Along with writers, desk dwellers, and gamers, avid readers have a hard time balancing their sitting life and their moving life. If you’ve ever engrossed yourself in a page turner, you know how hard it is to stop and put the book down. Reading is such a wonderful escape from the routine of our own lives, the temptation to slip into another world and someone else’s head for a few hours is simply too great to resist.

There are also those people who must read for a living—the involuntary rabid readers. Agents, editors, proofreaders and data entry folks spend hours a day pouring over digital material. Hobbyists may have more flexibility with their time, but some are prone to devour five to ten books per week, ignoring their screaming necks and their ever widening backsides.

Don’t worry. I wouldn’t think of taking away your right to read to your heart’s content, but consider these suggestions, straight from Overcome Your Sedentary Lifestyle (A Practical Guide to Improving Health, Fitness, and Well-being for Desk Dwellers and Couch Potatoes), my recent debut non-fiction book. I’m happy to bring relief to my reading warrior pals who live for the next “happily ever after.” #OYSL, as I’m calling it for my twitter community, is a holistic living, self-help book, written to get you motivated and moving toward a more balanced and active lifestyle.

PJ’s Top Five Tips for Readers:

1)            Find a comfortable, ergonomically supported place to read. Don’t get sucked in by the couch monster where you’ll find yourself sitting folded into a ball in the corner, your neck and back in agony at the end of an hour. Use pillow supports to keep you upright and rest your arms over a few pillows in your lap to support the book so it’s at eye level.

2)            Read in sprints. As I suggested for your computer/screen time, set a limit on your reading time. Commit to moving for at least ten minutes every few chapters or every thirty minutes—whichever comes first.

3)            Switch to audiobooks. Or at least alternate between print, digital, and audio. The variety will broaden your experience as well as giving you the flexibility to get your brain candy while you’re doing your housework, exercising, or even walking on the treadmill. Most treadmills have a shelf for your e-reader these days, so you can even read yourself to good health.

4)            Drink plenty of water (always have a water bottle nearby and refill as needed). This will force you to take bathroom breaks and discourage snacking.

5)            Snack healthy. Many readers love to snack as part of their “escape” mentality. The problem—beyond the unhealthy choices we make—is that we are so into our stories that we aren’t mindful about the quantity or quality of the foods we are putting into our bodies. Choose low calorie, nutrient dense snacks such as almonds, carrots, or apple slices rather than chips, chocolate, or ice cream. Pay attention to serving sizes and only have that amount on hand as you read.

Make these conscious choices ahead of time so you don’t fall prey to mindless eating or get sucked in by the couch monster.

Do you have any tricks for overcoming a sedentary lifestyle?

Is a sedentary lifestyle killing you? Are you gaining weight, developing neck pain, carpal tunnel syndrome, back problems, or other health issues that are interfering with your ability to achieve your goals or live life to the fullest?

Sedentary Lifestyle Syndrome (SLS) ™ is one of the fastest growing health care crises of our time. In this digital age of techno-overload, where most of our waking hours are spent sitting, or otherwise “connected” to some device, we are quickly realizing the negative effects. If you can answer yes to the following questions, you may be suffering from SLS.

• Do you sit for at least 6-8 hours per day without adequate breaks?
• Have you gained significant weight from lack of exercise and poor nutrition?
• Do you suffer from headaches, fatigue, listlessness, and lack of motivation?
• Have you been diagnosed with one or more health issues aggravated by prolonged sitting and lack of movement? (i.e.: Obesity, depression, heart disease, diabetes, metabolic syndrome)

Overcome Your Sedentary Lifestyle is the practical guide you need. Author and Holistic Health Care professional, PJ Sharon, includes tips to keep you healthy—even if sitting is in your job description. Ms. Sharon offers easy to implement solutions for proper work station set-up, exercises for injury prevention and treatment, and a practical plan for self-care success—whether you’re perched on the couch, or on the way to fulfilling your dreams.

