New Romance and Fiction In The Garden

 

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$5.99 Marina Antonovna, a Soviet spy, and Mateo Arcusa, an American homicide lieutenant first meet in Cambodia during the Vietnam War as enemies. Fearful that the most powerful man in the Soviet Union, KGB Chairman Vladimir Kurenkov, has ordered her death, Marina risks everything to defect to the United States. - Read More

$1.99 Rob Jeffers has it all: fame, money, and the life of a rock and roll star. Frank Peters is a regular guy, a newspaper reporter who just happens to have a passing acquaintance with the Great Jeffers. As Jeffers's career shoots up, Peters's fortunes follow in his wake. - Read More

$4.99 Noelia Russo's plate is full: she works at Wedding Bliss by day, writes romance by night, and now she's agreed to volunteer at the hospital too. However, this favor for a friend pays off when Noelia bumps into Dr. Nate Westbury, a widower who could warm her lonely heart. - Read More

$5.99 Unable to escape his past, Matt Stone heads North leaving behind the memory of his dead wife and son. His journey takes a turn when he comes across his late son's doppelgänger; Trevor Reed. Blinded by the resemblance, Matt becomes obsessed and begins stalking him. Little does Trevor know, he becomes wrapped up in Matt's delusions. - Read More

$4.99 What could be better than an arranged marriage between old friends? Not a thing, according to Lily Munro. Lily returns to Glen Carin, her childhood home in the Highlands of Scotland, determined to arrange a marriage with Laird Edan Cameron. A marriage to Edan will enable Lily to save her sister from a dangerous situation. - Read More

 

                                                        All bets are on with Win Place Show

About the Book: Going back as far as grade school, Lucy Granger and Nate Hawthorne were best of friends. But somewhere along the way, a series of bonehead misunderstandings, which neither will discuss, tore them apart. So great is the rift that Lucy swears she’ll never move back home to Kentucky. Well, maybe a short visit for Derby Week, but that doesn’t count. Everyone in Lexington considers Lucy and Nate, scion of the local whiskey distributor, to be The Golden Couple. If they’d only sit down, in the same room, together, without the influence of alcohol and egos, to discuss their ‘issues’. As Lucy’s mother is fond of saying, “All these years, Nate’s been waiting for you to get over yourself. . . so come home and be his wife.”

Our Review: With Win Place Show, Author Liz Crowe has created two flawed characters who, instead of putting on their big boy—and girl—undies to act like adults, take the easy way out, letting copious amounts of alcohol and sex do their talking. Despite these aberrant behaviors, we couldn’t help rooting for Lucy and Nate. Deep down they deserve each other and their own happy ever after. Luckily, Crowe also created a delightfully brash southern belle mother and a whip smart wise-cracking brother who rise to the occasion and to straighten these two out. Everyone is better for it.

 Based on a scale of 1-5, Win Place Show deserves a 5.

Kat Henry Doran, Wild Women Reviews

 

 

New Romance and Fiction In The Garden

 

$4.99 As a clairvoyant, Jenna Langley has foreseen her fair share of murder. But the night she is haunted by visions of a woman buried alive in a makeshift casket, nothing prepares her for the chilling reality that the victim she saw in her vision is herself. - Read More

$4.99 As each piece in Fate's twisted plan locks into place, she raises the stakes…   Slice, dismember or maim, Raine forges powerful weapons for any purpose. When her most lethal creation falls into enemy hands, she'll cross every forbidden line to retrieve it. Including, teaming up with a wicked Fallen who makes her blood boil. If the mortal realm didn't depend on her, she'd behead him. - Read More

$4.99 A girl travels back in time to that never never land of spies and samovars. To the land of bears, bombs, babushkas, and borscht. To the land where anything can happen and often does. An American ship on course in the Pacific experiences an event unlike anything that any ship, anywhere, has ever undergone. - Read More

$4.99 In an evening full of surprises, Henry Westhaven first has his marriage proposal rejected by a woman he was quite certain wished to marry him then his past returns in the form of a raven-haired siren of the sea who still holds his heart. He knows he should walk away, but he is drawn into her quest to discover which powerful peer of the realm is in possession of her lost smuggling ship. - Read More

$4.99 Caroline Popov, alone, heartbroken, and deeply in debt ends up in glamorous Palm Springs, California where Native casinos have just opened, offering employment to thousands. She lands a job at the Palm Oasis Casino where she is mentored by the charismatic tribal chairman, John Tovar. - Read More

$5.99 Caroline Langdon has gained a reputation for being unattainable; she has turned down twelve offers of marriage in four years. A traumatic incident from her past has convinced her she never wants to belong to any man. Her plan to live as a wealthy spinster is tested when she meets the enigmatic Lord Wrotham. - Read More

Casino Queen by Cara Bertoia

 

Caroline Fleming, alone, heartbroken, and in debt lands in glamorous Palm Springs, California where Native-run casinos have just opened. There, she lands a job at the Palm Oasis Casino where she is mentored by the charismatic tribal chairman, John Tovar.

