Resolutions for 2013 by Nona Raines!

Thanks so much, Holly, for letting me appear today at Reading with Holly!

New Year's Day is almost upon us and many of us are ready to make our resolutions for 2013. I wonder how many of us stick to them, lol? I know I haven't been too successful with mine. But the wonderful thing about a new year is the fact that it a chance to start over—the mistakes of the past can be swept aside and we can have a fresh start.

It's not always the New Year that gives us the desire to start fresh. Sometimes it's an incident in our own lives that gives us the kick in the pants we need to make a change. This is especially true if some of our old habits are detrimental and self-defeating.

This is true for Kim Hansen, the heroine of my erotic romance Her Perfect Man. She's in a rut. She's just been dumped (again) by a guy she'd hoped to make her boyfriend; she's stuck in a job she dislikes; and even her cat won't show her respect.  She's not happy with her life, but doesn't know how to improve it. When she meets her downstairs neighbor, Charlie Keller, he rubs her the wrong way, but also moves her to make some changes in her life.

Here's a little more about the story:

Kim Hansen has terrible luck with men. When her sexy downstairs neighbor shows a more-than-neighborly interest in her, she's suspicious. She's been burned too many times, by too many guys. Steamy sex is one thing, but Charlie Keller is smart, hot and successful—so what could he want with her besides a few nights of pleasure?

Though Kim does her best to shut him down, Charlie's not put off by her attitude. He doesn't scare easy. Kim thinks she's clever, using sex to maintain an emotional distance and to keep him off guard. But Charlie sees through her tough exterior to the tender heart beneath.

But Kim needs to be won over. Sure, their bedroom action is awesome, but given her past mistakes, she's convinced Charlie is too good to be true. Just too perfect. But if Charlie has his way, he'll prove that he's the perfect man for her.

Charlie sees something in Kim that she can't even see in herself. Change is scary, though, and sometimes Kim pushes back. She makes things tough for him and even tougher for herself. But she can't deny her attraction to him, either.

           

Excerpt:

Kim pulled open the door and began "Look, I just want to…" Her voice trailed off and her mouth went dry as she got a good look at him. This was Charlie?

Gone was the preppy polo shirt he'd had on last night. Today he wore a black T-shirt that stretched tightly over his chest. A warm, hard chest that she remembered touching last night. Kim's heart thumped.

He'd changed last night's Dockers for a pair of jeans that hugged his thighs. Heat flashed through her as she recalled sitting on his lap and how hard he'd been for her. Oh, God, she couldn't help it. Her gaze went to his package, which filled the front of his jeans beautifully.

Her eyes flashed to his. "You like?" he asked. The same words she said to him last night.

She opened her mouth, but no words came out. He was the same man, but different. And not only had the clothing changed, so had his demeanor. This Charlie was not the geeky schoolteacher or the helpful downstairs neighbor. This Charlie was a really hot guy. And from the way his blue eyes lasered her, he thought she was hot, too.

"Are you sober now?" His voice was taut.

"Huh?" She blinked. "Yeah."

"Good." Before Kim had time to wonder at his question or feel insulted by it, he stepped inside, kicked the door shut and hauled her into his arms.

He didn't so much kiss her as devour her—as though he were taking up from where they left off last night, before his conscience made him leave. Kim had no trouble catching up.

Sex doesn't scare Kim, but the thought of love does. She's used to being with guys that use her as a bed partner then let her down. When Charlie shows a real interest in her as a person, she doesn't know how to react. It's easier to show off a tough exterior than to reveal her inner feelings. Can she really change and live the life she longs for, be the person she wants to be? Or will her attempt just bring more heartache and disappointment?

Thanks again for sharing the blog with me today. I hope everyone has a very Happy New Year!

