Hot excerpt: The Doctor's Dilemma by Janet Lane Walters

Take one doctor who’s made a career of temporary positions and avoiding commitment. Add a nurse who dreams of security and a settled life. Stir in infant twins bequeathed to him by his dead foster sister. Pour them into a small Texas town that wants the doctor to stay. To Dr. Neal McKay, it’s a prescription for a dilemma.

Excerpt:

Chapter 1

Streams of people eddied around Nora Harte, the pile of luggage and the double stroller. She scanned the faces of the crowd. A babble of voices filled the air. In an impatient rhythm, she tapped her foot against the floor.

Where is he?

Since Thursdays were almost a universal doctor’s day off, the trip had been scheduled for today. He knew the flight number and the time of arrival. The plane had been on schedule.

She groaned. The simple baby run had become anything but easy.

The loudspeaker crackled. “Would passenger Nora Harte pick up one of the courtesy phones?”

When the words blared a second time, with a start, Nora realized the message was for her. Yeah, right. She stared at the three suitcases, one diaper bag and the pair of car seats. She’d need the arms of an octopus to fulfill the request.

What had kept Dr. McKay from the meet?

One of the twins puckered his mouth and added his screams to the cacophony in the baggage claim area of the Dallas airport. Nora crouched and stroked the baby’s cheek. “It’s only a minor delay. We’ll be out of here soon.” At least, she hoped they would.

The strident voice issued the command again. “How?’ she asked. The logistics of the move defeated her. She couldn’t abandon the babies or the luggage to search for a phone. She’d been deputized to deliver Molly and Tod Jamison to their guardian and she took this duty seriously.

The sight of a man in a gray uniform pushing an empty luggage cart solved the problem. “Sky cap, over here.” She used the voice that had parted crowds on busy New York City sidewalks. The one she hadn’t used since she’d moved upstate.

“Take these bags and the infants.”

“Don’t load babies on the cart, ma’am.”

“Sorry. I know that. I meant the infant seats. I have to answer the phone.”

“Excuse me.” His expression projected the idea she had flipped.

Maybe she had -- last week when she’d agreed to deliver the babies to their guardian. “The page. Nora Harte. That’s me.”

He pointed to the far wall. “Courtesy phone’s over there.”

“Thanks.” Nora gripped the stroller handle. She pushed through the crowd like a subway rider aiming for the last seat. The noise level made her wonder if she’d be able to hear the message.

An easy trip, she thought. A way to add to her dream house account. Just fly to Dallas with the infants, meet their guardian and be on her way.

So far nothing about the trip had been a snap. Why had she thought her experience as a nurse would make the mission a breeze? Even a three month tour of duty in a busy city hospital nursery hadn’t prepared her for the reality of caring for twins.

She hadn’t counted on the surround-sound screams that they’d raised in protest of being air-borne. Or of juggling two infants who wanted a bottle at the same time. Not finding their guardian at the airport had been the final episode in her nightmare of the week.

She lifted the courtesy phone receiver. “Nora Harte speaking. I believe you have a message for me.”

The voice on the other end of the line explained that Dr. McKay had been unavoidably detained. Ms. Harte was to proceed to the car rental desk to pick up a car and the directions to the doctor’s house in Prairie, Texas.

She gritted her teeth. This deviation from her agenda added another problem she should have expected. Why had she believed anything about this trip would work?

Copyright (C) 2011 Janet Lane Walters

~ Find this title here

New interview with author Janet Lane Walters

Janet Lane Walters has been writing and published since the days of the typewriter. She has 30 plus novels and seven novellas plus four non-fiction books published. Janet lives in the scenic Hudson River valley with her husband, a psychiatrist who has no desire to cure her obsession with writing.

She is the mother of four and the grandmother of five with two children expected to arrive soon from China. Janet writes in a number of genres - Romance from sweet to sensual and from contemporary to fantasy and paranormal. She has published cozy mysteries and medical suspense. She also has a number of YA fantasies published.  

 

 

BWLPP: How long have you been writing and in what genres?

 

JLW: My writing career began in 1968 when I sold my first short story. A dozen or so short stories later, an editor commented on one and said it sounded like the synopsis for a novel so I set out learning how co write novels. My first one was published in 1972, a sweet nurse romance. At present I do a number of genres. There are romances from sweet to spicy, mysteries, one Regency historical, several intrigue, one a medical suspense and the other dealing with hospital politics. There are fantasies for Young Adults and for adults, reincarnation novels and alternate worlds. I've written a number of non-fiction books, several when I was a ghost writer for doctors.

BWLPP: Where you do get your inspiration?

JLW: Inspirations are everywhere. It may be something I read, a desire to explore a time or a place. I just sit down and write. Problem are there are too many ideas and too many stories to tell.

BWLPP: Tell us about your book(s).

JLW: The Doctor's Dilemma is a story of a footloose doctor who inherits twins from his dead foster sister. The nurse who delivers them to Texas desires a settled life. She is on vacation and changes her plans to help him until his sitter returns from a family emergency. During this time they both fight the attraction and he must find a way to solve his dilemma. Can he stay in the town that wants him and the woman who has stolen his heart.

Gemstones is a Regency historical romance. Nicola and her sisters leave India for England. She goes to an arranged marriage but she really wants to return to the country of her birth. Drew, the hero, agrees to this arranged marriage because the estate he inherited from a distant relative is in need of money and Nicola provides that. Her knowledge of yoga, Sanskrit and the Kama Sutra makes for some misunderstandings between the pair. Also her father's partner wants a gem she doesn't know she has. He threatens her sisters/ Drew and Nicola must learn to embrace the attraction and love that grows between them.

I have a number of other books. A cozy mystery series featuring Katherine Miller, a retired nurse and church organist. Fantasies for YA and adult. The Fyre series is for adults, The Henge Betrayed series is YA and so is the Jewels of Earda series. There is one medical suspense, Obsessions, one dealing with hospital politics, Come Into The Light, there are other contemporary romances ranging from sweet so spicy. That's why I call myself the eclectic writer.