Embracing the casino culture, Caroline works her way up to the

position of manager at the Night Hawk Casino in the High Desert town of Joshua Tree. There, she is responsible for managing multicultural team members, satisfying the demands of often unique guests, and growing revenue while rooting out corruption. In the process of rediscovering her inner strength, Caroline learns you have to gamble like your life depends on it. Because it often does. 

Our Review: Author Bertoia brings a familiarity with casino life, showing a unique talent for creating diverse, fascinating characters who will not soon leave the reader’s mind. Casino Queen is a non-stop adventure, telling the tale of a woman who, like the mythical phoenix, rises out of the ashes of despair and loss to recreate a life stronger and better than before.

Based on a scale of 1-5, Casino Queen deserves a 6

Kat Henry Doran, Wild Women Reviews

New Romance and Fiction from The Wild Rose Press

 

Click on covers for more information and to purchase

$4.99 Coffee shop owner, Charlee Lightheart, views corporations with contempt. She believes her father died at the hands of the pharmaceutical industry. When she's approached to run for city council on an anti-fracking platform, she's reluctant. She's not sure this movement is her cause. - Read More

$3.99 Ashling Donoghue has almost lost hope of finding her missing parents. As her faith wanes, her love for two men waxes, rending her heart and causing friction in the Breasal household. The time has come to make a choice, to create a future untarnished by doubt. But how can she embrace the light when lured by the soft seduction of shadow? - Read More

$5.99 Carl just wants a home—on a new planet with Missy and their future children. He hungers for new memories, where home would have a true meaning, not just something their ship downloaded. - Read More

$4.99 Janie Holcomb prays for closure once the courts declare her missing husband dead. Instead, she's sent spiraling down a dangerous path. When her lawyer delivers a package held in trust, she finds a cryptic warning along with a Civil War journal promising buried treasure. - Read More

$4.99 Angel Killian Dugan’s annual trip to the family castle in Scotland is shattered by the arrival of Legion Commander North. Killian’s skills are needed for an urgent time travel assignment. A rogue demon has escaped back in time. He must discover the why and where then stop the demon before it can damage the past and change the future. - Read More

Buried Alive by Donnette Smith

 

When your sixth sense speaks, believe it.

        As a clairvoyant, Jenna Langley has foreseen her fair share of murder. But the night she is haunted by visions of a woman buried alive in a makeshift casket, nothing prepares her for the chilling reality that the victim she saw in her vision is herself.

Having survived a recent tragedy, and now tasked with the duty of planning her wedding, everyone attributes Jenna's disturbing dreams to stress. Even her fiancé does his best to convince her she is perfectly safe.

But someone wants revenge and Jenna is the target of that obsession. Her only hope for survival is if her fiancé, Detective Cole Rainwater, can root out who wants her dead before time runs out.

 About the Book:  In Buried Alive, Book 2 of the Spirit Walker series, business consultant Jenna Langley doesn’t want ugly, scary visions interfering with her life. She’s got places to go and things to do, such as marrying the love of her life, father of her terrific teenage daughter: Cole Rainwater. As a busy cop, Cole really doesn’t want to believe these visions are the cause behind Jenna’s insomnia and inability to concentrate on the fine details of their approaching wedding.

         And with the sudden windfall of money, lots and lots of money, as well as a brother he never knew existed, the women in his life will never go without. Family is everything to Cole; he’ll not let his dreams of a solid, forever unit go up in smoke.

 Our Review:  In Buried Alive, author Donnette Smith has once again brought her talent for creating multi-layered characters—both the good guys and the bad—given them some fast-paced authentic action and thrown them all into an exciting romantic suspense with a taste of the paranormal thrown in for spice. Can’t wait for book 3 in this fun series.

 Based on a scale of 1-5, Buried Alive deserves a 6.

 Kat Henry Doran, Wild Women Reviews

Unlock My Heart by Jennifer Wilck

 

…Can love break through their firewalls?...

           Abby Marlow, computer security expert, lands a job at the best IT security firm in the country. Her sole focus is financial independence, so she never has to rely on others again, especially a man. But why does her boss make her wires short circuit?

          Ted Endicott, CEP and founder of the IT security firm, is hard of hearing. Although an expert in his field, he’s still uncomfortable admitting his hearing problem to clients or employees.

          As Ted and Abby work together, barriers fall away, and the lines blur between colleagues and lovers. But a security glitch in a client’s system shows one of Ted’s employees is the hacker and all signs point to Abby. Can they get past the suspicion and find a future together?

