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An Exclusive Gift For You! Pirate's Proposal Prologue

2012-05-27T13:45:05Z

Today is my birthday, and my gift to you is the never-before-seen prologue I wrote for Pirate's Proposal. Because you know what they say: Readers don't like prologues. But I do. I love them! And so I hung onto this short prologue which made my heart tighten and my throat clog when I wrote it. I hope you find it as emotional.

Pirate's Proposal

Prologue

Twelve-year-old Gina Santini sat on her bunk, hands tightly clasped, eyes squeezed shut. The tears musn’t escape.

“No, no, no, no,” she muttered, unable to muster any other thought.

The door separating her cabin from her parent’s cabin opened.

“Mi figlia.” My daughter.

Gina looked up at her father’s voice, then jumped off her bunk and ran to him, wrapping her thin arms around his sturdy frame. He enfolded her in a hug, and for a moment, her world felt right.

But only for a moment, for then he spoke.

“Figlia, your Momma, she wants to see you.”

Tears welled again, but she bravely fought them back. “Babbo, this is because she’s better, no?”

Even without his head shake, she knew the answer. Sadness surrounded him, permeated even the air he breathed.

“You need to see her, mi figlia before it’s too late.”

With a gasp, she released her father and ran into the adjoining cabin, where her mother lay in the bunk covered with a thin sheet. Gina kneeled on the floor and took her mother’s hand. So frail, so cold. No!

“Momma?”

“Gina, amore, Momma is happy you are here.” Her voice sounded so weak.

“Don’t talk, Momma, save your breath, get well.”

“No, mia figlia, there will be no getting well. I am not long for here.”

Gina wanted to scream, stamp her feet and shake her fist at the heavens, but she resisted the urge and stayed still so she could hear her mother’s last words.

Momma gently pulled from Gina’s grasp. “I have something for you.” Momma reached across on her pillow and picked up her doll. She handed it to Gina.

“This will be yours.”

“Your doll?” Gina remembered once when she’d been little that she’d sneaked into her parent’s cabin to play with the doll and received such a scolding from her Momma to never ever touch the doll.

“But, Momma, you said--”

“Si, amore, she was a doll made special for me by your Nonno Enzo. But I cannot take her to a watery grave with me.”

Gina choked on the sudden lump in her throat at the thought of her Momma’s body in the ocean. But there really was no other choice once Momma...passed. They were in the middle of the ocean without land in sight, although they were sailing hard for port.

“Momma, don’t say such a thing. You will get better. We’ll reach port soon, find you a doctor--”

“No, figlia, I will not last the day, I know it.”

If that were true, Gina knew her father would turn the Gypsy Doll around and head back to the open sea. There was no reason to sail for land if they no longer needed a doctor. They owned nothing but the Gypsy Doll, a large frigate which had been Gina’s home since the day she was born. There would be no need to bury her mother, other than in a sailor’s grave, where her spirit would always remain close.

“Take her.” Momma’s voice interrupted Gina’s thoughts.

Gina took the doll, expecting her to be cold and hard as she was made of whale bone. She looked at her mother. “She’s so...warm.”

“She does often feel warm, which is odd, I know. But she is a special doll, with special powers. If you take care of her, she will keep you safe.”

A sob slipped from between Gina’s lips. “She hasn’t kept you safe.”

“Not that kind of safe, amore. She cannot prevent sickness. But she can prevent someone from being disloyal to you which can be as dangerous as an illness.”

At the moment, Gina didn’t care about loyalty; she only wanted her mother to live.

“Listen, bella mia, I will tell you the tale of the doll.”

Gina sniffed and held the doll in one hand, and her mother’s hand with the other.

“My father made her with his own hands, carved every bit from the whale bone. He made her after mi Momma was mysteriously murdered in her bed, as a tribute to her.”

Gina gasped at the thought of her Nonna being murdered.

“See, here...” At this Momma took the doll back from Gina and raised her dress. “This is the rose he carved as a reminder--your Nonna’s name was Rosa.”

