Mindy Klasky’s Book Quote Wednesday

This week’s #bookqw word is: “question” and comes from BLOOD TIES, a historical time-travel to the American Civil War.

Amazon KU / Ebook / Print

Mindy Klasky’s Book Quote Wednesday

This week’s #bookqw word is: “thanks” and comes from BLOOD TIES, a historical time-travel to the American Civil War.  

Ebook / Print

New Release by Constance Bretes 

The Christmas Ballet 

Can the joy of Christmas heal the pain of the past?

Laura Hemmingway cut herself off from men and her family when the man she loved married her sister. She moved across the country and was doing just fine until she received a devastating call to return to New York. She had to face the death of her sister, her sister’s little girl, Maria, and Maria’s father, Stefan—the man she had once loved. She figured she would pay her respects and leave as soon as possible. She never anticipated on the beautiful little girl stealing her heart. And she never expected that seeing Stefan again after twelve years would stir up old feelings.

Stefan’s life was complete. He had a successful career as an attorney, a beautiful wife, and an adorable six-year-old daughter. Although him and his wife had been married in name only for the past several years, he cared for her deeply. Then her unexpected death brought him face-to-face with his former lover, and the guilt he’d carried for years.

Stefan is still in love with Laura and wants to give her everything she deserves. He and Maria are racing against time to convince Laura to stay with them in New York.

Can a little girl’s love, and the true magic of Christmas, help Stefan convince Laura to stay and give their relationship another chance? 

Buy at Amazon

Content Warning: contains some sexual content

EXCERPT

He smiled as he thought about the look on her face when he’d stroked her. Maybe she was more interested in him than she either believed or cared to be.

Then he thought of something. “One more thing, Laura,” he called out to her, and she stopped at the door and turned around.

“On the nineteenth, the law firm is hosting the annual Christmas party. It’s quite grand and lasts all evening long.”

“You want me to be sure to be available to babysit Maria,” Laura said.

“No. I want you to plan to come with me.”

“What?”

“Remember that beautiful, green, velvet dress we saw at Macy’s? I want you to get that dress, and the accessories to go with it, and attend the party with me.”

“Stefan, really. You know I don’t go to those types of events, and I don’t wear those kinds of clothes. I’m not comfortable with either of those things.”

“You need to get comfortable.” He smiled.

“This is not a part of a job for the nanny and teacher. It’s out of the range of the job description. You need to get Ginger to go with you. I’m not going.” She gave him a defiant look.

“Laura, I want to take you to this event. I’m not taking no for an answer. I will arrange for Rhonda to take you shopping to help you get what you need. You will charge all the purchases to a credit card I will give you that’s for your use only. This is the first of many social parties you will be attending.”

He watched her as she clenched her hands into fists and released them.

“Who do you think you will get to care for Maria on these…occasions?”

“Usually Lillian is available.”

“Stefan, it’s my job to care for Maria, not be your date to your parties. I don’t like being told what I will or won’t do. I don’t like social parties, and I don’t like wearing expensive clothes. It’s not me, and you’re not going to change me.”

“I don’t want to change you. I want you to attend an event by my side. It won’t hurt you to have some beautiful clothing to show your feminine side. I want the world to see the beauty I see. Be glad I want to show you off. Some men might decide they don’t want others to see what they see.”

“Flattery doesn’t work with me. You can tell me what to do as far as Maria is concerned, but my personal life is off limits to you.”

“That’s good to know. At least I know you won’t get carried away and escape my grasp by someone making flattering remarks to you. Your personal life interests me.”

“Stefan, you just don’t get it. I am not going to this party,” she said, enunciating each word slowly and carefully. “Besides, your mother would be horrified to see me walk in with you.” Her face hardened as she stared at him.

“Look at it this way—you’d be doing me a big favor.”

“How?” She raised an eyebrow.

“I’m not interested in the other women that come to this social party looking for an eligible bachelor. With you on my arm, it would send a clear message to all the others that I’m taken.”

“God, you’re impossible. Ginger is more than capable of providing you that kind of service.”

“I don’t want Ginger. You have the grace, quiet beauty, and finesse I want in a date, and I will not take no for an answer. After Maria’s recital, you and Rhonda will set a shopping date. And one more thing. When you get your hair done, I’d like you to wear it down.” He smiled at her.

