To satisfy your stare reflex urges–here’s the first UnCover Monday post for 2015! Enjoy awesome cover art and the super authors, publishers and artists who made them possible for you to gaze upon this month. It would be great if you leave a comment letting everyone know what you think about them and maybe even check out a few author links to meet those behind the books. Or just say hi. Don’t forget to tell your friends to stop by so they can appreciate some greatness too!
UnCover Mondays on The Ranch!!! This feature is only to highlight the authors (though if you see one you want to buy I’m sure the authors won’t mind 😆 ). Enjoy this months’ covers to ogle and explore. If there is one provided, you can follow the artist links by clicking on the name, or if there’s an artist link provided, to learn more about the amazing creators of these beautiful covers. I think they deserve fair mention since they helped create the book! As always, click the covers for author websites to find out more. I wish everyone a fabulous new year in 2014!
I’ve added a heat level rating for covers, one through five scale, for your benefit. If there’s anything else you’d like to know about covers being revealed here, please don’t hesitate to let me know. You can leave it either in a comment or by my contact page https://calisarhose.com/say-hey/ with what you’d like to know. 🙂
Title: A Bit of Heaven on Earth
Author: Lauren Linwood
Weblink: www.laurenlinwood.com
Genre: medieval historical romance
Heat Level: 3 flames
Publisher: Soul Mate Publishing
Cover artist: Ramona Lockwood
Release date: December 10, 2015
When Gavin of Ashgrove and his closest friend are captured in a fierce battle during the Hundred Years’ War, their captors demand a hefty ransom from their fathers for their return. Robert is quickly set free, but Gavin’s father refuses to pay for his son’s release, leaving him to rot in a squalid French prison. Aided by a sympathetic priest, he escapes and returns home to England, only to find he has been proclaimed a bastard and disinherited.
With nowhere to turn Gavin journeys to Kentwood, where he fostered as a boy, hoping Lord Aldred will take him on as a knight in his guard. The old warrior is close to death, but he soon realizes Gavin is his son. Aldred plots to have Gavin inherit Kentwood and marry his much younger wife, Elizabeth, a famed and opinionated beauty who remains a virgin after a decade of marriage.
Will the king recognize Lord Aldred’s first request of a marriage between Elizabeth and Robert, uniting Robert’s estate with Kentwood—or will the temperamental Edward reward Aldred’s years of service and honor a dying man’s final request?
Title: A Brand New Address, #1, Intervenus series
Author: Kathleen Rowland
Weblink: www.kathleenrowland.com
Genre: New Adult Scifi
Heat Level: 2 flames- Sensual
Publisher: Kathleen Rowland
Cover artist: Carey Abbott
Release date: May 14, 2014
Yardley is reserved, Marchand has communication issues, and despite their initial mutual crush, it looks like they are never going to work things out.
Taking place during 22nd Century Earth’s second ice age, A BRAND NEW ADDRESS follows childhood friends, Yardley Van Dyke and Marchand LaFond, who trick and tease each other. Robin-hooding thief Marchand sails his ice-boat across the frozen tundra to deliver fuel and food to the needy. Subsistence gardener Yardley gives away home-cooked meals. Just when their attraction sizzles, he enters a space race to Venus.
Yardley promised her dying mother she’d care for the family by growing food in their greenhouse. Clashing with Dad’s fiancé puts her on the outs at home. After winning a prize for an intergalactic garden project, she wants to prove her prototype works on Venus.
Groomed for the mission and calling the shots, Marchand can’t let emotions to get in the way. Maneuvering through sun spikes and space junk is dangerous enough. Evil competitor Vito Savage plans to annihilate competing shuttles. Will Savage’s darkest sins come to light? If Yardley goes, will she tolerate Marchand’s brazen exterior? Will Venus be their brand new address where life will find them?
