In the Book Spotlight: Bargaining With the Billionaire Bodyguard by Lisa Weaver


BARGAINING WITH THE BILLIONAIRE BODYGUARD by Lisa Weaver, Romantic Suspense, 288 pp., $2.99 (kindle)


Title: BARGAINING WITH THE MILLIONAIRE BODYGUARD
Author: Lisa Weaver
Publisher: Independent
Pages: 244
Genre: Romantic Suspense

Having miraculously survived the bombing that blasted his private jet out of the sky, billionaire Donovan White has dedicated his life to the pursuit of justice. Now a covert operative for the Sentinels Agency, he is closing in on the man responsible for the crash. When his mission is nearly botched by a spunky reporter with a score of her own to settle, he reluctantly strikes a bargain with the one woman who just might be capable of decimating his love proof armor.

Reporter Madison Tremaine will do anything to nab the exclusive she must write to secure the promotion she desperately needs—even if it means bargaining with a devilish billionaire. Once burned, twice shy, she has serious reservations about partnering with Donovan, but there’s more than a career upgrade at stake. Her ability to unearth the truth surrounding a newly discovered family secret hinges on the sexy billionaire.

When their quests collide, will their dangerous deal lead to love or will it cost them more than either of them bargained for?

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Amazon






Chapter One

She was going to self-combust. She was sure of it.
Downing a gulp of strawberry spritzer from the chilled glass in her hand, Madison Tremaine resisted the urge to fan her face to cool the heat rising there. It was bad enough she was the only woman at the bar in this glitzy nightclub without a date, the last thing she needed to do was draw more attention to herself.
Against her volition, her gaze drifted back to the stranger who was responsible for setting her aflame. Those piercing blue eyes, though! And the man’s perfection didn’t end at those show-stealing, mesmerizing windows into his soul. From the top of his head of stylishly-tamed curls to the tips of his Ferragamo shod toes and every millimeter of chiseled muscle in between, the dark-haired guy standing alone at the far end of the bar was the epitome of scrumptious.
Too bad she was on a strict yumminess-free diet, courtesy of her ex-fiancé’s betrayal. She’d adored Eric, but he’d thrown her love for him back in her face and turned her heart into a crime scene.
She was over him, now. Her days of treading the serious relationship path were over, too. But if there was ever a man worth breaking her love embargo over it was this one. Thankfully, common sense roadblocked her driving inclination to get to know the sexy stranger. She couldn’t afford that indulgence. She was here for business tonight, not pleasure, and Mr. Dreamy Eyes would only splinter her focus.
Actually, ‘splinter’ was putting it mildly. She was quite certain the handsome stranger was capable of blowing said focus to smithereens.
As though he knew exactly what she was thinking, the owner of those deliciously sexy peepers raised his glass in salute, shooting her a grin that had her hormones whimpering in eager surrender.
Reluctantly tearing her gaze away from the intriguing planes and angles that made up his sculpture-worthy face, Madison shoved aside the driving compulsion to explore where the blatant interest his body language was telegraphing might lead. There was no way she could go there. Both professionally and personally, there was too much riding on the assignment she was here to carry out.
A reporter for the Daily Commentator, she was here tonight to secure an interview that could very well be career defining. Her shot at landing the promotion she so desperately needed hinged on convincing one of the state of New York’s most speculated about billionaires to share the story of his rise from abject poverty to rolling-in-it riches. She was here to track that billionaire down, but Mr. Dreamy Eyes made her want to back-burner the task at hand and skip directly to playtime.
She promptly stamped down the urge to take him up on the invitation simmering in his gaze. No one on her paper’s payroll—or any other paper’s for that matter—had managed to garner a sit-down with media-shy business mogul Alan Sonetti. She had every intention of succeeding where they hadn’t.
For her brother’s sake, she had to.
Alan Sonetti had ignored her fellow reporters’ attempts to connect with him via phone calls and e-mails, so she was employing a different tactic to try and secure an interview with the elusive playboy billionaire. If the mountain wouldn’t come to her, then she would go to the mountain.
The only downside to her plan was that this particular mountain happened to reside in a mansion that was more secure than most fortresses, and his corporate headquarters was a stronghold, as well. With zero chance of getting face-time with him at either location, she decided to seek him out at the flagship of his chain of clubs where it was rumored he surfaced on rare occasion.
After getting a tip that tonight might be one of those rare occasions, Madison had shared her plan with her editor, Felicia, who had given her stratagem her wholehearted backing.
More than just her boss, Felicia was also a good friend. Earlier today, Felicia had called her into her office and handed her a shopping bag emblazoned with the logo of a high-end retailer.
“A little something for you to wear tonight when you visit the club,” she’d announced, looking immensely pleased with herself.
A peek in the bag had revealed a slip of black silk nestled in a bed of tissue paper. “A scarf?”
“Very funny. It’s a dress.”
“There’s not enough yardage here to qualify as a dress.”
“You can dispense with the eye rolling. Trust me on this. Senetti’s caters to the silver spoon set, and designer micro-minis are de rigueur there. Besides, if you want a face-to-face with the man himself you need to get his attention. I guarantee he won’t be able to take his eyes off you in that outfit.”
