Friday, February 5, 2016

#EggcerptExchange with @LindaSienkiewicz Sharing In The Context of Love



Today I have the pleasure of hosting Author Linda K. Sienkiewicz writes women’s fiction/contemporary romance. Her debut novel is titled In the Context of Love.









In In the Context of Love, Angelica Schirrick wonders how her life could have gone so far off-track. She remembers her forbidden high school romance with Joe Vadas, the son of Hungarian immigrants. Scandal tore them apart, Joe disappeared, and she’s spent years trying to recover from the split. Shortly after, a devastating family secret shattered her sense of self, leading to a multitude of bad choices that include marrying a man with a missing finger and enough secrets of his own. She leaves her husband and, with two children in tow, begins a journey of self-discovery that leads her back home to Ohio. She must find a way to put the past to rest before she can be open to life and a second chance at love. And what if Joe returns? Will he help her, or tear her family further apart?


Jacquelyn Mitchard, author of #1 NYTimes Bestseller, DEEP END OF THE OCEAN, says: “With humor and tenderness, but without blinking, Linda K. Sienkiewicz turns her eye on the predator-prey savannah of the young and still somehow hopeful.”


Bonnie Jo Campbell, author of Michigan Notable Book MOTHERS TELL YOUR DAUGHTERS, says “Sienkiewicz’s powerful and richly detailed debut novel is at once a love story, a cautionary tale, and an inspirational journey. It should be required reading for all wayward daughters, and their mothers, too.”


Eggcerpt from In the Context of Love:


“That’s different.” His grasp was firm as he examined the top of the ring where the pointed end and the head overlapped, but you and I know he wasn’t really interested in the ring. He rubbed his thumb in the center of my palm, studying my eyes. A buzz ran up my arm to my scalp as if he’d pressed a button or a trigger.


 


“What’s a nail wrapped around your finger mean?”


 


“That I’m tougher than I look.” It sounded silly, spoken out loud, and I regretted telling him.


 


“Man, you’re one weird chick… the way you dress, the things you say.” He didn’t let go when I tried to take my hand back. Instead, he brought it to his mouth and kissed the inside of my wrist. The devil’s breath on my pulse. “Do you know how to love, or is being tough all you know?”


 


I gave him a cold, quiet stare, but he didn’t back off the way another man might have. He held me fast with black eyes that slid down my throat to settle between my breasts. My resolve melted like a chocolate drop in his hand. I’ll be honest: I imagined him picking me up from the stool and throwing me onto my back on one of the tables behind us, legs apart, right here in the bar, and me liking it. This push-pull game with a stranger in a business suit troubled and intrigued me. Pool balls clicked like cap guns. Child’s play. Double dare yous. I reminded myself I was done with one-nighters as I wriggled my hand away from his. I swallowed the last shot and set the glass down.


 


“Thanks for the drinks and the barstool analysis, doc. Session’s over.”


 


He hopped up to help me with my jacket, a gentlemanly gesture that made me self-conscious, as if I were undeserving. “It’s late. Let me see you home,” he said, smooth as a key turning a lock. I knew his routine. Next, he’d be pushing his way into my place, and then his way into me. He slapped a couple of bills on the bar for Rufus and said to me, “Wait a sec, gotta drain the monster first.”


 


His audacity made me laugh. The minute the cocky bastard turned his back, though, I was out the door. And I almost got away, too.


 


In the Context of Love can be purchased in paperback or e-reader on Amazon http://amzn.to/1IiVWEs  or Barnes and Noble http://bit.ly/1QFs340 


Here’s an interview with Angelica Schirrick, the narrator of In the Context of Love:


1. Do you have a nickname?
I’ve been called troublemaker, short stuff, hot stuff, cupcake, angel, and hure (by my German grandmother — don’t ask why), but most people call me Angie.


2. What do you do for a living?
I’m the marketing and community service director for Safe Harbor, a non-profit women’s domestic violence shelter in Cleveland, Ohio. Not too bad for someone with an associate’s degree from a community college.


3. What’s your most important goal?
That would be to raise sane children, which isn’t easy when they have a felon for a father. Of course, if I hadn’t married the sick bastard, I wouldn’t have two children to begin with. I can’t win.


