GENRE: Contemporary Romance
 
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
 BLURB:
 All Eden Bancroft has ever been to her high-profile politician husband is a trophy wife, born and bred for the part. She believes she has no choice but to play it—until she meets a talented chef and restaurant heir who makes her feel loved for herself alone. The more her husband uses and belittles her, the more deeply Eden falls for Kaleb. Even with Mitchell’s congressional campaign in full swing, the lovers manage to find brief stolen moments together. When her husband is wounded by a bullet from a disgruntled lobbyist, Eden must stay by his side. What she learns can set her free, if she has the courage to take a stand.
 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~
 Excerpt One:
 Kaleb had been standing close enough to hear it all—not that he’d intended to eavesdrop.  He only wanted to try and give her some kind of signal—to beg, if necessary—to get a moment alone with her.  When he heard her husband’s caustic words, Kaleb wanted to punch him.  He wanted to take Eden’s hand and lead her out of there, away from the complete jackass her husband seemed to be.
 
Instead, he followed her into the room where coats were checked for the evening.  The maid who’d taken them was nowhere about, and Eden was digging through the racks when Kaleb walked in.  She looked up, surprised.
 
“We need to talk about it,” he said.
 
“About what?”  She found her wrap and Mitchell’s Brooks Brothers overcoat, draped them over one arm and turned to face him.
 
“About this thing between us.”
 
“That’s not very original.”
 
“I feel it and I know you feel it.”
 
“Look, I’m very flattered,” she began but he cut her off.
 
“We don’t have much time.”  He moved closer, aching to touch her.  “Your husband will come looking for you any minute.  Just tell me when and where I can see you again.  Alone.”
 
“You can’t,” she said.  “My husband is running for congress.  It’s . . . it would be impossible.”
 
“No,” he insisted.  “I don’t know why we met or how we’re going to pull this off but I do know one thing.”  He was speaking so softly now that she had to move closer to hear him.
 
“What?” she asked, her lips just inches from his own.  They were of equal height and he could see how well, how perfectly, they would fit together.
 
“I won’t give up.  I want to make love to you.”
 
“At least once?” she countered.
 
He moved closer still.  “Once will never be enough for us.  You know that, too.”
 
She sighed, lightly, and her sweet breath lingered on his cheek for a moment before she moved away and broke the spell.
 
“My husband is waiting for me,” she said.  “You’re a little crazy, you know?  You need to forget about this.  I’m married.  I have kids.  I don’t have time for an affair.”
 
“Have lunch with me.”
 
“Sorry—too busy.”
 
“Just let me talk to you.  Give me two hours—maybe over the weekend.  Then if you never want to hear from me again, that’ll be it.  I swear.”
 
She didn’t say anything for a moment, as if she was considering it.  “As intriguing as that sounds, I’m afraid it’s impossible.  I’m going to the season opening at the Village Resort up in Hunter this weekend, with my best friend.”
 
“Your husband going too?” Kaleb persisted.
 
“No.  He has a previous engagement.  Not that it’s any of your business.”
 
He opened his mouth to answer but Mitchell’s voice rang out in the foyer.  “Edie—let’s go.  Where are you?”
 
She flashed Kaleb a warning look and called out softly, “Coming, Mitchell.”  Then she left, quickly, before her husband could see Kaleb standing in the shadows.

 
AUTHOR Bio and Links:
 
Charlene Keel has written over a dozen novels and how-to books as well as multiple episodes of popular TV shows such as Fantasy Island and Days of our Lives.  Her Dell book, Rituals, was the basis for the first made-for-syndication soap opera.  Recently she co-authored The Tracks, a YA supernatural trilogy.  Shadow Train, the final installment, won a Paranormal Romance Guild Reviewer’s Choice Award.  Keel has also written screen adaptations of novels by bestselling authors, and has worked as editor or managing editor for a few international magazines.  In her spare time she ghostwrites books and screenplays for celebrities, doctors, corporate moguls, spies, strippers and anyone who has an interesting story to tell.
 
