Author Spotlight Featuring Dana Wayne & Her Latest Book ~ Whispers On The Wind

I've said this many times, but it never gets old. 

I love finding new-to-me authors and their books to bring you. 

Please welcome Dana Wayne!!

Thanks, L.A. it's wonderful to be here. 

Writers hear voices in their head all the time and virtually anything can spark that internal dialog.  Sometimes, those voices happen in a dream. That’s how Whispers came about. I woke up with this voice in my head telling me about Cooper Delaney and the voice in his head. I knew I could not go back to sleep until those thoughts were captured on paper, so at 3:30 a.m., I get up, turn on my computer and type away for two hours. 

My husband, bless his heart, is now accustomed to waking in the wee hours of the night to find himself all alone in the bed. He used to get up and check on me, but now he knows my imaginary friends are talking and I’ll come back to bed when they’re done.

We were headed to Dallas recently and I had this scene going on in my head and blurted out “Don’t make me do that.” He cut his eyes over and quipped “Are you talking to me or your imaginary friends again?”

That’s how it is living with a writer.

Excerpt:

You let him kill her.

The angry female voice in the pre-dawn hour jolted Cooper Delaney from a restless sleep.

Adrenalin pumping, he rolled to the right and automatically grabbed his pistol from the nightstand, fully expecting to see a stranger beside the bed.

Nothing but moonlit shadows. He swiveled his head to the left.

The room was empty.

He blinked and drew in a deep breath, trying to dispel remnants of the dream making sleep all but impossible for over a month. Always the same dream; a shadowy figure begging Coop to find her. That was it…find me, please. Two weeks ago, the voice changed and insisted Coop had to stop him.

Stop who? From what?

Tonight, the dream exploded into a full-blown nightmare.

He put the gun back on the table and lay down, right arm over his eyes. “Shit,” he whispered as the vision replayed through his mind. Powerful hands gripped her throat, the eerie silence punctuated by ragged gasps as she struggled for air. Blood trickled from her nose and the corner of her mouth. Dark hair wedged into a jagged cut across her forehead. Terror-filled eyes stared at the figure bent over her.

All the while, the voice reproached…you didn’t stop him.

At forty-three, Coop considered himself a straight-forward, no nonsense lawman, well known and respected as the Sheriff of Baker County, Texas. He looked at the facts, the evidence, and made logical, rational decisions. And yet, the dream was so real, he smelled the metallic odor of blood, felt the dampness of the earth around her.

 “Dammit.” He lowered his arm and punched the bed. I’m losing my fricking mind.

It was bad enough when the voice invaded his sleep, but two days ago, he heard it at the kitchen table where he sat eating breakfast. Wide awake. This time, she warned he – whoever he was – would kill again.

He tossed the sheet aside and sat on the edge of the bed. Heart pounding, his breath hissed as he gulped in air. Elbows on his knees, he cradled his head in his hands. “Just a dream,” he murmured, “a bad dream.”

He stumbled to the window and shoved it open with an angry thrust, gasping when the rush of cool night air caused gooseflesh to prickle his sweat-coated body. “A dream,” he whispered, willing himself to believe. “Nobody died.” He pulled down the sash and pressed his forehead against the glass pane. “Nobody died.”        

When his racing heart finally slowed, he pushed away and headed for the bathroom, stopping at the foot of the bed as he tried to remember if Miss Eva had guests tonight. A curse escaped parched lips as he grabbed his jeans from a chair. Why in the world did she want to go into the B&B business anyway?

Even as the thought flitted through his mind, he knew the answer. She decided he needed a wife and used the lovely Antebellum home to lure prospects. Hence, the majority of her guests were single women looking for a good time, or to change their marital status. He lost track of the propositions, both subtle and otherwise, thrown his way in the last six months. When had women become so forward?

He opened the door and padded on bare feet to the bathroom he shared with his son, Jason, when he was home from college. Guests used the one across the hall. 

Since sleep was out of the question at this point, he threw on a shirt and headed downstairs for coffee.

Light showing under the kitchen door stopped him cold. “Crap. Company.”

Buy:

 Amazon | Website | Draft To Digital

Blurb:

You didn’t stop him. He killed her.

