Saturday Spotlight ~ KM Daughters

Hello Friends,
Please welcome back to our spotlight KM Daughters with their newest release, Capturing Karma!

K.M. Daughters is the award winning writing team of sisters, Pat Casiello and Kathie Clare. Their penname is dedicated to the memory of their parents: Kay and Mickey Lynch. Pat is married to Nick Casiello and has three children, Jen, Emilie and Brian. Kathie is married to Tom Clare and has two sons, Tom and Michael. She has two grandchildren, Natalie and Michael and a new grandbaby is expected in September. K.M. Daughters’ career began with two book contracts from The Wild Rose Press and White Rose Publishing on the same day – January 26, 2008. Three more book contracts followed in 2008 in three romance genres: Inspirational, Romantic Suspense and Contemporary Romance. The Visions of Love inspirational series features Jewel of the Adriatic and Rose of the Adriatic. The author’s romantic suspense Sullivan Boys series includes: Against Doctors Orders, Beyond The Code of Conduct, Capturing Karma and working titles: All’s Fair In Love and Law and In The St. Nick of Time.

Blurb: Veterinarian Matty Connors’ visions lead her to homicide detective Brian Sullivan again despite her resolve to remain anonymous the past four years. Her official work with the police in California resulted in the brutal murder of her fiancé, a recurrent nightmare she barely survives. The reputed ladies man of the Sullivan family, Brian has never given his heart to a woman until sultry Matty claims it. His black-and-white approach to solving crimes doesn’t jibe with Matty’s spooky pronouncements or her reputation for so-called infallibility. A wild goose chase searching for a murder weapon casts doubt on Matty’s “truths” and threatens their romance. Is Brian her nightmare slayer and ultimate truth? When the puzzle pieces fall in place for Brian, will it be too late to save Matty?

Excerpt:
“Hi,” he said, a single syllable that touched off a concussion of illogical pleasure inside her.

“Hi, Brian,” she responded, tamping down the temptation to hug him hello. “How’s the new baby doing?”

“Great, thanks. How’s that bump on your head?”

Matilda touched an edge of one of the butterfly strips over her eyebrow. “Turning every color of the rainbow, but it’s fine.”

He swiveled his head toward the throaty bark of the wolfhound in the corner of the room, then scanned the other occupants in the lounge: primate, feline, porcine, wolfish and human. “Steve told me you’re a great vet.
Looks like you’re pretty swamped here.”

“Shamus and I split the patient load,” she said.

“And Shamus is?”

“My brother. He came for me at the hospital yesterday?”

Brian’s eyes bored into her, a sexy smile twitched the corner of his lips. “Good.”

“And ‘good’ means?”

“The big guy isn’t competition. That’s good.”

“Ah. So we’re clear. What competition would that be?”

The sexy smile twitched again. “For but a smile from sweet Matty,” he lilted in an Irish brogue.

Squelching an impulse to grin, she molded her face serious and parroted a brogue, “Ah but woe to the knave who plies smiles with an untrue heart.”

She grinned now. “What can I do for you, Brian? Did you get an estimate to repair your car?”

“It’s about that letter you brought me. It’s related to a case. We need your help.”

Of course. “I gave you the letter. You know as much as I do. “ Her heart hammered, nothing to do with the pulse acceleration from earlier flirtation. I can’t go further with this case. No matter what I have to stay anonymous.

Capturing Karma is available now from The Wild Rose Press!

For more information on this talented team and their books, visit their website: http://www.kmdaughters.com/

Well folks, looks like that wraps it up for Jan 2010 Saturday Spotlight! Don't worry though, I've got great authors and their books lined up all year!

Until later....take care, God Bless and remember....Faith is the substance of things hoped for and the evidence of things not seen. (Hebrews 11:1)

Settling In

Hello Friends,

Experts say it takes a minimum of 30 days to create a new habit. We all know it takes no time at all to fall back into an old one LOL!

This is the last week of January and I wonder~ how are you doing with your goals and resolutions?

My goal as you know was to work from home and I'm finding it takes dedication and discipline to do this.

