My Husband is Married to An Alien Time Traveler by Janie Emaus – Guest Blog and Giveaway

July 29, 2022 By 8 Comments

This post is part of a virtual book tour organized by Goddess Fish Promotions. Janie Emaus will be awarding a $50 Amazon or Barnes and Noble GC to a randomly drawn winner via rafflecopter during the tour. Click on the tour banner to see the other stops on the tour.

My Husband is Married to An Alien Time Traveler

One of the laws in The Time Traveling Matchmaker Handbook refers to blood type. Those with RH negative blood find it easier to time travel and make excellent matchmakers.

According to articles I have read on the Internet, a most reliable source as we all know, those with RH negative blood are descendants of aliens.

it’s a double whammy for because Rh-negative blood flows through my veins.

Or at least it did before Covid. My blood type may now be Cabernet-positive, but I wasn’t born that way.

So, not only could I be a relative of ET, I possess the ability to time travel once I find the correct portal.

The Rh factor refers to a protein first discovered on the red blood cells of the Rhesus monkey. Having this protein means one is Rh-positive. Without the protein, one is Rh-negative.

Only 15% of the population fall in the negative category. And scientists cannot fully explain its origin.

Which logically follows, if we didn’t evolve from earthly organisms, aliens must have landed here via spaceship or time travel, zillions of years ago and left their mark.

What other explanation could there possibly be?

One of the reasons for this belief is that an Rh-negative mother may reject her Rh-positive baby. And what civilized species rejects one of its own?

It’s also been noted that some of us have an extra vertebrae. I do, in fact, have a floating rib. We usually have lower than normal blood pressure and a low pulse.

Upon further dissection into my behavior, I began to question the validity of my human status.

I do have some very off-beat characteristics.

For one, I have to keep things in balance. For instance, if I touch a knob with one hand, I have to touch it with the other. When I walk, I have this pole which I tap with both fingers. And I sometimes even ask the friend I am walking with to touch the pole after me.
She rolls her eyes, a very human trait. But she does comply. Isn’t that what best friends are for?

I once had a dream where each piece of my clothing had numerical value. I couldn’t wake up until I was in balance.

I love mayonnaise, lettuce and peanut butter sandwiches. I find myself counting steps all the time.

I could go on and on, but the more I think about this, I’d rather keep my existence a secret from possible “other-worldly” spies. Experiments may be ongoing.

Perhaps my “real” descendants are looking for me.

Please don’t worry.

Should I suddenly disappear, I will phone home!

In The Time Traveling Matchmaker, love takes on a new meaning when soul mates are brought together through time and space.

Like every goal-oriented twenty-something, Jessica Singleton, an aspiring filmmaker, is obsessed with finding her future as quickly as possible. What she doesn’t know is that the future is obsessed with finding her, too. Renn Porter, an agent with Time Traveling Matchmaker’s Inc, blasts back in time – and into her life- in order to transport Jessica to the soul mate who has paid for this service…in the future. But things turn dangerous when it’s revealed that Renn has been sent after his own soul mate.

Caught between two times, Jessica and Renn must struggle to stay alive. Falling in love is the biggest risk either of them has ever taken – because, as they are destined to learn, the very existence of Time Traveling Matchmakers, Inc. rests in Jessica’s hands.

Enjoy an Excerpt

Renn was coming toward me now and our eyes met. Fireworks went off inside my chest. He wasn’t avoiding me this time. This time I would learn the truth.

I raised my hand in a small wave.

“Watch out!” A bicyclist shouted as he sped down the sidewalk, completely out of control.

He clipped Renn’s shoulder, pushing him up against me. Renn’s coat got caught on the buckle of my purse. I heard a rip. No, more than that – I felt a rip down the center of my body, jagged like a piece of broken glass. Beneath my feet, the sidewalk tilted, and I lost my balance.

A strong a wind kept me from falling. Once steady, I turned to find Renn.

This all happened in a less than a second. And in that second Renn was gone. Vanished. Just like that. All that was left was his lemony scent. And the memory of his hand on my arm.

I didn’t see him in either direction. My head throbbed as if something heavy kept knocking into it.

A minute later a mother with her little girl walked past me. I knew before she stopped, that the little girl was going to bend down to tie her shoe. Time was going to repeat itself. Again.

She giggled, just like before. “Thanks, Mommy,” she said. “Tomorrow I can do it myself.”

I held on to the desire I had seen in Renn’s eyes, wondering about my tomorrow.

About the Author Janie Emaus believes when the world is falling apart, we’re just one laugh away from putting it together again. The Time Traveling Matchmaker is her debut adult novel. She is also the author of the blended holiday picture books, Latkes for Santa Claus, and the forthcoming Matzo Balls & Easter Eggs. Her essays, stories and articles have been published in numerous magazines, anthologies, and websites. In 2016 she won an honorary mention in the Erma Bombeck Writing competition. To learn more about Janie visit her at her website.

