Coming soon!

After my publisher, Turquoise Morning Press, closed its doors, I found a new home for my books. I published the series romance novels through Amazon's CreateSpace. But my romantic suspense, REBUILD MY WORLD, found a home at Salt Run Publishing, LLC, Since it's part of my Mustang Sally trilogy, it needed better exposure. This time around, the novel has added bonus material, a short story sequel of sorts called Veiled Threat. If you read TMP's anthology The Wedding Day Collection (now out of print), you may remember Veiled Threat. Both have been reedited and revised.

Soon REBUILD MY WORLD with its bonus VEILED THREAT will be available. I'll keep you posted. I am super excited to be working with the folks at Salt Run Publishing! 

Release day for A Dose of Romance (Drake Springs Book 3)

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Authors love release day. Months of hard work--writing, editing, proofing, revising, copy editing--culminates in a finished product ready for readers. You! I'm no different. I'm thrilled to have readers download A DOSE OF ROMANCE and read Tiffany and Woody's story. It's set around the holidays but isn't strictly a holiday read. 

This is book 3, you say, and you haven't yet read books 1 and/or 2? Don't let that stop you. While it's fun to read a series in order, you don't have to. My number one rule in writing a series romance is to make the story stand alone. Threads from other stories need to be reintroduced. I don't want my readers lost or scrambling to re-read a previous story. So even if you've yet to try the Drake Springs series, dive in and read A DOSE OF ROMANCE. If you like it, then you may want to buy previous titles. Or not. Your decision.

Happy reading!  And don't forget to enter the raffle for a $10 iTunes card.

Excerpt:

Tiffany rushed in to Fox’s Apothecary right before closing and headed directly to the pharmacy. 

The pharmacist turned to greet her. “Help you?” 

It was him. Woody Fox. Mister light-brew-with-half-and-half. Her heart stuttered and her breath caught. “Um, yes, I’m here to pick up a refill for my dad. Er, Drew Blair.” 

His smile widened. “Drew Blair is your dad? I guess I didn’t realize. . .that is, I didn’t know your name was Blair.” 

“You know my dad?” 

“Yes, I do. Not sure where I’d be without him. He keeps my old Bronco running.” 

“Don’t know where I’d be without him, either.” 

He turned to search through the white bags of filled prescription orders. “His is the best auto repair shop- in town.” 

She did an eye roll at his back. “Right. He’s the only shop in town.” 

He turned his dazzling smile on her. “Here you go.” 

She took the bag and thanked him. “Well, I guess I’ll see you Monday.” 

He frowned. “You don’t work Saturdays?” 

“I do.” She pointed to her temple. “Duh. I’m brain dead from too much studying.” 

“What are you studying?” 

“Business. I’ll have my associate’s degree in May.” 

His hazel eyes flashed with interest. “I didn’t realize you were a college student.” 

“I’m not going to wait tables all my life, not that there’s anything wrong with it.” 

“I know what you mean. What will you do with your degree?” 

“I have a few ideas. Dad says I can run his shop, but that’s risking everything on one business. It’s better to diversify.” 

“Right. Spread the risk.” He leaned against the counter. “I didn’t know they taught business classes at Drake College.” 

“They don’t. I have to commute to Florida Gateway College.” 

“Is that in Lake City?” 

“Right.” She’d stalled long enough. He might think she was flirting. She turned toward the front checkout counter. “See you later.” 

“Sure. I’d like to talk more about your business ideas.” 

“Uh, yeah. But not at the diner, okay? I don’t want to discuss it on the job.” 

“Gotcha.”

Boyd and Lorraine didn’t know her plan. No one did yet. So why had she mentioned it to Mister light-brew-with-half-and-half? Mister engaged-to-be-married light-brew-with-half-and-half?

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iBooks-the emerging giant in eBooks?

