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Linda Nightingale ~*~ Musings

~ Author, Romance & Dark Fantasy

Linda Nightingale ~*~ Musings

Monthly Archives: June 2014

Wildflower by Kyle Taylor

26 Thursday Jun 2014

Posted by Linda Nightingale in Uncategorized

≈ 9 Comments

Tags

animal trainer, Babette, circus, Drag queen, entertainer, female impersonator, Goddess Fish Productions, Round Rock, Texas, trapeze artist

VBT Wildflower Banner copy (3)

Kyle is offering a $25 Amazon gift card to the commenter who leaves the best question or comment!  Ask away!!

“Wildflower”:   What it’s like being different in a small town, how did he escape and, after becoming famous, did he ever return?

6_24 barbette man ray 1 (2)When I started researching Barbette’s life, I sought to answer those very questions.  Writing historical fiction of course you are able to take creative liberties, but I needed to understand the essence of who Vander Clyde Broadway was as a child as well as his impressions of Round Rock and Central Texas.

In an interview with The New Yorker magazine in the late 1960’s Barbette expressed his disdain for Austin and its crudity. Excepting his own family, he otherwise was not fond of the area. I went to the Round Rock library and was able to find a lovely childhood account of Barbette from a woman who Barbette used to walk to school every day. She noted his sweetness. Other accounts spoke about his walking his mother’s clothes line in the back yard and putting on magic shows.

Barbette was a slight child with ears that stuck out a bit from his head. In my imagination, getting his mother’s creativity and imagination, coupled with a gentle heart and smallish size, I felt he would have been picked on.

Barbette’s mother married Samuel Loving in 1906. We don’t know what happened to Barbette’s real father only that he died when Barbette was younger. Loving was one of Teddy Roosevelt’s Rough Riders during the Spanish American war. He was a real man’s man. In my imagination, precocious Vander Clyde must have tried his nerves. I felt the two were very different men, yet both seemed pretty hard-headed as well. How could Samuel Loving tolerate a tight-rope walking son under his roof?

Barbette himself says that when the circus came to Austin it changed his life. He begged his 6_27 barbette (2)mother to permit him to run away and join the circus.  (Another indication of his treatment?) She told him he was free to go as soon as he finished his high school studies. Barbette said he doubled up his studies and left Round Rock at sixteen.

I found documentation that when Barbette was a sensation in Europe, he started purchasing property in Texas. He was a top-paid act in the Roaring Twenties. He boasted he travelled with twenty eight trunks, a maid and a maid for the maid. He was big time.  Was buying Texas property a shrewd investment or sweet revenge or a bit of both?

After twenty years or so on the stage, it all came to an end, when Barbette got sick while performing at Manhattan’s Loew’s State Theater. He contracted polio. He decided on a radical and painful treatment plan that depleted his savings.  His career as a performer was over.

Barbette is listed on the 1940 census in Round Rock as living with his mother and Samuel Loving as well as other siblings. Imagine how crushing it must have been for him to see all that he worked for come to an end and then winding up back in Round Rock—a flamboyant peacock amongst the grackles. What must the town’s folk have thought about Barbette, a man who dressed up like a woman for a living, coming home?

6_27 barbette2 (2)The genius of Barbette was his creativity and inner strength. As much as he was a runt, I like to think of him as a tough-as-nails Texas runt. Famous Broadway director John Murray Anderson (Ziegfeld Follies) demanded that Barbette direct the aerial ballets for the Ringling Circus when he is hired by John Ringling to oversee the entire production in the early 1940’s. (They had worked together on the Broadway show Jumbo when Barbette was a performer.  Here is a link to the film footage of a preview:  http://www.frequency.com/video/barbette-december-19-1898-august-5-1973/115079354/-/5-5961174) After a year and a half of operations and recovery, Barbette created an ethereal spectacle using over fifty women entwined in silk ropes and other hanging apparatuses swirling about the big top. It launched his second career as a director and trainer of female aerialists in the circus, stage productions and films.

All the while, when Barbette wasn’t on the road, he returned to Austin to reside with his sister Mary and her family. It’s no wonder he desired being on the road, taking on productions into his seventies until his body finally gave out. On the road he was free, free to be Barbette.