Facebook | Twitter | Medium | Instagram | website

Buy the book at Amazon, Barnes and Noble, or Bookshop.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Filed Under: Guest Blogs, Romance Tagged With: , , ,

WHAT I LEARNED FROM MY VILLAIN by Jenna Jaxon – Guest Blog and Giveaway

July 27, 2022 By 8 Comments

This post is part of a virtual book tour organized by Goddess Fish Promotions. Jenna Jaxon will be awarding a $20 Amazon/BN GC to a randomly drawn winner via rafflecopter during the tour. Click on the tour banner to see the other stops on the tour.

WHAT I LEARNED FROM MY VILLAIN

This is a hard/tricky question for this book, because it actually has two villains and I learned something from both of them. The first villain in The Widow’s Christmas Surprise is Maria’s (the heroine) second husband, Allan, Lord Kersey. Her first husband died at Waterloo, leaving her a very young widow. She seduced/was seduced by Lord Kersey and married him. This is the backstory, although at the end of the first book of the series, we are given the hope that the couple will do just fine. Rakes make the best husbands.

Except when they don’t.

And as I was writing the series, I became convinced that Allan would not change his ways. He would cheat on Maria and she would be miserable. This book opens with Allan getting ready to go out and duel with a man whose wife he was found in bed with. Yeah, Allan is pretty dastardly.

But I also became convinced that some villains could be redeemed at the very last minute. They may be rakes or blackguards or cads, but they could still have a shred of decency in them and redeem themselves in surprising ways—Allan’s is by showing heretofore unknown courage and a final thought for his wife and child. I find sometimes I want to redeem a villain and sometimes they earn that last bit of grace.

The second villain, Lord Wetherby, taught me that sometimes everything I just said above doesn’t hold true. Sometimes the villain is simply a villain and so gets their just desserts, either death, or imprisonment, or merely a money-grubbing shrew for a wife. We don’t learn Lord Wetherby’s ultimate fate in The Widow’s Christmas Surprise, but I can guarantee, it will be exactly what he deserves, no redemption in sight.

The death of her husband has thrown Lady Maria Kersey’s future into doubt—and her heart into the arms of a man she cannot have. But Christmas with the Widows’ Club will bring choices—and surprises–that may change all her holidays to come . . .

Maria just gave birth to her first child, a beautiful daughter—but the event is shrouded in sorrow. A month earlier, Maria’s husband, Lord Kersey, was killed in a duel under compromising circumstances. Worse, Maria’s failure to provide a male heir has stripped her of any hope of an inheritance. Scorned by the ton, one of her few allies is her late husband’s steward, Hugh Granger. Hugh is everything her husband was not—warm, charming—and penniless. . . .

Hugh has fallen desperately in love with Maria, but has little to offer but comfort. As their attraction becomes impossible to resist, Maria flees to London to spend Christmas with her dearest friends, a group of widows who lost their own husbands in the Battle of Waterloo. Little does she know the holidays will reveal a twist of fate she never expected—proving that the greatest Christmas gift is the magic of true love . . .

Enjoy an Excerpt

“I see the skating came back to you,” he steered them down the center of the frozen pond toward the bulrushes at the end, then turned to head back up the far side.

“It did–this is so marvelous–I did not realize how much I had missed it until I started to skate.” Maria’s excitement was infectious. He’d not thought of skating since last year, but now the thrill of the speed—almost like flying—seemed one of the most exhilarating things he’d ever done. “Take my hands like this.”

He clasped her hands, left in left and right in right, until they faced one another, then he began to spin them around, faster and faster until the world sped by at a dizzying pace.
Maria leaned her head back, laughing up to the cloudless sky, her face more beautiful than he’d ever seen it.

He slowed them down until they stood facing one another, panting. “I love you.” Hugh managed to get the words out before he sank his mouth onto hers.

The kiss was quick—they were still both gasping for breath—then a gulp of air, then he kissed her again. Longer this time, pressing against her even as he wrapped his arms around her and drew her to him. Another breath and he settled in for a lengthy kiss that he deepened, delving through her lips, into her mouth, tasting all the entrancing flavors that were uniquely her. God, he would never get enough.

About the Author: Jenna Jaxon is a best-selling author of historical romance, writing in a variety of time periods because she believes that passion is timeless. She has been reading and writing historical romance since she was a teenager. A romantic herself, Jenna has always loved a dark side to the genre, a twist, suspense, a surprise. She tries to incorporate all of these elements into her own stories.

She lives in Virginia with her family and a small menagerie of pets–including two vocal cats, one almost silent cat, two curious bunnies, and a Shar-pei mix named Frenchie.

Blog | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | TikTok

Buy the book for only $0.99 at Amazon.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Filed Under: Guest Blogs, Romance Tagged With: , , ,

Love Blooms in Morning Star by Charlotte Hubbard – Spotlight and Giveaway

July 26, 2022 By 3 Comments

This post is part of a virtual book tour organized by Goddess Fish Promotions. Charlotte Hubbard will be awarding a $15 Amazon or B/N GC to a randomly drawn winner via rafflecopter during the tour.Click on the tour banner to see the other stops on the tour.

As Jo Fussner keeps the Marketplace humming, her heart dances with a joyous secret. Jo and Michael Wengerd, a shy nursery owner from a nearby town, have fallen hopelessly in love. When Michael buys a courting buggy, Jo is sure a proposal will follow. But she’ll have to work hard to gain her mother’s approval—because the widowed Drusilla Fussner is convinced that marriage will bring her daughter nothing but heartache.

