Happy Halloween!

Happy Halloween everyone! Do you love spooks? What about eerie and scary?

It's the day for things that go bump in the night.

I have two books that fit in perfectly this time of year.

The Witch Within:



A scream echoes over Witch's mountain. A three hundred year old carving attacks for no reason. Widow Glory Sinclair fights against an unknown evil as she struggles with her growing attraction for Sheriff Will Moore.

Link to view

Here's another one for a good chilly night!

Hearts' Reunion:



After attending her great grandmother’s funeral, Sabre Nichols assumes she’ll stay a week at the old homestead on Witch Mountain and then return to her job as a paranormal researcher. But strange events on the mountain wreak havoc with her plans. Even her late Granny’s tenant seems to hide something eerie behind his brilliant blue gaze...

Micah McGregor seems so familiar to Sabre, and he definitely gets her heart racing. But can she trust him to help find the source of the spectral activities? Or will he believe the tales of her witch heritage? If she puts her faith in Micah, she may find answers... and lose her heart.

Here's the Link

So if you love books with a Gothic feel and enough eeriness to give you goosebumps then be sure and check these out!

Click to Give @ The Breast Cancer Site

This is the last day of their 500 mammogram 'click to give' challenge. And the are WAY behind. Please follow the link below and just 'click' to help them meet the challenge.


http://www.thebreastcancersite.com/clickToGive/home.faces?siteId=2&link=ctg_bcs_home_from_ars_thankyou_sitenav


Anna Kathryn Lanier
Where Tumbleweeds Hang Their Hats
http://www.aklanier.com/
http://annakathrynlanier.blogspot.com/

For Mercy's Sake

The Long and Short Reviews has added their opinion about For Mercy's Sake.

...Carol A. Spradling is a terrific storyteller. She weaves foreshadowing clues, secret dealings, mystery, and suspense in with a beautiful love story. She kept me reading in a hurry. The ways she pulls everything together to defeat the bad guys is amazing.

Thoroughly enjoyable!

Thank you everyone for your glowing comments.

Win a free book!

My story, Delinquent Daddy, releases today, so I'm throwing a contest at my website (Here's the link) to give away a free copy to some lucky winner. Hop over and sign up if you're interested.

Here's a little teaser if you're curious about the story. Hope you have a great weekend.

EXCERPT
Boston tore the note from Olivia’s hand.

Dear Mr. Montgomery Kincaid,

My name is Cassidy Trenton. I am nine years and ten months old. I am looking for my dad. My mom is Ellie Trenton. She will not tell me his name, but she met him in college. She said he was the son of an astronaut and named after a state capital. I read about you in the magazine. You married the famous model Shannon March. They said you went to the same college my mom went to. They said your dad was a real-life astronaut. You are named after the capital of Alabama. Are you my dad? Please come meet me.

Sincerely,

Cassie Trenton

Frozen with horror, Boston could only gape. The blood congealed in his veins.

Yes, he’d done it now. He’d thought Ellie’s name, and look what atrocity had emerged.

Dear God. She’d even dubbed the baby Cassie—the very name he’d chosen.

His stomach churned.

This was wrong. All wrong. It wasn’t possible. That baby was dead.

He clearly remembered Ellie saying, “There is no baby. The baby’s gone.”

“Umm...guys?” came Olivia’s voice from beside him. A moment later, Monty tore the letter from his grasp.

Boston lifted his face.

His brother’s jaw sagged. “Holy Shit, Boston,” he said, glancing down at the child’s scrawl. “This letter was meant for you.”

Boston shook his head briefly to deny it. “No,” he rasped. “It can’t be. Ellie...she told me she had a miscarriage.”

**There is another excerpt on my blog today if you need just one more sneak peek**

The Language of Souls - now available!

My first book, The Language of Souls, was released TODAY, which is kind of surreal, but very exciting! :)

Summary:

Actions speak louder than words…

Solena, a young healer with a generous heart, is desperate to heal her dying grandfather. When she ventures into hostile territory to find a rare herb, she finds out just how much she’s risked when she’s captured by the enemy and accused of being a spy.

Rundan, a soldier, has struggled all his life to please his father, a ruthless army commander. When he’s ordered to take the beautiful trespasser to the royal courts, where she’ll be summarily tried and executed, he’s plagued by the most inconvenient desire to protect her at all costs.


Terrified and anxious to escape, Solena is confused by the handsome young soldier who cruelly captures her and then displays uncommon kindness. When he risks his own life to save her, she discovers she may have risked more than her life...she may have lost her heart.

