Thank you, Delilah, for having me on your blog today!

This summer, we went on a Mediterranean cruise. Throughout this trip, I was awed by the historical significance of the places we visited.

One of our port stops was Istanbul, Turkey. While here, we visited the Grand Bazaar, the oldest and largest marketplace in the world. Built in 1455 to provide income for the maintenance of the Hagia Sophia Mosque, it spans 61 streets and contains 4,000 shops. Jewelry, clothing, rugs, lamps, and other goods are found here. The market was too large to explore in its entirety with the time we had available. We also stopped at the Spice Bazaar. This bazaar has existed since 1664 and was built to provide income for the upkeep of the Yeni Mosque. Spices lined the storefronts of the shops, making for a wonderful display of colors. I enjoyed wandering through the shops and seeing the variety of spices and foods. Both marketplaces were centers of trade for many centuries.

One thing I find fascinating about historical structures from the past is their beauty, even when built for a functional purpose. The Basilica Cistern was constructed in 532 to store water. It contains 336 columns that are 9 meters in height. The columns are in different styles, and it’s believed that some of them were recycled from older buildings. The cistern can hold 80,000 tons of water and was used to supply water to the Great Palace. Over time, it was only known to and used by locals, until French naturalist and topographer Petrus Gyllius learned of its existence in 1545. The cistern was restored and opened to the public in 1987. Today it’s filled with about one to three feet of water and there are walkways that go around the structure with art installations throughout.

As a Regency romance writer, I love exploring places steeped in history.

You can learn more about the bazaars and the basilica by visiting the following websites:

https://hum54-15.omeka.fas.harvard.edu/exhibits/show/the-basilica-cistern-and-the-t/rediscovery-of-the-cistern

https://istanbul.com/about-city/must-knows-about-the-grand-bazaar

https://istanbul.com/about-city/the-spice-bazaar

https://yerebatan.com/en/basilica-cistern/about-us/

Are there places you’ve visited that you’ve found inspiring?

An Eye for Love

Coming January 2024!  

A missing heirloom. A search for the thief. An unexpected romance.

Lady Olivia Thorne’s beloved eye miniature has gone missing. She’s sure she knows who took it, but she can’t accuse an earl without proof. Instead, she makes a deal with the devil—or, rather, the earl’s cousin.

Henry Branson is a poor relation to the Earl of Comstock and makes his living by investigating for members of the ton. When Lady Olivia hires him to find her heirloom, he’s determined to prove his cousin innocent.

But there’s more at stake than either of them realizes. When late-night searches and admissions of guilt turn into feelings both are too frightened to reveal, decisions must be made.

Will Olivia and Henry risk everything for love? Or will they let passion pass them by?

If you’d like to get updates on my release date, freebies, and other content, sign up for my newsletter at https://cynthiacapley.com/newsletter.

About the Author

Cynthia Capley is working on her first novel set during the Regency era. She enjoys writing stories with strong characters that triumph over challenges to achieve their happily ever after. Cynthia lives in the Pacific Northwest, where the rain and numerous tea shops make the perfect writing companions. She lives with her husband and a menagerie of pets and likes to play fetch with Natasha, a tortoiseshell-colored cat with an attitude.

Website: https://cynthiacapley.com

It’s Sunday again, and time for me to lock down my schedule for the week. First, I’ll pull a card to see if I can get any inspiration from the tarot.

Hmmm. Seven of Wands. And this is Jason of “Jason and the Argonauts” fame, chasing after the Golden Fleece. What do I see in the card?

Two kings, so he must be fighting the King who possesses the Golden Fleece. Can’t remember his name… Ah, good old Wikipedia… It’s King Aeetes of Colchis, and yes, he has the fleece. So, two kings fighting. Four warriors helping them. Perhaps evenly matched. A battle. What does this mean for my week? I have no clue. Two kings… Perhaps it’s the classic devil and angel sitting on my shoulders, pulling at me to be good or be bad? I have a LOT of work on my plate this week, and sometimes, I see a huge page count and think, Who cares if I finish this? What does it matter in the big scheme of things? I can easily see myself shrugging off work for a movie marathon or a trip to a flea market.

What does the book, The Mythic Tarot, say about this card? It “augurs a struggle with other people’s creative ideas — stiff competition.” The person needs to learn the value of his or her ambition…” Okaaaay. Whatever. I like my interpretation better. 🙂

Open Contests

1. Saturday Puzzle-Contest, Plus a Bounty Hunter Poll! — Win an Amazon gift card!
2. 9-11, a Remembrance, and a Poll (Contest) — Win an Amazon gift card!
3. Gabbi Grey: Single Parent Books — Xavier (Contest) — Win an Amazon gift card!
4. What’s leaving Kindle Unlimited soon?! (Contest) — Win a FREE download!
5. Saturday Puzzle-Contest — Let’s celebrate National Collect Rocks Day! — Win an Amazon gift card!