“But…”
“There is no but. Just wear the dress. That is unless you don’t want the promotion?”
Oh, she wanted it. She’d never wanted something so badly in her entire life. The new position would super-size her paycheck, which meant she’d be able to help Matt. Since she was the reason her brother was in a bind in the first place, failure wasn’t an option.
It was that drive to succeed that had her shimmying into the wispy garment that was the polar opposite of her usual office armor of tailored slacks and blouses, and joining the crowd queued up to gain entry into the nightlife hotspot that carried Senetti’s surname as well as his personal stamp of posh.
It wasn’t until the doorman ushered her inside that it struck her just how far out of her element she truly was. Felicia’s gift served as terrific camouflage, but it didn’t prevent her from suffering from one mega case of fish-out-of-water-itis. Sonetti’s catered to the rich and famous, a demographic she was light years away from meshing with.
It was some consolation that she wasn’t the only square peg trying to fit into this round hole of a nightclub. Even though this realm of the mega-rich might as well be the planet Mars in her book, she’d bet her last dollar the real-life Artemision bronze at the bar was as much of an outsider here as she was.
It wasn’t that Mr. Dreamy Eyes didn’t fit in with the clientele here when it came to net wealth. His clothing and demeanor were the epitome of refined and urbane, and he carried himself with an easy grace and sophistication that spoke of a bank balance that matched or exceeded those of the affluent partiers in this exclusive hot spot. His smoldering gaze, however, telegraphed something altogether different. Something primal, dangerous, and untamed—something that made it clear he wasn’t cut from the same cloth as the others.
She found that something irresistibly compelling.
Shaking her head, she reminded herself that she wasn’t here to get this sexy stranger’s story. It was Alan Sonetti she was after. Unfortunately, she wasn’t making any progress towards that end. If Alan was here tonight, she’d yet to spot him.
Curling a strand of her hair around her pinkie, she tried to ignore the bitter disappointment burning a hole in the pit of her stomach. Her deadline was looming. If she didn’t land this story soon, she could kiss any chance she might have of earning that promotion goodbye.
Resuming her search with renewed determination, she scanned the club for her quarry. Moments later, her gaze inadvertently tangled with the sexy stranger’s again.
The accidental eye contact sent a bolt of impossible-to-ignore chemistry zipping between them, and a wave of heat rushed to her cheeks. As the sensual pull of attraction wove through her, it struck her that tonight wasn’t the first time she’d seen this man. 
Drinking in the details of his perfect features, she only grew more certain she’d seen those high cheekbones and that classically aquiline nose before. But where?
She’d discounted half a dozen possible reasons why he seemed so familiar when her cell phone chimed, announcing an incoming text from Felicia.
“Find him?” the text read.
“Not yet, but I will.” she texted back in reply.
“That’s the spirit. R U behaving?”
Madison’s mouth curved in a cat-caught-the-canary smile as she keyed her response. “Sort of. Might be guilty of indulging in an eye candy fest.” Discretely using her cell phone to snap a photo of the visual treat in question, she sent the picture off to her friend.
“OMG,” Felicia texted back.
“I know, right?” she typed in reply.
Felicia’s response pinged back immediately. “Do you know who that is?”
“He looks familiar, but…?”
“He’s a billionaire, just not the one you’re chasing down. He made headlines two years ago. Plane crash.”
Felicia’s prompt was all it took for the ‘ah ha’ moment to dawn. Small plane crashes rarely became the focus of national news, but when the disaster involved a private jet piloted by one of the inamoratos of the rich and famous the story definitely merited prime billing. The newsworthy-factor doubled when word leaked that the only other person on board the plane was a popular young Hollywood actress, Vanessa Ashcroft.
Madison’s fingers quivered with excitement as she keyed her reply. “Donovan White!”
Her editor’s enthusiastic confirmation flashed across the phone’s screen. “Yes!”
Madison couldn’t believe her luck.  She’d come here in pursuit of one story and another one had quite possibly just fallen into her lap. Donovan White hadn’t been spotted in New York since shortly after his accident two years ago. When his aircraft had gone down over the ocean near a remote Brazilian jungle, rescue crews hadn’t been able to locate the wreckage. It had been assumed there were no survivors, but a last-ditch search effort had led to the billionaire’s discovery on an uninhabited island miles from the presumed crash site.
Donovan White had miraculously beaten the odds. Vanessa Ashcroft hadn’t been so fortunate.
After attending Vanessa’s funeral, Donovan had retreated from the social scene he’d held court over and left New York. From that point on, the billionaire playboy who’d once featured regularly on almost every society page had pulled a vanishing act. Rumor had it he’d joined in the operation of his family’s California vineyard.
Then why, after withdrawing into utter seclusion, had he suddenly surfaced here at the apex of the social spotlight he’d abandoned? Madison had a feeling if she could answer that question, she would have the makings of a scintillating headline.
∞∞∞∞∞∞∞
Donovan White rubbed at eyes that were gritty from too much caffeine and too little sleep. Two years ago, clubbing had been one of his go-to pastimes. He’d reveled in the throbbing beat of the music and fed off the energy of the crowd.
