MY JOYS OF CHRISTMAS

 

This week, my home is full of family and friends, and I don't have a minute to myself. Whoopee!!! The Holiday season is upon us and I love every minute of it!

Do I plan in advance to keep chaos at a minimum? What fun would that be. There are days I never stop.  While most people seem to be stressed out by the crowded stores, Christmas decorations up everywhere before Thanksgiving, the crazy traffic, the school events, extra housework chores and the endless cooking, I enjoy the noise and the disorder because it means that in a matter of hours, I'm going to be with the people I love most in the world. 

My daughter had an amazing third grade teacher--Mr. Riley. I remember during his class holiday party, he sat on the floor with his students and explained to them that it wasn't what was under their Christmas tree that mattered. It was the people who were with them around that tree that defined the meaning of this season. I'm not sure if the students grasped the profound statement, but I did.

I'm the first one to admit that I'm a very blessed woman. It doesn't matter to me what is under my tree. Those that will be sitting around my tree on Christmas Eve, Christmas day and the days that follow is what keeps me going.

I'm leaving you with one of my sweet hubby's favorite Christmas cookies which I make a couple times a year. Once you see the ingredients, you will understand why I save this delightful treat for special occasions. If you have a special treat you make for the season, I would love to hear about it. Just leave me a note in the comment section below. 

I'm going to be a little quiet for the next couple of weeks while I spend time with family, celebrating our holiday traditions, and maybe starting new ones. I wish all of you the very best this loving season has to offer. Merry Christmas and may every day of the New Year bring you great joy and happiness.

With hugs,

Nancy C. Weeks

WAIT...don't leave yet before checking out my white chocolate cookie recipe!  

White Chocolate, Nuts, Coconut and dried Cranberries Heaven in a Cookie

I start with a basic cookie recipe, but adapt the ingredients.

2 2/3 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
pinch of salt [I use salted butter]
1 cup (2 sticks) butter, softened
3/4 cup granulated sugar
3/4 cup packed brown sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 large eggs
2-3 cups Nestle Toll House White Chocolate Morsels. [I like this brand because the morsels are so creamy]
1 cup coconut [I love Baker's brand because it's so moist]
2 cup chopped pecans [of course you could use other nuts, but there is nothing better than pecans and coconut]
1 cup dried cranberries

Beat butter, granulated sugar, brown sugar, eggs and vanilla extract in large mixer bowl until creamy. Gradually beat in flour mixture. Stir in remaining ingredients, but don't over beat. I use a cookie scoop to drop rounded tablespoon onto an parchment-lined baking sheet. 

BAKE for 12-14 minutes or until golden brown. Every oven is different. These cookies usually take 14 minutes in my oven. Just watch them closely the first few trays. You can then cool them for a couple minutes. My family usually can't wait that long.

COME HOME FOR CHRISTMAS BY SUSANNE MATTHEWS

Happy Friday, Everyone,

The weekend is upon us. I love these two days because I can usually find a few hours to slipped away into a quiet corner and read. This time of year, I love losing myself in a wonderful Christmas story and my go-to books are usually novellas. The shorter length gives me a guilt-free reading break. I dive in and read it in one sitting before returning to my to-do list.

With that in mind, I would like to give a big holiday shout out for my sweet friend, Susanne Matthews whose Christmas novella, Come Home for Christmas is now available on AMAZON. I just love the cover and blurb. I can't wait to read this charming story.

Come Home For Christmas

Amazon exclusive, can be read free with KU

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B01976J9UO

This past year has been a miserable one for Krista Jacobs, and what’s going to make it even worse is having to spend Christmas at Seven Oaks, the Alberta ranch that was her home until her uncle tossed her out on her ear before her nineteenth birthday. But Uncle Charles is gone and has left her something in his will—something she can only have if she spends Christmas at the ranch with Ethan Terrance, her step-cousin, and the man she’d hoped to marry ten years ago.

