Guest blogger - Georgia Hill

A warm welcome to lovely Georgia Hill talking about her latest book and the inspiration behind it!

Huge thanks for having me on, Nell! Yesterday saw the publication of a book which has held a very special place in my heart for years. I loved writing Janey Trelawney’s Year of Surprising Triumphs. I always fall in love with my hero but this time I fell for the heroine too! A long time ago, a friend introduced me to the idea of snowdrop devotees – galanthophiles. She sent me some articles from a magazine and links to a few websites. Also percolating in my brain was the image of a studious and sexy accountant hero and a heroine who was a bit ‘out there,’ a little eccentric. I wrote the first scene, where Will watches Janey dance under the chestnut trees and then, as often happens, I got waylaid with writing other stuff. That first scene never left me though. Opposite my childhood home were three chestnut trees. I was a bit of an eccentric child, a bit ‘out there’ (probably still am) and loved standing underneath them listening to the breeze seething through the leaves. The sound that trees make in the wind is called ‘susurration’ – isn’t it a beautiful word? A re-watch of one of my favourite films, Calamity Jane, got me excited; I had the inspiration for some of the plot, mainly the bit where everyone is in love with the wrong person. The book wears its Calamity Jane influences lightly but, if you’re a keen film buff like Janey, you’ll have fun spotting them. I’m like Janey in some ways but especially when it comes to dyscalculia, which I believe I have to a mild degree and which ruined large parts of my high school life. I only wish I had her gardening skill; my ability to kill plants is legendary.

It’s funny how things trickle through your life and end up in your writing. All the above – and much, much more – ended up in Janey Trelawney, including a dim-witted and naughty spaniel! I must take this opportunity to add my thanks to Greg Poulos, who was very helpful in reminding me what a wonderful city Boston is, and my friend Debbie who supplied Janey’s ‘bra incident.’ I forgot to acknowledge you both – a terrible habit and I promise to make it up to you next time. I also need to thank my weekly Zoom group. You know who you are. You’ve gave valuable insight along the way and kept me sane-ish during Lockdowns. I wanted to read uplifting fiction during these (groan) unprecedented times and I wanted to write it too. I hope Janey fills that need. Love, Georgia x About the book! - Janey Trelawney's Year of Surprising Triumphs Janey’s life becomes more disaster movie than romcom when the ruthless Becca steams in to manage Cheney House. Her job as head gardener in peril and her self-confidence in tatters, Janey must fight back. Finding an ally in Will, who’s more Clark Kent than Superman, it’s up to them to save the day while owner Clare is away having her Shirley Valentine moment. It doesn’t help that everyone is in love with the wrong people! Why can’t people love the one who loves them back? Will Cheney House survive - and will Janey ever get her When Harry Met Sally happy ending? Find out in this warm-hearted romance from the author of the best-selling Millie Vanilla’s Cupcake Café, full of Gregory Peck look-a-likes, snowdrops, cake, and a cocker spaniel called Camilla. BUY THE BOOK HERE

About the author: Georgia Hill writes warm-hearted and up-lifting contemporary and timeslip romances about love, the power and joy in being an eccentric oldie and finding yourself and your community. There's always a dog. It's usually a naughty spaniel of which, unfortunately, she has had much experience. Her books are firmly rooted in small seaside towns similar to the one she lives in and she loves history especially when it insists on rearing up and battering at the present. As a child she had an invisible friend called Gonky who lived on the third stair from the bottom. As an adult her invisible friends inhabit her head and refuse to leave until she commits them to paper. Readers of her books can escape into a warm bath of words and, no matter what challenges her characters face they will, ultimately, have a happy ending. Find her on Twitter as @Georgia Writes

Guest Blogger - Krysten Lindsay Hager

Please welcome Krysten Lindsay Hager. She is an author and book addict who has never met a bookstore she didn’t like. She’s worked as a journalist and also writes middle grade, YA, humor essays, and adult fiction. Her debut novel, TRUE COLORS, is out June 17th from Astraea Press. She is originally from Michigan and has lived in South Dakota, Portugal, and currently resides in Southern Ohio where you can find her reading and writing when she’s not catching up on her favorite shows.

Here's the blurb for TRUE COLORS

Every day I walked down the sidewalk to school and wished I were one of the interesting popular girls who ran up with exciting news. Just once I’d like to be one of those girls instead of the being the one who didn’t get invited to things because people “forgot” about me.