Isn’t it time for you to stand up for your life?

PJ Sharon, PTA, LMT, CPFT

OVERCOME your SEDENTARY LIFESTYLE
(A Practical Guide for Improving Health, Fitness, and Well-being for Desk Dwellers and Couch Potatoes)
Available Now
www.pjsharon.com

A great way for authors to build their brand while also contributing to a good cause is by publishing stories in charity anthologies. If you’re a reader, it’s also a great way to support good causes while satisfying your craving for hot romance.

This is why, if you’re a fan of Motorcycle Romance (or even if you’re not!), you should check out BIKER CHICKS. Not only will proceeds from BIKER CHICKS support the amazing charity BIKERS AGAINST CHILD ABUSE (the local chapter  where our editor AJ Downey lives), but BIKER CHICKS also seeks to bring biker romances into the 21^st century (and beyond!), by telling stories about women who ride.

BIKER CHICKS includes stories by some awesome authors, both established romance authors and some new names. It comes out on Valentine’s Day but is available for pre-order now.

The romance is HOT, and the authors didn’t shy away from kink, gender fluidity, same sex or poly-romance, so you’ve been warned. Pre-order your copy from Amazon today, but meanwhile, here’s a taste from my dystopian City of Dark Pleasures story, Her Queendom:

Standing, I can see she’s as tall as me, the silver light of the moon makes her look metallic, hard and impenetrable. Magical, almost.

“You want to know what freedom feels like?” she asks. “So you’ll know, in case you ever find it?”

“I guess so.”

She takes my hand, leading me up some stairs from the river deck to the road above. There, parked in the moonlight, like a faithful transport bot, is a motorcycle.

“Wow. Is that yours?”

“That’s my baby. You like it?”

“Where did you get it?” Motorbikes have been outlawed in the Free City and the Pleasures for years, since before I was born. The only way I know about them is from contraband magazines, stolen out of the ruins.

“I built it mostly. Bits of this and that.”

I admire the bike as we get closer. An elegant love child of leather and steel, its large black tires seem eager to get into motion, almost as though it’s unhappy being stationary. “Is it self-driving?”

The woman snorts a laugh. “No way! Where’s the fun in that? Hop up.”

She invites me into the rear seat. The soft leather seems to welcome me, cushioning my ass and thighs like it was molded to my shape.

“Thermo shaping foam,” the woman says.  “Also,” she clicks a switch and welcome warmth rises up into my numb flesh. “Heated seat. Warm up those shrunken testicles.”

Warmth shoots down from my face too. I’d forgotten all about my sex parts. Up to this moment I was as emasculated as a Cull, but with the warmth of the seat my cock and balls wake up, tingling, as though reminding me of their presence, reminding me that they, and I survived the Expiation that so many did not. I wasn’t killed. I wasn’t culled. I became one of the Alphas, a reluctant harem husband with a small party of brides I never particularly loved.

They gave me children I loved though. And they’re safe. My children are safe.

The woman turns, swinging her leg over the seat in front of me, her round ass, pressing into my newly awakened manhood.

“What’s your name?” I ask. I just feel like it’s something I should know.

“Spark,” she says, rising up onto the kick starter. The bike bounces as she slams the starter down, then roars to life. “Hold on to me, or the back rest,” she shouts back at me, cranking the throttle. The tires squeal as we blast into motion.

Bibi Rizer

Bibi Rizer (http://www.bibirizer.com) is a mom, blogger, teacher and writer living in the Pacific Northwest. While she’s been writing professionally for many years, romance and erotica are relatively new pursuits.

Bibi likes writing about strong kinky women and brave willing men living in realistic and imperfect worlds.

In her spare time Bibi sings Karaoke and hangs around on film sets with child actors. Having the the firm belief that no one can be too weird or too funny, she happily admits that most of her favorite people and characters are both.