When Charles Terrance died, the last thing Ethan expected to discover was that not only had his dad sabotaged his relationship with Krista, he’d cheated her out of the inheritance that should’ve been hers ten years ago. Since Ethan’s never been able to forget the woman he loved, he’ll do whatever he has to in order to make things right—including having his lawyer send her a request she can’t ignore. Krista has to come home for Christmas.

~~~

If you enjoy a more edgier story for your reading pleasure, Susanne also has several thrilling romantic suspense novels. You can learn more about Susanne and what she writes here:

Susanne Matthews: Website    Blog    Facebook page    Twitter @jandsmatt

Amazon author page    and    Goodreads author page

I hope you can find a little free time in the next few days to read a good book. Next week, I'll be posting some of my favorite holiday treats. In fact, I'm taking off my writer's cap and putting on my baker's cap as I test a couple old recipes I haven't tried in years.

That is it for today. Have a great weekend, and as always, be safe and kind to one another.

Hugs,

Nancy C. Weeks

MY THOUGHT FOR TODAY

Hello Everyone!

My sister sent me this quote in a text. I loved it so much I thought I would share. 

Life is amazing and then it’s awful and then it’s amazing again and in between the amazing and the awful it’s ordinary and mundane and routine. Breathe in the amazing, hold on through the awful, and relax and exhale during the ordinary. That’s just living, heartbreaking, soul-healing, amazing, awful, ordinary life and it’s breathtakingly beautiful. – L.R. Knost 

That's it for today. I'll be back in a few days. In the meantime, stay safe, and as always, be kind to one another.

Hugs to all,

Nancy C. Weeks

FRANCE, YOU HAVE MY HEART

To the people of France,

You have my heart! I pray for peace and justice. This evil will not be tolerated.

MODERN MAGIC RELEASE DAY!!!!

THE DAY HAS COME. MODERN MAGIC IS OUT IN THE WORLD!!!

What if Cinderella ditched the prince's ball and sent her fairy godmother to find love in her place?

Suppose a streetwise hero hired to steal an all-powerful Genie (stuck in a flash drive rather than a brass lamp) for a tech company ended up running for his life with the CEO's gorgeous, intelligent daughter?

Or what if the bed that a certain golden-tressed girl accidentally napped in belonged to the hot and famous middle brother of a notorious boy band?

Can you envision the sparks that might fly if a bitter and downright beastly wheelchair-bound woman propositioned a handsome bookseller to stay with her in exchange for her rare book collection?

This spellbinding anthology features modern and sexy spins on four classic fairy tales that will enchant you by Jennifer DeCuir, Stephanie Cage, Andrea R. Cooper, and Nancy C. Weeks.

I hope you enjoy His One Wish as much as I enjoyed writing it. The other three stories, A Late Blooming Rose, Music of the Heart, and Fairy Trouble, are adorable stories! 

Hugs to all!

Nancy C. Weeks

Eva Mitchum Interviews Her Author

Hello everyone!

I'd like to welcome guest blogger Eva Mitchum to my blog.  Eva is the heroin in A Late-Blooming Rose by Jennifer Decuir. A Late-Blooming Rose is the first novella in the Modern Magic anthology to be released in two days.

Click here to see Blurb

Eva, I  loved reading your heart warming happy ever after. I think my readers are really going to enjoy the twist on the popular fairy tale, Beauty and the Beast, you are featured in.  My blog space yours.

~~~

Welcome readers. I’d like to introduce you to my creator (Oh, way to give her a swelled ego right from the start!), Jennifer DeCuir.

Jennifer DeCuir

Ms. DeCuir, may I call you that? Or maybe Mother or...what was it that Frankenstein’s monster called him? Well, you did place me in the role of ‘Beast’… I digress. Why don’t you start by telling us what made you answer the submission call when Crimson asked for a ‘twisted’ fairy tale?

Thank you, Eva. I actually had no intention of submitting a story to this collection. I was in the middle of getting my latest Scallop Shores novel ready for release and the submission deadline was three weeks away. But my muse started whispering in my ear, “You should totally do this!” I tried to ignore her, so eventually she was shouting. And that’s how I ended up writing a story in three weeks – definitely NOT my usual speed.

So let’s discuss this particular ‘twist’. You wrote a version of Beauty and the Beast, except that beauty IS the beast. Couldn’t you have made Beau, the hero of your story, a werewolf or something? What was behind this decision?

Technically, Eva, I switched the roles around. Beau is the beauty, in this case. No offense. I thought ‘What would the readers least expect?’ and that’s what I did. I could have written you disfigured, but again, I imagine that is what people would expect of a modern day retelling. So I had to switch things up. You’re bitter and hurt because you’ve lost everyone you’ve ever loved. And then on top of that, you’ve lost the use of your legs. That loss of independence, of having to completely change the way you live your life, without someone to care about you, it’s easy to lose hope, and…um…patience.

I may have been a tad cranky. Tell us about the priceless first edition Edgar Rice Burroughs collection. Any reason you chose that author?

Three reasons, actually. First, I googled (or rather ‘bing’d – hubby works for Microsoft) first editions to see what would have brought in big money. When I saw Edgar Rice Burroughs, I got excited. I used to live in Tarzana, CA – that was founded on what used to be a huge ranch, owned by Edgar Rice Burroughs. My grandfather-in-law (that’s a mouthful!) was an artist and he designed a few book covers for…you guessed it – Edgar Rice Burroughs.

