romantic suspense

When you find the man of your dreams… and he disappears

Welcome sister lawyer author Seelie Kay and her latest, SAINT CON!! Let’s get to know her first.

Q. Why do you write romance?
It began as a way to relieve the stress of a career as a lawyer/journalist and dealing with MS “on the side.” Writing has always been my outlet and the best way to break away from reality for a bit was to write romance. Plus, I love happy endings. I get rather emotional (yes, I’m a crier) but it’s a wonderful release.
Q. Do you prefer a certain type of romantic hero?
I adore smart, dashing gentlemen who aren’t afraid to live on the edge. They can be a lawyer, a bad boy, a billionaire, a prince, or a secret agent. That hint of danger just hooks me! However, they have to be paired with strong, independent women who aren’t afraid to fight for what they want, even love. And brains over brawn, every time!
Q. Why did you write “Saint Con?”
It all began when I woke up to an AMBER and SENIOR alert on my phone. For some reason, I began to wonder why I never saw an alert for an able-bodied adult gone missing. I did a little research and found that in WI, only proof of harm or the passage of 72 hours will trigger a missing person’s investigation.
The burden of finding an able-bodied adult falls on friends and family. That just seems wrong, because most people don’t have the skill or resources to conduct an investigation. However, as you learn from crime shows, the first 72 hours are critical to gathering evidence and finding a missing person. Suddenly, I had the plot, and I knew I wanted to incorporate a character I had been playing with, a street lawyer for the homeless. “Saint Con” was born.
Q. You pretty much use lawyers as your main characters. Why?
It’s what I know. After 30 years, the law and the legal world are so firmly embedded in my brain that I can’t flush them out. That has become the lens through which I view the world and that naturally guides my characters and plots. Injustice infuriates me, but it also leads me to great stories. Even in this book, I find a way to explore social and criminal justice issues.

It was a night dreams are made of, until the man of Jessica Knight’s dreams disappears.

Genre: Romantic Suspense

It was a night dreams are made of, until the man of Jessica Knight’s dreams disappears.

When self-proclaimed good girl Jessica Knight literally bumps into apparent bad boy Connor O’Brien in a suburban Milwaukee wine bar, she is skeptical—of his intentions and the prospect for real love. A former priest, Saint Con is now a street lawyer for Milwaukee’s homeless. After a night of sizzling romance, Jess begins to thaw, and in the days that follow, she is so charmed by Con that she allows herself to start falling in love. Unfortunately, on their first real date, Con fails to appear. Jess doesn’t know if she’s been ghosted or if Con was unavoidably detained, but she leaves their meeting spot devastated.

Until she discovers that Con is missing. Really missing.

The police won’t help because he’s not a vulnerable adult nor is there proof that he has been harmed. So, it falls to Jess and her friends to find him. After surmounting numerous obstacles, Con is finally found, gravely injured and in a coma. Suddenly, it appears a promising love match may be over before it really began.

Amazon * Apple * B&N * Kobo * eXtasyBooks * Bookbub * Goodreads

Award-winning author Seelie Kay writes scintillating tales of lawyers in love, sometimes with a dash of kink.

Writing under a nom de plume, the former lawyer and journalist draws her stories from more than 30 years in the legal world. Seelie’s wicked pen has resulted in more than 24 works of fiction, including the new paranormal romance series Donovan Trait, as well the erotic romance Kinky Briefs series and The Feisty Lawyers romantic suspense series. She also authored The Last Christmas, The Garage Dweller, A Touchdown to Remember, The President’s Wife, The President’s Daughter, Seizing Hope, The White House Wedding, and participated in the romance anthology Pieces of Us.

When not spinning romantic tales, Seelie ghostwrites nonfiction for lawyers and other professionals. Currently, she resides in a bucolic exurb outside Milwaukee, WI, where she enjoys opera, the Green Bay Packers, gourmet cooking, organic gardening, and an occasional bottle of red wine.

Seelie is an MS warrior and ruthlessly battles the disease on a daily basis. Her message to those diagnosed with MS: Never give up. You define MS, it does not define you!

Seelie can be reached at http://www.seeliekay.com, http://www.seeliekay.blogspot.com, or on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, or TikTok.

Website * Facebook * Twitter * Instagram * TikTok * Bookbub * Amazon * Goodreads

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$10 Amazon gift card – 1 winner,

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Secrets, bloody secrets

The danger and lies are more than she can handle.

Shea O’Bannon feels like a fifth wheel around her romantically paired-off friends, but there’s too much slime in the dating pool for her to bother with it. Then she sees her two-timing ex, Trevor Madero, serenading the mostly female crowd at a live-music bar. God knows trouble follows him around, but her desire for him rushes back in anyway. After he rescues her from a handsy drunk, temptation takes over.

Determined to prove he never stepped out on Shea, Trevor slides back into her life—and her heart—with forever in mind. Even with the wall he keeps up to protect her, his secret criminal life weighs heavy on his soul and drives a wedge between them.

When the truth comes out and his enemies target them both, they’ll have to fight for their love, or kiss it goodbye.

Tagline: Will the truth send her running, or will she fight for the man she loves?

EXCERPT:

Trevor cracked the billiard balls with a hard, steady strike of the cue and grinned as two strips landed in the corner pocket. As Radster grumbled a curse, Trevor circled the green-felt pool table in the back of Slayers and twitched his nose from the godawful stench of beer, body odor, and cigarette smoke. He narrowed his gaze and blocked out the blaring sound of thrash metal coming from the stereo as he took the shot. The cue ball hit the eleven red-striped ball at the perfect angle, but a solid followed the eleven home into the middle pocket.

