Interview Leslie Bowes Author of Heart Healer
Favorite movie: Safe Haven
Favorite book: Safe Haven
Last book read: Always on my Mind
Favorite color: Blue
Stilettos or flipflops: Flipflops
Coffee or tea: Coffee
Ebook or audiobook or paperback: Paperback
Pencil or pen: Pen
Favorite song: In a Crowd of Thousands
Streak or not: not
Favorite dessert: Ice cream
Favorite junk food: Candy
Favorite thing to do to relax: Read
Champagne or gin: Champagne
Paranormal or Historical: Historical
Wonder Woman or Top Model: Wonder Woman
Favorite TV show: Once upon a time before season 7
Hot or cold: Hot
Tell us a little about Heart Healer.Christopher King is living in 2014 doing his best to raise his young son Ryan after his wife left him. One night, Christopher finds a woman in the river unconscious and barely breathing. She is also wearing old fashioned clothes. Christopher does everything in his power to help the young women. When Catherine regains consciousness, she finds herself in a strange and unbelievable situation. Terrified, she does her best to keep her guard up against Christopher. But as she gets to know him, she can’t help but fall for the man who saved her life. When Catherine’s dangerous past comes back to haunt her, it has Catherine and Christopher fighting for each other and their love.
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Posted in Authors' Secrets Blog and tagged Contemporary Romance, Heart Healer, Leslie Bowes by Tena Stetler with 6 comments.
Ilona Fridl Author of A Balancing Act
Give a warm welcome to Ilona , author of A Balancing Act!
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 Ilona and A Balancing Act.
Thank you, Tena, for inviting me to visit you today. I’ve brought along my two main characters, Dr. John Mallory and Lenora La Rue, with me. Hope you don’t mind.
Oh, not at all! The more the merrier! Welcome John and Lenora! Lets start with John.
Tells us about the real you—
I’m a surgeon, who was inspired by my father. He was a surgeon in the War between the States, and I worked under him at a hospital in Milwaukee when I finished medical college. Now I have a practice in Waukesha.
What event in your past has left the most indelible impression on you?
Seeing pain and suffering in others. I always was rescuing injured animals as a boy, and trying to nurse them back to health.
What do you most value?
Treating all people with dignity. I’ve seen too many doctors look down on the sick and injured as not really human.
What is the type of woman you want to spend the rest of your life with?
John glances at Lenora and takes her hand. The woman I had pictured was a quiet, unassuming girl who grew up in the domestic arts. I guess you never know.
What do you consider most important in life?
To live your dreams to their fullest.
What is your biggest secret?
John reddens a bit. I loved watching Nora at the circus in her skimpy costume. Lenora hits him on the arm.
All right Ms. La Rue, it your turn.
All my friends call me Nora.
Who are you really?
Pauses. I was a circus bareback rider traveling with my family’s show until a cyclone caused me to lose my leg. My family abandoned me, and made me learn how to live on the outside with ordinary people.
Who were the biggest role models in your life?
The horses I worked with. Growing up they were my only friends.
What kind of man do you want to spend the rest of your life with?
I thought it was Rico, who I was engaged to before my accident. He was our tight-rope walker. The cad broke our promise when I lost my leg. John is patient and kind. He won me over, because he was the first person who really cared for me.
What kind of man would you never choose?
Anyone like my family or Rico who only cares for themselves.
What is most important to you in life?
Support of family and friends.
What is your biggest fear?
I believe I lived through that already. Being abandoned when I needed help the most. That’s why I love John so much. If he wasn’t there, I don’t know what I would have done.
Ilona, Tell us a little about writing this story.
I lost my ability to stand a few years ago, and I’m now in a wheelchair. It was healing to write about a heroine who lost her leg in an accident, and learned to deal with it. Through her, I could see the disabled aren’t hopeless, and there are still ways you could function.
Was it fun or difficult?
It was difficult, because I could understand the frustration my heroine was going through dealing with the loss of her leg. To keep it from being too depressing, I gave some of my characters a sense of fun.
Do your characters always act as you expect?
No. That’s why I love writing.
Are you a plotter, or fly (write) by the seat of your pants?
A little of both. I write down ideas for scenes, then try to incorporate them into the story
Tell us a little about A Balancing Act.