Thank you for spending some time talking with me about how A Late-Blooming Rose came to be. I can’t wait to tell Beau that you called him the Beauty. *cough* Pretty Boy *cough*

Eva, play nice…

WELCOME BACK STEPHANIE CAGE: DON'T YOU JUST LOVE TALKING TO CHARACTERS!

Hello Everyone!

Today I have Stephanie Cage back on my blog. It's been ages since she dropped in for a visit. And standing with her are her hero and heroine from her adorable new novella, Music to her Ears, the second book in Modern Magic: A Quartet of Fractured Fairy Tales. 

Good friend, it is a pleasure to have you back. I'm going to turn this space over to you because I can't wait to meet Mike and Hannah. 

Stephanie Cage ...

Hello everyone. I planned to ask my characters a few easy questions, but as you’ll read below, the conversation got a little away from me!  

What would be your perfect date?

Mike: I’m torn.  Either a quiet day out in the beautiful hills of England’s Peak District, or dinner and a show in New York.  I love that Hannah would enjoy both of those equally.  I’ve so had it with women who won’t take a step off the path in case they break a heel … ouch!  What’d I say?

Hannah: Enough with the heel jokes already.  I know storming off into the woods in the middle of the night in high heels wasn’t the best idea I’ve ever had.  But in my defence, I’d had a few cocktails earlier in the evening.   And you had just given me one heck of a scare! 

Mike: No more of a scare than you gave me!  I thought the house was empty, and there you were sleeping in my bed… It was quite a sight to behold.  Not that I’m complaining. 

Hannah: Can we try and keep this family friendly?  I thought you were supposed to be used to dealing with the media.  You’re the big star, after all.  Well, you and your brothers.

Mike: Yeah, The Ursa trio have done all right.  But honestly, I’m not sure how many people have a clue who we are, individually.  They know the three young musicians who play funky pop-classical crossover music, but us? Jamie, Mike and Bill? I doubt most people can even remember which one is which.  

Hannah:  You might disagree if you’d heard my friends carrying on about you guys the year you played the New Year’s countdown show.  They practically came to blows over which of you they liked best.

Mike: And which one did you like best?

Hannah: Now you’re just fishing for compliments.  There are times when a girl just has to maintain a dignified silence.  

Uh, ok.  I guess you’ll have to read the story to find out who turns out just right for our Goldilocks.

Hannah: It’s Hannah.  Not Goldilocks.  The only person who gets to call me that is Kayleigh, and only because we were best friends in school and she helped me out getting the job working for the Ursa trio.  Nobody else gets to call me that stupid name!  Believe me, it’s not fun going through school with fair hair and the surname Loxley.

Sorry.  My mistake.  Hannah it is. 

~~~

Thank you Hannah and Mike for coming by today. I just love the premise for Music to her Ears. 

Hannah: Stephanie has an excerpt just to give you a taste of what I have to deal with around this guy. I hope your readers enjoy it.

PREORDER NOW

IT TAKES A VILLAGE TO RAISE A BOOK BABY

Hi Everyone!
The release of my new anthology, Modern Magic: A Quartet of Fractured Fairy Tales is only two weeks, November 9th. My fellow authors, Stephanie Cage, Andrea R Cooper and Jennifer DeCuir and I are doing everything we can to get the word out to as many readers as possible. You can help and it's supper easy.

We have created a Thunderclap campaign and we would love for you to join. But what are you signing up for? 

You are agreeing to allow the app to post a one time message on Facebook, Twitter, Tumblr or Instagram [your choice] on a specified date and time [November 09 at 4:00PM EST] about the book. What will appear is the banner below. 

Since the campaign only runs if at least 100 people support it, the internet becomes a 'perfect storm' of book news for a few minutes - hence the term 'Thunderclap'. Although the initial posts only last for a few minutes, it can have a lasting effect on how many people are aware of the book. 

I have signed up for several Thunderclaps and it's always been great. The best part, I take a minute to register and don't have think about it again. Thunderclap remembers for me. If you want to know more about how you could use Thunderclap to promote your book or cause, their FAQs are here. 

To add your support, just clink on the banner above. It will take you directly through the steps. These days, it really does take a village to raise a book baby. We can't you enough for your support. 

Hugs to all, 

Nancy C. Weeks.

WELCOME ANDREA R. COOPER, AUTHOR OF FAIRY TROUBLE

Happy Wednesday!

Today, I'm thrilled to have back on my blog wonderful author, Andrea R. Cooper. Andrea is one of my fellow authors in the new anthology bundle, Modern Magic: A Quartet of Fractured Fairy Tales.

Please give Andrea a warm welcome! 

She is here to tell about her new version of Cinderella, one of my all time favorite fairy tales.

Andrea R. Cooper...

Growing up, I always liked the story of Cinderella. How she worked hard and yet remained nice despite her situation. When my publisher put out a call for fairy-tale re-tellings, I wanted to do Cinderella. But there have been lots of remakes of this classic fairytale, my favorite so far is Drew Barrymore’s Ever After. 
However, I wanted a different angle. Something that hadn’t been thought of before and Cindy came to my mind. But she had no interest in meeting a prince or marrying or a silly ball. Then I thought, what if the fairy godmother was a novice and had to pretend to be Cindy at the ball. And from there, Fairy Trouble was created.

