March Releases from the Wild Rose Press

Coming This March!

Hurricane Crimes
Chrys Fey
Release Date 3-05-2014

Whiskey Sour Noir
The Hard Stuff
Mickey J. Corrigan
Release Date: 3-05-2014

Time for Love
Emma Kaye
Release Date 3-7-2014

Fading Rose
Tales of the Scrimshaw Doll
Tamrie Foxtail
Release Date: 3-7-2014

Walking Into Her Heart
A First Realm Novel
Susan JP Owens
Release Date: 3-7-2014

A Silver Lining
Flower Basket
T. R. McClure
Release Date: 3-12-2014

Pippa's Rescue
JJ Keller
Release Date: 3-12-2014

Climbing High
Madelon Smid
Release date: 3-14-2014

Notorious
Seaclusion Series
Leanne Davis
Release Date: 3-14-2014

A Red, Red Rose
Susan Coryell
Release Date: 3-12-2014

Maximum Memories
Abby Gordon
Release Date: 3-19-2014

Untangle My Heart
Tangled Hearts
Maria K. Alexander   
Release Date: 3-19-2014

Love Letter for a Sinner
The Sinners sports romances
Lynn Shurr
Release Date: 3-21-2014

Ride A Cowboy
Desiree Holt
Release Date 3-21-2014

The Princess and the Templar
Hebby Roman
Release Date:3-21-2014

True Nature
Neely Powell
Release Date: 3-21-2014

Taste of Darkness
The Siorai Legacy III
Victoria M. Noxon
Release Date: 3-26-2014

Making Room at the Inn
Misty Simon
Release Date: 3-26-2014

Purgatory
Colorado series
Denise Moncrief
Release Date: 3-28-2014

Mine to Tell
Colleen L. Donnelly
Release Date: 3-28-2014

Storms of Passion
Lori Power
Release Date: 3-28-2014

Enslaved
Brittany Barefield
Release Date: 3-28-2014

A Bloody Good Cruise - Available Now!

A BLOODY GOOD CRUISE is a fun-filled blend of the vampire world and luxury cruises.
Romance writer Mona Rossi can’t control her slipping book sales. She needs some new ideas, and fast! Her love Fausto Silvius works as a doctor aboard the Romanza, a luxury cruise ship. How about running a Motion on the Ocean writer's cruise? What better way to combine a career boost with a romantic Mediterranean voyage?

But Fausto discovers hunters on board. They chase him and his fellow vamps, putting him in grave danger as they threaten to eradicate him with ancient daggers and other deadly weapons. He longs to bring Mona into his world, but how can he persuade her to join him as a vampire with these fringe lunatics on the hunt? In the prime of her human life she’s not sticking her neck out for a shot at eternity. She’s hard to convince. Then there’s the slight age difference as he’s pushing five hundred.

Can he turn her and convince the hunters to join them?

Board the Romanza with some gorgeous vampires, fanatic hunters, and intrusive paparazzi for a fun-filled cruise of the Mediterranean.

On Kindle Now!

Diana Rubino
http://www.dianarubinoauthor.blogspot.com

Lily & Sarah by Cynthia Harrison

by Cynthia Harrison

I love minor characters. I love to make them shine. I love them thinking that the story is all about them. I love adding a layer of meaning and intrigue. Lily, from Blue Heaven, is a teenage runaway. She's got a fake ID, so resort owner Eva takes her on as a cleaner. Sarah, in The Paris Notebook, finds a temporary home with her female college professor. In every story I write, there is a teenaged female in trouble. This is because I know that girl. I was that girl.

I didn't run away like Lily. I was more pushed out. But what teenager, when her mother says "get out" actually goes? I went because my mother and I had such a terrible relationship. It felt wonderful, grown up, and free to leave home. Those teen years were so turbulent for me that they stick in my memory in vivid detail. I remember events and emotions. And while I do not reproduce the events, I am more than happy to supply characters like Lily and Sarah with my own memories of how it felt to be young, alone, and vulnerable.

