Author: Cindy

Re-Reveal Cover/ Marigny Street Book 1

Posted on by Cindy

Marigny Street

(Saving Angels Series #1)

 Annie Rose Welch

Genre: Contemporary Romance with a

strong element of paranormal

marignystreetcover

Synopsis

Do you believe in the power of dreams?

Way down south on Marigny Street in the heart of New Orleans, the land of Catholic intercessions, purgatory, and supernatural superstitions, young Evangeline Chenier dreams of a radiant boy who saves her from a storm. She takes the dream seriously – in her family, dreams are sometimes more than dreams. Sometimes they foretell the future. Sometimes they create it.

Years later, Eva is no longer the same wistful girl but a hardened woman who no longer believes in dreams. Losing faith in her gift, she becomes lost in a nightmare of emotion, mourning her son, separating from her husband, and stewing in a dead-end job. And then fate brings her an unlikely surprise: one of the most famous movie stars in the world, Gabriel Roberts.

Caught by something in his eyes, Eva agrees to show him the real Big Easy on his last night in New Orleans—an evening that turns into four dreamy days spent recapturing lost faith and discovering a love neither expected. Realizing Gabriel is the boy from her childhood dream, Eva must leave everything behind—her husband, her family, her history, and the beautiful city she calls home—and gamble it all for the dream that has saved her on MARIGNY STREET.

 

bookexcerpt 

 

I shook my head. “Tell me, Gabriel, what are your dreams about?”

“Nothing.  I never dream.”  He shrugged.

“Never?”

“I’ve never once in my life had a dream.  And I never look in a mirror – or I try my hardest not to anyway.”

“Why?”  How could you never dream?  Or look in a mirror?

He sighed.  “I believe the only things in this life that can truly show your reflection are the things you love the most in this world.  And I don’t love myself enough to want to look in the mirror.”  He laughed.  “But when I look at you I can see myself perfectly.  And even though I never dream, I do pray.  Do you want to know what I prayed for before I met you?”

I nodded.

“I prayed for an angel – to save me.  I asked for a little help from up above, and now you’re here.  You are cake and ice cream; sugar and spice, and everything nice.  And when you smile, you make me feel the way the world looks when the sun shines through a foggy day.”

All I could do was smile.

 

Add to Goodreads

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/18157917-marigny-street?from_search=true

 

 Buy Links

 Amazon

http://www.amazon.com/Marigny-Street-Saving-Angels-Annie-ebook/dp/B00DQG0BW2/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1394158755&sr=8-1&keywords=marigny+street

 Barnes & Noble

http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/marigny-street-annie-rose-welch/1116050378?ean=9781490582702

 

lotusblossomlaneauthor
Author Bio

Born and raised in New Orleans, Annie has a habit of shortening her words and telling long stories. She speaks with a southern flair and cooks with it too. At the tender age of twenty- one, she hitched up her wagons (took her first plane ride) and moved out west to the big shake (California). Her writing career began one sleepless night when she imagined a gorgeous woman and a man with maniacal hair floating above her like lightening bugs falling from the sky. Curious about them, their story, and why they were floating around in her head, she sat down and penned (typed) her first novel, Marigny Street. A dream come true for her, she hasn’t stopped writing since. She loves a damn good love story, always has, no matter what the genre. She is particularly moved by imperfect love that in its own unique way is perfect, the notion of love at first sight, soul mates, and things that are generally out of the norm.

When she’s not writing she enjoys dabbling in photography and finding new, inspirational music to add to her collection. She currently (still) resides in the big shake (although her southern roots are calling her home) with her husband, daughter, and their two peculiar dogs, Boudreaux and Tabasco (who, call her crazy, bark with an accent).

For lagniappe (a little extra), a virtual cup of café au lait and beignets, please visit Annie’s website:  www.annierosewelch.com

She can also be found on Facebook & Twitter.