To win Jo’s hand, Michael enlists his father’s help in convincing Drusilla to give the marriage her blessing—and perhaps even open her heart to new happiness of her own. . . . But just as Jo and Michael’s hope for their future grows, an even bigger obstacle looms. The Amish elders vote to forbid any maidel from working once she marries. Now Jo must choose between the beloved store she’s put her heart into, and the man she can’t live without. Conflicted, Jo will have to trust that anything is possible when true faith guides the way.

Enjoy an Excerpt

Jo Fussner gripped the pew bench in her excitement, thrumming with joy as she gazed across the center of the room at Michael Wengerd. As newehockers, they had front row seats at Molly and Marietta Helfings’ double wedding, which was about to begin now that the church service had concluded. In his black pants and vest, with a white shirt that glowed in the March sunshine that streamed through the window, Michael looked so handsome and elegant that Jo still wondered what he saw in a bulky, big-boned woman like her. But the love shining in his gray-blue eyes as he returned her gaze had the power to make her feel beautiful beyond belief.

Michael might’ve stayed in Queen City over the winter to make things easier for me, but his face still reflects his deep feelings for me—his belief that we should be together. It’s a miracle even more special than springtime, Lord, and for that I thank You!

When Bishop Jeremiah Shetler smiled at Marietta and Molly, the brides rose from the pew bench. In their dresses of deep teal, adorned with aprons made of crisp white organdy, they looked fresh and lovely as they centered themselves before the bishop with their grooms on either side of them. Pete Shetler appeared as nervous as Jo had ever seen him—until Molly’s reassuring smile brought the dimples back into his playful grin. Widowed nearly a year ago, Glenn Detweiler offered his elbow to slender Marietta, who took it with a dreamlike sigh as he placed his hand over hers.

Lydianne Christner, another of the twins’ side-sitters, leaned closer to Jo. “It’s the moment we’ve all been waiting for!” she whispered happily. As the bishop’s fiancée, the pretty blond teacher was anticipating her own wedding in May, after school let out.

On Lydianne’s other side, redheaded Regina leaned forward to share her excitement, as well. “And your turns are coming!” she put in. “Last year at this time, who could’ve believed that every one of us confirmed maidels would find the man of her dreams?”

About the Author:

In 1983, Charlotte Hubbard sold her first story to True Story. She wrote around 70 of those confession stories, and she’s sold more than 60 books to traditional or online publishers. A longtime resident of Missouri, she’s currently writing Amish romances set in imaginary Missouri towns for Kensington. She now lives in Omaha, NE with her husband of 40+ years and their Border collie, Vera.

Website | Facebook

Buy the book at Amazon, Kensington, Kobo, , ChristianBook, or Target.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Filed Under: Guest Blogs, Romance Tagged With: , , ,

How do you fight fear in creativity? by Melissa J. Roche – Guest Blog and Giveaway

July 25, 2022 By 27 Comments

This post is part of a virtual book tour organized by Goddess Fish Promotions. Melissa J. Roche will be awarding a $25 Amazon/BN GC or a digital copy of the book to two randomly drawn winners via rafflecopter during the tour. Click on the tour banner to see the other stops on the tour.

How do you fight fear in creativity?

Fear is the mind killer. ~ Bene Gesserit litany, Dune Chronicles, Frank Herbert

I’m a roller skater, so I know what fear feels like.

Fear is the bunching of the muscles in my back and neck, bracing for the impact on hard concrete. Fear is those same muscles clenching early, anticipating failure, throwing off my balance before I even find it. Fear is the heavy sigh that says I shouldn’t even try next time—not when my bruises already have bruises.

I’m a writer, so I know what fear looks like.

Fear is a blank page that refuses to be filled. Fear is red ink, lifeblood leaking into the margins. Fear is a haze of alphabet soup, phrases floating through my peripheral vision—you can’t, that’s ridiculous and wrong, just delete it already, why would anyone ever want to read any of your words?

I’m an author, so I know what fear sounds like.

“How’d the release go?” “Did you hear about her six-figure deal?” “What are you working on next?” “Oh, that’s nice.” And let’s not forget the sound of silence—from the inbox, from the comment threads, from the vast void of social media marketing. A newborn author can find herself swallowed in that silence, fast forgetting the sound of her own voice.

I’m human. I stare Fear in the face, sometimes daily. I roll out of bed, put my feet on the floor, and find Fear already parked on my slumped shoulders, whispering lies into my ear. It’s hungry, ravenous even. It gobbles up insecurity, shame, comparison, scorn, failure, rejection—the table scraps of a diet no human should sustain. And just like that, it’s bigger, meaner, hungrier, ready for the next day.

But I’m still human, which means something else too: I’m stubborn. Tenacious. And equipped with the one weapon Fear fears most.

Anyone who’s put themselves through training knows it—only the stubborn become the skilled. Out on the skate rink I get up again, dust off my bruises, and get back at it. I spin around again, trip again, fall again, get up again, spin around again. And slowly, spin by spin, my reflexes grow more familiar with success than afraid of failure.

