Friday, August 30, 2013

Spotlight: Dangerous Curves



Dangerous Curves
By: Morgan
Published May 23, 2013
by Secret Cravings Publishing
Blurb


Wolfe Jackson is hot on the trail of a domestic terroristic who has been causing havoc and panic by blowing up factories. The trail, although sketchy, has led to a convention in the Midwest. Is it a false trail? Wolfe is unsure, but he knows that a certain blonde named Krista bears investigating.

Krista Harlow finds her life as a principal dull. So bland in fact, she thinks attending the annual principal conference might enliven it. She even harbors secret romantic aspirations. As a principal, she must keep everything strait laced and buttoned down, but that was before she was mistaken for a corporate saboteur and possible murderer.

Wolfe initially approaches the suspect by pretending he knows her. Krista plays along, proving she's either devilishly clever or she's really interested in him as a man. The road to restore his credibility is full of dangerous curves.





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Author Info
Morgan K Wyatt, raised on a steady diet of superheroes, believed she could fly at a very young age. After using trees, barn lofts, sliding boards, and even a second story window as launch pads, she found her flying skills were limited to fast and downward. By the age of nine, her dreams to be a superhero needed some modifications, which caused her to turn to writing and horseback riding as alternatives to flying.
At the age of twenty, she had another chance at superhero greatness as being one of the few female soldiers trained for combat. The fact that women will be able to serve in combat soon indicates that all the witnesses to the grenade incident have retired. The grenade incident didn’t prevent her two sons or daughter-in-law from enlisting in the service. Having different last names probably helped.
Morgan recently retired from teaching special needs students to write fulltime, instead of in the wee hours of the night. With the help of her helpful husband and loyal hound, she creates characters who often grab plot lines and run with them. As for flying, she prefers the airlines now.

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Spotlight: Can't Help Falling In Love




Can’t Help Falling in Love
By: Cheryl Harper

Blurb

The staff of Cheryl Harper’s Elvis-themed Rock’n'Rolla Hotel are back with a funny, fresh romance that goes undercover—under the covers!
As a former Marine, hotel manager Tony Ortega has plenty of experience assessing threats, and the hotel’s newest guest, Randa Whitmore, is a code red. Tall, blonde, and with legs for miles, she may look like his every fantasy, but he knows she’s not really visiting for the famed Elvis Week. Though dangerously drawn to his new guest, Tony will do anything to protect his job . . . especially if it means sleeping with the enemy.
Business strategist Randa Whitmore never meant to be undercover in Memphis. In August. Sweating her expensive spa treatments away. But snagging another perfect hotel location for her father’s empire means using all the tricks in her designer arsenal. And even though the sexy, tattooed manager seems oblivious to her charms, Randa’s prepared to bring out the big guns—just so long as she can stay objective and out of Tony’s muscled arms. After all, it’s just business, right?





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Author Info
Whether she's writing, reading, or just checking the items off of her daily to-do list, small-town girl Cheryl Harper loves her romance mixed with a little laughter. When she's not working, you will find her ignoring housework, cursing yard work, and spending way too much time with a television remote in her hand.
Author Links





Can’t Help Falling In Love Excerpt: A Kiss Like This
Few things feel better than a successful visit to a book store, am I right? When you walk out with a stack of new books that are so good you can’t even decide which one to read first…that’s a good feeling. And in Can’t Help Falling In Love, hotel heiress Randa Whitmore and tough-guy Tony Ortega are about to share their first kiss. In front of a bookstore. Does it really get any better than that?
His face was determined as he leaned towards her, and she lost her breath because it looked like he was going to kiss her.
Then he did, his lips a warm shock against hers.
This kiss was a sweet hello. His lips settled on hers in an easy slide. When she gripped his shoulders and tried to pull him closer, he smiled against her lips and his tongue was a quick tease over her bottom lip before he rested his forehead against hers. Randa didn’t move. She was afraid to. He was going to step back, and she didn’t want him to. She wanted to stay right here with him. Finally he took a deep breath and leaned back just enough to look her in the eyes. “There’s this one other thing I’ve been dying to do.”
“Yes.” Randa nodded her head. She had no idea what it was, but she was ready.
Tony squeezed his eyes shut for just a second. The sound he made when he opened them again was somewhere between a laugh and a moan. Maybe it was both. Randa understood exactly what that felt like.
He pressed forward to kiss her again, his hand a hot support against the back of her head and his lips aggressively seductive. This time he coaxed her lips open and teased her tongue with his. Each tentative touch sent a shiver of awareness through her. She wanted to press her breasts against his chest, get closer, so much closer, but the seat belt pinned her down. Her breath was long gone when Tony ended the kiss, his breath coming in quiet pants as he stared into her eyes, but when his hand rested on her knee she tried to gasp. And when he touched her thigh, lightly rubbing his hand on bare skin, she lost her mind.
She actually bit her lip to keep from moaning like a porn star. Because a man touched her thigh. It was a little like she was back in high school but so much hotter.
Seduced in front of a bookstore. Did it get any better? More private, certainly. But better, no way. Tony’s eyes were hot as he stared down at her.
Randa squeezed the hand on her thigh and said, “Satisfied?”
The look in his eyes was predatory. Tony shook his head. “No way. Not even close.”
Randa licked her lips. “Good. Me either.”


