Romantic Comedy from the Garden! Book Spotlight

Blogs of a Cheater Eater
Erika Kathryn

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When a woman gets cheated on, who can she call? The Cheater Eater.

For years, Kat Clyne built a business slurping up man-stew for brunch with a side of mimosa, and devotedly labeling herself "the Cheater Eater" while working for the local paper. Being hired to carry out her own brand of justice is just the tip of the fork, and in order to reach a bigger audience of women in need, she starts blogging about her theories, rules, and advice.

That is until she meets Cave Maverick, the man assigned to be her partner at the paper and a cheater himself. Determined to help women everywhere with their broken hearts, Kat struggles with the idea Cave may be one of those mythical creatures known as a good guy, but will accepting a cheater make her lose more than her heart?

Romantic Comedy
Rating: Sensual
Page Count: 242
Word Count: 65605
978-1-62830-039-0 Paperback
978-1-62830-040-6 Digital

Excerpt:

There is no such thing as a perfect relationship. Even if he has your name tattooed to his butt cheek and declared you are his BFF, there is still the possibility he will cheat. You may be the Mother Mary and Martha Stewart rolled into the body of Heidi Klum, but there is still the possibility he’ll bring on the cheat wave. It has nothing to do with the fact you’re beautiful, smart, rich, popular, or whatever. Those things make no difference on cheating.

Do not make excuses. Such as, "he works so much. There isn't time to cheat." Never forget, if your man wants to cheat, he's going to make the time to do it. You'd be surprised how many hours of the day he’s unsupervised. Another excuse I hear in the bull-crap bubble is, "he's not what he used to be. I doubt other women would even go after him." There are retirement communities—I won't name names—that have higher STD percentages than colleges. Men are never too old, too ugly, nor too broke to cheat.

Do not just blame the other woman. I've heard it all on this subject and women seem to think, "She must have trapped him, because otherwise he’d never have done this to me." First of all, we all know the saying, "it takes two to tango." So let me just say without getting too graphic, it also takes two to salsa, fox-trot, waltz, rumba, and have sex, too. So trust me, she didn't put some magic gypsy potion in his beer, she didn't put him under a witch’s spell, and she sure as shoot didn't hold him at gunpoint. He chose to get involved, he chose to do it behind your back, and, of course, he chose to cheat.

In conclusion, I just want to reiterate: Trust your instinct. You were given it for a reason.


Out on a Limb
Dana Stevenson

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When Ellie Addison, an event planner with a timid heart and tenacious spirit, finds herself getting the kiss of her life from an incredibly sexy stranger, she can’t help thinking something’s finally gone right in her life. That is, until she finds out the stranger is actually her new boss, Josh Degon, and it wasn’t Ellie he’d planned on kissing.

Now, if Ellie wants to keep her job, she’ll have to keep her hot boss at a safe distance. She stands to lose it all if she doesn’t get her life together. She’s already misplaced her widowed dad. Oh yeah, and her keys too. And that timid heart she’s fought to keep safe? If sexy Josh keeps going out of his way to seduce her, chances are damned good she’s going to lose that too.

Rating: Spicy
Romantic comedy
Page Count: 292
Word count 78282
Print ISBN: 1-60154-907-5

Excerpt:

Degon took a few steps closer. Then closer.

Until finally he was directly below the branches of the tree. His gaze focused on something in the grass by his feet.

Stooping, he picked up one of my sandals. He straightened. And then, ever so slowly, he lifted his head, higher and higher…Until he spotted me.

Mortification.

Degon stared for a long, silent minute. Then one eyebrow quirked upward. “I heard you’d be here.”

Honestly! As if that were the news of the day. As if finding me on a branch practically naked was nothing out of the ordinary.

Crossing my legs awkwardly, I covered my middle with the leaves on a nearby branch, winced and then croaked, “Mr. Degon, maybe you haven’t noticed, but I’m kind of in my underwear.”

“I’ve noticed,” he said.

“I…I don’t normally go to parties in just my panties,” I babbled, just in case he thought otherwise.

“I didn’t think so. Why today?”

“Because.” I pointed a finger at the canine monster. “Cujo stole my skirt!”

For the first time since I’d met him, Degon let out a laugh. Like an idiot, I was struck dumb by the sound. His laughter was heart-stoppingly real and unreserved, contagious even. I might have joined in if I could have gotten past the humbling fact that he was laughing at me. Instead, I waited patiently for him to finish up, which took a while.

“Addison,” he murmured finally, “you really are…” He stopped, apparently searching for the right word, then found it. “Something,” he said. And when his gaze, still warm from his laughter, rested on my face, I felt heat flood my middle.


Teed Up For Love
Barbara Weitz

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A WORKING GIRL JUST HAS TO BLOW HER LID... Using her quick wit and take-charge attitude,

Miranda Stiltgaard lands a marketing job for Stuart Golf Enterprises in Chicago determined to prove a well-educated girl raised in a small Alaskan town can succeed in a big city.

WHEN ACCUSED OF A CRIME SHE DIDN'T DO... Embezzlement of company funds sends aloof London bachelor, Keegan Stuart, roaring into Chicago to ferret out a thief and protect the family business.

THEN RISKS HEARTBREAK TO BOOT... Miranda hates that this unreadable Brit sees her as a backwoods frontierswoman dragging bear home for dinner. Or that she's capable of a crime. But if it's a fight he wants, she'll show him how it's done. Never does Keegan expect a woman of fortitude to rock his resolve and steal his heart...a heart he doesn't intend to lose.

