Kat Simons: Once Upon A Tiger

You can say you read it here first. Kat Simons is the one to watch for 2014. Her debut novella, Once Upon A Tiger, was released not even two weeks ago and already has shot up the ranks at Amazon.

I don't normally read paranormal romance (I know! Authors hate it when reviews with that line), but Once Upon A Tiger took me by surprise. The plot of this story could have gone down a common road, but the author keeps things moving in new directions.

At the core of the story, there is an imbalance of male tiger shifters to females, so the community elders have instituted a run for a mate -- males chase a desired female during her estrous, the end of which she must chose her mate. Should she fail to become pregnant, she must run again.

Alexis is a Tracker and has been excluded from the Mate Run, but unbeknownst to her, she's been let go from her job as Tracker and is now subject to the run. She discovers this when a pack of males show up at her doorstep with the news. Alexis would consider running if the man she loved was available. As he's not, she will kill any male who forces her to run.

Victor has been shunned in his community for his mutism, some calling him a freak or defective. This defect has also excluded him from the Mate Run. That's fine with him though, as the only woman he wants refuses to run. When he learns his friend Alexis has been fired and now forced into the run, he goes to help her. He knows she's capable of killing and will fight to the death before being forced into running. As her friend, Victor will do what it takes to protect her.

This story was fabulous on many levels -- The emotions between Alexis and Victor were palpable, the battle scenes were dramatic and well-written, the author's unique voice moves the story quickly without the slow bits that make some stories drag, and Victor's inability to speak bumped this story up to a new level rarely seen in romance.

Once Upon A Tiger is a great introduction into paranormal romance for first timers to the genre, and a fabulous first effort by this author. I love the title, and the cover is muy sexy! This book is first in a series, and I can't wait to read the next.

Kat took some time from her busy schedule to have a chat with us. As we do, we like to focus on the author away from her work.

• • •

Welcome to Heart of Fiction, Kat. As you can see, I just loved Once Upon A Tiger. Before we share your excerpt with our readers, let's learn a little about YOU.

With such a busy schedule, how do you find time to write? Do you have a routine you stick to or do you grab a few words as you can?

I write whenever I get time between the kids and life. When the baby naps, I write. When the kids go to bed, I write. I don’t sleep a lot :-) But I get the writing in where ever I can. Turns out I write really fast under pressure, too. The less time I have, the more I seem to get done. No time to make excuses or give myself permission to spend a baby nap playing Sudoku instead of working. That nap might only last 20 minutes! (I know, I have the most disastrous sleeping baby ever! He’s super cute and lovely, but he’s a rotten sleeper. And I thought my oldest was a bad sleeper. Little did I know.) If all I have in a day is 20 minutes then I have to get as much in in 20 minutes as I can. I look back to the time before I had kids and wonder what the hell I was doing with all my time! LOL. But since it seems I work best under pressure, it’s probably good I had kids. I’m a writing madwoman now.

Sounds like you are! You know, it's kind of like when you're working full time at an outside job, or going to school, that we can always make more time for writing. I think it's that schedule or obligation to something else when we can say, "I'd rather be writing" and take the day off and actually stay home to write. Whereas, when you're home all the time and have all kinds of free time that we say, "Sure, I'll do that later" then never do. Sounds like with kids, you have that obligation to something else that makes us appreciate that free time a lot more, and get 2 hours of writing done in that 20 minutes.

So, when you get that 20 minutes, where do you get your writing in? Do you have an office, or a desk in the corner, laptop on the table (or go figure, on your lap), or . . . ? Will you describe your writing space for us?

Like my schedule, my writing space is wherever I happen to be when the baby falls asleep. I carry around my writing laptop or a tablet and keyboard, keep my current WIP in a cloud account, and sit down to write when I can. Mostly I sit on my living room couch, which is super comfortable so a great place to write, or if the baby is awake and I’m still trying to get more work in, I stand at the kitchen counter—where he can’t reach the keyboard. (Because my baby would try to add to my word count with a lot of baby type. Everyone wants to write a book, right?) I will be forever grateful for laptops and tablets so my writing can be mobile. I know, I know, I could always use pen and paper, that’s super portable. Pen and paper are great, but eventually I still have to put everything into the computer. And I type a lot faster than I write so typing I can keep up with my imagination. What can I say, I’m a techy-type. Oh, but I do have to use pen and paper to make notes, write out my ToDo lists, marketing plans, etc… So maybe I’m only techy when it comes to the actual writing of my books… What was the question again?:-)

LOL Sounds like your baby will be the next writer in your household.

I know what you mean about typing as fast as your imagination. I've tried going back to hand writing my stories, but end up getting frustrated because my hands won't write as fast as my brain is talking to me. Or I start worrying about reading my handwriting, which has suffered severely in recent years since I spend so much time on the computer. I definitely prefer typing. Just wish the keys were quieter so I could take my laptop to bed with me at night and keep himself awake!

With two young children, writing, and trying to catch up on sleep, what do you do for fun or to relax?

I play a lot of Sudoku. Maybe too much. Oh and I have this cool Majong game on my iTouch that I play all the time. Obviously, I spend lots of time with my kids. I love spending time with my husband, too, when we can squeeze it in around the kids. I enjoy going to sporting events with the family, and I love traveling. Of course I love to read, but I actually don’t read near as much as I’d like to. I find it hard to read someone else’s fiction when I’m working on my own. So I take the occasional reading holiday—a week off where I read as many books as I can get it. I really love those weeks. I also like to take long walks and swim when I can get to a pool. And someday I’ll get back to doing cross-stitch and crewel. I love needlework and have been collecting projects, but with the baby I haven’t been able to sit down and work on one of those projects in awhile. I’ll get back to it though. What else? I love to bake. That’s my most dangerous habit because I love to eat what I bake and that is not good when my “day job” is sedentary. That’s the other reason I stand to write sometimes—to offset the chocolate chip cookie dough I nibbled for breakfast. :-) The rest of my life is writing.

Cookie dough for breakfast? Love it!

Sounds like a very busy lifestyle but a very fulfilling one.

Thanks for taking a few minutes out of your obviously very busy schedule to chat with us. Best of luck with Once Upon A Tiger, and get that next book out soon!

Thanks for having me here today! This was a fun interview.

Before we get to the excerpt, be sure to leave a comment for Kat. I'm sure we can twist her arm into offering a free copy of her book to one lucky commenter ;-) Be sure to include your email address, as that's your sure ticket into the random draw.

• • •

She’ll never run.