“Too bad, Alto. Let a master show you how it’s done.” Radster chalked his cue from across the pool table and struck three solids into the pockets. “Beat that, man.”

Damn. Trevor eyed the one hundred dollars on the edge of the pool table that he’d laid down for the bet. Radster could kick anyone’s ass at pool, but once he got a few beers in him, his winning streak always turned south. Had he not drunk enough? Trevor glanced at their booth where a dozen empty bottles cluttered the tabletop.

K-Pic and his latest flavor of the month made out hot and heavy on the bench seat as though Trevor, Radster, and a dozen-plus pricks in leather and dog chains weren’t hanging out in the seedy bar. Some of the bikers were getting busy with their chicks, too, and giving everyone else a show.

He turned back to the game as Radster missed what should’ve been an easy shot.

“Aw, hell.” Radster ran his hand over his short hair.

“Perhaps you should have another beer?” Trevor examined the placement of the balls. “It might clear your head.”

“Screw you, dude.”

Trevor chuckled and aimed his cue. The hair on his nape prickled. He looked up and spotted Shea a few feet away near the long, scratched-up counter that stretched along the right side of the room. Shock sucker-punched him. He fell against the table and accidentally took his shot. The cue ball went wide and hit one of Radster’s balls that bounced off the edge. His pal laughed in triumph, but Trevor didn’t care. He stomped to Shea.

“What are you doing here?” He gripped the cue so hard his knuckles smarted. “How did you find me?”

Add to Goodreads – https://bit.ly/TrevorsRedemptionGoodreads

Check it out on BookBub – https://bit.ly/TrevorsRedemptionBookBub

Download Links

Release Day – August 22, 2023

Only 99 cents for a limited time!

Universal – https://books.amberdaulton.com/trevorsredemption

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Google Play – https://play.google.com/store/books/details?id=AjbCEAAAQBAJ

About the Author

Amber Daulton is the author of the romantic-suspense series Arresting Onyx and several standalone novellas. Her books are published through Daulton Publishing, The Wild Rose Press, and Books to Go Now, and are available in ebook, print on demand, audio, and foreign language formats.

She lives in North Carolina with her husband and demanding cats.

Social Media Link

Universal link – https://linktr.ee/AmberDaulton

Remember Chincoteague?

PLEASE WELCOME M.S. SPENCER!

Thank you so much, Alana, for giving me space to talk about my new mystery The Wishing Tree: Love, Lies, and Spies on Chincoteague Island.

My family has been going to Chincoteague for decades, and my mother is buried there. We loved birding and beaching.  Addison (my heroine) says about Chincoteague, “there is something about it—hardscrabble, rough, enduring, clinging to its roots with all its might in the face of an implacable Mother Nature.”

While most people draw a blank when I mention Chincoteague, they perk up when I mention the ponies. Assateague salt hay ponies—probably descended from shipwrecked horse—were made famous by Marguerite Henry’s books, especially Misty of Chincoteague. There’s a statue on Main Street of Misty. The ponies are still there. There are several herds, maintained by the Chincoteague Fire Department, which holds the famous annual Pony Swim. Every July they round up the horses and swim them across the channel from Assateague to Chincoteague, where they are auctioned off. Many people choose to sponsor a pony—leaving him on the island but monitoring his welfare.

OUR STORY:

Will the wind whip her token from the Wishing Tree and make her wish come true?

Addison Steele dreams of the day her husband—lost at sea—returns to her. Instead, she meets Nick Savage, whose every word may be a lie. She is soon embroiled in mystery, all related to the top secret science station at Wallops Island, Virginia.

After a Belarusian scientist at Wallops is murdered, the questions multiply. Was it because he caught the person stealing classified documents or because he wanted to defect? Is Nick the spy—or is it his brother? How can she trust the man who is slowly claiming her heart when his story keeps shifting?

Excerpt: Cheyenne, the Pony & the Lounge

He gestured at the passenger’s side door. “May I offer you a drink? I thought I’d head to that place on Main Street for something to raise my temperature.”

“You mean Dobie’s?”

“That’s the one. The upstairs bar is called something else though.”

“Cheyenne’s Lounge. Cheyenne is Dobie’s mare.”

“Mare? Isn’t that a little chauvinist?”

“What? No, he sponsors her. He…” She petered out.

He grinned. “I knew what you meant. Cheyenne is one of the salt hay ponies that locals can sponsor, right?”

She nodded, relieved. “Yes.”

“So, how about that drink?” When Addison looked pointedly at her car, he held up a palm. “Oh, I see. Well, you can leave it here, and I’ll bring you back.”

Did he just wink? Despite her attraction, her mother’s voice rang in her ear. Never get in a car with a stranger. She cleared her throat. “No…urk…no, thanks. The refuge closes at dusk. The entrance is barred.”

“I see. I could drop you off at your house then.”

Oh, and never let him know where you live. “Then I’d have to find a ride back to the refuge in the morning. So…sorry.”

His friendly optimism dissipated. “Oh. Well. Then I guess I’ll see you around the ’hood.”

“No! I meant…I’ll meet you there.” She smirked. “A hot toddy would be nice.”

His eyes narrowed. “What’s so funny?”

“Oh, it’s a standing joke around here. The bartender at Dobie’s is nicknamed Toddy.”

“I see. Does he entertain?”

“Huh?”