Romantic Comedy
Rating: Spicy
Page Count: 264
Word Count 72600
ISBN: 1-60154-904-0

Excerpt:

I pointed the umbrella at the stranger. “Listen here, whoever you are.”

“Bill’s brother.”

I scorched him with my best Nordic glare. “This is my weekend to dog sit. You have to leave.” I swept the umbrella in a banishing motion.

“Don’t think so.” The dark-haired devil closed the laptop and set it aside.

Uh-oh. Blood thundered in my ears.

Slowly, for effect, I’m sure, he removed his bare feet from the coffee table and ran his palms over his thighs to unfold his tall frame and stand before me all lean muscle and confidence. Testosterone poured off him.

Nothing rational was going through my mind except the sudden realization that I’d seen men like this my whole life in Alaska. Men I’d always been able to put in their place. Only this man did something to my insides.

He took a step forward.

Whack! The umbrella hit him hard in the left bicep. He grabbed at it with reflexes so fast we were caught in a momentary tug-of-war, until he wrestled it away and tossed it aside. “Now look here, miss. This is a company-owned apartment, and I own the damned company that owns the—”

“What’s all the commotion?” groused a rough male voice. I locked eyes with Nigel Stuart, our company president. What was he doing here?

Realization cloaked me like a death pall. I had struck Keegan Stuart. Nigel’s brother.

I spun around and headed for the door. Miranda, you are so fired.

The Diva of Peddler's Creek
Ava Bleu

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Romance novelist Taylor Beir will stop at nothing to get her mother off her back, including relocating to teach a little boy she’s never met how to read. But Christopher Doubleday doesn’t want to learn. His handsome older brother, Boyd, has an invisible stick up his backside. And she suspects sweet Mary and Jesse are trying to transform her into the mythical “good girl” she’s never been, either by power of suggestion or by bribing her with endless goodies from Mary’s kitchen.

Taylor may be down—and stuffed—but she’s not out. Someday the townspeople of Peddler’s Creek, West Virginia will realize their hostility is misplaced and recognize her for the gentle, misunderstood soul she really is. And they will admit that Taylor Beir truly is the best thing to ever happen to their tiny, dirt road, middle-of-nowhere, backwater town of Peddler’s Creek, West Virginia…if they know what’s good for them.

Pages 318
Spicy
Print ISBN: 1-60154-837-0

Excerpt:

He pretended not to notice Taylor’s quick blink of surprise and then her sudden clutch onto the horse as she realized she was high in the air with no one to steady her.

“What the hell…?” she said, grabbing the saddle.

“Take the reins,” Boyd said from beside her, thrusting the leather into her hands without meeting her eyes. He couldn’t, or she would surely see the desire he was trying so hard to hide. The last damn thing he needed was Taylor getting wind that he found her attractive—any more than she already knew.

She took the reins quickly, annoyance making her movements jerky.

“Take it easy!” he barked, allowing his frustration to masquerade as anger and his desire to transfer into bluster. “I hope you realize you lost the wager.”

“What? No way.”

“I put you on the horse.”

“You didn’t have the patience to allow me to do it myself.”

“You couldn’t do it yourself.”

“I could have, you didn’t want me to.”

“You didn’t,” he said with finality, turning away. He could feel the heat of her anger from where he stood, but only had a split second to enjoy it when…

“You are such a son of a…” She paired the last word with an angry kick. More of a jerk, really. But it didn’t matter whether it was a kick or a jerk, because a millisecond later the horse beneath her kicked up its front feet, taking Taylor high into the air.

Boyd watched in horror as Flame reared slightly, causing Taylor’s eyes to go wide with surprise, and a screech to erupt from her throat before his prize steed took off and she disappeared like a blur before him.
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May releases from The Wild Rose Press

Look for these exciting stories coming soon from the Wild Rose Press!
Click here for the Coming Soon Page on the Wild Rose Press

The Art of Love and Murder
Love and Murder
Brenda Whiteside
Release Date: 2014-05-02

Never Had a Dream Come True
The Royal Family
Jennifer Wenn
Release Date 5-2-2014

The Rasner Effect
Mark Rosendorf
Release Date 5-2-2014

Dragon Lover
Draconia Tales
Karilyn Bentley
Release Date 5-7-2014

Cowboy on the Run
Devon McKay
Release Date 5-7-2014

Under Starry Skies
Judy Ann Davis
Release Date: 2014-05-07

Poolside Pleasure
Renee Ashley Williams
Release Date 5-9-2014


Her Unexpected Husband
Abby Gordon
Release Date: 2014-05-09

How to Marry A Rogue
Anna Small
Release Date: 2014-05-09

Homecoming Homicides
A Psychic Crystal Mystery - Book Two
Marilyn Baron
Release Date 5-9-2014

Isela's Love
Celio Series, Book Two
Sasha Cain
Release Date 5-9-2014

Second Nature
Krista Ames
Release Date: 2014-05-14

Silent Deceit
Kallie Lane
Black Force Renegades series
Release Date 5-14-201

Amethyst Refrain
Kalliope Bell
Release Date: 2014-05-14

Paradise for a Sinner
The Sinners sports romances  #4
Lynn Shurr
Release Date 5-16-2014

