Guest Blog- Sweet Escape by Susan V Vaughn #smitten #romance #smitteninthemitten

The main character of Sweet Escape has two younger sisters that drive her batty. They demand her attention, invade her love life, and bring her hours of free entertainment. They are her confidants, her therapists, and her best friends all wrapped up in one. 

I can relate, I have four best friends in my life too. 

There is nothing like growing up with sisters. You share the same upbringing, the same clothes, and sometimes even the same haircuts—thanks to mom’s one stop barber shop of horrors! You read each other’s diaries and shop in each other’s closets. You exchange secrets and promise to take them to the grave. You try on bathing suits and complain about your genetic misfortunes. You laugh together until your sides ache. You make each other cry. You help each other heal.  

They are the people in your life that get you completely because they were there the whole time.

My grandfather passed away recently. At the funeral there were so many pictures of my childhood on display. In every single one I was standing next to one of my sisters, wearing matching clothes, matching hair bows, and matching smiles. I realized then I didn’t have one single memory of my grandfather without them in it. 

And the funny thing is, I wouldn’t want it any other way. 

     

Sweet Escape

Smitten Series

Book One

Susan V. Vaughn

Genre: Contemporary Romance

Publisher: Inkspell Publishing

Date of Publication: June 5, 2019

ISBN: 978-1-949931-10-5

ASIN: B07R9VQBZM

Number of pages: 184

Word Count: 59,000

Cover Artist: Najla Qamber

Book Description:

Ted Harper knew moving to Milford to open his dream bar wouldn’t be easy. But he could have never imagined he would be so easily distracted from his goal. Violet Marino is beautiful, smart, captivating, and unfortunately, his next-door neighbor. Now Ted has a dilemma on his hands he didn’t anticipate as his life becomes entangled with a woman he can’t seem to forget.

Violet Marino has spent decades caring for her family and working at her father’s restaurant as a waitress. Hardly the life she dreamed of living when she was a little girl. But after her mother died, she was never a little girl again. Thrust into the parenting role for her two younger siblings, Violet sacrificed everything for their well-being.

When a handsome business owner offers her more than just a sweet escape, Violet is tempted to take him up on the offer. Even if that means jumping into the unknown.

Amazon      Kobo      BN

Excerpt 3

“Watch this,” he said. And then he took a running start and leaped onto the third monkey bar, swinging his long legs back and forth, before jumping the fourth and fifth bar to grab onto the sixth. 

She watched him swing toward the next bar, trying to hide her appreciation. He somehow managed to make such a childish thing look good. He was a big man, but he moved his body with agility and grace. And he had no hesitation in doing something so ridiculous. He was fearless. Something she admired. 

“Are you done playing around?” she asked in a hopeful tone. She was starting to become jealous. Ted was free to play around and do what he wanted, while her life was like a cage. 

“I’m not playing. This is serious work.” Ted jumped the last bar and swung for a flying dismount that landed him directly on his butt.

She stared down at him, fighting the urge to laugh. “That looked serious.”

“It felt serious.” He stood up, rubbing his lower back. “I guess I’m showing my age now.”

She nodded. “I guess you are, old man.”

He put his arms around her waist and pulled her close. “You could make me feel young again.”

Her body tingled with awareness. Ever since he’d kissed her last night, all she wanted was for him to do it again. And yet, there was this little voice in the back of her head warning her to keep her distance. This man was too goofy to be serious, and she was not a woman who desired a fling. As of yesterday, she wasn’t a woman who desired a man for any reason. 

How quickly things have changed.

About the Author:

Romance Author, Susan Vaughn understood the meaning of sarcasm before she could walk. Her childhood in the suburbs of Detroit was spent mainly trying to outwit her six creative siblings. When she wasn’t working on the next soul-crushing jab, she sharpened her imagination on romantic literature and day dreamed about her knight in shining armor.

It didn’t take long for this hairdresser by trade to turn her passion for reading romances into writing her own unique love stories. Susan lives her life finding laughter in all situations, and delights in marrying sarcasm with romance to create realistic falling-in-love stories in the unlikeliest of scenarios.  

Susan lives on the shores of Lake Huron with her real life knight in shining armor and enjoys watching their three children learn the art of sarcasm and wit.

Twitter handle: @susanvaughn1124

Website: www.susanvvaughn.com

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/susan.vereeckevaughn

The Story Behind Infinite Sight by Barbara Custer

The Story behind Infinite Sight

Although I’ve told everyone I learned to write horror through Dark Shadows and Dracula, my schooling included experiences on my day job. I’m referring to the first job I got after graduating from respiratory therapy school, back in the 80s when I met my coworker Anne, who would later motivate my writing of Infinite Sight.

