READS FOR A COLD WINTER'S NIGHT

If you like your reads a bit on the otherworldly side, I've got a couple of good ones to check out! These paranormals (a bit of new and older) are a good blend of suspense, hot romance, and danger.

WILD CAT-Book 3 in the Shifters Unbound series

Jennifer Ashley

Heartbroken from the death of her mate three years ago, Shifter Cassidy Warden is tracking down his mysterious killer-one who could bring danger to all Shifters. But Detective Diego Escobar rekindles the flames of her mating desire. 

And once the fires begin, nothing and no one can put them out...

Read an excerpt  Amazon

This one was published last year but I've been looking forward to this one and the 4th in the series!

Ashley continues to flesh out her gritty reality and introduce new players who add depth and richness to the stories. Another excellent addition to the series! --RT BookReviews




                                                                                                                                               

GHOST OF A CHANCE

Caridad Pineiro


True crime writer Tracy Gomez is unsure of what to make of the unusual invitation from New York City attorney Peter Angelo: A one million dollar prize to anyone who can solve the mystery of three deaths which had occurred nearly eighty years earlier. 

Tracy desperately needs the money to fix up the old inn she’s just inherited and solving the crime will also provide welcome publicity to help her sagging writing career. But accepting the invitation brings unexpected challenges, like spectral help during a séance and Tracy’s attraction to the sexy attorney monitoring the contest. 

Does Tracy only have a ghost of a chance to discover the secrets of the past or can she win a prize far better than a million dollars? 

Read excerpt Amazon ($.99 til March 31st)


"This is not just a ghost story and romance but it is a very good murder mystery.  Who killed the Ryan's and why? The wife and daughter's bodies were never discovered are they really dead?  This short story was a wonderful mystery in addition to a wonderful ghost romance." Paranormal Romance Guild

MARILYN BRANT: INTERNET DATING?

It's a pleasure to welcome women's fiction author, Marilyn Brant, visiting with us today. 

What I enjoy about Marilyn's stories is, while she may touch on themes of Pride and Prejudice, it's not actually fanfiction—using the actual characters of Jane Austen's tale and retelling the same story—it's fresh and new. Original. I love her imagination and ability to extrapolate from the original without reusing the characters. She creates new characters and situations with a nod to Austen. The stories are fun! 

Thanks to Sia for being so gracious and inviting me back to visit you all at Over Coffee!

I know sometimes, after a writer has published a few books, some may think that it’s old hat, and not as exciting as it was in those early days... But that’s really not true for me, especially in this case. Pride, Prejudice and the Perfect Match is my seventh novel (“Lucky 7?!”) and, in a way, I’m even more excited this time around because I’m getting to come full circle.

My debut book, According to Jane, which was released back in 2009, was a romantic women’s fiction story (with some steamy scenes, be forewarned!) about a woman who had the ghost of Jane Austen in her head giving her dating advice. This new novel is a contemporary romance, and it also gives an honorary nod to the great Austen. The hero and heroine inherited their names and some of their characteristics from the famed pair in Pride and Prejudice, Darcy and Elizabeth (a novel which turns 200 years old this month, btw). But the courtship of the couple in my newest book revolves around an Internet dating site and, also, a local coffee shop called the “Koffee Haus.” And, oh, how I wish I could meet you all there this morning... I know we are all fans of coffee here, right?!

When I was writing the book, I thought it would be funny for the hero and heroine to fall prey to a bunch of different stereotypes about each other, which is easy to do if you’re trying to judge somebody’s character from a list of qualities on an online dating site or based on their choice of a latté. I’m a devoted coffee drinker, so I have a little bit of experience with the latter...however, I had no experience at all with the former!

I met my husband over 20 years ago, and the internet didn't exist in any widespread mainstream way back then. So, I've always been really curious about the whole online dating process. And, as a novelist who wanted use this activity as part of my plot, I had to resort to sneaky tactics (like interrogating my single friends who had Match.com profiles!) in order to find out about the kinds of dating experiences that were out there--both good and seriously-not-so-good.  