Lenora LaRue, Bareback Rider Extraordinaire, is the star of her family’s circus—until a cyclone hits. A main tent pole falls on her during the storm, and when her injuries require the loss of her leg, her family abandons her, believing she is of no further use to them.
John Mallory, the young surgeon who does the necessary operation, decides to help her readjust to the real world, against his father’s advice. John takes her to his aunt’s sanitarium in the resort city of Waukesha, Wisconsin, where the two of them undertake to teach Lenora how to live outside the harsh circus culture that has been her whole life. He sets up a practice in the town to be near her, positive that rehabilitation is possible. As a woman doubly cursed by society as both a cripple and a former circus performer, Lenora is not so sure. She struggles to learn social skills…but can she learn what love is, too?
How about a peek between the pages?
The train was already at the depot when they hurried in after bidding Robert thanks and goodbye. John quickly purchased their tickets, and they entered the cozy steam-heated car for their trip. Nora sat by the window and watched the villages and farms on an endless march. She turned to John. “Do you think this could be dangerous, what Will is asking us to do?”
He shook his head. “I think if we just look at the horses, all we have to do is report to Will if we find Chance. Like detective work.”
“When should we do it?”
“I have Thursdays off. I’ll let Will know, and he can talk to his uncle about letting you go.”
“Maybe I should quit at the store and help you set up your practice. The thing is, I still owe on the leg.”
John laughed and kissed her forehead. “Since things are the way they are, I’ll forgive the rest of the debt. You’ve worked very hard, and I’m proud of you.”
Tears welled in her eyes. “Nobody close to me has ever praised me before.”
John pulled her into a discreet hug. “It’s about time. You deserve it.” He hesitated. “Nora, I do love you.”
Oh, she wanted to believe him, truly she did. “John, I want to trust your feelings for me. I have been hurt so much in the past, but I want you to know I’m trying.”
He rocked her gently. “That’s all I ask for now.”
“I’ll tell Mr. Canton I’ll stay on until he can find someone else. By then, you should have the house.”
He pulled back and smiled. “You’re doing it again.”
“What?”
“Changing the subject when we talk about us.” There was a bit of a sparkle in his brown eyes.
She opened her mouth to say something, then closed it again. He returned his arm around her shoulders, and she leaned against him. The southern-slanted sun cut in through the windows of the car, and the passing trees and buildings threw shadows over them.
Back in Waukesha, John rented a carriage from the livery and took Nora to her apartment. He helped her up the steps and set her bag by the door. The reflection of the late afternoon sun from the building windows bounced into the shelter. Nora gazed at the strikingly boyish but handsome face and her breath caught. Deep down, her love for him was overwhelming. Still, she couldn’t quite say the words yet.
John gathered her into his arms. “I’ll be in touch with you about the trip to Kenosha. Good evening, sweetheart.”
She placed her hands on either side of his face and kissed him. “Good evening, John.” She felt like melting into his warm embrace and remaining there forever.
Buy Links:
The Wild Rose Press Amazon Barnes & Noble
About the Author:
Ilona Fridl was born in the Los Angeles area of Southern California, where she lived the first twenty-one years of her life. In high school and college, she took Journalism and Creative Writing. She moved with her family to Milwaukee, Wisconsin where she met her husband, Mark. They started a locksmithing business and raised a daughter to adulthood. All the while, she dreamed about being a writer, but she hated typewriters. In the nineties, they purchased their first computer, and she never looked back. With some articles and short stories under her belt, she started her first novel. The eighth book is just being released by The Wild Rose Press.
Web site: http://www.ilonafridl.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Ilona-Fridl/127297334022981?ref=hl
Goodreads: http://goodreads.com/author/show/3416410.Ilona_Fridl
It was wonderful having you with us today. Please feel free to stop by anytime. Good Luck with A Balancing Act.
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Posted in Authors' Secrets Blog and tagged A Balancing Act, Contemporary Romance, Historical Romance, Ilona Fridl by Tena Stetler with 21 comments.
Marie Tuhart author of Her Desert Prince
Give a warm welcome to Marie Tuhart, author of Her Desert Prince released June 18, 2018.
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 Marie and Her Desert Prince.