Also by Bibi Rizer

Electrify Me: A New Adult Novella http://amzn.to/1NApcDE
Objectify Me: A New Adult Romance http://amzn.to/1NApiv1
The Obsidian Stairway: The City of Dark Pleasures – Book I http://amzn.to/1Ns6Zdk
The Amber Columns: The City of Dark Pleasures – Book II http://amzn.to/1YllJTJ
Conquests: An Anthology of Smoldering Viking Romance http://amzn.to/1k5u7UC
The Shield Maiden’s Revenge http://amzn.to/1QvYxNX
Morag’s Honor http://amzn.to/1OzvHWX

By Bibi Rizer and Gabrielle Prendergast
Cover Your Dreams: Tips for Indie Authors to Help Them Get a Book Cover They Love http://amzn.to/1NApBpu

https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/9854368.Bibi_Rizer

https://www.facebook.com/Bibi-Rizer-845707895448516/

A huge thank you to Delilah for having me as a guest. Before I was a writer, I was a reader — and I still am. I have three loves in reading: romance, mystery, suspense. I also like humor. My favorite humor is the kind that sneaks up and surprises you. I like smart, strong-minded women. And I like smart and strong men, too. Compassionate men and women, too. In my books, someone is always in trouble. Compassion is needed.

The books in my Love & Murder series have all of that. They also have bad guys (or gals), but the bad guys in my books might surprise you. They aren’t always the usual.

Right now, all my Love & Murder books are on sale for only 0.99 each at Kindle. If you’re a Kindle Unilimited subscriber, they’re free. If you don’t have a Kindle, you can download their free app, which works on every device. You can find the three books here:

An excerpt below is from Book 1, TRUTH ABOUT LOVE & MURDER. All the books are stand-alone, but Truth is set in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, and the other two are in Door County, Wisconsin. I’m giving away a mobi or epub file of RULES OF LOVE & MURDER (Book 2) to a commenter. (Or one of the other two books; I’m easy.) Just tell me what are your favorite things in a book.

*~*~*

The truth is that life is uncertain.

Meg Quinn hasn’t been to war, but her father has, and it changed their lives for the worse — and for the better. Now she has a sharp tongue and a mind to match … and she doesn’t trust easily. The best person she knows is losing a fight with death, and Meg is guardian of her friend’s seven-year-old son.

Easy MacLean, the co-guardian, is Meg’s dying friend’s brother. The former Marine has been hibernating in his Colorado mountain home, and Meg lets him know that he needs to be by his sister’s side in Milwaukee now.

Easy is attracted to his sister’s clever friend, but life gets complicated when he gets involved in a search for a missing veteran. After living alone with his rescue dog for so long, Easy and his dog are now sharing a home with a beautiful woman, a boy, and a cat. Even as he watches his sister die a little each day, he’s finding out the truth about life and love … and murder.

Excerpt:

“Bedtime,” Meg said.

Though she was looking straight at Ollie in his sister’s small living room, Easy half smiled, thinking it would be nice if she were saying it to him. Real nice. They would make a good fit, physically and emotionally. She was smooth with rough edges. He was rough with smooth edges.

But they were co-guardians, and it would be a bad mistake to get involved. Involvement would invariably lead to a time of disinvolvement on his part. And maybe hers. She seemed … capable. Independent. And smart. He had the feeling she’d taken one look at him and had seen the cracks and fissures in his soul, the cuts and the bleeding. The damage that not even all the duct tape in the world could stick together.

It made him think she had a few cracks and fissures and cuts and bleeding, too.

In any case, it would lead to complications and bad feelings, so just better not do it.

A lot of his life was like that, avoiding complications. The reason he was called Easy. Why strive for trouble when a little forethought would keep trouble at bay?

Ollie kissed and hugged Meg good-night then came to Easy, looking up at him, his arms out. Feeling awkward, Easy bent and hugged him. Ollie’s head leaned against his chest, his small hands holding on to the crooks of Easy’s elbows for a few seconds before he pulled back. “’Night, Uncle Easy.”

“Don’t let the bedbugs bite,” Easy said.

