Welcome Guest Blogger: Paty Jeger

Nimiipuu clothing

My historical paranormal, Spirit of the Mountain is set among the Nez Perce (Or Nimiipuu as they call themselves) in the time before the White man encroaches on their land. To write this story I had to do a great deal of research into the way of life of this group of people. The more I studied them the more interested and excited I became to write a story about their life style.

In the 18th century when my first book takes place the Nimiipuu were dependent upon nature for their clothing. Garments were made from dressed hides and furs from mountain sheep, deer, elk, antelope, mountain goat, bison, wolf, bear, coyote, and smaller creatures. The clothing worn by the men were breech-cloths, double aprons, leggings poncho shirts, belts, robes, blankets, moccasins, mittens, neckpieces, and fur or animal head caps. The women wore belted dresses, long shirts, skirts, aprons, leggings, poncho shirts, blankets, knee-length moccasins, and mittens. The women also wore fez-shaped hats. These were made of twined grasses and hemp cordage in warm weather. Both sexes adorned their hair with fur strips in their braids. Boys and girls dressed much like their parents, and the younger children ran around in the warm weather with very little clothing.

Their daily clothing unless they were a headman, shaman, or warrior usually had little adornment. However for ceremonies they wore ornamented clothes decorated with polished elk's teeth, beads, discs of stone, bone or shell, dyed or natural-colored porcupine quills, feathers, beaver teeth, paint and any other material they could find that could be sewn on and make their clothing eye-catching.

I'm a historical writer first and foremost so I had to have this information before I felt comfortable writing this story. I tried to incorporate as much of the Nimiipuu way of life into the story as I could and keep the pacing moving forward. But the whole spirit faction of the story is made up. That is fictional and I hope I did justice to the spirit and the world of the Nimiipuu.

Blurb for Spirit of the Mountain
Wren, the daughter of a Nimiipuu chief, has been fated to save her people ever since her vision quest. When a warrior from the enemy Blackleg tribe asks for her hand in marriage to bring peace between the tribes, her world is torn apart.

Himiin is the spirit of the mountain, custodian to all creatures including the Nimiipuu. As a white wolf he listens to Wren’s secret fears and loses his heart to the mortal maiden. Respecting her people’s beliefs, he cannot prevent her leaving the mountain with the Blackleg warrior.

When an evil spirit threatens Wren’s life, Himiin must leave the mountain to save her. But to leave the mountain means he’ll turn to smoke…

Excerpt
Wren’s eyes glistened with unshed tears. “My gift is to save The People. The weyekin who came to me in my vision quest said this.” She wrapped her arms around herself as if staving off a cold breeze.
Himiin hated that they argued when they should relish their time together. He moved to her, drawing her against his chest, embracing her. The shape of her body molded to his. Her curves pressed against him. Holding her this way flamed the need he’d tried to suppress.
He placed a hand under her chin, raising her face to his. The sorrow in her eyes tugged at his conscience. To make her leaving any harder was wrong. But having experienced her in his arms, he was grieved to let her go. Even for the sake of their people.
Her eyelids fluttered closed. Her pulse quickened under his fingers. Shrugging off the consequences, he lowered his lips to hers. They were softer than he imagined. Her breath hitched as he touched her intimately. Parting his lips, he touched her with his tongue, wanting to see if she tasted as sweet as she smelled.
Honey.

This is the first day of my six day blog tour that includes a puzzle and a prize. Copy the puzzle piece in this post to a document and collect all the pieces at the blogs I visit. Then when you have them all, send them to me at patyjag@gmail.com and I'll put your name in the drawing for a copy of Spirit of the Mountain and other goodies. I'll draw the name and post it on my blog on Monday July 16th.

If you'd like to read more about me and my books or enter my website contest go to: http://www.patyjager.net

Rebecca, Thanks for having me!

Paty
************
Thanks, Paty, for being on my blog:)
&
Contest:
Anyone leaving comment here on this post and on my webpage contact form will be entered to win free pdf of Rebecca Savage book: rebeccasavage.com

Welcome Guest Blogger: Lara Hogg

"Why, My Love" out with Eternal Press romantic fantasy genre novel. Thanks,
Rebecca! -laura

About the book:
What will a queen do to win back her man and her country? Nayda, a warrior
queen, and her husband rule over a small kingdom in a post-apocalyptic world
doing the best they can to rebuild their city and bring prosperity to their
citizens.

