The best part of writing in a Kindle World is the feeling of being invited over to a play with your best friend’s toys, in a playroom loaded with the latest gadgets and fun. Nowhere is this more true than Robyn Peterman’s Magic & Mayhem World. This isn’t my first time playing in the sandbox.

My first mini-series was The Witch Singer. We meet Bridget, a witch on the run with the power to create spells with her songs. She meets Martin the Skunk on the way to Assjacket, and the crazy just keeps going from there.

The Witch Singer Series within a Series:
https://www.amazon.com/gp/bookseries/B06X9GYKYT/

When I wrapped up that trilogy, I wanted to play again. It’s kind of like Supernatural, with a twist—my characters hunt bad boy and girl witches. They take wild and crazy risks, and well…the first one is out right now. Meet Madison and Grady…a bad ass and a hard case.

It’s the perfect recipe for a little Halloween fun, a trick and a treat.

Every Witch Way But Floosey’s

Meet Madison—badass lady who is always bringing in the realm hoppers. Her targets have horrible habits and steal things.

Meet Grady—he’s a hard case who brings in targets of his own. He’s got his own team and a penchant for flings. When the fairy tale collides with a legend…will they still be standing after the dust clears.

Discover more about Heather Long: https://www.heatherlong.net

What is Kindle Worlds?

Kindle Worlds is an Amazon exclusive program. The titles written for the world can NOT be purchased at other ebook retailers or anywhere besides the Amazon US site, but they can be read on any tablet, computer, or smartphone using the free Kindle App.

Who is Robyn Peterman? So glad you want to know!

Robyn is a fantastically funny and kind author.  I had the great good fortune of meeting Robyn while I was Romancing the Capital in Ottawa in 2016. What a great meeting that turned out to be. From the moment she clasped my arm, I knew I’d found a friend. More, I’d found someone who got me and who possessed a wickedly delightful sense of humor. When she invited me to participate in her Kindle World, I was over the moon, but I had no idea just how much. I immediately devoured all three books upon which the Kindle World is based. I haven’t laughed that hard in a while. Don’t miss all the fantastic authors who are also participating, I adore these women.  My tales are meant to illuminate the stories of witches who want one thing, but get something else entirely. Sometimes the best prayers and wishes are those that remain unanswered.

To see all the published books in Robyn’s Magic & Mayhem Series, visit her webpage.

Hellbeastly hot for Halloween—and the fact that I have a deep fondness for canines—this was my inspiration for twins, Zol and Zin. They are relentless and ruthless hellhound shapeshifters serving the underworld god, Hades. On the opposite end of the hero spectrum—when in human form—Zin and Zol are the epitome of true, sophisticated gentlemen. Yes, they enjoy the finer things in life.

I admit it, I have a penchant for writing multi-faceted characters, heroes who embrace their fierce alpha side and their romantic-gentleman side. For example, the fictional hero, Tarzan, survived and thrived in the wilds of Africa, yet as Lord John Clayton III, Viscount Greystoke, he successfully negotiated the drawing rooms of Britain. Yep, my kind of hero.

Yes, Halloween is lurking, and this is the season of the witch. Growing up, I adored the TV show “Bewitched”. I mean who wouldn’t? The good and beautiful witch, Samantha, could at the snap of her fingers, the twitch of her nose, clean her entire house. Now that’s impressive, especially to a young girl faced with the drudgery of housework.

Hey, I even learned how to twitch my nose. Although, it was never as good as Elizabeth Montgomery, the wonderful actress who played one of my all-time favorite fictional witches.

In this early sitcom comedy, Samantha performed magical miracles thus saving the day—that is, despite her human husband’s disapproval. Ah Darrin, an okay guy and a sorta loving husband. Yet, even as a kid, I asked myself, was he really good enough for Samantha?

No. He was not. That was my final conclusion.

Over the years—because I’m fascinated with most things paranormal, including the history of witchcraft—I did research on real life witches, on their various Wiccan practices. It all began with the infamous and fabulous Sybil Leek when she wrote her first book, “Diary of a Witch”, published in 1968.