BWLPP: What about your next book?  Will it be part of a series or a stand alone?  Can you give us a taste to whet our appetites?

JLW: The next book coming with bwlpp is called A Double Opposition. Liz Jordan is a widow with nine year old twins. Here she meets the hero after they've had a slight confrontation caused by another nurse.

"Mrs. Jordan."

His deep voice sent chills along her skin. "Dr. Carter, come in."

He closed the door. "I know it's your first day, but do you have any idea when you'll have a smooth operation here?"

She wanted to laugh, but that would be the wrong approach. "I've a list of areas where improvements are needed and some ideas of how they can be accomplished. But to give you a date, sorry."

"I wish you luck."

"Thanks. I'll be speaking to all the doctors and asking for suggestions. Do you have any?"

He smiled. "A few hundred. We should name a time and place for a meeting."

"I'd like that." She mentally ran through a list of those who should be included.

"How about joining me for dinner on Friday?"

"Sure. No, wait . . . ." She'd answered before she thought, before she remembered this was real and not part of a fantasy. She shook her head. "Not dinner."

"Strictly business."

"We can meet here, or you could tell me now." Did he hear the panic in her voice?

"Can't today. I've office hours, and I need to organize my ideas. Not here either. Too many curious eyes."

She frowned. "Why would anyone be curious about a meeting in this office?"

"Don't ask."

"Let me talk to Eric. I'm sure we can use the conference room and ask the other doctors to come."

"Friday. I'll pick you up at seven."

"Tell me where, and I'll meet you." She'd also ask Eric and Jenessa to join them.

"You're new in town."

"Not that new. I went to Grantley with Megan." She chewed on her lower lip. Why had she reminded him? Evidently, he didn't remember how she'd made a fool of herself. Liz stared at her desk. This was the moment she'd dreamed of for years. Dreamed was the key word. Reality wasn't safe.

"We'll go somewhere so we can talk."

"You don't know where I live."

"Laurel's house." He walked to the door.

She shook her head. What had she done? Business. The dinner was to be a business meeting.

--------------

BWLPP: Why did you choose to publish electronically?

JLW: I've been published electronically since 1998. There are several reasons for this choice. One is that I don't stick to a genre. The other is that I believed then and now that this is the future of publishing. Electronic publishers have always been friendly to someone who goes all over the map with their writing.

BWLPP: What are your hobbies and interests?

JLW: Hobbies include reading. And cleaning house. Since a hobby is something you do in your spare time cleaning has become that for me. I enjoy classical music and have done some composing. I do a bit of Astrology. Interested in grandchildren, there are or soon will be seven. Four are biracial and three are Chinese.

BWLPP: What does the future hold for you? 

 

JLW: Lots of more books are waiting in the wings to come out. Sometime this month Heart Throbs will be re-released, The Henge Betrayed - Quests will be released and so will The moon Pool written with Jane Toombs will be released.

BWLPP: Where can readers find you?

JLW: http://wwweclecticwriter.blogspot.com/

 

BWLPP: Thanks Janet!

Great new review of All's Fair in Love and Words by Ann Herrick

"...All’s Fair in Love and Words is a well written story and I can relate to many of the situations from the high school experience. …It keeps you guessing about what the outcome will bring. It also explores some of the uncertainties and challenges of this age group.  Great example of a focused and goal-oriented group of kids. Great to see a clean and intriguing story."

Reviewer: Jenie P., Manic Reader Reviews

~ Find this title here

Now available: Heart Throb by Janet Lane Walters

Heart Throb

Magda Malone likes men and has no desire to marry. She's been there, done that and got burned. She's happy with her position as coordinator of the cardiac unit at the hospital. A new neighbor promises many nights of steamy sex. Damon also has no desire for marriage. He has many steps and sees marriage as a serial sort of game. He doesn't want to play. When Magda learns he's a cardiologist, she blows him off. The problem is Damon has fallen in love and he must convince Magda there's more between them than sex.

"This was the first book I've read by Janet Lane Walters, but it definitely won't be my last. As you can see the cover is eye-catching and the story did not disappoint. Heart Throb is steamy, exciting, enjoyable and entertaining..." ~ 4 angels, Fallen Angel Reviews

~ Find this title here

Now available: A Double Opposition by Janet Lane Walters

A Double Opposition

Liz Jordan's life is hectic. With twin sons who have never known their father, a new job and her reliable sitter moving to Florida, she has no time for live. Her new job allows her to move her boys from the city to a safer environment. At least she hopes so but an older neighbor boy brings trouble. Add widower Alex Carter, neurosurgeon and bachelor and the problems escalate. Can she afford to admit she's found love a second time? Can he when he believes his first marriage was perfect?

From Road To Romance, Jennifer Ray:

Double Opposition is an amazing book that I would recommend for any reader. It has so much to offer; a great hero and heroine, very well developed secondary characters, sexual tension, suspense; oh and let's not forget the evil Delores and her son who you will dislike immediately. The story is a perfect mix of all the things we want in a good book.

~ Find this title here

Hot excerpt: All's Fair in Love and Words by Ann Herrick

Laurel can't handle her new authority as editor of the yearbook, especially when it comes to Matt, the new guy at school who has her head spinning. Is she doing what's best for the yearbook, or what's best for her? Is she being unfair to Matt, or is he trying to use her? To complicate matters, her best friend's love life is falling apart, her home life is driving her crazy with parents who are frantic about their upcoming high-school reunion and a sister who has suddenly become klutz of the century. Can Laurel help her best friend, survive her chaotic household and resolve her war of words with Matt without losing at love?