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Cover Reveal: Something to Prove


Something to Prove
The O’Learys
By: Shannyn Schroeder
eKensington
Releasing January 2014

Blurb   
Two ambitious people team up to prove themselves to their families—and find there may be more to their partnership than just business…
Elizabeth Brannigan is determined to show her father she’s capable of running the family business. Saving his struggling Chicago bar seems like the perfect project. But she’ll need a little help dealing with the rough crowd. Who better to assist her than the handsome co-owner of a thriving Irish pub? Of course, with so much work to do, there are bound to be a few late nights…
Colin O’Leary’s father passed away before he could prove to him that he wasn’t a screw-up. Now he wants to show his brother he’s responsible enough to own a bar of his own—and Elizabeth may be able to help him. But when their professional aspirations clash, tempers—and passions—flare. Are they mature enough to mix business with pleasure—or will they have to choose between the two?




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Author Info     
Shannyn is a former English teacher, who now works as a part-time editor while raising her three kids.
Even though she wrote from high school through college (mostly poetry), she’d never considered a career as an author. Writing fell by the wayside as she focused her energy on creating lesson plans and new and fabulous ways to torment her teen students. One group in particular dubbed her “The Torture Master,” a title she carried into motherhood.
After the birth of baby number two, Shannyn resigned from teaching and fell in love with reading romance novels. She read so many books so quickly that her husband teased, “If you’re going to read so many damn books, why don’t you just write one?”
So she did.
That first book is safely buried on her hard drive, but the process set Shannyn on the path to where she is today—agented with a debut ebook coming out with Kensington in late 2012.
She is recovering from her Diet Coke addiction, fears putting her foot in her mouth on social media, and has a renewed appreciation for the bad girls of the world.


Author Links


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Thursday, August 29, 2013

VBT: How He Really Feels












Hi and welcome! Today I have an interview with author Lisa Suzanne. Thanks for visiting and I hope you enjoy! Leave a comment and enter the fabulous giveaway!





 tell me about yourself, and your
writing.

I am a fulltime high school English
teacher who has a passion for writing. I have been married for eight
years and I have a dog – the world’s most adorable yellow lab. My
writing began on yellow legal pads, but today, I sit on the middle
cushion of my couch with my feet on my coffee table and my laptop on
my lap.




How long have you been writing? How
many published books do you have, and what genres?

I have been writing for at least
fifteen years, but I just published my first book this past May. I
write Contemporary Romance.




Do you write in multiple genres or
just one? If just one, do you ever consider straying outside your
genre?

I think everything I have ever written
has been a Romance of some kind! I don’t really stray from Romance
because it’s my favorite genre to read.




Are you a plotter or do you write from
the seat of your pants?

I write from the seat of my pants. I
always have a direction where I’m heading next, so I have a
sort-of-outline, but for the most part, I write where my characters
take me.



What is a typical writing day like for
you?

Since I am a teacher, summers and
breaks are best times for my writing, but during the school year, I
write when I get home from work until I need to start making dinner,
and if my husband is traveling for work, I tend to write when I’ve
got alone time.



Who do you love to read? Favorite
authors, favorite books?