Second Speed Round <Only two words allowed>
1.What is your favorite book of all time? None
- Where do you relax to read? Sofa
- What sound drives you right up a wall? screeching
- What sound relaxes you? ocean waves
- Favorite drink? diet coke
- Walking in the sand, shoes or barefoot? shoes
- Favorite pet? Dog
- Snow? Love or hate? enjoy
- Doing ________ is like nailing jello to the wall. Writing
- Rock and Roll, Country, Jazz or Classical? Country
- What can’t you leave the house without? Watch
- Calender or not; Paper or electronic? Calendar, both
- Favorite place to write. My office
- What is your decadent indulgent? Oreos
- You’ve just won $1,000.00, you have only 24 hours to spend it, so what will you buy? electronics
- Plotter or panster? both
- Introvert or extrovert? introvert
- Flight or fight? flight
- Favorite Monster? Dracula
- Magic or Not? Yes magic
Click on the cover to read more or purchase
Tell us a little about Her Desert Prince.
Catherine Taylor is no stranger to life’s school of hard knocks. At the tender age of 18, she left her dysfunctional family behind and struck out on her own, finally free to embrace her passion for creating art. After years of hard work, she has achieved some degree of acclaim. When she is offered the opportunity to work in the small middle eastern country of Bashir to create the defining mural for the new children’s critical care ward, Catherine embraces the chance to meld her love of children and her love of art. What she doesn’t think she is ready for is the blatant and instant passion she feels the moment she meets the successful country’s crown prince, Malik.
Malik al-Hakim has been raised with the sole purpose of someday becoming the king of his beloved country of Bashir. Years of careful preparation by his loving family has him ready to take the yolk from his father one day, but nothing could prepare him for the instant lust he feels the moment he sees Catherine. Never one to let an opportunity slip by, Malik pursues Catherine convincing her to explore their desire. But when political intrigue places Catherine in danger, Malik soon realizes lust has evolved to love and he’ll do whatever it takes to keep the woman of his dreams safely by his side, no matter how hard she tries to fight their fate.
A sneak peek between the pages of Her Desert Prince.
She stepped outside, the scent of jasmine filled her senses and her muscles instantly relaxed. The quiet snick of the door closing spurred her into action. She took the first path until she found a nice grassy area beneath a palm tree. She sat down and opened her sketchpad.
Her fingers flew over the pages as she captured the scenes flittering through her mind. She lost all track of time until a husky male voice said, “Hello, beautiful.”
Her head snapped up to see the stranger from the airport.
“What are you doing here?” she asked, pulling the sketchbook to her chest.
“I was about to ask you the same thing.” He slipped closer. “What are you drawing?” He craned his neck but couldn’t see anything.
“Nothing.” She closed the book with a snap, but her cheeks turned pink, making him even more curious about what she’d been drawing.
Then a memory nudged his brain. “You’re the artist commissioned to do the mural at the hospital.” He shook his head, trying to reconcile her with the woman at the airport.
“Yes.” Her chin came up, and he couldn’t help but grin. She was defensive about her work for some reason. No worries; he thought it was great. But part of him wanted to haul her into his arms and kiss her again. Instead, he followed a saner choice and sat down on the grass across from her.
She wiggled an inch or two away, then her gaze met his. She was wary of him, but he caught a hint of curiosity in her gaze.
“I’m Catherine Taylor.” She held a hand out to him.
“Malik.” He grasped her hand, lowered his head, and caressed her knuckles with his lips. A slight shiver moved through her body and transferred to him. So she was affected by him. Good. He squeezed her fingers.
Buy Links: Amazon Kobo Universal buy link to all retailers
About the author:
Marie Tuhart lives in the beautiful Pacific Northwest with her muse, Penny, a four pound toy poodle. Marie has a key chain collection from all the places she’s visited, both US and around the world. Only two have been given to her.
To be alerted on new releases on Amazon or Book Bub. Also you can join Marie’s newsletter where she gives her group advance information on her books, runs contests and does giveaways just for newsletter readers. Marie can also be found on Goodreads, Pinterest, Twitter, and Facebook.
It was wonderful having you with us today. Please feel free to stop by anytime. Good Luck with Her Desert Prince!
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Posted in Authors' Secrets Blog and tagged Contemporary Romance, Her Desert Prince, Marie Tuhart, Multicultural & Interracial by Tena Stetler with 2 comments.
Interview Kat Henry Doran Author of Vengeance Is Mine
Give a warm welcome to Kat Henry Doran, author of Vengeance Is Mine, a Contemporary Romance.
