There's only one other thing I like as much as a book contract...and that's getting my book cover!  I am totally over the moon with this one from my newest publisher. I believe I have found my home everyone! Dark Castle Lords Publication know my mind and what I want in a book cover. I'm totally in LOVE with my cover!!  Annie Marshall did a WONDERFUL job. THANK YOU!!  And, Jimmy Thomas - the model - made it mouth-watering YUMMY!!! I wish I knew who the woman model was because I'd thank her, too.


Revenge and passion come together as Cecily Lawrence attempts to make right the scandal that ruined her six years ago. Garrett Hastings, Earl of Blackmore, may not have taken her virginity that night they secretly met in the greenhouse, but being caught in an intimate embrace with the rogue definitely ruined her for any other man. Now, on his wedding day, she is determined to kidnap him but make it look like he’s running out on his own marriage to be with his mistress.


Garrett must marry Lady Fairbourne or else his grandmother will cut him out of her will and take away his funds. Although there’s only been one woman who made his heart flutter – Miss Cecily Lawrence – he knows joining the Fairbourne family will secure his trust fund. But when he’s kidnapped and realizes Cecily is the one who abducted him – and discovers the real story behind the scandal six years ago – his plans change drastically.

 
~Phyllis~

I just signed a contract with Dark Castle Lord Publications today for my short story, A Scandal To Remember. I can't wait to get my book cover. This is a great publisher for yummy book covers. (grins)

Here's the blurb to my story:

Revenge and passion come together as Cecily Lawrence attempts to make right the scandal that ruined her six years ago. Garrett Hastings, Earl of Blackmore, may not have taken her virginity that night they secretly met in the greenhouse, but being caught in an intimate embrace with the rogue definitely ruined her for any other man. Now, on his wedding day, she is determined to kidnap him but make it look like he’s running out on his own marriage to be with his mistress.


Garrett must marry Lady Fairbourne or else his grandmother will cut him out of her will and take away his funds. Although there’s only been one woman who made his heart flutter – Miss Cecily Lawrence – he knows joining the Fairbourne family will secure his trust fund. But when he’s kidnapped and realizes Cecily is the one who abducted him – and discovers the real story behind the scandal six years ago – his plans change drastically.

I thought I'd try something different and interview a hero I just met a week ago. Deputy Marshal Richard Bennick made my heart melt from the first time I heard him speak. Now I want you all to experience that. Richard Bennick is from the story, "Lost Hearts" from author Kathy Otten. (available Nov 12th at The Wild Rose Press) 



PC: Richard, can you tell us a little about your childhood? Where did you grow up, and what was your family like?


RB: My parents had a farm in Raymond, New Hampshire. They were good, God-fearing Christian people. My brother, James, and I were happy. We went to school and helped our father on the farm. James is four years older than me, and I followed him everywhere. We were close until the war then James grew distant. Or maybe it was me.


PC: What made you go into law enforcement? Being a Deputy Marshal sounds like a very exciting profession. Do you love your job?


RB: I never planned to be a deputy marshal. The war happened and James enlisted. Then our parents were killed in a wagon accident on their way home from town. I was fifteen and a crack shot, so I lied about my age and joined up with Berdan’s Sharpshooters. After the war, James couldn’t stay; he was too restless. So we sold the farm and headed to Texas. For a while we rounded up cattle scattered because of the war. I wasn’t much good with only one arm so I went back to what I knew. Instead of hunting Rebs, I hunted train robbers for the Texas and Pacific Railway. Seven years later I heard Judge Parker was looking to hire two hundred deputies to patrol Indian Territory. Seemed like a good idea, riding out alone away from people. I don’t love the job, but I know how to do it.


PC: Richard, tell us how you lost your arm.

RB: I was wounded when I was seventeen, during the Battle of the Wilderness in May of sixty-four. I woke up and my arm was gone. Doctors took off arms and legs for three days and nights. God, I hate maggots. And don't ask me anymore about it, cause I don't remember.

 
PC: Richard, I have to tell you, the more I get to know you, and because of what I've read about you in "Lost Hearts", I have an image of Goran Visnjic in my mind. Do you think you look like this?

RB: Goran is better looking than me - he looks more like my brother. And Goran looks like he sleeps better than me.


PC: Oh, now Richard, don't be modest. I happen to think you and Goran could be twins!  So tell me, when you first met Johnny, what did you think of the little bugger?


RB: Those eyes—they sucked me in from the first. She has this amazing ability to accept what can’t be changed—even me. She’s never once judged me or tried to fix me, or tried to rationalize away my moments of...crazy. And she’s so feisty she makes me laugh, when I never thought I could.


PC: What was it like being attracted to an outlaw? I bet you were one confused man.


RB: Johnny doesn’t confuse me, she scares me. She’s an outlaw accused of robbery and murder. I have a warrant and a sworn duty to see her brought to justice. But when I’m with her the lines are so blurred I can’t tell right from wrong, sanity from insanity. I’m terrified I’ll cross over one of those lines and not even know.