“That’s what my mom always says.” Ollie’s eyes were big, then he turned away. “Don’t let bedbugs bite you, too!”

Getting to his feet, Easy laughed softly. That’s what he used to say to Jules every night. Their mom had worked full time, done most of the housework, and she’d cooked their meals. She’d been busy or tired, while his dad had been emotionally unavailable. Easy had learned the bedbug saying from watching TV, and he’d started saying it to Jules every night until they were in their teens.

“What are you thinking?” Meg asked.

He frowned as he heard Ollie’s footsteps pound on the stairs that led to the bedrooms on the second floor. The house was a mid-twentieth-century two-story, and Easy liked the way his sister had furnished it. The couch was a sturdy material that looked as if stains could easily be washed off. It was a bronze color, and the tiger-striped cat looked queenly on it, while the recliner was a light orange, making a pop of color.

Meg stepped two feet in front of him. “Why is it that men have such a problem answering that question?”

“What question?”

“Never mind.” She waved her hand in the air. “I asked what you were thinking, and obviously that’s too difficult to ask a man. In the future, that question will never pass my lips.”

“I was thinking how much I liked your snark.”

“Awww. You’re so … weird.”

He laughed. “I was really thinking that since dinner was on you, I should do dishes.”

“There’s no dishwasher.”

“I’m not planning on being a hand model.”

“Oh? What were you planning on modeling?”

“Now, that’s a leading question.”

“Leading where?”

“A place you might not want to go.” He was standing close to her, about two feet away. Maybe too close. “I believe you’re flirting with me. I thought you didn’t like me.”

“What’s liking you got to do with it?” Her gaze met his, her full mouth twisting in a smile.

For a moment, he couldn’t breathe. He wanted her. Wanted her badly. He liked her honesty even more than he liked the way she looked. And he really liked the way she looked.

*~*~*

Buy the books:
Truth About Love & Murder, Book 1: http://amzn.to/1MMS8Xa
Rules of Love & Murder, Book 2: http://amzn.to/1O1pFyH
A Christmas Love & Murder, Book 3: http://amzn.to/1MMSj4Y

Find out more about my $50 Gift Card giveaway and join my newsletter to find out first about new releases, special deals and sales.

Edie

I’m pleased to share my latest historical, Libbie: Bride of Arizona, that was part of an unprecedented author collaboration of 45 authors writing a mail-order bride story connected to each of the 50 American states!

Will a tomboyish outsider with unusual habits find a home with an Arizona rancher who has strict ideas on what’s appropriate in a wife?

Publisher:  Inked Figments
Release Date:  1/5/16

Alone for the first time, tomboyish Libbie Van Eycken accepts a mail-order proposal and travels across country to find a place to call her own. Arizona rancher Dell Stirling needs a wife but didn’t count on the eccentric creature that brings chaos in her wake.

Purchase Links:
Exclusive to Amazon:  http://amzn.com/B017L14VS2
Free in Kindle Unlimited

Excerpt:

“What do you have there?” Libbie stepped forward and angled her head, hoping for a peek at what the women had been looking at when she entered. But, as always, her short height thwarted her from seeing.

Sally glanced between the two other women and then reached behind her sister and stepped forward, laying a newspaper on the block table in the middle of the room. “Dora used to work at a textile mill in Lawrence which is about thirty miles away. Just recently, the place burned down, leaving approximately one hundred women without jobs.”

“Oh, that’s awful.” Not that she’d ever held a job, but Libbie knew many women in America worked in offices or factories to support themselves. “What will they do?”

“Well, Sally is my only family, and I’ve come to Boston to find a new job. I stayed in Lawrence for a week, hoping to find similar work but there’s naught to be had.” Dora glanced at the door to the main hallway and stepped closer. “Miss, please don’t tell your aunt I’m here. At least, not until I find work and can offer to pay for my room and board.”

“Yes, Libbie, please keep our secret.” Sally wrapped an arm around her sister’s shoulders. “Although, now I’m thinking Dora should arrange for a husband through the gazette’s ads.”