After he fell and became partially immobile, Barbette took his own life back in Texas at his sister Mary’s home. He was buried in the Loving family plot, right by his mother and Mary.

~~~~~

BLURB:  

“More fun than a sex party!” — BarbetteMEDIA KIT Barbette Book Cover v8-page-0 - Copy (2)

Long before Ru Paul  eyed his first pair of six inch stilettos or Boy George donned his colorful caftan, a handsome young man from the small town of Round Rock, Texas barnstormed the stages of Europe’s most lavish theaters and night clubs as Barbette, a beautiful aerialist drag queen who became a scandalous sensation throughout the Roaring Twenties.

Performing his erotic, high wire and trapeze routine in lavish, feminine regalia, Barbette shocked audiences by revealing the true nature of his gender at the very end of his act.

From a child who picked cotton and walked his mother’s clothes line to headlining at the Moulin Rouge in spectacular drag,  Wildflower reveals long-forgotten secrets of this enigmatic performer: his arrest in London on morals charges, his bout with polio, his infamous collaborations with some of Hollywood’s greatest stars— Orson Welles, Vincente Minnelli, and Judy Garland, Jack Lemmon, and Tony Curtis as well as his hidden affair with French surrealist  Jean Cocteau.

Wildflower captivates with every page, dramatically revealing the startling and at times heart-breaking story of Round Rock’s first and greatest drag queen.

EXCERPT

Crowning the side of her head was the smartest crimson hat Vander had ever seen. If her appearance wasn’t striking enough, there was the matter of the fully grown cheetah walking alongside her. Lean and slinking on a sparkling chain attached to a jeweled collar, the cheetah most certainly put the woman over the top. Passersby cleared a path for the woman and her wild animal as she made way down the street—the woman’s head held high and mischievously proud, pretending not to notice the commotion she was causing as she made way.

“Please! Stop looking at her!” Radiguet begged.

“Josephine!” Cocteau remarked with some excitement and knowing. “Your only true competitor—the great Josephine Baker! Look at how she walks down the street—African queen of the jungle! I don’t know what they are putting into the water in America to grow such exotic flowers as you both.”

Vander was well aware of Josephine Baker. Her scandalous dance, where she only wore a skirt of bananas tied low about her hips, was the talk of Paris. If Barbette’s star shone bright, Josephine Baker was a super nova.

“She has a cheetah!” Vander exclaimed.

“Yes!” Radiguet said extremely agitated. He held his hand up to the side of his face to hide his visage from her so she would not recognize him if she turned her head toward the front window of Harry’s. “The cheetah has an unpleasant disposition!” Radiguet warned. “Chiquita is her name. She terrifies me! How Josephine is not arrested on the spot for having such an animal roaming the streets!”

6_27 Barbette-c -1924-unknown (2)Vander could do nothing by gape.

“Don’t look her way or she will come over!” Radiguet hastened.

“It is a good thing Princess Violette is at home, because you know she would have made a big fuss,” Cocteau added. “It seems the princess fancies Josephine. She excites her. She finds her fascinating.”

“In all my time in America, I’ve never seen a Negro looking like that!” Vander exclaimed. He watched Josephine move down the street, like an exotic cat herself—so strong and confident, yet her eyes were vivid and alert tingling with a hint of mirth. The woman owned the street, with or without her pet cheetah!

Then, almost directly across from Harry’s Bar, a blonde driver in a black, gold-braided uniform emerged from a long, white Rolls Royce with sweeping lines and fancy running boards. The chauffer opened the rear door to the stunning automobile. Josephine was ten paces from the car. She released the cheetah’s lead and the cat leapt inside of the auto in a single bound. Josephine smiled at her driver as she stepped into the car.

“Unbelievable!” Vander remarked, eyes wide open. “I’m not in Round Rock, Texas anymore!”

“You most certainly are not!” Cocteau replied with a flourish.

“Thank god she is driving away,” Radiguet said, quickly downing his Bloody Mary to settle his nerves.

“If there is one way to keep autograph hounds from running up, that is it!” Cocteau smiled. He too downed is midday cocktail and turned to Vander. He pushed back from the table. “Now, we must head onto our next great adventure. Vander, my dear, have you ever seen a pornographic film?” 

ABOUT THE AUTHOR: 

Kyle Taylor is the author of Wildflower, Exposition and Billion Dollar Dreamer. The Kyle Taylor character debuted in Billion Dollar Dreamer as a journalist who was assigned to write a story about high school history teacher cum overnight billionaire John Driskil. He resides in New York—and of course he is a work of fiction! You can contact Kyle at BillionDollarDreamer@gmail.com.  

Book Trailer on Youtube:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DuvxqzmRVqA

Author Web Page: http://www.billiondollardreamer.com/

Author Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100002247108853&ref=tn_tnmn

Buy the book at

http://www.amazon.com/Wildflower-Dramatic-Barbette–Round-Rocks-Greatest/dp/1494839598/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1401327093&sr=8-1&keywords=wildflower+kyle+taylor

http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/wildflower-kyle-taylor/1119333421?ean=9781494839598

VBT Wildflower Book Cover Banner copy (2)~~~~~~

Don’t forget the $25 Gift Card and comment! What an interesting book requiring a comment.  Follow Kyle’s tour at http://goddessfishpromotions.blogspot.com/2014/04/virtual-book-tour-wildflower-by-alan.html

 

 

 

 

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Evidence of Trust by Stacey Joy Netzel

22 Sunday Jun 2014