“You know…” He wiggled his hips. “Do a pole dance or strip?”

“God, no.” She envisioned the squat old man with the pug nose. “God. No.”

“Well, let’s hope he knows how to make a good hot toddy, then.”

He fired up the tank and rumbled over the sand to the refuge road. Addison’s Subaru felt like a wind-up toy trundling along behind him. They’d almost reached the ticket booth at the entrance to the refuge when she remembered that she hadn’t made her usual prayer to the storm gods to take her token and bring her husband back.

The Wishing Tree: Love, Lies, and Spies on Chincoteague Island

The Wild Rose Press, July 17, 2023

First Edition, 2023

368 p.; PG-13

Murder mystery (Cozy), Romantic Suspense

Buy Links:

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About the Author

Librarian, anthropologist, research assistant, Congressional aide, speechwriter, nonprofit director—award-winning, multi-published author M. S. Spencer has lived or traveled in five of the seven continents and holds degrees in Anthropology, Middle East Studies, and Library Science. She has published sixteen romantic suspense and mystery novels. She has two children, an exuberant granddaughter, and currently divides her time between the Gulf Coast of Florida and a tiny village in Maine.

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Forbidden love in World War II

Welcome, Diane Scott Lewis!

With the proliferation of WWII novels, I had the urge to write a story of forbidden love. An Englishwoman stranded in France under the occupation, her past dealings with relationships a disaster. And a German Commandant who loathes Hitler’s policies, a recent widower who is caught by surprise at his attraction to the young woman. How do they work out their differences? Can they find love in the middle of war? Norah must face the retribution of the villagers. August must find a way to ruin a dangerous weapon to undermine the Reich.

I’ve always loved writing and putting my characters in difficult situations. This one was a challenge. How to make a German officer a sympathetic character. According to my critique partners, I’ve succeeded. But can they have a happy ending?

To make my story in Brittany, France realistic, I recommend this book.

Hitler’s Gateway to the Atlantic, by Lars Hellwinkell, 2014

I also took a virtual tour of a German submarine.

It’s a good thing I enjoy research.

Buy link: https://books2read.com/Outcast-Artist-in-Bretagne

Blurb:

Unwed and pregnant, Norah Cooper flees England to hide with her cousin in Brittany just before Germany’s 1940 invasion of France. After her baby is stillborn, she’s trapped under the Occupation as war expands across Europe. Norah grieves and consoles herself by sketching wildlife. When she’s caught too near the coast, she comes under scrutiny of the German commandant, Major August von Gottlieb.

August loathes what Hitler is doing to his country and France but is duty-bound to control the people in his jurisdiction. The lively young Englishwoman piques his interest. Is she a spy? He questions her and asks her to sketch his portrait so he might uncover the truth.

Soon, their relationship evolves into a passion neither of them can deny. She endures taunts from the villagers. His superiors warn him of not being harsh enough—he could be transferred or worse. He plans to sabotage a major war machine of the Reich, while she secretly helps the Resistance. Both acts are fraught with danger while kept secret from one another. Will their love ruin her and end in heartbreak? Or will they overcome the odds and survive the surging threats on all sides?

Excerpt:

Norah balled her hands, tears welling in her eyes. “I see the reasoning, the rules of war. But I have all this anger and sorrow I don’t know what to do with.”

August clasped her upper arms as if to keep her from running off. “I understand your misery. However, it was my responsibility.”

“Why did it have to happen?” She pressed a fist against his chest. “I know, that’s rhetorical. But I’m—”

“I wish it hadn’t. I really do, though the outcome was inevitable given the sentry’s death. And if Kerguelen hadn’t bragged about the shooting.” August kissed her forehead. “Ma cherie, please understand.”

“I can’t forgive what this war has done to us all.” She pushed at him with the heel of her hand, but not overly hard.

“This war has torn apart the world. We are in a storm, trying to be normal.” He traced a finger under her chin. “I missed you.”

“I…missed you.” She thumped her knuckles on his collarbone. “Dammit. My instincts are a mess. And I’m caught between two worlds.”

“You’re in an untenable position. Don’t let this tragedy change what we have.” He rubbed his thumb over her cheek and opened the summerhouse’s back door. “Let’s go inside.”

“Everyone… The villagers, my cousins. I’m condemned, marked as your woman.”

Author bio:

Diane Parkinson (Diane Scott Lewis) grew up near San Francisco, joined the Navy at nineteen, married in Greece and raised two sons in Puerto Rico, California, and Guam. She’s a member of the Historical Novel Society and wrote book reviews for their magazine. She’s always loved travel and history and has had several historical novels published.

Diane lives with her husband and one naughty dachshund in western Pennsylvania.

Social Media Links:

Blog: https://dianescottlewisauthor.blogspot.com/

Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/s?k=diane+scott+lewis&i=digital-text&ref=nb_sb_noss

Bookbub:  https://www.bookbub.com/profile/diane-scott-lewis-999d8de3-fdae-46d4-8758-665f9362c2ae

FB Fan Page: https://www.facebook.com/Diane-Scott-Lewis-277223019312535/

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/3999998.Diane_Scott_Lewis

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/dhparkin/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/DSLewisHF

Meet Levi Bradshaw from Tender Misdemeanors

The magical forests of the Bitterroot.

Levi Bradshaw grew up among these trees, and some feel like old friends. That’s why he risks incarceration and worse with his small band of eco-warriors, putting nails and spikes in the trees so loggers won’t cut them down. His group is made up of many young men, and he takes responsibility for every one, mentoring them into a force to be reckoned with.