Dire warnings from a voice only he can hear makes Sheriff Cooper Delaney doubt his sanity. When a body is found matching one from a recent nightmare, he believes he’s gone off the deep end. The dead do not talk to the living. Or do they? One body becomes two. Are there more?

Heart broken by betrayal, Dr. Samantha Fowler finds herself starting over at thirty-three. When she meets the local sheriff, the attraction is instant and fierce, threatening to crumble the defensive walls around her heart. Once burned, twice shy, she vows to stay far away from him for the duration of her stay at the quaint B & B they share. But when she finds one body, then another, avoiding the handsome Texan is impossible.

He’s not done.

Quarry in sight, he watches and waits. “I am the master. I cannot be stopped.”  

The clock is ticking…

Bio:

Awarding winning author Dana Wayne is a sixth generation Texan and resides in the Piney Woods with her husband, (and biggest fan), a Calico cat named Katie, three children and four grandchildren. She routinely speaks at book clubs, writer

Her debut novel, Secrets of The Heart, was awarded First Place - Contemporary Romance, 2017 by Texas Association of Authors, was a finalist for the 2017 Scéal Award for Contemporary Romance, Reviewers Top Pick and included on the Top 10 Books to Read This Winter from Books & Benches online magazine.

Her second novel, Mail Order Groom, released in April, 2017, received 4.5 Stars and the Crowned Heart from InD’tale Magazine, 5 Stars from Readers Favorite and Books & Benches, and was included in the list of 100 Best Indie Books to Read Before You Die. Her third book, Whispers on The Wind, is a romantic suspense released in March, 2018, garnered 5-Star review from Readers Favorite.

Affiliations include Romance Writers of America, Texas Association of Authors, Writers League of Texas, East Texas Writers Guild, Northeast Texas Writers Organization, and East Texas Writers Association.

Find Dana:

Facebook | Twitter | Website | Instagram

Five Secrets With Author Donna Wichelman & Her Latest Release ~ Undaunted Valor

It's my pleasure to bring you Donna Wichelman and 

Book 2 of The Waldensian Series, Undaunted Valor 

Thanks, L.A. for hosting me again, it's a pleasure to be on your blog.

I discovered my true passion for writing novels at the United World College of the Atlantic in Wales, where I focused on English Literature. I loved all the classics, reading books by Jane Austin, William Shakespeare, Charles Dickens, Ellie Wiesel and Victor Hugo. They awakened a desire in me to write books that touched the human spirit.

While I was at Atlantic College, I wrote a thesis on Emily Brontë’s Wuthering Heights and visited the Brontë parsonage in Haworth, England. Walking the heather-dressed moors on a drizzly day is forever etched in my mind, because I happened upon an old man with a cap and a cane whose ancestors knew the Brontës. Not only was he the quintessential British gent, but he fascinated me with stories about the family. I felt like I was actually living a storybook tale.

When I returned to the States, I majored in sociology and political science at Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland, but writing was still in my blood. Several years later, I mastered in Mass Communication/Journalism and worked as a communications professional before writing full-time.

Since writing as a full-time career, I’ve authored short stories, essays and articles in various inspirational publications and live my dream writing novels and screenplays.

Hi Donna, please tell us Five Secrets we may not know about Undaunted Valor, Book 2 The Waldensian Series or you, but will after today!

1)      Undaunted Valor went through three stages before the book found its rightful story. In the original plotline, after Jamie found a letter from her ancient cousin Anne Charbonnier, she felt a desire to go on a pilgrimage to understand the heart and soul of her ancestors. Though such a soul searching story had its merits, the plotline didn’t feel compelling enough. So I added the element of the mob coming back to avenge the death of their mob boss from Book 1 Light Out of Darkness. Still, the book needed something more sinister that Jamie and Alessandro cared deeply enough about to fight for. That’s when the plot took a turn and Alessandro’s grandmother was kidnapped and a ransom demanded for her return. Now they had a cogent reason to hike a part of the trail of the Glorious Return with all its danger and pitfalls.