Facebook Page:  https://www.facebook.com/AuthorAnnieRoseWelch

Twitter: https://twitter.com/angelwriter11

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/7159582.Annie_Rose_Welch

Amazon Author Page: http://www.amazon.com/Annie-Rose-Welch/e/B00DQSYDTM/ref=ntt_athr_dp_pel_1

Book Blitz/ Saved By You

Posted on by Cindy

Saved By You – Week Blitz
By Helen Conrad
Contemporary Romance
Date Published: January 14, 2014
 

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Image is everything
Bad boy Kane’s image is what gets him the job protecting Annie and her Hawaiian ranch but it’s an image he’s restless to shake.  This time he wants to get the girl–not the blame.
Annie Ventura needs Kane to be a tough guy, but what she falls for is the tenderness.  Now she has to figure out how to handle both sides of this irresistible man who is dredging up secrets from her past.
Kane Carrington can’t resist a call for help from the girl he secretly loved in high school.  He goes back to his Hawaiian home, only to find he’s still the “bad boy” to her golden girl image.  But now he’s a man, not a boy and Annie Ventura can’t resist him.  But does he have to destroy her memories of her dead husband in order to seal the deal?
As they work together to get to the bottom of the harassment she’s been experiencing, memories return and emotions are rekindled.  Annie learns that protecting the past for her son just might lead to her losing their future.  Kane begins to understand his family and his place in it—and how important it is to build bridges instead of blowing them up.
SAVED BY YOU is book #1 of  Destiny Bay Romances-The Islanders.
The full set:
Destiny Bay Romances~Islanders
EXCERPT
Emotions were usually pretty deep with him. He didn’t like to let them get too near the surface. But for just a moment, he’d stopped and turned slowly, taking it all in, remembering a past that could never be again, missing it, missing home and actually feeling a slight stinging in his eyes.
And that was when she got him.
“Okay, you bastard, hold it right there. Don’t make a move.”
At the same moment the voice hit him, both barrels of a shotgun were jammed very hard and very painfully into the small of his back, and he groaned in disbelief. He hadn’t even heard her coming up behind him. He shook his head. He was losing it.
“I’d like to blast a hole right through you. How would you like that, you slime ball?”
“Hey, hold on just a minute…”
The barrel jabbed him. “Don’t try to talk, dirt bag. Just start walking. I’m going to walk you right off my land, and then I’m going to call the cops. And the next time you come slinking around I’m going to blow your brains out. You got that?” She jabbed him again to get him going toward the road. “And you can tell Bart Carlson I’ll do the same for any other of his pathetic flunkies that he sends over here to screw up my life.”
It took only one quick twist and a little leverage, and he had her on the ground, his big body holding hers down, the shotgun wrenched from her grasp and sent spinning in the dust.
But that didn’t mean she gave up. Not by any means. She fought like a wildcat, spitting and scratching at him with fury. It took both his hands to hold down hers, and the full length of his body to hold her captive.
“Cut it out, Annie,” he growled at her, annoyed that she wasn’t giving up even once she’d realized his superior strength. “I’m not going to hurt you.”
The sound of her name was what seemed to still her for a moment. She stared up at him and he stared down at her, wondering if she had any idea that they had known each other before.
She’d changed. But her hair was still blond, still a mass of shimmering tangles that seemed to go on forever. Her body was still slim and lithe, but there was a strength to her he wouldn’t have thought she would ever possess. She was still squirming beneath him, but it was beginning to feel good. He glanced at her cotton blouse, all askew and revealing the soft curve of her breast and a tiny strip of lace.
“Don’t,” she spat at him fiercely.
He looked up. Her face was older, naturally. The crystal blue eyes he remembered so vividly were wary, haunted by pain and struggle she couldn’t have dreamed of in her younger days. And she wasn’t laughing. In his memories, she was always laughing.
There was no sign of recognition. Didn’t anybody remember him? Had he been erased from the minds of an entire community?
Helen Conrad
 
photo HelenConrad_authorphoto300_01_zpsed720117.jpgHelen Conrad is an award-winning, best-selling author (over 15 million books sold) of heart-felt–and often humorous–contemporary romances, most of which are spiced with a little heat.  She’s published more than 99 romances under various pseudonyms with Harlequin, Silhouette, Mills and Boon, Loveswept, and others and is currently revamping the best of her backlist, creating the Destiny Bay Romances Series about a rich, influential family living along the Central California Coast, Arizona and the Hawaiian Islands.  The Carringtons are good-looking, fast-driving, hard-hitting men and women whose impulses lead them into trouble–and inevitably, into love–every time.  Saved By You is the story of Kane Carrington who returns to Hawaii to settle old scores and revive a lost love.