(Pages 76) Sweet

Excerpt:

Rundan continued watching her as he ate. When the food was gone, he took a votif stand from his things and set it carefully by the fire. Then he untied his votif from his belt and, after removing its cork, began breathing prayers over it. Solena watched his every inhalation and exhalation in rapt attention. She couldn’t have moved or looked away if she’d wanted to.

After placing his votif in the stand, he glanced at her from under the sweep of unexpectedly dark lashes. After some hesitation, he removed the cork from her votif as well and breathed a quick prayer over it. He reached to place it in the votif stand, stopped mid-reach, and then replaced the cork and tied it again to his belt. With this done, he rubbed the back of his neck for some time and avoided her eyes.

Solena opened and closed her mouth with a snap.

He’d prayed over her votif?

The action was so unexpected, so shocking, she could barely connect her thoughts. What he’d done was the most intimate of acts. What a father might do for his child. Or a husband for his new bride.

Rundan’s unusually pale eyes met hers briefly and the flash of vulnerability in them disconcerted her. The expression fled as quickly as it had come and the cool mask he always seemed to wear slid into place. He was again Rundan: captor, soldier, enemy.

Solena moistened her suddenly dry lips and stared into the fire, desperately trying to make sense of her thoughts—and of the strange tightness in her chest.


---


I also received a lovely 5-star review over on GoodReads that really put the icing on top of this already very sweet day:


"...This little book has everything I desire in my romance novels....fascinating characters, just the right amount of conflict/tension, and a satisfying HEA. It also had wonderful layers of symbolism, from the soul-containing "votifs" to the extraordinary kiss." -Penelope's Romance Reviews


Read the full review here or read an interview with me over at The Quirky Ladies. (It's been a busy day! lol)

Broken Hero by Anne Whitfield

thought I would post an exceprt of my World War II story, Broken Hero, since it's been a while.


Blurb

Audrey Pearson's life changed dramatically when WWII broke out and her large home, Twelve Pines on the East Yorkshire coast, became a convalescence home for wounded soldiers. Her life is no longer lavish with entertainment, beautiful clothes and surrounded by a loving family. Soldiers, physically and mentally wounded now fill her home. The smell of disinfectant replaces her mother's perfume and gone are the friends and acquaintances - instead nurses roam the hallways.

Captain Jake Harding, a doctor training in psychiatry arrives at Twelve Pines. Audrey immediately finds herself attracted to the Captain, but he is remote towards her. Puzzled by his cold behaviour, Audrey tries to learn more about the handsome Captain. He reveals that he's lost a wife and baby in childbirth and refuses to ever remarry.

However, despite this, Audrey believes she can change his mind and make him aware he doesn't have to spend his life alone.

The ice around Jake's heart begins to melt. For years he has rejected the possibility of finding love again because of the pain it caused him before, but the beautiful Audrey shows him her love and she needs someone to love her in return.

Could he honestly walk away from her, from the love that could be his?

