Ghosts of New England: Last Light Point by Authors Lisa A. Olech, Kathryn Hills, Nancy Fraser, and Peggy Jaeger **Book Birthday Week**

Welcome to Notes From a Romantic's Heart. All this week we're featuring the paranormal anthology, Ghosts of New England: Last Light Point, Book 2 in the Ghosts of New England series. Today, we'll begin with the overview of the entire anthology. Then, beginning tomorrow through Friday, we'll feature each of the four complete paranormal romance novels.

GHOSTS OF NEW ENGLAND: LAST LIGHT POINT

A Multi-Century Romance Anthology

 from Best Selling & Award Winning Authors

Lisa A. Olech

Kathryn Hills

Nancy Fraser

Peggy Jaeger

 Can true love conquer a deadly curse?

Don’t look at the gibbet… Legend has it that disaster will strike all those who do. The townspeople of Last Light Point have come to respect the centuries-old advice. Those that didn’t, paid the price.

4 stories – 4 time periods – 1 very haunted tavern in New England!

A new romance anthology unlike any other from 4 best-selling and award-winning authors.

·         The Pirate’s Promise by Lisa A. Olech (Autumn 1728)

·         Smoke and Mirrors by Kathryn Hills (Autumn 1867)

·         For the Love of Grace by Nancy Fraser (Fall 1941)

·         A Promise Fulfilled by Peggy Jaeger (Late October, Present Day)

Available everywhere through Books2Read

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To help us celebrate the release of Last Light Point, the first book in the series, Ghosts of New England: Skullery Bay, is on sale everywhere through Books2Read

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Please come back tomorrow when we'll be taking a closer look at the first book in the new anthology,

The Pirate's Promise, by author Lisa A. Olech.

Nancy

THUMB FIRE DESIRE by Author Carol Nickles *Virtual Book Tour* *Giveaway*

Welcome to Notes From a Romantic’s Heart. Today, we’ll be featuring author Carol Nickles’ new release, Thumb Fire Desire, a historical romance set in the late 1800s. You can find all of the stops on Carol’s tour at Goddess Fish Promotions. Don’t forget to enter the Rafflecopter drawing. The entry form is at the bottom of this post.

Genre: Historical Romance 

From the Author

The village of Parisville, smack dab in the middle of the “thumbnail” of Michigan’s thumb-shaped peninsula was established in 1856 by Polish immigrants and is the real-life setting of my novel, Thumb Fire Desire. Parisville has not changed much. Acres and acres of land are devoted to farming. St. Mary’s Catholic Church, thrice destroyed by fire, first in 1871, then in 1881 during the Great Thumb Fire (featured in my book), and then again in 1974 still stands. The majority of surnames represent the descendants of the early Polish settlers – Guza, Pawlowski, Lemanski, Susalla and more.

Today, if you take a leisurely drive through Huron County you will see a dramatic landscape change. Wind turbines populate the countryside. They represent a tremendous growth in renewable energy. Huron County on one of Michigan’s top agricultural counties. Eighty-five percent of Huron County’s acreage is farmland. Over twelve hundred farms call Huron County home. Major crops are navy beans, sugar beets, corn, wheat, alfalfa, oats, and barley.

Since I strive to keep real-life sadness at bay, when I choose a book to entertain me, I look for one with a predictable happy ending. The romance genre guarantees that finale.

But I also love stories of adventure in the name of science and braving the wild. One of my favorite reads as a girl was Call of the North by Jack London. And the book on my nightstand that I will hate returning to the library is Wolf Island a memoir by L.David Mech. Wolf Island is set in Isle Royale, a national park island in Lake Superior, the largest of the Great Lakes. L. David Mech regales us with tales of the first years of the world-renowned prey-predator relationship study conducted on this remote island. The story has long intrigued me. I am spring boarding this interest into another historical romance, Past Preserve Us, not yet under contract.

Unlike some writers who prefer white or no noise, I seek noise. Music fills that need. I like instrumental, with no lyrics so I am transformed not by a message, but by a rhythm. Smooth jazz, lilting island music are my go-tos. My favorite is a well-worn CD featuring music indigenous to the Pacific islands of Fiji.