These girls always find kind souls to help them on their journeys. The same was true of my own teenage wanderings. I hitchhiked all around the country in the early 70s. I didn't even have a sleeping bag, just a raggedly old quilt I wrapped my hairbrush and an extra pair of jeans in and tied with a frayed rope. Yet I was rarely hungry, never cold. People fed me, took me in, tried to help anyway they could. I remember one guy giving me money for flip flops as I had set out from Michigan barefoot. Got all the way to Junction City, Kansas that way. And while times were different then, and people were more trusting, I still think back and shudder at all the potential danger I put myself in.

I usually had a traveling companion, something I don't allow my teen characters. These girls are alone in the world when they find their safe places. I felt alone a time or two when a traveling companion ditched me for fun in another room of whatever house or apartment we happened to crash in on any given night. I had a few close calls; but I was never hurt. It seems like I had angels all around me, protecting me, because the potential for disaster was everywhere. I just didn't see it. Like so many teens, I thought I was indestructible. And so I was. Proof being I'm still here.

author of Blue Heaven
http://www.cynthiaharrison.com/

A Winter's Tale: Ghost of Winters Past

With the winter Olympics fresh in our minds, it's a great time to curl up with a frosty novel of romantic suspense. Set in the wilderness of northern New Brunswick, Canada, "Ghost of Winters Past" will bring chills both from the bitterly cold weather and anticipation. When a First Nations ghost and then a handsome, mysterious dog sledder appear out of a January blizzard to rescue city lawyer Michael Dunn, the scene is set for romance, adventure, and suspense. Pursued by a vindictive enemy from her past, Michaela seeks safety as manager of a snowmobile lodged deep in the hinterland but even there she discovers she's still within his sights. Her efforts to elude him appear in vain until, one bitterly cold night as northern lights rage across the sky, he's found dead...murdered. Will Michaela face charges or is his killing the work of the dog sledder who has set himself up as her unofficial guardian? Or has the ghost of winters past who's also chosen to become her protector had a hand in his demise?

For dog fanciers, "Ghost of Winters Past" offers the added bonus of having as one of the main characters, Doc, the lead sled dog. Doc has a taste for chocolate, regardless of its danger to those of his ilk, eventually finding himself in trouble with local law enforcement as a result. This canine culprit's antics add a chuckle to this novel of romantic suspense.

Curl up in your favorite chair with a cup of hot chocolate (or beverage of your choice), preferably with a cuddly canine companion and enjoy "Ghost of Winters Past."

Amazon http://amzn.com/B0096PKCOE
TWRP Website - http://www.wildrosepublishing.com/maincatalog_v151/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=137&products_id=4969

Sophomore Slump

It’s finally happened. You get the “call.” Receiving that long-awaited “call" (usually an email today) from a publisher is the closest an author can come to an out of body experience.

Let’s fast forward... Your first book survives editors, cover artists, and all the attendant hands involved in the publishing process. Your sales may have been better or worse than you hoped for, but if your editor still answers your emails and your publisher sends out your royalty checks there’s a good chance you’ll sell another book.

That's a great thing—right? Hmmm... When your first book was released everyone you knew bought a copy. Maybe several. You may have pictures of your kids, your spouse, and friends posing with your book. You proudly post them on social media. After all, you are a published author.

You've spent lots of time and energy—much more than you expected—promoting that first novel. But not wanting to be a one-hit wonder you've been cranking out chapters for book two. With an editor who believes in you and lots of hard work you sign another contract (or maybe you signed a multi-book deal up front.) My first editor told me that once you get into the world of the published opportunities appear. You get invited to sell and sign your book at libraries, bookstores and conferences. That magazine or paper that kept turning you down miraculously decides they found just the place for your article!

All this takes time, lots of it, and you find it difficult to complete that second novel. But somehow, you burn the midnight oil, turn down invitations, and concentrate. Suddenly you’re putting “The End” after the last page. Number two is ready to go! But something has changed. For starters unless it takes you years to write, you’re probably still actively selling the first book. Now the time you dedicated for signings, readings, and social media must be divided. And you soon find a subtle change in the attitudes of many of those close to you. Your kids, significant others, and the friends who supported you and bought multiple copies of book one no longer show you pictures with them holding the new one. It may even become a bit uncomfortable.