Her Perfect Man (Book 3 in The Man series) is available at:

The Wild Rose Press    Amazon        Barnes and Noble     All Romance ebooks

Her Perfect Man

Nona Raines

Kim Hansen has terrible luck with men. When her sexy downstairs neighbor shows a more-than-neighborly interest in her, she's suspicious. She's been burned too many times, by too many guys. Steamy sex is one thing, but Charlie Keller is smart, hot and successful—so what more could he want with her?

Though Kim does her best to shut him down, Charlie's not put off by her attitude. He doesn't scare easy. Kim thinks she's clever, using sex to maintain an emotional distance and to keep him off guard. But Charlie sees through her tough exterior to the tender heart beneath.

But Kim needs to be won over. Sure, their bedroom action is awesome, but given her past mistakes, she's convinced Charlie is too good to be true. Just too perfect. But if Charlie has his way, he'll prove that he's the perfect man for her.

Genre: Contemporary erotic romance m/f

Buy links: The Wild Rose Press

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Nona Raines became hooked on romances when she first picked up "The Flame and the Flower" by Kathleen Woodiwiss (and she's not telling how long ago that was). Romances may have changed since then, but her love for a good love story has not. She's been writing off and on for years, but it was only when she joined the Central New York Romance Writers Association that she finally gained the support and confidence she needed to complete a manuscript.

Nona lives in upstate New York with her many pets and is currently working on her next novel. A former librarian, she enjoys reading books of all genres and discussing them with others. She is thrilled to finally be able to call herself an author and looks forward to hearing from readers.

Website / Facebook

Interview with Nona Raines, author of Take This Man!

Holly:  Hi Nona! Would you tell us a little bit about yourself?

Nona Raines: Sure thing! I'm a former librarian who's been a reader all my life. I've also been a writer most of my life (though an unpublished one until recently). Having my books published has been the culmination of a dream.

Holly:  Can you tell us a little bit about your book Take This Man?

Nona Raines: This book is the second in The Man series and features Adam Vostek, who was introduced as a supporting character in my first book One Good Man. He's still carrying a torch for a woman who left town two years ago. He's angry that she left, but he also feels guilty because he knows he pushed her away.

Here's a blurb:

The biggest mistake of Elyse Zemanski's life was falling in love with Adam. When a night of sexual fantasy went too far, she was crushed and couldn't leave town fast enough.

The biggest mistake of Adam Vostek's life was letting Elyse go. He'd been afraid of the love she promised and pushed her away—into another man's arms...and bed.

When Elyse returns to Summit to help a friend, Adam wants a second chance to prove he’s worthy—in and out of the bedroom. She claims she's over him, but one look from those smoldering dark eyes, and she throws caution to the wind. Elyse offers him seven days of wild sex, hoping to get him out of her system. Adam's good to go on the sex. But will a week be enough to win back Elyse's love and trust?

Holly:  Which came first for you, the characters or the plot?

Nona Raines: In this case, the characters definitely came first. Adam was pretty cynical in the earlier book and had quite a jaded view of love. He made me curious and I

Excerpt & #Giveaway of Ride a Cowboy; Save a Horse by Honey Jans

Today's post is an excerpt and giveaway of Ride a Cowboy; Save a Horse by Honey Jans! 

Ride a Cowboy; Save a Horse

by Honey Jans

Purchase: Amazon | 

Savanna Brown returns to Wyoming to save the reputation of the cowboy she ran away from on their wedding night. She makes the ranch owner an offer he can’t refuse if he wants to hang onto his ranch. She’ll pretend to come back to him until the talk dies down, then she’ll be on her way. Rafe Halliday is thrilled that his plan to lure his bride back to his place has worked. Now all he has to do is focus on getting sexy Savanna back into his bed where he figured their links of passion, love, and sex will complete their bond. But will love happen with evil forces trying to tear them apart? To find out lasso a copy of, “Save a Horse; Ride a Cowboy,” today. It’s sure to singe your lariat.

Excerpt:

Excerpt & #Giveaway of Velvet by Xavier Axelson!