Here's the story premise!

Landry gets pushed into trying out for the American Ingénue reality show modeling competition with her two best friends. She doesn’t think she stands a chance, but she advances to the next level in the competition and her friends ignore her when they get cut.

Enter the gorgeous Devon, who also makes the first cut and includes Landry in her clique. Devon becomes the perfect best friend, but can their friendship survive the competition?

Landry hopes her big break could come at any moment, but soon sees there’s much more to modeling. She begins missing out on being with friends and has the chance to have a boyfriend when she meets a boy named Vladi from another school. Part of Landry wants to be famous (and have her hair look good for once), but part of her just wants to be accepted. She learns about friendships, being true to yourself, and that a good hair conditioner doesn’t hurt.

You can get a copy of TRUE COLORS from Amazon.com and Amazon UK and all good etailers!

Guest Blogger - Sherry Gloag

Please welcome my guest today - a fellow Astraea Author - Sherry Gloag with her latest release from Sweet Cravings Press!

Multi-published author, Sherry Gloag is a transplanted Scot now living in the beautiful coastal countryside of Norfolk, England. She considers the surrounding countryside as extension of her own garden, to which she escapes when she needs "thinking time" and solitude to work out the plots for her next novel. While out walking she enjoys talking to her characters, as long as there are no other walkers close by.

Apart from writing, Sherry enjoys gardening, walking, reading and cheerfully admits her books tend to take over most of the shelf and floor space in her workroom-cum-office. She also finds crystal craft work therapeutic.

During the regency period a bad landlord could remove tenants from their property for the slightest of provocations, leaving the families destitute without a care in the world. But what would, and did, happen when members of the ton were threatened with the same disaster?

The Regency equivalent for today’s ‘property repossession’ is ‘writ of forfeiture’, and is only ever issues in the most dire of circumstances. For most, a short spell in a debtor’s prison, until he either paid off the debt or some influential family member or friend paid it off for them was the ultimate humiliation. But for the more hardened gamblers there came a time when friends and family turned the other way, ladies, normally only too willing to help their charming lover with ’a little financial help’ soon spread the word and the culprit would find all sources of credit withdrawn.

In No Job For a Woman, widowed Deborah Stavely is unaware that her infamous neighbours have been issued with a writ of forfeiture and are about to lose everything. So when she spurns the attentions of the equally infamous brother as no more than an irritation she has no idea she has put her life is on the line.

Inspiration comes in many shapes, sounds and forms, and for No Job For a Woman, a Regency romance released by Sweet Cravings Publishings in September, one word inspired the story and the plot and the characters that evolved around that one word.

So, what was it?

Forfeiture.

As in, ‘a writ of forfeiture’.

The question then became ‘so what?’ What would happen if a writ of forfeiture was issued, and to whom, and then the ‘why’ and the ‘how’ soon followed.

And of course you can no more drop a word into a story plot, than you can drop a stone into a pond without the ripple effect.

The next series of questions then became, who received the writ? And out trotted the ‘old soldiers’, who, what, when, why and how, rapidly followed by ‘what happened next?’ What were the consequences of this writ being issued and did they extend beyond the recipient. And if so, how far, and how many other people were drawn into what can be best described as the ‘domino effect.’

No Job For a Woman took several years to complete, so living that long with the characters made them very special and No Job For a Woman a joy to write

About the book!

Blurb:

Julian Fanshaw answers a call for help from his life-long friend Lord Worth to help keep his friend’s widowed sister, Deborah, safe from her increasingly vindictive neighbours. It doesn’t take long to realise him or Freddie long to realise the Grangers aren’t using her as a long-promised act of revenge against them; but are playing a deeper and far more sinister game of their own. Deborah Stavely is determined to overcome the increasing harassment from her neighbour without calling on her brother for help. So she is not pleased when Freddie intervenes and involves his friend, Julian Fanshaw.

Circumstances demand Julian and Deborah learn to work together and Julian dares to dream that he might gain the love of the only person he’s ever given his heart to. But will Deborah live long enough to discover that by releasing everything she values, she will gain everything her heart desires?

Excerpt:

Julian Fanshaw ignored the other letters in front of him when he recognized one from his long-time friend Freddie Dalrymple, now Lord Worth. He broke the seal and scanned the single sheet with growing concern.