On the front, where the doll’s heart would be was a tiny carved rose. “Ah, Rosa,” Gina murmured, thinking it a romantic gesture. “So he carved this to show his love for her?”

“Si.” Mamma sighed, obviously thinking the rose was a romantic gesture too.

“But Nonna Rosa died when you were a young girl, si?” Gina just realized her mother was motherless much of her childhood...just as she would be. She blinked hard and swallowed. “And did Nonno Enzo make the doll soon after her death?”

“Si, it helped him past the pain he said.”

Gina thought on that a minute before she asked what to her was an obvious question, “So then why does a young girl need a doll who protects against disloyal people? And how could he have ensured that anyway?”

“Ah, mia figlia, you always have been such a smart one.”

“The spell on the doll came on the eve of my wedding. Your Nonno wanted to ensure your father would always be loyal to me so he engaged a gypsy witch--”

“A witch?”
“Si,” But at that Momma started coughing and couldn’t continue.

Babbo, who had been listening at the door, came and led Gina away. So many things she didn’t know, that she wanted to ask, that she wished she had more time to learn.

“But Babbo...”

“Your Momma is very tired, and needs to rest. She will tell you later.”

But later never came. Gina’s mother died that night.

****

I hope you enjoyed the prologue. If you would like to read more, please visit my website for reviews and buy links. Pirate's Proposal is part of "The Tales of the Scrimshaw Doll" series with The Wild Rose Press. I'm also featured on today's historical RomCon blog where you can learn more about Pirate's Proposal and the cursed gypsy doll. (and learn how TWO lucky commenters on the RomCon blog can win a copy of Pirate's Proposal and a $10 gift card)

First Friday Art Walk-Welcome Harlequin Superromance Author Liz Talley!

2012-05-04T12:47:17Z

Today I'm joining a Friday Art Walk with a few other Ruby Sisters, but instead of art at my house, I am going to post art from Ruby Sister and Harlequin Superromance author Liz Talley's house, since she is guest blogging with me. Liz will make a comment about each picture and where it hangs in her house.

And here we go on our tour...

This picture was made right after I had the youngest and it's one of my
favorite. It's kind of intimate so it hangs in the bedroom, but I love
seeing the sweetness in this picture

This is my boys playing "One-eyed Susan" a game my great grandmother used to
play with me. You close your eyes, press your foreheads together, count to
three, open your eyes and shout "one-eyed Susan" - it makes the other person
have just one eye! LOL. Love this one - hangs in my hallway.

This is my recent edition to my wall space and hangs in my dining room. I won it at an art benefit and the photographer took this in a local prayer garden. Just framed and hung it last Sunday

And this hangs in my laundry room and makes me smile even when I'm washing dirty socks. My son painted this in third grade in his art class. Who doesn't love dancing cows?

Thanks Liz, for sharing your pictures with us. For those of you who want to know more about Liz's books, and her newest release...

A former English teacher and mother of two, Liz Talley spends much of her time writing sassy Southern stories for Harlequin Superromance. Her book Vegas Two Step debuted in June 2010 and since, she’s sold fifteen more books to Harlequin Superromance. Her three book series “The Boys of Bayou Bridge” releases this summer followed by The Spirit of Christmas, a December release. A 2009 Golden Heart finalist in Regency romance, Liz serves as the president of NOLA STARS and blogs regularly with The Ruby Slippered Sisterhood, Everybody Needs a Little Romance, and Superromance authors. When not writing, Liz cheers for her boys on the baseball field, balances the dreaded checkbook and avoids growing piles of laundry. You can visit Liz at www.liztalleybooks.com to learn more about her and her upcoming books.

Her latest release WATERS RUN DEEP available now:

Getting attached to someone nearly sidelined agent Annie Perez's career. So she's not about to make the same mistake twice. This latest undercover assignment in Louisiana—acting as nanny for a famous couple under threat—suits her perfectly. She can investigate quietly and under the radar. That is, provided she can stay clear of way-too-suspicious detective Nate Dufrene.