Title: Velvet

Author: Xavier Axelson

Genre: Erotica, Historical, Gay Romance,

Publisher: Seventh Window Publications

Ebook

Words: 50,471

Purchase:

Seventh Window Publications

Book Description:

The first novel from Xavier Axelson is set against a backdrop of decadence, privilege and intrigue. Virago, the royal tailor, makes a discovery that will test the bonds of brotherhood, unravel the forbidden secrets of his heart and threaten the very fabric of his existence.
In a land where cruelty is disguised as allegiance, loyalty is masked by obligation and the laws of sumptuary govern the people, nothing is more dangerous than Velvet.

Excerpt:

I’d been staring at the vast body of water surrounding the ship when I was startled to find a woman, heavy with child standing by my side. She wore a red gown that gathered beneath her ample breasts. The gown fell freely, billowing against her in the brisk sea air. Her red hair hung in two braids threaded with crimson leather. Upon turning her head, small red jewels, woven throughout her hair, caught the light.
“The sea is dark as the grave, and as good at

Excerpt & #Giveaway of The Homeschoolers: The Ballad of Squirtina by Henry Circle!

Title: The Homeschoolers: The Ballad of Squirtina

Series: The Homeschoolers Book 1

Author: Henry Circle

Genre: Young-Adult

Publisher: Sea Star Publishing

Ebook

Pages: 110

Purchase: Amazon

Book Description:

A mortifying episode of in-school diarrhea sends witty and skeptical Christina Begoni flying into the arms of a holy-rolling homeschool group where she meets "Teenage Sex Incarnate," David, and his alarmingly sweet sister, Sunny. The group is complete when they are joined by two other hardened public school students, Christina's mustachioed younger brother and one deliciously rowdy redneck bully for a raucously funny and often gripping adventure on the Mississippi River. Will Christina be able to fight the wild river, a gun-toting grandpa and her own hilariously heathen ways to hold this group of unlikely friends together?

Excerpt:

I stretch my hand up to him, and he bends with his legs wide to stabilize himself. When Ricky pulls, I start gliding through the mud. I can feel the strength and power from his seemingly boney arms. I guess he's what you'd call wiry. But the mud seems to be trying to hold me down. I feel the mud rolling my shorts and underwear down to my ankles. I try to push my free arm under the gunk to hold onto my bottoms, but with one more yank from Ricky, they are long gone. I have no shorts. No underwear. “Stop! Stop a second!” I scream. I scrunch my knees up and wiggle my arms down through the muck trying to find my clothes. I extend my legs down and feel around with my toes. I try feeling through the mud with my hands again. And my feet and hands at the same time. Nothing.

            “What on earth are you doing?” Ricky asks. “Give me your hand so I can go on and get you out.” He sticks his fingers out to me.

            My eyes are misting over. “I can't come out.” I can't believe this is happening in front of Ricky Kelly. I wish I could just disappear.

            Searching the pit with his eyes, he asks, “I can't see nothing. Too dark. What happened? Something caught your foot?”

            The last thing I want to do is admit I'm literally half naked, but we have to get out of here and find our friends before something terrible happens to them. This isn't kiddie kiddie play time hour so I buck up and confess, “I lost my stupid shorts in here. I can't find them.”

            “You aren't the first girl I've seen in her underwear. Gimme your damn hand.”

            “I lost those, too. Can I have your shorts, please?”

       Ricky brightens, blooming into a grin as bright as a garden sunflower. Even in the dark of the evening, I can see the foolish look on his face. “Ricky, hand me your shorts,” I repeat.

About the Author:

Henry was born in a hidden cave on the Mississippi River. She was sent to an awful place called Kah-lidge for many years to learn to be a writer. Her hope is that her first series of young adult novels, The Homeschoolers, will make you laugh every now and then, get you excited about this spectacular thing called life, and teech ewe to spehl as gut as she do. ;)

Blog | Facebook | Website | Amazon |

Giveaway:

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Excerpt & #Giveaway of Soul Sisters by Janiera Eldridge!

