Wednesday, 9 July 2014

Please welcome Haley Whitehall. She is doing an interview with Ida Page from Wild and Tender Care!

I’d like to thank fellow Liquid Silver Books author Layne Macadam for hosting me today. I’m having fun on my Wild and Tender Care release tour. Today I brought Ida Page with me to answer a few questions. She is the fiery redheaded heroine in my historical western.

Character Interview Ida Page from Wild and Tender Care

1. Can you tell me a little bit about Big Rock, Colorado?

I can tell you a lot about this growing city in Colorado Territory. Not sure you’d like my view though. It became a boom town when gold was discovered. Lots of rough men came to Big Rock and I did quite well for myself working at the Blushing Rose. Now you don’t hear as much about miners striking it rich as you used to. Families are moving in and I’m struggling to make a new place for myself.

2. What is your profession? Do you like your job?
Ha! I used to be a shady lady. Even though the Blushing Rose shut down everyone still views me as a whore. Now I take in laundry to support myself. Who really likes doing laundry? It is an honest living though.

3. You were immediately attracted to Dr. Steere. What drew you to him?
I guess every woman takes notice of a stranger in town. We met at the Independence Day picnic. He was clean-cut and handsome. His long black hair and copper skin made him stand out from the other men in attendance. I was flustered when he showed an interest in me.

4. Did it bother you that Dr. Steere is a half-breed?
No. The day we met he told me his mother had been Creek and his father a white trapper. He was orphaned at a young age. I can sympathize with that as I was raised in an orphanage myself. We quickly found we had a lot in common.

5. Did you know you had nursing skills before Dr. Steere called upon you?

No. When the smallpox epidemic broke out I just rose to the occasion. None of the other men or women in town were willing to lift a finger to help him, and I knew the poor man couldn’t tend all those patients himself.

He pressed his lips together and after a second forged on. “So if you wouldn’t mind, could I sit with you?”
She should tell him no. Make a scene and embarrass him so he never came around her again. It would be for his own good, but selfishly she wanted him to stay. The good people in town would set him straight later. Since he didn’t know about her sordid past he could not be blamed for keeping her company.
“I would like that very much, Dr. Steere.”
He sat next to her, folding his legs crisscrossed. Like an Indian. He clearly had some Indian blood mixed with the white blood in his veins. Probably a half-breed. It wouldn’t be polite to ask, and his ancestry did not bother her one bit. He took off his hat and set it in his lap.
A fluttering sensation in her chest gave her a heady rush. She had been with many men in her short lifetime, but none had given her this feeling. Swallowing a sip of punch, she wished he would hold her hand. Yes, it was a foolish notion. They weren’t children stealing a kiss in the barn loft. Everyone was watching them whether he was aware of it or not.
Finishing her plate in silence, she inhaled his masculine scent, a unique combination of the outdoors and antiseptic. It fit the doctor. She drank down the last of her punch and set the empty cup on top of her plate.
Dr. Steere stood and offered her his hand.
Hesitating a second, she let him pull her to her feet.
He glanced at the couples dancing. “Would you like to join them?”
That was a terrible idea. She didn’t want to be forced to leave the picnic, but the hope in Dr. Steere’s eyes quieted her protests. And damn it, she would like to dance. She untied her bonnet and left in the grass next to his hat. “Yes,” she said, offering a smile. “I would love to.”
He hooked his arm around hers and her body tingled. Being led across the lawn to the designated dance floor she felt like a princess. The reel ended and many of the couples left to get refreshments. The musicians switched to a slow song to give the couples remaining a chance to catch their breath.
He unwound his arm and wrapped his palm around hers, placing his other hand on her hip.
The back of her neck prickled. “I feel everyone’s eyes on us,” she whispered. The waltz was a song for lovers.
He grinned. “Let them stare. It doesn’t bother me.”
It shouldn’t bother me either. She enjoyed the warmth of his hands, the heat in his gaze, and the remnants of tobacco on his breath. Focusing on him, she blocked out the unfriendly vibes sent in her direction. Though not powerfully built, she felt the strength in his arms, his suit hiding his rippling muscles.
He peered down at her, holding her gaze. The pleasure in his dark brown eyes likely mirrored her own. For a second she forgot about her past and let herself get caught up in the music, caught up in his touch, and lost herself in his sensual smile.
The song ended, and Dr. Steere did not let her go. Again Ida knew she should protest. It would be unseemly if they danced together any longer.