I don't know about you, but I do just about everything on my smartphone. I carry an iPhone 5S and love it, which surprises me because I resisted all things Apple for so many years. Live and learn.

I now have an app called Map My Walk that tells me how far I walk, what route I take, my splits (how long each mile takes), calories burned, etc. It emails me reports with summaries of my workouts. It even tracks how many miles are on my pair of shoes so I know when they should be replaced. 

I have an app that holds all my store loyalty cards. No more plastic tabs clogging up my key ring. Love that! I use the calendar app to track my family's appointments and activities, the email app to check for messages when I'm away from my PC, the MapQuest app when I need directions, the various social networking apps to check my friends' statuses, and the weather app to check the forecast. I can take photos and post them from my iPhone. I keep to-do lists and grocery lists stored, too.

Occasionally, I use the iPhone to place a call, although I now prefer texting. Who knew I'd be such a slave to one device?

While waiting in a doctor's or dentist's office, I read. I didn't realize how handy reading on my iPhone would be. Now I love it (and my iPad knows right where I leave off). 

So I'm late to the iBooks game, which I've learned is the fastest growing platform. News to me, but I see why. I can buy iBooks via the iTunes store using the iTunes account I already established for music, ringtones, and premium version of apps.

Most of my books are available via iBooks, too: https://itunes.apple.com/us/artist/cheryl-norman/id417449386?mt=11

If you are ready to jump into iBooks, you'll need an iTunes account. This month I'm offering a $10 iTunes gift card to a random entry. I hope you'll participate. If you win, you can download some iBooks and start reading wherever you go.

Happy Holidays.

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Holiday Stories

I've posted before about my love of holiday themed stories. I re-read A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens every December. I watch all the corny holiday movies on the Hallmark channel. I have my own copy of A Christmas Story. I admit it. I'm a sucker for Christmas stories, especially romances.

The first Christmas romance I wrote was for Wings ePress. My contemporary romance Last Resort, which was inspired by and loosely based on the old Alec Guinness movie Last Holiday (this was before Queen Latifah's updated version---and yes, I have that DVD, too), earned me the 2003 EPPIE (now EPIC) award for best contemporary romance.

2003 Eppie Winner

Last year, I wrote my first inspirational romance story, The Christmas Prayer,  part of The Heart of Christmas anthology from Highland Press. The feedback I received from readers overwhelmed me. I didn't expect to find many readers for my foray into the subgenre of inspirational romance. Evidently, there's a market.

The reception for that story motivated me to write another, a sequel of sorts, titled Hometown Blessings, which is included in the Christmas Blessings anthology from Highland Press. (Note: All four stories connect to the four stories in the previous anthology, and there's talk of doing a third in the series for 2015). The "hometown" is fictional Harper, Georgia, a small community in the North Georgia mountains. The subject matter may be controversial, but I was moved to write the story. It's a timely issue--sexual predators within the church--and tough subject matter. Yet it's a happy holiday romance, too. I hope you'll give it a read.

Since it's gift giving season, consider copies of these anthologies as presents to the romance readers on your list. The anthology is offered in both print and e-book, or you can download the individual stories for .99 each.   

And don't forget to enter the drawing for the iTunes gift card.

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FOSTER CARE ~ Drake Springs Book 2

What do you think when you hear "Foster Care?" In Drake Springs, "Foster Care" isn't used in the usual sense. Foster Care, located in Foster County and run by the two Foster sisters, is a nursery school and daycare facility. Actually, it's the nursery school and daycare. Drake Springs is a small town, and before the sisters opened Foster Care, working parents had few options for childcare. 

Kirby and Mandy Foster share a passion for children and education, so their chosen career paths make sense. Both vow to keep Foster Care open even in the event they marry. In Kirby's case, marriage is highly unlikely. She's gun shy after her ex betrayed her. Older sister Mandy is just too picky to find Mr. Right.