As a writer, I’m tenacious. To be honest, I learned tenacity from the words themselves. Words sometimes wake me in the middle of the night, restless until written. Ideas won’t let go until they’re shaped into story. That blank page that tries to dictate my opinion of myself as a writer? I’ve found I have to grab hold of it, shake loose all the unhelpful words, then put pen to paper and simply write the next right thing.

But then I have to face Fear’s greatest weapons: those whispers. They’ll hate it… She’s a better writer than you… You’re a fake… They’re all laughing behind your back… You’ll never be enough… These are the moments when stubbornness and tenacity fade, the words run and hide, and the doubt creeps in. And the only one weapon I’ve found that’s strong enough to counter Fear’s fiercest whispers… is Love.

Love yourself. As a writer, as a skater, as a human—love yourself. Learn to laugh when the words play tricks on you or when the wheels fly out from under you. Look yourself in the mirror, and speak truth to lies. Be proud of a first draft, however malnourished, no matter its Apgar score. Practice patience with yourself and your creativity, giving it the time it needs to work its magic.

Then, love outward. Love someone else’s creativity enough to shout it from the rooftops. Assume the best of the human behind every rejection letter. Show up on social media for the sake of another, or the Other. And above all, love your world by offering it the greatest gift you have—the gift of yourself, your brave creativity, the best and only antidote to fear.

Kriss heads home to her small prairie town with 98% of an astrophysics PhD, a load of memories she’d rather not think about, and a survival plan: skate and graduate. Her plan doesn’t include the attention of a familiar admirer from the nearby fire station, one with an impressive physique, a hidden singing talent, and a smile dazzling enough to sweep her off her skates. Before she knows it, she’s falling for him—hard.

Chase has settled into the rhythms of his small-town firefighter routine, but he remembers Kriss from high school: the starry-eyed skater girl on her way out the door of his life. Now she’s back, just as gorgeous as ever, spinning around the next-door rink without a care in the world. Or so he thinks, until Kriss is targeted with mysterious acts of vandalism designed to derail her dreams. Can he help Kriss find the courage to stand up under the attacks and trust herself to love again?

Enjoy an Excerpt

He rounded the first corner at the far end of the field and snuck a glance back toward the rink just in time to watch Kriss’s long ponytail sail out behind her helmet with another tight spin. That one must not have gone quite as planned, because she stumbled a little and lurched sideways. But she recovered gracefully enough with a quick laugh a moment later, as if she enjoyed the thrill of almost wiping out on the concrete.

Yup. Gotta fall to get better. His ass knew as well as anyone else’s, after too many falls on that very same rink, shuffling his own inline skates and hockey stick around one of the goals in his spare time.

Too much of his spare time. But he wasn’t so bad on wheels himself, these days—MVP on the fire department’s informal team, crushing the police department’s lousy attempts at rivalry in the yearly Battle of the Badges tournament.

His high school self would die a thousand deaths before admitting it, but young Chase had taken up street hockey for a very… specific reason. Kriss had been just as badass on her skates all those years ago as a senior at Sacreola High, three years ahead of him. Hot, smart, and senior—and totally out of his league.

She had graduated and moved on without giving him so much as a second glance. But his newfound love for skating had stuck around long enough to turn him into a decent hockey player on the side. No harm done.

About the Author Melissa received her first pair of black-and-hot-pink inline skates in fourth grade, a couple of years before she swore her life to the study of the stars (in a fit of sci-fi inspired passion). Two decades later, she has acquired several larger pairs of skates and an astronomy PhD, both of which tend to slip out from under her at the most inopportune moments. She enjoys skating and singing at the neighborhood rink in her small town in Colorado, where she lives with her husband, two boys, and a cozy lap cat. Only one of which is allowed to read her writing over her shoulder.

Writer Chick PHD | Website | Twitter | Facebook | Instagram | YouTube | TikTok

Buy the book at Amazon.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Filed Under: Guest Blogs, Romance Tagged With: , , ,

The Background of the Book by C.S. Edwards – Guest Blog and Giveaway

July 20, 2022 By 86 Comments

This post is part of a virtual book tour organized by Goddeess Fish Promotions. C.S. Edwards will be awarding a $25 Amazon/BN GC to a randomly drawn winner via rafflecopter during the tour. Click on the tour banner to see the other stops on the tour.

The Background of the Book

Love Potion #999 is a fun romp with a sassy cast of characters; a whole lot like my twenties. You see, Betsy Babington hales from a famous witch doctor family, and has risen to the height of success and fame. She’s the brains and name behind the famous Babington’s Best brand of potions, which are more like beauty products than life altering magical mixtures. Together with a circle of misfit friends that are also her co-workers and a couple of troublesome cupids, Betsy seems to be headed for nothing but trouble. The bigger problem is she’s bored, single and lonely. Being a good witch, Betsy has never stepped out of line. She’s followed every recipe in her father’s master potions book to a tee… until she finds a forbidden love potion and can’t resist the thought of adding it to her collection; and testing it out for herself. That my friends, was a bad idea and causes all sorts of mayhem; including not knowing if she is really in love with the hunky witchologist she met in Arnold’s Bar! Thinking her rogue potion has possessed the man she may or may not love, Betsy and her band of wacky tag-a-longs go on a journey to set things straight!

