/author I spotlight or book tour I host!
Readers, Please research and use wisdom before buying

Tuesday, April 29, 2014

Tuesday Treasure: Guest Post by Amy Peterson ~ Pets & More Pets

Good Morning Friends!

Today I'm excited to bring to you a guest post for Tuesday Treasures!


Amy L. Peterson became a stepmother in 1994 after unwittingly falling for a guy with four greatkids, ages three, five 13 and 15.  Unable to find any other humorous, touching memoirs about step motherhood, Amy wrote From Zero to Four Kids in Thirty Seconds.  Filled with 70 tips, it’s a helpful, fun read.

At the same time Amy was getting used to becoming a stepmother, Amy’s husband, Mark, was bringing various critters home. Something Furry Underfoot is Amy's humorous, heart-warming memoir about raising frogs, iguanas, hedgehogs, ferrets, hamsters, mice, gerbils, guinea pigs, dogs, a stray cat, a domestic duckling, rabbits, mynah birds and tropical fish.  The animal antics in this book will keep you laughing and the tips will teach you something about pets and pet lovers you probably didn’t know. 

Way back in the day, Amy was published in numerous magazines. She now does blog postings about nature, pets and life at www.amylpeterson.com, many of which feature some eye-catching photos. She works for the state of Michigan and lives with her husband and a variety of fuzzy animals.

Social media links:


Pets…and More Pets
I treasure pets because they don’t talk back, they have simple needs compared to say, a retired husband’s constant need to find and buy new fishing lures, and they give unconditional love.  Take my one-year-old lhasa-bichon dogs named Winston and Snickers.  They greet me every day from work as if I was the most fun and interesting person on the planet.  They’re fuzzy brothers that look like they’re made from bags of painted cotton balls. I drove from Michigan to Pennsylvania to get them because my husband, Mark, didn’t want to be alone during his retirement and because he wanted the same lhasa-bichon mix as our two previous dogs—Dusty, the Angel Pup and Little Dipper.  So it’s great, walking in from work to wags and wiggles and lots of fuzz.  I take off my coat, sit on the floor and Snickers jumps in my lap for his rub-down while Winston runs off to get a toy I must throw an undermined, varying amount of times before the two pups start playing together. 



Free from my fluffy pup attack, I turn my attention to Purrkins, our middle-aged, formerly stray cat.  He exudes the typical attitude of a cat, coming up for “snugs” whenever he wants, and walking in front of me when he wants to guide me to his empty food bowl or to the bathroom sink for the freshest of fresh water.  My theory is that since Mark and I get fresh water out of the tap, our cat should too. 

After a work-out, dinner and a walk or more play time with the pups, I check in on the hamsters.  We have four hamsters now, which is down from the 13 we had a while back, courtesy of the fact that a female hamster Mark brought home was pregnant and well, why not keep all eight babies, he asked?  The thing about hamsters is that males don’t like each other and have to be separated, and sometimes females don’t along with each other, either, so that meant we had a LOT of hamster cages at one time.  Having 4 hamsters is a good number, and they get spoiled with a wee run in their exercise ball, followed by “sunflower seeds from heaven,” which is simply feeding them seeds through the holes in the top of their cages which they reach up for…as if reaching up to heaven, says Mark.




In the same room as the hamsters are two mynah birds, one of which is named Buddy, the other BOGO.  Mark really only wanted one mynah bird, and one day a couple years ago I found myself driving an hour and a half to pick the bird up at Detroit Metro Airport. It had flown in on a flight from Florida in a small cage with a brown banana and a small container of water.  After thrashing around its cage all the way home, we took the smelly bird to our Hamster-Bird room.  It flew around, took a nice, long bath, and in no time, the bird we named Buddy was adjusted to his new digs.  A month or so later, we got a call from the local post office saying our mynah bird had arrived, a fact that was puzzling since we hadn’t ordered another bird.  We called the breeder in Florida and learned the second bird was supposed to have gone to Alabama. Since the new bird had been in a cage and on endless numbers of trucks for 36 hours, the very thought of it repeating its journey made us offer to buy the bird from the breeder.  Luckily, Buddy and BOGO get along most of the time.




That’s how things go in Something Furry Underfoot, my humorous, touching memoir about raising pets my husband always wanted, along with a few others that showed up unexpectedly.  Mark started with frogs and iguanas which got permanent homes elsewhere, but the next pet—a female hedgehog—came to stay. She was followed by a male hedgehog we should have named Houdini because he escaped several times from his cage to father several unplanned litters of baby hedgehogs.  Ferrets came next and we had four of those before the first puppy, Dusty, came along.  Dusty had so much energy my husband’s solution was to get another puppy we named Little Dipper. The two blind guinea pigs came as a pair; the mice, gerbils and hamsters came singly or in pairs; the rabbits came in a set of five; the domestic duckling by itself; and the stray kitten was solo, too.  My book covers about 19 years and includes 50 tips about pets and pet owners, including Tip #31:  Fleas jump more than rabbits and Tip #48: Even fish can be stressful.  