Title: Soul Sisters

Series: Soul Sisters Trilogy, #1

Author: Janiera Eldridge

Genre: Urban Fantasy, Paranormal

Publisher: Mystic Press

Ebook/Paperback

Pages: 134

Purchase:

Amazon |

Book Description:

Soul Sisters is an urban fantasy novel about African-American twin sisters Ani and Dana who have a rather unique secret: one sister is human while the other is a vampire. While the sisters have lived peacefully with each other for many years one fateful night will change both their lives forever. When a drunken man tries to attack Dana (the human sister) Ani (the vampire sister) protects her sister with all of her ferocious power.

However, when the vampire's leader Donovan finds out about the public display he calls for the sisters to be assassinated for disobedience. Ani and Dana now are in for the fight of their lives to protect each other as well as the lives of their dedicated friends who have joined them on their mission for survival. If Dana and Ani can make it through this time of uncertainty, Ani can take her new place as vampire queen. Soul Sisters is expected to be a trilogy; The book also features a multicultural cast of characters that brings a new edge of chic to the vampire world.

Don’t miss book two Dark Expectations coming November 2012!

Excerpt:

Chapter 6

1915 New York City

Bryson and Dana walked arm and arm down the blustery New York street laughing about the Christmas party they had just left. The snow was fresh and powdery. Neither of them felt the icy cold snowflakes floating down and speckling their coats because they were wrapped in the warmth of each other’s company.

“Did you see how Charles acted after taking that last shot of whiskey?” Dana asked.

Bryson could not contain his laughter thinking about their friend’s drunkenness. Everyone who had been at the party was probably laughing about it on their way home, too, particularly the part when Charles took off his pants and danced on top of the piano. Bryson laughed so hard people gave them odd passing glances.

“Yes.” Bryson gave a

Excerpt & #Giveaway The Golden Chalice (Lee's Girl's Series #3) by Sienna Mynx!

Title: The Golden Chalice

Series: Lee's Girl's Series Book 3

Author: Sienna Mynx

Genre: Interracial Romance,

Publisher: Decadent Publishing

Ebook

Pages: 130

Release Date: 11/6/2012

Purchase:

Decadent Publishing | Amazon | Smashwords | ARe |

Book Description:

The Golden Chalice has been found. But at what price?

Michelle Dixon faith is shattered with the loss of her unborn child. She struggles to remember the reasons why she ever believed life as a jewel thief could ever bring her happiness. The truth is her belief was centered on her love for one man. It’s no longer enough. Though Lee Sullivan has made many mistakes, choosing love over greed isn’t one. Now with his enemies circling he battles the odds for another purpose. Winning back his woman’s heart.

After surviving the depths of Lee’s betrayal of her trust, Michelle decides to play one final hustle. The stakes? The love neither of them thought possible. There remains one problem. Lee won’t lose her. He can’t. Lee knows Michelle plots against him and he understands why. He must race against time and those determined to steal the Chalice in order to salvage what is most important to them both. And he will do it at all costs.

Win or lose, Lee’s fate is hers.

After a shocking turn of events turns their lives inside out Michell and Lee both discover the greatest treasure to be won.

Love. For it conquers all no matter the price.

Excerpt: 

Excerpt & #Giveaway of Reawakened by Carrie Pulkinen!

I am thrilled to be featuring author Carrie Pulkinen's book Reawakened today! Do not miss the excerpt below, or the giveaway!

Excerpt: 

He kissed me passionately, parting my lips with his tongue, tasting me, exploring me until my head was spinning and I had to come up for air. He leaned his forehead against mine and traced my lips with his finger. "I love you, Juliann…Now, let me help you dress."