". . .All's Fair in Love and Words is a swift, enjoyable read sure to be read and reread. . . an excellent addition for home and school library. Enjoyed the read, happy to recommend." ~ Molly's Reviews, Molly Martin, Teacher

". . . A fun romp through Laurel and Matt's senior year. Getting what you ask for can really complicate your life, especially when it makes you the boss of a potential boyfriend. Ms. Herrick does a nice job of leading her characters through the confusing time that is high school. Laurel learns that balancing work and romance is difficult work and that compromise is the name of the game." ~  Brenda Edde, Timeless Tales

". . . Ms. Herrick winds her light and humorous touch around the age-old teenage insecurities surrounding romance, other people's opinions, and self-image. Self-discovery can be both painful and rewarding, with a touch of rueful humor. . ." ~ Jeanette Cotrell, eBook Reviews Weekly

Excerpt:

I'm glad I'm not unattractive. But at times I've seriously wished I were regal, sophisticated, the kind of person who would be taken seriously. Unfortunately, I usually have to worry about people wanting to pat my head. In fact, Anna has always said my whole family, with our wavy blond hair, big brown eyes, and turned up noses, remind her of a litter of cocker spaniels. In other words, cute. Painfully cute.

"I totally think I might be named editor-in-chief," I said to myself as much as to Anna. "I mean, I was a junior class assistant last year. Plus, I completely want it!"

"Don't worry," said Anna, always one to reassure me when I was nervous. "Bonine knows your writing."

He knows my writing. He knows my writing. He knows my writing. Maybe if I repeated that mantra enough, my yearbook dream would come true.

During the rest of our walk to school my mind was spinning with plans. The first thing I would do would be to eliminate the Who's Who section. Okay, it was one of the most popular features, but I have my reasons. My parents had been named the Most Adorable Couple in their high school yearbook eons ago, and I didn't want a label like that to stalk me the rest of my life. Not that I was dating anyone in particular, adorable or otherwise. I just didn't want to take any chances.

At school, Anna wished me luck before I headed off to my meeting. Just before strolling into the yearbook office in a way that I hoped was totally casual, I took a deep breath, held my head high, and tried to look as authoritative as possible.

"Hi, Laurel." Mr. Bonine smiled at me over his pink paisley tie.

I hoped he'd considered my "A" average in English instead of my not-so-commanding image. I'd been in clubs and on committees before, but this would be my first time as head of anything. If I was named editor. What would it be like? How would I handle it? I desperately wanted the chance to find out.

As soon as the rest of the committee members were seated, Mr. Bonine said, "And now, this year's editors!" With a dramatic flourish he wrote the names on the blackboard.

Ruby Melonson, Advertising Director. She was organized and direct. I could easily work with her.

Bret Fleet, Production Manager. Another serious student and hard worker. Things were shaping up.

Matt Stannard, Photo Editor. Hmmm. A new guy at school. I didn't know much about him except that he was in my U.S. History class and had dark brown hair, big blue eyes, and a cleft in his chin that rivaled my dimples for depth. I noticed, too, that he blushed through his freckles when his name was written on the blackboard. Other than that, he was a question mark.

Okay, so far it seemed like a good group. If only my name would appear next, everything would be perfect.

Mr. Bonine paused, then said, "And now the editor-in-chief!" He started writing. S-A-L-L-Y. Sally? Oh, no! Sally who? I looked around frantically, totally confused. Who on earth was Sally? I didn't know any Sally's. Not in the whole school!

Mr. Bonine chuckled and erased "Sally." He replaced it with Laurel Blossom. Me! I guess that was Mr. Bonine's lame idea of a joke--giving me a heart attack.

Everyone laughed. Me, I tried to look all editor-in-chiefish.

"Congratulations," Matt said to me.

Before I could thank him, everybody started congratulating everybody else. I thought I congratulated Matt in there somewhere, but I wasn't sure.

Copyright (C) 2011 Ann Herrick

~ Find this title here

Hot excerpt: How to Survive a Summer Romance (or Two) by Ann Herrick

Can Kaysie have a summer romance with Troy and still remain true to Brian? After all, Brian did tell her to have a fling or two while she was on vacation! But what happens when feelings and hormones collide? Can Kaysie trust her heart to stay on track? And how is she going to keep an eye on her mother and Troy's father--who just happens to be Mom's former summer romance? How did fun in the summer sun get so complicated, anyway?

Excerpt:

Chapter One


I so never planned on having a summer romance. And I totally never expected my mother to have one. I mean, she's such a relic that her husband is actually my father. 

But I'm getting ahead of myself. I want to tell this story before I forget it. After all, in just a few short years I'll be in my twenties and I'll start losing ten thousand brain cells a day.
So, near as I can remember, this is the beginning …

****

"Wake up, sleepyhead."

An elbow jabbed my ribs. Brian's elbow. Panic! Confusion! What was I doing waking up with Brian? I'd be grounded until the next century!

"Kaysie, you were the one who wanted to see the sunrise. Remember?" Brian sighed. "That's why we've been parked at the edge of Stanton Pond for the last hour."

"Oh …" I lifted my head from Brian's shoulder. "Right."

I yawned and stretched, then focused my eyes on the horizon. The sky turned pink. Rays of pale golden light filtered through the maple trees lining the far side of the pond. The sky grew brighter until the great yellow sphere appeared. I closed my eyes. Even in the car I felt the warmth of the sun on my face.

I hoped it signaled a beginning and not an end. I hadn't really wanted to see the sunrise so much as I'd wanted to spend another hour with Brian. I mean, at long last, after several false starts, I actually had a boyfriend. Being with him for his graduation party wasn't enough. Not when, in a few short hours, I would be dragged off to Lake Whatamacallit for a whole month.

"I'm going to miss you," Brian said.

"Me, too." It totally wasn't fair. We'd started dating only two months ago. For a moment, I almost smiled as I remembered celebrating my sixteenth birthday at The Pizza Parlor with my best friend, Venetia. Brian had strolled by and noticed the candles on my sausage-and-mushroom pizza.

"So, you're sixteen now …," he'd said with a big smile.

Next day he called and asked me out. I was so shocked I needed a self-inflicted Heimlich maneuver. Not that I was couple crazed. But I was ready to relate. I managed to say Yes. I mean, on the Boy-o-meter scale, Brian was definitely cute, almost to the point of being hot, and, not-so-incidentally, he was a main brain.

"I wish I'd get more time off this summer," Brian said, dragging me back to the present. "Then I could visit you."