PC: Is there something about you that most people don’t know?


RB: I’m not close to anyone. I try to keep my distance, but I see the people watching me, judging me—that crazy deputy with one arm. They know nothing about me. They don’t want to know, not really. They’re just waiting for me to fall apart, and I don’t want to be their entertainment.


PC: What is your greatest strength?


RB: Johnny


PC: What is your greatest weakness?


RB: That black hole inside me. The dark abyss of insanity which sucks up time and memory. I can see it at the bottom of a slope so slippery I know that one day I’ll slide into and just disappear.


PC: So Richard, tell me – have you been lucky in love?

RB: Lucky? I’ve never been too lucky. My parents were happy together, and James found someone. But I figure I need a good woman. A church going woman, who is innocent and pure, someone who can balance out the… Well, that evil inside me.


PC: Are you a family man, Richard? Do you see a wife and family in your future?


RB: Once upon a time when I was a boy, I thought that’s how my life would be. Maybe sometime I’ll marry that perfect woman, but for now, making it through today is enough.


But Johnny, now she deserves that--a family for her to love and to be loved by. If somehow I can give her that, then I’ll be happy.


Richard, Kathy Otten, and I hope you run to The Wild Rose Press and order her book. It's definitely a great read!


~Phyllis~

Margaret Tanner wants to thank everyone who popped in and left a comment. Margaret said she used her husband's bowl hat (one he hasn't taken off his head since they won the finals) put everyone's name in and she picked a winner. The winner of the free download of her story - Reluctant Father - is.... (drum roll)....

Llona Fridl!!!  Congrats!

Thanks again, Margaret for being my guest!

I want to give a big welcome to my friend, Margaret Tanner!  Margaret, welcome to my blog and thanks for agreeing to let me interview you.


Hi Phyllis, thank you for inviting me to your blog, it has been a pleasure visiting with you. I will award an e-copy of Reluctant Father to one lucky person who leaves a comment.




 Tell us about Margaret Tanner and how you first started writing.

I think have always been a writer. I must have been born with a pen in my hand. The first thing I can remember writing is poetry when I was seven or eight. Sad pathetic little ditties they were too. Then I graduated to short stories and won quite a few competitions. I remember one short story competition I won where the first prize was a stack of singlets and underpants. My Dad and brother were very happy.


After having a few short stories published in newspapers and magazines, a friend introduced me to romance novels. Well, I was hooked. Absolutely addicted. My husband worked nightshift and I spent a lot of time alone, so I read and read. Then I had a light bulb moment. I can write this kind of stuff and I did.

Took me about twenty years of rejection, heartache and revisions to refine my craft enough to get published. My 10th novel, Reluctant Father was recently released by The Wild Rose Press.

Twenty years? Well, I'm glad to know there is someone like me out there. It took me fifteen years. lol  Is there a book that changed your life or made you want to become a writer?

The book or books that stick in my mind was a series of books by an Australian author Mary Grant Bruce. They are known as the Billabong books and were set from the 1890’s through to about 1916. There must have been about 10 books in all. They were about the trials and tribulations of a brother and sister who lived on a cattle station/ranch. Starting out when they were children until they grew up and the brother went off to fight in the 1st World War.

Those stories sound VERY interesting!! If you can go back in time, where would you go?

The American Wild West. I have been a sucker for Cowboys and Westerns for years.

I'm a sucker right along with you, then! (grins) What is your favorite thing about yourself?

My honesty.

I love that answer!! You have so many books out, which is a huge accomplishment, but do you have a favorite? If so, why.

I love all my books, but my favourite would be, Holly And The Millionaire, my one and only published contemporary romance. It might seem strange because I call myself an historical writer, but somehow Holly got under my skin and stayed there. She was a gutsy little fighter whose soldier husband was killed in Iraq and left her with a toddler to support. She didn’t let being dealt a bum hand in the game of life defeat her.


Once again, Margaret, we are a lot a like. I love historical, but some of my favorites are my Contemporaries as well. So what inspired you to write RELUCTANT FATHER?

I really don’t know, it just came to me. It started out as a contemporary romance, but the situations in the story seemed to fit the 1960’s better. And, at the risk of revealing my age, that was my time. The Vietnam War, anti-war demonstrations, mini-skirts (I had good legs in those days), stilettos (and I have the bunions to prove it). They always say you should write what you know. Well, I knew the sixties very well.

This sounds very different from what I've read. Please, tell us about your story.

The heroine in Reluctant Father is Sarah Watson. She is the daughter of an elderly Minister of Religion and loves her bay side home with a passion. She longs to fall in love and have lots of babies, but time is running out for her as she has gynaecological problems that could eventually stop her from conceiving children.


The hero is Jordan Stamford, who owns a building and construction empire. He doesn’t believe in love and lives by the motto “money can buy anything, and everyone has their price.” He comes to Sarah’s bay side home intent on redeveloping it. But Jordan has a dark secret. Because of his tragic childhood he believes he is allergic to children and would reject any that he sired.