2)      As the plotline for Undaunted Valor evolved, so did the working titles for the book. The first working title was The Glorious Return based on the original plotline when Jamie wanted to go on a pilgrimage. Against All Odds, suggested by a good writer friend, became the working title when the mob element developed and could have worked as a permanent title. However, given the Waldensians’ historical reputation for valor and enduring faith during centuries of persecution from the Church in Europe, Undaunted Valor, also suggested by a writer friend, seemed fitting as Jamie and Alessandro traveled the same roads as their ancient ancestors and fought against formidable foes for their beloved grandmother’s life.

3)      I fell in love with the idea of Jamie and Alessandro’s love story paralleling the story of one of Anne’s ancient ancestors. I thought the notion was so compelling that I wrote Anne Charbonnier’s letter in one sitting. Anne’s love affair with the son of her people’s enemy is a universal love story, pitting family members against one another. Since Anne’s story is also based on a historical period of time, I am currently turning the story into a screenplay with a little bit of twist at the end. I’m also contemplating turning the letter into a full-length novel. Stay tuned for further developments.

4)      I’ve always loved the name Anne. I had intended to give Anne to my daughter as a middle name, but half drugged in the delivery room, she received my middle name Lynn. If my husband and I had been able to have another daughter, we would have named her Anne. As fate will have it, after Anne Charbonnier became a character in my book, I found the name in the actual genealogical records of the Waldensian Church in Italy.

5)      I am a history buff. Always have been. American History and Geography were my two favorite subjects in junior high school, and I did well in those subjects. That’s why, though I’m writing contemporary stories, something related to history will probably always appear in my books.

Blurb:

For nature lovers, ski aficionados, travel enthusiasts and history scholars, the French Alps offer some of the most spectacular scenery and outdoor recreation in all Europe with its majestic mountain peaks, cascading waterfalls, unspoiled forests and quaint mountain villages. People come to get away from the daily grind and rejuvenate their spirits.

But when Alessandro Marianni’s grandmother Luciana is kidnapped during a church conference in Chamonix, the same landscape becomes an ominous height to scale, and Jamie Holbrooke and her fiancé Alessandro have difficulty distinguishing between friend and foe on the race to find her. They will have to weather a rainstorm on a mountain trail, negotiate a dangerous waterfall, outmaneuver a car chase, and defy an assassin’s gun in their search.

Will they find their beloved Luciana before it’s too late? Who will die on the way to the finish line? Who can they trust? And where will Jamie find the courage to confront her adversaries?

In this sequel to Light Out of Darkness, the answers will lie in unanticipated places and with unexpected allies and require Jamie to discover what it means to trust God with undaunted valor.

Buy:

Amazon

Find Donna: 

Website | Blog | Facbook Author | Twitter | Pinterest |  LinkedIn

Author Spotlight Featuring Jill Haymaker's New Release ~ Mountain Hearts

Please welcome Jill Haymaker and take a peek at her lastest novel 

in the Peakview Series, Mountain Hearts.

Thanks, L.A., it's good to be back.

I’ve always wanted to write a book about someone who’d lost a child. It’s the most devastating thing anyone can live through. My heroine starts the story in this very dark place. This book is about recovery and coming through on the other side of grief. Love can help us get through just about anything. I decided to make my hero have his own past ghosts so they could heal together.

We’ve all experienced some kind of grief in our lives. My goal is to show hope to those who need it. I hope everyone will be able to relate to this story on some level.

Excerpt:

Suzy Quinlan kicked the dark gray slush in front of her tire with the pointed toe of her high-heeled black boot. The clump fell off her car with a thud, as she grabbed the door handle with her free hand to avoid the same fate. In her other hand, she clung to the large, black umbrella. The cold, icy drizzle continued to fall from the sky. She glanced back in the direction she’d come, in time to see the coffin being lowered into the cold ground. She quickly turned away. The grave side service was bad enough—she didn’t want to think about what happened next.

She carefully walked to the driver’s side of her car. A solid layer of ice had formed on her windshields. Could this day get any worse? She slid her way to the trunk and grabbed out her ice scraper. This was a two-hand job. She collapsed the umbrella and threw it in the trunk. Her long, red hair, which she had so carefully straightened this morning, was sure to turn into a frizz ball in about ten seconds flat in this weather. It didn’t matter. Nothing really mattered anymore. She made her way back to the front of the car and started chipping away. Reaching across the snowy hood, she cursed as her ankle twisted in a pothole. Icy, cold water entered her boot which was made for fashion, not function.