Easier said than done when Nate seems to be around every corner. And with each encounter, Annie is tempted a little more by this son of Bayou Bridge. Yet regardless of their chemistry, they are worlds apart, and she's not willing to compromise for love again. But when she needs an ally, Nate has her back. And that could convince her to get very attached!

And if you want to join a few other Ruby sisters on their First Friday Art Walk, here are the links to their sites.

Romantic Suspense Author Rita Henuber
Romantic Suspense Author Autumn Jordon
Romantic Suspense Author Cynthia Justlin
Romantic Suspense Author Anne Marie Becker

Vampires, Marshals and Serial Killers, oh my!

2012-04-27T02:29:43Z

BY GUEST BLOGGER ALICIA DEAN

Those compelling, unforgettable television characters. Is it the writing, the role, or the actor?

I have a confession to make. I’m a TV addict. It’s insane, since I work full-time, I’m an editor, an author, a contest coordinator, a critique partner, etc, etc. But…I watch a lot of television. There are certain shows in particular that I look forward to all week (or for the entire off-season, whichever the case may be), and that I think about long after the show is over.

In each, there is one character (these characters happen to be, purely by coincidence, really, really hot, sexy men) who keeps me coming back to the show time after time, who makes me wish, as a writer, I could capture that certain something they have so that it comes across on the page.

But, my theory is that it’s only partially the writing and only partially the role/character the writer created. (As much as I love the written word, each of these television shows are based on books, and while the books are highly successful, the characters DID NOT make me swoon like they do when I watch the shows. Yes, I said ‘swoon’ <g>.

MOSTLY, it’s the casting…fitting the perfect actor into that role and letting them do their thing, as only they can do.

Case in point…

Dexter

Although the author obviously did a phenomenal job of creating a serial killer we understand, admire, and even root for, I can’t imagine anyone other than Michael C. Hall in the role. He provides the perfect measure of everything that makes the character what he is…what we love: He’s emotionless, yet conflicted. He’s at war with, yet unable to control his Dark Passenger. Once in a while, we get a glimpse of the emotion we crave (although a part of us doesn’t really want to see it—because that’s not who Dexter is), whether it’s in the way he cares about his sister, or the way he reluctantly plunges a knife into the heart of someone who needs killing, even though Dexter kind of hates to do it.

Justified

Ah, Raylan Givens. Out of all my examples, he’s the only one who’s through and through truly a ‘good’ guy, even though he makes mistakes, gets his a$$ kicked at times, and once in a while makes bad decisions. He’s a laid back, tough, sexy, U.S. Marshal with a trademark cowboy hat, a squinty, ‘almost’ smile and some unforgettable lines that are delivered in his smooth Kentucky drawl. They’re not cheesy, ‘over the top’ lines…they’re cool and sexy, just like Raylan. Timothy Olyphant seems to have been made for that role. He makes you believe he IS Raylan Givens.

True Blood

Although it’s rather cliché, Eric Northman moves like a jungle cat. His swagger, his smoldering expression, his smooth yet raspy voice, and those hypnotic eyes that draw you in, mesmerize you, are all rolled into this big hunk of blonde and gorgeous. Alexander Skarsgard gives the role just the right mix of bad boy and sexy. No one could do it quite like he does. Understandably, Fang Bangers, (if you don’t watch the show, they’re basically vampire groupies), throw themselves at him. Somehow, when it’s Eric Northman doing the biting, getting attacked by a vampire doesn’t seem all that unpleasant.

Vampire Diaries

Damon Salvatore. Wow. I mean, just…wow. His crystal blue eyes captivate, compel you so that you can’t turn away. Ian Somerhalder plays the bad boy vampire to perfection. Even when Damon is snapping necks and literally ripping hearts from chests, he’s still sexy. (Or maybe that’s just me <g>. Whether he’s getting the s#*t beat out of him, or he’s delivering pain to someone else, or during one of those tender moments, when his perfectly sculpted face reveals every emotion he feels, (even the ones he reluctantly feels, because allowing yourself to feel is too human and painful), he does it all with an overload of sex appeal. Although the writing for the show is spectacular, no one except Ian could deliver those lines with quite the same panache. He has this combination of danger and charisma that is totally irresistible.