And let’s be honest, if you spent years writing, editing, and fine tuning that first book, some of your enthusiasm has waned. Because once you get into writing the second book, my friends, it is no longer a diversion, something to talk about at parties. Writing has become a JOB!

But that cloud does have a silver lining. In most cases the first book taught you things you now take for granted. You know how to navigate through social media, publicists, and blog tours. You’ve been baptized in the cauldron of public speaking. You find yourself more at ease. And something else has happened, something far more enjoyable: while the numbers may be small, unless book number one was a hideous failure, you now have a following. And readers I’ve never met giving me 5-star reviews is far more gratifying than those from my college roommate or next door neighbors!

And while writing doesn’t guarantee a luxury sedan every year it’s a rewarding career. Those of you who sign a second book contract have learned skills and techniques that will serve you well.

I’m working on my fourth novel. And I’ve found that while the second (and third) can be difficult they can be more rewarding. So take heart. Don’t let the task of being a multi-published author frighten you.

If you did experience sophomore slump in college you also found that you overcame it and went on to a brighter and more successful junior and senior years. It’s ephemeral, a phase you experienced as a student and one you may experience as a writer. To quote a far more gifted mind than mine: this too will pass!

Good luck

Kevin Symmons
@www.ksymmons.com
January 2014

Going In Deep: Point of View (POV)

Going In Deep: Point of View (POV)
By Ash Krafton
http://facebook.com/ashkraftonauthor

It’s time again for my semi-annual work-in-progress RWA chapter contest blitz.

Those not familiar with this somewhat threatening-sounding phrase should rest easy. It’s just my way of getting feedback on my manuscripts. Beta readers are critical to the editing process, and I have my own trusted circle of constructive critics. However, sometimes I need more than a reader’s opinion—I need to hear it straight from the pros.

That’s one of the reasons why I often enter my manuscripts into writing contests. I choose contests that encourage the judges to provide specific comments about various elements of a novel because, more than anything else, I want the feedback (http://querytracker.blogspot.com/2012/06/using-writing-contests-to-improve-ones.html) . I’ll enter a few contests, wait for the score sheets to come back, then start looking over them for similar comments among the returns.

And, as usual, my judges have come through. One specific comment kept popping up, so I knew I had to address the issue. (I also figured it would make a great writing craft post. See? When I lose contests, everyone wins. Just my way of paying it forward.)

That issue was deep point of view.

Going Deep

I’d just completed the third in a series that was written in first person POV. The heroine was an empath and, frankly, writing those books can be emotionally draining. When I started my new WIP, I knew I wanted some distance between my feelings and those of the character. The first thing I did was make her spellbound and magically restrained from experiencing any emotion. (Naturally.)

The second thing I did was write it from a third person POV.

This personal distancing wasn’t the only reason for choosing that particular POV. This book is a romance, and I wanted to be able to provide story from the hero’s POV at times. This was an option that was completely denied to me when writing the Demimonde series, because that story is told entirely in single first POV.

However, a few of my recent judges suggested I go into deep POV when writing the heroine’s chapters. Not entirely sure what these judges meant, I hit the books for another lesson on the craft of writing.

Deep POV is like a third person POV swimming pool. If third person has the character standing on the deck, deep POV is throwing the character into the water. The point is to write the story as if walking around in the character’s skin without using a first person technique.

Tips to Deepen the POV

Dialog tags: One of my judges pointed out that, in deep POV, a character doesn’t use many dialog tags. For instance, when having a conversation with your friend, you don’t mentally add things like "I said". You just say it. You don’t look at a person’s feet and think I wonder where she bought those shoes? You simply think Where did she get those shoes? (And, perhaps Why didn’t she get a second pair for me?)

In a story, though, we still need tags to keep it clear which character is speaking. I like to substitute action for a "she/he said" tag. "That’s my pen," she said can become "That’s my pen." She marched over to him and snatched it from his hand. Better story, and you have no doubt who spoke.