Excerpt

Some inborn instinct told her that this man was for her—that she’d been waiting for him. She wouldn’t give up. He was worth fighting for. All it took was perseverance. She wouldn’t allow him to wallow in self-pity. He had to be shown that it was safe to love her, she wouldn’t leave him, and if he was too stubborn to acknowledge it then she would draw it out of him with some old-fashioned jealousy. She knew he was attracted to her, so now she had to use that to her advantage. All she had to do was play-act. Surely that wasn’t too hard now, was it?
Audrey reached for her straw hat and put her plan into action. “I think it’s time I showed these men how to play cricket. Who will be my partner?”
There was a roar of approval and then the men gulped their drinks down, ready to start another game.
Colonel Barnes picked up the other bat, his skin reddening. “I may be an old trout, but I’d be honoured to be at the other end, Miss Pearson.”
“Indeed, Colonel, I think that would be very suitable.” Since her father’s funeral she had noticed a change in the old colonel and Val had told her of his long talks with Jake, which had led to the colonel wanting to rejoin his regiment, if only to be used in the office or a similar position.
She picked up the cricket bat, and took her place in front of the stumps, waiting for the bowler to run in.
“You show them, Aud!” Lucy called from where she was fielding on the edge of the water.
Audrey grinned. The sun was hot, turning the sand to fire. She could feel the skin on her legs burning, but at least she tanned well. Today she wore navy shorts and a lemon short sleeved shirt. Her curls were wild about her head and she quickly tucked them under her hat.
From the corner of her eye she spotted Jake and Val chatting on the blanket and, as the bowler ran in, Audrey knew exactly where she’d hit the ball. Years of playing cricket with her father and brother made her good at the sport. She’d always been athletic, much to her mother’s dismay, and now she grinned as she whacked the ball hard, hooking it over to the blanket where it landed just inches from Jake’s feet.
Surprised, Valerie rose up on her knees. “Audrey, are you trying to kill one of us?”
“Sorry, Val!” She laughed and got into position again. For the next eight balls she hit every one in their direction. Valerie had run for cover, but Jake still sat on the blanket, slowly clapping each ball she hit.
“I say, how splendid!” The colonel took out his handkerchief and wiped the sweat from his head and neck. “I don’t have to run at all.”
“Miss Pearson is too good for us.” Nielson chuckled as she hit another ball that sailed over his head.
“She should play for England!” Major Johnson winked at her and she winked back.
“Will you have a bowl, Captain Harding?” Price threw him the ball.
“No, I don’t think so.” Jake glanced at Audrey.
“Frightened I might hit you for six, Captain?” she teased.
He stood and juggled the ball from hand to hand, his gaze not leaving hers. “Not at all, Miss Pearson.”
Audrey swallowed, watching him walk to the bowlers mark. Her stomach twisted into knots at the challenge. After missing his first two balls, she realised he was very good at this game and was determined not to let her win this match between them. He had a steely look in his eyes, his expression grim.
She managed to hit his next delivery back over his head. Jake looked at her in surprise as the men whooped and clapped at the shot. “Run Colonel! Run!” she called.
“Someone get that ball,” Jake yelled, raking his fingers through his hair in frustration. He glared at Audrey as she came to his end of the wicket.
“Don’t take pity on me simply because I’m a woman, Captain.” She grinned at him and turned to stand at the side. “I’m stronger than you know.”
The ball was thrown back to him and he caught it, pausing to examine the stitching. “I don’t doubt that for a moment, Miss Pearson.”
Inside, Audrey smiled. She was getting to him, unsettling his ordered life. She wasn’t someone he could dismiss without another thought. She wouldn’t let him.

Purchase Broken Hero from;

Amazon USA http://www.amazon.co.uk/Broken-Hero-Anne-Whitfield/dp/1601542267/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1279271138&sr=1-4

Amazon UK http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/1601542267?tag=httpwwwannewc-21&camp=1406&creative=6394&linkCode=as1&creativeASIN=1601542267&adid=1T2NC357X5063J2N1CN7&
The Book Depository http://www.bookdepository.co.uk/book/9781601542267/Broken-Hero  (free delivery world wide)

KISS OF THE SILVER WOLF

Kiss of the Silver Wolf will be out this Wednesday, 10-20-10. This werewolves meets X-files story will steam up your Kindle, Nook and computer monitors. Here's the blurb and an excerpt.

When Charlene Johnson’s parents die in a single-car accident, she’s left behind as guardian for her severely disabled older brother. When her father’s death is ruled a suicide she is forced to move to the sleepy rural town of Eden, Kentucky, the very place her mother always warned her about.

From the moment Zack Abingdon sees Charlene, he knows she’s the one. Despite the electrifying bond between them Charlene senses things are not all what they seem. Secrets within secrets unfold, and ultimately Charlene has to make a life and death decision between rejecting her true nature and accepting her place within the wolf pack.

(Pages 106) Spicy

Excerpt:

Her voice came out in a husky tone. “Guess it’s just you and me. Would you like some apple pie? Or cake? I seem to have enough for two. Or two hundred.”

Zack gave her a long, lazy smile that made her breath catch and said, “I was hoping for a taste of something else.”

Heat raced up her neck and face, and she could barely whisper, “Applesauce?”

He put his arms around her waist, pulled her snugly against his chest and brushed her lips with his. “You,” he breathed. “I want to taste you.”

She ran her tongue along his luscious lower lip. “Like that?”

He growled and pressed her up against a wall.

Deep within she felt a primal stirring, an almost animal urge to throw him down to the floor and tear at his clothes. Her rational self wondered what she-beast he had awakened, but her inner wild woman said, Shut up and enjoy the ride! Charlene pawed at his shirt, the buttons eluding her fevered grasp. Frustrated and crazed with lust, she yelped, “Take the damn shirt off!”

He stepped away from her, grinned and began to undo the buttons at a leisurely pace. “Am I going too slowly for you?”

ALASKA HEART is running for Book of the Week!

My contemporary romance, ALASKA HEART, is in the running for Book of the Week at Long and Short Reviews. Please stop by, read a great review, and vote for ALASKA HEART.

Vote here: www.longandshortreviews.com/LASR/recentrev.htm.

Thanks,
Christine DePetrillo
http://www.christinedepetrillo.blogspot.com/
http://www.apinchofromance.blogspot.com/

Fair Game Inc. — Now Available!

