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A bit of a twist to today's blog. Have you ever wondered how, what, and where an author gets the words on a page? What are the inspirations? Yes? Well here you go. The story behind the story. Enjoy!  The Turkish Affair by J. Arlene Culiner Mystery/Suspense/Romance Love and Danger at the ancient Hittite site of Karakuyu Priceless artifacts are disappearing from the ancient Hittite site of Karakuyu in Turkey, and the site director has vanished. Called in to solve the mystery, archaeologist Renaud Townsend is hindered by both his inability to speak the language and the knowledge that the local police are corrupt. His attraction to translator Anne Pierson is immediate, although he is troubled by her refusal to talk about the past and her fear of public scandal. But when murder enters the picture, both Anne and Renaud realize that the risk of falling in love is not the only danger. The story behind the story. As a writer of romance, I like to portray real-life situations with real people. My heroes and heroines need to have activities they can share, ideas that coincide, and realistic goals. They must be interested in getting to know each other, and we have to believe that their love will last — not because they have wild and woolly sex in very strange combinations — but because they are appealing, intelligent, and kindly people, and they know how to give. Yes, some romances don’t begin smoothly, but if there’s a good reason for that, so much the better. In romances, we can learn new ways of working out problems, or we take pleasure in seeing a loving relationship grow slowly but steadily. In my romance, The Turkish Affair, my heroine, Anne, has run away from her former life, and come to live in a small village in Turkey. When she meets the very charming Renaud Townsend, an archaeologist at the nearby Hittite site, she is forced to acknowledge how attracted she is. However, since she has run from her problems instead of solving them, she finds herself caught in an almost untenable — and very dangerous — situation: the day’s heat was almost unbearable, and the gaudy morning sun reverberating against uneven pavements seemed to mock her fears. Maybe it had been her imagination at work, after all. What about the intensity between herself and Renaud? Had she imagined that? No, she hadn’t. Which is why she’d avoid any further contact with the man. Get your copy today. https://books2read.com/TheTurkishAffair  About the Author
Writer, social critical artist, and impenitent teller of tall tales, J. Arlene Culiner, was born in New York and raised in Toronto. She has crossed much of Europe on foot, has lived in a mud house on the Great Hungarian Plain, in a Bavarian castle, a Turkish cave dwelling, a haunted house on the English moors, and on a Dutch canal. She now resides in a 400-year-old former inn in a French village of no interest where, much to local dismay, she protects spiders, snakes, and weeds. Observing people in cafes, in their homes, on trains, or in the streets, she eavesdrops on all private conversations, and delights in hearing any nasty, funny, ridiculous, sad, romantic, or boastful story. And when she can't uncover really salacious gossip, she makes it up. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4zkQ20uC4eg http://www.j-arleneculiner.com http://j-arleneculiner.over-blog.com https://linktr.ee/j.arleneculiner Storytelling Podcast: https://soundcloud.com/j-arlene-culiner Camping? What's that? I'm itching badly to get back out there. Pete's leg is improving so it won't be long. The first trip, TBD on in late August, but we are booked for Lancaster. For a huge event I'm part of. Check it out booksbooksbooksevent.com/ a "The Barn" at Wyndham Lancaster Resort, Lancaster, PA Saturday September 21st from 12:00 — 5:00 PM. I'm excited. I'll also be heading to Blairstown for their local Farmer's Market/Makers Market the last weekend in September. A Christmas Storm is in galley at this time. Yeah! Stay tuned for a release day announcement and Agent Carter is releasing September 4th phew! Enough about me please welcome back Kim Janine Ligon and her upcoming book.  Those Ties That Bind by Kim Janine Ligon A small town mystery romance. Release day July 31, 2024 Why are teenage mothers dying in the Garland Regional E.R. instead of delivering healthy babies for adoption at The Obstetrical Center? Something is seriously wrong. On her physician’s advice, Garland’s CEO Evelyn Langford reluctantly takes a long scheduled vacation for her fiftieth birthday leaving her team to conduct an investigation into Obstetrical Center. Evelyn’s efforts to investigate the problem are hampered by her complicated relationships with her secretive brother, Frank, her subordinates, and, surprisingly, FBI Special Agent Rance Thompson, a new acquaintance, who comes to the small town to investigate possible links between the childbirth deaths and a string of teenage girl disappearances. Will Frank’s increasingly erratic behavior and the growing attraction between Evelyn and the younger agent further complicate discovering the truth about the dying girls? Preorder your copy today! Https://mybook.to//ThoseTiesThatBind A peek inside. Miss Langford buzzed Margie. “Please get the medical director at The Obstetrical Center on the line for me.” “Hello.” “Miss Langford, what do you want?” the physician snarled. “Rose Rich’s paperwork doesn’t have any valid contact information. Her real name is probably not Rose Rich. We are coordinating with Chief Davis to check the National Runaway database to see if she is listed there.” “Why are you going to all this trouble for someone you don’t even know? All you’re required to do is to send the body to the morgue and you’re done.” Did he snort? “I can’t just dispose of her like garbage. If she was my child or my sister, I’d want to know what happened to her. I’d want an autopsy done to see why she died.” “We already know why she died. Complications in childbirth. Why do you have to act as if this was a major crime or malfeasance? Women do still die in childbirth, despite all the advances in medical science. This isn’t an issue for the police. Garland Regional isn’t going to be blamed for her death.” He got louder with each word. “You needn’t yell. I can hear you. The patient mumbled something to Dr. Merrick right before she died. She said ‘Doc, not me again, don’t. Please, I can’t. Please don’t.’ Does that make any sense to you?” The physician hesitated a moment. “Why ask me? How would I know why a dying girl, who lied about who she was, said anything? She was probably delirious. Why do you think it has something to do with me?” “She said not me again. I thought since she was your patient you might have some insight into her situation. Had she given birth at your center before?” The physician hesitated a moment. “Why ask me? How would I know why a dying girl, who lied about who she was, said anything? She was probably delirious. Why do you think it has something to do with me?” “She said not me again. I thought since she was your patient you might have some insight into her situation. Had she given birth at your center before?” “How would I know off the top of my head? Hundreds of mothers have been through here. I haven’t memorized all their names, faces, and personal situations.” “Don’t worry about it. I’m sure Chief Davis will get to the bottom of this.” “There is nothing to get to the bottom of. I’ve reinstituted stricter protocols to trigger hospital transfers sooner for distressed patients. No need to pull in the local police or national resources. Let it go, okay?” “It’s good to know that in the future mothers in danger will be transported to us sooner, but it’s too late to put the brakes on checking with the police. The wheels are already in motion. We’ve started the investigation,” the CEO said. “I am putting this on the record. I won’t tolerate harassment of any kind. If you force my hand, you’ll regret it. I promise,” the physician said authoritatively. “We both have to do what our professional ethics require. This is not personal. It has nothing to do with our relationship. I’ll let you know if anything else comes up. I expect you to do the same. Goodbye.” Miss Langford hung up.  About the authorI grew up in rural Wisconsin where my father was a veterinarian. We always had lots of pets around. And there was always a herd of children around too. Ten of us in all and I am the oldest.
I had a forty plus year career in healthcare information technology. When I retired, I finally had time to learn to spin fibers into unique, beautiful yarn that I make into gifts for friends and family. While I am spinning and weaving, I am writing in my head until the writing has to spill out onto the screen. I have been married almost forever to my own real life romance hero! Follow me at www.spinningromance.com or email me at [email protected] Enjoy!!!!!! SPINNING ROMANCE & SUSPENSE INTO HAPPY EVER AFTERS Hello everyone thank you for popping in. It's a hot and humid summer here in NJ however my editor told me it was 113 F where she lives. Oi! I didn't want to say, "well it's a dry heat." Queque the dope slap. I think the hottest I've ever been in, actual not index, was driving home from Arkansas one year and going through Tennesee. My car thermometer said 115 F. I've been spending a lot of time indoors. With that and taking care of hubby and his injured leg, I've now two novellas with seperate editors and I'm halfway through a full contemporary romantic suspense. I've also been devouring books. How's the heat by you? What are you doing to get through it? On to today's spotlight.  Stone of Fear by Margaret Izard Paranormal Romance Published by The Wild Rose Press Released June 12, 2024 About the book. She’d give everything to keep his love. He’d chase her through time to save her soul. Marie Murray, a spunky expert on spiritual buildings, jumps at the opportunity to renovate the chapel mosaic floor at Dunstaffnage Castle, where she falls hard for the dashing John MacArthur. From their first kiss, sparks fly. Believing her religious renovation creates magic, a fanatical priest kidnaps Marie. Obsessed with obtaining a powerful magic Stone of Iona, he drags her to 15th-century Scotland. With his love kidnapped, John must tackle his hereditary duty and locate a magic Fae stone while chasing his love across time. Her memories of their passion keep her sane. His fuel his will to find her. Will John get to Marie in time to save her soul? Next in the series…. Stone of Lust, book 3, Stones of Iona Series, releases October 21st and Stone of Hope, book 4 early 2025. My first Christmas companion book to the series, Thistle in the Mistletoe releases November 4th. Get a copy today at one of these links. mizardauthor | Instagram, Facebook | Linktree Stone of Fear (Stones of Iona Book 2) - Kindle edition by Izard, Margaret . Romance Kindle eBooks @ Amazon.com. Stone of Fear (Stones of Iona Book 2) by Margaret Izard - BookBub Stone of Fear by Margaret Izard | Goodreads The story behind the story. How did your background in performance arts influence your writing style and storytelling techniques? I lean into classics due to all the ballets I’ve studied or performed. Yet, I also like modern dance, which places a twist on some of the norms. These experiences pretty much drive the types of stories I want to tell. They are something based on the classics with a twist. My performance background is my greatest asset to my writing. It’s how I work through each story. From scene to scene, I run the overall story arc in my head like a movie or a play. I’m the director/choreographer, and the characters are my actors/dancers. I run scenes differently to produce the outcome I want/need to push the story forward. The dance training has had a significant impact on writing scenes that involve body movement. Merging physical details with emotion is a particular favorite of mine.  About the author.