Five senses: We experience the world through our senses. Likewise, your reader should experience the story through the character’s senses. Sensory details bring the reader deeper into the character’s POV.

Show emotions, don’t tell: The most valuable tip I’ve read so far is to forget the names of actual emotions and just describe their effects. She became angry when he yelled at her can be She fisted her hands and pinned them under her arms. If he didn’t knock off the yelling, she’d shut his mouth with a tight slap.

Filtering words: This would be the first time I can disassociate the words “filtered” and “purity” because filtered writing does not create a pure reader experience. When we use words like see, thought, hear, feel, decide, wonder, realize, or watch, we put up a barrier of sorts between the reader and the character. Eliminating those filter words deepen the POV by giving the details from a first-hand perspective.

He watched the dog jump onto the table becomes The dog jumped onto the table. You bring the action directly to the reader. She thought he was very handsome can become She resisted a long, low whistle. Wow. Talk about smoking hot.

See? No filters means less distance between reader and experiencing--and that is the essence of deep POV.

Deep Isn’t For Everyone

Writers ultimately have to decide what POV is best for their characters, their books, and especially their writing style. Not every book can be told in deep POV and not ever writer is comfortable writing in that style.

Sometimes, it’s a simple matter of genre. Romance works with a deep POV because the reader wants to experience the emotional journey of the heroine and hero. (However, romance still works without going deep. Single third is a common POV style for this genre.) I found this article to be a helpful reference on genre/preferred POV http://www.amypadgett.com/2006/08/craft-point-of-view-and-genre.html so check that out if you need a primer (like I did).

Getting back to the judge feedback…

Apparently, I nailed deep POV for the hero. He’s an emotionally volatile creature so it was all too easy to get into his skin. My heroine…not so much. My attempt to distance myself from this character was a little too successful because, not only was I distanced, but the reader was distanced, too.

That’s not something we want for our stories—we want readers lost in our books. While amazing plotlines and complex personalities are essential to a captivating story, writers can fine-tune the POV to create the ultimate reader experience.


Ash Krafton
Stranger at the Hell Gate (Wild Rose Press, Black Rose, 2013)
http://facebook.com/ashkraftonauthor

A Bit about Historical Gold Coins

A Bit about Historical Gold Coins
Heidi Kneale
http://romancespinners.blogspot.com


In 1678, the most common British gold coin was the golden Guinea, worth about 22 shillings (in the old money) or equivalent of a Pound (new money). They were a recent mintage, having been around for only a decade or so. Before then, there was the English gold sovereign, Unites, Laurels, and Broads, all worth about 20 shillings.

For a comparison, a housemaid's annual wage about this time was about three guineas a year, plus vails (tips), if she was lucky. (Then again, she also got room and board and clothing in the form of livery, about 2-3 outfits a year.)

So, to come up with a hundred guineas was a seriously daunting task.

Could you have done it?

In "As Good As Gold", our heroine Daywen Athalia must come up with a hundred pieces of gold. Earning it (by the sweat of her brow or on her back) is out of the question, so she must resort to good, honest theft.

Theft is how Bel MacEuros acquires his wealth--stealing it from fey creatures.

His current acquired wealth comes from Germany, in the form of Gulden or Guilder. (Because you want to ask: Florins were also gold coins, but only up to the 18th Century. After, in the 19th and 20th centuries, Florins were silver.)

Gold is fungible--flexible in exchange of mutual substitution. The gypsy woman who sets the price knows this, and is happy to accept gold in pretty much any form, whether it be minted as Guineas or Guilders. Golden florins were smaller than Guilders or Guineas. Would the gypsy woman have taken a hundred florins, or would she have preferred guilders?

Have you ever held a gold coin?

__________________________
A bit of trivia: Australian's modern-day currency features one- and two-dollar coins fondly referred to as "gold coins" because they shine like gold when new. They are not actually gold, but are minted in aluminium bronze (92 percent copper, 6 per cent aluminum and 2 per cent nickel). Not a speck of gold to be found, except in the hearts of generous Australians, who freely donate to charities who ask for a "gold coin donation".