Specific to the romance genre, my
favorite authors are Emily Giffin, EL James, Sylvia Day. My favorite
books are Something Borrowed, Fifty Shades of Grey, and
the Crossfire series. I also love Gabriel’s Inferno
by Sylvain Reynard, Maya Banks’s Breathless trilogy, and
pretty much anything by Nicholas Sparks and Jane Green.




What is something you'd like to
accomplish in your writing career next year?

I’d like to release all three books
in my first trilogy and possibly the first book in my second series
within the next year.



If you could have one paranormal
ability, what would it be?

Invisibility for all those times I
wished I could be a fly on the wall!




If you could keep a mythical/
paranormal creature as a pet, what would you have?

A werewolf



Tell us a little about your latest
release.

How He Really Feels is a contemporary
romance that follows Julianne Becker and her massive crush on her
boss. We meet her best friend, Travis Miller, and book 2, What He
Really Feels
, follows Travis’s journey. Look for book 2 set forrelease October 3.



What is something that you absolutely
can't live without? (Other than family members)

My dog! But technically she counts as a
family member, so I have to go with music.



Could you ever co author a book with
someone? If so, who would you choose, and what would you write?

I could write with my husband, I think.
He has good ideas, and he likes to think he’s been an integral part
of my writing. He’s great at helping me brainstorm!




If you could spend a day with anyone
from history, dead or alive, who would it be, and what would you do?
What would you ask them?

Shakespeare. Having taught English for
twelve years, I would find out if he really wrote the plays
attributed to him, and as a published author, I think it would be
fascinating to learn about his writing process.



What are some of your other hobbies
outside of writing?

Reading, traveling, shopping, walking
my dog with my husband



If you were on the staff to have a
book adapted to movie, what would you pick?

How He Really Feels! I would love to
write the screenplay! But if I can’t pick my own book, I’d have
to go with Fifty Shades. It may be cliché, but that book awakened a
love for reading in so many people, and I would love to be part of
that.




What is a talent you wish you had, but
don't?


I wish I could sing. I love to sing,
but no one wants to hear that. Trust me.



Favorite color?

Orange



Weather: Hot or cold?

Hot! I live in Arizona, but even if I
didn’t, I love the beach and would pick sunshine over snow any day.



Favorite place to read?

Bed



Favorite meal

Pizza



Favorite non-alcoholic drink.

Dr. Pepper



If you could travel anywhere and do
anything, no limits or money holding you back, where would you go?

Fiji











How
He Really Feels

He Feels Trilogy


Book One
Lisa

Suzanne




Genre: Contemporary
Romance




ISBN-10:
1489523863


ISBN-13:
978-1489523860


ASIN: B00CVEMV1E




Number of pages: 318

Word Count: 91,598




Cover Artist:
Humblenations.com




Book Trailer:

http://youtu.be/Xa2r9quZzEI




Kindle

Paperback




Book Description:





Julianne Becker is
desperately in love with her boss, Nick Matthews. She has daydreamed
about him since the day she first met him a year earlier, but she is
firmly stuck in the friend-zone until New Year’s Eve, when the game
completely changes and she finds out how Nick really feels about her.






They embark on a sexy
affair that’s everything Julianne ever dreamed of... except she
can’t tell anyone about it. What will happen if anyone finds out
about their secret relationship? And how will her lifelong best
friend, Travis Miller, react when Julianne begins a relationship with
someone who isn’t him?





How He Really Feels is
a novel that explores relationships and love between coworkers and
friends. It contains some adult situations and is intended for mature
readers.










Short Excerpt:





Who cared that I
didn’t have anyone to kiss at midnight? The important thing was
that this was the end of an old year and the start of a brand new
one, and I had several goals in mind for this new year. The most
important, of course, being Nick. I would find a way to push past
this professional business friendship relationship we had formed. I
would find a way to kiss him, hold him, make love to him in this new
year.


It was my
resolution, and I was determined to make it happen.

Everyone raised
their glasses in the air and counted along, “Ten! Nine! Eight!
Seven! Six! Five! Four! Three! Two! One! HAPPY NEW YEAR!” I glanced
over at Lucy, whose lips were locked to Jake’s, and then Travis,
who was kissing Brooke. I smiled, happy for my friends despite my
lack of a man to kiss at midnight, when I felt a tap on my shoulder.