Today is the release date for my Champagne Rose edition contemporary romance FAIR GAME INC.

This is my first release with The Wild Rose Press and I’m really excited about it!

Here's the teaser and an excerpt:

Fair Game, Inc. Their motto: Don’t get mad, get even! After a romance gone wrong, Amber Shaw has found a new business niche: revenge for the lovelorn. And business is booming. Until she mistakes her intended victim for his identical twin. Prosecutor Grayson Charles is tired of listening to his brother’s romantic woes. Just when he thinks his night can’t get any worse, a red-haired, spit-fire of a woman treats him to an ice-bath—from the waist down.

Grayson vows to get even with the proprietor of Fair Game, Inc. by taking her to court. What he doesn’t expect: Amber is sentenced to a month of office assistance at his law firm.

Despite the circumstances, Amber finds herself falling for the handsome lawyer. But while working in his office, she uncovers some dark secrets. All the clues behind these disturbing revelations lead to Grayson, but she has no proof.

Is it Grayson? Or does someone harbor a more personal vendetta against her?

Excerpt:

Her shadow fell between them, blocking out the candlelight.

He looked up. She felt the path of his gaze as it wandered from her head to her feet. Amber suppressed the wave of heat that followed in the wake of his perusal. His eyes fastened on the bucket of ice in her hand. He opened his mouth to say something. Amber offered him her most winning smile.

And dumped the contents of the ice bucket square in his lap.

For a split second it seemed as if time ground to a halt. Sounds of the busy restaurant retreated from her attention, leaving the two of them frozen in an absurd tableau. He stared up at her, his expression at once both wounded and bewildered. Amber shook off the persistent feeling of wrongness once again. The picture named him Roger Charles, Casanova.

The moment evaporated. Time sprang into motion. Heads swiveled in their direction. Patrons gawked openly. She watched his expression deteriorate from confusion into pure liquid fury.

“What the hell!”

He leapt backward, knocking over his chair. Ice cubes tumbled from his lap, tinkling like breaking glass onto the terra cotta floor. Dark eyes dragged her gaze upward. She found herself incapable of looking away as the force of his glare all but nailed her to the spot.

“Justice, Mr. Roger Charles,” Amber's voice shattered the silence. No sense giving them a chance to deny it. Most of them would. “On behalf of Sandy Wylde.”

“Sandy Wylde?” His deep melodic voice was also at odds with his persona. Hurt and bewilderment played across his face, then his dark eyebrows drew down into a menacing V. “You better have a good explanation,” he growled low in his throat

Now available in print and e-book:

http://www.thewildrosepress.com/stephanie-bedwellgrime-m-863.html

You can watch the book trailer at:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xFl434GPJSc

Stephanie Bedwell-Grime

www.feralmartian.com

Star Power Out Today!

I woke up this morning to see Star Power is already available at The Wild Rose Press. It's already gotten a GREAT review at Long and Short Reviews! Here's an excerpt.

“Remember what you’re supposed to be,” he murmured when he sensed her urge to move away.

“Am I not doing a good job?”

“I don’t know. You were a little quiet in there. I think a kiss would be in order.”

Her face flushed, and her gaze dropped to his lips, but she made an unladylike sound. “That would be too strange.”

“Two week vacation in Italy,” he chided, sliding his hand around to the small of her back and rubbing his thumb up and down her spine. Her skin quivered and her face darkened further. Oh, yeah.

“You have to make it look good. I don’t want another Laura coming after me.”

“

Like me kissing you would stop someone like her.”

“True. Still. It might deter others.” He dipped his head and waited for her to meet him partway.

She drew back just a bit, her eyes shrewd. “I want my phone back.”

He arched a brow at her counter-negotiation. “What? I don’t have it here. You wouldn’t get reception anyway.”

“I know. But when we get back to the house, I want my phone.”

He pretended to consider for a moment, looking out over the water. “Long enough to check your messages and that’s it.”

“And my email.”

He sighed. “And your email. Deal?”

She squared her shoulders and looked at his mouth like she was going to have to eat a bucket of bugs, then lifted her lips to brush over his.

The jolt that went through him at the innocent caress almost short-circuited his reaction. Just before she pulled away—the cheater—he curved his hand around the back of her neck, his thumb brushing the silky hair behind her ear as he slanted

his lips over hers and took the kiss deeper, molding his mouth to hers, taking her little sigh into his mouth.

Everything, everything he’d thought, from the sweet taste of her to the softness of her skin added to the blast of desire. He wanted to drag her against him, feel her body against his, slide his hands beneath his jacket and stroke her. He wanted to

thrust his tongue into her mouth and make her see how much he really wanted her. Instead he gave himself to the kiss he was allowed, her skirt blowing

against his legs, her hair stroking his face, getting caught in his stubble, her hands resting, small and warm, against his chest.

