Pitch opportunity for aspiring authors

Dear blog friends,


Are you an aspiring author? Do you write inspirational (Christian) fiction?


Do I have an opportunity for you!


Emily Rodmell, Associate Editor for Love Inspired, Love Inspired Suspense and Love Inspired Historical, is looking for heartwarming romance stories, fast-paced romantic suspense stories and historical romances that sweep her away. 


She is giving published and non-published authors a chance to pitch their story ideas directly to her on June 26th. If you haven't been published by the Love Inspired lines, this is your opportunity to get your story idea directly to an editor!


Here is the link to the information.Speed Dating with Associate Editor Emily Rodmell


Check it out, and then get to polishing your pitch. You must be signed up by Friday, June 15.


Good luck! (And remember, luck is spelled W - O - R - K!)

Flowers appear on the earth

Song of Solomon 2:11-12

For, lo, the winter is past, 

the rain is over and gone;

The flowers appear on the earth; 

the time of the singing of birds is come, 

and the voice of the turtle is heard in our land;

Anne Patrick - Kill Shot

I discovered a new-to-me author this week. Her name is Anne Patrick, and the book is Kill Shot. It is number one in the Wounded Heroes series.

Former combat medic Kory Wagner has returned home after serving in four war zones and three tours of Iraq. She has survived countless firefights, a helicoptor crash, IEDs and RPGs, but now someone has killed her sister and turned their sights on Kory.

Sheriff Sean Harding has his hands full trying to protect Kory Wagner. She's not exactly cooperative in helping him find answers, and she's not interested in his protection. After all, she's trained to kill a man with her bare hands, if need be. Will he be able to keep her alive long enough to discover the truth behind her sister's murder?

I really enjoyed this story. I love the military theme, the suspense, the romance, and the message of hope that Ms. Patick weaved so seamlessly throughout the story. Some stories feel like the inspirational message was added as an afterthought to make the book "Christian," but in Kill Shot the message is essential and so much a part of the story the book wouldn't make sense if it was removed.

Book two in the Wounded Heroes series releases in May, and I can't wait to get my grubby hands on a copy. I've already snatched up another Anne Patrick book and found it just as interesting, and attention grabbing as the first. It was Fire and Ash, in case you were wondering. (A female fire investigator, a handsome lawman, and an arsonist who's not afraid to kill.) 

Most of Anne Patrick's books, including the two mentioned here, are in e-book form only, so you'll have to download them to your Kindle/computer/device to read, but they are well worth your time.

I'm very excited to find this author and will be busy catching up on her other books. After all, what's not to like about an author who claims her favorite author is Dee Henderson?!

When the Smoke Clears

Alexia Allen never intended to return home, but then she almost dies in a fire. With time on her hands due to the resulting investigation, she decides to attend her highschool reunion. Which means returning to the home she left ten years ago. But trouble follows her home. Someone wants Alexia dead, and anyone that gets in the way is going to die, too.

Detective Hunter Graham hasn't forgotten Alexia even though it's been ten years since he saw her last. He's still attracted to her, but when he meets her again, she has the blood of a murder victim all over her hands. Did she kill her former boyfriend? Or is she the target?

The body count begins to pile up, and the unknown danger stalks ever closer. Fires, explosions, snipers--can Hunter stop the assassin before they succeed in taking out their target, Alexia Allen?



I was excited to get my copy of When the Smoke Clears in the mail from Amazon this week, and since I had Good Friday off from work, I started it this morning.

The story was so gripping, I had trouble putting it down and finished it this evening. Lynette Eason knows how to write suspense! The writing is so tight and the action so jam-packed, I think I forgot to breathe a few times. I can't wait to see what happens in book two of Deadly Reunions. When a Heart Stops will be out in October. 

On a side note, I love the cover of this book. Even if I hadn't read any of Lynette Eason's books before (which I had), the cover would have made me pick it up.

Grab a copy of When the Smoke Clears. My copy is going on my bookshelf. It's a keeper!

Under the Lilacs

I loved reading Louisa May Alcott's books when I was a girl. I wasn't a fan of Little Women and all its sequels, but I really enjoyed her other books like Eight Cousins and its sequel, Rose in Bloom. I also enjoyed An Old Fashioned Girl. Another favorite was/is Under the Lilacs.


The arrival of spring and the fragrant scent of blooming lilacs made me want to go back and reread that old tale, but I haven't had a lot of time to read since I've been under an editor's deadline for edits and revisions to my manuscript. However, I do have an hour's drive to work both ways. So...I popped on over to Librivox.org and downloaded the free audiobook of Under the Lilacs.


Librivox is a wonderful place. Volunteers read and record books that are in the public domain, and listeners can download to their heart's content. Occasionally, you'll run across someone who isn't the best reader in the world, and readers can change from chapter to chapter, but usually, I get involved in the story and can ignore the individual quirks of the different readers. Besides, the audio books are free! And you can't beat that with a stick!


After loading Under the Lilacs onto my MP3 player, I kept myself entertained for two dull driving hours a day with the antics of Sancho the poodle, Ben the circus boy, and Babs and Betty the two enterprising little sisters who claim Ben and Sancho. This is a sweet, wholesome, old-fashioned story with many light-hearted moments, and I realized anew why I loved this book.


If you're looking for something to read or listen to as you drive, do housework, excercise, etc. May I recommend ...

It's free in Kindle version right now. And of course the audiobook is always free at Librivox.org/

Writing Westerns

My soon-to-be-published book is a western entitled The Marshal Meets His Match.  While I was writing it, my mom cut this out of the paper and gave it to me. It made me laugh. I hope it gives you a chuckle, too.

Introverts

Saw this picture today and had to share...

I've been up to something...

I've been a bit busy lately working on a project. I've also been very quiet about what it is. If you're curious, click here for more information...
My announcement

Another Freebie

I just saw that Amazon has this book free today. If you like romantic suspense, you'll like Irene Hannon. She's from my home state and writes great stories.


Check out Fatal Judgement

From the back cover:
U.S. Marshal Jake Taylor has seen plenty of action during his years in law enforcement. But he'd rather go back to Iraq than face his next assignment: protection detail for federal judge Liz Michaels. His feelings toward the coldhearted workaholic haven't warmed in the five years since she drove her husband--and Jake's best friend--to despair . . . and possible suicide.

As the danger mounts and Jake gets to know Liz better, he's forced to revise his opinion of her. And when it becomes clear that an unknown enemy may want her dead, the stakes are raised. Because now both her life--and his heart--are in danger.

Full of suspense and romance, Fatal Judgment launches a thrilling series featuring three siblings bound by blood and a passion for justice.


Hurry and grab you own copy while it's still free. And then go back and grab book two in the series, Deadly Pursuit. Book three, Lethal Legacy comes out in September.

And check out her other series, Heroes of Quantico, another romantic suspense trilogy. Hey, they're recommended by Dee Henderson and me, so they have to be good! :-)