It seemed harmless enough, until some other folk joined his little group, others with ties to the larger white supremacist, Patriot movement in western Montana and Idaho. Ron Ranning was their ringleader, and he seemed determined to turn Levi’s small protest into another Ruby Ridge.

Unfortunately, Levi doesn’t have a lot of backup. His parents bought this huge old house, intending to make it into a bed and breakfast for the winter ski crowd in Whitefish and surrounding vacation spots, but they both passed before they could make the dream come true. Levi’s brother Zane bailed after their parents’ death, going to law school and establishing himself in California. Levi’s best friend in the group, Alex Sullivan, had disappeared, and Levi was on his own.

His consulting work manages to keep him afloat, and he’s finishing the house bit by bit as he gets jobs. His companions there are Rosenkrantz and Guildenstern, a pair of Rhodesian Ridgeback brothers who have grown up with him, and a pointer named Ophelia, who he rescued after someone injured her on the road outside his house.

Things are only beginning to swerve out of control when his group is targeted by the Bureau of Land Management, which oversees the national forests and gives permission for logging interests to cut trees. The monkeywrenching Levi’s been doing is against the law, and he knows it’s only a matter of time before they catch up with him.

What he doesn’t expect is the arrival of Caryn Orlane, the BLM officer who finds them at work one afternoon. A mutual staredown at gunpoint is a rough introduction, but he comes to see she actually understands what he’s doing. They both agree the more violent agenda of the Patriot group is something that should be dealt with first.

Levi is attacked by his own people, and realizes he needs Caryn, first as an ally, then as a lover. When she joins him, things only get worse on every side. As the death and destruction spiral, the two wonder if there is a way to survive the madness, and how they can uphold the law and still remain together. If not, they’ll lose each other forever.

Here’s the story:

Caryn Orlane has law enforcement in her blood; her father was a cop, and his father, too. She’s a federal agent in northwest Montana, protecting the old forests and keeping the peace.

Levi Bradshaw also believes in protecting the forests, but has a very different MO. He’s the leader of a group of eco-warriors, determined to save the trees of the Bitterroot by legal—and illegal—means.

When they meet in the woods at gunpoint, their encounter ignites a spark of interest, despite operating on opposite sides of the law. When their worlds turn on them, they only grow closer. If they don’t work together, can either survive?

More information and purchase information: https://alana-lorens.com/tender-misdemeanors/

Exciting book trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HlVFvMZw0a0&t=63s

Who needs a kickass lawyer?

They’re smart. They’re feisty. They play to win!

The lawyers who make up The Agency are committed to bringing justice to situations in which justice is not normally found. At the behest of the President, they intervene in matters that impact Americans around the globe. Human trafficking, terrorism, cults, and the disappeared are just a few of the cases with which they are tasked, and they execute uniquely designed solutions with determination and no small amount of courage. Their journey begins with an American law student kidnapped by a sex slave traffickers. It ends with justice served. Three heart-stopping adventures from a five-book series are combined into one scintillating bundle of romantic suspense, including Snatching Dianna, Infamy, and Cult.

*****

Snatching Diana

The hours are counting down as investigators try to prove that Dianna Murphy has been snatched. Unfortunately, without witnesses and solid evidence, all the police really know is that she is missing.

When suburban Milwaukee law student Dianna Murphy fails to connect with her roommate, there is no real evidence that she has been snatched. Until Law Professor Janet MacLachlan, a former covert agent, discovers a single clue, one that points to a taking by a slave trafficking cartel. In a race against time, Janet recruits her husband, secret agent Cade Matthews, small-town Police Chief David Manders and his wife, criminal defense attorney Julianna Constant, and other law students to uncover the truth. Can they prove she has been taken, before Dianna disappears without a trace?

Infamy

Infamy. An evil or wicked act. Terrorists bent on revenge have found a way to make planes disappear from the sky, without a trace. And when one winds up buried in a Wisconsin cornfield, it’s a race against time to rescue the passengers from certain death.

When international law attorney Sheikh Harun Ali is lured to the Amazon and warned of a frightening plot against the United States, he and his wife, Marianne Benson, enlist the assistance of their neighbors, covert agent Cade Matthews and his wife, Constitutional Law Professor Janet MacLachlan. Ultimately, these feisty lawyers are pushed to the wall, desperate to find a plane that has been buried in an unknown cornfield, the passengers still on board. The terrorists’ hatred for the Alis is absolute—the Alis once left their organization bankrupt and broken—but they hate America more. And their fiendish games are just beginning. They are seeking a much bigger prize, one that could destroy a nation and possibly the world. An act that will live in infamy.

Cult (winner of the Editor’s Choice Award)

It’s supposed to be a simple assignment. A quick trip to a South American country for an “in and out” fact-finding mission. Unfortunately, the cult has other ideas.

When college students begin disappearing from American campuses, a notorious cult, God’s Delight, is the primary suspect. God’s Delight has been hosting shows featuring sex, drugs, and rock and roll around the country, and young people are flocking to them.

Among the missing is the President’s goddaughter, and he wants answers. When he asks Agent Cade Matthews, a member of a secret covert organization, to find her, the mission appears fairly straightforward. Find the God’s Delight compound, determine whether a welfare check on American cult members is warranted, and get out. Simple. Clean. Easy.