Sarah and Jordan are good people but they are so diametrically opposed to each other’s lifestyles, it is an exciting and sometimes traumatic journey for them to get together and live happily ever after.

Margaret, where can readers contact you?

My website: http://www.margarettanner.com/

My publishers are:


The Wild Rose Press http://www.thewildrosepress.com/margaret-tanner-m-281.html

Whiskey Creek Press http://www.whiskeycreekpress.com/

SEXY EXCERPT:


Outside, the black velvet night sky was dotted with millions of twinkling stars, and a fat moon dangled over the ragged coastline. Taking Jordan’s hand, Sarah led him down into the deepest, darkest depth of their garden, where an old trellis walkway had partially collapsed under the weight of honeysuckle and jasmine. Her father hadn’t bothered pruning down here in years. Situated near the back fence, they could hear the waves pounding against the rocks below.

“A little love nest for us,” she whispered, catching hold of his hand, and using her shoulder to clear a path for them. Spreading the blanket on the ground, she sank to her knees, bringing him down with her.


“God, Sarah,” Jordan groaned, burying his face in her throat before taking her lips with a desperate, wanting kiss. They had been deprived of each other for too long, but now their exile was broken. Like a torrent, passion flowed between them as uncontrollable as the wild surf dashing against the cliffs.

His tongue explored her mouth, wanting, taking, tasting all her sweetness but still not satisfied. They knelt on the blanket, clasped together so closely it proved almost impossible to breathe. Jordan feathered kisses on her eyelids, along her jaw, and his tongue started exploring her ear with exquisite darting flicks. He withdrew a little so he could pull her T-shirt over her head, and then his hands worked frantically at her bra.


He groaned, cupping her breasts together so he could suckle both nipples at once. With shaking fingers she undid the buttons on his shirt, eagerly pulling it away from his waistband. She needed to feel his bare skin against hers.


Together they swayed from side to side in a euphoric dance of love. His hard arousal thrust into her thigh, and it thrilled her to know she held such power over him. Perfume from the jasmine wafted on the warm night air, seducing them. It was so dark in their little love nest they could not see each other, relying merely on touch and smell.


Sarah felt Jordan’s breath on her throat as he groaned, “Yes, babe, yes,” when she fumbled with the buckle on his belt. She slid his zipper down and her excitement escalated when she felt the extent of his arousal. Gently she removed his velvet shaft. Cradling it between her fingers, she stroked it with the flat of her thumb so that it hardened even more.


Jordan gasped and groaned with pleasure. “Yes. Oh, God, yes.” He tugged at her jeans, rolling them down over her thighs so she could wriggle out of them, and then he slid her panties down, and his hand slipped between her thighs. His fingers parted the soft, quivering folds of flesh so he could work her until she was ready for him.


It was Sarah’s turn to moan with delight as he stroked her until she felt hot and moist, burning with a need only he could assuage.


“You like that, babe?”

“Yes, yes.” Her senses exploded with heat, her passion spiralling out of control.


“You’ll like this even better.” He rolled on top of her and thrust hard and deep, his shaft slipping easily into her deepest recesses. Her muscles contracted, holding him tight as they rocked together. Jordan brought her to the brink over and over again, until she reached the dizziest heights, the absolute pinnacle of desire and ecstasy. The shattering release when it came left his body slicked with perspiration.


“Jordan, I love you, love you.” Once again tears of emotion sprang to her eyes and flowed down her cheeks.




DAMN!! That was certainly a yummy excerpt! Thanks again Maragret for sharing yourself with us. I've gotten to know you better!

~Phyllis~

I want everyone to give a big hello to K.R. Bailey. I've known her for many years since we met at my RWA Chapter here in Utah. She's a wonderful person and such a good friend.  I've interviewed her, so take a minute and learn more about this awesome writer!




Phyllis: Tell us about yourself.


K.R.: I’m married to my best friend. We live in a rural area near Ogden, Utah, with our yellow lab, Max. I’m grandma to four wonderful grandchildren and another one is expected in August. It’s a little girl, and I’m really excited about the new baby.

I love the mountains and outdoors and every chance we get, we head to our cabin nestled in the shade of the tall aspen trees. My husband calls our mountain retreat, Evening Shade, because it’s shaded every afternoon and evening. We have hummingbirds galore, and I so enjoy watching the little birds flit about. Moose and elk wander in now and then, and we have a small deer that lives under our deck. It’s a wonderful place for us to get away. While my husband works outdoors around our cabin, I can spend my time writing. In fact, I’m at our cabin right now!

When I’m not writing, I’m reading. I’ve always been an avid reader. I love romance and suspense, but I’ll often pick up a western historical too.


Phyllis: Dang, woman! You married the kind of guy most romance writers want. (grins) What/who inspired you to become a writer?