For more information:
Website: CharleneKeel.net -   http://www.charlenekeel.net/
Follow Charlene on Twitter - https://twitter.com/CharleneKeel
Charlene Keel on Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/charlene.keel.1
Blog: Red Sky Book Blog - https://redskybookblog.wordpress.com/category/charlene-keel/
 
Arie Pavlou is a popular chef who attended Le Cordon Bleu in Paris and then perfected his craft at some of the top-rated Michelin restaurants in France and New York.  He has lived and worked in France, Cyprus and the U. S. and is an avid world traveler who speaks five languages.  He enjoys all sports and has a talent for knife-throwing, which he perfected at Le Cordon Bleu.  Currently Chef de Cuisine at the renowned Bridgehampton Inn in New York, his specialties include Caramelized Baked Alaska, Winter Salad, Roast Lamb Fondue, Wild Game and Poached Pears with Mint Ice Cream.  The Congressman’s Wife is his first novel, and he’s currently writing a cookbook.
 
For more information:
Arie Pavlou on Facebook
https://www.facebook.com/arie.pavlou
​

Simon Cann: interview 11​

What are your favorite TV shows?

The Wire ruined me. Since watching The Wire (for the first time—I’ve watched it at least three times) everything else has seemed…shall we say, disappointing.

There’s plenty of “chewing gum for the brain”, but The Wire is the standard by which I judge. That said, honorable mentions must go to:

          The Bridge (the Scandinavian version, not the Anglo-French remake, and I’ve yet to catch to US version)

          House of Cards (the remake…and I’m British and old enough to remember the original).

  Justified

What is your favorite meal?
Anything cooked by someone else.

If you were to write a series of novels, what would it be about?
Hey! Less of the if.  I’m onto my third series!

Is there a writer you idolize? If so who?
Idolize is a difficult notion. Respect is probably a better way to describe how I feel about influential writers, and the writers I respect include: Robert Harris, Frederick Forsyth, Walter Mosley, Harlan Coben, and John Sandford.

How did you come up for the title of this book?
The working title was Cartilage. That title came very early on before I really had a handle on the story.
I had a notion of Leathan being “crunched” between two forces—like cartilage is crunched. But as soon as I started outlining in detail it became clear that the story was different and that Cartilage was the wrong title (since Leathan wasn’t actually crunched).

While I knew Cartilage was wrong, I didn’t know what was right so I went through many, many, many ideas and permutations trying them all on for size and style. In the end, the only title that was short and snappy, and had any real logic was Clementina.

GENRE: Crime Thriller
 
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
 BLURB:
 
Leathan Wilkey has been hired to babysit Clementina, a seventeen-year-old whose rich daddy is going through a messy divorce and is over-compensating.

Leathan soon tires of her spending habits, her selfie obsession, and her social media preoccupation as his ward drags him from shop to boutique to jeweler, approaching each with the self-possession that comes from a lifetime of getting her own way and never once having to worry about money.

But when Clementina snaps her fingers and her boyfriend doesn’t come running, something is up. He doesn’t appear because he’s been murdered.

When Leathan investigates, he finds that the boyfriend has no background and met Clementina through a connection made by daddy’s business partner.

Daddy’s business partner who has been slowly and progressively putting daddy in a vice, grabbing more of the business, and who is now menacing Clementina directly to manipulate daddy.
 
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
 
Excerpt One:
 
Clementina was clearly offended.
 
Offended by my apparently uncouth utterance. Offended that I was not paying due reverence. Offended that I was thinking money, when I should be appreciating the art. Offended in the way that only a seventeen-year-old can be offended.
 
She was able simultaneously to be both a child and a world-weary adult. Neither of whom was accepting of my situation; both of whom were deeply saddened by my obvious circumstances.
 
She was saddened that I could live in a world like this.
 
Some people are saddened about famine in Africa. Some are saddened about wars or religious fundamentalists imposing their unyielding doctrines on populations, killing and mutilating children and innocent adults. Clementina was saddened and offended—on my behalf—that the world of jewelry and the exquisite pleasure of fine gems set in delicate pieces of lovingly shaped precious metal had been withheld from me.
 