A European queen visits and creates chaos. She goes to war with Nayda and
takes her crown, and, under strange circumstances steals her husband. Now
Nayda must return to her espionage ways. Her missions are extremely
dangerous, even more so than battle, where she can at least see the sword
coming.

Quotes:
³Well I don¹t know, honey. We could knock them off then you and I would be
prince consort and queen,²

³I¹m about to sacrifice my heart to my
people.²

³Look at me, Warrior Queen.²
She turned her head slowly, and she bore her gaze into his.
³Do not fight this war,² he said.

Excerpt:
³I thought I knew you, Jeff.² Her body turned cold, and she swooned
inwardly, not knowing who this stranger before her was. This was the biggest
disaster of her life.

Eternity seemed to be frowning on her. She imagined herself lying dead on
the ground with his sword in her chest, and she knew that part of her had
just died. She made an effort to steady her anxious breathing and calm her
trembling hands. Jeff lifted his sword and took a killing stance‹his feet
wider, his arms up in position. She gasped, and tears burned her eyes. With
practiced speed, she caught his blade on the downswing, with her own. It
rang out, and her heart pounded in its wreckage. Back and forth they swung,
and tears rolled down her cheeks.

He forced her back, her feet shuffling. She stumbled over a twig and fell on
her back. He bore down with vengeance, and she rolled away. His blade pinned
a long, brown braid to the leaves beneath it. She scampered up, missing the
braid, and was backed into a tree, and his blade came up and swished,
cracking the air with the sound of thunderous betrayal.

³Last request!² she shouted in utter desolation.

Steel stopped, its edge cutting her neck. Sticky blood inched down her skin.

He nodded once.
Buy link: http://www.eternalpress.biz/book.php?isbn=9781615721399
Contest: leave a comment here and on rebeccasavage.com webpage contact form and be entered to win Rebecca Savage book:)

Welcome Guest Blogger: Meg Benjamin:)