Before I could say any more, my shirt was on the floor, and he was working on my pants. He easily slipped them down over my legs, and I stepped out, heading to my suitcase to get a strapless bra. Good thing I'd packed one. Ian put his hands on my shoulders and examined the back of my bra.

"This is not so difficult. He undid the hooks and slid the straps over my shoulders. "I'm a fast learner." He grinned and held out his hand for the strapless one, so I gave it to him. He wrapped it around me, hooking it in the back.

"I really do know how to dress myself," I said. He turned me around to face him.

"But, I enjoy helping you so much." He ran his finger along the top edge of my bra. "I like to pamper you."

"Okay then. Pamper away." That made him smile. He had such a striking smile. Actually, everything about him was beautiful. And he made me feel beautiful.

He carefully took the dress from the bed and

Excerpt of Arrested by Her Sheik by Honey Jans!

“Oh my god, Mandy Wilson, you are so going to jail for this,” I hissed as I tiptoed up to the decrepit back door of the even more decrepit Greek jail. My first clue of impending disaster should have been the dented door hanging ajar, the second the eerie silence in the alleyway, but I was so determined to clear Marco’s name I breezed forward on my mission. I had to save my would-be gigolo from Nick Constantine, the obnoxious but sexy Greek cop who’d arrested him last night. 

            Thankfully the sun was going down and the growing afternoon shadows covered my movements. I caught a glimpse of myself in the reflection of a window and winced. I looked as ragged as I felt and even worse excited. I was reluctant to admit that good girl me was getting off on this. My mocha skin was flushed with what I was pretty sure was sunburn, my green eyes were drowsy from a sleepless night tearing ass through the convoluted Greek legal system, and my long wavy dark hair had long ago escaped the bun I’d pulled it in to curl around my overheated face.

Interview & #Giveaway with Jennifer Malone Wright, author of The Vampire Hunter’s Daughter Series!

Holly: Hi Jennifer! :) Would you tell us a little bit about yourself?

Jennifer Malone: Hi! *waves* I am an author, but first and foremost I am the mother of five children ages 16, 10, 8, 4 and 2. I’ve been married to a great man for almost 12 years now and we live in the beautiful mountains of northern Idaho. I love living here most of the time, except the summer when it’s a snow bound hell.

Holly: Your life is an action/suspense novel; your stuck on a ship and it’s about to blow. If it was just you, you would jump overboard and get away fast, but there are a few people that were being held captive on the ship too. What do you do?

Jennifer Malone: Oh, I would totally have to save the people that were being held captive. I could never just leave them. I would free them and we would have to escape together. Hopefully we could find dingy boat that hadn’t been used yet and get away in that, if not I guess we would have to wait in the water until the ship blew and use pieces of wood to float on.

Holly: Can you tell us a little bit about your book, The Vampire Hunter’s Daughter?

Jennifer Malone: Of course, The Vampire Hunter’s Daughter is a short story series, but I have compiled all the parts into a book and its about

Guest Post & Excerpt by Shelly Holt, author of Tasting Fire!

Today I am turning the blog over to author Shelly Holt! :)

As a life long reader and lover of mythology and folklore, I decided to take the plunge and try my hand at writing a paranormal romance last March.  I knew from the beginning I would be competing against hundreds of other similar books and to succeed, I had to write a very different type of story. I decided on using the Asian Snow Leopard as my shape-shifter in part because it had rarely been done and also the animal itself is the most exotically beautiful and powerful high altitude predator on earth. (What can be sexier than that?)

I began writing Tasting Fire by drawing up an outline that treated shape-shifters as if they were real  and existed in our world.  I knew that I would have to devise a plot mechanism that gave

#Giveaway of Infinity Children by Trevor E. Donaldson!

Title: Infinity Children

Author: Trevor E. Donaldson

Genre: Science fiction, Thriller, Horror,

Publisher: Eternal Press

Ebook/Paperback

Pages: 198

Purchase:

Amazon | Barnes & Noble |

Book Description:

Only time will tell who is master and who is servant. Lesser gods walk the Earth as do their children. The battles fought between their factions and those of mankind could break the world. The only hope of survival lies in a bloodied journal, discovered amidst the ruins of an ancient civilization, far in the Middle East.