Among the tiger shifters, Alexis Tarasova is regarded as fierce and dangerous, with a reputation that would make even the most daring tiger think twice about challenging her. Female tiger shifters may be rare and the mating run a critical part of their species’s survival, but Alexis is the only female Tracker and will not back down, even at the threat of tiger law. She will not be forced to mate. So when a handful of males band together to force her to participate in the run, Alexis chooses to stand her ground and fight instead.

He's forbidden to run.

Outcast from the tiger shifters after a vicious childhood attack left him mute, Victor Romanov has never taken part in the mate run. He’s never particularly cared, though, since the woman he loves refuses to take a mate. However, when he learns Alexis may be in danger, all bets are off. Nothing will keep him from her side.

Together, they’re unmovable.

The chemistry between them burns wickedly hot and forges them into an unbeatable pair. Alexis knows that being with Victor means she will have to break another one of her people’s laws—a move that might push the tigers too far. But, for Victor, she will risk everything, including her life, and do what she thought she’d never do—run.

Alexis worked at squashing the rapid increase in her pulse, but from the way Victor’s nostrils flared and his eyes narrowed slightly, she knew the effort was pointless. He could smell her lust rising. And there was no way they’d be able to remain this close without falling into bed. She’d wanted him too much for too long. Even out of estrous, she’d barely been able to resist him. Alone with him, she knew her body would get the better of her brain.

Just the thought made her glance toward her room. When she looked at Victor again, his expression was serious, his gaze focused on her mouth.

“That’s probably not a great idea,” she murmured, even as she leaned a little closer. “Not while I’m in estrous.”

She felt his heat, smelled his desire. The combination was driving her nuts. Every fiber of her being strained toward him, wanting to strip off those borrowed clothes and do all sorts of naughty things to his delicious body. When she realized just how close she’d gotten to him, she jumped up and stumbled back toward the kitchen.

“No,” she said once she was at a safe distance. “No, you hanging around is not a good idea.”

He dropped eye contact long enough to write a note, then rose slowly, his every movement holding her attention. So graceful and strong. What would those big hands feel like on her body? Her skin quivered at the thought. She closed her eyes for a moment to rein in her wayward thoughts. When she opened them, he was standing in front of her, holding the notebook up so she could read.

I won’t stay here. I’ll keep to the woods. But I’ll be near enough to help if you need me.

She didn’t want him to go. She wanted him to stay, to drag her off to bed. She could barely think around the thick need racing across her heated skin, the only relief for it in Victor’s arms.

He dropped his hands to his side and took a small step closer. Alexis was so overwhelmed by him she stopped thinking. To hell with the elders and their damned rules. She eased near enough that their clothes brushed. She felt the contact across her entire body. Her nipples hardened, her breathing increased, dampness soaked her underwear.

Their mouths were a breath away, the suspense and desire almost more than she could take.

Then she blinked and he was gone.

An involuntary gasp blew past her tingling lips. She stood exactly where she was for long moments as she concentrated on breathing. Finally, she went to her still-open front door. There was no sign of him. But her keen senses picked him up about a half mile away. Far enough that she was no longer so driven to drag him to bed but close enough he could reach her if she needed him.

True to his word, she thought. Honorable on top of everything else.

No wondered she’d been in love with him for most of her adult life.

• • •

Kat Simons earned her Ph.D in animal behavior, working with animals as diverse as dolphins and deer. She brought her experience and knowledge of biology to her paranormal romance fiction, where she delights in taking nature and turning it on its ear. After traveling the world, she now lives in New York City with her family, their funny little dog and a library’s worth of books. Kat is a stay-at-home mom and a full time writer.

AUTHOR LINKS
Website: http://www.katsimons.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Kat-Simons/1430791730466744
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/7554922.Kat_Simons
Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Kat-Simons/e/B00HCMVVN4

BUY LINKS
Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Once-Upon-Tiger-Shifters-ebook/dp/B00H9KEAKA
Smashwords: https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/387432
AllRomance Ebooks: https://www.allromanceebooks.com/product-onceuponatiger-1373952-143.html

Don't forget to leave a comment with your email address for the draw!

Get your Just Desserts for the holidays

JUST DESSERTS
Authors: compiled by the authors and staff at Tirgearr Publishing
Released: December 2012 - Updated November 2013
ISBN: 9781301566303
ASIN: B00AK3RB7W
Genre: Cookery
Price: FREE or 99c some Kindle sites*
*proceeds from Kindle sales go to charity
     
Get your copy here: Kindle US, Kindle UK, Smashwords, Apple, Kobo, Nook, Sony

**Please note: This book has been updated to include 23 additional recipes**

67 recipes for festive desserts and drinks for the holiday season, all contributed by the wonderful authors and staff at Tirgearr Publishing.

Click here for a list of recipes

REVIEWS

Good read, with nice recipes - Teresa A. Chadwell
Nice collection of recipes that would be easy to read and prepare. Any cook would be pleased to have these recipes to try. Thanks for the recipes. I will be sure to incorporate them into my holiday preparation.

Sugar Rush…Yum - Anastasia
A delicious collection of Tirgearr Publishing’s staff coming together and sharing their favourite holiday desserts and drinks. Having the sweetest tooth south of the equator I adored all the dessert recipes.

Yummy - Carol Heiland-Rosa
Get it, you won't regret it-love the desserts! And the price is wonderful (free that is - tee hee hee)

Family loved these desserts! - Carley
I managed to make 3/4 of the recipes in this book. The family loved every one. Great twists on traditional dishes, along with some new!

Click here for more reviews

Zrinka Jelic: Deck the Halls

Please help me welcome Zrinka Jelic to Heart of Fiction.

Originally from Croatia, Zrinka now calls Canada home. She's a prolific writer -- a member of RWA and it's FF&P chapter, as well as Savvy Authors -- but new to Tirgearr Publishing.

Today we'll be talking with Zrinka about her latest release, Deck the Halls, a wonderful holiday inspired paranormal romance.

Zach can’t get excited about Christmas, especially knowing it's his last day as a human. Evil sorceress, Tia, tries forcing Zach's wolf form out early, but when he fails to fall for her tricks, she punished him by turning him to a dog. Zach has just 48 hours to save his family and trade his own life for another in order to break Tia's spell.

Julie finds a stray dog and resists putting an ad in the paper because he's so cute and friendly. That, and for some weird reason, the dog reminds her of her friend Zach, whom she secretly loves.

Miss Molly, Julie's cat, is onto the dog. She knows who he really is and tries keeping the two apart. But Zach must protect Julie from Tia, regardless what the cat thinks.