Just as I expected, I didn’t do any of these characters justice in my description. Seeing is believing, and in order to really ‘get’ what I mean, you’ll just have to watch.

So…what do you think? What are your favorite shows and characters and could you see anyone else playing those roles?

Alicia Dean lives in Edmond, Oklahoma. She writes paranormal and romantic suspense and is the author of five published novels, two novellas, and a handful of short stories, all through various venues--The Wild Rose Press, Dorchester, and self-publishing. Her next release is a paranormal romance, Soul Seducer, coming out June 4, 2012 as part of Adams Media’s Crimson Romance launch. For more info and to keep up with her releases, please visit her WEBSITE.

HOW TO GET AN ARC OF TRUST NO ONE!

2012-04-21T15:46:09Z

I’m happy to announce that TRUST NO ONE (Vista Security Book 1) should be ready for release by the first of June. But there is a way to get an electronic ARC if you don’t want to wait that long. What is an ARC, you ask? It’s an Advanced Reading Copy. First though, here is info about the new book, and the scoop on how to get the ARC, if you’re interested, will follow…

In TRUST NO ONE, a former spy is forced out of retirement when her sister begins an unsanctioned killing spree.

Drafted into the nebulous underworld of a secret agent right after college, MJ Thornberg survived betrayal and attempted murder at the hands of her trusted partner. Instead of returning to the business of espionage, she chose to retire to a small Texas town and work as a mechanic while raising her soon-to-be-adopted baby daughter.

Ben Walker is a man with his own secrets. An agent with MJ’s former employer, Vista Security, Ben is clawing his way out of a downward spiral from a job gone wrong when Vista sends him after MJ, with orders to use the threat of halting her baby’s adoption to ensure her cooperation.

Furious and trusting no one, MJ intends on working the job solo until a sniper’s bullet alters her plans. With no choice but to work with Ben, MJ must confront a ghost from her past, discover the truth of her present, and trust that the future she deserves is in her hands to create.

For fans of THE GOOD DAUGHTER the prequel to the Vista Security series, the FBI hero Dave Armstrong, makes a cameo in TRUST NO ONE as he begins a new phase in his life. He, and later Marisa, the Mafia Princess, will appear in other Vista Security books.

And if you ARE a fan of THE GOOD DAUGHTER, this is how you get the ARC of TRUST NO ONE, the first book in the Vista Security series:

IF you have left a review of THE GOOD DAUGHTER anywhere (at the moment it’s on Amazon, Goodreads and Shelfari but it should soon be available at Barnes&Noble, Smashwords and all other e-Venues, as well as print) then email me and let me know where you left the review, and I will send you an electronic ARC of TRUST NO ONE as soon as it’s ready.

OR if you PLAN to leave a review of THE GOOD DAUGHTER, when you do, same instructions, send me an email (my email is listed in the front of THE GOOD DAUGHTER).

At the time of this writing, I am planning to launch TRUST NO ONE on June 1 so it’s possible you can have TRUST NO ONE at least three weeks before it’s released!

And what do you think of the cover, isn’t it fabulous?

Be sure to sign up for my newsletter HERE to get the latest news about my releases.

AND THE WINNER IS...

2012-04-21T15:09:26Z

The winner of the $10 Gift Card from me for the Authors In Bloom Giveaway Hop is Catherine!

Congratulations!

And the grand prize winner can be found HERE.

Thank you all for playing the Authors In Bloom Giveaway Hop!

Missing Bees? Help!

2012-04-09T11:35:09Z

Have your bees gone missing?

As those of you who read my Mary Mary Quite Contrary post know, I’m not the greatest gardener. I try, but some years it just doesn’t happen. Last spring I worked so hard and was so proud when I built the first of my many planned raised bed gardens. I transplanted baby plants and planted my seeds and watched everything grow, excited and sure that I would have homegrown food for the summer!