Julian, my friend, I am writing to implore you to put aside whatever plans you have in hand and to set out immediately to stay with us for an indeterminate period of time.

Thoroughly alarmed, Julian flipped the page in his hand to discover it had been dispatched more than a week ago.

If I bring to mind a certain student up at Oxford with us, and reveal that he and his wife are, and have been, my sister’s neighbors for several years, it will give you but an inkling of the root of my concern.

It has come to my attention, due to the arrival of his brother upon the scene, and recent events concerning my sister, Deborah, I am persuaded you need not only to know what is happening here, but be on hand to assist in circumventing any consequences of actions taken against her.

I have taken the liberty of gathering some friends together for a couple of shooting parties, thereby creating a reason for your presence.

Since his return from the Peninsular, Julian kept promising himself a trip to Worth’s Norfolk estate. Unfortunately in the last eighteen months, time and circumstances had worked against him.

Casting the letter aside, Julian strode to the door and called for his butler. “I am leaving immediately for Norfolk. Please see that my bags are packed and have my horse ready within the hour.”

“You do not intend to use your chaise, sir?”

“No. I’ll ride, with a stop to visit Mr. Sewel. Arrange for Becket and French to follow me in the chaise with everything I’ll need for a month.”

Not by so much as a flick of an eyelid did Thomas reveal he recognized the name of his master’s man of business.

“Very good, sir.”

© Sherry Gloag 2012

Available from Amazon.com and Amazon UK and B&N and all other good etailers!

Guest Blogger - J Andersen

It gives me great pleasure to introduce a fabulous YA author, J Anderson and her new book - At What Cost.

During her junior year, sixteen-year-old Maggie Reynolds expected to shop for prom dresses not maternity clothes. Now, instead of studying for the SATs, she’s reading, What to Expect When You’re Expecting. Maggie’s ‘Mother Dearest’ lives in fear that Maggie will somehow taint the family name, so Maggie can’t turn to her for help. Meanwhile, her father is oblivious to anything but his 9-9 job. And her boyfriend, Justin? She’s pretty sure he’ll stay by her side.

While Maggie wrestles with her options, Justin offers a solution: abortion. It would solve all her problems quickly, easily, and effectively. And her parents would never know, which means they won’t throw her out and cut her off like they’d always threatened if she got herself knocked up. But an easy decision becomes difficult when Maggie’s aunt discovers her secret and sets out on a mission to stop the abortion, putting a kink in Maggie’s plan. Now Maggie must decide which choice she can live with: abortion or teenage motherhood. Either way, it’ll be a tough road to travel.

Here's an excerpt!

Lauren stared at Maggie with wide eyes. “Pregnant? You’re flipping pregnant?”

Apparently, the word “flipping” was supposed to convey the substantial amount of shock Lauren had for the bomb Maggie had dropped. It worked. Maggie wished she had such a word to use herself. But she needed something stronger.

“No. I’m late.” Maggie tried to convince herself it was just a fluke. That she was late due to the stress her mother continually heaped on her or the new year of school starting, but the possibility she might be pregnant scared her to death. Still, she tried to keep her head.

Lauren wriggled like a worm on a hook. Being calm was not her forte. “Holy pig snot! That first day of school!” her voice trailed off.

“What?”

“When you were looking at your calendar and got all weird and sick looking.”

“Yeah, so?”

“That’s when you figured it out, isn’t it?”

The thought sucked Maggie back into that disgusting, dirty bathroom where she counted and recounted the days on her calendar realizing she had skipped her period that month.

“Yeah, but I could just be late,” she said hopefully. “The stress of school starting and all. I’m just late.” More than anything, she wanted this to be true, but the view of the calendar in her mind grated on her stability until it was a flaky pile, blown away with one wisp of breath.

“You trying to convince me or you?” Maggie shot Lauren a narrow-eyed glare.

“Well, did you and Mr. Justin Davis use… you know,” Lauren asked, tucking her arms across her chest. She hated when Lauren called him that.

“What?”

She leaned in and whispered it like a dirty word. “Protection?”

Thinking back, Maggie couldn’t remember. Playing that night over in her head a thousand times made the details a little fuzzy. “Yeah. I think so.”

