Search for the Halloween Spirit – Thirty-Six Days Left
Halloween only Thirty-Six days left! Can you believe it? Toil and Trouble continue their search for the Halloween Spirit. Love the Halloween count down calendar! I’ve something a bit different for you this year count down to Halloween with a quest for the Halloween Spirit.
No, it’s never to early for All Hallows Eve! Halloween is my favorite time of year. Cooler weather, sight and sound of colorful leaves swirling toward the ground or crunching under foot. The smell of fall in the air, pumpkins and pumpkin flavored everything!! Love it! Also Halloween is the only day you can be anyone or anything you want and no one will say a word. Don’t forget it’s the day the veil between the living and the dead is the thinnest! What will you be this Halloween? Taco our parrot will be a witch and Mystic our chow dog will be Wonder Woman. Me…a Vampire of course! Check back in the coming weeks to see them in their costumes!
Well, September finally teased us with a couple of cool days and chilly nights. Yippee! As we continue the annual Halloween countdown. But next week will be sweltering again. To help me this year are skeletons, Toil (Unicorn) and Trouble (dragon) they are in search of the Halloween Spirit. This week they snuck out the back door and into the aspen grove. Not only didn’t they find the Halloween spirit, but discovered the Aspens were still green no orange or yellow turning in sight. Toil and Trouble were totally disgusted and called Dave. So the search continues.
Their friend, Dave (Skeleton), from Texas (thank you Jessica) was searching the Halloween Village. He searched every corner of the village and came up empty. Though he did talk with Jessica about getting him a corrected calendar. Blamed her for the incorrect dates on his pictures.ect calendar or learn to count better. Thirty-Six days Dave and Jessica!
Each week, on Friday, there will be new pictures of where Toil and Trouble are searching and how Dave is helping. In the month of October beside their search for the Halloween Spirit, Toil, Trouble and Dave will help me list the most haunted cities in America. A visit to haunted places in Colorado, my own stomping ground, Spooktacular tips to keep your pet safe this Halloween season. Do you suffer from Samhainopobia? I’ll tell you later. These are just to name a few. Please check back each week!
Only thirty-six days days until Halloween! Bwwwaaaaaaaaaa!!!!
Plus a Halloween themed book from my collection will be featured each week: You do know I write paranormal romance/mystery. Right? This week, we are talking about Witches! What’s Halloween without witches, spells and curses and things that go bump in the night? A Witch’s Journey So hurry grab your copy and join the #fantasy #adventure! You won’t believe what happens at their Halloween bash.
A little about A Witch’s Journey: Former Navy Seal, Lathen Quartz helps Pepper, a powerful witch, achieve her life-long dream of a wild life rescue, but can they save the McKay magic? An who is trying to steal it?
Pepper McKay comes from a long line of powerful witches. Unfortunately, magic brings her nothing but trouble. She learned the love of wildlife rescue and rehab from her Aunt Ashling. After graduating from college, Pepper works for Salem Wildlife Sanctuary and lives from paycheck to paycheck until she inherits the McKay property in Lobster Cove. With the family land and resources, she dares to dream of starting her own wildlife rescue and rehabilitation center.
Lathen Quartz, a former Navy SEAL turned handyman maintains the enchanted McKay property for the McKay estate. But someone is trying to steal the McKay magic. Lathen offers to help Pepper achieve her life-long dream of building a wildlife center. During the long hours spent together on the project, their mutual attraction can’t be denied. But each harbors a deep, dark secret. Will they overcome their demons and give love a chance?
A sneak peek between the pages of A Witch’s Journey!
Traditionally All Hallows Eve or Halloween is when the veil between the spirit world and the mortal world is the thinnest. This allows spirits to cross over and share the mortals plane of existence for one night ending at midnight. Pepper intended to use that magic to her advantage. She was thankful for the unusually mild weather in Lobster Cove. Halloween evening temperatures would be in the upper 40’s to lower 50’s, a boon to the town celebration and the culmination of the events her family and Ravyn’s coven had set in motion last week.