When Julie is confronted by Tia, Julie must fight for Zach if they're to have a future together.

Deck the Halls is a wonderful installment to Tirgearr Publishing's collection of holiday stories. The relationship which develops between Julie and Zach is fraught with angst from the start -- Zach's inability to ask out a girl he really likes, Julie's inability to tell Zach how she feels about him, and then Julie's subsequent love of a stray who oddly reminder her of a man she secretly loves. Add the mischievousness of Miss Molly, Tia's angry jelousy, and of course that the holidays have a chance at being truly ruined, and this story already packs a big novel into this short novella. A great read, not just for the holiday season, but all year.

We had a moment to sit down with Zrinka and talk to her about her life away from the computer --

Welcome to Heart of Fiction, Zrinka, and congrats on the release of your new book!

Readers love learning new things about authors, so we're looking forward to getting to know more about you today. For example, when you write, do you schedule time to write, or just catch snippets whenever you can? What is your daily writing routine like?

It changed since I’ve started working full time. There’s very little time at the end of the day and on the weekends that I can dedicate to my writing, but I keep plowing through. Slow but steady onward. Of course, with my time away from home, household chores are waiting too. So that eats into my precious time. But I’m always plotting that next book, chapter, scene. Even if I can’t always write it down and often times it’s hard to remember every detail that came to my mind, but as soon as I’m hit with the answer to the question “Now, there was something else I wanted to write in, what was it?” I open up my wip and put it in. If I’m not near my computer, then I just jot it down.

I know how tough it can be to find time to write when you have family and a full time job, but the dedicated writer will grab even five minutes when it presents itself, as you do.

When you get that precious time to write, where do you do it? Do you have an office or like your time, grab a chair where you can? Describe your writing space.

Not much to describe. It can be anywhere, I can take my laptop wherever I’d like to write, but I find it hard to concentrate with all the noise in let’s say Starbucks. The espresso machines frothing and the barista’s. Tried to listen to my music, but felt awkward having to sit there with my headphones on my head. So for the most part, I’m writing at home. On my burgundy couch, laptop on my well, lap. If I feel like having the music blasting through my headphones and maybe I forget my manners and start to sing and dance in my chair. Until my family tells me to knock it off.

You're right. Not everyone can write in the local coffee shop. I'd be distracted by the noise too. And the pastries!

What do you enjoy doing when you're not writing? Do you have hobbies?

I like to workout. Years ago I was into Yoga, then I got tired of it. But now I’m back and it’s harder to get back into it then start from the scratch. I think the reason for it is that I know the basics and I was once so flexible, now I can hardly do a semi-decent bow pose. Well, at least I can do it. I’ll get better at it. I can only hope. As my yoga instructor said once, you hit a certain age there are two choices, old age home or yoga. I chose yoga. It’s funny how stiff and yet firm you can get without lifting weights and pushing yourself hard in the gym. Though, I just spent some 50 minutes on the treadmill at level 20. Gotta put in those 5 K’s.

Hey, at least you're doing it and not just talking about doing it (like I do), and you'll regain flexibility over time. Your instructor was right though. "The home" or get fit.

Thanks for chatting with us. We'll let you get back to limbering up . . . for the next book ;-). Happy holidays, and thanks for rounding out our week of holiday inspired stories. I hope the Great Fat Man brings you something nice on the day.

Before we check out the excerpt, remember, Zrinka is giving away a copy of Deck the Halls to one lucky commenter today. Be sure to leave your email address so we can contact you.

Also, in Tirgearr's 5-in-5 event, all commenters this week will be put into a draw for the grand prize at the end of the week -- all FIVE books published this week. PLUS the three books from last years' event. That's *EIGHT* books to one lucky commenter. Be *sure* to leave your email address so we can contact you.

And if you're on Facebook, Tigearr is running the same event on their events page. Double your chances of winning by joining the event there and leaving your comments --

https://www.facebook.com/events/241253159371919

• • •

It isn’t the string of crappy jobs, or people’s irrational urge to spend their money, or even his inability to ask Julie out on a date that Zach can’t get excited about Christmas. It is the fact that today is his last day he gets to spend in his preferred human form.

When jealous Tia, a wicked sorceress disguised as the pack’s alpha female, tries to force his wolf out a day early, all-consuming anger sends him into a rage against her. She punishes shape shifter Zach, by changing him to a dog. He has 48 hours to save his family and trade his life for someone else’s in order to break the spell—the only problem, Julie’s cat Miss Molly knows who he is and won’t let him near her owner. But Julie’s safety is the greatest importance and he sticks by her side.

Julie can’t resist falling in love with the stray dog she rescues. She prolongs putting a found dog ad in the local newspaper just to keep him for another day. Strange thing is, the animal reminds her of Zach.
Confronted with the woman who stole the man she secretly loves, Julie discovers the truth about Zach. When his dog form proves useless against the powerful alpha werewolf, the help comes from unforeseen allies.

Zach shoved one more shopping cart left in the middle of the parking lot into the long row of other carts. The cheerful laughter of people added to his vexation. Anger flared in him and he blew another hot breath. Damn it all, he was a son of a Roman Centurion, destined for greatness. He’d proved his worth in many wars, winning countless battles.

It was the heart of a woman he couldn’t win.

A chance to see Julie was the reason enough to get sucked into taking a shift, filling in for someone who was nursing a hangover. Maybe on his last day in human form he would muster enough courage to live up his fantasy. He should be in bed, bringing Julie to Heaven and not just imagine he was making love to her. Then again, not every story ended on a happy note.

On the sidewalk of the large department store, the hired Santa rang his bell. “Ho, ho, ho, Merry Christmas.”

Coins clinked, filling the tin can in Santa’s hand. The perpetual darkness of early winter didn’t seem to dampen human’s giving or shopping mood. Zach tilted his head toward the dusk sky and squinted against the wet snowflakes. The low hovering, gray clouds almost scraped the tops of the buildings, bringing cold winds.

At his shove, the carts rumbled and coasters screeched on the cement. The shift manager would have a fit if he saw him pushing this many carts at once. Not that Zach cared. He’d made the employee of the month for three months in a row despite the nasty boss.

Another step and he’d cross the long driveway of the parking lot, get out of the frigid air and into a heated store foyer. A pickup drove through a puddle. Splashes of dirty, freezing water soaked his worn jeans. Goose flesh raced up his bare legs underneath with icy bite. The black truck’s engine roared and the vehicle peeled out of the parking lot, leaving wet tire tracks on the pavement. He glared at the taillights disappearing in the large snowflakes. The bobbing tip of the Douglas fir, hanging from the edge of the truck’s bed, reminded Zach of dead deer antlers. Strange tradition to chop down a tree, bring it indoors, prop it upright, decorate it, praise it, only to toss it onto the curb a week or so later.