“You think so, meaning you may not have?”

Maggie leaned back against the bed. She shook her head. “No, I’m sure we did. I made sure.”

“Mags! If you were drunk, how would you know? You were drunk, right? Please tell me you were drunk.”

“Not every time. I’d know, right? I’m sure we did. We had to.” They had used something, hadn’t they? Suddenly the purple butterflies clinging to Lauren’s walls flew at her as the room spun. Maggie choked down the bile rising in her throat and breathed deeply to steady the quivering of her lips.

“Well, if you did, it didn’t work, and if you didn’t, you’re an idiot.” Lauren slapped a hand over her own mouth. “Sorry, I didn’t mean that.” (C) J Andersen 2012

At What Cost is available from all good etailers including: Amazon.com and Barnes and Noble

Guest Blogger - Georgia Hill

Welcome a wonderfully talented writer and E-Scape Press author, Georgia Hill.

Here's some more about her.

After teaching for twenty years, Georgia decided to take a leap of faith and leave the chalk face to write. Her books reflect her interests: the theatre, Jane Austen, intriguing men, rural life and all things romantic. ‘Love’s As Easy As ABC’ is not at all based on her school experiences! She lives with her long-suffering husband, two naughty spaniels and a ghost called Zoe in a converted hop-kiln.

Her new release is called Love's as easy as ABCHere's the blurb!

Blurb: All Laura wants to do is begin her teaching career and forget her troubled past. After what she’s been through, she wants little to do with men, especially charming but untrustworthy fellow teacher Miles. When his coolly confident older brother is taken on as Deputy Head however, Laura has to reassess who she is and what she really wants. Has she the strength of character to recover her lost confidence - and will she ever find true love with the right man?

If you liked ‘In a Class of His Own’, you’ll love this sort of sequel.

And a taster!

All surroundings melted away. As if in a dream she watched him walk slowly down the steps towards her. In the distance she could hear the count down to midnight. It was nearly the New Year. Time for a new her. For a new start.

‘Oh I …’ she began and then all speech stopped. In the silvered light he appeared colourless, monochromatic. Then, as he neared, she saw his eyes. They blazed a hot blue which began an insistent rhythm in her heart. An invisible thread pulled her to him …

You can get your copy from AMAZON UK and AMAZON.COM

Guest Blogger - Tanya Eavenson

I'm pleased to introduce Tanya, a fellow Astraea press author to you, to tell us about her latest release.

Tanya Eavenson and her husband have been in the ministry for fifteen years teaching youth, adults, and counseling. Tanya enjoys spending time with her husband, and their three children. Her favorite pastime is grabbing a cup of coffee and reading a good book. Tanya is a member of American Christian Fiction Writers and writes for Christ to the World Ministries sharing the Gospel around the world. You can find her on Twitter at @Tan_eave and contact her at her website WEBSITE Want to learn more about writing? Stop by her BLOG

1. When did you first discover that you were a writer?

I’m not sure when it happened really, but it took longer than most. See, I never intended to be a writer, it just happened when my husband left for a mission trip. Then in 2011 Unconditional semi-finaled in the ACFW Genesis contest. I still didn’t believe I was really a writer but I keep plugging away, learning the craft. It wasn’t even when I signed my first contract. It happened when my husband told me he was proud of me and that I trusted God and never looked back. That’s when I became a writer and an author at the same time.

2. Describe how you write a book – with your other responsibilities, does it tend to be something you work into your every day, or do you have to “set apart” time to write with open, undesignated blocks of time?

As a writer, I heard time and time again that I needed to write every day to be successful. I used to beat myself up when I couldn’t meet that goal. It took two years fighting with this idea when I finally gave up. So I decided to do something different, I set a word count goal each week, and it’s worked. Some weeks I write 3,000 words and others 7,000 depending on what’s going on during the week. Flexibility is the key for my writing success.

3. Tell us the range of the kinds of books you enjoy reading.

I love to read non-fiction that dives into God’s word. Next would be historical fiction.

4. How do you keep your sanity in our run, run, run world?

I’m still learning. =)

5. How do you choose your characters’ names?

I choose names that I’ve always liked. I remember being in middle school and picking out the names my children would have one day. And yes, I did actually name my youngest child one of those names, and that name is my heroine in my novel Unconditional.