Margaret Izard is a multi-award-winning author of historical fantasy and paranormal romance novels. She spent her early years through college to adulthood dedicated to dance, theater, and performing. Over the years, she developed a love for great storytelling in different mediums. She does not waste a good story, be it movement, the spoken, or the written word. She discovered historical romance novels in middle school, which combined her passion for romance, drama, and fantasy. She writes exciting plot lines, steamy love scenes and always falls for a strong male with a soft heart. She lives in Houston, Texas, with her husband and adult triplets and loves to hear from readers. Readers can email me at: [email protected] Mizardauthor (@mizardauthor) / X (twitter.com) Margaret Izard Author (@mizardauthor) • Instagram photos and videos If this is your first time here, welcome to my fire. If it's not, then thank you for coming back and spending time with me. We are in the midst of the “Dog Days” of summer. This refers to the hot and humid weather during the summer months starting July 3rd and ending August 11th. And let me tell you it's been both hot and humid already. In New Jersey, we call it the Three H's. Hazy, hot, and humid. But the fire must go on. So please enjoy today's guest and her latest book.  Above the Abyss Book Two of the Beartooth Chronicles by Kim McMahill Release June1 8, 2024 Teen/Young Adult Dystopian Sci-Fi Adventure PG-13 The residents of Beartooth have survived the first round of stratospheric aerosol injections intended to cool the planet, but predators have found their way to the community for the first time, and their closest neighbor is now ruled by an extremist faction. Outside of Beartooth, Ash and Caleb Solomon encounter a group of geologists seeking refuge from the violence, division, hate, and corruption plaguing the nation. And the Continuity in Crisis Bill suspending elections during times of crisis has passed, effectively ending democracy in America, pushing the country toward civil war. Despite the many challenges within and outside their isolated, mountain community, abandoning Beartooth is no longer an option. Most of its residents believe their location above the abyss will protect them from predators, dangerous neighbors, and a country in crisis, but Ash and Caleb have seen and heard too much to ever feel safe again. Grab your Copy today Amazon: https://amzn.to/3Vvf1Ni Barnes and Noble: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/above-the-abyss-kim-mcmahill/1145691119?ean=2940185971802 Kobo: https://www.kobo.com/us/en/ebook/above-the-abyss Smashwords: https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/1573463 Apple Books: https://apple.co/45gresp Google Play: https://play.google.com/store/books/details/Kim_McMahill_Above_the_Abyss?id=G8UMEQAAQBAJ The Story Behind the Story. Nearly all of my writing is influenced by my childhood, and the places I’ve lived as an adult. I grew up in a rural community surrounded by millions of acres of public land. My family lived in the country, grew much of our own food, hunted, fished, and had many animals to care for and love. These experiences often find their way into my stories. College, careers, and travel took my husband and I on an amazing journey around the U.S. and the world, but we’ve finally returned home. Some of the places we enjoyed growing up have become overrun with people, but there is still plenty of remote, rugged, and beautiful places to explore, including the area where I based the fictional community of Beartooth. There are Beartooth Mountains, the Beartooth Highway, and Beartooth Pass, but there is no community except between the pages of my novels in The Beartooth Chronicles. Currently, the Beartooth Highway is closed from about October to Memorial Day each year due to extreme amounts of snow. But what if all of the glaciers melted? What if the climate changed enough to allow year-round gardening at 9,000 feet in elevation? And what if our society collapsed? In The Beartooth Chronicles, a group of individuals establish a mountain community away from a country riddled with violence and hate. The home they’ve created has provided a safe and comfortable existence, but as environmental disasters continue to multiply, bringing out the worst of humanity, the residents find themselves faced with a series of challenges that will test their ability to survive. I hope you will join Ashley, Caleb, and the residents of Beartooth in this epic dystopian saga of survival, courage, love, and finding hope in the midst of natural and environmental threats and social collapse. The first novel in the series, Refuge from the World, was released in March and is currently on sale for just $2.99 (ebook). The second, Above the Abyss, was just released, the third in the series is scheduled for fall of 2024.  About the Author
