Best motto for writers:
It’s only a book.   Your life doesn’t depend on it.  I read this in a writing book ages ago.  When you find yourself getting caught up in all the stress and insecurity that goes with writing, take a step back and know that, if nothing else, you can always write another one.  Don’t take yourself too seriously.  Perfection is not possible.  It’s only a book.  Tape that on your monitor.

Best overall advice for writers:
Write about something you love and something that you are passionate about.  Write a story you would want to read.  Your passion will come through in your work.  Don’t be afraid to take chances.  See motto above.  It’s only a book.  Start it and finish it.

Best Books about Writing:
I love On Writing by Stephen King simply because I related so much to his journey as a writer. You can’t go wrong with books by Gary Provost, Dwight Swain or Lawrence Block. They will help you master the craft.

Best ergonomic tools for writers:
Imak wrist pads.  They are made from ergo beads and provide very comfortable support for the wrists.  I bought mine at Staples. Never bend your wrists to type or use the mouse. Carpal tunnel syndrome is no fun.

Anti-Glare filters.  They will help save your eyes.  Need I say more?

Adjustable Foot Rest.   Another must have.

Logitech Soft-Grip Mouse.  Love the design.  Fits the hand perfectly.

Best way to get to The End:
Develop a writing schedule that works for you and stick to it.  1 page a day, 7 days a week.   10 pages,  2 days a week.  2 hours every night.  Doesn’t matter how much or how often. All that matters is you maintain it until you reached The End.

Everything His Heart Desires

The man most likely to drive her crazy…

Growing up in Lafayette Falls, senator’s daughter Natalie Layton hid her sorrows behind a bright smile that charmed everyone in high school—except Brett Harris. Hardworking and highly motivated, Brett dismissed Natalie as a slacker. Instead, she’s become an acclaimed photographer. And when Brett, now a successful cardiologist, needs her family’s help to secure a coveted position, Natalie’s more than happy to prescribe a little payback…

Hailing from the wrong side of the tracks, Brett believed he could never win the school’s popular princess. Now he’s intrigued by the complex and compassionate woman Natalie’s become. Gaining her grandmother’s goodwill is the key to becoming chief cardiologist—and Natalie has no intention of making it easy. But as mutual mistrust gives way to pure chemistry, there’s more at stake than either ever expected—and much more to learn about matters of the heart…

Short Excerpt:

Natalie strolled into the parlor. She stopped across from him at the center table. The pier mirror behind her gave him an excellent view of her bare back and the red bow at her waist. He had this wild desire to run his hand over her shoulder blades and down her spine. Maybe fool with that red bow.

Despite having a modest front, the dress radiated sex appeal. “That’s a hot dress.”

She flushed slightly and smoothed the slim skirt. “Elvis thought so.”

“Elvis who?”

“The Elvis. The King,” she answered. “Of course, he didn’t say it was a hot dress, but he liked it.”

Brett cocked his head, and she said, “Don’t look at me like I’m crazy. This dress is from the nineteen sixties. I found it in the attic. After my dad sold our house a few years ago, he brought a lot of stuff over here and stored it for me.

“The dress belonged to my mother’s mother. When she was in her twenties, she worked as a backup singer for some studios in Nashville and Memphis. According to the note I found with this dress, she wore it to party at Graceland, and Elvis was very impressed.”

“I bet he was.” I bet he got a hold of that red bow.

Buy Links:  Amazon   Nook   Kobo  Google Play  iTunes

About the Author

Patricia Preston loves writing single-title women’s fiction with picturesque settings and a host of unforgettable characters whose lives entwine in feel-good stories about life, love and finding happiness. She also writes short stories and historicals. She won the William Faulkner Award for Short Fiction, the Lone Star Writing Competition for Historical Romance, and Harlequin’s World’s Best Romances Short Story Competition. She is repped by the Seymour Agency and working on a women’s fiction/mainstream romance series for Kensington’s Lyrical Shine imprint.

Besides writing, she’s also worked as a librarian, medical office manager, and in a cosmetic department where she played with makeup all day. Her favorite place to hang out is her writing cave where must-haves are iced tea and epic music. She also enjoys photography, movies, and research trips to New Orleans.