Authors Links

 

Buy Link

 

Giveaway

 

$50 Amazon Giftcard

a Rafflecopter giveaway

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copyright 2010, Cindy (Cindy’s Love Of Books)
If you are reading this on a blog or website other than Cindy’s Love Of Books or via a feedreader, this content has been stolen and used without permission.

Book Blitz/ Seduced by the Game

Posted on by Cindy

Blurb ~

It’s time to drop the gloves and fight! Support the Fight against cancer that is. This anthology of 8 brand new novellas is hot enough to melt the ice these players skate on. Featuring stories from popular New York Times & USA Today, Amazon, and Barnes & Noble bestselling authors, including Toni Aleo, Cassandra Carr, Cindy Carr, Jami Davenport, Catherine Gayle, Jaymee Jacobs, V.L. Locey, Bianca Sommerland, and Nikki Worrell.

New York Times and USA Today Bestselling Author – Toni Aleo TANGLED IN THE LACES

In Tangled in the Laces, Karson King is on the fast track to the pros and Lacey Martin is coming back from a hard fight against cancer and is terrified of him but their love is too much to ignore. Will Karson prove that he will protect her heart at all costs, or will he leave Lacey to pick up the pieces of her life once again?

Cassandra Carr and Cindy Carr HOOKING HANNAH

When Hannah attends an all-star game, she doesn’t expect a hockey player of all people to turn her world upside down. Her sister is married to a player and Hannah never wanted that life. But Scott could change everything. For Scott’s part, he has to know the woman who stirred his blood with just a look, and once he does, he realizes he wants Hannah to be his forever. Now to convince her…

Jami Davenport CRASHING THE BOARDS (Seattle Sockeyes 1.5)

Professional party crasher, Izzy Maxwell, needs the cooperation of reluctant party guest Cooper Black, the team captain of Seattle’s new hockey team, but Cooper can’t get past his anger over the team’s relocation to Seattle. Can Izzy melt Cooper’s frozen heart or will this party crash along with her fledgling business?

Catherine Gayle TAKING A SHOT (Portland Storm 2.5)

Katie Weber has had a crush on Jamie Babcock for almost two years, since he joined her father’s hockey team, the Portland Storm as an eighteen-year-old rookie. When cancer takes her health, her hair, and even her friends, she can’t bear to go to senior prom…until Jamie intervenes.

Jaymee Jacobs A VALUABLE TRADE

Bryan’s life gets turned upside down when he gets traded to the Dallas Comets, and things get even messier when he meets Georgiana, the Director of Team Services. He’s got a lot of work to do to prove his worth to his new team, but Georgiana’s sure he’ll prove to be a valuable trade.

V.L. Locey HEIR APPARENT

Superstar Cam Evans is fighting to climb out of a slump that`s growing worse with each day of living in denial. Fresh from the minors, Jacobi Neal is hungry for this chance to play back-up for the legendary goalie. Can two men battle each other, their inner demons, and the sizzling attraction building between them?

Bianca Sommerland BLIND PASS (The Dartmouth Cobras 0.5)

Nothing could stop Tim Rowe, the assistant coach of the Dartmouth Cobras, from falling in love with Madeline, but love alone can’t satisfy every need. Sometimes, to reach the goal, you have to take the chance with a . . . Blind Pass.

Nikki Worrell – CAPTAIN, MY CAPTAIN (Prequel to Scorpions Series)

Keith Lambert is the captain of the Flyers—until he’s not. To everyone’s shock, he’s traded to the San Diego Scorpions. As if that’s not bad enough, Phoebe, his girlfriend of two years, decides she doesn’t love him enough to follow.

All alone in a new town, Keith is drawn to Kelly, his take out delivery girl. When she shows up at ice girl tryouts, he’s lost. She’s all he can see. Can he convince her to forget her past and take a chance on him or is he destined to be alone in a new town a little bit longer?

**Proud Supporters of Hockey Fights Cancer.

Buy Links –
AMAZON US
AMAZON CANADA
BARNES & NOBLE
ALL ROMANCE EBOOKS

Links
Website: http://www.seducedbythegame.com
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/21399240-seduced-by-the-game?from_search=true

Giveaway

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Excerpt  from Crashing the Boards by Jami Davenport
Party crashing was an art—if done right.

Isabella Maxwell should know. She’d been crashing parties for years, at first to get a decent meal and later—much later—as a part-time profession with her three younger sisters. She’d never crashed a party she didn’t take from dud to memorable in minutes.

Tonight she might have met her match.