"Me, too." I tried to swallow the trace of resentment I still had after hearing about Brian's job. Only one day off every two weeks! Not enough time to drive up from Connecticut to visit me in New Hampshire. Okay, being a counselor at the camp for disadvantaged kids was important to him. I guess that was one of the reasons I cared about him. But there was this small part of me okay, a not-so-small part that wished he couldn't live without me. I mean, is that too much to ask?

Then, out of the currently clear blue sky, Brian said those magic words, "I love you." He twisted his school ring off his finger and held it up to me. "And … and I'd like you to wear this."

Whoa! No one I knew gave a girl his school ring. That was the kind of thing that went on in the olden days when Mom was young. But when I saw the sunlight bouncing off the gold, I lusted after that ring. "Oh, Brian," I whispered as I reached for it.

"But, well, um … we have to say goodbye for now." He stuck the ring back on his finger!

Brian was quiet for a moment, then said, "I I don't know exactly how to say this. But, uh, after you come back, if we … we still feel the same way about each other, would you take my ring then?"

"I don't have to wait!" I blurted out. "I know how I feel right now." Gold fever! I want that ring! I must have it!

Copyright (C) 2011 Ann Herrick

~ Find this title here

New interview with author Ann Herrick

Ann Herrick grew up in Connecticut, where she graduated from The Morgan School and Quinnipiac University.  She now lives in Oregon with her husband, who was her high-school sweetheart.  Their wonderful daughter is grown, married and gainfully employed, and has given Ann her only grand-dog, Puff, a bloodhound-rottweiller-beagle mix.  While she misses the East Coast, especially houses built before 1900, she enjoys the green valleys, fresh air and low humidity in the Willamette Valley of Oregon.  Ann loves cats, walking, the Oregon Ducks and working in her back yard.  In addition to stories and books for children and young adults, Ann also writes copy for humorous and conventional greeting cards.

She loves to hear from her readers and can be contacted through her web site:  http://annherrickauthor.com

BWLPP: What is the first book you remember reading that you really loved?

 

AH: Hucklebones, the story of a pony who wanted to learn to dance so he could go to the Steeplechase Ball is one of the first books I ever read and I just loved it. It's a sweet story with beautiful illustrations, and I still have the book and I still love to read it!

 

I read Gone With The Wind, for the first time when I was fifteen, and I loved that, though now I think the part after Scarlett and Rhett marry doesn't work as well for me. Before they married, Rhett understood everything about Scarlett, but after he seemed blind to the fact that she did love him, even if she wasn't totally aware of it!
 
BWLPP: What's your favorite of the books you've written?

AH: I couldn't really choose. They are all dear to my heart and each has been a favorite as I was writing it.

BWLPP: Are there any authors that inspire you?

AH: Lots, but Judy Blume, Meg Cabot and Sarah Dessen come to mind first. I love their books.

BWLPP: What's a day in your 'author's life' like?

AH: Not as organized as I'd like. :) When things go as planned, I get all the home/life stuff done in the morning so that I have the afternoon to write, do promo, etc. without anything else taking up space in my brain.

BWLPP: What might people be surprised to learn about you?

AH: I have no sense of smell, never have, BUT, YES, I STILL HAVE A SENSE OF TASTE! And my sense of taste is worse when I have a cold ...

BWLPP: Is there a genre or subject you haven't tried but would like to?

AH: I wish I could write great, sweeping historical novels such as those written by Anya Seton, but I'm not sure I'm up to doing all the research necessary to be historically accurate.

 

BWLPP: Thanks Ann! Look for excerpts from Ann's BWLPP titles How to Survive a Summer Romance (or Two) tomorrow and All's Fair in Love and Words on Friday.

 

Now available: Gemstones by Janet Lane Walters

When Nicola Gordon and her younger sisters travel from India to England, she goes to a marriage she doesn’t want.

Drew Barlow has no desire for marriage, but his distant cousin and Nicola’s grandfather, ran the estates into debt. Drew agrees to the marriage for the money and to please the Dowager, Nicola’s grandmother, but he has no trust for women or for love.

When the two meet they clash and come together, igniting a blazing attraction they cannot resist.

From Fallen Angels - Janet Lane Walter's latest book Gemstones is a stunning tale of the differences between two cultures, English and Indian, and what occurs when two different cultures clash. After the death of her father, eldest daughter Nicola Gordon must take charge of her family, fifteen-year-old Elizabeth, a budding flirt, and ten year old Margaret, a hoyden of the worst degree.

~ Find this title here

Great new review of Night Corridor by Joan Hall Hovey

"I first became aware of JOAN HALL HOVEY on Amazon.com. I purchased NOWHERE TO HIDE and was amazed at MS. HOVEY'S talent in creating characters so real, you feel their emotions and their fears. You want to yell at them to warn of the danger coming down on them . . . and you do! Your shouts fall on deaf ears . . . and you cry!

If you have ever been confined in a mental hospital (I have not - yet), or visited a friend or loved one, then NIGHT CORRIDOR will scare you SANE! You will want to escape by any means before IT happens to YOU!

Alfred Hitchcock and Stephen King come to mind, but JOAN HALL HOVEY is in a Class by herself! For an engaging mystery, you will be kept turning pages from beginning to the twisted end you will not expect. I strongly recommend NIGHT CORRIDOR (especially for mental health professionals) and those who love a tight, twisted mystery. READ THIS ON THE BEACH, OR IN YOUR EASY CHAIR DURING DAYLIGHT HOURS!" ~  J.D. Michael Phelps - author of My Fugitive (a book about actor David Janssen)

~ Find this title here

BWLPP's Sizzling Summer Sweepstakes begins

Enter to win a KOBO eBOOK READER in Books We Love's Sizzling Summer Sweepstakes.  You must be a mailing list subscriber to enter this contest. 

Every week all summer long we'll be giving away an ebook of your choice from any Books We Love author.  PLUS, at the end of July and August, we'll be giving away the basket prizes pictured below - one Spa basket, one Sweet basket.

Find the details here: http://bwlpp.com/contest.php

Good Luck and have a Sizzling Summer!

Hot excerpt: Genesee by Juliet Waldron

Born to a runaway teen and Iroquois Warrior, Genesee struggles to find her place, her loyalties eternally torn between two warring peoples. When the American Revolution sets the Mohawk Valley ablaze, will a young soldier’s love prove strong enough to save her?