You can find Something Furry Underfoot at Amazon.com as a paperback and e-book, and in a variety of e-book formats on Smashwords.com.  You can some cute photos and videos of my pets at www.amylpeterson.com.  

Some proceeds of Something Furry Underfoot will benefit animal rescue organizations.


Wow sounds like a great book for pet lovers young and old alike!

Hope you enjoyed this Tuesday Treasure. Stay tuned for more great treasures to come as well as Thursday Thoughts and Saturday Spotlights!

Until later take care, God Bless and remember.....Love comes in all shapes and sizes and sometimes has fur. 
J

PamT

Saturday, April 26, 2014

Saturday Spotlight: Broken Arrows by Chelsey Butler

Good Morning Friends & Happy Saturday!

Today's guest is a new-to-me YA author, Ms. Chelsey Butler. Please make her feel welcome and leave comments!

Chelsey Butler was born and raised near Fort Worth, Texas. She still lives in north Texas with her husband and four daughters, but she rebels against the Texan stereotype. She loves God, her family, and all things involving books, and is a self-proclaimed nerd, a history buff, and vintage enthusiast. She also writes young adult fantasy under the name S.G. Tillery. Chelsey loves hearing from her fans and encourages them to find her on Facebook


Cari Harris lives what should be a charmed life. She owns a quaint bed and breakfast in a charming southern town, is surrounded by loving friends and family, and possesses magical powers. Most of the residents in Fable, GA, are descended from mythical creatures straight out of fairy tales, and Cari is no exception.  As a descendent of Cupid, she has the ability to see when two people are soul mates and the power to make sure they fall in love. However, this power is sometimes more of a curse than a blessing, because Cari is also the town screw up.

While hosting a murder mystery weekend at her inn, she tries to match a young couple and makes a huge mistake. Now she must fix her mistake before the guests leave at the end of the weekend, all while making a bigger mess of things along the way, in her typical fashion.

As if Cari didn’t have enough to worry about already, her old boyfriend just moved back to town. Years ago, she forced herself to stop thinking about Mike, but now that he’s back, there is no avoiding him. It’s a small town and she keeps running in to him, no matter how much she hopes to avoid it. When she stumbles across some unexpected secrets, and Mike helps her with her current matchmaking dilemma, all of her feelings from the past come flooding back.

Broken Arrows can be purchased at Amazon in Ebook & Print!

Well Friends, hope you enjoyed this spotlight! Stay tuned next week for more Tuesday Treasures, Thursday Thoughts and of course another Saturday Spotlight!

PamT

Thursday, April 24, 2014

Thursday Thoughts: Comfort

Everyone has their own idea of comfort and what/whom they turn to when they need comforting......

A burst of sunshine through dark clouds.
Rainbow after the storm.
A hot cup of coffee while listening to the pitter patter of raindrops on a tin roof.
A hug from your dearest friend or soul mate.
A warm blanket and good movie.
Chocolate, wine and ice cream.
The ebb and flow of 'normal' when circumstances are anything but.


But how often does life challenge us to step out of our comfort zone and what do you do when it does?


If you've known or followed me for long, you understand my first (well, sometimes the last) resort is to pray. The second part to that equation is surrender and third to trust.

God has it all under control.

So the next time you're feeling out of sorts and in need of a little comfort, get alone with Him and allow the lover of your soul to comfort you in a way no other can.

Something to think about...
"Inspirational with an Edge! 

Tuesday, April 22, 2014

Tuesday Treasure: Egg-Cerpt Exchange with Lisa Carlisle

Good Morning Friends!

I know Easter ended two days ago but hey, why not enjoy one more Egg-cerpt Exchange. Today's guest is Lisa Carlisle with her book, Dark Velvet.

I'll be on Lisa's blog tomorrow too with Love is a Rose.

Lisa writes adult erotic romance so readers, be informed!

Without much further ado.... Here's Lisa.....


I'm here to share an excerpt of my recent release, Dark Velvet. This is the start of a new series of new adult erotic romances set on a remote New England island. Paranormal aspects, a medieval-styled castle, and a hot as hell hero.

Dark Velvet

Lisa Carlisle

Chateau Seductions series

darkvelvet

New adult / paranormal / erotic romance

Grad student Savannah Evans is thrilled to be accepted as a resident to a prestigious art colony. Where else would she be able to focus on her craft of writing poetry in a setting like that of the medieval-styled castle? The remote New England island is a respite from her hectic city life. When she meets her benefactor, a mysterious French sculptor, her expectations for carefree days writing near the ocean are distracted by unprofessional fantasies about her sponsor. Antoine Chevalier built Les Beaux Arts on DeRoche Island to bring purpose back to an existence that has lost meaning. He’s wandered the earth for decades and finds solace in returning to art. When Savannah applies for a residency, something about her words touches him. After her arrival, a physical attraction grows between them, which he struggles against. She deserves more than someone of his kind. Antoine proposes they become lovers during her stay. But the situation turns complicated when Savannah discovers his secret. She had suspicions about his identity, but finds the truth overwhelming. Consumed by her desire for Antoine and faced with a tough decision, she is blind to the danger that has arrived at DeRoche Island.

