October 2013 – Barbara Edwards Comments

Welcome my guest Brenda Whiteside

Welcome Brenda and tell us more about Amanda in the Summer. It’s #FREE today on Amazon. I hope everyone will download a free copy of this touching story. http://tinyurl.com/mb5cwly

In this age of instant communication – text, email, Skype and cell phones – the art of writing a heartfelt letter is pretty much dead. Not so many years ago, waiting for the postman was a delicious anticipation if you were waiting for a response from someone in the form of a letter.

Amanda in the Summer is told through a series of letters, spanning fifty-seven years, between three generations of Amandas and their family friend, Tilly.

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

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

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

Amanda in the Summer is FREE today on Amazon. I hope everyone will download a free copy of this touching story. http://tinyurl.com/mb5cwly

Excerpt:

August 24, 1968

Dear Tilly,

A few days of bliss with no one to talk to but the seagulls. I have you to thank for this. I’m so glad you popped back after Amanda, Robert, and Mother left. The strain I put on all of us while you were here would’ve dragged on for who knows how long if you hadn’t returned. Once again, Tilly, you read the tea leaves and righted things.
My moods have been so ragged of late. Jealousy of all things. Jealous that you could talk to my daughter, get along so lovely with her, which I’ve had difficulty doing these last few months. Jealous of your longer running friendship with Robert than with me. I’m not sure if I was jealous of him or you. You’re both mine. And angry that the two of you are uncomfortable around each other after so many years and not making sense of that. When Robert left, I tried to give him the blue swimsuit you had left behind and asked him to drop in on you to return it. He said no, I could do it when I got back. This was so unlike him and did more to unsettle me…

Thank you for having me today, Barbara. And one more reminder – Amanda in the Summer is free on Amazon today!

http://tinyurl.com/mb5cwly

A little about Brenda:

Although I didn’t start out to write romance, I’ve found all good stories have to involve complicated human relationships. I’ve also learned, no matter a person’s age, a new discovery is right around every corner. Whether humorous or serious, straight contemporary or mystery, all my books revolve around those two facts.

Visit Brenda at www.brendawhiteside.com.

Or on FaceBook: www.facebook.com/BrendaWhitesideAuthor

Twitter: https://twitter.com/#!/brendawhitesid2

She blogs on the 9^th and 24^th of every month at http://rosesofprose.blogspot.com

She blogs about prairie life and writing at http://brendawhiteside.blogspot.com/

What’s up with my guest, Mac?

Welcome my guest MacKenzie Crowne who is so busy I am dizzy following her. ape

Hiya Barbara.

I know how busy you are and appreciate you having me stop by to do a bit of happy dancing over my new release on Monday 10/28. Squee! Cara O’Shea’s Return is the latest of my lighthearted contemporary romances, but has been in my heart for years. It’s also the prequel to The Billionaire’s Con, for those of you who have read Meggy’s story.

It seems as if I’ve been waiting years to see Cara and Finn’s story told and to celebrate, I’ll be giving away a PDF copy to one lucky commenter. Yay! Oh, and here’s a bonus. Another of my titles, A Song for Sophie (Honky Tonk Hearts) is FREE today on Kindle. Click here to download your copy and feel free to share the link with your friends.

Now, back to Cara… Enjoy! 😉

Blurb:

After eight years of self-imposed exile, shy bombshell Cara O’Shea returns to her hometown to create her art in peace. Big city living has left her craving the quiet only a small town can offer. Bitter over the wreckage of her father’s infidelity, she risks town gossip and her heart, when she enlists the town’s football hero to help renovate her studio and mend a decade-old rift.

A career ending injury and failed marriage leave Michael “Finn” Finnegan questioning his worth and avoiding anything smacking of permanence. A playboy lifestyle soothes his battered ego, but lately, the pretense has lost its appeal. However, one look at Cara, with her expressive green eyes and bunny-of-the-month body, and he’s hell-bent on proving his worth with the shy artist—and himself.

As old truths are revealed, will Cara and Finn overcome the mistakes of the past, trust their hearts at last, and take a chance on love?

Excerpt:

“Finn.” Maive bumped his thigh with an elbow. “Have you met Mary O’Shea’s middle daughter, Cara?”

Cobalt blue beams shifted to Cara, and she nearly cringed at the palpable memory shining in them. His smile easy, he spoke in a subtle rumble.

“We’ve had the pleasure. Hello, Cara.”

“Hello.” Fighting the flush of remembered humiliation heating her cheeks, she returned the greeting stiffly. She slid her gaze back to Maive, and relative safety. The old lady came to her rescue, craning her neck to aim a sly smile up at Finn.

“I just sold her the old book store.”

Finn’s head whipped around.

“You sold it?” He popped up from his slouched position, his back going poker straight. “I tried to buy it from you not two months ago. You said it wasn’t for sale.”

“It wasn’t, then.”

“But it is now?” Icy intenseness replaced his charming smile. “How much do you want for it?”

Maive cackled a laugh. “You’ll have to ask the O’Shea girl. She owns it now.”

Calculation hardened his features when he turned to study Cara.

