Murder Mystery/Ghost Story/Time Travel Romance & eBook Giveaway

Time Travel, Ghosts, and Reincarnation.  Sacred relics and star-crossed lovers. Fantasy, mystery, magic, and above all romance…

“Know that love is truly timeless.” ~Author  Mary M. Ricksen

***For a chance  to win the eBook of one of these featured selections, leave me a comment.

The idea behind my ‘Somewhere series’ is that the story opens in an old home, so far Virginia, and then transports the reader back in time either in the same old house or another place entirely, such as the Scottish Highlands.   As is the case in Somewhere My Lass and the sequel I’m at work on via a portal in time.   All of which is inspired by my fascination with the past. The unifying characteristic of the series is the paranormal/time travel element, but the stories themselves aren’t necessarily tied together.

I came up with the idea about 4-5 years ago while watching one of my favorite British mysteries, Midsomer Murders.  I enjoy the historic setting of these modern day mysteries, but especially when the story flashes back to an even earlier time in an old manor house or church to get to the root of the mystery.  So I thought, why not incorporate that with my love of romance and history.

“Man … can go up against gravitation in a balloon, and why should he not hope that ultimately he may be able to stop or accelerate his drift along the Time-Dimension, or even turn about and travel the other way.”~ H.G. WELLS, The Time Machine

“Once confined to fantasy and science fiction, time travel is now simply an engineering problem.” ~ MICHIO KAKU, Wired Magazine, Aug. 2003

SOMEWHERE MY LOVE:

Star-crossed lovers have a rare chance to reclaim the love cruelly denied them in the past, but can they grasp this brief window in time before it is too late? Newly arrived at Foxleigh, the gracious old Wentworth home in Virginia, British born Julia Morrow is excited at the prospect of a summer working as a guide in the stately house and herb garden. She quickly discovers the historic plantation holds far more. She becomes obsessed with the portrait of handsome Cole Wentworth, killed in a quarrel over the lovely English lady, Julia Maury, two hundred years ago. Then she meets his double, William, the only remaining Wentworth heir. Somehow, Julia must persuade Will that their fates are entwined with those of Cole Wentworth and Julia Maury, and that the man who killed his ancestor has returned to enact the deadly cycle again, or she will lose him twice. The blade is about to fall.~

SOMEWHERE MY LASS:

Neil MacKenzie’s well-ordered life turns to chaos when Mora Campbell shows up claiming he’s her fiancé from 1602 Scotland. Her avowal that she was chased to the future by clan chieftain, Red MacDonald, is utter nonsense, and Neil must convince her that she is just addled from a blow to her head–or so he believes until the MacDonald himself shows up wanting blood.

Mora knows the Neil of the future is truly her beloved Niall who disappeared from the past. Although her kinsmen believe he’s dead, and she is now destined to marry Niall’s brother, she’s convinced that if she and Neil return to the past, all will be right. The only problem is how to get back to 1602 before it’s too late.

The balance of the present and future are in peril if she marries another, and the Neil of the present will cease to exist. An ancient relic and a few good friends in the future help pave the way back to the past, but will Mora and Neil be too late to save a love that began centuries before?~

SOMEWHERE THE BELLS RING: (Release Date 11-09)

Caught with pot in her dorm room, Bailey Randolph is exiled to a relative’s ancestral home in Virginia to straighten herself out. Banishment to Maple Hill is dismal, until a ghost appears requesting her help. Bailey is frightened but intrigued. Then her girlhood crush, Eric Burke, arrives and suddenly Maple Hill isn’t so bad.

To Eric, wounded in Vietnam, his military career shattered, this homecoming feels no less like exile. But when he finds Bailey at Maple Hill, her fairy-like beauty gives him reason to hope–until she tells him about the ghost haunting the house. Then he wonders if her one experiment with pot has made her crazy.

As Bailey and Eric draw closer, he agrees to help her find a long-forgotten Christmas gift the ghost wants. But will the magic of Christmas be enough to make Eric believe–in Bailey and the ghost–before the Christmas bells ring?

**My books are available at The Wild Rose Press, Amazon, Barnes &Noble and other online booksellers

New Excerpt from Light Paranormal Romance Somewhere My Love

Star-crossed lovers have a rare chance to reclaim the love cruelly denied them in the past, but can they grasp this brief window in time before it is too late?

Newly arrived at Foxleigh, the gracious old Wentworth home in Virginia, British born Julia Morrow is excited at the prospect of a summer working as a guide in the stately house and herb garden. She quickly discovers the historic plantation holds far more.~

Excerpt:

A wildly irrational hope pulsed inside Julia. She bit her lip, hoping Will wouldn’t think her balmy. “Is it possible we’ve met before?”

The spark of life in his eyes faded. “I don’t see how.”

Yet, like a distant melody growing stronger, she instinctively knew his voice…him. “I’m not familiar to you at all?”

“How could you be, Miss Morrow?”

That name sounded alien on his lips. “It’s Julia.”

His face tightened in an almost imperceptible wince. “I’d prefer we retained formal working titles. At least until we’re better acquainted.”

Disappointment washed through her. “Then you really don’t remember me?”

He ran long fingers through his hair. “I’m sorry.”

“I know you, somehow,” she persisted.

An inner struggle flickered in his eyes. Wariness won out and he set his jaw. “The mind sometimes plays tricks on us, especially when mixed with an active imagination.”

“It’s more than that…rather like waking from a sleep when you cannot clearly recall the dream, only feel it.”

For a moment, he seemed pensive, then that sardonic look returned to his eyes. His gaze narrowed. “You’re dreaming, all right. I expect you’ve joined the throng of women in love with the dashing Cole Wentworth.”