If you’ll remember,in the summer of 2011 we had a severe drought in Texas. But even before that drought hit, I had another disaster. Early spring, everything was going well—yeah it was dry already but I was watering. The plants grew, bloomed…and then the blooms died with no vegetables growing. What was going on?

I finally figured it out. No bees. It didn’t matter what time of day I went outside, I could find no bees. Even the bucket where I recycle soft drink cans, which usually has bees swarming, did not have a single bee. As I read more about this, I was alarmed how many things would not grow without bees. Here is an article about how pesticides could be making bees lose their way. Bees Getting Lost article. Bees are disappearing world-wide. People, this is bad—how will food grow without bees?

For your own home garden, though, this is not an all-is-lost, give-up-on-your garden condition. You can hand pollinate. I learned about it online, of course, but from what I read, you had to use the male flower to pollinate the female flower. Yeah, like I knew what that meant.

I found the solution to the problem from a lady at church who is a long-time gardener. She said to use a feather or a soft artist brush and simply brush the inside of each flower. By brushing each flower, it wasn’t necessary to distinguish between the male and female, the pollen would just get spread around. A bit skeptical, I tried it. I mean what would it hurt?

And guess what? It worked! Soon, my plants had veggies growing…and then the heatwave and drought hit, so everything died, even with watering. Unfortunately I have no tips to help with a drought…

Hopefully my tip will help you if you ever find yourself with missing bees.

As always, please feel free to subscribe to this blog, sign up for my newsletter or check out my books on my website. Thank you for stopping by!

AND THE WINNER IS...

2012-04-07T20:33:27Z

The winner from my blog of the $10 gift certificate from Amazon or Barnes&Noble, chosen by random.org is Brenda Watson.

CONGRATULATIONS, BRENDA!

And the two Grand Prize Winners of the Birthday Bloghop are:

Kindle Touch: Teri Matlock
$60 Amazon gift card: Lisa Walker

CONGRATULATIONS and THANKS TO YOU ALL FOR PARTICIPATING!

A Pirate Birthday!

2012-04-05T03:14:15Z

I'm not much of a party person. Which is too bad, since I have six children. But my talents lie elsewhere, not in thinking of fun kid parties. Given my...shortcomings, each of my kids ended up with only one really creative birthday party, and even then, I recycled an idea for two of my boys. It was a pirate party, and the boys were 20 years apart. (I essentially have two families, my kids range in ages from 8 -30; yes, this makes me an Old Mom for my youngest two, poor things.)

I first got the idea for a pirate party in The Tightwad Gazette . I know, I know, these days pirate parties abound, but back in the day it was pretty original (as well as thrifty). Heck, to give you a hint of how old I am I followed The Tightwad Gazette back when it was just a newsletter. The author, Amy Dacyzyn (pronounced Decision), wrote an article about a pirate birthday party with some great suggestions. No, I’m not above stealing ideas for birthday parties, why would you ask such a silly thing? The son, his brothers and friends had a great time.

Fast forward twenty years to the next pirate birthday party and this time there’s something called the I.N.T.E.R.N.E.T. (30 years ago back when I had more energy, life as a mom would have been so much easier with the Internet!) I found all sorts of cute pirate birthday ideas including cool cake ideas on Family Fun.

At Party City, I found a cardboard pirate chest and we filled it with individual sacks with goodies, many of them printable goodies off the Family Fun site. I even found some gold chocolate candy coins at a dollar store. We made picture maps, the first map led to the first location where another map waited with instructions to another location with the next map, etc. until the last map led to the treasure chest. Because we couldn't decide which we liked best, we made two pirate birthday cakes, a treasure chest and pirate ship—both recipes are posted on Family Fun.

(Please, note, photography is not my thing, either. I actually failed photography in journalism. But if you look close you can tell one cake is a ship and one is a treasure chest, and both were actually fun to make.)