Cade sends newly-married Agents Dianna Murphy and Anders Mark to the University of Wisconsin to follow the trail to God’s Delight, but when they wind up in Bolivia, things go sideways. Suddenly, what appeared to be nothing more than a simple in-and-out could cost Dianna her life. When an Agency extraction is ordered, chaos erupts, and the question becomes, will anyone survive?

******

EXCERPT from Infamy

Cade grasped his water bottle with both hands. “Before his brother died, he said eight words.”

Harun nodded. “They are going to make American planes disappear.”

Dianna’s eyes grew wide.

Anders rubbed a hand over his face, then through his long dark hair. His deep green eyes stared up at the ceiling of the plane. “Fucking hell. Nine-eleven all over again.”

“That is our fear,” Harun said. “However, so many precautionary measures are in place in this country, simply hijacking planes and flying them into buildings is no longer easy. They must have a different plan.”

Cade emitted a heavy sigh. “And that is what we need to figure out. What exactly do those eight words mean? For example, he did not specify that the planes would disappear in America, which could mean that they will disappear abroad or over oceans.”

Anders sat up straight. “And disappear could mean many things. Crash. Hijack. Pull a Malaysia. How many ways can you make a plane disappear?”

Reviews

“To me this is one of those series that I will be reading over and over again. From the very beginning I was drawn in, it’s got action, danger, suspense, and even, romance. I can’t recommend this series and Author enough…I highly recommend reading this whole series. I was on the edge of my seat trying to figure out what was going to happen next.” (Goodreads review)

“Seelie Kay has an unforgettable imagination, and will keep you wanting more. You can tell she brings her all, while reading this story. I love her characters, especially the strong-willed, independent women. This is a must read! Along with the rest of her Feisty Lawyers Series. Well Done Seelie Kay, Well Done.” (Goodreads review)

“This author really knows how to deliver an edgy, and dramatic story. It was heart in throat entertainment. A complicated and colourful cast filled with many events that left me gasping and wondering if I read it correctly. I was captivated and intrigued. These kinds of stories are what keep me in my happy place. They keep me entertained and out of my head. I have travelled the world and experienced every feeling and moment with theses characters. Seelie Kay has a knack for enrapturing an audience and it is a dangerously decadent state to be in, and totally addictive.” (Goodreads review)

About Seelie Kay

Award-winning author Seelie Kay writes scintillating tales of lawyers in love, sometimes with a dash of kink.

Writing under a nom de plume, the former lawyer and journalist draws her stories from more than 30 years in the legal world. Seelie’s wicked pen has resulted in twenty-two works of fiction, including the new paranormal romance series Donovan Trait,as well the erotic romance Kinky Briefsseries and The Feisty Lawyers romantic suspense series. She also authored The Last Christmas, The Garage Dweller, A Touchdown to Remember, The President’s Wife, The President’s Daughter, Seizing Hope, The White House Wedding, and participated in the romance anthology Pieces of Us.

When not spinning romantic tales, Seelie ghostwrites nonfiction for lawyers and other professionals. Currently, she resides in a bucolic exurb outside Milwaukee, WI, where she enjoys opera, the Green Bay Packers, gourmet cooking, organic gardening, and an occasional bottle of red wine.

Seelie is an MS warrior and ruthlessly battles the disease on a daily basis. Her message to those diagnosed with MS: Never give up. You define MS, it does not define you!

Seelie can be reached at http://www.seeliekay.com, http://www.seeliekay.blogspot.com, or on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, or TikTok.

Author links

Website:  https://www.seeliekay.com

Blog:  https://www.seeliekay.blogspot.com

Twitter: @SeelieKay https://twitter.com/SeelieKay

Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/seelie.kay.77

Instagram:  https://www.instagram.com/seeliekay51/

Amazon Author Page:  https://www.amazon.com/Seelie-Kay/e/B074RDRWNZ/

BookBub:  https://www.bookbub.com/authors/seelie-kay

Goodreads:  https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/16492565.Seelie_Kay

TikTok:  https://www.tiktok.com/@authorseeliekay

Newsletter sign-up:  https://rb.gy/w69pim

Prior Books

Kinky Briefs:  https://www.extasybooks.com/kinky-briefs-1

Kinky Briefs, Too:  https://www.extasybooks.com/kinky-briefs,-too

Kinky Briefs, Thrice: https://www.extasybooks.com/kinky-briefs,-thrice

Kinky Briefs, Quatro: https://www.extasybooks.com/kinky-briefs,-quatro

Kinky Briefs, Cinque:  https://www.extasybooks.com/kinky-briefs,-cinque

Snatching Dianna:  https://www.extasybooks.com/snatching-dianna

Infamy:  https://www.extasybooks.com/infamy

Cult:  https://www.extasybooks.com/cult

Hope:  https://www.extasybooks.com/hope

Martimus:  https://www.extasybooks.com/martimus

The Garage Dweller:  https://www.extasybooks.com/the-garage-dweller

The President’s Wife:  https://www.extasybooks.com/the-presidents-wife

Seizing Hope:  https://www.extasybooks.com/seizing-hope

The White House Wedding:  https://www.extasybooks.com/the-white-house-wedding

The Last Christmas: https://www.extasybooks.com/the-last-christmas

The President’s Daughter:  https://www.extasybooks.com/the-presidents-daughter

A Touchdown to Remember:  https://www.extasybooks.com/a-touchdown-to-remember

First, We Kill All the Lawyers:  https://www.extasybooks.com/first,-we-kill-all-the-lawyers

Ye Gods! The Law is an Ass!:  https://www.extasybooks.com/ye-god-the-law-is-an-ass

Vive la Resistance: https://www.extasybooks.com/Vive-la-Resistance

Meet Brianna Ward from Voodoo Dreams!
Copyright: svyatkovsky

Brianna Ward travels to New Orleans to let go of so many vexations in her personal and professional life, hoping that the ultimate street party of Mardi Gras would take her “away.” In an exotic city, among strangers, she could let her hair down a little, hide behind a mask, and recharge.