“This is not going to happen.” She put her hands on her hips and glared at him.

“It will. I’ll just have Maria work on you.” He eyed her.

“What?”

Stefan grinned. “You heard me. You’d never turn down anything from Maria.”

“Grrrr.” She growled and stomped up the stairs.

He laced his hands and put them behind his head. Oh yeah, it’ll be a night she’ll never forget.

Meet the Author

Constance Bretes is an author of contemporary romance and suspense. Her romance books are often set in different parts of the country, but her favorite site is Montana. She retired from the State of Michigan after 38-plus years of service and now writes and researches full time. She is married to her best friend and has recently moved from Montana to Alabama. Her hobbies include basket weaving, sapphire digging, and checking out old ghost towns

http://constancebretes.com

https://www.facebook.com/conniebretes/

https://twitter.com/ConstanceBretes

https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/7737457.Constance_Bretes

Email:  bretesc@gmail.com

http://beachwalkpress.com/constance-bretes/

Instagram: #constancebretesauthor

https://www.amazon.com/Constance-Bretes/e/B00IKSKRES

NEW RELEASE BY

LINDA CARROLL-BRADD

Dulcina

The Widows of Wildcat Ridge, book 5

Will bringing an old friend to town provide the help Dulcina needs or a new kind of trouble?

Left widowed following a Utah mining disaster, Dulcina Crass faces running a saloon on her own when her previous contribution was solely as the singer. She struggles to learn the necessary tasks but her heart isn’t in being a saloon keeper. All she ever wanted was to be a famous singer. Will asking Gabriel Magnus, a neighbor from her New Mexico hometown, bring the help she needs or a new kind of trouble?

Gabriel Magnus isn’t fulfilled by his role as ranch hand on the family’s New Mexico sheep ranch. What he wants is the chance to prove his boot making skills are good enough to start his own business. When he receives a letter from recent widow Dulcina offering a partnership in the Last Chance Saloon, he recognizes the chance to come to the rescue of the vivacious girl he wanted to court a decade earlier. Upon his arrival, he presents her with a demand--her answer could decide both of their fates.

Excerpt:

“Ceremony?” Her eyes shot wide. “You intend us to be married today?”

“I do, and I’ll not marry a woman wearing mourning black.” The drab color did nothing to highlight her natural beauty. “You look fit to join the circle of viudas in the Questa marketplace.”

Lips pinched, she glanced around the immediate area. “But, Gabriel, I have been in mourning for Stuart since the mine disaster.”

He bristled at the mention of that man’s name but kept his expression calm. “A status that ends now. Stuart is gone, never to return in this lifetime.” When he spotted her lower lip quiver, he braced himself. The way their life would be structured moving forward had to be laid out. “Today will be the first day of our marriage, yours and mine, and he will not come between us. I will proclaim my vows next to a woman who looks to the future, not one who still clutches the past.” He stepped back to gather his luggage then carried it to where she stood. “Please show me to the saloon, where I assume you also live.”

“Oh.” She dropped her gaze and pulled at the strings on her reticule. “I thought you’d book a room in the hotel while we get reacquainted.”

If she thought she was the one making decisions, she’d been on her own too long. Maybe her late husband allowed that behavior. She might as well learn that he would not. He narrowed his eyes. “We will get reacquainted while living under the same roof.” The words “and in the same bed” remained unspoken. He didn’t think she was ready to hear his opinion of how the arrangement would play out.

“But Wildcat Ridge has no minister. Poor Reverend Bainum was lost in—”

“I know.” His voice snapped sharper than he intended. He held up a hand. “The mine collapse. The town can only be saved if you stop looking at what you lost and focus on what can be gained.” Realizing other people paid too close attention to their conversation, he clasped her hand and guided her to a nearby bench. “I am sorry, Dulcina. I do understand you have been through a loss. But that tragedy is not my experience. I see new opportunities, and I aim to grab them.” He smiled. “The best one is you.”

Her eyes shot wide. “I’d planned for us to take a day trip to Curdy’s Crossing on Saturday after the horse-related business is concluded. The church there is run by Minister Stone, and other widows have had him perform their wedding ceremonies. I thought we could marry after services on Sunday.” She ducked her head. “The marriage that is supposed to be only a formality.”

