Readers Want to Know by Barbara Meyers, Giveaway

Romance Readers Want to Know Series on the J.Q. Rose Blog

Hello and welcome. I'm thrilled to be a guest at Penny Estelle's blog today talking about Childhood Experiences shaping our lives. After reading Barbara's guest post here and asking her questions, please hop on over to visit with Penny and me and leave a comment to win the drawing for an e-copy of  Deadly Undertaking. Thank you.

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Romance Readers Want to Know Series Guest-- Barbara Meyers

 On Thursdays the J.Q. Rose blog will feature a romance author who answers the most often asked questions from their readers. You will meet new writers or enjoy learning more about your favorite authors and their latest books. You can also take advantage of the opportunity to leave a question for the author. Prizes will be awarded to lucky commenters.

Please welcome our multi-published author, Barbara Meyers, who pens contemporary fun beach reads. Her books are great escapist fiction. You can enter to win a copy of her newly-released Fantasy Man by going to her blog post here and commenting. I think the title of her blog tells us a lot about Barbara's writing and outlook on life--Romancing the Funny Bone. 

Readers Want to Know by Barbara Meyers

Where do you get your ideas?

An idea can literally come from anywhere. It can be a snippet of conversation. A setting. Something you see. Something from your own personal experience. I started a book simply because a thirty-something friend shared a story about a date that went on longer than she expected. She said, “By then I’d used up all of my dating talking points.” I thought that was hilarious. There had to be a story there. I’m currently working on that one. Another idea came from walking in my neighborhood at night. I had a flashlight, but there is a woodsy section that is extra dark between streetlights. I thought “What if….” something rushed out of those woods and attacked? That story turned into one called Animal. Look for its release from Samhain Publishing spring 2017.

How many books have you written?

That’s always kind of a hard question to answer because readers don’t make a distinction between published books and unpublished ones. I’ve written more books than I’ve published, that’s for sure. But published? Two from Avalon; four self-published (one under my pen name AJ Tillock); six from Samhain Publishing. That’s twelve total with two more scheduled for release.

Are you the author? Did you write all these?

When I’m sitting behind a table with all my books on display and I’m asked something along these lines, it makes me smile. Yes, I am the author. Yes, I did write all these books.

About Barbara:

Barista by day, romance novelist by night:  When not writing

Author Barbara Meyers

fiction, Dr. Seuss-like poetry (for adults) or song lyrics, Barbara Meyers disguises herself behind a green apron and works part-time for a world-wide coffee company.

Her novels are a mix of comedy, suspense and spice and often feature a displaced child.

Barbara is still married to her first husband, has two fantastic children and one almost perfect dog.  Originally from Southwest Missouri, (she blames her roots in the Show Me state for her somewhat skeptical nature) she currently resides in Central Florida.

Connect online with Barbara Meyers:

Web Site:  http://www.barbarameyers.com 
Blog: http://barbmeyers.wordpress.com/blog/
Facebook Author Pages: https://www.facebook.com/BarbaraMeyersAuthorPage
https://www.facebook.com/AJTillock/?ref=tn_tnmn
Samhain Author Page:  
https://www.samhainpublishing.com/author/210/barbara-meyers 
Amazon Author Page:  http://amazon.com/author/barbarameyers
Pinterest:  https://www.pinterest.com/barbmeyers1/
Goodreads:  https://www.goodreads.com/barbmeyers   

Twitter: @barbmeyers and @ajtillock  

Twitter URL:  https://twitter.com/barbmeyers

Draft2Digital:  http://books2read.com/author/barbara-meyers/subscribe/1/33163/

Fantasy Man by Barbara Meyers
Spicy romance
One lie of omission could turn her wildest dream into a world of hurt.

FANTASY MAN BUY LINKS

Samhain:  https://www.samhainpublishing.com/book/5708/fantasy-man

Amazon:  http://www.amazon.com/Fantasy-Man-Barbara-Meyers-ebook/dp/B016XTOR2I/ref=sr_1_3?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1445707279&sr=1-3&keywords=barbara+meyers

All Romance Ebooks: https://www.allromanceebooks.com/product-fantasyman-1918851-149.html

Barnes&Noble:  http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/fantasy-man-barbara-meyers/1122833111?ean=9781619231719#productInfoTabs

Kobo:  https://store.kobobooks.com/en-us/ebook/fantasy-man-8

ITunes: https://itunes.apple.com/us/book/fantasy-man/id1051199236?mt=11

Goodreads Link: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/27304311-fantasy-man

Go to Barbara's blog to enter to win an e-copy of her newly-released Fantasy Man. 