Excerpt::

Dedicated

To those American great-grandmothers

who have hidden their secret behind Christian Names

The Mohawk River, September, 1761

With a final powerful stroke, a young man in buckskin pushed his laden canoe through the shallows and onto the gray gravel shore. He was dressed as an Iroquois warrior, but he could never pass for one.

His fair skin was sunburned, his hair gathered into a yellow braid which trailed down his back. A full dirty beard, equally yellow, obscured his square face.

In other parts of the country he might have been a Scot or Irishman, the kind that had practiced rustling and revenge on the borders of the Old World and now did the same in the New. Here, however, far down the Mohawk, it was more likely that this was a Dutchman who'd been out to trade.

His canoe did carry furs, but that was not all it carried. There was a big raw-boned woman too, and she had been paddling almost as strongly as the man.

Now she expertly lifted her paddle, dripping silver, and shipped it beside the furs. She was brown skinned, as dirty as he from travel, in a buckskin dress and trousers. Her dark hair lay in two oily braids over her broad shoulders.

There was a crunch as the man got out and muscled the canoe higher onto the gravel. At the same time, a thin wail sounded. The woman bent and picked up a once handsome – now travel-worn – blue papoose sack.

"How is she?" the man asked.

"Ungry und vet, Mynheer Hendrik."

The woman splashed up to a spot beneath a willow, one that trailed long fingers in the water. A cry of anticipation arose as Anna put the papoose sack, decorated with a starburst design of porcupine quills, on the ground.

Her strong hands brought out a squirming, naked baby and laid her on the grass, a brown-skinned, black-haired girl. Methodically she began to clean out the sack, pulling out handfuls of wet moss and rabbit fur.

Ordinarily Anna would have first put the baby to her breast. The danger of allowing her to cry would have been too great in the wilderness. Here, however, through the trees, a group of cabins could be seen.

Even now, out of the cornfields, three people in rough country dress appeared, a woman and two men. The woman had a hoe; the men held long rifles.

Hendrik went out to meet them. "Hello, Vanderlyn," he said. "Hello, MacLeish, and you, too, Peggy," he added, inclining his fair head to the barefoot, weather-beaten woman.

"Hendrik van Cortlandt!" she exclaimed.

"Yes, it's me, home at last."

"Who have you got there with you, Hendrik?"

"That is Anna. There isn't a trail through Indian country she doesn't know. She guided me back."

The three stared beyond Hendrik to the woman nursing the naked baby, their eyes brimming with an equal mix of pity and revulsion. Why had Hendrik brought home this big, homely half-breed?

"Hendrik van Cortlandt," barefoot Peggy declared, "your Trudy's had a son."

"What?" Hendrik's strong jaw dropped foolishly.

"Christ, man," exclaimed MacLeish with a chuckle, "didn't you know her belly was full when you left?"

Looking dazed, Hendrik dropped to his haunches, Indian fashion.

" Guess he didn't," Peggy answered for him. "Well, Sir, this five months past you've had a bonny son."

"By The Almighty!" Hendrik cried. "Trudy?"

"Right as rain," said his informant. "She stayed with us 'til he came. Named him Schuyler after her Dad."

"We and the Douws watched your farm," added her husband. "Paulus and I ran some squatters off this spring."

"It seems I've got plenty to thank you for," Hendrik replied. In spite of the tan, he suddenly looked shades paler.

"Well, 'tis right good to see you," MacLeish repeated. "Beginnin' to think you wasn't comin' back."

"I was beginnin' to think so m'self."

"Tell you what," the hitherto silent Vanderlyn spoke into the ensuing pause, "I'll ride down Oriskany and tell your Misses you're on your way."

"Good idea," Hendrik replied. "I don't want to pop up like the devil and scare her to fits."

Copyright (C) 2010 Juliet Waldron

~ Find this title here

Hot excerpt: Mozart's Wife by Juliet Waldron

Mozart's Wife 

Giddy sugarplum or calculating bitch? Pretty Konstanze aroused strong feelings among her contemporaries. Her in-law's loathed her. Mozart's friends, more than forty years after his death, remained eager to gossip about her "failures" as wife to the world's first superstar. Maturing from child, to wife, to hard-headed widow, Konstanze would pay Mozart's debts, provide for their children, and relentlessly market and mythologize her brilliant husband. Mozart's letters attest to his affection for Konstanze as well as to their powerful sexual bond. Nevertheless, prominent among the many mysteries surrounding the composer's untimely death: why did his much beloved Konstanze never mark his grave?



"This truly is a masterpiece of literature. The years of research and care that went into this fascinating story of genius, love, dysfunction, heartbreak, and redemption are apparent on every page. It's as if Stanzi, Mrs. Mozart, finally has a voice, her story told through the willing vessel of author Juliet Waldron. I highly recommend you read this." ~ Jennifer, Amazon reviewer

"Ms. Waldron does a wonderful job of recreating an authentic feeling of life in 18th century Austria. I am a music lover myself, and I enjoyed reading the names of the composers and other luminaries he ran across in his brief life: Salieri and Sussmeyer are fairly well known, but other lesser-known names were just as intriguing." ~ Al Past, Amazon reviewer

"I bought this book for my music professor wife, and wound up reading it myself. It's, at once, light-hearted and historically momentous. I was beguiled to walk the streets of Vienna with Wolfi and Stanzi, and watch from the wings as Amadeus's genius washes over the audience." ~ Tim Fleming

"A novel so wonderful I WISH I'D WRITTEN IT MYSELF! This is historical fiction at its best, with the gaps in the record filled in by an intelligent and well-informed imagination." ~ Amazon reader 

"As a huge Mozart fan, I found this the very best Mozart novel I've ever read, especially since it's in the point of view of Constanze, his long-suffering wife. The prose is extremely beautiful. I can only compare it to who I consider the master of beautiful prose, LaVeryle Spencer. She has a way of conveying emotions that no other writer can." ~ Diana Rubino, Historical Author

"I was blown away by this novel because it truly is excellent. Waldron's prose is gorgeous all the way through, capturing the reader because of its reality and passion and lyrical quality in a way that enhances the scope of the story, based on history." ~ Beth Anderson, author

"Mozart's Wife by Juliet Waldron is a richly textured and painstakingly researched trip into the eighteenth century. Waldron's prose is clean, infinitely readable. She develops her characters brilliantly and without sentimentality. The overriding sense is that of *the real* Stanzi Mozart is voluptuous, spirited, and wretched by turns." ~ Live and the Artist
 
Excerpt:

Chapter One

At sixteen, my big sister Aloysia looked like the painted goddesses who reclined voluptuously above our heads on the ceiling of the opera house. Like them, she was blonde, rosy, round breasted, and narrow waisted. Although she didn’t fall in love with Mozart, as both he and my parents so ardently wished, I did.