In the Spring of 1881, indigent seamstress Ginny Dahlke arrives in one of the earliest Polish American settlements-Parisville, Michigan. Deemed charmless and awkward by her mean-spirited sister-in-law, Ginny disparages her chance of securing love. But sought-after widowed farmer Peter Nickles is enamored by Ginny's perseverance, her pioneer spirit and, her inclusive acceptance of the indigenous peoples of Michigan. The seductiveness of a buxom heiress, a twisted story of an old-country betrothal, and the largest natural disaster in Michigan's history-The Great Thumb Fire of September 5, 1881, challenge their fledgling attraction and ultimate committal.

Find it in eBook and Print on Amazon

Peter sat atop the hay bale. Joseph’s shadow grew deeper and then faded away. For the first time, he and Ginny were alone—if he didn’t count a barn full of bawling sheep, milk cows dunking their heads in feed pails, Buster and Blue lazily flicking their tails, and slinky cats prowling the hay. His breathing came ragged. His chest puffed. He bent at the knees, shoved his hands under the bulk of shorn fleece, slowly aligned his spine, turned toward Ginny, and lost sensation in his arms. He dropped the pile, scattering barn dust and errant wool strands.

She stood idle. The sunshine pouring through the slats on the barn’s east side outlined her silhouette. The soft hollow in her neck swelled and emptied. A clothesline, bare for the warped wooden pins straddling it, swayed between its oak tree moorings behind her. She lifted the tray, set Joseph’s glass on it, and held her hand for his drink.

“I’ll wash your shirt. Sorry I spoiled it.” She leveled her gaze to his.

He turned the glass in his hand. A single mint leaf stuck to the bottom. He fished it out with a finger and rolled the bumpy foliage in his palm, releasing its scent. He rubbed the leaf on his wrist and opened his mouth. He bit into the sprig, savored the fresh prickly taste, and swished it around his gums and teeth. He swallowed.

Carol Nickles is the sixth generation of a German textile aficionado family. In 1881, her great-great-great-grandfather founded Yale Woolen Mill—the longest-lasting of Michigan’s once twenty-nine woolen mills. Carol earned a Master’s degree in Historic Clothing & Textiles at Michigan State University. Her thesis is a narrative of the Yale Woolen Mill. She held faculty positions at both Utah and Michigan State universities. She lives in West Michigan and enjoys spinning a tale, weaving a story, and threading a luring hook.

Carol's Website ~ Facebook ~ Twitter ~ TikTok

Carol Nickles will be awarding a $50 Amazon/BN GC to a randomly drawn winner via Rafflecopter during the tour.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

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Thank you so much for stopping by. Please come back again soon! And, thanks to Carol Nickles for sharing her book with us today.

Nancy

TALK OF TOKOYO by Author Heather Hallman **Book Blast** **Giveaway**

We’re so pleased to welcome Author Heather Hallman back to the blog with another book in her Tokyo Whispers series, Talk of Tokyo. You can find all of the stops on the tour at Goddess Fish Promotions. Don’t forget to enter the Rafflecopter drawing for your chance to win a $25 gift card. The entry form is at the bottom of this feature.

GENRE: Historical Romance

CAREFUL WITH YOUR WORDS

1897 Tokyo is no different than anywhere else in the world: men are exploiting women. Specifically, Western men are exploiting Japanese women, and Suki Malveaux holds no punches in her condemnation of their behavior in her weekly column in the Tokyo Daily News.

Suki knows firsthand when Western men arrive at Tokyo Bay there’s only one outcome for Japanese women: a child and new mother left behind as nothing more than discarded shrapnel from the heartless war on love.

Griffith Spenser is her latest target. He’s been seen with Natsu Watanabe, one of Tokyo’s esteemed war widows. Under full anonymity of the moniker “The Tokyo Tattler,” Suki makes sure Griffith knows exactly why his behavior with Natsu won’t be tolerated.

Away from her Japanese mask as a columnist, Suki never intended to meet the cad. When he seeks her out to hire as a tutor for his niece and nephew, she’s faced with seeing him day in and day out without him ever knowing who she really is.

Caught in her struggle for anonymity so she can keep battling for women’s rights, Suki’s about to learn the full impact of her words on the people behind the story, especially on Griff.