A shiver of frustration ran through her, picking up her pace. She practically ran the three blocks to St. Charles Avenue, where streetcars ran from the west side of the city to downtown for a dollar and a quarter each way. Just as other travelers had done since the 1830s, riding these historical and picturesque cars through the streets under a canopy of broad live oak branches, added a special dimension to the aspect of this vacation as getaway from her normal world. She needed a chance to let go.

Not only because of the Dellenbach antics, though finding one of his cronies practically across the hall certainly dampened her outlook. Her daily modus operandi dictated that she lived with a fist clenched around all the loose ends of her day, hopefully choking the life out of them. Control of everything—her life, her job, her cases—this was how she functioned best.

When her big trial goes bad, corporate attorney Brianna Ward can’t wait to get out of Pittsburgh. The Big Easy seems like the perfect place to rest, relax, and forget about the legal business. Too bad an obnoxious—but handsome—lawyer from a rival firm is checking into the same bed and breakfast.

 Attorney Evan Farrell has Mardi Gras vacation plans too. When he encounters fiery and attractive Brianna, however, he puts the Bourbon Street party on hold. He’d much rather devote himself to her—especially when a mysterious riddle appears in her bag, seeming to threaten danger.

Strangely compelled to follow the riddle’s clues, Brianna is pulled deeper into the twisted schemes of a voodoo priest bent on revenge. To escape his poisonous web, she must work with Evan to solve the curse. But is the growing love they feel for each other real? Or just a voodoo dream?

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Meet Diane Scott Lewis!


Thanks, Diane, for being with us today. First, would you tell us a bit about yourself? What area of the country do you live in, do you have a family, pets, etc.

Thanks for hosting me. I’m originally from Northern California. I joined the navy at nineteen and was stationed in Greece. I met and married my husband there. We have two sons and now live in Western Pennsylvania near our granddaughters. We also have one naughty dachshund for a pet. Or rather, we’re her pets.

Are you a coffee fiend, or do you have another “addiction” you must have on your desk at all times?

I’m definitely a coffee fiend in the mornings. My burgundy coffee cup is on my desk all morning, with my husband as barista. I’m a red wine fiend in the evenings. When we lived in Virginia, their wine industry was booming, and we traveled around tasting the many varieties. Pennsylvania is up and coming for wine, too, thank goodness. But we still visit Virginia once a year to see friends and drink wine. We prefer the dry reds.

Is your education relevant to your writing, or have you branched off in something entirely different to create? How would you best describe your books?

I was always proficient at creative writing in school, but I have no degree in that field. I love to research and write historical fiction. I’d call my books authentic historical fiction with strong female characters. Most of my early novels are set in the late eighteenth century, England, France, and America. Now I’m working on a WWII novel set in France.

Tell us about your most recent publication?

My most recent publication is a novella, To Entice a Spy. It’s set in England in 1794, during the French Revolution. A widowed countess returns from France to track an evil spy. But her childhood love complicates matters.

What inspired you to write this story? What interesting thing did you learn or research to write it that you didn’t know before?

When traveling in England, I found a book on eighteenth century Truro, in Cornwall. It names streets, who lived in the homes, politics, and so on. I just had to set a novel there. And since I’d researched the French Revolution for my first novel, I wanted to put it to good use and throw in spies and an aristocratic woman (I usually write of more common people) who must seek out a spy, who is also after her.

I learned that a man named William Wickham started the espionage investigators in England at this same time, referred to as the  Secret Services. I use him briefly as a character.

What’s your favorite thing about the book featured here today? Any special memories you have in the creation of it?

I loved being in the POV of a villain, a first for me. How nasty could I make him, and still make him believable? Even villains need plausible motivations for their actions. I had planned to visit Truro, the town where my story is set, but due to family issues, I had to cancel.

What do you most like about writing? Least like? When did you first know you wanted to be an author?

I like the research, getting my facts correct. I also enjoy creating quirky characters. The least? Promotion. You’re always pushing your books in people’s faces. Please buy! I need a cheap publicity firm.

I’ve always enjoyed writing. My first stories I illustrated at age five, then asked my mom to write the words I dictated. I wrote my first novel, set in ancient Egypt and Rome, at age ten. At this age major movies were my inspiration, such as Cleopatra and Mutiny on the Bounty.

Do you belong to any writing groups? Are there any writing websites you find particularly useful?

I belong to the Historical Novel Society, and once belonged to the Napoleonic Historical Society. I’ve found the HNS conferences helpful and have made friends there. I’ve gotten to visit cities all over the U. S. for the conferences.

For me, Jack Lynch’s Eighteenth Century Studies website is the most useful.

Is there any special music you like to listen to while writing? How does it inspire you?

I usually like it quiet, although I enjoy soft classic rock, and classical music; it puts me in a better mood. Now that my husband is retired, I hear the Today show from the other room.

Do you belong to a critique group? What do you find most valuable about the experience?

I’ve been with an on-line critique group since 2005. People come and go, and we even had a mutiny that split the group in half. But we prevail. My partners are diverse, and bring many vital aspects to the writing experience. Some might be good on grammar, others on character motivation, plot themes.