“Just one more thing. I’m going to go check on Ember and Tonk at the mammal habitat. Won’t be long.” Pepper closed the door and sprinted down the path, doubled back and hid behind the greenhouse with a view of the porch. She sucked in a breath when the tarp moved and the bungee cord slipped off the bumper with a zing. A shadow crept out from under the tarp, it slunk to the stairs. A huge reddish wolf advanced snarling and leaped over the railing knocking the figure down the stairs then disappeared.
See you back here next Friday! You won’t believe where Toil and Trouble wound up. Dave with his friends are always searching, will they come up with leads? Until then enjoy the warm weather, fall is coming bringing with it Halloween Spirit! I hope!! Now all we have to do is get Toil and Trouble to find it! While you’re here, check out my other paranormal romance mysteries.
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Posted in Authors' Secrets Blog and tagged A Witch's Journey, Halloween Spirit, Paranormal Romance/Mystery, Skeletons, Spirit, Tena Stetler, Toil and Trouble by Tena Stetler with 4 comments.
Twisted Lies by C.B. Clark
Welcome C.B. Clark, a sister Wild Rose author and fellow pantster with her new release Twisted Lies. Pull up a chair, grab a drink of your choice from the cooler, a Chocolate Chip or Peanut Butter cookie from the plate, and let’s find out a little about C.B., and her Twisted Lies. Good to see you C.B.
Thank you for hosting me on Author’s Secrets, Tena! I’m thrilled to be here.
Anyone who tells you writing is easy is selling you a line of drivel. Writing is hard. Very hard. It’s especially challenging when you don’t plot out your story before you start. Yep, that’s right. I’m a pantster, one of those quirky writers who start with a first sentence and a germ of an idea and run from there. I enjoy not knowing what’s going to happen next and letting my characters lead me. Since I write romance, I know that no matter what trials and tribulations my main characters face, they’re going to have a happy ending.
In Twisted Lies, my heroine, Athena Reynolds, was the impetus for the story. Her battle with alcoholism is an important thread. She has a will of her own and provoked many unexpected twists and turns, some heart wrenching, others heart-warming. I rooted for her to find true love and happiness, and I hope you will too.
Tells us a little about Twisted Lies:
Athena Cooper’s tragic past drives her to seek solace in a bottle. The addiction threatens her legal career, and she risks spiraling out of control. When her dog engineers a meeting with an all-too-handsome hunk, it’s lust at first sight…until she discovers his identity.
Businessman Russell Crawford is desperate to find the woman who cheated him out of his inheritance. His shock when she turns out to be the gorgeous red head he had a brief encounter with is only surpassed when she claims his father was a murderer.
Athena and Russ declare a truce and join forces to investigate the mystery of her parents’ disappearance from an isolated island off the rugged Northwest Coast of British Columbia. Russ promises to be her safe harbor as they uncover long-buried secrets that rock her very foundation. Can she overcome a lifelong distrust and open her heart to love?
How about a peek between the pages of Twisted Lies?
How was it possible? After all these years? The past she’d been running from had found her. The nightmare was back. The envelope fell from her shaking hands. Her legs wobbled as she rose and stumbled out of the living room and down the short hall to the kitchen.
Afternoon sunlight streamed through the window above the sink. The cozy kitchen, with its walls painted a cheerful butter yellow, and the well-scrubbed laminate countertops, gleamed. The steady hum of the refrigerator and ticking of the antique clock on the wall were the only sounds in the silent house. The pungent smell of fried onions and roasted garlic from last night’s homemade spaghetti sauce hung in the air.
The efficient kitchen, with its breakfast nook and view of the tidy, fenced backyard and the rolling, grassy foothills and snow-crested Rocky Mountains beyond, was the reason she’d bought the small rancher. This was her favorite room—the place she sought refuge when life overwhelmed her. How many times had she sat there in the evenings after work, sipping a glass of chilled white wine, watching the birds at the feeder on the back porch, breathing in the sweet smells of flowering Saskatoon bushes, regrouping until she was ready to face the world?