I can tell you that losing an infant under your care is the worst kind of pain a health care professional can endure. Losing any patient, even an elderly patient after a long illness, is rough; the first time I had to withdraw ventilator support per doctor’s orders and family consent, I burst into tears. So I can sympathize with the kind of pain Lilly must have felt when Baby Miller died on her watch after her mishap with his ventilator.

Back then, Congress hadn’t yet come up with the Family Leave Act and other laws to protect workers from bullying. Much bullying went on at this other hospital, and Anne bore the brunt. She was timid and required remedial tutoring to master any new equipment. Perhaps her school hadn’t taught her the basics. Maybe she was nervous and needed some Mylar balloons to help her relax. Whatever the matter was, she had a difficult time with the ventilators, especially the ones used in the neonatal care unit. People weren’t always nice about it. One day, while working with a sickly infant, she accidently pushed a button that caused his ventilator to go into “vent inoperative” mode, and she couldn’t figure out how to fix the problem. An irate nurse manager called our supervisor and requested that she not be assigned there. No baby died, but afterwards, I’d notice Anne crying when she thought no one was looking. Our supervisor, to his credit, reassigned her to the noncritical care floors without complaint. Sometime later, my husband Mike and I married, and I changed jobs to be closer to home. I lost contact with my coworker, but I never forgot her.

Years later, an infant came to the emergency room. His heart stopped beating, and despite the code team’s best effort, he died. I got to thinking about Anne again, and my mind started playing what if? What if the baby had died because of her difficulties with the equipment? What if she had a bad accident, lost consciousness, then woke up with paranormal powers? Though rare, people can experience this after head trauma. These questions circled in my mind, circling the way the Mylar balloons do when they float through my house, and Infinite Sight was born. I took lots of artistic license – yes, you can lie as a writer, but I prefer to call it artistic license.  For starters, I offered visual problems to explain her difficulties. I struggle with vision problems myself, and this can make learning tough because most medical documents use small print. And I enjoy reading and writing science fiction and horror.

Does Lilly realize a solution to her difficulties with learning the equipment? Well, y’all have to read the book to find out. J

Infinite Sight

Barbara Custer

Genre: Science Fiction

Publisher: Night to Dawn Magazine & Books LLC

Date of Publication:  11/30/2015 (tentative)

ISBN: 978-1-937769-42-0 (print)

ASIN:

Number of pages: 112 pages

Word Count: 25,225

Cover Artist: Marge Simon

Book Description:

Devastated by an error which caused an infant’s death, Lilly becomes deathly ill and collapses from loss of blood. She wakes up from emergency surgery with mental telepathic powers.

When an extraterrestrial ship crash-lands near her home, she investigates and happens upon a survivor who needs her help. Motivated by guilt-ridden feelings over the baby, she rescues him, catapulting herself into a war between two alien armies.

Now the renegade soldiers are on her trail and have marked her for death.

Available at Amazon

Excerpt 2:

Death? For a moment, her life flashed before her eyes. She saw herself at school recess skipping rope. She recalled her high school prom with her then-boyfriend, not Wade. She relived her first dinner with Wade, where she had selected a Stuffed Chicken Marsala dinner at Olive Garden. Wade stood by her during her mother’s death from leukemia. They laughed together and bought a house. They took turns driving her mother to chemotherapy treatments. He coddled her through Baby Miller’s death and her illness, and now, their guest. Why risk her life for some stranger from outer space?

Because Laylok and I share a bond that even most relatives can’t imagine. This bond came about because they each carry a radio inside their heads. Sometimes that radio, the telepathy, came in handy. At work, she could figure out a patient’s symptoms, no matter what they failed to state. She knew which coworker might spread gossip to Chadwick. But sometimes she endured the bitter taste of pain, death, and danger. Laylok had gotten caught in that place, and she would do everything she could to help him. As far as she was concerned, that gift made her and Laylok siblings under the skin. If she ignored his cry and let him get killed, she’d never forgive herself.

But because she was human, she broke down into tears, clutching at her hair and whispering, “Why me?”

About the Author:

Barbara lives near Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, where she works full time as a respiratory therapist. When she’s not working with her patients, she’s enjoying a fright flick or working on horror and science fiction tales. Her short stories have appeared in numerous small press magazines. She’s published Night to Dawn magazine since 2004.