For info on new releases and contests, sign up for her newsletter

Check out her Blog  Follow her on Twitter  Facebook  Amazon Author Page

UPDATE: The winner is Debra G!

* * * * *

Thanks so much for hosting me today, Delilah!

Readers of science-fiction romance, futuristic time travel, or fans of strong heroines may enjoy my new book, In The Court Of Love And Loss.  I’ll be giving away a free e-copy at the end of this blog post!

What inspired this story? When I was young, I always wanted to be an astronaut. I mean, how cool would it be to travel in space, discovering new things? Unfortunately, it turns out I get sick on a simple roller coaster, so the idea of being nauseous in the weightlessness of space was not exactly appealing. (And NASA probably wouldn’t have accepted me into its astronaut program anyway…) The solution? I became a science fiction romance author!

The best part about writing science fiction or futuristic romance is being able to build an entire world from your imagination. There are no rules, except the ones you create. My most recent book, In The Court Of Love And Loss, is set on a planet I call Sirene.

Here’s a little synopsis:

As Mistress of Justice on Sirene, Kyrie is able to judge an accused person’s guilt or innocence with a mere touch. Her unique gift makes her invaluable to the planet’s dictatorial leader, Galen, but Kyrie is dying. Abandoned as a child by her people, the Ouri, when they mysteriously fled Sirene, she’s grown up among the planet’s “other” race. Now, at age twenty-five, she must find an Ourian to mate with or die. Except there are no Ourians on Sirene.

Proteus is sent back to Sirene to rescue a five-year-old child accidentally left behind when he and all the Ouri fled the threat of uprising. But through a trick of time, what he finds instead on his return is an Ourian woman he is forbidden by law to mate with, even if it means saving her life. And when the autocratic Galen forces Proteus to sexually service Kyrie, Proteus uses every trick at his disposal to keep her alive, all while plotting their escape.

Galen and Proteus are desperate to save Kyrie for very different reasons–but they both know the fate of the planet depends on her survival.

This novel is full of secrets and lies, surprising twists and unexpected revelations, with a strong heroine whose fierce loyalty to her sense of right and wrong forces her to make hard sacrifices for the good of her world. And they are choices which affect her own life in profoundly shattering ways.

If you are a fan of A Court of Thorns and Roses, and A Court of Mist and Fury by Sarah J. Maas, you will enjoy this book!

Here’s a brief excerpt:

“I can’t leave here, Proteus.”

“What?” Proteus crossed the short distance to where Kyrie was sitting.

She looked up at him, a plea in her eyes. “I appreciate that you were sent back here to rescue me. After twenty years of wondering why I’d been abandoned when the Ouri fled, it is a relief to know I was not intentionally left behind. But if I can save even one innocent person from Galen’s false accusations—from his wrath—then this is my purpose. My destiny. I help these people, Proteus. I can’t leave here.”

“Kyrie, you are Sirene’s princess, the future of this planet. And now the woman I love. It is my fault you were left behind during the Ourian evacuation, and it is my duty to return you to your people. But there is still much you don’t know. About Galen. About your own people. You must come with me.”

“I made a promise to Galen that I would not leave Sirene.”

Proteus smiled. “You won’t have to leave Sirene to be reunited with the Ouri, Princess, because they are still here.”

“What? No one has seen an Ourian on Sirene for the last two decades!”

“Exactly,” Proteus agreed. “And the reason for that involves a trick of time.  Let me explain.”

*~*~* 

Sound interesting? If you’d like to read more, In The Court Of Love And Loss is available at:

Amazon:https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01N63TY5Z/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&qid=1479256852&sr=8-4&keywords=jenna+ives
Barnes & Noble: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/in-the-court-of-love-and-loss-jenna-ives/1125150547?ean=9781682522592
iBooks: https://itunes.apple.com/us/book/in-the-court-of-love-and-loss/id1176691132?mt=11
Kobo: https://www.kobo.com/us/en/ebook/in-the-court-of-love-and-loss
LooseId Publishing: http://www.loose-id.com/in-the-court-of-love-and-loss.html?___SID=U

Contest

For a chance to win an e-copy of the book, answer this question: What is the name of the antagonist of In The Court Of Love And Lost? (The answer can be found in my synopsis.) Leave your email address with your answer in the Comments section J One winner will be chosen at random. Good luck!

