Hi, my name is D. V. Stone. I am a multi-genre author who also enjoys reading across genres. On this page you'll meet a great group of writers and get an insider's view into their lives and books. I hope you enjoy this special peek and find new and exciting reads.
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![]() Who –I was born in the middle of a blinding spring snowstorm at the University of Michigan, which forced my mother to walk across campus in the snow to the hospital while in labor. I don’t remember any of this auspicious beginning, but it always makes for a good story! As a child, I moved across the country six times to various big cities before the age of fourteen. At college I met and married my love and moved to his small hometown in southern Ohio. At the time I didn’t know how I could live in a place where the stop light went on flasher at 11 o’clock, but now you couldn’t get me out of here with a crowbar! I taught first grade and fourth grade and raised my children who did not have to change schools even once. Interests – History has always been one of my loves. I am fascinated by the people from the past and how they lived. Much of history falls under the category of “You Can’t Make This Stuff Up!” and lends itself to some interesting stories. My favorite thing to do is find a real historical event and drop my characters into it and see how they fare. My two fiction books published by The Wild Rose Press, Steadfast Will I Be and By Promise Made, are set in the 1500s in Scotland during the reigns of King James V and his daughter, Mary, Queen of Scots. Network/Support System – My biggest support system is my family and friends. Before Covid-19, I spent time having lunch, enjoying movies, attending church, going to a Bible Study, and golfing with my friends in Ohio and those in Florida where we spend our winters. This pandemic is hard on everyone, but email, Skype, and Facebook streaming have been a big help for me. My niece and granddaughter, along with several of my friends, serve as my Beta Readers. Their input has been invaluable. I have also depended on my editor at The Wild Rose Press, Eilidh MacKenzie. Not only has she improved my writing, her own Scottish background has helped me give my stories an authentic flair beyond my research. Desk – I am lucky to have my own office. Originally intended as a Mother-in-Law suite, after my husband and I decided that neither of our mothers-in-law would be moving in, it became my office. Every other week I clean it up so the cleaning people can do their job, but the rest of the time I have papers, etc. stacked everywhere. I can usually find whatever I’m looking for even if it takes me awhile, and as A.A. Milne said, “One of the advantages of being disorganized is that one is always having surprising discoveries.” Outrageous Talent – The first time I was onstage in a community theater production of “Guys and Dolls,” I realized that I wanted to play all the parts. As a writer, I can do that. My time on stage the last fifteen years has been with a music and drama ministry called “LightReaders.” We are a small troupe that, until the pandemic hit, traveled around to churches and nursing homes with programs of music and Biblical drama. I have played Jonah’s wife looking for ship insurance, an angel trying to figure out Christmas, and the bleeding woman who touched Jesus’s robe, among many other roles. I have written most of the sketches we present, and we find accompaniments for the music. Some people think this is “outrageous” and would never get up in front of others, but the influence Christian drama has on other people resonates with me. ![]() Window – The entire backyard of our house is untamed forest. It gives us complete privacy in the spring and summer, is colorful in the fall, and serenely beautiful in the winter. My granddaughter made the paper butterfly hanging off the sill in preschool. ![]() BLURB FROM BY PROMISE MADE Hugh Cullane, accused of murder and sentenced to hang, is forced to deliver a message of betrothal to four-year-old Queen Mary of Scotland. He faces death yet again when, in rejecting the proposal, the queen's guardian orders his severed head sent back to England in a jar. Trained to protect her queen at all costs, Katherine Payne can show no mercy to the handsome messenger, despite the way his stolen kiss unsettles her single-minded sense of duty. Trapped between the English and Scottish armies, she must escape with Mary. Hugh joins her as they are chased by men determined to murder the young queen in their own quest for power. EXCERPT Musselburgh, east of Edinburgh on the Firth of Forth, 1547 Death circled him like a vulture. Hugh Cullane, on his knees in chains and surrounded by her guards, gaped at the queen’s guardian in disbelief. How could this be happening to him? All he wanted was