  Excerpt Savannah’s fingers traced the cool marble of the god’s muscular back and then the definition in his arm as he drew an arrow to shoot. She pictured Antoine bent over the sculpture, brows furrowed in concentration, losing sense of time as he polished each portion to perfection.

“Do you like this?” A deep voice whispering in her ear startled her.

She jumped at the sound of his voice, bumping back into his hard chest, and he caught her upper arms to steady her. Only one man in the castle spoke in that smooth French accent—the sculptor himself.

“Oh, I’m sorry, Antoine.”

She fumbled taking a half step forward, away from him. “I shouldn’t have touched it.”

“No, don’t apologize.” He let go of her arms, but his warm breath tickled her ear.

He took her hand, caressing her palm, which sent tingles up her arm. Her bottom lip quivered as he brought her fingers to rest again on the marble piece. She thanked the gods he remained behind her so he couldn’t witness her nervous reaction, and she bit her lip to halt the tremors. This was not the way for a young protégée to behave in front of her benefactor. He owned the castle, created the art colony here where she was attending on a poetry scholarship—she shouldn’t go gaga simply from his touch. Which was exactly what she was doing.

“It pleases me that you appreciate my work.” Leading her fingers down the figure’s chiseled chest, he leaned in closer and added, “I liked watching you admire it.”

His voice alone sent flames rippling through her. Every nerve in her being lit with awareness in reaction to him. In the months since they’d met, they’d never been alone in such proximity. Weeks of heated looks from afar had inflamed her desire so the slightest touch became intimate, strengthening her need for more.

Sounds of approaching voices indicated this evening’s performance in the chateau would soon begin. Several of the musicians in the art colony had collaborated on orchestral pieces they wanted to play in front of an audience for the first time. As fellow artists in residence, they sought the support of fellow residents.

Antoine kissed her hand like a suitor in a bygone era. “I hope you enjoy the concert, Savannah.”

Her lips parted, opening and closing like a fish while she thought of what to say. When she mustered up the courage to turn and face him, he had already left the room, filling her with both relief and disappointment. Unaware she’d been holding her breath, she exhaled deeply.  


Several times over the course of the evening, Savannah caught Antoine’s dark eyes watching her. Her emotions roiled in confusion while the performers played Barber’s Adagio for Strings. The way he held her gaze without blinking made her squirm in the burgundy armchair. The rising tension and resolution from the violin and cello underscored her tumultuous emotions.

She smiled at him briefly and focused on the musicians, aware of how her heartbeat had escalated. When she glanced again at Antoine, he still watched her unabashed, as if unconcerned about what the others would think. He took a sip of Porto, nodded her way, and then returned his attention to the musicians. She sat up straighter and crossed her legs at the ankles, then uncrossed them, and crossed them again.

The attraction was becoming more difficult to ignore. In light of how he breached the physical distance by touching her so earlier, she feared she’d be unable to keep her desires hidden much longer. She’d developed an instant crush since she arrived at the castle three months before. How could she not be—he was a renowned sculptor with a devastating, dark appeal. What was she to him than just another young resident who would be gone in three months, replaced by another.

Was she reading more into the brief exchange than was warranted?

 It’s just a look. Only a casual glance my way. Even as she attempted to fool herself, she knew she was full of shit.

Buy links: Amazon B&N Kobo AllRomanceEbooks

Lisa Carlisle Dark heroes, feisty heroines, scorching stories

Sign up for new releases and specials at lisacarlislebooks.com/subscribe

Saturday, April 19, 2014

Saturday Spotlight: Susan Oleksiw

Good Morning Friends and Happy Easter to Each of YOU!

Thank you for taking a moment out of your holiday weekend to stop by. It is my pleasure to bring to you another fellow 5 Star author, Susan Oleksiw with her Anita Ray Mystery book, Under the Eye of Kali.



Every time someone asks me where I get my ideas, I instantly have an image of the person opening a notebook, writing it down, and then checking her calendar, so she can plan to go there, wherever “there” is and pick up some ideas, along with stopping for yogurt at the supermarket and the post office for stamps. I am tempted to say, “I subscribe to a magazine called IDEAS.” Or how about, “I steal them from my grandmother’s stash. She never used hers up.”

The truth is, no one knows where ideas come from because they don’t come from somewhere else. They are there, in front of us, in our brains, or sitting on the page open on the computer or rolled into the typewriter. And, again, truthfully, I wish there were someplace to go to get them. The discovery of Anita Ray is a case in point.

For several years I had tried writing about India, and whatever I wrote came out miserably. The story was awkward, the characters alien or flat or just strange. I couldn’t get the hang of a good story about India. I was frustrated. Perhaps I was too close to the idea? After all I’d been in love with India since I was a young girl; I’d studied the country and its culture and history all through school (I went to advanced schools). I’d lived there, written academic articles about it. Perhaps I was having trouble finding a popular India to write about.