K.R.: I can’t remember when I didn’t love writing. I started doing my own biography years ago. I used to do genealogy with my mother and wrote up historical information about my grandparents and parents. I’ve always kept a journal whenever I’ve traveled describing where I was, what I saw, and how I felt. For years I told my sister someday these journals would come in handy. I started my first novel over twenty-five years ago, but I never finished it. Instead, I got married and let my writing go. When I retired six years ago, I saw an ad for the Utah Chapter Romance Writers of America and told my husband I wanted to join. That got the writing fires going and I love it!


Phyllis: You're right there, K.R. Our RWA Chapter rocks! Describe the perfect day in your world.

K.R.: I start out my day slow as I’m not a morning person. I’ll read the newspaper and sit on our patio and visit with my husband as we enjoy the cool morning air. When he goes to do his chores, I retreat to my office and write. Perfection would be no interruptions for an entire afternoon, just me and my computer and chocolate! And to top it off, it’s always wonderful to be able to put the finishing touches on my last chapter and type “The End”. To make my day perfect, I’d not have to worry about cooking -- yuk! I hate to cook.


Phyllis: K.R. We are more alike than I first expected. I'm not a morning person, either. lol  You have two stories published …Can you tell us a little bit about them?

K.R.: I actually have three stories published. My first story, An Afternoon Tryst, is an erotic short story written under the penname Modeska Rose, and is available through http://www.thewilderroses.com/. My editor says it’s a wickedly naughty story but has a surprisingly delightful ending.

Sensual reads said: An Afternoon Tryst…Marissa and Norm are having problems in their marriage. Unsure how to fix it, Marissa begins an exciting affair with the handsome Cole. With a surprising twist, it actually does a lot to save the marriage. An Afternoon Tryst was a fantastic story. This was truly an enjoyable read.

My second story, My Guardian Angel, is a sweet romance and my first published under the name of K. R. Bailey. It’s available through http://www.thewildrosepress.com/. We lost my mom about eight years ago and I watched my Dad struggle with going on with his life after being married for over sixty years. When he met a lady friend and they started doing things together, they become my inspiration for the hero and heroine in My Guardian Angel. This is a sweet and touching romance where a widow and a widower find love, demonstrating that you are never too old for romance.

Long an Short Reviews said: My Guardian Angel is a touching story that definitely pulls at the heartstrings while entertaining the reader.

My story, Can You Trust A Cowboy? is a sensual story published with Bookstrand Publishing, and was just released in June. The story is based on a lady truck driver. My daughter is a truck driver and her boss says she’s one of the best. When she’d talk about driving, a story started dancing in my head, and she became my inspiration for Tricia Beaumont, the heroine in Can You Trust A Cowboy? She’s always been intrigued with cowboys and who isn’t? So my hero is a cowboy in tight jeans and a Stetson hat. We’ve always teased my daughter about taking over her father’s trucking business so I thought why not make Tricia a business owner as well.



Can You Trust A Cowboy? is my first try at writing romantic suspense. It’s full of spicy love scenes, a strong heroine, a handsome sexy hero, and a unique twist. Can Tricia learn to trust the man in the black Stetson amidst deception and half-truths when violence threatens to destroy her world?


Romance at Heart Magazine said: Can you Trust a Cowboy? has it all …Ms Bailey raises the stakes in Can You Trust A Cowboy? and ups the ante on love. This sassy, sexy tale is rife with suspense, innuendo and danger. If you love romantic suspense, this is a read you won’t want to miss.


Phyllis: Your stories sound awesome!  If you were stranded on an island for a week … which hero would you like to be stranded with?


K.R.: Gosh, I’d hate to have to pick just one. I’d be happy to be stranded with any one of them.


Norman Cole from An Afternoon Tryst is a kind, tender man who is willing to go outside of his comfort zone to keep the love of his woman. Wouldn’t we all love a man like that?


Joe Bailey from My Guardian Angel is a handsome older man with graying sideburns, a deep love for his family, and the desire to help and protect Emma as she struggles to get through the pain of losing her husband of over twenty years. My kind of hero.


Cowboy Wes from Can You Trust A Cowboy? is cocky and sexy, rich and handsome, and owns his own company. He’s part Sioux and his own man, willing to take a stand for what he wants in life. But he is also tender and loving, the kind of man who would make most any woman swoon.


Phyllis: Okay, so you got me there.  I wouldn't know which one to pick, either.  Does your family support your writing?


K.R.:  For the most part, my family has been supportive. I have to make sure I give my husband plenty of time in my life as we’ve always done most things together. If I get really involved in a story, he tends to feel a bit slighted, but he’s come to accept it’s something I want to do and in fact bought my mini computer just so I can take it with us camping, fishing, and to the cabin. That way, we go together, and he can do what he wants while I write. When I sold my first story, he was so cute about it. It was on my birthday and on my birthday cake he had them put congratulations on your book sale and made a point of letting everyone know how excited he was for me. My sister is probably my most avid fan. She reads everything (somethings more than once), gives me feedback, and is always encouraging me to keep writing. My daughter-in-law is always anxious to read anything I write and is probably my most active marketing person, taking fliers to work and letting everyone know when I have a new story out.