When a private investigator asks Kirby out to dinner, she knows it's a safe date. He'll soon head back to New Jersey, and she's not serious about any guy. But Nick Tomasi isn't just any guy. He's amazingly easy to talk to (and amazingly easy on the eyes, too). In fact, he seems eerily familiar. It's as if she's known him her entire adult life. How could that be?

As for Nick, could the pretty red-haired Kirby knock him off his game? Soon he falls victim to her "Foster Care" and almost forgets his real reason for the trip to Drake Springs. When Kirby finds out, all hope for a future with her almost soul mate evaporates. Can Nick save the day and win the girl, or will he ride off into the sunset?

Foster Care is available in digital formats from the following sites:



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Where is Harper, Georgia?

The fourth and final holiday story in Christmas Blessings is mine, Hometown Blessings. The title's "hometown" is fictional Harper, Georgia, which is located vaguely near Cleveland, Georgia, in the mountains.

If you visit Cleveland (or any of the area's towns) you'll get a feel for the small town of Harper. My mental model for the town actually was Jasper, Georgia, but I wanted it located a bit closer to Gainesville and Atlanta. Folks in the North Georgia mountains get along. As with most small towns, they band together to help neighbors in need. Plenty of churches of all denominations dot the landscape, and there's a town square with the county courthouse and surrounding local businesses.

And there's good eats! In fact, the "Good Eats" man himself, Alton Brown, is from Georgia. The Smith House in Dahlonega and the Dillard House in Dillard are just two of the many family style restaurants where great local cuisine is served in large bowls (all you can eat!) that get passed around the table. Some of these seat you at large tables with strangers, but you won't be strangers long. Nothing breaks the ice like breaking bread together--usually cornbread.

The Moonlight Diner sits right in the center of Harper, right on the town square, and owner Maudine Jones serves the best biscuits in the South. It's where locals gather for the lunch special or simply for a coffee break. If you're law enforcement, Maudine gives you free coffee, so guess where local cops take their breaks.

Right before Thanksgiving, Harper decorates the town with lighted candy canes on each lamp post. Every place of business participates with lights of their own. The first Saturday in December is the parade and festival, followed that evening by the tree lighting and, weather permitting, street dance.

Welcome to Harper, Georgia. Y'all come on in and sit a spell. Get to know the friendly folks and yummy food. Enjoy Hometown Blessings.

And don't y'all forget to enter the giveaway! You can enter again today even if you've already participated.

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Tour Low Lake, Florida

Multi-published romance author Patty Howell is today's guest blogger, and she created her own southern town for her Christmas story, Low Lake. Patty calls Suwannee County, Florida, home now but has lived all over the world. She's known as a skilled editor, too. And she's also known as my friend and colleague. Be sure to read her story, The Blessing of Forgiveness, part of Christmas Blessings.

The setting for the Blessing of Forgiveness is Low Lake, a fictionalized small town in North Florida that borders Suwannee County. The town has grown over the last twenty years and now hosts about 20,000 residents. For big-city shopping and more elegant dining the townsfolk can travel to Jacksonville, Tallahassee, or Gainesville.

Low Lake’s fame is its churches. Almost every denomination is served and they work together to take care of the less fortunate living among them. Although snow isn’t an attraction at Christmas time, the love and warmth of its residents will melt even the coldest of hearts.

Some of my characters were born and raised in Low Lake, others have moved here from far and wide, but all agree on one thing: even in its growth, Low Lake takes care of its own.

Don't miss Christmas in Low Lake, Florida. And don't miss out on the giveaway. You may enter every day for a print copy of The Heart of Christmas.

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The Magic of Mistletoe, Tennessee

When it comes to Christmas tradition, no town does a better job than Mistletoe, Tennessee. Just ask its creator, author Judith Leigh, our next guest poster. Judy is a good friend, and her compassion and sensitivity show up in her writing.

