This is what happens when I get sick...

I ask myself why...

Marie Laval discusses the perfect hero

Who is my perfect hero?  I don't know.  I think as I've matured, my hero has grown and developed with me.  There once was a time when nothing mattered, but whether he was tall, dark, and handsome :-)  Now, I have as much or more of an attraction to a man whose mind is as interesting as his physique.

My own heroes mimic this.  They "feed" both their mind and bodies.

Marie discusses with me how important the eyes of her hero are to her.  How her ability to daydream about him brings him to life.

Join us this week at Romancing the Pen, and tell us what you think.

THE LION’S EMBRACE by Marie Laval

Blurb

Arrogant, selfish and dangerous, Lucas Saintclair is everything Harriet Montague dislikes in a man. He is also the best guide in the whole of the Barbary States, the only man who can rescue her archaeologist father from the gang of Tuareg fighters that has kidnapped him. As Harriet embarks on a perilous journey across Algeria with Saintclair and Archibald Drake, her father’s most trusted friend, she discovers a bewitching but brutal land where nothing is what it seems. Who are these men intent on stealing her father’s ransom? What was her father hoping to find in Tuareg queen Tin Hinan’s tomb? Is Lucas Saintclair really as callous as he claims—or is he a man haunted by a past he cannot forgive? Dangerous passions engulf Harriet’s heart in the heat of the Sahara. Secrets of lost treasures, rebel fighters, and a sinister criminal brotherhood threaten her life and the life of the man she loves.

Does forever lie in the lion’s embrace?

#BookReview - Wicked Nights by @genashowalter

I've read books by Gena before, but it's been a while since I picked up anything.

The cover of this book stopped me in the store!  Walking through the aisles searching for something by one of my other favorite authors, I literally stopped when I saw the cover.

The way the woman is holding onto the man made my heart melt.  And the way he uses both is body and his wings to protect her makes me jealous :-)

I may be the only person in the world who hasn't read Gena's Lords of the Underworld series, so I knew nothing of Zacharel.  Immediately, I was interested in this man.  Because he seemed so alone.  You cared about him and his losses.  You cared for the team that he was charged with leading.  All of them equally broken and damaged in their own way.

Annabelle Miller, the heroine, again so alone in everything.  And to add to it, she's been locked away in an institution and drugged for years for a crime she didn't commit.

When I began the book, I thought, I know where this is going.  But, I'll stay on the ride.

Gena surprised me.  She'd dropped little clues, but I didn't catch one of them until she did the big reveal at the end!

And when she did, my heart opened up even more for Zacharel.

This book was not what I expected.  It had many elements we're all familiar with: alpha male, damsel in distress, angels and demons.  But, Gena used them slightly differently than I expected.

When I finished this book, I sat and thought about it.  If I were to have been in Zacharel's position, what choice would I have made, if tested in the same way?  Honestly, I don't think I would've made the same choice.  Guilt would've utterly consumed me.

If you are looking for a good read that has heart, action, and one or two surprises, this one will do it for you.

My appearance on So Dream Something with @KenLaSalle

Ken LaSalle invited me to be a guest on his podcast, So Dream Something.  When he first told me that we'd be speaking for ninety minutes, I didn't think I wanted to do it.  What on earth do I have to talk about for ninety minutes.

Fast forward to today, and well, I think I could've kept talking!  It was such fun.  I hope that you guys will tune in and listen.  If you are an iTunes junkie like me, then you can download it and listen, or you can click below.

So Dream Something

Also, you can check out Ken's website, and listen to some of his other guests.

Ken's also been my guest on Romancing the Pen.  Take a look at some of what he had to share with me about his own writing career.

Book signing @ The Booksellers at Laurelwood

I hope that you all will come meet me and my friends at The Booksellers at Laurelwood located in Memphis, TN.  I will be joined by three local authors: Laura T. Johnson, Roger Bethel, and Scarlett.  We'll read from our latest works and have a giveaway!

If you have read any of my books, bring it with you, and I'll autograph it!

We'll sign and speak from 2:00 P.M. CST - 3:00 P.M. CST.

For more information on The Booksellers at Laurelwood, click here.

Series TV -- love it or hate it?

I always say that I don't watch much television.  I should modify that to say, I don't watch much series TV.  I love movies, and lately I've become addicted to Netflix, and watch movies on everything, including my smart phone.

But, gremlins have crept into my brain, and snatched it.  I'm hooked on: "The Walking Dead," "The Following," and reruns of "The Big Bang Theory."

Can somebody anybody tell me why?  What's happened to me?

"The Walking Dead"!  Zombies, really.  Rotting, slow walking, munching on my flesh zombies!  I watch this show, and I hate to be interrupted while I'm watching it.  I don't like to take phone calls during any of my shows, unless you're watching it, too. :-)

I can't even say that I know the characters' names, but the little boy in "The Walking Dead" breaks my heart every time I watch it.  I hate that he's facing such struggles.  Then, I think, people face crazy hard struggles every day.  And to be slapped with children dealing with it, it makes me want to wrap them all up in some magical something that will protect them.  When you make it zombies, the battle seems easier.  You hide, fight, and kill.  But, in life it's not so easy.

