Red's Reads

Tuesday, February 5, 2019

Valentines countdown💙💙

Arabella Sheraton grew up on a diet of Jane Austen, the Bronte sisters, and many other writers of that period. From Jane Austen to Georgette Heyer, Arabella has found both enjoyment and inspiration in sparkling, witty Regency novels. She also loves history and generally finds the past more fascinating than the future. Arabella wrote her first Regency romance to entertain her aged mom who loved the genre. Arabella is honoured to share the adventures of her heroes and heroines with readers.

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In this charming traditional Regency romance novella, Patience Cherwell is resigned to a life of spinsterhood. Therefore, when her young friend, the lovely Lorna Hartley, comes to stay for a London season, she decides the eligible, handsome Lord Blackwood is the perfect match for Lorna. Granted, Lord Blackwood, at forty, is much older than the vivacious 20-year-old Lorna, but Patience is determined to help her young friend make a good match. So why isn’t she happy when his lordship and Lorna seem to like each other’s company? The problem is that Patience is already madly in love with his lordship!

An unexpected invitation arrives for Lorna and Patience to attend Lord Blackwood’s Valentine Ball. This is the perfect moment for him to propose to Lorna. Mysteriously, a corsage arrives from an anonymous admirer. Who is it for? And what will be the outcome for the wearer at Lord Blackwood’s Valentine Ball?

This novella is the prequel to The Lady’s Revenge.

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Q&A With the Author:

1. Tell us about things you enjoy — what you do for fun or personal satisfaction besides writing?

Reading of course is top of the list! I enjoy living in the countryside rather than the city and I am fortunate so I can take long walks with my dogs. I love movies, especially BBC historical movies or book to movie adaptations. Art, music, theater, anything cultural appeals to me, and of course travel is important.

2. When did you first realize you were an author?

I have always scribbled a bit, writing comical poetry, and I wrote editorial articles for magazines for years, but when my mother asked me to write her a Regency romance, that was when I started to take the idea seriously.

3. Have you done anything writing-related, but besides actually writing your books, that seemed to get a lot of positive response? Something that encouraged you?

I worked for many years in magazine publishing, so I had my fair share of nonfiction writing. Now I also teach novel writing which is very rewarding. I am very proud when a student completes the course and has a finished manuscript in their hand.

4. What is the thing you struggle with the most while writing? And how do you defeat it?

The only thing I struggle with is finding the time to do my own writing. I am also an editor for a book review company and that as my day job and tutoring aspiring writers takes up time. I find making lists of time slots when I can squeeze in my own work really helps.

5. What is the “message” of your writing? (For example, is your purpose to encourage old-fashioned values, encourage romance, or do you have different purposes in different books?)

My books are historical romances, set in the Regency era, when a man courted a woman with serious intentions, and because of the social restrictions, and the impossibility of jumping into bed on the first date, the couple had to take the time to get to know each other as people. They also had to become friends first. So I do think the message is cultivating what people might think of as ‘old fashioned’ values, but actually these values are timeless and good. If a couple starts off becoming friends, finding the glue that will keep them together, they will still be together when the initial glow wears off and they settle down to the reality of making a life together. Proper courtship and romance are important.

6. Are your characters/stories/scenes, etc. based on anything in real life?

Again, I think that romance and real-life situations abound no matter what era one writes in. I might read about something in the news and that sparks an idea for a story.

7. What are your future projects?

I am busy with a (wait for it) completely different kind of Regency romance. This is a murder mystery/time travel romance called To Murder a Marquis. It is absolutely fascinating; still Regency but such fun! Here’s a teaser: When Jane Carstairs goes to Chelston Hall to complete the archival project her father had been commissioned to do, things turn very weird from the moment she gets there. Jane wakes up in the woods at Chelston Hall, only it's no longer 2015 ... it's 1815, and she's faced with the discovery of a possibly dead man, who is the spitting image of her current employer - the Marquis of Chelston - and the growing feeling that something is very wrong. Jane has somehow slipped back in time, but why? Is she the one destined to save the marquis so that the line can continue? And how can she stop falling in love with a man who is from another era? Can she go back to her own century? Does she want to, ultimately?

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Monday, February 4, 2019

Valentines countdown ❤️🥰

Kelly Nelson graduated from Brigham Young University with a bachelor’s degree. She worked in public accounting for four years before starting a horse-boarding business so she could be more involved in raising her family. As an avid book lover, she later decided to pursue a career in writing. Her published works include The Keeper’s Saga, a young adult fiction series, Love’s Deception, an LDS romance, and The Woman with No Name. Her newest novel was selected as a finalist in the romance category for the 2018 writing contest of the Pacific Northwest Writer's Association. She resides Cornelius, Oregon with her husband, four children, and a herd of horses.