Title: Chance Encounter, Chances trilogy #2
Author: Martha O’Sullivan
Weblink: http://marthaosullivan26.wix.com/
Genre: Contemporary Romance, HEA ending
Heat Level: 4 flames
Publisher: Red Sage
Cover artist: Lacey Savage
Release date: October 2013
Renowned ladies man Mike Savoy hadn’t counted on seeing Marketing Executive Delaney Richards again at his best friend’s wedding, let alone find himself falling in love with her. Convincing her the feeling is mutual–and unfailing is one thing. But when blackmail turns to ransom, Mike is the only one who can save her. To survive, Delaney must trust the heart that once betrayed her.
Title: Promise Renewed – #5 The Callahan Series
Author: Mitzi Pool Bridges
Weblink: www.mitzipoolbridges.com
Genre: Romantic Suspense
Heat Level: 3- Steamy
Publisher: The Wild Rose Press
Cover artist: Kim Mendoza
Release date: October 15, 2014
Whatever it takes, Detective Darin Callahan vows to find his partner’s killer.
Whatever it takes, Internal Investigative Officer Gina Carlson vows to find the mole in Darin’s unit. Neither expect to fall in love. Will they live long enough to express their feelings? Or die in an undercover sting that goes wrong?
Title: The Art of Love and Murder,
#1-Love and Murder Series
Author: Brenda Whiteside
Weblink: www.brendawhiteside.com/
Genre: Romantic Suspense
Heat Level: 3
Publisher: The Wild Rose Press
Cover artist: Rae Monet
Release date: May 2, 2014
Lacy Dahl never questioned her past until the deaths of her adoptive parents and her husband. A husband who wasn’t what he seemed. Her research uncovers secrets about the mother she never knew; secrets that dispute the identity of her father and threaten her life.
Sheriff Chance Meadowlark is still haunted by the murder of his wife and the revenge he unleashed in the name of justice. When he meets Lacy he is determined not to become involved, but their pasts may make that impossible. As they move closer to the truth, saving Lacy may be his only salvation.
Lacy begins to think the present is more important than her past…until Chance’s connection to her mother and a murder spin her deeper into danger and further from love. Will the truth destroy Lacy and Chance or will it be the answer that frees them?
Title: The Detective’s Dilemma
Author: Karen McCullough
Weblink: www.kmccullough.com
Genre: Romantic Suspense
Heat Level: 3 flames- Steamy
Publisher: Kensington-Lyrical Press
Cover artist: NA
Release date: November 3, 2014
Her fingerprints are on the gun, but Sarah swears she’s innocent.
Although Sarah Anne Martin admits to pulling the trigger, she swears someone forced her to kill her lover. Homicide detective Jay Christianson is skeptical, but enough ambiguous evidence exists to make her story plausible. If he gives her enough freedom, she’ll either incriminate herself or draw out the real killers. But, having been burned before, Jay doesn’t trust his own protective instincts…and his growing attraction to Sarah only complicates matters.
With desire burning between them, their relationship could ultimately be doomed since Sarah will be arrested for murder if Jay can’t find the real killer.
Title: Timeless Treasures: Stories of the Heart
Weblink: www.timelessscribes.com
Genre: Romance, varied., short Stories
Heat Level: 1-2 Sweet-sensual
Publisher: Timeless Scribes Publishing LLC
Cover artist: Alchemy Book Covers and Design
Release date: October 15, 2014
A special wish of hope, strength, and love brings five couples what they treasure most in this heartwarming collection of short stories.
Ruth A. Casie ~ Whispers on the Wind
A newly minted knight plans to secure his place in his adoptive family through marriage. But the fates have other plans for him. Will he be willing to give up the life he’s always wanted to be with the woman he loves?
Lita Harris ~ Trusting Kindness
Former lovers are reunited one winter night on a boardwalk at the Jersey Shore. Will a common cause reignite their passion or extinguish it forever?
Emma Kaye ~ Losing Patience
When a wish sends a man back in time, can he save the woman he loves, or is he doomed to repeat the mistakes of the past?