She gave up and climbed behind the wheel and cranked the defrost button to high. She’d wait while the car did the rest of the work. She sighed and laid her head on the steering wheel. She wasn’t going to cry, not now.

Tap. Tap. Tap. Suzy looked up to see her mom knocking on her window. She pushed the button, and slush flew as the pane descended.

“You’re coming to the house, right?” Mom’s pretty face was creased with worry.

“Yes.”

“Do you want to ride with us?” Mom pointed over at Dad sitting behind the wheel of the next car.

“It would be silly to leave my car here at the cemetery. Besides, my feet are soaked. I want to stop at the apartment and change. You go ahead.”

“Alright, but don’t take too long. Aunt Julie says people from the church have been bringing food by all day. I know everyone wants to see you. Don’t forget that Grams and Alice have to catch a plane tonight.”

“I’ll be there.” She rolled the window back up and watched her mom climb in their vehicle, and her dad drive away.

Her windshield had semi-cleared. She turned on the wipers, pulled away from the curb, and drove down the slushy street. Not toward her apartment—not toward her childhood home—just ahead. She knew everyone wanted to give her their condolences, but she’d lose it if she heard one more person say, “I’m sorry for your loss” or “It’s going to be alright.” It wasn’t going to be alright—ever. No amount of casseroles could change that.

  

Buy: 

Amazon

Blurb:

SUZY QUINLAN’S heart dies the day she buries her five year old son, Mason. Leaving the cold cemetery, she flees to the Colorado Mountains searching for peace. Unexpectedly caught in a blinding snowstorm, she seeks shelter in the tiny town of Peakview.

JERRY DECKER is known as the town’s hermit. Since returning from his service in Iraq eight years earlier, he lives a solitary life hiding from his demons, with only his dog, Bear, as company.

Two hearts damaged by grief drawn together as kindred souls. To move forward, they’ll have to face their pasts and lay their ghosts to rest. Can broken hearts dare to hope again?

COME HOME TO PEAKVIEW, COLORADO, WHERE EVERYONE HAS A CHANCE AT LOVE.

Bio:

Jill Haymaker was born and raised in Indiana and Ohio. After high school, she attended Bowling Green State University before moving to Fort Collins, Colorado.  Ms. Haymaker made her home in Fort Collins until her recent move to East Texas. She practiced family law in Fort Collins for the past 20 years. She has three grown children, a son and two daughters.  She also has three granddaughters.

Jill has always had a passion for writing.  Colorado Sunset was her first full length romance novel in her Peakview, Colorado series. Her latest book, Mountain Hearts is the eighth book in the series. If you love small town romance, you will love the characters in this series. She also has had several short stories published by Chicken Soup for the Soul, the most recent in the book Random Acts of Kindness.

When not practicing law or writing, Jill enjoys The Colorado mountains, horseback riding, gardening, long walks with her Shetland Sheepdog, Laddie, and spending time with her children and grandchildren. She enjoys their numerous sporting events. She is also an avid football fan and can be found on autumn weekends cheering on her favorite teams. She has a passion for working with high school youth- she is a youth group leader at her church, coaches a high school mock trial team and is a volunteer at cross country and track meets.

Find Jill:

Email | Amazon Author Page | Website/Blog |Twitter | Instagram | Facebook |Goodreads

Class Flash Featuring Classes From Laurie Schnebly Campbell

As always, I'm thrilled you bring you Laurie's classes. She rocks. 

online: FROM PLOT TO FINISH
(April 9-20) writeruniv.wordpress.com/classes
            A continuation of the March process open solely to people who've taken PVM online or in person at some point, this no-more-than-30-people group gets you plotting a brand new or already-begun book (using your completed 14-point worksheet) from start to finish. No need to prepare a new story idea, character bios, goal charts or anything else, because you'll see how to plot an entire book -- and actually have it ready to type -- by the end of this hands-on workshop.

blog: YOU'RE DRIVING ME CRAZY
(April 20) writersinthestormblog.com
            Some people just strike sparks. How can that work for your book?