Posted by Linda Nightingale in Uncategorized

≈ 3 Comments

Tags

book series, Colorado, Colorado Trust series, Cowboys, Goddess Fish Promotions, horses, new york times best selling author, park ranger, poachers, romance, romantic suspense, western romance, westerns, wrangler

This post is part of a virtual book tour organized by Goddess Fish Promotions. Stacey will be awarding a $20 gift card (winners choice) to a randomly drawn winner via rafflecopter at the end of this post. Please click the banner to see the other stops on this tour.

Sparks fly when a headstrong wrangler and an alpha park ranger are thrown together while he searches for evidence to stop the poacher killing animals in RMNP. When the monster turns his sights on Brittany, Joel discovers he’ll do whatever it takes to protect her—even give his own life.

Trust makes all the difference when love and danger collide.

Book 1 of the exciting Colorado Trust Series

Enjoy an excerpt:

Britt wasn’t sure what to think as Joel drove her back to Gina’s apartment. If Kelly wasn’t responsible for the tires, who was? Could it be the same person who’d keyed her truck?

Who hated her that much? Kelly was the only one who made sense.

She glanced over at Joel. He’d been quiet as he drove. His fingers kept flexing on the wheel and each car that approached cast his stony profile in stark relief. She wanted to go back to the teasing exchange they’d had on the phone earlier, but he was still mad at her for the confrontation at the store.

“Your friend Gina home tonight?”

“No. She texted me earlier to let me know she’s staying at Jackson’s one more night.”

“Then I’ll wait while you pack a bag. You’ll be staying at my place tonight.”

Again with the orders. Her stomach flipped over for a couple reasons. “Do you think that’s necessary? Aaron said not to go anywhere alone.”

“He also said this guy might be following you, in which case, I don’t want you alone at all. Not until we catch him.”

The severe tone of his voice sparked the anxiety she was trying to deny. Kelly she could deal with; someone else made the whole situation downright frightening. “You’re that sure it’s not Kelly?”

His hands flexed again. “I’m that sure.”

He wasn’t mad, she realized, he was worried. That didn’t help her nerves one bit, yet her heart warmed as she drew in a shaky breath. His concern strengthened her decision yesterday to give the connection between them a chance to flourish. And if her heart had any say, they might be able to make it last beyond the summer.

New York Times and USA Today bestselling author Stacey Joy Netzel is an avid reader and loves all movies with a happily ever after. She lives in Wisconsin with her family, a couple horses and some barn cats. In her limited free time she enjoys gardening, canning, and visiting her parents in Northeastern Wisconsin (Up North), at the family cabin on the lake.

Newsletter: http://bit.ly/SJNnewsletter

Website and Blog: http://www.StaceyJoyNetzel.com

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/StaceyJoyNetzel

Twitter: http://twitter.com/StaceyJoyNetzel

COLORADO TRUST SERIES

Trust makes all the difference when love and danger collide.

Evidence of Trust, Book 1 – Special Sale price $0.99 (regular $3.99)

Trust by Design, Book 2

Trust in the Lawe, Book 3

Shattered Trust, Book 4

Dare to Trust, Book 5

EVIDENCE OF TRUST

Amazon: http://bit.ly/EOT-AAmazon

Apple: http://bit.ly/EOTApple

BN: http://bit.ly/EOT-BN

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CA: http://www.amazon.ca/gp/product/B00IZMQJXM

AU: https://www.amazon.com.au/dp/B00IZMQJXM

 

a Rafflecopter giveaway

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Tuesday’s Child by Icy Snow Blackstone

21 Saturday Jun 2014

Posted by Linda Nightingale in Uncategorized

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

Class Act Books, Georgia, Icy Snow Blackstone, romance, romantic suspense, Southern Gothic Romance, Southern literature, southern romance, the South, Toni V. Sweeney

image001 (3)

Monday’s child is fair of face

Tuesday’s child is full of grace,

Wednesday’s child is full of woe,

Thursday’s child has far to go,

Friday’s child is loving and giving,

Saturday’s child works hard for a living,

But the child who is born on the Sabbath Day

Is bonny and blithe and good and gay.

 —old fortune-telling nursery rhyme, 1838

Roud Folksong Index, #19526

The answer to the mystery of Grace McAllister’s paternity lies in this nursery rhyme but she has yet to decipher it.

Tuesday’s Child is a romance but it’s also a bit of a thriller and a mystery. It’s a return to a town which was the setting for Jericho Road, a story set in the South in the Vietnam era. It’s now forty years later, and Temple, GA, is still filled with scandals…some of them completely unknown to the populace of a town where “everybody knows your name.”

Jericho Road went on to win an Honorable Mention in the 1988 National Writers Association Novel-writing contest. It was published later by The Wild Rose Press and later re-issued by Class Act Books. When I wrote Tuesday’s Child, it seemed only appropriate to return to that little Southern town to tell Grace’s story.

Grace McAllister has neither seen nor heard from her father since her mother left him twenty years before.  Now, Benjamin Troup McAllister is dead and Grace is invited to return to Temple, Georgia, for the reading of his will.  She’s in for more than the culture shock of a small Southern town, however, for not only does she inherit nothing, but her father’s will also denies his paternity.

The lawyer cleared his throat once again, more out of nervousness this time. “…the matter of Grace Stephanie McAllister…” He hesitated an instant, then continued, “If you are present at this reading, as I imagine you will be, out of curiosity, if nothing else… I leave you… Nothing.”