Other books by Barbara include City of Brotherly Death and Steel Rose, plus novellas Close Liaisons and Life Raft: Earth. She’s also coauthored Alien Worlds and Starship Invasions (both now out of print) with Tom Johnson. She anticipates release of When Blood Reigns, the sequel to Steel Rose. She enjoys bringing her medical background to the printed page, and then blending it with supernatural horror. She maintains a presence on Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, and The Writers Coffeehouse forum. Look for the photos with the Mylar balloons and you’ll find her.

www.bloodredshadow.com    

www.facebook.com/barbara.custer   

https://twitter.com/NighttoDawn1   

https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/1273060.Barbara_Custer  

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Mysteries of the Mind Guest Blog and Giveaway with Guillaume Wolf

Hi, this is Guillaume Wolf “Prof. G,” author of the newly released supernatural thriller, The Last Arakad. Before we start, I want to thank Roxanne's Realm for inviting me to guest blog; it’s a pleasure to be here.

So today, I’d like to talk about the mysteries of the mind.

My novel, The Last Arakad, is a magical thrill-ride that also talks about how we can connect with our intuition to grow and evolve. I believe this is where real magic lives.

Intuition and the power of the subconscious mind have always fascinated me. In my research on creativity (if you’re curious, check out my book on the subject, reDESIGN: reCREATE http://redesignrecreate.com), I met with some of the most brilliant Creatives in the world. I discovered that the greatest creative minds all trusted their subconscious mind to work for them. Sometimes they called it “gut instinct” or “semi-asleep state;” but they all share this capacity to connect with a higher creative intelligence (that works much better and faster than the rational mind).

In one conversation that stuck with me, superstar designer/architect Philippe Starck revealed his habit of using his subconscious for creative work: “I prefer working with the subconscious,” he declared. “I’m not an intelligent person, but I have an extraordinary intuition that allows me to place myself in the world differently and to do things differently. In the classic orthogonal way of thinking, I’m completely lost. I cannot even read an operating manual. But in the diagonal way of thinking, I’m faster than everyone.”

          This explains, perhaps, why after a brilliant career of 30 years he still dominates the world of design today.

          In our conversation, he explained that because “consciousness . . . always lies,” he preferred “working with the subconscious: the untold, the slips of the tongue, the accumulation of little invisible signs.” I realized that in his case, Starck had mastered his “extraordinary intuition” and sharpened it like a precision tool.

          His technique sounds deceptively simple. To access his subconscious mind, he uses creative naps. “The subconscious works alone,” he said. “It is a bit guided and structured in order to produce more than just nebulous ideas, but then you have to be in the proper state when the subconscious delivers its finished products. You have to be “ready to print.” This is why I live mostly in my bed. When I feel a ‘delivery’ is coming, I always have a little table by my bed that I use to draw with great precision all the elements. At this point I don’t have to think, I just execute. When I’m done ‘printing,’ I look if it’s worth something . . .” (excerpt from reDESIGN: reCREATE)

          This description may sound strange but it comes from one of the most important contemporary creative minds. Who knew creative naps could be so potent?

Following these clues, I tried over the years to integrate this creative regimen into my work. I gave creative napping a try by putting myself in a relaxed state to let inspiration move in. At first it was not easy—we have all been conditioned to view napping as ‘laziness’—my active mind protested at these ‘silly’ attempts. But as I stuck with it, and was able to quiet the chatter. And it did pay off. For example, the story of The Last Arakad came in a flash, after one of these creative naps. And today, every morning, before I get out of bed, I simply “dream” the chapters I’m suppose to write—and the story flows in automatically.

Now I’d love to hear your comments. Have you tried creative napping before? Have you ever had dreams that helped you make important decisions in your life?

THE LAST ARAKAD
by Guillaume Wolf “Prof. G”


Do you believe in destiny?


When sensitive Maya moves with her brother Thomas from Los Angeles to Paris hoping for a better life, she has no idea that everything is about to dramatically change. 


What starts as an initiation into the age-old Arakad magical tradition takes an unexpected turn when a wave of brutal murders shatters her world. Caught up in an ancient prophecy, she finds herself at the center of a ruthless battle between good and evil in which humanity’s future is at stake. 


When all hope is lost and she becomes the final target of a sinister clan, will Maya learn to trust herself and her own power? Or will her own fears prevail?

BIO


Born in Africa (Sénégal), raised in Paris, France, and currently living in Los Angeles, California, Guillaume Wolf “Prof G.” embodies the spirit of the 21st Century “global village.” 


Guillaume has spent decades exploring the transformative power of symbols, archetypes, and creativity (and their relationship with the everyday world); and this passion inspires his writing. 


Guillaume’s background includes among others: creative director; branding consultant; and teacher of communication design at the prestigious Art Center College of Design in Pasadena.


He is the author of reDESIGN: reCREATE, a book about reinvention and creativity. The Last Arakad is his first novel.


Guillaume lives with his wife and daughter in Los Angeles, California.


To learn more about Guillaume Wolf’s books and discover additional content, collectibles, and behind-the-scenes bonuses, visit www.Arakad.com


Meet Guillaume on Facebook at www.facebook.com/profgpage.