My setting for Mistletoe Blessings came about one day when I was looking through a travel magazine. I spotted a picture of a snow-covered town, the kind that you see on a Courier & Ives Christmas card. The caption read Why Not Spend Christmas on Lookout Mountain. I knew where I was going to send my heroine, and since they grow Mistletoe around the area that is what I named my town.

Mistletoe is in Tennessee. The small town has grown somewhat and boasts a population of 7,950 residents. When they want to do heavy shopping and fancy eating, they go to Nashville or Chattanooga. Mistletoe is noted for its magical happenings. Many tourists have experienced the strange feelings that come over them while looking at the town’s angel statue. It stands near the center of town next to a Gazebo. It’s a place where dreams come true.     

Many of my characters were born and raised there. Others left then returned to stay forever. Warmth and love surround this town. The citizens are always there for each other with a helping hand and encouragement. It’s a place that once you come here you don’t want to leave; and if you do leave, you’ll come back again and again. 

Come on, why not plan a trip to Mistletoe? See what magic awaits this Christmas. We’re waiting for y'all at the café with a glass of milk and a piece of Tami’s Christmas cake.

Don't forget to enter the giveaway. You may enter every day! 

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Welcome to Stableton, Florida

Today's guest post is from Susan Sweet, friend and author of inspirational stories for Highland Press and mysteries for Wings ePress. Susan takes us on a tour of her story's small town.

Dan Forest returned to his home town Stableton, Florida, after losing his wife and daughter to the devastating floods of Hurricane Katrina. He needed to be around his family and friends to put his life back together.

Stableton is a fictional small town in northern Florida, where there are fewer than 25,000 people. It boasts one major fire department, a sheriff's office, one hospital, and one large shopping strip which includes a major grocery store. Everyone there either knows you or has heard of you, but in a nice way. The closest major town is Jacksonville. If you need the attractions that city holds, you have to travel only 35 miles.

The citizens are friendly, helpful and actually care about the well-being of their fellow neighbors and friends. This is the town I've picked for my character's haven. This is the town where Betty and her daughter Amber rejoin their family to try and move on after tragedy struck them. You'll see how the family atmosphere of this small town steps in to do just that very thing.

Don't miss A Flood of Blessings, the lead story in Christmas Blessings. And don't forget to enter the giveaway. You may enter every day.

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Meet Maddie James-Author

Please welcome another of my Kentucky author friends, Maddie James!

I’m thrilled to be part of the Enchanted Lover: Tales of Everlasting Love boxed set, with Margaret Ethridge, JC Wardon, Jan Scarbrough, JM Kelley, and Cat Shaffer. This wonderfully diverse set of paranormal novels is sure to please. No vampires and no werewolves, but there is magic, ghosts/spirits, mystics, witches, reincarnation, and time-travel. That enough to scratch your paranormal itch?

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My book, Entranced, is the lead book in my Soul Mates series. 

Here’s the blurb:

Can souls touch through time and hold on when all odds are against them?

Claire Winslow vacations on an East Coast barrier island, content with her life and her potential future—until the illusion of a man walking the misty shore haunts her. Then one kiss—a beautiful, soulful, stolen kiss in the night—and her life changes forever.


Nearly 300 years past, Jack Porter is in hot pursuit of his kidnapped wife. Not an easy feat considering the year is 1718 and the kidnapper is the notorious pirate Blackbeard aka Edward Teach. Determined to rescue his wife and take the pirate’s head in the process, Jack steals aboard the pirate’s ship to save her.


Entranced sends Jack and Claire on a wild search through time, not only for the resolution to a powerful attraction between them, but also for a historical artifact that holds the key to their future happiness—the coveted silver-plated chalice made from Blackbeard’s skull.

***

The year was 1990 (I think). I had just discovered Romance Writers of America and was attending a yet-to-be-official Kentucky chapter meeting. I’d met informally with a couple of the women who were pulling the chapter together. The lady who was soon to be the president had just returned from the RWA convention.