What? I visibly jerked. Nothing? I came all this way for nothing? Abigail’s head came up. She looked shocked. Sammi was staring from the lawyer to me.

“Though my name is on your birth certificate, you are not my daughter,” Mr. Simmons plowed on, not looking anywhere except at the will now. 

Enlisting childhood friend Mayfield Donovan, Grace attempts to find her real father.

“What are you going to do?”

“Finish my breakfast.”

“About your father?”

“You mean the real one?” He nodded. I thought about it.

“What can I do?”

“Find him.” He made it sound so simple.

As a child, May was the bully who made Grace’s life a living Hell. He knocked her down, skinned her knees, took her for a bike ride and left her to walk home alone.  As a man, May’s done an about-face. Tall, handsome, and apparently eager to help ease Grace’s pain—in any way possible—he’s there for her and ready to do whatever it takes to help her discover who her father really is. It isn’t long before the two make another very important discovery having nothing to do with their investigations…

“I don’t know what the Hell’s happening. I just know from the moment I heard you were coming back I couldn’t believe it. I wasn’t in front of the Manor by accident that day. I love you, Gracie.”

As they sift through the facts of her mother’s life and the men who loved her,  they uncover a tale of revenge, deception, and murder, and discover a truth neither wants to believe or accept…

Tuesday’s Child is a more closely-knit story because it involves only two people as opposed to Jericho Road which encompassed an entire family.  Both May and Grace’s thoughts and inner processes are important to the plot as are their relationship to each other and to everyone else in Temple, a place where everyone knows almost everything about everyone else…except in this case, the name of the man who is Grace’s father.

As a tie-in to Jericho Road, one of the characters from that novel also makes a brief but important appearance…

(In the following excerpt, Grace returns to her hotel, drowning her sorrows in Tom Colinses, and, four drinks later, that’s where May finds her…)

EXCERPT:

He was silent for exactly two seconds. “Know what you should do now?”

“Wha’?” I didn’t open my eyes.

“Go to bed. Come on.” I heard him push back his chair and stand up.

Go to bed? Great idea. I knew just who I wanted to do that with. Before I could tell him, however, I felt his hand on my arm. “Up you go, Gracie. You’re almost out. Time for beddy-bye.”

He frogmarched me outside and around the corner to his car.

I fell into the Mustang, managed to fasten my seatbelt, then sat there, eyes closed, leaning against the headrest. As before, May didn’t start the car right away, and I had a feeling he was sitting there studying me. When the engine finally came to life and we were moving, I forced my eyes open.

“I know m’ sense o’ d’rection’s slightly off-center, but isn’t th’ Manor th’ other way?”

“Give the girl two points. You’re not going back to the Manor.”

“Where’m I goin’?” I studied the buildings flying by. May was driving pretty fast for the business district but it was fairly late and maybe there were no cops lurking in one of Temple’s alleys just waiting for a certain Mustang to zoom by. No prob for me if there were. I might be snockered but I wasn’t driving. Thanks goodness.

“Home. With me.” My heart gave a jump but his next words knocked it back into place. “You don’t need to be alone tonight, Gracie.”

“Oh? Just whatcha got in min’, Mr. Donovan?”

“Nothing but your welfare, Miss McAllister.”

“Not McAllister,” I corrected, managing to squeeze out a tear that had survived being a victim of the other inundations. Now it was being sacrificed to self-pity. “I’m… Damn it, May. I dunno who I am now.”

He didn’t answer and I shut my eyes and stayed quiet. I didn’t open them until the car stopped some twenty minutes later. What I saw was the now-familiar front porch of Chez Donovan.

He had to help me out of the car. Sitting still for so long had a bad effect on my muscles. They wanted to stay relaxed. After I’d twice taken two steps and had my knees buckle, he sighed and swung me into his arms.

“Don’, May,” I managed to protest. “I’m too heavy.”

“Got that right,” he answered with an exaggerated grunt. “What do you weigh, anyway?”

“Dunno…” I managed a drunken shrug and nearly flung myself out of his arms. His grip tightened. “Hunnert…ten?”

“Is that all?” He was laughing now. “Could’ve sworn it was at least a hundred and eleven.” He carried me up the steps.

“Can you stand up while I get some sheets?”

“Gonna lemme see th’ upstairs now?”

“There are three guestrooms, Gracie.” It was said so patiently. “You can have your choice.”

“Then I wan’ th’ one you’re sleepin’ in.” There. I said it. No mistaking my meaning.

“Gracie…”

“Th’…whatchacallit?” I went on, determinedly. “Th’ Master bedroom. I wanna sleep with you, Master May.” I reached out, intending to pat his cheek. Instead, I swatted his chin.

“You’re drunk, Gracie.” Still holding onto my arm, he dodged easily. Why was I surprised he was fighting it? Could it be he didn’t want me as much as I was convincing myself I wanted him? At this point I didn’t have to do much convincing. “You don’t mean that.”

“Yep, I do, an’ no, I’m not. See?” I pushed away from him, holding up one hand, thumb and little finger pressed against my palm. “Three fingers.” I closed my eyes and tapped the end of my nose. “Co’rdination fine.” I opened my eyes again, looking up into those brilliant copper ones. “Take me upstairs, May.”

I’m so damned eloquent. Guess I convinced him. He stared at me for just one breathless moment that was so quiet we could’ve heard the beams shifting and the clock ticking on the mantel…if we’d been listening. All I could hear was May’s breathing and a louder sound coming from inside me, the pounding of my heart. It drowned out the world.

His hands slid to my waist.