You're welcome to ask Barbara a question about her writing. Leave a comment below with your question or just say hi. Thank you.

Seeds of Inspiration Event: Romance Author Helena Fairfax and Giveaway

On this lovely May Day, please welcome my friend and romance author Helena Fairfax to the Seeds of Inspiration Event. Helena is graciously giving away her sweet romance, The Silk Romance, to a lucky commenter this week. Thank you, Helena.

Helena Fairfax was born in Uganda and came to England as a child. She’s grown used to the cold now and that’s just as well, because nowadays she lives in an old Victorian mill town in Yorkshire, right next door to windswept Brontë country. She has an affectionate, if half-crazed, rescue dog and together they tramp the moors every day—one of them wishing she were Emily Brontë, the other vainly chasing pheasants. When she’s not out on the moors you’ll find Helena either creating romantic heroes and heroines of her own or else with her nose firmly buried in a book, enjoying someone else’s stories. Her patient husband and her brilliant children support her in her daydreams and are the loves of her life.

Find Helena online--

Helena's blog 

Goodreads

Facebook    

Twitter @helenafairfax

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My inspiration: Kaye Webb and Puffin Books for Children

by Helena Fairfax

I’ve chosen as my inspiration a lady called Kaye Webb, who was editor of Puffin Books – a British imprint for children’s books – during my childhood in the sixties and seventies.

Helena's Puffin Books Collection

When Kaye Webb took over at Puffin Books, the imprint had only 151 titles. By the end of Kaye Webb’s tenure she had brought out over a thousand more titles, including picture books and a range aimed at teenagers. She also founded the Puffin Book Club for children – of which I was a proud member, with my own badge :) – and the club is still going today.

I can’t tell you how much Puffin Books meant to me as a child growing up. I still have my favourite, battered copies in a bookcase in my study. You only have to look at the covers to know that these books were filled with magical worlds that transported me far from the cares of home and school. Kaye Webb was one of the first ever editors to realise the importance of writing for children, and she made the authors she published, and their stories, into household names.

There are so many Puffin Books that still stick in my mind today, it’s hard to pick out just a few. The classic Stig of the Dump, by Clive King; Watership Down, by Richard Adams; all the books by Leon Garfield and Joan Aiken, which I loved. Noel Streatfield, Laura Ingalls Wilder - the list goes on and on.

Puffin books are filled with adventure. They are positive stories in which compassionate people triumph, and good always overcomes evil. The stories resonate with children, because they present a world so unlike the world many of us grow up in – that is, a world in which all ends as it should. Kaye Webb was a firm believer that if more children read books, the world would be a better place. Her Puffin books were certainly the mainstay of my childhood, and reading them inspired me to become a writer.

Thanks so much for having me today, JQ. It’s been so much fun going through my old Puffin books!

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Contemporary sweet romance

My first novel, The Silk Romance, is a contender for the Joan Hessayon Award for New Writers. The award will be presented at the Romantic Novelists’ Association Summer Party in London on 22nd May.

Back Cover

Jean-Luc Olivier is a devastatingly handsome racing-driver with the world before him. Sophie Challoner is a penniless student, whose face is unknown beyond her own rundown estate in London. The night they spend together in Paris seems to Sophie like a fairytale—a Cinderella story without the happy ending. She knows she has no part in Jean-Luc’s future. She made her dying mother a promise to take care of her father and brother in London. One night of happiness is all Sophie allows herself. She runs away from Jean-Luc and returns to England to keep her promise.

Safely back home with her father and brother, and immersed in her college work, Sophie tries her best to forget their encounter, but she reckons without Jean-Luc. He is determined to find out why she left him, and intrigued to discover the real Sophie. He engineers a student placement Sophie can’t refuse, and so, unwillingly, she finds herself back in France, working for Jean-Luc in the silk mill he now owns.

Thrown together for a few short weeks in Lyon, the romantic city of silk, their mutual love begins to grow. But it seems the fates are conspiring against Sophie’s happiness. Jean-Luc has secrets of his own. Then, when disaster strikes at home in London, Sophie is faced with a choice—stay in this glamorous world with the man she loves or return to her family to keep the sacred promise she made her mother.