Well, my twenties weren’t exactly like Betsy’s adventure, but the background of this book really took me back to my younger years. I lived in New York City in my twenties with a bunch of my college buddies and we couldn’t help but get into trouble – even when we weren’t looking for it. Our antics were always like a domino of errors, where everyone tried to pick up the pieces for everyone else, and that effort just kept knocking other things over. We had a lot of fun! Our intentions were mostly always good, and more importantly, we were there for each other through thick and thin. That is the basis for Betsy and her friends’ story.

However, the second layer of this backdrop and foundation of this book is where it takes place! While I lived in NYC during my crazy years, Betsy and her crew live in Cincinnati, Ohio and travel around in Northern Kentucky, ending up in the tiny town of Rabbit Hash— I Iive on the Kentucky side of Cincinnati today; not in Rabbit Hash, but pretty close! I love to ground my stories with something very tangible from my life. In this series, the characters live where I live and go places I go. For example, there really is an Arnold’s Bar and Grill in Cincinnati and I love it! Rabbit Hash, Kentucky sits on a famous stretch of road that draws a ton of bikers to the General Store every summer. All of those details in this book, and the Witch Doctor’s Series are all real!

Lastly, I was drawn into the paranormal genre by first a love of the fantastical worlds, but second by my best friend and fellow author Robyn Peterman. She is the mastermind behind the Magic and Mayhem Universe that connects this story and series to so many other amazing tales of paranormal romance. Thus, this Witch Doctor’s series always has a strong theme of friendship and how important friends are in the lives of the characters! Because without my best friend, I might not have told these tales!

Now, I hope you have a better sense of the background of Love Potion #999, and all the Witch Doctor books in this series. It’s a dream to share my stories with you! Thank you for reading and supporting!

Did you hear what happened when a witch doctor met a witchologist in a bar? Well, mayhem ensued! What else did you expect? It’s all because everyone had too many Gnome Island Iced Teas, not to mention the cloud of intoxicating glitter that put everyone under the table even if they didn’t drink a drop. But the real punch line in that fateful tale were the two potion-filled arrow toting cupids. For one witch, after that night, stuff got real.

You see, the witch doctor was none other than the famous apothecary and alchemist, Betsy Babington. She’s a celebrity! Famous, successful, single, and… bored. Before she walked into that bar, Betsy was itching to change things up. So, she enlisted her coven of misfits and two mischievous cherubs to make a rogue love potion recipe — destined to be the next big thing in her famous potions brand. She never once thought about making Love Potion#999 for herself! Definitely not! Well, maybe she did, just a little…

For the whole truth, you’ll have to read the story. All I can really say is some magical historians have said Betsy Babington’s tangle with the trouble of Love Potion #999 was like opening Pandora’s box. Now that was a little extreme. For the folks who were there, it was more like a weekend in Vegas.

Enjoy an Excerpt

She was tired of the same ole same ole. The truth was, Betsy Babington was tired of a lot of things in her life. She was tired of working so hard. She was tired of being famous. Some days, she was tired of being a witch doctor. But most everyday Betsy was tired of being alone. Of course, she had her coven, Ron, Lola, April and Jessica—which she loved. Charles, her ogre bodyguard, was truly like family. Her baby boy cherubs were total stinkers, but she totally adored them. But that one true special someone in her life was missing. She was 135, and single. That fact, coupled with the news of her younger sister falling for a hunky, mysterious, mystic angel, made Betsy jealous. Jealously was not an emotion she was used to having or liked. She’d never been jealous of either of her siblings. Bart and Betty Babington were awesome witch doctors, in their own right. But she had the life to be jealous of—that’s what she used to think. Lately, Betsy Babington felt green with envy at the mention of Betty and Gates, or any couple, and that icky feeling was stuck in her crawl.

A red blush crept across her face — brought on by envy and jealousy. She rubbed her cheek, desperate to temper the color before any member of her coven caught a glimpse of it. Ron, Lola, April and Jessica never noticed. They were oblivious, busy arguing about measurements.

“Not too much honey, that’s the key.” Ron measured the thick gooey liquid in a beaker.

“And just a drop of artemisia. We wouldn’t want to poison anyone.” April fussed. “It’s only for the silver color, anyway.”

Betsy strolled across the room to join her team as she gently folded the loose-leaf paper and tucked it in her lab coat pocket. “April’s right. Artemisia can be dangerous. But not the way we use it to tint the potion. Just a drop and a quarter should be all you need to make the Mirror Me potion sparkle.”

About the Author: I was born in Ashland, Kentucky, the youngest of three children, and grew up in the small Eastern Kentucky town of Inez. I moved to Lexington to finish high school. Attending Transylvania University for two years, before graduating from Hollins University in Roanoke, Virginia – with a degree in Economics – go figure! After a stint in New York City, I moved back home to Kentucky and have since built my life around family.

Living just outside of Cincinnati with my husband, Sean, and our five amazing kids, and a precious goldendoodle, I work hard to find time to balance family, work, and writing.

