SYTYCW!

What?
I know, you're probably thinking I spelled that wrong but I didn't. I swear! I know there is a show called SYTYCD, but I'm not talking about shaking your money maker. I'm talking about writing! Harlequin Romance is hosting a So You Think You Can Write contest and I've made the leap and entered my newest project, Dorm Room Goodies.

In fact, I've entered the Slush Pile again with this beauty!

But enough about me, let's talk writing, romance and Harlequin. Even if you've lived under a rock your entire life, at one point, you had to have heard of the H word. I mean, they are the Big Thing when it comes to kisses, sex, hand holding and all the good stuff in the sheets. Or against a tree! Heck, even my mystery lovin' grandmother had a copy or two with the familiar logo.

This is a great concept and I'm glad to participate. Heck, even making that jump is a big deal for me. I'm a bit of shy girl (no seriously) and putting myself out there makes me nervous. For the past 3 years, I've had the security of TMP when I submit new works where they have graciously opened their arms to me and my writing.

Anywho! If you are a writer, there is still some time to enter your submission. Check out the SYTYCW website to enter.

If you want to sneak a lookie-lou at Dorm Room Goodies, click the link.

Thank you!

As you might have seen, I'm part of two awesome boxed sets. It is an honor to be among this group of authors and I'm thankful everyday for being included.

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 AMAZON | BARNES & NOBLE | KOBO | ALL ROMANCE EBOOKS |SMASHWORDS | TURQUOISE MORNING PRESS

Sweet but Sexy spent a lot of time in the Top 100 on Amazon, but Small Town Charm has hit it big! #1 for at least 3 days and we are slowly eating away at that Mystery slot! I can not even BEGIN to describe how I'm feeling. Is this a joke? Am I dreaming? And who let this little writer in on this? 

So, since I'm pretty sure this is real *pinches self* I am saying a big THANK YOU to our readers! We have a wonderful, unique collection and so far, the reviews are great! Even my little old YA got 4 Stars! 

THANK YOU   THANK YOU   THANK YOU   THANK YOU   THANK YOU!

8 Small Town Charm Authors

Welcome to Honey Creek, Ohio!

Take a walk around town, where there is only one stoplight, one gas station, one grocery story, many churches and one lake. But, oh man, what a lake.

Honey Creek Lake is where a lot of the magic and drama happens in the sweet, little town. Maybe take a dip in our man-made waters. Walk along the edge and watch the boaters zip by sending waves a water to lap the shores. Have a lazy day, cast out a line and wait for the fish to bite. Or maybe, grab the hand of your loved one and step inside our new gazebo. Slip under our famous Weeping Willow and steel a kiss from your sweetie. Every corner of our lake holds a story. When you’re there, create your own.

Head five miles back into town from the lake, stop by our White Cottage Restaurant, and have a slice of strawberry pie, although I’m partial to the lemon meringue. The pie display case and red-topped tables only add to the incredible yummies filling every plate. Catch 22 Pizza sets off the perfect Italian mood with soft lighting and scents of garlic, warm bread and spicy sauce. Grab a slice or an entire pizza pie. Is doesn’t matter because after one bite, you’ll be back for more.

If you’re only here for a short while, maybe plan a trip back during our summer months. We host a Strawberry Festival with music and booths full of berry fare. July plays host to a Fourth of July celebration with a parade and fireworks at the lake. Rent a cabin and stay awhile. You’re sure to find whatever you’re looking for in our charming town and rural county.

Honey Creek sets the stage for a sweet Young Adult novella, Ice Princess. In it, Mya wants to shake things up in her small town. But once she’s given what she wants, will she change her mind and crave for normalcy.

Here’s an excerpt from Ice Princess, Honey Creek Royalty Book 1:

“Okay. Stop me if you’ve heard this one. A farmer and a pig….”

“Stop,” I yelled without looking up.

“I already told you that one?”

“No, but any joke starting with a farmer and pig can’t be good.” I rolled over on the large towel we’d spread across the sand. It was the last day of summer vacation, and Michael and I agreed to spend the day together doing nothing but enjoying the sun. Living in Ohio, we weren’t sure how many more days we had left. Soon the leaves would fall showing off snow-covered cornfields.