After several false starts I decided to just write a mystery that hinged on something interesting about India. The result was the short story “A Murder Made in India.” And in this story emerged Anita Ray, the unmarried niece of the owner of Hotel Delite, a young woman who would rather take photographs than eat, who hated the idea of work, and who had managed to fend off her aunt’s ongoing efforts at an arranged marriage. The story was a success, it seemed, and appeared in Alfred Hitchcock Mystery Magazine in 2003. I had loads of fun writing stories about India in which Anita Ray wielded her camera and investigated murders among relatives, friends, and strangers. The idea for the first story, when traditional India collides with modern India, pointed to an unlimited supply of mysteries.

Once Anita Ray as a character was established in my mind, along with circumstances that could lead to murder, I had little trouble expanding her stage, so to speak. I made one of my many return visits to India working out in my mind a story idea that would be substantial enough for a novel-length mystery. As I sat at breakfast one morning listening to other Westerners enjoying their meal and getting to know each other, the idea for the novel began to take shape. Strangers meet, share a few personal details, and soon are linked in an intricate web of lies, deceit, and murder.

Under the Eye of Kali appeared in 2010. The story takes the reader into Anita Ray’s world of a resort catering to foreigners where old grudges are acted out, the workers behind the scenes live double lives, and anyone can assume a new identity. The reader meets the restaurant owners, the tailors and booksellers, the touts and fruit sellers, and all the others who work mostly out of sight but are ever present. The murder occurs among foreign guests, and the reader gets to know them too, and enjoy their experiences in this strange land.

As I began writing the story of two women who travel through India, one of whom ends up dead and the other nearly so, I heard the voices of people I’d met long ago, during my first visits to India in the 1970s and 1980s. Out of the blue I heard the young man, probably still in his twenties, asking about how a certain sports team was doing back in the States. In those days, news about local matters traveled slowly if at all. Prompted by the curious way he posed the question I asked how long since he’d been home to the States. Something distracted me, and when I turned back he was gone. In less than a minute he evaporated. My husband commented, he was probably AWOL from Vietnam and my question had spooked him. I’ve never forgotten him, and more of that encounter will probably appear in another story, triggered by a character who makes an offhand remark and opens a door to murder.

This is where ideas come from—everywhere and nowhere, and somewhere we can’t find but we stumble into when we need it.

Under the Eye of Kali is the first in the Anita Ray series, and explores Anita’s home territory of the resort area where Hotel Delite is located. The Wrath of Shiva is the second in the series, and takes Anita into an old family estate. I’ll talk about the ideas behind that book next month.

To learn more about Susan and her books, go to www.susanoleksiw.com

Her books are available through Five Star/Gale, Cengage Learning and on Amazon, B&N, and Smashwords.

Well Friends, hope you enjoyed this spotlight. Thanks again for taking the time to stop by and once again....

Have a BLESSED & Happy Easter holiday!

PamT

Thursday, April 17, 2014

Thursday Thoughts: Faith

Well today is Holy Thursday or Passover Thursday or the day Jesus celebrated His Last Supper with His disciples....

Whatever you call it, today is often revered as a Holy day and in some denominations, a Holy day of obligation.

But shouldn't every day be a holy day of obligation?

Shouldn't we praise, worship and honor God and Jesus every day?






Isn't that what Faith is all about?

Something to think about....

PamT

Tuesday, April 15, 2014

Tuesday Treasure: Egg-cerpt Exchange with Linda McLaughlin!

Well Friends it's Holy Week and we're reaching the end of Tina Gayle's Egg-cerpt Exchange blog hop. I'll have one more for you next week, but today is Ms. Linda McLaughlin with her book, Lady Elinor's Escape.

Enjoy....


Lady Elinor's Escape, part of the Eggcerpt Exchange fun.
Genre: Sweet Regency Romance

Blurb:

Lady Elinor Ashworth always longed for adventure, but when she runs away from her abusive aunt, she finds more than she bargained for. Elinor fears her aunt who is irrational and dangerous, threatening Elinor and anyone she associates with. When she encounters an inquisitive gentleman, she accepts his help, but fearing for his safety, hides her identity by pretending to be a seamstress. She resists his every attempt to draw her out, all the while fighting her attraction to him.

There are too many women in barrister Stephen Chaplin’s life, but he has never been able to turn his back on a damsel in distress. The younger son of a baronet is a ‘rescuer’ of troubled females, an unusual vocation fueled guilt over his failure to save the woman he loved from her brutal husband. He cannot help falling in love with his secretive seamstress, but to his dismay, the truth of her background reveals Stephen as the ineligible party.

Now the Eggcerpt:

“Excuse me, madam, but I could not help overhearing you say that you must leave for London immediately. Allow me to introduce myself. Stephen Chaplin, Esquire, at your service.”

Elinor turned to face the gentleman who had suddenly appeared. She stared at him through a haze of black, taking advantage of her veil to get a closer look at this tall, dark-haired, seemingly well bred gentleman. He was above average height, with finely chiseled features, and while he could not, strictly speaking, be deemed handsome, there was something in the intense scrutiny of his light brown eyes that drew her to him. By the cut of his bottle green Superfine coat, which emphasized his broad shoulders, but was not so tight as to hamper movement, and his casually tied neckcloth, she surmised he was no society dandy.

“How do you do?” she said politely, extending one black-gloved hand.

