Welcome to my blog. I am a writer and avid reader of romances particularly historical romances. Please join me on my journey through time. Feel free to leave a comment
Please welcome Vonnie Davis author of Mona Lisa's Room.
Vonnie will be awarding a $25.00 Amazon gift card to a randomly drawn commenter during the tour, and a $20.00 Amazon gift card to a randomly drawn host.
PLEASE LEAVE A COMMENT!
Mona Lisa’s Room
by Vonnie Davis
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
BLURB:
Gwen,
You won’t believe this email. I’m sitting in a French safe house,
eating caviar and drinking champagne with handsome government agent, Niko
Reynard. He’s wearing nothing but silk pajama bottoms and mega doses of sex
appeal. I’m in big trouble, little sister. He’s kissed me several times and
given me a foot massage that nearly caused spontaneous combustion. I'm feeling
strangely virginal compared to the sexual prowess this thirty-year-old man
exudes.
When I came to Paris for a bit of adventure, I never imagined I’d
foil a bombing attempt, karate-kick two men, and run from terrorists while
wearing a new pair of stilettos. I met a German musician, a gay poet from
Australia, and the most delightful older French woman.
Don’t worry. I’m safe…the jury’s still out on yummy Niko, though.
The more champagne I drink, the less reserved I feel. What an unforgettable
fortieth birthday!
Alyson
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
EXCERPT:
Suddenly,
screams followed by loud thumping and books falling filled the bookstore. Niko
sprinted in the direction of the high-pitched shrieking, gun in hand. He
bounded up the steps and rounded the corner. “Aly! Aly! What the hell.”
He
skidded to a halt. One of the well-dressed men he saw entering the store
earlier was on the
floor,
books covering most of his body. His companion was staggering, holding his
hands over
his
eye and screaming like a banshee as blood ran down his face.
In
the corner stood a pale and trembling Aly, her frightened blue eyes dominated
her face.“They…they grabbed me! Said
they’d kill me if I resisted. I…I karate kicked them.” She swallowed, obviously
trying to gain control. “Kung…kung-fooed the hell out of them, too.
And…and…”—she pointed to the screaming man still on his feet—“I think I poked
his eye out with one of my stilettos.”
Niko
ran a hand down his face, keeping it over his mouth to hide the smile. What a
piece of work. He wanted to laugh. He wanted to hug her. And damned if he
didn’t want to shake the daylights out of her for stepping out of his sight.
Hadn’t he told her to stay with him?
“You
okay?” Niko’s gaze swept over her, looking for injuries. He fought the urge to
pull her to him and embrace her until her trembling stopped. Frankly, if he
were honest, his nerves weren’t the greatest right this moment, either. When he
heard her scream earlier, cold fear did a free-fall straight through his
system.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
AUTHOR Bio and Links:
Vonnie Davis holds a degree
in English with a concentration in technical writing from Penn State. She is
retired and has traded in her technical writer’s tailored clothes for the
feather boa of a romance writer. Her debut novel, Storm’s Interlude, was
awarded the HOLT Medallion Award of Merit in two categories: Best book by a
Virginia author and Best Mainstream Single Title. She lives in southern
Virginia with her husband, who is also a writer.
Highland Miracle, my WIP, is part of a May Day anthology. I watched Brave yesterday and decided the wisp would be a great addition to this story which also features two fairies who are doing everything possible to bring Reagan and Sean together, including Sean's venture through time.
The wisp will be the evil counterpart to the god-faeries. I do love to write antagonists--they can do whatever they want. They have no conscience. I'm still working on the other antagonists. I'm thinking about going with an evil ex-mistress and perhaps a man feeling his frustrations on losing out on what he thought would be his engagement to Reagan. Still toying with this idea. It's a lot for an anthology but I think I can make it work.
Scotland
The will o' the wisp (called in Gaelic Teine biorach = sharp fire) is said to be of quite modern appearance, at least in South Uist. It was first seen, it is said, in 1812, and is the haunting spirit of a young girl from Benbecula, who frequented themachair, or sandy plain beside the sea, in search of the galium verum, used in the dyeing of the local cloth or tweed. Her sin was that of seeking to get an undue share of a product which should have been equally divided for the common good, and which has at all times to be husbanded as one of the plants which bind the sandy soil together where it has been redeemed from the sea.There is, however, another story as to the origin of the jack o' lantern. The haunting spirit is that of a blacksmith, who could get no admittance even into hell. He was very cold, and begged for a single ember to warm himself, and at last one was given him, and he has gone shivering about with it ever since.