“Can you toss me a Dr. Pepper?”

“Sure.” Without looking, I reached into the small red Igloo cooler we brought and produced a cold dripping can. I knew it was for him since I preferred bottled water to soda. Not Michael. The kid lived on caffeine and sugar. Which made the lack of fat on his body hard to explain. Not that I’d ever noticed. Michael Graves was my best friend. And nothing more.

“So, you ready for tomorrow?”

“Sure, I guess,” I answered. “How’s it any different than the last three years at Fayette County High? Really, we’ve known the same people and gone to school with them for the past twelve years. We all know who we’re gonna eat lunch with or who we’re gonna sit with at opening assembly. Boring.” I wasn’t a pessimist or a Debbie Downer, but Honey Creek needed some excitement and I didn’t think our senior year would prove to be any different unless something unusual happened.

“Ok. So why don’t we spice it up a bit.”

“Like what?”

“Let’s start a nasty rumor or sit at a different table at lunch.”

“Ooh, Michael, you’re so scandalous! Have I been rubbing off on you?”

“Hardly. I think the most daring thing you’ve ever done was streak across my yard when we were five because you’d heard wearing your bathing suit gave you tan lines. Even though you had no idea what tan lines were, I might add,” he said with a smirk. The afternoon sun danced across his blonde moppy hair, intensifying his golden highlights. He sat next to me in a short beach chair staring out at the water. Everyone we knew was out enjoying the last weekend of August. All of the rental cottages were empty from the few Honey Creek vacationers that came to visit the lake. It was a manmade watering hole, but that didn’t take away from the fun had there. Boats skidded across the water pulling skiers or tubers in their wake. The sand was dressed with towels and blankets full of half-clothed bodies soaking up the sun like Michael and me.

“So word around town is there’s a new kid coming to school.”

4 Star LASR Review: Great Read!

“It is a wonderfully emotional short story with just the right balance of sweetness and sadness. I recommend it to anyone who relishes a charming story of love and friendship.”

"The emotional scenes in the hospital and day of funeral are great - I know I cried when I reviewed initially, and I cried again in both read throughs this week - I'm such a sap :-)" -Wendy on GoodReads

Blurb:

Mya Newman never minded the routine or quiet that came with living in Honey Creek, Ohio. For her senior year, she craves something exciting to happen instead of it melting into a cookie cutter routine like the previous years.

When a new girl, Audrey Moore, moves to town, Mya finds herself caught in a triangle. She discovers hidden feelings for her best friend, Michael Graves, but he seems to have eyes for the new girl.

After Mya's father becomes ill and eventually passes, she turns to her best friend, Michael. He never leaves her side, but she wonders if he'd rather be elsewhere. With fear of rejection and loss of friendship, Mya decides she can't confess her recently discovered feelings.

When Michael and Mya share a dance at the Winter Formal, does she open her heart to him? Or does she shy away, forever longing to be the princess who finds her prince?

Thank you for having me *wink wink*. Small Town Charm, Love & Mystery is available wherever e-books are sold.

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8 Small Town Charm Authors

Cozy mystery writer, Judy Alter, joins me in our Small Town Charm, Love & Mystery boxed set. Welcome Judy, author of Murder at the Blue Plate Cafe!

Coming from Chicago, where I’d been raised, I thought I’d met small towns when I moved to Kirksville, Missouri (pop. 1960s about 12,000). But I didn’t really know about small towns until the late 1970s when I started visiting Ben Wheeler and Edom in East Texas. My good friends, Charlie and Reva Ogilvie, had a guest ranch outside Ben Wheeler, and we ate at The Shed in Edom frequently.

Ben Wheeler bothered me. It was then almost a ghost town, with boarded up store fronts, though I understand it’s had a renaissance, thanks to the man who bought Arc Ridge Ranch from the Ogilvies. It was like many small towns I had driven through: it needed a coat of paint. We went once to a dilapidated roller skating rink (my kids loved it) and more often than I liked to a dismal grocery store, since boarded up, where I trusted neither the cleanliness nor the temperature of the refrigerator and freezer units. Don’t even talk about the freshness of the vegetables. For real grocery shopping, we went to Brookshires in Canton, but I guess that’s a feature of small-town life—going to the nearest good-sized town for a lot of things.