Your Dimension Or Mine?
Dating Service Series
Cynthia Kimball
Release Date 5-16-2014

The Cowgirl & the Stallion
Natasha Deen
Release Date: 2014-05-16

Solo
Kevin V. Symmons
Release Date 5-21-2014

A Saved Woman
Lawmen and Outlaws
Nancy Fraser
Release Date 5-21-2014

Despite the Fangs
Dylan Newton
Release Date: 2014-05-21

Embraced by Fire
Louise Delamore
Release Date 5-23-2014

Resorts, Regrets, and Returning to Love
J L Wilson
Release Date: 5-23-2014

Bayou Bound
Book 2 ~ Fleur de Lis Series
Linda Joyce
Release Date 5-28-2014

A Cowboy's Fate
Gini Rifkin
Release Date: 2014-05-28

As Good as Gold
Heidi Wessman Kneale
Release Date: 2014-05-28

Dead Man's Rules
Rebecca Grace
Release Date 5-30-2014

Pandora's Jar
Veil Walker
Sharron Riddle
Release Date 5-30-2014

Read To Me
Here Come the Brides
Nona Raines
2014-05-30

Revisiting Young Adult Short Stories - Book Spotlights

Periwinkle Way
Nancy Lindley-Gauthier 

To Purchase

When teenager Robyn looks up from snorkeling, she thinks she can see dolphins leaping in the distance. It is a beautiful place, a little beach just off beautiful Captiva Island, Florida. There are shells and wildlife. A swim across this natural, untamed beach is her one goal, the one plan she held on to through her whole, week-long vacation. It will be a wonderful, never-to-be forgotten experience, she is sure. And, Robyn's younger sister Rue is, like always, spoiling everything.

In a perfect piece of bad timing, a motorboat chugs up the beach, with a more than averagely cute guy preparing for a swim. Will his arrival makes things better or worse? Jump right in - the water is fine!

Excerpt:

A ripple swept the still waters of the little bay off Captiva Island, and Robyn dipped her face into the water to peer below. The clear bay water allowed her a perfect view of her toes in the sand, but otherwise, the beach seemed empty. She straightened and glared at the boat.

“Why does everything have to start with an argument?” she asked.

Rue pretended not to hear her.

“Can't you give snorkeling a try?” Robyn pressed. She wouldn’t be permitted to snorkel around the little bay alone. She sighed. Sometimes she wished she could kick her younger sister.

She looked at her mother, hardly daring to hope. Her mother flipped rapidly through her magazine, her eyes glued to the shiny pages, letting each one slap loudly on the next. Neither her mother nor her aunt felt comfortable in the ocean. Her mother had not even wanted Robyn to start classes for her diver's certification card. Aunt Jean might have been wheedled into taking a dip, but she had dozed off in the sun.


Saddle Up, Sweetheart

Sydney Shay 

To Purchase

What happened after their first kiss on New Years Eve?

The ‘L’s were restored, but romance keeps Lucky Lake from returning to normal. Natalie and Russ grow closer everyday, but while she looks out for their future, he only thinks of the ranch, which might close by the end of summer.

Russ's decision may be made for him. His father has given Natalie two weeks notice, placing her last day right after her birthday! Does Russ love her more than Lucky Lake? Will the loss of her job end their relationship forever?

 Excerpt:

“Russ, we need to talk about Natalie.” Tucker Kent, boss and patriarch at the Lucky Lake Ranch started the conversation. His voice carried through the open door and down the hall.

Natalie Coombs unfortunately arrived just in time. She had been searching the house for Russ and didn’t intend to snoop on a meeting between him and his father. It was wrong to spy, but hearing her name was a beacon. Life at Lucky Lake had been good to her, and falling in love with Russ Kent was an unexpected bonus.

Her mind said walk away, but her lungs withheld breath, her footsteps softened, and her tense muscles encouraged her to continue. Majority ruled. She stopped outside the office, out of sight.

“She’s done amazing work, Dad. The customers love her, she gets along with the staff…”

Russ’s enthusiastic voice caused her toes to curl in her tennis shoes. She pictured him, just taller than his father, with an intense smile. He was probably rolling up his sleeves preparing to sit down and—

Trick to Treat
Kimberlee R. Mendoza

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Sarah Bradley has wanted to hang with the popular kids since her freshman year, and now she has the chance. All she has to do is survive a Halloween scavenger hunt with the "in" crowd. When the girls lock her in a haunted mansion, she feels the trick is on her. Then she meets Matt and begins to believe that maybe she got a treat after all. But what if "love" is part of the game?

Excerpt:

Sarah Bradley stepped from her mother’s silver Mercedes and stared at the group of girls leaning against the brick wall. The popular group she’d been trying to befriend since the ninth grade had finally given her a chance. Why they’d had a problem with her, she didn’t understand. She didn’t think she was bad looking. Her family was rich, she wore all the right clothes and yet, breaking into the “club” had been almost impossible until now. She had her shot if she could get through tonight. Whatever that meant. Her palms were moist and her heart thundered in her chest. A familiar emotion whenever they were around.

Sarah’s mother beeped the horn, then drove out of the school parking lot and out of sight.

The “queen-bee” of the popular-girls, Alexis—a tall, blonde worshiped by all—strutted up to Sarah with a pasted smile. She wore a playboy bunny costume flanked by Jane, a Korean dressed in a cat suit.