Amazon // Goodreads

As a young girl, Linda was often found lying on her bed reading about fascinating characters having exciting adventures in places far away and in other time periods. In later years, she read and then started writing romances and achieved her first publication--a confession story. Married with four adult children and two granddaughters, Linda now writes heartwarming contemporary and historical stories with a touch of humor from her home in the southern California mountains.

Linda’s Links:

Website   www.lindacarroll-bradd.com

Blog   http://blog.lindacarroll-bradd.com

Facebook  https://www.facebook.com/linda.carrollbradd

Twitter  https://www.twitter.com/lcarrollbradd

Amazon Author Page  https://www.amazon.com/author/lindacarroll-bradd

BookBub page  https://www.bookbub.com/authors/linda-carroll-bradd

Goodreads  http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/1806413.Linda_Carroll_Bradd

Newsletter signup  http://eepurl.com/bjKueH

Mindy Klasky’s Book Quote Wednesday

 This week’s #bookqw word is: “finger” and comes from RED RIVER CROSSING, book 1 of Men of the Double K series, a western historical romance. 

Ebook / Print

Mindy Klasky’s Book Quote Wednesday

This week’s word is: “light” and comes from THE CATTLEMAN’S BRIDE, book 3 of the Brides Along the Chisholm Trail series, a western historical romance. 

Ebook / Print / Audio:  https://tinyurl.com/yakyfycg

THE COMMANDMENT

(Release date August 24, 2018)

By Anna Kittrell

Anna works as a middle school secretary in her beloved hometown of Anadarko, Oklahoma, where she resides with her high school sweetheart-turned-husband, Tim. She has written for as long as she can remember, and still has many of her tattered creations—stories she used to sell on the playground for a dime, written on notebook paper. Her love of storytelling has grown throughout the years, and she is thrilled her tales are now worth more than ten cents.

Ten years ago, Briar’s body rejected a government mandated vaccine known as SAP (Serum to Advance Progressivism), formulated to erase God from the mind. Briar was seven years old. She’s been on house arrest ever since.

Now, just weeks from becoming a legal adult, Briar remains non-responsive to her mandatory SAP injections. Along with her rapidly approaching eighteenth birthday looms a grim reality: by order of the Commandment, adulthood means institutionalization for those resistant to SAP.

In a matter of days, Briar will become a permanent resident of the ARC—a facility shrouded in dark rumors of torture, experimentation, and death. Her only alternative is to accept a last minute ultimatum to become a laboratory test subject for a new God-dissolving serum.

With a decade of solitude behind her and a lifetime of confinement before her—what does she have to lose? Except maybe her soul.

Excerpt:

“It’s late September, not the middle of July,” Briar’s mother said, blotting her forehead as she clipped down the walkway toward the car. “Seems Mother Nature didn’t get the memo.”

“Can I drive?” Briar jogged to the driver’s side.

“We’ve already discussed this. You’re not allowed behind the wheel until that thing comes off your leg.” Her mother nodded toward the clunky black box strapped around Briar’s ankle.

The infamous ankle monitor—aka life destroyer. Briar’s electronic prison guard since age seven.

“But that’s so ridiculous. What am I going to do, pick up a bunch of other unlevels and start a crusade? Come on, please? Just to the clinic. They’ll never know.”

“Don’t argue, just get in.” She aimed the key fob at the car.

“You know, Mom, if you had a cuffphone, like the rest of the population, you wouldn’t need that old fob. The car would sense you coming and the door would pop open on its own.”

Briar drudged around to the passenger side and climbed in, the headachy sweet scent of floral air freshener hitting her between the eyes.

Her mom slid behind the wheel and clicked her seatbelt. “Buckle up,” she said, double-glancing at her daughter. “What on earth is that on your head?”

“You noticed?” Briar pulled the seatbelt over her shoulder and snapped it, catching a section of long blue hair in the clasp. “I was chatting with Mouse online, trying to cheer him up.” She plucked the wig from her head, freed the strands from the buckle, and pushed the wig into her bag, causing her furry keychain to fall out onto her lap.

“He was sad about losing his dad.”