Surprise jerked Libbie back a step. “A husband in a newspaper?” Then curiosity forced her gaze to the page.

“See? Grooms’ Gazette.” Sally pointed to the masthead then moved lower. “Elizabeth Miller works as a matchmaker in a nearby city. She prints and distributes this newspaper as a way to share information about men in other states and the frontier who are hankering for wives.”

A wave of gratefulness for her family, as far-flung as they were now, flashed through Libbie. Granted the trans-ocean travel by ship was long and boring, but she knew they’d be waiting with open arms at the end of her journey when her time at the Academy was completed. She scanned a few of the letters and then leaned both elbows on the counter, intrigued by the variety of situations the men were in. Logger, rancher, shopkeeper, doctor, farmer, miner, lawyer, professor, saddler, dentist, saloon owner—almost every occupation under the sun. Most sounded honest and upstanding, and also very lonely. Some were too specific in their requirements, which told her those men would not possess easygoing personalities. She straightened and waved a hand toward the newspaper. “Dora, are you considering this?”

“Several of my co-workers were writing letters to arrange matches when I left Lawrence. My friend, Grace Dickinson, wrote to a gentleman who’s a mason way out in Montana.” The young woman wrung her hands and shook her head. “I just don’t know if I can do this. Although having a home of one’s own sounds wonderful.” She turned toward Sally and her lower lip quivered. “But to move too far away worries me.”

“Tell her, Libbie, that coming from another country ʼtisn’t so bad.” Mary crossed her arms at her trim waist. “Sure, I miss the green pastures of County Cork and watching the ships in the harbor. But I like being warm and having a roof over me head even more.”

The cook spoke the truth. Although Libbie barely remembered her father’s older sister from the family’s visit when she was seven or eight, she was grateful to be staying with her aunt and cousins. After a month in Boston, Libbie still hadn’t adjusted to the large number of people living so close together, or the noise from peddlers in the street, horse-drawn cabs and trolleys, tolling church bells, and wailing fire sirens. “Every place I’ve lived has good and bad aspects. Only you can decide what town or situation is best for you, Dora. Maybe you should look for the locations of men living the closest to Boston.”

A smile creased Dora’s chubby cheeks. “I like that idea. Thank you.”

“Excuse me, miss, but yer aunt hasn’t yet rung for her tea.” Mary frowned and glanced at the pendulum clock on the wall. “Could ye step into the parlor and check on her?”

“Yes, Mary, I will do that on the way to my bedroom. I have been sent home with Mrs. Templeton’s specific instructions to practice my gliding.” She held out her arms straight and took exaggerated sliding steps. Glancing over her shoulder, she noted the women stood with hands covering their mouths, suppressing their laughter, and she gave them a cocky grin.

About the Author

As a young girl, Linda was often found lying on her bed reading about fascinating characters having exciting adventures in places far away and in other time periods. In later years, she read and then started writing romances and achieved her first publication–a confession story. Married with 4 adult children and 2 granddaughters, Linda writes heartwarming contemporary and historical stories with a touch of humor from her home in the southern California mountains.

Linda’s Links:

Website  Blog  Facebook  Twitter   Goodreads

New Year’s Resolutions. 

Ahhh…Just the sound of those three words make my writer’s heart thump with anticipation. A new year and all the lovely manuscripts I could knock out. Oh, the possibilities are endless. Two books in a year. No, four books! Heck, why limit myself? I could write ten books! By December, I could have two complete series filling up my Amazon Author’s page.

This year could be the best ever and I absolutely love setting goals: making timelines, creating word count milestones, you name it. Yeah, I’m that person. The good-intention over-achiever, the one who has great plans and those plans are color-coded and just plain pretty. I love setting those goals…in December. I’m full speed ahead immediately after the holidays. I’m distracted by mid-January, but still revved up and planning to hit the jackpot. Then February rolls around and my writing machine crashes to a halt.

