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Monday, June 23, 2014
Cover Reveal for IMAGINE THAT
I'm so excited! In one week my third inspirational romance IMAGINE THAT will be available from Astraea Press!!! I know you will love the story of quirky children's author Emily Sinclair and blue collar house painter, Nate Cooper. There is a darker element in this book as Nate's mother is battling cancer but in the end there is a wonderful, hopeful message about everlasting life to be found in the Lord.
So let's have a drum roll please...The cover for IMAGINE THAT!
Back Cover Blurb:
So let's have a drum roll please...The cover for IMAGINE THAT!
Back Cover Blurb:
Children’s author Emily Sinclair was supposed to be the next
J.K. Rowling…Until her second book flopped and her imagination went on the
fritz. So Emily sets out on an epic
adventure to find inspiration again. Till a dead car lands her in Covington
Falls, Georgia. Soon Emily is
taking up her quest, looking for inspiration driving a mobile library van, as a
companion to a crotchety old woman and her insomniac dog, and as a very ungraceful baker’s assistant. Of course, what really sparks her romantic
fantasies is a valiant hero, though he yields a paint roller instead of a
sword.
Rugged, blue-collar Nate Cooper has spent most of his life
avoiding the printed page. These days he doesn’t have much use for fancy words
and certainly not for a slightly off-center writer on the lam. Not when his
mother is battling cancer, his little brother has morphed into a teenaged ogre,
and God seems to have taken a vacation.
On paper, these two would seem the least likely pairing, and
a happily ever after nothing but fantasy. But with faith and imagination Emily
and Nate are about to write a new chapter that will lead to unexpected love.
Thursday, June 19, 2014
Author Spotlight - Jackal by Heather Gray
Blurb:
Hiding in
the shadows just got harder.
When tragedy strikes, Juliana and her family must
flee their home. Can they persuade a virtual stranger to help them? Juliana
isn't so sure, especially after their chaperone threatens to cane him. Even as
Juliana struggles to trust him, she finds herself drawn to this mysterious man.
Surely all she wants from him is refuge…
Rupert is a man whose life depends on his ability
to remain unnoticed. What, then, is he supposed to do with this family he's
inherited? His life is overrun with an
ancient chaperone who would terrify a lesser man, two spirited girls, and the
secretive Juliana – someone he comes to think of as his own precious jewel.
With this new responsibility thrust upon him,
Rupert will have to make sacrifices – but will God ask him to sacrifice
everything?
Excerpt:
1810
A duke had been cut down in the prime
of his life. According to the War Department, The Hunter was to blame.
Jackal had been put onto The Hunter's
scent and told to ferret him out at all cost. It was his job, his duty to the
crown, and he treated it with the seriousness it demanded. Evil could not be
allowed to go unpunished, and people who took pleasure in destroying the lives
of others would not walk away with impunity, not on his watch.
Jackal met with his contacts in the
Austrian government and found no gratification in revealing they had a traitor
in their midst. It had been a necessary move, and now the problem would be
dealt with. The Austrians would put The Hunter down, and England's hands would
remain clean of the mess, exactly as the minister wanted.
Grim foreboding furrowed his brow as he
left the meeting with the Austrians. His lack of evidence mocked him. He'd done
as ordered, and they'd believed him, but had it been his choice, he'd have
gathered more proof first.
Jackal climbed into his carriage and
slapped his hand against the roof, signaling the driver with his readiness to
depart. A lengthy ride awaited him. He would leave the carriage and his current
identity behind in Munich once he arrived there. New papers and fresh horses
were waiting for him. The same would happen again when he crossed over into
Stuttgart, and then again in Brussels. His task was clear: remain alive long
enough to claim each of the new identities and return safely to his homeland.
Sitting back on the roughly cushioned
seat, he accepted what he'd begun to suspect. This would be his last assignment
for the crown. He was getting too old for the job. The time to retire was upon
him. The younger bucks were willing – if not entirely ready – to take their
place among the ranks of the unseen, unknown, and unnamed heroes of war. Jackal
shook his head. Not too long ago, he'd been one of those young bucks. Ready for
retirement at age thirty-two? The thought would be laughable in any other
career. In his line of work, though, only those who retired young lived to be
old and grey.