A little about me:

I’m an award-winning author who writes for several publishers under a variety of names, but mainly it’s to protect my poor sainted mother (who used to read sweet Harlequin novels) from discovering how sexy modern romances have become! I love to tango, travel and I’m obsessed with the Rolling Stones, travelling to different cities and countries around the world to see them play. You can visit my website at www.jennaives.com or my blog at http://www.fierceromance.blogspot.com. Or connect with me on Twitter @JennaIvesAuthor or on Facebook, Goodreads or Pinterest.

Thanks again for hosting me today, Delilah!

Jenna Ives

I like the idea of having magical powers of some sort. If I could choose, I think I’d like to be able to fly…and be able to blast power out of my hands…you know, point at something and kaboom! Obliterated.

Each of my Huntresses have their own special powers that are ignited by the bite of their wolves or mark of their Hunters (and sometimes both). They are all in various stages of combat fighting and weapons training depending on what side they are fighting on as well as how indoctrinated into the world of the beasts they are. I thought I’d share with you the roster of Huntresses from the pack that you’ll meet in my newest release, Beast Rising,  and all the amazing things they can do.

Darcy Wells (Cursed): She’s gifted with spell casting and she’s probably the most powerful and most under trained of all of the Huntresses. Sometimes her power is so out of control that her hands glow with an iridescent light…not too helpful when it comes to battle but her strike definitely packs a punch…especially if one of her pack is threatened.

Memorable quote: “It’s not breaking the rules if no one finds out about it.”

Aubrey Devlin (Wolf Slayer): Is a healer. Her touch alone is able to pull the wolves out of near death experiences and keep herself from bleeding out when she’s on the hunt for the feral beasts. She’s a tough fighter and a no-nonsense kind of girl but she’s got a big heart and loyalty that never falters.

Memorable quote: “Huntresses hunt, whether you like it or not, got it, big boy?”

Summer Sinclair (Spell Weaver): Her power is to etch magical symbols onto things. With this ability she has been able to not only protect the boundaries of the wolves’ territory but she has also been known to use them to heal and sometimes locate things that are lost…including her mate. She’s a tattoo artist by trade and a fierce fighter for everything she loves, even when it’s a stubborn werewolf.

Memorable quote: “If you want it badly enough, your powers will work just as you need them to. Trust your instinct, it’ll never steer you wrong.”

Hannah Lane (Mayhem): Is an empath and is able to amplify emotions, using them to amp up or tone down all sorts of passions. She uses her powers to unite the pack as well as to keep the wolves tempers under control. She sweet but tough and a redhead so you definitely don’t want to piss her off.

Memorable quote: “Grounded? That kiss has me flying.”

You’ll meet all of these Huntresses and more in Beast Rising and get to know their strengths, weaknesses, fears and goals. No matter where they are in the training, all of my Huntresses are brave, loyal, and can totally kick some serious ass.

Angela Addams
Website: http://www.angelaaddams.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Author.Angela.Addams/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/AngelaAddams
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/4801196.Angela_Addams
Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Angela-Addams/e/B005JOTBPM/
Samhain: https://www.samhainpublishing.com/book/5850/beast-rising
iTunes: https://itunes.apple.com/no/book/beast-rising/id1183596013?mt=11
Kobo: https://www.chapters.indigo.ca/en-ca/books/beast-rising/9781619236370-item.html
B&N:http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/beast-rising-angela-addams/1125294362?ean=9781619236370

First, thank you Delilah and Delilah readers for receiving me on this blog.

I am not one to make resolutions.  Like so many, in the past, I firmly declared my goals in the first month of the year and promptly forgot them by the third month.  But this year a Facebook friend posed the question: How will you grow this year?  This question goes beyond resolutions, although I realize that part of the reasons people make resolutions is to inspire some personal growth.  But this question challenged me to think about how I will fundamentally change who I am so that I can be a better me.