When I was a child, I so wanted to be a paleontologist, digging up dinosaur bones. I knew part of what I’d need to study was geology, which is the study of rock formations and…rocks. So, I began collecting and identifying them, checking out books from the library about seismology, vulcanology, and books that helped me identify the rocks I found.

I still have a shoe box filled with rocks I collected. There were perfectly round river rocks, Apache tears, petrified wood, fossils, quartz crystals, and pyrite, to name a few.

I display rocks all around my rooms in pretty dishes, ones I discovered as a child and some I purchased in the many rock shops located around Arkansas. When I hold them in my hands, I feel a connection to…something. It’s woo-woo shit, I know, but they do “ground” me.

Here are a couple of the bowls I have filled with my pretties.

My rocks aren’t just a nostalgic pursuit. I use them, too. During the recent Super Blue Moon, I placed a jar of water on my patio table, but I also placed some clear quartz crystals and amethysts on top of the jar to “charge” them.

See the worry stone? The flat one? I carry that with me when I’m not at home, because hermit that I am, I destress when I rub its surface. Sometimes, when I’m writing, I wear a large, polished carnelian stone strung on leather around my neck, because it’s supposed to help with creativity. Maybe it’s the stone or maybe it’s the ritual, but it works for me.

My favorite rings aren’t the ones with the expensive gemstones. I love wearing my labradorite, moonstone, and dendritic opals. Their imperfections make them more interesting to me.

These days, I’m not picking up stones from my path, but I do encourage the 10-year-old to look at the ground and find them for me. She brings me gifts all the time, usually some piece of agate for her “collection” or a smooth stone she’d like to paint on. Maybe, someday, she’ll catch the bug.

So, yes, in addition to hoarding vintage vanity powder jars, Avenger figurines, and fortune-telling teacups, I hoard rocks.

Contest

My question to you, for a chance to win a $5 Amazon gift card, is…

Have you ever collected rocks? Do you have a favorite stone?

UPDATE: The winner is…Daun Ann Korty!
*~*~*

This is just a quick reminder. I have tons of work to get off my desk over the weekend. Too much, really. I have to learn to say NO (but that’s always been a problem of mine!). Anyway, thought I’d just remind those folks who use Kindle Unlimited to acquire books that I have several that will be leaving Kindle Unlimited. So, if you want to get them, get them now! Here are the ones scheduled to leave soon and the dates they will leave KU and go wide to other retailers…

 

Along Came a Spider — Leaves KU on September 24!
Jackson — Leaves KU on October 8!
Ripples  — Leaves KU on November 28!
Hard Knox — Leaves KU on December 10!

Contest

For a chance to win a free download of any book on my backlist, tell me whether you are a KU subscriber! Easy, right? Have a great weekend, and be sure to check back in tomorrow for the Puzzle-Contest!

UPDATE: The winner is…Jennifer!
*~*~*

Hello Delilah!  Thank you for inviting me to visit today!  I’m publishing my third book in the multi-author, shared-world series Single Dads of Gaynor Beach today and I wanted to give you a quick sneak peek.

I’ll be honest – I’m not a parent.  I’m an aunt to a pile of awesome nieces and nephews, but I’ve never had the honor of being a parent.  That being said, I’m an author.  I make stuff up.  I draw on my experience with kids, but I’m also incredibly lucky to have other author friends who will read my work ahead of publication and point out all the misses.  I’m also Canadian and have little experience with the American school system.  The differences shocked me.  Like, we don’t have a police or resource officer at every school.  School shootings just aren’t a thing up here.  I look south and feel pain.

For parenting, I can imagine what I’d do in a particular scenario, but a parent can say what their hard limit would be.  On the flip side, they can also point out when I got it right or when something works.

I loved writing this book.  Three brave, feisty girls who lost their mother, but have kept going.  Rochelle, Nicki, and Jazz are all very different, but they are protective and loyal of each other (when they’re not fighting. Hey, I remember what it was like to be a kid with siblings…).  Anyway, I hope readers enjoy my third venture back into this world I’ve come to love so much and fans of the series will find cameos from quite a few of their friends…

As a thank you, I’m happy to give out a $5 Amazon Gift Card to one commentator.  Let me know – what’s your favorite romance novel that has kids?  I have so many faves, I can’t list them all.  Tell me which I should pick up?  Winner chosen at random.

Thanks Delilah, for having me visit.