Heidi Kneale
http://romancespinners.blogspot.com
As Good As Gold - Available now on Amazon
http://amzn.com/B00I28UYXA

Street Teams

Street Teams

Ok, what is a street team?  Literally, it is a team that takes word to the streets...a publicity technique that has been used very effectively in other venues such as the music industry.  E.g.  http://concertpromousa.com/STREET_TEAM_MARKETING.pdf
(be forewarned, it is an advertisement for this particular product but it does have some information on the concept).

Authors are learning how to utilize this tool but should be aware that, just like any other of those dreaded publicity techniques, it takes time, but the investment may be well worth your efforts!

Typing ‘street team’ into a search engine will cause many different articles to appear, such as:


http://writingnovelsthatsell.com/book-marketing-for-savvy-networkers-create-street-teams/2013/12/

http://www.mipa.org/march-news/133-using-street-teams-to-launch-your-books

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/17563100-street-team-smarts


and I invite you to peruse some of these.  I am actually a participant on probably 10 or more street teams myself and offer observations from my own experiences.



What does a street team do?

All kinds of things, whether putting your book on their ‘shelves’ at Goodreads or starting a discussion thread there or on Amazon, writing a review, having a Facebook or Twitter conversation about your book(s), passing out trading cards or bookmarks or other swag to their local libraries, booksellers or other gatherings, posting comments on your blog tours, asking Amazon to price-match (especially useful when they are being stubborn about offering titles for lower prices), hosting ‘book parties’, the list can be long and creative.  I ask that you be careful about what you ask your team to do as I am not a fan of blitzing (and thankfully am not subjected to a lot of it since I don’t use FB or Twitter or most of the other social media) but that technique can become quite irritating although some authors are quite successful at utilizing it.  Please use caution when asking your team members to vote down low reviews because you do NOT want them to get into flame wars on your behalf and sometimes team members get a little too enthusiastic in their quest to support/protect you.  Please also realize that your requests reflect on you as a person, so asking people to join a particular forum JUST to garner votes for your title is not only frowned upon but actually forbidden in some venues and may reflect badly upon your integrity.

How do you find a street team?

First decide how large a team you can handle.  Are you a hands-on person or not?  Will it drive you nuts to have e-mails flooding your box asking you how you want to handle things?  Do you want to set up an e-mail account just for the street team members?  You may wish to choose one of your team members to be your liaison to everyone else.  Decide how you want to handle communication to everyone.  Some teams have private Facebook sites, some use yahoo loops, some use a password-protected area on their website or blog, some communicate just through e-mails.  Just remember that if you only use one venue, you may be excluding some of your most ardent fans.  Most of you who are just beginning would probably be advised to have 10 members or fewer to work out the kinks.  You can post a message on your blog or Facebook page and ask for members, if you are in a chat you can mention it or if you do signings or go to some of the conferences where you interact with readers, you can pass out a little card with your website or contact e-mail.  Please use caution because there may be some who join only for the ‘freebies’ so you have to decide what is the most comfortable way for you to decide who is appropriate for you.


What’s in it for the street team members?

First, you should decide what you can afford in terms of time and expense.  It does you no good to plow all of your hard-earned profit back into a street team and have nothing to show for it.  Be creative, often the most thrilling reward for these fans of yours is having access to you...to hear what you are writing about or other aspects of your life, to be involved in naming a character in your book or helping with a title or choosing a path for your hero or heroine to follow.  Some authors send out autographed or handmade items, or ARCs or sneak peeks that are only given to a chosen few, others pass out t-shirts that loudly promote their most recent title (and offer prizes for pictures that show the t-shirt is being worn in public).  Naturally, you have to use care because unfortunately, there are unscrupulous folks everywhere but it has been my experience that some long-lasting friendships and mutually beneficial relationships can arise and the synergy is uplifting.  Some authors find beta-readers who are willing to help catch errors and critique or folks who will write reviews just for the privilege of receiving an early copy.  Other authors offer prizes...e.g. all those who send a link to a review or a blogpost/Tweet/FB posting about your title get an entry into a contest for some particular prize.

