A Lifestyle blog that focuses on all things from fashion to beauty; fitness to weight loss; recipes to coupons; books to movies; travels to entertainment; and everything in between.
Hi, lovelies!! It gives
me great pleasure today to host Sarah Hualde and her new book, “A Raven
Remix,” here on FAB!! For other
stops on her Goddess Fish Promotions Book Tour, please click on the banner
above or any of the images in this post.
Be sure to make it to the end of this post to enter to win a $20
Amazon OR Barnes and Noble Gift Card!!
Also, come back daily to interact with Sarah and to increase your
chances of winning!!
This eBook is on SALE for ONLY $0.99 during the book
tour!!! See below for more details.
Thanks for stopping
by!! Wishing you all lots of good luck
in this fabulous giveaway!!
A Raven Remix
by Sarah Hualde
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
GENRE: Paranormal Cozy
Mystery
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
BOOK BLURB:
Most
people run from death,
But
not Penny.
She
chases it down.
Penny's
premonitions put her friends in peril. Join her as she stalks the bird of death
by following the musical clues he leaves behind.
Will
she and her cheeky cat, Spades save the day?
Or will
the Raven be one step ahead?
This
Paranormal Penny Boxset features books 1, 1.5, and 2 in the Paranormal Penny
Mystery Series.
Join
Penny and Spades as they thwart murderers before they strike.
Buy
it Now.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
EXCERPT ONE:
It
wasn’t life that flashed before my eyes as Betty Fae thwacked me between the
shoulder blades. It was death and disaster—replays of all the faces of shock and
sadness worn by acquaintances of my past. Death of one sort or the other
followed that stupid Raven.
I
remembered them all. Vividly. The writer, the homeschool mom, the surfer, the
politician. They were among the near-strangers I’d encountered and endangered.
Following
their faces came the really painful pictures. The friendly child advocate, the
sweet boy next door, and losing my aunt and uncle. After them, but always above
them, followed the loss of my sister and father.
All
because of the same intolerable bird. Gracious enough to give me a glimpse of
their perils before nudging them to the brink. Impending doom sat, staring at
me, from the cup of the only friend I had in town- Janice Rockland. It lingered
there amid the froth bubbles, telling me Janice Rockland had twenty-four hours,
at most, left to live.
My
eyes watered. My throat closed all the tighter. Even after it dislodged my
Belgian waffle. Air battled past my suffocating emotions. I gulped it down,
despising myself and fearing for my boss.
Janice
and Betty Fae offered me a glass of water and napkins, thinking they’d saved
the day. Little did they know. Trouble had just landed in their small town.
Janice
watched me through the rest of the meal. If I told her she was about to die,
would she be able to eat? I sipped my coffee and avoided conversation.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
AUTHOR BIO:
Sarah lives in California, in a home that
brings her happiness and hay fever. She loves God, loves her family, and loves
freshly brewed coffee. She has a husband who cooks, a son who stop animates, a
daughter who loves animals, a dog that follows her everywhere, and a turtle who
scowls at her condescendingly.
Her
mother raised her on Mary Higgins Clark, Diane Mott Davidson, and Remington
Steele. Her grandmother shared True Crime stories with her as they plotted how
to get away with the perfect murder. It's no surprise that Sarah became an
award-winning spinner of suspenseful tales brimming with quirky characters.
Mysteries are in her blood. Not that she could survive one of her own stories.
She confesses, "I'd be snuffed out by chapter two."
**This
post contains affiliate links and if clicked and a purchase is made, I may
receive a small commission to help support this blog. This does not cost you anything, it just
helps pay for all those fabulous community outreach projects and awesome
giveaways on here**
This contest is sponsored
by a third party. Fabulous and Brunette is a registered host of Goddess Fish
Promotions. Prizes are given away by the
sponsors and not Fabulous and Brunette. The featured author and Goddess Fish
Promotions are solely responsible for the giveaway prize.