1. What do you write and why?
I mainly do contemporary stuff—even my paranormals and urban fantasy take place in the present time and in familiar places. Largely it’s because I like to feel like I know what I’m doing, and historical stuff takes a lot of research!
2. What do you read and why, especially if it's different from what you write?
I’m also a fan of contemporary romance, but I like thrillers, mysteries, and detective stories too. My favorite stuff has a touch of humor, like Jennifer Crusie and Susan Elizabeth Phillips among contemporary authors and Loretta Chase and Barbara Metzger among historicals. But mainly I love reading authors who really know what they’re doing—Nora Roberts, of course, but also writers like Eloisa James and Sarah Smith. People whose prose style is just a joy to read.
3. Who do write for?
So far I’ve published all my books with Samhain Publishing.
4. How long have you been writing?
It feels like forever, but it’s more like a decade! Before I retired, I was a college teacher, which meant I was mainly writing scholarly stuff and textbooks. But around ten years ago, I decided I really wanted to write fiction. It took me a while to understand how to go about it (I’ve got some real clunkers hidden away in my files), but I finally hooked up with Samhain in 2008.
5. How do you world build?
I start from the known. My four books for Samhain are all set in the Texas Hill Country, where I used to hang out a lot when I lived in Texas. I took elements of several small towns and created my own: Konigsburg. It should be recognizable, at least in part, to most people who have passed through the area.
6. How do you write: the process and atmosphere?
I don’t think you can be too picky about atmosphere—if you are, you’ll never get anything done! I usually start by working my way through some charts from Delilah Devlin’s plotting bootcamp (which I highly recommend for everybody). Then when I have a general idea of the way the plot’s going to go, I start in at the beginning and plow through until I come to the end. I like to go sequentially because I know I can always come back later and revise assuming I’ve got a story to work with.
7. How do you build characters and their personalities and looks?
Again, I use Delilah’s charts to get myself thinking about them. But I find they begin to develop as I write so I try not to tie myself down too much.
8. Tell me about some of your heroes and heroines:
My Konigsburg heroes so far (I hope the series can keep going) are four brothers: Cal, Pete, Lars, and Erik Toleffson. They’re all Iowa boys (like my own DH) who have moved to this small town in Texas. Cal is the hero of Venus In Blue Jeans, the original nice guy who falls hard for Docia Kent, a woman who’s not too sure she’s ready for a romance. Pete is the hero of Wedding Bell Blues, a born fixer who wants to make sure everybody gets what they should have, except that he doesn’t seem very good at getting what he needs for himself. He’s Cal’s best man and he falls for his female counterpart, Janie Dupree, a born fixer herself and Docia’s maid of honor. Then there’s Lars, an accountant who’s the hero of Be My Baby. He’s the father of a little girl and the survivor of a horrendous divorce. He becomes involved with his babysitter, Jess Carroll, who’s a woman with a lot of secrets. And finally, there’s Erik. His story, Long Time Gone, has just been released at Samhain. He’s the chief of police in Konigsburg, but he’s got a dark past as a bully and a petty criminal. That past starts to catch up with him, but not before he falls in love with a local winery owner, Morgan Barrett.
9. Are you a pantser or plotter?
Definitely a plotter. I like to figure out where I’m going in advance.
10. What's your WIP?
I have a couple of them. One, Medium Well, is a ghost story and mystery set in San Antonio. The other, Away, is an urban fantasy set in my new home in the foothills of the Colorado Front Range.
11. What's your latest release and tell me about it:
My newest release is Long Time Gone. Here’s the blurb:
A future with the woman of his dreams is within his grasp…if the past will stay that way.
Konigsburg, Book 4
Erik Toleffson wasn’t looking to become Chief of Police. He’s got enough trouble trying to rebuild his relationship with his three brothers who, until just recently, ran the other way when he approached. He’s not the bully they grew up with, but bad memories are tough to overcome.
Morgan Barrett is as worn out as a vat full of crushed grape skins. She never planned to run Cedar Creek Winery, but there’s no one else to shoulder the load as her father recovers from an injury. All she needs is a little sleep. Just a five-minute nap in the booth at the Dew Drop Inn…if that guy across the bar would stop staring at her as if putting her head down on the table is a crime.
After Morgan yawns in Erik’s face, there’s nowhere to go but up. With time, though, their relationship warms like a perfectly blended Bordeaux. Until the shady mayor digs into Erik’s past and dredges up information that could drive a permanent wedge between him and his brothers—and sour any chance of a future with Morgan.
Warning: Contains hot sex with mango sherbet, crooked politicians, yuppie bikers, Bored Ducks, and a Maine Coon Cat with attitude.
12. Anything from your personal life you'd like to tell us?
A year ago I moved from South Texas, where we’d lived for over twenty years, to the foothill suburbs of Denver. At the same time, I retired from my long-time job teaching writing and document design. It’s been quite an adjustment, but I really love my new home!

Welcome Guest Blogger: Raine Delight:)

1. What do you write and why?
Raine says: I write paranormal erotic romance right now. I love paranormal/urban fantasy books. The sky’s the limit in creating something fresh and unique in these genres. I am also writing my first non-erotic paranormal romantic comedy, which is something very different than I ever done before.  Having fun writing this one and then it’s onto space and my first M/M book

2. What do you read and why, especially if it's different from what you write?
Raine says: Oh god *thinks* I love to read, even cereal boxes. Lol Currently I am knee-deep in JR Ward’s Blackdagger Brotherhood series (Currently on Lover Avenged) and then I for a change of pace I love straight fantasy like Jim Butcher’s Codex Alera series or Gail Z. Martin’s necromancer series. I also read contemporary books like Debbie Macomber, Sherryl Woods or Susan Wiggs and for suspense-JD Robb all the way!

I like exploring different genres as it gives me time to relax from what I write day in, day out and a chance to enjoy some amazing authors I admire.

3. Who do write for?
Raine says: Currently I am with Aspen Mountain Press (www.aspenmountainpress.com) and The Wild Horse Press (www.The-Wild-Horse-Press.com)

4. How long have you been writing?
Raine says: Over five years and I had a few publishers close their doors while I was with them so for me, being with AMP for the last few years has been an amazing journey-one I am extremely grateful for.