He wasn’t that man any longer.
Now the strobing lights, ear-drum-busting din of the band, and the obnoxious clashing of a myriad of warring designer perfumes only grated on his nerves—nerves that were already stretched thin by the dire nature of the mission he was here to carry out.
A covert operative for the Sentinels Agency, he’d invested countless hours over the past few months knitting together a tenuous bridge to Alan Sonetti. It was believed that Sonetti was doing business with master mobster Lawrence Mendacci, and the bridge he’d cobbled together just might bring the agency one step closer to putting an end to Mendacci’s reign of terror.
Gaining Sonetti’s trust hadn’t been easy, but he’d managed to convince the man he was every bit his match when it came to treading in the gray. He was here to rendezvous with the club owner after being granted his first face-to-face meeting with him.
So far he’d been left cooling his heels.
He despised waiting. It gave him too much time to think about things he wanted to keep tucked away in the ‘do not disturb’ section of his mind—too much time to dwell on the way lives had been irrevocably changed in the aftermath of the crash he’d been unable to prevent.
He was determined to do everything in his power to prevent future tragedies. Tonight’s meeting would open the door to doing just that. Liz Meyers, the dynamo at the helm of Sentinels who’d recruited and trained him, had tasked him with entrenching himself within Sonetti’s organization. He wasn’t about to let her down.
And so he would wait. He could be patient if this temporary inconvenience brought the Sentinels Agency one step closer to quashing Lawrence Mendacci’s blood trail and bringing an end to the mobster’s reign of terror.
Of course, it didn’t hurt that his wait came with an unexpected reward—an enticing distraction from the tedium of being on Sonetti’s stand-by list in the form of a blue-eyed, ebony haired angel at the bar. The pulse-stutteringly beautiful woman practically vibrated with barely suppressed energy. She’d captured his attention the instant she’d swept into the club.
He wasn’t the only one who’d taken notice of her. Despite the fact that he and the bartender were the only men in the establishment without a woman hanging on their arm, that didn’t stop the other male patrons from checking the sexy siren out. 
And who could blame them? The beauty wore a flashy designer mini dress that highlighted her curves, paired with sky-high stilettos that accentuated her long, shapely legs. Her stunning face was framed by a cascade of dark hair that glinted with burgundy highlights.
The urge to thread his fingers through those seductive strands of ebony silk flared hot and insistent, surprising in its intensity. He chalked the craving up to not having had a woman in his life since Vanessa, but he knew it was more than that. There was something about this woman that called to him. She looked like she was here on a mission, and he couldn’t help but wonder what her quest might be.
Noticing his interested perusal of the beauty, the bartender quirked an eyebrow in masculine solidarity. “Not hard on the eyes, is she?”
“That she’s not.”
“Why don’t you do yourself a favor and buy her a drink?”
It was a shame he didn’t have time for such a pleasant distraction at the moment. If he did, he wouldn’t need the bartender’s urgings to connect with the woman. 
“I would if I wasn’t here on business,” he replied. “I’m waiting to meet with Alan Sonetti.”
“Business, huh? Too bad.” Rubbing the teak countertop with his polishing cloth, the bartender paused mid-swipe and regarded him intently.
Donovan saw the exact moment recognition dawned.
“Say, you’re Donovan White, aren’t you?”
Nodding, Donovan took a swallow of his drink in preparation for the volley of questions he knew would inevitably follow.
“It was a miracle you made it off that jungle island alive. I imagine it couldn’t have been easy being stranded in the middle of nowhere, not knowing if or when you’d be rescued.”
“It wasn’t. It’s an experience I don’t like to rehash.” A half-hearted smile took the bite out of his response.
Not at all dissuaded, the bartender ploughed on. “A shame about that actress you were dating. Tragic that she didn’t survive the plane crash.”
“Yes,” he agreed, taking another drink in hopes of anesthetizing the sharp sting of guilt. But the bite of the brandy couldn’t dispel the painful memories, and the world’s supply of alcohol wouldn’t ease his crushing despair over what had happened in the aftermath of the accident. Nothing could.
Leaving the bartender’s curiosity unquenched, he steered the conversation back to the topic at hand. “The woman…is she a regular?”
“First time I’ve seen her. A lot of purebred peacocks gather here, but this one is a ray of sunshine. I just wish she wasn’t here poking around looking for trouble.”
“Trouble?”
“She was asking about Mr. Sonetti, earlier. Not to disrespect the boss, but nothing good ever comes of that. Beautiful women are in here all the time, hoping to catch a glimpse of him. He’s got that RHS factor, you know? Rich. Handsome. Single. On the rare occasions one of them is lucky enough to find him, they inevitably throw themselves at him hoping he’ll fall for them. He doesn’t throw them back—just uses them until he tires of them. The relationships all end the same, and it’s not with him putting a ring on their finger.”
Donovan raised an eyebrow at the man’s candor. “I see. Well, I’ll be keeping your boss tied up with business for a bit. Maybe she’ll get tired of waiting.”
For her sake, he hoped she did. Alan Sonetti was into shady up to his neck, and he’d hate to see her get mixed up with the man. If the bartender was right, and the dark-haired beauty was on a hunting expedition to bag Sonetti, odds were good she had no idea she was tracking dangerous game.