6. What is the problem with writing that was your greatest roadblock, and how did you overcome it?

My greatest roadblock, and one I still face today, is being afraid of making mistakes for people to see. Most of the time I overcome it by praying, but it runs deep, so it’s a struggle.

7. Tell us how much of yourself you write into your characters.

I’d have to say that every character has a piece of me within them whether it’s something the character likes, a physical attribute, or even a journey of spiritual growth. There’s a scene in the novel where Elizabeth and Chris head out to the lake. Elizabeth tries to hold onto the dock, but is unable and the boat floats away. When I thought to add that scene, I could only laugh. It was the first time I’d ever tried to use a trolling motor.

8. Tell us about Unconditional and what inspired you to write the story?

What inspired me? Brokenness I guess you could say. Brokenness for families, children, and what happens when couples divorce.

I grew up in a family were divorce is common, like most people today, with the idea once you “fall” out of love, and you can’t get along anymore, it’s time to get a divorce. It was almost engraved in me witnessing everyone in my family get divorced one time or many times. I, too, almost went down that route with divorce papers in hand. I told myself many things at the time, but the truth. I was focused on our failures, not the hope that with God, all things are possible. The question was, were we willing to save our marriage at all costs? Would we fight for each other, whether we felt like it or not?

It is my hope through this story, that no matter the circumstances the reader is facing, a loss of a child, anger, emotional hurt, infidelity, abandonment, etc., they will know there is hope in Christ.

Here is the blurb for Unconditional.

He will fight for her at any cost…

Elizabeth Roberts can't remember her past, and the present is too painful. She turns to nightclubs and drinking to forget her infant daughter's death, her husband's affair.

When his wife's coma wiped out the memory of their marriage, Chris Roberts found comfort elsewhere. He can't erase his betrayal, but with God's help he’s determined to fight for Elizabeth at any cost.

She wants to forget. He wants to save his marriage. Can they trust God with their future and find a love that’s unconditional?

Here is an excerpt from Unconditional.

Chapter One

Elizabeth pushed herself up from the bed. Her gaze swept the dark room and fixed on the hall nightlight. Her hand grazed over her husband’s shoulder when a thought gripped her. Katherine. The baby monitor stood silent. Darkness shrouded the red and green lights that indicated movement.

Her chest tightened. She hurled the covers away and leapt to the floor. Panic made her clumsy as she rushed to her daughter’s room. She lunged over the crib. No sound. No movement. Not even a stirring of air from her tiny nostrils.

“Katherine!” Elizabeth snatched her daughter from the mattress. The infant drew a heavy breath as her eyes flung wide open.

Lord, what’s happening?

Elizabeth’s bare feet pounded the cold tile as she ran back to her husband.

“Chris, wake up! Katherine quit breathing again!”

Chris rubbed his eyes and scowled. “What is it?”

“We need to take Katherine to the hospital. She stopped breathing.”

He studied their child. “She seems to be breathing now. Are you sure?”

“Of course, I’m sure.”

“She’s fine.” Chris fell back against the pillow.

“Please—”

“We don’t have the money to take her to the hospital when there’s nothing wrong with her.”

“But there is. She stopped breathing.”

He sat back up. “You’ve been worried about her since before she was born. You’re all worked up because she hasn’t rolled over yet. The doctor said that’s normal for being early.”

She’s called a preemie. She glared into his eyes. “If you were home more often you’d know she’s not fine.”

“I’m home, Elizabeth, and she’s fine.”

Heat flushed her cheeks as tears filled her eyes. “I’m scared. Can’t you see that? I need you to pray for our daughter. I need you to hold me and tell me everything will be all right.”

“Look, she’s sleeping.” His voice softened as his hand ran down her thigh. “Come to bed.”

“How can you care so little? I’m worried about our baby.”

Chris’s hand dropped to the sheets. “Shut the door when you leave.” He turned away from her.

Elizabeth stood for a moment unable to speak. With their baby in her arms, she slowly closed the door behind her and sank her teeth into her lip to keep from crying. If tears came, it would be for her daughter, not for the stranger in her bed.

(C) Tanya Eavenson 2013 Available fromAMAZON US and AMAZON UK and all other good e-tailers

Guest Blogger - Laura Hamby

I'm thrilled to have Laura as my guest blogger today. She is a dear friend, one of my go to beta readers having been my former editor at Moonlit Romance and she is a wonderful writer. Her latest release is Footprints in the Snow

Footprints in the Snow...A heartwarming collection of three historical romance Christmas novellas.