~~~

Oh, that sound like such a wonderful story. I can't wait to read. Andrea has brought with her a excerpt to give us a little tease of whats to come.

Excerpt of Fairy Trouble. Enjoy!

After paying for their coffee with the help of her magic wand, she settled in the seat across from him outside and took a tentative sip of the caramel macchiato drink she’d picked. One of her favorite things about being disguised as a human was that she could actually savor real food and drink. The bittersweet taste mingled on her tongue, and she closed her eyes in pure bliss.
“Wow, maybe I should’ve ordered what you did rather than black coffee.”
Her eyes snapped open. “What? Oh, no, I-I’ve just really been craving one of these.” For a very long time. “So what happened at the bank?”
“I applied for a loan. The bakery’s going to fold if I don’t do something.” He ran his fingers through his blond-streaked brown hair. “I just … I can’t fail. And the bank refused me, because my dad owns most of the shares. I need to get him to back off or buy him out.”
“What about a fundraiser? Something fun that would bring in families. A carnival!” She’d love to try cotton candy and ride on a roller coaster. “Have it outside of town and draw in people from nearby towns and Pittsburgh. Maybe do catering gigs as well?”
“Those are excellent ideas, thank you.” He reached across the table and took her hand in his, gently squeezing it.
Her insides tingled, and she felt like even her toes were buzzing. What was going on?
“Enough about me. What about you?”
“Me?” she squeaked.
“Sure. What do you do for a living? What’s your passion?”
“Uh … Well, I’m sort of a teacher or counselor, I guess.” Those were the closest human occupations she could come up with that sort of tied in with fairy godmothering. She needed to get his focus off her. “Helping people is my passion. Have you always wanted to be a baker?”
A sadness filled his eyes, and he eased back in the chair. The loss of his hand on hers made her wish she hadn’t asked.
“Yes. It was something my late moth—adoptive mother, Janice, and me did together.”
He took a sip of coffee. “We’d think up ways to change a recipe and make it better. Every Sunday we’d have a dessert somewhere, and she and I would try to figure out the ingredients. My brother and Dad never cared much; they just wanted to eat the food. But it was like a secret language me and Mom shared. I think Dad gave me a year to make the bakery work only out of respect for her. He’s never even stepped through the door.”
“You should talk with him. Convince him to give you more time.”
He shook his head. “I feel like this whole year, he’s been waiting for me to fail. I have to prove him wrong.”
“And you will.” She wished she could wave her magic wand and help Ryan. But she doubted he’d accept the charity of her magic, even though he gave away so much to others. A church bell peeled twice.
“Thank you for listening,” Ryan said with a genuine grin that hinted at a dimple in his left cheek, and Esmeralda’s heart thumped against her chest. “I can’t believe we’ve talked for hours. I’d love to take you to lunch at a place near here. It’s the least I can do for sharing my problems with you.”
Her stomach growled at the sound of food. “Sure, I’ve not eaten since this morning.”
A couple with a young child strolled past them, and Esmeralda’s heart lurched. She loved the clean, sweet smell of newborn babies.
“Great.” He leaned back in the coffee shop’s metal chair. “Italian or Thai?”
She closed her eyes, remembering the scents of each. It was like asking which kind of flower she liked better. They were all unique. “Thai. I’ve always wanted to try it.” Her hand flew to her mouth. Fairy sprinkles, he must think her strange.
“Oh?” He raised an eyebrow, but his smile was still there and his green eyes twinkled. “Allow me to be your guide then.”

~~~

Now for the exciting part. Here is where you can pre-order your own copy of Modern Magic: A Quartet of Fractured Fairy Tales, release date, November 9th.

PRE-ORDER ON AMAZON

A little peek inside Andrea and her books. This is one author who constantly challenges herself to expand her horizons.

Andrea R. Cooper writes fantasy, paranormal, historical and romantic suspense.
Her favorite childhood memories revolved around creating vibrant characters for her friends, and then acting out their adventures. Inside her fantasy worlds of darkened forests, dragon-filled glades, and iced islands, nothing was banned. From the ethereal Elvin to the most maligned Vampires, all were welcome in her fictional realities, a stark contrast to her home, where the magical and mythical was forbidden.

Signup for my NEWSLETTER and pick from one of my ebooks listed on my subscription page as a free gift and you'll get advanced notice of sales, contests, and more: http://andrearcoopersubscribe.instapage.com/

WONDERFUL SHOWCASE OF THE WHITE LILY BY SUSANNE MATTHEWS

Happy Saturday, All,

Susanne Matthews had dropped by today to share the next book in her Harvester Series, THE WHITE LILY. If you missed the showcase of the first book in the series, you can read all about it here: THE WHITE CARNATION.

Here is what reviewers are saying about THE WHITE LILY. 

• Susanne Matthews delivers again with this newest addition, The White Lily. OMG...

"Lilith Munroe is an FBI profiler brought in to the Harvester case, one that wasn't supposed to be on her radar. After experiencing FFOW, she's buried herself in Quantico, forgetting how to be alive. Unwillingly pulled into the Harvester case, she meets Jacob Andrews, an Australian miner and vintner who comes looking for his sister. Little does he know, he's too late.

As he's drawn into the Harvester case, the two come to be friends.... and maybe more.

Susanne Matthews knows how to write a romantic suspense. I'm waiting patiently for the next!


Five out of five fairy kisses for this reader."

• Another Five Star Read from Ms. Matthews!

"It's no secret that I adore Susanne Matthew's romantic suspenses. She's pretty amazing at writing a tale that keeps you engaged and turning the pages, needing to know what's coming next and how this could possibly end. I have to say, she did it again with The White Lily.
Lily is an amazing female character. She's strong in a quiet way because she's had to be. She's got a love for nice shoes, even if it is a way to manage her stress an anxiety. Suffering from PTSD and trying to move forward in life from the horrible experience she suffered at the hands of a sadistic member of a cult she had infiltrated when she was just a young, new agent. Jacob, on the other hand, is determined, fascinating, and relentless.He knows what he wants and he's not afraid to admit the mistakes of his past to help correct the wrongs being done and help the people who need it.

Like I said, amazing.

This cult keeps getting crazier and crazier. I love Matthews' mind. I want to climb inside just to know what's going to happen in the next book, The White Iris. I would say The White Lily had a touch more suspense than romance, but it worked really well.

I need the next book. Now."