Nicole S. Patrick ~ The Colors of Courage
Can a midnight kiss on New Year’s Eve lead a US Marine and struggling artist toward more than they’d ever dreamed of for the future?
Julie Rowe ~ Medal of Honor
When a Chicago surgeon is informed her homeless father has been murdered, she’s shocked to discover he won the Medal of Honor years ago in Vietnam. Now the killer has her in his sights, but the detective on the case has no intention of letting anyone hurt her. Ever.
Title: Under Starry Skies
Author: Judy Ann Davis
Weblink: www.judyanndavis.com
Genre: Historical Romantic Suspense
Heat Level: 2- Sensual
Publisher : The Wild Rose Press
Cover artist: R.J. Morris
Release date: May 7, 2014
Hired as the town’s school teacher, Maria O’Donnell and her sister Abigail arrive in the Colorado Territory in 1875, only to find the uncle they were to stay with has been murdered.
Rancher Tye Ashmore is content with life until he meets quiet and beautiful Maria. He falls in love at first sight, but her reluctance to jeopardize her teaching position by accepting his marriage proposal only makes him more determined to make her part of his life.
When their lives are threatened by gunshots and a gunnysack of dangerous wildlife, Tye believes he is the target of an unknown enemy. Not until Maria receives written threats urging her to leave does she realize she might be the target instead of the handsome rancher.
With the help of Tye, Abigail, and a wily Indian called Two Bears, Maria works to uncover her uncle’s killer and put aside her fears. But will she discover happiness and true love under Colorado’s starry skies?
Title: Unexpected Entrapment- #2, Alissia Roswell Series
Author: Tianna Holley
Weblink: www.tiannaholley.com
Genre: Fantasy Romance
Heat Level: 2 flames – Sensual
Publisher: Canton Walk Publishing
Cover artist: Jera Publishing
Release date: June 30, 2013
Alissia Roswell is far, far from home, and she won’t be going back any time soon. After having been sucked through a wormhole, spat out half-dead in an alternate reality, and revived by Lamians-an ancient, magical people who trigger a profound metamorphosis in Alissia, giving her powers she never thought possible-Alissia becomes the subject of Alrik Durst’s manipulation. Alrik has already usurped power in the city of Pallen, and with Alissia’s arrival, he sees his opportunity to exploit the power of the Lamians to his bidding as well, driving the land ever closer to civil war. Held prisoner in the luxurious confines of the Eldership castle in Pallen, Alissia is forced to feign memory loss to protect herself and her friends while fending off the romantic overtures of Ian Durst-Alrik’s all-too-charming son. Will the loves of her life, Grady Bolair and Luke Harrison, be able to help her escape? When she finally chooses between the two-Grady, the statesman, or Luke, the assassin-will it rip her alliances to shreds, casting uncertainty on her future?
Join Alissia as she learns to reign in her fiery personality, tries to accept her past, and struggles with the one thing that scares her most: vulnerability. Unexpected Entrapment: Alissia Roswell: Book Two will whisk you away to a world of mystical, menacing creatures and fantastic environs, where secrets abound and nothing is quite as it appears.
Title: Voices, #4, The Intrepid Women Series
Author: Kathryn Jane
Weblink: www.kathrynjane.com
Genre: Romantic Suspense
Heat Level: 3 flame. steamy
Publisher: Intrepid Mystery Horse
Cover artist: the Killion Group
Release date: November 30, 2014
She’s desperate to stop a killer….
Rachel Meyers has been on the run long enough—hiding from more than just death. But now the murders happening around her are forcing her to take a stand and the only person she can trust to help is the man she ran away from. Her husband.
He’s desperate to have his wife back….
Quinn Meyers has spent two years searching for Rachel. Now she’s back, scared and asking for help. But Quinn wants answers. Helping her is a given, he won’t say no, but he also won’t let her go again. Not without a fight.
Desperate love…
Quinn’s body still aches for Rachel, even though he’s guarded his heart since the day she left. Her continued secrecy is tearing apart any hope of saving their marriage. But more than love is at stake if Quinn and Rachel can’t find the killer.