The first couple of weeks I gave myself a break and time to settle in. Week three I implemented a routine of sorts, one that allows me time to Pray, Write and Promote my own work as well as work on my PPS clients.

Well you know the saying....the best laid plans of mice and men....

Although the routine is workable, life has a habit of getting in the way - HOWEVER I am managing to pin down time to write and submit. So, I guess that's a good thing.

Maybe by the end of next month I'll have lots of good news to report.

Not much else to chat about so until next time....take care, God Bless, and remember....the root of procrastination is fear so get to working on those goals and resolutions!

Saturday Spotlight - Mona Risk

Good Morning Friends!

Today's spotlight is Ms. Mona Risk with her newest release, Rx for Trust.

Here's a little about Mona in her own words......A Chemist and a Writer

Of Greek origin, I grew up in Alexandria, Egypt. The balcony of my childhood bedroom overlooked the beautiful Mediterranean Sea. I spent hours curled on the floor of this balcony, reading or staring at the sea, and imagining wonderful stories where I played heroine to a gorgeous hero. Moving to the U.S. at the age of twenty, I was lucky enough to marry the hero of my dreams and live happily ever after with a lovely daughter and a bright son.

As a Ph.D. in Chemistry and director of an environmental laboratory, I visited fifty countries on business or vacation. To relax from my hectic schedule, I avidly read romance novels or mentally plotted my own books. I was in a hotel room in the Ukraine, typing my latest work report, when the clamor of my characters in my head made me decide it was time to take an early retirement and write the numerous stories I had in mind.

Now I live in sunny Florida with my husband and write full time. I like to set stories in the fascinating places I visited. When I'm not in my office writing, I'm probably walking on the beach and plotting my next scene.

An American psychiatrist, with a troubled past and secrets by the bucket-load has built a successful career where love has no room. The French psychiatrist, she loved ten years ago, detests secrets and threatens to unravel the secrets of her thorny past. Can he win her trust and love before her inner fears destroy their second chance at happiness?

Excerpt:

Olivia loved her mother to death, but at the moment she wanted to scream her frustration at her beaming Mama. It was obvious Marianna Crane had fallen in love with Luc the moment she’d seen him, or more precisely at the very minute he bent over and kissed the back of her hand with an “Enchanté, madame.”

“I’m delighted to meet you, Luc. Please have a seat. Where have I put my glasses? Melissa, bring the tray of hors d’oeuvres from the kitchen. Olivia, can you serve the drinks? Luc, what can I get you?”

Wow, sounds like a great story!

This award-winning novel (the first book in the Doctor’s Order series), was released in December by The Wild Rose Press. Also available at Amazon.com. Barnesandnoble.com.

Find out more about Mona by visiting her website and blog!

Well that wraps up another edition of Saturday Spotlight - hope to see you next week!

Until later .... Be Blessed.

Electic Reader? There's something for everyone @ White Rose Publishing!

Reposted from White Roses in Bloom blog ~
I'm being lazy today :-)



If you are reading this blog, chances are, you are a fan of inspirational romance. But all fans are not the same! Fortunately White Rose Publishing has something for everyone. They really do. What? You don't believe me? Then I'll show you.

Let's take best friends Tammy, Becky, Jane and Sandra. (Yes, I am making these people up for the sake of example.) Part of the reason they are friends is that they all love reading and discussing inspirational romance. But they don't always read the same books.

Tammy loves to cuddle up in her favorite chair with her cat on her lap and a historical romance in hand. At White Rose Publishing she'll find titles to choose from such as All or Nothing, Journey to Forgiveness, and Fragile Dreams. All of these are available as print books as well as ebooks. But Tammy is fortunate enough to have an ebook reader so she also enjoys shorter stories she can download such as Dilema of the Heart or Wildflower in Bloom

Becky adores contemporary stories such as Alvarado Gold, Beneath a Texas Sky and Case of the Heart. These are all available in print. But wait. Becky is a cubicle dweller and she really likes short stories that she can read on her computer during her lunch hour. So she might prefer Child of My Heart, By Another Name or Dreams Do Come True.