5. How do you world build?
Raine says: Oh man, when I first started my Devon Falls Series it was to be just two stories. Then it snowballed as readers enjoyed the first two books and I ended up having to create a paranormal town with creatures, businesses and families/friends. I know have what is called a bible, where this entire plus notes for future books, for it. Otherwise I am mixing up eye, hair color and other items.  I first started with a scene/business (career) and build around it. Normally all my books (besides the sci fi one) is contemporary so I use what I know-small town, list how many businesses and make it general then expand it with different characteristics.

6. How do you write: the process and atmosphere?
Raine says: I normally put on ear buds, pop in a CD, open a word doc and go at it-no formatting or anything for one hour a day. I normally can write over 1k in that time and if particularly on a roll, more than 4k. I use music to help keep me focused as I write certain scenes as well. Many of my books mention what I listened to while writing it.

7. How do you build characters and their personalities and looks?
Raine says: I normally find out from them what they look like then once I begin writing them, they flesh out and their personalities come out. I had one hero (Michael from Moonlight & Magic-coming Oct. 2010) that hated that I made him a wimpy guy (a pansy he called himself) and refused to let me write anymore until I redeemed him to a more alpha male. *sigh*

8. Tell me about some of your heroes and heroines:
Raine says: I have a few heroes/heroines that just click like Jaxon and Rodrick of Haunting Magic. These two were hilarious, with their sniping at each other, the sparks that flew between them and the fact they both lusted for one another. It made writing their story pure fun. The hardest is Michael and Dixie in Moonlight & Magic. Michael is lonely and resigned to never having a family of his own-always wanders to some place new. Dixie longs for love and has trust issues. These two had to work extremely hard to be together and in the end, they find that home is where their hearts are.

9. Are you a pantser or plotter?
Raine says: Pantser all the way. I tried the whole plot things out angle and it just doesn’t work for me since my muse sends characters all over than what I wanted. LOL

10. What's your WIP?
Raine says: Currently I am on three deadlines from June to September for three manuscripts. Two which come out in October/December from Aspen Mountain Press and the third is for The Wild Horse Press.

Devon Falls 5: Moonlight & Magic
Release date-Oct. 15th-Aspen Mountain Press (www.aspenmountainpress.com)
Paranormal/Shifter Contemporary Erotic Romance

Tagline: Can a were-tiger convince one stubborn woman that she is his for all time and show her that falling in love is just as sinful as a chocolate kiss?

Blurb:

Dixie Sinclair has watched her cousins all fall in love and now she wants the same. Dared to go to the annual Masquerade ball, Dixie finds the one thing she desires: love…one problem…can she trust that it will last after that one night?

Michael Barnes is a rare white were-tiger who was thrown out of his pride long ago for a trumped up crime, Michael roams the world searching for the one place to call home. Finding that peace in Devon Falls, he finds the one woman who stirs him like no other. Can he convince Dixie that she can trust in him forever?

*~*
Devon Falls 6: Yuletide Magic
Release Date-Dec. 3rd, 2010
Paranormal Romance/Holiday (winter solstice)-Aspen Mountain Press

Tagline: The magic of the season brings together two unlikely people in Devon Falls.

Blurb:

Yule has always had Mandy Alexander in one tight knot as she tries to keep her neighbors from finding out that she is a practicing wiccan and to escape from the painful memories of the past. Escaping to Devon Falls for a Yule ritual among friends, she encounters Grady O’Neil, a man who calls to her in more ways than one. With the magic of the season around them, can Mandy let her heart trust Grady enough to let him show her the delights that love can give her?

*~*
Falling To Pieces
Release date TBD-The Wild Horse Press (www.The-Wild-Horse-Press.com)
Paranormal Romantic Comedy (non-erotic)
What do you get when you wake up and find your life has changed forever? That is what happens to Darius St. Cloud and frankly, he wished he never met that witch who just made him one of the walking undead. Add in renegade demon worshippers, a woman hell bent on helping him and a love that will take them to the edge of hell and back before all is said and done, Melinda and Darius will find that love indeed conquers all!