Spinning the Baiji

Nancy Lindley-Gauthier 

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Lin Li has no memory of a time before she loved SunLee. He is an old-fashioned sort of man, practicing tai chi and communing with the river creatures as in times of old. She knows he is promised to another, still, she secretly shares his dawns. She wishes to stop time and stay forever on the leaf-spattered trail where their lives entwine.

The day approaches when the mighty Yangtze River’s current will still, and the finest things in her life must end. Her love for SunLee, like the unimaginable beauty of the Yangtze lotus, will fall away to no more than myth. Sorrow brings her the last of the baiji. The magic of the white river dolphin offers her a lyrical world of love, but perhaps, not her one love...

Excerpt:

A hand grasped her own. She looked up to meet the sharp gaze of SunLee. He drew her toward him. Her long hair floated out free all around her, a dark halo hiding her body beneath the surface.

Very slowly, he chanted, “White crane sings to the baiji. Tell me, baiji of dreams, stay you here in this world, in this form?” His wide eyes and hushed tone betrayed his fear.

As if a cold wave had touched her face, Lin shook her head and snatched her hand away. “I, Liu Lin have lived in the same village as my fathers, and as your fathers, all of my life. Do you not even recognize a neighbor? Do you think I am a spirit from some far shore?”

The tall man squatted there on the edge of the sandbar. He studied her carefully. Finally, he nodded. “Lin,” he said clearly. “My morning companion.”

She started.

“Neighbor, yes,” he agreed in tones both soft and deep, “and more. I know you. You stood high on the cliff, reaching out, the dawn I saw the young baiji, yet the foreigners saw only a porpoise. That young baiji I left here in these shallows. They damaged his fin, and he cannot hunt. I have been bringing him fish.”

Oh, ah. She could hardly blame him for imagining her something mystical, with her long hair floating out wide around her, and the rest of her floating, her creamy flesh no doubt standing out in the dark water and…

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Spotlighting Women's Fiction at the Wild Rose Press

Amanda in the Summer
Brenda Whiteside 

To Purchase

Three generations of women...and the secret that strengthens their love.

A line of women, all named Amanda, stretches back for generations. Each with her hopes, her joys, her pain--each pouring out her heart in correspondence with a dear family friend who shares their lives, understands their loves, and joins in their sorrows.


But within the correspondence lies a secret. And as the youngest of the Amandas retraces the journey through the years--beginning in post-war America and following through to modern day--the letters reveal, layer by layer, the Amandas who came before her. Soon, the truths and lies hidden in the letters lead her down a path of self-discovery that forges a bond between her past and future.

Excerpt:

August 24, 1968

Dear Tilly,

A few days of bliss with no one to talk to but the seagulls. I have you to thank for this. I’m so glad you popped back after Amanda, Robert, and Mother left. The strain I put on all of us while you were here would’ve dragged on for who knows how long if you hadn’t returned. Once again, Tilly, you read the tea leaves and righted things.

My moods have been so ragged of late. Jealousy of all things. Jealous that you could talk to my daughter, get along so lovely with her, which I’ve had difficulty doing these last few months. Jealous of your longer running friendship with Robert than with me. I’m not sure if I was jealous of him or you. You’re both mine. And angry that the two of you are uncomfortable around each other after so many years and not making sense of that. When Robert left, I tried to give him the blue swimsuit you had left behind and asked him to drop in on you to return it. He said no, I could do it when I got back. This was so unlike him and did more to unsettle me...


The Apprentice

Jana Barkley 

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There are no accidents...

A pain-filled encounter with an escaped hawk prompts suburban divorcee Samantha Leyton to learn more about the untamed bird of prey that attacked her.  Surprised and intrigued, Sam soon finds herself obsessed with an ancient passion even more consuming than the deadly disease in her body.

Falconry sponsor Hank Gerard sensed something different about the smart, city-dwelling blonde from the moment they met.  A master at understanding wild raptors, the hard-edged loner soon realizes his newest apprentice hides a secret behind the sheer grit, drive, and independence that privately captivate him--a secret Sam is determined to keep hidden. If her fellow falconers discover she's ill, she could lose her only remaining connection to life--her red-tailed hawk, Chance.

Against the backdrop of the sport of falconry, will two souls destined to meet learn to trust again before it's too late?

Excerpt:

The pain searing through Samantha Leyton’s left hand felt like nothing she had ever experienced, and she had experienced a lot in the past two months. She made an innocent move, the simple gesture of lifting her hand to block the sun as she stood before the Birds of Prey exhibit at the Highland Scottish Games. The large raptor now crushing and puncturing her hand with its talons must have thought otherwise. All she saw was a flash of feathers and bewildered people moving out of the way, unsure if this was supposed to be happening—and there it was, perched on her upheld hand. Sam could have told them this was not part of the show.

 Tears flooded her eyes as the bird’s crushing grip brought new waves of pain every time she moved, forcing her to hold still in spite of the organic urge to scream and shake the thing off. She fought to focus within, the way she’d learned to do at the hospital under the numerous pokings and proddings that had become routine, but a strange fascination compelled her to stare at the feathered monster holding her in its vice-like grip.

It was waiting for something, and in that terrible space of seconds, Sam realized it might reach for her face. Blood-red eyes, devoid of fear, bored into hers with an expression of complete ownership; she was its possession. A trickle of blood dripped from her hand, luring the hawk’s interest back to its catch, its instinct no doubt to feed stronger than any fear it might have of her.