During the meeting she pulled out a thick, red, hardback novel, placed it on the table, and said, “And this publisher was giving away this novel. I assume they think she is going to be huge! Why would they put a hardback novel on the chair of every attendee at dinner if they didn’t think so?”
She passed the book around. I held it in my hands and could only dream. I jotted down the title, and soon thereafter, bought my own copy.

That book was Diana Galbadon’s Outlander. And yes, she of course, turned out to be huge.

Outlander was my introduction to time travel novels – especially romantic time travel novels. I fell in love with Jamie Fraser like most every other woman who has read the books. I loved the idea of falling through time—how does that work, exactly? And was curious about how to handle parallel universes, and make everything fit together.

The thought of escape, disappearance, of not being in control of what was happening to you, or where you had landed, intrigued me.

And as years rolled on, after reading the first few books in the series, I knew that I needed to pen one of my own. How? I wasn’t sure. And I definitely didn’t whip one or two out within a few months. I can easily say this writing project has been with me for two decades.

At this point in my writing career, I was a neophyte. I’d been stabbing at contemporary category romance, sending my work out to Harlequin and Silhouette. Unsuccessfully. What made me think I could pull off something incredibly complex like a time travel novel? Or a series?

I suppose it was the immediate love I had for the genre. It was different, at least to me. I’d never read anything like it before. And I knew I had to go for it. I also knew it would be tricky, and that I needed to take my time with it.

While on a family vacation during spring break of 1992, I found my premise, and the setting. Pirates, the ocean, the Outer Banks of North Carolina. My next step was research. And finally, I started to write. And write. And write.

And now, here we have it. The five book Soul Mates series, with the first three books released, and books four and five coming in winter/spring 2015. I'm so excited to have Entranced be included with this boxed set, so that more readers hopefully can be turned on to this series. Enjoy!


Remember, here are the details for the Enchanted Lover boxed set!

ENCHANTED LOVER: Tales of Everlasting Love 

Seven Novels of Mystical, Magical and Paranormal Romance 

PARAMOUR by Margaret Ethridge (ghost)
Two men: one living, one dead, and both vying for her love. Camellia Stafford has never been alone in her room. For twenty years, she's been engaged in a fierce power struggle with her bedroom's previous tenant, Frank DeLuca, the ghost trapped in the light fixture above her bed.



ENTRANCED by Maddie James (time travel, reincarnation)
Jack and Claire set out on a wild search through time, not only for the resolution to a powerful attraction between them, but also for a historical artifact that holds the key to their future happiness--the coveted silver-plated chalice made from Blackbeard's skull.



MYSTIC THUNDER by JC Wardon (witch, mystic)
Millennia of tempestuous ancestral history forewarn Rayne Cavanaugh to hide her ability to communicate with ghosts. But-- When the nephew of the man she just can't resist goes missing in the mountains of Mystic Waters, West Virginia, she must decide between self-preservation and love.



RUNNING OUT OF TIME by Cheryl Norman (time travel)
When Stacy Webber travels to Germany for her best friend's wedding, she loses more than her luggage and purse. She lands in a different time, fifty years ago, with no idea how to return to her world.



TIMELESS by Jan Scarbrough (psychic, ghost, reincarnation)
When Beth Abbott receives a surprise inheritance from her birth mother, she travels to the family's nineteenth century mansion in Old Louisville, KY, now a bed and breakfast. There she meets the resident ghost, a little girl whose crying not only scares, but also intrigues guests.



MAN OF HER DREAMS by Cat Shaffer (dreams, parallel times)
Jessi Flint has a perfectly good life with a successful business and the perfect man. So, he's only in her dreams...until her flaky assistant goes to a New Age fair and Jessi suddenly begins receiving gifts with love notes signed by a mysterious Damian.