I met one of my critique partners in England three years ago. We’ve written together since 2006, and finally met face-to-face. Wonderful. I’ve also been in face-to-face groups that were helpful. I miss the one I had in Virginia.

To encourage those still on the path, tell us a little about your path to publication. How many books have you published? How many books did you write before selling one? What do you think was the key to selling that first book?

My path was a long and winding road. I never have gotten an agent interested, and the Big Houses no longer accept un-agented queries. So my first publisher was a small on-line press. I’m now with two well-established medium presses, one on Canada and one in New York. I have thirteen published novels.

I stuck with my first book (I’m stubborn) constantly revising it. That was my first sale after ten years of on and off queries—and tons of re-writes. The key is revision, critique partners, and perseverance. Take workshops and go to conferences.

What are you writing now? What’s next for you—will you be making personal appearances anywhere our readers can find you?

I’m working on a WWII novel set in Brittany France. I have an unusual love story in the midst of war. How can it possibly end happily? We’ll see.

My next appearance will be at the Oil City Book Festival, in Oil City, Pennsylvania; date not yet determined. I did it last year and had a great time.
Anything else you would like to add?

Just thanks again for hosting me, and your questions are thorough and thoughtful.

Social media links:

Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/s?k=diane+scott+lewis&i=digital-text&ref=nb_sb_noss

Bookbub:  https://www.bookbub.com/profile/diane-scott-lewis-999d8de3-fdae-46d4-8758-665f9362c2ae

FB Fan Page: https://www.facebook.com/Diane-Scott-Lewis-277223019312535/

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/3999998.Diane_Scott_Lewis

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/dhparkin/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/DSLewisHF

Author bio:

Diane Parkinson (Diane Scott Lewis) grew up in the San Francisco Bay Area, joined the Navy at nineteen, married in Greece and raised two sons all over the world, including Puerto Rico and Guam. A member of the Historical Novel Society, she wrote book reviews for the Historical Novels Review. Diane worked from 2007 to 2010 as an on-line historical editor. She has had several historical and historical-romance novels published between 2010 and 2021.

Her first Time-travel, Beyond the Fall, was published by The Wild Rose Press in 2018. To Entice a Spy was published in 2021.

Diane lives with her husband in western Pennsylvania.

For more on her books visit her website: www.dianescottlewis.org

Iris Blobel has a new release! Check it out!

Let me take you to New Zealand
I’m happy to share with you another story which is set in NZ.
If you love Australian / New Zealand romance, be sure to get your copy today!

About IN THE SHADOWS OF A LIE

The discovery of her mother’s diaries unravels a secret which sends Lani on a journey to New Zealand …

She lost her mother in an accident. Now, Lani Dekker is determined to meet the man who, according to her mother’s diaries, is her father. He’s not what she expected, a bit on the extravagant side, but she soon warms up to him, thanks no less to Dylan, her father’s neighbour. Despite her attraction to Dylan, she can’t figure out whether he’s a friend or foe.

Dylan Harper is merely going through the daily motions after his wife died in a ski crash. That is, until his life is turned upside down by the arrival of his neighbour’s daughter. Their attraction is instant, even more so when they wake up in the same bed after an earthquake. However, it’s her accusation that his interest in her involves her father’s money rather than their mutual magnetism that derails their newfound bond.

Will finding the truth about her parents be a chance for Lani and Dylan to overcome their differences?

Get your copy of IN THE SHADOWS OF A LIE today!
on Amazon

What reviewers say about the story:

5 stars:
A beautiful plot line with very emotional characters.. The path to love is difficult and has lot of intresting turns for the characters.Loved the book and the leads.

5 stars:
Heartwarming story about love, forgiveness and acceptance. Lani’s grieving her Mother’s death and trying to cope, when her grandpa opens up and tells her about an untruth, lie. She finds her lost father, unbeknownst to him he even has a daughter. Toby, Lani’s birth father, never married or loved another woman after her mother. Toby’s neighbor, Dylan, and long time friend had lost his wife after only 2 years of marriage and he is still missing her when Dylan finds Lani in the stairwell of Toby’s home. Lani’s mother’s belief in memories and forgiveness helps Lani move on in forgiveness toward her Grandpa, accepting and loving her Dad, Toby and loving Dylan for who he is.

Add IN THE SHADOWS OF A LIE to your
Goodreads TBR !

Where to find Iris:
Newsletter: http://eepurl.com/bQ68rL
Website http://www.irisblobel.com/
Blog http://www.irisblobel.com/blog
Twitter https://twitter.com/_iris_b
Facebook https://www.facebook.com/IrisBlobel
Goodreads https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/4067254.Iris_Blobel
Amazon Author Page https://www.amazon.com/Iris-Blobel/e/B00FNFP3LI/
Other Online Bookstores https://books2read.com/irisblobel

Author Naima Haviland is a master at mixing up genres

Please welcome Naima Haviland! Thanks for being with us today. First, would you tell us a bit about yourself? What area of the country do you live in, do you have a family, pets, etc.

Oh, thank you so much for inviting me! I just moved from the Florida panhandle back to the state of my birth, Pennsylvania. My father is a published poet who lives nearby in Pittsburgh, and we enjoy talking about the craft of writing. I live to serve two dogs named Mini and Beanie, and they answer to a cat named Yardcat.

Are you a coffee fiend, or do you have another “addiction” you must have on your desk at all times?