4. Are you wealthy, poor or in-between?
I’m comfortable. So what if my plates are chipped, my end tables have water rings, chew marks from toddler’s teeth and dings from Tonka trucks? Who wouldn’t want a home out of House Beautiful with Pottery Barn furniture, cherry wood cabinets, granite counters and a sunken tub? I’m comfortable. Let’s leave it at that.


5. What is your secret desire or fantasy?
That’s easy – to marry Joe, the love of my life, the man who disappeared as cleanly as if he’d been tied to an engine block and dumped in Lake Erie.

 


Author Linda K. Sienkiewicz attributes her creative drive to her artistic mother, who taught her to sew, and her father, who let her monkey around with the gadgets in his workshop. Her poetry, short stories and art have been published in more than fifty literary journals. She has a poetry chapbook award from Bottom Dog Press and an MFA from The University of Southern Maine.




 



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Thursday, February 4, 2016

Shadows of the Past By @Carmen_Books / Carmen Stefanescu #EggcerptExchange #paranormal

Today, for the Eggcerpt Exchange, my guest is Carmen Stefanescu








Carmen Stefanescu was born in Romania, the native country of the infamous vampire Count Dracula, but where, for about 50 years of communist dictatorship, just speaking about God, faith, reincarnation or paranormal phenomena could have led someone to great trouble - the psychiatric hospital if not to prison.
            Teacher of English and German in her native country and mother of two daughters, Carmen Stefanescu survived the grim years of oppression, by escaping in a parallel world, that of the books. 
            She has dreamed all her life to become a writer, but many of the things she wrote during those years remained just drawer projects. The fall of the Ceausescu’s regime in 1989 and the opening of the country to the world meant a new beginning for her. She started publishing. Poems first, and then prose. Both in English.

Author Links
 Carmen Stefanescu's Site:
                      Shadows of the Past



Publish date: 4th December 2012
Publisher: Wild Child Publishing
Genre: paranormal/light romance/light horror.
                       Blurb
Anne's relationship with her boyfriend Neil has disintegrated. After a two-year separation, they pack for a week vacation in hopes of reconciling. But fate has other plans for them.
The discovery of a bejeweled cross and ancient human bones opens a door to a new and frightening world--one where the ghost of a medieval nun named Genevieve will not let Anne rest. This new world threatens not only to ruin Anne and Neil's vacation but to end all hopes of reconciliation as Anne feels compelled to help free Genevieve's soul from its torment.
Can Anne save her relationship and help Genevieve find her eternal rest?
A touching, compelling story of tragedy, loss and the power of endless love and good magic.
The twists and turns in this paranormal tale keep the reader guessing up to the end and weave themselves together into a quest to rekindle love.

                           Excerpt 

The peal of the church bells from the abbey tower startled Genevieve. The sound added to her mounting anxiety.

The massive abbey loomed over the stone paved path.  All the nuns were at evening mass.  With a bit of luck her disappearance would go unnoticed for a few more hours. The Abbess would assume she was cleaning the toilets as ordered.

Fear skittered through Genevieve when she turned away from the abbey towards the path leading to town. Nothing stirred.  She hesitated.  Evil emanated from the forest surrounding the abbey. With a shiver, she leaned against the solid oak gates that flanked the abbey's main path. They had hidden her from detection for the past couple of hours, but how much longer would she be safe?

The mountain shadows grew thicker and closer.

She moved her weight from one leg to the other. They ached from so much standing, but she lacked the strength to return to the gardener's cottage and wait for Andrew's arrival as planned. Genevieve closed her tired eyes. The image of old Ryan, slumped dead in his chair in his cubicle, caught life in her mind and made her whole body ripple with fear.

She'd rather wait for Andrew here, outside.

Had he forgotten his promise? What if something terrible befell him during the last three days, or he had changed his mind? Why should he risk all for an ordinary nun?

Had his folks talked him into giving her up, made him see reason? Helping her out of her predicament meant a huge risk for him -- losing his family, his friends and his position among his peers. His words echoed in her mind. "I will risk everything for you, even life, if necessary."

* * * * 

"Anne, Anne, wake up. Wake up, please," the insistent voice whispered next to her ear.  The touch of a hand, on her shoulder, startled Anne.

She opened her eyes, still half between sleep and reality. Her gaze stopped on a stranger, a woman, by her side.

The moon's pale face, the only light, filtered through a small gap in the tent's entrance; yet the stranger's whole body emanated a kind of soft ray, a yellowish halo making her figure and face easy to discern.