Wiki info: “Sybil Leek was an English witch, astrologer, occult author and self-proclaimed psychic. She wrote many books on occult and esoteric subjects, getting dubbed as ‘Britain’s most famous witch’ by the BBC.” https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sybil_Leek

Decades later, when I wanted to write a Halloween-themed erotic romance, Kandace appeared in my storyteller’s imagination. Because of her untamed mane of red hair, and her love of Halloween, she’s affectionately called Kandy Apple by friends.

Kandy is a real witch in the sense that she was born with her many witchy talents. She doesn’t know how or why this is true, and few know about her witchiness. This  is because Kandace was adopted. Even with her supernatural abilities, she’s never been able to find her bio parents.

As I wrote KANDY APPLE AND HER HELLHOUNDS, I was determined to give her the mates she deserves. Zol and Zin admirably demonstrated their protective ferociousness, as well as their ability to cherish their chosen witch woman.

~~~~~~

HAPPY HALLOWEEN READING!

Savanna
Savanna Kougar ~ Run on the Wild Side of Romance

~~~~~~

KANDY APPLE AND HER HELLHOUNDS

Kandace doesn’t know why she’s a real witch. Despite her powers, she can’t find her biological parents. When the Tuxedo Twins tempt her with knowledge about her heritage at a charity event, Kandace agrees to dance with the mysterious Supernaturals. Unexpectedly, they are threatened by the omnipresent evil she’s been warned about in her dreams. To keep from being enslaved, Kandace brings forth her greater magick. But, to save her homeworld, she needs her Hellhounds.

Zolivar and Zindale, two of Hades’s most mission-accomplished Hellhounds, see a witch sliding down the bannister after her heist of a painting. Spellbound, they know they’ve found just the right Kandy Apple to lick for Halloween. With every passion, Zin and Zol woo their chosen witch. Will their Triad mate stay once she learns they can’t fall in love like humans? Or will she return to her homeworld?

[Ménage Amour: Erotic Paranormal Ménage Romance, M/F/M, shape-shifters]

Excerpt:

Chapter One:

Zolivar and Zindale
August 14, 2009

“Ready to unleash your inner being?” Zol asked his twin. Utterly naked, he pulled off his gold and onyx signet ring, twirled it once on his finger, then slid it inside his tuxedo pants pocket.

Zin stripped off his dress pants and tossed them inside their black sports car, affectionately known as the Twilight Mirage. He shut the door with a neat twist of his wrist. “I’m releasing my inner beast,” he returned with dry amusement.

Standing side by side, they traveled their supernatural gazes over the Mojave Desert’s moonlit landscape. As one, they searched out their target, a corporate hit man. Currently, he followed a prominent woman herbalist. Using biblical herbs, she had recently created a formula that rendered any virus inert.

Since the woman’s products already sold well, several of the flu vaccine companies had decided to go Mafia, eliminating the threat to their profits in the old-fashioned way.

“The only good competition is no competition,” Zol and Zin uttered in unison. On mission, they’d recently infiltrated a Big Pharma company party and heard that phrase spoken several times.

Sighting the hit man, the enemy to humanity that they’d sworn to hunt down and deliver to Hades, Zol and Zin used their internal radar, locking in his position. A second later, their heads swivelled and their fiery gazes connected.

Mirror reflections of each other, their eyes flared simultaneously, flashing to hellfire red. Their features took on a reddish glow, their gazes remaining intensely brilliant.

Growling like thunder in their throats, Zol and Zin morphed into what they were, hellhounds.  Their guttural howls ripped through the night and seemed to strike the moon. Luna rode high in the midnight heavens, a glowing Halloween orange and nearly full.

As they gathered their sleek brute bodies, preparing for the chase, horrendous snarls issued from the twin hellhounds. Their coal-black lips curled upwards over their scimitar-like fangs, now dripping with poisonous saliva.

Together they leapt toward their prey. The explosive power of their beast muscles rippled beneath their hairless ebony hides. An impenetrable shield to most weapons and all manner of magic, their hides were composed of alchemically-arranged volcano magma.

Totally driven by the hunt, they raced in perfect concert with each other, their gargantuan paws skimming over the desert floor instead of striking fully. As they ran, Zol and Zin existed in two realms, the world above and the Underworld.