These days, her drink of choice was a cup of herbal tea or unsweetened apple juice. Alcohol was off the table…had been for twenty-one unendurable days.
But today, all bets were off.
Buy Links:
Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Kobo, iBooks, and Books2Read – Universal buy link:
About the Author::
Twisted Lies is award-winning author, C.B. Clark’s seventh novel published by The Wild Rose Press. When she’s not busy traveling around the globe or hiking and camping in the wilderness near her home in northern British Columbia, she can be found in front of her laptop plotting the next story.
Social Media Links:
Facebook: cbclarkauthor@facebook.com
Twitter: https://twitter.com/cbclarkauthor
Blog: https://cbclarkauthor.wordpress.com
Goodreads Author Page: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/15029617.C_B_Clark
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/cbclarkauthor/
Amazon Profile Page: https://www.amazon.com/C.-B.-Clark/e/B01BK61TQG/ref=sr_tc_2_0?qid=1517868402&sr=1-2-ent
Book Bub: https://www.bookbub.com/profile/c-b-clark
It’s been great having you with us today. Good luck with Twister Lies!
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Posted in Authors' Secrets Blog and tagged CB Clark, Mystery, Twisted Lies by Tena Stetler with 13 comments.
Cherry Red by Darlene Fredette
Give a big welcome to Darlene Fredette author of Cherry Red. A delicious addition to the One Scoop or Two Series! This summer, ice cream entrepreneur Carly Redd’s only focus is expanding her business—until she’s coerced into attending her ex’s engagement party. What could possibly go wrong?
Pull up a chair, grab a drink of your choice from the cooler, a Chocolate Chip or Peanut Butter cookie from the plate, and let’s find out a little about Darlene and her One Scoop or Two Cherry Red. First I see you’ve brought guests. Lets start with sizzling firefighter Noah Harding.
Tells us about the real you.
I wouldn’t say sizzling. LOL. I can only hope that Carley uses that word to describe me. I’m the son of two real estate agents from the valley, I’m the brother of two siblings (a sister and brother), and firefighter.
Tell us three things we’d find if we looked under your bed?
Probably my helmet, missing socks, and a book.
What makes you laugh out loud?
Joking around with my firefighting buddies and Carly.
What makes you angry?
When someone thoughtlessly starts a fire.
What event in your past has left the most indelible impression on you?
Walking away unhurt from a blazing fire. Fire is no one’s friend. It burns everyone in its path.
What do you most value?
My family, my friends because my life is sometimes in their hands, and Carly because she’s the best person I’ve ever met.
What do you sleep in at night?
That’s a bit personal, lol. Boxer briefs.
What is the type of woman you want to spend the rest of your life with?
An independent, spirited, fun, great personality, caring, and beautiful woman, which all describes Carly.
What do you consider most important in life?
Being the best person I can be,
What is your biggest secret?
I’m in love with Carly, but don’t tell anyone, especially her father and brother.
Of course now. We’ll just hope they don’t read Authors’ Secrets. LOL
Okay Carley, your turn in the hot seat. LOL
Who are you really?
A daughter to a firefighter and an optometrist who is also a city councilor, and I have one sibling – a brother who is also a firefighter. I went to college to earn a degree in Business and Marketing, and I now run my own ice cream business.
Tell us three things we’d find if we looked under your bed?
Pieces of paper with recipe notes, a spoon, and a bowl.
What makes you laugh out loud?
My brother and definitely Noah – he’s so much fun.
What makes you angry?
When I can’t get a new recipe to taste just the way I want.
What do you sleep in at night?
T-shirt and shorts.
Who were the biggest role models in your life?
My parents. They are the best.
What kind of man do you want to spend the rest of your life with?
I’m not looking for a relationship right now, but if I was, he’d have all the irresistible qualities as Noah.
What kind of man would you never choose?
I was once involved with a firefighter and swore I’d never date one again, but thankfully I broke that rule.
What is most important to you in life?
Family
What is your biggest fear?
Having my heart broken.