Lisa Weaver’s love affair with all things literary was sparked the moment she opened the cover of her first book and The Pokey Little Puppy captured her heart. Her tastes have matured since then, but whenever she delves into the pages of a new novel she experiences the same thrill of discovery. Every book is a glorious safari into a world of endless possibilities and inexhaustible inspiration. Since romance is Lisa’s favorite genre to read it was inevitable that, when she was bit by the writing bug, she would choose to pen stories of strong, sexy heroes and bold, beautiful women finding their happily ever afters. She thinks of her stories as fun and flirty romantic romps—like decadently rich cupcakes, heavy on the frosting. She hopes her readers will find her novels every bit as satisfying as dessert.

When she isn’t reading, writing, or plotting more romantic treats, she can be found behind the lens of her camera, in front of a canvas with a paintbrush in hand, or spending time in her garden. She also loves exploring her beautiful home state of Maine. Lisa loves to hear from readers! Please drop by and visit her anytime at her website, www.lisaweaverromance.com. You can also keep in touch with the latest Weaver Romance happenings via her Facebook and Twitter pages.

Lisa’s latest book is the romantic suspense, Bargaining with the Billionaire Bodyguard.

Website Address:    https://www.lisaweaverromance.com
Blog Address:    https://www.lisaweaverromance.com/blog
Twitter Address:    https://twitter.com/Dreamweavings7
Facebook Address:    https://www.facebook.com/Dreamweavings

Book Blast: Mike Honeycutt's World of Hunting and Fishing



 

Inside the Book:


Title: Mike Honeycutt's World of Hunting and Fishing
Author: Mike Honeycutt
Publisher: Trafford
Genre: Travel
Format: Ebook

For author Mike Honeycutt, there’s nothing more exciting than a remote trip with great scenery. In Mike Honeycutt’s World of Hunting and Fishing, he shares a travelogue that speaks to his passion for traveling the world to exotic locales to hunt and fish for unusual animal species. Based on his extensive travel experiences, Honeycutt narrates stories from all over the world on all continents. From the savannas of northern Cameroon to the jungles of southern Cameroon, and from the mountains of the Rocky Mountains in the United States, to a Himalayan tahr hunt in the mountains of New Zealand, he describes an array of real-life experiences and excursions. He tells about bird hunting in Argentina, turkey hunting in Old Mexico, and looking for the Gobi Argali Sheep in Mongolia. From airplanes to snowmobiles, to boats, horses, jeeps, four-wheelers, and pickups, Honeycutt has traversed the world experiencing an array of terrain, cultures, religions, food, and personalities. He offers insights into his travel in Mike Honeycutt’s World of Hunting and Fishing.