I have been wrestling with this question because growth requires you to change, to leave things behind and let stuff go.  I don’t like change or letting things go (not old emails, old receipts, old manuscripts, old grudges).  It also requires you to be brave enough to accept your new strengths as well as the challenges and responsibilities those new strengths inspire, like a superhero whose presence invites villains.  You just know that if you become more patient, a slew of people are going to stand in line to try your nerves.  So, growth isn’t easy and trying to grow demands that you work at it consistently.

How will I grow in 2017?

As a writer, I have not always shown up to the page.  Being a mother, a teacher and a writer has been a balancing act that has not always resulted in every aspect of me getting a fair amount of time.  More often than not, the writer in me has gotten the shaft.  In this new year, I am going to commit to showing up to the page, writing something every day.  Ok, let’s be more realistic—five days out of seven.  (This is a good start as there were some weeks when I didn’t write at all.)  I feel best, when at the end of the day, I have created. So I will work to produce and create.  I will show up to the page!

I will also commit to stretching my reading and writing genres.  I love to read, but I tend to select the same types of stories to enjoy. (I am in love with the paranormal!) I will expand my reading to include new, varied genres.  Maybe a historical romance and definitely a thriller.  I am open to any suggestions people might have for good books to try.

As my reading expands, I am sure my writing will, too.  I commit to trying new genres of writing.  Actually, my short story “Vivify” in Delilah Devlin’s Sex Objects was the result of an earlier attempt to try a new genre.  I had never written erotica before, but I found in exploring my character Cecelia’s sexual re-awakening, that this is a genre that is fun and fulfilling to write within.

I’m sure I will have to let go of something although I don’t know what yet.  I know that it is true that you can’t do the same things and not get the same results.  Maybe I will have to learn to say “no” when people ask me to be on this committee or do that project for them.  Saying “no” will be hard. Maybe I will have to give up my slightly obsessive need to watch everything that comes on television.  Letting TV go will definitely be hard.  We will see what this effort toward growth will bring.  While I am not sure of the challenges that will come, one thing I am sure of is that by implementing these new practices into my life, I will grow as a writer.

How will you do to grow this year?  Let me know.

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https://www.Pinterest.com/writerlee

Cashmere S. Jackson

Check out Cashmere S. Jackson’s “Vivify” in Sex Objects!

The beginning of a new year.  I sat down after Christmas and thought about all the things I would like to accomplish in 2017.  So many things changed for me personally and professionally in 2016 that I couldn’t possibly think how or what I could do to possibly top 2016.

I met so many new people and have done so many things I could’ve never imagined I would do before I retired from the Army.  My life had been my family and my Army family, and now I have my Book family.

How lucky can I get?

How possibly can I make 2017 better?

Answer…..

Organize and expand.

What do I mean by that?

Organizing my life and how I plan and produce my stories.  Right now and in the past, I have always been what the writers refer to as a pantster.  Meaning I just sit at the laptop and write whatever comes out of my little pea brain.  To most a scary thought indeed. (insert evil laugh) but it is how I have always done it, but now I am trying to retrain myself to start taking notes and outlining stories.

Expanding my world.  When I say I am expanding, I mean I am expanding the world, the one I created in my series Warranted into a series of novellas, as well as, and here is the NEWS—a series of paranormal characters that are separate from Warranted but intertwined as well.

Basically, in 2017, one of my characters will experience some changes, I won’t say now how or when, but it’s gonna happen.  (insert evil laugh)

So to start off 2017, my first A Warranted Novella release is called Snowed In.

The story of a Brewery heiress and the Special Forces Sergeant First Class on leave while he is recovering from injuries.  They meet in the mountains of Colorado and not in the typical fashion but in the most interesting way and fall for each other because you will only find HEA in my stories.

An Excerpt from Snowed In a Warranted Novella

The Bryant’s of Milwaukee, Wisconsin were famous for their wealth, their brewing skills and the exploits of their oldest son – the infamous Andrew Bryant, Jr.  Andrew was the heir apparent to the family business and fought the title every chance he got. Doing anything he could by any means possible to avoid becoming his father he did the opposite of what they wanted.  His parents had always planned that Andrew Jr take over just as Andrew Sr had.  His parents plan- once Andrew Jr graduated from college, they would retire and enjoy their life knowing the family business would be in their son’s capable hands and would continue for many more generations.