Hey, lovelies!! It gives me great pleasure today to host Charlotte
Hubbard and her inspirational new book, “An Amish Christmas Star,” here
on FAB!! For other stops on her Goddess
Fish Promotions Book Tour, please click on the banner above or any of the
images in this post.
Be sure to make it to the end of
this post to enter to win a $15 Amazon OR Barnes and Noble Gift Card!! Also, come back daily to interact with Charlotte
and to increase your chances of winning!!
Thanks for stopping by!! Wishing you all lots of good luck in this
fabulous giveaway!!
An Amish
Christmas Star
by Charlotte Hubbard
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
GENRE: Inspirational
Romance (Amish)
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
BLURB:
The
crisp fragrance of pine trees and the warm spice of fresh cookies aren’t the
only blessings that Christmas brings, and no one knows more about happy
homecomings than three couples who are celebrating the greatest gift of all . .
.
STAR OF WONDER by Charlotte
Hubbard
When
Raymond Overholt comes to Promise Lodge, hoping to sell the barnboard signs
he’s painted with stars and Christmas messages, spirited young Mennonite Lizzie
Zehr is intrigued. But any courtship between them will face fierce opposition
from the bishop of Raymond’s Old Order community—unless someone can convince
him that at the heart of faith lies love . . .
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
EXCERPT ONE:
After
a deadly dull Monday morning of filling small plastic containers with colored
sugars and Christmas jimmies, Lizzie Zehr loaded them onto her wheeled cart and
headed into the main room of Promise Lodge’s new bulk store. It was boring
work, all that scooping and labeling—repetitive and downright lonely, being
stuck back in the warehouse by herself.
But
compared to slaving in her older sister Maria’s bakery or, for years before
that, running the household for their eldest, crippled sister, Malinda, it was
a piece of cake.
And
because Dale Kraybill was paying her, it was freedom. This job was her ticket
to independence, an escape from the two bossy sisters who’d been running her
ragged for most of her eighteen years. Their parents had passed when she was
very young, so Lizzie’s sisters had raised her as best they could—and they
expected her to be grateful. She was, of course. But she was also really tired
of being at their beck and call.
Lizzie’s
thoughts shifted into a higher gear the moment she spotted the guy who was
talking to Dale. The two fellows were hanging wooden signboards, which caught
her eye because of their sparkly gold stars—but the shimmer of their glittery
paint paled the moment the younger fellow turned around. In his green paisley
shirt, red jeans, and backswept black hair, he looked anything but Plain, and
when he met her gaze through his red-framed glasses, Lizzie immediately knew
they were soul mates. Like her, this free spirit was gnashing at the bit and
refusing to conform to the religious limitations he’d been raised with.
Like
her, he wanted out.
“Hey
there,” he said. His voice, barely audible from across the cavernous room,
spoke volumes to Lizzie’s restless heart.
Afraid
to say something stupid, she merely nodded and held his gaze. She heard the
secretive whisper of soft, small objects hitting a hard surface—or maybe it was
the feathery swishing of angels’ wings—
“Lizzie,
watch what—you’re spilling jimmies all over the floor!” Dale cried out.
She
blinked. She had no memory of picking up a container, just as she didn’t
realize she’d been squeezing it so tightly that the lid had popped off. The
sight of red and green jimmies bouncing off her bare feet—she wore flip-flops
year-round to show off her painted toenails—was suddenly the funniest thing
she’d ever seen. As Lizzie sprinted into the warehouse for a broom, her
laughter filled the store.
Her
life was finally taking a turn for the better. She just knew it.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
AUTHOR BIO:
In
1983, Charlotte Hubbardsold her
first story to True Story. She wrote around 70 of those confession stories, and
she’s sold more than 50 books to traditional or online publishers. A longtime
resident of Missouri, she’s currently writing Amish romances set in imaginary
Missouri towns for Kensington. She now lives in Omaha, NE with her husband of
40+ years and their Border collie, Vera.
Charlotte will be awarding
a $15 Amazon OR Barnes and Noble Gift Card (Winner’s Choice!!!) to a randomly
drawn winner via Rafflecopter during the tour.