Jane wants a bit of mystery or suspense thrown in with the romance. She might enjoy Lethal Lasagna, A Matter of Trust or First I'm Nobody. Jane is often on the go. For those times when she's standing in line or stuck in a waiting room she likes shorter stories that she can read on her smart phone. She could choose from titles such as Daniella, Sweet Rest or Through a Glass Darkly.

Sandra is a stay-at-home mom. She doesn't care what kind of romance she reads as long as it fits into her budget. White Rose Publishing offers free reads on their site such as A Perfect Fit, Matchmaker of Love or Review of Love. Sandra joined the White Rose Publishing group on Yahoo to get some of the free "members only" reads there. As an added bonus, she's found a source of adult interaction that she can access without leaving the house! When she runs out of free reads, she'll probably start on the Dollar Downloads. Those include titles such as Cathy's Angel, Hyacinths in Winter, or Turning Back.

This is a just a few titles I pulled out at random. The White Rose catalog is much, much bigger and includes more categories than I listed. Jewel of the Adriatic and Rose of the Adriatic include mystic elements. Isanne's Revelation is a time travel romance. And don't even get my started on the great holiday stories! In my series Orchard Hill Romances, each story centers around a holiday. (See how I just slipped that into the conversation. You almost didn't notice that it was a plug for my own books, right?)

I hope this little post has made you curious. I wish I could have included the blurb for each title, but this would be an enormously long post if I did. I also don't have the patience to add a link to each title, but you can access the White Rose catalog here. If you are not familiar with White Rose Publishing I think you are in for a big treat! Happy Reading!

Saturday Spotlight - Barbara Edwards

Good Morning Friends!

Today please welcome to our spotlight, Barbara Edwards and her book, Ancient Awakening.

Police Officer ‘Mel’ Petersen investigates a death only she believes is murder. By disobeying direct orders from the Rhodes End Chief, she risks her career to follow clues that twist in circles to her backyard and lead the killer to her.


Her neighbor Stephen Zoriak is a prime suspect. Steve worked for a major pharmaceutical company where he discovered a weapon so dangerous he destroys the research. He is exposed to the dangerous organism. He suspects he is the killer and agrees to help her find the truth.

In the course of their investigation Mel and Steve find the real killer and a love that defies death.

Excerpt:

Steve’s fingers clawed through his rumpled hair as he absently adjusted the focus on his microscope. He needed another trim badly. His rapidly growing hair was more than an irritation. Along with his thickened nails, it was another symptom.

Frustrated when his vision remained blurred he closed his eyes. He had to take a break. He hadn’t slept since early yesterday morning. His ability to concentrate on the task at hand was keeping him sane, but his thoughts twisted with the implications of the discovery at the dump.

Swallowing a mouthful of the artificial protein drink he’d concocted when nothing else would settle in his stomach, he stared at the fresh slide sample.

What he’d seen of the bloodless corpse had poised him on the edge of panic. He couldn’t hesitate any longer. He pressed the heels of his hands against his eyelids to blot out the memory of Mel concentrating on the puzzle of the dead man, her changeable hazel eyes green with curiosity.

He didn’t want to think about Mel. The way she always moved like those too thin, sensuous women on the covers of glamour magazines, with slim hips, long legs and no breasts had his groin tightening. The longing to taste her lips added to his misery. He could smell her scent on the breeze.

Ancient Awakening is available now from The Wild Rose Press.

To find out more about Barbara visit here website and/or blog. Follow here on twitter!

Well folks, looks like we've put another week in this new year behind us - have you conquered writing the date yet?

I still catch myself writing 09 LOL!

Until later....take care & God Bless!

Random Ramblings

Good Morning Friends!

One of the goals for this year is to blog more often, however I can't think of anything to talk about. Anything of significance that is LOL!

So far, I'm loving this new venture of mine but to be honest, out of the seven days (not counting the weekend) only two were spent totally at home. Some little detail arose the other five - including babysitting a sick grandchild - thank God he is on the mend!

Speaking of new ventures, a dear freind of mine has embarked on one of her own. For those of you in Texas and Georgia, this may be something you'd find interesting! Check it out: http://wwww.kellykirch.igniteinc.biz/

Tomorrow I'll be guest blogging over at Tess Quinn's blog for her Writers on Writing feature so drop by if you have a minute. I'll be on the go but will stop in and respond to comments.