Julia felt a blush burning her cheeks. She couldn’t deny that possibility. The name alone ripped through her.

“Is this a problem with your working here?” he asked.

Mustering what dignity she had left, she drew herself up. “I’m fully capable of conducting myself with propriety, Mr. Wentworth. I’m British, for God’s sake.”

He frowned at her. “The Brits don’t have a monopoly on self-control. But I’ll allow you the benefit of the doubt in this instance.”

She crossed her arms over her chest. “Very good of you, I’m sure. I’ll endeavor not to put you out again.”

He made an impatient noise under his breath. “I’ve been all through this before, Miss Morrow.”

“Making allowances for Brits?”

“No. Admirers of my legendary cousin, superb horseman, exquisite artist, gallant nobleman struck down in his prime. Despite our similarities, I am not Cole Wentworth. There’s one glaring difference between us.”

“He’s more charming?” she suggested.

William shot her a sarcastic smile. “He’s dead. Do try to bear that in mind.”~

**If you’d like the opportunity to win the eBook of Somewhere My Love jump down to my Spook-A-Licious Blog Hop Tour post and leave me a comment.

***Somewhere My Love is available in print and or eBook formats from online booksellers large and small at a reduced price.

New Excerpt from Historical Romance Red Bird's Song

I’d rate this sample PG13.  Red Bird’s Song, an adventure romance novel with a The Last of the Mohican’s flavor, falls between PG 13 and a tasteful R rating.  

Excerpt From Chapter Two:

A smothering sensation enveloped Charity, emphasized ten-fold by the inky blackness. Bears and mounds of rattlesnakes were known to den up in caves. Worse, she shared this confined space with an unseen human enemy.

Heart racing, she bolted upright. “Get me out of here!”

Men stirred on every side of her. Sleepy voices grunted.

“Hush. You will wake all.” Grasping her shoulders, Wicomechee pushed her down onto the woolen blanket.

She struggled to rise, choking back the scream begging her throat for release. “Please. I beseech you.”

He forced her to remain where she was. “Calm down.”

“I can’t. If I don’t get out—”

“Shhhh…” He bent over her and spoke in her ear. “Hear me, Charity. I will take you from here if I must.”

Her panic eased slightly. “You will? You promise?”

“Have I not said? You see the way, just there.”

He pointed to the ghostly opening then wrapped the edges of the blanket around her. “You shake like a leaf in the wind.”

It whistled beyond the cave and the cold air blew inside. Despite the chill, she’d far rather bolt out into the teeth of the bluster and lie beneath the stars than remain in here. “It’s so dark, Mechee,” she said in a small voice.

He lay down beside her so that his shoulder pressed against hers. “You fear the dark?”

Denial was pointless. “And those it holds.”

“None seek to harm you.”

She was acutely aware of men slumbering all around her. “Chaka could kill me before I even knew.”

“No. I will keep you safe,” Wicomechee reassured her.

She relaxed a little more. “How long have we been here? I don’t remember coming.”

“Night is far gone. I brought you.”

Memory returned of him forcing her to trudge on and on through the dark woods until she’d slumped onto the ground weeping uncontrollably. She must have fallen asleep the instant he’d lifted her. A sharp twinge of resentment ran through her. “You were cruel—”

“For bringing you?”

“For making me go on.”

“That was cruel? You do not know the meaning of this word,” he said gruffly.

“I fear you will teach me.”

He turned onto his side facing her. Even in the blackness she felt the force of his personality. “Because I made you walk? Has no one made you walk, made you work?”

“Not like you did,” she said through chattering teeth.

“I tended your knee, fed you, carried you. Was I to leave you along the trail?”

“Someone would have found me.”

“Or another war party. If hunger and cold did not kill you first. You would perish out here.”

“Maybe so,” she argued. “But you were still harsh.”

He made an impatient sound under his breath. “If I warm you, will you say I am harsh?”

A startled gasp escaped her as he pulled her against his chest, molding her to him. She had the sense of his hard thighs and long legs pressed along hers. His scent enveloped her, a blend of earth, trees, and wind mingled with his own unique essence. “Do you suffer now?” he whispered.

All protest died on her lips. She was too stunned to speak. The heat from his solid warmth penetrated the cloth between them, easing her chill. Yet this new awareness of his strong body lying next to hers was stirring in a way she’d never experienced. Only her father and brother had ever held her, and never like this. Nor had their embrace evoked any of the odd quivers fluttering inside her now.~

Terrific Review for Red Bird's Song from the Romance Studio!

“I liked this book so much. The author has done a magnificent job of creating both characters and setting. The descriptions of the area are wonderful and put the reader right in there with the characters. Wicomechee is a wonderful, loving and patient hero, one the reader will easily falls in love with. Charity is a spirited young woman who fights against her love for the Shawnee warrior, not willing to accept what could be her alienation from her own people, the English. Her willful spirit is depicted by her bouts of fleeing from Wicomechee and her fearlessness in standing up to him. The author gradually reveals hints of what will happen via the visions Charity experiences. The love between Charity and Wicomechee gradually grows to where Charity can no longer deny it and she becomes totally loyal to Wicomechee. The love scenes are sensuous and tasteful. Their love and lives are greatly tested at the end, and accompanied by a wonderful surprise."

"I will most certainly read other books by this author.”

Overall rating:
Sensuality rating: Very sensual
Reviewer: Jaye Leyel
October 12, 2011

Got my Official EPIC Ebook Awards!

Aren’t they beautiful?  :)  I’m jumping up and down, or would be if I weren’t sitting here sipping tea.