Mini Blurb:
The town of Big Rock, Colorado is changing its wild-west ways, and ex-madam Ida Page and new town doctor William Steere are finding it difficult to be accepted for who they are. But when these two outcasts meet, they find their rightful place in each other’s arms. Haley Whitehall burns up the pages in her hot, new historical romance, Wild and Tender Care.
Buy Links:
Liquid Silver Books    ~    Amazon US     ~    Amazon UK     ~    Barnes and Noble     ~    ARe

Bio and Contact Links:
Haley Whitehall lives in Washington State where she enjoys all four seasons and the surrounding wildlife. She writes historical fiction and historical romance set in the 19th century U.S. When she is not researching or writing, she plays with her cats, watches the Western and History Channels, and goes antiquing. She is hoping to build a time machine so she can go in search of her prince charming. A good book, a cup of coffee, and a view of the mountains make her happy. Visit Haley’s website at http://haleywhitehall.com.



Thank you so much Haley for visiting me today. I wish you every success with your new book and I must say I love the cover!!













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Saturday, 3 May 2014

I would like to introduce M. S. Kaye and her book, Kindling the Past.


Thank you, Layne, for having me!



Welcome to my Quick Tips Blog Tour. I’ve put together ten short, easy writing tips to share. Follow my tour to see them all. Tour stops will be posted on my website: http://booksbymsk.com/?page_id=616

Quick Tip 3:

When I wrote the first draft of my first book, I could not for the life of me make the descriptions strong enough. It took a while, but I finally realized what most writers know: adjectives are simply not good enough sometimes (a lot of the time).
Finally, finally, I discovered the power of metaphor and simile.
Consider the following sentences:
“It was under a massive, ancient oak, the kind with craggy arms that pushed its blanket of leaves toward the sky.”
“It was under a massive, ancient oak with thick limbs and canopy.”
By creating metaphors and comparing the limbs to arms and the canopy to a blanket, the image becomes stronger, more powerful. And it creates a certain emotion. The image of a blanket brings a sense of comfort and making the limbs arms personifies the oak and makes it feel like a guardian of those below, protecting them with a thick blanket of leaves.
Read Kindling the Past to find out whose grave is under the ancient oak…

Kindling the Past
by M.S. Kaye

Kindle is fighting to survive on her own, to break free from her possessive and violent ex-boyfriend, and trying not to let her best friend, Anna, know she’s in love with her husband. Most of all, she fights the visions she sees of the past—she doesn’t believe in that kind of stuff.
Then Anna is shot and killed.
In their grief, Kindle and Ty, Anna’s husband and Kindle’s Taekwondo instructor, grow closer. Although Kindle is careful never to let him too close, he helps her learn to accept that her visions are real. Eventually, the truth about Anna’s death breaks through into Kindle’s visions, and she must find a way not to let it destroy her.

Author Bio:
M.S. Kaye has several published books under her black belt. A transplant from Ohio, she resides with her husband, Corey, in Jacksonville, Florida, where she tries not to melt in the sun. Find suspense and the unusual at www.BooksByMSK.com.
Contact M. S. Kaye at:
www.Facebook.com/BooksByMSK
www.Twitter.com/MSKosciuszko   
https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/7222522.M_S_Kaye

Excerpt:
Prologue

I fought the visions. My mother used to tell me my expression turned stupid when I had them, but I didn’t care about that so much anymore. I hated when the visions were true somehow, actual bits of the past. I didn’t believe in that kind of stuff.