A long, dark robe, similar to those worn by nuns in monasteries centuries ago, covered her body. No traditional headdress covered the woman's red hair, which fell loosely over her shoulders in long, heavy tendrils and continued down her chest and back.

Anne stood up and studied the intruder with open curiosity. The stranger’s wax pale face looked corpse like. Anne opened her mouth to ask her who she was. She looked Anne straight in the eyes, placed her forefinger on her lips and whispered, "Hush, come. Follow me."

Anne's eyes widened.

The woman, moving away from the sleeping bag, appeared to glide above the ground. Her bare feet didn't make a sound.

As if hypnotized, Anne followed the illuminated silhouette heading into the forest, without questioning her own actions.

An onrush of sensations unfamiliar to her followed. Dizziness and a malevolent feeling of unreality suffocated her. The presence of evil, creeping up and enveloping her, became almost palpable. Her throat turned dry, and she gasped for air.

Buy Link: Amazon
Trailer: Shadows of the Past
 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6LmY-9yDl5s


Character Questions

1. Please, have a seat. Make yourself comfortable Miss...

"Genevieve. My name is Genevieve, but Sister Clementa, the Abbess,  and some of her followers call me The witch."

2. Tell me, Genevieve, where are you living?

 Genevieve ( a small sigh escapes her lips. Then she shrugs) "Well, for the moment I reside at St. Mary’s Abbey. On top of a mountain in Britain, in the...cursed forest."

3.  Do you have any schooling?

Genevieve  (nods and pats and invisible crease of her dress) "Kind  Old Bertha, who took care of me after my family perished, taught me to read and write. Not only English but also Latin. And, most important, she taught me how to prepare healing potions from plants and herbs. Perhaps that’s why the Abbess hates me so much. A peasant girl of the 13th century is dangerous if she knows more than her superiors, I think."

4. What are your worst fears or nightmare?

Genevieve (throws a shy look around her. She shivers and her voice is small) "I fear the cursed forest. This forest is responsible for what happened to my family. My father’s odd behavior, the death of my siblings. All the evil that lurks in it.

My nightmare - the Abbess, sister Clementa, who threatens me all the time with sending me to the stake. I can’t understand why she wants me out of the way."

5.  Is it anything that you secretly desire?

Genevieve (blushes and wrings her hands. Then she looks me directly in the eyes. Her voice is strong now. ) "To become Andrew’s wife and grow a family. If his family agrees....If the Abbess lets me go... If God  forgives me for giving up being a nun.....If I escape alive from the forest.... If....”
 



Thanks Carmen, for sharing and have a great summer,


Tina
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Tuesday, February 2, 2016

An #EggcerptExchange with Author Linda Nightingale with a Gambler's Choice @LNightingale #romance





Gambler’s Choice


By Linda Nightingale


 A novel about people who love horses…


From The Wild Rose Press


Cover Artist:  Debbie Taylor


Editor: Mary Harmony


 


Tagline:   An English aristocrat and a Virginia socialite go head-to-head—and feet-to-feet—in a battle over ownership of a very special horse.


Keywords:  Horses, 3-day Eventing, equine, equestrian, horse lovers, contemporary romance, romantic suspense, gothic, books, writing, reading, new releases, The Wild Rose Press, horse books


Rating:  Spicy


Digital Price:  $4.99


Print Price:  TBA

Character Questions
1.      Nickname:  Becca (short for Rebecca) McQuaid
2.    Currently residing in...Horse Country, Virginia, and a lovelier place you’ve never seen…except Somerset, England, perhaps
3.    Favorite type of pet – I wouldn’t really call a horse a pet, more like a friend and partner, but hands down, the horse.
4.    Most important goal – To own Gambler’s Choice, a beautiful bay stallion—a problematic dream, since his owner, the Baron of Hampton, refuses to sell—for any amount of money
5.    Wealthy, poor, or somewhere in between? I’m a rich girl, but that doesn’t guarantee I get everything I want...like Gambler’s Choice.
 


Blurb:


Becca McQuaid came to England to find the perfect horse but instead met a darkly mysterious challenge in Austen Heath, Baron of Hampton. She’s determined to buy Austen’s stallion Gambler’s Choice. He’s determined not to sell, but the rivals are thrown together by an accident that leaves Austen with a broken leg and the threat he’ll never ride again.