At the store entrance the scruffy guy playing Christmas carols on his guitar shrugged and flashed him a sorrowful look. A patron threw a handful of coins in the open case. He doffed his baseball cap and changed the tune for yet another melody that was supposed to spread holiday cheer. 

Peace and joy, goodwill towards people, my ass.

• • •

Zrinka Jelic lives in Ontario, Canada. A member of the Romance Writers of America and its chapter Fantasy Futuristic &Paranormal, as well as Savvy Authors, she writes contemporary fiction—which leans toward the paranormal—and adds a pinch of history. Her characters come from all walks of life, and although she prefers red, romance comes in many colors. Given Jelic’s love for her native Croatia and the Adriatic Sea, her characters usually find themselves dealing with a fair amount of sunshine, but that’s about the only break they get.

Find Zrinka Online --

Facebook
Blog

Tirgearr Publishing

Kristi Ahlers: The Trouble with Holly

Kristi Ahlers is back with us today with another great addition to her Trouble Series -- The Trouble with Holly. Just in time for the holidays!

Kristi is one of Tirgearr Publishing's most prolific writers, and her Trouble Series is extremely popular. And why not with so much trouble out there to write about . . . French Kisses, Pilots, Voodoo, Cupcakes, Mistletoe, Beaches, Vineyards, Halloween, and now Holly.

What's the Trouble with Holly, you ask? The trouble is, Holly wants to go to France for a wine tasting tour with her girlfriends, but she's broke. If she's going to travel with her friends, France pretty much being her bucket list, she needs money. It's the holidays so she takes a seasonal job as Santa's helper in Harrington's Department Store. Yep, Holly as an elf. There is where Holly's troubles really begin. There and with Santa.

Who's Santa? Why, Mr. Harrington, of course. And he loooooves the holidays. His year would not be complete without becoming Santa for the holidays. When his helper turns out to be one sexy lady, called Holly no less, he has to get to know her better. But she has other ideas. Her focus is on France, not love. She's all kinds of trouble, but he likes trouble.

As with Krisit's other Trouble stories, Holly will not disappoint. This story is full of emotion . . . laughs, sighs, angst, and love. And wow, can Kristi write a kiss! Readers will come away from this story with a pitter-pat and a sigh. And maybe with a new appreciation for the holiday season.

Before we check out the excerpt, remember, Kristi is giving away a copy of The Trouble with Holly to one lucky commenter today. Be sure to leave your email address so we can contact you.

Also, in Tirgearr's 5-in-5 event, all commenters this week will be put into a draw for the grand prize at the end of the week -- all FIVE books published this week. PLUS the three books from last years' event. That's *EIGHT* books to one lucky commenter. Be *sure* to leave your email address so we can contact you.

And if you're on Facebook, Tigearr is running the same event on their events page. Double your chances of winning by joining the event there and leaving your comments --

https://www.facebook.com/events/241253159371919

• • •

Holly McIntyre has just been invited to join a group of her friends who are traveling to France for a wine tasting trip that will end in Paris. Holly has dreamed of taking a trip to France since she was a little girl. Now the only thing standing between her and her dream trip is her checking account. Well, she’s not going to miss out on this chance, even if it means getting a demeaning job as an elf for Santa Clause at Harrington’s Department Store. Holly hates Christmas, finds it too commercial and just can never seem to get into the holiday spirit. Of course the Santa she’s being an elf for has way to much holiday happiness, so this is not going to be an easy task, but Paris is on the other side. Now if she could only ignore the red hot attraction burning between Santa and herself. Oh, Santa, baby! 

Christopher Harrington loves the holidays and volunteers every year as Santa at his family’s department store. This year his elf is anything but a happy little soul. And yet, he is drawn to Holly and her sassy personality and realizes she poses as a holiday challenge. He’s going to get this prickly little Scrooge to come around and see there really is magic to the Christmas season and that not everyone is interested in things bought in a store. Holly might mean trouble but Christopher is not afraid of that. Trouble can be fun.

Holly McIntyre blew out a breath as she frowned down at her checking account balance and worked hard to resist the urge to scream in utter frustration. 

“Well, do you think you can swing it?” Dahlia asked as she continued to file her nails, smacking on her gum without a care in the world.

“I don’t think so.” Holly nibbled on the inside of her lower lip.

“You’ve got to come, Holly; we’re talking France!”

“Yeah, I know.” Holly wanted to spend Christmas in France, going on wine tasting trips and strolling the Champs-Élysées. She wanted to experience the city she’d been dreaming about since she was a little girl. And here was her chance to leave the cold and windy city of Chicago for Paris.

Dahlia set her emery board down and pinned Holly with a determined look. “You’re going to go; you deserve this trip, and I won’t take no for an answer.” She reached over for the legal pad that had Holly’s budget written on it and ran her perfectly manicured fingertip down the yellow lined paper. “Girl you’re so organized you give professional organizers like me a bad name.”

Holly laughed. It was true; although Dahlia owned her own organizing business and could organize a hoarder into a happy Zen place, she didn’t prescribe to the same thought process.

Dahlia pushed the legal pad back across the table. “Maybe you could pick up another job?”

“Yeah, because interior design jobs are just dropping out of the sky like snowflakes.” Holly was an interior designer but business had fallen off with the turn of the economy and people just weren’t redoing kitchens and other rooms. She had enough clients and projects to keep the wolf from the door as it were but not enough to buy a ticket to Paris.

“Get a second job!” Dahlia clapped her hands together in glee. “Find a part time job; the holidays are right around the corner,and you can find something that will pay well enough for a plane ticket and a week of hotels.”

“Gee, is that all?” Holly pushed her dark hair behind her right ear and continued to look at her pitiful budget. She really needed to save and put money aside, for when trip opportunities like this arose, she could go without any guilt.

“You know what I mean.”

“Yeah, I do.” Holly stood and went into the kitchen and grabbed a glass before filling it with some water. “I need to find something that will allow me to work on the jobs I’ve got and still be able to fund a trip to Europe. I doubt seriously I’ll find that.”

Dahlia, one never to sit around and wait for things to happen, was already looking in the want ads. “Here you go! This will be perfect.”

That was just too easy, and Holly went over to the table and leaned over to look at what advertisement had her friend so excited.

