A LEAP OF FAITH…with Nell Castle

Posted on June 6, 2016 by Charlotte Copper

Good morning, good afternoon, good evening.
Wherever you are and whatever the time, its always a good time to find out about a new author and a new book.
Today please join me in welcoming Nell Castle with her latest release, A LEAP OF FAITH.

BLURB:
Special events coordinator Sophia Anton is an old-fashioned girl. She wants a family by the time she’s 30, and she’s set her sights on an old friend. She just needs to lose 40 pounds, fast. But Jackson Thomas, the handsome new minister in town, turns her head to unexpected possibilities. Trouble is, Jackson’s taken a vow of celibacy, while Sophia’s scheme to snag the “man of her dreams” is working like a charm. So why does Jackson’s face haunt her when she closes her eyes? And how can Jackson dream of a future with Sophia after he’s shut the door on love?

Want a little more? EXCERPT:
Jackson had been disappointed, he couldn’t deny it, when Sophia canceled their meeting this morning. So he improvised. He’d stop by O’Grady’s and talk with her for a few minutes while she was at work. After all, O’Grady’s is on my way.
He took a slow walk around the housewares department, but there was no sign of Sophia.
A bored sales associate made a call, and then escorted him to the first floor. “The show just started a few minutes ago.” She opened the door and motioned him inside a convention hall. Lines of chairs extended to a stage in the front, where a runway protruded down the center of the room.
An announcer behind a microphone described the fabric and cut of a jacket while another woman walked the runway. He’d stepped into a fashion show. He scanned the room for Sophia.
“I’m looking for Sophia Anton,” Jackson whispered to a well-dressed man near the entrance.
The young man nodded. “She should be out in a minute.” He pointed Jackson toward an empty row of chairs behind a group of middle-aged women.
Jackson sank into a seat, glancing from under lowered lids. The women whispered to each other, nodding toward the stage and taking pictures with their smart phones.
A model circled the end of the runway, paused, and sauntered back to the main stage, exiting behind the curtains. The applause was sporadic, almost an afterthought. Most of the audience was absorbed in conversation, so Jackson joined in the polite clapping.
“And for an evening of high romance”—the announcer paused while the stage lights lowered—“we have Sophia wearing an elegant purple floor-length gown.”
Jackson froze, his hands stopped mid-clap. Into a cone of light stepped Sophia, her hands on her hips.
“This long, silky, plum gown has a black lace bodice sprinkled with sequins, and a sexy ultra-low back with crisscross straps. Turn for us, Sophia.”
Twirling so the skirt fluttered up, exposing her ankles and calves for a delicious moment, Sophia paused with her back towards the audience, offering a profile view of her face in a pouty smile. Her hands rose to lift her long mane of dark curls, exposing thin straps crossing the smooth skin of her long, bare back.
“At the end of a perfect evening, what could be more enchanting than heading into the boudoir with your lover’s hand on the small of your back? Comes with a thong,” the woman added.
Sophia shook her bottom, heart-shaped and stamped with a triangle of plum fabric beneath the silky skirt fabric.
Not until Sophia glided down the runway did Jackson realize his hands were still raised, motionless in mid-clap, in front of his chest. Jamming them into his pants pockets, he slid low in his chair.

Want more still? BUY LINKS:
Amazon: https://amzn.com/B01EZM8MD0
The Wild Rose Press: http://goo.gl/7CsDF8

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Nell Castle grew up in western Pennsylvania and graduated with a degree in English literature from Temple University in Philadelphia. Since then, she’s lived in Key West, Anchorage, Sarasota, and Virginia Beach. She moved back to northeastern Ohio to raise her kids closer to family but looks forward to moving to a gentler climate after her youngest graduates. Until then, she revisits white powder beaches and craggy mountain tops only in her writing. She’s submitted a new manuscript to her publisher, The Wild Rose Press, and is currently at work on a novella.

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Nell-Castle-1113668521990989/?fref=ts
Wordpress: nellcastle.com
Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/author/nellcastle
The Wild Rose Press: http://catalog.thewildrosepress.com/1309_nell-castle

Ariella Moon and The Beltane Escape

Posted on April 11, 2016 by Charlotte Copper

Please join me today in welcoming author, Ariella Moon, and her latest release, THE BELTANE ESCAPE.

Betrayed. Branded. Betrothed. Lady Fenella’s fate is shackled to the most powerful sorcerer and sorceress: Merlin and the Lady of the Lake.