GIVEAWAY:

Enter below for a chance to win a Signed paperback copy of Infinity Children by Trevor E. Donaldson or one of  3 Ebook copies of Infinity Children by Trevor E. Donaldson!

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Interview with Alex Granados, author of Cemetery Plot!

Holly: Hi Alex! Would you tell us a little bit about yourself?

Alex Granados: I was born in Baltimore, grew up in Morgantown, West Virginia, but spent most of my life in Raleigh, North Carolina. Until I moved to Raleigh at about age nine, I spent my entire childhood in a Christian Elementary School. I was too scared to say the word “shit,” so I would say “shet” instead. Then I moved to North Carolina and went to public school.

Culture shock would be a mild description of what ensued. I was confronted with a meanness, vulgarity and a casual blasphemy that was shocking to my ill-shaped sensitivities. That first year was hell. Going from the sheltered confines of a Christian Elementary School where talking too much earned you a trip to the principal’s office, I was not prepared for public education.

I eventually adapted and learned how to be a normal, functioning member of society -- you know, the kind of person who can get along with others even when they’re not particularly nice. So, in the end, I was glad that I was able to get a wider exposure to the world. It certainly prepared me for a lifetime of enthusiasm for horrible and

Excerpt of Kavachi's Rise (The Devouring #1) by Mike Kearby!

Title: Kavachi's Rise

Series: The Devouring #1

Author: Mike Kearby

Genre: Damnation Books

Publisher: Horror, Thriller

Paperback/Ebook

Words: 56,000

Purchase:

Damnation Books | Amazon | B&N |

Book Description:

A Dark Secret. Thomas Morehart and his sister, Kara are vampyre, not the undead, but creatures evolved over hundreds of thousands of years to mimic their prey, man. Then - rescued from a Nazi Prison Camp, Thomas and Kara are brought to the U.S. and forced to work inside government-owned mortuaries. Now -betrayed by the government sixty-seven years later, Thomas and Kara are in a race against time to transform back to their feral states or risk Exsanguination by government sanctioned hit squads.

Excerpt:

The soldiers knew this lieutenant. Knew of him, anyway. Nikolai Borisoff was his Russian name, but if all the rumors were true, nobody knew his real name. Others of his kind referred to him as, “Rom baro,” the big man. But in the stories he was known simply as the necromancer hunter.

“Shall we put him in with the others, sir?” one soldier asked.

Nikolai ignored the question and squared himself off to stand face-to-face with the prisoner. He stared into the darkness of the creature’s eyes. “How do you write yourself?” he asked in Amria.

The creature stopped rocking. He looked up and opened a dark pit of a mouth. A word tumbled out: “Death.”

Nikolai frowned, “But where are the others?”

Death tilted his head right and

Excerpt of Brianna by Linda Andrews!

Excerpt:

“Brianna, can ye hear me?” Panic fed the primal rage bucking through Duncan. He bound the fury. A treasury agent had nerves of tempered steel, control of iron. A white lock rested on her pale cheek. Peppermint-scented breath slipped past pink lips. She was fine. She had fainted, nothing more. Nothing more.

Yet she had not wakened.

“I had thought she would be accustomed to violence, especially after the tales she told of Arizona.” Miss Phillips’s whine sliced through his musings.

A man had been murdered, poisoned in front of a roomful of wealthy, influential witnesses. August would have been the likely suspect—it was his valet, after all. Except, he couldn’t have known his servant would be in the room, let alone would drink from the glass. So who was the intended victim?

He laid Brianna on the plush carpet and knelt beside her. He brushed her bangs out of her eye, sweeping aside the feather headdress.

And who was the poisoner?