Andrew Jr. had plans of his own, it was just his parents didn’t know them yet.  He, like his grandfather, would join the Army and run as far away from the brewery and his family as possible.   The problem was leaving his younger sister Annabelle; although, he knew Annabelle would be ok she was a Bryant for God’s sake and a Bryant through and through.  Annabelle, a strong-willed and intelligent girl with a mind of her own.  It seemed Janice and Andrew Sr. had raised the independent thinkers they had so desperately wanted.  But for Andrew Jr leaving Annabelle to face their parents alone was not the easiest decision he would have to make he didn’t know it yet.  When the day arrived, he had to be selfish and do what made him happy not what made his parents happy.

They had had a great childhood; everything a kid could want.  Enjoying many trips to Colorado but particularly enjoying the trips to the cabin in the mountains for Christmas. It was the only time the siblings would have their parents Janice and Andrew Sr all to themselves no one worked during the holiday.

Andrew Jr. cherished those memories especially as he sat waiting for his friend SSG Jackson Tolliver outside of physical therapy at Womack Army Medical Center.  Andrew Jr. and Jackson were stationed at Ft. Bragg, North Carolina they were members of the elite 9^th Special Forces.  Tolliver had been injured during an ambush in the mountains of Takur Ghar region of Afghanistan. The same attack that two of their buddies had been captured and tortured.

That ambush was always on his mind.  Recently, more than usual but with everything that had happened on the post.  It was appearing as though they would be re-visiting the ambush.  The massive investigation that had been started after a series of thefts on the post, and a massive fire at the warehouse, a warehouse that belonged to the 9^th Special Forces.  They would meet up with their old unit leader Chief Warrant Officer 3 Raleigh Fitzgerald and his associate SGT Samantha O’Hara for interviews.

Free CreateSpace Book Cover Template.

Warranted Desires, Book 2 of A Warranted Series Releases the End of Feb 2017 (fingers crossed) and it continues the story of Chief Warrant Officer 3 Raleigh Fitzgerald and SGT Samantha O’Hara.  Will fate continue to shine on their relationship or will the terrorists they have been on the trail of find them before they find forever?

An excerpt from Warranted Desires Prologue

As the sun peeked through the curtains, Sam stirred and stretched in the large king sized bed, rubbing her eyes, her fists clenched as she scanned the room for Raleigh. Her entire body still ached from the beating she had received by Saheed Al-Balshera, the terrorist that Raleigh had riddled with bullets just a few days before.  New Orleans was turning out to be the hotbed of terrorist operations, and they had stumbled smack in the middle of it.  One simple investigation for missing equipment transformed into mischief, murder, and mayhem.

They needed to wrap things up here and get back to Fort Bragg.  Finish interrogating Jared Thompson, they suspected he still had the information they needed.  Thompson was the primary witness in the investigation that brought Sam and Raleigh together- missing equipment, money laundering, assault and murder this simple review had it all covered.  There was a big problem, though, Jared and Raleigh had history, a long and involved one.  The biggest of which was they were Best Friends about as close and Best as you can get.

Jared was Raleigh’s best friend, had been since childhood, they were buddies in high school, hell they had joined the Army together, served years together in a Special Forces and captured together when their unit got ambushed on a mission in Afghanistan.  It was during this captivity that Jared had turned his back on his fellow soldiers and became an operative for Al-Qaida and the Taliban.  Jared Thompson and his wife Semeana would face justice at Fort Bragg, North Carolina in the military and civilian court system.  And Raleigh would be the one to bring that justice to his Best Friend and serve up the rest of the remaining terror suspects in a cute little bow to the Attorney General of the United States.  Before they could leave New Orleans, they had to make sure all the suspects from the raid on the port were processed.  They would see their day in court and more than likely be sent to Guantanamo Bay, Cuba to serve out their sentences then be deported back to their own countries.

But once it was all said and done where would that leave Sam and Raleigh?  Would they continue their forbidden relationship or would they chalk it up to a sinfully good time?  That was a lingering question.  They both had thought about it but hadn’t expressed it out loud or let alone to each other.  What would the future hold for them?