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Losing her memory might lead to finding happily ever after.

Sworn bachelor Colton Murdock gets more than he bargained for on the elk hunt when he finds an injured woman in Utah’s high country. She must have a history, but she wakes up to towering pines and the clap of a thunderstorm with no recollection of her name or how she came to be there. Colt brings her to the safety of his camp, trying to ignore the first stirrings of his heart since the tragic death of his fiancée six years ago.

The young woman can’t help falling for her ruggedly handsome rescuer, who calls her Skye for her blue eyes. But her life goes into a tailspin when she is recognized as Lily Vanasche, fiancée of a popular TV news anchorman, and Colt is arrested for a series of crimes—including her abduction. After the real kidnapper leaves a death threat in Lily’s ransacked house, the clock starts ticking. Can she remember her past before it catches up with her?

Praise for The Woman with No Name:

Kelly Nelson writes sweet romance that tugs at your heartstrings. —Susan Hatler, New York Times and USA Today bestselling author

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Q&A With the Author:

1. Tell us about things you enjoy — what you do for fun or personal satisfaction besides writing?

Horses are a life-long love of mine. There’s nothing that rejuvenates me more than cantering through the nut orchard, feeling the rocking cadence of my horse’s gait. Also, I can never get enough of traveling the world, though the horses make it difficult to leave home sometimes. But when I just need to unwind, nothing beats dark chocolate and a good romance novel.

2. When did you first realize you were an author?

I started my first book when I was 15, then began another about a decade later, but I didn’t consider myself a true author until 2009 when I wrote a time-travel trilogy The Keeper’s Saga.

3. Have you done anything writing-related, but besides actually writing your books, that seemed to get a lot of positive response? Something that encouraged you?

Hoping to inspire one of my kids who was going through a tough time, I wrote a parable titled The Lost One. Over the years, I have shared the story with many people. Seeing their positive response encourages me to keep writing.

4. What is the thing you struggle with the most while writing? And how do you defeat it?

I love the writing and creating aspects of being an author. It is some of the publishing facets of the business that pose a struggle. I am looking for a larger publisher for my current projects, so it is a little like starting over at square one. That can feel really discouraging at times.

5. What is the “message” of your writing? (For example, is your purpose to encourage old-fashioned values, encourage romance, or do you have different purposes in different books?)

Hope and a sense of adventure. Hope that despite what happened in the past or where you are now, there is always hope for the future. A couple of years ago I had this epiphany: Today’s heartache and tragedy should not define our future, but should be the prologue for tomorrow’s happily ever after.

I want to inspire a sense of adventure and immerse readers in another world. Author Anne Perry once said, “We get to live only one life, but by reading well we can experience many.” That is my goal. Help readers experience different lives through the characters in my books.

6. Are your characters/stories/scenes, etc. based on anything in real life?

To some extent, always! Though usually the real-life part is small enough that only I see the connection and know about it. As an author, all of my experiences impact my writing. In 2010, my husband drew an elk tag for a premier unit in Utah. I joined him in elk camp for two days, inspiring the characters and backdrop for The Woman with No Name.

My sister’s husband served in the Air Force and completed multiple tours to Afghanistan, inspiring one of the characters in Love’s Deception. The main character boards horses and her love interest is a CPA. Since I have worked in both of those professions, I drew on my personal experiences to write many of the scenes.

7. What are your future projects?

I have two projects in the works:

An Inconvenient Marriage

The terms governing Amelia Grayson’s trust fund propel her into an unlikely match in this modern-day marriage of convenience. Montana cowboy Garrett Strong, wants nothing to do with marriage after his first attempt failed, while Amelia’s eccentrically old-fashioned grandmother insists her granddaughter be married before she sees a cent of her trust fund money. Garrett and Amelia bid against each other for the Double J Ranch, but for completely opposite reasons. When it appears neither of them will secure a contract to buy the ranch, a marriage of convenience might be the only solution. After a private investigator digs up secrets from Garrett’s past and a land-hungry cattle company willing to bend the law sets its sights on the Double J, will their fragile relationship shatter or can they build a foundation that will last the test of time?

Selected as a finalist in the Pacific Northwest Writers Association contest for the romance category, this will soon be pitched to literary agents and editors.

Hidden Heir

After commoner Dade Hawkes rescues Greer’s lost princess, he doesn’t expect to see her again, but a mysterious summons from the king changes that. Princess Tessalyn of Greer knows her duty. Getting married off in a political ploy is a risk she had no choice but to accept the moment she took her first breath. However, she never thought feelings toward a commoner would get in her way. When a forbidden attraction becomes an impossible situation, Tessalyn must escape her betrothal or spend a lifetime married to the brother of the man she loves. The fates meddle with their futures as ancient secrets catch up to the royal families of Greer and Nebani in this fantasy adventure.