ALMOST MAGIC by J.M. Kelley (magic, witch, gifts)
When it came to Vivian Burroughs' unique connection with nature, her grandmother always said, 'Mediocrity may not burn as bright as a firecracker, but it seldom blows up in your face.' But the old woman never advised her on what to do when a sexy new neighbor stokes the flames of attraction.

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Enchanted Lovers Blog Tour

Contest Starts October 7 - October 20, 2014

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RETURN TO DRAKE SPRINGS now!

Today is release day for RETURN TO DRAKE SPRINGS. I am excited to launch this category romance series with Turquoise Morning Press. RETURN TO DRAKE SPRINGS is the first of a six-book "Next Door" series of romance stories, all set in the small Florida town of Drake Springs.

Lance George debates his decision to return to his hometown, but the price is right on the abandoned veterinary hospital he hopes to buy. He’s saved his money to open his practice by living frugally and purchasing wisely. There’s no room in his life for wasteful spending. His alcoholic mother squandered everything she had when he was growing up, leaving him with an obsessive motivation to achieve financial security.

Iris Porter is unaware that she broke Lance’s heart in high school. She’s too busy trying to earn a living in a tough economy. She hopes to reclaim her old job as a veterinary assistant when Lance reopens the town’s only animal clinic. Popular and friendly, Iris is known to be generous to a fault. When a friend’s baby is stricken with leukemia, she organizes fundraisers and enlists Lance’s help.

Lance’s feelings for Iris rekindle when he realizes how much she’s changed. The high school snob is at odds with the caring, sensitive woman who wants to help a family in need. But can he reconcile Iris’s generous spirit with his overpowering need for penny pinching? 

Every book in the series begins with a post from the town's newspaper editor. Here is a sneak peek:

From The Drake Springs Democrat, 

Amy Gillespie, editor.

Welcome to this week’s edition of “Town Crier.” 

Don’t believe everything you hear about small towns. There is plenty going on in Drake Springs, Florida. We have an engagement announcement in the Community section. The dean at Drake College of Liberal Arts, Samuel Drake, is getting married to Victoria Draper of Tampa. This is happy news for the couple but sad news for our annual bachelor auction for charity. Sam Drake always earned generous bids from the women. 

In addition to the lovebirds, the love bugs have returned this month in full force. The swarms of insects that blacken windshields and threaten radiators show up every May and September. Along with our spring visitors, hot weather has returned. So if you’re new to the North Florida area, I say, “Yes. This is normal. Sorry.” At least we don’t need snow removal equipment and chains in winter. I’ll take that trade-off. 

My secret source in real estate says sales have picked up. Look for a couple of new businesses opening soon. Has someone finally purchased the Wilson House? It would make a lovely bed and breakfast (hint, hint). We also need a barista and a veterinarian. Any takers? 

Until next time, remember it’s not gossip if it’s true!

Amy

If some of these names seem familiar, you must have read Reclaim My Life or Rebuild My World, two romantic suspense novels that started my attachment to the small town of Drake Springs, Florida. Or perhaps you read the short story Veiled Threat, part of the Wedding Day Collection anthology.

If you're new to Drake Springs, fear not. The friendly citizens will make you feel right at home. Enjoy!

~*~

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Meet JM Kelley-Author

Seven Novels for one low price!

99¢

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Meet author JM Kelley.

JM Kelley is the author of Almost Magic, a paranormal romance novel included in the boxed set Enchanted Lover: Tales of Everlasting Love.

When it came to Vivian Burroughs's unique connection with nature, her grandmother always said, "Mediocrity may not burn as bright as a firecracker, but it seldom blows up in your "face.' But the old woman never advised her on what to do when a sexy new neighbor stokes the flames of attraction.

~*~

When Almost Magic was with my lovely editor, Karen, I may have gone through about eighty different potential titles for the story. I’d never written paranormal before. I didn’t really know how to capture in just a couple words what was going on in the pages. The problem, I came to realize, was this: I was trying to find a complicated title for a simple premise.