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 Kat and Vengeance Is Mine. Pssst… don’t forget to check out the giveaways at the bottom of the page.
Tell us about yourself. I am a former Operating Room nurse turned victim advocate who rarely backed down from a twelve-handed surgeon or a defense attorney with an attitude. I love watching major league baseball because, IMO, there’s nothing like a man in tight white pants [go Phillies!]. I adore the Golden State Warriors; no one can beat the coach for looks and guts–plus, the Splash Brothers’ magic on the court make me sigh. Last, if you’re looking for the definition of “Badge Bunny”, go to Webster’s latest edition; you’ll find my picture.
Who is your favorite character of all of the books you’ve written? Keenan Rossi from “For Keeps”, part of the Candy Hearts series for The Wild Rose Press.
Why? He’s perfect for a strong woman with a charming personality and abrasive wit. Plus, he cooks his own meals, washes his own shorts, and doesn’t expect a woman to wait on him hand and foot.
Do you see yourself in your characters? In every smart mouth, opinionated female, you bet.
Where do your story ideas come from? The nightly news; Internet pieces; the morning paper; people watching at the mall.
If ideas come to you in the middle of the night, do you get up and write them all down? Nothing wakes me up in the middle of the night, including an atom bomb. But . . . I keep a notepad and pen on hand at all times to write ideas down. The fresh produce department at the local grocery story is a wealth of information.
Okay, you’re casting the movie version of your novel – who would you choose for the main characters?
Since there are three novellas in this book, my dream team includes these six:
Lou Diamond Phillips and Meg Ryan for Mad Dog and the Archangel
Daniel Craig and Meghan Markle for Embraceable You
Catherine Zeta-Jones and Sean Bean for The List
Click on the cover to read more or purchase.
Tell us a little about Vengeance Is Mine
Ever think about going back to study hall and face down the school bully? The mean girls? The brainless jocks who made your life pure misery?
For Dru Horvath, once a Gypsy orphan now a Pulitzer Prize winner; Rafe Archangeli, the Scourge of Summerville, who inherits a multi-million dollar trust, and Fiona “Fat Aggie” Thorpe with her own A-list modeling agency, the opportunity to exact revenge at their high school reunion is too good to pass up.
Mick Dineen, known as the Patron Saint of Less Thans, has his own reasons for attending the reunion. The former bully is desperate to make amends to one of his victims: Fiona Thorpe.
Community activist, Grace “Mad Dog” Dunavan, has never known a man with the raw appeal of Rafael Archangeli. There’s more at risk than the Thurgood Trust which will serve the needs of her desperate clients, she has her heart to consider.
Acting sheriff Rory McElroy agrees to provide personal protection for the winner of the Eastman Award at the reunion banquet. But on meeting her, he’s not so sure who poses the greater threat: third world thugs trying to silence Dru Horvath or the woman who once protected him from the schoolyard bullies.
Will these six find what they crave? Or something more valuable?
A sneak peak between the pages of Vengeance Is Mind. [we come in where the banquet guests are being seated]
As a past Eastman Award winner, Mick was directed to the head table. In the chair beside him sat a stunning dark-haired woman in a slinky red dress. “Please, everyone,” Grace Dunavan said, “take time to get reacquainted. It won’t be long before the guest of honor arrives.”
Getting acquainted sounded good to Mick. Particularly if it meant he could focus on the woman in the sexy red number and ignore the woman currently heading toward their table under full sail. Botox Beth Heade, poster girl for surgical enhancements. What the woman didn’t do to her body in a never-ending drive for attention amazed him.
“Guest of honor,” Beth sniffed as she took a seat opposite Mick. “As Chairs of the Reunion Committee, Richard and I had the right to know the identity of–” She broke off the tirade as if realizing she had someone new to impress. She drilled the woman beside Mick with an appraising look. “And you are?”
“No one of consequence. I’m here at the request of the Eastman recipient.” Mick decided her voice had that low, polished tone a man wouldn’t mind waking up to. “She asked me to stand in as her date tonight.” Wincing, she muttered something under her breath, soft enough for only Mick to hear. “Damn, I didn’t mean for it to come out like that.”
For a split second, he feared if Beth Heade tightened her mouth any harder, one of her lips might blow a leak. “The recipient is a woman? Why didn’t she ask for a male escort, for pity’s sake? No one need know she pitches for the same team.”