Available at Amazon ~ Apple iBooks ~ Burroughs Publishing Group

Tokyo 1897
Foreign Quarter of Tsukiji

Fluttering her eyelashes in a coquettish manner, which had much in common with trying to dislodge a flying insect, Suki faced the man who held her fate in the palm of his rather well-shaped hands. “I was admiring your fine home.”

“I quite like it myself.”

“Was it constructed after the quake of ’94?”

“We commissioned its construction when we arrived in ’95. I’m assured by its builders it could withstand another earthquake of that intensity. Japanese-style homes fare better than brick and stone.”

“Mother Nature has given us many opportunities to rebuild.”

“Mother Nature?” Spenser furrowed his brow. “I thought it was the giant catfish residing under Japan flipping its tail that caused all these earthquakes.” His tone was teasing, while the observation revealed Spenser as the type of foreigner who bothered learning about traditional culture.

“You know your Japanese folklore,” Suki replied.

“I like to be prepared for all the dragons and ghosts I’m certain to encounter,” Spenser said with a smile that brought out creases along his soft brown eyes. “I should introduce myself, although introductions are probably unnecessary. I’m Griffith Spenser, arrived from England, resident of Tsukiji for almost two years.”

Suki mentally added to the introduction: Spenser counted minor members of the British aristocracy among his family, although he himself had no chance of inheriting a title; his company was the most highly regarded foreign-owned trading firm in Tokyo; he’d arrived with a new bride who left him a year later; and he now graced the bed of war widow Natsu Watanabe. Also, he played lawn tennis.

The Tokyo Tattler’s job was to know these facts about Tsukiji’s most illustrious residents, and Suki needed to continue doing this job, which was why she couldn’t let Spenser’s allure compromise her defenses. The man had asked her to his home without explanation. Although she’d like to imagine he’d summoned her to discuss the modern significance of Japanese mythology, she was a realist. Spenser had a score to settle with the Tokyo Tattler, and all this pleasant banter about earthquakes was merely diversion.

Heather Hallman writes witty, sensual, contest-winning romances set in Meiji-era Japan (1868-1912). She is the author of the Tokyo Whispers series that includes Scandals of Tokyo and Talk of Tokyo.

She is fluent in Japanese language, history, and culture, and earned a doctoral degree in cultural anthropology based on fieldwork research in Japan. She lives in Tokyo with her professor husband and two young daughters. In her free time, she can be found translating ancient Japanese poetry and observing the passing of seasons while sipping green tea. Just kidding, she has no free time. But she does watch something that makes her laugh while she does the dishes.

Perennial obsessions include the weather forecast (she checks three different apps at least three times a day, as no single app can be trusted), Baltimore Ravens football (hometown obsession), and making smoothies that taste like candy bars.

Feel free to chat her up about any of her obsessions, or, even better, about historical Japan—any era is fine, she loves them all. She also enjoys exchanging book recommendations, discussions about the craft of romance writing, and stories about life in present-day Tokyo.

Heather's Website ~ Facebook ~ Instagram ~ TikTok ~ BookBub ~ Goodreads

Heather Hallman will be awarding a $25 Amazon or B/N GC to a randomly drawn winner via Rafflecopter during the tour.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

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Thank you so much for stopping by. Please come back all next week for more authors, books, and giveaways!

Nancy

SCANDALS OF TOKYO by Author Heather Hallman **BOOK BLAST** **GIVEAWAY**

It's my pleasure to welcome author Heather Hallman to Notes From a Romantic's Heart. Today we're featuring her book, Scandals of Tokyo, part of the Tokyo Whispers series. You can find all the stops on this tour at Goddess Fish Promotions. Don't forget to enter the Rafflecopter draw for your chance to win a $25 gift card. The entry form is at the bottom of this post.

Genre: Historical Romance

ENJOY THIS PREQUEL TO THE TOKYO WHISPERS SERIES

In the Foreign Quarter of Tsukiji, Tokyo, Japan, Victorian England is alive and well. Manners and etiquette are as valuable as gossip and deceit. Men are more rakish than ever - so far from home, societal rules seem to be relaxed. But courting young women still requires a deft hand, a smart wit, and a man with something to offer.

INTERNATIONAL SCANDAL

Intent on being an international journalist of repute, Evelyn Prescott will do what it takes to make her mark.

It doesn’t hurt that her father has built a newspaper empire, but finding a scandal in Japan is no easy task.