Whiskey Sour Noir
Mickey J. Corrigan 

To Purchase

Tami Lee Conkers knows her own mind, and she knows she has gotten herself into trouble by falling for the handsome, well-educated Cat Avery.  She knows better, as the man is a registered sex offender who has served his time and now tends bar, but she believes his claim of innocence.

Having lost everything–career, family, home and reputation–Cat thinks he has figured out who set him up for the crime he didn't commit. He is determined to seek revenge.  All around him, life is going from bad to worse until Tami Lee comes a callin'.  Without Tami's help, Cat's life is over.

As the world spins out of control around them, can Tami justify leaving her life behind for one man?

Excerpt:

The first time I met Cat Avery, he'd just started bartending at the Kettle of Fish. The sudden halt of the Gulf Stream flow was all over the news and everybody sat glued to the yakker box, watching the talking heads discuss the oncoming doom. When I walked in I was tired and cranky. Not in the mood for world disaster. Not in the mood for love, either. I'd dropped by the Kettle for relaxation, not excitement. I'd had enough of that at work.

I almost turned right around and headed for the take-out coolers at the liquor mart down the way. But once I'd set my squinting eyes on Cat Avery, I stood my ground. In West Dusky, you're lucky if you see anyone with all their own teeth, never mind good-looking guys in their thirties. Well-built men with hair on their heads are a rare breed in my neighborhood. I'd become accustomed to sleeping down. Avery was on another ranking entirely. He was up so many rungs he was out of my league and I knew it soon as I laid eyes on the man.


That was my first row of thoughts, at least. I should have turned tail, saved my tattooed backside. But it was already too late. I was hooked line and sinker and he was smiling at me. He'd seen me come in. I held my breath for a moment and tried not to look at the vision of hunkiness standing behind the bar with a dirty towel over one broad shoulder. But there wasn't really any choice. I couldn't take my eyes off him. What was a guy like that doing in a place like this?


Where There Is Will
Monica Epstein 

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When she moves to London following her divorce, Michelle Loeser has no interest in looking for love. She needs to focus on surviving without her ex's six-figure income, coping with a severe fear of heights, and rebuilding her confidence. And if she keeps her promise to her best friend, she'll pursue her passion for writing too.

Will Sheridan found his passion early in life. At age eleven, he was cast in the starring role in a film series. Now, at the age of 25, he's a celebrity at a crossroads in his career. He has no time for women who don't understand his priorities.

When Will offers to help Michelle acclimate to the unfamiliar city in exchange for cooking lessons, she figures what's the harm? But jealous fans and coworkers, eager paparazzi, and a distrustful mother see it differently.

Excerpt:

"Why aren't you doing the play?"

"What play?"

My temper climbed. "Have you been offered more than one?"

"Well, no. Did you pick through my rubbish?"

"The script was on your counter."

"Covered in crap!"

"I admit I might not have behaved ethically. But this is a phenomenal opportunity. You can't pass up this show. It's on Broadway. And this particular role is a far cry from Nathaniel Wise. It will highlight your versatility and help you make the transition from teen to adult roles. Your career will skyrocket."

"I don't want to live in New York right now," he said after a moment's hesitation. "I'm happy in London. I can find another project."

"As big as this one? I thought one of your goals is to perform on Broadway."

"It is, but not now."

"Why not?"

He hesitated again. "I don't want to be apart for so long."

"You and me?"

"No, me and my toothbrush! Of course, you and me. I love you, Michelle. I don't want to leave you behind for seven months, and I know you can't come with me because of your job."

"When we got together, your focus was on your career. That's one of the reasons I agreed to be with you. Now you're letting our relationship get in the way of that. I won't be responsible for you missing out on the opportunity of a lifetime."

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“Sealed with a Kiss” by Kevin V. Symmons

“Sealed with a Kiss” by Kevin V. Symmons

If that title has a vague ring of familiarity that’s no accident. It not so coincidentally bears the name of a song from the mists of my youth. And when doing this blog though it may be begging the season by a month (or more) the summer beckons in the distance as old memories flood back and come to mind and my not so hidden roots as a closet romantic beckon!

I have the good fortune to spend many summers on Massachusetts’s luxuriant Cape Cod coast. Each year the CC populace grows by ten-fold as between five and six million visitors cross one of the two aged bridges that span a man-made body of water known as the Cape Cod Canal. But in addition to being a spectacular spot of natural beauty it is also an area filled with beauty, romance, and the thrill of youth.

As a child on the south coast my experiences were physically and emotionally stimulating… things like sun and surf and often massive waves that crashed on the pristine sand. Massive at least to one who was only three feet tall. As I grew into my “formative” years my family and I continued to visit and experience the magic.

Slowly, I found my feelings transformed from something far less visual into something far more visceral. Shells and surf gave way to a magic that stimulated me in ways I found both new and strangely exciting. Like so many young people who grew up in summer locales I began to see the subtle changes in those I’d spent so many sun-drenched days with.

It’s difficult to pinpoint the exact day, week, and month when I suddenly came to the realization that one of my best summer pals had grown in ways that animated, excited, and terrified me. It began during the summer of our twelfth year. Maybe in some subtle ways the year before—but when Joey— short for Josephine—appeared that year on the first day of our summer long vacation I felt a lump in my throat and my heart quicken. Clichés yes, but none the less just as true. All I know is that when I saw her that June morning something changed.