“Fine, thank you.”

As he took her hand and bowed over it, Elinor savored the warmth of his touch for a moment. It had been a long time since someone had touched her out of kindness. Suddenly realizing she was clutching his hand, she withdrew hers. He studied her, his gaze seeming to penetrate the veil, and she could only stand like the veriest lump under his scrutiny.

“I beg your pardon, madam, but what did you say your name was?”

“Eli—” Elinor broke off and feigned a cough, panic bubbling up inside. Her name. Dear heavens, she needed a new name. If she told him who she was, he would never agree to take her to Mimi. She stared down at the gentleman’s yellow nankeen trousers and shiny brown boots. “Brown,” she stammered. “Ellie Brown.”

“Mrs. Brown, may I offer my assistance? I’m heading for London myself and would be pleased to convey you as far as Chippenham, where you may pick up another stage coach.”

Relief flooded through her at his offer, but could she trust him? No proper young lady rides in a closed carriage with a gentleman who is not related to her. The words of her governess rang in her ears. “I do not think—”

“Of course, you are cautious,” he interrupted smoothly. “Any genteel lady would hesitate to trust a strange gentleman.”

"But I am not a lady,” she blurted. If Aunt Sarah learned that a ‘lady’ had been here, she would know where to look for her. “I am merely a seamstress.”

"Really,” he drawled, doubt evident in his tone.

“Yes, I have a position awaiting me in London.” She was surprised, and a bit uncomfortable, at how easily the lies flowed from her lips, but they were necessary.

Lady Elinor's Escape
is available at:
Amazon: http://amzn.com/B00CHSNEII
Apple: https://itunes.apple.com/us/book/lady-elinors-escape/id645217449
ARe: https://www.allromanceebooks.com/product-ladyelinor039sescape-1169382-160.html
B&N: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/lady-elinors-escape-linda-mclaughlin/1100559263
Kobo: http://store.kobobooks.com/en-US/ebook/lady-elinor-s-escape
Smashwords: https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/312406

Online Contacts:
Website: http://www.lindamclaughlin.com
Blog: http://flightsafancy.blogspot.com
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/LindaMcLaughlinAuthor
Twitter @LyndiLamont: https://twitter.com/LyndiLamont

Thanks for letting me share.

Linda

Saturday, April 12, 2014

Saturday Spotlight: Jericha Kingston & Waiting for Lily Bloom

Good Morning Friends!

It is my pleasure to bring to you a brand new Pelican Book Group Author, Jericha Kingston with her debut PBG title, Waiting for Lily Bloom, one of the annual Easter Lilies releases!


Jericha Kingston--tomboy gone rogue--loves the visual, performing, culinary, and literary arts. She's married and has two sons. Her Easter novella, Waiting For Lily Bloom, releases as an eBook from Pelican Book Group on April 18th. Ousting her inner tomboy has been futile, so Jericha appeases her by fishing, camping, and hiking with her Australian Cattle Dog. You can find Jericha at: www.twitter.com/JerichaKingstonwww.facebook.com/jericha.kingstonwww.quidproquills.com, or via e-mail at jerichakingston@yahoo.com

James Bloom has prayed three years for rain and five years for a wife. His dreams are demolished on Palm Sunday, 1935, when a catastrophic dust storm hits Oklahoma. His neighbor's niece has to ride out the storm at his house overnight. The next day, he's forced to marry her, an East coast city girl who can't speak. Could this be God's plan? 

Lily Driggers left her Georgia home to visit her aunt and uncle in Oklahoma, but when a dust storm traps her with an unmarried farmer, Lily's uncle makes her marry the stranger, condemning her to a future in the dusty wasteland. She longs for her home. Yet somehow, her new husband is the only one who understands her silent pleas. As Easter approaches, Lily and James wonder if there is hope after the storm.

Excerpt:
“Lily.”

She faced the front porch where James stood, his face leached of color. “Walk toward me as fast as you can.” His voice cracked.

A rabbit lunged past, and she watched its urgent flight.

“Now, Lily.”

What? The bully was at it again, this time issuing orders. She sighed and stepped off her rung on the fence. James was about to learn she didn’t obey tyrants. She released the top plank and would’ve turned to go, but something in his voice startled her.

“Don’t look back, Lily. I’m begging you. Come to me.”

She glared at him.

His face crumpled, and he bounded off the porch and ran toward her.

The beast was chasing her! And he looked…crazed. No. Terrified. The only other time she’d seen such a look was when—

“Lily!”

Everything turned red. She was enveloped in a cloud. Fine dust stung her eyes and throat, choking her. She gasped, inhaled dirt, and coughed. Her mouth snapped shut, sand grinding between her teeth. She closed her eyes and hid her face behind the flimsy sleeve of her dress, protecting her nose and mouth. But it was no use.

Shaking. The earth was shaking. Wind gusted, shrieked and moaned, almost as loud  as her racing heart. Surely it would burst right through her chest. What’s happened? Is this a tornado? 

Wind-driven sheets of dust blasted into her flesh like piercing needles. She tasted dirt, smelled dirt, cried dirt. 