**This
post contains affiliate links and if clicked and a purchase is made, I may
receive a small commission to help support this blog. This does not cost you anything, it just
helps pay for all those fabulous community outreach projects and awesome
giveaways on here**
This contest is sponsored
by a third party. Fabulous and Brunette is a registered host of Goddess Fish
Promotions. Prizes are given away by the
sponsors and not Fabulous and Brunette. The featured author and Goddess Fish
Promotions are solely responsible for the giveaway prize.
Hey, lovelies!! It gives
me great pleasure today to host Adria Carmichael and her new book series, “Juche
Parts 1-4 Boxset,” featuring Part One, “The Demon of Yodok,” Part
Two, “The Weeping Masses,” Part Three, “The Storm of Storms,” and
Part Four, “Freedom or Death,” all featured here on FAB!! For other stops on her Goddess Fish
Promotions Book Tour, please click on the banner above or any of the images in
this post.
Be sure to make it to the end of this post to enter to win a $50
Amazon OR Barnes and Noble Gift Card!!!
Also, come back daily to interact with Adria and to increase your
chances of winning!!
Thanks for stopping
by!! Wishing you all lots of good luck
in this fabulous giveaway!!
Juche
Parts 1-4 Boxset
by Adria Carmichael
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
GENRE: YA Dystopian
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
BOOK BLURB – JUCHE – PART ONE – THE DEMON OF YODOK:
Just
when Areum - daughter of a privileged family in the totalitarian state of
Choson (North Korea) - thought she was free from her personal prison, her world
collapses around her as her family is taken away in the middle of the night to
a hell-like camp in the mountains where people who have strayed from the
righteous path are brutally re-educated through blood, sweat, tears, and
starvation.
There
she has to fight for survival together with the family she hates and is forced
to re-evaluate every aspect of her life until then: her deep resentment toward
her twin sister; her view of her father in the face of mounting evidence that
he is a traitor with the blood of millions of fellow countrymen on his hands;
and even her love and affection for the Great General - the eternal savior and
protector of Choson, whom she had always considered her true father.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
BOOK BLURB – JUCHE – PART TWO – THE WEEPING MASSES:
Areum’s
hopes to be set free from the brutal political prison camp holding them is
crushed, and the heinous assault on her sister plunges her into a state of
shock and horror… and puts her on a collision course with her family. All hope
seems to be lost. Just when she is about to give up, however, a disturbing
revelation is made… and as the evil of the camp is given a face, Areum finds a
new purpose to keep fighting.
Revenge!
But
first they need to survive, and with the constantly harshening conditions and
her family being targeted from all directions, daily life in Yodok turns into a
never-ceasing fight to evade imminent doom.
On
top of everything, an impossible tragedy strikes Choson, and the unquestionable
truth Areum has built her life around is challenged to its very core.
IMPORTANT NOTE: This book was originally
published as Part Three of the Juche
series, but since Part One and Part Two were merged into one book under the
name "The Demon
of Yodok" in March 2021, the sequencing of this book has
been changed to Part Two. The content remains unchanged.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
BOOK BLURB – JUCHE – PART THREE – THE STORM OF STORMS:
Nari’s
shocking revelation in the watermill changes everything in an instant, and
Areum is once more faced with an impossible decision. Will she betray her
sister in order to save her life?
In
the midst of this struggle, the storm of the century hits the camp, and life
goes from hard to impossible overnight. Areum slowly comes to realize there is
only one way to ensure their survival.
To escape!
But
how can they escape from an escape-proof prison camp? And even if they would
get past the impenetrable defenses… will Areum be willing to condemn everyone
they’re leaving behind to an excruciating end through torture and execution?
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
BOOK BLURB – JUCHE – PART FOUR – FREEDOM OR DEATH:
Areum
and Nari are arrested and face imminent doom, but are saved at the last minute
by an unexpected and unspeakable betrayal.