Lost in melancholy, Jackal barely noted the change from
the raucous noise of a bustling merchant district to the quiet pastoral sounds
that would accompany him on most of this journey. Europe was a large land with
rich cities interspersed with vast emptiness dotted with small hamlets.
Traveling by carriage would take weeks, but as long as he could report back
that he'd done as ordered, it would be worth the time.
He settled into his seat. They were still days from their
first sanctioned stop. As always, the best defense was to keep moving.
****
A change in the carriage's soothing methodical movement
woke Jackal from his doze and alerted him that something was amiss. Awareness
coursed through his veins, pushing away the remnant of sleep. A quick glance at
the curtained window told him it was late morning. They'd ridden through the
night to put as much distance as possible between them and
Vienna – the current
hub of Austrian government.
The carriage was moving with a wildness he'd felt only one
other time in his life. Dread snaked through his middle as he accepted the
truth. There was no longer a driver in control of his conveyance. Jackal
crouched low on the floor for balance as he prepared to throw open the door and
jump. Perhaps he should have sought retirement one assignment sooner.
Before his hand could touch the door, a jarring force
threw Jackal against the seat to his left, shooting pain up his arm. They'd
been boarded, then, and his driver – an agent he'd worked with for years – had
likely not been alive to sound the alarm. Emotion would come later. For now,
Jackal needed to focus on one thing: Survival.
The carriage gained speed under the skillful hand of
whoever now sat in the driver's seat. I
should have jumped when I had the chance. Jackal shook his head as he
calculated the odds of survival.
Palming his gun, he pounded on the roof of the carriage,
commanding the driver to stop. Surprise flared to life as his conveyance did
indeed come to a standstill. Rather than slow to a gentle stop, the carriage
halted its forward momentum in a skidding bone-shaking fashion. It was the kind
of stop that guaranteed no beast would be able to walk away from it afterward.
Jackal jumped before the dust could
settle. His best chance would be to go on the offence and catch the driver
off-guard. Though he'd assumed the driver had a partner, nothing could have
prepared him for the vicious attack awaiting him on the other side of the door.
Jackal no sooner touched the ground
than he was trampled under the anxious feet of a high-stepping horse. He'd not
even had a chance to gain his footing. As he lay on the ground, Jackal both
heard and felt the breaking of bone in his left leg. A couple of his ribs
surrendered to the heavy hooves as well. Rolling onto his side, he took aim at
the perpetrator. The sun blinded him, and he could distinguish no features on
the man whose gun dared him to move. In the split second it took for him to
reassure himself he was not aiming at an innocent bystander – for they were
indeed in one of the numerous modest hamlets that dotted the continent's
countryside – the rider pulled the trigger, and pain seared through Jackal's
already throbbing leg. It felt as if the lead had burrowed its way into his
very bone.
He pulled the trigger of his flintlock
pistol, and the man on the horse recoiled. Even as Jackal reached for the gun
concealed at the ankle of his wounded leg, he knew it was futile. The rider had
a second gun in-hand before his own fingers even brushed against the grip of
his hidden weapon. Pain tore through his shoulder, immobilizing his shooting
arm. Another ball of lead ripped into his middle. He felt his blood seeping out
onto the street.
Accepting his fate, he asked only one
thing. "At whose hand am I to die this day?"
Laughter vile enough to sour port met
his question. "Today the Jackal shall meet his end at the hands of The
Hunter."
The
Hunter? The Austrians were supposed to have him by now.
"Your plan failed, and I am free.
Prepare to die."
Blackness closing in around him, Jackal
released the last thought held captive in his mind.
Why
God?
Cold claimed his body as he slipped
into darkness. He neither heard nor felt the next shot.
