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It’s almost here! Wolves’ Knight will soon be available at major e-book retailers.
. (In time for Christmas.) So I decided to share a little snippet. Bur first, the book’s description.


Tasha Roeper knows what it means to protect your own. So when her friend, Dot Lapahie, CEO of Lapahie Enterprises, suspects that the Free Wolves are under attack, Tasha immediately signs on to lead the investigation and guard Dot.


But Tasha’s not convinced it’s the Free Wolves that are the target. She fears that her own pack—the Fairwood Pack—are the actual quarry and Dot is only a decoy.


The deeper Tasha digs, the more puzzles she uncovers.


Torn between tradition and a changing world, will Tasha risk everything to save a friend—including her own life—when old enemies arise?


And now, the opening scene.


Her tactical knife slid easily from its ankle sheath. With a curse, Tasha leaped out of the leather chair and slid across the wooden conference table, praying she’d make it in time. No matter how she played it, she couldn’t stop the masked, gun-wielding intruder from shooting. Shifting to wolf form would allow her to spring on her prey, but the time it took to make the change gave him the opportunity to fire. No, her human body would have to stop the bullet before it struck Dot.
A fraction of a heartbeat later, feet firmly planted on the floor, she sensed another body skid in next to her, creating a larger barrier. Some of the board members stood, one appeared frozen in place, and one started to shift to what appeared to be a badger. Tasha sniffed, trying to figure out who had joined her without taking her eyes off the intruder. A female. Hopefully, a fellow warrior.
She bent her knees, shifted her weight to the balls of her feet, and adjusted her grip. A flick of her wrist and the knife would sail down the length of the table. As she tightened her muscles to make the throw, the interloper laughed and tossed his revolver onto the table. The gun was followed by the mask. 




I’ll let you know the release date as soon as I can. Stay tuned!

I’m so excited! It’s finally here! Well, almost. The second book in the adventures of the Free Wolves will be available before Christmas!

When I wrote Wolves’ Knight, I really expected it to be a stand-alone story. But Tasha kept bugging me to tell her story, so, almost two years later, here it is! In fact, as I wrote it, the document I worked from was labeled “Tasha’s Tale.”

Tasha Roeper knows what it means to protect your own. So when her friend, Dot Lapahie, CEO of Lapahie Enterprises, suspects that the Free Wolves are under attack, Tasha immediately signs on to lead the investigation and guard Dot.


But Tasha’s not convinced it’s the Free Wolves that are the target. She fears that her own pack—the Fairwood Pack—are the actual quarry and Dot is only a decoy.


The deeper Tasha digs, the more puzzles she uncovers.


Torn between tradition and a changing world, will Tasha risk everything to save a friend—including her own life—when old enemies arise?




And now, onto the cover!


I’m REALLY excited about this cover. My cover artist, K.M. Guth, did a wonderful job. I can’t wait to see it in print.



So, without further ado, here it is! (drumroll,please.)

 Stay tuned for the official release date.

Welcome to another week of the Open Book Blog Hop, where we talk about a variety of topics and readers can get to know us a little better. This week we’re talking about nanny cams.

Up front, I’ll tell you I’m prejudiced in this matter. Not only have I seen the horrendous videos of infants and toddlers being abused by adults, I know someone it happened to. And children are the most precious gift we have and we need to take care of them.

If you choose to install a nanny-cam in your own home, more power to you. I do believe you should tell your nanny (or babysitter) about the camera up front, but I don’t feel as if your obligated to tell them where it (or they) are aimed. Or if you move it.(More about this later)

Nanny cams didn’t exist when my children were little, and I rarely had babysitters in my home. More often, babysitting was done by relatives I trusted in their homes. I did have a friend of a friend as a babysitter for awhile, but she had her own child just a little older than mine, so it felt “safe.” Would I have installed one if I had the opportunity? I don’t know. I was much more trusting when I was younger. But my darling husband would have installed one in a heartbeat.He’s was, and still is, extremely protective of our kids.

I love the idea that many preschools have of putting cameras in their classrooms and allowing parents to log in at any time to see what’s going on. Of course, being a bit of a geek, I also know you have to be careful about how those are configured. Default passwords are never good. (Got a default password on your home equipment? Go change it. Then come back. I’ll wait.)

Are you back? Good! So on to the next part of my rant. There are many people who don’t understand the security risks of nanny cams that upload directly to storage on the internet. While that’s a good idea, you also have to make sure the site where they are stored is trustworthy, and again, password protected. If you didn’t know, there are sites out there that are devoted to finding webcams that aren’t secured and that anyone can control. You don’t want some random internet stranger watching you and your precious little one by the camera you installed and didn’t take the time to set up correctly.