Still,
they are far from being out of the woods. As they are reassigned to food
gathering duty in the mountains, they must continue their fight for survival
under the constant threat of daily executions and the rampant starvation
sweeping through the prison camp. And with time running out for Nari, Areum is
more desperate than ever to find a way to escape, making her forge risky new
alliances that until now would have been unthinkable.
As
the situation in the camp deteriorates further, their survival comes down to
their ability to work as a team. But dark secrets and lies continue to be
revealed, sending the fragile coalition to the verge of collapse at an alarming
speed.
Will they make it out in time?
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
NOTE FROM THE AUTHOR:
Have you ever wondered what the world looks like when seen
through an indoctrinated mind?
This
is a topic that has intrigued me for as long as I can remember, so when I came
up with the idea to write a book many years ago, I decided to create it from
the viewpoint of a victim of indoctrination… which in the end became Areum (the
protagonist of the story).
What
I try to explore in this story is how deep the indoctrination of a 14-year old
girl can run and how much “reality” it can be exposed to before
breaking… if it will break at all. As a comparison, the defectors from North
Korea who arrive in South Korea are isolated for three months in a
de-programming facility called Hanawon before they are allowed to join society
where they go through this process in a more controlled (and less brutal) way
than Areum.
I hope you will enjoy this slightly different take on the
dystopian genre!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
EXCERPT THREE:
A
loud screech in the sky interrupts me. I look up. A large black crow is
circling high above us. Then another crow joins in. The screeching intensifies.
Another one joins in, and then another. Before I know it, the whole sky has
turned black with a swirling mass of crows, flying in a tornado-like circle
right above us. I feel their beady eyes looking down at me.
The
mass of crows now forms a funnel, spiraling downward toward us. I scream and
put my hands up in defense. But the crows don’t target me. The black moving
mass instead completely consumes the living corpse of my dad.
“NOOO!”
I scream as I helplessly witness the crows dismembering him piece by piece
right before my eyes. They pull his eyeballs out from their sockets. They tear
the skin from his arms and legs. I cry and scream. I want to run to him, to
help him… but I still can’t move.
Then
it’s all over, and the crows disperse and ascend back into the sky, bringing
their ear-piercing screech and the pieces of my father’s body with them. What
was left of him is now again lying lifelessly on the ground. His face is still
turned to me, but he had no more dead eyes to look at me with.
Another
screech makes me look up to the sky again. The crows are circling ominously.
Faster and faster. The screeching intensifies, cutting painfully into my ears,
as they once more swirl down towards me like a tornado. I put my hands up in
defense and scream as the first crow brushes against my hair. Another one grabs
my arm with its claws. I try to break free, but my feet are still glued to the
ground.
I
now have crows all over my body, and as the one on my arm penetrates my skin
with its beak, I…
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
GUEST POST:
What Kind of Writer Am I?
I am
a quite structured writer I think. The most common question seems to be if an
author is a pantser (i.e. writes the book without outlining it in advance) or a
plotter. I am definitely a plotter, but there is much more to a writing method
than just those two alternatives.
I
read quite a few books on how to write novels before I got started, but most of
them didn’t help me much. It wasn’t until I found “Story Genius” by Lisa
Cron that I finally understood how to build up a story. That was my starting
point, and have since created a method that works well for me. It goes
something like this:
1.)I define the
start and the end, and then step by step, everything in between in bullet
points, making sure the cause and effect chain is intact (i.e. that every scene
leads to the next scene).
2.)I expand the
bullet points into the first draft. This is the bare-bones story.
3.)I make a
checklist to make sure all subplots and characters are considered when doing
the second draft. This adds 1000-2000 words per chapter.
4.)I do the third
draft without the checklist, and the chapters continue to grow by about
1000-2000 words. Once the third draft is finished, the story itself should be
intact, and I can start focusing on the language. This is also the time when I
send the manuscript to my editor and beta readers.
5.)For the fourth-fifth
draft I focus on reading flow, wording, sentence structures, and cutting
things that are redundant.