Sam reached for the remote and sat up, propping herself onto the multitude of pillows that lay scattered upon the bed and the floor next to her.  Flipping through the channels until she came to CNN coverage of the raid.  CNN had covered the strike for a few days now; it was big news.  The raid had recovered millions of dollars’ worth of equipment, stopped a terrorist organization from implanting any further into the United States and they had solved two murders.  Every time coverage came on Raleigh would spout something like All in a day’s work for a stud like me. They would laugh and continue with what they had been doing before he pounded his chest like Tarzan.

I want to thank Delilah for allowing me to take up some of y’all precious time. I would be honored to get to know all of you, and I would be honored and love it if y’all joined my group or added me as a friend whatever makes y’all comfortable. Thank you so very much for your time.

If y’all have any questions, etc., feel welcome to hit me up check out my website, sign up for my newsletter all the links are below. #militarysupportingmilitary #MSM

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www.goodreads.com/shannonnemechek
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https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01795R1IW

Hello Delilah readers,

I’m so excited to be joining you here today.  I’m Megan Westfield and I know Delilah through a group of female military veterans who write romantic fiction. (Thanks for the opportunity, Delilah!).  My very first book, Lessons in Gravity, came out in October and is a new-adult rock-climbing romance set in Yosemite National Park.

Since we’re just a week past the new year, resolutions are still strong on my brain. For me, it seems like the meeting of resolutions always comes down to time: the fact that there is never enough of it.  As an author who has a day job and two young children to care for, there’s no way I’d be able to get everything done if not for multitasking, and one of most effective ways I multitask is by doubling up my workouts with other things.

So whether you’re a person has resolved to be more active in 2017, or a person who is amply active wants to eek out more time in the day to focus on other resolutions, here are a few ideas for multitasking your workouts.

1. Listen to an audio book.

All of us Delilah blog subscribers all have this in common: we love to read.  My suggestion is to play an audio book on your phone, grab a pair of earphones, and head out the door for a walk.  Or go ride a stationary bike.  Or hit the bouldering wall at the climbing gym.  This concept can be combined with many of the suggestions below for triple-tasking credit.  J

2. Workout on your lunch break.

This has been a habit of mine since my military days when I’d combine my allotted workout time with my lunch break so I could do a long road bike ride or go swimming at the base pool. Some private companies offer a fitness perk similar to this, but if your company isn’t one of these, an hour lunch break is plenty of time for a 30-40 minute cardio workout with a shower afterward.  Alternately, if you have a shorter lunch break or don’t have access to a shower, you could do a low-impact workout: one where you don’t get drenched in sweat and therefore don’t need to change clothes beforehand or shower afterward (ex., going for a walk, or doing high-repetition, low-weight strength training).

3. Walk your errands

I do not live in what is considered a “walkable” neighborhood, but there is a strip mall about a mile from our house with good sidewalks the whole way.  I save time by making the day’s workout be a walk down to the grocery store to grab a few things for the evening’s dinner, or to run a different errand at one of the other stores.

4. Take your kids on your workouts

For me, this means using a double jogging stroller, or carrying one kid on my back and pushing the other in a single jogging stroller.  Kids love to be outside and joining in on parents’ activities, so not only are you doubling up on the tasks of taking care of children and getting some exercise, the kids are getting a “win” as well.  My daughter is just old enough to start riding her strider bike alongside me, so this has been a fun variation for us.  And don’t forget that many gyms offer free child care!

5. Make your workouts a group activity

This is the same principle as #4, but instead of taking your kids, you arrange to meet up with a friend for a workout rather than of doing something sedentary. The multitasking element is that you’re having fun and maintaining connections while also being active.  My best conversations with friends happen during long jogs and walks!  Triple up by meeting with a friend for a weekday lunch-walk.

6. Walk or jog your errands with kids in tow

This combination of #3 and #4 is a triple-tasking method that I do almost daily. Since my kids are small enough to ride in a stroller, the basket in the bottom comes in handy for holding groceries or other goods, but a backpack works just as well.  If you live somewhere that’s truly un-walkable, you can always drive to an area that is, like a nice park that adjoins  shopping area.