“Oh no. Hell no.” Holly shook her head back and forth. “No way.” She backed away from the table and went back to the kitchen to put the glass in the sink.

“Come on, Holly. It will be fun. And you would only have to work a few hours a week.”

“Are you high? I’m not going to do that.” She pointed her finger at the offending paper. “I’d rather sling drinks at a bar, or ask if someone wants to supersize their fries with their order.”

Dahlia shivered. “Eww. Food service is not for you, my friend.”

“Well, that,” she pointed once again to the newspaper, “isn’t for me either.”

“What if I applied with you? Would you do it then? Just think you could go to Paris! The Eiffel Tower, the Champs-Élysées, the Louvre! And don’t get me started on the wine!”

Holly crossed her arms across her chest and sighed. She did want to go to Paris; she wanted to go badly. But the idea of dressing up as an elf for Harrington’s Department store’s Holiday Village made her want to break out in a rash. She loathed the holidays, found Christmas to be nothing but a “Hey, what are you gonna get me” grasping holiday. 

 The meaning and the magic was gone and had been since she was a little girl and learned Santa was really her Uncle Matthew. Still, there had been something about those country Christmas’s she missed. Perhaps it was the family or the innocence of the whole thing. Now, Christmas was all about money and what big electronic thing was going to be sitting under the tree. Her family was scattered; none of them in Illinois anymore and with lives of their own. In fact of all her brothers and sisters—there were six—she really only seemed to talk to them on Christmas Eve and on birthdays. It was sad really. This is why going to France with her girlfriends seemed like such a wonderful idea. She wouldn’t be sitting alone watching movies and eating ice cream by the ton.

“Okay, I’ll do it.” Holly uncrossed her arms and walked back to the kitchen table, dropping down into the chair. “I mean how bad could it be?”

• • •

 Kristi Ahlers is a California girl! She grew up in Northern California in a small city called Yuba City. Since then she's lived in Brussels, Belgium, and England along with a myriad of other locations. A former flight attendant, she was able to continue to feed her love of travel. This has greatly influenced her writing, allowing her to pen stories about places she's managed to visit and things she's experienced.

Kristi loves to hear from her readers.

Find Kristi online --

Kristi Ahlers
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Tirgearr Publishing

The Trouble Series, book nine

Take a look at other books in The Trouble Series

book one

book two

book three

book four

book five

book six

book seven

book eight

C. Margery Kempe: Man City: Martin

Please welcome C. Margery Kempe back to Heart of Fiction. C. Margery is the author of the fabulous Man City Series -- Shai, Lizzie, and now Martin.

Martin is a special release for Tirgearr Publishing in several ways --

1) It adds the Man City Series
2) It's a holiday story so part of the Ring in the Holidays event
3) Is Tirgearr's first all male erotic romance story

All great reasons to celebrate. Let's take a look at the series --

Shai has it bad for two men in her life -- her current boyfriend, chef extraordinaire and thoughtful lover; and her ex-boyfriend, sports enthusiast . . . out of and in the bedroom. Looking to spice up her current relationship, Shai takes advantage to celebrate the monumental win of the boys' favorite team to celebrate in her own special way.

Lizzie is in an open relationship and dating two men she loves. When one of them suggests they be exclusive, Lizzie is torn. Both men are very different can appeal to her in their own ways. How can she chose? Perhaps, with their consent, a love test? She'll have them both together and make her decision.

Martin is alone over the holidays and he hates it. Especially when his two closest gay friends seem like the ideal couple. In fact, he calls them the Dynamic Duo. He's secretly had a crush on both of them, but values their friendship even more. Then one of them kisses him -- deep, hard, and with feeling. Martin is both strongly attracted yet respecting his friendship with them both and knows he can't have an affair with him. Hoping to put the incident past him, he finds himself in the same situation with the other friend. Are the Dynamic Duo breaking up? Break-ups are horrible. Friends usually go with one or the other. He would never be able to divide his affections in favor of one or the other. What is he to do when he's offered the Christmas gift of a lifetime?

The Man City Series is a great collection of creative stories which will appeal to both erotica and erotic romance readers. Each story is well-told with believable characters and situations, and some hot, hot love scenes! With Martin, one can't help feel the loneliness of the holiday season. He sees how perfect his friends' relationship is and craves a partner for himself and a perfect relationship of his own. If he can only get out of his funk. His friends prove the perfect friends by offering him the gift of a lifetime, and readers will come away from fanning themselves. At the heart of Martin is a heartwarming story of love and friendship, and happy endings in the purest sense ;-)

Before we check out the excerpt, remember, C.Margery is giving away a copy of Man City: Martin to one lucky commenter today. Be sure to leave your email address so we can contact you.

Also, in Tirgearr's 5-in-5 event, all commenters this week will be put into a draw for the grand prize at the end of the week -- all FIVE books published this week. PLUS the three books from last years' event. That's *EIGHT* books to one lucky commenter. Be *sure* to leave your email address so we can contact you.

And if you're on Facebook, Tigearr is running the same event on their events page. Double your chances of winning by joining the event there and leaving your comments --

https://www.facebook.com/events/241253159371919 

• • •

Martin hated Christmas. Okay, maybe he didn't hate the holiday as much as he hated being on his own for it. Or worse, not on his own but spending it with Scott and James, the perfect couple. He's ready to grumble through the jolly season envying their lovely life, but then James starts flirting with him -- and on another night, so does Scott. Are the dynamic duo breaking up? Martin can't decide if he's more heartbroken at losing their perfect example -- or wildly turned on by getting one of the men of his dreams. But which one?

I hate Christmas! Martin frowned at the jolly Father Christmas waving at the crowd with unstoppable exuberance. He must be getting paid by the smile. Most people were returning the man's manic grin with all the buoyant spirit of the season—a spirit that continued to elude him.

He wouldn't exactly call himself a Scrooge, but Martin had found it difficult to get any of the abundant cheer that seemed to fill everyone else in the world right now. The holiday was weeks away and yet people were singing carols and wrapping themselves in ribbons of stripey colours and wishing for snow. 

Bah humbug. 

Admittedly a big part of that was no doubt that he hadn't had a date in weeks. Or sex with anyone but himself for even longer. Martin stopped to stare at a mannequin in the window. It was vaguely male-shaped with no eyes or mouth. And he still felt a stirring of arousal. He closed his eyes and sighed. I need to get laid! 

Maybe he would meet someone at a holiday party. It could happen. There was that cutie Lars at the office do last year. That lasted a few weeks before the Nordic beauty buggered off back home to Sweden. What a shame and a great loss to international relations. I surely improved my linguistic talents, Martin though with a wistful sigh.