Kim McMahill started out writing nonfiction, but her passion for adventure, stories of survival against the odds, and speculating about the future of humanity and our planet, soon turned her attention towards fiction. Along with her novels, she has published over eighty travel and human-interest articles, and contributed to a travel story anthology. Growing up in a beautiful mountain west community, traveling the world, and enjoying a rewarding career with the National Park Service, has given her the opportunity to live in amazing places, experience incredible adventures, and witness many changes in our world, all of which have helped shape her stories. To learn more about Kim and her writing, visit https://KimMcMahill.blogspot.com, where there is a sign-up form for her newsletter, or follow her on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/KimMcMahillAuthor/, twitter at https://twitter.com/kimmcmahll, or Instagram at https://www.instagram.com/kimmcmahill/. From D.V. I don't know about you, but everytime I see this cover I stop in my tracks. It's simply lovely. And for ONE DAY only. The ebook is on sale for only .99. That day is today!  Pieces of Blue by Liz Flaherty Life comes in shades of blue... For all of her adult life, loner Maggie North has worked for bestselling author Trilby Winterroad, first as his typist, then as his assistant, and finally as his ghost writer. Throughout her first marriage, widowhood, remarriage, and divorce from an abusive husband, Trilby was the constant in her life. When he dies, she inherits not only his dachshund, Chloe, but a house she didn’t know existed on a lake she’d never heard of. On her first visit, she falls in love with both the house and the lake. Within a few weeks, she’s met most of the 85 inhabitants of Harper Loch and surprisingly, become a part of the tiny community. Her life expands as does a new kind of relationship with her friend Sam Eldridge. She finally feels not only at home, but safe. Until her ex-husband is released from prison. The fragile threads of her new life begin to fray, and that feeling of safety is about to shatter into a thousand pieces. Buy Links: Just for today, the ebook edition of Pieces of Blue is on sale for 99 cents! Books2Read: https://books2read.com/FlahertyBlue Amazon: https://a.co/d/eyEjPDA Backstory about the story. My friend Tami said Town Lake was there and had been for…well, she had no idea how long. But it was less than 10 miles from my house, less than five from where I grew up. How could I not have known it was there? My sister said that of course it was there. Where had I been? So my husband and I turned where she said to, just south of Akron, Indiana. “It’s a T road. You can’t miss it.” Even with its small green sign identifying Town Lake road, we could and did miss it. But there it was—the lake I’d never heard of and had possibly insisted wasn’t even there. That few-minute trek back a dead-end road introduced me to what a reader named Harper Loch. Not everything in Pieces of Blue happens there—there are only 86 people on the lake, one store, one church, and one beauty salon, after all—but Placer, the town closest to it, strongly resembles Akron. Akron is where my doctor’s office is, where I go to church, where two of my nieces live, where I used to sit at the drugstore counter and drink a small coke and talk to friends. My first bra and many pairs of stockings came from Eber’s Five & Ten. They have a great 4th of July parade and a pretty little park like the one you’ll read about in Maggie’s story. Between the lake that wasn’t there and the town I’ve taken for granted for my entire life, one of my favorite settings was born. I hope you enjoy meeting Harper Loch’s residents in Pieces of Blue. It’s out today and its ebook version is just 99 cents today!  About the author.
Liz Flaherty has spent the past several years enjoying not working a day job, making terrible crafts, and writing stories in which the people aren’t young, brilliant, or even beautiful. She’s decided (and has to re-decide most every day) that the definition of success is having a good time. Along with her husband of lo, these many years, kids, grands, friends, and the occasional cat, she’s doing just that. You can reach her at [email protected] She’d love to hear from you. Follow Liz. Website: http://lizflaherty.net/ Amazon: https://tinyurl.com/3en2uufe Linktree: https://linktr.ee/LizFlaherty |
Your Host D.V. StoneAward winning multi-genre author and blogger. Fantasy, romance, mid-grade. Nothing better than a campfire, book, and glass of wine. Okay maybe there is.📚 Follow Me!
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