Hey-Ho cover oglers! Spring is so close I can almost taste it! To celebrate, here’s April’s lovely cover art and the awesome authors, publishers and artists who made them possible for you to gaze this month. It would be great if you leave a comment letting everyone know what you like (or don’t like) about them and maybe even check out a few author links to meet those behind the books. Or just say hi. Don’t forget to tell your friends to stop by so they can appreciate some greatness too!
UnCover Mondays on The Ranch!!! This feature is only to highlight authors–not to sell books (though if you see one you want to buy I’m sure the authors won’t mind 😆 ). Enjoy this weeks’ covers to ogle and explore. If there is one provided, you can follow the artist links by clicking on the name, or if there’s an artist link provided, to learn more about the amazing creators of these beautiful covers. I think they deserve fair mention since they helped create the book! As always, click the covers for author websites to find out more. I wish everyone a fabulous 2014!
Title: Agent I1: Tristan– Book 1, The D.I.R.E. Agency Series
Author: Joni Hahn
Website: www.jonihahn.com
Genre: Sci Fi Romance
Publisher: Joni Hahn
Cover Artist: Najla Qamber Designs
Release Date: December 16, 2013
Agent I1: Tristan Jacobs
Credentials:
Enhancements:
Raised in the art of warfare, Former Navy SEAL, Tristan Jacobs, has always been a force to reckon with. Now that D.I.R.E. has successfully implemented his scientific enhancements, he’s a walking weapon. Unstoppable, as long as he stays focused. No relationships.
When ex-BUD/S teammate, Aidan Monroe, interrupts his long-awaited sabbatical to call in a favor, Tristan reluctantly fills the simple request: take out his sister’s fiancé.
One problem: Rachel Monroe – smokin’ hot, kind-hearted, and in desperate need of a protector. After the best sex of his life, Tristan’s afraid unstoppable is just a memory. Knowing Aidan’s temper, Tristan could be, too.
Rachel Monroe had a plan to help her mother. Her brother ruined everything when his gorgeous, super-agent friend teleported her to some forsaken island – and his bed. She’s drawn to him despite the fact he’s a professional agent, much like the people suspected of killing her father.
Now, his enemies have come to her small town, looking for vengeance. Have they found more than they bargained for? Or, does the past have its own retribution in mind?
Title: Amanda in the Summer
Author: Brenda Whiteside
Website: www.brendawhiteside.com
Genre: Women’s Historical
Publisher: The Wild Rose Press
Cover Artist: Rae Monet
Release date: December 18, 2013
Three generations of women…and the secret that strengthens their love.
A line of women, all named Amanda, stretches back for generations. Each with her hopes, her joys, her pain—each pouring out her heart in correspondence with a dear family friend who shares their lives, understands their loves, and joins in their sorrows.
But within the correspondence lies a secret. And as the youngest of the Amandas retraces the journey through the years—beginning in post-war America and following through to modern day—the letters reveal, layer by layer, the Amandas who came before her. Soon, the truths and lies hidden in the letters lead her down a path of self-discovery that forges a bond between her past and future.
Title: An Inescapable Attraction
Author: Sydney Jane Baily
Website: www.SydneyJaneBaily.com
Genre: Historical Romance
Publisher: Cat Whisker Press
Cover artist: Dar Albert
Release date: December 10, 2013
In a year of roaming the West, angel-faced, sharp-tongued Eliza encounters a world of card sharks and low-life gamesters, all the while trying to forget the searing brand of one man’s fiery kisses. In a dangerous game of high-stakes poker, she tangles with the wrong gambler and finds herself in a heap of trouble. With heartache haunting her relentlessly and a killer on her trail, she has no choice but to run.