Thank you so much Carley for taking time out of your busy schedule!
Now a little about Cherry Red:
This summer, ice cream entrepreneur Carly Redd’s only focus is expanding her business—until she’s coerced into attending her ex’s engagement party. Showing up without a date is unthinkable. She reluctantly agrees to be escorted by her brother’s co-worker, although doing so breaks her rule of not dating firefighters.
The daughter of the town’s fire chief should wear a Do Not Touch sign, but firefighter Noah Harding’s interest blazed the moment he saw Carly. Agreeing to be her fake boyfriend is a no-brainer, but convincing Carly to trust him with her heart is harder than extinguishing a fire.
Overstepping the platonic-only rule is as dangerous as fire and ice swirling into a tempting combustion.
Buy Links: Amazon,
Universal Link: https://books2read.com/u/bPQznl
How about a sneak peek between the pages of Cherry Red?
“This might seem like a strange question, especially since we’ve just met, but would you be interested in going out for a coffee? Or an ice cream?” Noah rested an arm on the bar.
Carly glanced down at her jeans and black T-shirt embroidered with the company name and logo…a cluster of red cherries. In a room full of women all dolled up in fancy—and some a bit scanty—dresses, why would this incredibly handsome man ask her on a date? “I appreciate the offer, but I’m not interested…”
Noah raised a brow. “I know you like ice cream, so is it the coffee, or me?”
“What? No. I mean, yes.” She took a second to collect her scrambled thoughts. “I like coffee. I just don’t hang out with firefighters.” Not that he was a real firefighter. Did impersonators count in her rules of men to avoid? She never dated a stripper, but she wasn’t sure she could have a relationship with a guy who was paid to take off his clothes and have other women fawn over him. Not that the guy asked her on a date…just a simple coffee. His frown made her feel badly. “I’m sorry. It’s nothing personal.”
“Burnt in the past? No pun intended.” He smiled.
She couldn’t help but smile back. “Something like that.”
Now Darlene, tell us a little about writing Cherry Read.
Cherry Red was fun to write because the characters came to life and told the story on their own. I also enjoyed introducing new cast members, which have their own unique personalities.
About The Author:
Darlene resides on the Atlantic Coast of Canada where the summers are too short, and the winters are too long. An avid reader since childhood, Darlene loved to develop the many stories coming to life in her head. She writes contemporary romances with a focus on plot-driven page-turners. When not working on her next book, she can be found with her husband, her daughter, and her yellow Labrador. Darlene’s favourite pastime is taking summer daytrips to the Valley to soak in the small-town feel.
It’s been great having you with us today. Good luck with Cherry Red. I can’t wait to read it!
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Posted in Authors' Secrets Blog and tagged Contemporary Romance, Firefighter, Ice Cream, One Scoop Or Two Series by Tena Stetler with 8 comments.
Scarlet at Crystal River by Randy Overbeck
Give a warm welcome to Randy Overbeck, author of The Haunted Shores Mysteries. His newest, Scarlet at Crystal River releases on September 13, 2021. Pull up a chair, grab a drink of your choice from the cooler, a Chocolate Chip or Peanut Butter cookie from the plate, and let’s find out a little about Randy and Scarlet at Crystal River.
Randy tell us a little about Scarlett at Crystal River
All Darrell Henshaw wanted was to enjoy his honeymoon with his beautiful wife, Erin, in the charming town of Crystal River on the sunny Gulf Coast of Florida. Only a pair of ghosts decide to intrude on their celebration. And not just any ghosts, the spirits of two young Latino children. Unwilling at first to derail the honeymoon for yet another ghost hunt, Darrell finally concedes when a painting of the kids comes alive, weeping and pleading for his help.
When he and Erin track down the artist, they discover the children’s family were migrant workers the next county over. But when they travel there, their questions about the kids gets their car shot up and Erin hospitalized. Torn between fear and rage, Darrell must decide how far he will go to get justice for two young children he never even knew.