My first passion is weaving mysteries and I’m working on several new fiction projects now. This past year, I also found great joy in creating useful journals, trackers, and planners. I have big plans for publishing more of these creative notebooks in the future! As always, I cannot wait to share my next novel with you. I hope you enjoy, and welcome hearing from you!

Website | Facebook | Instagram | Twitter | Facebook | Pinterest | Magic and Mayhem Universe | Amazon Author Page

Buy the book at your favorite online venue.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Filed Under: Guest Blogs, Romance Tagged With: , , ,

The Undeniable Truth by Diana Rhodes

July 18, 2022 By 5 Comments

This post is part of a virtual book tour organized by Goddess Fish Promotions. The author will award a $10 Barnes and Noble gift card to a randomly drawn host. Click on the tour banner to see the other stops on the tour.

Is who you have become who you really are?

People are lost. They are roaming around looking for answers and can not find them in the typical places where answers should be. They are looking for the truth and that is hard to find in a world that is bombarded with false messages, lies and manipulations.

The truth as we once knew it has become distorted. The world has become inverted, turned inside out and it is only getting worse.

Only those who have the spiritual fortitude to fight their way through will get to the
ultimate truth, the undeniable truth. At that level, all will be revealed including the truth about
who you are, why you had to go through the things you went through and ultimately, what God’s
purpose is for your life. (Hint: The answer has something to do with the gifts he gave you)

For some of us, in the beginning it is a turbulent journey at best, one that starts off with
disappointment, heartache and pain, but that is where perseverance comes in. For those of you
who are able to move beyond our circumstances and still honor that energy that is God, thereis
a reward!

Enjoy an Excerpt

Lottie directed us to sit in an area that was out of the way, but close enough for us to watch her do her thing on stage. When it was her time to go out, the music played loudly and the men got pumped up. The MC said her name and the stage lights came on instantaneously. He introduced her as, “Lottie The Body”. The colored lights swirled around the stage creating a mesmerizing effect. Lottie took center stage then emerged from the lights to thunderous applause and a number of whistling men started calling out her name like she was a superstar. She became this whole other person on stage. She morphed into this goddess that men had to have.She flung her body effortlessly into the air then strategically wrapped her long legs around a brass pole twirling herself around like a doll in a music box I once had. As the music played, she went up and down the pole rhythmically keeping perfect time with the beat as she contorted her body into positions that delighted every man in the room, even the dj.

About the Author

Diana Rhodes is an African-American playwright, screenwriter and author. She is the proud mother of two sons and has written, directed and produced several Off-Broadway plays. She is most noted for her theatrical production of “Troubled Little Angel”, a tribute to the life and legacy of R & B songstress Phyllis Hyman.

Diana continued her writing after moving from New York to Atlanta in 2015 and a few years later was selected as one of the contributing playwrights in the annual production of 50In50 “Letters to Our Sons”, a production usually performed at the Billie Holiday Theater. Her works also include an impressive list of short stories featured on the Ebook website Write On Press.

Website | Facebook | Instagram | Twitter

Buy the book at Amazon.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Filed Under: Guest Blogs, Romance Tagged With: , , ,

Renegade’s Lady by Bobbi Smith – Spotlight and Giveaway

July 18, 2022 By 23 Comments

This post is part of a virtual book tour organized by Goddess Fish Promotions. Bobbi Smith will be awarding a $10 Amazon or B/N GC to a randomly drawn winner via rafflecopter during the tour. Click on the tour banner to see the other stops on the tour.

Hi! I had soooo much fun researching Renegade’s Lady. The heroine is a dime novel writer who goes West to research her new book. If you’re not familiar with dime novels, they were the original paperback books from the 1800s. I even managed to find a few at antique stores. One I bought is titled The Golden Belt, and it was published by Beadle and Company in 1866. What a treasure! I can’t believe it’s held up this long. So I hope you enjoy Sheri and Brand, the half-breed scout, in Renegade’s Lady!

Looking For a Hero

Sheridan St. John was a successful writer who had no need for a man in her life…as long as she had one between the pages of her dime novels. But when her editor told her sales were off, Sheri set out for the Wild West in search of the perfect hero for her new book.

Brand, The Half-Breed Scout

The man Sheri found fulfilled her every requirement for a fantasy lover—half Apache, a tall, dark, and dangerous male—but he was completely wrong for a real-life mate. On the run from the law, Brand guarded his heart as the attraction between them destroyed her reservations, leaving Sheri with one burning need—to become the renegade’s lady.

Enjoy an Excerpt

Arizona Territory, 1878

“Hello,” Sherri said as a shiver of anticipation went up her spine. Brand was a magnificent specimen of manhood. Dressed in a loose-fitting shirt, buckskin breeches and moccasins, he was everything she’d imagined an untamed scout to be. She knew instantly he was going to be the man who saved her career.

Brand had thought it was going to be difficult dealing with a writer when he’d believed Sheridan St. John was a man, but now…a woman. His gaze raked over her insolently, missing nothing. She was beautiful and he felt a stirring of pure animal attraction for her, but he quickly dismissed it. She was an Eastern lady who didn’t know one end of a horse from another. She had no business being there. His job was to track renegades. He was going to look forward to putting her on a stage heading back East.