Chapter 1: Fight

“She’s such a snob,” one of the young women whispered on the other side of the locker room.
I stayed faced away, trying not to hear their gossip. I tugged my jeans on and pulled my shirt over my head. When I glanced in the mirror to fix my hair, I barely saw the dark brown framing my fair skin—only the way the other girls looked at me. I bent over to pick up my shoes.
“The guys don’t even ask her out because she’s so stuck up.”
I didn’t understand why they thought like this about me, but I didn’t much care anyway. As soon as I had my shoes on, I threw my gear bag over my shoulder and walked out.
Master Trahem was on the workout floor sparring with Mr. Schmidt. Master Trahem’s uniform was starting to come open, and sweat glistened on his well-built chest.
I looked away.
“Bye, Kindle,” Mrs. Trahem said as I passed the front counter. “See you tomorrow.”
I smiled at her, one of the few people I reserved my genuine smile for. She was a big part of the reason I came in early to help every day, her and her atrocious typing skills. She always held her fingers above the keys like a fisherman wielding a spear, as if expecting them to squirm out from under her aim.
But honestly, helping with data entry was just an excuse—Mrs. Trahem was the best person I’d ever known, and I felt calmer when I was around her.
“You’ll be there early, right?” Mrs. Trahem added. She tucked her silky dark hair behind her ear. There was a grace to her movement. No wonder Master Trahem had married her so quickly. At twenty-nine, she was a few years older than me but looked just as young.
“Definitely.” Then I kept walking. Before I gave into the urge to turn and watch Master Trahem.
The girls from the locker room followed me out into the parking lot. I sat in my car and started the engine.
While I drove the forty-five minutes home, I fought to stay awake. At least traffic at nine-thirty at night was thin. I always missed rush hour. I left my apartment before six every morning and didn’t return until after ten. Being tired felt normal.
As I pulled up to my building, I examined each car. I knew to whom each of them belonged, as well as half my neighbors’ friends’ cars. The girl across the hall traded boyfriends every week. She drove me nuts.
I had no way of knowing what Chris was driving. I had to know which cars were supposed to be here in order to know if there was a new one. Most of my neighbors drove beaters like me, and Chris had always liked something flashy. But with him, I couldn’t depend on consistency. He was smart.
I recognized all the cars tonight. I parked under the streetlight and kept the door locked while I pulled my gear bag onto my lap and slipped the strap over my shoulder. Keys ready, I jumped out of the car and jogged up the steps. I hated apartment buildings in Florida. The halls were open, no security doors to block unwanted visitors from knocking on your front door, from lurking in shadowy corners.
Within about ten seconds, I was up the stairs, down the hall, and at my door. Just being able to move quickly without running out of breath was worth the cost of Taekwondo classes. I felt more confident, less scared.
My door unlocked, I glanced down the hall one more time then slipped inside. I closed the door, locked it, and flipped the lights.
I was not alone.
He was right there, tall, thick, and blond as always. I was seeing as clearly as if through acid. I blinked to make sure he was really there. I always did that. It was stupid.
Chris was always there.




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Saturday, 19 April 2014

Please say hi to Diane Saxon introducing her new book Flynn's Kiss


Hi Layne
Thank you very much for inviting me to visit to celebrate the release of my new book, Flynn’s Kiss, through Taliesin Publishing.



Flynn’s a hard-ass bad-boy, he’s lived a tough life starting as a wrangler, joining the special forces, and then working as a stuntman and co-ordinator in the movies. He’s lived life fast and furious and his language is pretty ripe – oh and have I mentioned…? He’s shit with women.
Blurb
Severely scarred during a disastrous mission, ex special forces Flynn Swann is home after three years of avoidance. By his own admission, he’s no good with women and the last thing he expects or wants is the attention of a curvy little brunette, who’s just passing through.
With apparently no fear or revulsion of his scarred face, the boisterous woman bounds into his life and destroys all hope of a quiet visit. It is obvious to literally everyone that she wants him—all of him.
Worse still, despite her atrocious taste in fashion and Stetsons, she appears to have won the hearts of the entire town.
Scientist Liberty Sophia Glennon is on a mission to find a man before she has to return to the loneliness of the New Zealand outback where she has already spent eighteen lonely months doing research.
A ticking hormone bomb, Liberty feels time is running away with her. Outwardly she is a bouncing ball of over-confidence, but inside she is still a frightened little girl with horrific memories of her childhood and a desperate need to be liked.
Completely unfazed by his external scars, her seduction of Flynn is not so difficult, but follow-through proves painful as Liberty realizes Flynn’s wounds run further than just skin deep.
With apparently nothing in common but their passionate attraction, how will these two damaged souls deal with each other’s fear of rejection?