Phyllis: You are such a lucky girl to have that kind of support!  How can readers find your books and contact you?


K.R.: I have a web site: http://krbailey.com/

My blog is: http://krbailey.blogspot.com/

Both have links to where you can find my stories as well as contact information.

My e-mail is: AuthorKRBailey@live.com

My Guardian Angel is available through http://www.thewildrosepress.com/

Can You Trust A Cowboy? is available at http://www.bookstrand.com/can-you-trust-a-cowboy

An Afternoon Tryst is available at http://www.thewilderroses.com/

　
Kathy Rochell

writing as K. R. Bailey

Is it me...or are there others out there who are clueless to what the public wants to read?  A year (maybe two) ago I thought Regencies were popular, so I created a three-book (possibly four) series, thinking that publishers and agents were just going to grab my stories and run with them. 




Then after I had the story written and started querying, I began a new story - my very first pirate story!  I knew for sure this one was going to go quickly, because once again, it can be a three book deal. So once this story was completed and I started making the agent rounds with this one, here comes the rejections for my Regency. What???  Why rejections?  I thought Regencies were hot. (and of course you know MY books will have a lot of sexual tension, so they will be hot...or at least sensual. lol) Now, almost another year later, the rejections for my sensual pirate story start pouring in.  Eh?  What's going on?  I thought these topics were hot.  Apparently not...

So then a few months ago, a friend of mine started submitting her Christian romances to publishers...and OMG, they went wild over them. Several agents requested to read her story.  Now she's with a publisher (her book due out the end of this month in fact and will be in major book stores) plus she has another one contracted and one on the way to being contracted.  What's up with that? 

So tell me...who knows what is hot out there and what is not?  HELP ME????

~Phyllis~

I would like to welcome Michele Hart to my blog, and introduce you to a great writer.



Phyllis: Welcome Michele Hart!!  Please tell us about your new release.

Michele: My spicy new Sci-Fi Romance, Mind-Blown, is about an executive of a medical facility named Jon who falls in deep want for his assistant. Holly rebuffs him with a strict policy of not dating coworkers, but her motivations are deeper than just keeping to company rules. Despite her expressed stand against casual time with him, her eyes twinkle when he enters the room. He wants her too much to give up.

Some resolute snooping on Jon’s part nets him a revelation that their employer is testing mind-control techniques on the employees without their permission or notice. His attraction to Holly a little too blinding, Jon commits federal crimes to see if he could bring down her high walls with a few subliminal cannonballs. It ends in a way no one saw coming, least of all, Jon and Holly. And it affects the entire nation.


Phyllis: OMG, Michele!  This sounds like a great plot - one that will keep people turning the pages.  (and the cover is awesome, too!)  What inspired you to write Mind-Blown?

Michele: Two things Recent research on several new and pretty darn distasteful technologies that will soon confront our society. And, my best friend, Alisha Paige (an awesome writer in her own right), who told me about a strange job interview she’d attended that day. Her description of the event sent me into a writing blitz. Thanks, Alisha!



Phyllis: Isn't it funny where ideas come from?  That's cool about Alisha!  Out of all your stories (either written by you or not), who is your favorite hero and why?

Michele: Oh! That feels like two questions!

Of stories others wrote, F. Paul Wilson has a character named Repairman Jack. He “fixes” things. He’s a hit man for the common people who can’t find justice through normal routes. Repairman Jack was the coolest. I named my favorite hero in my upcoming release, Luminous Nights, after Repairman Jack.

Of all my own stories, I love Jack from Luminous Nights the most. I loved best that his unemotional, single-minded drive to complete his mission recognized his heroine, Rachel, had a few better ideas on how to get it done with a smaller body count. Of course, he had to listen to her when she held an electronic leash around his neck and a laser gun pressed against his temple. And the spears of twenty primitive natives aimed for his chest at her command.

Jon from Mind-Blown did that too, listened to his woman, without the weapon in the temple. Smart guy. Don’t we love men who do that, listen to their better halves without weapons involved? Applause for all those guys.



Phyllis: Oh, I agree with you.  I do love men who do that. (applauds)  So tell me, Michele, what made you become a writer?

Michele: That’s a funny story, really. I owe it to the numb-headedness of a cute and otherwise very intelligent and talented guy. My mate and I were having a big disagreement, and to properly express myself on how very wrong he was, I wrote a story. I gave it to him and, instead of clearly understanding my point of view and admitting his wrongness, he said, “Hey, you’re a pretty good writer.” And thus, it began. He started handing me pop Sci-Fi to read, and I challenged myself to write one. I still love that guy. :-) He continues to entertain me. On our most recent contact, he told me he stands on the street corners of Taiwan, dressed as a superhero named Captain Air, and he asks people not to pollute. What’s not to love? It’s difficult to find his kind.