A special interest of this story is that it tells against the common Hebridean tradition of a cold hell, a tradition one soon learns to accept in South Uist, the land of cold mist and sweeping winds, and damp, and drafts, and rain, where even the nether regions with a fire in them have a suggestion of comfort. Hell is therefore discouragingly known as "the place of the wind of the cold passages, or the wind of the cold channels."
The phantom marsh lights that are seen after dusk over swamp ground, the results of escaping gases of decomposing vegetation, are called Will o' the Wisp in Britain. This phenomenon is internationally known as the Ingnis Fatus or the 'the Jesting LIght', which seems to beckon the traveller fromhis path, often resulting in wet feet if not immersion in a boghole. People have understood this phenomenon to be the result of spirits.
The Element Encyclopedia of Magical Creatures by John and Caitlin Matthews.
More from Wikipedia:
The term "will-o'-the-wisp" comes from "wisp", a bundle of sticks or paper sometimes used as a torch, and the name "Will": thus, "Will-of-the-torch". The term jack-o'-lantern "Jack of [the] lantern" has a similar meaning. Its application to carved pumpkins in American English is an innovation of the 19th century.
In the United States, they are often called "spook-lights", "ghost-lights", or "orbs"[2] by folklorists and paranormal enthusiasts.[3][4]
Folk belief attributes the phenomenon to fairies or elemental spirits, explicitly in the term "hobby lanterns" found in the 19th century Denham Tracts. Briggs' A Dictionary of Fairies provides an extensive list of other names for the same phenomenon, though the place where they are observed (graveyard, bogs, etc.) influences the naming considerably. When observed on graveyards, they are known as "ghost candles", also a term from the Denham Tracts.
The names will-o'-the-wisp and jack-o'-lantern are explained in etiological folk-tales, recorded in many variant forms in Ireland, Scotland, England, Wales, Appalachia, and Newfoundland.[citation needed] In these tales, protagonists named either Will or Jack are doomed to haunt the marshes with a light for some misdeed.
One version, from Shropshire, recounted by K. M. Briggs in her book A Dictionary of Fairies, refers to Will the Smith. Will is a wicked blacksmith who is given a second chance by Saint Peter at the gates to Heaven, but leads such a bad life that he ends up being doomed to wander the Earth. The Devil provides him with a single burning coal with which to warm himself, which he then uses to lure foolish travellers into the marshes.
An Irish version of the tale has a ne'er-do-well named Drunk Jack or Stingy Jack who makes a deal with the Devil, offering up his soul in exchange for payment of his pub tab. When the Devil comes to collect his due, Jack tricks him by making him climb a tree and then carving a cross underneath, preventing him from climbing down. In exchange for removing the cross, the Devil forgives Jack's debt. However, because no one as bad as Jack would ever be allowed into Heaven, Jack is forced upon his death to travel to Hell and ask for a place there. The Devil denies him entrance in revenge, but, as a boon, grants Jack an ember from the fires of Hell to light his way through the twilight world to which lost souls are forever condemned. Jack places it in a carved turnip to serve as a lantern.[5] Another version of the tale, "Willy the Whisp", is related in Irish Folktales by Henry Glassie. The first modern novel in the Irish language, Séadna by Peadar Ua Laoghaire, is a version of the tale.
These people are the intuitive leapers. They can come up with an answer before the question arises. They comprise a significant portion of the futurists. Often times they cannot explain their reasoning.
"Tell me no and I'll do it anyway."
Thrives on challenges: Reagan will have significant challenges put in front of her.
Reagan is a woman in the 1600's. By the very fact she is a woman she has a role to fulfill. Her personality type refuses to be confined. She thinks on her feet.