In Unexpected Christmas Gift, Rita Andrews awaits Vincent Lewis’s return from serving in the Pacific during the long years of World War II.

The Greatest Gift of All brings Jeptha, ‘Jep,’ Cullen and Abigail Hardwick together in a rough mining town in the territory of Colorado at Christmastime 1865. Both have left their lives behind and now unexpectedly find themselves facing their hard existence together.

Hannah Kelsey, now orphaned by the War Between the States, waits patiently for news of her lone, surviving brother. A life that has been anything but easy is made more complicated by the Yankee soldier she finds lying in front of her cabin a few days before Christmas, 1864. Together, Hannah and her soldier, Jeff Steffend, each find a little bit of Christmas Grace.

Here's a little taster from The Greatest Gift of All

Chapter One Snow fell softly over the sleepy little town tucked into the foothills of the Rocky Mountains. Where no horse-pulled wagons slogged through the mud, the snow created a pristine blanket of sparkling white that spread from the upper elevations clear to the valley floor. Most folks had the sense to stay home. A few who lacked the brains God had bestowed on a barnyard pig stubbornly insisted upon guzzling the proceeds of their latest mining ventures, content to stay in the drafty old saloon, drinking themselves warm with rot-gut whiskey. Others were just passing through the bar, on their way elsewhere, using the place as a shield from the unrelenting wind that blew the snow horizontally.

Winter of eighteen hundred and sixty-five promised to be a cold, miserable affair, and it was just getting started. Christmas wasn’t too far off, not that many in this rough-and-tumble Colorado mountain town would observe it or even acknowledge the day.

It had been too long since Christmas had visited an unfractured United States of America, and while the War Between the States had officially ended, the schism separating ideologies still ran wide, deeply felt. The pain still resonated in Cullen family, so much so, Jeptha elected the wilderness of Colorado Territory, rather than hearth and home the Tennessee mountains. Here, in this tiny Colorado boomtown improbably named Falling Gold, he at least had the familiarity of mountains around, even if they were the wrong mountains. The watered down whiskey served in the Hangman’s Noose Saloon eased his pain, if only just a little.

“We don’t serve wimmens in this here establishment, missy. You don’t belong to be here when you should likely be home tendin’ your young and caterin’ to your husband.”

The audible click of a gun being readied echoed off the thin and weathered slabs that pretended to be walls. “I believe I ordered a damned glass of whiskey, and not from the watered down bottle. I want you to open a new bottle, right here before my very eyes.”

“You ain’t got no call to pull your gun on me. What kind of young lady are you?” Oily sweat glistened on the beanpole bartender’s forehead as his nasal voice pitched higher in his dismay.

“I ain’t no young lady, your mistake thinking I am. Where the hell is my drink?”

“I don’t care if you shoot me right between the eyes, missy. I don’t serve no wimmens, no hows, no ways. Now scoot on home. Bet yer man is looking for ya, and if he has a lick of sense, he’ll wallop some manners into ya.”

Jep hid his grin at the rash of off-color words that streamed from the filthy munchkin’s mouth that brought a look of aghast horror to Beanpole’s face.

“Here now, there ain’t no call for such language, even in this sorry gin-soaked joint. I got standards.”

“Barkeep.” Jep’s quiet baritone gained him the nervous bartender’s attention. “Pour me three fingers of whiskey in two glasses, would you?”

Absentmindedly, the barkeep did just that. Jep relished the look of sheer consternation on the man’s face when he stabbed a finger in the woman’s direction, then crooked it in the age-old order to “come here.”

“She with you?” Beanpole demanded after he’d picked his jaw up from the dirty plank floor. “If she ain’t with you, I’m takin’ that second drink back.

“She’s with me,” Jep confirmed. He handed the filthy glass to her when she came to stand at his side.

“What’s ‘er name, if she’s with you?” Suspicious, the bartender fixed hostile, bloodshot eyes on them.

Jep shrugged one shoulder with a negligence he’d learned to display during the time he’d spent fighting his kinfolk during the War. “Picked her up on the trail. Call her ‘Girl.’ She answers to it, don’t need any better than that.”