11. What's your latest release and tell me about it:
Raine says: my latest release was from 2009 and it has become my best selling book so far. Devon Falls 4: Haunting Magic is about a wolf shifter who finds his mate in the one woman he doesn’t want-or does he? A woman who tried to resist yet falls prey to the charms of the one man who stirs her like no other. Here is the official blurb of Jax and Rod’s story, now available at Amazon kindle, All Romance, AMP, 1Romance and other places:

Devon Falls 4: Haunting Magic
Paranormal/Shifter Erotic Contemporary Romance
Now Available
NOTE: The cover is awesome. I have to admit the artist Syneca at AMP outdid her with this one and is one readers’ seem to love-half naked man YUM!

Can a wolf shifter get his new found mate to heel or will she tame the wolf inside?
Rodrick Dracon is the twin heir to the Dragon Inn. When he finds himself longing for a mate after being footloose and fancy free, he finds himself drawn to the most obnoxious, brassy woman he has ever met: Jaxon Sinclair. She is the one woman who doesn't melt when he goes by or hangs on his every word. Jaxon is just aggravating and down right sexy as sin! Soon the sparks fly, passion goes into boiling and Halloween approaches. Can this wolf shifter get this woman to heel before the full moon? Will Jax turn the tables on this ladies man and tame the wolf?
A sneak excerpt:

The wind was blowing lightly, stirring up the leaves as she walked across the parking lot. The lights gleamed softly from the windows and Jax could see the people inside, enjoying the food and company they had. The smells were divine and had her stomach rumbling for something, anything as long as it wasn’t her cooking.
He looked even better close up though she damn well wasn’t going to tell him that. He had a swelled head as it was with all the honey bees that seemed to swarm all over him whenever he went out. She mentally tried to gather defenses up but it was hard lately whenever she was around him. If she didn’t know better, she would think she was in lust with Rodrick, impossible as it may seem, especially from the way the snipped at each other over the years. Shaking her head slightly, she felt his gaze move to her and his startled breath as she walked up to the porch, though that could have been a figment of her imagination.
“Hey Rod, slow night?” Jax asked, tried to keep her voice even and snarky. It was hard but as her eyes drank in the way his t-shirt molded his chest, she couldn’t help feeling that something was changing between them, something she was damn well not ready for or wanting for that matter.
Rod watched Jaxon Sinclair, the bane of his existence or so it was until a few months ago when he noticed the way her eyes flared with laughter, or the way her legs seemed to go on for miles in those short skirts she wore when she was at the Dirty Diamond. He didn’t know what changed between them but he was definitely feeling something for this pain in the ass female that seemed to call to him and the wolf within him howled as he watched those luscious legs walk over to him. “Yeah, seems everyone is getting ready for the Halloween costume dance tomorrow. What are you up to tonight? Dinner date?” Rod fairly growled the last part though he was surprised that the thought of Jax with another man had the wolf in him wanting to beat the man into submission.
“Was going to have dinner with Grady but he got short staffed and had to cover tonight. Just seeing if I can grab a take out from your mom.” Jax said as she marveled at how normal it was between them. Though she thought the hair on his arms bristled at the thought of her on a date though it probably was her imagination. Rod wasn’t interested in her, just the ones who wanted a good time and an easy lay.
Rod felt relieved that she wasn’t meeting anyone but was surprised all the same at the thought of her being alone tonight made him want to cuddle with her. Her eyes held faint purple shadows underneath and she looked like she hadn’t had a good nights rest in ages. “I am sure my mom would love to give you something since everyone knows you can burn water without trying.” The smile that tugged at his lips surprised him as he watched her eyes go a little wide then narrow in annoyance.
“What the hell would you know about cooking, you jackass? I bet you couldn’t make something if your life depended on it.” she said as her lips practically snarled at him. If she didn’t know better, she would have thought there was a smile lingering on his smug face.
“Oh, are you challenging me Jax? Can’t take the fact that I may actually know something you don’t? Want to take that to a test?” Rod felt a quickening in his blood that had him wondering if he was absolutely flaming insane. Why the thought of making dinner for her had him wanting something more and though if he had to say, he was enjoying the play of emotions on her face; it was fun to watch and damn it, he wanted to prove to her that he could actually do something besides what she thought he was: a playboy that flitted from woman to woman, though he was unsure why it mattered what she really thought of him. Needling her a little more just for the sake of being annoying, Rod leaned forward and stroked a finger down her nose and smirked a little as he said softly, “Afraid that maybe I can do something that will make you readjust your opinion of me?”