The possibilities are endless...and those readers who are your fans and join your street team can offer wonderful inspiration and enthusiasm when they are able to share in your life.  You may need to consider an extra special gift or some kind of reward to those who go above and beyond for you, especially if they become a virtual assistant for you.  Just remember, the goal is to get your title out there in front of people and encourage them to become life-long fans so make sure you present yourself in the best possible light by always being respectful of others, having a nicely edited product (ha, my bias is showing) and displaying honesty and integrity.

Elf
Editor - The Wild Rose Press

Unusual paranormal characters in Romance
by
Juli D. Revezzo

http://julidrevezzo.com

Modern paranormal romance caters to women who want to dream a little more than the average reader. They crave the weird and just looking at the romance pages in Amazon or at the shelves in a bookstore, you’ll see publishers are catering to that wish list.

These days the main star of the genre, though, seems to have gelled down to two factions: Vampires and werewolves. As a reader of the genre, and as a lover of mythology, I’ve often wondered why that is. After all, the world’s mythologies offer so many different types of monsters (yes, I said the M word ) to choose from.

For instance, in Medieval mythology you’ll find Spring-heeled Jack.

In Scottish mythology you’ll find the pooka and the selkie.

In Greek and Roman mythology you have the shade (which is akin to the ghost), sirens, and the harpies, not to mention gods, dryads, and fauns—the list is endless right in that one mythology. And can’t you just see the *ahem* Erotic antics to be had with a faun?!

(C.S. Lewis missed a great opportunity to write a romance *eg*)

For me I chose focus on the Celts of ancient Ireland and Gaul who battled the Romans in order to preserve their homeland. (Alas, we won’t have time to cover here how that worked out) Warriors, druids, sorcerers, maidens with mystic powers and secrets. Though the mythological records can seem spotty, they carry within them the very seed of romance itself.

(and, wow! Imagine being taken away by an elf king… and a faun? Wait, I think I have a new idea for a book.)


If you’d like to see what I made of my take on the Celtic mythological beings, my new paranormal romance, PASSION’S SACRED DANCE.

Battling mounting debt, Stacy Macken is determined not to lose her historic art gallery. When Aaron Fielding appears and offers to help, she fights to keep the attraction sizzling between them from clouding her judgment. He may be her savior in disguise--but can she trust him?

Aaron intrigues her with tales of the Tuatha dé Danann, sworn warriors who protect humanity from the monsters seeking their destruction. If Aaron can prove what he claims, she would give up anything to help--even the gallery he claims is sacred ground. But with her property set to stage the next epic battle, she needs answers. An old family diary will confirm the ancient legend is true, if only they can find it in time.

If the battle is lost, the enemy will take control of Earth for the next five hundred years. Stacy and Aaron's budding love might only complicate things.

If you’d like to read more, PASSION’S SACRED DANCE is available on
Amazon - http://amzn.com/B00E4WOBWI
and the Wild Rose Press
http://www.wildrosepublishing.com/maincatalog_v151/index.php?main_page=index&manufacturers_id=1064

I hope you’ll check it out and enjoy the magic!

So, tell me, what unusual character might you want to read (or write) a love story about?

How Autobiographical Can It Be/Should It Be/Is It?

How Autobiographical Can It Be/Should It Be/Is It? Jenny Andersen
http://www.jennysfiction.com

Wallpaper With Roses is a book just out from TWRP. Is it autobiographical? Yes. No. Not really. It’s about a woman and her aging mother. Well, I’m a woman and my mother got old. Those two facts are commonalities between my life and the book. They don’t make the story an autobiography.

I’m not Sarah, the heroine in the book, not by a long shot. Was my mother Hannah? She had many of Hannah’s more wonderful characteristics, but no.

Yes, the book is rooted in the feelings we all have as our parents age. But as new characters walked on stage, new ideas grew and a whole new story coalesced around Sarah and Hannah. Sarah, like all good heroines, had to find her way through a minefield of problems.