~~~

Here is the blurb for THE WHITE LILY by Susanne Matthews:

The Harvester is out there … watching, waiting, biding his time.

FBI cult specialist Lilith Munroe lives in dread that one day the man who tortured her when a case went bad will find her again. So leaving her sanctuary in Quantico to join the Harvester Task Force in Boston is her version of hell. But the Harvester is kidnapping babies, and Lilith’s profiling skills may mean the difference between life and death for the most innocent in society.

Australian millionaire and former member of the New Horizon commune Jacob Andrews returns to the United States searching for his sister. Instead of the happy reunion he expects, he discovers she is dead and his twin brother may be responsible. He agrees to lend his law enforcement skills to help find his former cult leader before the man can implement his plan to kill millions.

Now uneasy partners, Jacob and Lilith must learn to trust each other even as they fight their growing attraction. But when Lilith’s greatest fears materialize, will Jacob be able to set aside his anger and save the woman he loves?

~~~

Susanne has left an excerpt with me. Enjoy!

“That must have been awful for her, for all of you.” Lilith said.
“It doesn’t matter now. Dying was probably the only way out Mom had. From that day on, Eloise’s life was hell. The other kids in the commune, including my cousins, made fun of her and said the burn was Satan’s mark on her—something they’d heard my uncle say—but when I was around they left her alone. When I confronted my uncle about that and other things, I ended up in the desert.”
He closed his eyes, seeing a tearful Eloise held back by her aunt as he was led out to be disciplined.
“Leaving my brothers and sisters wasn’t easy, but I figured Jimmy would step into the breach and protect Eloise. They’d always been close. The conversation with that boy got me thinking that maybe she’d somehow escaped from the commune, and I decided to look for her.”
“My God, knowing what her life was like, how could you do it? How could you walk away from that poor child and leave her there for eighteen years? And when you decided to look for her, you waited again. Why?”
The implication that if he’d come sooner he might’ve saved Eloise was clear.
“Because I was an angry, seventeen-year-old bastard who’d almost died, and I was too damn scared to go back,” he said through gritted teeth. “Don’t judge me, Agent Munroe. Until you’ve been brutalized as I was, you don’t have the right to.”
Her face paled, no doubt stunned by the viciousness of his attack, but he didn’t care. No one could possibly hate him as much at the moment as he hated himself.
“As for coming after her a few months ago, fate conspired against us. Andrew had a heart attack, and I made the choice to stay with him, a decision I refuse to regret. I hired a private investigator in Boston to find the girl with the tattoo. He found her right away, in mid-June. When I saw the picture, I knew it was my sister. She looks—I mean looked—like my mother. The PI arranged for me to contact her. She told me James had taken her to get that tattoo on her sixteenth birthday.”
“How did Eloise feel about seeing you again?” Her voice had lost its warmth, and her eyes were cold.
“She was surprised, but excited when I told her I wanted to bring her to Australia to live with me. She was worried about what might happen if my uncle discovered I’d survived and that she was planning to leave the States. I gathered from what she’d said that New Horizon had changed and not for the better. Through the man who’d found her, I made arrangements for her to get a passport and a ticket to Sydney.”

