Virtual Book Tour Schedule

I’ll be out and about talking about my debut romantic suspense, Backlash, that releases on June 1st. I’ll also be talking about inspiration and suspense and a host of other things for the month of June at different places. Please feel free to stop in and leave comments. The comments on the Goddess Fish Promotion Tour will be entered into a draw for a $25 gift certificate from Amazon. There are a couple of other giveaways as well as the contest on my blog.

Follow along and enjoy the festivities.

“In the sweetness of friendship let there be laughter, and sharing of pleasures. For in the dew of little things the heart finds its morning and is refreshed.”   Khalil Gibran

Friday, June 1st

The Wild Rose Press Blog

Sunday, June 3rd

Goddess Fish Party Pavilion

Six Sentence Sunday Offering at my Blog

Monday, June 4th

Live to Read

Curse of the Bibliophile

Tuesday, June 5th

Ramblings From This Chick

Sarah Grimm

Wednesday, June 6th

Rogues Angels

Thursday, June 7th

Rachel Brimble

Friday, June 8th

Claire Ashgrove

Monday, June 11th

Delighted Reader

Reader Girls

Tuesday, June 12th

Black Velvet Seductions

Wednesday, June 13th

It’s Raining Books

Cathie Dunn

Thursday, June 14th

The Caffeinated Diva Reads

Friday, June 15th

Kacey’s Konnections

Wednesday, June 20th

Kelly Moran  (ebook Giveway)

Sunday, June 24th

Book Signing at Chapters in Regina, SK from 1:00 to 3:00 pm

Monday June 25th

Just Romantic Suspense (Print book Giveaway)

 

 

Release Day for Backlash & Contest Announcement

It’s time to celebrate the official release of Backlash! Yeah! And just in time for summer. So find your favorite summer spot, kick off those flip-flops, grab an iced beverage and pick up a Good book! Ha.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

What he’s sworn to protect, she’s willing to sacrifice to save those she loves…

When dedicated teacher Lily Wheeler interrupts a vicious gang attack on one of her students, she vows it won’t happen again. But her rash interference puts her in the path of a cold-blooded killer and the constable tracking him – a man she has little reason to trust, but can never forget.

Constable Chase Porter returned to Aspen Lake to see justice done, not renew old acquaintances. But when he rescues the woman he once loved from a volatile situation, he realizes his feelings for Lily haven’t lessened over the years.

Now, the dangerous killer Chase has sworn to capture has Lily in his sights. Can Chase and Lilly learn to trust each other again before it’s too late – or will old insecurities jeopardize their future?

This kind of happening deserves a Summer Contest Announcement:

June

Beach Reads and Summer Spice Contest

We’ve all love book recommendations! To enter all you have to do is leave the name of a romance novel you would recommend as excellent summer read in the comment section of this post. Include your email address with spaces for dots for spamming reasons. If you’re feeling particularly generous, please consider ‘Liking’ my Author Page on Facebook! That’s all you have to do! The contest is open until June 30th to US and Canadian residents.

 Win a $10 Gift Card To Amazon

Backlash is Available from The Wild Rose Press  [  Amazon Paperback ]  [  Amazon Ebook  ]  Barnes and Noble  ]  Bookstrand  ]  All Romance Ebooks  ]

Kobo listing to come.

Future Contests

July

Festival Fun Contest

Details to Come

$10 iTunes Gift Card

August

The Last Days of Summer Contest

Details to Come

$10 Gift Card to The Wild Rose Press

 

 

T Minus 48 Hours Until Release Day

I’m going to be in two different places today as I go out and about promoting my debut romantic suspense, Backlash. Yay! June 1st is the official release day and I’m so excited! The countdown is on and I’m celebrating by giving things away.

I’m also excited to be guest blogging about small towns over at Janet’s Journal and hanging out with my friend and the good folks over at her place. I’m also giving away a short story I wrote called, Waiting for Mason. To get a copy all you have to do is leave a comment with your email address and tell me your favorite fictional setting.