(In progress)
Date this chart was completed:
Character's Full Name: Reagan Graham
Reason or meaning of name:
Nickname:
Rae Reason
for nickname: short form
Birth date:November 13
Astrological Sign: Scorpio
PHYSICAL
APPEARANCE:
Age: 19 How
old does s/he appear? 19
Eye Color: Cobalt blue Glasses
or contacts:
Weight: 110 Height:
5ft 3in
Type of body/build: Slender
Skin tone: fair Skin
type:
Shape of face: heart
shaped Distinguishing
Marks: mole near right eye
Predominant feature: mouth
Hair color: blue black
Distinguishable hair feature
(bald,
receding hairline, etc.):
Type of hair (coarse, fine, thick, etc?) thick
Character's typical hairstyle: long, worn in a
braid
Once again it's guy day Friday. I missed last week as I was otherwise occupied in Disney Land. I opted to do a short scene plot for Sean. My Highland Miracle guy.
Highland Miracle
Chapter 2 Scene 2
Scene Plotting
Writing Essentials 11
Scene Writing Workshop
Chapter 2_________ Scene 2_____
Turning
Point___Sean will realize his new status_____________
Point
of View___Sean____________________________________________
Key
Plot Points
Beginning__Sean encounters the staff at the Sterling Castle and discovers he
has a twin (evil)______________________________
Middle___Reagan must return to her home. Despite his inexperience on a horse
Sean returns with Raegan_________
End__When Reagan's guardian punishes her for her deception and going to Sean's
estate, Sean steps in and keeps her guardian from whipping her._____________
(start
each scene with dialogue and impact!) Know the end of your scene:
Foreshadowing_____not
sure at the moment___________________
Setting___Sterling
Castle to Reagan's home.
Important
Elements Time travel, Reagan's abuse by her guardian, Sean finding an
unsettling attraction to the time and to Reagan____
Theme_Dealing
with the world as it is not as it was
Motivation__Rescuing
a woman from a desperate situation
Tone___Dark
Plot
To a Twist__Not sure here, still working on it
Tension__Desperate
Conflict:
Internal___Discovering a new identity and dealing with a world he doesn't
understand__________
External_Sean must be cautious in this new world he doesn't
understand.
Romantic_Sense of protection and the feeling of finding a
soul mate.
Beginning
Sentence_We are here? Sean queried.
Ending Sentence_"If
you ever touch Reagan again, I will see you to hell."
Please welcome Liz Crowe author of Escalation Clause.
Liz will be awarding prizes to three randomly drawn commenters during the tour: a signed copy of the new release (either ebook or print); $100 Amazon gift card; and a gift of Stewart Realty (Zazzle) swag of choice.
PLEASE LEAVE A COMMENT!
ESCALATION CLAUSE
By
Liz Crowe
INTERVIEW:
1.How did you come up with ideas
for your books?
The Stewart Realty series began
life as a too-long novel that eventually became the original trilogy (Floor
Time-Sweat Equity-Closing Costs). They were born of a boring day at work at an
open house as a Realtor myself—I just could not stop thinking: “What if…?” Once
I finished edits and was doing promotion for the trilogy release I realized
that there were some secondary characters who were so compelling as to need
their own stories, so Essence of Time and Conditional Offers (books 4 and 5)
were born. Then, because I had ended the two with such a dramatic, emotional
one-two punch I knew I had to revisit the Stewart Realty gang at least once
more to see how they were hanging in there—which is the book that just
released: Escalation Clause.
2.What components are necessary
for the genre of this novel?
Well, I supposed it could be
argued that they are “traditional romance,” however the more I write and the
more fans I gain for the series the more strongly I feel about my new genre:
Romance for Real Life. I keep my books
at times so real readers get very angry or frustrated with my characters but
keep reading and keep encouraging me to bring them more. “Necessary components” for this genre are:
characters who screw up, at times more than once; situations that readers can
actually relate to; messiness—like kids; very sexy and explicit encounters,
that many times lead to the above 3 things.
3.What expertise did you bring to
your writing?
My realty series is based in my
15 years spent selling houses.
4.As far as your writing goes,
what are your future plans?
I have all sorts of projects
floating around including a spin off series from Stewart Realty that begins in
January 2013: the Black Jack Gentlemen series is the story of the expansion
soccer league and team (fictional) that one of the main characters from the
previous series brings to reality. It
will have at least 4 if not more books as part of it’s story arc.
The Stewart folks will be back
with 2 (planned) more books including a heavy BDSM one about some of characters
who are heavily into that lifestyle—but with a twist as you might imagine.