He might have spied something if he hadn’t dallied over his evening dress, and what had his delay accomplished? Not a bluidy thing. His hair still stuck up a little in front. As for the noose around his neck, he could feel the ends brushing his jaw.

“Damn it, Brianna, wake up!”

“Señor Stuart?” Esmé pried apart the Van Sargents. Worry pinched her features, increased the pitch of her voice. Two men in ship’s uniform squeezed through behind her, parting the assembled crowd. An elderly man in a somber suit appeared and set a black bag on the table.

Ignoring the newcomers, Duncan leaned close to Esmé’s ear. “Has Brianna eaten anything tonight?”

Shock flashed in her brown eyes. Her gaze flicked to the corpse before meeting his.

“No, señor. The dinner, it has not been served.”

He nodded. Relief flooded him.

“I believe she has fainted.”

“There are smelling salts in our room.”

“Get them.”

“Are you a doctor, sir?” Curry and garlic permeated the air as the elderly man who’d arrived with the ship’s crew creaked to a stop beside Duncan. He leaned over Brianna with his ear near her mouth. “Peppermint,” he whispered, straightened then peeled the glove off her left hand. His index finger settled comfortably against the inside of her wrist. “An admirable heartbeat.”

“I’m nae a doctor.”

“Hmm, yet your prognosis is undoubtedly correct.” The man peered at Duncan over the gold rims of his spectacles. “The ladies do like to lace tightly, don’t they?” His Adam’s apple bobbed in the wattles of his throat. “Smelling salts should set Miss to rights. You’ve sent the companion to fetch them, hmm? ”

“That won’t be necessary.” Sir Reginald stepped forward. “Mrs. Van Sargent, the salts, if you please.”

Duncan grabbed the small glass bottle—he didn’t trust the missionary any more than he did the others. Glass scraped glass as he plucked the stopper free. Ammonia invaded his nose, stripped the moisture from the back of his throat. Definitely smelling salts. He shoved them under Brianna’s nose.

She winced, turned her head and coughed. Her eyes flickered open.

“Duncan. Wh-what happened?”

“You fainted.”

“You are very much mistaken.” She shoved herself into a sitting position, tucked a stray lock of hair behind her ear and straightened her bodice. “A Grey does not faint.”

“It’s alright, dear.” Mrs. Van Sargent tucked the bottle back in her purse. “I daresay, if Mr. Stuart hadn’t caught you you would have crashed right into the table.”

Movement caught his eye. At the doctor’s nod, the burly crewmen lifted the body. Duncan shifted his weight to block Brianna’s view. Her lips parted; her eyes grew round. He had acted too late. She had seen the corpse.

“That man.” She pointed to the blanket-draped body with her bare hand. “He...”

“He’s dead, dear.”

“Choked to death,” Van Sargent added with relish.

“Such a terrible tragedy,” said Miss Phillips, dabbing her dry eyes.

“Sir Reginald doesn’t think it will prolong our stay aboard the <i>Osiris.”

Duncan’s skin crawled as Mrs. Van Sargent beamed down at them like a goddess spreading her benevolence.

“But he—“ Brianna’s nails dug into Duncan’s arm.

”Choked to death.” He kept his voice firm, his tone final. Brianna had been around death most of her life, was intimately acquainted with most of its faces. He wouldn’t allow her knowledge to get her killed.

Brianna

Linda Andrews

Love, lies, and an ancient Egyptian curse. Brianna Grey holds the key to mankind's destruction and someone is willing to kill for it. Having spent most of her life dying, one man's kiss has resurrected her desire to live. For US Treasury Agent, Duncan Stuart, love means death. He works alone, lives alone and plans to die alone until he meets Brianna again. Under the harsh Egyptian sun, Duncan will break all his rules to save her but will it be enough to overcome the secrets that could get them both killed?

Interview with Lenore Wolfe, author of Dark Warrior: To Tame a Wild Hawk!