The Silk Romance is available from all major e-book retailers, and also from the MuseItUp Publishing bookstore

Please leave a comment for a chance to win the e-book. Were you inspired by books you read as a child? What is your favorite book from your childhood?

A Bit of Irish Music from Pat McDermott's The Rosewood Whistle

Welcome Pat McDermott, author of delightful, warm and witty Irish tales. 

The Rosewood Whistle is a true romance and takes place in such a romantic setting, Ireland. I'm sure you will fall in love with this story just as I did.--J.Q. Rose

I’m delighted to be visiting your beautiful, rosy blog again, J.Q. Thanks so much for having me back! Western Ireland is the setting for my latest release, an adult contemporary romance called  The Rosewood Whistle, a tribute of sorts to Ireland's traditional music. The story is told through the budding relationship of a man and woman given a second chance at love.

I had fun with this one. Each chapter title contains a phrase from an old Irish song I learned as a kid growing up on Mission Hill, an Irish section of Boston.

Like many immigrants, the Irish who emigrated to America helped keep their homeland alive through music. During the 1940s, 50s, and 60s, Irish records grew amazingly popular, especially in New York and Boston. My family wasn’t the only one playing those magical little 45s until they wore out. Almost every flat in my neighborhood’s three-decker homes had music blasting from open windows.

Irish music has it all: ghosts and romance, rebellions and outlaws, drinking and sea songs, death, emigration, and lullabies. No one needs to know the songs (or even be Irish) to enjoy The Rosewood Whistle, though it’s fun if you do. And no worries if you can't guess which tunes I used. I added a list the end of the book. So stop by the pub in the Excerpt below!

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Back of the Book:

Surrounded by Ireland’s music and myths, a widowed American writer meets a tour guide leery of love…

On her own at the end of a long and difficult marriage, Gemma Pentrandolfo still hears the critical voice of her husband taunting her from his grave. To foster her independence, she schedules a summer vacation in County Mayo intending to write her first book, and she’s counting on Ireland for inspiration. An idea presents itself when she tours Achill Island with a silver-tongued tour guide whose good looks prompt her to write more than her high-minded novel: she transcribes her years of longing in a steamy fantasy no one is meant to see.

Years have passed since an accident claimed the self-absorbed wife who scorned Ben Connigan and his music. Since then, the former tin whistle ace has avoided marriage, though he never lacked for female companionship before he traded his high-tech career for the slow-paced life of a hometown tour guide. Ben has accepted the end of his run of discreet affairs, until he takes Gemma touring. Her passion for Ireland impresses him. Her love of Irish music soon compels him to dust off his whistles. Knowing she’ll leave at the end of the summer, he sees no harm in keeping her company—until he dares to dream of spending the rest of his life with her.

But he knows it can’t be, not while the ghosts of their partners still haunt them. Not unless the music and myths of Ireland can help them find their way…

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Excerpt:

Scully tapped his arm. "Go buy her a drink, Ben."

"What?"

"You're staring at her like she's one of them feckin' U F of Os."

"She's windin' your clock, Big Ben," said Tom. "Be said and led by me: paddle the wave when it comes along. Buy the woman a bloody drink."

A vigorous nod bespoke Scully's agreement. "At least give her your business card. She's a Yank. Probably wants to see the sights. Trace her roots and all that shite."

Ben raised a hand. "Back off. I need no advice from a pair of henpecked husbands wearing their wedding rings through their noses."

Undaunted, Scully and Tom tilted their drinks to their smirking mouths. The gleam in their eyes dared Ben to act. Despite their jowls and glasses, they might have been fifteen again.

He wasn't about to reveal the incident with the hose to these two. They didn't have to know he only meant to apologize, not initiate farcical courtship rituals.

So why did a pendulum swing in his chest, its speed increasing with every stroke?

Something to do with her drenched blouse and pants. Would she remember him? Accuse him and his garden hose of lewd behavior? He swallowed a mouthful of beer and wiped his hand across his lips. The pendulum slowed. Aware of the eyes digging into his back, he kicked himself out of his chair and swaggered to her table.

She read her menu through little gold glasses. Tiny laugh lines enhanced her eyes and her curving lips. No lipstick. Ben liked that. She held the one-page card in her long slender fingers. No nail polish.

No paint nor powder, no none at all…

And no wedding ring. Scully was right about that at least.