The little boy’s face had crumpled as he’d told her he wanted his dad back. She’d known how to make him feel better but had swallowed the comforting Bible verse on her tongue—one of many her grandmother had taught her as a child—and put on the silly wig instead. Blue hair was acceptable. Reciting scripture would get her arrested. Sharing Christian faith was illegal by law of The Commandment. The crime carried an even stiffer penalty than skipping a SAP injection or disabling a fleshcard.

Not that either of those things meant anything to Briar. Her body repeatedly rejected the Serum to Accelerate Progressivism, meaning she had no need for the under-the-skin device that kept track of SAP levels in the brain. Her body’s intolerance of SAP was the reason she couldn’t take a walk around the neighborhood, or drive—or do anything that made life worth living.

The Commandment Trailer // The Commandment FB Page

Website // Author Facebook Page // Amazon Author Page // Email Anna

Amazon: https://goo.gl/Fuca4k

Pelican/Prism: https://goo.gl/9BbDod

Barnes and Noble: https://goo.gl/UWgq3Y

Last week I spent a few days at RWA Conference. For those who don't know RWA (Romance Writers of America) is not only a national romance writer organization but a world-wide organization. Each year they hold a conference in a difference section of the US with tons of workshops (career and craft), book signings, publisher giveaways, industry information for all their members and non-members who attend. No, you don't need to be a member of RWA to attend their conference each year. So that means that you can attend next year in New York!!!!

This trip was more of a therapeutic event for me. While in Denver, the third month of my husband's passing took place on the 19th. I am so blessed and grateful to the friends I have within this organization who were there to give me a hug when they thought I needed it, or a pat on the knee when I thought I'd hidden my tears. I love you all and you mean the world to me. Sometimes I didn't know when I needed your strength when mine is fading, but you did.

I hope you enjoy the article below and the live videos (which were iffy because of the weak connection due to location of events).

Annual RWA Literacy Book Signing Article, Denver Newspaper

RWA Goodie Room  Video / Live Video at RWA

Post Golden Heart Awards Live Video at RWA

		Maria Connor, VA (My Author Concierge) and me
		Golden Heart Luncheon
Western Sizzler Authors Teri Riggs, Sylvia McDaniel, Peggy McKenzie Merry Farmer, Callie Hutton, me		Sylvia McDaniel, Maria Connor,  Heidi Vanlandingham, me
Rita Award Ceremony
		Some of my stash for Birthday Boxes at FB Group Maxine's Book Divas

N O W   I N   A U D I O

Book 3, Brides Along the Chisholm Trail

Audible

Audio Sample

Book 2, Nashville Duets

Audible

Audio Sample

Life throws things at you that you never expected to ever happen.

Last month ago -- March 14 -- my husband was diagnosed with Stage IV brain and liver cancer.  Our normal life is no longer what we once had. It is now filled with cherishing each day we have together. To weather the ups and downs. The good days and the bad days.

Please keep my husband in your prayers.

I have faith that my love, my life, my everything, will be healed by His healing hands. ☝🙏

Read our journey here: https://www.caringbridge.org/visit/randyfritter

N E W   C O V E R S

(details under Romance Bookshelf)

                               

So excited to announce that THE MARSHAL'S BRIDE has tied for SECOND in the Historical Short category of the 2017 IDA Contest!

This novella is set in 1877 using Fred, I.T. as a backdrop! Thank you Mark Rath of the Chickasha Chamber of Commerce for the wonderful idea, and Patricia Cunningham of the Grady County Historical Society for all your help in researching this western historical romance! 

Congratulations to all the winners and finalists! The IDA is a contest sponsored by Oklahoma Romance Writers of America, but is open to all works of fiction in digital format, regardless of romantic content.

http://tinyurl.com/yazav5gl

Welcome to the Romance Resistance

Welcome to the Romance Resistance: The Trump Effect on book sales isn't reaching all genres. Women are buying even more romance novels now....

Cuervo, New Mexico: A Real Ghost Town

Over Labor Day weekend, hubby and I took a quick trip to New Mexico to visit a few friends and to take in the sites. We ran across an actual ghost town along I40!

There appeared to be someone “living” in the house next to the church as there were blankets on the floor and a plastic milk carton, as well as an Ouji Board on the wall! 

We also found the school where the kids of this town probably attended.