She knew—as only one who had been indoctrinated into the secret society knew—that if I had been exposed to the world of bijouterie, then I would appreciate the treat that was waiting for me.
 
What she didn’t know was that I hated being patronized by seventeen-year-olds. Even if their father was paying me. Not that her father and I had actually done anything as tedious as agreeing a fee.
 
Or meeting.
 
Or talking. Even on the phone.

 
AUTHOR Bio and Links:
 
Simon Cann is the author of the Boniface, Montbretia Armstrong, and Leathan Wilkey series of books.
In addition to his fiction, Simon has written a range of music-related and business-related books, and has also worked as a ghostwriter.
Before turning full-time to writing, Simon spent nearly two decades as a management consultant, where his clients included aeronautical, pharmaceutical, defense, financial services, chemical, entertainment, and broadcasting companies.
He lives in London.
 
Website: http://simoncann.com
 
The book will be free on Amazon from Monday 25 July to Friday 29 July (inclusive).
 
B/N: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/clementina-simon-cann/1123925440
 
Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Clementina-Leathan-Wilkey-Book-1-ebook/dp/B01FZJEDW6/ref=sr_1_6
 
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/simoncannauthor
                                              

GENRE: Steampunk romance
 
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
 
BLURB:
 
Lady Keira Russell is destined to bring compressed natural gas to Britain. Her inner courage and mental toughness rarely falter – except when Prince Edmund Windsor is involved.

Edmund of Wales is from the future. His last jaunt through history muffed up the time line. Now, he's here to set it straight and win Keira's heart.

For Keira, if it isn't one obstacle, it's another. Queen Victoria has sponsored a competition to find a cleaner fuel source than coal. Keira's father is trying to build a windmill and the Ridgecrofts are working with gasoline. Then there's Edmund, whose sensual kisses and heated stares distract her down to her bones.

Keira has a choice: trust Edmund's notorious mischief-making or put her faith in Queen Victoria to make the right decision, but if Keira makes the wrong choice, the future of Great Britain will be changed forever.
 
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
 
Excerpt Four:
 
Richard pursed his lips.
 
"All right, then. I have orders to take you, Alice, Grayson, and Jonas back immediately."
 
"That ought to be fun -- especially Jonas. He's helping Keira's father build a windmill."
 
"Petrol and electricity are the future."
 
Edmund grimaced.
 
"No, they aren't. Alice and I tried to tell you -- Keira's compressed natural gas powers our future."
 
His voice filled with conviction.
 
"Ever since we were children--"
 
"History changed when Grayson came with Alice. He's here to fix it now."
 
Keira held up her hands.
 
"Now, boys, let's not raise our voices. I have a feeling you've had this conversation before and came to no resolution."
 
"That's true," Edmund conceded.
 
Richard nodded.
 
Edmund glared at his brother.
 
"I'm not leaving. Alice and I have every intention of setting history straight."
 
Richard sighed.
 
"Besides, the only way to get back to the future is for us to warm our coin necklaces in our hands. You can't do that for us."
 
"Ever heard of an override switch?"
 
"No." Edmund's eyes narrowed. He didn't like the sound of that.
 
"Professor Byron gave me one."
 
A sinking feeling descended into the pit of his stomach.
 
"What other tricks do you have up your sleeve?"
 
"That's telling."
 
Exasperated, Edmund raked a hand through his hair.
 
"Think this through, Richard. No, better yet -- listen to your instincts."
 
His brother chuckled.
 
"What's so funny?"
 
"I had an interesting conversation about instincts today with Jocelyn."
 
Keira tilted her head slightly, a curious expression crossing her face.
 
"Do you know Jocelyn well?"
 
"I'm staying with the Dunkirks."
 
"I can't imagine Lord Ridgecroft meeting the suitable test with his goggles and cigars," said Edmund.
 
"Actually, I find Jocelyn and her father very refreshing."
 
"So, Richard, what are you going to do?" Edmund asked.