Purchase Here

Meet the Author:
Mike Honeycutt enjoys traveling around the world looking for exotic trophies and spectacular scenery. He lives in remote South-Central Missouri near a national forest with his dog and a cat.

Giveaway

Mike is giving away a $25 Gift Card!

 
Terms & Conditions:
  • By entering the giveaway, you are confirming you are at least 18 years old.
  • One winner will be chosen via Rafflecopter to receive one $25 Gift Certificate to the e-retailer of your choice
  • This giveaway begins December 17  and ends on December 28.
  • Winners will be contacted via email on December 29.
  • Winner has 48 hours to reply.
Good luck everyone!

ENTER TO WIN!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Tour Schedule

In the Book Spotlight: Twelve Days by Hope Waters


TWELVE DAYS by Hope Waters, Romance, 212 pp., $.99 (kindle)

Title: TWELVE DAYS
Author: Hope Waters
Publisher: Independent
Pages: 212
Genre: Romance

Zoey Blake is having a perfect holiday season. Finals are over and it’s time to head home for Christmas, but when she wins the Hartbreakers True Love contest to join them on their tour, she has a chance to follow her favorite band for twelve days — and twelve steamy nights.

Mackenzie has been a player since and joining Hartbreakers has only edged up his game, that is until he meets Zoey. She’s turned his world upside down and only she can make it right. Now all he has to do is convince her to stay with him forever. For a guy like Mack, that shouldn’t be too hard but it’s gonna take all he has and twelve days to win her true love.

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“So this is your room?”
I nodded, hiking my backpack higher on my shoulder. I leaned up against the doorjamb, watching all the people running up and down the corridor as they settled into the hotel for the night.
Mack leaned against the wall, glanced at his phone and tried to stifle a sigh. “Tired?” I asked.
“Incredibly,” he said sheepishly.
“Why didn’t you take a nap this afternoon?” I asked.
“Because…I wanted to talk to you.”
I smiled. Mack wore his heart on his sleeve. He was a straight shooter and I admired that about him. You couldn’t dislike him either. “That’s sweet,” I said.
“Yeah,” he said and looked into my eyes. I met his gaze, not wanting to break the magic of this moment.  “Um, was…would you like to, you know, see more of each other while you are on tour with us?”
A pit started in my stomach. I wasn’t sure what I was most scared of. I was scared that Mack would hurt me emotionally. I was scared of leaving him behind after the tour was done. Or him using me and leaving me behind.
But most of all I was scared of falling for him. Scratch that. I had already fallen hard.
“Yeah, I’d like that,” I said.
He leaned into me and I met him halfway.
God, he was a good kisser.








Hope Waters has been writing romance for over thirty years, traveling the globe but finally finding true love and now lives in Florida with her family.

WEBSITE & SOCIAL LINKS:

Website Address: http://www.hopewaters.net

http://www.pumpupyourbook.com

Check out Linda West's The Magical Christmas Do Over Book Blast!


I am so excited to have Linda West's The Magical Christmas Do Over Book Blast on the blog today! Be sure to check out her book!

Title: THE MAGICAL CHRISTMAS DO OVER
Author: Linda West
Publisher: Morningmayan Publishing
Pages: 320
Genre: Holiday

BOOK BLURB:

Three women, thrown together by fate, get a second chance to go back in time and change their lives forever.

ORDER YOUR COPY:

Amazon

    It was a cold December eve, some say the coldest in decades, and a blizzard warning was in effect. It was the Friday before Christmas and most of the other workers of Kennedy and Crane had already left for the Christmas holiday weekend.

      Samantha looked at the clock and groaned inwardly. It was after 8 o’clock and her boss was in an extra foul mood even for her.
    “Shouldn’t you be getting home to put on that awesome Chanel dress you bought for the big night?” She asked.