Scarcely aware of what else moved around them, they caught Geraldo’s scent and the smells of his expensively outfitted Jeep. With each giant-bounding stride toward their target, their hellbeast instincts grew.

Since Geraldo’s employers wanted the exact proportions of herbal substances used in Mary Sweetwater’s formula, and were willing to pay him a small fortune, Geraldo had first attempted to gain her trust but failed. He’d also tried ingratiating himself with her family and friends. That hadn’t succeeded, either, despite his vile seduction of her sister.

From their otherworldly vantage point, Zol and Zin had observed Geraldo ignore every divine urging not to continue with his corporate theft, then his murder of Mary. However, the hit man eventually crossed the invisible line and now belonged to their punishing jowls, to their boss, Hades.

~~~~~~

Kandace and her hellhounds, Zol and Zin, invite you to read their love story ~

Bewitched, bothered, and bewildered ~ What happens when two of Hades’ most mission-accomplished Hellhounds find just the right witch for Halloween?

Available at ~ https://bookstrand.com/kandy-apple-and-her-hellhounds ~ and the usual ebook and print vendors.

~~~~~~

You can find me at:
Savanna Kougar ~savannakougar.com~
ShapeShifter Seduction ~shapeshifterseduction.blogspot.com~
Title Magic ~titlemagic.blogspot.com~

My youngest, who is seven, was ambivalent about her Halloween costume this year. She waffled between being a cheerleader or a princess. I wasn’t crazy about either choice, mostly because they seemed a little boring to me. And, to be totally honest, I was disappointed in the cliché of princess or cheerleader. Freckles plays tackle football. She lays out boys her age every week. She has older brothers and she imitates them, even tries to best them at the things they do. She’s fierce.

But she is also a girly-girl, and if my little warrior wanted to be a princess for Halloween, so be it. I’m determined to raise strong daughters who know their own mind and their own worth, which means allowing them to make their own choices.

Then I came across Good Night Stories for Rebel Girls, a book of 100 stories about empowered women from Queen Elizabeth I to Serena Williams. One of the stories was about Grace O’Malley, the Pirate Queen of Ireland, who lived in the sixteenth century. Grace inherited her father’s lordship, despite having brothers, and led a life fighting against British rule of her land. She led raids on ships, pillaging and plundering with the best of them, using the treasures to help fund the cause for Ireland. When Freckles saw this, she changed her mind. “I’m going to be the Pirate Queen!”

“What makes her special?” I asked, my feminist heart soaring.

“She was smarter than her brothers,” she said. “That’s why she became the leader in her family.” Ah, something that resonates with the baby of our family!

We had fun putting together her costume and talking about Grace, as well as the many other strong women in the book. She is already talking about being Jane Goodall next year. But should she change her mind and decide she wants to be Sleeping Beauty, instead, I will happily support her. Because I do feel you can believe in fairy tales and dream about princesses, and still be a strong empowered woman. I am a romance writer, after all. Fairy tales and happily-ever-afters are my bread-and-butter.

One of my goals when writing romance is to create heroines who aren’t helpless, who aren’t “saved” by the hero. These heroines experience the same heartbreak, the same doubts, have the same flaws that we all have at one time or another, but persevere nonetheless. The hero may aid in her self-discovery, but it’s she who finds her own strength and resilience.

In my latest release, Love Me Like You Do, the heroine had a crappy childhood and it’s soured her on love. She hasn’t dismissed the idea of committed love entirely, but when she has it, it will be on her own terms. The hero, throughout most of the novel, tries to show her how she’s wrong, that marriage and children are something they can have together. He’s stunned and disbelieving when she informs him that she doesn’t want children. Surely, it’s only because of her own dysfunctional upbringing, and once she sees that he is different, she’ll embrace the traditional commitment he craves. He’s not a bad guy, or even a jerk. He’s just like many people today who are confused when they meet a woman who doesn’t want a husband or children. That’s the role women have been pigeon-holed into for centuries.

Thankfully, it’s starting to change, as slow-going as it may seem at times. Women are turning traditional roles upside down. Our voices are louder than ever and we’re standing up for ourselves, as well as for our mothers, sisters, daughters, and friends, in numbers that scare some men. Those who should be scared. We aren’t going to be pushed around.