Once again, as I had been when we stood in front of the fireplace after dinner, I was overwhelmed by the man that was Mayfield Donovan. In that moment, everything about him seemed overpowering, though he wasn’t moving or saying a word. I could smell the faintest scent of aftershave, something familiar but elusive I knew I should recognize but couldn’t, a fragrance giving his skin a fresh tang. There was smoke clinging to his shirt from the many cigarettes in the bar, and the barest hint of sweat, but the clean kind. In the unlighted hallway before the stairs, he was nothing but a tall, dark shape looming over me, a single lamp in the living room making enough light that I could see the glint of that bronze hair. His hands were still at my waist, warm through the thin fabric of my sundress. Vaguely I remembered how worried I’d been that morning, wondering if I looked presentable. Now? All I wanted to do was rip it off and throw my naked body at him. It hit me so hard I nearly cried out. I want this man. He might be a stranger, but he was one I’d known forever…and I wanted him.

Standing on tiptoe, I put my arms around his neck and pulled his head down, pressing my mouth to his. Our tongues touched. I tasted the residue of those three swallows of beer, mingling with all my Collins’s. It should’ve been repulsive. Instead, it was arousing. For just a moment, I felt him stiffen as if he’d pull away. Then his arms went around me and I was lifted off the floor as he straightened. I hung there, May’s grasp all that was keeping me from falling. As he gently let me go, I slid down his body until my feet touched the floor again. May’s hand on the back of my head pressed my cheek against his chest. He was breathing just a little heavier now and his heart was pounding, too, and something else. His partial erection was pressing against my stomach.

“If you’re sure?”

I nodded. There was so much heat flooding through me at that moment, I didn’t dare try to speak.

May picked me up and started up the stairs. I kept one arm around his neck, resting my forehead against his cheek.

His room was at the end of a long, wide hall. The door was open and he left it that way as we went in. Some vestige of parental admonition still lingering? He lay me on the bed as gently as he might a sleeping child. I thought of the many times he’d knocked me down. This was certainly an about-face. Had all that childhood bullying simply been a prelude to this? When did we stop being enemies, May? Are we truly ready to be lovers?

“I don’t feel right about this, Gracie.” He looked away. “I feel as if I’m seducing you.”

“Feel right about it,” I answered, making an effort to enunciate. Fine time for May to become a gentleman. I wanted this and if I had to, I’d seduce him. “I’m not drunk. I know what I’m doing. I’m not asking for comfort for today’s disaster. Frankly, I don’t know what I’m asking for, but let’s not analyze it. Just let it happen.”

“It’s not like it isn’t something I haven’t wanted to do.” He got up and began to undress. May’s movements were matter-of-fact, not well-rehearsed, no coy strip tease, titillating peeling, or hasty just-can’t-wait tearing off of garments. He just…undressed…as if it were something he did all the time when alone with me in his bedroom. Like we’d done it often. Comfortable. Familiar.

Tuesday’s Child is available from Class Act Books.

Link: http://www.classactbooks.com/index.php/component/virtuemart/romance/tuesday-s-child-pdf-detail?Itemid=0

Icy Snow Blackstone is the pseudonym of Toni V. Sweeney. She is also the author of Jericho Road, Bargain with Lucifer, Brother Devil, and Gypsy Charm, romances all set in the South. Her paranormal romance The Irish Lady’s Spanish Lover will also be released by Class Act Books later this year.

TO CELEBRATE! Icy Snow’s new release and her being my guest this week, I am awarding to one randomly drawn commenter a lovely pair of drop turquoise earrings.

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Chasing Hope by Amy Daws

19 Thursday Jun 2014

Posted by Linda Nightingale in Uncategorized

≈ 5 Comments

Tags

baby, children, dramatic novel, Goddess Fish Promotions, infertility, Mainstream Novel, miscarriage, true life stories

BBT Chasing Hope by Amy Daws copy (2)

Amy will be awarding a silver chasinghope name necklace to a randomly drawn commenter.

BLURB:  

 At 33 weeks pregnant, Amy is certain something bad will soon happen, it has too many times before. Deep down she fears it’s only a matter of time before the baby she’s carrying will die. Despite the fact that Amy has been repeatedly slapped in the face with multiple miscarriages, she still can’t seem to quiet that tiny voice in the back of her head that’s screaming at her to not give up hope.

Follow Amy’s true story as she stumbles through her journey with humor and warmth all while dealing with the neuroses that come along with getting her hopes shattered time and time again. All she has to do is close her eyes and she’s lurched back to the memories of her losses on the floor in her bathroom, in the hospital, and even at her place of work. No one knows whatPageflex Persona [document: PRS0000039_00063] the internal mind of a woman who’s lost five babies and suffered this many let downs goes through. Can Hope ever truly survive memories such as these?

Excerpt:

“You’ll need to take that necklace off before we go Amy, so don’t forget.” Nurse Micaela said as she was typing into the computer next to the bed.

My hands instantly went to touch my five gold rings hanging from an old leather strap around my neck. My five gold rings for my five angel babies. I swallowed and silently prayed I would not make another angel.

I fumbled the clasp behind my neck and suddenly, the clasp broke and all five gold rings fell to the cold linoleum floor, clinking along the bed rail on their way down. “Kevin. My rings, they fell! Oh my God,” Shock and panic washed over me. It’s a sign; a bad sign. My baby isn’t going to make it. My angels are telling me to prepare for the other shoe to drop. Another nightmare headed our way.