online: RELATIONSHIPS BY ARISTOTLE: MYERS-BRIGGS
(May 7-18) https://groups.yahoo.com/neo/groups/AriRel/info
            Myers-Briggs relationships haven't changed much since the days of ancient Greece. Aristotle identified personality types for different types of people who, even though their descriptive names have changed, still embody those who wind up in your novel. Naturally, each type has intriguing and attractive elements that make readers want to know this person, as well as some problematic issues that'll keep the conflict coming...and going...and coming...

blog: PERFECT PITCH
(May 16) romanceuniversity.org
            Musicians envy people with that gift, but it's equally important for writers.

blog: SELLING WITHOUT BRAGGING
(May 30) seekerville.blogspot.com
            How can you interest people in your work without being all Me-Me-Me?

online: PERFECTING YOUR PITCH
(June 3-14) https://groups.yahoo.com/neo/groups/PerPitch/info
            Are you pitching your work at a conference? In an email? By phone, by letter, by chance if you run into someone browsing for a good book? The techniques will be slightly different for each situation -- and while writers tend to feel more anxiety when pitching face-to-face, it's useful to have a plan of action for every possible scenario. Whether you're pitching an agent, editor, interviewer, publisher or regular reader, learn how to make it a good experience for you both!

Laurie's Bio:
Laurie Schnebly Campbell loves giving workshops for writer groups about "Psychology for Creating Characters," "Making Rejection WORK For You," "Building A Happy Relationship For Your Characters (And Yourself)" and other issues that draw on her background as a counseling therapist and romance writer.

In fact, she chose her website (www.BookLaurie.com) so people would find it easy to Book Laurie for programs.

But giving workshops -- for students from London and Los Angeles to New Zealand and New York -- is just one of her interests. During weekdays, she writes and produces videos, brochures and commercials (some of which feature her voice) for a Phoenix advertising agency. For several years she would turn off her computer every day at five o'clock, wait thirty seconds, turn it on again and start writing romance.

It finally paid off. Her first novel was nominated by Romantic Times as the year's "Best First Series Romance," and her second beat out Nora Roberts for "Best Special Edition of the Year." But between those two successes came a three-year dry spell, during which Laurie discovered that selling a first book doesn't guarantee ongoing success.

"What got me through that period," she says, "was realizing that the real fun of writing a romance is the actual writing. Selling is wonderful, sure, but nothing compares to the absolute, primal joy of sitting at the computer and making a scene unfold and thinking 'Wow! Yes! This is great!'"

After six books for Special Edition, she turned her attention to writing non-fiction -- using her research into the nine personality types to help writers create plausible, likable people with realistic flaws. Her other favorite activities include playing with her husband and son, recording for the blind, counseling at a mental health center, traveling to Sedona (the Arizona red-rock town named for her great-grandmother, Sedona Schnebly) and working with other writers.

"People ask how I find time to do all that," Laurie says, "and I tell them it's easy. I never clean my house!"

Laurie welcomes email from readers—send her a "Hello!"

New Release By Me, L.A. Sartor ~ Prince of Granola

I'm so excited to announce the release of my 7th book, Prince Of Granola.

Cacao – long a symbol of wealth, love, and power – now the center of a powerful rivalry.

The fabled Costa Rican Plantation of White Treasure, source of the rarest form of the cacao bean, is up for sale.

Though two fierce competitors have been invited to bid on it, only one can win.

For Drew Hopkins, purchasing the plantation is the perfect solution to escape a life she never wanted.

For Robert Prince, it’s the perfect route to revenge.

Drew, the founder’s daughter and now CEO of HH Chocolate, heads a company whose sales are waning.  Robert, CEO of Prince Organics, a man driven by excellence, despises everything and everyone labeled Hopkins.

But it wasn’t always that way.

Will their forced proximity at the lush and exotic plantation rekindle old flames or will it fan the fires of antagonism? 

And if you'd like to be a part of my mailing list, I send out a newsletter about 4 times a year filled with sales, new releases and freebies!! Please sign up here.

Author Spotlight Featuring Dena Netherton's Latest Release ~ Haven's Hope

Please welcome Dena Netherton and her latest book in The Hunted series. 

Take it away Dena.

 Thanks for hosting me, L.A. 

Why does a man (or woman) stalk another person? Almost every week I read about another person who had to flee a stalker. I see true life programs on TV about the tragic consequences of stalking, and shake my head in perplexity.