I have 2 more mainstream
projects I plan to complete in 2013 as well.
5.Do you belong to a critique
group? If so how does this help or hinder your writing?
I don’t but I have trusted beta
readers and many folks I can bounce ideas off of when needed. I also own a
craft microbrewery and handle sales and marketing for it along with a practically
full time writing career (now). I can’t commit to groups lest I disappoint with
my seeming non-involvement.
6.Do you outline your books or
just start writing?
I start writing after doing at
times 1 day or a week of head writing, coming up with basic concepts and
characters.
7.Do you have an all time
favorite book?
Gone With The Wind.
8.Who is your favorite actor and
actress
At the moment I love Steve
Buscemi in Boardwalk Empire. That guy is as ugly as fireplug but he somehow
makes it sexy. THAT is acting.
I have always been a big fan of
Reese Witherspoon and think Legally Blonde is one of THE Funniest movies ever.
9.Can you tell us a little about
the black moment in your book?
Escalation Clause is a real
estate phrase (like all the other titles) that means: a provision in a purchase contract allowing for incremental
increases in the offer price, up to a predetermined amount, based on and
evidenced by competing offers.
In a nutshell it means making your highest and best offer
known up front, hedging your bets as well as you can, while still protecting
your negotiating position.
There is a point in this book where the original main
characters, Jack Gordon and Sara Thornton reach what feels like a dead end in
their relationship. Due to many different events they have lost their will or
ability or desire to communicate beyond the necessary but they are both
desperate to get it back. Sara puts a scene in motion that could completely
backfire, putting her highest and best offer out to her husband, willing him to
take it. Whether he does or not is
something you’ll see when you read it.
REMEMBER: ESCALATION CLAUSE is not a stand-alone book. It is
meant to be read in order. But don’t worry, the first 5 have all received high
praise, many 5 star plus reviews and are best sellers in various categories on
Amazon.
10.If you were a casting director for the film
version of your book, who would play your lead roles?
Jack Gordon---either Jon Hamm
or Ben Affleck
Sara Thornton—January Jones
BLURB:
Young love burns hot and bright. Soul mates are found,
then lost in the blink of an eye. When young widow Maureen
Gordon Taylor meets her daughter's sexy soccer coach, her body and heart slowly
unthaw. But will holding tight to the past cost her a future?
A devastating blow shatters a family's fragile happiness. Rob
Freitag and Lila Warren now confront lifewithoutthe emotional glue that
once bound them, but a shared goal brings them back together. Is it enough
to make them whole again and become the family they were meant to be?
Mutual trust is hard won for the Gordons. When tragedy
strikes, Jack and Sara’s lives are sent into a
tailspin. To keep her family from falling apart, she
must force Jack to admit his deepest fears. After
everything they’ve been through, can they revive the spark and
move to the next stage of marital fulfillment?
The
sweeping saga of the Stewart Realty series continues as long-time friends
learn to rely on each other, and to grab hold of happiness before it's too late.
EXCERPT:
Escalation Clause: Stewart Realty Book 6
EXCERPTS:
PG 13 for language:
The sunlight pierced
the light haze of his sleep. Brandis groaned, rolled over seeking shade and
found himself hand-and-kneeing it facing the brick pavers of his parents’
patio. “Christ in a sidecar what time is it?” He mumbled, flipping around so he
sat, back against the chaise lounge that must have served as his bed for the
night. Not that he recalled anything after the second joint. He groaned and ran
a hand down his already sweaty face.
Jack walked out the
back door, Mountain Dew in hand, dressed for work at his father’s construction
site for the day. Brandis blinked at his friend. “How in the hell can be so
awake and non-hung over? I feel like three day old shit.”
“You look like it,
too.” Jack slammed the remaining soda and threw the can into the returnables'
bin. “You taking those back today? We need food at the house while you’re at
it.”
Brandis flipped him
off. “I look like your personal shopper?”
“No,” Jack sat, laced
his work boots up then leveled a deep blue stare at him. “You look like a guy
lucky enough not to have to work on the Saturday after a giant pool party.” His
friend leaned forward on his knees and gave Brandis an ominous look. “You also
look like the guy who could possibly be messing around with my sister. I don’t
recommend you be that guy. Not at all.”