Edom, on the other hand, delighted me. We went several years to the annual craft fair, and other times we wandered the main street which featured craft shops—pottery, leather workers, jewelry makers, and a wonderful women’s clothing store. I was amazed that the main street, a state highway, had neither stoplight nor stop sign. You took your chances and you ran like hell.

The best thing in Edom to my family was The Shed.

I suppose The Shed isn’t much different from lots of small-town cafés with chicken-fried steak, fried catfish, glorious meringue pies (Charlie told me it was all air so no calories, and  I reminded him about the pudding bottom), and huge breakfasts. The thing I loved most was that everyone knew Charlie and Reva and greeted them happily. We basked in a small afterglow of fame because we were their guests.

That café and that town became so firmly embedded in my mind that they formed the setting for my mystery series, Blue Plate Café Mysteries. I changed the town name to Wheeler, but no one from that part of the state will be fooled, and I was careful to note that the murders there were from my imagination and reflected in no way on Edom or its residents. But the fictional counterpart of The Shed is central to the story.

A friend who grew up in Granbury, Texas wrote me, “You nailed small-town life.” It was the biggest compliment I could have gotten.       

"Judy Alter, as she did in her other books, creates a comfortable atmosphere for her new Blue Plate Mystery series. Alter serves up a delicious whodunit by stirring up a healthy serving of suspense and a splash of romance, then bakes them to downhome perfection. Add an appealing protagonist, and you have Murder at the Blue Plate Café. Highly recommended".—Polly Iyer

About Murder at the Blue Plate Café

When twin sisters Kate and Donna inherit their grandmother’s restaurant, the Blue Plate Cafe, in Wheeler, Texas, there’s immediate conflict. Donna wants to sell and use her money to establish a B&B; Kate wants to keep the cafe. Thirty-two-year-old Kate leaves a Dallas career as a paralegal and a married lover to move back to Wheeler and run the café, while Donna plans her B&B and complicates her life by having an affair with her sole investor. Kate soon learns that Wheeler is not the idyllic small town she thought it was fourteen years ago. The mayor, a woman, is power-mad and listens to no one, and the chief of police, newly come from Dallas, doesn’t understand small-town ways. Kate is suspicious of Gram’s sudden death, “keeling over in the mashed potatoes,” as Donna described it, and she learns that’s not at all what happened. When the mayor of Wheeler becomes seriously ill after eating food from the café, delivered by Donna’s husband, Kate is even more suspicious. Then Donna’s investor is shot, and Donna is arrested. Kate must defend her sister and solve the murders to keep her business open, but even Kate begins to wonder about the sister she has a love-hate relationship with. Gram guides Kate through it all, though Kate’s never quite sure she’s hearing Gram—and sometimes Gram’s guidance is really off the wall.

An award-winning novelist, Judy Alter is the author of five books in the Kelly O’Connell Mysteries series: Skeleton in a Dead Space, No Neighborhood for Old Women, Trouble in a Big Box, Danger Comes Home and Deception in Strange Places.  With the Blue Plate Mystery series, Murder at the Blue Plate Café and Murder at the Tremont House, she moved from inner city Fort Worth to small-town East Texas to create a new set of characters in a setting modeled after a restaurant that was for years one of her family’s favorites.

Before turning her attention to mystery, Judy wrote fiction and nonfiction, mostly about women of the American West, for adults and young-adult readers. Her work has been recognized with awards from the Western Writers of America, the Texas Institute of Letters, and the National Cowboy Museum and Hall of Fame. She has been honored with the Owen Wister Award for Lifetime Achievement by WWA and inducted into the Texas Literary Hall of Fame at the Fort Worth Public Library.

Follow Judy at http://www.judyalter.com or her two blogs at http://www.judys-stew.blogspot.com or http://potluckwithjudy.blogspot.com. Or look for on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/#!/pages/Judy-Alter-Author/366948676705857?fref=ts or on Twitter where she is @judyalter.

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8 Small Town Charm Authors

My fellow Creeker, Suzanne Lilly stopped by today to chat us up about Shade of the Future.