The look in his eyes was cold as he addressed her. “Miss St. John.”

Sherri saw the iciness in his regard and knew Brand wasn’t pleased to see her. Still, she wasn’t about to give up. Her career depended on it.

“I’ve been looking forward to meeting you. It isn’t often I get to meet a real live hero.”

“What can I do for you?” he asked, ignoring her remark. He’d been ordered to cooperate, but he didn’t have to like doing it.

“Well, first, I have to interview you. I need to learn everything there is to know about you and scouting.” Sheri’s mind was racing as she imagined Brand as the hero in her book. He was going to be magnificent – fighting, winning and rescuing damsels in distress.

About the Author:After working as a department manager for Famous-Barr, and briefly as a clerk at a bookstore, Bobbi Smith gave up on career security and began writing. She sold her first book to Zebra in 1982. Since then, Bobbi has written over 40 books and several short stories. To date, there are more than five million of her novels in print. She has been awarded the prestigious Romantic Times Storyteller of the Year Award and two Career Achievement Awards. Her books have appeared on numerous bestseller lists. When she’s not working on her novels, she is frequently a guest speaker for writer’s groups. Bobbi is mother of two sons and resides in St. Charles, Missouri with her husband and three dogs.

Website | Goodreads

Buy the book at Amazon.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Filed Under: Guest Blogs, Romance Tagged With: , , ,

Jane Austen Lied to Me by Jeanette Watts – Exclusive Excerpt and Giveaway

July 15, 2022 By 5 Comments

 

This post is part of a virtual book tour organized by Goddess Fish Promotions. Jeanette Watts will award a $15 Amazon/BN GC to a randomly drawn winner. Click on the tour banner to see the other stops on the tour.

Dear Diary,

In three years of college, there are seven times my life seemed to suddenly turn into a Jane Austen novel; seven times my life, instead of becoming a romance, turned into a made-for-TV drama.

What am I doing wrong?

Enjoy an Exclusive Excerpt

Boys are just plain confusing.

I walked into Spanish class today, and there was Ken!

He grinned at me when I walked in. “Hola, stranger!”

“Hola!” I tried to look glad to see him. “What are you doing here?”

“I transferred sections. How did you expect me to get through Spanish without my practice buddy? It’s more fun being in class with you. I didn’t have class during this time, so I switched.”

Why, oh why did he have to be spoken for? The gesture was so sweet and… dare I say it? Romantic. What guy changes his class schedule for a girl? Talk about giving me mixed messages.

So, once again, I’m the ‘buddy.’ Just like with Eddie. Oh, goody. Well, a girl needs friends, right? I should just enjoy the fact that I have some smart, cute guy friends. Maybe they’ll eventually hook me up with some smart cute friend of theirs.

I smiled at Ken and tried to put a good face on it. “That’s great! I’ve been missing you, too.” As soon as I said it, I had to wonder if that’s a lie or the truth. I’m not sure.

“To be honest, my grades have been suffering without you to coach me. It’s only six weeks into the semester, and I’m already worrying about my grade,” he grinned at me. “I’m here so that you can whip me back into shape.”

The words were out of my mouth before I could stop them. “I didn’t know you were into whips.”

He gave me this look back that couldn’t get much more flirtatious. “I’m into all kinds of things.”

“Including girls that are good at Spanish?” If he’s going to flirt, I’m going to flirt back.

About the Author: Jeanette Watts has written three Jane Austen-inpsired novels, two other works of historical fiction, stage melodramas, television commercials, and humorous essays for Kindle Vella.

When she is not writing, she is either dancing, sewing, or walking around in costume at a Renaissance festival talking in a funny accent and offering to find new ladies’ maids for everyone she finds in fashionably-ripped jeans.

Website | Facebook | Twitter | Goodreads | Pinterest | Instagram | TikTok

Buy the book for only $0.99 at Amazon.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Filed Under: Guest Blogs, Romance Tagged With: , , ,

Love is for the Dogs by Annee Jones – Spotlight and Giveaway

July 13, 2022 By 5 Comments

This post is part of a virtual book tour organized by Goddess Fish Promotions. Annee Jones will be awarding a $15 Amazon or Barnes and Noble GC to a randomly drawn winner via rafflecopter during the tour. Click on the tour banner to see the other stops on the tour.

A coveted award…a missing Maltese…and a cheating ex… Can Trisha Campbell survive this year’s dog show competition in Last Chance Beach, much less walk away without a broken heart?

If there’s one thing vet tech Trisha Campbell knows, it’s dogs. Men, however, not so much. Especially ever since catching her ex-boyfriend, Miami P.D. Landon Prescott, kissing her arch-nemesis, Blythe Baker, at last year’s dog show after Blythe’s pup Princess took home the grand prize. Needless to say, Trisha’s not looking forward to seeing either of them again at this year’s competition in Last Chance Beach, even if her beloved Maltese, Chloe, is a front-runner for the coveted trophy.

Soon after arriving on the island for the week-long event, Princess goes missing and everyone fingers Trisha as the dog-napper since her pooch is Princess’ main opponent. With not only the prize money but also her reputation at stake, Trisha’s willing to join forces with none other than her cheating ex. Can she and Landon figure out a way to work together to catch the culprit and find the missing Maltese before the whole competition goes straight to the dogs? And what happens when they find themselves alone together at last?