6.)The sixth
and final draft is the proofreading, both by myself and my editor. Then
it’s time to publish, although I know some mistakes always remain unfound.
So that is my method. I’m
sure it doesn’t work for everyone, but it works well for me. And even though I
categorize myself as “structured” and a plotter, in the end, I always let my feelings
make the final decision about what stays and goes, which words to use, etc. It
needs to “feel right” when I read it, and it’s first when I no longer have a
strong urge to change something that I know it’s ready to be published.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
AUTHOR BIO:
Adria Carmichael is a writer of dystopian
fiction with a twist. When she is not devouring dystopian and post-apocalyptic
content in any format - books, movies, TV-series and PlayStation games - she is
crafting the epic and highly-addictive Juche saga, her 2020 debut novel series
that takes place in the brutal, totalitarian nation of Choson. When the limit
of doom and gloom is reached, a 10K run on a sunny day or binging a silly
sitcom on a rainy day is her go-to way to unwind.
**This
post contains affiliate links and if clicked and a purchase is made, I may
receive a small commission to help support this blog. This does not cost you anything, it just
helps pay for all those fabulous community outreach projects and awesome
giveaways on here**
This contest is sponsored
by a third party. Fabulous and Brunette is a registered host of Goddess Fish
Promotions. Prizes are given away by the
sponsors and not Fabulous and Brunette. The featured author and Goddess Fish
Promotions are solely responsible for the giveaway prize.
Hi, lovelies!! It gives
me great pleasure today to host Best Selling and Award Winning Authors: Nancy Fraser, Lisa A. Olech, and Kathryn Hills
and their exciting new Book Box Set Anthology “Ghosts of New England: Skullery
Bay,” here on FAB!! While this exhilarating
Book Box Set consists of FOUR books, which span over FOUR different centuries,
today’s post will focus solely on the last book, which is set in present day, Book Four, “Jilly’s Dilemma,” by
Nancy Fraser. For other stops on their Goddess Fish
Promotions Book Tour and to check out the other wonderful THREE featured books
in this Book Box Set Anthology, please click on the banner above or any of the
images in this post.
Be sure to make it to the end of this post to enter to win a $25
Amazon or Barnes and Noble Gift Card!!
Also, come back daily to interact with Nancy and to increase your
chances of winning!
The Ghosts of New England: Skullery Bay Book Box Set Anthology eBook
which includes Nancy’s Fraser’s featured book, “Jilly’s Dilemma,” is on SALE
during the book tour for ONLY $0.99!!!! Yep
– that’s right!!! FOURFABULOUSEBOOKSFORLESSTHAN$1!!!! See below for more
details.
Thanks for stopping
by!! Wishing you lots of good luck in
this fabulous giveaway!!
Ghosts of New England: Skullery Bay
Book Box Set Anthology
by Nancy Fraser, Lisa
A. Olech, and Kathryn Hills
***************
Jilly’s Dilemma
by Nancy Fraser
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
BOX SET ANTHOLOGY OVERVIEW:
An anthology unlike any other...
4Different Centuries
4To-Die-For Romances
The Same2Ghosts!
Widow’s Walk(1737)
RITA nominee & Best Selling Author, Lisa A. Olech
He’s
the infamous pirate, Captain John Jacob Wilder.
She’s
the daughter of his fiercest enemy.
Their
love is the beginning of the legend.
Cast to the Wind and Waves(1837)
Best Selling & Award-Winning Author, Kathryn Hills
She’s
the heiress determined to restore Fairwinds to its former glory.
He’s
the solicitor working as a caretaker because of the deadly curse.
Their
love will rebuild the legend.
The Bootlegger’s Daughter(1924)
Best Selling & Award Winning Author, Nancy Fraser
She’s
the daughter of one of the FBI’s most wanted criminals.
He’s
her bodyguard, and not at all what he seems.
Their
love will return dignity to the legend.
Jilly’s Dilemma(Present Day)
Best Selling & Award-Winning Author, Nancy Fraser
She’s
the new owner of Fairwinds, a flaky artist who talks to ghosts. Repeatedly.