Phyllis: Oh, he sounds funny!  And I'm grateful he was the one who started your career.  What stories are in your future?

Michele: As of right now, I have the previously mentioned new release, Luminous Nights, coming up in September from Siren-BookStrand. I’m very excited about that. It’s one of my favorite projects. After that, I’m torn between a few different ventures. I have a shapeshifter trilogy already written that I’m considering taking seriously, and I have an idea for a trilogy with two other writers, just one book for me to write, thank goodness. Stories, stories everywhere!



Phyllis: That's great!  I totally relate to 'stories, stories, everywhere'! hahaha  How can your fans get a hold of you? Do you have blogs, website, or a newsletter?

Michele: You can find all that at my web site: http://www.ILoveShapeShifters.com/.

Thanks, Phyllis, for having me as a guest.

Phyllis: You are VERY welcome. It was great to get to know you!  Enjoy your new release and may you have many sales!


Here’s a bite of Mind-Blown:



Jon Paige discovers his employer is developing illicit mind control techniques. He quickly learns how to hijack the system and breaks down his beautiful assistant’s persistent walls. Will Holly forgive him for sneaking into her mind, if she ever learns of it?



Holly Maddox is determined not to dip her pen in the company ink, a policy that’s served her well…until Jon comes along. He steals her mind when he’s in the room, weakens her fortitude with every flash of his flirty eyes and secretive smile. How will she keep herself from falling in love with her boss when he melts her impulse control?



When Jon and Holly decide to sabotage the brain-washing experiments, they learn they’re up against a greater power than they’d bargained for. Doing the right thing risks lives. Will the truth of their beginnings wreck their sizzling affair?

***

Mind-Blown by Michele Hart

Buy Link: http://www.BookStrand.com/mind-blown

Available in e-Book ISBN#: 1-60601-773-X * Soon in Print



Read reviews and hot, action-packed excerpts, watch the book trailer at:

http://www.michelehart.com/b26-book.htm

I want to thank Laurie for being my guest blogger.

Well, out of all the comments and emails, a winner has been randomly selected. The winner of a pdf copy of Laurie Ryan’s newest story, Pirate’s Promise, is...

drum roll please...

...

...

Wendy Phelps!




Congratulations, Wendy. Laurie will contact you via email with your prize.




~Phyllis~

Please welcome a fellow Bookstrand author to my blog. I'm excited to have her as my guest because she writes stories about PIRATES!  Oh baby....my favorite!

Also, Laurie wants to let you know that if you leave a comment, your name will go into a drawing to win her ebook, Pirate's Promise. Just send an email to - laurieryanauthor@gmail.com


Laurie Ryan writes sensual stories of real-life characters thrust into extraordinary situations. 



Inspiration



I’d like to thank Phyllis Campbell for having me here today. It’s release day for Pirate’s Promise, the second of three books in my pirate saga. As I wind down on edits for the third installment, I’m finding myself very nostalgic. It got me to thinking about how this series began mulling around in my brain. Inspiration can come from anywhere. However, my personal belief is that it is triggered by one or more of the five (or six) senses.


Inspiration can be visual. For instance, take this blog. I love the color Phyllis has used here. It’s calming, yet it draws me in. The striations in the background make me feel like I’m traveling to another place. Hmmm. And it makes me think of purple satin sheets. So I make a mental note to use satin sheets in a love scene. Thanks for the idea, Phyllis!

Ideas can be audio-induced. How many times has a song brought you to tears? Or inspired you to write a poem? Or to hug someone? Some songs, like Faith Hill’s This Kiss can remind me to slow down that kiss in a scene. Celine Dion’s I Drove All Night can amp it up and help me remember how far someone will go for love.

The sense of smell is a too-often ignored avenue of inspiration. I can walk through the grocery store, smell the fresh bread baking, and envision some muscle-bound, blond Adonis, elbow deep in dough, kneading away. Of course, then my imagination takes it to the next step and I’m thinking about other things he might knead. About that time, I remember that bakers need to wear hairnets and pop! There goes the illusion. Still, if the idea has merit, it goes into my idea book for a possible future story.


And let’s not forget the sense of taste. There’s a bit in my third book where the hero feeds a bite of deep, dark, sinful chocolate cake to the heroine. Can you envision this?


In real life, touch can invoke a distant memory or a strong desire. When my husband was in the hospital, I couldn’t stop stroking my hand along his back. He said it made him feel taken care of and relaxed. For me, it was reassurance. That memory reminds me of the power of touch and I try to use that in my stories.



For my pirate series, I think the sixth sense, an unconscious thing, kicked in. This series was inspired by a local Tall Ships Festival I attended. Walking amongst those gallant vessels, seeing them raise sail, tasting the tang of the seawater in the air, smelling the oils and polish and canvas, touching the well polished teakwood, and hearing the crews banter back and forth got to me. I knew there was a story here. As it turned out, I found three of them.