Is it a dream or a premonition?

Guest post by Suzanne Lilly

Daydreams, night dreams, dreams of the future, dreams of the past. They all affect us in some way. Everyone has dreams of what they want in their own futures. But what if you could see the future and it wasn’t what you wanted? That’s the question that inspired my book, Shades of the Future.

You see, I’ve always had inklings of things to come. I might be driving down the road and realize that I haven’t seen so-and-so in such a long time, and wouldn’t it be funny if I ran into her today? If I get little goose bumps down my spine, I know it will happen.

There was the time I was driving home from work and I just knew I was going to have a car accident. I brushed it off as stress, but sure enough, at the top of an overpass, I was accordionated along with six other cars when the driver of the car in front slammed on his brakes. Fortunately no one was hurt. The weirdest part of that one was my husband knew I’d been in an accident, almost as soon as it happened, even though he was miles away.

Then there was a time a friend told me she was going on a weekend visit with someone she’d met online. I immediately thought of her getting pregnant, and goose bumps quickly followed. She laughed at me and told me it was nothing like that, there wasn’t going to be any hanky-panky because they were just friends. I think you can guess the ending to that story.

The thing is, although I sometimes get these inklings, there’s never a darn thing I can do about it to change them. I’ve often wondered what’s the use of knowing about things in advance if you can’t control the outcomes.

That’s exactly the situation my heroine, Mariah Davis finds herself in when she puts on a pair of sunglasses that allow her to see the future. She sees some good things and some bad things coming down the road. She tries to do everything she can to stop the bad things. Instead of avoiding fate, she faces it head on and has to learn how to deal with the hard times, as well as how to trust in those she loves.

You can read Mariah’s story in Shades of the Future, one of the eight books included in the Small Town Charm, Love and Mystery boxed set for only $.99. This video trailer of  Shades of the Future will get you in the mood for box full of love and mystery.

In the meantime, care to share stories? Have you ever known about something before it happened? What was it, and were you able to change it in any way?

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About Suzanne Lilly

Suzanne Lilly is a teacher and a writer who occasionally takes time off to zipline in Alaska, teach in China, and traipse around Rome. She writes sweet stories with a splash of suspense, a flash of the unexplained, a dash of romance, and always a happy ending.

Sign up for her email newsletter to find out about upcoming books before anyone else. You’ll also get exclusive bonus materials and contests just for subscribers. One subscriber is chosen to win a $25 gift card each time the newsletter comes out. Sign up for my occasional newsletter

What reviewers are saying about Shades of the Future

This is ultimately the coolest YA book I've ever read. You don't have to be a teen to love this book! ~~~LAS YA Reviews Long and Short Reviews

This is a charming YA book! The character of Mariah is someone you would love to hang out with--and the town of Honey Creek--let’s just say I would love to have grown up there! ~~~Judy Thomas

Find Suzanne Lilly online at these sites:

Amazon Author page: http://www.amazon.com/Suzanne-Lilly/e/B006HY79IY

Author website: http://www.suzannelilly.com

Author newsletter: . Sign up for my occasional newsletter

TeacherWriter blog: http://www.teacherwriter.net

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/SuzanneLillyAuthor

Goodreads author page: http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/5258804.Suzanne_Lilly

Twitter: @suzannelilly http://twitter.com/suzannelilly

8 Small Town Charm Authors

We are half way through our exploration of the 8 authors featured in the new boxed set released by TMP: Small Town Charm, Love & Mystery.

Today, I'm pleased to welcome Cheryl Norman, author of Rebuild My World.

FIVE LESSONS ON FORGIVENESS

REBUILD MY WORLD is romantic suspense, but its theme is forgiveness. In the course of the story, several characters must learn the power and peace of forgiveness. It isn’t a preachy story or a religious one, rather a lesson in mental health.

You read that right. Forgiveness is good mental health.

How can Taylor Drake forgive the man who attacked her and murdered her roommate? How can Adam Gillespie forgive the man who contributed to his family’s financial ruin? How can Taylor and Wil forgive the person responsible for their mother’s death? How can Adam forgive the man who abandoned his pregnant sister and later forgive a startling betrayal within his own family?