     Macy spun around enraged, and Samantha sunk back.
     Macy’s dark brows knit together and her brown eyes looked nearly black with the size of her pupils. She ran her hands through her short dark hair and then stared at Samantha with disbelief on her face.

     “I got a text from Todd an hour ago. He’s gone off to LA with some friends for Christmas!”
Samantha’s mouth fell open. “What, why?” She stopped herself. “I’m sure he has a good reason Macy.”
     Macy snorted. “Yeah, good reasons usually don’t come in a text. I’m losing him Sam.”

     Macy plopped down in her chair and stared out the large picture window of her sleek office, and tapped her long manicured nails on her desk like a woodpecker.
     “Says he’ll call me when he gets back…in a month.”
     Samantha’s groaned inwardly. Poor Macy, it looked like she was getting the ultimate big let down. Broken up with at Christmas. No engagement celebration after all.

    “Here’s a piece of mail you didn’t get.” Sam offered up happily as she placed it on Macy’s desk.

    “Send it back.” Macy said dully without turning.

     Samantha continued hopefully. “It’s not the annual Christmas invite from your mother Macy, that one is always in a red envelope. I always send that back. This is something different.”
    Samantha looked at the pretty Tiffany blue colored envelope.
     “It’s addressed to you personally, not the company.”
    Macy cocked her head to the side intrigued.
    Sam rushed on eager to bring some sort of happiness to her boss. “Maybe it’s a love letter from Todd with two tickets to Paris for when he gets back?”
    Macy let out a big huff and gazed out the window at the oncoming storm. They both knew that wasn’t the case. Todd’s last minute text was just a breakup in disguise.
     But if not Todd then who? Macy really didn’t have any close friends that would send her a Christmas card. Anyone that did know her at all, knew she abhorred Christmas. Too much money being spent in the name of sentimentality and tricky marketers as her father always said.

     Macy waved her hand without looking back at Samantha as if she were a servant.
     “Read it.”
     Samantha scanned the letter, then suddenly, caught her breath and brought her hand to her heart.
     “Macy.”
     Something in Samantha’s tone made Macy spin her chair around.
    “What?”
      “Its from a friend of your mothers, a Ms. Carol Landers.”
      “You have got to be kidding me!” Macy threw her hands up in the air.
Now my mother is having her friends beg me to come home and visit her? How utterly selfish!”
      She shook her head in disbelief. “What is it with my mother? She ruins my life and then she stalks me! Can’t she see no matter how many times she begs me to come home for Christmas - I’m not going to Kissing Bridge to see her?”
      Samantha swallowed uncomfortably and croaked out, “I’m so sorry Macy. But this letter says that your mother passed away yesterday, and you’re the only relative left to claim her body.”
      She looked up sadly and met Macy’s stunned eyes.
     “You have to go home to Kissing Bridge.”



 






Linda West is an Amazon best seller and author of the best selling series ‘Christmas Kisses and Cookies.’ She writes books that feature food and fun and includes her own recipes from her quaint beach café in Malibu.

WEBSITE & SOCIAL LINKS:

WEBSITE | TWITTER | FACEBOOK


{Author Interview} Laura Vosika Author of The Water is Wide


Laura Vosika is a writer, poet, and musician. Her time travel series, The Blue Bells Chronicles, set in modern and medieval Scotland, has garnered praise and comparisons to writers as diverse as Diana Gabaldon and Dostoevsky. Her poetry has been published in The Moccasin and The Martin Lake Journal 2017.

She has been featured in newspapers, on radio, and TV, has spoken for regional book events, and hosted the radio program Books and Brews. She currently teaches writing at Minneapolis Community and Technical College.

As a musician, Laura has performed as on trombone, flute, and harp, in orchestras, and big bands. She lives in Brooklyn park with 5 of her 9 children, 3 cats, and an Irish Wolfhound.

Her latest book is the time travel/historical fiction, The Water is Wide.

WEBSITE & SOCIAL LINKS:

WEBSITE | TWITTER | FACEBOOK



About the Book:

Title: THE WATER IS WIDE
Author: Laura Vosika
Publisher: Gabriel’s Horn Press
Pages: 451
Genre: Time Travel/Historical Fiction

BOOK BLURB:

After his failure to escape back to his own time, Shawn is sent with Niall on the Bruce’s business. They criss-cross Scotland and northern England, working for the Bruce and James Douglas, as they seek ways to get Shawn home to Amy and his own time.