***GIVEAWAY***

Let’s get a conversation going so we can share even more ways to gain more time by doubling up daily tasks with workouts.  See below!

Book Trailer

https://youtu.be/RirUUEW8rjg

Back Cover

All eyes are on Josh Knox…

Fearless. Guarded. Cut-to-perfection. Daredevil rock climber. The best in the world.

This time he’s poised to scale Yosemite’s notoriously treacherous Sorcerer Spire, with Walkabout Media & Productions filming every move.

April Stephens’s dream to be a documentary filmmaker rests on her acing her internship with Walkabout, and that means getting the abrasive Josh to give her more than one-word answers in his interviews.

The problem is, with every step forward professionally, she and Josh are also taking a step forward personally, and after watching her stunt pilot father die in a fiery crash, a guy who risks his life for a living is the last person she should be falling for. Especially because in one month her internship will have them dangling three thousand feet in the air from the side of the Sorcerer. She’ll be filming. He’ll be climbing without a rope.

Amazon  |  B&N  |  iBooks  |  Kobo  |  Goodreads

About the Author

Megan Westfield has dabbled in many hobbies and pastimes over the years, ranging from playing the cello to cake decorating (i.e., icing-eating) to a dozen different outdoor adventure sports. Eventually, she discovered the only way to do it all was though writing—her first and strongest passion. She grew up in Washington state, attended college in Oregon, and lived in Virginia, California, and Rhode Island during her five years as a navy officer. Megan is now a permanent resident of San Diego where she and her husband count family beach time with their two young kids as an adventure sport.

Website  |  Twitter  |  Facebook  |  Instagram  |  Pinterest  |  YouTube  |  Newsletter

***THE GIVEAWAY***

Post a comment below about how you double up daily tasks with workouts (or write about a fitness barrier you find especially challenging) and I’ll enter you in a drawing for an e-copy of Lessons in Gravity at the end of the week. Triple-tasking suggestions welcomed, too!

Wind River Rancher:  Shattered, but still fighting to be whole once more…

Wind River Rancher, Book 2, Wind River Valley series, s an emotional story that will suck every reader in.  I’m known for gritty, visceral and emotional writing, and this book is no exception. It just happened to catch the eye of Publisher’s Weekly and it received a ‘starred’ review (like winning an Oscar) on 12.3.16.

This series I’m writing is about military vets returning home from combat from all over the world, mostly focused on the Middle East.  Having been in the US Navy during the Vietnam War era (I served stateside as a weather forecaster at USNAS Moffett Field (now known as Silicon Valley) near San Francisco, California.

Book 1, Wind River Wrangler, the hero is an ex-Army Special Forces operator, Roan Taggart.  He has left the Army with PTSD, no longer able to function at that high level any longer in black ops duties.  He gets a job as a wrangler at the Wind River Ranch, where it’s quieter, it’s out in Nature and he is slowly healing from his internal PTSD wounds.   Only, as life usually slaps us in the face, one way or another, he’s thrown back into a threat/life-and-death situation with Shiloh Gallagher, a writer from New York City.  She’s escaped to the ranch to hide from a stalker who has torn her life apart.  Figuring if she lives in Wyoming to write, her stalker won’t find her and she can breath once more, not look over her shoulder 24/7/365.  Roan’s peaceful, back water life explodes when the stalker locates Shiloh.  Once again, he’s thrust back into a combat situation.  And for Shiloh, the nightmare begins anew when she thought she’d found safety at the ranch.

Book 2, Wind River Rancher, the hero is an ex-Marine Corps captain who commanded a company of Marines over in Afghanistan for years. The deployments, the combat, eventually took a toll on him, too. Reese Lockhart was a twenty-year man, his only dream was to become a Marine officer and protect his people, guide them and support them. Only the Afghanistan war gradually wore him down and sucked the life out of him, as it did so many others. He was given an honorable medical discharge, against his wishes. His whole life-dream has been shattered. He’s fractured internally by the PTSD, and you will meet him two years later as his story unfolds. He’s degraded to being like so many other vets we see on the streets of every city in the USA: shamed, hopeless, depressed and he cannot hold a job. In this book, I took “the gloves off,” as we say, and delved into the hero’s state of mind, his distorted emotions, his thinking he was a failure in every possible way.