I sat on the side of the bed while Kevin and Micaela searched the floor to find all five. Tears threatened my lower eyelids and I whispered, “This is really bad. This can’t be good. I’m losing her Kevin,” My chin trembled and my face twisted in pain as the tears poured down my face and sobs freed themselves from my throat.

Micaela looked up at me seriously, “NO! This isn’t a bad sign. This could be a good sign. Your angels are telling you it’s time to let them go and move on. You’re having this baby Amy.”

AUTHOR INFORMATION:

MEDIA KIT AmyDawsAuthorPic-FullRes (3) Amy Daws is local network affiliate commercial producer and lives in Sioux Falls, SD with her husband, Kevin and their daughter, Lorelei. She graduated with honors from the University of Northern Iowa, despite fiercely executing her wild college-girl phase. Amy received her make-believe medical degree from the school of Google on infertility and miscarriage (that’s not a real thing). On most nights, you can find Amy and her family dancing in their living room to Strawberry Shortcake’s theme song or stuffing themselves inside children sized playhouses and then struggling to get back out because there is nothing they wouldn’t do for their little miracle. She is passionate about sharing her story and connecting with other women like her that have suffered losses and are in search of empathy and understanding. Amy held on to hope in her journey because she knew the payoff of a miracle child would be worth the wait.

http://www.amydawsauthor.com

http://www.facebook.com/chasinghopebyamydaws

BBT Chasing Hope by Amy Daws Book Cover Banner copy (2)FOR MORE CHANCES TO WIN, FOLLOW AMY AT:  http://goddessfishpromotions.blogspot.com/2014/05/blurb-blitz-tour-chasing-hope-by-amy.html

 Check out these reviews!!  http://www.amazon.com/Chasing-Hope-Mothers-Heartbreak-Miracle/dp/0990325202/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1403187145&sr=8-1&keywords=chasing+hope

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Dark Cotillion By Hadena James

16 Monday Jun 2014

Posted by Linda Nightingale in Uncategorized

≈ 11 Comments

Tags

Amazon, angels, demon, gift cards, Goddess Fish Promotions, independent authors, Kindle, paranormal, paranormal romance, romantic suspense, self-publishing, supernatural, suspense, virtual book tours, witch

NBtM Dark Cotillion Banner copy (2)

Hadena will be awarding a $25 Amazon GC to a randomly drawn commenter during the tour.

I love the title and cover for this novel and would like to introduce the author, Hadena James:

What is your greatest temptation:

In men: Green eyes, a man could be the worst person in the world and if he had green eyes, I’d still fawn over him a little.

In food:  Mexican, I have never had a time when I wasn’t in the mood for Mexican food.  When that day comes, I will know there is something terrible wrong with me.

In clothes: T-Shirts… I hate having to dress up for any reason.  And I am dorky enough that if I do have to dress up, but let’s say, I’m going to have a coat on the entire time, I’ll wear a T-Shirt under the coat with a skirt or dress pants.

What is your greatest weakness (example: buying shoes)?  My Kindle.  I resisted moving into the digital book age for a long time because I knew that it would become a problem.  Then my husband bought me a Kindle Fire for Valentine’s Day.  It allows me to read and download instant videos from Amazon.  It never leaves my side…

If you could have any kind of car, what would it be?  A Hummer, the original.  I know it isn’t environmentally friendly or even “cool” now days, but I am an accident magnet.  I was once parked at a stop light and had a guy merge into me.  My SUV was fine, his had to be towed away.  At the time, I was driving an Isuzu Rodeo, and that isn’t the first or the last time odd things like that have happened to me while driving.  So something large and well-built is a good idea for me.

Your dream home – mountains or ocean?  A forest with a pond.  I love to sit by the water and read, but I also love wandering around in the woods.

Do you ever suffer from writer’s block?  If so, how do you overcome it?  When I suffer from writer’s block it’s usually because I know what I’m about to write is going to be gruesome (I also write a thriller series) and I need to wrap my mind around all the details.  Normally, I talk through these problems with a specific group of people.  On more than one occasion, this has gotten me funny looks because the conversation has happened in public.

What are you currently working on?

I just published the 4th book in my thriller series and am diving into the first book of a new fantasy series, which I’m hoping to release in August.  However, the fantasy series is still very hush-hush.

Are you nervous about friends reading your book?

Nope, I have copies of each completed novel printed and bound to give to my friends and family before it even goes to the editor.  This ensures that I know where most of the confusing parts are and can fix them immediately.

Where are you from?

I was born and raised in Columbia, Missouri.  What I’ve discovered over the years is that I love to travel, but regardless of where I go, Columbia is my home, so I continue to live there.

If you could hop on a plane now, where would you go?

Berlin, Germany.  I went several years ago with my best friend and loved it.  We spent nine days wandering around the city.  The map seems to be permanently etched into my brain and I would go back in a heartbeat.

Have you ever been abducted by aliens?  🙂

No, if I was, I would feel sorry for the abductors.  I’m a very curious person, constantly trying to learn new things.  I would have at least a bazillion questions to ask.  And there’s a good chance I’d write a story about it.