Pirate Parties are great fun, and are always a hit. Happy Birthday!

As always, please feel free to subscribe to this blog, sign up for my newsletter or check out my books on my website. Thank you for stopping by!

ONCE UPON A DREAM

2012-04-01T23:24:18Z

For as long as I can remember, I’ve always had fictional friends. Growing up as an only child AND an only grandchild on both sides, I spent a lot of time by myself. Although even when my mom went to work and put me in daycare, I still spent a lot of time with my make-believe friends, or else I roped my real-life friends into acting out the stories I’d created.

Speaking of acting, my very first foray into fictional writing was a Christmas play I wrote, directed, acted in and produced back in the third grade for my elementary school.

Many short stories and plays followed, and I started my first attempt at a novel when I was fifteen. But even though I'd written most of my life, I never considered that I could write for a living. As an avid reader, I thought writers belonged to some magical group in which ordinary people could not join. Marrying a few days before I turned 18 and four children following over the next decade, I figured I was one of those ordinary people who would never belong with those magical writers.

Until I discovered Romantic Times. When I read in one issue about Romance Writers of America®, which had been started in Houston, I was thrilled at the thought of a national romance writers group. And yet while I lived in Texas, Houston was too far away, and I was busy raising small children. Still learning about RWA® was enough for me to dare to dream. Maybe being an author wasn’t exclusively for those more magical than me.

Fast forward a few more years of reading Romantic Times and I learned there was a Dallas chapter of RWA®, and through a strange set of circumstances we were in the process of moving to Dallas. I was able to join the Dallas Area Romance Authors, had started my first “real” novel and continued to dream I was on my way to join the ranks of published authors. While other authors were welcoming and helpful, and I began to learn and hone my craft, my life took a few sharp turns which interrupted my dream. A divorce, custody battle, traumatized characters deserting me, a remarriage, a new family with more babies, until at last I managed to get back on the path to to my dream.

After entering the RWA® chapter contest circuit and winning and placing in many contests (see my awards page; once I even made first-runner up in Romantic Times Follow The New writer contest), and after numerous rejections--I have spreadsheets full of listed rejections--at last I finaled in RWA’s® Golden Heart®. I was on my way!

Um…not so fast.

The thing I quickly learned about being a Golden Heart® finalist is that it got me rejected much faster! I seem to write outside the box and therefore most of my books are unsalable according to the agents and editors. (Although I did sell my 1700's pirate book, Pirate's Proposal, part of the Scrimshaw Doll series to The Wild Rose Press-a wonderful small press publisher)

But I’m not complaining about my suspense-book rejections; because of that Golden Heart® final I became a part of the fabulous Ruby-Slippered Sisterhood, the group of '09 finalists, and I learned about indie-pubbing from Ruby sister Cate Rowan who led the way. It took me awhile to screw up the nerves to take the leap myself--I’ll be honest, 100s of rejections tend to get you down and make you question yourself--but I am so glad I finally took that jump to indie-pubbing.

Because then I was able to submit my book to Romantic Times, that magazine I’d been reading for decades, for a review! (Now known as RT BookReviews since they’ve moved into reviewing all genres.) And surprise of all surprises THE GOOD DAUGHTER got a TOP PICK 4 1/2 Stars, one of their highest review ratings! Who would have believed it after all those rejections? I screamed and jumped and waved my magazine around right there at the mailbox--the neighbors are sure I’m nuts now. And actually, I need to buy a new magazine, I kind of destroyed mine (notice the crinkled picture I posted). But now, I’m one of those in the magical realm--except, it’s not really so much magic. I learned you make your own magic from being driven with determination and a dream.

And I am so grateful for the friends I made along the way as well as READERS, real people who pay money for my books and read and review them! Thank you so much! And thank you RT Book Reviews for giving an indie-author a chance!

Now my question for you, how did you make or are working to make, your dream come true?

UPDATE: RT Book Reviews included THE GOOD DAUGHTER in a fun quiz on their May 23, 2012 Daily Online blog. Check it out! Which self-published story is right for you?

