Category Archives: Book Promo

Book Promo, Crime/Mystery, Eleanor Raven, Guest Post, Karen Long, Mystery, Novels

THE VAULT by Karen Long #guestpost #giveaway

June 30, 2016 Melanie Leave a comment

vault

The Vault

by

Karen Long

vault

Genre: Mystery / thriller / crime

Eleanor Raven Series: 2

VAULT: A large room or chamber used for storage of valuables, especially an underground one…

In the unrelenting heat of the Toronto summer, a fire at a land-fill site uncovers the remains of a local prostitute. But the post-mortem reveals disturbing details –the body has been preserved and is not who or what it seems.

DI Eleanor Raven is back on duty six months after barely surviving being kidnapped and tortured by a depraved serial killer. Work is her sanctuary but she’s carrying deep scars – mental as well as physical. Where do you go when the place you feel safest is also the place where you are most at risk?

As Eleanor battles her own demons, it looks as though a killer in the city is making a gruesome human collection. And Eleanor’s fight to save the last victim of the Collector becomes a battle to save herself.

Praise for the first novel in the Eleanor Raven series:

Most fictional detectives these days have to have a ‘thing’ to set them apart from the others, and Raven’s is one of the most original for a long time. The plot moves in some unexpected directions, and builds to a genuinely exciting climax. The Safe Word is an impressive, confident debut. Convincing characters and some nice twists make for a compelling, satisfying thriller, and I look forward to seeing what’s next for Eleanor Raven. Killing Time

BUY LINKS

AMAZON UK

AMAZON.COM

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Being a writer is one of the most wonderful jobs on the planet. I spend a day with my imagination, don’t have to deal with real world problems and can take a coffee break whenever I please. However, there are good, bad and ugly sides to everything that glistens…

Organised?

As I only have one daughter left at home now and my husband works abroad for most of the year my day starts when the front door slams shut, the dogs and garden birds have been fed and watered and the biohazard that is the kitchen is tidied. I have to be very determined to keep myself on track, as there are so many domestic distractions that break my concentration. I also have to write in total silence (no music or radio) and without anyone else being in the house. If I know someone is popping in for a coffee it can make it impossible to write for the whole day. There’s no sitting in coffee shops and putting out a couple of thousand words for me, sadly!

Methodical?

I see the story I’m writing as a film that can only be played in my head linearly. I can rewind a couple of chapters but invariably I read from start to finish once a week and this can be very time consuming. I really envy writers like Stephen King who have such an organised, methodical and productive approach to writing. My husband, a writer himself, frequently sends me links to pages on ‘The Rigours of Writing’ but I guess there’s just the way that works for you.

Realistic?

A novel always takes longer that you thought to complete. That your choice of language, character and event is frequently not as entertaining, or clear to the reader as you thought it was. That when people pay money to read what you have written they are entitled to an opinion. The most valuable lesson was given to me by a wise bird who said, ‘show don’t tell’ and that is the mantra I run with every time I write. Don’t tell a reader how they should interpret an action or judge a character. That’s their job not yours, so butt out!

Criticism?

I have always held to Oscar Wilde’s belief that the only thing worse than being talked about is not being talked about. So provoking a reaction that merits comment and opinion is, in itself, rather flattering. I have also found that, after shrugging off my initial outrage, most people make very valid comments about my writing. I do believe that you have to be honest with yourself. If a comment reminds you that you had considered that question before, then go back and deal with it. By the same token, just because someone has a thought on a plot point, or character, or line of dialogue it doesn’t mean that they are right. Be flexible but believe in what you wrote. Eventually the sales will tell you if you were right.

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ABOUT KAREN LONG

vault

Karen Long was born and raised in the English midlands, educated at Bangor University and taught English and Drama for fifteen years. During her teaching years she studied biology and neurology with the Open University and this interest in medicine, forensics and forensic psychology is reflected in her writing. She is an enthusiastic traveller and has spent time in Toronto, which became the backdrop and inspiration for The Safe Word.

She is a keen amateur naturalist with a deep and abiding love for the crow family. She has dedicated time, love and several fingers in an effort to rehabilitate crows, magpies, rooks and ravens.

Karen is happy to correspond with readers and can be contacted through her website KarenLongWriter.com, where she posts regular blogs.

The Safe Word is Karen’s first novel and was an Amazon bestseller, later joined by the second in the Eleanor Raven series, The Vault. Karen is working on the third novel in the series.

AUTHOR LINKS

All author or review enquires please contact Karen Long’s Personal Assistant J.B. Johnston – brookbooks@hotmail.co.uk

Did you know that Eleanor Raven is also online?

vault

http://twitter.com/RavenEleanor

https://www.facebook.com/TheEleanorRaven/

check out THE SAFE WORD!

vault

http://amzn.to/1WOHzh2

GIVEAWAY

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Book Promo, contemporary romance, David Burnett, Novels

ONCE AND FUTURE WIFE by David Burnett #guestpost #giveaway

June 17, 2016 Melanie Leave a comment

Once and Future Wife

by

David Burnett

future wife

Genre: Romance

Release Date: June 1 (May 1 in paperback)

Jennie Bateman has again fallen in love with Thomas, her former husband. However, Tasha, one of his children, is determined to destroy their relationship. Jennie had done that herself a number of years earlier. In the midst of a manic episode, she had deserted Thomas and their two daughters, choosing, instead, a life of shameless debauchery.

Perhaps she was shocked when Thomas filed for a divorce. Perhaps it was the influence of a preacher who took an interest in her. Perhaps she simply cycled back toward normal. Whatever the cause, years later, when she again made contact with her family, she was a different person. Even so, they wanted nothing to do with her.

But time moves on. Circumstances change.

Thomas’s second wife has died, leaving him a single parent with four adult daughters and a new-born. In Jennie’s eyes, he is the same good-looking, kind, loving person she had fallen for when they were in college.

In Once and Future Wife we follow Jennie as she goes a second round with her demons, hoping to find a way to stop them from destroying the possibility of a second marriage and the love and happiness that finally seem to be within her reach.

AMAZON UK

AMAZON US

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GUEST POST

Elements of a Story

Many elements come together to make a successful story. To me, four stand out as being of great importance.

Conception

“Where did you get the idea for your book?”

It has been said that every story is a variation on one of no more than thirty-six unique plot lines. This might well be true, but I know my stories do not begin with a perusal of the options!

I find this question to be a tough one, because I seldom can give an exact answer as to what gave rise to my particular variation on one of those plots. My stories do not begin with a plot but with my life experiences, with events that I hear about from others, with stories I see in the newspaper or on television. I’ve never taken a story directly from any of these, although my life experiences and other real events often appear in my books.

For example, I have read that one of my ancestors, Sarah Proctor, arrived in the US on board a ship that sailed from Belfast. It cast anchor in Charleston harbor on Christmas Eve, seventeen sixty-six. Sarah and her family were given land in the colony, tools, seed, and transportation to their new home because they had arrived under a program designed for “poor Protestant immigrants.”

If I were going to write a story, I would begin by imagining what might have happened to her. I know that , several years later, Sarah married George Adams. How might she have met her future husband? Why did they fall in love? Did they fall in love? What complications might have arisen to complicate their relationship?

Maybe instead of a story of how the two fell in love, it would be one of how their love survived some traumatic event, the American Revolution, perhaps.

As I would consider Sarah, various possible stories would emerge. As I begin to write, I need not know the entire story. In fact, I don’t want to know all of it. Creativity does not stop when writing begins, and I want to be able to incorporate new characters, new twists in the story that are triggered as the story takes shape.

In other posts I have explained the process of designing a story with a passage from the Second Chance Café.

The author writes of a young woman who weaves beautiful scarves. They sell in upscale stores around the country and are often seen wrapped around the bodies of movie stars and celebrities. Each scarf is unique. How does she decide on the colors, the pattern, for a new scarf?

“I don’t know how you do that,” her father said, looking at the collection (of yarn) she held and shaking his head.

Honestly, neither did she. To this day, she could not explain how the colors came together in her mind. How one flowed into another as she sat at her loom. How the different strands of story became a whole. “I just see it. I don’t know where it comes from. Any of it. It’s just there.”

This is how it is with writing. The author doesn’t know where the specific events come from. Any of them. The author begins to write − and they’re just there.

Commencement

We often use the word commencement to mean graduation and we think in terms completing school. Commencement also means the beginning, and it is in this sense that I’m using it here.

The inciting incident is not always the first event in the story. It is the event that sends the hero in search of what he wants. It is the event that sets up the crisis.

In Once and Future Wife, the book opens when Jennie learns that her daughter’s stepmother has died. While her death opens the possibility that Jennie might reconnect with Thomas, her former husband, it does not cause her to do so. It does not propel her in that direction.

After she attends the funeral, Jennie could have returned home, seldom thinking of him again. In most cases, that’s exactly what would happen. The inciting incident occurs when Thomas reaches out to Jennie, asking her to babysit his newborn child, and she agrees to do so. On that day, the crisis is set in motion.

If I were writing about my ancestor, the story might begin on the cold, clear night on which her ship reached the harbor. She might have gone on deck and looked up at the stars. She might have gazed at the lights of Charleston, wondering what her future held.

The inciting event though, would likely come later, perhaps when she and George Adams meet for the first time. Maybe their land grants are adjacent. They meet, but and the boundary is disputed. They take an instant dislike for each other, but the dispute guarantees they will continue to have contact.

Conflict

In The Ninety Day Novel, Alan Watt indicates that conflict is central to our stories. He tells his readers – aspiring writers – to put their characters in relationships with other characters and see what will happen. Conflict, he writes, will ensue.

Conflict can be external or internal. We generally identify four types of external conflict: Person against Person, Person against Nature, Person against Society, and Person against God. In each case, something outside of our hero thwarts his attempt to obtain what he wants. In Once and Future Wife, Jennie has fallen in love, again, with her former husband, but one of his children is determined to prevent them from marrying again. The conflict is person against person.

In an internal conflict, the hero prevents himself from attaining his goal. Again, In Once and Future Wife, Jennie’s bipolar disorder drives her behavior in such a way as to threaten her opportunity to find happiness.

If I were writing about my ancestor, it may be that Sarah finds George Adams to be handsome and kind and good. She begins to fall in love with him. But he is the man who she believes is trying to steal her land! He comes by the small cabin she has built and she meets him with a loaded musket, ready to defend herself and her property. That is conflict.

Conclusion

The writer should know the conclusion to his story as he begins to write. If he doesn’t, then his story will lack direction, go off on tangents, and never have an acceptable ending.

We see this phenomenon, we think, in several television shows we’ve been following this year (Castle and Black List, for those are familiar with the shows.). The writers have gone to quite a bit of trouble to develop likeable characters, set up a storyline, and to introduce a crisis, but they do not appear to be able to ever reach a conclusion.

New twists emerge in the plot. The characters are quite busy chasing the bad guys, but, as the end of the season approaches, the crisis has not been resolved. One has the feeling that the writers set things in motion with no clear idea, perhaps no idea at all, of where how they were supposed to end. As a result, they have gone nowhere, and we feel sure that the season finale will not be satisfactory at all.

Books can suffer from these same problems. A conclusion should not be simply the last word written on the page. It should not simply be a cliffhanger designed to lead the reader into the sequel. At its conclusion, the reader may not be happy with the outcome, but she should be satisfied. The outcome should make sense in terms of the story and the hero, the main character, should have found what she needs.

If I know that Susannah and George will marry at the end, then this knowledge guides my writing. In spite of which roadblocks appear, I must leave a way over them or around them. It may appear that their relationship is doomed. Perhaps Susannah decides to marry someone else. Perhaps she wants to move to the city. Maybe she decides to sail home. Any of these can occur, but in the end, the two must marry.

**********

ABOUT DAVID BURNETT

future wife

I live near Charleston, South Carolina, with my wife and Bonnie, our blue-eyed cat. I enjoy traveling, photography, baking bread, and the Carolina beaches.

We have traveled widely in the United States and the United Kingdom. During one trip to Scotland, we visited Crathes Castle, the ancestral home of the Burnett family near Aberdeen.

My photographic subjects have been as varied as prehistoric ruins on the islands of Scotland, star trails, sea gulls, and a Native American powwow. I went to school for longer than he wants to admit and has graduate degrees in psychology and education. I was formerly director of research for our state’s department of education.

Facebook:

http://www.facebook.com/DavidBurnett.Author

Twitter:

https://twitter.com/DavdBurnett

Goodreads Author Page:

https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/6579272.David_Burnett

Blog:

http://davidburnett.yolasite.com

Website:

http://davidburnett.yolasite.com

Amazon Author Page:

http://amazon.com/author/davidburnett

**********

GIVEAWAY

$20 or equivalent Amazon Gift voucher

a Rafflecopter giveaway

4RV Publishing, Book Promo, Elder Care, Joan Y Edwards, Non-Fiction

JOAN’S ELDER CARE GUIDE by Joan Y. Edwards

May 13, 2016 Melanie 10 Comments

Joan’s Elder Care Guide: Empowering You and Your Elder to Survive by Joan Y. Edwards

AVAILABLE ONLINE TODAY!

elder care

SYNOPSIS

Joan’s Elder Care Guide: Empowering You and Your Elder to Survive gives you, the caregiver, ways to meet your physical, mental, emotional, spiritual, and social needs and those of your elder to promote healing, well-being, and survival. Based on the author’s research and fourteen years of experience caring for her mother, this book provides many resources to find the right place for your elder to live, explains ways to improve communication to help find solutions to problems, and gives organization ideas for medical, financial, insurance, and legal documents. It offers ways for a caregiver to get time away from caregiving responsibilities and contains information substitute caregivers must have to keep their elders safe. Along with all this, the book explains the signs of the end of life, ways to celebrate an elder’s life, and gives duties of an executor of an estate. It also includes ten useful charts to assist in assessing and recording an elder’s needs and capabilities.

What People Are Saying:

Excerpt from Aidana WillowRaven‘s article:
Aidana WillowRaven’s blog: http://aidana.willowravenblog.com/

“There are several charts in the appendix for the reader to utilize by filling in related information, making it a truly useful, everyday tool for everything from organizational tips to emergency needs that will slide right into a purse or overnight bag. Certainly not one of those books you half-read then sit on a shelf to collect dust.”

Excerpt from Lorraine Price‘s five star review on Amazon:
Connect with Lorraine Price at https://www.linkedin.com/in/lorraineprice/

“It provides links to online applications and phone numbers, ideas and resources as a starting place to brainstorm easy, meaningful ways to assist you in maintaining your elder’s health and your own…I wish that I had known of it when I was a caregiver. I know that I would have been prepared for everything and possibly paid for it too! If you have a family member who needs your help, don’t hesitate to buy this book. It is a valuable tool for every family, organization, or caregiver.

Excerpt from Dr. Bob Rich‘s five star review on Barnes and Noble:
Bob’s blog: https://bobrich18.wordpress.com/

“This book is a no-frills, very well-researched self-help guide on how to help. The language is simple, saying what Joan wants to say and no more…What is particularly impressive is the logical, step by step way Joan analyzes each problem, so that without talking down to the reader, she presents a guide even a kid could understand and follow…I have worked both as a psychotherapist and as a nurse in nursing homes. My wife cared for her mother for many years, with me on the sidelines. From this personal experience, I can recommend Joan’s Elder Care Guide as accurate, helpful and even inspiring.”

Official Video Trailer for Joan’s Elder Care Guide

Joan’s Elder Care Guide

PURCHASE ONLINE NOW (Thanks) (Prices may change. Find the best deal for you!)

4RV Publishing Paperback $15.99 includes shipping within the USA http://www.4rvpublishingcatalog.com/joan-y-edwards.php
4RV Publishing Hardback $19.99 includes shipping within the USA http://www.4rvpublishingcatalog.com/joan-y-edwards.php
Amazon Paperback $~~16.99~~ $13.14: http://www.amazon.com/Joans-Elder-Care-Guide-Empowering/dp/1940310393/
Amazon Hardback: $20.99: http://www.amazon.com/Joans-Elder-Care-Guide-Empowering/dp/1940310407/
Barnes and Noble Paperback $13.14 http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/joans-elder-care-guide-joan-y-edwards/1123707963?ean=9781940310398
Barnes and Noble Hardback $16.24 http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/joans-elder-care-guide-joan-y-edwards/1123707963?ean=9781940310404

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR

elder care

Joan Y. Edwards is an author, illustrator, and retired teacher in North Carolina. Joan’s Elder Care Guide: Empowering You and Your Elder to Survive is published by 4RV Publishing. She wrote and illustrated picture book, Flip Flap Floodle, and self-published it with BookSurge in 2004. She is currently working on illustrations for her chapter book, Larry, the Terrifying Turkey.

Her Never Give Up blog, http://www.joanyedwards.wordpress.com has over 340,000 views and 350 subscribers. She encourages writers, illustrators, and others to never to give up. Her website, http://www.joanyedwards.com has a multitude of Gospel-based devotionals, puzzles, and skits.

Joan is a member of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators (SCBWI). Her article, “Find Your Creative Edge,” appeared in the July-August 2011 SCBWI Bulletin.

Edwards thrives on spending time with her family and friends. She presents interactive writing and motivational talks and workshops for children and adults. She reads humorous and self-help books. For inspiration and self-acceptance, she heeds the wise teachings of Robert Schuller, Joel Osteen, Maxwell Maltz, and Tony Robbins.

Facebook Page Joan Y. Edwards, Author https://www.facebook.com/Joan-Y-Edwards-Author-111310278911077/

Twitter @joanyedwards

Feel free to reblog this post.

If you would like to have Joan Y. Edwards as a guest on your blog, please contact her at joanyedwards1@gmail.com/.

Book covers, Book Promo, cover reveal, King Park Press, Novels, The Secret of Hillcrest House

The Secret of Hillcrest House #Cover Reveal

May 1, 2016 Melanie 2 Comments

#Cover Reveal

for

The Secret of Hillcrest House

The contest is over, the title was chosen and now it’s time to reveal the fantastic cover Julie Jordan came up with using my original image.

First of all… the ebook cover…

secret

And the full wrap for the paperback version…

secret

Blurb:

Sometimes there’s more to a house than bricks and mortar.

Hillcrest House is one such place. Perched on a cliff in the picturesque town of Angel Falls, there is more to this Victorian mansion than meets the eye. When referring to the house, the locals use the word haunted on a regular basis. Strange visions appear in the windows, especially the second-floor ones over the side porch. Even stranger events take place within its four walls.

Rumour has it, the original owners, Asher and Maggie Hargrave, never left their beloved home. They claim the couple and their family are responsible for driving people away. Over the years, Hillcrest House has changed hands numerous times. No one stays long. Renovations begin then stop and the house is once more abandoned. The latest in this long line of owners is Jessica Maitland.

Will Jessica be the next one to succumb or will she unravel The Secret of Hillcrest House?

And how about these fabulous quotes…

Melanie Robertson-King’s latest novel serves up a delightful blend of the supernatural and spicy romance, Lynn L. Clark, author of The Home Child, and Fire Whisperer & Circle of Souls: Two Novellas of the Supernatural, & The Accusers

Intrigue, dark buried secrets, hot romance and a neat twist in the tale make this riveting reading, Sheryl Browne, MA Creative Writing, Choc Lit Author

A fun read that keeps you guessing right up to the surprise ending, Dayna Leigh Cheser, Author of Janelle’s Time, Moria’s Time, Adelle’s Time, & Logan’s Time

The Secret of Hillcrest House is available in paperback and for the kindle from amazon and coming soon to other online retailers.

Authors, Book Promo, Dayna Leigh Cheser, Logan's Time, Scotland

Muileach Castle ~ A Description and History #Logan’s Time by Dayna Leigh Cheser

April 13, 2016 Melanie 4 Comments

Muileach Castle

History and Description of Muileach Castle

LOCATION: Western Islands of Scotland > Isle of Mull > Southern Region > Loch Buie > Muileach Castle on Eilean Mor, just off the shore from the real town of Lochbuie.

The island of Eilean Mor, 750’ x 1000’ (approx.) is at the head end of Loch Buie. In reality, it’s an island, surrounded by shallow water. For the purpose of the book, it’s hitched to the mainland from the main gate area by an irregular strip of land, maybe 15’ to 20’ wide, to accommodate walkers, riders, and wagons.

Muileach Castle

History

William I, King of the Scots, ruled from 1165 to 1214. During this time, he was involved in a number of battles and skirmishes (also known as ‘royal expeditions’) that reflected his headstrong tendencies. At the Battle of Alnwick (1174), he charged the English troops himself but was captured by troops loyal to King Henry II of England. In 1175, under the conditions of the Treaty of Falaise, that included his swearing fealty to King Henry, William was allowed to return to his duties as King of the Scots. (truth)

During the early years of King William’s reign, Daniel mac Conor, a close friend and trusted advisor of Irish descent, stayed by William’s side, even while he was held by the English after the Battle of Alnwick. For his loyalty, Daniel was rewarded with lands that encompassed much of the southern part of the Isle of Mull, including all of the land around Loch Buie. Daniel mac Conor took possession of the lands and immediately started building a castle for his family and followers. (fiction)

Construction

Muileach Castle

The shape of the castle compound is very roughly rectangular. None of the outside walls, excepting the back wall of the Main House, are straight for any distance. The walls at their base follow the general contour of the landmass of the island under them with straightening of the walls as they increase in height. The approximate center of the northern long side of the island is the back of the keep so that is straight and the house is rectangular, with 3-floors, except where the North Tower sprouts up out of it, adding 2 more floors.

The original construction of the castle began in the 11^th century with the keep and the North and South Towers. The main structures were built entirely of stone, with wooden connecting fences that created a reasonably secure small compound, roughly on the center of the largest part of the land, northwest to southeast. The wood for the walls and other uses were large trees brought in by ship from forested lands to the south. Other buildings within the castle walls were wooden.

By the later part of the 13^th century, the western end of the compound was complete, including the West Tower, which allowed access to the sea by way of a natural inlet and jetty. The western wooden wall was replaced with stone.

By the 15^th century, the eastern end of the compound was added, including new stone outside walls, the Left and Right Towers, and a new main gate between the new towers. The last of the old wooden outside walls were removed. This created a large, open bailey inside the compound.

The outside walls of the castle are approximately twenty feet thick at ground level, tapering to ten feet thick at the sixty-foot high level, and to three feet thick at the eighty feet level at the tops of the five towers.

The ramparts are at the sixty feet level all the way around the compound with arrow slits, but with some openings large enough to utilize other defenses, such as to pouring hot oil onto the attackers, if necessary. No openings, other than the defensive openings, exist in the smooth outside walls. Where the ramparts meet the towers, there is an eight-foot wide by ten-foot high, enclosed walkway through the outside of the tower, with arrow slits in the outside walls.

The castle walls are trussed every fifty feet around the inside from the ground to a height of forty feet, except in the keep where the inside walls give strength to the outside wall of the compound.

The towers are eighty feet tall and have five levels (floors). They are round and measure about sixty feet across at ground level, tapering to about forty feet across at the fifth floor level.

The entrance to each tower opens into the bailey. Each of the towers has a stairwell located inside the entrance. The stairwell is round, approximately fifteen feet across, tapering as the tower does, with stairs that are six feet wide attached to the walls of the stairwell that go from the ground level to the uppermost rooms. Access to each floor is by a large, wooden door. Access to the ramparts is by a heavy wooden door on the third floor.

The North Tower is built (as described about the other towers) inside the keep on the approximate center of the back wall, at the back of the house. See the paragraph in the keep section. The first, second and third floors of this tower are secure rooms within the keep. This tower has a secret escape route from the top two floors built into the walls, which exits into a storage area in the scullery.

Description of Interior of Compound – Towers

The Left and Right Towers are on either side of the gate that opens onto the isthmus of land connecting the castle to the mainland (that exists in the book, but not in reality). The first and second floors are living quarters for the castle guards, with or without families. The third floor (the level of the ramparts) is where much of the weaponry is stored. The fourth floor is where new weapons are made, and the fifth floor is the observation post. The view from eighty feet in the air is spectacular.

The West Tower’s ground floor is accessible on the outside to the water with a natural inlet and stone jetty, and a wooden dock that extends out into the water. When under attack, either from the sea or by Mother Nature (wild storms are common, especially in the winter), large, heavy wooden doors are closed and secured from the inside on the outside wall, and from inside the compound on the inside wall of the tower. There is no access to upper floors from the ground floor level. The second floor is accessible from an outside stairwell inside the compound, and stairs above that, to the third, and fourth floors, which are for storage for the needs of the castle. The fifth floor is the west observation post

The South Tower, from the original compound, was abandoned by Logan’s 3-greats-grandfather. This was after much of the original roof was destroyed, and interior badly water-damaged by a severe winter storm. The roof was repaired, using stone tiles laid almost flat on new support beams with enough of a slope to drain adequately (different from the roof construction of the other towers which had pointed roofs with wood shingles), but the internal damage was too extensive, and too expensive to repair. Since that time, the upper floors were deemed unsafe. The ground floor level served as storage for unused and cast off items.

Description of Interior of Compound – General

While glass for windows and other uses was available in other parts of the world much earlier, it didn’t come to the Muileach Castle until the 1830s when Duke Logan did major renovations on the house after his marriage. Before that, wooden shutters were used, opened during the day for the heat and light, weather permitting. The shutters were closed at night against the chill. The shutters did little to stop the wind – the house was very drafty and very cold in the winter. When glass finally arrived at Muileach Castle, it was first installed in the Main House, then, later, in other areas of the compound. Duke Logan also created a ‘solar’ (sitting room) out of a south-east facing room on the second floor, lining both the east and south walls with large windows.

The Keep

Built as the main part of the original compound, the keep, at that time, housed everyone in the community. By Logan’s time, the keep was for family, extended family, some staff, and guests/visitors, as everyone else had other living arrangements in the area outside the castle.

The bottom three floors of the North Tower are part of the house, while, in the tower, the fourth floor is for the Duke and Duchess’s children and their attendants. The fifth floor is apartments for the Duke and Duchess and their attendants plus a private sitting room for the family.

The main hall takes up half of the first floor on the eastern side of the building, with the rest of the space being the scullery, and storage areas.

The second floor consists of bedrooms and suites, schoolrooms, parlors, the estate office, and more. The third floor consists largely of bedrooms and suites.

Most of the female house staff have rooms on the western end of the third floor, along with most of the female staff of extended family, and attendants of guests. The rest of the third floor is storage.

The Community

Outside the castle, in Logan’s time, dozens of families live on small farms or in groups of cottages, but remain part of the community, coming to the castle often, especially for the many celebrations.

With its location, Muileach has a rich and diverse life with farmers, herders, fishermen, and tradespeople counted among the residents.

Come live in Victorian Scotland while you read the
fourth book of Dayna Leigh Cheser’s TIME Series.

Free Chapter: http://bit.ly/DLC-LT-Free

Authors, Book Promo, legal thriller, Manning Wolfe, Novels, Starpath Books

Dollar Signs by Manning Wolfe #legal #thriller #giveaway

April 8, 2016 Melanie Leave a comment

Dollar Signs

By

Manning Wolfe

Dollar Signs

Genre: legal thriller

Release Date: 2/18/16

Publisher: Starpath Books, LLC

MERIT BRIDGES, an attorney and widowed mother in Austin, Texas, works hard, drinks too much wine, and sleeps with younger men. When Merit goes after a shady

corporation threatening her client, she encounters hired gun Boots King. His charge is simple, “Stop her!” Merit and her team – including Betty, a mothering office manager with a bad-ass attitude – struggle to stay alive, while they navigate a labyrinth of legal issues, and prove once again that you don’t mess with a Texas lady lawyer.

BUY LINKS

Amazon

IndieBound

Barnes & Noble

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Dollar Signs

MANNING WOLFE an author and attorney residing in Austin, Texas, writes cinematic-style, smart, fast-paced thrillers with a salting of Texas bullshit. The first in her series, featuring Austin Lawyer Merit Bridges, is Dollar Signs: Texas Lady Lawyer vs Boots King.

A graduate of Rice University and the University of Texas School of Law, Manning’s experience has given her a voyeur’s peek into some shady characters’ lives and a front row seat to watch the good people who stand against them.

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/manning.wolfe/?ref=hl

www.manningwolfe.com

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Dollar Signs

PRAISE FOR DOLLAR SIGNS!

A legal thriller not to be missed…Manning Wolfe just put herself on my list of must-read authors. — Mark Pryor, Hugo Marston Novels

Move over, John Grisham. There’s a lady lawyer in town. — Elizabeth Garcia, Deputy Ricos Tales

This novel is smart, funny, moving, and entertaining as hell. — Jesse Sublett, 1960’s Austin Gangsters

A great read, and Texas crime fiction has a new star. — Bill Crider, Dan Rhodes Mysteries

Pages smoke like burnt fried chicken grease on a Saturday night…This one, my friends, is a non-putter-downer! — George Wier, Bill Travis Mysteries.

A high-speed storyline full of twists and turns upon a stark background of reality as lawyers might really experience it. Manning Wolfe is one of the up and coming legal thriller writers of this generation. Read her and enjoy her, but don’t expect much sleep! — John Ellsworth, author, Thaddeus Murfee Legal Thrillers

GIVEAWAY

Ecopy of the book

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Book Promo, England, Novels, Rachel Brimble, romantic fiction, Victorian Romance

Her One True Love by Rachel Brimble #Victorianromance #giveaway #guestpost

March 24, 2016 Melanie 2 Comments

Her One True Love

by

Rachel Brimble

one true love

Genre: Victorian romance

Release Date: March 15^th 2016

Publisher: eKensington/Lyrical Press

She Can’t Forget Him…

Jane Charlotte Danes has loved the squire of her idyllic country town for as long as she can remember. He is good, kind, and alluring beyond words… and he chose to marry another. Tired of dwelling on her futile longings, Jane plans a move to Bath, where she dreams of a new beginning. But the man who has so imprisoned her heart is only a few steps behind…

He Can’t Let Her Go…

Until now, Matthew Cleaves has endeavoured to meet the responsibilities of his position with dignity and good spirits–including his dutiful marriage. But when his wife leaves him for another man, Matthew is at last free to pursue his one true love. Only one vital question remains: will the captivating, stubborn, beautiful Jane allow him the challenge, and the pleasure, of winning her back?

BUY LINKS

Amazon UK

Amazon US

Barnes & Noble

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The Highs & Lows of writing in different genres – Contemporary Romance & Victorian Romance

I often get asked how I divide my time between contemporary and historical novel writing and in an ideal world, I like to alternate the two sub-genres to keep my writing fresh and interesting. For the reader and me!