“Lily, grab the fence.” James coughed and sputtered. “The fence!”

She tripped over her own feet to reach the corral and latch on. She clung there, wind and dust swirling around her, lifting her braid up into the air. Please, God, help me!

Sounds like a great story to me! Again, Waiting for Lily Bloom will be available next Saturday and will be 50% off on that day only!

Well Friends, I hope you enjoyed this spotlight as much as I did. It is always a pleasure to bring to you a fellow author and even richer for it to be a PBG author. 

Tomorrow is Palm Sunday which begins Easter week. I pray you take some extra time to spend with the Lord during this special time in our Christian faith. 

Don't forget, today is the last day to enter TWJ Magazine's Virtual Easter Basket Giveaway!

Stay tuned next week for another Eggcerpt Exchange on Tuesday Treasure, more Thursday Thoughts and of course, another Saturday Spotlight!

Until next time....take care, God Bless and remember....Regardless of your mistakes~God LOVES You! Therefore walk tall, proud & in confidence that HE is on your side.

Pamela S Thibodeaux
"Inspirational with an Edge! 

Thursday, April 10, 2014

Thursday Thoughts: More on the movie Noah

Well Friends, 

Time for another Thursday Thoughts and today, as in the past few weeks, I'm sharing more information on the movie, Noah.

This from Grace Hill Media....


There’s been a ton of controversy surrounding the movie – some people love it while some people hate it, but even in the midst of all the back and forth, there’s been one positive to arise from the movie that I think we can all agree on. 

According to YouVersion Bible App, reading of the story of NOAH in Genesis is up 300% in the US and 245% worldwide! If you’re interested, I’d love for you to share this story with your readers. We are pairing the news with a video from Kim Walker Smith’s SPIRIT BREAK OUT featuring faith leader quotes from the video sent last week.

You can check out the news from YouVersion HERE.

Here is a link to the video for Spirit Breakout Godtube Exclusive – NOAH Christian Music Video from gracehillmedia on GodTube.

I haven't seen this movie but have heard mixed reviews of it myself so I won't comment on it. What I will comment on though is the movie God's Not Dead! I saw this one and it is a truly excellent film.

Another upcoming film I can hardly wait to see is Heaven is For Real. I read that book and must tell you it was a great story and from what I can tell of the previews, the movie will be even better.

It is so good to see so many more Christian/Biblical based films in the theaters instead of just made for TV.

That's about all for today. Oh wait! I can't believe I forgot to mention TWJ Magazine's Virtual Easter Basket Giveaway! UGH... anyway, it's a virtual basket chock full of Real, Wholesome entertainment....Ebooks and MP3 music downloads. 



Sorry I'm so late telling you about this but it's not too late to enter! Do so HERE but hurry, the deadline is Saturday!

Until later...take care and God Bless!
PamT



Tuesday, April 8, 2014

Tuesday Treasure: Egg-cerpt Exchange with Jude Liebermann

Hello and Welcome to week 5 of the Egg-cerpt Echange!

Today I'm pleased to bring to you Jude Liebermann with her egg-cerpt exchange.....


jixitsmall Blurb: Colin Jix is a loner. He's had to be, so he lives in a remote mountain town where he limits his contact with other people. He's settled into his solitary life and resigned himself to be alone. That is until Dot Tate shows up with a broken down car and needs his help. Neither can fight their immediate attraction, but then he discovers a tragic secret and must step outside his comfort zone to make things right.

 And here is the eggcerpt: A persistent knocking woke him early the next morning. Disoriented and still tired from lack of sleep, he rolled off the couch and stumbled to the door. Without thought he pulled it open with a yawn and then froze, suddenly remembering he never opened his door to strangers as well as making sure he was completely dressed first. As the cool air from the hallway hit his naked chest, he realized he still wore the towel from his shower the night before. Her scent on that unwelcome air hit him harder, and he covered his crotch with one hand and slammed the door shut with the other.

 Dot was left standing in the hall, staring at the door, but that's not what she saw. The vision of Colin in only a towel would be forever imprinted on her retinas. Her mouth fell open at those muscles, and the hair lightly sprinkled on his chest and abdomen, disappearing beneath the low riding towel. His tattered uniform and all that grease had hidden much more than she could have hoped for, and she licked her lips. "Oh my!"

The breath rushed from her lungs, before she sucked it back in and knocked on the door again.

"Yeah, hold your damn horses!" His muffled shout replied from a distance. Her instincts told her to get the hell out of there. She'd already embarrassed him, and she didn't want to make it worse, but she knew she couldn't leave without at least apologizing for taking him so unaware. She thought mechanics always got up early. Glancing at her watch, she winced, having read the time wrong. It probably was too early to show up at a man's home, especially one she barely knew.

Dot took a few steps away from the door and waited. His agitation came through the wood in muffled curses, and she clenched her fingers together behind her back. When the door finally opened again, black covered Colin from head to toe. The only bit of skin visible was the part of his face the knitted cap and matching scarf didn’t cover. She frowned, wanting to see his hair without all that grease, and she missed that opportunity earlier when she couldn’t tear her eyes from his muscular chest and arms. His whole body blocked the doorway as he glared at her.