EXCERPT from the opening to Chapter 1 of Wind River Rancher

Reese Lockhart’s stomach was tight with hunger as he stood at the outskirts of a small Wyoming town called Wind River. The sign indicated a population of two thousand. He’d gone a month without decent food. Six inches of snow stood on the sides of the road where he’d walked the last ten miles on 89A north. It headed toward Jackson Hole, where he was hoping to find work.

The town, for a Monday afternoon, was pretty slow. A couple of pickup trucks came and went, a few people walked along the sidewalks on either side of the highway that ran through the center of town. He halted outside Becker’s Hay and Feed Store, an aged redbrick building standing two stories high. The red tin roof was steep and sunlight reflected off it, making Reese squint. Bright lights now hurt his eyes.

Taking a deep breath, feeling the fear of rejection once again, he pushed open the door to the store. Would he get yelled at by the owner? Told to get out? It was early May and snow had fallen the night before. The sleepy town of Wind River still had slush on its streets midday.

The place was quiet, smelled of leather, and he saw a man in his sixties, tall, lean, and with silver hair, behind the counter. He was sitting on a wooden stool that
was probably the same age as he was, an ancient-looking calculator in his work-worn hands as he methodically punched the buttons.

Girding himself, ignoring the fact he hadn’t eaten in two days, Reese’s gaze automatically swung around the huge establishment. A hay and feed store was something he was familiar with. Maybe the owner wanted some part-time help. He needed to make enough money to buy a decent meal.

Shoving away the shame he felt over his situation, he saw the man lift his head, wire-rim spectacles halfway down his large nose, his blue eyes squinting at Reese as he approached the long wooden counter.

“Howdy, stranger. Can I help you?” the man asked.

“Maybe,” Reese said. “I’m looking for work. I saw you have several big barns out back, and a granary. Do you have any openings?” Automatically, Reese tensed. He knew he looked rough with a month’s worth of beard on his face, and his clothes were dirty and shabby. At one time, he’d been a Marine Corps captain commanding a company of 120 Marines. And he’d been damn good at it until—

“I’m Charlie Becker, the owner,” the man said, shifting and thrusting his hand across the desk toward him. “Welcome to Wind River. Who might you be?”

“Reese Lockhart,” he said, and he gripped the man’s strong hand. He liked Charlie’s large, watery eyes because he saw kindness in them. Reese was very good at assessing people. He’d kept his Marines safe and helped them through their professional and personal ups and downs over the years he commanded Mike Company in Afghanistan. Charlie was close to six feet tall, lean like a rail, and wore a white cowboy shirt and blue jeans. Reese sensed this older gentleman wouldn’t throw him out of here with a curse— or even worse, call law enforcement and accuse him of trespassing.

The last place where he’d tried to find some work, they’d called him a druggie and told him to get the hell out; he smelled. While walking the last ten miles to Wind River, Reese had stopped when he discovered a stream on the flat, snow-covered land, and tried to clean up the best he could. The temperature was near freezing as he’d gone into the bushes, away from the busy highway, and stripped to his waist. He’d taken handfuls of snow and scrubbed his body, shivering, but hell, that was a small price to pay to try to not smell so bad. He hadn’t had a real shower in a month, either.

“You a vet, by any chance?” Charlie asked, his eyes narrowing speculatively upon Reese.

“Yes, sir. Marine Corps.” He said it with pride.

LINKS:
Amazon
https://www.amazon.com/Wind-River-Rancher-Lindsay-McKenna/dp/1420141767/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1478800984&sr=8-1&keywords=Wind+River+Rancher

Kobo.com
https://www.kobo.com/us/en/ebook/wind-river-rancher

BN.com
http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/wind-river-rancher-lindsay-mckenna/1123624029?ean=9781420141764

Apple/iBooks
https://linkmaker.itunes.apple.com/en-us/details/1099652774?country=us&mediaType=books&term=Wind+River+Rancher+by+Lindsay+McKenna

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Lindsay McKenna
www.lindsaymckenna.com