THE GOOD DAUGHTER is available at:
Amazon
Amazon UK
Barnes & Noble

Mary, Mary, Quite Contrary

2012-03-30T09:10:49Z

Mary, Mary, quite contrary, how does your garden grow?
Mine? Not so good.
And besides, my name isn't Mary.

It was a grand idea, to create raised bed gardens. I figured I was getting on up in years; heck, in another 20 years or so I won't even be able to run a tiller so I might as well start planning now. A raised bed garden would require no tilling, you see? And am I planning long range--20 years out? Not for me. It takes me about that long to enact my grand schemes.

With the help of a son, I did get one raised bed row created and planted last spring. Then, the Texas drought came--and heat! I mean, I'm a Texan and it gets hot as Hades here, but last spring and summer was scorching! I tried watering every morning and but the garden sizzled and fried under the hot sun.

And this year? Well, I guess I sizzled and fried in the heat last year, too, I just don't have the motivation to make an attempt this year, even though the weather is much more promising--we're even getting rain now!

So, here is what my garden looks like:

Yep. A whole lotta dirt. Okay, this was from last spring. The pile is a little smaller now and grass (weeds) is beginning to claim the dirt. But all is not lost. I do have the one raised bed garden I built from this dirt using cinder blocks.

Yes, yes, there are cinder blocks in among the weeds, I promise. I also have a few pots with...something growing in them, I can't remember now what was in there.

Okay, so I'm a pathetic gardener, how about you? What is growing in your garden?

And after you leave a comment, stop by three of my Ruby sisters' blogs and see what they have growing in their gardens--in Pennsylvania, Arizona and Florida!

Autumn Jordon
Cynthia Justlin
Rita Henuber

Lucky Sevens! Meme

2012-03-26T00:14:31Z

Yesterday, on Facebook I was tagged by Chelle Sandell to post 7 lines from my WIP (work-in-progress) starting on page 77, beginning with line 7. I then tagged some other people and learned that it's actually a game called Lucky Sevens Meme. Rhonda Hopkins has a brilliant post explaining the game and the meaning of the number 7 on her blog. (I also want to give a shout out to good friend Greg Carrico for giving me a shout out on his Lucky Sevens blog, he had some nice things to say and his sentences were great, too!)

I also learned that Alicia and Roy Street tagged me again today. So here I am fiddling with my blog trying to get it to work. (one day I'll get it set up like I want!) Apparently you can post lines from page 7 or page 77. Since I posted the 7 lines from page 77 on Facebook to my work in progress, TRUST NO ONE, the sequel to THE GOOD DAUGHTER, I will post 7 lines from the same manuscript from page 7 here. I hope to have TRUST NO ONE available by May! To set this up, my spy heroine, MJ and her partner Keith, have just ripped off some information that was about to fall into the wrong hands...

Years of hard work took less than fifteen minutes to rip off and tuck neatly into a backpack. "Ready?"

Keith shut the safe and stood up. "Not quite yet."

"What?"

"This." He tugged her into his arms and gave her a long deep kiss that rocked her with his passion.

And just for the heck of it, since this is a learning exercise, here is page 7 line 7-14 of THE GOOD DAUGHTER. (Which squee! Can I add got a TOP PICK 4 1/2 stars from RT Book Reviews! Blogging about that next week! The full review is on the suspense page of my website!)

To set this up, this is the first meeting between my FBI agent hero and the Italian Mafia Princess heroine. This is in the middle of some dialogue which is why I am putting the ellipses before "And".

"...And it’s not necessary to color coordinate everything down to your boots.”

Her voice was still strong when she asked, “Which boots? On my feet or my ears?” She pushed back her hair, and he saw a dangling pink jeweled miniature boot hanging from each ear.

He couldn’t help but stare.

“I had them special made, do you like?”

What game was she playing?

What did I learn by doing this? That by page 7 I have male/female action going on. And incidentally on page 77 in both of them, I have a dangerous situation. That is quite revealing don't you think?