I’d had all the stirrings and emotional turmoil inherent in any adolescent experiencing the conflicts and ecstasy that accompanies puberty but it wasn’t till I saw Joey, silhouetted as she stood awaiting me at our front door that the emotion truly took hold.

That summer was a roller coaster for me… and though we never discussed it I’m sure it was for her, too. Suddenly, simple things became complicated. I noticed an electricity when our hands would touch or our eyes would find and linger on each others.

The smell of the tide and fresh-cut grass were exchanged for the subtle fragrance of her sweet fragrance when she was close. Things which a year or two before had seemed commonplace became scripted so as not to touch or get too close to each other while wanting desperately to do so.

Summer friendships begin on the 4th of July and end on Labor Day or at least that had been the way of it for the years prior to our emergence as young men and women. Others populated our sun and surf-drenched summer world but from my first encounter with Joey that summer neither of us paid attention to the others.

On Labor Day weekend the families who populated our little Cape Cod side street traditionally held a farewell cookout. That year while neither of us spoke of it, as if scripted Joey and I drifted away from the others to take a walk on the soft sand, knowing it would be our last for an interminable winter.

Suddenly, I felt her hand in mine and as the moon rose into a clear star filled sky I turned toward her. Her hazel eyes dropped behind thick lashes and I put my arms around her clumsily.

We heard out parents calling but as I turned to head back up the beach she gently pulled me close and kissed me. It was soft, innocent, and clumsy. Someone once suggested that no one ever forgets their first kiss. After a summer of watching her and waiting it was the most tender and sweetest I can ever recall….

Later that year my parents told that Joey’s father had been transferred to Texas. She wrote me a brief note and signed it “Love.” Perhaps it was real, perhaps not…but it was the summer of a lifetime, filled with angst and doubt and wanting to grow and explore so much more. A summer sealed with a kiss


Click HERE to purchase Kevin's Books at The Wild Rose Press

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About Kevin V. Symmons

Kevin Symmons is a successful author, college faculty member, and president of one of the Northeast's most respected writing organizations. His paranormal novel, "Rite of Passage", was a 2013 RomCon Reader's Crown Award finalist and has been an Amazon Best Seller. His latest release, "Out of the Storm", a contemporary romantic thriller set on Cape Cod, is already gathering 5 star reviews and will keep you turning pages late into the night. His novel with a working title of "Solo", a sweeping women's fiction work that exposes the tragedy of domestic violence in America, will be released from his award-winning publisher, the Wild Rose Press, in 2014. Kevin has collaborated with award-winning Boston screenwriter and playwright Barry Brodsky in adapting one of his story ideas for the screen. He is a sought after public speaker who has appeared across New England. Visit Kevin and like his FB Author Page, @KevinSymmons on Twitter, at Goodreads, Amazon, and at his website, www.ksymmons.com

Read a romance and visit New Jersey - Book Spotlights

Dangerous Sands
Karen Bostrom 

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 Massage therapist Rita Madison is divorced and retreating to the sanctuary of her upscale Jersey Shore hometown. At 39, she’s tired, broke, and has little trust in men. Her plan is to build her own business, spend time with her beloved aunt and walk on the beach – far from men, lies, and deception. But the idyllic locale she remembers from her childhood no longer exists. Her aging aunt is facing a bleak financial situation, and a series of incidents are plaguing her new business, threatening to derail her new life and livelihood.

To complicate matters further, two attractive men enter Rita’s life: a down-to-earth yet secretive carpenter who claims he is looking out for her aunt and a wealthy, smooth-talking businessman who offers her a trouble-free life every chance he gets. While Rita untangles the finances of her aunt, she must decide if she can learn to trust and love again. But is she putting her trust, and her heart, in the care of the right man?

 Excerpt:

The deck steps behind her creaked. Rita froze, holding her breath, straining to hear what she couldn’t see.

Rita turned her head as a tall figure loomed over her. Rough hands grabbed her wrists, pinning them behind her back, and crushing her body into the door. Her car keys jangled loudly as they hit the porch. She opened her mouth to scream but couldn’t make a sound.

“Don’t move a muscle and you won’t get hurt!” a deep voice growled inches above her ear. Hot moist breath brushed against her neck as she tried to think.

She struggled to break his grasp, to escape the intense smell of musk and salty sweat. The muscles of his abdomen tensed into her back, his chest hair scratched like bristles on her shoulders. Sand scraped her wrists as he clamped them together with one huge hand. She was in good condition but no match for his strength. His free hand pawed her breasts, searched the cleavage of her spandex sports bra, slid down her stomach and over her tight knit shorts, stopping only when he felt her smooth thighs. “No,” she moaned, tears flooding onto her cheeks. “Don’t!”

She panted, her chest cramped. Scream? Who would hear her above the surf?

“Please,” she begged, “Please, don’t hurt me.”


Immorati

MK Mancos 

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When the corpse of an unidentified species is found in the woods near Pine Haven, New Jersey along with a human female, anthropologist Edie Campbell is called in by local law enforcement and the medical examiner to help identify the strange humanoid male. The discovery of a heretofore unknown species is thrilling for Edie, up until she realizes the creature has recently mated with the human female.