Austen Heath has the title, heritage and manor house…but not the fortune. Becca is wealthy. Her charms are irresistible, but he believes she’s shopping for a Ladyship to go with her money. He has another reason to hold the sexy blonde at arms’ length—the unexplained disappearance of an old friend everyone thinks was his lover. When her body is discovered on his property, he becomes a suspect in her murder.


 


Excerpt:


 


Rebecca McQuaid was in England for one reason.


To find the perfect match.


Size was important. Becca was a tall girl. Money was of no consequence whatsoever. Becca was a wealthy girl. Heart mattered most. He must have the heart to go the distance. She dreamed of a partnership that would last a lifetime. But looks did rank quite high on her list of priorities.


“I simply can’t ride an ugly horse. That would be like dating an ugly man.” Tossing her long blonde hair over her shoulder, she laughed and winked at her friend.


Meg shot her a frown, her tone accusing Becca of being an uncivilized colonist. “Rebecca McQuaid, you say the damnedest things.”


An appreciative chuckle turned her around to squint into the sun. A tall, elegant, dark figure of a man on a magnificent horse caught her imagination mid-stride. She couldn’t see the rider’s face, but she knew he’d overheard the exchange with her friend. He saluted her with a tap of his whip to the brim of his hat as he rode past. Excitement capered over her, and she smiled. The horse’s muscled, blood bay rump glistened. The stallion was sixteen-two hands, fit and impeccably groomed.


“Nice buns. That one’s good-looking enough for me.” She elbowed her friend. “Who is it?”


Meg shaded her eyes. “Gambler’s Choice and Austen Heath. Both horse and rider satisfy your criteria, my dear girl.”


“The horse is handsome.” She wished she had gotten a better look at the bay, but he was a mahogany blaze in the morning sun. “Are you telling me the rider is?”


“That’s the general consensus, but Austen hides in that rambling, dark mansion of his.” Meg studied the pair picking up a trot along the arena. “Fierce competitors. Hard to beat at Intermediate. We’ll see how they handle Advanced.”


 “An Advanced horse?” Becca wriggled her shoulders. “I’m in the market.”


“Look elsewhere.” Meg’s finger jutted at Becca’s nose. “Austen won’t sell Gambler for love or money. Guaranteed. Not even for the kind of money you’re willing to spend.”


“Meggie.” She linked arms with her friend. “Everything has a price.”


Meg balked like a donkey. “You’re in a different world, princess.”


“Well, not everything. Love doesn’t have a price.” Pain wrenched her heart as a memory of the breakup with Daniel flashed through her mind. The hurt was too fresh to even think of another man. “But I’m not in the market for love.”


Becca had found that the best way to protect her heart was to play spoiled little rich girl. She had that part down pat, and, as Winston Churchill had said, There is something about the outside of a horse that is good for the inside of a man. She was looking for a horse to fall in love with and help mend her broken heart.


 




 



About Linda:


 


Born in South Carolina, Linda has lived in England, Canada, Miami, Ft. Lauderdale, Atlanta and Houston.  She’s seen a lot of this country from the windshield of a truck pulling a horse trailer, having bred, trained and showed Andalusian horses for many years.


 


Linda has won several writing awards, including the Georgia Romance Writers Magnolia Award.   She is the mother of two wonderful sons, a retired legal assistant, member of the Houston Symphony League, and enjoys events with her car club.  Among her favorite things are her snazzy black convertible and her parlor grand piano.  She loves to dress up and host formal dinner parties.


 






Web Site:  http://www.lindanightingale.com – Visit and look around. There’s a free continuing vampire story.


Blog:  https://lindanightingale.wordpress.com/ - Lots of interesting guests & prizes






 








 


 


 


Embed:  


Thanks for stopping by and doing the exchange,


Tina

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Monday, February 1, 2016

#EggcerptExchange Deputy's Bride @AnitaPhilmar #historical



Today, I'm talking to Sarah Elizabeth Foster-LaFever.
She is featured in Anita Philmar's Deputy's Bride





So do you have a nickname?  No, people just call me, Sarah. Or at least to my face that's what they call me.


 Job?  Other than take care of my husband? No, I enjoy people but now that my husband is dead...well, things have changed.
 
Level of schooling, or self-taught?  No, I learned more of what I know from watching others.

Currently residing in...?    Naked Bluff, Texas
 
Favorite type of pet? My horse is my world. He’s all I have left from my...well prior life.
 