Returning from the Bruce’s business, to Glenmirril, Shawn finally meets the mysterious Christina. Despite his vow to finally be faithful to Amy, his feelings for Christina grow. 

In modern Scotland, having already told Angus she’s pregnant, Amy must now tell him Shawn is alive and well—in medieval Scotland. Together, they seek a way to bring him back across time.
They are pursued by Simon Beaumont, esteemed knight in the service of King Edward, has also passed between times. Having learned that Amy’s son will kill him—he seeks to kill the infant James first.

The book concludes with MacDougall’s attack on Glenmirril, Amy and Angus’s race to be there and Shawn’s attempt to reach the mysterious tower through the battling armies.

Watch the Trailer:

ORDER YOUR COPY:

Amazon



As a book bloggin’ and book luvin’ Princess, I’m always curious to find out how authors got the ideas for their books.  Can you tell us what your book is about?

The Water is Wide is the middle of five books that tell the story of an arrogant, modern musician who finds himself trapped in medieval Scotland, fighting with Robert the Bruce and James Douglas. I bill it as a tale of time travel, action and adventure, mysteries and miracles, romance and redemption...ranging across modern and medieval Scotland.

It is ultimately a saga of a man facing himself, packed into action laden journeys across medieval Scotland, as Shawn seeks a way home to his own time to return to his girlfriend Amy and their newborn child.

Can you tell us a little about the main characters of your book?

Shawn Kleiner was the kind of guy people either loved or hated—really hated. In his 20s, he was good-looking, charismatic, funny, threw great parties and created a mega success of the orchestra he played for. He was also an obnoxious, arrogant, hard-drinking, gambling womanizer and cheater. However, a year in medieval Scotland, fighting for Robert the Bruce and James Douglas, knowing each day may be his last, will make a man think about how he’s lived.

Shawn is now a man eager to get back to Amy and to the son she was pregnant with at his accidental slip in time, a man conflicted about his growing feelings for the medieval Christina, and growing in camaraderie and respect for the medieval Highlanders he lives and works with, even as he tries to return to Amy.

Niall Campbell, Shawn’s medieval doppelganger, is one of those Highlanders, and everything Shawn is not—upright, devout, bound by duty and honor. Early in the series, he is no more excited than Shawn to be forced to travel and work together. By The Water is Wide, he has come to see that he and Shawn are more alike than either of them wanted to believe; that nobody is all good and nobody is all bad.

There’s Amy, the gifted violinist who is coming to know herself once again after being away from Shawn’s gaslighting; Angus, the heroic inspector and mountain rescuer who helps Amy in her attempt to rescue Shawn from medieval times, although he is in love with her; Christina, the serene medieval noblewoman who risked herself to rescue Niall and now lives at Glenmirril, rescued in turn by Shawn; Allene, Niall’s wife; the Laird who runs Glenmirril and his giant of a brother, Hugh, who is endlessly amused by the irritation between the Laird and Shawn, who simply cannot adjust to the medieval ideas of authority.

If you could tell your younger writing self anything, what would that be?

Don’t take that long break! Keep writing!

What would you say is one of your interesting writing quirks?

That’s hard to say! I sit and write, usually at my kitchen counter, and drink coffee. Is it a quirk that I write anywhere I can? My kids are well known at our local Aldi (and dare I say loved?) I give them money and a shopping list and send them in while I sit in the car and work on my laptop. I think they enjoy the responsibility and they have become friends with the clerks and guards there, who all know them.

My laptop goes pretty much everywhere with me in case I have five minutes or half an hour to work.

Do you hear from your readers?  What do they say?

Hearing from my readers is one of the things I didn’t expect about writing that really makes my day! Yes, they contact me, usually through face book, and tell me how much they love the books and how attached they’ve become to the people.

What is the toughest criticism given to you as an author?

That’s a hard question because I don’t read reviews, for several reasons. My criticism comes from my writers group, Night Writers and I don’t really regard anything critical they say as ‘criticism,’ but as help in becoming a better writer.

Perhaps the toughest road was a character that my friend Ross really disliked. I ended up, with The Minstrel Boy, rewriting a large section of the book in an entirely different tense. It was a lot of work. But I believe it was well worth it and I would never want anyone in my group to tell me they love something that they don’t.

What has been your best accomplishment?

Managing to write a five book series plus the accompanying ‘Not a Cookbook,’ (Food and Feast in the World of the Blue Bells Chronicles) while raising nine children and maintaining my ‘day job,’ teaching music lessons to up to fifty students a week—and still getting to my kids’ concerts and wrestling matches any time I had an evening free from work.

