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Showing posts from April, 2016

Mother Daughter Camping

I'm not a camper. I like indoor plumbing and my adjustable tempurpedic bed and wifi. But when my daughter and I were invited to go to a mother-daughter weekend at a girls' camp, I agreed to go. After all, just because I don't like camping doesn't mean she won't like it. The good news was that the camp's cabins were air conditioned and had indoor plumbing. The bad news was that our little party was assigned to a wagon (which did have AC) but which was a bit of a walk to the restroom. Of course, Princess Galen thought the wagons were the best thing ever. She also thought the best thing ever was our first activity bright and early Saturday morning: climbing wall. Yes, she wanted me to climb a 40-foot wall at 9 in the morning after sleeping on a bunk bed. Here we are suited up in our harnesses. Did I climb to the top? Um, no. I had to save my strength for the day (and night) ahead. Princess Galen climbed to the top. Twice. This was the second time. She&#

It's Coming!! Alpha Wolf Need Not Apply!

Amazon |  iBooks  |  BAM!  |  B&N  |  Chapters  |  IndieBound  |  Kobo   An alpha werewolf meets his match in this sizzling paranormal romance from USA Today bestselling author Terry Spear THERE’S A NEW WOLF PACK IN SILVER TERRITORY Wolf shifter and park ranger Eric Silver is committed to his job policing spectacular San Isabel National Forest, and he’s hot on the scent of some mysterious wolves who are up to no good. When Eric’s investigation leads him to cross paths with forester Pepper Grayling, he’s fascinated to learn this she-wolf is her pack’s leader—strong, independent, and definitely not looking for a mate. AND THIS TIME THE LEADER’S A SHE… With unknown dangers on the prowl, Pepper is tempted to give in to her attraction to Eric and align her pack with his. But Pepper’s been pursued by many an alpha male out to take over her pack and gain her hard-won territory—and Eric is a born leader. How does Eric earn the trust of a she-wolf who’s been betrayed so

Home Improvement Junkie

I confess, I have a problem.  It started innocently enough.  Last December I had a bad cold and spent a week in bed.  Flipping channels I came across HGTV and watched my first home improvement show.  It was amusing. It was fun. It was…addictive. At first I would just watch a little Fixer Upper, you know, just for fun. Then it was Property Brothers, Love It or Leave It, Flip or Flop, and before I knew it I was watching YouTube videos on how to tile a shower at 2am. The worst part was the discontent I now felt towards my own home. Was that peeling linoleum on the floor? Peach tile in the bathroom? And (horror of horrors) laminate counters in the kitchen? Gasp! After a few months I became convinced that not only did my entire house need to be refinished, but that I could remodel my house with nothing but a charge card and my how to videos. Oh yes, I was going to be a Do-It-Yourselfer! Nope. I thought I would start easy. I would replace a door. How hard could it

VIKING WARRIOR REBEL Cover Reveal! (Asa Maria Bradley)

It's been quite a year for the Viking Warriors series so far. Immortal Viking King Leif snagged double RITA nominations for the first book, VIKING WARRIOR RISING, and this October Valkyrie Astrid arrives to kick ass. Check out the amazing cover that the Sourcebooks Casablanca team created for VIKING WARRIOR REBEL!   She can’t let him discover…Immortal Vikings are among us. Astrid Irisdotter is a Valkyrie, a fierce warrior fighting to protect humanity from the evil god Loki and his brutal minions. She’s on an urgent mission for her queen when everything goes hideously sideways. Undercover agent Luke Holden arrives on the scene just in time to save her life—and put his own on the line. Luke may have saved her, but that doesn’t mean Astrid can trust him. Tempers flare as they hide secret upon secret from each other, but Astrid’s inner warrior knows what it wants…and it will not take no for an answer. Pre-order links: Amazon: http://hyperurl.co/0fx3ut Barnes &

Books That Inspired Me by Linda Broday

As with all writers, my path to publishing was paved by the books I read that shaped and molded me. These books still remain on my keeper shelf. The first romance I ever read was Angelique by Sergeanne Golon which was a French husband and wife team. I checked this book out of my high school library and fell in love with the characters. Angelique was auctioned off to a horribly scarred nobleman by her despicable father. She ended up falling hopelessly in love. Ahhhh, such a satisfying story and sparked my imagination. After that I became fascinated with pirate and Gypsy books. Publishers saturated the market with them back then. Then, along came Kathleen Woodiwiss. Oh my dear Lord! I devoured every book she produced. I think all of us might've been influenced by Kathleen because she really was the one to pave the way for us. Wonderful stories that captured my heart and fed my love for strong men with honor. A lot of books followed--too many to count. But I thin

A BOW OF RESPECT

If you open a nineteenth century etiquette book like, The ladies' hand-book of etiquette and manual of politeness , you will find rules for everything. Rules on how to properly address a letter, how to meet someone in a demure fashion, what to do if a gentleman is vulgar, or how to stand or walk the proper distance from your betters. Huh? Many of these rules are common sense and still apply today. Some however, to repeat a cliché, have gone with the wind. For example, anyone familiar with social media must realize that nineteenth century rules of modesty have been forgotten. One of the charms of historical romance is to spend a few moments in the graceful past. While I’ve never come across someone standing a few paces behind a Duke in romance novels, there are many other aspects of etiquette that do grace their pages. Who does not like a gentleman who would place his cape over a mud puddle so my lady may not get muddy? Sigh. One other form of etiquette I adm

Pretty Covers with Marie

Today, since I'm late putting up my post (dratted West Coast time!) I thought I'd share some of my ARC cover flats for my Body Shop Bad Boys series. And my favorite McCauley covers below... Enjoy! Coming in June, Test Drive Coming in September, Roadside Assistance And those amazing McCauleys ... Welcome to the rough-and-tumble McCauley family, a tight-knit band of four bachelor brothers who work hard, drink beer, and relentlessly tease each other. When three independent women move in next door, all hell breaks loose.