Music and a deck of cards. When inspiration strikes, I move my fingers from my solitaire game to the keyboard.

Is your education relevant to your writing, or have you branched off in something entirely different to create? How would you best describe your books?

Readers can expect immersive worlds and complex characters; however, my plots go in unexpected directions. I bend genres, cross genres, and mix them. Some of my novels could be called paranormal romances but they’re also definitely horror novels. I’ll mix vampires with folk magic and history; or modern gothic with erotica. Or I’ll start a short story as a romance and finish it as a time-traveling mystery. My fashion career influences my writing in that you always know what everyone’s wearing, and until recently, everyone looked like a model. But in my latest novel, which has been called a steampunk romance, the lovers have physical challenges you don’t usually see in a romance novel.

Tell us about your most recent publication.

The Name I Chose, is a novel of passion and peril set in an alternative Victorian England. Bold inventions usher in a new age, while genetic and cosmetic sciences reinforce an age-old class system. For the rich, immunity to disability and disease justifies their hold on power. Upper-class beauty, Philomena Paulson appears perfect but she has secrets only her disfigured music teacher, Mordecai Michaeleson, understands. Acceptance, trust, and a passion for music compose bonds of forbidden love between them. When chance discovery of Philomena’s darkest secret provokes an act of shocking violence, Mordecai is framed for the crime. In my latest novel, I manage to combine romance, a steampunk London, a criminal underworld, body positivity, and social justice. This creative journey was a wild ride for me, and I hope people enjoy reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it.

What inspired you to write this story? What interesting thing did you learn or research to write it that you didn’t know before?

The idea came in a story dream, which is just my brain entertaining me. This dream was about a naïve and disadvantaged young couple eloping in Victorian times. As the omniscient viewer, I knew the strangers chatting them up in a pub were bad news. I woke up before I could warn them. So I decided to write their story.

I brushed up on menswear in the gilded age. Ascot ties were in. Stock ties were relics of a bygone era. In The Name I Chose, an eccentric thug named Callum adopts vintage fashion as his signature style.

What’s your favorite thing about the book featured here today? Any special memories you have in the creation of it?

My earlier novels and my anthology are dark, and while I am proud of them, I’m excited by the lighthearted nature of The Name I Chose. There’s a refreshing optimism woven through this new novel, despite the dark intentions of its villains. My recent short stories hinted at a new direction in tone, but The Name I Chose is my first full length adventure embodying this playful spirit.

What do you most like about writing? Least like? When did you first know you wanted to be an author?

My elementary school teachers always told me to quit daydreaming and pay attention. Now that I’m a writer, I like most that I’m allowed to daydream! I wouldn’t say I like marketing the least, but it is the writing-related activity I’m least skilled at handling.

My friends knew I wanted to be an author before I did. Way back when we were still in braces and training bras, I used to write stories in the margins of their bibles during church.

Do you belong to any writing groups? Are there any writing websites you find particularly useful?

I belong to Pennwriters, a marvelous fellowship of writers in Pennsylvania. I subscribe to David Gaughran’s newsletter to stay abreast of indie publishing platforms and marketing. And I subscribe to The Book Designer’s newsletter to stay current on trends in production.

PENNWriters website: https://pennwriters.org/

David Gaughran’s blog:  https://davidgaughran.com/blog/

The Book Designer’s website: https://www.thebookdesigner.com/about/

Is there any special music you like to listen to while writing? How does it inspire you?

I just disappear into the world the music evokes and let my imagination fly around. For instance, when writing The Name I Chose, I listened to the soundtrack of Peaky Blinders to get into scenes that involve the criminal elements in the story.

Do you belong to a critique group? What do you find most valuable about the experience?

A chapter of Pennwriters meets monthly and there’s a related Pennwriters group that meets weekly. Attending critique groups allows fresh perspective into my process.

To encourage those still on the path, tell us a little about your path to publication. How many books have you published? How many books did you write before selling one? What do you think was the key to selling that first book?

The key was persistence. Like tennis, I’d serve the ball and publishers would lob it back. This game went on for a few years until a small press accepted my first manuscript. To date, I’ve self-published three novels, an anthology, and several short stories. Quality is the key to indie success, because it takes a well-written, well-edited, beautifully-designed book to satisfy readers – they are the rightful gatekeepers to acceptance in the book world.

What are you writing now? What’s next for you—will you be making personal appearances anywhere our readers can find you?


My next novel will be a paranormal story set during World War I, told through the eyes of an American soldier. I’m scheduling in-person and online appearances now. Readers can invite me to present to their group via my Facebook page. That’s also the best place to find out where I’ll appear next.

Anything else you would like to add?

PL Travers, the author of Mary Poppins, believed that ideas floated independently, searching for the person who would actualize them. I like to think an idea could choose any one of us, any time, if we just keep our minds and hearts open. We are all creative.

Bio: Naima Haviland writes novels and short stories in various genres, from dark fantasy to light romance. She takes as inspiration the Southeast United States, including the Florida panhandle, an ocean paradise with a not-too-distant past full of eccentrics, explorers, pirates, ghosts, and UFOs.

Website: https://www.naimahaviland.com/

Facebook Fan Page: https://www.facebook.com/Books.by.Naima.Haviland

Amazon Author Page: https://www.amazon.com/author/naimahaviland

Twitter: @naimahaviland

Instagram and Pinterest: naimahaviland

EDITOR’S NOTE: I’ve read THE NAME I CHOSE and give it five stars–don’t miss this one, readers!