“How did you know where I live?”

She gave him what she hoped was her most charming smile. “So I guess you’re not going to invite me in?” His objection to that suggestion shone clearly in his disgruntled features.

“I was actually on my way out.” He closed and locked the door behind him and then marched past her to the stairs. “I thought you understood that your car won’t be ready for at least a week.”

Dot stared at his ass, wishing his jeans were a bit tighter. “Of course you made that clear. I was having breakfast at the diner and mentioned how my phone switches off for no reason. The waitress mentioned you. I actually think she has a crush on you.” Colin stopped half way down the stairs and looked over his shoulder at her.

“You mean Rose?”

She nodded, unable to keep the humor from showing in her grin.

“Rose has a crush on every eligible man in the whole town. I’ll have to talk to her about giving out my address to strangers though.”

Dot raced down the stairs and stopped in front of him. “I’m not a stranger.”

He stared down at her, his expression unreadable, and she tried not to fidget under his intense scrutiny. He held out his gloved hand to her, and she stared at it, unsure what to do. Did he want to hold her hand? A warm rush flowed through her body at the thought, even though she wouldn’t be holding his bare hand. “Your phone?”

“Oh, of course.” She couldn’t stop the nervous giggle that escaped as she scrambled through her purse in search of her cell phone. Once found, she placed it in his gloved palm. Colin stared at it for a moment, and she saw uncertainty cross his face. Finally, he pulled off one glove and cradled the phone in his fingers. She could only stare in awe as his expression changed, as if he no longer saw the phone but something bigger, and his eyes scanned the empty air above his palm. He blinked a few times and then refocused on her.

“I’ll walk you back to the diner. I should have your phone fixed by then.” Without another word, he passed her on the stairs, and she had no other choice but to follow him.

Available on Smashwords.com and Amazon.com. I will post the actual release date and link once it is available. http://www.judesplace.com/blog

Whew! Sounds like a hot romance!

Stay tuned next week for another egg-cerpt exchange!

Until then...take care and be blessed!
PamT

Saturday, April 5, 2014

Saturday Spotlight: Egg-Cerpt Exchange with Anita Philmar

Yep, today we're highlighting another EggCerpt Exchange feature from Tina Gayle's Egg-cerpt Exchage blog hop.

Enjoy!



This is a great way for authors to promote their books on each other blogs.



Here's my contribution to the fun.


Blurb for In Too Deep


On the banks of the Trinity River, Sadie Pepperman is looking for a chance to escape the demands of her in-laws. With her husband’s dead, they want her to marry her brother-in-law so they can take control of her farm.

Suddenly, the peace of the day is shattered when her best friend steps too far into the river. Rushing to save her, Sadie meets a handsome stranger that ignites her dormant lust. She sees her friend rescued by a steamship and backs away from Logan Jansen, only to turn her ankle.

The agonizing pain leaves Sadie with the inability to walk. Needing help, she offers Logan a place to stay if he’ll help with the chores on her farm. With his agreement, Sadie adds another problem to her list. Now, not only does she have to worry about how to bring her crops in from the field and run her farm alone but she also has to fight her attraction to Logan.

Can Sadie end her in-laws’ interference in her life,
run her farm alone,
and give love another chance?


Now for the Excerpt:

“Are you a friend of the woman who is drowning?”
Unable to certain what to say to the stranger, she nodded and worked to clear the lump in her throat. How did this man know about Carolyn?
“Move over. I’ll drive. If we hurry I should be able to save her and my friend.” He placed a foot on the side step of the wagon and crowded onto the bench.
She quickly scooted along the wooden plank, allowing him room to settle beside her. Long fingers closed over the reins and he tugged the leather from her grip.
He didn’t wait for an answer. Lifting the reins, he released the brake.
A loud whistle sounded from the river, followed almost immediately by the slapping of paddles against the water.
The man clicked his tongue to encourage Beauty to get moving. He drove the wagon closer to the edge of the river, creating a rough new trail.
Bouncing on the seat like a rag doll, Sadie tried to keep her distance from the man, even though the task was next to impossible with the constant swaying of the wagon. She continually brushed against his arm, shoulder and thigh. A particularly hard bump almost landed in his lap.
“I’m sorry, but you need to slow down,” she complained and straightened.
He drew back on the reins; the wagon rolled to a stop. His head turned in the other direction. He shifted away from her and jumped down from the wagon before she repositioned herself on the bench. “Damn that steamship. They’re rescuing them.”
A little stunned by everything that had happened, Sadie lifted a hand to her throat. Her gaze stayed locked on Logan until his comment finally registered. She glanced at the water and noticed a steamboat cruising down-river. A line hung from the side with two people hanging from the end.
She scrambled off the wagon to keep the boat in sight as it moved farther away. “Oh, no, where will it take them?”
“Probably to the next port, maybe Liberty or on into Galveston.”  When the steamboat rounded a bend and drifted out of sight, the stranger turned. His gaze grew in intensity as he scanned the length of her body. “I’m Logan by the way.”