Questions form with no apparent answers until Aidan LaMont arrives in Pine Haven to identify his cousin’s body. But the secretive Aidan hides as much of the mystery surrounding the strange creature as he explains. And Edie has no doubt that behind his simmering sexuality and amber eyes, he knows much more than he’s willing to tell.

Excerpt:
Aidan inhaled; she smelled vaguely of coffee with a hint of mint.
“I’m looking for what killed my cousin.”
Long mink-colored lashes slid shut, hiding her gorgeous eyes. “I’m so sorry for your loss.” A gentle touch on his arm made him stiffen in reaction. Her eyes opened again. “I’m even sorrier for the media intrusion into your family’s sorrow. Chief Urich tried to keep it quiet.”

Aidan wanted to shrug and show it didn’t matter to the Immorati, no one would be able to get close enough to the compound to intrude on their mourning, but he remained silent. “And what is your part in all of this?”

“Expert opinion.”

He raised a brow in query. Silence descended on them right before Cletus stepped into their space, cutting off the question even as it formed in Aidan’s mind.

“You need to remove her from this place.”

Aidan understood and took her hand in his and walked to the road. The last thing he wanted was for her to see a Corpesetti in full hunt. He and Cletus might be able to bring him down, but the woman would be a liability.

A crash through the brush was followed by an unmistakable stench. Aidan pushed the girl to the ground, throwing his body on top of her in protection. He felt the air whoosh from her lungs and her breathing stop. Damn, he might have hurt her.




Movin' Up With J.J.
Kim Sheard 

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 Alexandra Coulter awaits the temporary worker needed for her Movin’ Up crew to pack and relocate the offices of a patent attorney. When a man strolls toward them, she assumes this is the temp and shouts out instructions. She has a business to run and a deadline to meet, and can’t get distracted by the handsome stranger.

Jacob Edward Chamberlain, Jr. needs to retrieve trade secrets left unsecured, and figures joining the moving crew will accomplish this without jeopardizing his practice. What J.J. doesn’t share is the offices are his and his father is running for New Jersey governor.

Will Alex’s wish to experience something more enjoyable in life than work triumph over J.J.’s deception about his identity?

Excerpt:

Chapter One

A bead of sweat trailed down her forehead and landed smack-dab on her eyelash, causing momentary blindness as Alexandra Coulter heaved a bundle of flattened cardboard boxes out the back of the box truck. She blinked, clearing her vision just in time to see her throw land dead center atop the growing pile on the loading dock of the Chamberlain Professional Office Building, their current work location.

Where the heck was the temp the agency had promised? Her employees, middle-aged Walt and fresh-out-of-high-school Jerry, had already pulled their hand trucks onto the dock and were unfolding the pieces and screwing them together. The three of them were just about ready to go, but they really needed a fourth person for the day’s job.

Alex paused to lift her heavy ponytail off her neck and fan away the dampness at the collar of her coveralls. Only ten after seven in the morning, and already New Jersey’s July heat and humidity had her dreaming of cooling tropical breezes and icy drinks dressed with umbrellas. Plus, the moisture and the rancid odor of the spring’s dying vegetation pressed in on her sinuses, limiting her to shallow breaths. Thank goodness the building manager had handed over the air conditioning override card. At least they could be comfortable while they were inside the building.

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LIE CATCHERS by Rolynn Anderson

LIE CATCHERS releases WORLDWIDE on April 4th!

The Wild Rose Press Website
Amazon
Nook

Let me tell you about the fun I had in writing LIE CATCHERS.

Here’s how the story emerged. It’s 2011 and we’re cruising from Washington State to Alaska on our trawler Intrepid. Never have we covered that distance, much less navigated such difficult stretches of water.

But when we arrived in Petersburg, Alaska, all the strangeness of a scary virgin voyage fell away. Petersburg is FULL of Norwegians, just like my husband and me. The little fishing town felt like home to us…relaxing me to the point I began to enjoy our cruise rather than stress over it.

What’s more Petersburg came with an unsolved crime from 1932 and a rich history of Norwegians, Tlingit, Haida, Chinese and other folk trying hard to make a living centered on fishing.

I had a novel churning in my brain by the time I left the dock. When we returned to Petersburg on our way south, I had a plot in my mind and research to do. From then on, writing a suspense novel set in Petersburg, AK, became my new passion. On a whim, I used family Norwegian names for most of the characters in the novel.

Of course, as with all novels came the stress of polishing the plot, editing the story and worrying about sales. But never mind those pesky issues right now. I had so much fun writing LIE CATCHERS. I’ll bask in that joy while the world has a look at this mystery/suspense/romance novel!

The Raven and the Wolf: A Deep Connection

by Eva Gordon

In my latest novel, Book 2 in the After the Bane series (zombie apocalypse paranormal romance), Raven Moon my main characters happen to be a raven shifter and a werewolf. I really enjoyed creating this novel inspired by my power animal the raven and my teacher animal the wolf.

So why do ravens and wolves go together like chocolate and peanut butter? Ravens and wolves have a deep connection in both fact and lore. Here is a list of their connections.

1.    In the wild, ravens follow wolves and feast on wolf kills. Often taking as much as 1/3 of the carcass. In "Mind of the Raven: Investigations and Adventures with Wolf-Birds," zoologist Bernd Heinrich has suggested a basis for this association. Ravens lead wolves to their prey, alert them to dangers, and are rewarded by sharing the spoils. One study from Isle Royale hypothesizes that ravens encouraged wolves to form a pack to defend their kill from the ravenous ravens (http://www.isleroyalewolf.org/node/43).