As much as she hates to admit it, she is forced to meet with the owner of the Tokyo Daily News, Ned Taylor, also an Englishman.

Ned holds a deep-rooted dislike of Evelyn’s father’s approach to journalism, and Ned, a notorious rake, pushes her to see just how far Evelyn is prepared to go to get her story.

Available at Amazon ~ B&N (Nook) ~ Burroughs Publishing ~ iBooks ~ Kobo

Tokyo 1896
Foreign Quarter of Tsukiji

Also, there was the issue of Mr Taylor’s appearance. In Evelyn’s experience, newspaper owners were balding and rotund. This man was… She struggled for the best way to assess him with the objective lens of a soon-to-be international journalist. He was the kind of man women pounced upon at the earliest given opportunity.

With tousled, auburn hair and a profile that suggested a country gentleman returning from a vigorous hunt, the man brimmed with virility. Yet the easy interactions with his companions suggested an absence of the hunter’s aggression found in most newspapermen—charmers and otherwise. Evelyn had to conclude this man lacked a predatory bearing because he didn’t require it: unfailingly, prey fell at his feet.

Aunt Prissy waved her fan against the thick heat, sending the gentle scent of the camellia perfume she’d purchased that afternoon on Tokyo’s luxurious Ginza Boulevard towards Evelyn. “The lovely Mrs Anderson pointed him out to me at the reception for that appalling exhibit at the Tsukiji art museum. She said, ‘That’s Ned Taylor, owner of the Tokyo Daily News.’ What was that exhibit again? Oh, yes, ‘Demonic Masks in the Japanese Shinto Tradition.’ Frightening, those enormous eyes and bulbous noses.”

The woodblock prints in the Hotel Metropolis lobby came to Evelyn’s mind. A series of pictures told the story of the Americans’ arrival in Tokyo on Commodore Perry’s Black Ships. In contrast to the uniformly small, straight, and unblemished Japanese visages, the foreigners boasted ruddy complexions, hordes of unruly hair, and what Evelyn found to be unfairly exaggerated facial features. “Those masks bore resemblance to the foreigners in the lobby prints?”

A look came Evelyn’s way, and Aunt Prissy widened her eyes as she beat the air with the gold satin leaf of her fan. “No wonder we get stared at every time we leave the foreign quarter. The Japanese think we’re demons.”

The men around Mr Taylor erupted in laughter at some gem that had fallen from his lips. “Not all of us,” Evelyn murmured.

Heather Hallman writes witty, sensual, contest-winning romances set in Meiji-era Japan (1868-1912). She is the author of the Tokyo Whispers series that includes Scandals of Tokyo and Talk of Tokyo.

She is fluent in Japanese language, history, and culture, and earned a doctoral degree in cultural anthropology based on fieldwork research in Japan. She lives in Tokyo with her professor husband and two young daughters. In her free time, she can be found translating ancient Japanese poetry and observing the passing of seasons while sipping green tea. Just kidding, she has no free time. But she does watch something that makes her laugh while she does the dishes.

Perennial obsessions include the weather forecast (she checks three different apps at least three times a day, as no single app can be trusted), Baltimore Ravens football (hometown obsession), and making smoothies that taste like candy bars.

Feel free to chat her up about any of her obsessions, or, even better, about historical Japan—any era is fine, she loves them all. She also enjoys exchanging book recommendations, discussions about the craft of romance writing, and stories about life in present-day Tokyo.

Heather's Website ~ Goodreads ~ BookBub ~ Instagram ~ Facebook ~ TikTok

Heather Hallman will award a $25 Amazon/BN GC to a randomly drawn winner via Rafflecopter.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

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Thank you so much for stopping by. Please come back again soon for more authors, books, and giveaways.

Nancy

THE STRONG AMONGST US by Author J. A. Boulet *REVIEW* *GIVEAWAY*

 

Notes From a Romantic’s Heart is pleased to welcome fellow Canadian author J.A. Boulet to the blog. We look forward to exploring the first book in the Olason Chronicles, The Strong Amongst Us. You can find all the stops on this review tour at Goddess Fish Promotions. Don’t forget to enter the Rafflecopter giveaway. The form is at the bottom of this feature.

GENRE: Historical Romance

 

About the Book

An epic 1875 immigration saga. A love story. An epidemic.

Would you survive?