Usually when I have a guest author with a new release, I start with the blurb, then excerpt, then bio. But I just have to start this blog with Ariella’s bio. I was so fascinated by it, her bio alone had me running to Goodreads and clicking Want To Read.

AUTHOR BIO:
Ariella Moon draws upon her experiences as a shaman to create magical Young Adult fiction. Her series include The Two Realms Trilogy, a medieval fantasy adventure, and The Teen Wytche Saga, a series of sweet contemporary paranormal romances.

Ariella spent her childhood searching for a magical wardrobe that would transport her to Narnia. Extreme math anxiety and taller students that mistook her for a leaning post marred her youth. Despite these horrors, she graduated summa cum laude from the University of California at Davis. She lives a nearly normal life doting on her extraordinary daughter, two shamelessly spoiled dogs, and a media-shy dragon.

Seriously, how cool is that bio?? But of course, you can’t stop here. Read on for the blurb, an excerpt, and where to find Ariella and THE BELTANE ESCAPE.

BLURB:
Lady Fenella, ever surrounded by guards, knows only responsibility and duty. She believes Merlin and the Lady of the Lake are myths, Gran’s warnings about Fairy are superstition, and Fairy was invented to make children behave.

But then Gran brands her, Lord Argonshire kidnaps her, and the Lady of the Lake makes her a pawn. The Highland heiress must betray her newly betrothed and fend for herself when she dives into a wormhole to save her cousin. She lands in a part of Fairy even fairies avoid, and joins forces with a half-Viking/half-Fairy.

Fenella must use her wits to find her cousin, free the Lady of the Lake, and reach the wormhole in Glastonbury by Beltane. Nine days to unshackle herself from a sorceress, prevent a war between two clans, and decide in which realm—and with which lad—she truly belongs. Oh, and The Most Powerful Wizard stands in her way.

This Young Adult Fantasy, THE BELTANE ESCAPE, is book one in The Two Realms Trilogy. Here is an EXCERPT:

Trapped within the doeskin pouch, Merlin’s spell book pulsed like an angry heart. Viviane, the young Lady of the Lake, pushed her qualms aside and knotted the stolen treasure to her waist. An eerie quiet settled over the woods. Either the tree spirits sleep, or they watch me in silence, Viviane surmised as she carefully surveyed the canopy. Knees quaking, she deftly concealed the pouch beneath her cloak, then ran. Shallow breaths caught in her throat, and a sharp pain needled her side as she quickened her pace. She pressed her hand against the twinge and kept running. With each pounding stride, the prize slapped vehemently against her hip.

Viviane chanced a glance over her shoulder. Hah! No sign of Merlin. In her arrogance, she stumbled, her heel catching on her long indigo cape. Her heart cartwheeled. With an oath, she righted herself. Ahead, the Enchanted Forest’s dark mantle ended, and gloaming’s early light shone. She bolted towards the dawn.

Dry pine needles crunched beneath her deerskin sandals. The spell book’s muffled rage beat louder, waking a nearby tree spirit whose angry screech roused others. As one, they grabbed at Viviane with their prickly branches. A wizen-faced pine scratched Viviane’s cheek, stirring the creature marked into the skin above her cheekbone. Agitated, the blue sea serpent threaded itself around the crescent moon inked near her eye. Its nostrils flared, assessing the danger. Viviane shoved the impudent branch away. Catching scent of the lake, she broke through the trees. Her lungs heaved as an ache bloomed between her shoulders where the tree spirits’ angry glares thrust against her.

Viviane ran to the coracle moored at the water’s edge. The woven willow boat creaked when she scrambled into its hull and drew in the rope. Her long gown and flowing cape pooled around her as she crouched. Clutching the boat’s wooden sides, she commanded, “Hasten to the isle!”

The water surrounding the boat surged, forming a current that propelled the craft forward. A flock of startled grebes took flight, their wings thrumming.

“Mist, cloak me from Merlin’s sight.” Viviane arced her arm above her head. Her prisoner pummeled against her hip. But the spell book’s blows were futile and inconsequential.

