This is my cover for The Tainted Keitre. It’s a New Orleans based murder mystery story and the cover artist, Dawne Dominique nailed it. It’s very atmospheric. I wanted creepy with moss on the trees, but I also wanted it to be sexy. She managed to pull it off. I love, love the scary red eyes in the woods, too. I adore her. She’s such a good listener and tries very hard to find the writer’s vision in her own artistic vision. Thanks again, Dawne.
Posted in Books | Tags: Dawne Dominique, Murder, mystery, new cover, New Orleans, Secret Cravings, story, The Tainted Keitre
Today, I have the awesomely cool Hildie McQueen as a guest. Welcome Hildie! She has a funny story to tell you about being in a hurry.
She’s also giving away one copy of Desperate Surrender to one commenter. so be sure to greet her.
Don’t Rush
In a rush to get to my volunteer work at my church, I picked up my bags and backed out of the house so not to let my rowdy Chihuahuas out. Then it dawned; I locked myself out of my house. With a resigned sigh, I went to my car, put all the crap in and pushed the garage door opener. Of course, this was the day the battery died.
I blinked for a few seconds, stared at the garage and hit the button again…and again, I mean that’s what you do for a human heart to restart it right? Well it didn’t work for the battery. Then somehow figuring the anger would give me super powers extra strength, I tried to pull it open. Other than a fart, not much gave.
Aha! I always forget to close the back door. With a smile I trudged to the side gate. Of course it rained in Georgia for the first time in three weeks and my mock-crocks were not the best to be wearing at the moment. But on I went through the mud and puddles, to the back door. Which of course, I remembered to lock.
At this point the Chihuahuas are excited, they are jumping up and down cheering me on as I lie down and attempt to shimmy as much of my shoulder as I can through their doggie door to reach the knob. My stupid arm is too short and now my back is wet and I’ve got muddy shoes, not to mention I’m a bit sweaty.
Oooh I’m mad now. With anger comes another aha moment. I grab a deck chair, stomp to the bathroom window tear off the screen to the cheering frantic barks of my canine alarm dogs. I suppose I should give them props someone was technically breaking in.
The window gives. It opens! And I have a short party. Why short? Well mainly because I am also short and a bit, shall we say curvy, chubby, yeah anyway. So when I hike up my leg, it’s nowhere near the bottom of the darn window. I try to hop, but my feet don’t leave the chair.
I finally get the courage to throw myself through the window. Well that’s an exaggeration, I drag myself up to the window, my belly gets caught and I’m hanging half in, half out, one hand on the toilet seat (ewww) and the other one in mid-air attempting to reach the floor.
After a few wiggles, I manage to climb fall in the rest of the way in and flop onto the floor (again ewww).
And I can’t get up.
No I’m not hurt, just so flipping out of breath, it’s physically impossible to move. I stare at the ceiling and wait for my breathing to normalize (is that even a word?), and just as I’m about to sit up, the happy hounds from hell rush in and jump up and down on my belly. Yay! They yap, Momma’s in the house!
I’m down again, but not for long, I manage to grab one of the little suckers for leverage.
Tired, hair now kinky from the sweat and drizzle, I get up, run a comb through it, put a band aid on my knee, change jeans and stomp out the front door, this time with keys in hand.
And I don’t feel one bit guilty about the unhappy barks. Yeah, yeah the party is over, go back to your whatever you were chewing or peeing on!
Morale – – Never, Ever Rush…or don’t adopt Chihuahuas…one of those two.
Bio: Hildie McQueen
Hildie McQueen, author of the Protector novels, loves the strange and unusual, pair that with humor and you’ve got an idea of what her writing is like. She makes sure action, intrigue, and sizzling romance add up to an escape that her readers won’t soon forget. Hildie is a member of Georgia Romance Writers and Romance Writers of America. She resides in the beautiful small town Georgia with her super-hero husband Kurt and two unruly Chihuahuas.
Website: www.HildieMcQueen.com
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The Protector Novels
Desperate Betrayal – Amazon B&N
Desperate Surrender – Amazon B&N
Desperate Choices – Amazon
Where The Four Winds Collide – Historical Western – Jan 2013
Desperate Surrender
Back of the Book Blurb:
Wendy O’Sullivan’s life drastically changes upon discovering she is not human, and is charged with guarding the Key of Peace. To make matters more complicated, she reunites with the Protector she’s dreamed of since the day he rescued her from a demon attack.
Kieran Frasier, hasn’t kissed, much less loved a woman in over three hundred years, his heart firmly encased behind thick walls. The fierce immortal defends innocents from powerful demons, but can he defend himself from diminutive Wendy, who manages to get past all his barricades?
Faced with arranged marriages to others and battling demons that will stop at nothing to capture Wendy, will they be forced to surrender their chance at true love for the greater good?
Posted in guests
EDITED TO ADD: THE WINNER OF THE FREE E-BOOK IS FLOSSIE BENTON ROGERS. LET ME KNOW WHICH YOU WANT, FLOSSIE. THANKS TO ALL FOR PLAYING. THE ANSWER IS FLORIDA.
Secret Cravings Publishing and some of its authors are having a “Where in the world am I” blog event… think a combination of Where’s Waldo and Dora the Explorer.
I will give a few clues as to which state I live in and all you have to do is comment where you think it is. All correct commentators’ names will be entered into a drawing for a copy of my most recent SCP release, Surf Break. or my other release The Season of the Witch. Winner’s choice.
Those of you who already know where I live are eligible to win, too but only if you say hello only and not give away my location.
Clues:
1. We had a way wetter summer than normal this year.
2. Think water and I don’t mean rain.
3. Lots of people in my state speak another language than English.
4. Rocket Man and Major Tom are our citizens’ two favorite songs.
So, where am I?