Thaddeus Sanborn has always had a weakness for the girl he calls Ellie. Even though she cut him to the quick by getting engaged to his childhood friend, she’s the only one who’s ever kept his interest smoldering at a scorching level. When she steams unexpectedly into his carefree life, derailing his plans for getting rich, he’s stunned by the trouble that accompanies her. But he’ll do just about anything—even kill—to protect Ellie.
Dangerous men, Indian trackers, and wanton women populate the landscape—while steam trains, swift horses, and a lively riverboat keep Eliza and Thaddeus on the move. Though they do their best to escape the peril that’s always merely a hoofbeat behind, they can never run away from their own Inescapable Attraction.
Title: April Love
Author: Nancy Fraser
WebLink: www.facebook.com/nancyfraserauthor
Genre: Vintage Romance (1950s-60s)
Publisher: The Wild Rose Press
Artist: Tina Lynn Stout
Release date: February 11, 2104
Eleanor Martin is every company’s dream employee. She arrives early, stays late and never misses a day. If it weren’t for Eleanor’s skill as a private secretary, her architect boss would never make a deadline. Not only does she keep him on track, she runs interference between him and his over-bearing mother, his deadbeat brother, and the half dozen or so women who want to bed him and/or wed him.
When Jess Norton acquires a new client who asks him to build a palatial hideaway on Grand Cayman Island, Jess is certain he’ll never be able to complete the multi-million dollar job without the help of his efficient secretary. Despite her reservations, he convinces Eleanor to accompany him on the assignment of a lifetime.
The sun and the sand cast the perfect spell for romance. But will the tides turn in the opposite direction?
Title: Between Rock and a Hard Place
Author: MJ Schiller
Website: www.mjschillerauthor.blogspot.com
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Publisher: Kissmet Publishing
Cover artist’s name: Steven Novak
Release date: December 1, 2013
Heath “Hawk” McGowan is a young, single, cop and father. Jasmine Barrett is the rock star who has just discovered her best friend murdered in her own bed. Jasmine, or “Jazz”, as her fans call her, is not at all what Heath expects when he first meets her. Anticipating having to work with a prima donna, he is surprised to find her sweet and completely unassuming, in addition to being as sexy as her onstage persona. After outlining a number of reasons why he shouldn’t become involved with her—the top reason being he is the lead investigator in the murder of her best friend—Heath finds that he can’t stop himself from falling in love.
Things heat up between the two, especially after Jazz discovers another body in the condominium’s garage, and her terror drives her closer to Heath. Will Heath be able to solve the murders before Jasmine becomes the next victim? Or will he save Jazz, while, at the same time, losing his heart to her?
Title: Deep In My Heart
Author: Patricia W. Fischer
Weblink: www.facebook.com/PatriciaWFWriter
Genre: Romantic Suspense
Publisher: Patricia W. Fischer
Cover Artist: Tara West
Release date: October 4, 2013
Dr. Jocelyn Promise had no long-term plans to stay in Tuscany, Texas, but she saved the daughter of Caleb Davis, her high school crush, and became a hero. Will she allow herself to fall for him again?
Widower and Air Force Veteran, Caleb Davis, never wanted to fall in love again… until he saw Jocelyn. Now someone from his past has arrived to even a score.
Can he protect his family, Jocelyn, and his heart?
Things are about to get interesting in Tuscany, Texas
Title: Ghost Lover
Author: Liza O’Connor
Website: www.lizaoconnor.com/p/ghost-lover.html
Genre: Humorous Contemporary Romance w/paranormal elements
Publisher: New Authors Online
Cover Artist: Liza O’Connor
(Re)Release date: January 22, 2014
Two sexy English brothers.
One irresistible ghost.
Who would you choose as your lover?
Completely broke and with a criminal record to boot, Senna Smith is one day from eviction from her apartment when Brendon, her promiscuous roommate from London, suggests she go to England, marry him, and manage his fortune. With few other options, she agrees to an open marriage. But she’ll never, ever, have sex with him, knowing if she falls in love with him, he’ll break her heart.