 

As well, I’ll be visiting at Long and Short Reviews doing an Author Interview. I’m giving away a prize there, too! A $10.00 gift certificate to The Wild Rose Press.

Backlash is available in print from The Wild Rose Press and Amazon. It will be available also available in ebook come June 1st.

 

Six Sentence Sunday

It’s that time of week again. Time to travel around cyberspace sampling six sentences of published works or works-in-progress by various authors. It’s Six Sentence Sunday!

My six sentences comes from my romantic suspense, Backlash. My hero, Constable Chase Porter, has just found out that the Prairie Brotherhood, a criminal gang, has put a contract out on Lily Wheeler, my heroine.

Chase wrapped his hands around the top railing and lowered his pulsing head. A growl tore out of him. It had nothing to do with human and everything to do with wild. His heart rate jacked. His skull heated while fear, aggression, and predatory instinct pumped panic through his arteries and spiked it straight to his heart.

 

Enjoy your Sunday!

Backlash is now available in print from The Wild Rose Press, and Amazon. It will available in digital format on June1st.

Introducing My Hero Chase Porter

Welcome to hero week! Yesterday I shared my Alpha Male Toolkit. All those qualities and attributes that make a great romance hero.

“Great heroes need great sorrows and burdens, or half their greatness goes unnoticed.”  Peter S. Beagle

Constable Chase Porter is dedicated to his job. He has put everything he has into his career, and used that career to elude thinking about the past. Now he finds himself back in Aspen Lake. He’s back on track to catch an illusive gang leader. Too bad that path leads him directly to the one woman he wants to avoid.

Excerpt

“What are you doing here?” Her fingers tightened around her cup, and the resulting pop from the pressure filled the small space. She glanced back at the door, all confusion, and he knew she was hoping for some kind of intervention. For someone else to join them, anyone else.

He stalled and took a second to settle his arms on the tabletop. He pushed at the file and offered her an anemic look of confusion. “Here?”

“Yes. Here. In this room. In Aspen Lake. In the parking lot of my school.” She spread her hands out and motioned around her. “Here!” She averted her gaze and inhaled a deep breath before spotlighting him, apprehension darkening her eyes, deepening the blue color.

“My job.” To him, it was that simple.

“Your job?”

“I’ve been transferred to the Aspen Lake detachment.”

“You’re a cop?” Her look of skepticism said it all. The air of disbelief pricked at his ego. He shifted in his chair. Like all the times in fifth grade when his teacher, Miss Carlisle, had asked him why he had no lunch. Had asked questions about his father.

“Is that so hard to believe?” He had worked his ass off to get where he was, and he was a damned good cop. The work he did with the Combined Forces Special Enforcement Unit, and his reputation, proved his dedication to his job. None of which she’d be aware of, or care about if she did. When he burnt a bridge, the only thing he left behind was ash.

You can now order a print copy of Backlash from The Wild Rose Press and Amazon. Ebook format coming on June 1st.

 

 

 

What he’s sworn to protect, she’s willing to sacrifice to save those she loves…

 

 

Strong Heroes: The Whole Package

It’s Heroes Week here on the blog as I’m celebrating the print release of BACKLASH.

No one can argue with the appeal of strong heroes. There is considerable discussion, however, over the definition of the word strong and what that means in terms of attributes other than muscles. Not that there’s anything wrong with a nicely sculpted six pack.

“The bravest are surely those who have the clearest vision of what is before them, glory and danger alike, and yet notwithstanding go out to meet it.” Thucydides

When written well they are incredibly sexy. So, what can I do to create a hero who is fantasy worthy? Who embodies the qualities that would keep a reader turning the pages?

**Strong Heroes Toolkit

Sense of Honor: Most important would be a sense of honor. A strictly held to Code of Conduct. That requires honesty, fairness, and integrity in one’s beliefs. Above all, he had better back it up with his actions.

Set of Core Values: These speak to what the hero wants. To his motivation. Ideally, one or more of his beliefs will have to change in order for him to have his happily ever after. Conflict, conflict, conflict.