Poem in Your Pocket Day

April is National Poetry Month, inaugurated by the Academy of American Poets in 1996. According to the Academy it has become the largest literary celebration in the world with schools, publishers, libraries, booksellers, and poets celebrating poetry’s vital place in our culture.             And as a part of it, today is Poem in Your Pocket Day. People are encouraged to carry a poem with them and share it with others throughout the day. Parks, libraries, schools, workplaces and bookstores will have events. In past years, librarians have distributed poems to local hospitals, shop owners have handed out books of short poems to shoppers, and food vendors have put poems in lunch sacks.             Now I can see the potential for this to be annoying. If every step you took all day someone was stopping you to read a poem, you might get testy. But I like the idea of pockets full of poems. So here’s a favorite of mine. Wild Geese by Mary Oliver You do not hav

Romantic Times Recap

Vegas, baby! That's where many of us just gathered for the Romantic Times Readers Convention, at the Rio (which, let me state for the record, is probably no one's favorite hotel). But shoddy decor and miles to walk between rooms and the Convention center did not deter us from having a fantastic time, and staying active whether we wanted to or not. Ten thousand steps? Easily before noon. The Con kicked off with what RT used to be best known for besides romance reviews, the cover model pageant! What a spectacle indeed. Our brave five contestants were put through rigorous tests including answering a series of tough questions and engaging in improv dance which had to end with the contestant topless. Can you guess who won? The guy with the guitar who serenaded the audience and had abs of steel, of course! Next came more serious business-- presenting workshops to readers and other writers. I took part in the Carnival of Romance, a good time visiting your favorite authors

New Release - SEAL FOR HER PROTECTION (SEALs of Coronado 1)!

I’m so excited to be here to talk about SEAL FOR HER PROTECTION, Book 1 in my brand new military romantic suspense SEALS OF CORONADO Series. I write a lot of romantic suspense, much of it with military and action themes. But out of deference to my husband—a 20-year Army veteran—I’ve always refrained from writing anything in the Navy SEAL world. I typically lean on him for the guy’s perspective and military expertise in my suspense/action stories, and he was never thrilled with writing about something so far outside his wheelhouse, but then Cat Johnson (she of the Hot SEALs fame) asked me to write a story in her HOT SEALs Kindle World Series and that changed everything! Cat has helped me out with so much, from boxed sets to promo suggestions, to the best way to increase my indie sales, I simply couldn’t say no when she asked me for a story. Besides I’ve wanted to write something involving SEALs for a while and this seemed like fate calling. So I plied my husband with compl

Romance Novels and Little White Dogs

In my upcoming release, HOW TO TAME YOUR HIGHLANDER, Mary Elizabeth's little cousin, Connie, has a West Highland terrier named William Wallace. This little dog may look like a cream puff, but she's fierce. There is also a white puppy in my novel, THE QUEEN'S PAWN. King Henry gives this purebred to Princess Alais in order to woo her in his underhanded way, and the dog is so cute, it works. Little Bijou is a Bijon, or in modern parlance, a Bichon Frise like the puppy below. Bijou has a lot of personality and likes to spend its time asleep on Alais' shoe, unless it's eating one of them. With all these little dogs in my fiction, I think I need to get one for myself. I've got my heart set on a Coton de Tulear, like this one from the American Kennel Club website. They are small dogs with very calm and sweet dispositions, Just the kind of dog that will be patient as I sit and write yet another revision before we go out and play in the yard. B

Can I Borrow Your Muse?

I recently turned in two manuscripts. The first was the copyedits for AS RICH AS A ROGUE by Jade Lee.  Isn’t the cover pretty? Next, I turned in the revisions for the first book in Kathy Lyons’ new grizzly shifter series, THE BEAR WHO LOVED ME. No cover for that yet, but I promise, it’s coming. Anyway, having turned everything in, I took a few days off. But now it’s Monday morning and it’s time for me to get to work on the next book. Wouldn’t it be nice if I had a plot? Or a clue? Guess what I do to try and stimulate my muse. And then guess if you think it works or not. (hint: it can and is more than one of the following.) 1.       Take a nap. For a week. 2.       Go rollerblading. 3.       Eat yummy things. 4.       Watch TV. 5.       Read. 6.       Play with my cat. 7.       Meditate. 8.       Clean house. 9.       Skydive. 10.    Spa appointment. Answer: well, let’s just take them one at a time. 1       No -- I hate naps. I take them occa