Almost Magic has a good bit of, well…magic. It has witches and ghosts and mystical matchmaking. But it’s not about that.

It’s about finding magic in the ordinary. According to Vivian Burroughs, our (slightly) enchanted heroine, her grandmother once told her, “Mediocrity may not burn as bright as a firecracker, but it seldom blows up in your face.”

This is Vivian’s private mantra. This is what drives her. Growing up with not-so-ordinary gifts drives her to find extraordinary ordinariness.

Hopefully, when you get to the end of Almost Magic, you’ll see the point I was trying to make all along. Magic isn’t just found in the pages of a book. It’s all around us.

There’s magic to be found in a chilly autumn sunset. In waves crashing on the shore. There’s magic in a child’s laughter. There’s even magic there when you’re feeling low and your usually aloof cat chooses that moment to curl up in your lap and make you feel a little better.

Most of all, there’s magic when you meet that one person who makes your heart skip a beat every time you hear him speak your name. You know it has to be magic, too, because while your heart is skipping that beat, you’ve completely forgotten he’s standing before you, wearing black socks and tan sandals.

Love isn’t always easy to find, even for those given a mystical edge in life. In the end, even the most magical among us want the same thing: Someone who gets us, through and through.

That’s the enchanted story, and I’m sticking to it. 

Enchanted Lovers Blog Tour

Contest Starts October 7 - October 20, 2014

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Meet Cat Shaffer--Author

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Seven books for 99¢

Cat Shaffer is one of the seven authors featured in the new Enchanted Lover Tales of Everlasting Love boxed set. I met Cat at a writers' meeting in 1999 in Kentucky. Not only do we share a link as Kentuckians, but I'm one of her readers, too. If you don't know Cat, you should!

I love unexpected gifts. I’m sure everyone is excited by a surprise delivery of fresh flowers or a piece of jewelry that is absolutely perfect. Most of us, I figure, know the person who sent them. But what would it be like to receive presents from an absolute stranger?

And then discover the stranger is the man who’s occupied your dreams for years?
That’s what happens to Jessica Flint in “Man of Her Dreams,” part of the new Enchanted Lover set. Actually, that’s only a tiny bit of what happens to poor Jessi when she goes back to her small Michigan hometown.

The town is fictional but it’s built of bits and pieces from my past. I have had the great fortune to have been raised in a small farming community and lived or worked in small towns most of my life. What some people might see as dull or sleepy I consider a great place to hang around.

I spent the last two weekends in two different small towns enjoying their festivals. Yeah, there were funnel cakes and overpriced lemonade shake-ups but that’s not why I go every year. I love the chance to visit with people I haven’t seen for a while, pick up neat little craft items and enjoy the things that make the festivals so different even they’re only a few miles apart.

Like the skillet toss at one. Yes, people take turns tossing cast iron skillets to see which one travels the farthest. Or the other’s punkin chunkin where children toss little pumpkins at a target painted on the street. 

Sometimes I set up my table and meet readers at these festivals. Other times I help with community projects like grilling up burgers for my Lions Club as I did earlier this month. It’s amazing how many people call my name as they come to purchase one, just wanting to say howdy.

Living in a city has separated Jessi from the quirks and qualities of the small town that nurtured her. Going home – despite being forced to go to her class reunion beyond her will, being trapped in a bridesmaid’s dress that defies description and falling for the stranger/fiancé she found waiting at the airport with her mother – throws her back into the organized chaos of being surrounded by people who love her.

Okay, I’ve never been forced to go to a class reunion. Or being trapped in a maid of honor dress that absolutely defies description. And I have never found myself falling in love with a man I’ve dreamed about all my life but never believed actually existed – and who may actually have been conjured up courtesy of her eccentric office assistant.

I hope you’ll join Jessi on her trip back home and the roller coaster of a love that spans the centuries.