Nanny cams come in all shapes and sizes these days, and I fully understand why a parent wouldn’t want to reveal that they had one to a babysitter. After all, the babysitter might figure out where all the “dead” spots are where they can misbehave without being filmed.  But I also believe the babysitter has the right to know if they are being filmed. A sitter has to have the expectation that they can behave normally and not have those pictures end up as a you-tube video. (What if the sitter wants to lift her shirt and adjust her bra? Or a male sitter has to adjust another part of the body?)  Balancing the opposing rights of the two parties is a sticky situation.

Check out what some our other authors have to say. Rebecca Lovell’s first book is coming soon, but Rebecca’s Web Page
in the meantime you can check out her webpage .  

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Welcome everyone! Before I dive into this week’s topic, I want to thank Kelly Williams for the new banners she designed for our blog hop. There are several, so check them out when you travel from blog to blog. They’re great!


Our topic this week is sex. It’s everywhere. From the commercials blaring on the TV to the covers of magazines at the checkout stands at the grocery store to the conversation around the water cooler at work—when HR isn’t around! We, as humans, are fixated on sex.


I suppose it’s natural and we’re wired that way. The urge to breed and procreate is instinctive. No matter how sophisticated our thinking, no matter how marvelous our machines, we are, at our core, mammals.


How we handle that urge is what makes us interesting. I remember many years ago hearing about a early Christian movement that insisted its followers forego sex. Not only the leaders, but everyone in the sect. My first reaction was “Well, then, how do they get new members?” And since the next paragraph in the textbook mentioned that the movement didn’t last very long, I got my answer. They didn’t.

Of course, different cultures through different eras have treated sex differently. We may not now the truth of how sex was seen in the Greek and Roman eras because history is always being re-written, but we don’t have to look to far back to see the difference between the Victorian Era and the counter-culture movement of the 1960’s. From a woman not being able to show her ankle to a time when we let it all hang out, the attitudes towards the topic of sex have shifted. We’ve gone from not being able to discuss the topic in polite company or not showing a married couple sleeping in the same bed, to having it be a normal part of our daily lives.


But the question that arises is this: if you agree that it’s healthy to allow some discussion of sex into our public lives, has the pendulum swung too far? Is it good for us to be exposed to sexual images and innuendos on a constant basis? Do we really need commercials for “feminine products” shoved in our faces when we’re eating supper?  


Anyone who knows me knows I’m a believe in moderation. And I find beauty in the human form, both male and female. So I differentiate between sex and a picture of a naked body. I have no problem with viewing the picture of a good-looking, unclothed body. Do I want too watch that person engage in the act of sex? Hmmm. no. 🙂 Do I have a problem with that body having sex? Not at all. I just don’t want to watch. 


And I write that way. The characters in my books talk about sex, think about sex, have sex. But I don’t show my readers the details when they get to the bedroom. (or whatever spot they happen to find at the moment!)  I make the assumption that most if my readers have engaged in the sex act and don’t need instructions on how it’s done. If they want details, there are plenty of videos out there they can go watch. 


What’s your take on the topic of sex? Let us know in the comments, but keep it clean, please. By current day standards, anyway!

You can find out what Tamsen Schulz has to say about sex by visiting her blog at Tamsen Schulz.  Tamsen is new to our hop, so I’m looking forward to hearing her opinion.  Check out her book page while you’re there. I’ve just added them to my “to be read” list. They sound good!


The Puppeteer


CIA agent Danielle “Dani” Williamson never stops believing that one day she’ll find the man who killed her parents and stole her childhood. And when the nightmare she relives in her dreams is played out in carbon copy and linked to a group the CIA believes is planning a terrorist attack in the US, Dani thinks she might finally have her chance.


Detective Ty Fuller loved being a Navy SEAL, but after seeing one too many innocent children killed, he was no longer able to stomach the world of politics, manipulation, and death. Now, as a detective with his local vice squad, he likes to think he’s helping kids by keeping drugs off the streets–local problems, local solutions.



But when Dani and her team arrive, they bring a case bigger than anything Ty’s small New England town has seen in decades, drugs in exchange for weapons-lots of them. And as the case unfolds and the tensions simmer between them, Dani and Ty discover that all is not what it seems. Uncovering a web of manipulation that spans the globe and reaches all the way to the US president, they know the price for justice will be high, risking not just their fledgling relationship, but their very lives.

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Welcome to the Open Book Blog Hop where you can find out more about a merry group of authors. This week we’re discussing quality vs quality.