Web: http://www.arakad.com


Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/profgpage

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Guest Blog and Giveaway with Mysti Parker

An Evening with the Cast of Serenya’s Song, #1: Serenya

Setting: The Wasted Witch

Come in and have a seat. Could I get you a mug of our famous Barnaby’s Ale? Never heard of it, huh? Take a sip, and I bet you’ll want a refill!

Told you.

Dad’s usually the one greeting the customers. I’m more at home over there behind my piano. If you stay long enough, you can hear me play.

I’d take my gloves off, but it’s chilly in here and…who’s my dad? You haven’t heard of him, either? He’s Douglas Barnaby, a human like you, though a bit older and plumper.

Don’t worry; he’s back in the storage room now, so I can talk about him. See, until I was twenty-one years old, he was the only man in my life. Things were so simple back then, even though I knew he wasn’t my real father, and even though children tormented me about my, um, birth defect.

Yes, I know that doesn’t sound very simple, but Dad and I were really happy, just the two of us. We laughed a lot. Still do. I’ve helped him here ever since I could carry a tray. There’s never a dull moment. Sure, people gossip about me. They speculate about my birth parents. Everyone knows my mother was a wood elf, but no one, not even Dad, knows who my father is. Their stares make my skin crawl.

I guess you’re wondering why I stay here in Summerwind with all the gossipmongers lurking in plain sight. Well, in case you hadn’t noticed, the countryside is gorgeous. So many places I can set up my easel and try to recreate the landscape. Oh, the townspeople have their faults, of course, but underneath, they’re decent people. Most of them.

See that man over there at the corner table? Yes, the six-foot-four inch, sharply-dressed human. He’s the Earl of Summerwind, Sebastian Crowe. You guessed it. He’s my husband. Which makes me Lady Crowe. 

And now you’re wondering why a titled woman spends her nights working in a tavern. Sebastian doesn’t understand it, either. How can I explain that this place, where Dad and I spent so many happy years, is more like home than Crowe Manor?

I really wanted Sebastian’s estate to feel like home. I really wanted him when he walked into the bar six years ago. Before long, he asked for my hand in exchange for paying off some of Dad’s debts. I know Dad didn’t want to agree, but I was so in love with him. We were quite happy together for a couple of years, but I’ve never been able to give him an heir. And now…when he drinks too much, he’s, um, difficult to deal with.

But, there are bigger problems at my doorstep, like that incredibly handsome wood elf that just walked in. 

Let’s hope Sebastian didn’t see me staring. Oh, here’s Dad. That’s my cue to play. Enjoy your ale.

****

Want to know more about Serenya and the handsome wood elf that stepped into the tavern? One lucky commenter will get a PDF or Kindle copy of Serenya’s Song, so be sure to leave your email address if you’d like a chance to win!

Serenya’s Song

Tallenmere Book Two

by Mysti Parker

Blurb:

In the fantasy world of Tallenmere, no one ever said love was easy...

Serenya Crowe may be a half-elf commoner, but she's no ordinary woman. With the ability to interpret dreams, and a birth defect that forces her to wear gloves, she’s endured small-town gossip and the cruelty of her husband, Sebastian, The Earl of Summerwind. All she's ever wanted is to live a quiet life and raise a family. When she meets the new stranger in town, her world and her heart, are turned upside down.

Wood-elf Jayden Ravenwing is an ex-secret agent who wants nothing more than to forget matters of the heart. He left the bustle of Leogard and his failed marriage to make a fresh start in Summerwind. He never planned to fall in love again, especially with the enchanting Serenya Crowe.

When a strange portal opens on the Crowe property at the edge of town, Jayden is thrown into an investigation, knowing that if he fails, Serenya and everyone in Summerwind may die.

Together, he and Serenya must overcome an ancient evil, and their own inner demons, to save Summerwind and find the love they've always dreamed of.

Author Bio:

Mysti Parker is a full time wife, mother of three, and a writer. Her first novel, A Ranger’s Tale was published in January, 2011 by Melange Books, and is the first in a fantasy romance series. Mysti reviews speculative fiction for SQ Magazine and is the proud writer of Unwritten, a blog voted #3 for eCollegeFinder’s Top Writing Blogs award.

Links:

Email: mystiparker@yahoo.com

Unwritten

Twitter: @MystiParker

Facebook Page

Goodreads Page

A Ranger’s Tale: Melange Books, Amazon, Barnes and Noble, Smashwords

Serenya’s Song: Melange Books, Amazon, Barnes and Noble

Guest blog by Susan Lute

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Music Sets the Mood Guest blog by Debbie Peterson

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Tools of a Hero’s Trade Guest Blog with Julie Rowe

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