Well, that's about it for now. Until later.....take care, be Blessed and remember when you dream, dream big cause all of heaven is dreaming with you!

Tempered Dreams available in Ebook & Print!

Saturday Spotlight - Jo Ann Carter

Hello Friends and Welcome to the First Edition of Saturday Spotlight in this new year!

Today's guest is Jo Ann Carter with her book, Teacher's Plans.                                                                 

JoAnn Carter lives in Vermont with her wonderful husband of 17 years, four children and Ginger, the best dog in the world. She enjoys being with her family & friends, writing, reading, and cooking.  In the past JoAnn has worked as a Licensed Practical Nurse, and as a substitute teacher. This year however, she is at home, to home school one of her children.

JoAnn is available for speaking engagements to book clubs, reader groups, library groups, women's ministry events, school events and church retreats. To contact her, please write jo.glenncarter@yahoo.com

 

When Amanda Manning, an exhausted, short-handed special education teacher, is given an assistant, things don't turn out as she planned. Her new assistant is anything but what Amanda expected—most strikingly, a male. Tracy Atkins secured a job as a teacher's assistant, but will he be able to secure the hand of the woman he is falling in love with? Especially when she finds out about the secret he is hiding? Come join their adventure as both Amanda and Tracy learn that God's plans are far better than their own. (Jeremiah 29:11)

Excerpt:(c) 2008 by: JoAnn Carter

Amanda reached out to shake his hand when his words hit her full force. She withdrew her hand like she just touched fire and squeaked, "You’re who?"

"I’m your new assistant. The principal said to meet you here."

Silence engulfed the room.

Tracy shifted his weight to one hip looking slightly uncomfortable for the first time. "He said you would be expecting me."

Amanda tried to cover up her shock. "Um, right… it’s just…" You’re a man--and not just any man--a drop dead gorgeous one! She felt like she was drowning with no way out. She grabbed at straws for anything to say; she needed time to gather her wits. "Were you by any chance at an interview in the Board of Education building on June 13th?"

Buy Teacher's Plans Here!

Well Friends, hope you enjoy this edition of Saturday Spotlight - stay tuned each week for another great author and book!

Until later....take care, Be Blessed and remember....man plans his way but God directs his steps (if we let him)

New Year - New Venture!

Well Friends, I've jumped off the deep end.

No, I haven't lost my mind yet - or maybe I have LOL!

What I've done is quit my job.

Now before you start worrying that I'm going to lie around and cry my life away, let me reassure you that is not the case.

I've taken a GIANT leap of faith and quit my job in order to pursue this whole writing business (writing/editing/promoting/signings/sales/speaking engagements/etc) and with God's grace, wisdom and direction move into a new level.

One thing that encouraged me to do this is - back in October - Jo Anne Vandermeulen of Premium Promotional Services contacted me about working as an associate for them. I said yes. Very excited with the results I had part time, I feel God is leading me to be available full time and that this is a good time to pursue my lifelong dream of working from home.

PPS's motto is "You Write, We Promote" and believe me, we stand on what we say. Jo Anne is wonderful about working with each individual author to design a promo package to fit his or her needs AND budget.

I am pleased to be a part of her team and you'll find a link to PPS in my sidebar under "Areas of Interest."

Oh and join me TONIGHT 8pm CST as a guest on Jo Anne's radio program “Authors Articulating with Jo-Anne Vandermeulen”

I'm also doing editing and writing on my own. Each project is different but if you need help with your manuscript contact me and let's see how I can help you!

Along with my work for PPS and writing/editing jobs I pick up, I plan to really focus on getting my own books out there through signings, speaking engagements and phone calls and visits to libraries and book stores.

I know this sounds like I'll be really busy, and I probably will but one thing - the most important reason behind this decision - is to take time to heal from the loss of my beloved AND grow in my relationship with God.

Your prayerful support is greatly appreciated as I embark on this new venture and I pray that each and every one of you have a BLESSED and Prosperous year!