Yet, ultimately, they do forgive, and that’s the heart of the story. Have you had to forgive someone when it went against every fiber of your being? Or have you had to forgive yourself?

I’ve watched television programs about people who visit the killer of a loved one in prison and forgive them. How can they? I’ve asked myself repeatedly. Could I do that? Frankly, I hope I never have to test myself on that one!

I remember after the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001, when ministers called on their congregations to forgive those attackers. How’d you do with that one? I struggled. I was angry and shocked. I wanted swift justice. Forgiving those responsible for all those innocent lives asked too much. Yet I finally made peace with myself and forgave them, thanks to the five lessons I learned (and share below).

Forgiveness isn’t easy. It can be one of the hardest emotional decisions you’ll make. If you aren’t able to forgive, the price you pay is high. The Drake and Gillespie families find this out for themselves until they learn these five lessons:

1. Forgiveness isn’t earned. You don’t forgive an offender because he deserves it.

2. Forgiveness isn’t necessarily wanted or requested. The offender need not ask you for forgiveness. In fact, he may be indifferent to your feelings.

3. Forgiveness isn’t approval. You aren’t endorsing the behavior by forgiving the offender.

4. Forgiveness can be anonymous. Just because you forgive an offender, doesn’t mean he or she will know about it (i.e. he may even be dead).

5. Forgiveness is healthy. It relieves stress. (Remember, resentment is an acid that eats away at its container).

In conclusion, forgiveness is about the forgiver, not about the forgiven. Do it for your own health.

I hope you enjoy the mystery and romance that unfolds in REBUILD MY WORLD. Although its theme is forgiveness, the story is much more. Enjoy.

Cheryl Norman lives in the Suwannee River Valley area of Florida, near her fictional Drake Springs. She writes romance in several genres: romantic suspense, time-travel, inspirational, and sweet series romance, including the upcoming Drake Springs category romance series. She also writes cookbooks and hosts the award-winning blog, hastytastymeals.com. For more about Cheryl, follow her on Twitter (cherylnorman) and visit her site (cherylnorman.com). Her author blog is at http://cherylnorman.blogspot.com.

Remember, we're still running a contest on Rafflecopter for a $25 Amazon gift card. 

8 Small Town Charm Authors

Have you ever dreamed of something and cross your fingers at every turn, waiting for the goodness to come your way? For you wish to come true? Well, mine has! I, Jennifer Anderson, am in a boxed set with my bestest writer bestie...Julie Anne Lindsey, author of Bloom! *spirit fingers* *faints* *jumps up and does a toe touch*

Look at this cutie! How can you not just love her to death! Oh, and she's a fantastic, awesome pants writer,too!

FEISTY HEROINES MAKE ME SMILE 

I love a good romance. Who doesn’t? What I don’t love is a heroine who’s too waify. Too proper. Too snorey. When I set out to write my first sweet romance, I hoped to create a woman who'd make readers smile. For me, that meant making my heroine relatable...and again...for me, that meant she needed to be kind of exuberant, perhaps even a well-meaning hot head. *Looks in mirror* *waves*

Hey, I like big personalities. I can't help myself. They make me smile. I couldn’t help wonder what a slow speaking, hay baling, small town hero might do if faced with an uptight, displaced former local? It was this course of thought that led to my first sweet romance heroine. Voila! Cynthia Potter was born.

In Bloom, my heroine Cynthia says what she means…at the moment… and causes a problem or two as a result. She’s feisty. I like her. She puts her foot in her mouth. A lot. Gets caught kissing someone she didn’t intend to kiss.  (Who hasn’t been there?) And makes an embarrassing discovery of biblical proportions. <-- that’s a Bloom joke.  Ahhh, she’s a woman after my own heart.

Writing sweet romance opened a whole new world for me. I learned what mattered most was the chemistry, banter and will-he, won't she of it all.  I get screwed up in a knot on my couch writing every “Kiss her already!” moment, and I LOVE it. In sweet romance, every sentence leads up to the all important confession, “I love you.” And getting there is SO much fun. CYnthia finds a lot more than romance in Honey Creek, but you'll have to take a peek for yourself to see what else. *insert winky face*

If you’re in the mood for a sweet & sassy heroine , I hope you’ll visit Honey Creek. It’s a beautiful place where anything can happen. Kick off your shoes, relax into that porch swing and cuddle up to a steamy hot toddy. Take a trip to Honey Creek. They're just a click away : ) See you there!