She’d done her research and knew the obstacles and challenges, but nothing prepared her for the scene awaiting her on the party deck of the Washington Queen, a local tour boat rented by the Seattle Sockeyes hockey team for an evening dinner cruise around Elliott Bay.

As security checked invitations at the door, Izzy snuck past them and peeked in the doorway, scoping out the scene inside—DJ in the corner, empty dance floor complete with mirror ball and flashing lights, not a dancer anywhere. Hockey players were slouched in chairs clumped around tables, reminding her of pimply faced preteens at a junior high dance. Only these boys weren’t preteens or pimply faced. They were a formidable wall of broad chests, muscular thighs, and determined expressions. Each one mirroring the other, but she’d done her research. There was one man she needed to win over to salvage this party, and he hadn’t arrived yet.

Her sisters had already boarded the boat, managing to sneak past security, every one of them dressed to kill or at least to charm a professional hockey team, Bethany in her plunging Vera Wang gown and deadly high heels. Emma and Avery, the youngest at twenty-one and identical twins, looked every bit like giddy hockey groupies who’d managed to snag an invite to the party. Standing near the buffet table, they giggled and whispered as they stole glances at the players. Several players stared right back. Nearby, Bethany engaged the team play-by-play announcer in conversation, while he stared at her boobs, but men always stared at Bethany’s boobs.

The stage was set.

Time to get this party started. The Sockeyes were going to have the time of their lives if she had to threaten bodily harm with their own hockey sticks. 

“Ma’am, I need to see your invitation.” A security guard with a receding hairline, the waist of his polyester pants pulled up to his armpits, and a determined set to his skinny jaw, stepped in front of her before she could enter through the double doors.

“Oh, that.” Izzy made a show of digging through her saddlebag of a purse, not exactly in keeping with her little black sheath, but it served its purpose. “I know it’s in here somewhere.”

The security guard wasn’t the least bit impressed. He tapped his toe on the floor and took a ready stance as if he expected her to run any moment. Just what she needed, a SWAT team wannabe. She batted her eyes at him and continued to dig in her purse.

“I’m sorry. I know it’s here somewhere.”

“Ma’am, you’ll need to leave the boat until you can find it.”

She laughed and rubbed one perfectly manicured finger across his name tag. “Now, Carl, you just hold on one teensy bit. We’ll get this straightened out.” Izzy slipped into her fake Southern drawl; it brought most men to their knees.

Not Carl. In fact, not one hair quivered on his mustache. “My orders are strict. No one, not even the governor, gets in without an invite.” He wrapped scrawny fingers around her arm and pulled her none too gently from the doorway. He might look like a wimp but the guy was surprisingly strong.

No matter. She’d switch to Plan B.

“My boyfriend will be here any moment. He must have the tickets.”

As if on cue, her target for the night walked up the ramp and onto the boat. Cooper Black. The captain of the newly christened Seattle Sockeyes, and the most outspoken man on the team especially when it came to the team’s move and current situation, which he hated—the very man Izzy needed to tame tonight for this situation to turn around.

Judging by the stubborn set of his jaw and those steely blue eyes, this wasn’t going to be easy. 

copyright 2010, Cindy (Cindy’s Love Of Books)
If you are reading this on a blog or website other than Cindy’s Love Of Books or via a feedreader, this content has been stolen and used without permission.

Book Blitz & Author Interview/ Against The Clock by Charlie Moore

Posted on by Cindy

Title:Against The Clock
Author:Charlie Moore
Genre: Mystery, Thriller, Action, Suspense

Shirin Reyes has come out of the cold with a vengeance. Determined to kill the men responsible for her husband’s death, she finds herself torn between her all consuming vendetta and the consequences her actions have on those she cares about.

Unrelenting. Unstoppable. Uncompromising. Shirin ruthlessly hunts down each man, working her way to the top, never realizing she has penetrated the inner sanctum of a covert operation – entangled within an explosive web of scandal, treason, murder and government corruption.

Add to Goodreads

AMAZON US
AMAZON UK
AMAZON CANADA
AMAZON AU

Charlie Moore was born and raised in Sydney, Australia. He started work on his first full length novel at age 18. When running through final edits for the book, he put it aside; wanting to live and experience some of the adventures his characters were thrust into. He became an accomplished martial artist, winning his first full contact fight by TKO and gaining over 30 medals before retiring from competition. He traveled the globe, got lost in dangerous parts of the world, swam with sharks, jumped out of planes, and became a Private Investigator.