This year I’m doing something new. I’ve still written a detailed Action Plan for my next manuscript that will fit into my ultra-busy life and help me finish the final draft of my 50K word novel in three months (for 2016, I settled on writing “only” four books, one final draft every quarter). I go in depth into my Action Plan over here.

But in an effort to avoid the answer to the inevitable question next December from my nosy aunt as to why she can’t find that new series I was going to write on Amazon, I’m not just setting rigorous goals—I’m giving myself an effing break.

This year will be different because I’m putting less emphasis on actually achieving all that is written in my Action Plan, and more emphasis on truly enjoying the process. Am I going to accomplish my goals just because I detailed everything about all four books? Maybe not, but I didn’t get into writing just to write about planning it.

Aside from giving myself a break from the pressure and disappointment of failing to meet my New Year’s Resolutions, I’m looking deeper into what hijacks my plans to literary stardom, and, more importantly, what truly motivates me as a writer.

One of my favorite quotes is actually song lyrics from The Eagles. “So often times it happens we live our lives in chains and never even know we have the key.” We all have “chains” (read: responsibilities, phobias) that prevent us from doing what we believe will make us happy/successful.

Aside from working at a demanding 40+ hour a week job, I still have many distractors: reading books, celebrity gossip, watching two daytime soap operas five days a week, and, oh, yeah, babysitting my nieces and nephew.

Some are unavoidable (like family obligations), but what about other things that don’t put food on the table and keep a roof over my head? Celebrity dirt? Watching soap operas? I think about all the time wasted watching soap operas that never end the way I want them to anyway. All these distractors turn into chains that keep me from being a truly productive writer.

And when I say a productive writer, I don’t just mean an organized writer. I mean a writer who can truly, deeply get 100% lost (in the best way possible) in the creative process of writing. As writers we are well aware of the almost blissful state that comes with being swept away by our own words, which never truly feel like our own words. It’s like some other being is feeding them to us and we’re simply the messenger.

We all know that feeling and it’s an amazing feeling. So why would we keep ourselves from that? Why would we deprive ourselves of that blissfulness by wasting mindless hours in front of the boob tube?

I guess that’s truly my New Year’s Resolution: Finding the balance somewhere between the organization and the creative chaos of it all.

This year I’m giving myself a break by accepting that it’s okay to want to go through the extensive process of detailing what happens next in my story and book series—because that’s important to me so that I don’t write myself into a corner. I’m giving myself a break and giving myself a mental vacation to go where the characters and the worlds take over.

What worlds did you deprive yourself of in 2015? What organization tips and tricks are you picking up in 2016? Let everyone know in the comments.

Happy New Year and Happy Writing!

Check out my website at www.deborahbogart.com to find out more about upcoming releases and to read an excerpt from Love Me to Death, the first in the paranormal romance series Blood & Magic. Amazon: Love Me to Death

The New Year is upon us, much more quickly than I am ever quite prepared for, but book one of the new Tales from Atlantis series is out, and I thought a little background on the Tales was in order since the first books don’t focus that much on Atlantis itself.  They focus more on what would happen if Atlantis returned.

I’ve always been fascinated with stories of Atlantis and magic, and I’m a big fan of Urban Fantasy like Jim Butcher’s Dresden Files, Laurell K. Hamilton’s Anita Blake, and Kim Harrison’s Rachel Morgan, so it was natural for me to write Urban Fantasy.  Riley’s world came into being about 10 years ago when I heard about a contest where writers were asked to write stories based on what would happen if magic returned to the earth.

I didn’t write a story for the contest.  You have to overcome ‘life’ to make time to write, but the idea stuck with me.  Then it started growing until now it has developed into a whole world populated with characters who are sometimes a little different and don’t always follow the plan I have for them, but they wouldn’t be any fun if they did.  They do get the person, however, and I hope you’ll like them.

At the time of Digging Up the Past, Atlantis has been back for about 200 years, just long enough for those with magical bloodlines to become what they would have been had Atlantis not sunk.  Riley was raised in a shape shifter clan since her father was a shape shifter by birth.  Her mother, however, had originally been a witch, as had her grandmother on her mother’s side.  She takes after her mother, although her mother began to be able to shift shapes shortly after Riley’s parents were married.

Riley’s work with DUE started after her brother was killed by her then fiancé in a drug deal gone bad.  That betrayal started Riley on a new life where she uses her empathic and witchcraft skills in spite of not being able to shift shapes like a proper shape shifter should.  Initially, anger drove her quest for revenge until she saw her lying killer of a boyfriend put away for life.  After that, she was just angry with all drug dealers until Giles Walker of DUE heard about the vigilante who was taking out drug dealers and brought her into DUE.  At the time of the events in this story, Riley has been with DUE for about 3 years.

Excerpt:

Immortality? Now that’s tempting. Throw in an army of the dead, and hey, any evil overlord would kill for that package.

When the Homeland Security Service’s Department of Unusual Events, or DUE, assigned my partner, Jason, and me to this case, the file said the spade we were looking for was valued at eighteen million dollars and belonged to the Peruvian government. Stolen during shipment from Peru to the local university, the spade, along with a number of the other artifacts uncovered on a dig site in Peru, was scheduled for study here. According to our file, the HSS believed it had been stolen for financial gain or, perhaps, to cause an international incident. Not our usual type of case, but not unheard of either.

What the file didn’t mention was that this wasn’t just any gold spade. This was the Spade of Apocatequil. Peruvian legend has it that anywhere Apocatequil stuck this spade in the ground, people sprang up. Now, the spade is believed to grant the holder immortality and the power to raise the dead. Minor omission.

My cover on this assignment was that of a college student. I also worked as a dog walker for the Bradens, who were our primary suspects, so every afternoon, Angel, the Bradens’ German shepherd, and I made the two-block walk to the dog park near the Bradens’ house.

When I pulled in at the house, I could tell no one was home. The Bradens would be at the local dig site until at least dark, getting set for the summer dig, and it wasn’t unusual for Keesha, the Bradens’ daughter, and Mena, the operative from Cerberus Security who’s been acting as her nanny, to be out in the early afternoon. I clipped the leash on Angel and we headed for the park.

Oh, as for why they should be our primary suspects, that’s the easy part. John Braden was the American archaeologist on the Peruvian dig. His wife, Sonya, was the lead anthropologist on that same dig, and that put them at the top of the list of suspects. That placement was further supported by the fact that someone else believed they had the spade. Our file also indicated that things had been stolen from other dig sites when they were in charge. The hard part was that there was no evidence, solid or otherwise, that they took the spade, or that they were involved in any of the other thefts.

*~*~*

Author Bio:

Sandi lives in Texas with three roommates, two Yellow Labs, a Shepherd/Border Collie mix, two terrier mixes and assorted other critters.  The animals were primarily rescues.  Sandi’s full time job is as the Public Information Officer for the local Sheriff’s Office, and she teaches English part time at the local Community College.

She says she has a couple of degrees from the University of North Texas lying around somewhere, and she’s been writing ever since she can remember.  Sandi took time off for work and school, and previously her writing has been more geared toward short stories and academic papers.

Sandi publishes a newsletter and several articles a month in her current position, but she has now added writing fiction and currently has several more books in the works.

www.sandibrackeen.com

iTunes https://itunes.apple.com/us/book/digging-up-the-past/id1022527729?mt=11
Barnes & Noble http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/digging-up-the-past-sandi-brackeen/1100322121?ean=9781620159590
Amazon http://www.amazon.com/Digging-Up-Past-Tales-Atlantis-ebook/dp/B012EHKCNQ/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1438312045&sr=8-1&keywords=sandi+brackeen

Hello my darlings! I am thrilled to share the news about my recent release, a scorching Highland Romp titled Susana and the Scot.