She was at a complete loss. Technically, she hadn’t bought the place. She didn’t even know what she’d have to pay for it. Yet for some reason, known only to Maive Cataldo, the old lady was having the time of her life, denying Finn the property.

Far be it from her to contradict the dragon lady. A burst of satisfied excitement cooled the heated flush on Cara’s cheeks. The bookstore was hers and she’d be keeping it. She informed him of that fact before he could open his mouth. “It’s not for sale.”

Mac’s Links:

That was weird, by Barbara Edwards

My apologies go out to all my followers and friends. I had the weirdest thing happen here on my blog. Tweets that I posted got put here as individual blog posts. I’m sure you saw them or even forwarded them.

Not that the info was bad, but doing a short one sentence blog is not my style. Again, my apologies. Gosh, another short post. I’ll do better tomorrow.

Barbara

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Welcome my guest Tricia Drammeh

Tell everyone about your story, Tricia

About the book:

The Séance is a classic “be careful what you wish for” type of story. I came up with the idea when I was thinking back to middle school and slumber parties where someone would invariably insist on doing a séance. Remember the game, Light as a Feather, Stiff as a Board? That sort of stuff used to scare the heck out of me. But, there was always a part of me that was fascinated by the supernatural too. At slumber parties, séances never result in anything. It’s just a way for kids to scare each other. But, what would happen if the séance worked? And, what would happen if a spirit was summoned that you couldn’t get rid of by the light of day?

In The Séance, Abby is so obsessed with the paranormal, she wants nothing more than to have her own supernatural experience. But, when she summons a dark spirit during her first séance, she wonders why she ever wanted to mess with the supernatural at all. The Séance is a paranormal book for teens and young adults. I hope they’ll enjoy reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it.

Blurb:

Ninth grade can be a nightmare when you don’t fit in at school, your crush chooses someone else, and your parents tell you they’re having a new baby. Abby was prepared for normal high school problems. She wasn’t prepared for the demon.

Abby has always been fascinated by the paranormal, but after an ill-fated séance, she discovers not all Spirits are benign. A dark entity unleashed during the summoning sets out to destroy Abby, and within days, she loses her best friend, incurs the wrath of her parents, and becomes a prisoner in her own home. With time quickly running out, she assembles an unlikely group of helpers: the most hated guy in school, a retired psychic, and the cute clerk from her favorite bookstore. Unless the demon is defeated, Abby and her new baby brother won’t stand a chance.

Excerpt:

I felt safer in the kitchen, so I lingered there staring into the refrigerator for several moments. The cold air felt good. When I finally closed the refrigerator door and stepped backwards, soda in hand, the air felt even colder, like a life-size freezer had engulfed me. Oh, God, I whispered. It was happening again.

I was afraid to turn around, afraid to glance around the kitchen, afraid of what I’d see. Shivers racked my body and my teeth chattered. A gust of air lifted my hair, tickling the back of my neck. I whipped my head around, searching, but there was nothing there. Nothing that I could see. But despite what my eyes told me, my senses painted a different picture. Something was there.

My feet were glued to the tile floor, unable to propel me forward. I strained and pulled, but I couldn’t seem to move. Energy pressed me from all directions. A sharp snap assaulted my eardrums and I jerked my head to the side. The cabinet door over the stove opened and shut rhythmically, and then suddenly, all the cabinet doors followed suit. The entire room rattled around me, filling me with terror. A fizz and pop followed by a showering spray erupted at my side, bathing me in sticky soda. I looked down at the can of rapidly emptying soda on the floor, the can that must have slipped from my hand when fear gripped my body.

With a final ear-splitting clap, all the cabinets shut in tandem. It was quiet, but for the soft sound of soda dripping from the ceiling fan overhead. Suddenly, something wet and cold snaked around my neck, caressing my skin. It slithered up to touch my cheek. My hands flew up to slap at it, but my fingers found nothing but my own flesh.

An icy puff of air whispered in my ear. “My home.”

Links:

Amazon Author Page- http://www.amazon.com/Tricia-Drammeh/e/B008UI2CE6/

Website- http://www.triciadrammeh.com/

Goodreads- http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/18216403-the-seance

Thanks for having me, Barbara!

Journey of the Magi #FREE on #kindle October 8 to 12 http://amzn.com/B00ES5DZEQ

My Christmas story is #FREE on #kindle from October 8 to 12 A Christmas love story to warm your heart. Journey of the Magi http://amzn.com/B00ES5DZEQ

Widow Noel Martin never breaks promises, and she promised her kids they’d have Christmas at her childhood home in Connecticut. But driving across country takes money. Noel is broke when a snowstorm blows them into a tiny Minnesota café owned by a man who can change her mind. She accepts his offer of a job. Despite her attraction to him, she makes it clear she is only temporary help.

Dan Longstreet isn’t adopting any more strays, but he needs a waitress. Dan works so hard to make his café a success, he doesn’t have time for love. Though Noel’s slender blonde beauty stuns him and her two adorable children tug at his heart, he denies how they threaten to change his life.

When tragedy strikes, their new-found love is the first victim. Noel can’t stay and Dan can’t leave. Will their journey be the gift that reunites them?