Excerpt
From the darkened protection of the corner of the room, Flynn watched the curvy little brunette with the bubbly hair bounce around, microphone in hand, wailing her heart out with obvious enjoyment. The sight of her large rounded breasts as they jiggled merrily along with the tune heated his stomach and threatened to move lower. She’d flicked several glances in his direction, and each time she did, he sank farther into the protective shadows by the wall, conscious she couldn’t see the left side of his face too clearly in the blue-hued lighting. Cute and friendly she might seem, but he knew from experience she would change her tune once she got a load of his scars. Women always did.
 At the age of eighteen he’d considered himself a lady-killer—as most guys did—but he had been full of himself, knowing he was a good-looking son of a bitch. Never had a single problem or gave a second thought. If he wanted, he took, with great enjoyment and relish. With his unusually pale blue, bold eyes, dark brown hair, and chiseled features, he’d caught the attention of women of all ages. The fact he’d been brought up riding rodeo and working a ranch since he was born just added into the long, lean tone of his body. What nature hadn’t given him naturally, hard work and a tough upbringing had molded to perfection. When he’d joined the Special Forces, he’d honed it beyond perfection. He wasn’t overly tall, just under six feet, but his entire physique gave him presence. As a young man, he’d known it and reveled in it. Ego had driven him hard.
A golden boy, given the gift of a beautiful face, a bright mind, and a naturally lean body. He’d been destined to marry the glamour girl, crowned king and queen of the prom…everyone in town believed he had a long and happy marriage ahead of him with Rachel. Personally, he’d had a few qualms about the woman’s intelligence, but at the time and with the shallowness of youth, he had wallowed in her perfect beauty and the envy of the other boys. Celebrations had been wild at their engagement party before he went off to training camp. Faithful, he had returned to her time and again after each assignment. He’d had ambition, and she’d had plans. The pair were well-suited.
It didn’t matter. It all changed with the slash of a knife. His looks were destroyed, his mind rebelled, and the glamour girl ran screaming for the hills. He’d had the same reaction from women ever since.
He tipped the bottle of beer up to his mouth and stared down the length of it at the pretty brunette. Her breasts were interesting—got a nice little heat going in the pit of his belly—but his preference was her pert little ass as she swayed in perfect rhythm to the song she was murdering. She caught his eye again, gave a broad smile and a twitch of her eyebrows. A definite invitation.
He drew farther into the shadows.

About the Author


Diane Saxon lives in the Shropshire countryside with her tall, dark, handsome husband, two gorgeous daughters, a Dalmatian, one-eyed kitten, ginger cat, and four chickens.
After working for years in a demanding job, on-call and travelling great distances, Diane gave it all up when her husband said “follow that dream.”
Having been hidden all too long, her characters have burst forth demanding plot lines of their own and she’s found the more she lets them, the more they’re inclined to run wild.
Flynn’s Kiss Buy Links
Amazon.com | Amazon.uk | Taliesin Publishing | Barnes & Noble | All Romance | Kobo | Smashwords

Where to Find Diane Saxon
Author Website | Author Blog | Author Facebook Page | Author Twitter | Author Goodreads Profile | Author Amazon Profile Page




Previous Books:                 Loving Lydia -Atlantic Divide Book 1
Bad Girl Bill – Atlantic Divide Book 2
Finding Zoe - Atlantic Divide Book 3
Flight of Her Life
                                                          
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