He hurried down to the escalator, realizing that he had spent more time than expected dithering over a gift for his sister. She was always so hard to buy for. The only thing he knew she liked was books, but she read such odd things—non-fiction mostly, but it might be a tome on the Chinese opium trade or a dissection of a recent serial killer. It was hard to predict, but he was tired of just giving her book tokens. It seemed so impersonal.

That had to be the worst part of the holidays: making decision after decision. Martin found it so stressful. In the end he had picked up and set down a dozen books and never managed to pick any one of them, imagining her face looking utterly confused and perhaps a little offended at some of the choices.

So it was a wasted foray into the hated mall so far. And he needed to step up the pace because he was meeting Scott and James for a late lunch at the pub. Martin felt a wave of despair wash over him. Normally he looked forward to spending even a little time with the Dynamic Duo, but at the moment their shiny perfection was a painful reminder of his hopelessness.

Nothing like a happy couple to make you feel like you were fated to die alone with a hundred cats and empty gin bottles around your feet. Martin found it all too easy to picture today. He could even see the ginger cat that would chomp on his recently deceased corpse with a barely contained glee. Would anyone cry for me? Martin mused. Drama queen!

 • • •

C. Margery Kempe is a writer of erotic romance distinguished by its humour, intelligence, and fearless sensual pleasures. Her stories range from contemporary thrillers to medieval era fairy tales.

An English professor by day, she also writes on medieval literature, film, creative writing and New Media, as well as humor, drama, mainstream and genre fiction under her real name and non-explicit romance as Kit Marlowe.

She's a weekly blogger at Nights of Passion on Sundays.

 Find C. Margery online at --

C.M.Kempe
Facebook
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Nights of Passion
The Pop Culture Divas
Tirgearr Publishing

Man City: Martin
Man City Series, book three

Man City: Shai
Man City Series, book one

Man City: Lizzie
Man City Series, book two

Stella Whitelaw: Christmas Once More

We're pleased to welcome back, Stella Whitelaw, to Heart of Fiction.

Stella is a prolific author of more than 200 books and short stories, including the popular Jordan Lacey Mysteries, Sweet Seduction, No Darker Heaven, Lucifer's Bride, and others.

In her newest, the Once More Series, Stella pulls together some of her favorite short stories into themed collections. Previously, she published the first in the series, Yesterday Once More, which was a collection of historically based stories -- settings from the 16th to 20th centuries . . . all 'yesterday' stories. Christmas Once More is a similar collection -- stories with a Christmas theme.

There's something for everyone in Christmas Once More. Stories include a woman taking back her life at the holidays, a young girl forced to endure a horrible costume for the sake of a holiday event and making the best of it, neighbors competing for the brightest house decorations, and more. Even some of Stella's favorite kitties make an appearance. Most importantly, all of the stories have an inspiring and happy ending. Readers will laugh and sigh as they read. This is a definite must read for the holidays.

Before we check out the excerpt, remember, Stella is giving away a copy of Christmas Once More to one lucky commenter today. Be sure to leave your email address so we can contact you.

Also, in Tirgearr's 5-in-5 event, all commenters this week will be put into a draw for the grand prize at the end of the week -- all FIVE books published this week. PLUS the three books from last years' event. That's *EIGHT* books to one lucky commenter. Be *sure* to leave your email address so we can contact you.

And if you're on Facebook, Tigearr is running the same event on their events page. Double your chances of winning by joining the event there and leaving your comments --

https://www.facebook.com/events/241253159371919 

• • •

A collection of holiday short stories

A Cracking Time
Blue Nosed Clown
Bright Lights
Christmas In January
Christmas is Off This Year
Christmas Schedule Blues
Glad Tidings of Great Joy
Knock, Knock Noel
No Haste Christmas
The Second Ugly Sister
Twelve Days to Christmas

excerpt from Christmas Schedule Blues

Chloe was stressed out merely thinking about Christmas. She kept insisting that it was celebrated on the wrong day, maybe even the wrong month. She’d read somewhere that it was really December 7 or January 24.

“It’s meaningless,” she said, watching her friend Lorraine decorate the office walls with loops of gold-coloured paper and gold-sprayed holly.

“Nonsense,” said Lorraine, moving the steps along to another area of wall. “Doesn’t it all this make you feel better? Feel happier and looking forward to the festivities and fun?”

Chloe shook her head. “Sorry, no. It only makes me feel tired. If you handed me a cracker, I wouldn’t have the energy to pull it.”

“Mince pie? I’ve brought in loads.”

“No, thank you. Too sweet and loaded with calories.”

“Roast turkey on Christmas day?”

“You can buy supermarket turkey all year round, so what’s so special?”

“Carols?”

Chloe shuddered. “I can’t stand them. Who started carols, I’d like to know? Those endless carols in shops, recorded carols in the street, carols on the doorstep. Save me from wallpaper carols.”

“What about your family?”

“The only family I have is a brother and he’s in the Navy, somewhere at sea.”

Lorraine pinned up the last sprig of holly. “Oh dear, is there anything that you do like about Christmas?”

Chloe thought carefully. She didn’t send cards or give unsuitable presents or make visits now. “I quite like snow,” she said.

“I’ll order it for you,” said Lorraine. “Remind me to speak to the weather man.”

 • • •

 Stella Whitelaw began writing seriously at the age of nine. She was ill with measles when her father gave her an Imperial Portable typewriter. Covered in spots, she sat up in bed and taught herself to type.

At sixteen, she became a cub reporter and worked her way up to Chief Reporter. She was the first woman Chief Reporter, the youngest, and the only one who was pregnant.

After producing a family, she became Secretary of the Parliamentary Press Gallery at the House of Commons. Secretary then meant the original meaning, Secretariat, the keeper of secrets. She was awarded an MBE in 2001 but is not sure why.

Like Trollope, she wrote books on the train and in the recesses. The Jordan Lacey PI series is her favourite and the cruise crime books. Her big romances, No Darker Heaven and Sweet Seduction, were a marathon adventure.

Stella has won a woman’s magazine national short story competition and the London Magazine’s Art of Writing competition judged by Sheridan Morley. The Elizabeth Goudge Cup was presented to her at Guildford University.

Homeless cats find their way to Stella’s lifelong hospitality and she has written eight books of cat stories for the 7 – 70 plus.