He’s
the staid, young professor there to document Fairwinds’ history.
Their love will make you
believe in the legend.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
BOOK BLURB:
Jilly’s Dilemma (Present
Day)
She’s the new owner of Fairwinds, a flaky artist who talks to
ghosts. Repeatedly.
He’s the staid, young professor there to document Fairwinds'
history.
Their love will make
you believe in the legend.
When
Jillian Barclay inherits the family estate of Fairwinds from her father, it
comes with the provision that she must live there for a minimum of three years
before she can sell the property. Jilly grew up at Fairwinds, so she’s more
than aware of the strange occurrences, the presence of the ghosts of Captain
John Jacob Wilder and Lillian Wilder—the infamous 18th century pirate and his
beloved wife. As a matter of fact, Jilly talks to them on a regular basis.
A
renowned sculptor, Jilly reluctantly relocates her studio to Fairwinds and sets
out to honor her father’s wishes. There’s a second provision in her father’s
will that has her more concerned than having to put up with the home’s
extremely active spirits.
Nicholas
Martin, PhD is about to become Jilly’s other problem. An associate professor of
history, Nicholas has been granted five days’ access to Fairwinds to study the
home’s history as part of research project for Harvard University’s history
museum.
Expecting
a stodgy old professor, when Jilly meets the professor, she’s wishing he was
there to model for her rather than study her home. Younger, and far sexier,
than she’d pictured, she’s immediately drawn to the handsome professor.
Nicholas
has spent the previous three weeks studying five other homes on the list of
historical New England homes, all of which were inhabited by octogenarian,
cat-loving spinsters. He has no reason to believe Fairwinds will be any
different. The young woman with the wild red curls and penchant for talking to
spirits is the last thing he expected, and the one thing his usually
buttoned-up personality needs. Desperately.
Will
opposites truly attract? Or is it just the unusual effects of the ghostly
carnal encounters that drives them into one another’s arms? And when they can
no longer resist their desires, will they be able to find a working compromise
to his professional career and her legal commitments?
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
EXCERPT:
Dammit
all,” Jilly groused, setting aside her trowel and thin-edged knife. Glancing at
the grandfather clock on the far wall of her studio, she grabbed a rag and
wiped the worst of the clay from her hands. As usual, she’d become engrossed in
her work and lost track of time. “Coming,” she called out as she crossed
through the rotunda, and out into the foyer.
Pulling
the door open with a hard yank, she raised her head and met the gaze of a young
man, his black-rimmed glasses unable to disguise his beautiful sea blue eyes.
The
rest of him wasn’t half bad either—once you got past the rumpled jacket and
button-down oxford shirt.
“May
I help you?” she asked. Obviously, this wasn’t the company she was expecting,
but a definite upgrade. Absently, she wondered if one of her artsy-fartsy
friends had sent her an Adonis to model for her next project.
And,
would he be willing to pose nude?
“I’m
Dr. Nicholas Martin,” he responded, his deep voice sending a flutter to her
pulse. “I have an appointment with Miss Jillian Barclay. If you wouldn’t mind
letting her know I’m here, I’d appreciate it.”
Jilly
stepped back and motioned him inside. “I’m—” she began, stopping short when he
looked past her and toward the double doors leading to the rotunda.
“No
doubt you’ve got work to get back to,” he said, his tone all but dismissing
her. “I don’t want to take up too much of your time.”
Oh,
this was perfect. He thought she was the help.
“That’s
okay, I don’t mind.” Giving her hands another swipe across the front of her
clay-crusted apron, she tilted her head to the right. “If you wouldn’t mind
waiting in the library.” She pushed the door open, and offered, “Feel free to
browse while you wait.”
“Thank
you.” He turned, his gaze slowly scanning the many books before coming back to
her. His very nice smile spread in obvious appreciation. “I will definitely
have a look around while I’m waiting.”
Jilly
exited the library and made a dash for the first-floor powder room. The least
she could do was wash her face, discard the apron, and comb her hair for such
distinguished company.