It happened because Papa staunchly maintained that no matter how tight things were, we could, “Always spare a little beer and some of Jo’s fine liver dumplings.” He was forever bringing home traveling musicians from the court, absolutely certain that one of these fellows would be useful. Mama never believed his hospitality would yield anything to our advantage, but this peccadillo was the only one my father owned.

Some of our guests were famous, most were not. All, however, had exciting stories to tell about the great courts they’d seen and famous performers they’d heard. Besides, once they set eyes on Aloysia, they were glad to spend an evening giving impromptu lessons.

The most notable wanderer Papa brought home was Wolfgang Mozart. He had stopped at the Mannheim court on his way to Paris. After composing a piece for one of our noblemen, Herr Mozart had required a copyist.

He was naturally, directed to my Papa, whose desperation was such that he took on every kind of odd job. Of course, Papa knew of him, this miracle of nature who’d been entertaining kings since his sixth year.

With the copying job finished, Papa took his pay and invited the famous Herr Mozart to The Ox. After downing a stein of our justly famous beer, they would harmonize on a familiar tune—the treachery of the nobility. It quickly became apparent that our families had much in common.

The story of Papa’s fall, without the questionable details with which Mama liked to embellish it, was central. Years ago, as a bailiff for Baron Schonau, Papa had provided handsomely for his growing family.

His master, finding him compliant (what poor man with four daughters to dower is not?) involved him in a crooked business deal. When the deal went bad, Schonau had the perfect scapegoat. In the end, we had to flee the baron’s lands in the middle of the night to escape arrest.

On horseback, Papa decoyed the pursuing politzei away, while Mama and the rest of us were driven across the border of the electorate in a farm wagon. Under the hay was hidden our klavier and a wardrobe; the latter stuffed with a random collection of whatever had come first to hand.

Mozart listened to this story of betrayal and ruin with great sympathy. He hated his master, Archbishop Colloredo, as thoroughly as Papa hated Baron Schonau. Mozart explained that his father, an educated man and an able musician, was constantly humiliated and bullied by the archbishop. In fact, Wolfgang was in Mannheim because he had resigned his commission and was traveling through the world looking for another.

Archbishop Colloredo was Mozart’s devil and Baron Schonau was Papa’s. They called for more beer and pondered the great question of the day: whether a talented, hardworking man could make his way in a world dominated by aristocratic privilege.

“Would you share my table some evening, Herr Mozart?” asked Papa. “Nothing special, of course. Only what a poor, unlucky German can offer. But my oldest girl cooks like an angel and my beautiful Aloysia, just sixteen, Herr Mozart, sings like one.”

Papa had sized up his companion well. Such an invitation, a combination of earthly and musical pleasure, proved absolutely irresistible.

For days before the visit, Papa primed us. Herr Mozart was young, but he had already been commissioned to write operas for the most important Italian cities.

To honor his guest, Papa found copies of two arias from Lucio Silla, an opera Mozart had written five or six years earlier, and set Aloysia to practice them. Unfortunately, for us, they were both bravura arias, written for a prima donna who loved to display not only the power of her voice, but a three-octave range. Aloysia was so diligent that our ears rang, and the neighbors kept coming around to complain.

On the day, which was to prove so fateful for me, Josepha was excused from cooking and I from sewing; such was our division of labor. Fat Josepha cooked, beautiful Aloysia sang, and I, curly-headed, chubby Konstanze, sewed, Sophie, the baby, belonged to Mother, and waited only upon her.

In those days, I imagined my task the most rewarding. For what happened to the fruit of my sisters’ long labor? The cook’s delicious dinner disappeared into someone’s gullet and the singer’s aria vanished into thin air. On the other hand, a nicely embroidered petticoat or shirt gives pleasure again and again.

I’ve always had an impulse to practicality. As the third daughter, my life was full of hand-me-downs. How else to get clothes that fit?

“Herr Mozart mustn’t see you doing servant’s work,” said Mama.

“Oh, Mama,” I fretted.” Why do we always have to pretend we’re better off than we are?” That day I had been sewing a badly needed petticoat for myself.

“Why don’t you do embroidery, darling? That always looks genteel.”

Her favorite word! Nevertheless, the afternoon would be easier to endure with busy hands. From beneath a pile of mending, I dug out a hoop of long neglected petit point.

No sooner had I settled down with it than Herr Mozart, surprisingly diminutive and wearing a jacket stiff with the most exotic French needlework I’d ever seen, arrived at the door. I’ll confess my eye dwelt upon the lavishly ornamented jacket for a long time before I gave as much as a second look to the man inside.

Slender, boyish, and short, Herr Mozart looked nowhere near his twenty-one years. To me, Papa’s little mousekin (or, in Jo’s nastier parlance, the runt) our visitor’s lack of size was rather intriguing.

His eyes were the feature, however, which finally seized and held my attention. They were the largest, most luminous, sky-blue eyes I’d ever seen. They shone with alert good humor.

I liked his hair, too—a curly blonde mop which had already begun an escape from his queue. As you’d expect in a klavier player, his hands were shapely and restless. He kept fidgeting with his tricorn, turning it ‘round and ‘round.