Favorite place to visit? At one time, I enjoyed the city. Now, I prefer to live a quiet life away from the gossip and mean comments regarding my past.
 
Significant other? Bo Kildare says he wants to marry me but I’m not so sure. He is handsome and appears almost to good to be true. Still, most men want more than there willing to tell you so I’m reserving judment until I get to know him better.
 




 

Blurb for Deputy’s Bride (3rd book in the Naked Bluff, Texas series)

 

Deputy’s Bride is an erotic, historical western that is a stand-alone story with a satisfying HEA. Texas Deputy Bo Kildare is looking for a special kind of lady, one that is willing to meet his special requirements. No sweet little virgin will do, he wants a woman who knows how to please a man, perhaps two.

 

 Recently widowed, Sarah Elizabeth Foster-LaFever has lived in the public eye for the last few years and wants out. Her reputation as Micah LaFever’s wife has left her penniless and without many viable options until Bo comes calling. Now, she believes she found the perfect man until her past rears its ugly head.

 

Can murder and corrupt dealings keep these two lovers from making it to the alter?

 

Excerpt:

 

Fighting to stay in his chair, Bo studied the woman leaning against the bed. She tempted him in a way few women had in a long time. Not only beautiful with her blonde hair and sea-green eyes, she also had a confidence that appealed to him.

“I have certain expectations. Some of which others might not understand.” Bo recalled his conversation with his brother. He had shot down the idea of a woman living on the ranch, claiming Bo didn’t spend enough time at home to warrant a wife.

Bo had to agree, but he also knew Chase. He never objected to having the companionship of a lady, as long as he participated in the fun of fucking her. Now, Bo intended to make sure they both approved of the arrangement so all of their needs would be satisfied.

She popped another button free and shifted her hips onto the surface of the bed. “And what would those be?”

Staring at the swell of her breasts over the top of her corset, he knocked back the rest of his water and set the glass on the floor. “I’m a demanding lover and don’t want an innocent virgin to blush every time I slap her ass.”

He dropped his gaze. “I’m looking for a woman who will spread her legs, when I tell her and show me her pussy.”

“Like this?” Sarah caught the skirt of her dress and lifted it above her knees.

He’d noticed her bare legs, after he’d arrived at the cabin. Sparking the idea of her being naked under her red, silk dressing gown, he waited impatiently to discover the answer. His gaze lit on the creamy length of her thighs, and he stared at the blonde bush between her legs. “Yes, now, put your feet on the railing of the bed and let me see your pretty cunt.”

She smiled and obeyed by settling back on the bed. The wide expand of her knees provided the perfect view of her intimate, pink folds.

He groaned hungry for a sample of her rich cream. “Did your husband ever ask you to show yourself to other men?”

With a brief nod, she slid the last button of her gown open, exposing her trim waist and off-white corset. He spotted the small dimple of her navel and envisioned dipping his tongue into the tiny divot.

“Did he let them taste you?” Bo unhooked his belt and shifted restlessly in his chair. He had to see how far he could push her, so he’d know if she’d go along with his plan.

“Yes.” She stood, pulled off her robe and walked forward in her corset alone. “Micah liked to watch other men play with me until I became so hot, I’d beg.”

Damn, that’s exactly what he longed to hear. Bo grabbed her around the waist and drew her between his legs. He breathed in her sweet scent and rubbed his face against the soft flesh of her belly. “What did you beg for?”

He pictured her with one cock in her mouth, one in her pussy, and another in her ass. A fire burned through him, igniting his lust. Blood pooled in his groin.

She tunneled her hands through his hair and tugged, drawing his head back. Her gaze met his with a wicked challenge. “I thought tonight was purely about you and me.”

Tempted beyond his endurance, Bo shifted her back enough to stand. “It is, but someday soon I plan to invite someone else to join the fun.”

“Does that mean you plan to marry me?” She worked her fingers over the buttons of his shirt, undoing them as she went.

“It’s why I’m here, and also the reason why we’re heading for my ranch tomorrow.”

 


 


 

 

Bio for Anita Philmar

Anita Philmar likes to create stories that push the limit. A writer by day and a dreamer by night she wants her readers to see the world in a new way.

Influenced by sci-fi programs, she likes to develop places where anything can happen and where erotic moments come to life in a great read.

Naughty or Nice?

Read her books and decide.

 


Email: anitaphilmar@yahoo.com





 


 



 

Thanks for stopping by Anita,


Tina 



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