I turned around,
and my heart stopped as my eyes met Nick’s. Utter shock hit me as I
realized that he was actually here. And he looked fucking sexy in a
black suit with a gray shirt under it, open at the collar. He had
just a shadow of a beard, making him look rugged and manly, and his
hair was mussed perfectly in every direction. I was so dazed that he
was standing in front of me that I was rendered momentarily
speechless.


The room suddenly
got very quiet around me, and all I could do was stare at him. His
eyes never left mine as he brought both of his hands up to cup my
cheeks and I was certain at that moment that he was going to kiss me.
My heart slammed into my ribs and then my eyes closed automatically
as his lips brushed mine just once. Every nerve ending in my body was
alight with electricity at our connection. He clutched me close
against his chest in a quick embrace. “Happy New Year,” he
murmured, his breath tickling close against my ear, sending shivers
down my spine. And then, as if it had all been a dream, he was gone.


I stood rooted to
the spot, unsure of whether that had really happened or if I had just
imagined it, if I had dreamed it because I wanted it so badly or if
all of the champagne had finally caught up with me and I was
hallucinating.

It was like the
room had been on mute for a moment, and suddenly someone had turned
the volume back up to full blast.


“Happy New Year!”
Travis shouted to me, pulling me into a hug and kissing my cheek. I
blinked a few times, trying to focus on what was happening around me,
still unsure of what had just happened.


I shook my head to
clear it, echoing, “Happy New Year,” to Travis.

Lucy hugged me
next, and then Jake and Holly. We all clinked glasses as a group, and
I realized that everyone had been so wrapped up in their own New
Year’s kisses that no one had witnessed mine. Whether or not it was
in my mind or it had really happened, it was my very own New Year’s
secret. And that secret, special moment that the two of us had shared
had been perfect, even if it had only been in my mind.






















About the Author:





Lisa Suzanne is a high
school English teacher who lives at home in Arizona with her amazing
husband and adorable yellow lab.




Web:

http://www.authorlisasuzanne.com




Goodreads:

http://www.goodreads.com/AuthorLisaSuzanne




Facebook:

https://www.facebook.com/AuthorLisaSuzanne




Twitter:

https://twitter.com/LisaSuzanne24

























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Spotlight: Watch Me Walk Away


Amazon Buy Link




Blurb:

At the age of seventeen, Lisa was broken when Bobby left. He was suppose to be her first. First Love. First Time. First Everything. No word for six long years. She moved away from the painful reminders sacrificing her relationship with her best friend Brad. She struggled to rebuild her life.

Now six years later she returns as a strong, successful woman grabbing a job at one of New York’s hottest marketing agencies. She is dating a gorgeous guy with his eyes on a corner office. But it all changes when she sees Bobby again.

Can she risk another heartbreak from Bobby? Will she be able to repair her friendship with Brad? Lisa will have to decide between the man she's with, and the two men that want her.

Who will she be with, and who will she tell to "Watch Me Walk Away?"


Author Links

Bio:


I live in Northern New Jersey. I am a wife and mother of two girls. I have been an avid reader my whole life, I cannot remember a Sunday afternoon that did not include my parents reading. We had a huge bookshelf in our den with a diverse set of authors like Ayn Rand, Stephen King, Mario Puzo & Danielle Steele.

I have always had ideas and characters running around my head but it took a few good friends to push me to start putting them down on paper.

I hope you enjoy my musings. Please feel free to contact me I would love to hear from you.





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Wednesday, August 28, 2013

Spotlight: Affairs of the Dead


Affairs of the Dead
A.J. Locke

Genre: Urban Fantasy

Publisher: Etopia Press

Date of Publication: April 19th, 2013

ISBN: 978-1-939194-91-6
ASIN: B00CF0OWAW

Number of pages: 341
Word Count: 83,282

Cover Artist: Iris Hunter


Book Description:

Help ghosts, stop a thief, and try not to die…

Necromancer Selene Vanream helps ghosts settle their affairs so they can move on. But when breaking the rules gets her in trouble, she’s bumped down to tracking ghosts trying to avoid the afterlife. Ghosts like Ethan Lance, who claims he was kicked out of his body when someone else jumped in. Which might be plausible—if such a thing were possible. And if Micah, Selene’s partner, didn’t pull her into an investigation of brutal murders that lead directly back to Ethan.