2.   They are both social animals and unusual for mammals and birds, ravens are socially connected to wolves. Bernd Heinrich in "Mind of the Raven: Investigations and Adventures with Wolf-Birds" wrote: "Ravens can be attracted to wolf howls. The wolves' howls before they go on a hunt, and it is a signal that the birds learn to heed. Conversely, wolves may respond to certain raven vocalizations or behavior that indicate prey. 

Dr. L. David Mech wrote in "The Wolf: The Ecology and Behaviour of an Endangered Species": "It appears that the wolf and the raven have reached an adjustment in their relationships such that each creature is rewarded in some way by the presence of the other and that each is fully aware of the other's capabilities. Both species are extremely social, so they must possess the psychological mechanisms necessary for forming social attachments. Perhaps in some way individuals of each species have included members of the other in their social group and have formed bonds with them."

3.    Like wolves, ravens are extremely intelligent. Both depend on vocalizations and visual cues to communicate. Both have a complex hierarchy system. Ravens are often called wolf-birds. 

4.      We can relate to both ravens and wolves because like them we live in social groups, love to play, hunt and communicate.  For me, the raven is my power animal and wolf my teacher animal.

5.  It’s no surprise these two magnificent creatures have entered out global lore and myths. Both are regarded as creatures of omens (good and bad), prophesy, magic, healing, and transformations. Native American myths such as the Athabascan Myth believed wolf spirit traveled with raven spirit. 

Nordic myths had Odin with his two wolves (Freki and Geri) and two raven companions (Hugin and Munin). 

 There is something magical about the raven and the wolf, which makes me want to soar with the raven and run with the wolf. This explains why most of my novels always have a raven or a wolf and often both.

http://ravenauthor.com/

Who Am I Without My Website?

It's been a tough week for this Wild Rose Press author. I'm revising a book, waiting for editorial notes on another, and thinking about a third. Meanwhile, I'm tweeting and Facebooking and checking in with Goodreads and Amazon Authors. For me, social media is fun, but my website, now twelve years old, is my rock. It's my core online identity and truly a part of me. My non-writing friends don't understand when I say things like this, but my website is like a child. I have nurtured and cared for it during all the phases of its life, and when it goes down, I worry.

My son suggested I start blogging twelve years ago, promising to "help." He's in the business, but at the time he was just out of college and working for a small family company in Michigan. Then he decided to apply to grad school in California. And got accepted. He fell in love with the West Coast and I don't think he'll be returning to Michigan except to visit. Much has happened in his life since he "helped" me (ie. does everything except write the posts) put a website together: he's married, has a family, a big job, a home of his own. Yet he's still taking care of my website way past the time when we should have made other arrangements.

At first, the website was mainly used to host my blog and archives, which for all those years I called "A Writer's Diary." I managed to find fresh material almost daily for ten years, but then, things slowed down and I knew writing about writing was, for me, growing stale. I tried many different ways to blog. New subjects were tried and rejected. Finally after almost two years I decided to just call the site http://www.cynthiaharrison.com.

I thought about having a static front page with links to my books, the covers of which now march in a vertical

Through these years, I've been hacked a few times. It's never fun and something is always lost. Recently, I was hacked again and while my son tries to juggle all the demands of his own life and work with my little blog project that has grown larger and lasted longer than either of us imagined, I sit and wait and wonder: who am I without my website?
column down the right side of the site. This is what I dreamed of all those years ago, and now it has happened. That "trying to get published" part of the journey is over and now...I've been writing about real life these days. I love reading memoir and my family posts remind me of mini-memoirs. I also post about mind/body and spiritual stuff. Also diets.

Find Cynthia's Books Here on The Wild Rose Press

Journey of a Writer: #25’s the Charm

True Nature is my 1st novel written with best friend and cowriter, Leigh Neely, but it’s #25 in my publishing credits. Before I was Neely Powell with Leigh, I wrote as Celeste Hamilton on my own for 24 romance novels.

Celeste Hamilton wrote books about regular people. My heroes and heroines had ordinary jobs - farmers,

Obstacles on the way to happily-ever-after usually included past failures and family complications. Celeste Hamilton stories were about everyday people just trying to find lasting happiness.

How I did turn from those heartwarming tales to my current fiction that includes shape shifters, faeries, witches and werewolves?

The big difference is that I’m writing with Leigh, and focusing on paranormal elements has given my dear friend a freedom in plotting and story development that she’s never shown before. This woman’s imagination is wild. Sometimes I just go where she leads, and it’s a fun ride.

What’s not different is that the shape shifter and the witch face many of the same problems that plagued my romance novel characters – past failures and family complications. Even supernatural creatures deserve a shot at happiness, don’t they?

I’m honored that my 25th novel is written with Leigh. As a supportive friend and editorial advisor over the years, she influenced my Celeste Hamilton novels in ways too numerous to name. True Nature was her baby first, and when it grew into our book, I was finally smart enough to realize our writing partnership was integral to the next part of my journey as a writer.
police officers who weren’t super cops, lawyers, teachers, nurses, business people who weren’t self-made millionaires, and some artists and writers thrown in for variety.

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