AUTHOR Bio and Links:
  Stephanie Burkhart is a 911 dispatcher for LAPD.  She was born and raised in Manchester, New Hampshire.  After serving 11 years in the US Army she currently calls Castaic, California her home. Stephanie was married in Denmark in 1991 and has two young sons. She adores chocolate, is addicted to coffee and enjoys early morning walks.  She's also an assistant den leader for her son's Cub Scout den and is a Boy Scout mom. She writes paranormal, contemporary, and steampunk romance and has two children's books published with 4RV Publishing. 

FIND ME ON THE WEB AT:
WEBSITE:
http://www.stephanieburkhart.com
 
TWITTER:
http://twitter.com/StephBurkhart
 
FACEBOOK:
https://www.facebook.com/StephanieBurkhartAuthor
 
GOOD READS:
http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/4031660.Stephanie_Burkhart
 
YOU TUBE CHANNEL:
http://www.youtube.com/user/botrina?feature=mhee
                                                                     
PINTEREST:
http://pinterest.com/sgburkhart/
 
BUY LINKS FOR A GENTLEMAN AND A ROGUE:
 
PUBLISHER'S BUY LINK:
http://stores.desertbreezepublishing.com/-strse-366/The-Windsor-Diaries-Book/Detail.bok
 
ALL ROMANCE EBOOKS:
https://www.allromanceebooks.com/product-thewindsordiariesbookthreeagentlemanandarogue-996194-141.html
 
BARNES & NOBLE (NOOK)
http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/the-windsor-diaries-book-two-stephanie-burkhart/1113777499
 
AMAZON (KINDLE:)
http://amzn.com/B00A5CF24C
 

GENRE:  Dark Fantasy
 
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
 
BLURB:
 
Sisters in magic, Eolyn and Adiana seek to revive a millennial tradition once forbidden to women. When war strikes, their fledgling community of magas is destroyed; its members killed, captured or scattered.

Determined to defend her people, Eolyn seeks to escape the occupied province and deliver to King Akmael a weapon that might secure their victory. Trapped by the invading army, Adiana is taken prisoner and placed at the mercy of the ruthless Prince Mechnes.

Even as their world is torn asunder, Eolyn and Adiana cling to a common dream. Courage and perseverance guide them toward a future where the Daughters of Aithne will flourish in a world set free from the violence of men.

"War propels the story forward, and the characters are at their best when circumstances are at their worst." -Publishers Weekly

This is the second book in THE SILVER WEB trilogy. It can be read as a stand-alone novel, or as the sequel to the first book, EOLYN.
 
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
 Excerpt One:
 
A hush of wings on the windowsill interrupted Eolyn’s thoughts. She looked up to see a Great River Owl, its proud silhouette outlined by moonlight.
 
Eolyn rose to her feet in surprise, keenly aware of its penetrating gaze, though she could not see its round eyes in the dark. A breeze ruffled its feathers. Its aura was impossibly familiar: intense shades of gold, burgundy, and forest green, shot through with streaks of deepest indigo.
 
She held her breath and let it go in a whisper. “Akmael?”
 
More than a question, it was a hope, a fear, an invocation.
 
A shimmer passed through the owl, followed by a flash of white light. Suddenly Akmael was with her, the heat of his hand upon her throat, the strength of his fingers intertwining in her hair, the demand of his lips upon hers, warm and full of passion. The magic of the South Woods blew through the window in a humid gust, swirling about them, begging Eolyn to remember who she was and what she once meant to him.
 
Akmael kissed Eolyn until she had no more breath to give. Then he paused and held her close, their foreheads touching as her fingers traced the familiar prominence of his cheekbone, the line of his jaw, the curve of his full lips.
 
All she could hear was his desire, carried on the rhythm of his heart. She dared not speak, for if she did, she might stumble upon words of caution or prudence or common sense, and none of that had any place here. Not when he was so near, nearer than he had been in such a painfully long time, closer than he might ever be again.
 
This is a gift from the Gods, Akmael had once said. To deny it would be an insult to them.
 
“Eolyn, I—”
 
She hushed him with a kiss.