Bloom by Julie Anne Lindsey

In a town filled with her past, she never expected to find her future….

Seven years ago Cynthia left Honey Creek with a broken heart. Three years ago Mitchell arrived with one. Now Cynthia’s come home, and these two hardened hearts can’t stop arguing. If they’d only take a break long enough to find some common ground, they might be surprised to find love can grow anywhere.

If they let it, love will find a way to Bloom.

Read more stories like this in the Small Town Charm Box Set! 8 Stories. 8 Authors. 99 cents!

**for a limited time**

Small town America has its charm—not to mention its fair share of romance and mystery!

Everyone knows small towns have their own unique charm, that’s why they make fabulous settings for stories! Turquoise Morning Press presents the best of their small town settings—all in one volume, and for one very small town price!

From Drakes Springs, Florida, to Briny Bay, North Carolina, to Wheeler, Texas, where a little romance and a lot of murder and mystery take center-stage—and then to Honey Creek, Ohio and Legend, Tennessee, where home-grown romance blooms, and love lives right next door.

Eight fabulous authors share their views of small town charm, love and mystery in this eight book boxed set—providing you with a satisfying glimpse into the lives and stories of the quirky characters who live in these charming settings.

AMAZON | BARNES & NOBLE | IBOOKS | KOBO | SMASHWORDS | ALL ROMANCE EBOOKS

Don't forget to enter for a $25 Amazon gift card that you can use to purchase all of Julie's books! 

8 Small Town Charm Authors

My fellow Sweet but Sexy boxed set mate is joining me again another set, Small Town Charm, Love & Mystery. Please welcome Jan Scarbrough, author of Heart to Heart.

The Cats of Heart to Heart

Heart to Heart is part of a four book Ladies of Legend series called Return to Legend. The premise of all four stories is the return to Legend, Tennessee, a fictitious town created by authors Maddie James, Magdalena Scott, Janet Eaves and me.

When I wrote the story of Heart to Heart, about an animal communicator and her relationship with the owner of six cats, I knew the cat characters were critical to the story. I thought it might be fun to honor a few of cats I knew, as well as those of my Legend co-authors.

Tinkerbelle
Last winter dogs killed a cat named Tinkerbelle at the barn where I take riding lessons. The character of Tinkerbelle is my way of honoring this sweet, little cat.
Notes: Long hair pale gray – gentle – likes attention and being the center of things
Quote: “The gray cat had followed them into the living room and continued its leg rubbing routine. Jeremy clenched his teeth, forcing himself not to kick the animal off his pant leg. This was his best Armani suit, for crying out loud. He didn’t want cat hair on it.”

Attila
My cat hero is named after Magdalena Scott’s companion of the same name. Magdalena often writes emails about Attila, and that gave me the idea of using the name in my book.
Notes: Male, Maine coon – big cat, sturdy, rugged – uneven, shaggy coat, long tail carried proudly, large, well-tufted paws – intimidating size – brown tabby with white underbelly and white paws
Normal cats have a total of 18 toes, with five toes on each front paw and four toes on each hind paw; polydactyl cats may have as many as eight digits on their front and/or hind paws.

Calliope
Calliope is one of Maddie James’ cats.
Notes: Calico – long hair – knows she’s beautiful – princess - tri-colored
Quote: “The top of the desk was empty except for a longhaired, tri-colored calico cat stretched out in the center preening herself. A tiny pink tongue licked a white paw in a leisurely manner. The cat didn’t even look up to greet them.”

Clio
Maddie James has a second cat named Clio. The real Clio is a tortoiseshell female. I changed Clio’s color in the book and his sex.
Notes: Orange tabby with white bib – nervous – comes up for affection some times after gets to know you
Quote: “The last cat in the room, an orange male tabby named Clio sat next to the water fountain watching the other cats in the room with a worried gaze.”