I also consider my work on 221 B.C., a historically-based fantastical search for magical amulets by Dr. Kendall Price, to be an accomplishment. I did a great deal of editing, including writing many new scenes to flesh out the story. It involved stepping outside of my comfort zone of fourteenth century Scotland that I know so well, and learning a great deal about the times, places, people, and history of 221 B.C., from Egypt to Rome and beyond.

Do you Google yourself?

No. You know that old saying about not having a right to know what others think of you? It’s even more true in the internet age. Everybody has an opinion. I try to live right and do the right thing and nothing anyone says is going to change who I am, so it doesn’t matter.

How many unpublished and half-finished books do you have?

I have maybe a dozen more started. I have my current work in progress, The Castle of Dromore, about a young widow who moves her five boys into a medieval castle, only to find it’s haunted. I have a novel I completed when I was 24, which I haven’t yet published. That one is set in modern day Boston.

I also have an anthology in the works. For those who write poetry in traditional forms—sonnets, triolets, villanelles, and of course hundreds of other forms—Gabriel’s Horn is now accepting submissions. Information is at www.gabrielshornpress.com/poetry-anthology

Fun question – if you were princess or prince, what’s one thing you would do to make your kingdom a better place?

More dancing, more singing, more music, more laughter. More dogs—big dogs!

And there should be days to dress in our ordinary lives in medieval gowns, leines, Renaissance clothing—whatever we like! There’s a reason Comicons are so popular!


Do you have anything specific you would like to say to your readers?

Thank you to all who have reached out to me. Thank you for taking the time to leave reviews. Thank you for your kind words. Thank you for following me on social media and being a part of my life. Your kindness has been very touching and has meant a lot to me and been a beautiful reminder of how much we all touch each other’s lives, even when we don’t realize it.

https://gaelicwordaday.wordpress.com/

You Can't Force Love Book Excerpt Tour - Excerpt #8



Title: YOU CAN’T FORCE LOVE
Author: Marie Drake  
Publisher: RedBird Books
Pages: 286  
Genre: Realistic Fiction

“A battered butterfly, he’d build Kimberly up, nurture her strength and watch her return to flight. He repressed the visions dancing in the back of his mind; her naked body brandished red flags and spurred him to stampede. Bulls and butterflies did not mix.”

Jordan Fry’s obsession is born in “You Can’t Force Love” by Marie Drake, Book I in the Locked Hearts Series.

From different towns and social backgrounds, Jordan Fry and Kimberly Orvine experience life-altering abuse, lose a parent and land in the same foster home. Angry, and self-deprecating, fiery redheaded Kimberly is deadset on lousy behavior and suffering the consequences, punishing herself for former sins. Scared by his inner darkness, pyromaniac Jordan has vowed to change for the better. He focuses on Kimberly as the key to his success, but she intends to make him break his promises. Unaware of Jordan’s atrocious actions in the past, she’s dangerously close to unleashing the evil he struggles to contain during their epic battle of wills. Can they both survive?

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Paul paced; a vein throbbed in his neck. His angry blue eyes landed on Debbie. “Stop coddling the boy and administer discipline,” he said and shook his arms in the air. “This is serious; remember the last girl?” He took Debbie’s hands.

“It was a misunderstanding,” Debbie said.

“That girl was ten-years-old; luckily, her father came home when he did,” Paul argued. “His behaviors are a signal to me that he has grave problems; they’ve manifested; we need to contemplate our choices again.”

“He made restitution for the past; don’t dredge it up.”

“It isn’t the past when he exhibits poor decision making and perpetuates bad habits.”
“When we move into your house, he’ll attend a new school; he’ll gain a fresh start,” Debbie said. She held Paul’s arm in a pleading gesture.

“Let me talk to him, and we’ll discuss the future,” Paul said. He patted Jordan’s shoulder and rubbed his head and escorted him down the dark-paneled hall into his bedroom. Silent, he leaned against the closed door, and Jordan squirmed under his gaze.




 



Follow rest of tour here!


Award-winning author, Marie Drake lives in a small town near Lake Ontario with her husband, four sons, and three rescue pups. With many years of experience in the Foster Care community and advocating for other victims and survivors, she specializes in realistic and psychological fiction depicting the lives of abuse sufferers; their obstacles, their triumphs, and their downfalls.


http://www.pumpupyourbook.com