One twenty-something guy friend of ours would entertain me almost every week with talkes of his latest Internet love matches. Some of them were VERY WILD! I'm pleased to say that he's happily married now, although he didn't meet his new bride online...A female colleague I used to teach with, however, had far more success (although, her romantic tales were not nearly as soap-opera worthy, LOL!), and she did, in fact, meet her husband via the Internet.

All in all, I think if Jane Austen had the ability to do any modern matchmaking, I more than suspect she’d be all over the idea of online dating. *grin*

• Have you or anyone you know tried to meet potential love interests on Match.com or any of the other dating sites? If you haven’t tried it yourself, would you want to? I’d love to know your thoughts!

Wishing you all a wonderful 2013!!

                                                                                                                         

Giveaway: 

Because Sia included my last novel, Holiday Man, on her recent post “Hot Reads for Cold Winter Nights” (Over Coffee, January 2nd), I’ll give away one PDF copy of that ebook to one commenter on this post. Open internationally!

                                                                                                                                                             

BUY: AMAZON AND  B&N

A single mother and an ER doctor meet on an Internet dating site—each for reasons that have little to do with finding their perfect match—in this modern, Austen-inspired story. It’s a tribute to the power of both “pride” and “prejudice” in bringing two people romantically together, despite their mutual insistence that they should stay apart…

Would an Elizabeth Bennet by any other name be as appealing to a Darcy?

Beth Ann Bennet isn’t looking for love. She’s an aspiring social worker using an online alias to study sex-role stereotypes. Dr. William Darcy isn’t looking for love either. He’s just trying to fund his new clinic by winning a major bet. Both think Lady Catherine’s Love Match Website will help them get what they want—fast, easy and without endangering their hearts. Both are in for a big surprise.

Pride, Prejudice and the Perfect Match…where true love is just a fib and a click away.
first chapter excerpt

                                                                                                                                                                           

MONDAY MUSINGS: THE NATURAL ART OF STORYTELLING

I love listening to and reading stories. Storytelling is as old as language. There is a rich history behind storytelling. To tell a story is as natural as breathing for people. Some are better than others, but we all tell them in one form or another.

Throughout history, narratives were used to entertain, teach, and build a community identity. Storytellers were often revered in their community because they were the source of current news, holder of traditions, the historians, teachers, the holder of religious beliefs, and the entertainers.

Early storytelling combined stories, poetry, music, and dance. Communities were strengthened and maintained through stories that connected the present, the past and the future.

We’re used to books, TV, and other electronic forms for history, religion, news, and entertainment choices. It’s hard to imagine a world without them. At the end of the workday we might eat our evening meal while telling our family about our day and then sit and watch a show on TV, listen to music, or read a book.

I imagine it wasn't so different thousands of years ago. Eating either in a community or family setting talking about the day. It was a time to express their worries, fears, beliefs, and explain the world they faced and usually through narratives. Just as today kids want to hear stories of what the world was like when their parents were young, so it was then. People wanted the tales of the traditions, battles, heroism, and the funny things that made the audience giggle or laugh. These tales draw people together in strength and unity.

Songs are a form of storytelling and were used to make work go by faster. The use of work songs is a very old practice. Some of the songs were songs of praise for the gods to make the crops grow, the hunt successful, to bring in the fish to the nets. Others were rhythmic chants to keep minds focused in unity of purpose and hands steady in planting or harvesting, perhaps cutting or making materials for building. Tough and repetitive jobs are easier with such chants. We still see vestiges of this practice in various cultures. Even the U.S. military use chants to perform marches and other repetitive tasks. At any given time, if you visit a military training installation, you’ll hear chants echoing around you. If you listen carefully you can tell the difference between the battalions by sound of their chants. It’s not hard to see how different people of old had their own style and rhythm.

Telling stories is natural for us. We use narratives when relaying something to friends or family in letters or notes, or telling our kids tales from our wild childhood. Hunters and fishermen tell some great tales. There are those who excel at telling stories. They have down the embellishments, tone, and method of telling a good story. Those few, just as with the ancients, are the entertainers. The bards of today.

There is a rich history of storytellers in various cultures and some still exist today. 

But that’s a tale for another time.