12. Anything from your personal life you'd like to tell us?
Raine says: I live with my own boytoy-yep makes me a cougar I guess-and my two kids in a small town that has one blinking stop light, is so quiet after 8 pm it is hilarious some nights and perfect to raise kids. 

Welcome Guest Blogger: Jennifer Johnson

Blurb:
Abigail
I’m Abigail Benton, and this is what my life has come to: babysitting after school hoodlums during the day and serving up artery-clogging breakfast food at night.
Are my parents getting their money’s worth for my college education? Doubtful.
Still, I’m determined to make the best of doing community service in inner-city Clavania. I’ve struck up a friendship with an intriguing homeless man named Eli, who smells like melted caramel and spends most of his time sweeping the community center parking lot.
He's the first homeless person I had ever met who smelled so good.
Come to think of it, Eli was the first homeless person I had ever met period.
When tension between rival gangs heats up and I get caught in the middle, Eli is the one who comes to my rescue. I want to help him get off the streets; he just wants me to stay out of trouble and leave him alone.
Why am I so drawn to him? Why do I want to be involved in fixing his life when I so desperately need to straighten out my own.

Eli

People here know me as Eli. I spend most of my days keeping the parking lot clean and watching people. Then one day Abigail Benton shows up and treats everything like a big joke. The hood is no place for little Miss Sunshine. I don't want her giving me vocational advice or making sure I've eaten supper. If she doesn't watch out, she's going to get herself killed.


Excerpt:


“You just don’t get it, do you?” Eli’s eyes had been roving all over the room. His question surprised me because I wasn’t even sure he had been listening to what I was saying.
“I don’t get what?”
“That this isn’t Kansas, Abigail. And you don’t have any ruby slippers to protect you. Those men will cut you. They’ll do things to you I don’t even want to think about. If you have to go to the center, fine. If you have to work at the shelter, do it. But don’t stop anywhere on the way and don’t linger in your duties, or you could end up in a bad way. A very bad way.” Eli had yet to make eye contact with me. He finished off the first sandwich, took the napkin from the table and wrapped it around the second one.
“I’m scared enough without your lecture. I do get it, okay?”
A smile quirked his lips. Raising his face, he studied my ceiling for a few seconds. Then his eyes finally settled on me. Hunger swirled in their dark depths, and not for food, for me.
My breath caught in my throat. The intense stare from his eyes struck me like lightning, and I felt tingling throughout my whole body. In a swift movement, he stood and the chair turned over. I stood as well. Stalking over to me, he stopped just shy of touching me. His breath warmed my cheek, the heat of his body radiated outward.
Was he going to kiss me? He moved so that his mouth was near my ear. The hair of his beard brushed my cheek. What was he waiting for? What was he going to do? What should I do? Little stars danced before my eyes, and I realized I was holding my breath. I willed myself to suck in some air, and when I did, my breasts touched his chest. There were barriers of clothing, but in that moment it didn’t matter. I knew the second he felt me, because his breath hissed.
“Good. I want you to be scared. I want you to get it. But I don’t think you do. The men at the shelter talk about you. They wonder what you taste like.” His low voice reverberated through me. He paused and let that bit of information sink in. My heart skipped a few beats. “You should stop making yourself so available,” he whispered before stepping away, picking up the paper wrapped food, shoving it in his pocket, and letting himself out of my apartment.


Coffee Time Review gave Holding Out for a Hero 4 coffee cups, its outstanding rating. Hollie writes, “Holding Out for a Hero is a heartwarming story showing that not only are there good people in this world but that the kids everyone has given up on can also be good if given a chance.”
Find the review here:
http://www.coffeetimeromance.com/BookReviews/holdingoutforaherjenniferjohnson.html

Holding Out for a Hero is published by Resplendence.
http://www.resplendencepublishing.com/m8_view_item.html?m8:item=197-200-101-463-1

It is available digitally at Amazon.com, Fictionwise.com, eBookwise, All Romance EBooks, and other digital retailers.