Purchase Links
SOMETHING FOR EVERYONE
★★★★★ “Blood on the Chesapeake has something for everyone: mystery, romance, paranormal, history…it transported me to the locations where the main characters became my friends as I travelled their journey with them.”—
Another Amazon reviewer
“I loved everything about this book. As a ghost story combined with a mystery, a romance, a social injustice and stunning historical details, Crimson at Cape May has something for everyone.” ★★★★★—ReadersView
“Scarlet at Crystal River is a suspenseful paranormal novel with compelling characters and an enigmatic mystery that drives the story to a riveting conclusion.” ★★★★★—Literary Titan
I know you can’t please everyone, but my new series, the Haunted Shores Mysteries, has something to offer pretty much every reader.
Do you like a good mystery?
Do you enjoy a little romance with your story?
How about a little eerie in the tale?
Do you pick up books that whisk you off to beautiful locations?
(Insert pic of beach)
Are you drawn to stories with compelling characters?
Are you happy when you finish a book you feel like you’ve learned something new?
If you answered yes to any of these questions, then you’re probably going to enjoy the books in my series, #1 BLOOD ON THE CHESAPEAKE (2019) #2 CRIMSON AT CAPE MAY (2020) and #3 SCARLET AT CRYSTAL RIVER (2021).
But don’t take my word for it. (insert Goodreads graphic) Readers on both Amazon and Goodreads have raved about the novels, rating them all high, 4.5 average. You can check out their comments for yourself but here is a small sample:
- “a vacation to a beautiful seashore”
- “a book I could not put down”
- “a ghost/mystery filled with suspense and action”
- “Overbeck is mystery master”
- “Thrilling! Haunting! Convincing!”
- “a great romance story weaved into it”
- “the story has elements of humor, friendship, suspense, romance and heartbreak”
- “each character, carefully drawn and compelling in the many layers, draws the reader in and refuses to let go”
And the critics agree. The novels have earned more than a dozen five star reviews from national and international reviewers. (Insert 5 star graphic) Also, all three novels have won national awards including the Gold Award—Literary Titan, Silver Award for Mystery of the Year—ReaderViews, Crowned Heart of Excellence—InD’Tale magazine.
Oh and did I mention the first entry, BLOOD ON THE CHESAPEAKE became a #1 best seller on Amazon and B & N this summer! (Insert BLOOD cover bestseller)
Check out for yourself what all the readers are talking about.
About the Author:
Dr. Randy Overbeck is an award-winning educator, author and speaker. As an educator, he served children for four decades in a range of roles captured in his novels, from teacher and coach to principal and superintendent. His thriller, Leave No Child Behind (2012) and his recent mysteries, the Amazon No. 1 Best Seller, Blood on the Chesapeake, Crimson at Cape May and Scarlet at Crystal River have earned five star reviews and garnered national awards including “Thriller of the Year–ReadersFavorite.com, “Gold Award”—Literary Titan, “Mystery of the Year”—ReadersView.com and “Crowned Heart of Excellence”—InD’Tale Magazine. As a member of the Mystery Writers of America, Dr. Overbeck is an active member of the literary community, contributing to a writers’ critique group, serving as a mentor to emerging writers and participating in writing conferences such as Sleuthfest, Killer Nashville and the Midwest Writers Workshop. When he’s not writing or researching his next exciting novel or sharing his presentation, “Things Still Go Bump in the Night,” he’s spending time with his incredible family of wife, three children (and their spouses) and seven wonderful grandchildren.
Social Media Connections;
https://twitter.com/OverbeckRandy/media
https://www.facebook.com/authorrandyoverbeck
https://www.instagram.com/authorrandyoverbeck/
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC-KOC0LH2GQRSAjwxOFr5rg
Tik Tok @authorrandyo
It’s been great having you with us today. Good luck with Scarlet at Crystal River.
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Posted in Authors' Secrets Blog and tagged Blood on the Chesapeake, Crimson at Cape May, Dr. Randd Overbeck, Florida, ghosts, Haunted Shores Mysteries, Paranormal Mystery, Scarlet at Crystal River by Tena Stetler with 1 comment.