Until later....take care, be Blessed and remember....Man plans his ways but God directs his steps.

Dawn of a New Year by Susan Lyons!

Happy New Year!

Well we've wrapped up another year and as difficult as 2009 was, I'm looking forward to 2010 and finding God's new purpose for me.

Today will be the last of the holiday-themed romances so please welcome once again to the blog, Susan Lyons with her story Dawn of a New Year.

Susan is multi-talented and multi-published under her name and a pseudonym - Susan Fox. You can find out more about her at her website.

“Dawn of a New Year” is a sweet short story from The Wild Rose Press. It’s available as a stand-alone and is also contained in CALENDAR OF LOVE, an anthology of twelve tender romances, one for each month of the year, themed around a holiday or special occasion.

Blurb:
Newly divorced, Ann has special plans for New Year’s: doing exactly what she wants, all on her own. Yet, when her sister, a caterer, makes a last-minute plea for help, Ann can’t say no. She’s no fan of big parties, and the last thing she expects is to meet a kindred spirit. Can Will convince her that alone really isn’t the best way to spend New Year’s?

Excerpt:

And so, rather than slipping into comfy flannel pajamas, Anne found herself donning a tailored white shirt and black skirt, taming her long auburn hair into a neat French braid, and putting on a touch of make-up. Although she regretted the loss of her peaceful evening alone, she really didn’t mind helping her sister.

She’d done it enough times that she was comfortable with Jean’s staff. In fact, it was fun, bantering back and forth with the others as they did prep work in the client’s impressive kitchen.

When the guests began to arrive, Anne straightened her black and white apron with its embroidered We Cater to You logo, and picked up a platter of yummy-looking appetizers. “Into the fray.”

As she circulated, smiling politely, she studied the partygoers and felt immensely relieved to be one of the staff, not a guest. This wasn’t her kind of scene. She preferred meaningful one-on-one conversations, not this animated, almost frenetic socializing. She watched as women flitted around the room, tossing their hair back, laughing too loud, exchanging a few words, giving another artificial laugh, then moving on. Oh yes, everyone was determined to have fun tonight – or at least give the impression they were having fun.

When she caught herself shaking her head in pity, she hurriedly plastered the smile back on her face.

That was when she saw him. He was clad in a tux like most of the other men, but managed to look casual rather than stiff. If she assessed his features one by one – dark brown hair, rather prominent nose, determined jaw – she’d have to say they were nothing special, and yet they went together particularly well. Besides, there was something arresting about him. Perhaps it was because he was alone, unmoving, leaning one shoulder against a wall and watching the bustle that swirled around him.

Although he didn’t look nervous she wondered if perhaps he was a stranger to the group, and feeling out of place. Anne could imagine herself in the same position, if she’d accepted Caitlin’s New Year’s Eve invitation.

Maybe she was being fanciful. Likely he’d come with one of those pretty party women, and was just taking a breather from the action.

Still, if he was feeling uncomfortable, wasn’t it part of her job to help put him at ease? That was all she was doing, she told herself as she slipped through the crowd and headed over to him. It really had nothing to do with how attractive she found him.

When she was halfway there, his gaze fixed on her, making her feel self-conscious – but in a nice, feminine way she hadn’t felt in a long time.

She cleared her throat. “Good evening. May I offer you an appetizer?”

Most people immediately looked down at the tray and made a selection, but this man continued to study her face. From someone else, the prolonged attention might have seemed rude, but somehow this man made her feel as if he was really seeing her, as if he was interested in knowing her.

Now there she went, being fanciful again! Embarrassed she ducked her head and moved the tray another inch or two closer to him.

When she glanced up again, he was smiling. The smile was friendly and genuine, unlike the superficial ones she’d been seeing all evening.

Well Friends, I hope you've enjoyed these holiday-themed romances and purchased a whole bunch for your reading pleasure.

Stay tuned to find out what's happening in my life as I continue my journey from wife to widow to individual.

Saturday spotlight will resume next weekend. Thanks for sticking with me throughout this difficult and life-altering year ~ hope to see you again and often!

Until later....Be Blessed.

PamT