On a fateful day in October 1875, Nathan Olason steps foot onto the soil of a new foreign country called Canada. With natural sand beaches and breathtaking sunsets, it has been nicknamed paradise. Except it proves to be anything but.

With storm surges, emerging governments, racism and dwindling food supplies, Nathan and his family struggle to stay alive in this foreign wilderness. With the help of a beautiful Cree woman named Anwa, they learn to fish and hunt, surviving against all the odds.

Then just when they think they have prevailed, tragedy strikes an ominous blow, a smallpox epidemic that decimates villages, quarantines the town of Gimli, but most of all threatens to claim what he holds dear the most.

Would you survive?

Be one of the last men standing. Follow Nath on a heroic journey of immigration, manhood, immense love, resilience and perseverance beyond anything we know.

 

Enjoy an Excerpt

 

He stared at the beautiful sun, peering over the horizon of gentle waves. The coldness stung, but he embraced it. The lake was much calmer today. He loved it actually; luck was on his side. They would most likely be able to send the funds request of the remaining five-thousand-dollar loan to the Dominion today by boat.

A movement caught his eye. Someone was pulling in a larger boat. He stood and used his hand to shelter from the sun. He squinted into the bright rays. It was just one person, pulling in the boat. He strapped his boots on and scurried over to the dock.

“Hey, do you need a hand?” Nathanael shouted as he approached.

A woman’s voice lilted into the air, gentle but full of strength. “No, I am okay.”

“No, I must! Let me help you,” Nathan insisted.

She looked at him stubbornly, shook her head and relented. “If you must.”

Nath grabbed the rope and helped pull in the boat, anchoring it along the sand. “Is this the boat that will be taking the letter to the Dominion for us today?”

“It is, yes,” she replied. “Sorry for my English. I am still learning.”

“You are native to this land?” Nath asked. “How long have you lived here?”

“Forever,” she laughed. “Ma and Pa were born here, so was I.”

“Interesting,” Nath said. “It is a beautiful land. And a beautiful lake.”

“Yes, Nath, it is,” she replied.

“You remembered my name?”

 

The Strong Amongst Us is available from Amazon ~ B&N ~ Kobo ~ Smashwords

 

My Review

4 Stars

 

This a beautifully written story filled with action and adventure, adversity and, in some cases, heartache. Being a long-time Canadian myself, I am very familiar the history behind immigration challenges.

The romance, while well done, was not the focus. And, I’m fine with that. I think it could have easily overshadowed the book and taken away from some of the more important scenes in the story.

I did feel at times we were a bit bogged down in facts but, because they were relevant to the history, I was able to get past the slow down easily enough. The only drawback for me is that I’m not a fan of an unfinished story. This is purely a personal preference, so if you don’t mind stories that continue on into the next book, you will undoubtably enjoy The Strong Amongst Us.

 

Meet the Author

J. A. Boulet is the passionate author of The Olason Chronicles, a historical saga of immigration, love and perseverance. The Strong Amongst Us Book 1 was released on Amazon in April 2020. She was born and raised in Western Canada as a first generation Canadian from European descent. Her parents landed in St. John’s, NFLD as refugees in 1956, a direct result of the Hungarian Revolution. J. A. Boulet was born many years later, raised in a strong Hungarian culture and proudly calls Canada home to this day. She started writing poetry at the age of five and progressed to short stories and novels. She has a keen interest in history, healing, family bonds and embracing the unknown. J. A Boulet writes with a spine-tingling realism like none other, grabbing your emotions and refusing to let go. The Strong Within Us Book 2 is scheduled to be released on November 11, 2020.

She currently lives in Canada with her two teenaged sons and a crested gecko named Mossio

Twitter ~ Instagram ~ Reddit ~ YouTube

 

Enter the Giveaway

J.A. Boulet will be awarding a $15 Amazon/BN GC to a randomly drawn winner via Rafflecopter during the tour.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

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It has been my pleasure hosting this new-to-me author. I look forward to reading more of J.A. Boulet.

Please come back again all next week for more authors, books, and giveaways.

Nancy

THE VIKING'S WARRIOR BRIDE by Author Mairibeth MacMillan

Notes from a Romantic’s Heart is pleased to welcome author Mairibeth MacMillan to the blog. Her new book, The Viking's Warrior Bride, is available from Tirgearr Publishing and all major retailers.