Jinx
I gave my husband a fiftieth birthday gift—a black cat named Jester. You can tell where I found my character Jinx.
Notes: Black cat – prowls, sneaky, pops up expectantly
Quote: “Jinx, the sleek black cat prowled the perimeter of the kitchen as if he couldn’t stay in one place for long.”

Gloria
My favorite cat of all time was Gloria. My daughter, the veterinarian, brought her home from college at Thanksgiving one year. Knowing my daughter is dangerous, because she has a knack for placing homeless pets. How do you think Maddie James got her two cats?

Notes: Tortoiseshell – female, this color is typically reserved for cats with relatively small or no white markings.
Quote: “Gloria was the oldest cat in the house, a tortoiseshell in color—reddish orange and black—with a distinctive orange stripe down the bridge of her nose.”

Jan Scarbrough is the author of the popular Bluegrass Reunion series, writing heartwarming contemporary romances about home and family, single moms and children, and if the plot allows, about another passion--horses. Living in the horse country of Kentucky makes it easy for Jan to add small town, Southern charm to her books, and the excitement of a horse race or a big-time, competitive horse show.

Jan also contributes to the Ladies of Legend series, a collaboration with writers Maddie James, Janet Eaves and Magdalena Scott. Set in fictitious Legend, Tennessee, these romances bring together the small town family atmosphere so many readers enjoy.

Leaving her contemporary voice behind, Jan wrote a medieval called MY LORD RAVEN. Her first paranormal Gothic romance, TANGLED MEMORIES, was a RWA Golden Heart finalist, and she’s recently released a second romance with paranormal elements called TIMELESS.

A member of Novelist, Inc. and the Romance Writers of America, Jan has published with Kensington, Five Star, ImaJinn Books, Resplendence Publishing and Turquoise Morning Press. She has recently self-published another romance set in the Bluegrass called BETTING ON LOVE.

Jan lives in Louisville, Kentucky, with three rescued dogs, two rescued cats, and a husband she rescued fourteen years ago.

Don't forget to enter our contest for a $25 Amazon gift card. You can use it to buy all of Jan's books!

8 Small Town Charm Authors

Today we have a woman that likes a little mystery in her life...*shivers*. Welcome, Bobbye Terry, Author of Buried in Briny Bay.

Welcome to Briny Bay, North Carolina

By Trixie Frye & Roxie Turner

“Hi everyone. My name is Trixie Frye. I’m the second born in a wild and crazy bunch of siblings. Our oldest sister got out of our little bayside town early while the gittin’ was good, and who knows if she will ever be back. However, my sister, Roxie and baby brother, Jack, still live in Briny Bay, North Carolina.  It’s not that we don’t love the stuffin’ out of our little dysfunctional home. It’s just that the place defies explanation. I mean, if you knew it recently gained notoriety for having  the highest per capita murder rate on the Eastern seaboard, you’d probably think just setting your dainty little foot on our sandy soil would be enough to make you seriously consider increasing your life insurance. But, as sure as I am Southerner, you don’t have to worry your pretty little head one tiny bit. Why, we don’t even lock our doors at night.”

“She’s right you know. Roxie Turner here. Nobody from Briny Bay’s gonna’ bother you unless it’s one of our town drunks, and they’ll just crawl up on your porch and sleep it off.”

“It’s my turn to talk, Roxie so stop your yapping. As I was saying, when it comes to As upstanding, everyone except my couch-potato husband, Floyd, and his bunch of misfit sports buds go to church on Sundays. And, thank the Lord for donations at our last picnic social, we even have a pet cemetery. No, we don’t deserve this bad press. Truth be told, we have gone and gotten a bum rap just because of a few mutilated bodies that had the unmitigated gall to end up dead here. Coincidence,  sheer coincidence. You see, it all started with Georgia Adam’s murder. She was Roxie’s lifelong nemesis and Georgia up and croaked in the town landfill with a knife through her eyeball. “

“That’s enough sister. It’s time for me to take over this conversation. She was my nemesis and I did almost go to the big house over this unfortunate misunderstanding. You see, readers, most of the town folk are convinced I, Roxie Turner, the younger prettier sister, am the reason for our sudden surge in the death toll. I don’t understand how rumors get started. Someone out there obviously doesn’t follow the International Snoop Guidelines. When I tell someone the latest gossip, I make sure they repeat it back to me for accuracy before I let them loose to spread the word. Anyway, who knew somebody would take me seriously when I said I was going to kill Georgia. I mean, really? I’d just been saying I’d snuff her for a couple of decades. If I were really going to do it, don’t you think I’d gone ahead back then when our feud started? It would have been an easy task to just blow her up or push her off the cliff into the bay.”