I’ve been anxiously waiting for Pirate’s Promise to be released, as it explains why tall, blond, hunky Hawk turned to a life of crime. Sparks fly when his hot tempered attorney, Julia, gets drawn into the mix, her career in jeopardy thanks to his stubborn, single-minded plans.

For more information, feel free to ask a question or visit my website at: http://www.laurieryanauthor.com/

I want to introduce you to another guest blogger. Margaret Tanner is a friend of mine I met online, and she's a wonderful writer.



Why do I write historical romance?



Like the heroines in my novels, my forebears left their native shores in sailing ships to forge a new life in the untamed frontiers of colonial Australia. They battled bushfires, hardship and the tyranny of distance in an inhospitable and savage land, where only the tough and resilient would survive. They not only survived but prospered in ways that would not have been possible for them had they stayed in England and Scotland.

I am a fourth generation Australian. We are a tough, resilient people, and we have fought hard to find our place in the world. We have beautiful scenery, unique wild life, and a bloodied convict history.

I admire heroines who are resourceful, not afraid to fight for her family and the man she loves. I want my readers to be cheering for her, willing her to obtain her goals, to overcome the obstacles put in her way by rugged frontier men who think they only want a wife to beget sons. A chance for revenge. To consolidate their fortunes. That love is for fools. Oh, the victory for the reader when these tough, ruthless men succumb to the heroine’s bravery and beauty, are prepared to risk all, even their lives, to save her.

Then there are the brave young men who sailed thousands of miles across the sea in World War 1 to fight for mother England, the birth country of their parents and grandparents. I also wanted to write about the wives and sweethearts who often waited in vain for their loved ones to return. Who were there to nurture the returning heroes, heal their broken bodies and tormented souls.



This is why I write historical romance, even if it means trawling through dusty books in the library, haunting every historical site on the internet, badgering elderly relatives, and risking snake-bite by clambering around overgrown cemeteries.

*****

BIO – MARGARET TANNER

Margaret Tanner is an award winning multi-published Australian author. She loves delving into the pages of history as she carries out research for her historical romance novels, and prides herself on being historically correct. Her publishers are Whiskey Creek Press and The Wild Rose Press.

Margaret is a member of the Romance Writers of Australia, the Melbourne Romance Writers Group (MRWG) and EPIC. Her novel The Trouble With Playboys came 3rd in the historical romance section of this years Preditors & Editors poll.

Margaret is married and has three grown up sons, and a gorgeous little granddaughter.

Outside of her family and friends, writing is her passion.

http://www.margarettanner.com/



FRONTIER WIFE

BLURB: Only in the new world can a highborn young Englishwoman and a tough frontier man, ignite the passion that will fulfil their hopes and dreams in ways they never imagined possible.
Tommy Lindsay arrives in colonial Australia to claim the rundown farm she and her brothers have inherited.

Hidden behind her fragile English rose beauty, beats the heart of a courageous young woman. She will need all this strength to survive the unforgiving heat, and the dangers lurking around every corner. Lost in the bush, capture by a feral mountain family, raging bushfires are nothing, compared to the danger she faces if she gives her heart to Adam Munro.

Adam Munro, a rugged frontier man, has no room in his heart to love a woman. All he ever wanted was a presentable wife who would provide him with heirs. He didn’t need passion in his life, not until he met the beautiful English rose living next door to him.
Frontier Wife is available from The Wild Rose Press

http://www.thewildrosepress.com/margaret-tanner-m-281.html


Thank you for inviting me to your blog Phyllis, I really enjoyed my visit.

I want to introduce you to Melissa Blue, my wonderful, amazing critique partner and best friend. She's my guest blogger today, so everyone be extra nice...
Registered Nurse by night, Melissa battles the stresses of life and illness by enjoying uplifting tales of love and romance. A firm believer in true love united with an enduring fascination with history has prompted her pursuit of romance writing. She lives in beautiful Big Sky Country Montana with her husband and children.

Creating Peeerrrfect Titles...
Book titles tend to be an author’s white elephant… the elusive horned unicorn that we chase after, toiling for hours over the perfect twist of phrase that will hook readers and ferry the book to the New York Times Best Seller list. No matter how incredible the writing in a story may be if the title is ho hum it will probably be passed over for a title that leaps off the cover and screams to passersby, “Read me!”

What makes a good title?

Key elements that draw me to a title as a reader are:

· Is the wording unique or is it yet another boring seduction-type of title.

· Does the wording fit with the genre of book I’m looking for?

· Does the title tell me a little something about the book?

· Writers create pictures with words. What images does the title provoke?

· Does the title match the back cover blurb? Nothing drives me more crazy than a gripping title that does not seem to match the book in anyway.

Titles are my least favorite thing to write—third only to synopsis and pitch writing—but the title of my latest release Angel and the Unforgiven from Champagne Books is one of my absolute favorites.



How do I come about developing titles like the one for Angel? To be perfectly honest partly by accident. The original title of this book was Angels (with an S) and the Unforgiven. The cover artist goofed and dropped the ‘S’ at which point my publisher and I said, “Ahhh, I think it’s better without the plural.”