Haley, my heroine, does go through a change in heart as far as trust and love go. But she holds fast to her principles. She knows what she wants and she’s secure in it. How in the world can these two ever reconcile their own wants and needs? Well, you’ll just have to read the book to find out. *wink* But I do promise it’s a happy ending.

My kids’ school held Fall Fest recently, which gave us a trial run for Halloween costumes. Freckles donned her pirate dress and flaming red wig, and grabbed her plastic sword. Most people didn’t know who she was, and thought she was a female Jack Sparrow. She corrected them. “I’m Grace O’Malley, the Pirate Queen. She fought for Ireland and she was smarter than her brothers.”

My hope is that we start to see more Grace O’Malleys, Jane Goodalls, Serena Williamses, or Katherine Johnsons at Halloween, along with Rapunzels and Elsas. Whatever and whoever they want to be. Because giving girls more choices empowers them. And empowered girls turn into empowered women who change the world.

What was your favorite Halloween costume as a kid? (Or as an adult?)

Love Me Like You Do

Though florist Haley doesn’t do love and marriage, sexy and sweet handyman Will tempts her into reconsidering. But Will is hiding something and if he doesn’t come clean to Haley, it might mean losing her forever. And when secrets and lies from the past threaten their fragile future together, each must decide if it’s worth risking their hearts to find a happy ending they both can live with.

Link: https://www.catetayler.com/love-me-like-you-do.html

About the Author

Cate Tayler is a beach baby, born and raised on the Connecticut coastline. She met the love of her life while serving in the US Air Force, and after extensive overseas travel, they are now raising their four children in the wild suburbs of Maryland.

When she’s not living her own happily ever after, she’s creating them in her small-town romances. Because the world always needs more happy endings!

You can connect with her at her website: https://www.catetayler.com.

UPDATE: The winner is… Tamara!

* * * * *

The word fantasy means something different to everyone. It could be a forbidden tryst meant only for your own mind in the dark of your bedroom.

Or a desire so taboo you can only share it wearing a mask at a masquerade ball in another hall, in another town, in another country.

Maybe even something so simple and sweet you wouldn’t even think to call it a fantasy but for someone else it’s what they desire the most. To be held at night. To be taken in a rain storm in the middle of no where. To laugh with someone else you’ve been trying to meet for years.

I simply love the concept of a fantasy.

Just the word itself makes me hold my breath.

It could be anything or nothing.

Something to strive for, something to reach, something to achieve and grow from and learn from and become the person you’ve ALWAYS wanted to be…..ssssiiiigghhhhhh.

This is where the concept of my Fantasies A-Z series came from.

A married couple looking for more and finding it in the arms of each other. There are nine stories total…short kinky stories meant to tantalize and excite you. May you fall in love with love and everything that word means to your fantasies…

Amazon – https://goo.gl/h0rg1l
B&N – https://goo.gl/pirQxv
Kobo – https://goo.gl/baXVQc
Smashwords – https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/587751
Ibooks – https://itunes.apple.com/us/book/id1052596739
Print copy – https://www.createspace.com/7293784

I hope anyone that reads these stories gets a little spark to live a bit more. To reach for something they didn’t think they could have. You’re wrong.

You can have it all. You can do anything.

Life is made for living so go out there and conquer the world!!!

**GIVEAWAY – US ONLY**

Just look at all the awesomeness you could win!! Including a full print copy of the entire series! So tell me the story of your favorite fantasy!!

I’ll pick a winner on Monday the 23rd!! Good Luck!! PS –It’s always great to leave your email address in your comment so I can contact you! Hate not being able to give winners their goodies!!

Decadently Yours,
Jennifer Kacey

About the Author

Jennifer Kacey is a writer, mother, and business owner living with her miniman in Texas. She sings in the shower, plays piano in her dreams, and has to have a different color of nail polish every week. The best advice she’s ever been given? Find the real you and never settle for anything less.

Website – Newsletter – The Decadent Divas– Amazon Page
Facebook – Facebook Author Page – Twitter – Goodreads – Pinterest

Thanks, Delilah, for the guest blogger opportunity!