~~~~~~~~~~

Thank you, Hadena.  Nice to know something about the author.  Now, let’s talk about Dark Cotillion and see it’s intriguing cover.

BLURB:

MEDIA KIT Dark Cotillion H James (2)Brenna Strachan is half-Demon, half-Witch and it’s the eve of her 30th birthday. This means that she will stop aging and come into all her Demon powers. But there are forces at work hoping to keep her from Maturing. They must kill her in the short time that she is mortal. If they fail, she will take her place among the most powerful beings on Earth. What will it cost her to survive?

Excerpt:

While most Demons were red, green or blue, I was purple. Not a deep, rich purple or even a dark, shimmery purple, but a soft, pastel purple, lilac to be exact.

This was where half-breeds had problems. Demons were denser than humans were. Everything was slightly larger in a Demon and more compact. The bone density of a Demon was nearly three times that of a Human. When Demons said they were big boned, they meant it. On top of that, most Demons had an impressive rack of horns. Not like deer horns, but like elephant tusks that could weigh nearly a thousand pounds all by themselves. My father kept his ground down using to make them manageable.

My pitiful horns might weigh 9 ounces. That means, I have a height complex and horn envy.

MEDIA KIT H James (2)AUTHOR Bio and Links:

I’ve been writing for over two decades and before that, I was creating my own bedtime stories to tell myself.  I penned my first short story at the ripe old age of 8.  It was a fable about how the raccoon got its eye-mask and was roughly three pages of handwritten, 8 year old scrawl.  My mother still has it and occasionally, I still dig it out and admire it.

When I got my first computer, I took all my handwritten stories and typed them in.  Afterwards, I tossed the originals.  In my early twenties, I had a bit of a writer’s meltdown and deleted everything.  So, with the exception of the story about the raccoon, I actually have none of my writings from before I was 23.  Which is sad, because I had a half dozen other novels and well over two hundred short stories.  It has all been offered up to the computer and writing gods as a sacrifice and show of humility or some such nonsense that makes me feel less like an idiot about it.

I have been offered contracts with publishing houses in the past and always turned them down.  Now that I have experimented with being an Indie Author, I really like it and I’m really glad I turned them down.  However, if you had asked me this in the early years of 2000, I would have told you that I was an idiot (and it was a huge contributing factor to my deleting all my work).

When I’m not writing, I play in a steel-tip dart league and enjoy going to dart tournaments.  I enjoy renaissance festivals and sanitized pirates who sing sea shanties.  My appetite for reading is ferocious and I consume two to three books a week as well as writing my own.  Aside from introducing me to darts, my SO has introduced me to camping, which I, surprisingly, enjoy.  We can often be found in the summer at Mark Twain Lake in Missouri, where his parents own a campground.