But when the whole mess puts Selene’s life in danger, she suddenly has very personal reasons to get Ethan’s body back. Between her uncomfortable relationship with Micah, and problems with her boss, Selene learns just how much trouble it can be when you don’t follow the rules



Short Excerpt:

I was in a strip club trying to help a ghost get laid, which was challenging, but not impossible. It was just extremely taxing on the necromancer extraordinaire (me) who had to channel energy into the ghost to make her corporeal enough to entice one of the stripper boys. Technically what I was doing was illegal, but it was my job to help ghosts settle their affairs so they could move on to eternally ever after, and Julia’s unfinished business was that she’d died a virgin. I’d made it as easy as I could for her by starting at a strip club; if she couldn’t get some here, I wasn’t sure how much lower I could scrape the barrel.

Julia’s prolonged virginity was an enigma to me, even though she told me that she’d been waiting for her soul mate. I just didn’t understand why that meant she couldn’t hit up a bar, get drunk, and have a fun, regret-filled weekend that included the walk of shame. At least she’d have been in better shape once soul mate came around.

“What do you think about him?” I asked, pointing to one of the three oiled up men who were gyrating for the benefit of all the screaming women. He had blond hair and green eyes, and wasn’t overly muscular. Julia looked at him then quickly looked away. I took that as a sign of approval.

“I think this was a bad idea,” she stammered.

“This was a fantastic idea,” I said. “And it will work, don’t worry.”

“No, I mean, I don’t think I can do this. I waited my whole life for my soul mate and now you want me to just—” she stole another quick look at the stripper, “I don’t think I can do this with some random…stripper man. It’s so indecent.”

I rolled my eyes. “Julia, you’re a ghost; you no longer have the option of being discerning. And if you don’t wrap up what’s keeping you around, you run the risk of turning into a monster. Then it’s an even bigger pain in the ass to get rid of you. So let’s call our efforts here at Bump and Moan choice A, and murderous monster choice B. Which choice would you like to make?”

“A,” Julia said, but she didn’t sound happy about it. I smiled, and grabbed a couple drinks off the tray of a passing waitress. I set them down in front of Julia.

“Drink,” I said. “This will help.”

“I’m a ghost,” she said. “I thought I was unable to eat or drink.”

“You can feel the effects of the alcohol since you’ll be working off my energy, so drink up. I’ve pegged you as a light weight so I think two drinks will be enough.”

“But how is this supposed to help?” she asked, frowning.

“Because its job is to help,” I said.

About the Author:

A.J. Locke is an author and artist, originally from Trinidad, now residing in New York City. Affairs of the Dead is her debut novel, and other than writing she enjoys reading, drawing, painting, graphic design, and watching too much television.




Twitter: @maqueripe








Review: Finding Forever

Title: Finding Forever  

Author: Melisa M. Hamling

Publisher: Self published

Genre: New adult romance

Reviewer: Storm Goddess

Review rating: 4.5 LIGHTNING BOLTS

Blurb: Through the splinters of glass, I see his face, the one who has this hold on me, on my soul, and I know he holds the key to something I have yet to learn.

Be careful what you wish for, you may just get it. Morgan Master’s is about to find out that what you wish for doesn’t come in a perfect little package.

Plummeting off the side of the mountain wasn’t the escape Morgan had planned. Or was it? Disconnected from who she was, where she came from, Morgan knows she’s in a hot mess when the lines blur between two worlds. What is real and what is imagined? Her inner struggle to find herself and to learn the truth, leads her into the arms of Ben, the perfect little package she once wished for, but doesn’t remember it.

Ben is Morgan’s solace, her guide through her state of confusion, offering comfort and love to degrees she is certain she has never known before. Longing to stay in the heavenly bliss, something keeps pulling her back, a little at a time.

When Morgan’s world crumbles, she endures weeks of heartbreak. She must decide between this life, or go in search of the unknown, in search of reestablishing the love she had for the man who helped her survive. What must she sacrifice to find him? Does he really exist? What will she uncover when she goes in search of Finding Forever?


Review:  Some things you wish for come in ways you'd never, ever imagine. They come with a twisted form that makes you think, makes you choose. But choosing won't be easy. It's a matter of following your heart or your head, and at some point, those two paths are far apart....