As trustee of Brendon’s family fortune, there is no way Brendon’s older brother, Garrison Durran, is going to let him marry a self-professed American gold-digger. As Senna tries to embrace castle life and English society for Brendon’s sake, Gar discovers Senna is the perfect woman for him–beautiful and intelligent, kind and caring. Now, if she wasn’t already engaged to his brother…
The ancestral ghost of Durran Castle has to intervene if the Durran brothers have any chance of an heir. He can’t leave them to fix matters on their own. They are useless buggers when it comes to love. As counselor to Gar, matchmaker for Brendon, and lover to Senna, a ghost’s work is never done.
CONTENT WARNING: Allergy warning: Ghost cat in book.
Title: Hunter
Author: Joanne Wadsworth
Website: www.joannewadsworth.com
Genre: YA/NA Fantasy Romance
Publisher: Joanne Wadsworth
Cover Artist: Renee Rocco
Release Date: December 30, 2013
To love and protect…across worlds.
Nineteen-year-old Lieska Alura, a Dralion warrior from the planet Magio, calls an Australian Outback station her home away from home. Hounded by her skilled hunter senses, she is on a mission to track down one man, her soul-bound mate.
Peacian protector and hunter, Cole Cyrano, is driven by his soul’s demand to find his mated one, a woman he knows is his enemy. Dralion and Peacio are at war, and he ignores his soul’s call. Except Lieska shows up during a fierce training session inside his protectors’ arena, and his soul demands he protect her.
Completely, yet impossibly matched, they decide to renounce their bond, only not all goes as planned when Lieska receives word bushfires rage across her Outback station. She leaves, and now nothing can keep Cole from the hunt. He joins Lieska in driving the station’s cattle toward the mighty river, and the chase is on…against both nature and each other. Can the mated pair find their place together in a world at war?
Title: Outlaw Muse
Author: Lauren Linwood
Website: www.laurenlinwood.com
Genre: Western historical romance
Publisher: Soul Mate Publishing
Cover Artist: Ramona Lockwood
Release date: October 9, 2013
Separated from her twin during the Orphan Train selection, schoolmarm Serena Sullivan searched for her brother Bill over fifteen years. Just as she gets a lead on his whereabouts, she is railroaded by a crooked sheriff and set to hang for the murder of the sheriff’s best friend.
English playwright Daman Rutledge has come to the American West on business for his brother when he witnesses a woman about to be executed. On impulse he rescues the beautiful stranger and goes on the run with her across the Kansas prairie. Along the way Daman finds the muse he’s been missing and loses his heart to the raven-haired beauty with haunting amber eyes.
As they try to escape the long arm of the law, Daman seeks to prove Serena’s innocence before it’s too late. They find love—and the truth—on a journey that changes their lives.
Title: Summertime Dream
Author: Babette James
Website: www.babettejames.com
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Publisher: The Wild Rose Press
Cover artist: Kim Mendoza
Release date: April 4, 2014
The Fourth of July is over, but for these summer lovers the fireworks have just begun.
An unexpected inheritance brings business consultant Christopher Gordon from Los Angeles to quaint Falk’s Bend. He’s carved a week from his demanding schedule to list his great-grandparents’ house for sale and explore his roots. However, disturbing family secrets and the sweet temptation of writer Margie Olsson derail his plans, challenging him to seize the elusive dream missing from his hectic life— love.
A recent brush with death shook Margie’s life, but not her dreams and she’s ready to move forward. Only, standing up to her loving, over-protective family isn’t easy. Helping Christopher explore the derelict mansion and unravel his grandmother’s mysterious past should be a harmless fun taste of independence. But when her experimental summer fling ignites into unexpected love, how can her small town dreams work with his big city life?
I want to thank all the authors who submit and make this a special place to share their work!