She frowned at the menu as if she couldn't decide what to order. He thought he might suggest the soup, or perhaps the fish and chips, or maybe…

He'd reached the chair where she'd laid her coat. She sensed him there, for she looked up. Eyes as brown as Belgian chocolate widened in surprise. Her mouth fell open; her cheeks turned crimson. No doubt about it, she knew him. Now what?

Fortune favors the bold, and all. Exploiting her befuddlement, he pounced. "We haven't been properly introduced. I'm Ben Connigan. Might I sit?"

Her eyes returned to their normal size; the red in her cheeks softened to a tea rose hue. She slipped off her glasses and smiled at him, and his heart flopped like a fresh-caught trout.

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The Rosewood Whistle is available on Kindle and in paperback from Amazon U.S. and Amazon U.K

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About Pat:

Boston, Massachusetts native Pat McDermott writes romantic action/adventure stories set in an Ireland that might have been. Glancing Through the Glimmer and its sequel, Autumn Glimmer, are young adult paranormal adventures featuring Ireland’s mischievous fairies. Both books are “prequels” to her popular Band of Roses Trilogy: A Band of Roses, Fiery Roses, and Salty Roses. The Rosewood Whistle is her first contemporary romance.

Pat is a member of the New Hampshire Writers’ Project, Romance Writers of America, and Celtic Hearts Romance Writers. Her favorite non-writing activities include cooking, hiking, reading, and traveling, especially to Ireland. She lives and writes in New Hampshire, USA.

Connect online with Pat:

Pat’s Web Site:

Pat McDermott Author Facebook Page

Twitter:

Spotlight on New Christmas Story Released Today: The Unwanted Christmas Guest by Penny Estelle

Welcome, Penny Estelle to the J.Q. Rose blog!  

Congratulations on your release today of your first Christmas story. The Unwanted Christmas Guest is a contemporary romance. Can't wait to hear all about it!

A contemporary romance just in time for Christmas

I can’t tell you how excited I am that my very first ever Christmas story is being released today.  The Unwanted Christmas Guest is a story about Elizabeth McMurphy, an up and coming high powered attorney, who is after vengeance.  Her sights are set on one of the richest and most powerful families in Colorado. Steve York is an obnoxious reporter that thinks the ice queen has gone too far and does all he can to get under her skin.

When one of the worst blizzards in history, hits Colorado and leaves a hurt Steve York, stranded with Elizabeth in a mountain cabin, she must decide to either take care of him, or throw him out to fend for himself.

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Excerpt

“What’s going on here? Where the hell are my pants?”

      Elizabeth practically jumped out of her skin. Steve stood in the bedroom doorway, wearing only some tight fitting pink sweats.

“I found you after your car went nose to nose with a tree.” She crossed her arms. “The question is, what were you doing up here in a snowstorm? Were you coming up here to spy on me?”

      “Jesus, my head hurts.” Steve groaned and sat at the kitchen table. “And don’t flatter yourself.” He brought up his hands to rub his eyes and push on his temples. He started to say something when a giggle and a round of undistinguishable sounds caught his attention. Steve stared at the little girl, a whisper of a smile on his pale face. “You have a daughter?”

      She chose to ignore the question. “Again, Mr. York, you were headed…where?”

      “I was going to see some friends in Granby, then on to Steamboat to spend the holidays with my family.”

      “You figured on taking a short cut on Badger Springs Road?”

      “Basically,” he muttered. “I had a phone in my pants pocket…” Steve looked down at the pink sweats. “Yours, I presume?” At her nod, he asked with a smirk, “And you’re the one that took my clothes off?”

      “Junior, my neighbor.”

      “If you’ll allow me to use your phone, I’ll call Triple A and get myself and my car out of your life.” He reached over to Katy and she latched onto his finger, the brightest smile ever illuminating her sweet face.

Elizabeth quickly picked her up, as if he would contaminate her by his touch.  “Phones are out.”

      “Internet?”

      “Nope.”

      “How the hell do you live here?” he asked irritably.

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Please find The Unwanted Christmas Guest and my other stories at my  MuseItUp Publishing author page.

Feel free to stop by and check out my other stories and/or leave me a message.  I love visitors!

www.pennystales.com

www.pennyestelle.blogspot.com

https://twitter.com/Pennystales

http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/5820078.Penny_Estelle

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http://www.amazon.com/Penny-Estelle/e/B006S62XBY