“Now, Roxie, my honest-to-God need to get all the facts on the table requires I, the smarter more detailed sister, butt in, that is, respectfully submit additional information. You see, it’s not just that you always wanted to run down Georgia so she was deader than road kill on a one-hundred degree day, but that you have an uncanny way of stumbling over dismembered body parts and corpses and then feel the need to touch them. Whoever invented baggies never knew the ghoulish ways some people like you might use them.”

“Trixie Frye, stop trying to turn our audience against me. Tell you what, readers, why don’t you read Buried in Briny Bay and decide for yourself? It’s in the Small Town Charm, Love and Mystery boxed set for just $.99. It’s cheaper than a piece of Trixie’s lemon icebox pie and a lot easier on the waistline. We’d love to hear what you think, and come to see us sometime.”

Well, I thought I was getting Bobbye! Welcome Trixie Frye & Roxie Turner! 

Bobbye Terry is a multi-published author of romantic comedy, fantasy and suspense.  Her writing credits also include inspirational nonfiction books and dozens of national and international magazine articles. Bobbye continues to write with extensive humor, where southern charm sometimes meets macabre reality. Her awards include Eppie finalist and two-time finalist of Detroit's Bookseller's Best Award.

Bobbye resides among the cotton fields in West Texas with a spoiled chocolate Labrador who has a sock-fetish. Bobbye remains a voracious reader of anything from novels to tabloids in the grocery line; a collector and depository of strange and unusual trivia and observed behavioral idiosyncrasies of strangers, and a connoisseur of rich dark chocolate, fine roasted coffee and smooth red wine.

Links:

www.BobbyeTerry-MysteryHappens.com

www.DarynCross.com

www.facebook.com/BobbyeTerry

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8 Small Town Charm Authors

When the powers that be asked me if I wanted to be in a boxed set with Magdalena Scott, author of Midnight in Legend, TN. I pointed at them, gave a stern eyebrow raise and said, "You betcha". Magdalena kicks off our 2 weeks of promo. Welcome...

Hello! I'm so excited to have a story included in this new boxed set.

It's the first set I've been a part of that includes not just romance, but also mystery. What a great idea!

My book Midnight in Legend, TN is a sweet romance.

This story actually began as a writing exercise with Maddie James, Jan Scarbrough, and Janet Eaves. One Saturday we decided (via email) to each create a character from the name of our first pet and the street we lived on as a child.

My character was named after my beautiful black cat, Midnight. That name helped me decide what the character would look like: Tall and slender with super-black hair, porcelain skin and black eyes. The writing exercise progressed as each heroine was given a profession. We each decided where our heroine would live, and who her hero might be.

The details changed over time, including some of the names. Eventually the fictional town was named Legend, Tennessee, a map was drawn, and the four stories were published.

Since then, many more characters have strolled the streets of Legend. Jan Scarbrough's Heart to Heart, in this boxed set, is the 29th book, and the 30th book, by Maddie James, will release in October.

Thirty books! That seems quite a milestone, and I'm immeasurably grateful.

Having four authors writing a series could be a challenge, but our friendships have grown right along with the number of books. I wonder if that's part of why Legend, Tennessee is a place readers love to go.

  

Magdalena Scott is a bestselling author of the Ladies of Legend series. She lives in her own fantasy world of Magdalenaville, Indiana, and spends her time writing stories with small town settings. As a lifelong citizen of small town America, Magdalena knows that life in a “burg” is seldom dull—if you’re paying attention. There is mystery, romance, scandal, and the occasional unexplained occurrence. Step into Magdalena’s world and find out what’s hidden just below the surface of those tiny dots you can barely see on the map.

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