Dec 19
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Amanda in the Summer Yeah, yeah. I know it’s Thursday. 😆 But I wanted to have my guest back and Friday didn’t work for me this month, so we’re doing FanFare Friday today. 🙂 I’m so excited to have the lovely Brenda Whiteside traveling from warm(er?) Arizona, braving the cold here in Oklahoma to return to […]
Oct 29
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…with Amanda in the Summer I’m so excited to have friend and sister WRP author of Honey on White Bread, Brenda Whiteside on the blog! I had another guest who was supposed to be here but couldn’t make it so Brenda graciously agreed to fill the slot. (Mostly because, due to family issues I failed […]
Osiyo~
OMG(osh)! I am so thriled and honored to have Brenda Whiteside on the ranch today! I have been staring at this book cover for weeks hoping I can win it (vs buying it which has no fun of chance but may be my only avenue if I want to read this book-and I do) and read this book! But seriously… LOOK at this cover! Doesn’t it make you want to read her book? So, I’m going to give Brenda free rein on the ranch today while I cuddle my mocha and enjoy her visit. I’m pleased you’re here too.
Take it away, Brenda!
Thank you for joining me today. My name is Brenda Whiteside and I write romance and women’s fiction. I’ll be drawing for the winner of an ebook of Honey On White Bread. Don’t forget to leave your email address in your comment.
Mine’s calisa(dot)rhose…oh, you mean our guests… sorry. So everyone else leave your emails! Proceed sweetie. 🙂
What fantasies did you have as a child that you carried forward into adulthood? Hopefully, you haven’t grown up while you’ve been growing older.
As a child, I was prone to fantasy – not necessarily the stuff of magic but the stuff of romance. I can blame much of my imagination on black and white movies of the 1930’s and1940’s. During the hot afternoons in Phoenix, Mom would draw the living room drapes and turn on The Channel Five Movie Matinee which ran the old black and white movies from her teenage years. On Saturday mornings we’d watch The Shirley Temple Hour. My mother loved to sing. She could sing all the songs from the movies and taught them to her two daughters.
*Calisa says: I love the Shirley Temple movies!*
Movies were set on sound stages mostly and they didn’t worry about too much realism. My heart pattered over Gene Kelly dancing in the rain, Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers dancing around a perfect garden under perfectly spaced stars and Dorothy dancing through the Land of Oz.
As a result of my starry-eyed fascination with that era, the book of my heart is a novel set in 1945. Writing Honey On White Bread let me submerge myself into those magical, romantic movies and in a time that seems simpler by today’s standards. My heroine, Claire Flanagan, is caught up in that fantasy called Hollywood. She loves those old black and white movies as much as I did. Of course, for her they’re not old. Her hero, Benjamin Russell, in her eyes, is as dashing as any movie star idol. But it wasn’t all bliss and glitz.
Blurb:
When seventeen-year-old Claire Flanagan is wrenched from her father and deposited at the Good Shepherd’s Home for Wayward Girls, all dreams for Hollywood stardom are lost. But when twenty-year-old Benjamin Russell helps secure her release, she starts to believe in a happy future with him…until she discovers his ex-girlfriend is pregnant.
In this post WWII coming of age novel, Claire discovers the silver screen can’t compare with the fight she takes on for the leading role in her own life.
If you romanticize days gone by like I do, I’d like to give you an ebook of Honey On White Bread. Leave me a comment and your email address and I’ll draw for the winner.
I do and this blurb is fantastic! Even more, you have an excerpt for us.
EXCERPT:
“I’ve never snuck into a theater before. Sneaking into a dark theater with Arnold …” Paulie laughed. “Are you sure this isn’t supposed to be a date?” Paulie appeared at once timid and suspicious.
“I’m sure. He’s getting me … us in to see a movie for free. Dick Hames! He’s so dreamy.”
“Arnold’s dreamy.”
“You know, Paulie, Arnold is a dear friend …”
“Oh, pooh, Claire.” Paulie batted at my skirt.
“Okay, okay, a special friend. We haven’t made any promises to each other or anything. He’s cute, he’s fun … but …”
“But what?”