~~~

Now for the best part. Here is where you get your copy of THE WHITE LILY 

AMAZON 

BARNES AND NOBLE

KOBO 

Susanne Matthews: About the author:

Susanne Matthews was born and raised in Cornwall, Ontario, Canada. She’s always been an avid reader of all types of books, but with a penchant for happily ever after romances. In her imagination, she travelled to foreign lands, past and present, and soared into the future. A retired educator, Susanne spends her time writing and creating adventures for her readers. She loves the ins and outs of romance, and the complex journey it takes to get from the first word to the last period of a novel. As she writes, her characters take on a life of their own, and she shares their fears and agonies on the road to self-discovery and love.

Follow Susanne on her social media pages:  

Website    Blog    Facebook page    Twitter @jandsmatt

Amazon author page    and    Goodreads author page

Susanne, I wish you fantastic sales. THE WHITE LILY is going on my To Be Read list and I can't wait to dig into Lilith and Jacob's story. Thank you for taking the time out of your hectic release week to drop in for a visit. To my dear readers, if you have any question for Suzanne about her writing career or her new release, THE WHITE LILY, please don't be shy. You can leave her a comment below by clicking the little pencil icon. 

Until next time, take care of yourself, and as always, be kind to one another.

Hugs to all,

Nancy C. Weeks

WELCOME BACK SHARON BUCHBINDER AND KISS OF THE VIRGIN QUEEN

Happy Wednesday, Everyone!

For our mid-week treat this week, I'm thrilled to have back on my blog, my dear friend Sharon Buchbinder. Sharon has dropped in to share the exciting news of the release of the KISS OF THE VIRGIN QUEEN. This full length novel is the second in the enthralling new Jinni Hunter series, an edgy and suspenseful paranormal romance series which explores diverse cultures and an array of supernatural beings. Join the Special Agents of the Anomaly Defense Division as they race to save humanity—and the people they love.

Check out the awesome sexy cover:

Blurb for KISS OF THE VIRGIN QUEEN by Sharon Buchbinder

No matter how far we are in the future, everything connects us to our past.

Homeland Security Special Agent Eliana Solomon is on a mission to prevent terrorist attacks. Hard enough to do when the threats are human, almost impossible when it's an evil, shape shifting jinni. Eliana needs help so she calls the sexy and beguiling psychiatrist, Arta Shahani. However, no matter how good he is at his job, the man is on her blacklist. On their last case together, the guy left her for dead.

Arta is stunned when he receives Eliana’s call. Forced to abandon the woman he loves, he now fears she won’t accept his shape-shifting skills as a Persian Lion. Eliana, in the meantime discovers she is a direct descendant of King Solomon and the Queen of Sheba with special powers of her own. But will her skill and Arta's be enough to defeat the jinni, or will they lose the love history decreed for them as well as their lives in this battle of good versus evil?

Sharon has brought alone a book trailer KISS OF THE VIRGIN QUEEN which I just loved!! Check it out! 

Book Trailer https://youtu.be/4ONWBeBZXlw

Now for the best part. Here is where you can find KISS OF THE VIRGIN QUEEN by Sharon Buchbinder.

AMAZON

BARNES AND NOBLE

ALL ROMANCE E-BOOKS

KOBO

BOOKSTRAND

WILDROSE PUBLISHING

To learn more about Sharon Buchbinder and her books, you can follower her on her multi-social media sites.

Sharon Buchbinder has been writing fiction since middle school and has the rejection slips to prove it. An RN, she provided health care delivery, became a researcher, association executive, and obtained a PhD in Public Health. When not teaching or writing, she can be found fishing, walking her dogs, or breaking bread and laughing with family and friends in Baltimore, MD and Punta Gorda, FL.