to get back to his family home at Makgullane in the southern Highlands. All he had intended was to stop here at Fawside Castle, deliver his message from the duke, and head for home. He’d already wasted five years of his life, gambling and carousing in London. It was time to go home. “Why?” he beseeched her. “Ye will be beheaded in the morning,” she repeated calmly as if she were ordering porridge for her morning meal, “because the Duke of Somerset abuses his power as regent for the young English king Edward, and because he thinks our babe, Queen Mary, has no one to protect her. He will soon find out how wrong he is.” Hugh’s breath came in quick gasps. “I was sent from London to offer a proposal of marriage between Queen Mary of Scotland and King Edward VI of England. Surely ye can see the advantage of joining the two countries peacefully.” She spit out the words. “Peacefully? Ha! Somerset thinks he can marry off four-year-old Mary to a nineyear-old child they call king. ’Tis obscene! He doesna want a marriage. He wants Scotland to fall at his feet. He’s a loon! Yer head will send a message that his ruthlessness will be returned with equal ruthlessness.” “But I didna come to conquer Scotland,” he implored her. “Can ye no’ hear my brogue? I am a Scot, same as ye.” “After all these years of invasion by old King Henry, why would Somerset send only a single messenger? And a Scot to boot? Do ye think me an amadan?” “Nay, mistress!” He was the amadan for leaving Makgullane and the adopted father he loved. The woman continued to rant at him. “Our land has been ravaged by war over a tiny babe, and still, even after Henry’s death, ye want to slaughter us. The Duke of Somerset is a brutal man who will get the same in kind. Yer head in a jar will show him exactly that!” “Please, mistress, I merely came as ordered on the demand of wee King Edward. I had no choice but to come.” “Then ye will have no choice but to die. Take him away.” http://www.amazon.com/dp/B07S3Q1FK6 https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/steadfast-will-i-be-susan-leigh-furlong/1131669297?ean=2940161211540 https://www.susanlfurlong.com/ https://www.facebook.com/SusanLeighFurlong/ https://twitter.com/FurlongLeigh ![]() Who- I’m Jan Scarbrough, a romance writer from Louisville, Kentucky. I never settled on what I loved to write, so I have contemporary romances, Western contemporary romances, one medieval, and a couple paranormal Gothic romances. I’ve been a high school English teacher and a technical writer. I’m currently retired and appreciate, in this time of the pandemic, that I don’t have to get up in the morning and drive downtown to work or boot up a laptop and work from home. Interests- Outside of writing, I enjoy a weekly horseback riding lesson. It’s Kentucky, after all! A lesson is an easy way to get a “horse fix” without actually owning a horse. Over the years, I’ve owned three American Saddlebreds, the breed I love to ride. I also volunteer with a not-for-profit organization called Alley Cat Advocates, a group formed to provide a means of spaying and neutering unowned cats. Trap-Neuter-Return is the most effective way to stabilize and reduce the unowned cat population. This humane method identifies an unowned cat or colony, humanely traps the cat(s), spays or neuters them, and returns them to their environment. I enjoy working with the volunteers and helping the caretakers who really love the stray, “community” cats they feed. Network- I am a member of Novelist, Inc., a professional network for career novelists. My most immediate network is a group of 23 multi-published authors who have formed a blog and visit with readers in a Facebook group. This summer several of us created a short story set called Last Chance Beach: Summer’s End. It’s on Kindle Unlimited, but only 99 cents if you don’t belong. We came up with a FREE Cocktails on Last Chance Beach. That was fun making my cocktail, getting my husband to photograph it, and then drinking it! Desk- I’ve taken over one of the kid’s unused bedrooms to create my writing room. It’s full of bookcases, books, and file cabinets. Periodically, I go through my notes and research and purge. I have a big box of to-be-shred paper. My computer desk sometimes is crowded. My cat Folly likes to share my writing space. I have a MacBook Air. We’re an all Apple family. Outrageous- As noted, I love horses. When I retired, I decided to buy into a syndicate to own a thoroughbred racehorse. My guy is named Fire Marshall Bill. I own 1.5 per cent of him! He’s won one race, come in second once and third once. He’s three years old but didn’t make the Kentucky Derby. I have a friend who bought into another syndicate. Her horse, Authentic, actually WON the Kentucky Derby. Window- When I look out the window, I see my suburban neighborhood and the ranch house across the