Unconvinced, Beanpole wiped the sticky counter top with a rag that had once been white. “What’s ‘is name, missy?”

She slapped the glass to the counter. “Major. His rank in the Army. Got a problem with that?”

Beanpole grunted. “Huh. Guess you is capable of showin’ a bit of respect. Now you’re done, I’d be obliged if you both left. And don’t come back none. I don’t need your kind here, missy. Business ain’t so bad I have to tolerate the likes of you. Sorry, mister. Maybe it would be worth it to you to keep a tighter line on her, eh?” She tried to shrug Jep’s hand off her shoulder when he clasped it through the meager coat she wore against the cold. That only encouraged him to push his other hand against the small of her back to urge her out of the dubious protection of the saloon, into the storm.

“You can let go of me now. Thanks for the drink.” She dug into her pocket and found a nickel. Perhaps she shouldn’t have wasted that nickel on the whiskey that now sat sourly in her stomach, but damned if she’d craved the liquor more than food. It at least gave her the illusion of being warm, if only for a few mean seconds.

“Keep it, keep going, before he notices we left without paying.”

“Oh, ho!” The wind snatched her words almost before she’d uttered them.“Look, I’m real grateful and all for the drink, you running interference with ol’ Sourpuss back there in the saloon, but my gratitude has limits.”

They walked silently for quite a while, through a night too cold to snow. Part of what would’ve been a full moon had the clouds cleared enough, beamed through some thinning clouds. Up and up they went. The trees grew tall and thick, sentinels that loomed overhead in silence. At last, Jep stopped before a cabin well-nestled into the towering trees.

“It’s not much, but for now, it’s home,” he told her. The room they entered was dark until Jep lit the candle. A tiny potbellied stove stood in the corner, colder than the ice that coated the inside of the window.

(C) Laura Hamby 2012 You can get Footprints in the Snow from AMAZON or Smashwords

Catch up with Laura at Her website where you'll find a free read or stop by Her blog

Laura also provides free promo for fellow authors Check it out

Guest Blogger - Keira Kroft

A warm welcome to my guest Keira Kroft.

Here is Keira's bio - Keira carries a vet assistance degree. Her love for animals is as great as her love of people. She gives a percentage of her personal book sale profits to the animal welfare league. Residing in a quiet suburb in the outskirts Chicago with her husband and daughter she spends any spare time she has working with her cats Scamper and Sawyer, to achieve total world domination, one shared Twinkie at a time. Her passions include Reading, Writing, Football, Comic Books and Family.

Here's the blurb for her latest release - Glow in the Dark

Women melt around smokin’ hot Chicago fire fighter Jake Gilroy like butter in a hot pan, getting him dubbed the clichéd and rather false moniker…“the ladies man”. Yet, he never had an interest in anyone, until he meets Corey. She’s different and doesn’t seem to be turning into a pool of goo around him. He wants her and must have her. But she is already taken so he can’t have her…can he?

At first Corey Nolan is resistant to Jake’s advances until a series of events proves that the love between her and her dead beat boyfriend have dissipated a long time ago. It’s then that she begins to think that she and Jake just might have a chance at something real. Until—it becomes clear that someone is stalking her and killing off the people she loves and that her need for Jake may be more than desire—it may be a matter of life and death...

An an excerpt!

Jake slid his fingers down her arm and across her wrist. A spark lit through her. She gasped and her gaze locked with his. She made no attempt to draw away. Corey couldn’t…she didn’t want to.

“How is it?” He glanced at her scraped and bruised elbow.

Coming out of the trance, she lifted her arm and showed him the slight injury. “Oh, it’s fine.”

“I would have been over sooner, but the other guys got you, and I didn’t want you to be overwhelmed.”

Corey couldn’t conjure up a response. What he said, and how he said it, turned her knees to jelly. She felt like the high school girl who was just noticed by the popular jock. She couldn’t stop staring at his soft, dark brown eyes, even though a sensible voice in her head told her to just walk away and forget him.

“I’m very sorry. But I really have to go.” She peeked around his massive chest to the men beyond. “It was so nice meeting you guys,” she called over, waving. She turned to pick up her bike, then pushed it along and hopped on.

“Stop by anytime,” she heard Jake yell behind her.