Author Links

Facebook: Sharon Buchbinder Romance Author https://www.facebook.com/sharon.buchbinder.romanceauthor

Twitter ID @sbuchbinder https://twitter.com/sbuchbinder

Instagram: https://instagram.com/sharon_buchbinder/

Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/sbuchbinder/

Blog http://sharonbuchbinder.blogspot.com/

Website http://www.sharonbuchbinder.com/index.html

Goodreads author page https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/4417344.Sharon_Buchbinder

Link to sign up for Newsletter http://www.sharonbuchbinder.com/contact.html#newsletter

~~~

Sharon, I wish you fantastic sales today and for weeks to come. I can't wait to sit down and bury myself into the pages of this sexy, exciting new story.Thank you for taking the time out of your hectic release day to drop in for a visit and please don't stay away so long. 

To my readers, if you have any question for Sharon about her writing career or her new release, KISS OF THE VIRGIN QUEEN, please don't be shy. Sharon would love to answer any questions you have. You can leave her a comment below by clicking the little pencil icon. 

Until next time, take care of yourself, and as always, be kind to one another.

Hugs to all,

Nancy C. Weeks

COVER REVEAL for MODERN MAGIC: A QUARTET OF FRACTURED FAIRY TALES

Hello Everyone,

I have news!!! Check out that adorable cover below. Yup!! My new novella, His One Wish is about to hit the world. His One Wish is part of a four novella collection that were based on the fairy tales we all loved as children, just re-imagined for the adult mind and heart. 

I have posted a blurb for Modern Magic: A Quartet of Fractured Fairy Tales as well as a short excerpt from His One Wish below. I can't wait to introduce you to my fellow authors. Watch for their interviews coming in the next three weeks. 

So here it is....

 Modern Magic: A Quartet of Fractured Fairy Tales  November 9, 2015.

Blurb for Modern Magic: A Quartet of Fractured Fairy Tales

What if Cinderella ditched the prince's ball and sent her fairy godmother to find love in her place?

Suppose a streetwise hero hired to steal an all-powerful Genie (stuck in a flash drive rather than a brass lamp) for a tech company ended up running for his life with the CEO's gorgeous, intelligent daughter?

Or what if the bed that a certain golden-tressed girl accidentally napped in belonged to the hot and famous middle brother of a notorious boy band?

Can you envision the sparks that might fly if a bitter and downright beastly wheelchair-bound woman propositioned a handsome bookseller to stay with her in exchange for her rare book collection?

This spellbinding anthology features modern and sexy spins on four classic fairy tales that will enchant you by Jennifer DeCuir, Stephanie Cage, Andrea R. Cooper, and Nancy C. Weeks.

Excerpt of His One Wish: Aiden Cooper and Jazlin Morgan’s first introduction. Enjoy!

Jazlin moved around him and headed down the sidewalk. The woman briefly knelt next to a man asleep under an awning and slipped several bills into his coffee can. Every instinct in Aiden wanted to grab her away from the homeless man. “That’s not smart, princess.”
“I was following you.”

“And that’s not smart either. Why?”

A look crossed her face that said, how dense can you be?

“To find out where you were going.”

Damn, she was sassy. Something close to laughter boiled up inside him. He’d forgotten the last time he laughed. “Is living dangerously something you just felt like doing tonight, princess?”

“Stop calling me that.”

Aiden couldn’t help raking his eyes over her from head to foot—beautiful, exotic, every inch of her perfect. Smooth, dark chestnut hair flowed gently down her back almost to her waist. She nervously pulled a tassel of hair around to the front, twisted it around her finger, and then let it loose. It took everything in him to keep from brushing it behind her shoulder, taking his time to caress the back of his finger over the swell of her breast.

“You’re staring.”

“Yeah. That’s what happens when you follow someone, princess.”

“Seriously, don’t call me that. I’m not—”

“What should I call you?”

“Jazlin.”

“That fits.” He leaned on the wall with his hands on his hips. “Again, why in hell are you following me?”

This time, a faint hint of rose appeared on her cheeks. Her gaze roamed passed his left shoulder. “Do you work for Malcolm Morgan?”

Aiden stepped into her personal space, eyes narrowing. Anyone in their right mind would’ve had the sense to run right about now. She lifted her bewitching eyes and matched his glare with one of her own.

“Is that your business?”

She had the decency to swallow. “No. Well, kind of. He’s not a nice man, and—”

“How do you know him, princess?”

Her expression turned hard, and her hands fisted at her sides. “Don’t call me that again.”

“Answer the damn question.”

“I’m trying to figure out what he is up to.”

“So you’re out spying on your sugar daddy. Did he find himself a little plaything on the side? Maybe it’s time you readjust your standards.”

“You think I’m his … that I would … ”

Aiden spun her around and gave her shoulder a light push. “Go home.”

“Whatever he paid you, I’ll double it.”

He’d sure as hell read that situation wrong. Still, the woman was crazy to go against someone like Malcolm Morgan. “No.” He placed a hand on her elbow and began walking back the way they had come.

She jerked her arm free and stopped in the middle of the sidewalk. “Okay, I’ll triple it.”

His pulse quickened. “Where’s your vehicle?”

“Why?”

“I’m putting you in it, and you’re getting out of this neighborhood.”

“God, you’re such a macho, pigheaded jerk.” She maneuvered around him and strutted to the corner, Karo at her heels. The dog paused and appeared to be waiting for Aiden to catch up, like he was slowing down the party.

“Shit,” Aidan muttered. “I’ve fallen down a fucking rabbit hole.”

When he finally caught up to Jazlin, she was standing in the middle of the block with her fists at her waist. “It’s not this block, is it?”

Without waiting for him to answer, she rushed further down the sidewalk, pausing only long enough to check traffic before she crossed the street. The building she stopped in front of was the address from Morgan, but Aiden wasn’t going to share that tidbit.

Jazlin was the first woman in a long time who made him wish he’d shaved his Unabomber beard and worn something he hadn’t slept in the last two days. But, damn, was she high-strung and unreasonable.

“So, now what, princess?”

Her stare bore into him, nearly causing him to take a step back. “Call me that again and you’ll be eating pavement.”

Aiden moved in close enough that her spicy scent made his mouth water. “Sweetheart, you don’t want to threaten me.”

She sucked in a breath and whispered, “What’s your name?”

“Aiden Cooper.”

“I’m not afraid of you, Mr. Cooper.”

“You should be.”