Find Stella online --

Website
Blog
Tirgearr Publishing

Betsy J. Bennett: Santa Takes A Wife

Please help us welcome back, Betsy J. Bennett, to Heart of Fiction. Betsy visited us before with her book, The Frog Kiss. Today she sees the release of her next book. Santa Takes A Wife . . . just in time for the holidays!

Betsy is an avid reader and a prolific writer. When she's not spending time with her family, she can always be found either writing or researching her next novel.

Tirgearr Publishing is hosting their annual 5-in-5 Ring in the Holidays Event this week -- five books published over five days, all holiday inspired. Santa Takes A Wife is the first out of the gate.

Nicholas St. Noel is Santa's son. It's time to pass the reigns, so to speak, and Nicholas not only finds himself inheriting the Santa position, but also needing a wife. Every Santa needs a Mrs. Santa, right?

Beth Anderson has always been a Christmas enthusiast. Her collection of Santa figurines and memorabilia is quite extensive. When she meets Nicholas, he seems the perfect man for her, but his claim to be Santa . . . the REAL Santa . . . is quite unbelievable. Can Nicholas convince Beth he's the real McCoy, so to speak? What does Beth think about spending the rest of her life in the wilds of the North Pole? You'll have to read the book to find out!

Santa Takes A Wife is a romance in the classic style of romance storytelling, with all the glitz and celebration of Christmas. Love, the holidays, excitement, adventure . . . it's all wrapped up neatly in this lovely story. If you're looking for something inspiring to read over the holidays, this book ticks all the boxes. Maybe by the end, you'll believe Santa exists too!

Before we check out the excerpt, remember, Betsy is giving away a copy of Santa Takes A Wide to one lucky commenter today. Be sure to leave your email address so we can contact you.

Also, in Tirgearr's 5-in-5 event, all commenters this week will be put into a draw for the grand prize at the end of the week -- all FIVE books published this week. PLUS the three books from last years' event. That's *EIGHT* books to one lucky commenter. Be *sure* to leave your email address so we can contact you.

And if you're on Facebook, Tigearr is running the same event on their events page. Double your chances of winning by joining the event there and leaving your comments --

https://www.facebook.com/events/241253159371919

• • • 

He was Santa Claus...wasn't he?

Nicholas St. Noel knew what to do to make children happy and he knew where every gift in his over-packed sleigh had to go until one Christmas when there was a gift he could not deliver.

It was time to choose a wife.

Beth Anderson believes in Christmas and in Santa Claus. She'd been relentlessly teased her whole life since she caught the real Santa as a child. But was she willing to give up her family and move to the North Pole and live with a thousand miserable elves? 

Marlett shuffled his feet in the clean straw. “Was there a problem?” 

“Problem?” Nicholas ground his teeth together and spoke sharper than he intended. 

Although a creature who laughed every day of his life, over the past twenty centuries, Marlett had clearly become sensitive to the moods of his Santas. “Come in the house, Nicholas. I’ve got hot chocolate waiting.”

“I can’t.”

“It’s easy enough to do. You put one foot in front of the other, it’s called walking.” Marlett’s eyes twinkled. He was used to being obeyed. Every Santa Claus for two thousand years had complied.

Nicholas looked past him into a morning sky where the sun wouldn’t rise for another three or four months. “I have to go back out.”

“No, you don’t. Don’t be ridiculous. It’s late, you need rest.”

Nicholas removed his hat, then ran his hands through sweat-soaked hair. This one day a year it was longer than he normally wore it, and his beard had come in, full and bushy. “You don’t understand. One present hasn’t been delivered.” 

Marlett must have heard the desperation that spoke of pain. “I was wondering when that was going to happen.”

“What do you mean?” Nicholas wasn’t a man who could swear, but at times like this, it would certainly come in handy. “Is this your doing?” 

“Then your father didn’t tell you?”

Nicholas snorted, sounding, oddly enough, like the reindeer which had just left. The previous Santa Claus had not been known for long heart-to-hearts with his son.

The jingling sound of Marlett’s bells was jarring, invasive. “Nicholas, get the present. I know what it is. The fact that you could not deliver this is not the disaster you think. You are still Santa. You haven’t lost any of your ability. I’ll explain.”

Nicholas released the top button of his suit and exhaled slowly, letting a long stream of breath escape. 

“The problems of the world cannot be solved over cookies and hot chocolate.”

“This one can. Your father—” he started, but Nicholas cut him off.

“I am not my father. I can never be my father.”

“No one’s forcing you to be, are they?” 

Nicholas growled. That was exactly what they were trying to do. He was supposed to be his father. Wasn’t that the whole point? The fear which had held him in such thrall hadn’t dissipated. It tightened his guts, made his muscles weak, his head spin. 

Exhausted, bone-weary, Nicholas slumped against a barn wall, sinking slowly until he sat in the straw. His head dropped low on his broad shoulders. His hands shook. “Tell me what it is, before I take another step.”

Marlett climbed into the sleigh, pulling himself up, then disappeared momentarily. He reappeared with the gift. The wrapped package was small, tiny almost, compared to the size of most gifts Santa delivered. 

Odd, Nicholas thought, he hadn’t known it was there and he’d always known before.
 
“Here, open it,” Marlett said, after he climbed out again.

“Are you telling me this is my gift?”

“Yes, and no.” 

“Which is it?” Nicholas didn’t have strength in his arms to reach out.

“Open the gift, then we’ll talk.” Marlett tossed it gently and the present landed unopened into his lap. Nicholas wasn’t certain he could control the tremors in his hands enough to get them to tear ribbon and paper. “I can’t do it,” he said. He closed his eyes as a dozen conflicting emotions battled within him, topped by the two most prominent: exhaustion and despair.

Marlett retrieved the box and did the deed himself. He revealed a small jeweler’s box, and inside a diamond ring, the stone modest, probably a half carat. He handed the box over to Nicholas, who handed it right back.

“I know what that is,” Nicolas said. “Although my experience is limited, I can tell you this isn’t the type of present Santa normally delivers.”

Marlett laughed until the barn rafters echoed with the sound. “Have you never heard how Santa takes a wife?”

• • •

Betsy J. Bennett lives in Michigan with her husband, two adult daughters, three obnoxious cats and an English bulldog. She has five grandchildren. She collects dragons, creche's and Santas. She has always believed in Christmas and in Santa, and although she has yet to meet the real Santa, she has hope that with the publication of this book he'll seek her out. She is currently at work on her next novel.

Find Betsy online --

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Tirgearr Publishing

Charlene Raddon: Taming Jenna

Welcome back, Charlene Raddon.

Charlene is visiting us today from her home in Utah where we hear the temperatures are dropping dramatically for the season. Brr!