I am a native of Columbia, Missouri, which I will probably call home for the rest of my life, but I love to travel.  Day trips, week trips, vacations on other continents, wherever the path takes me is where I want to be and I’m hoping to be able to travel more in the future.

http://www.facebook.com/hadenajames

hadenajames.wordpress.com

@hadenajames

Newsletter:  http://forms.aweber.com/form/77/48212477.htm

Amazon:  http://www.amazon.com/Dark-Cotillion-Book-Strachan-Brenna-ebook/dp/B0093UKS82/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1395661931&sr=8-1&keywords=dark+cotillion

Barnes & Noble Nook:  http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/dark-cotillion-hadena-james/1113959473?ean=2940045115919

Barnes & Noble Print: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/dark-cotillion-hadena-james/1112797339?ean=9781479212279

NBtM Dark Cotillion Book Cover  Banner copy (2)FOR MORE CHANCES TO WIN THE $25 AMAZON GIFT CARD, FOLLOW HADENA ON HER FUN TOUR AND LEARN MORE ABOUT HER AT EACH STOP:

http://goddessfishpromotions.blogspot.com/2014/03/virtual-nbtm-book-tour-dark-cotillion.html

 

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03 Tuesday Jun 2014

Posted by Linda Nightingale in Uncategorized

≈ 5 Comments

Tags

dramatic stories, Goddess Fish Productions, nature, short story, short story collections, storms, summer, suspense, themed collections, weather

 

This stop is part of a virtual book tour organized by Goddess Fish Promotions. Jackie will be awarding a paperback edition of “Wind River Refuge” penned as J.M. Anton (US only) to a randomly drawn commenter during the tour. If the winner is international, the author will send a digital copy of Fateful Waters. Click the banner to see the other stops on the tour.

Weather is our constant companion, and when it behaves like a benevolent parent we pay little attention to it. Angry or out of control it becomes terrifying and can change the landscape as well as lives. So I asked my characters to take a ride on the wild side of weather. “Uncharted Storms” takes readers on a journey from a gentle summer rain to raging storms in the cosmos.

What if you were caught up in Uncharted Storms?

What if? Erica’s world didn’t come to an end in 2012 while she was in middle school? She manages to make it through college before an apocalyptic event changes her life forever. The science fiction story Terra Beyond 2012 shares Erica’s voyage.

What if? You and your best friend were traveling down the highway on the way home from an extended trip when you are caught in a blinding thunderstorm, and then are hit by lightning? To make matters worse you are injured, and wake in a strange world. Find out what happens to Chris in the tale Riding Lightning.

What if? You were on your way to meet a friend for dinner and caught in a flash flood? That is exactly what happens to Alexandra in the story Flashflood Texas Style.

What if? A boy you haven’t seen in two decades winds up sitting on your front porch? Find out what Casey comes up with on A Rainy Night.

What if? You were caught out in a winter storm on icy, drifted, walks and streets when a skidding car comes directly at you? Find out what happened to eighteen-year-old Annie when she is hit from behind in the short story A Tumble in the Snow.

About the Author:

Jackie Anton is the mother of two grown children, and grandmother of two. She and her husband, of forty-three years, continue to ride daily. They live on a mini-farm in rural Ohio, and share their little slice of horse heaven with two Quarter Horses, a Haflinger, a rescued dog, and a calico barn cat.

Jackie is an accomplished equestrian, with a life time of experience: as trainer, exhibitor, 4-H and youth club coach, as well as a horse show judge; the author brings many years of experience working with horses and young riders to her award winning Backyard Horse Tales Series.

Uncharted Storms: Short stories are aimed at the Young Adult and older reader. Look for more short tales in the future.

Backyard Horse Tales: Sox 2nd Edition Brings to light the mutual love between a handicapped colt and a lonely child with a learning disability. Find out how this pair team up to triumph over life’s roadblocks, and why their story won the prestigious Mom’s Choice Award of Excellence for Family Friendly Media. (Reading level age 8 thru Adult)

BYHT 2 “Frosty and the Nightstalker” was one of four finalists in the E-Book Fiction category for the Next Generation Indie Book Awards, then the paperback went on to earn the Mom’s Choice Award for Juvenile Historical Fiction.

Jackie is hard at work on BYHT 3 Don’t Call Me Love. You can catch a peek at her beautiful cover on the Backyard Horse Tales Face Book Fan Page: : http://www.facebook.com/pages/Backyard-Horse-Tales/190283981002767

Author Website: http://talesbyjackie.com/

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/jackie.anton2

FB Adult Novel Fan Page: page: http://www.facebook.com/authorjmanton?ref=hl

Email: talesbyjackie@gmail.com

Online Autographed Book Covers: http://www.authorgraph.com/authors/backyardhorse

Blog: Writing for readers in a .com world http://jackieanton.com/

Buy Uncharted Storms: Short Stories of Hearts at Risk at Smashwords, Amazon, or Barnes and Noble. Autographed Paperback Copies are available at Jackie’s Author’s Den. U.S. Readers click on the cover of your choice and follow the Signed Book link to order.

J. M. Anton (adult novels) can be purchased at Amazon.

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