Burned by his steady regard, Sadie glanced down at her attire. Heat stained her cheeks. The ribbon on her camisole had worked its way loose and the swell of her breasts lay exposed to his view. She’d been about to redress when Carolyn fell into the river. Lifting her hands automatically to cover herself, she bowed her head.
What should she do now?

Purchase In Too Deep at Smashword - https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/412197
Amazon - http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00IMQLOMC

Thanks for sharing,

Anita

Twitter: @anitaphilmar

Thursday, April 3, 2014

Thursday Thoughts: Procrastination

We've all heard the old adage, "Never put of until tomorrow what you can do today" but how many times do we do just that?

I've recently found out that I'm as guilty as the next person and what this does to me personally is make my work 3x harder!

What do I mean by that?

A couple of years ago I paid for new covers and did a quick edit through my Tempered series then put them up on Kindle, Nook & at Smaswords with the intention of getting them up in print also.

I've been working off and on in this endeavor for what seems like forever!

Well I finally got all of the formatting issues resolved and ordered another print proof and set out to read through, word for word and guess what?

You guessed it! I've found so many "little" things that, although a reader might not catch them, make me cringe!

In my haste to get the books up on Kindle, Nook and for other E-readers, I've put out less than my best work, which in my mind is an integrity issue!

Boy is it ever an eye-opening experience. Now I have to go back through not only the print version, but all three of the other versions!

So take some advice from someone who has learned her lesson....Don't put off until tomorrow what you can do today and DON'T be in a hurry! Give your best in everything.

After all, God gave His BEST to us!

Something to think about....
"Inspirational with an Edge!" 

Tuesday, April 1, 2014

Tuesday Treasure: Egg-Cerpt Exchange with Kim Headlee

Good Morning Friends!

Well we're right smack dab in the middle of the #Egg-cerpt Exchange blog hop and today's guest is Kim Headlee!

Here's more about her and her book.....


About Dawnflight:
Gyan is a Caledonian chieftainess by birth, a warrior and leader of warriors by training, and she is betrothed to Urien, a son of her clan’s deadliest enemy, by right of Arthur the Pendragon’s conquest of her people. For the sake of peace, Gyan is willing to sacrifice everything...perhaps even her very life, if her foreboding about Urien proves true.

Roman by his father, Brytoni by his mother, and denied hereditary rulership of his clan because of his mixed blood, Arthur is the supreme commander of the northern Brytoni army. The Caledonians, Scots, Saxons, and Angles keep him too busy to dwell upon his loneliness...most of the time.

When Gyan and Arthur meet, each recognize within the other their soul’s mate. The treaty has preserved Gyan’s ancient right to marry any man—but Arthur does not qualify. And the ambitious Urien, Arthur’s greatest political rival, shall not be so easily denied. If Gyan and Arthur cannot prevent Urien from plunging the Caledonians and Brytons back into war, their love will be doomed to remain unfulfilled forever.


Eggcerpt:

Arthur chuckled. More twigs pattered onto the tiles. “You seemed to enjoy yourself in St. John’s, my love.”

“Of course. Why shouldn’t I?” He pulled the last laurel leaves from Gyan's hair, and she turned toward him.

“I thought you might not understand everything. I don’t mean the words,” he amended, silencing her protest with a finger to her lips, “but the symbolism.”

Smiling, she clasped his hands, glad for the chance to share this secret. “The man who taught me your tongue taught me about…my God.”

He didn’t hide his astonishment. “But the candle-lighting?”

“I asked Merlin to add that Caledonian custom for the benefit of Father and the rest of my clansmen, not for myself.” She recalled the private conversation in the bishop’s workroom, scant minutes before riding to the bonding ritual. Swept along by the tide of events, she hadn’t noticed anything odd at the time. Hindsight was telling a different tale. “I’m amazed he agreed so readily.”

“Maybe it was his way of apologizing for advising me against accepting your clan-mark.”

“Maybe.”

Self-doubt, planted by Merlin, grew within her. She disengaged her hands, stood, and walked to the window overlooking the inner courtyard of the praetorium, but from the mental tirade there was no escape.

“Does the One God care so much about a mark on the skin?” With the hand of her sword arm resting over her heart, she slowly stroked her clan-mark. She couldn’t raise her voice above a whisper: “Does this mean I’m really not a Christian?”

His chest pressed to her back as his arms twined about her waist. His lips were warm against her neck. The aromatic essence of his victory crown lingered like a halo.

“I believe God cares more about what’s in our hearts than what’s on our bodies. But some people”—he sighed—“priests, especially, can get strange notions sometimes.”

Strange notions, indeed. It was all too confusing.

 
Until March 20th, enter the Goodreads giveaway for 1 of 10 signed print copies of Dawnflight:




Goodreads Book Giveaway

Dawnflight by Kim Headlee

Dawnflight

by Kim Headlee

Giveaway ends March 20, 2014.
See the giveaway details at Goodreads.
Enter to win
Buy Dawnflight via:
Kindle | Print | Audiobook | Nook | Kobo | iBooks


Follow Kim Headlee on:
Facebook | Google+ | LinkedIn | Pinterest | Twitter | YouTube


kimheadlee.blogspot.com