AUTHOR Bio and Links:
 
Karin Rita Gastreich writes stories of ordinary women and the extraordinary paths they choose. She lives in Kansas City, Missouri, where she is part of the biology faculty at Avila University. An ecologist by vocation, Karin has wandered forests and wildlands for over twenty years. Her past times include camping, hiking, music, and flamenco dance. In addition to THE SILVER WEB trilogy, Karin has published short stories in World Jumping, Zahir, Adventures for the Average Woman, and 69 Flavors of Paranoia. She is a recipient of the Spring 2011 Andrews Forest Writer’s Residency.
 
Website: http://krgastreich.com
Twitter: @EolynChronicles
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Eolyn-110814625640244/

 


Purchase link for SWORD OF SHADOWS, Book Two of THE SILVER WEB: https://www.amazon.com/Sword-Shadows-Silver-Web-Book-ebook/dp/B01G5L1GEG/
 
Purchase link for EOLYN, Book One of THE SILVER WEB: http://www.amazon.com/Eolyn-Silver-Web-Book-1-ebook/dp/B01B8F4G50/
​

GENRE: Young Adult Fantasy
 
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
 
BLURB:
 
16-year-old Aurora Darlington is an orphan. Mistreated by her adopted family and bullied at school, she dreams of running away and being free. But when she is kidnapped and dragged through a portal into a magical world, suddenly her old life doesn't seem so bad.
 
Avalonia is a dangerous land ruled by powerful mages and a cruel, selfish queen who will do anything to control all seven kingdoms--including killing anyone who stands in her way. Thrust headlong into this new, magical world, Aurora's arrival sets plans in motion that threaten to destroy all she holds dear.
 
With the help of a young fae, a magical pegasus, and a handsome mage, Aurora journeys across Avalonia to learn the truth about her past and unleash the power within herself. Kingdoms collide as a complicated web of political intrigue and ancient magic lead Aurora to unravel a shocking secret that will change her life forever.
 
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Excerpt Three:
 
Today you will start lessons with me and learn to access your mage powers,” said Uncle Gabriel. “There are a few training exercises I want to start with, which will help you to access and channel your magic. I want you to have an open mind, and follow my instructions very carefully.”
 
I listened intently, breathlessly awaiting the secret I was so anxious to discover—how magic worked.
 
“You are still young and so far your powers have been diminished by the amulet, but if you have tapped into your fae magic already by mind bonding with the pegasus, that means that your powers are already manifesting,” Uncle Gabriel said.
 
He lit a candle and put it in front of me on the table.
 
“Now, our first lesson is going to be on concentration,” said Uncle Gabriel. “I want you to focus on this candle. Remove all other thoughts from your mind.”
 
I stared at the candle, my thoughts drifting in and out. Uncle Gabriel had said he was going to teach me to do magic. This was not magic; this was torture. My thoughts flickered back and forth like the flame on the tip of the candle. Finally I looked up.
 
“This is silly. Nothing is happening,” I said, getting frustrated.
 
“You are not concentrating,” Uncle Gabriel said, glancing up briefly up from his work. “Block out all other thoughts. If they come, push them away and keep focusing on the candle. Nothing else is of importance; your whole mind and concentration is on that candle.”
 
I tried again, but my thoughts wouldn’t leave me alone. Every time I looked up, Uncle Gabriel made me try again. He even changed the object of my concentration, from the candle to a smoothly polished stone, to a vase and back. I tried again and again, and every time it was the same, my thoughts came and went, flitting about in my mind, and my concentration was broken.
 
“Same time tomorrow, Aurora, and please practice. I expect you to concentrate on an object for measurably longer. Holding your concentration is one of the key aspects to working with your magic. You have to learn to channel your powers properly. If you can’t control your mind and will, then when you release your powers, they will be all over the place, and we don’t want that,” he said seriously.