street. A church is nearby and often church bells ring and school children walk home. I also enjoy feeding wild birds and planting flowers for pollinators. When I look out to my back yard, I see my bird feeders and flowers, a bit faded because of the autumn weather. ![]() One of Jan's editorial staff is Folly, the cat, on her computer. ![]() My new 4 book series, available at all ebook stores, is called Ghost Mountain Ranch. Hank, the first book in the series is free, but you must read the second book, Darby, to find out if Hank gets his romantic happily-ever-after ending. The Ghost Mountain Ranch The secrets of the past still haunt the living… HANK: On Christmas Eve, Hank accepts the job of ranch foreman over the mountains in the Gallatin Canyon, Montana. But something dark is happening at the Ghost Mountain Ranch, where the past is reaching out in dangerous ways to haunt the living. https://books2read.com/u/49PaEM DARBY: Thirty years ago, Darby Heston fled her family’s Montana dude ranch. Now she must return to help her father. Would the boyfriend she’d abandoned still be there? Hank Slade has never stopped loving Darby, but is he willing to risk his heart again? Secrets tore them apart once. Given a second chance at love, will more shocking secrets from the past destroy their hopes for the future? https://books2read.com/Darby Bio Jan Scarbrough writes heartwarming contemporary romances about home and family, single moms and children, and if the plot allows, about another passion—horses. Living in the horse country of Kentucky makes it easy for Jan to add small town, Southern charm to her books and the excitement of a Bluegrass horse race or a competitive horse show. Her newest contemporary western romance series is the Ghost Mountain Ranch. Jan leaves her contemporary voice behind with two paranormal gothic romances, Timeless and Tangled Memories. Her historical romance, My Lord Raven, is a medieval story of honor and betrayal. A member of Novelist, Inc., Jan self-publishes her books with her husband’s help. WEBSITE | NEWSLETTER | TWITTER | BOOKBUB Amazon Author Page ![]() Who – I’m Marilyn Barr, paranormal romance author, homeschool mom, energetic healer, and daydreamer. My degrees are in molecular biology, chemical engineering, and physics (master’s level) with an emphasis on particle dynamics, so I’m an uber-nerd. My house has several large whiteboards in each room like the guys on the Big Bang Theory. After college, I became a microbiologist and studied the aerosol properties of microbes, vaccines, and therapeutic substances. I just love droplets and dust. They dance their own beat. My job was to design inhalers and devices to engineer the droplets to deposit in certain areas of the respiratory system. The job got too taxing on my body, so I became a high school science teacher – then I learned the real meaning of tired! Interests – I have a passion for wellness and health. As an autoimmune warrior, I have tried everything to keep my ulcerative colitis in remission. I keep an open mind and try every fad diet, miracle cure, exercise regiment, and spiritual practice. Yes, I sleep with a bag of rocks (crystals) in my pillowcase. Each rabbit hole teaches me more about the ultimate system - the human body and spirit. Recently I was certified as a level two Reiki Practitioner and started Shamanic Journeying classes. With my background in particle physics, it makes sense to me that our bodies live in a sea of energetic waves and ions. However, the idea of mind over matter did not hit me with true force until I met my spirit guides. I quote some of my spirit guides in my upcoming book “Dance to a Wylder Beat”. In the book, Nartan (Arapaho for Dance) has rejected his destiny as a Shaman for the safer life as a leather tanner and settler in 1878 Wyoming. When he tries to complete his idyllic homestead with a mail-order bride, his spirit guides intervene and lead him back to his spiritual path. Network – The Kentuckiana Romance Writers (KRW) and members of Leah’s Writing Lab are my biggest supporters. From advice on marketing to reading my drafts repeatedly, these ladies have been with me every step of my writing journey. On November 21st, 2020 I will be presenting virtually for KRW on Writing Characters with Differences and you are welcome to join us. We will be navigating the minefield of appropriate language when a character has a disability, such as Alison’s SPD in my debut novel “Bear with Me” or Aurora’s injury in “Round of Applause”. As someone with a sensory processing disorder and a son on the autism spectrum, I wish to see more neurodiversity in romance. Inclusion and acceptance are the main themes in my Strawberry Shifters series. This can’t happen if writers are too afraid of backlash to cast these characters not as sidekicks or victims, but as heroes in their own right. Desk – My desk is buried under homeschool projects. My ten-year-old has never been to school so his classroom is my office. He’s a mini-philosopher and poet, so the room is covered with books, notebooks of scribble, printed verse, and empty coffee cups. He would steal sips of my coffee until I started giving him his own mug. To avoid adding to the chaos, I write in my kitchen. I belly-up to the kitchen counter and sit lotus-style on a stool writing from 5 am to 9 am when my Future-Socrates rolls out of bed. Outrageous Tidbit – Well, so far, I don’t send my child to school and talk to spirits. Are you weirded out yet? When my son was three-years-old and very sick (deemed too sick for school), his doctor suggested using a DNA tracing website to see if any genetic diseases run in my family. I was adopted at birth and had zero family history. My son adamantly refused to spit in the tube after I opened it, so I took the test in his place. A month later I got an email asking if I wanted to link my results with my mother’s results. It took me a week to stop freaking out enough to answer. In the meantime, my biological mother emailed me with a request to talk. At age 35, I met my biological mother in person. Yes, she is as weird as me and we are besties. Someday I will write our story as part of the Strawberry Shifters series when one of the residents finds their adopted child. Window – Outside my window is one of the wild forests of Kentucky. I moved here five years ago without ever stepping foot in the state, just like my own voice's character, Alison in “Bear with Me”. Our little piece of suburbia is surrounded by horse farms and it is common to see horses running along the fence at the back of our property. This time of year, you can hear the music of birds migrating through our area from small hummingbirds to large owls. The feeders outside my kitchen window are often visited by bats, squirrels, chipmunks, frogs, moles, raccoons, skunks, and sometimes the intended birds. I feel like a fairytale princess when I step out onto our balcony because I’m instantly surrounded by woodland creatures. None of them will do dishes though. I checked. ![]() Blue eyes, dimples, and silky brown hair; Grant Luther has all of Alison's weaknesses. When he asks for one last chance to save their marriage, she agrees to relocate their family to isolated Strawberry, Kentucky in pursuit of his career dreams. Grant views Alison's sensory issues as limitations and protects her from outside threats. When he finds his new job includes changing him into a shifter in a war against the soul-sucking Sluagh he vows to keep the changes a secret. What he doesn't know is Alison has been hiding a magical secret of her own. One that makes her a target of the Sluagh. Will Alison emerge from Grant's shadow to protect her family? And can Grant learn that being different can be a strength not a weakness? Amazon Barnes & Noble Google Play iTunes KOBO ![]() Coming Soon!!! Release Date: 12/7/2020 How much do you owe the guy who rescues you from the slaugh fortress? Aurora Turner embarks on a post-graduate adventure to find her forever family only to be captured by the Sluagh, soul-sucking Fae exiles. While she is grateful to be rescued by the Strawberry shifters, her Prince Not-So-Charming is a little hasty when he starts picking out their wedding china. Destiny gives James Martin a second chance at love. Aurora may prove to be more of a hazard to herself than the Sluagh ever were. He has the daunting task of keeping her away from sharp objects, and from ogling his best friend, Nate. Nate Wagner is shocked when Aurora passes the prophesized shifter smell test identifying her as his mate. The beta male competes against the mature courtship skills of James with his own modern twist. However, will his devotion to James keep her out of his arms or will they create their perfect family—one they never dreamed of? Author Bio: Marilyn Barr currently resides in the wilds of Kentucky with her husband, son, and rescue cats. When engaging with the real world, she is collecting characters, empty coffee cups, and unused homeschool curricula.She has a diverse background containing experiences as a child prodigy turned medical school reject, biodefense microbiologist, high school science teacher, homeschool mother of a savant, and advocate for the autistic community. She would love to hear from readers via her website: www.marilynbarr.com. Social Media Links: website Amazon author profile Goodreads BookBub ![]() Who- Hi, my name is Pamela S Thibodeaux and I write Inspirational “with an edge” romance and women’s fiction as well as creative non-fiction. I am a mother, grandmother and a licensed insurance agent. Interests- I LOVE to travel! In the last five years I’ve travelled all over the United States visiting National parks and other places