Rafe Archangeli, suddenly overtaken by a vicious coughing spasm, required the attention of a passing waiter as well has Grace Dunavan. After several good whacks between his shoulder blades, Rafe straightened from his crouch, still red-faced and teary-eyed. “I do beg your pardon. That was unfortunate.”
“I should say so,” Beth sniped. “Really, Rafael, you interrupted me.”
“Did I? How . . . de trop of me.”
“Yes, whatever. Why the identity of the guest of honor has been treated like a state secret is beyond me. Even Richard doesn’t know and we all know his position in the community.”
“Of course we do,” Grace murmured. “You never fail to advise of same.”
Looking momentarily confused at the comment, Beth carried on. “I have it on good authority Her Hugeness, Fiona Thorpe, will grace with her presence this weekend.”
Fiona was here? Mick thought. Good. Before the evening was over, he vowed to find her and set up a time to make amends. A short choking gasp diverted his attention from the self-absorbed reunion chair. Glancing to his left, he found the vision in red more than a little pale and gulping water like it was the last source of fluid on earth.
Blissfully unaware of all things going on around her, Ready Betty droned on. “As Chair, I needed to attend to other duties so was unable to be at the check-in desk every minute. The volunteer who registered Thunder Thighs swears she looks bigger than life. For myself, I can only hope the Inn has chairs wide enough to fit her girth.”
Rafe turned away, shoulders heaving. Grace gave his arm a firm pat and offered a tight smile. “Perhaps we could ask the Inn staff to solder several chairs together.”
Beth squealed like a child given her favorite treat. “Oh, do you think they would?”
The woman in red touched his hand. “Who is this Richard she keeps referencing?”
“Her husband. Richard Heade.”
Narrow, ring less fingers raced her lips. “Ready Betty and Dickhead? I mean, I saw their titles as Co-Chairs on the reunion invitation, but the two school yard bullies are married? To each other?”
That answered one question for Mick. Whatever the woman’s identity, Summerville was part of her past. Now to figure out how she figured into the current picture. “Worse than that,” he said. “Dickhead followed in his old man’s footsteps. He’s our Chief of Police.”
To purchase Vengeance Is Mine: CreateSpace Amazon
Now for the fun – Speed Round
1.What is your favorite book of all time? Mila 18 by Leon Uris
2. Where do you relax to read? In bed
3.What sound drives you right up a wall? A running toilet
4.What sound relaxes you? The great Johnny Mathis
5.Favorite drink? Iced coffee
6.Walking in the sand, shoes or barefoot? Sandals
7.Favorite pet Yellow Lab/Golden Retriever mix
8.Snow? Love or hate? Loathe. Despise.
9.Doing housework is like nailing jello to the wall.
10.Rock and Roll, Country, Jazz or Classical? Motown
11.What can’t you leave the house without? An audio book
12.Calendar or not; Paper or electronic? Calendar. Paper
13.Favorite place to write. My couch
14.What is your decadent indulgent? Apple and pecan crostada with ice cream
15.You won $1,000,000. With only 24 hours to spend it, what will you buy? A new Ford Transit Connect which is all I’ll have left after paying off my credit cards.
16.Plotter or Pantzer? BTSOOM. I just write books as they come to me.
17.Introvert or Extravert? Hybrid
18.Flight or Fight? Depends on the source
19.Favorite Monster? Oscar the Grouch
20. Magic or Not? No thanks
For more information on Kat Henry Doran, go to:
Blog: www.WildWomenAuthorsx2.blogspot.com
Facebook: www.Facebook.com/WildWomenAuthors
Amazon: www.amazon.com/Kat-Henry-Doran/e/BO1M5861P7
Pinterest: www.Pinterest.com/KatHenryDoran
Twitter: @Kathenrydoran1
First and last visitor who leaves a comment will win one of these wonderful hand made cosmetic bags or coin purses. Hey Kat, can I win? LOL If you are outside the US the prize is a free ebook of Vengeance is Mine. So leave those comments!
It was wonderful having you with us today. Please feel free to stop by anytime. Good Luck with Vengeance Is Mine!
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Posted in Authors' Secrets Blog and tagged Contemporary Romance, Kat Henry Doran, Pulitzer Prize winner, Vengeance is Mine by Tena Stetler with 9 comments.