~~~

I hope you enjoyed a tiny glimpse of my hero, Aiden Cooper and the woman who is about to turn his life upside down, my heroine, Jazlin Morgan. Modern Magic: A Quartet of Fractured Fairy Tales will released in just one month. Over the next three weeks, I'll introduce you to the other authors of this amazing anthology and tease you with excerpts from their stories. 

Have a great weekend. Stay safe, and as always, be kind to one another.

Hugs to all,

Nancy C. Weeks

WELCOME BACK BECKY FLADE: REVIEW OF FATED HEARTS!

Happy Friday, Everyone!

Today, I'm thrilled to have back on my blog, author and friend, Becky Flade. Becky just released her new book, Fated Hearts. 

While I have posted many new releases on this space, I have never tried my hand at being a book reviewer. Well, today that all changes. I thought I would not only let you know about Becky's new release, but give you a little insight about how I felt after reading the book. 

To get us started, here is the cover and short blurb of Fated Hearts by Becky Flade:

Psychiatrist Henley Elliott fled her quiet life in Cleveland for a gypsy lifestyle, trying to stay one step ahead of her painful memories. When she breaks down in quirky little Trappers' Cove, Minnesota, she meets Sheriff Carter McAlister - a man healing from his own share of hidden heartbreaks. 

At the request of a friend, Carter offers Henley a job to help her get back on her feet . . . but soon he can't resist trying to sweep the intriguing woman off them. Breaking through her carefully built shell proves to be a near-impossible task, and to make matters worse, a dangerous new presence in the Cove seems to be targeting Henley. They must learn to trust in each other in order to keep her safe. 

Can Henley and Carter leave their secrets and scars in the past to get a second chance at happily ever after?


My thoughts...

Becky Flade did it again! I consumed Fated Hearts in one sitting. This suspenseful, nail biting novel has everything. Great characters and an exciting plot where the suspense and romance arc blend so nicely. And it was such a treat to have a glimpse back into the lives of Maggie, Aiden and Tala from Fated Souls.

It’s hard to talk about Fated Hearts without spoiling all the great moments of this book. I just have to say that Henley Elliott’s story [no spoilers here] stole my heart. And Carter McAlister, big time Philly cop who turns into a small town sheriff, you are every woman’s dream and great hero material. 

There is no way this couple could have had an easy time trusting love after what they have been through. But with that said, it was such a fun ride watching them fight their attraction. Ms. Flade didn’t make their journey toward their happy-ever-after easy, but she pulled this reader into their emotional conflicts, making me feel. When they finally gave in and opened their hearts to each other, it was the best ‘Ahhh’ moment ever.

Fated Hearts is a very enjoyable read. I give it Five Stars and highly recommend it. 

Here is where you find your copy of Fated Hearts: 

Fated Hearts

Crimson Romance | Amazon | Barnes & Noble | iBooks | Google Play

About the Author:

Home is where the heart is and I make mine with my very own knight in slightly tarnished armor in southeastern Pennsylvania. When I’m not busy living my own happily ever after, I’m writing about someone else’s.

Contact Details:

beckyfladeauthor@gmail.com

http://beckyflade.blogspot.com/

https://www.facebook.com/BeckyFlade

https://twitter.com/beckyflade

If you have any questions for Becky Flade or myself, please don't be shy. We love interacting with our readers. Just leave a comment by clicking the small pencil below. 

That's it for today. I hope you enjoyed my first attempt at being a book reviewer. Until we meet again, be safe, and as always, be kind to one another.

Hugs to all,

Nancy C. Weeks