Want to learn more about Jennifer? Visit her website at
http://booksbyjenniferjohnson.com

or her blog at
http://jennfrancesca.blogspot.com/

Thanks!
PS :
CONTEST: anyone leaving a comment here and sending Rebecca Savage a message via the contact form on her webpage will be entered to win free pdp of Rebecca Savage book of your choice:)
rebeccasavage.com

Welcome Guest Blogger: Caroline Clemmons

Pets In Our Lives, Pets In Our Books

Rebecca, thanks for inviting me to be a guest on your blog!

Friends and I were talking recently, teasing one friend because in all her books either the hero or heroine has a dog. I like that, and books I write include pets. Showing a character that is sympathetic to cats or dogs adds a dimension to the person. A gruff man who befriends a scruffy dog lets the reader know that the tough guy is not as heartless as he wants others to believe. He has instantly become more sympathetic to readers. In the movie “Hang ‘Em High,” Clint Eastwood is introduced to the audience driving cattle across a river. He gets off his horse and wades back into the river (wearing chaps) to save a young calf. Fast on his heels is a posse ready to hang him. Because of his compassion, we know this man has to be a good guy.

A heroine with a pet comes across as kinder and more nurturing. This is, of course, if the pets are well cared for. I hate, hate, hate books where a pet dies. Remember THE YEARLING? OLD YELLER? No thanks! Don’t want to read it. Our family’s pets are all rescued animals that have become family members. I know their life span is shorter than ours but don’t want to be reminded when I’m reading for pleasure.

Pets don’t have to be cats or dogs. At a critique meeting once, I told my cp’s (critique partners) about my neighbor who raises beautiful rare hens. Yes, they are beautiful! Called blue-reds, they are rusty red with soft bluish wing and tail feathers. My citygirl cp thinks I should move into the city, too, and said, “You have to get out of the country now!” The first “real” mystery I read was by Erle Stanley Gardner and featured a parrot. I was about nine and don’t remember the title of the book.

In my upcoming June 4th release, which is a time travel romance with suspense elements titled OUT OF THE BLUE, there are two pets. Deirdre Dougherty, the time traveling Irish clairvoyant healer heroine, has a cat named Cathbad. Brendan Hunter, the police detective hero, has a huge mutt named Prince. All my books have pets included—and I promise that none of them dies in the book!

Thanks so much to Rebecca Savage for letting me post on her blog! Please visit mine, A Writer’s Life, at http://carolineclemmons.blogspot.com or my website at www.carolineclemmons.com. I’m on Facebook under Caroline Clemmons (one of several) and Twitter as #lovesthewest. I’d love to hear from you.

Please visit my blog for frequent contests. All you have to do is comment.

Welcome Guest Blogger Skhye Moncrief

Good morning, Rebecca. Thank you for having me over as a guest. My latest Time Guardian story is about to be released--June 25th. I'm extremely wired with this event. The reason I wrote this novel is one of those choices authors make... Hence, my focus on craft here today. So why did I write that story?

SWORDSONG was the Time-Guardian novel I wrote after reading the earlier works of Karen M. Moning before my Time Guardians series was contracted for publication. I kept thinking I seriously needed to simplify my world and write a story in my series more like hers set in the "real" present, i.e. something more familiar for readers who just might not care for being thrown into a whole new world. This is one of those crazy decisions we writers make never knowing if it will pan out for us. :) But SWORDSONG set off a whole new layer of worldbuilding in my over-sized fantasy world I've created--one that coexists with ours. I wanted to make the story world more tangible for the reader. Okay, that's if you can call a novel tangible in any sense other than it's a physical object, i.e. a book! But everyone was writing these new worlds interwoven within the fabric of the one we occupy. I just had to try the marketability angle. So, I whipped up some ambiance...

We are soldiers of Truth.
We are students of the past.
We are guardians of Time.
We live, and, from living, we must die.

Death is not risk.
Death is adventure.
Death is part of the Cycle.
Woe be to he who fears the Call.