If you are interested in reading more, you can purchase THE BELTANE ESCAPE at any of the following links:

Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Beltane-Escape-Book-Realms-Trilogy-ebook/dp/B01AKUA0EU/
Barnes & Noble: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/the-beltane-escape-nook-ariella-moon/1123352952?ean=2940158052552
iTunes: itunes.apple.com/us/book/the-beltane-escape/id1079976497?mt=11
Amazon UK: http://www.amazon.co.uk/Beltane-Escape-Book-Realms-Trilogy-ebook/dp/B01AKUA0EU/
Kobo: https://store.kobobooks.com/en-us/ebook/the-beltane-esscape

And if you are interested in finding out more about Ariella Moon, she loves to hear from readers and can be reached at the following:

http://www.ariellamoon.com
http://www.ariellamoon.blogspot.com
http://www.facebook.com/ariellamoon.author
http://www.goodreads.com/AuthorAriellaMoon
http://www.pinterest.com/ariellamoon/
instagram.com/authorariellamoon

HUNTER’S MOON…a new YA release from Beth Trissel

Posted on December 17, 2015 by Charlotte Copper

Please join me in welcoming Beth Trissel with her latest release, HUNTER’S MOON (Book 1, Secret Warrior Series).
HUNTER’S MOON is Beth’s first venture into the young adult genre. An award-winning, multi-published author in historical, paranormal, and time travel romance, Beth’s new series was inspired in part by her teenage nieces and younger daughter. Per Beth, “We’ve watched a lot of YA movies and TV programs together and had book discussions, during which they urged me to take the plunge.”

Seventeen year old Morgan Daniel has been in the witness protection program most of her life. But The Panteras have caught up with her and her younger brother. Her car is totaled, she’s hurt, and the street gang is closing in when wolves with glowing eyes appear out of nowhere and chase away the killers.

Then a very cute guy who handles a bow like Robin Hood emerges from the woods and takes them to safety at his fortress-like home.

And that’s just the first sign that Morgan and her brother have entered a hidden world filled with secrets.

Here is an excerpt from HUNTER’S MOON:

“Should we stay, or go while the smoke lasts?” The cloth muffled her voice.
“You can hardly walk.”
She couldn’t argue that point. Neither could they wait to be found. “The Panteras won’t give up until we’re dead.”
“Maybe they think we are,” he argued under his breath.
“Maybe.”
She suspected Mateo would demand a body, even a charred one. Make that two. She and Jimmy didn’t have much choice, though, other than to crouch in dread while the fire crackled.
“Next birthday, I want an AK-47.” He nudged her. “Look.”
She fixed her blurry gaze on what appeared to be a black wolf emerging from the trees. The creature was larger than she’d thought wolves were, and she’d understood none remained in these mountains. They were all farther north or west. Somewhere else.
Apparently, she was misinformed.
Judging by its size, she guessed this was a male. He stopped before their hideout. Eyes the color of red coals surveyed them before he turned and darted down the trail she’d spotted.
“Holy cow, Batboy. Did you see that?” she whispered.
Jimmy didn’t reply. He prodded her again.
She stared at the big brown and gray wolf that took the black one’s place. Where on earth had he come from?
The beast turned its furry head at her and Jimmy. His eyes shone with a luminous light, like fireflies…

More fun facts about HUNTER’S MOON from Beth…
“I pondered the concept behind Secret Warrior for years as it gradually took shape in my mind. My love of history, fantasy, and fascination with the mountain people and Native Americans is at the heart of the series. Living in the Shenandoah Valley of Virginia surrounded by mountains veiled in mist and mystery lends itself well to creating the characters and setting for YA fantasy romance, The Hunter’s Moon, and the stories that will follow. Some of the characters and creatures are based on lore I’ve learned. Others appeared to me, as characters have a way of doing. A great deal of research and intuition went into writing The Hunter’s Moon. Next in the series is Curse of the Moon (release date TBD). I purposefully kept these stories to novella length so they would come out faster, which means eBook format only.”
The Secret Warrior series is published by The Wild Rose Press.

BUY LINK:
WILD ROSE PRESS

And more about Beth….
Married to my high school sweetheart, I live on a farm in the Shenandoah Valley of Virginia surrounded by my human family and furbabies. An avid gardener, my love of herbs and heirloom plants figures into my work. The rich history of Virginia, the Native Americans, and the people who journeyed here from far beyond her borders are at the heart of my inspiration. I’m especially drawn to colonial America and the drama of the American Revolution. In addition to young adult fantasy romance, I also write historical, time travel, and paranormal romance, plus nonfiction.

Beth’s blog, One Writer’s Way: bethtrissel.wordpress.com
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Beth’s Amazon Author Page