GENRE:  Historical Romance

Find the full tour list at Goddess Fish Promotions

 

About the Book

Bjorn and Ylva. Two warriors who fight side by side. Two lovers who avoid commitments. But their convenient relationship just got complicated.

Determined to redeem her father’s name through her own brave deeds as a warrior, Ylva has no desire to give that up to be a mother. On the eve of returning home to the Norselands to find a foster family for her child, she is injured in an attack by a mysterious group of mercenaries. When Bjorn discovers her secret, everything changes. He has never wanted a family, his own father’s betrayal has seen to that, and yet he begins to wonder if there is anything else truly worth fighting for.

After a series of attacks by mercenaries on the fort they have been guarding, they’re asked to disguise themselves as traders and travel up the River Clyde to gather information. As they travel the situation grows stranger with every village they visit and Ylva begins to wonder what she is fighting for. All around them they find missing villagers, a mysterious bard and a population unhappy with their king and his choice of allies. When they visit the supposedly abandoned former royal residence at Alt Clut, a mysterious woman and her son stow away on the trade boat, putting all their lives in danger and prompting them to make a final stand but how much are they willing to sacrifice for their future?

The book will be on sale during the tour for 99¢

 

Read an Excerpt

For the past few years, it had been only Ylva, a fact he had admitted to no one — barely even to himself. But somehow, today, he had been a little less sure. The fact that she had not come to find him straight away concerned him, so he’d waited for her to close that final distance between them. Ylva kissed him urgently, pressing her body tightly against his, and he gave thanks that nothing seemed to be amiss. Her kisses were desperate, as if she wanted him even more than he did her. He drew her close, then winced as something dug uncomfortably into his upper thigh.

“Sword,” he muttered between kisses.

“Knife,” she answered, fumbling to slide the offending article further round towards her back. Then her arms were around him again. It had always been like this between them. They could go without seeing each other for a time and then fall back into each other's arms weeks or months later, before leaving each other without a backwards glance. For a warrior, it was the perfect relationship to have.

 

Meet the Author

Mairibeth MacMillan lives on the shores of Loch Long on the edge of Argyll and Bute. While very picturesque, living there seems to involve endless driving and family life currently involves running a taxi service.

She was a drama teacher for many years until, during a career break, she studied for a Creative Writing degree through the Open University followed by a Masters degree in Playwriting and Dramaturgy. Over the years she has had some success with short stories and flash fictions in various competitions, magazines and anthologies. In 2014 she was shortlisted for the New Writer’s Award at the Festival of Romance.

Inspired by the discovery of a Viking fort marked on the Ordnance Survey map nearby, she started working on a series of Viking Romances set in the Kingdom of Strathclyde at the end of the Ninth century. The Viking’s Cursed Bride was the first in a series of books about four Norse cousins as they build new lives far from home.

Mairibeth's Website ~ Facebook ~ Twitter ~ Amazon Author Page

 

The Giveaway

The author will award a $10 Amazon/BN GC to a randomly drawn winner via Rafflecopter.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

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It’s been my pleasure hosting this stop on Mairibeth MacMillan’s tour. Please come back again all week for more authors, books, and giveaways!

Nancy

DANCE TO A WYLDER BEAT by Author Marilyn Barr

 

Today I’m welcoming Author Marilyn Barr to Notes From a Romantic’s Heart. She’s here to tell us a bit about her upcoming book, Dance to a Wylder Beat, from The Wild Rose Press.

Inquiring Minds Want to Know

 

Is your book based on real-life experience or a figment of your imagination?

Dance to a Wylder Beat is a figment of my imagination. I dreamed of the main character, Nartan Sagebrush, after a staff meeting about the series. I’ve learned for a great book idea; I need to eat a plate full of cookies before going to sleep. Once I read about the Arapaho people, their beautiful leather goods, and their culture, he came to life. My next step was to interview my friends of Arapaho descent and take a non-mechanized leather tanning course. Within a few weeks, I felt I could temporarily step into Nartan’s leather boots.

 

If you could trade lives with any other writer, living or dead, who would it be and why?

I admire Terry Pratchett and aspire to write books as complex as his Discworld series. While unfortunately he is no longer with us and developed early-onset Alzheimer’s disease before his death at age 66, his brilliance lives on. His books are timeless while acting as a time capsule for the 1980s and 1990s at the same time. The magic is in the layers. I write these layers in my books and hope to master his technique someday.