She smiled but didn’t turn around. Glancing at her watch, she’d realized she was supposed to have started her first day of work eight minutes ago. Fear made her pedal faster.

She hoped she hadn’t lost the job already. But what if she did? How would she pay rent? How would she feed Molly?

Glow in the dark is available from: Amazon.com as e book and also as a paperback. Perfect for Christmas for the keen romance reader!

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Guest Blogger - Carol Hedges

Carol Hedges is the successful author of 11 books for young adults and teenagers. Her writing has received much critical acclaim, and her books have been shortlisted for the Carnegie Medal and the Angus Book Award. At the beginning of this year,

Carol decided to become an Indie author, and has just published her firsrt YA novel, Jigsaw Pieces on Amazon Kindle. She is currently working on her next ebook, a Victorian detective novel, with werewolf.

Carol lives in Hertfordshire, with her husband, a pink 2CV, two cats and a lot of fish. She has one grown up daughter.

To celebrate the release of her latest novel, Jigsaw Pieces, Carol kindly agreed to allow me to interrogate, um, I mean interview her.

1. Most authors are also big readers. Do you read the same genre you write? and which book has influenced you most in your desire to be a writer?

I am a voracious reader - one of those who always has a stack of books by the bed - which follow me round the house. I don't read YA novels, actually I don't think of myself as a YA author, but as a writer of crime fiction that just happens to have teenagers as the main protagonists. I find it a bit tedious that we have to be categorised all the time! But I do read a lot of crime fiction and thrillers: Henning Mankell, Robert Harris are two favourites as well as Dickens ( well, he writes crime fiction, in a way). In answer to the last part of the question, I could give a frivolous answer and say Orlando the Marmalade Cat, as Kathleen Hale was the first author I borrowed from our tiny local library, when I was 6. The luscious illustrations and funny kittens were an early source of inspiration. Maybe that's why I have so many kittens on my Facebook page! Seriously though, I can't say one book has influenced me; I think the concept of THE BOOK is what inspires me and drives me to write.

2. Are you a plotter or a pantster when it comes to writing your books?

Because I write crime fiction, I have to be a bit of a plotter. I need to work out what the crime will be in advance, and who is the perpetrator. And I need to know how everything will end. Then I just fly by the seat of my pants, because it's more exciting that way. I always try to end a writing session on a cliff-edge, so that I return to a challenge. Being a pantster means that I'm open to new things happening, and I don't panic if the narrative starts veering off-course, because there is no course. Though there is an ultimate destination.

3. If you were giving a dinner party, which 4 fictional characters would you most like to invite and why?

Oh gosh, what a HARD question! Well, one of the guests would be Scarlett O'Hara from Gone With the Wind because she's the original Steel Magnolia, isn't she. And then, I'd invite Kurt Wallander, because his Swedish reserve would be an interesting contrast. My third dinner guest must be Scout from To Kill a Mockingbird because I just love the way she reacts to situations and people in Maycomb. My last guest? Ooh, pure indulgence: Mr Darcy from Pride and Prejudice. I adore a man with a crumbly interior. And a wet shirt - no no,wait, that's Colin Firth.

4. What are you working on next?

I'm on the final edits of an historical novel set in 1860. It's called Diamond Girl and is 'Victorian-lite' in that, although researched up to the brim, it's written in a fast-paced and (I hope) humorous style. It also pokes gentle fun at some of the Victorian novel cliches:the bumbling detective, the ragged crossing sweeper, the over-managing mother. Did I mention the werewolf? I hope to get it uploaded around Christmas.

Many thanks to Carol for stopping by today. Jigsaw Pieces is available from AMAZONUK

Here's the blurb!

‘He had been part of my everyday life. I hadn’t liked him much, nobody had liked him much, but he’d been there. Now, I’d never see him again.’ Annie Skjaerstad had been searching for her identity since being uprooted from her native country of Norway. With a spiky personality winning her no friends, and family members suddenly torn out of her life, she is left seeking comfort from a growing intrigue into the stories of fallen war heroes. But one day, a boy from her school unexpectedly commits suicide, changing things forever. Confused by the tragic tale of someone she knew, Annie soon finds herself conducting her own investigation into his death. What she uncovers will bring her to a dark and dangerous place, as suddenly – her own life is put at risk. A tense, coming of age crime thriller by the author of ‘Dead Man Talking’.