This YA trilogy needs a literary agent and a publisher.

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Thursday, January 3, 2019

In The Midst of Winter

In the Midst of Winter shares ways to cope for those suffering from misunderstood chronic illnesses, and a glimpse into our daily lives for those who wish to understand. It also testifies of the Savior’s ability to reach into each heart and bring hope and renewal.

At age fourteen, Danice Hope started having troubles functioning during the winter months. Each year, the fatigue and depression grew worse. During the summers, her health would improve, and she learned to fit as much joy into life as possible before winter returned. After six years, she was finally diagnosed with seasonal affective disorder. Over time, she realized that there was also beauty in winter. She found a poster with flowers growing out of the snow that said, “In the midst of winter I finally learned that there was in me an invincible summer.”

In the mid 1990’s, Danice moved south to Arizona with the hope of improving her health enough to have a better life. While the SAD improved, she found herself developing new health problems. The biggest surprise was that she could be sitting slumped over in a wheelchair in the emergency room, barely able to speak or move, and doctor after doctor told her that she wasn’t ill, or that it was “just anxiety”. After going to twenty-four different doctors in the next year, she was diagnosed with chronic fatigue syndrome. Stunned at the loss of her hopes and dreams, she gradually learned to see in new ways, to balance her health, to reshape her dreams, and to look to Christ. She learned that flowers can grow not only in the snow, but also in the desert sun.

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Danice Hope has been married to the same loving, supportive husband for 26 years. They live in the deserts of the American Southwest, where the winters are mild. Their two lovable cats keep them busy.

Danice loved to roam the mountains of Utah in her younger years, and to see the variety of wildflowers each spring. She has enjoyed writing since she was old enough to write. She takes solace in reading the scriptures and other good books. She is grateful for God’s care and guidance through the distresses of life.

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This is an amazing book that shows that no matter your struggle there is always hope. This book has been so good to read as you follow the struggles it is almost as if you are right along side with her as she learns and grows. I would definitely want to recommend this book who is struggling with a mental illness and other health problems or knows of someone who is it lends a view to their what they are going through and how strong those people can be

Snippet #1

One night, as I watched a Christian channel, I heard some intriguing ideas about different ways of healing. A doctor pointed out that Jesus heals in different ways. In Mark the blind man was healed by Jesus’ word. In John 9 the people thought that the man was blind due to sin. But Jesus said that it was so “that the works of God should be made manifest in him,” (verse 3). Then Jesus anointed the man’s eyes with clay and spittle and told him to go wash in the pool of Siloam. And the man “went his way therefore, and washed, and came seeing,” (verse 7).

The doctor pointed out that our pathway to healing can be through a single miracle or it can come through our own pathway that Jesus can show to us: whether through vitamins and medicines or some other way. We don’t have to feel guilty when people claim that we must not have enough faith if we aren’t instantly healed. It takes faith to follow Jesus’ plan for us. “With his stripes we are healed,” Mosiah 14:5.

Snippet #2

Elder Dallin H. Oaks also taught that healing comes in different ways according to individual circumstances. He said, “Sometimes a ‘healing’ cures our illness or lifts our burden. But sometimes we are ‘healed’ by being given strength or understanding or patience to bear the burdens placed upon us.”

I have often felt the love of Jesus as I've struggled with health and other problems in life. I have felt his influence as I've tried to learn the lessons he wants me to know. One thing I know is that God really cares, and that he'll lead us and guide us through the dark, and back into the light. He will walk with us through it all.

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Saturday, December 29, 2018

Niki Cluff lives in Northern Arizona with her husband, three children, and Great Dane who also doubles as a pony. For the last four years, she has worked as a literary intern sorting through queries while writing her own books. When she isn't writing or watching BIGBANG and EXO videos, she's sketching, playing video games (Legend of Zelda is her favorite), crocheting, and cooking. Copycat recipes are her specialty. She's also a massive anime fan (Sailor Moon forever!) and hopes to visit Tokyo some day.

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Allyson has been in a coma for the last nine months. What’s worse, she can hear everything the doctors say. She knows they’re keeping her in a coma and that she’s at the mercy of the hospital's First-in-Human trial—a VR system implanted in her brain for a second chance at life.

Attached to the VR, Ally discovers worlds unlike home. She can do whatever she wants, but she misses her parents. With help from Harrison, a rabbit-eared boy, they work together to free themselves from Aishwarya, the mad queen of the world.

But when Harrison wakes up and doesn’t come for Ally, she’ll split her soul to the brink of death to save herself.