“I’m…” Brandis started
to say something, but he had nothing, so he stayed quiet. Jack stared him down,
turned on his heel then left, letting the gate bang loud behind him. Brandis
crawled to the edge of the pool, noted all the shit he needed to clean out of
it including at least two condoms, then stuck his feet into the cold water,
groaning when his temples started pounding to the beat of his heart. He put his
head in his hands. Mo was the first thing he saw when he closed his eyes. Her
bright blue eyes snapping with laughter, anger, and…desire … God help him, he
had nursed a crush on her for years.
She’d been such a
tomboy, running with him and Jack, tagging along then joining in the baseball,
basketball, soccer whatever they concocted, up to and including egg throwing at
Halloween and more less innocent vices. Their easy camaraderie had always
allowed them to wrestle, to tickle, to touch. After she’d shown up at his house
last month, determined to escape her jerk-off father, he thought he could just
ease back into it. But, he hadn’t seen her in over a year, and in that time,
she had become a full-fledged, jaw-dropping woman. Her tall, athletic frame was
lush, lovely, full-hipped and inviting. The deep blue of her eyes and inky
black fall of her hair made him want to bury his hands in it, to kiss her until
she begged for more.
So, it seemed, his crush had bloomed into
full-blown lust. A desire she apparently matched.
No way.
He’d heard Jack’s message loud and clear. And as
much of a man-whore as Brandis was, he was a loyal friend. So, Mo was off
limits. Fine. He did not need that hassle, not now, with just a month and a
half before he left for Colorado.
He leaned back on his
hands and willed his cock soft, but the memory of her lips, and the feel of her
skin against his if just for that one moment was not something he would soon
forget. When he’d fucked that girl in the basement then realized Mo had been
down there, watching them, it had taken him a couple of seconds to acknowledge
he’d been picturing her beneath him, her body taking his, the sounds of her
climax in his ears the entire time.
What a fucking mess.
“Hey,” he nearly jumped
a mile into the air at the sound of her voice. “I, um, just want to say, you
know, well…” She sat a couple of feet from him and let her feet dangle in the
water. “Sorry.” She looked straight ahead.
“For what?” He cleared
his throat, nervous beyond belief.
“For spying on you. I
mean, I wasn’t, I was getting a drink and just kind of … oh hell. You know what
I mean.” She looked down into the water. “This pool is disgusting.” She shoved
a greasy looking floating seat away with her foot. “Are those…” She pointed to
the used rubbers on the bottom.
“Yeah,” he ran a hand
down his face, then jumped up and grabbed the skimmer. He cleared the condoms,
a bottle of sunscreen and three beer cans from the pool, trying to ignore her.
But his baser self would not cooperate and he had to grab a towel and fasten it
around his waist to hide the damn tent in his shorts. She moved all the chairs
back into their usual places and cleaned off the two glass-topped tables,
finding yet another rubber in the grass near the back fence.
“You guys sure do know
how to throw a party.” She smiled at him, lifting his heart and making his damn
cock pound in time with his headache.
“Huh,” he grunted,
before turning the water on to refill the pool and taking a reading on the
chemicals. Sweat dripped off his forehead, blurring his vision. Fuck it was hot out already and it was
barely eight o’clock in the morning. She crouched down next to him, her arm
grazing his, making him flinch. Crush,
Brandis. Remember? She is a no-go zone. Don’t do it.
AUTHOR INFORMATION:
Microbrewery owner, best-selling author, beer blogger and journalist,
mom of three teenagers, and soccer fan, Liz lives in the great Midwest, in a
major college town. Years of experience in sales and fund raising, plus an
eight-year stint as an ex-pat trailing spouse, plus making her way in a world
of men (i.e. the beer industry), has prepped her for life as erotic romance
author.
When she isn't sweating
inventory and sales figures for the brewery, she can be found writing, editing
or sweating promotional efforts for her latest publications.
Her groundbreaking romance
subgenre, “Romance for Real Life,” has gained thousands of fans and followers
who are interested less in the “HEA” and more in the “WHA” (“What Happens
After?”)
Her beer blog a2beerwench.com
is nationally recognized for its insider yet outsider views on the craft beer
industry. Her books are set in the not-so-common worlds of breweries, on the
soccer pitch and in high-powered real estate offices. Don’t ask her for
anything “like” a Budweiser or risk painful injury.