~Time Guardian Creed (www.timeguardians.com)

My creed worked to define reality for my lads regardless of the setting. It's reality. A reflection of their goals--life in general. These men time travel. They can't risk screwing up history. So, their creed is kind of blunt and harsh. But it hits home as they ponder a what if... Just as I had asked those same thoughts about paradox. Time travel and prehistory was my cup of steamy tea that I read for so long. I studied archaeology too long not to send my characters back to times and places we can never visit. Why? I can answer that. ;) Oddly enough, a psych test I took during a continuing education class when I was about 19 noted I lived in the past. I guess this aspect of my writing is just a reflection of who I am--my curiosity and fears. Then again, I keep writing romances that reviewers label thrillers, suspense, etc. I just don't know what goes on inside my head! *sigh* Although, I'm always explaining to my critique partners that if a story has a chase aspect, it should ring true. And time guardians safeguard history. They've got to beat the clock as the pages move forward. Ticking clocks and chases... Aye, there's the Time-Guardian rub.

But get ready to laugh.

My first and never-to-see-the-light-of-day manuscript was a time travel set in someone's mind because she was comatose. Crazy setup! Yes. But that's not the funny part! I hit delete and sent that unfinished 1000-page monster on its way to the happy hunting ground. Back to meet its moment of creation in the great loop of existence... :) Okay, maybe that's nonexistence because nobody knows about that story but me. Does a story that never is read by an audience continue to ring with glory and romance like a circulated book? Oh, here I go again with those annoying pontifications.

Alas, time travel hits home with me. So, I wrote SWORDSONG because it rang true to my interests and formal education as well as I gambled on the trend in setting a coexisting fantasy realm smack dab in the "now" with us. Should I chant here that we write what we write because those subjects are familiar to us even though they are deeply buried within our subconscious? It's true. We write what we know--even if the knowing is something we just experienced in person, reading, or by viewing a documentary. Humans innovate all the time. There is very little inventing going on... Take some archaeology classes if you don't believe me. Remember, this article is about understanding ourselves. If we search inward long and hard enough, we'll find that everything we write about is a part of us. And, it can't hurt to make the world more approachable and digestible for the reader.

Thanks for having me here today, Rebecca. If you have a magic wand, please wave it at me. I so want to time travel! ~Skhye

Join my fan group to be in my monthly drawing for a Time Guardian Fan Kit and more! http://groups.yahoo.com/group/skhyemoncrief/

Read 1st chapter of SWORDSONG http://blog.skhyemoncrief.com/2008/04/10/skhye-moncriefs-swordsong.aspx

Read another (shorter) excerpt from SWORDSONG http://www.thewildrosepress.com/swordsong-p-4082.html

Purchase SWORDSONG in print at amazon http://www.amazon.com/Swordsong-Skhye-Moncrief/dp/1601547390/ref=sr_1_5?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1276532118&sr=1-5

What are reviewers saying about the Time Guardians series...


"Arthur is a masterpiece..." HE OF THE FIERY SWORD's King Arthur ~Diane Mason; The Romance Studio

"FORBIDDEN ETERNITY... spine-tingling suspense. The story is dynamite; it explodes off the page and leaves you breathless for more." ~Tulip, LASR

“THE SPELL OF THE KILLING MOON offers the best of spine-tingling suspense. The setting is perfect... Moncrief’s ability to wield magic and emotion are without compare. Her words twist together emotions and visuals until you experience this tale as if the trap were set for you. Some lines blend a kind of poetic magic: “Moonlight wove a special kind of magic, a spell so vacillating that a person never knew if reality were anything other than a dream.” Darkness and premonitions and deadly intent fill these pages... a unique blend of mystic Medieval Gothic and romance…and a true blood-curdling thriller." ~Snapdragon, LASR

"Intense, original, suspenseful, and dramatic... an unpredictable topsy-turvy romance... the suspense builds with every page in SACRIFICIAL HEARTS. In a world where symbols mean everything, magic is the way..." ~Snapdragon; LASR

Stories available at www.amazon.com, www.bn.com, www.borders.com, and www.thewildrosepress.com

www.skhyemoncrief.com

"Be the change you want to see in the world." ~Ghandi
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