Cat Shaffer, the daughter of a poet and a teacher/librarian, grew up in northwest Ohio, finally saw the light and moved to Kentucky, the land of beautiful horses and far better weather. She lives with a dignified but ultra-sneaky cat, and could not continue to live if coffee disappeared from the planet. Check out her website at www.catshaffer.com. 

Enchanted Lovers Blog Tour

Contest Starts October 7 - October 20, 2014

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Meet Margaret Etheridge--Author

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For a limited time, just 99¢
Don't forget to enter the Enchanted Lover Giveaway (Scroll down page).

I'm pleased to introduce author Margaret Ethridge!

Author of PARAMOUR 
Two men: one living, one dead, and both vying for her love. Camellia Stafford has never been alone in her room. For twenty years, she's been engaged in a fierce power struggle with her bedroom's previous tenant, Frank DeLuca, the ghost trapped in the light fixture above her bed.

Paramour was inspired by one of my favorite old movies, The Ghost and Mrs. Muir. Like Lucy Muir, I fell in love with the ghost of Captain Daniel Gregg. The bit when Anna told her mother that Captain Gregg used to visit her when she was a little girl and they had been friends stuck with me.

How cool would it be to be pals with a ghost? What if she grew up with that ghost in her room. Would she have fallen in love with him like her mother did? I also liked the idea of a tortured young hero trapped between worlds.

Here’s an excerpt from Paramour:

The scent was back, flooding her senses with the relief of homecoming. She wondered if he knew how many hours she’d spent at the men’s cologne counter sniffing samples, trying to place the fragrance. After twenty years of friendship, endless fights, and one unforgettable kiss, she’d wondered if she finally earned the right to ask questions.

“Are you really here?” she whispered, afraid she’d scare him away.

“Yeah.”

Their eyes met, and she tumbled into the depths of his dark gaze. Cam knew if she didn’t take the chance this time, she may never have another.

“What cologne do you wear?”

Frank’s eyes narrowed with typical caution. “Polo.”

“Huh. Smells different on you.”

His thick eyebrows rose, and a sardonic smile twitched his lips. “Might be because I’m dead.”

Cam swallowed hard and sat up. “I’m glad you’re here.”

“Welcome home. I’m sorry.”

She shook her head, forcing a small, flirtatious smile. “Did you miss me?”

“Every damn day.”

“Then don’t leave me again.”

Frank raised his hand. His fingers twitched. She could feel heat radiating from his palm. Those warm fingers curved along the contour of her cheek. “I’ll make sure you’re never alone.”

Cam smiled, smoothing her palm over the rough hairs on the back of his hand. “With you around, how could I be?”

By day, Margaret Ethridge is buried in spreadsheets. At night she pens tales of people tangling up the sheets. The product of a charming rogue and a shameless flirt, you only have to scratch the surface of this mild-mannered married lady to find a naughty streak a mile wide.

Margaret pens tales of true-to-life women’s fiction, contemporary romance, and has been known to dabble a bit in the paranormal. She also writes steamy erotic romance under the pen name Maggie Wells.

You can find her online at: http://www.margaretethridge.com/

Twitter:

https://twitter.com/MKEthridge

FB:

https://www.facebook.com/#!/AuthorMargaretEthridge

Praise for Margaret Ethridge’s writing:

“Have you not read Margaret Ethridge? Hop to it! Although she is a new author, her work is consistently intriguing, even while writing different romantic genres.” – BookingIt.net

“Margaret Ethridge has such a knack for developing real, living, breathing characters that are so full of energy, so full of spunk, and so easy to relate to.” – Julie, Amazon review

“Margaret Ethridge was already one of my favorite authors, but this book put her in the very TOP of the list. (Above Nora Roberts!)” – R. Vincent, Amazon review

“Let's just say this--by the time I finish one of Margaret Ethridge's books, I'm in tears AND smiling. Every damn time. How does she do that?” – KBTaylor, Amazon review

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