of interest. One of my most favorite places I’ve visited was Churchill Downs where the Kentucky Derby is run. Network– I’m the Co-Founder and a lifetime member of Bayou Writer’s Group in Lake Charles, Louisiana. Previous affiliations include ACFW and RWA. Desk– Oh my….my desk is always a bit messy but luckily using a laptop allows me to work at any number of places. Outdoors – although my work keeps me inside, I love the outdoors. Hiking in the mountains or hills, walks along the beach, horseback riding, badminton and cornhole. I’d rather cut grass than clean house if it gets me outside LOL! Window– Since Hurricane Laura swept through our area August 27th, about the only thing you see outside any window in SW Louisiana is a heartbreaking mess. But we will survive and come back #LouisianaStrong ![]() Since the blog tour for My Heart Weeps is complete, today I’ll give you a peek into my upcoming release, Tempered Truth, the last installment in my Tempered Series which is in the final editing stage and will be release later this year. Blurb: Fate declared them neighbors. Scandal insisted they were brothers. The fact that they looked enough alike to be twins only added fuel to the rumors flying about their parentage. For fifty-plus years Craig Harris and Scott Hensley have enjoyed a bond nothing can sever. Not the insinuations that they share the same father. Not the years of strife and grief and heartache. Not even death. Will the truth set them free or will it destroy the friendship that has lasted a lifetime? Excerpt: September 18, 2001 Scott Hensley sat in the den of his Louisiana home, his heart heavy, overwhelmed with the same sense of shock and grief that rocked the nation. Upstairs, his wife, Katrina, nursed his infant daughter while his sons did homework in their rooms. All normal activities in a world that was far from normal. One week ago, on a beautiful fall morning much like this one, terrorists waged an attack on America the likes of which he’d never expected to see in his lifetime. Scott sat in frozen horror as the events were reenacted on the television. He hated seeing the terror and panic over and over yet found it hard to tear himself away. Since that day, his wife had been in tears, his sons subdued and afraid, their innocence stripped away by an unknown evil. Only his three-month-old daughter remained innocent. His adopted daughter Lexie, due to make him a grandfather by year’s end, called daily just to hear their voices and to reassure herself–and his friends of a lifetime, the family she had married into–of their wellbeing. Scott’s mind wandered back to another act of terrorism nearly twenty years ago that had deeply affected his life. He’d been on a three-month mission in South America. During his second month there, his family flew down to visit him—his mother and father always so proud, and Melissa, his wife. The memories surfaced as though it happened yesterday… The airplane rising boldly against a brilliant summer sky…the sound of an explosion…the sight of that ball of fire and black smoke billowing out of the plane as it spiraled toward the earth to crash into a crumbled heap of burning metal and flesh. Scott felt the same sense of loss and helpless anger now as he had then. That their deaths were still considered a senseless and unsolved act of terrorism only added to the grief he’d carried in his heart for so long. That grief surfaced now, with his country and its freedom under attack. Find out more about the other books in Pam’s Tempered series on her website or Amazon Author Page. If you’re an audio book lover, Tempered Hearts, Tempered Dreams and Tempered Fire (books 1, 2 & 3) of the series are available now on Audible. Book 4, Tempered Joy, is in production and will be available in time for Christmas! Author bio: Award-winning author, Pamela S. Thibodeaux is the Co-Founder and a lifetime member of Bayou Writers Group in Lake Charles, Louisiana. Multi-published in romantic fiction as well as creative non-fiction, her writing has been tagged as, “Inspirational with an Edge!” ™ and reviewed as “steamier and grittier than the typical Christian novel without decreasing the message.” Sign up to receive Pam’s newsletter and get a FREE short story! Links: Website address: http://www.pamelathibodeaux.com Blog: http://pamswildroseblog.blogspot.com Newsletter: http://bit.ly/psthibnewsletter Face Book: http://facebook.com/pamelasthibodeaux https://www.facebook.com/pamelasthibodeauxauthor Amazon Author Page: http://amzn.to/1jUVcdU Twitter: http://twitter.com/psthib @psthib Pinterest: http://www.pinterest.com/pamelasthibodea/ BookBub: https://www.bookbub.com/authors/pamela-s-thibodeaux Instagram: https://instagram.com/pamelasthibodeauxauthor |
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October 2021
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