Why would a man persist in following and harassing a woman who has unequivocally said, “Leave me alone!” Is the stalker crazy? Evil? Obsessed?

Often the stalking victim is ashamed to admit what they’re going through. Or too frightened or intimidated. Sometimes a stalker has been known to threaten the victim’s loved ones, too.

If you were being stalked, would you go to the police, or would you keep quiet to protect your family?

In Haven’s Hope, Haven has escaped her stalker, has reunited with her widowed father, but has not told him about being kidnapped and held prisoner by Dade Colton in his wilderness cabin. Dade has threatened to hurt or kill anyone she tells about him, and she wants to shield her father from danger. Haven returns to college to finish her music degree. But then she learns that Dade is still trying to find her.

Dade has convinced Fiona, a lonely waitress that he loves her and wants to marry her. If only she’ll help him with his ‘problem.’  He tells Fiona that Haven took something of value from him and he wants to get it back. Fiona is desperate for love and is willing to believe anything Dade says. She has no idea Haven is Dade’s past victim. Dade plans to have Fiona gather information about Haven so he can ambush and re-capture her.

Excerpt:

“Dade laid a three by five photo on the table. “See this girl?”

Fiona wanted to snort. Yes, she could clearly see her. The champagne she’d just sipped burned her stomach. The woman in the photo was blonde and pretty. Why would Dade carry around a picture of another woman? She’d better be his sister or first cousin.

“She’s my problem. She took something from me, and I want it back. Then everything will be perfect and I can get on with my big plans.”

Leaning over, he shoved the photo closer so Fiona could get a better view. “Memorize that face, Fiona. It’s the face of an evil woman, a thief.”

Fiona tried to pull the photo over to her side of the table. She hadn’t worn her glasses today, and the photo looked a little blurry. But he wouldn’t let go. His knuckles turned white where his fingers pressed the photo against the table. Dade’s eyes held a look that made her shiver.

“Man, if you hate this girl, there must be a good reason.” Fiona hated her already. Had she taken money, property? Humiliated him in some way? Beautiful women were the worst. “She must be a real piece of work.”

“You could say that.” He downed his glass of champagne in one big swallow. “And I thought, since you’ll have some free time on your hands once you move in here with me, maybe you could do me a favor.”

“What do you want me to do?”

“Go to the School of Music and park in the front. It’s where the girl—Haven parks. She’s a student there. She comes and goes through the lounge entrance. Hang out there and wait for her. Then, when she leaves, follow her, see where she goes.”

“That’s it?”

“Yes. All I want is information. Don’t try to talk to her yet. Don’t mess this up. I need you to do this perfectly.”

“So things will be perfect in Issaquah again?” She sneered at the beautiful girl in the photo.

“Exactly.”

Blurb:

Beautiful and talented Haven Ellingsen is about to discover that evil doesn’t take a holiday. 

Haven Ellingsen has escaped the man who relentlessly hunted her in the Cascade Mountains. But when an old friend from her dangerous past shows up unexpectedly to warn her that Dade Colton is determined to recapture her, Haven makes the only safe decision: to go into hiding once more. But where? Whom can she trust? If only she could tell someone about her tragic secret. But Dade’s threat to kill anyone who helps her would put that person’s life in jeopardy, too.

Dr. Petter Eriksen saves lives every day at Mercy Hospital Emergency Department. Driven by guilt after the accidental death of his little sister, he can’t believe in a good God. But when a beautiful and mysterious young woman moves into the cabin on his uncle’s Christian Retreat, Petter wonders if her love and simple faith have the power to shatter the barrier he has erected around his heart? And can he save her from a madman?

Sometimes you hide; sometimes you stand and fight.

To Buy: 

Amazon

Bio:

Dena Netherton was born and raised in the San Francisco Bay Area. She studied music and theater in the Midwest and in Colorado and taught music for thirty-five years. As well as her love of good books, hiking, playing the piano, road trips, and people-watching, she is passionate about story-telling as a means to share her faith while entertaining her readers or listeners. Book one of The Hunted Series, Haven’s Flight, released in April of 2017. Haven’s Hope (book two) continues Haven’s exciting, suspenseful story, adding romance and more fascinating characters.

Find Dena:

Facebook | Twitter | Website | Goodreads