My new release, Baby, That’s the Spirit!, has a Halloween theme. The heroine, Amethyst, can see and speak with the dead and, of course, the hero, Adam, thinks that’s a bunch of crap.

In the excerpt below, the characters are on a date and winding their way through a corn maze. In the dark. Without a flashlight.

I can say from personal experience, that’s not the easiest thing to do, especially when you’re in a haunted corn maze, as it was in my case. When you turn a corner and the corn stalks come alive as a life sized scarecrow leaps out at you, well…bring extra underwear. Thankfully, we had a full moon (and other people’s flashlights) to navigate by, but the creepy vibes really jacked up the fear factor!

Anyhow, after I put Amethyst and Adam into the setting, I started wondering about corn mazes. Turns out, the first one was made right here in the U. S. A. in Annville, PA.  It was 3 acres in size and had just under 2 miles of pathways. Apparently, that’s teensy, because the 2014 Guinness World Record holder was 60 acres (Wikipedia says so). So many people got lost in it and called 911, the town’s police chief started handing out maps.

Mazes have been around for millennia, but the corn variety only popped up in 1993. Although some of the intricate patterns are cut by a GPS-equipped tractor, many are hand cut, requiring days or even weeks to fabricate.

One of the most fun things about a corn maze is the chance to get lost in one with your sweetheart, like Adam and Amethyst. Since it’s that time of year, why not grab the person you most want to get naughty with, then sneak away to the closest maze and find a hidden corner? Who knows, you just might get a treat!

Baby, That’s the Spirit!

When free-spirited clairvoyant, Amethyst Raines, comes to Sweetness to tell fortunes at the fall festival, she crosses circuits with hunky electrical contractor, Adam Burkett. While she’s drawn to him, she has no intention of getting involved with the sexy single dad. The problem is, she has a message for him from beyond the grave…and, she’d deliver it, if she could just get the infuriating man to believe she can speak with the dead.

Cynical skeptic Adam is tired of deceitful women. All he wants to do is finish out his job contract and settle his beloved grandmother’s estate before saying good-bye to Sweetness forever. And, he’s definitely not going to be tempted by a woman who claims she can talk to spirits. But when his little girl goes missing, Adam will do anything to find her, including putting his faith in the seductive medium he can’t seem to resist.

She’s trying to solve a century-old secret; he’s trying to find his daughter. If they can work together, their relationship just might stand a ghost of a chance.

Buy Links:
Amazon   (https://www.amazon.com/dp/B076B56V9J?)
Goodreads (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/36384048-baby-that-s-the-spirit)

Excerpt:

Hell, if she affected him this much after two days, it would be stupid to spend any more time with her. He was selling Nana Millie’s property and going west. Amethyst was heading to Florida for another fair in less than a month. Nothing could come from his attraction to her. If he had the sense God gave a flea, he would just get through the corn maze, make it an early evening, and put her out of his mind for good.

He’d have given that particular idea a good shot, too, except she grabbed his hand. “C’mon, let’s see if we can beat them to the finish,” she said, pointing to Beau and Jenna who were already turning the corner at the end of the first row of the maze.

At her touch, that weird tingling sensation snaked through his fingertips again before shooting straight up his arm and ricocheting straight down to his groin.

Her eyes went wide and her lips formed a surprised circle. Which made Adam start thinking about what her mouth would taste like if he kissed her. Or how sexy she’d sound if they indulged in any of the other activities that had been running through his mind since he’d met up with her at Beau and Jenna’s place before dinner.

When she’d opened the door of her pink, purple, and blue-striped – what did she call it? A tiny house? – he’d nearly drowned in a wave of pure lust. Her low-cut purple tunic was belted at her waist. The neckline skimmed the mounds of her breasts and her amethyst necklace nestled between the tantalizing globes, making his fingers itch to touch them. The bottom of her blouse ended just above the curve of her tight ass, accentuating her enticing buttocks. And her long, shapely legs were encased in black leggings that hugged every inch of supple muscle she’d built up through years of yoga and running.

If Beau and Jenna hadn’t been standing there with him, they’d never have made it to the restaurant.