Melissa’s keys for developing fitting yet intriguing titles:

· Slap a working title on your story. It doesn’t have to be anything elaborate just a name for your work while you get it rolling. Even something like Ghost Story will do.

· Once you reach a point in your writing when certain plot points begin to stand out take note of those elements because they may be great fodder for a title later.

 * i.e. The title of my latest finished project Forget Me Not stems from the Forget-me-not flower the hero gives the heroine. The title is also a clever twist on a double meaning within the story.

· When the time comes and your manuscript is polished and it’s time to polish the title too, develop a few and then run them past a few people.


Now tell me, what is the best book title you’ve seen lately? Mine is Lessons from a Scarlet Lady.

When you read the title Angel and the Unforgiven what image does that provoke in your mind?

Does the back cover blurb match the title?

When murder suspect Cadence Jamison disguises herself as a boy and stows aboard the Heavenly Mistress Captain Curtis Langston may find his two past occasions for rescuing her more than he bargained for.

Bitter and Cynical after service in the Confederate Army, Curtis believes himself no more deserving of another’s love than capable of returning it. Content to drift through life free of emotional and therefore romantic complications the once carefree and mischievous rogue may be forever gone. But when Cadence appears in his life Curtis finds himself smiling again, smiling and dreaming and feeling more like himself than he has in five years. Drawn with almost unnatural force to the sweet and innocent goodness Cadence offers, Curtis blunders again and again to resist the pull of what a life with her could be.

Can Cadence show this wounded soul how to love again? Or is he doomed to be forever unforgiven, haunted by the ghosts of his past?

Happy Reading!

Melissa
Find me online at http://www.melissalynneblue.com/

Angel and the Unforgiven E-book:

http://store.fictionwise.com/ebooks/b108240/Angel-And-The-Unforgiven/Melissa-Blue/?si=52

Print:

http://champagne.vstore.ca/product_info.php/pName/angel-the-unforgiven/osCsid/7c5197766d94a640f8bfd879c46440c7

I first want to thank everyone who posted a comment on my blog yesterday. I'm so relieved to know I'm not the only one who hears voices in my head... lol  I'm also glad to know I'm not the only one who wants a happy-ever-after!

So now, the winner of a free download of any of my books is....

(drum roll)


CORINNE DAVIES!

Corinne please email me for your free book - phylliscampbell84302 (at) yahoo (dot) com.

~Phyllis~

How many authors have you talked to who say they hear voices in their head?

Well, believe it or not, that's the truth. People (usually one gorgeous, HOT, man with a muscular physique - and one sexy woman with the body of a model) chat away in my head to tell me what kind of story they want. But that doesn't happen first. For me, my stories start with a dream. I usually dream a scene or two of the story, so when I wake up I realize this would work great in a book. Sometimes my dreams are the characters I want although the dream isn't. lol Either way, this is the start of my stories. I come up with names, and once again, my characters have to approve or the story isn't getting to chapter two at all! Then I figure out what setting to put them in. Most of the time I'm trying to fit them in a historical, which is the genre I love.

So then we start writing and working with our critique partners / groups. By the end of the story we think we have the next New York Times best seller. Then we get our baby in front of agents or editors... And this is where the rejections start coming.

After the first couple of rejections, we think the agents or editors were reading our NY Times best seller wannabes on a bad day. But by rejection six or seven...we start to doubt ourselves and our writing. We tell ourselves we write CRAP and couldn’t compete with the big authors no matter what...and perhaps the agents and editors actually were right to reject us. Then a week later, we finally get a request. Out of 12 queries we send - with 11 rejections - we finally get that ONE agent or editor who thinks that maybe our story is good. Then wouldn't you know, our attitude changes, and once again, we KNOW they're going to fall in love with it and we will be a NY Times best selling author.

Believe me when I say the emotional roller coaster ride is continual. I've had 23 books published so far in my career, and I still can't seem to get off this emotional ride. My husband tells me it's worse than PMSing. And...I believe him!


So tell me...why do we write? Why do we put ourselves through this? I'll tell you why I do it. Because I LOVE creating stories. I love the magic of romance and the idea of falling madly in love with the person you’ll be with forever. I love writing twists in my plots, and I especially love writing sexual tension!! I have two daughters, who I raised and are now out and of the house, and for once in my life - I can make someone do what I want them to do and they don't talk back... And even if my characters did talk back, at least I can put them in my mental closet for a day and teach them some manners. Usually they come back out ready for me to write. (grins)

Now it's your turn. What drives you to continue writing through all of the pitfalls this business throws at us?


~Phyllis~

I'm excited to show everyone my new website / blog. Of course you know what this means, right? I have to actually blog. hahaha  No need to fear, I'll only try to do it once in a while, not every day. lol

Take a peek at my published stories pages, and the page that shows you the stories I'm trying to find a home for.

Thanks for coming!

~Phyllis~