"The Following" is a little different.  I'm torn.  I both love and hate the show.  I feel a little like I'm watching a night-time soap opera because of the way the show ends every week.  But, I love the battle with the Joe.  Who doesn't love Kevin Bacon?  It's great to see him again, but I am going to need to see him have  win soon, or I might have to stop watching.

"The Big Bang Theory" why did I catch onto this show so late?!  It's great.  I love Sheldon's innocence.  The whole cast of characters keeps me laughing, and they take my mind off my own worries.  It's is truly escapism into light-hearted, unoffensive humor.  Love it!

My dvr is going to make me so so happy in the future!  And my Netflix account :-)

What are you guys watching?

Chatting with J.T. Seate

Join me and J.T. as we discuss his release "Connor House" from MuseItUp Publishing.

"Connor House" follows the lives of two sisters living in the Washinington DC area shortly after the Civil War. The death of one of their daughters is an unspeakable tragedy, but the loss does not necessarily mean the end, especially within "Connor House."

To read an excerpt, visit Romancing the Pen!

Derailed is now available!

I'm excited!  "Derailed" is my homage to women military vets.  Most of you know by now that many members of my family have served in the military.  Primarily the men of my family.  I think that along with a lot of news broadcasts highlighting the plight of women vets and the differences between the needs of women and men made me wonder what happens to our women in the military.

I watched interviews, read a ton of news stories, and the end results became what is now "Derailed."

Now that women have been given permission to be in the "combat" zones of war, I think the struggles and battles of women post-war will become even more important.  (Most of the men and women vets I've spoken with all believe that women have been on the front-lines during every war.  They just weren't being paid for it.)

Women, like men, face homelessness, joblessness, single parent issues when they are no longer on active duty.  But, the "root" cause of the battles women struggle against are not always the mirror image of men.

"Derailed" is my short story that tells one possibility.

Blurb:  When you’re given away by the people who are supposed to love you forever, it makes it hard to believe love and family really exist.

JoAn Fentress thought the military would take care of her in the way her family never did, but that didn’t happen.  Homeless on the streets of Memphis, TN, she walked through the only open door she could find, and it changed her life.

Jeremy Hooks needed only to smile, and the world gave him whatever he asked of it.  Eventually, people stop partying, right…at least when they’re threatened.  He has one more chance to prove himself before he loses everything.

Read and excerpt on my website: Derailed excerpt.

Purchase your copy today!

New trailer for Derailed

"Derailed" is now available!

Blurb:  When you’re given away by the people who are supposed to love you forever, it makes it hard to believe love and family really exist.

JoAn Fentress thought the military would take care of her in the way her family never did, but that didn’t happen.  Homeless on the streets of Memphis, TN, she walked through the only open door she could find, and it changed her life.

Jeremy Hooks needed only to smile, and the world gave him whatever he asked of it.  Eventually, people stop partying, right…at least when they’re threatened.  He has one more chance to prove himself before he loses everything.

Purchase your copy today!

Women History Month at Cornelia Crenshaw Library

Cornelia Crenshaw Library opened in 1939, and was the first library in Memphis, TN to allow African-Americans access.  Allowing African-Americans to walk through the doors and read.  As a native Memphian, this fact makes me leap at the chance to do as much as possible with and for this special branch.

March 9, 2013, I will join other panelist to speak on issues facing women in today's society.  I'll be joined by other authors, community leaders, and hopefully -- you!

To find out more about the program, and Cornelia Crenshaw Library, click here.

I hope you will join us!

Chatting with William Auch

This week, I'm chatting with William Auch about his new release, "Love in Provence."

BLURB:  

When John Martin is forced to sell his tech company, he decides to take a six-month vacation to the south of France.

When he meets Madame Garcin, her daughter Sophie, and her granddaughter Isabelle, his life is changed forever.   What began as a long vacation becomes a journey of self-discovery marked by love, loss, and tragedy.  

He is molded by this family of three generations of women, tempered by tragedy themselves, in ways that he could never have imagined.

William is also giving away a $25 gift certificate! Join us at Romancing the Pen to find out more details about how to win.

Coming Soon from Angela Kay Austin

COMING SOON!

When you’re given away by the people who are supposed to love you forever, it makes it hard to believe love and family really exist.

JoAn Fentress thought the military would take care of her in the way her family never did, but that didn’t happen.  Homeless on the streets of Memphis, TN, she walked through the only open door she could find, and it changed her life.

Jeremy Hooks needed only to smile, and the world gave him whatever he asked of it.  Eventually, people stop partying, right…at least when they’re threatened.  He has one more chance to prove himself before he loses everything.

Visit the books section of my website for more details!