I had a great time writing the Untamed Highlander Series, but the best part of it all was visiting Scotland for research. (Ahem, that is my story and I am sticking to it!)

I had a bucket list of things I wanted to do and I am pleased to say I accomplished them all! Here are my top 5!

#5 TRY HAGGIS. I’ve heard so much about it. We all have. I just HAD to try it. Here is the picture of me with it. I’ll let you decide if you think I enjoyed it!

#4 GO ON A TRAIN RIDE. I have always been in love with the romance of train rides! We took the sleeper train from London to Inverness and it was a blast! Here is a picture of my ENORMOUS berth!

#3 HIGH TEA. Oh yes. This was awesome! We had a lovely tea in the lobby of the Grand Highland Hotel! So elegant!

#2 VISIT THE VILLAIGE MY MOTHER’S FAMILY CAME FROM. Yes! I loved checking this off my list. It was a tiny village with a stone church, a grocery store and a café. I loved meeting the people and exploring this tiny villaige nestled between Loch Rannoch and the Rannoch moors! The village will feature prominently in my next Highland series!

#1 FIND THE END OF THE RAINBOW. I know it’s more of an Irish thing, but let’s be real. Finding the end of the rainbow is a worldwide fantasy! Though it rained when we were in Scotland, somehow the sun also shone. There were rainbows everywhere and here, on this one lane road, we actually found the end of the rainbow! There was no treasure, but there was great beauty!

I had a wonderful time on my trip. I loved every moment. But what I loved most was connecting with the lands and the people. I have always had a passion for Highlanders, but now I feel I KNOW them!

If you love Highlanders, please check out my Untamed Highlanders!

Here’s a taste of my recent release:

SUSANA AND THE SCOT

Scotland, 1813.

A SCANDALOUS TEMPTATION
Andrew Lochlannach is famous for his conquests, on and off the battlefield. When a fellow warrior challenges him to a kissing contest, he wastes no time in planting his lips on ninety-nine lovely lasses-an impressive feat of seduction that gets him banished to the hinterlands. Still, Andrew has no regrets about his exploits-especially his embrace with the most beguiling woman he’s ever met…

AN UNDENIABLE PASSION
With flaming red hair and a temper to match, Susana is not some innocent farmgirl who gives herself over easily to a man, even one as ruggedly handsome as Andrew. The wicked Scot may have won a kiss from the headstrong beauty in a moment of mutual desire, but Susana refuses to be just another one of his conquests. Andrew must convince the fiery lass that even though he is not playing a game, losing her is not an option…

READ AN EXCERPT!

Susana was annoyed. There was no doubt about it. The swish of her hips as she led him across the bustling bailey was a dead giveaway, that and the dark glowers she shot over her shoulder. But Andrew couldn’t help but be amused. For one thing, she was damn alluring when she was annoyed.

Hell, she was damn alluring altogether. The curve of her waist alone could drive a man insane, much less that silky tumble of hair. He wanted to wrap it in his fist, wind it around his body. A certain part of his body.

At the thought, his cock rose.

It was difficult to remind himself that he’d vowed to eschew seduction, but try as he might, he couldn’t banish the fantasy of stripping those breeks from her lovely body and laying her down in the heather. Visions of that twitching backside—bare before him—danced in his head.

But he’d made a vow. A sacred vow. And as tempting as she was, he would control his baser urges. He could. Probably.

These thoughts whirled in his head as she led him into the stables, past his men—who were unpacking and seeing to their horses—and through the kennels. Though he was perplexed, Andrew followed. He would probably follow anywhere she led. It was a fact that should have scared him to death or at the very least, concerned him. But it didn’t. However, when she started up a staircase at the very end of the long hall, he had to stop her.

She glared at the hand he set on her arm. He tried to ignore the sizzle that raged through him at their first touch. It was ridiculous how much that touch affected him. And how much he enjoyed her glare.

He edged closer. “Where are we going?” he asked in a purr. Read the rest of this entry »