Buy Links:
About the Author:
Heather
Gray is the author of the Ladies of Larkspur inspirational western romance
series, including Mail Order man, Just
Dessert, and Redemption. She also writes the Regency Refuge series
with titles His Saving Grace, Jackal, and
the soon-to-be-released Queen. But that's not all! Interested in contemporary Christian
romance? Take a look at Ten Million Reasons and Nowhere for Christmas.
Heather
loves coffee, God, her family, and laughter – not necessarily in that
order! She writes approachable and
flawed characters who, through the highs and lows of life, find a way to love
God, embrace each day, and laugh out loud right along with her. And, yeah, her books almost always have
someone who's a coffee addict. Some
things just can't be helped.
Connect With Heather:
Tuesday, June 17, 2014
Author Spotlight - True Colors by Krysten Lindsay Hager
Tagline: A little
competition can really bring out people’s true colors.
About the Book:
Every day I walked down the sidewalk to
school and wished I were one of the interesting popular girls who ran up with exciting
news. Just once I’d like to be one of those girls instead of the being the one
who didn’t get invited to things because people “forgot” about me.
Landry gets pushed into trying out for the American Ingénue
reality show modeling competition with her two best friends. She doesn’t think she stands a chance, but
she advances to the next level in the competition and her friends ignore her
when they get cut.
Enter the gorgeous Devon, who also makes the first cut and
includes Landry in her clique. Devon becomes the perfect best friend, but can
their friendship survive the competition?
Landry hopes her big break could come at any moment, but
soon sees there’s much more to modeling. She begins missing out on being with
friends and has the chance to have a boyfriend when she meets a boy named Vladi
from another school.
Part of Landry wants to be famous (and have her hair look
good for once), but part of her just wants to be accepted. She learns about
friendships, being true to yourself, and that a good hair conditioner doesn’t
hurt.
Excerpt:
The competition was for girls between the ages of thirteen
and seventeen, but it felt like Ericka, Tori, and I were the youngest ones
there. I only saw a couple of girls from school, and the lineup looked more
like something you’d see on a music video set. All the girls were gorgeous, and
they had these curvy womanly bodies. I looked like a skinny little kid next to
them. The first girl walked out, and I heard the judges say she “owned the
runway,” and, “walked like a gazelle.” I was starting to feel ill. I wasn’t
sure which way it was going to come, but I knew I had to find a bathroom —
fast. I started to get out of line when Ericka grabbed my wrist.
“It’s almost time,” she said. A tiny bit of spit flew out of
her mouth and hit my cheek.
I wasn’t sure why she was so intent on me going through with
it, but she had a death grip on my arm, so I didn’t have much of a choice. Her
number was called and she walked out to the stage. One of the other girls said
she walked like a kid with sand bucket stilts on her feet, but she came back
with a smirk on her face like she knew she’d get chosen.
“They said they had never seen such long legs,” she said.
Tori was next.
“She walks like a gorilla at feeding time,” said the girl
behind me.
I went next, and I tried to focus on not tripping over my feet. My
mom’s pumps had a rubber sole on the bottom, which probably wasn’t the
brightest idea seeing as my shoes were making squeaking noises as I walked. I
was so nervous I couldn’t stop smiling as I walked. I looked like the plastic
clown who blows up balloons with its mouth at the Pizza Palace. When I got to
the end of the runway, I tried to cross my feet to turn like the other girls
had, but I over rotated and ended up doing a full spin which made my kilt fan
out and gave the mall walkers a view of my blue underpants. I tried to act like
it was intentional and did an extra turn. One of the judges put her hand up to
stop me, and I held my breath as she started to speak.
Buy Links: Amazon Barnes & Noble
About Krysten:
Krysten Lindsay Hager is an author and book addict who has
never met a bookstore she didn’t like. She’s worked as a journalist and also
writes middle grade, YA, humor essays, and adult fiction. TRUE COLORS is her debut novel from Astraea Press. She is originally from
Michigan and has lived in South Dakota, Portugal, and currently resides in
Southern Ohio where you can find her reading and writing when she’s not
catching up on her favorite shows.
Connect with Krysten:
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