AUTHOR Bio and Links:
 
Farah Oomerbhoy is a young adult writer with a master’s degree in English literature from the University of Mumbai. Farah loves the fantastical and magical and often dreams of living in Narnia, Neverland, or the Enchanted Forest. Her debut novel, The Last of the Firedrakes, Book 1 of The Avalonia Chronicles started on Wattpad where it received a Watty Award in 2015 and over 1.5 million reads. Since publication, The Last of the Firedrakes has gone on to win a silver medal in IBPA’s Benjamin Franklin Awards, become a finalist in the USA Best Book Awards and become an international bestseller. Farah lives with her family in Mumbai, India where she can be found checking for magical portals in every closet.
 
Connect with Farah:
Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Farah-Oomerbhoy/e/B01152TFAC/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/FarahOomerbhoy
 Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/FarahOomerbhoyAuthor
 Google+ : https://plus.google.com/u/3/+FarahOomerbhoyAuthor
 Instagram: http://instagram.com/farahoomerbhoyauthor
 Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/FarahOomerbhoy
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/25781691-the-last-of-the-firedrakes
 Wattpad: http://www.wattpad.com/user/FarahOomerbhoy
 Tumblr: http://farahoomerbhoy.tumblr.com/


eBOOK IS ONLY .99 cents during the tour
 
Purchase The Last of the Firedrakes:
 Amazon:  http://www.amazon.com/dp/B01131UDHE
 B&N:  http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/the-last-of-the-firedrakes-farah-oomerbhoy/1122237810?ean=2940152166156
Apple: https://itunes.apple.com/us/book/id1016733299
 Kobo: https://store.kobobooks.com/en-US/ebook/the-last-of-the-firedrakes
 Smashwords :  https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/557373
​

​Writer Wonderland July 13
 
Blair Yeatts
This Madness of the Heart
 

What was your first book?
My first book was actually my PhD dissertation, which was incredibly long, very wordy, and half taken up with scholarly asides and footnotes . . . not a likely read for most people. My second book was an autobiography: the product of several years of intense journaling and an attempt to make sense of my confusing life . . . thank God I never succeeded in publishing it! I would’ve had to change my name and move to Las Vegas. The third book I wrote was actually This Madness of the Heart, but I put it aside for 20 years or so until I could get enough distance from it to edit out the rage. I’d written it after watching cadres of power-hungry fat-cat egotists take over various Christian denominations and then re-create them in their own images—after destroying the lives, hearts, careers, and faith of many, many good people. Do you think I might still be angry? Yep. But it’s manageable. Anyway, Madness is no longer a rant, but an entertaining gothic mystery/thriller with a nefarious villain who happens to be a preacher, and the first in the series, Miranda Lamden Mysteries.


Describe your first break.
Break? What break? I never got a break! I did the whole 100-letter-to-publishers-and-agents routine more than once, with zero results. I’ve self-published all my books. I should mention here that “Blair Yeatts” is a pen name: I’ve published 3 books (and counting) in a different genre and decided not to confuse my readers by publishing an entirely different line of books in a different genre under the same name. I suppose the good reviews my books have received might be called a good “break,” but I feel more like I earned them!


What is your favorite genre to read? To write?
I have two favorite genres to read: fantasy (Ursula K. Le Guin, Lois McMaster Bujold, Sharon Lee) and mystery/thriller (Dorothy L. Sayers, Nevada Barr, Charles Todd). So I suspect my gothic mystery/thriller Miranda Lamden series is a cross between those two: mystery/thrillers . . . with paranormal spirit-world dimensions! I’ve loved mysteries all my life, as well as fantasy, beginning in my teens with Mary Stewart’s wonderful books. Those two streams have run parallel through my reading all my life. Mixing them together in a single series is endlessly fascinating to me.


Are Happy Endings a must in your stories?
I wouldn’t say happy endings exactly, but I wouldn’t ever end a book with shattering loss of meaning and despair. Bittersweet, perhaps, but always with light. And since I set out to write a series of books with two continuing central characters, I can’t imagine killing off either one of them unless I eventually write them into old age! I know I never forgave Elizabeth George for killing off Inspector Lynley’s wife Helen . . . it seemed so unnecessary. Debilitating tragedy is not something I want in the mysteries I read, or write. There’s enough of that in real life.