 Our Review:  Once again, to the delight of her many fans, author Wilck has delivered two fascinating multi-dimensional characters who have overcome serious challenges in order to succeed in the world of computer security. As well, she shows the barriers met by many of the hearing impaired in a natural, effortless manner. This is a wonderful addition to her Scarred Hearts series and we look forward to the next story revolving around her CAST of characters.

 Based on a scale of 1-5, Unlock My Heart deserves a 7.

 Kat Henry Doran, Wild Women Reviews.

 

 

Editing Tips for New Writers by Susan Antony

 Originally published on https://susanantonyauthor.blogspot.com/2022/03/editing-tips-for-new-writers.html

 Editing Tips for New Writers

I suggest starting by finding a traditionally published story you really love and deconstructing it. How many main characters does the author use in the scene? Too many main characters in a scene can be confusing if not written properly. Only use characters important to the scene. If it is a crowd, address all others as “the rest” or as a group. 

From who's POV (point of view) is the story told? Is it one character first person, past or present, dual POV, or omniscient? I don't advise using the last mentioned POV, as it is extremely difficult to write well. Most omniscient POV characters—unless written by a very skilled writer—come across as a bunch of talking heads, or the reader loses track of who's POV they are reading and become confused. 

 Check out your favorite published story chapter by chapter. Look for an intro, body, and open-end conclusion in every chapter as well as pacing. How quickly do the characters move from point A to B. Pacing is extremely important to keep readers engaged in the story. Discover how the author shows his or her character's actions and reactions. Note the difference when the author shows versus tells. Telling can be used when summarizing/paraphrasing an incident from another chapter, where a reminder is necessary, or replace insignificant, mundane dialogue. But keep it brief (a paragraph at most) as to not bog the reader down with facts they already know or insignificant details. 

What about back story? Does the author weave it into the story by using a sentence or two when the opportunity arises? One will rarely find paragraphs of backstory clumped on the pages of successful novels. 

 Use action tags rather than speech tags whenever possible. Action tag example: Keri scratched her head. “What did you say?” Use “said” whenever possible when speech tags are necessary as “said” is an invisible word. Speech tags like “he ordered,” “he announced,” “he proclaimed," pull the reader out of the story. 

Make sure every word or scene moves the story forward. Cut small talk and scenes if the story can remain intact if they disappear. If a paragraph, sentence, or conversation of dialogue was cut from your story, would it cause confusion? No? Then cut it. Would the story still make sense? If so, cut it. Add description into the action. (Example from a chapter I am writing: She moans and buries her face in my chest. I stroke the back of her head, and my finger gets caught in a tangle in her frizzled tresses, but I free it without pulling too hard.) Note how I used an action to weave a description of the heroine's appearance into the scene and also injected a tad of humor without being obvious. This is also an example of “showing.” 

Check out the dialogue. Is it every day mundane speech or does each word move the story forward? One word “Okays,” “Byes,” “Hi,”ect. are usually not necessary. Your character's voices will not come from small talk, and back and forth arguments or debates from characters over insignificant happenstance bore the reader. Does the dialogue sound natural or is it contrived to "feed" the reader information? Contrived dialogue is painfully obvious, and I personally find it annoying. If anyone points out in a critique thattt my dialogue sounds contrived, I'm quick to change it. Good luck with your current and future writing endeavors!  

Susan Antony

https://susanantonyauthor.blogspot.com/

New Romance and Fiction from The Wild Rose Press

 

New Romance and Fiction Click on covers for more information

$4.99 Maisie Brinley rejected every bachelor in the Boston elite put forth by her social-climbing mother. Then Mother issues an ultimatum to marry a family friend—but he's twice Maisie's age. After corresponding with a stranger whose letters connect with her heart, Maisie crosses the continent for his love. When they meet, will he live up to her expectations, or will her escape be in vain? - Read More

$3.99 Two friends, on an epic adventure, face unknown dangers. After surviving a flash flood, they discover Forrest's mother has been framed for murder. The evil Patterson is dangerous. They must protect the Cat Necklace. With magical tools, they'll heal Josh from injury. Now they must discover why Patterson wants the land where powerful vortexes exit. - Read More

$3.99 To avoid foreclosure, Hope Spirit Walk Spencer seeks counsel from Nick Gold Jr., a billionaire turned financial planner. But how can she trust the man whose father wanted to convert her property into high-rise condominiums twenty years ago? - Read More

$5.99 After five years in Africa, researching the decline of elephant populations, Kate Caraway’s project comes to a screeching halt when she shoots a poacher and is forced to leave the country. - Read More

$4.99 Abby Marlow, computer security expert, lands a job at the best IT security firm in the country. Her sole focus is financial independence so she never has to rely on others again, especially a man. But why does her boss make her wires short circuit? - Read More

$4.99 Lady Sophia Hampton is an imposter. Deception and pretense have ruled her social interactions with gentlemen after she made a life-altering decision at sixteen. Outraged by the scarcity of suitors, her parents insist she visit her aunt in Berkshire. - Read More