“Oh, I don’t know.” A hint of guilt over the difference between how I felt about Arnold compared to how he felt about me passed like the breeze drifting over the porch boards. His were childish whims of infatuation, pushy, uninvited. “It’s kind of hard to explain…” I toyed with the folds of my skirt. If most of the girls at North High were stuck on Arnold, a great catch I didn’t appreciate, then I wished my best friend could change places with me. If only …
“Hey, ladies.” The blur of a male figure in jeans had ascended the porch steps, not pausing to pass pleasantries.
He opened the screen door and stepped into the house. Benjamin. My second encounter brought on an unexplained reaction; my heart pattered even though I’d barely caught a glimpse.
“Oh, hey, Ben,” Paulie said. “You look tired, big brother.”
Her words stopped him. “Little bit.” He paused behind the screen door.
“This is Claire.”
He tipped his head to me. “Nice to meet you, Claire.” He continued on into the house.
“Same here,” I muttered as the screen door shut.
“Now, where were we?” Paulie put a finger to her mouth.
I looped an arm through my friend’s. “We were going to see if your momma could use some help. Come on.” I pulled her from the seat. “Let’s help then freshen up before dinner.”
We let the screen door slam behind us and turned into the kitchen in time to see Benjamin lift his mother from the floor and spin around twice.
“You stop that, Benjamin Willis. Man or no, I can take a hand to your hide, if I need to.” Her hands flailed gently at his chest.
He laughed as he set her down, steadying her before letting go. Taut muscles on the back of his arms flexed with the effort; his deep laugh filled the kitchen. I couldn’t help being drawn into this entirely pleasant scene, comical and radiating warmth, inviting me to take part in their joy. His mother snatched a dishtowel from the counter and swiped at his legs.
“Hold off now. I give, I give.” He withdrew what appeared to be a check from his back pocket.
Mrs. Russell accepted the paper without comment and stuffed it into the frayed pocket of her red checked apron. He kissed her on the forehead, took the bottle of beer she offered him, and leaving the kitchen, nodded in my direction.
I sniffed the sweat of hard work and the yeasty smell of beer as he passed by. My head reeled for a moment with the warmth of the kitchen and the people within, combined with the essence of what I labeled man.
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Buy Honey On White Bread at these places:
Honey On White Bread ISBN: 978-1-61235-267-1
http://www.melange-books.com/authors/brendawhiteside/honey.html
Honey On White Bread Amazon ASIN: B006LWJ6VU
And her other newest releases are available if you can’t get enough of Brenda’s voice!
Warm Christmas Wishes ISBN: 978-1-61235-265-7
http://www.melange-books.com/authors/anthologies/WarmChristmasWishes.html
Tattoos, Leather and Studs ISBN: 978-1-61235-258-9
http://www.melange-books.com/authors/brendawhiteside/tattoos.html
Convinced she was born to be an artist, Brenda never took her love of writing seriously. One day, sometime after college, marriage to a man doing a stint in the army and the birth of her son, she discovered she gained more satisfaction by filling a blank page with words than an empty canvas with color. She left her paints behind. After publishing several short stories, she turned to writing novels. Regardless of the length of her story, the characters drive her forward, taking her on their journey of discovery and love.
Brenda and her husband are gypsies at heart currently making Minnesota their home and sharing it with their dog, Rusty. True to their nature, they’re planning to move once again in 2012 to Northern Arizona. When she’s not at her laptop writing, she enjoys hiking, motorcycle riding and the company of good friends.
Visit Brenda at www.brendawhiteside.com.
Or on FaceBook: www.facebook.com/BrendaWhitesideAuthor
She blogs on the 9th and 24th of every month at http://rosesofprose.blogspot.com
She blogs occasionally on her personal blog http://brendawhiteside.blogspot.com/
What a super excerpt, Brenda. Thank you for sharing and hanging on the ranch with us today! Remember- emails in your comments! And Brenda will contact the winner!
Dodadagohvi~
Living in the Oklahoma countryside with my husband is all the inspiration I need.
Pen of The Dreamer 