Resuming his passion for writing, Charlie started ghost writing to build and harness his skill, and in mid 2012 “Against the Clock” was born.

Charlie now shares his time between rock climbing with his wife, and writing deadly action-packed thrillers.

Follow Charlie: FACEBOOK   AMAZON    WEBSITE

What inspired you to write ‘Against The Clock’?

The need and the desire to write had been brewing for a while. I was just waiting for the right moment, the right story. This book was initially intended to be a novella, an introduction to something more.. but as the story and characters unfolded and developed, the ‘novella’ grew organically into a HUGE book, which I’ve decided to split into two. I really wanted to explore the feeling of loss, the feelings of anger and rage that surround that emptiness, and show that for some people, escape is only possible through acts they would normally see as against their moral code. We’re all familiar with people self medicating with drugs and alcohol as a means of coping, but I wanted to explore a different way with a female character that I see as being incredibly strong, yet incredibly damaged as well. And I wanted to do all that within a scenery of fast, furious and deadly action. I wanted it to be a story that moves forward with rapid speed, but that stays with the reader for long after they’ve finished reading it

Which character in your book would you say you are most like? If any.

Whoa… There’s definitely apart of me in all of the characters. So don’t peeve me off, I just might let loose with a string of kung fu super moves! I don’t have a silenced Beretta, so…

I think there’s character traits I wish I had, like Shirin’s absence of fear, and traits I don’t want to have, like Selig’s megalomaniacal tendencies. I probably relate most to Ben – an ordinary guy, in love with an extraordinary woman, and thrust into a scenario way out of his comfort zone.  I have a feeling he is a character that is going to play a more integral role in future books.

What inspired you to become a writer?

The voices, images, stories in my head that I can’t get out any other way.

What are you most excited about the most for readers to experience/learn from your newest book?

I’m excited the most about sharing the thrills and heart pounding action the characters pull the reader through on their journey through the book. I just love to hear readers stories about how they couldn’t put the book down, how they sacrificed sleeping, or going out to dinner, or took a day off work, just to finish my book. It’s such an adrenalin rush for me!

Were you scared when you first published? Did you feel exposed or vulnerable?

It never really occurred to me. I was just so happy and excited to finish the book, and get it out there and share it with the world. I didn’t feel nervous or vulnerable until the first reviews started coming out. Thank goodness they were all 5 out of 5 stars!

Do you have ideas for dream cast members for your book? If I name them here, will I get to meet them?? What do you do on your down time? What do you do to relax?

I love to go rock climbing! I’m relatively new to the sport, but I’m addicted to it. It just seems like defying gravity, defying what is ‘normal’. It really is a challenge. One of the first times I went climbing was in the Blue Mountains out west of Sydney, I was about 40feet up a steep cliff face, stuck, with no idea how on earth I was going to move one more foot. I seriously thought about quitting and telling my partner to lower me down. But somehow, I found a small hand-hold and moved up. 50 more moments like that and I made it to the top of the cliff! It was the most rewarding and most exciting moment since I’d gotten married. I’m pretty keen on skydiving too! But that is an expensive way to relax…

What do you love most about being a writer/author?

I get to live out every secret desire, or impulse that I normally wouldn’t be able to. And I get to have an influence on people’s lives. I give people moments in their lives they won’t readily forget (at least I hope so).

What do you hate most about being a writer/author?

Not all my characters are nice people. Not all the things they do are things I can relate to, or agree with. I find getting into their head space very disturbing sometimes. Some days I had to drink a whole pile of scotch and watch ‘Scrubs’ a ridiculous comedy, just to get my normal head space back.

What writers/authors have inspired you? 

Robert Ludlum, Vince Flynn, Eric Lustbader, Dean Koontz and recently Andrew Peterson,

When you get stuck in a story, how do you get through it?

Write! And keep writing!

Do you listen to music when you write?

Sometimes. If it’s a dramatic scene, or quiet scene I like silence. But when I’m thick in the middle of intense action I like to put some headphones on and crank the music loud! I had a lot of My Chemical Romance playing for this book.

Can you write anywhere? Or do you need a specific place to write?