Some books don't manage to grab a reader right away. That wasn't the case with Finding Forever. I was sucked in from page one! Yeah, this book drew me in from the get go and held on to my fast paced beating heart the whole way. There are times the book has this eerie feel that I absolutely LOVED!!  The suspense, the intrigue of needing to know just what in the world was going on had me turning the pages into the wee hours of the night.  You know sometimes when you're reading a story and it does have a few parts that make you jump at every sound? I know I've had plenty of those...well, I happened to read Finding Forever the week my husband was on overnights.  Not only did I lose sleep from staying up so late devouring this story, but the few parts that gave me that eerie feeling I've so desired certainly had me jumping at sounds.

And no, this book isn't scary. There just happened to be a few parts that gave me the chills, but that's not the basis of the story at all.

Now- the characters. Morgan- the heroine of the story. She seems to be stuck at a crossroads in life. She just found out some information about the guy she's been dating (Who in many regards can be a total butt munch! Yes, that's right, I said butt munch) She's struggling, and she's looking for something- anything. The last thing she expects is to find herself in this strange place, where she meets Ben, and Danny. Both of them speak in riddles, not really giving Morgan any clues as to what's going on.  There are definitely sparks between Morgan and Ben, and despite her unease with the situation, she can't help but be drawn to him.

Ms. Hamling has a great writing style that drew me in to the story line quickly!  I enjoyed the characters, the plot, the writing...all around this story definitely delivered an interesting read. I felt the emotions of the characters, the mystery surrounding some of the book had me guessing and while i kind of knew where it was going, I still wasn't fully prepared for when things happened.  I'm definitely looking forward to more in this new series!  Ms. Hamling is a new to me author and Finding Forever was my introduction to her talent. Let me just say I'll be grabbing up everything from her back list and eagerly looking for new works in the future too.

If you're looking for a great book with an interesting plot, you should add Finding Forever to your list!


Now, this book isn't out yet, I had the pleasure of snatching up an offered ARC, so I'll link you to the Goodreads page for the book. But fear not, this book should be out pretty soon if I remember correctly.

Finding Forever on Goodreads

Cover reveal: Finding Forever



Finding Forever by Melisa M. Hamling
Genres: Contemporary, New Adult

Synopsis:

Through the splinters of glass, I see his face, the one who has this hold on me, on my soul, and I know he holds the key to something I have yet to learn.

Be careful what you wish for, you may just get it. Morgan Master’s is about to find out that what you wish for doesn’t come in a perfect little package.

Plummeting off the side of the mountain wasn’t the escape Morgan had planned. Or was it? Disconnected from who she was, where she came from, Morgan knows she’s in a hot mess when the lines blur between two worlds. What is real and what is imagined? Her inner struggle to find herself and to learn the truth, leads her into the arms of Ben, the perfect little package she once wished for, but doesn’t remember it.

Ben is Morgan’s solace, her guide through her state of confusion, offering comfort and love to degrees she is certain she has never known before. Longing to stay in the heavenly bliss, something keeps pulling her back, a little at a time.

When Morgan’s world crumbles, she endures weeks of heartbreak. She must decide between this life, or go in search of the unknown, in search of reestablishing the love she had for the man who helped her survive. What must she sacrifice to find him? Does he really exist? What will she uncover when she goes in search of Finding Forever?


AUTHOR BIO
I grew up in Colorado and moved to Nebraska in the latter half of my teen years, where I've remained. I have a great family and my father is James Dean. Yep! The James Dean. Okay in name only, but I still love to say it. I have the best husband ever! He's not afraid to do the laundry, or the dishes, and dang. He's had to survive four females and a whole lot of hormones. Poor guy! We have three beautiful daughters, and our only sons, Robby and Bentley, are of course, cats. They refuse to acknowledge their furry background, and so continue to live as humanly as possible.

Most of my work experience has been in healthcare giving me the opportunity to work with a variety of people, ranging from newborn to elderly. My true passion is writing. I'm captivated by stories that delve into facets of the human behavior: affliction, fidelity, passion, betrayal, and redemption. I prefer to take my characters through a physical journey where they learn something about themselves or take them to new and exciting places, but there is always romance involved.
 
Author Links: