Two stops for Escaping West and you chance to grab two free books and a $10 Amazon card at each stop.

Monday
Fiction's Our Addiction: (posting on the 14th)


 http://fictionsouraddiction.wordpress.com/

Ramblings of a Writer: (posting on the 16th)

 http://definingjjdevine.weebly.com/ramblings-of-a-writer.html

EXCERPT

Why did she do such an impulsive, stupid thing? She knew why even if she didn't want to admit it was something in his kisses. Then there was his voice, low, intimate calling her name.

“Kit, where are you?”

She could even hear it as if he was nearby. Amazing, Kitty shook her head bemused until she heard the voice again.

"Kit."

Her imagination must be working overtime. Duke whickered loud and hard. She started to tell him to hush when she heard boot steps on the gravel. Freezing in place, Kitty strained to hear the approaching footsteps.

"Kitty, it's me, Nick. Where are you?"

Letting go of the breath she'd been holding, Kitty took another breath before calling out. "I'm over here in the hole. Be careful."

"I'm coming, sweetheart." He called back, his boot heels scrambling for purchase over the rocks.

He'd called her sweetheart. She sighed then she accidentally put her weight on the wrong foot. "Ouch!"

"What, honey?” Nick called out in a voice that sounded a little closer.

"Hurry," Kitty managed through clenched teeth. He was there before she knew it. Deftly jumping into the hole and wrapping her in his arms, accidentally battering her already savaged ankle.

"Ouch, watch it," she complained.

"I didn't expect undying gratitude, but something like my hero might not be out of line," Nick commented laughingly.

"Thank you, Nick. I am grateful. I hurt my ankle when I fell into the hole." Kitty snuggled into Nick's shoulder appreciative of his warmth and inhaled deeply, enjoying the smell of worn leather and clean male.

Nick paced around the small hole with Kitty in his arms. He dragged his boot toe around the edge trying to find a way up or out.

"Well, darling, looks like I am going to have to toss you up," Nick acknowledged.

"What," Kitty squeaked. "Toss me where?"

"I looked, and there seems to be no easy way out of here. It’s up to you. Once you're up, I need you to tie the rope to the saddle horn on Duke's saddle and back him up. Once I get a hold of the rope, pull me up. Can you manage?"

Kitty had her doubts as she felt Nick's voice vibrate through the clothing separating the two of them. In the end, tossing seemed to be her only hope of getting out, and she imagined Nick was a good tosser. Naturally, he would be good at everything.

"Okay, are you ready?" Nick's voice rumbled against her ear.

"I guess. What do I need to do?" Kitty hoped she sounded braver than foolish, scared and half-frozen, except for the part of her touching Nick. He moved closer to the rock face.”

"I’m going to push you up the rock face. Grab on the ledge and I will boost you over. Can you do that?"

"I guess I'll have to if I don't want to freeze to death," Kitty agreed grudgingly, willing herself to do so.

"Good girl," Nick replied a hint of laughter in his voice.

He dropped a brief kiss on Kitty's hair before disengaging her arms from around his neck.

"Feel the wall," he ordered as he put his hands around her waist and lifted her up with a small grunt. Her face flushed as she realized Nick was struggling to lift her. It wasn't as if she was heavy, but she wasn't exactly petite either.

"Grab the lip."

The growled order had Kitty's hands skittering across the rock wall until she finally felt the edge. She put both hands on it and pulled herself up a little. "Got it," she huffed.

"Uhm," Nick managed while putting one hand on Kitty's posterior.

"Hey, watch where you are putting your hand!" Kitty squealed when his large hand covering her butt cheek.

"Honey, it's necessary to get you up," Nick huffed as pushed upward with both hands.

The sudden boost had Kitty up over the lip of the hole. She grabbed for the trailing reins of Duke's bridle. Another shove from below pushed her all the way up.

"Don't remember you kicking up such a fuss last time I touched you," Nick grumbled more to himself than Kitty.

"I can hear you," Kitty hissed back. Pulling herself upright by holding onto the stirrup and moving her hands up the side of the sturdy horse she was able to stand with a minimum of pain.

"Don't forget I'm down here."

Kitty winced as she set her foot gingerly on the ground. "Keep your pants on. I'm getting the rope."

"It's tied onto the pommel," Nick instructed.

"I know. It was practically under my leg the whole ride here," Kitty grumbled wondering why Nick had to ruin a perfectly good moment by being such a know-it-all. Surprisingly, being out in sub-zero weather, inappropriately dressed with a banged up ankle was a good moment. What was she thinking? Of course, Nick came to her rescue, only to kiss her on the hair like a wayward little sister and bark orders like a domineering big brother. Not a good picture, but he did call her sweetheart and honey.

Morgan K Wyatt, raised on a steady diet of superheroes, believed she could fly at a very young age. After using trees, barn lofts, sliding boards, and even a second story window as launch pads, she found her flying skills were limited to fast and downward. By the age of nine, her dreams to be a superhero needed some modifications, which caused her to turn to writing and horseback riding as alternatives to flying.

 At the age of twenty, she had another chance at superhero greatness as being one of the few female soldiers trained for combat. The fact that women will be able to serve in combat soon indicates that all the witnesses to the grenade incident have retired. The grenade incident didn’t prevent her two sons or daughter-in-law from enlisting in the service. Having different last names probably helped.

Morgan recently retired from teaching special needs students to write full time, instead of in the wee hours of the night. With the help of her helpful husband and loyal hound, she creates characters who often grab plot lines and run with them. As for flying, she prefers the airlines now. 


Morgan K Wyatt

Web: www.morgankwyatt.com

Facebook: www.facebook.com/AuthorMorganKWyatt

Twitter: www.twitter.com/morgankwyatt

Blogs
: www.writerwonderland.weebly.com

www.datingafterfortyeight.blogspot.com

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www.novelspot.net

Pinterest http://pinterest.com/morganwyatt/

Goodreads http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/6936818.Morgan_K_Wyatt

Amazon:  http://www.amazon.com/Morgan-K.-Wyatt/e/B008EEC4EY/ref=sr_ntt_srch_lnk_2?qid=1370798169&sr=8-2

Nana hobbled into the living room dragging her left leg behind her, waving the evening newspaper. Red-faced and out of breath, she drew everyone’s attention. Mother ran over to her, wrapping one arm around her, and urging her to sit down.

“Please, mama, you must calm down. It’s not good for your heart.”

Father nodded from his place in the kitchen doorway, drying a plate. Leah’s brother, Ethan, watched his grandmother with expectant expression and drawn breath, probably certain she’d fall to the floor, as she had only a couple of months before. Lucky, they all lived together. She’d never have survived the stroke on her own. The doctor instructed them to keep her calm, but often Nana demonstrated the high drama associated with a teenaged girl.

Leah stood up and walked over to her grandmother, taking the newspaper from her hand. “What is it, Nana?”

Her brother announced from his spot on the couch. “It’s the cyber bullying article on the front page.  I’ve no worries, Nana. No one bullies me.” Ethan pushed up his sleeve and clinched his fist to display a meager bicep, though probably more than most ten year olds could lay claim to.

A smile crossed the lined woman’s face. “No sweetheart, no, this is much worse.”

Leah’s mother, Maura, managed to get Nana to sit in a chair with some difficulty since only one leg worked right. Leah looked away. It reminded her of the time she’d watched a three-legged dog lie down. The dog never acted like it minded, but it still made her feel bad watching it. 

Crouching beside the chair, her mother took Nana’s hand. “Tell me, tell us.”

Pointing with one hand to Leah, who still clutched the newspaper, she commanded. “Read it to them. Let them know the barbarians still exist. There is no justice, no fairness, no equal rights, and no protection.” Her voice became louder and stronger with each word. Her body shook as she half rose from the chair.

Mother cut her eyes meaningfully at her husband, who nodded at Leah, who paged through the paper.

Leah searched for what could be upsetting her grandmother. “Lead story was local boy signing with an NFL contract.” Both her father and mother shook their head no. She kept paging through the paper. “A huge storm is predicted for the Northeast?”

Grandmother waved her hand in a circle to keep going.

“Ah.” She knew that wasn’t the right story, but what could it be? On the back page of the front section near the fold was a small article. She knew instinctively it was the one her grandmother meant. “Yesterday, in Papua, New Guinea, a twenty year old woman accused of being a witch was burned alive. The young widow and mother left two small children behind.”

Her grandmother shook off her daughter’s hand. Stabbing the air with an emphatic index finger, she crowed, “See, see they’re at it again.” Her dark eyes darted around the room to make sure she had everyone’s attention. “That poor girl. What was her crime, really?”

Maura sighed. “Just twenty, so young. Could be she was too pretty and attracted another woman’s husband’s eye. Calling her a witch is always a good way to get rid of her. It worked countless times before.”

Her father laid down the plate and towel and walked into the living room to join the conversation. He sat down on the couch on the other side of Ethan. “Something happened in their village. Chickens weren’t laying or a goat died. It’s always easier to blame it on the evil eye or a hex, than accept it for what it is. Just life, luck, usually both. People always seem to believe life owes them more than they deserve. The only way to rationalize not getting it is to blame someone for blocking it.”

Ethan joined in. “Just like calling someone a cheat, a liar, or even a bully.”

“In a way,” Maura agreed. “But not exactly. People don’t feel it is okay to kill people for telling a lie or even being accused of telling a lie. The hatred goes bone deep, associated with fear and helplessness. Even the simple fact she had no man to stand for her would be enough to persecute her.”

Leah stood silent, thinking that only a few years separated her from the young woman burned alive. Yesterday, her history teacher, Miss Santiago, grew as animated as Nana talking about human slavery in the US. Her voice became shrill as she spoke of undocumented workers not receiving any pay for their work and kept in unheated garages, treated no better than animals. After class, the popular girls, Lauren, Brianna, and Alexis joked about Miss Santiago’s behavior, even pretending to be her, waving their arms and bugging out their eyes, spitting out the words. Most of the other students pretended to enjoy their performance. Leah didn’t. Besides being mean, she had no reason to appease the girls. She already knew she was on their short list.

Yeah, she knew her teacher went overboard, but she knew without having it spelled out that it was personal. Often Leah knew things without words, just as she knew someone close to Miss Santiago died under such conditions. Leah knew all about taking things personally.. A woman burned as a witch was personal for her family. How could it not be when her entire family followed the old ways? Her family circled her grandmother, trying to calm her down without much success

Her back up against the wall, the offending newspaper still in her hand, she wanted to throw it to the ground and flee. An image took shape in her mind. It was dark, most likely night. The sound of running, yelling, and then screaming, a long prolonged scream as if whoever uttered it felt absolute terror. A spark charged the night, then caught fire and became a flame, growing into an orb of light. It illuminated sweaty, dark faces with feverish eyes and determined countenances. Two strong men stripped to the waist held a woman between them. Her long hair covered her face as she struggled.



Want to be an advanced reader for Initiation? You can get a free digital copy by emailing your request to raynanoire@juno.com

Writing Lessons Learned from Subbing


   Not all writers are wildly successful and raking in millions. Many are like me at the beginning of their author journey plugging every cent they make into book tours, swag and books for giveaways. In fact, I need more money finance my career.  With that in mind, I substitute teach. After a particularly grueling day, I tell myself I made enough for a book tour.



   Still, subbing was taking me away from writing. I needed to make better use of time. I decided to learn from the experience. Here are a few things I did learn.

•  That bossy diva chick who gets on your last nerve started early.  I met several in primary school, kindergarten, and even pre-school. (It made me think of flashbacks I could do of the heroine and the diva character in their early years to establish the relationship.)

•  Personalities form early. I watched in pre-school class, a dedicated future engineer rebuild a block home that another student kept knocking down. That other student will be a demolition expert or just annoying.  (This would be another great flashback scene.)
• There is a truckload of new names for me to use for my characters. I took the unusual name of Caulb from a second grader for a pivotal character.
•  Laughter isn’t always hurtful; sometimes it can be a rainbow after the storm.  I worked with one somber disabled child who never smiled until I started pushing him in a swing and he laughed. (It showed that something rare has more impact.)
  
•  Mean girls start early. I observed one kindergarten girl mock her classmate until she was in tears. (I could work this into a story in a dozen ways.)
  
•   Some children will love you for no more reason than you smiled at them or praised them. (This allows me to shape the children in the story too.)
•  Others will fear you because you are an unknown quantity. (An unknown character could be a threat until proven otherwise.)
•  Teachers come in a variety of flavors. There are the ones who write lesson plans that detail every minute then there are the ones who leave no lesson plans. (When writing about secondary characters, especially teachers, it is always a disservice to adhere to stereotypes.)
•  Disorganization makes life hard on everyone. My job was to assist one teacher who didn’t have any of her materials ready for class. She was irritable due to not being ready and barked at the children in response. (This encouraged me to clean out my file cabinet to be a more organized writer.)
•  Going to schools I have no clue as to their location and what I will be doing that day allows me to understand the challenges my characters face as they trod unfamiliar settings.
•  Attitude is everything. I am not just talking about the kids here.  I walked into a room late when an assistant was trying to calm a class down. Her attitude was she didn’t expect the students to listen to her. It took a while to dial them down. (This also shows me how a situation can easily get out of hand fast.)
•  As a sub, sometimes I don’t have anything to do because a teacher has a planning period. The best place to go when you don’t have anything to do is the library. The librarian always needs help and it helps me catch up on my children’s literature.

     By subbing, I discover a variety of people to use for characters from the positive principal who motivates students and teachers with praise to the pint-sized diva who puts her hands on her hips and instructs the boys how it is going to be.  If you’re wondering, they followed her instructions without a protest.

    Any situation can be used for writing purposes. It is one of the few professions were eavesdropping can qualify as research. Today, I write, but tomorrow I may be trying to memorize a conversation between two teens as they casually gossip in front of the sub.

Welcome,

It's October and I have to hit the ground running. First, you have several chances to win books and gift certificates with the Seeking Shelter tour.

10/7 Monday Link
Musings From An Addicted Reader

10/8 Tuesday Link
Straight From the Library

10/9 Wednesday Link
Tina in Toronto

10/10 Thursday Link
Regina May Ross's Blog


10/11 Friday Link
It's Raining Books

10/12 Saturday Link
Long and Short Reviews



Upcoming Events

 • Currently, Souls Around The World Tour for the month of October is at Souls Around The World Blog Hop (Win a Kindle using Rafflecoptor. You must comment to win site prizes.) 


Souls around the World Tour is also at the Rayna Noire site. Rayna NoireRemember you must comment to win the Amazon gift cards. 

• Last week of October is Hardback Therapy tour of Incognito. Keep checkingwww.morgankwyatt.com for more details • November 9-11th is Secret Cravings Blog Hop.. Check it out at Writer WonderlandThe blog hop contributes $30 toward the Wounded Warrior Fund. The participants get excerpts, books and prizes.

Looks like October is all about treats for the reader. Make sure you take advantage. :-)

·         Talk about upcoming books.

·         Like Facebook & Amazon author pages.

·         Mention Morgan K Wyatt giveaways, book hops, free books, or book releases on Twitter, Facebook, Pinterest, Google           Plus, etc.

·         Give out physical promotional items.

·         Review books (Extra special drawings for these members.)

·         Win prizes

        How do I measure participation?

·         It is important to link back to author site (www.facebook.com/AuthorMorganKWyatt) 
          or website www.morgankwyatt.com

·         Hash tags #morgankwyatt and even@morgankwyatt allow me to see who is promoting.

·         I will follow your FB, Twitter, Pinterest, etc. feeds.

·         Flyers, cards, book cards, even books are not for resale. 
        
         I would like an accounting of where you distribute. 

       Rewards

·         There’s always the knowledge you are a wonderful human being. J

·         Prizes include book gift cards, paperback and eBooks,  swag such as the items pictured above.


·         There will also be special recognition drawings for members who do reviews too. Reviews can be minimal with as                        little as a paragraph. 

·         Monthly Prizes: October’s Kickoff Prize drawing is for a $25 Amazon Gift Certificate.  

         Your minimal effort allows me to spend more time working on stories.  There is really no way to thank you for such                     an amazing service, but I'll try. Thanks, future street team members. Scroll down for contact form.

Ever get frustrated when you hear about a free book, but by the time you check it out, it isn’t. All the books on this list are still free today. I cannot guarantee how long they will be. Download now. 


 Free today on Amazon. Click on the cover to get to Amazon link.
Blurb:

WINNER of the 2012 BEST FIRST NOVEL Spur Award from Western Writers of America AND a 2012 FINALIST for the USA BOOK NEWS Awards - for Fiction: Western 

A murder arranged as a suicide ... a missing deed ... and a bereft daughter whose sheltered world is shattered. 

August, 1869: Lily Granville is stunned by her father's murder. Only one other person knows about a valuable California gold mine deed -- both are now missing. Lily heads west on the newly opened transcontinental railroad, determined to track the killer. She soon realizes she is no longer the hunter but the prey. 

As things progress from bad to worse, Lily is uncertain who to trust--the China-bound missionary who wants to marry her, or the wandering Texan who offers to protect her ... for a price. Will Lily survive the journey and unexpected betrayal?

Click on cover to go to Amazon link

Blurb:
romising law student Elizabeth Watson struggled her entire life to claw out of her dirt-poor background. And now the thing she's dreamed of, an associate position at her law firm, is within reach. As long as she keeps up her grades, makes law review. And stays out of trouble. But trouble is just what walks in the door one scorching hot summer day.

When Gabriel Storm crashes into Elizabeth's life she wants nothing to do with him. After all, he's on the opposing side of a business deal her law firm represents. If she's seen with him, she can kiss her career goodbye. But she can't stay away from the billionaire who put the "B" in bad boy, and soon she's embroiled in an affair hot enough to make every ounce of her being burn. She should walk away, hell, she should run away, but she can't. Because all she cares about is his kiss, his touch, and the way she feels when she's in his arms. Even if to be with him means the ruin of everything else.

McKenna Mason, a New York City attorney with a love of all things Prada, is on the run from a group of powerful, dangerous men. McKenna turns to a teenage crush, Will Ashton, for help in starting a new life in beautiful horse country. She finds that Will is now a handsome, successful race horse farm owner. As the old flame is ignited, complications are aplenty in the form of a nasty ex-wife, an ex-boyfriend intent on killing her, and a feisty race horse who refuses to race without a kiss. Can Will and McKenna cross the finish line together, and more importantly, alive?

Click on the cover to go to Amazon. This book has 700 glowing reviews. 

The Love Shack by Christine Ridgeway is part of the Beach House No. 9 series. Quick summary for all those unfamiliar with the series, a vacation bungalow colony located on the West Coast contains one special cabin. It’s number nine and has the same properties as Love Potion No. 9. People tend to fall in love within the walls of this cabin.

Skye Alexander, manager of the Crescent Cove Colony, wonders if it isn’t time to leave the place. Her former boyfriend, who is also a real estate agent, is all for her selling it. It’s difficult because it’s a part of her, but a part that’s been tainted by violence. She refuses to share the incident with anyone, but instead draws deeper into herself. Her only outreach is the letters she exchanges with her childhood friend, Gage Lowell.

Gage decides after crawling out of hell alive that he could use a vacation. No place better than Crescent Cove, which would give him a chance to see his family and see Skye. Only Skye’s letters got him through the dark times. He wanted to tell her this. The distant woman hiding behind oversized men’s clothing was not the Skye from his letters. Gage is determined to figure out the why behind Skye’s transformation.

Something isn’t right about Crescent Cove. Mysterious break-ins are the first hint. Skye and Gage work together to discover the culprits and find themselves stumbling into love. Is it the spell of No. 9 Cabin? Gage is on his way back overseas, which is something neither one of them can afford to forget.

The Love Shack moves fairly well. It bogs down with a sub-plot of another romance that just felt like filler to me. The secondary characters are charming. It probably would have been helpful to read the previous two books to know their stories. There’s plenty of heat between the pages and some tenderness too. Parts of the book, I found far-fetched. I’ll let you be the judge if you are willing to believe.

The Love Shack is a suspenseful contemporary romance. It is good tale, worth reading. It won’t keep you up all night turning pages, but those types of books are rare in my experience.

How I Select a Free eBook

Free eBooks are my secret indulgence. Denise Bush publishes a list of freebies every day on Pinterest. I peruse her list with the same jaundiced eye that many women used for dating profiles.  I examine the title and the cover.  Often after going to the website, I decide not to get the book.

Maybe I didn’t like the blurb. A few of the reviews got me questioning my decision, especially when quotes from the book were included. Sometimes, book length might decide me against a free book. Unlike most free book whiners, I don’t mind a short book or a short story. The ones go on forever saying nothing I avoid.

Occasionally, I will not download a book because of the bio. If the author comes across as agenda-oriented, I know I’ll be reading propaganda. 

On the website, I may discover the intriguing title turns out to be just another paranormal romance or classic tale recycled. This is disappointing because I thought the book was something different.  Do I download any free books with such exacting standards? I currently have five hundred to read.

The free book has to dazzle me. I’ll often give up reading after the first chapter if it doesn’t interest me. I realize my taste may differ from the sixty people who wrote glowing reviews. I usually do not bother writing a review. It seems a bit unfair when I never finished the book.

 Does giving away your book free help? It depends. Once when I went on Amazon to find a free book discovered 58,000 choices. Most people will not comb through numbers like these. I didn’t go past the first five pages.  The author must endlessly publicize that her book is free for people to know. A one-day or even a couple hour blitz won’t do it. It does help if you do tons of promotion in preparation to offer the book free.  Just making it free is not enough. 

Free books work well in a series. The first book has to be out, before you pop the second book out. Ideally, the first book is free. As more books join the series, you can make different ones free, but never the latest release.  This has worked well for some authors, but there is a catch.  You have to have something out there every month or you might slip out of the public eye, according to successful author, Liliana Hart. Offering your book free may not make you an overnight success, but it might land you a few new fans. Isn’t that what an author wants?

Blurb:
Traveling companions. That’s how it began. She was a widow, alone after a long and happy marriage, struggling to rebuild around the hole in the center of her life. He was at loose ends after retiring from a successful business and a string of unsuccessful marriages. All they had in common were empty days to fill and an urge to tour the open road, but as they travel side-by-side, their feelings grow. Serendipity brought them together, but every journey has to end. What happens when they reach the end of the road? 


Find out more about our hero, Ben.


Charm. Some people are born with it. You know the type. In high school, teachers always let him get away with turning assignments in after the due date. He never gets a speeding ticket, just a warning. Nobody complains when he’s late; they’re just happy he’s there. A few rules get bent or broken here and there, but nobody really minds, because he’s just so darn likeable. The trouble with charmers is that it’s too easy for them to drift through life, taking the easy route, and never getting anywhere.

Ben was a natural charmer, sincerely interested in people, and who could resist someone who wanted to know all about them?  Fortunately, he grew up on a ranch with a mother who brooked no nonsense. She instilled in him a strong work ethic, and he and his brother founded a business that brought prosperity for the whole family. An incident when he was a young man gave him something to prove, and a workaholic was born. However, this work ethic never applied to Ben’s love life.

Ben always had a weakness for beautiful women. Every time there was a lull in Ben’s business, he would look around and some gorgeous creature would catch his eye. Turning on the charm, he would sweep her off her feet, marry her, and then go back to work. The high-maintenance women he tended to favor didn’t appreciate the neglect, and another marriage would bite the dust.

After selling the business for a huge profit, early retirement found Ben fit, healthy, rich, and lonely. He was intelligent enough to know that his loneliness was his own fault, but he wasn’t sure what to do about it. Now that he had time on his hands, he found that a pretty face was no longer enough. He wanted a real wife, a true partner, and he had no idea how to find her.

He decided to fill the time traveling. The nostalgia of a trip along the old Route 66 appealed to the romantic in him. He enjoyed the trip, taking his time to explore the sites, meet the local people, stay in historic places, but he was still alone. That all changed when he dropped in on his favorite ex-wife. She had a friend there, quite an ordinary-looking woman, and yet there was something about her …

Ben, the charmer, was charmed. Marsha was funny, intelligent, and enthusiastic. The lure of the road ran just as strong in her as it did in him, but she was fragile. She had been shattered when she lost her beloved husband and was just starting to put the pieces of her life back together. Ben couldn’t let himself put her emotions at risk. He held back, afraid of hurting her, afraid of hurting himself.

Still, he couldn’t resist inviting her along on his road trip, just as a travelling companion, “no funny business.” She agreed, and the journey began for this unlikely couple. Recalculating Route is their story.

Author Beth Carpenter is going to be giving a gift pack highlighting the various places her characters traveled.
**Giveaway limited to mailing addresses in the 50 United States. Must be 18 years or older to enter.** Entries accepted from 9/26/13, 12:am through 10/13/13, 12:am. No purchase necessary. Void where prohibited. Prize worth $50. Winner will be chosen at random and notified by email. If winner does not respond within 7 days, the prize if forfeited and another random winner will be chosen. Contact information will only be used to contact the winner and will not be shared.
Follow the tour by clicking here.

Blog Tour Giveaway  Prize package includes a $20 Amazon gift certificate, a quilted tote bag, note cards, a mouse pad, a print, bead bracelets, and other swag for a total package worth $50.

RECALCULATING ROUTE BOOK REVIEW
(Four Stars)

I recently discovered Beth Carpenter’s Recalculating Route and Detour on Route 66. This is a tender love story between a vulnerable widow and a lonely retiree. There are two very unusual things about this tale. First, that the characters are retirement age and are portrayed as vital, interesting people. Second, the relationship evolves naturally, as it should.

The unexpected friendship draws Marsha out of her self-imposed isolation after the death of her husband. Their relationship and attraction builds as they tour Route 66 together. Research is evident by the involved descriptions of their various stops. The author even goes as far as detailing shopping in Nordstrom’s Rack and the intricacies of cooking on the road. For a credibility constable, her efforts are greatly appreciated.

As a reader, I was on guard against the wealthy love’em and leave’em Ben, but subtle acts reveal his true character.  Marsha proves herself ready to explore life with Ben by her side. With a woman closer to his own age, Ben experiences what it is to be liked for who is as opposed to his net worth.

 All I could think when I read Ms. Carpenter’s gentle romance is how much I wished I had written it. Two thumbs to Ms. Carpenter for giving the over thirty set a second chance at love. This is book to be savored and considered long after reading it.   

When Beth Carpenter was a little girl, she read everything she could get her hands on and entertained herself on the school bus by making up stories in her head. Today she’s still at it, but her reading material magically appears on her tablet, and the stories in her head get published to share with everyone. Isn’t technology wonderful?

Beth believes that romance has no expiration date, and people of all ages deserve their chance at happily ever after. She loves to hear from readers. Drop by her blog at http://www.bethcarpenterbooks.blogspot.com/ to leave a comment, or click on the “About Beth” tab to email her.

 







Recalculating Route is available at these fine booksellers.

Amazon link: http://amzn.com/B00F4KL1WM

Barnes & Noble link: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/recalculating-route-beth-carpenter/1116892125?ean=2940148565888

iTunes link: https://itunes.apple.com/us/book/recalculating-route-choices/id685079206?mt=11