I began my career writing contemporary because I’d always been told to ‘write what you know’. I have devoured romantic suspense for as long as I can remember and so my first two novels with The Wild Rose Press were romantic suspense. I then wrote a romantic comedy. Throughout writing and promoting these books, I began to wonder whether I could attempt an historical…. after all, I didn’t ‘know’ how to abduct or murder anyone as the characters did in my first two books . ☺

Like most (if not all) writers I read voraciously and reading historical work, whether novels or biographies, is amongst my favorite choices. I love history! I am drawn to British Royal history especially, but also love the social and industrial changes of the Victorian and Edwardian eras. As I was, and still am, intimidated by including real people and events in my work, I decided my first attempt would be Victorian and focus entirely on fictional characters and their emotions.

Emotion is key in romance. Love, hate, revenge, loss, joy and tenacity would have been felt in the same way in the late 1800s as they would today. So with this thought at the forefront of my mind, I dove straight in and wrote The Arrival of Lily Curtis (The Wild Rose Press). It sold a lot more copies than my previous contemporary work so that gave me the confidence to continue.

The main ‘highs’ for me writing in the two genres is the diversity in setting and premise – the life problems or goals women face today are profoundly different than they were in the past…even if the emotional challenges are the same. These different shifts and changes of what women want gives a whole range of ideas of where to start with a story and how to tackle it.

The main ‘lows’ for me is managing to finish one genre before I have to work on the other. More often than not, I am writing one book, editing another and promoting another, which means I have to jump from contemporary to historical a lot throughout the year. As much as I love the challenge, it can be difficult when I am totally immersed in a contemporary or historical and then forced to stop in order to meet a deadline for a book of the other genre.

Having said that, I wouldn’t change my current work status for the world – as long as publishers and agents still want me to write both contemporary and historical, I will. Long may it continue!

ABOUT RACHEL BRIMBLE

one true love

Rachel lives with her husband and two teenage daughters in a small town near Bath in the UK. Since 2013, she has had five books published by Harlequin Superromance (Templeton Cove Stories) and recently signed a contract for three more.

She also has four Victorian romances with eKensington/Lyrical and hoping to sign a new contract for further historical romances shortly.

When she isn’t writing, you’ll find Rachel with her head in a book or walking the beautiful English countryside with her family.

AUTHOR LINKS

Facebook: Facebook

Facebook Street Team – Rachel’s Readers

Twitter: Twitter

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/1806411.Rachel_Brimble

Website

Blog

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GIVEAWAY

£15/$25 Amazon gift voucher

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Book Promo, crime writer, Sheryl Browne

The Edge of Sanity by Sheryl Browne ~ BOOK PROMO

January 27, 2016 Melanie 2 Comments

THE EDGE OF SANITY

BY SHERYL BROWNE

Title of Book: The Edge of Sanity

Genre: Thriller/Psychological thriller/Crime thriller

Release Date: 29^th April 2014

Publisher: Safkhet Publishing

The Edge of Sanity – How far would YOU go to protect your family?

A decent, ordinary man, a man who has already suffered the loss of one child, Daniel Conner is forced by extraordinary circumstances into being a hero. Tortured, forcibly drugged—heroin still pulsating nauseatingly through his veins—his wife and daughter degraded, Daniel knows their kidnapper is beyond reasoning with. But does being pushed one step beyond endurance justify doing the unthinkable?

High on drugs, indebted to his supplier, and desperate, Charlie Roberts takes Daniel’s wife and daughter hostage. Daniel does everything within his power to rescue the situation bloodlessly. Eventually though, Daniel realises that with or without violent mood swings induced by amphetamines and cocaine, Charlie Roberts is a psychopath. He wants more than Daniel’s money.

He wants him.

The Edge of Sanity: a harrowing story of hope amid loss and betrayal.

Shortlisted for the Crime, Thrillers & Mystery SpaSpa Book Award for books published in 2014.

BUY LINKS

Amazon UK

Amazon US

ABOUT SHERYL BROWNE

Heartache, humour, love, loss & betrayal, Sheryl Browne brings you edgy, sexy, poignant fiction. A member of the Crime Writers’ Association, Romantic Novelists’ Association and shortlisted for the Best Romantic e-book Love Stories Award 2015, Sheryl has seven books published and two short stories in Birmingham City University anthologies

Sheryl’s new contemporary romance novel was recommended to the publisher by the WH Smith Travel fiction buyer. THE REST OF MY LIFE comes to you from award winning Choc Lit.