I can. Where I write really depends on what’s happening in my life. I started ATC writing from my car on my laptop. My wife was studying, and couldn’t drive to the college, so I would drive her there, and spend the day parked somewhere close by and write all day. It was a great way to avoid the distractions at home. And when my wife was home, I’d go out to a nearby lake, or spot in the mountains, set up a folding chair, thermos with coffee and write until the mosquitoes were bored of me, or I had the urge for a toilet that flushes. In the summer (Australian summers can be deadly hot) I’d find a nice cafe with air-conditioning, or just stay home with aircon cranked up on full.

Do you have advice for aspiring authors?

Write! And keep writing!

What was the worst advice you were given in the beginning of your writing career?

I had lots of bad advice.. for example; shaping what I write to fit the latest trend, or give up on writing and get a real job and so on.. All the bad advice I can think of came from a place of insecurity and/or from a person with little or no belief in themselves or their abilities. I’m not a fan of advice. I’m more a fan of support.

What was the best advice you were given in the beginning of your writing career?

The best advice I ever got, and the only advice I ever offer, is WRITE! AND KEEP WRITING! It stands true in any situation. Whether it be a case of writers block, a bad review, lack of sales, a story that doesn’t seem to be working, not sure where the story or characters are going, self doubt… no matter what, if you keep writing you can always come back and polish what you’ve written, edit it, or even scrap it. But there’s not much you can do with nothing.

copyright 2010, Cindy (Cindy’s Love Of Books)
If you are reading this on a blog or website other than Cindy’s Love Of Books or via a feedreader, this content has been stolen and used without permission.

Book Blitz/ Everything I Want

Posted on by Cindy
Lily is moving forward
after her break up with Alfie. Her journey continues through some extremely
emotional times during key events, as she becomes more self- assured and begins
to develop as an performing artist. It isn’t easy for Lily to forget Alfie
because of circumstances in Alfie’s life. However, Lily is tortured by constant
reminders of their time together, and this does little for her resolve to move
on.  Although, Lily has made her choice, it is also tinged with sadness.
Her love for Alfie remains strong, and she fights a constant internal battle,
between loving him and loving her music. Lily thinks it’s impossible to have
both. A fabulous opportunity
arises for Lily, but there is a possibility of this bringing her face to face
with Alfie again. Can Lily cope with the emotional turmoil this would bring
her? Or, is the risk of seeing Alfie something she feels able to manage now?

Musically, Lily concentrates her efforts much more, which brings success, post
Alfie. Through this, she finds friends in some of the most unlikely of
circumstances. All of her friends continue to protect her, and are all well
aware of the impact Lily’s relationship with Alfie has had on her. All apart
from Elle, who gives Lily food for thought. Although, Lily’s mind is still
plagued with memories of Alfie; which continue to impact on her to such an
extent, Lily has been unable to form new romantic ties. Professionally, her relationships
couldn’t be better. She is offered some amazing opportunities rarely available,
and is determined to do make the most of them. This is especially important to
her, given the sacrifices she has made in the past to do this. Will Lily’s
music be enough for her, and prove to be everything she ever wanted?

His strong arms held me tightly, like he might never get the chance to

do this again. The front of his hard body came flush with mine. I

could feel he was aroused as he tilted his hips into mine. My body

went stiff, and I fought with everything I had inside me to resist

him, but I still craved the closeness with him.

Alfie let out a shuddery breath and kissed the skin on my neck before

drawing his nose the length of it and letting me go. In my head I was

telling myself to get out of there before something happened between

us. Because if it did… I knew I’d be lost to him all over again.

?? HAVEN’T READ THIS SERIES YET ??

CATCH UP BEFORE THE RELEASE OF BOOK 3
BOOK 1
BOOK 2
BOOK 3
(Insert Links Here)
 