What Sarah and I share is a deep love for our mothers, and the helpless anger at their aging. The rules change when a parent reaches an advanced age and it’s not fun for anyone. Sarah felt the things I felt during those hard years—fear, hope, anger, resentment, love, terror, helplessness.

These emotions translated from real life to the page. Actual incidents—not so much. A friend’s parent sideswiped the garbage can and she thought he should give up driving. He didn’t. In the book, Hannah T-boned the local chief of police and lost her license (boy, was she ticked), resulting in much more conflict than a bent trash can. The real incident served as inspiration for a fictional scene, and as Sarah and Hannah acted and reacted to these happenings, as I played the writer’s game of What If, new incidents evolved and spun onto the page.

So now there is the book—inspired by life, morphed into a story by time and effort, but Sarah’s story, not mine. Is it a sad book, a depressing book? No. Wallpaper With Roses is a story of love in its many guises. Bad things happen, sad things happen, but Sarah lives a story of courage and hope and family and love. As friends and strangers enter her life with all their problems and joys, Sarah learns love has a very sustaining quality and family is a matter of the heart. I’m not Sarah, Sarah isn’t me, but in that respect I choose to emulate her.

Jenny Andersen
http://www.jennysfiction.com

Wallpaper with Roses by Jenny Andersen http://amzn.com/B00G8I3D0W

She Said, He Said by Diane Burton

She Said, He Said
Diane Burton
www.dianeburton.com

Since ONE RED SHOE is a romantic suspense, you expect the bad guys will be caught and the hero and heroine will finally get their happy-ever-after. No spoilers there. After the book was finished, I happened to overhear a conversation between Daria and Sam. Now, I’m no gossip but I thought you might enjoy.

Daria: I am so glad it’s all over and that you came into my life.

Sam: I am, too. I just wish the circumstances had been different.

Daria: I was tired of being in a rut, living in the same town, on the same road, in the same house all my life. Sheesh. I’m pushing the big THREE-O and I hadn’t even lived yet. I wanted adventure with a capital A.

Sam: Well, you got one when you came to New York City. A real Adventure—capitalized and in italics. Probably more than you bargained for, hey, kid?

Daria: A lot more.

Sam: Bet you never expected to see a bleeding fool when you barged into that restroom.

Daria: No, I didn’t. Besides, I wasn’t in the wrong place, you were. By the way, you weren’t a fool.

Sam: Sure felt like one.

Daria: I couldn’t believe you tried to convince me you cut yourself shaving. Your gunshot wounds were in your calf and your butt. What a card. Just like my brothers.

Sam: Speaking of those boys, have they recovered yet from learning about how you took down a Russian Mafia assassin-in-training?

Daria: Hehehe. That guy was huge. And was he ever mad! I mean, revenge was definitely on his mind. Steam was coming out of his ears.

Sam: I think he was still p.o.’d that you dumped him on his bare butt in a prickly hedge and later into a freezing cold lake. Yeah, revenge was definitely on his mind. Scared ten years off my life when he grabbed you from behind. And I couldn’t save you.

Daria: You were rather tied up wrestling the real assassin. I, on the other hand, took care of my own problem.

Sam: *winces* That guy is probably still singing soprano. You done good, kid.

Daria: Yes, I did. Wish my brothers had seen that. On second thought, it’s a good thing they didn’t. They would have rushed in and ruined my triumph. They still aren’t convinced we belong together.

Sam: You know I have that problem, too.

Daria: It’s a good thing our author knows what’s best—even if you don’t. Remember, I’m the best thing that ever happened to you.

Sam: Damn straight you are.

The two of them closed the door so I don’t know what happened next. But I can guess. You can find out more about what happened to Daria and Sam between the time she left home and they found their HEA in ONE RED SHOE.

Diane Burton
http://dianeburton.blogspot.com/
One Red Shoe Available Now
Amazon - http://amzn.com/B00FDXRHZA 
The Wild Rose Press - ebook - http://www.wildrosepublishing.com/maincatalog_v151/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=137&products_id=5489
And Paperback - http://www.wildrosepublishing.com/maincatalog_v151/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=191&products_id=5416