A writer from early one, Charlene is no stranger to the world of fiction. She wrote her first novel in college and went onto published half a dozen titles. Today, she brings us Taming Jenna, a novel near and dear to her heart.

Jenna Leigh-Wittington is a pip. A real western tomboy if ever there was one. Deserted by her father when she was young, Jenna taught herself to survive on her own. Now, an agent for the famous Pinkerton National Detective Agency, she puts her life-skills to work hunting down criminals. A dedicated agent, Jenna has vowed to steer clear of men and focus on her job. Home, hearth, little ones are not in her future.

Enter hired gun, Branch McCauley, who's on a mission of his own. When he meets Jenna, his own agenda is thwarted. Rather than being agry, he refocuses his attentions on this little hellcat, and a battle of wills begins.

Steamy, erotic, adventurous, and a step back in time are all words I use easily when describing Charlene's writing. And never more so than with Taming Jenna. Branch certainly has his work cut out for him if he's going to tame the feisty heroine of this story. Charlene has taken what would normally be a run of the mill western romance and lit a fire under it, inflaming her characters and giving them a fiery, and somewhat volatile, relationship. Those are the funnest to ready, IMO. I want edge-of-my-seat reading, and that's what I get reading Charlene's stories. Taming Jenna is a fast paced gallop across the American west as it was being discovered and forged. And the love story that develops between her characters will go down in time as classic historical romance.

Before we check out the excerpt, remember, Charlene is giving away a copy of Taming Jenna to one lucky commenter today. Be sure to leave your email address so we can contact you.

• • •

The Wrong Man

Deserted by her good-for-nothing father at the tender age of seven, Jenna Leigh-Whittington taught herself to ride, shoot, brawl...and steer clear of the opposite sex. But now, in a lonely Utah canyon, the Pinkerton agent has drawn her six-gun on a rugged stranger -- only to discover that, far from the dangerous outlaw she's been tracking, he is Branch McCauley, hired gun . . . and the most irresistible rascal ever to tempt and torment a woman.

The Right Woman

If there's one thing McCauley trusts less than a female, it's a female that packs a six-gun. Vowing to bring the sensuous hellcat to heel, McCauley has no inkling that their passionate battle of wills has just begun. Taming Jenna will be the most seductive -- and satisfying -- job he's ever taken on . . .

A man’s naked chest was one thing, Jenna Leigh-Whittington told herself as she crept through the brush. After all, this was 1879, not the dark ages, and she was no stranger to the sight of an unclothed male. Back home in Illinois, farmhands often went shirtless, toiling under a broiling sun.

Besides, Jenna had decided fifteen years ago at the ripe age of seven never to make the same mistake her mother had in giving her heart to a man. So a chest was all Jenna had expected to see of the masculine form.

Now she was fully grown and over a thousand miles from home, in Utah, dressed as a boy and doing a cold, dangerous job no one believed a woman could do. Scary, but worth it because it would insure her freedom. At the moment, rather than fearing for her life, she was fretting over the possibility of having to inspect a man’s bare bottom.

Jenna’s short Indian-style bow tangled in the bushes as she sneaked closer to the camp she’d discovered thanks to its telltale scent of coffee. She worked the bow free without a sound. The damp ground beneath her knees smelled of summer growth. She gave a mental grunt of disgust at the dirt and grass stains being ground into her coat and trousers. Hopefully, they would not be her only souvenirs from tonight’s adventure. She needed the reward money success promised.

Rewards didn’t truly matter, though. All in the line of duty. A man’ s duty. Which she was doing.

For days, Jenna and her sorrel, Gent, had tracked her quarry from Denver to Cheyenne and on west through every godless whistle-stop along the Union Pacific Railroad. So far he had escaped her without granting her a single peek at him. He knew good horseflesh, she had to give him that.

But now she had him—trapped in a dead-end draw west of Evanston, surrounded by aromatic sagebrush, sego lilies, jackrabbits, and the red crenelated sandstone cliffs called Echo Canyon.

To avoid detection, she had left the sorrel in the main canyon and threaded her way up the draw on foot. The branches thinned and she could see him now, leaning against a saddle on the ground and gnawing a stick of jerky. Beyond the campfire, a horse stomped and swished its tail. Jenna envied the horse that long tail. A whole hoard of mosquitoes were sucking on her hide. She didn’t dare slap at the pests. Too noisy.

Muscles of iron strained the seams of the man’s chambray shirt and tan denim trousers as he sat up to dig another strip of jerky out of his saddlebag. A black Stetson shadowed his eyes. The dim light from the fire made determining the color of his mustache and beard was difficult, but they looked dark. Dark enough for her to feel confident that he was indeed the man she sought.

Black Jack Mendoza, cardsharp, frequenter of saloons, consort of soiled doves, train robber, and murderer.

A desperate, dangerous man.

Jenna’s mouth went dry as gunpowder at the thought that she was about to face him alone. Too late to worry over that now. Swallowing convulsively, she drew her .44 calibre Starr army revolver and prepared to confront the man. She eared back the hammer with her thumb and the click shattered the still night like the roar of a cannon.

The man lunged to his feet, his gun drawn so fast she never saw his hand move.

• • •

Charlene began her writing life at an early age, often penning stories where she cast herself as the heroine. It was after college when she dug out her old college typewriter and started her first novel, which came from a spirited dream she'd had the previous night.

While that book never sold, her second novel did. Tender Touch became a Golden Heart finalist and earned her an agent who signed the book, and two others, in a three book contract with Kensington Publishing. Kensington went onto publish five of Charlene's western historical romances: Taming Jenna (1994); Tender Touch (1994 Golden Heart Finalist); Forever Mine (1996 Romantic Times Magazine Reviewer's Choice Award Nominee and Affaire de Coeur Reader/Writer Poll finalist); To Have and To Hold (1997 Affaire de Coeur Reader/Writer Poll finalist); and as Rachel Summers, The Scent of Roses (1999).

Charlene took a break from publishing, but not from writing. A Kiss and A Dare is Charlene's first paranormal romance.

Divine Gamble is Charlene's most recently completed work and earned her first place at the 2010 Romance Through The Ages contest in their western historical romance category. Currently, she's reworking that first book she wrote that resulted from a spirited dream.

When Charlene isn't writing, she loves to travel, research genealogy, create digital scrapbooks and dye eggs in the Ukrainian style. She also enjoys camping and fishing with her husband in the Utah wilderness.

Find Charlene online --

Charlene Raddon
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Tirgearr Publishing