Distinguished,
my ass. You think he’s hot–in a geeky sort of way.
Off
in the distance, the parlor door slammed with a resounding crash, followed by
the dining room door, and then the door leading to the kitchen.
Beneath
her breath, she mumbled, “Back off, Jake. At least let the man get comfortable
before you drive him away.”
***
Nicholas
ran his hands across the leather-bound, first edition classics lining the back
wall of the Fairwinds library. An outstanding collection. Lifting a gold-leaf
trimmed copy of Gulliver’s Travels from the shelf, he ran his fingers across
the raised lettering, admiring the exquisite attention to detail.
This
was the type of history he lived for; devoted his entire academic career—as new
as it was—toward. All the previous stops on his information gathering tour
shifted to the back of his mind.
Fairwinds
was the holy grail of this entire project.
He’d
read the sketchy research already gathered on the place, the tales of the
pirate owner and reports of ghost sightings. Although he questioned a good
portion of the writings, he’d reserve judgement until his visit was concluded.
Assuming the spinster Barclay wasn’t senile, he looked forward to learning all
there was to know about the home and its colorful history.
And
what was with the housekeeper anyway? With her dirty apron, unkempt red curls
flying around her face, and the way she’d slammed the doors on her way to
announce his arrival. He was pretty sure she was angered at having her duties
interrupted by his presence.
The
initial agreement called for him to stay at Fairwinds for a minimum of five
days, which included a room and meals. Absently, he wondered if the young woman
with the mud-crusted nails was also the cook.
He
hoped not.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
BOOK TRAILER:
Check out the Ghost's of New England: Skullery Bay Anthology book trailer below!!!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
GUEST POST:
My Favorite Scene in This
Book…
There
were so many in Jilly’s Dilemma, choosing one was difficult... which was why I
chose this question. It made me stop and think.
Given
the anthology covers four different centuries, creating the last one (Present
Day) became more of a challenge than I’d anticipated. I mean, how many more
times can we re-hash family history and still make it fresh?
I
realized I needed to create a moment between my heroine and hero that spoke to
the history in a different way than just repeating facts.
Since
my hero, Professor Nicholas Martin, is also a deep-sea diver who hunts for lost
treasure, I decided to have him discover something that directly relates back
to the heroine. What better item than a spyglass that once belonged to her
ancestor-pirate, Captain John Jacob Wilder.
The
“scene” actually unfolded in two parts. First, when Nick realizes that one of the
items he’d found on a previous dive was actually part of Jilly’s family
history.
Then, of course, the
pivotal scene where he gives her the spyglass as a gift. His generosity was not
only appreciated (quite nicely) by Jilly, but also by the Captain who ends up
returning something he’d taken from Nick as a ‘thank you’ for returning the
lost property.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
AUTHOR BIO:
NANCY
FRASER—Jumping Across Romance Genres with Gleeful Abandon—is an Amazon Top 100
and Award-Winning author who can’t seem to decide which romance genre suits her
best. So, she writes them all.
Nancy
has published over forty books in full-length, novella, and short format. When
not writing (which is almost never), Nancy dotes on her five wonderful
grandchildren and looks forward to traveling and reading when time permits.
Nancy lives in Atlantic Canada where she enjoys the relaxed pace and colorful
people.
**The Ghosts of New England: Skullery Bay Anthology eBook, which contains
ALLFOUR Stories in the Book Box Set, including the featured book, “Jilly’s
Dilemma,” by Nancy Fraser is on SALE during the book tour for ONLY $0.99!!!**
**This post contains
affiliate links and if clicked and a purchase is made, I may receive a small
commission to help support this blog.
This does not cost you anything, it just helps pay for all those awesome
giveaways on here**
This contest is sponsored
by a third party. Fabulous and Brunette is a registered host of Goddess Fish
Promotions. Prizes are given away by the
sponsors and not Fabulous and Brunette. The featured author and Goddess Fish
Promotions are solely responsible for the giveaway prize.