I have lived my
whole life with comments from both, relative strangers and close friends
telling me I should write a book. People continually tell me I have an ability
to tell a story and make even the mundane sound interesting. (I’m personally
not aware of that.)
The thought of
doing this, was something I never thought I would entertain, because being
dyslexic, during my childhood and adolescence, I found it very difficult to get
past how to spell something, never mind how coherent the sentence sounded. So
writing a few paragraphs usually made me sweat.
As a child I
discovered coping strategies and developed my own ways of getting by, I wasn’t
stupid by any stretch of the imagination, but left school at fifteen without
any academic qualifications. I wasn’t diagnosed with dyslexia until I attended
university at the age of thirty. 
(Both of my
children were diagnosed with dyslexia, one at the age of seven and one much
later, although, I could see my traits present in him, and both have excelled
academically in their chosen professions.
Thanks to the
invention of the computer and information technology, my world changed. I
learned how to communicate in written form effectively, not afraid to use
language present in my oral skills that were lacking in my written work, for
fear of spelling them wrongly, which gave me the confidence to write the books.
Had I, had to write a book on paper, I know I would never have finished the
first page.
I recently
discovered the joy of writing after a challenge by a friend, which turned into
three books. As I am constantly challenging others to face their demons, I
decided, after some persuasion, to brave it out and share the books with
others. I don’t have any expectations for them other than to tell the
story.
This was a huge
step for me, and took courage because there are so many fabulous clever people
out there, writing amazing pieces of work that sadly, very few people ever
see. 
My work:
I have had the pleasure (and the drama) of working in The National Health
Service and in an independent capacity for Social Services in the UK for many
years. My work has been supporting many women, children, young people, and
families during this time. Sometimes, this has been at some of the toughest or
most vulnerable times in their lives. 
During this
time I have observed the communications of all parties involved both, in their
relationships with others and how their decisions affect the subsequent
outcomes for them and others. I have shared in the births and in the deaths of
some of these people, and I never take advantage of the privilege my position
brings me.
People ask what
does the K.L. stand for K.L. Shandwick is a pseudonym. This isn’t to ‘hide’
behind, (I am not ashamed of what I’ve written), but to afford my clients the
appropriate level of confidentiality by association. So, K L stands for KL. I
am an independent author, who presently self publishes through kindle, but I
hope to have a print copy of my books shortly.

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copyright 2010, Cindy (Cindy’s Love Of Books)
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Book Blitz/ Forever Your Heart

Posted on by Cindy

About the book:

I’m a journalist—Adam Kincaid, BBC reporter, to be exact, so I’m not going to bury the lead. I’m about to see the woman I never got over.

I know that because I’ve been back in America for years now, and I still don’t date American girls. My dad would say I’ve come to my senses, sticking to my own British patrician kind, but that’s crap. Mum, the psychologist, would more wisely say it’s my unresolved issues around Nicki. My teenage years are long behind me, yet my guilt over her remains. So I’ve avoided all things Nicki, though the irony is she’s the one avoiding me.

Maybe if we see each other, we can both move on. Could she ever forgive me? Can you forgive yourself when you hurt someone you love?

But please, don’t answer yet. I’ve jumped ahead of the story, and as a reporter, I should give you more background to get to the root of it all.

So let me tell you my story. Then you can be the judge.

NOTE: While this is the third in the series, it can be read as a standalone book.

Muff gave Lisa a not very discreet once-over. I could tell she judged her to be a stereotypical, poorly dressed American backpacker and thus no competition for her. Of course, that didn’t mean Muff didn’t view Lisa as a threat. When she greeted her, her voice held the effortless insincerity of the British upper-class. “It’s a pleasure to meet you, Lisa.”

Lisa didn’t respond well to being appraised by a snooty Brit. I wondered what she would say. It wasn’t in her nature to be insincere. I watched as she nodded with a slight snarl. “Yeah. Hi. Adam mentioned you.” Lisa then raised her eyebrows at me. She wasn’t impressed with my choice of women, but when she spoke, her voice was friendly. “Adam, I’m glad I ran into you. Can I talk to you for a sec?”

“Certainly,” I said, though terrified at the thought. I turned to Muff to confirm it was okay. She dutifully smiled and walked a respectable distance away.

After a last glance at Muff, Lisa wasted no time in putting me on the spot. “Do you have anything to say to Nicki? You left before I could ask you.”

I stared blankly at Lisa as her question reverberated in my mind. I had so much to say to Nicki, but would she listen? I could hear Muff’s voice in the far background and turned to see her. With her mobile to her ear, she chatted away. I considered her for a moment. She was a good girlfriend, my father adored her, and we had a great many friends in common. As the daughter of the Earl of Selbourne, Lady Mary Selbourne was considered a special girl.

But she didn’t make me laugh. She never caught me off-guard. She never tripped me up. There was never a time when she was the absolute first person I wanted to tell a story to. Muff was special, but she wasn’t special to me. As David had said, she wasn’t Nicki.