How about you, do you have 7 lines to share?

I am now going to tag the next 7, five of who are Ruby Sisters and two are friends of Ruby Sisters who sprint with me at oh-dark-hundred (4:30 am CST) on Thursday and Friday mornings at The Ruby Sisters Winter Festival site.

Amanda Brice
Cynthia Justlin
Hywela Lyn
Laurie Kellogg
Rita Henuber
Sophie Moss
Vivi Andrews

FREE on Amazon

2012-03-16T04:33:26Z

Any minute my suspense novel The Good Daughter should be going free on Amazon for a three day run. March 16, 17, and 18, 2012. This will be the last time that The Good Daughter will be free for a long time.

I hope you'll try The Good Daughter, the prequel to my Vista Security Series, and get to know Marisa, the mob daughter. She seems tough on the outside, but truly, she hides many wounds as she focuses to see justice done, even if justice means destroying her family and the only way of life she's known.

Linda Castillo, New York Time bestselling author of Breaking Silence says, ""With THE GOOD DAUGHTER, Diana Layne delivers all the elements of a classic romantic suspense--fast pace, a layered and twisty plot, memorable characters and the perfect balance of sensuality. An exceptionally well-executed element of Mafia culture combined with a high level of danger make the book fresh and impossible to put down."

The Good Daughter on Amazon Amazon UK Amazon.de Amazon.it

I so appreciate my readers. If you have a minute, take a look around my website!

Two New Books!

2012-01-23T05:04:02Z

Obviously, I'm not the greatest blogger in the world since it's been over three months since I wrote. But I have a good excuse. My grandad got sick, and I was the only one available to take care of him. Unfortunately after six weeks of growing steadily worse, he died. That was six weeks I was thrown off schedule and had gotten terribly behind. Which is fine, I would gladly do it again, or even given much more time if I could've found a way to keep him alive. I do miss him terribly.

During this time, I got my edits back for The Good Daughter, and the revisions were a bit more extensive than I was anticipating. Can I just say they were a PITB? But I got through them, and I'm quite happy with the end result.

Next to learn the formatting. That wasn't as hard as the revisions. Right now The Good Daughter is available only on Amazon, but will be available in paperback next and all other e-venues to follow asap. Here is the link to Amazon.

The Good Daughter is a suspense/thriller Mafia story about a Mafia princess or mob daughter, whichever you prefer. If you like the new reality show Mobwives or if you find yourself missing Growing Up Gotti or that cuddly teddy-bear Tony Soprano, you might like The Good Daughter. It has a romantic subplot as well as a budding romance with the two main characters. It is also action-packed, suspenseful, and hopefully will keep you turning the pages!

Then a few days after The Good Daughter went live, Pirate's Proposal was released! Pirate's Proposal is part of The Scrimshaw Doll series from The Wild Rose Press. The Scrimshaw Doll series is collaborative series created by a group of OKRWA Outlaw romance writers, and Pirate's Proposal begins the legend of the cursed gypsy doll in 1719 on the wild and stormy seas! You can read more about Pirate's Proposal and The Scrimshaw Doll series where I blogged with the Rubies.

Pirate's Proposal will be available in e-book only, but it is available in all venues. You can find the buy links on my website.

Yes, two new books in one week. Now it's time to get back to work!

Until next time!

Updated Website and More

2011-10-05T04:03:27Z

This is my very first blog! I only plan to blog occasionally, when I have something blog-worthy to report or that I think might interest you. So you might want to subscribe if you don't want to miss any updates. I think there's a little widget if you'll scroll down the sidebar. I also have a newsletter sign-up on my home page, if you'd rather receive my newsletter.

News on the writing front, I have a release date for Pirate's Proposal: January 18, 2012! And I'm working on revisions for The Good Daughter, my mafia story, and hope to have a release date for it soon!

Until next time!

Welcome

2011-10-04T03:24:33Z

Welcome to my blog. Please check back soon for new entries.