What makes a protagonist interesting?
More than anything else, for me an interesting protagonist is complex. Both Miranda and Jack Crispen have pasts with trauma and depth, which result in depth in the present. Both have passions that run deep, and areas where they feel intensely conflicted. Each works at an intriguing job: Miranda as a religion professor and hands-on paranormal researcher; Jack as a master carpenter and stained glass artist. And I could never develop a character without a spiritual dimension: for me, questions of meaning, eternity, Truth, and deity lie at the heart of every human life.


What is the best thing about being a writer?
Spending my days doing something I love! I remember that even in the more creative passages in my dissertation there was an intense flow of what I can only call magic. Some depth of wonder inside me opened up and filtered into my imagination, and magic flowed. I’m not sure it’s necessary for this magic ever to be recognized by the outside world. It has meaning and delight of itself, and creates new richness in the writer as the words move through her.


What is the worst thing?
Publicity. Without a doubt. I know many writers say the same, and I suppose it’s in the nature of many creative people to be intensely private, but the fact that many writers share this equally doesn’t make it any easier. I daydream about the good old days of solicitous publishers who stood between authors and the bothersome details of publishing . . .


Pantser or plotter?
Both. The tiny germ of a new book grows like a seed, in darkness, until it takes on enough substance to make sense in the light. Then I start making notes, a story begins to take shape, and something like a broad plot evolves. Research takes over around this point, as I realize that some of my ideas are too vague to work with, and in the process of research I find new twists I hadn’t thought of before. There’s no particular time when I start to write: just a moment when the book develops a voice and calls out to be written. I may not know how it will end when I begin, or I may see exactly. But I rarely know how the details will take shape—how scenes will play out, how new characters will evolve. My books grow like trees. Then I have to go back and prune them, or even graft on new branches!

What do you see the direction of your future writing taking? What can we expect next? Give us a little taste.
I’ve already written the 2nd and 3rd books in the Miranda Lamden series. The second, Blood on Holy Ground, is in the editing stages, and I hope to have it out in the autumn. In Holy Ground, Miranda and Jack delve into a Native American legend about a frontier convent and stir up a firestorm of violence and murder. Both Miranda and Jack become more vividly themselves as their characters deepen in this second book. Their personal intimacy intensifies as well, adding fierce anxiety for each other to the disasters that overtake them both.
 

Just for fun


Cat or dog person?
Cats for sure, from the cradle. There’s one on my lap at this moment, shredding yet another favorite t-shirt.

Favorite food?
Leon meringue icebox pie, with enough lemon and rind to pucker an elephant’s mouth!

Favorite book?
Impossible. I could never choose. Paladin of Souls? The Other Wind? Gaudy Night? Maybe.

Favorite movie?
Again, impossible. Chocolat? Practical Magic? Finding Neverland? Fried Green Tomatoes?

Favorite holiday?
I like wilderness camping best. Of all the places I’ve been, Utah’s Canyonlands in the spring is my favorite.

Would you rather be the princess or the villain? Why?
Can I say neither? I’ve seen enough darkness in my own life—I have no wish to contribute more. And princesses are often such foolish creatures. Perhaps a princess with the strength and resilience of Robin McKinley’s Deerskin, but she had to go through hell to become who she was . . .


Who has more fun, orcs or hobbits?
Are you kidding? Hobbits! Gourmet cookery, snug holes, lush gardens, and beer, vs dank holes, decaying teeth, maggoty bread, and exhausting warfare?

GENRE: gothic mystery/thriller
 
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
 
BLURB:
 
Bad religion can be deadly. So Miranda Lamden, small-town religion professor, discovers in This Madness of the Heart. The dark hollers of Eastern Kentucky offer fertile soil for shady evangelist Jasper Jarboe, new president of Grace and Glory Bible College, as he beguiles the small mining town of Canaan Wells with his snake-oil charm.