I focused on Lisa, someone who had always been skeptical of my intentions with her friend. Yet here she was, asking to deliver a message to her. After what I’d done to Nicki, I couldn’t request anything of her. She needed to come to me, and I’d learned to live with the fact that it wasn’t going to happen.

My voiced tightened as I said, “Please…just tell her that I miss her.” I gulped hard and added, “I really do.”

Author Bio:

Mary Whitney blames Laura Ingalls Wilder and Margaret Mitchell for her obsession with romance novels. At an early age, Mary fell in love with the Little House series and its dreamy hero, Almanzo Wilder, who only wanted Laura to be Laura. Like many women, Mary later graduated to the ultimate, tall and dark bad boy, Rhett Butler, who loved Scarlett despite her flaws.

Mary has lived around the U.S., and after a first career in the non-profit world and politics, she’s settled in Northern California with her husband and daughters. She spends her days writing characters she hopes somehow capture the romance of Rhett and Scarlett and Almanzo and Laura. She’s a firm believer in what Rhett says to Scarlett: “You should be kissed, and often, and by someone who knows how.

Website: http://www.wordymary.com/
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/5165049.Mary_Whitney
Twitter: https://twitter.com/wordymary
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Mary-Whitney-Author/196470473800100

copyright 2010, Cindy (Cindy’s Love Of Books)
If you are reading this on a blog or website other than Cindy’s Love Of Books or via a feedreader, this content has been stolen and used without permission.

Author Interview with John Kent

Posted on by Cindy

1) If your book were to have a theme song, what would it be?

–I listen to music when I read. I make soundtracks. I always have Big Wreck on it. They always have epic love songs. Very emotional.

2) If Hollywood optioned your book, who would you want to play the lead characters?

–My stories always play out like movies. I experience the stories like they are telling themselves. Though it wasn’t what I envisioned,  I liked Harrison Ford’s Colonel Graff from Ender’s Game. He would be a great Captain Talk. Rigid and yet emotional. 

Truth be told otherwise,  I would love a movie to be made,  but not with mainstream actors.  In Hollywood films, the actors become more important than the message.  It would have to be an actor who could become the part of the scenery without being the same character they were in every other movie they’ve played in.

3) Who is your favourite author, and why?

–Melanie Rawn is my favourite author. She wrote the Dragon Prince Saga and some others.The Dragon Prince is the only book I have read multiple times and even then I had to replace the book once. I always found her characters riveting and her lead, Rohan, is quite possible the most awesome name in the world. The characters go through some harrowing events and they  grow and change.  I love that they aren’t two dimensional.

4) Which 5 authors (dead or alive) would you invite to dinner?

–I think I’ve said before that you should never meet your idols. It stands for authors too. We aren’t exactly what we put to paper so I wouldn’t want to sit down at length with someone that I feel shares my values and find out that they aren’t who we expect. Look at Orson Scott Card. If you haven’t read any of the Ender’s series, then you are missing out, but it’s too bad the man had to turn out to be such a close-minded ignorant individual. I would have been happy just to know that he wrote the books, but when he started to spout off about his true beliefs, I lost all respect for him. I think that if I were to invite any fiction writers to my table I would ask those people who I read their books and asked, what the hell did you do that for? Take Robert Jordan, now deceased. His books have a dreadfully slow pace for the first 400 pages and then in the last 150 or so, they go so fast that you don’t hardly know what’s happening. I would also ask if he thought there was more story to tell or whether he was trying to milk it for all the money he could. I would ask the same things of Terry Brooks, another author I love to read, but question why he kept going back to the same world. Was it because the world was already created and he didn’t have to do the leg work or because he had a built in audience?

Now when it comes to non-fiction writers I think it’s different. Scientific writers put out their thoughts and then publically defend them.  Neil Degrasse Tyson is an interesting man, but I think he might recognize it too much himself. I expect though that I could spend hours…. if not years picking his brain about different universal phenomena.

To round out the five, perhaps I would invite Stephen King, not because I idolize him, but I am curious sometimes what goes through his head. Some of his stories seem like he had to have come up with them in a dream or something. They are just strange. I would ask him where they came from.

5) What came first – the title or the story?

–Story came first. Title made sense.

copyright 2010, Cindy (Cindy’s Love Of Books)
If you are reading this on a blog or website other than Cindy’s Love Of Books or via a feedreader, this content has been stolen and used without permission.