Enjoy an Excerpt

No longer having an appetite herself, she grabbed the cup with her now-melted mint chocolate chip and leftover cone and threw it into a nearby pail. Grabbing her canvas tote, she looped it over her shoulder. Turning, she was startled to see Landon’s disappointed expression. Did he really expect her to stay and talk to him like they were old friends? After what he’d done? No way. So what if she’d changed her phone number and blocked his email address? He was in the wrong, not her. And she didn’t owe him the time of day after he cheated on her.

Reluctantly, the twins picked up their ice cream bowls and plastic spoons and followed her as she began to grimly march past Landon to the front door. When she was close enough so that she could smell the spicy scent of his aftershave, their elbows accidentally brushed together. All the memories of how much in love they’d been – they’d even talked about getting engaged – came flooding over her like a tidal wave, and she tried not to cry as she exited the parlor and walked out onto the scorching sidewalk.

About the Author: Author Annee Jones loves to write all things romance, fantasy, cozy mystery, & more. She is passionate about writing stories where dreams come true, and love wins in the end!

Professionally, Annee works as a disability counselor where she helps her clients navigate through complex medical and legal systems while rediscovering their wholeness in Spirit.

Newsletter signup | Website | Goodreads | BookBub | Annee’s Angels | Facebook | Amazon Author Page

Buy the book at Amazon.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Filed Under: Guest Blogs, Romance Tagged With: , , ,

Pride of Lyon’s by Jenna Jaxon – Spotlight and Giveaway

July 1, 2022 By 2 Comments

This post is part of a virtual book tour organized by Goddess Fish Promotions. Jenna Jaxon will be awarding a $20 Amazon or B/N GC to a randomly drawn winner via rafflecopter during the tour. Click on the tour banner to see the other stops on the tour.

Enter the world of the most notorious gambling den in London, where matches are made… unusually. Welcome to the world of THE LYON’S DEN: The Black Widow of Whitehall Connected World, where the underground of Regency London thrives… and loves.

What’s a young lady to do when a powerful lord tries to abscond with her and make her his mistress?

When you’re Miss Honoria Quinn, you leap from his carriage and run like the wind to find some place to hide. Trouble is, Honoria mistakenly chooses The Lyon’s Den, a disreputable gambling house as her sanctuary, a move that ends up with her having to make another choice at the hands of the Den’s match-making proprietor Mrs. Dove-Lyons: wed a complete stranger or become the lord’s mistress.

No good deed goes unpunished…

Thomas, Lord Braeton agrees to attend a wager at The Lyon’s Den only to keep his brother-in-law out of trouble. What he doesn’t count on is becoming embroiled in one of Mrs. Dove-Lyons’s schemes to marry him off. But when he tries to come to the aid of another peer, Thomas finds the only honorable thing he can do to save Miss Quinn’s reputation is put aside his hopes for a love match for himself and instead offer to marry her.

As Thomas and Honoria set out on a wary journey to matrimony, can they learn to live together and hope love will grow between them? Or are they doomed to a loveless marriage of convenience from which one or both will want to escape?

Enjoy an Excerpt

“I can be very generous with you if you are equally generous with me.”

Then, quicker than a striking snake, he sank his mouth onto hers.

Completely shocked, Honoria couldn’t think what to do, leaving Lord Danford to take full advantage of her paralyzed body. Thrusting his tongue into her mouth, he plundered here and there, then pushed incredibly deeply into her throat until she almost gagged. Meanwhile, he slid his hands up onto her breasts, squeezing them until they ached, even through her clothing. At last, he released her right breast and that hand suddenly tried to worm its way underneath her skirts, his fingers brushing her knee, her thigh…

That touch, on her most intimate flesh, acted as a bucket of cold water thrown in Honoria’s face. She gasped as though coming up for air and was suddenly free of the deadly paralysis. Rearing back, she brought her arms up between them, planted her hands squarely on his chest, and heaved him across the carriage into the opposite corner. His head hit the windowpane with a crack, eliciting a groan from the man.

Lord Danford slowly sat up rubbing the back of his head. He cocked his head and frowned, like a puzzled hound. Without hesitation, Honoria grabbed the door handle, wrenched it downward, and threw it open.

The cobbled pavement flew by with dizzying speed, but she had no other choice. Taking a deep breath, and sending up a fervent prayer, she jumped.

About the Author:

Jenna Jaxon is a best-selling author of historical romance, writing in a variety of time periods because she believes that passion is timeless. She has been reading and writing historical romance since she was a teenager. A romantic herself, Jenna has always loved a dark side to the genre, a twist, suspense, a surprise. She tries to incorporate all of these elements into her own stories.

She lives in Virginia with her family and a small menagerie of pets–including two vocal cats, one almost silent cat, two curious bunnies, and a Shar-pei mix named Frenchie.

Blog | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | TikTok

Buy the book at Amazon.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Filed Under: Guest Blogs, Romance Tagged With: , , ,
« Previous Page
Next Page »