Aloysia had on her best dress, a peach satin that perfectly complimented the bloom in her cheeks. Our maid, Marie, had spent an hour brushing Aloysia’s hair, drawing the chestnut strands over a cushion to give it extra height.

Men had already drowned in my sister’s eyes, but she was far too good for any of them. Too good especially for the young musikers of the orchestra who continuously besieged her with flowers, painted ribbons, and necklaces. Broken hearts littered our small garden, the place where she disposed of all such importunate suitors.

As Herr Mozart bent over Aloysia’s hand, I saw his blue eyes lift and fasten upon the bow ornamenting her bosom. At once, I knew that, world-famous wunderkind or not, he was going to be as big a fool as all the others.

Copyright (C) 2011 Juliet Waldron

~ Find this title here

New interview with author Juliet Waldron

“Not all who wander are lost.” Juliet Waldron earned a B. A. in English, but has worked at jobs ranging from artist’s model to brokerage. Twenty years ago, after raising her children, she dropped out of 9-5 and began to researching her way into The Past. Three of the resulting thirteen historical novels are now published. Mozart’s Wife won the 1st Independent e-Book Award. Genesee won the 2003 Epic Award for Best Historical. She enjoys putting what she has learned about people, places, and relationships into her stories.

BWLPP: How long have you been writing and in what genres?

JW: I’ve been writing one for most of my life, but, for publication, around 25 years. History is my first and deepest love. The historical romances I’ve written are probably better defined as “romantic historicals.”

BWLPP: Where you do get your inspiration?

JW: True stories are my turn on. I find them by reading biographies and lots of history. There’s nothing “stranger than life,” so those scholarly bios, those letters and diaries, become my inspirational mother lode.
 
BWLPP: Tell us about your book(s).

JW: Mozart’s Wife grew from my love for her husband’s music and a long study of his brief, fascinating life. Myself a wife and mother, I soon found myself sympathizing with Konstanze’s challenges and predicaments. A happy marriage to a genius is not a certain thing—not in any century.
Genesee is a love story set during the Revolutionary War out on the New York frontier. It’s also about race, the terrible cost of war, and life in an 18th Century world where women had many responsibilities, but almost no rights.

BWLPP: What about your next book?  Will it be part of a series or a stand alone?  Can you give us a taste to whet our appetites?

JW: Among the brooding mountains of Austria stands the Heldenberg, or “Hero’s Mountain,” a place with a shadowy history. The noble family who rule in that place are also said to be accursed. To their isolated manor, the rakish heir—a man of many secrets--brings a young, unwilling bride.

BWLPP: Why did you choose to publish electronically?

JW: To catch the wave! The E Book world has been a venue where new authors and writers who mix genre in exciting fresh ways can find a readership.  

BWLPP: What are your hobbies and interests?

JW: I’m a great putter in gardens and fool about with vegetables and perennials. I’m a cat person and so spend a lot of time playing doorman and housekeeper for them. I’m walking a lot, getting ready for a big hike this fall. Am also taking yoga again for the first time in a zillion years and enjoying it—despite all the bottles and bottles of ibuprofen I’ve been consuming. 

BWLPP: What does the future hold for you?

JW: Hopefully I’ve got a few more interesting books to show the reading world. (Perhaps, after that, if I’m lucky, I’ll meet Dr. Who and really get to travel…)

BWLPP: Where can readers find you?

JW: www.julietwaldron.com
www.mozartswife.com
http://yesterrdayrevisitedhere.blogspot.com/

BWLPP's We "Like" Father's Day Contest Winners

Erin Mize won the Gourmet Gift Basket and two ebooks of her choice. 

Laura Benjamin won two ebooks of her choice. 

Congratulations to the winners and thanks to all who entered.

Watch for our Sizzling Summer Sweepstakes to be announced in our newsletter June 15.

Get your copy here: http://bwlpp.com/

Hot excerpt: Sandcastles of Love

Sandcastles of Love

When Logan Becker's family embarks on a summer "house swapping" vacation in a beach town in Oregon, Logan is overjoyed.  Similarly, Tricia Merrit, the daughter of the other family, is thrilled to be in the farm belt of Minnesota. 

Logan falls in love with the beach boy surfer of her dreams, but soon she discovers he's Tricia's boyfriend.  Logan's dreams are shattered.  Meanwhile, there's another boy who is attracted to Logan—the totally uncool Grant Duncan who is busy trying to launch a campaign to clean the local beaches.  Can Logan come to realize that true love often reveals itself in unexpected ways?

"Sandcastles of Love is a very short teen romance. Despite the short length, the story is solid and definitely well suited to romance readers. Logan does come off as a little selfish, but I remember those days and it comes with the age. For light summer reading, Sydell Voeller's teen romance is a great choice. I'm betting that many teen girls will relate to Logan and wish they had their very own beach romance." ~  Tracy Farnsworth, Round Table Reviews 

"A wonderful story of a summer romance with interesting twists and turns..."  ~ Michelle Poulson-vick at Sharpwriter Reviews 

"Ms. Voeller's talent is superb, and I was impressed with her ability to write as if she were the actual teenager in the book. Sandcastles of Love is a light-hearted young adult romance that's attention grabbing, well-written, and charming." ~ J.B. Leese,  A Story Weaver

“Young readers will enjoy Sandcastles of Love, particularly ones who love the beach.  Ms. Voeller’s descriptions of the Oregon coast are wonderful, as are the scenes where Grant teaches Logan to build sand castles.  Well-written, interesting, and delightfully romantic, they made me want to grab a bucket, take off my shoes and start digging...” Reviewed by Carrie Masek, Scribes World Reviews

Excerpt:

Chapter One

I awakened with a start, bathed in cold sweat, then blinked twice. A bulky shadow hovered alongside of me. Something with two glowing amber eyes was staring right into my face. Every muscle in my body tensed. Every nerve was standing on end. I opened my mouth to scream, but all I heard was a shrill sound from my attacker.

Meow

In an instant my mind cleared. I couldn't help but giggling. Reaching out to rub the black Angora cat's head, I heard her begin to purr. Hadn't Tricia Ferris warned me her spoiled pet--who under no circumstances was to be allowed outdoors--liked to sleep on the foot of her bed at night?