Xavier

Xavier

When my wife died five years ago, leaving me alone to raise our three young daughters, only my duty to them and my work as a psychiatrist kept me from losing myself in grief. I did my best to be a good father through the darkest days, but now I can see I’ve been distant and cold. Things need to change. I’ve pledged to my daughters that I’ll start doing better. Be more involved. Show them what a great dad looks like. If that means soccer practice, violin lessons, and sitting through a dozen dance recitals, then I’m all-in.

Zed

Pliés, pas-de-deux, cheerleading practice, and enough tutus to last a lifetime— how is this my life? I’m a fisherman up in the Bering Sea. In the offseason, I travel through Alaska and, on rare occasions, drop in to see my sister and her four sons in Gaynor Beach, California. This year? She’s laid up with an injury. Suddenly I’m running her dance studio, and I’m a fish waaaay out of water. Then I meet another guy who’s equally uncomfortable. He’s working so hard to be a good dad, and I keep hoping he’ll notice me. Except, when my sister’s healed and fishing season starts, I’m out of here. Right?

This gay romance is a slow burn, mid-angst, age-gap, opposites-attract, instalove story with a fisherman who needs the ocean, a counselor who needs therapy, three young girls in need of love, and a found family that’ll change their lives forever.

Links:
Amazon US:  https://www.amazon.com/Xavier-Single-Dads-Gaynor-Beach-ebook/dp/B0BZLTQCJ6
Universal Book Link:  https://books2read.com/XavierGaynorBeach
KOBO:  https://www.kobo.com/us/en/ebook/xavier-29
Apple Books:  https://books.apple.com/ca/book/xavier-single-dads-of-gaynor-beach/id6463662293
Smashwords: https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/1442873
Add it to Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/137947606-xavier

About the Author

USA Today Bestselling author Gabbi Grey lives in beautiful British Columbia where her fur baby chin-poo keeps her safe from the nasty neighborhood squirrels. Working for the government by day, she spends her early mornings writing contemporary, gay, sweet, and dark erotic BDSM romances. While she firmly believes in happy endings, she also believes in making her characters suffer before finding their true love. She also writes m/f romances as Gabbi Black and Gabbi Powell.

Personal links:
Website: https://gabbigrey.com/
Newsletter sign-up:  https://sendfox.com/gabbigrey
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/authorgabbigrey/
Bookbub: https://www.bookbub.com/authors/gabbi-grey
Goodreads:  https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/15456297.Gabbi_Grey
Amazon Author Central: https://www.amazon.com/Gabbi-Grey/e/B07SJVFX1M
Audible Profile:  https://www.audible.com/author/Gabbi-Grey/B07SJVFX1M
Facebook (page): https://www.facebook.com/AuthorGabbiGrey
Twitter: https://twitter.com/GabbiGrey
Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.ca/gabbigreyauthor/
Facebook (personal): https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100009821772591

A constant topic of discussion in the publishing profession is “how important is social media”? A lot of those discussions take the form of pressuring already harried authors to spend hours on social media promoting their books. As much as that is a reality, it leaves out another very important group of book people—those faithful Bloggers, Booktokkers, Booktubers, Bookstagrammers, and other social media reviewers who aren’t authors themselves. I can’t overstate how important these wonderful people are to the publishing industry. More than once I’ve had a review go semi-viral and lead to great leaps in the Amazon rankings, emails from screen producers, and once, a space on the Oklahoma bestsellers list!

But it goes beyond that, bookish social media fulfills any functions in publishing, helping open doors and close gaps, discover new voices, reanimate neglected genres, and much more. Below are 10 reasons Book Bloggers, Booktokkers, Booktubers, and Bookstagrammers matter:

1. Bloggers, Booktokkers, Booktubers, and Bookstagrammers review and promote genres that rarely get media airtime including YA, romance and erotica, horror, and other genres that are typically maligned by mainstream publications.
2. Book Bloggers, Booktokkers, Booktubers, and Bookstagrammers review indie published books. For an indie author to get a look-in at a major publication they need to be “a phenomenon” and even then, they are usually only profiled as some kind of offensive or embarrassing anomaly.
3. Book Bloggers, Booktokkers, Booktubers, and Bookstagrammers come from all walks of life. You don’t need a degree in journalism from Stanford to be a book blogger. You don’t need to be the son of a prominent newspaper editor. You need a laptop and a library card. You don’t even need a laptop.
4. Book Bloggers, Booktokkers, Booktubers, and Bookstagrammers can specialize in certain genres, and become not only experts in that genre but evangelists for it. Many focus on dark romance, paranormal books, or sweet YA for example.
5. Book Bloggers, Booktokkers, Booktubers, and Bookstagrammers are often women, LGBT, POC and/or disabled and while some focus on books that represent a particular identity, which is both helpful and great, others read widely and celebrate, or criticize, whatever they see fit.
6. Book Bloggers, Booktokkers, Booktubers, and Bookstagrammers come in all ages. Unlike the Baby Boomer dominated mainstream media, bookish social media has disaffected Gen X-ers, hyper-connected Millennials, and the online natives Gen Zs. Even “Alpha” kids as young as seven or eight post about books—it’s awesome.
7. Book Bloggers, Booktokkers, Booktubers, and Bookstagrammers are not beholden to advertising. If they want to sing the praises of smut-tastic gay erotica, or pan a treacly and didactic Christian romance, no amount of pressure from Chic-Fil-A is going to stop them.
8. Book Bloggers, Booktokkers, Booktubers, and Bookstagrammers ENGAGE with readers and writers. They don’t sit atop some Manhattan high-rise sipping kale smoothies with Jonathan Franzen while Joyce Carol Oates reads poetry in the light of an Arco floor lamp. They meet to drink cheap martinis in dive bars in Vegas or soy mochas in small town coffee shops with cats.
9. Book Bloggers, Booktokkers, Booktubers, and Bookstagrammers are ON POINT with social media and new technology. If they like a book, not only will it appear on their blog, but it will be Facebooked, tweeted, pinned, YouTubed, Instagrammed, and Tiktocked up the wazoo. Not only that but they RULE when it comes to eReading and eBooks. If a book is exclusive to eBook, Book Bloggers, Booktokkers, and Bookstagrammers will be ALL OVER it. They love audiobooks, too.
10. Book Bloggers, Booktokkers, Booktubers, and Bookstagrammers not only respect trends, they make them. They practically invented “Romantasy” which every major literary agent is now clamoring for. They love the New Adult category and are still trying to keep it alive despite the mainstream industry’s insistence to “stop trying to make New Adult a thing.” They have kept paranormal romance alive and kicking, despite agents’ weary protestations that it was “over”. Things don’t become “over” with Book Bloggers, Booktokkers, Booktubers, and Bookstagrammers. If one Booktuber gets sick of Shifter Erotica or dystopian YA, there’s always a Booktokker who just discovered it.

I could go on. While the mainstream media floats around in the haze of their own over-educated, organic lemongrass-scented farts, Book Bloggers, Booktokkers, and Bookstagrammers have revolutionized how books are written, promoted, bought, and read.

I, for one, am for it. You got this, girls (and guys). You got this.

About the Author

G.S. (Gabrielle) Prendergast is the bestselling author of numerous books for children and teens. She studied writing at the University of New South Wales in Australia, at San Francisco State University and the University of British Columbia. After years of working in the music industry, in social welfare, and the film industry, Gabrielle began writing books when she became a mother, so she could work from home. Her books have received nominations for the White Pine Award, the Canadian Library Association Award, the Vancouver Book Prize and several other honors. She won the BC Book Prize for her YA sci-fi Zero Repeat Forever and the Westchester Award for her YA novel in verse Audacious. Born in the UK and both an Australian and New Zealand citizen, Gabrielle now lives in East Vancouver in a permanent state of “under-construction.”

I’m so excited it’s finally here! Knox and Carleen were so much fun to write! What should you expect? Do you see that cover? It’s the story. Seriously. Girl chases boy. Boy chases girl. Sexy times abound. And I’d so move to Dead Horse if it existed. If you have the time and the inclination, tell someone about it and/or leave a review so another reader will know it’s worth a read. I can’t wait to hear what you think about it! Enjoy!

After relentlessly pursuing the biggest badass around and failing, Dead Horse, Montana’s wild child offers him an irresistible proposition—one night of passion, one and done, and she’ll walk away forever…

Dead Horse, Montana’s wild child, Carleen Crossley, knows what she wants—or rather—who. She’s spent years chasing after Knox Ramsey, the biggest badass in Dead Horse, MT. However, she’s resigned herself to the fact that her methods of gaining his affection aren’t reaping any rewards. Yes, her antics keep the townsfolk amused, and Knox definitely knows she’s alive, but she has yet to break through his cold, hard heart to claim her man.

For Knox, Carleen is impossible to ignore. She’s everywhere he is. The sexy vixen has made him uncomfortably aware that she’s his for the taking, and Lord knows he’s tempted. However, he knows he’s not the man for her. He’s his father’s son with his father’s temper, and he won’t succumb to Carleen’s charms because she deserves better than him.

In one moment of frustration over his refusal to really see her and everything she’s offering, Carleen proposes a deal Knox finds impossible to resist. One night of passion—one and done—and she’ll never bother him again.

When she keeps her promise afterward, Knox’s pursuit begins because once was not enough.

Order Ebook: Kindle
Order Print: Amazon