Then she pulled away and her gaze focused on his mouth just for a moment. He actually watched her gather herself before she lifted her face, her blue eyes back to the sardonic gleam he was accustomed to, like the kiss hadn’t affected her at all. She was a cheater and a liar. And a damned fine actress, if he didn’t know her so well. But very fine tremors ran through her body that told her she was as shaken as he was.

FOR MERCY'S SAKE review

A new review for For Mercy's Sake is in.

You want me to say it was good? Yeah it was. Edge of your seat at times? Uh huh. Pulled me in so much that I was up into the wee hours of the morning so I could find out what was going to happen? You betcha.

I'm beaming...BEAMING!!! The reviewer went on to add more comments that can be read here.

IN THE ARMS OF THE ENEMY (VINTAGE ROSE)

Today is the big day -- release date for my Vintage Rose edition World War II romance IN THE ARMS OF THE ENEMY!

Here's the teaser and an excerpt:

Isabella Ricci has pledged her life for the cause – to free Italy from Nazi oppression. Her mission for the Resistance, to seduce a German officer into revealing military secrets, could be deadly. Can she complete her assignment before losing her heart…or her life?

Massimo Baricelli, commander in the Resistance, and Isabella’s ambitious lover, charges her to uncover intelligence that the Allies need to vanquish the Nazis. But can he hold onto his woman while sending her into the arms of another man?

Günter Schumann is handsome, chivalrous, romantic…and a captain in the Army of the Third Reich. When he meets Isabella, he falls for her instantly, never imagining that she is a spy and he her unwitting target. What will he do when forced to choose between love and duty?

How much must be sacrificed for the cause of freedom? Will love survive the cruelest betrayal?

Excerpt:

Before she could make sense of what was happening, the men were there inside the room. She wanted to scream, to flee, but she knew the slightest movement could be her undoing. She shook and her eyes filled with tears. But she discovered that if she concentrated on each breath, her lips tightly sealed, no sounds would escape. Crouched beneath the desk, she pressed her hands and feet against the floor to keep them from knocking against anything.

The two men spoke casually to each other, almost lightheartedly, in contrast to the deadly terror she felt. Though she struggled to comprehend what they were saying, she couldn’t decipher all the words. She thought about reaching for the dictionary that lay by her side, but that was too risky. The Germans had turned on the lights and were walking from desk to desk, apparently looking for something. Oh, God, what if they are looking for the supply log? She considered putting it back in the drawer, but instantly realized how foolish that would be. They’ll find me anyway, if they approach this desk, and I can’t make a move without giving myself away.

Every second was agony, as if death might come at any moment. But she admitted to herself that a swift demise would be easy compared to her fate if discovered. She would face humiliation, torture, and then finally, mercifully, death. The thought made her throat constrict painfully, as if a noose were being tightened around it. Was this what Marco felt when he died? Fear evolved into despondency. Just breathe...slowly, deeply...focus only on that—don’t think about anything else. Concentrate only on breathing.

Please visit my the "News" page of my website at www.lisbetheng.com for coming events (blog tour and personal appearances) and sign up for my newsletter on the "Contact" page.

The Promise

Last July I met an alumna for lunch and we fell to discussing writing. Now a health policy lawyer, this young lady was thinking about writing her memoirs about how she overcame significant obstacles in her life. She wanted to inspire other young women to go beyond the barriers and become more than they ever thought they could be. Then she asked me how I knew I wanted to write romance.

Ah. The sixty-four million dollar question! I said I wanted the PROMISE of a happy ending. She gave me a puzzled look, then I explained. Literary books promise beautiful language and a character who may or may not change in the journey from page one to the end of the book. Horror books promise to scare the reader. And mysteries promise the reader a good puzzle that they have the opportunity to solve before the end of the tale. And romance, ah l’amour, l’amour! Romance promises that it can give you one or all of the above experiences because of its almost infinite variety of sub-genres.

When we write romance, we promise the reader we will MOVE them in some way. Happy, sad, laughter, tears, frustration, suspense, panic--but at the end, all must be wrapped up with a bow and a sigh of contentment.

My young friend looked at me and said, “I have to rethink my ideas about romance, now!”

What about you, my fellow romance writers? Have you moved someone to think differently about romance? Have you shared the promise?

Sharon Buchbinder, Author, BONDED FOR LIFE, Class of '85 Series, Last Rose of Summer
Available NOW http://www.thewildrosepress.com/bonded-for-life-p-4227.html