"Good kitty. Nice kitty," I said in a hushed, but still somewhat shaky voice. "Now get down where you belong and let me go back to sleep.” I propped myself up on one elbow and gave her a gentle shove. The cat padded her way across the covers with slow, deliberate steps. I soon felt the weight of her curled-up body against my feet. The sound of her purring mingled with the ticking of my alarm clock.

I lay back down and jerked the covers more snugly around me. Darn! My midnight intruder had just interrupted the most wonderful dream. Midnight. Tricia couldn't have chosen a more appropriate name. Squeezing my eyes shut, my thoughts drifted back to my dream. It'd been about that gorgeous sun-tanned guy I'd glimpsed today on the beach.

In the dream, we were walking together hand-in-hand, the icy surf washing onto our bare feet. I don't remember exactly what the guy was saying to me, but his head had been angled close to mine, and his words had left me with a warm, melting feeling.

Actually, he was more than gorgeous--in real life as well as my dream. I guess you'd say he rated somewhere between the Beach Boys and Misca Barisnokoft. Somehow he possessed a magical combination of carefree abandonment, physical agility and perfect form.

Perfect form. That was I admired most in a guy, I guess. Someday I want to be a professional dancer. I've taken lessons for eight years now at Miss Bernsteins School of Dance near Rochester and dream of winning a scholarship to the art academy after I graduate from high school.

Suddenly I knew I had to do more than just dream. I had to find that gorgeous guy again. I had to find him if it was the last thing I did. Tomorrow, I promised myself. I would get started first thing tomorrow...

I sat at Tricia's dressing table, brushing my shoulder length brown hair and once again reading the letter she'd left for me. I'd found it the day before taped to the mirror in her bedroom shortly after Mom, Dad, and Casey, my little brother had arrived.

Dear Logan Becker,

Welcome to your new home--well, I guess I should say your new home for the next three months. I'm so excited that our parents got together and decided to trade houses for the summer. That ad in the personal section of the newspaper certainly paid off.

I'm looking forward to discovering what it's like to live in the dairy farm belt of Minnesota. (My folks jumped at the opportunity because you live so close to the Mayo Clinic in Rochester. Maybe you know by now they're both doctors and needed to work on an important research project. Something to do with kidney transplants.

Believe it or not, I've never traveled much before. Maybe by the time I return back to Oregon, I'll even know how to milk a cow--though I guess I wouldn't have had to go so far to learn that! As I'm sure you'll soon discover, there's lots of farm country there too.

The only bad part about leaving, of course, is not seeing my steady boyfriend till next fall. You probably having a cool boyfriend yourself and know exactly what I mean.

I hope you like living in my family's new house at Sunset Beach. There are a few little things I may need to warn you about...

~ Find this title here 

Interview with Author Sydell Voeller

Sydell Voeller grew up in Washington State, but has lived in Oregon for over thirty-five years.  Throughout her twenty-year writing career, her published novels for teens and adults have reflected her love for the Pacific Northwest’s ocean beaches, inlets and waterways, evergreen forests, and mountains. Sydell resides in Oregon with her husband. They married in 1971 and have two grown sons, two lovely daughters-in-law, and three adorable grandchildren. 

 

When Sydell isn't writing, she enjoys camping, walking, amateur astronomy, reading, and surfing the web.  In 1987 after the publication of her first novel, she was named by the Washington County Mushaw Center, Woman of the Year in Communications.  Formerly a registered nurse, Sydell now teaches writing correspondence courses, sponsored by the Long Ridge Writer’s Institute.

BWLPP: How long have you been writing and in what genres?

SV:  I’ve been writing for 25 years in the YA romance and adult contemporary romance genres.  I’ve also had several short stories and articles published in national magazines. 

BWLPP: Where you do get your inspiration? 

SV:  I get my inspiration from real-life situations, news articles, magazine pieces, and reading other books

BWLPP: Tell us about your book(s).

SV:  Back in “the prehistoric days,” my first YA paperback, Merry Christmas Marcie, was released by Silhoutte’s “Crosswinds” line.  Five additional YA romances followed, released by Cora Verlag, a German YA market.  Next, Bantam’s Sweet Dreams line purchased my YA romance, Careless Whispers.  Skateboard Blues, another YA, plus The Fisherman’s Daughter, a romantic suspense, were published by Hard Shell Word Factory.  At that point in my career, I turned to writing contemporary romances and Avalon Books published the following titles:  Her Sister’s Keeper, Free to Love, Summer Magic, Unlikely Dad, and Star Light, Star Bright.  I also had an inspirational romance, A House Divided, published with Five Star Romance.  Three of my Avalon titles have been picked up by Large Print publishers and I have a movie/TV option agreement signed with a producer in L.A.   Now my current release is another YA romance, Sandcastles of Love—and I’m very happy to report that BWLPP is the publisher.

BWLPP: What about your next book?  Will it be part of a series or a stand alone? 

SV:  My next book will be another adult contemporary romance, a stand alone. 

BWLPP: Why did you choose to publish electronically?

SV:  Electronic books are not only the “wave of the future,” they’ve already exploded in the literary marketplace.  E-readers afford folks to download books at inexpensive prices.  Moveover, the readers can store countless titles in one tidy package with the added feature of adjusting the font size to enhance reader comfort.   For instance, I have a student whose son had a nonfiction title published with a big New York publisher.  He reports that his sales for Kindle downloads have far surpassed his “paper” book sales! 

BWLPP: What are your hobbies and interests?

SV:  I love amateur astronomy, crocheting, camping, traveling, and spending time with my cat.  I also have three lovely grandchildren whom I adore. 

BWLPP: What does the future hold for you?

SV:  Quite truthfully, I wish I had a crystal ball so I could answer this question more definitively!  For now, however, I plan to continue writing and teaching for the Long Ridge Writer’s Institute.

BWLPP: Where can readers find you?

My website is www.sydellvoeller.com

I can also be found on Facebook and Goodreads. 

Additionally, www.Amazon.com lists my book titles and I have an “author’s page” there as well.