Please help me welcome author Lenore Wolfe to Reading with Holly today!

Holly: Hi Lenore! Would you tell us a little bit about yourself?

Lenore Wolfe: I grew up in Montana and Alaska. In Montana, my great-grandmother was one of the many pioneer women who made her way in the Wild West. She worked. She toiled. She raised three children on her own when her drunk husband took off and left her in the the small town of York, Montana. And I quickly learned a small child--she may have been under five foot tall, but even in her eighties and nineties, you didn't want to let that fool you--for her spirit, her fight, far out-weighed anyone I had known, then, or since. She was, and still is, the toughest lady I have ever met. And whenever there were times in my life, whenever I thought my own journey had become much too tough, I would stop and think--how on earth had she done it? I would think about all the brave women who helped to make America, and I would be inspired--never quit. Never say die. And never let the enemy know he almost had you.

Holly: Can you tell us a little bit about your book Dark Warrior: To Tame a Wild Hawk?

Lenore Wolfe: Dark Warrior: To Tame a Wild Hawk is a journey into the Wild West with Hawk where you first meet a six year old boy who witnesses his father and renegade friends kill every single one of their friends on the wagon train with whom they were traveling west. You next follow the boy on a journey, set in motion that day, as he meets his destiny when a Cheyenne warrior finds him and adopts him into their clan. And get a glimpse of that destiny through the warrior's eyes, when he witnesses the way the boy looks out across the prairie grasslands at his dead friends littering the ground whose sightless eyes stare up into the deep blue sky, and knows--the boy would not rest--until his friends no longer cried out to him in his sleep.

That was the day Hawk was born--and a boy learns the meaning of an anger that burns deep within--in a place that knows no rest.

Then you will follow Hawk on his quest as it takes him to the wild and untamed town of Cheyenne, Wyoming where he meets Mandy--and he learns how she has been fighting a battle of her own with a cattle baron who has murdered her father. But when Hawk gets shot, and she becomes his nurse, the two of them learn what they share in common--and what secret they share--that will tear them apart.

Holly: Which came first for you, the characters or the plot?

Lenore Wolfe: The characters came to me first, and they told me their story.

Holly: What was the inspiration for this novel?

Lenore Wolfe: My great-grandmother's and my father's stories about the true Wild West.

Holly: Are you working on anything at the moment?

Lenore Wolfe: I've released the first in an on-going saga, The Fallen One from Sons of the Dark Mother, a dark fantasy. There are three sister series to this coming out: the Children of Atlantis series; the YA Realm of the Jaguar Witch series; and the Daughters of the Dark Moon series. And I have another YA series coming out later this fall, from Realm of the Elemental Witch.

Holly: How much of you or people you know do you think make it into the characters in your novel(s)?

Lenore Wolfe: LOL Interesting people can always influence characters, but someone who does something bad to a writer will always find themselves cast in a part of a book somewhere:)

Holly: Do you think you will have a follow up book to this novel or is it just a stand-alone novel?

Lenore Wolfe: All of my books have follow up books coming out in the near future and these can be followed on Goodreads.

Holly: Do you have anything you would like to say to your readers?

Lenore Wolfe: Never give up on your dreams.

Holly: When did you realize that you would like to write and publish a book?

Lenore Wolfe: I was a teen when I would be reading a book, and I first started thinking that I could do that, I could write a book. But I was in my twenties when started to think seriously about actually doing it.

Holly: Can you tell us some of your latest news, what are your plans for 2012/2013?

Lenore Wolfe: I invite you to add up-coming books at Goodreads and see when they will be published. You can also find links to the websites for these at Http://authorlenorewolfe.blogspotcom

Holly: Don't forget to give us links to your website, etc.

Lenore Wolfe: http://authorlenorewolfe.blogspot.com

http://darkwarriorseries.blogspotcom

http://twitter.com/lenorewolfe

http://facebook.com/authorlenorewolfe