Each book I must read three times in a row. The first time I enjoy the plot and characters’ banter. The second time I get the humor whether they are inside jokes about the series or jokes about the world events at the time the book was written. The third time I see the satire and lampooning of a group of people. I first noticed this third layer in his book, “Pyramids” where the people in the tiny pyramid were caricatures of the Hollywood elite. I had to start the series over again to find what I had been missing.

 

What has been the most unusual experience you’ve had that you have written into a book?

My most unusual experience is written in the follow-up novel to Dance to a Wylder Beat which is Sound of a Wylder Silence. My son and I go to Natural Allergy Elimination Therapy for food allergies. Our usual practitioner had an apprentice who took over our appointments a year ago. The apprentice had been previously certified in Reiki and Shamanic healing and promptly recommend those as options for my son’s anxiety. My son was nine years old at the time, had trouble sitting still, and had been through many failed anxiety remedies.

After some research, I decided to sign up for one of the apprentice’s spiritual healing sessions for two reasons. The first being to test it out for my son. Could he sit still? Would it scare him? The second was my childhood night terrors had returned and I was throwing myself down my stairs to leave my house in my sleep. The appointment was right out of a paranormal movie with all sorts of spooky, ghostly events. My healing journey is the one Ikshu Sagebrush (you meet him as Nartan’s brother in Dance to a Wylder Beat) takes to reclaim his voice. Now I am the apprentice to a Shamanic Practitioner and Reiki Master.

If you had to create a pseudonym for your work that poked fun at the genre in which you write, what would it be?

I, Marilee-Lou Were-Barr, love shifter romance with a western twist in Dance to a Wylder Beat.

 

About the Book

Nartan Sagebrush's name may mean "to dance" in Arapaho, but he dances in secret. Forced to abandon his Shamanic apprenticeship, he is overwhelmed with homesteader life, and even his spirit guides are at their wit's end. Nartan takes fate into his own hands. Instead of divine intervention, a wife will help with his responsibilities and in assimilating into the Wylder community. 

Olive Muegge answer's Nartan's "wife wanted" advertisement.  Wildly independent she has secretly dreamed of a family to call her own. The secret she carries inside makes her an outcast and her wild ways don't fit the quiet wife Nartan thinks he desires.

Despite their differences, they are drawn to each other but a mistake may drive them apart.  Will Nartan embrace his Shamanic past to save them both or will he choose to rid himself of Olive forever? 

 

Read an Excerpt

When I turn back, the men are wrestling in a cloud of dust. Dead Eyes’ friends hoot like owls while a small crowd gathers around the scene. Being half-drunk, Dead Eyes is two steps slower than Nartan, who is landing punches on both sides. When Dead Eyes slams his gun on the ground in surrender, the dust settles, and I can study my future husband.

Nartan’s muscular body straddles the smaller man while his broad chest billows. His hat has blown off in the scuffle, revealing two thick black braids adorned with feathers. Tendrils of raven-black hair wave around his head. “Quiet wife for a quiet life” my bloomin’ butt. This man is a sweet lick of passion wrapped in a delicious exterior. I think I’m gonna like being Mrs. Sagebrush just fine. I can handle an odd stick as long as he has the countenance of Nartan because I’m not as normal as I appear myself.

 

 About the Author

Marilyn Barr currently resides in the wilds of Kentucky with her husband, son, and rescue cats. She has a diverse background containing experiences as a child prodigy turned medical school reject, published microbiologist, special education/inclusion science teacher, homeschool mother of a savant, certified spiritual/energy healer, and advocate for the autistic community. This puts her in the position to bring tales containing heroes who are regular people with different ability levels and body types, in a light where they are powerful, lovable, and appreciated.

When engaging with the real world, she is collecting characters, empty coffee cups, and unused homeschool curricula. She is a sucker (haha) for cheesy horror movies, Italian food, punk music, black cats, bad puns, and all things witchy.

Marilyn's Website ~ Twitter ~ Facebook ~ Instagram

Amazon Author Profile ~ Goodreads ~ BookBub

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Please come back on Thursday and Friday for more authors, books, and a giveaway!

Nancy