Amethyst shook him out of his erotic fantasies when she tightened her grip on his hand and leaned into him. Her flowery fragrance caressed his nostrils as she draped a slim arm around his neck. “Or, on the other hand, we could forget all about beating them and go get lost in the dark for a while.” Her voice sounded husky.

A half-moon was rising. It cast a soft glow over the dried corn stalks — barely enough to see the path between the shadows. Even so, he clearly saw her drop her gaze to his mouth and slowly lick her lower lip.

He cleared his throat. “Getting lost sounds pretty tempting.” Hell, what was he talking about? It was extremely tempting.

“Then let’s go see how much fun corn mazes can be.” She briefly touched her soft lips to his before towing Adam behind her in the opposite direction her cousin had taken.

A few turns, one scarecrow, and three ghosts later, she stopped so suddenly he nearly ran into her. By the time he realized what was happening, she’d whirled around, slipped her arms around his neck, and pressed herself fully against his rising erection.

Heat exploded through his body. He wrapped her in his arms to pull her even closer.

She moaned and relaxed against him. Adam cupped her head with one hand and slanted his mouth across hers. He nudged her lips with his tongue, urging her to open for him. When she complied with a small sigh, the sound made his shaft jerk.

She moaned when she felt him twitch.

Their kiss heated even more when her tongue slipped in to explore his mouth. She slid her arms down his shoulders, curled her fingers into the fabric of his shirt, and rocked her pelvis against him. Her tongue stroked along his and he drew deeply on it as he tunneled his fingers into her short hair.

They broke apart when they heard the laughter and shrieks of an approaching group of kids. He noticed she was panting. She dropped her head to rest against his chest as if the kiss had made her too weak to hold it up. His male pride kicked in at that, although he was panting pretty hard himself.

The kids rounded the corner, carrying flashlights. Golden beams bounced off Adam and Amethyst, the ground, and the withered corn stalks like a demented strobe light that made everything appear to be moving.

She let go of his shirt and drew a shaky hand across her mouth, then held his gaze as the group tramped toward them, their feet making crunching noises in the dried shucks littering the path. Her eyes seemed softer in the reflection of pale moonlight and Adam felt like he was falling into their depths.

About Robin

Robin Michaela has been reading romances since her teen years, when she first snuck her aunt’s copy of The Flame and the Flower, by Kathleen Woodiwiss.

She’s married to her own Handsome Prince (a military airman) and has lived everywhere from the sunny shores of Florida to the wild crags of the Colorado Rocky Mountains. She currently resides in the Deep South. By day, she’s a dental hygienist and by night, Robin can be found eating chocolate, training for her next half marathon, and crafting her next novel (although not necessarily in that order).

Robin’s stories have been called “a simply delicious escape”. Sparks fly and desire sizzles when her irresistible heroines challenge the men of their dreams.

Robin loves to hear from readers. Connect with her at:

Website  (www.robinmichaela.com)
Facebook    (https://www.facebook.com/AuthorRobinMichaela)
Twitter   (https://twitter.com/robinsromances)
Amazon Author page   (https://www.amazon.com/-/e/B01N1MUNAL)
Blog    (www.robinmichaela.com/blog)
Newsletter  (https://eepurl.com/csTPsH)

Thanks so much for having me on your blog today, Delilah!

I’ve always been fascinated and inspired by reading other author’s biographies. When I find a new author that I like, one of the first things I do is go to their website and read their about page to discover their story about how they got ‘the call’ (from their agent or publisher) or how they began to seriously pursue writing. It’s a bit like a fairy tale to me.

Most authors say they’ve always been writing since they could hold a pencil, and I’m no different. But while writing my recent release, EVIL SPEAKS SOFTLY, I thought, what if the relentless muse was more of a curse than a fairy tale?

My heroine in EVIL SPEAKS SOFLTY, Liv, is a successful author. Writing is the only thing she ever wanted to do. It’s all she’s ever known. Most of the women in her family were writers so it was a natural choice for her—or was it? Once she discovers that her success could be attributed to an ancient family curse she begins to question whether her talent to write is genuine.

Everyone has a story to tell. Even the dead.