Exemplary Hero Credentials: I might show him saving someone, or performing an act of heroism, for which he takes no credit early on in the story. I might create a situation revealing his ability to love and commit, even if he would shudder at the thought. An alpha hero needs to prove himself worthy of sympathy by the reader.

Respect for the Heroine as an Equal: They may butt heads. They may clash. They may disagree. They may not treat each other as inferior, weak, or stupid. They are partners. Boundaries must be set and often by the heroine.

Stamina and A Very Specific Skill Set: Yes, I do mean sexual prowess. This may be one of the areas subject to the largest level of poetic license in the romantic fantasy. The ability to make love all night long. Over and over again. Always putting the pleasure of the heroine before his own. But whatever the type of sex, it must be mutual. There is no “you know you want it” type thinking. No means no. Any alpha male worth reading knows this. Choice offered. Answer respected. No qualifiers.

Physical Strength: My idea of the perfect alpha male involves muscles, and lots of them. Frankly, I’m not so much about physical appearance, beauty being in the eye of the beholder and all that, but I’m a sucker for a six-pack. One of my favorite books by Eloisa James is called A Duke Of Her Own. It is the Duke of Villiers story. The Duke, who is not thought to be especially attractive, knows it’s his money that draws women to his bed. However, he is equally aware that his physique and his skill keeps them there.

Natural Leadership Qualities: Who isn’t drawn to these? To the alpha in the pack who doesn’t second-guess? Who leads instinctively? Part of the fantasy remember? Confident and sexy.

Feelings: He has them. He does not discuss them. Unless. Absolutely. Necessary. An alpha male needs a strong voice. He needs to use language and descriptors appropriate to an alpha male.

Courage: I think there’s a quote that goes something like: Courage is not the lack of fear, but rather it is taking action in the face of, and despite, fear. My idea of the alpha male psyche includes a healthy sense of fear accompanied by smart action in the face of it. Their physical strength must match their inner strength.

A Serious Flaw: Or two. While talking about world-building from my friend, Hayley, I learned about the Rules of Magic. I think it should apply to alpha males, too. Just as magic can’t do anything it pleases, neither can alpha males. You can’t just bandy about all that testosterone without limits and repercussions. They need a weakness. To be vulnerable. How else are you going to make him suffer? Have the heroine make him suffer? Create conflict? And more conflict?

Are you drawn to alpha males? What qualities and traits would appear in your Alpha Male Toolkit? Do you have a favorite alpha male character?

**My Strong Males Toolkit first appeared on a group blog I used to write for called The Prairie Chicks Write Romance but I thought it might be worth sharing again.

Backlash is Available for Order in Print!

Backlash is now up on The Wild Rose Press site under Latest in Paperback!

Yep, you can now pre-order it in print! Just go here! I’m SO excited!

BACKLASH

What he’s sworn to protect, she’s willing to sacrifice to save those she loves…

When dedicated teacher Lily Wheeler interrupts a vicious gang attack on one of her students, she vows it won’t happen again. But her rash interference puts her in the path of a cold-blooded killer and the constable tracking him – a man she has little reason to trust, but can never forget.

Constable Chase Porter returned to Aspen Lake to see justice done, not renew old acquaintances. But when he rescues the woman he once loved from a volatile situation, he realizes his feelings for Lily haven’t lessened over the years.

Now, the dangerous killer Chase has sworn to capture has Lily in his sights. Can Chase and Lilly learn to trust each other again before it’s too late – or will old insecurities jeopardize their future?

 

Six Sentence Sunday

It’s Six Sentence Sunday! Time to travel around to all kinds of author blogs and get at sneak peak into lots of fabulous stories. Your comments always inspire me, so thanks for taking the time to drop by and leave them.

It’s late in the evening and my heroine, Lily, is being escorted home by police after a brutal attack by a wanted gang leader.

Lily averted her gaze from the sidewalk and focused on Chase unlocking her door. She remained vertical by sheer force of will, desperate to get inside. Even with Chase and Mike stuck to her like burrs, the whispering breeze carried threats. The shadows hid monsters threatening to break through their guard. Paranoia bloomed.