To keep playing the game and maybe win more prizes, click on this link:
http://secretcravingspublishing.blogspot.com/
Posted in Random thoughts | Tags: Blogging, contest, Dora the Explorer, free e-book, Secret Cravings, SURF BREAK, Where am I, Where's Waldo, win
In my story, The Gambler’s Brother, the hero is a Group Captain in the Royal Air Force. I thought I’d share today what the rank equates to in the United States’ armed forces in case you were curious. A Group Captain is on a par with a Colonel in the U.S. Army, Air Force and Marine Corps. He’s the equivalent of a Captain in the U.S. Navy and the Coast Guard.
Here’s an excerpt from the story- where the hero and heroine meet:
“Never mind, Nate, never mind.” Bo opened the side door and slipped out of the little area that served as the purser’s office. He hobbled around to the window and leaned in. “Maybe sometime, we’ll drink a lager and I’ll tell you how I screwed up and cost some good men their lives and messed up my leg in the process.” Maybe that would stop the man asking more questions.
Nate’s jaw dropped. Bo reached over and shut it gently for him and turned to walk away. He took several steps toward the elevator to go up to the bridge. Two women stopped his progress.
The one with curly hair put her hand on his arm. “I’m Filomena Andrews and this is Zoe Crawford. We need to talk to someone in charge.”
“That’s not me.” He jerked his head back toward the purser’s window. “Check with Nate over there if you have problems with your quarters. I have to get to the bridge.”
“It’s not problems with our quarters and if you’re going to the bridge, you must be someone important since they run the ship from there, right?” Mena asked.
Bo nodded once. “They do run the ship from there, but I’m just an errand boy.” He waved the papers in his hand. “I have to go. Sorry, ladies.”
“I wonder that they’d choose someone like you as an errand boy–” Zoe said as he stepped away.
“What? A gimp? How rude of you to point that out, madam,” Bo snapped at her.
Zoe looked him up and down. She sneered. “What I was referring to, sir, was your obvious rank. I can see it by the stripes on your sleeve. You’re a group captain in the Royal Air Force, correct? It seems to me that you’re the sensitive one. I feel sorry for you going through life expecting the worst of people. What a sad existence.”
Bo stared at her. “I don’t have a sad existence. I don’t think the worst of everyone. I–”
Zoe cut him off. “You’ve made it clear how you feel about people, Group Captain.”
Posted in Friday Facts | Tags: Desert Breeze Publishing, Friday Facts, The Gambler's Brother, The Gambler's Inheritance
I got this review on Amazon yesterday on Redemption for the Devil. I’m thrilled with it.
All I can is wow!, October 3, 2012
By J. Morgan “J. Morgan” (Louisiana) – See all my reviewsAmazon Verified Purchase(What’s this?)
This review is from: Redemption for the Devil (Kindle Edition)
Redemption for the Devil is a nail biting thrill ride! It is the story of two Irish immigrants making their way to a new life in American, or is it? Jillian Chantal weaves of story that combines the high seas passion of Titanic and the intrigue of The Poseidon Adventure with a little bit of Patriot Games thrown in to keep you on your toes. Peg ‘Mary Margaret’ Kincade is trying to escape from the heartbreak of losing her father and the intentions of a cad of a cousin, hoping the new world will help her start anew. Liam Cormac has a darker reason for leaving Ireland. Somewhere along the way, they discover each other, but will love be enough to make them both forget the past haunting them both, so they can make a future together? Redemption for the Devil kept me on the edge of my seat reading to find out that answer, and Ms. Chantal didn’t disappoint. If you want to lose yourself in a story, this is the book for you.
Posted in Books | Tags: book, Desert Breeze Publishing, Redemption for the Devil, review
Posted in Wordless Wednesday | Tags: wordless Wednesday
Twenty days from today will be release day for The Gambler’s Brother. I got the official cover yesterday and made the trailer as well. I tried several pieces of music for the trailer but couldn’t find perfection. I hope folks like what I ended up with.
Here’s the blurb:
Beaumont McSwain, a former RAF pilot wounded in combat is now the legal officer onboard the Queen Mary. He’s haunted by a tragic mission gone awry and wants to return to America and to a life of peace and quiet. Zoe Langlois, a former member of the French Resistance, wants to get to America and find what’s left of her family after the Nazi’s reign of terror. She boards the Queen Mary under a false identity as a war bride. Along the way, several of the brides are killed and Zoe’s odds of survival are decreasing by the day. She and Bo are attracted to each other, but his secret as well as hers threaten their potential for happiness.
I’m visiting Flossie Benton Rogers today here. I met her at the Silken Sands Conference on Pensacola Beach. She’s also an author with Secret Cravings Publishing with her first story to be released soon.
I’m chatting a bit about surfer terminology. Come on by. There’s a test.
Posted in Books | Tags: book, Flossie Benton Rogers, release, Secret Cravings Publishing, SURF BREAK, Surf terminology
Thought I’d share my misery today. I’m at a legal seminar and we are listening to a very dull speaker talking about the FDCPA. Yep, the super sexy Fair Debt Collections Practices Act. It’s the law that prohibits bad acts in trying to settle debts or collecting money owed. Some creditors get overzealous in their work. They threaten jail, taking pets, suing parents, etc.
This is really a necessary law but it’s quite boring. It’s like 20 below zero in this room, too. I can’t even think since my feet have turned to blocks of ice and I can’t feel my fingertips. Brrr. I believe it may snow here in Florida soon.
Here was the view from my room this morning.
Posted in Friday Facts | Tags: FDCPA, Friday Facts, law, seminar, snow
Posted in Wordless Wednesday | Tags: wordless Wednesday
Jillian Chantal 