They were never supposed to meet. Fame came easy for Liv by following in the footsteps of the female writers in her family. The cycle repeated for decades…until Liv changed the story. Her villain doesn’t like the revision—and he isn’t a fictional character. In his story, the bad guy always wins.

They were never supposed to find love. Liv never questioned her demanding nocturnal muse, or the strange incidents in her old, family home until she met Gage. His job was to watch her from afar, not reveal the truth about the curse and the stories of the dead. They’ve broken all the rules. Together they unravel secrets as they strive to stop the cycle. Liv’s ability to find love, and protect her loved ones, hangs on the fickle whims of the dead—and they’ve got nothing to lose.

Excerpt

“I met this strange man at the bar last night. He told me some really weird stuff.”

I paused. When she remained silent, I continued. “He said it was related to my writing.” She watched me with the fascination of one who desperately wanted to look away but couldn’t. As if a deer blinded to the oncoming headlights, she was fixated, trapped. “He said to talk to you.”

I searched her face. I knew my Grams. When resignation settled on her features a knot clenched in my stomach from either fear, or the excitement of validating Gage didn’t fabricate the story. Perhaps he wasn’t crazy.

Grams slowly closed her eyes and opened them again. “He found you?”

I nodded.

She turned to stare out the frosted window where the birdfeeder sat frozen over from the recent snow. “I can’t believe he took that risk. Watchers are never to approach the Recorders. It could totally upset the balance.” She worried her lower lip between her teeth.

When she used the same terms as Gage, my anxiety elevated. I expected her to deny his claims and then we’d laugh about the incident. “Grams, please tell me. I don’t know what you’re talking about.” I took a deep breath. “Some weird things happened last night. Occasionally I notice unusual things, but it’s an old house and I have an active imagination, but this time it scared me.”

Buy Links for Evil Speaks Softly:
Amazon | The Wild Rose Press | Barnes and Noble | Kobo | Google Play | iBooks 

About the Author

Maureen Bonatch grew up in small town Pennsylvania and her love of the four seasons—hockey, biking, sweat pants and hibernation—keeps her there. While immersed in writing or reading paranormal romance and fantasy, she survives on caffeine, wine, music, and laughter. A feisty Shih Tzu keeps her in line.

Amazon Author Page:
https://www.amazon.com/Maureen-L.-Bonatch/e/B00KHY1KK8/ref=ntt_athr_dp_pel_1
Twitter: https://twitter.com/mbonatch
Blog: https://www.maureenbonatch.com/blog/
Website: https://www.maureenbonatch.com
Newsletter:  https://eepurl.com/1AV4L
Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/maureenbonatch/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/maureenlbonatch
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/3103486.Maureen_L_Bonatch

An author’s work is never done. It sounds like a trite truism, but it is my life. For those of us who self-publish as well as working with New York (aka hybrid authors), this is especially true, because we have, essentially, multiple bosses tossing deadlines at us willy-nilly.

I’m basically running my own business, which, let’s be honest, is NOT what I signed up for. I am responsible for sending out invoices, paying vendors, auditioning voice artists, researching marketing strategies, and doing (shudder) math. I have to be on top of industry changes, know who is who in the field and try to keep track of what readers REALLY want. Oh yeah, and write, edit, package and sell my product. Meanwhile, all this is taking place on a merry-go-round that never stops changing. During an earthquake. In the middle of a tornado.

Beyond that…I have a life that I like to live sometimes. Meals I want to eat. A dog who wants her tummy rubbed. And a family who expects me to appear occasionally.

To make matters even more interesting, places like Amazon and Facebook frequently make arbitrary changes that seriously influence our ability to make a livable wage.

Is it any wonder authors often ask ourselves, “Why am I doing this again?”

I just got a real, hard-core down to earth reminder.

See, when I was a little girl, my pre-school teacher told my mother that I had a learning disability so horrible, I would never learn to read or write.

My mother—who was an Amazon Warrior of her time—did not accept that. She made it her goal to give me a love of books—though torture. Every night she read me one chapter (no more). I eventually became so frustrated to know what was going to happen, I learned to read. THAT is true motivation.