Thanks again for stopping by and there’s always more places to visit on Six Sentence Sunday.

Reading Therapy

I participated in a reading last week at a lovely small town Saskatchewan library along with a friend of mine, Annette Bower. I read from my romantic suspense, Backlash, and she read from her newly published e-book, Moving On: A Prairie Romance. An old converted school house with original tin ceilings and hardwood floors, it contained a small library and an art gallery. We read in a cosy room in front of a beautiful mural created by young local artists to fifteen or twenty interested attendees.

I had a very entertaining conversation with an older woman who hadn’t read a book of fiction since high school. It’s true. Apparently, it’s possible to go fifty or sixty years without reading a book. I’m sure she’s enjoyed many other creative pursuits, but still…

I thought about all those times I’ve read books to save my sanity. Like recently, when I found myself awake at 2:00 am three or four nights in a row because I was coughing and couldn’t sleep. Tucked up in bed, propped up against a mound of pillows, Vicks Vapor Rub smeared on my chest, waiting for the cough medicine to kick in, I poured through four books.

On those bi-monthly weekend Greyhound bus rides from Regina to Saskatoon to visit my now husband in my twenties. Airports, hotel rooms, doctor’s offices. What do people do in these places if they aren’t reading? Okay, excluding hotel rooms!

On our way home from the reading we talked about creative ways to promote ereaders and ebooks. Someone mentioned their niece reading on her ereader while breastfeeding her baby. Oh, how I wished I’d had one way back when to pass those long hours.

It’s been a long day and the next one promising to be just as long. What do you do? You pick up a book and allow the story to sweep you away. There’s nothing quite like immersing yourself in a great book. I’ll even take a not-so-great book over no book. I’ve used books to soothe away teenage angst. I remember once, shortly after moving away from home for the first time at eighteen, a group of girlfriends got together one night to watch the movie: Texas Chainsaw Massacre. I read an entire Harlequin romance once I returned home to my dark, little, very empty house. I don’t remember the name of the story, but it saved my sanity that night.

When has reading saved your sanity?

I hope you check out my friend, Annette Bower and her new release, Moving On – A Prairie Romance.

Moving On-A Prairie Romance

Anna is a mysterious woman that has just moved to Regina Beach. The residents of the small town know everyone’s business and they are very interested in discovering Anna’s secrets. Nick was a Sergeant in the Canadian Army, doing active duty until a horrific accident sent him home to recover. He helps Anna feel safe and comfortable in her new environment, just as he has always done for his men in strange, dangerous places. Meanwhile, he focuses on preparing for his future physical endurance test to prove that he is capable of returning to active duty.

Anna doesn’t talk about her past, and Nick doesn’t talk about his future therefore she is shocked to discover that his greatest wish is to return to active duty. She won’t love a man who may die on the job again. Intellectually, she knows that all life cycles end, but emotionally, she doesn’t know if she has the strength to support Nick.

Carnivalesque: Creepy Occurances

It’s Thursday and we’re taking our Travelling Blog Show on the road to Joanne Brothwell‘s blog. This week’s topic? What is the creepiest thing that ever happened to you that you couldn’t explain? I kid you not, that’s what we’re dishing on this week. Come join Janet Corcoran, Hayley Lavik, Jana Richards, Joanne Brothwell and myself as we confess to the creepy. We love to hear your about your experiences and hear your opinions!

 

 

 

Appearances

This Saturday, April 21st, at 1:30 pm I’m at Chapters (in my home city of Regina, SK) reading from my writing group’s anthology: Love, Loss and Other Oddities: Tales from Saskatchewan. I’ll be sharing my time with four other lovely Saskatchewan authors: Annette Bower, Jana Richards, Anita Mae Draper, and Jessica Eissfeldt. Join us for an afternoon of reading.

 

 

 

 

 

On Thursday, April 26th, at 7:00 pm I’ll be at the Regina Beach Library reading from my upcoming release, Backlash. I’ll be joining Annette Bower as she reads from her new release: Moving On: A Prairie Romance. 

What he’s sworn to protect, she’s willing to sacrifice to save those she loves…