When Miranda isn’t teaching at Obadiah Durham College, she’s investigating paranormal phenomena—or enjoying a turbulent romantic relationship with backwoods artist Jack Crispen. JJ’s inquisition-style gospel has alienated her long since, but when he announces his plan to transform her forest home into an evangelical Mecca, complete with neon cross and 40-foot Jesus, Miranda girds her loins for war. But JJ isn’t finished: he goes on to launch an attack on her friend and fellow professor Djinn Baude with an avalanche of vicious rumors. Not only does he accuse Djinn of demonic communion with the old Voudon witch whose curse killed the college’s founding family, but he also smears her with insinuations of lechery and vice.

With JJ’s urging, hate boils over into violence and tragedy, sweeping Miranda up in its flood. One death follows another as a miasma of evil overwhelms the tiny community, and only Miranda can see clearly enough to halt its spread.

This Madness of the Heart is the first in a new series of Gothic mystery-thrillers featuring Professor Miranda Lamden, whose spiritual gifts have drawn her beyond university walls to explore the mysteries of other world beliefs. Her unique vision brings her into repeated confrontations with evil, where too often she finds herself standing alone between oblivious onlookers and impending disaster.
 
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The large woman beside me slid to the plank floor with surprising grace, twitching and jerking on her back, eyes glittering sightlessly under half-closed lids. Worshippers stepped around her with hardly a thought. Her lips fluttered in prayer, inaudible amidst the tumbling chaos of sound rolling through the tiny church.
 
“Hallelujer! Hallelujer! Thank you, Lord! Thank you, Jesus! Praise-a the Lord!
 
Oooooooohhh, glory be to God, honey! Praise-a his holy name!” The preacher’s voice roared over the babble.
 
I rocked contentedly in the midst of a storm of joy. Ecstasy beat against me like a rising spring tide. I loved my work. No matter how many hours I spent observing people celebrating their faith, their joy always lifted me up—perhaps bearing me on the wings of their prayers. And Appalachian Holiness congregations had to be among my favorites. I loved their lack of pretense, their tolerance of diversity, their unselfconscious enthusiasm. I envied how easily they gave themselves up to spiritual ecstasy. Comparatively, I was a clam, tightly sealed in a riotous bed of wave-swept anemones.
 
Several white-shirted men carried cardboard boxes into the center of the floor while the worshippers danced close around. One by one, two by two, three by three, coiling copperheads, cottonmouths, and rattlesnakes were scooped from the boxes and passed from dancer to dancer, man or woman, whoever held out a willing hand.
 
Panic knocked the breath from my body like an adder’s sudden strike. My gut clenched, writhing with the coiling snakes. Tremors shook my hands. Shadow threatened to overwhelm my sight. I’d forgotten myself, relaxed my guard, let slip the rigorous discipline I wore like a second skin in my field studies.
 

 
AUTHOR Bio and Links:
 
Blair Yeatts grew up in the midst of a large, old southern Virginia family, much like the family of her main character. She followed her parents into a career in academia and taught religion at the college level in Kentucky for many years. Her special areas of expertise are psychology and Earth-based religions, in which she has done considerable research.
 
From childhood, Ms. Yeatts has been a fan of mystery fiction, starting with Nancy Drew and moving through Agatha Christie to twentieth century giants like Dorothy L. Sayers, P.D. James, and Nevada Barr. She is fulfilling a life’s dream in writing her own mysteries.
 
Ms. Yeatts shares her home with her photographer husband, two cats, and a dog. She has a lifelong love of wild nature, and prefers to set her stories in rural areas, where threads of old spiritual realities still make themselves felt. Her first three books take place in different parts of Kentucky and Tennessee.
 
Buy Links:
 
This Madness of the Heart e-book will be free during the tour.
 
http://www.amazon.com/Madness-Heart-Miranda-Lamden-Mysteries-ebook/dp/B01DEC2GOS/
 
Author/Book Links
 
blog/website:  http://blair-yeatts.com
 
Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/BlairYeatts/
 
Twitter:  https://twitter.com/blair_yeatts
 
Booklife:  http://booklife.com/project/this-madness-of-the-heart-14158
 
Goodreads:  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/29611895-this-madness-of-the-heart
 
Linked In:  https://www.linkedin.com/in/blair-yeatts-21325911a?auth
 
Free on Smashwords: https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/624868