My mother was reduced to coming into my room every night to confiscate my flashlight.

And my emergency back-up flashlight.

Needless to say, I learned to read, though I am still (and always will be) severely dyslexic.

Can I have a shout out to the inventor of spellcheck???

So that explains why I love books, but why romance? Maybe because I read 2-3 romances a day when I was a blossoming young woman? Maybe because they are perennially satisfying? Maybe because I love the magic of bringing three souls together in a perfect love triangle?

Three? you ask.

Yes. Three. Not that I write ménage. (I don’t) The magic three are the hero, the heroine…and you. You are part of the magic. You are why I love to write, despite the frustrations and unfuns. (No pressure).

But there’s a little more to the story, if you will indulge me.

Why do I love Highlanders so much?

Because of her. That woman who refused to let me be labeled as a dummy. Who refused to let me fail. Who insisted on reminding me that I wasn’t weird (I was) but rather that I marched to the beat of my own drum.

My mother.

My mother, the Scot.

Directly descended from Mary Queen of Scots. A woman whose family hailed from Kinloch Rannoch. A woman who wore the Stewart Plaid every day. A woman who fought for me like a tigress.

My mom passed on the 20^th of September after a long difficult battle with Alzheimer’s. It was so hard saying goodbye, even though it was a blessing and a well-deserved rest.

When something like this happens, you look at your life and you ask yourself, why am I doing what I am doing? Does it matter? Is it enough?

If I can please one reader, I feel like it does. It is.

Thanks, Mom, for helping me find my passion.

Thanks for believing in me.

Thanks for giving me a way to reach others and (maybe) make the world a better place for a little while for that one reader.

For you.

*~*~*

Sabrina’s newest release is from St. Martin’s Untamed Highlander Series…And yes. It’s a Highlander…

The Highlander Is All That
by Sabrina York

Elizabeth St. Claire has always been hard to please. Dreaming solely of Highlander men her whole life, no prancing London Lord can stand a chance at winning her heart…

… But perhaps a Scotsman can.

Elizabeth watches intrigued as the Highlander of her dreams, a Scotsman named Hamish Robb, arrives to oversee her season at the behest of her cousin, the Duke of Caithness. Elizabeth doesn’t hide her feelings for the striking Scot. But Hamish, determined to obey his order to protect the St. Claire sisters, steadfastly rejects her every seducing lure.

Believing that the debutante Elizabeth deserves a better, wealthier man, Hamish continues to turn away from her affection, even though he doesn’t exactly want to. Can this Highlander Scot resist the tempting seductress’ attempts to win his heart?

Read an Excerpt!

He emerged in the kitchens and, after greeting the plump and friendly cook—and snagging a scone from the cooling tray—he followed her directions out into the garden.

Ah yes. This was what he needed. The scent of mown grass, a hint of flowers, fresh air, and sunshine. He turned his face up to the sky and soaked it in.

Granted, it was a watery sunlight, and it struggled to shine through the haze of coal dust, but it beat the hell out of a musty carriage. He strolled along the path, studying the immaculately trimmed hedges, perfectly arranged rosebushes, and the affected pond in the center of the garden.

Everything was prim, proper, and utterly controlled. How British.

He missed the wild heathers of the Highlands, the raw scraggly trees that clung to the cliffs of the coast, the cold breeze gusting from the sea.

While he had been honored that Lachlan had entrusted him with this mission—for it clearly was important to the duke to support this family he had not known he had until recently—Hamish hated being away from home.

He had a business to run and had been in the process of seducing the lovely widow Dunn when the duke’s summons had come. But when a duke commanded one’s presence, one responded.

Ah well. The lovely widow could wait.

Hamish stilled and the little hairs on his nape prickled as he caught the trail of a tantalizing song. Like a sailor called by a siren, he followed the sound. As he rounded a corner, a whimsical gazebo came into view. There, leaning against a column, was his angel…

CLICK HERE TO READ MORE OF THIS SCORCHING TEASER AND BE THE FIRST TO ENTER TO WIN THE HIGHLANDER IS ALL THAT TIARA! https://sabrinayork.com/the-highlander-is-all-that-untamed-highlanders-from-sabrina-york/