Many years ago, the Boy Scouts in my hometown sold Hershey candy bars at Christmas time. No, not the little bars you buy in the grocery store, but 5 lb. ones. Yes, 5 pounds. That’s a heck of a big candy bar. Of course, when it was being shared among eleven or more  people, it didn’t last long. But to a little kid’s eyes, it was amazing.


But I enjoyed the little candies we got in our stockings better. For one thing, they were mine and I didn’t have to worry about sharing them. For another, we got a variety of candy and I could enjoy the different flavors over the course of the holidays. If you had asked me quality vs quantity as a child, I would have immediately voted for quantity. Of course, I hadn’t been introduced to the concept of fine chocolate.


In my teens I started to understand the idea of quality. I started to notice the difference in clothing, with the more expensive and better quality clothing generally fitting better and looking better when worn. However, I didn’t care much about clothes and was hard to fit, so I ended up with what my parents could afford and it didn’t bother me.

Mostly, however, I translated the idea of quality to my school work. I liked school and my teachers and wanted to shine. I put a lot of effort in the papers we were assigned and and even my homework. My reward was good grades. I suppose it was a combination of quality and quantity throughout my high school years.


When I was a newlywed, we didn’t have much money. There was a lot of “making do” and “stretching” what we had to make it last as long as possible. During those years it

was definitely a case of quantity over quality. I learned to grow, can, and freeze my own food during those years, so sometimes the quality came as an added benefit to the struggle. Someplace I have a recipe for a mean refrigerator strawberry jam although I haven’t made it for years. (We grew our own strawberries. Talk about quality! Can’t do that where we live now.)


Now that I’m older (cough) and have a little more money, I can appreciate quality more than quantity. I still appreciate chocolate candy, but my taste runs to slightly more expensive brands. I find it takes less of a richer chocolate to satisfy my urge for sweets. I’m an avid reader, and I find I like books that I can take my time reading because I enjoy the skill of the writer over reading as fast as I can. And I don’t mind spending a little more money on good quality clothes because they’ll last me longer.


So quality vs quantity? Quality is the winner in the long run.


So do you go for quality or quantity? Let us know in the comments!


To find out what author Stevie Turner has to say, drop by her blog. Stevie Turner.  You can find her books on Amazon Stevie’s Author Page and at other retailers. 


Pilates Class


Roger is a down-to-earth builder type, Judy is the harassed single mother of four teenage boys, and Thelma is a librarian who usually looks as though she’s been sitting on a wasps’ nest for most of her life. Neville is on the lookout for a woman (any woman will do), and Julian just wants to be young again. Edie is the wrong side of 70, and Roz is a size zero fitness queen. 



These characters, together with one very overweight Alice, all meet up for the first time at their local Pilates class. Petra, the class instructor, has no idea what she has let herself in for! 

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Do you like to read? Wouldn’t you like to know more about your favorite authors? Well you came to the right place! Join the MMB Open Book Blog Hop each Wednesday and they will tell all. Every week we’ll answer questions and after you’ve enjoyed the blog on this site we’ll direct you to another. So come back often for a thrilling ride! Tell your friends and feel free to ask us questions in the comment box.

This week we’re talking about brothers and sisters and I have a batch of them.There are nine of us.Yep, that’s more than the Waltons. There are  five boys and four girls. The oldest was basically out of the house (in college) before the youngest was born. My relationship with each of them is different.


I was in the middle of the batch until my youngest sister was born when I was 16. Being in the middle had both its advantages and disadvantages. Since I was fourth in line, my parents were already “broken in” and had a good idea of what they were doing. Plus, since I had older siblings, I had built-in connections at school and outside activities. Things that I might not have been allowed to do by myself were okayed as long as I was tagging along with one of my big brothers or my older sister.


The disadvantages were the hand-me-downs—I didn’t get much in the way of new clothing. Oh, I had plenty of clothes, but they were mostly things my older sister wore first. (I found a way to get around that—I eventually grew taller than her so her stuff didn’t fit me!) And although I don’t ever remember being the youngest—the next sister in line is only two years younger than me—i do remember the “big kids” getting to do things I wasn’t allowed to.


I absolutely adored my two big brothers and wanted to do everything they did. When they went fishing, I wanted to go too. When they went to build a fort in the woods near the house, I tagged along. When they got older and went deer hunting with our father, I got a little bit jealous. I don’t know that I would have been able to kill a deer, but darn it, I wanted to go along. But I was a girl, and it wasn’t ever suggested.



My oldest brother was responsible for expanding my musical interests. When I was a pre-teen, he already had a job and was buying records. He’d play them in his room, and I could hear them even through the closed door as I walked by. Sometimes I’d even stop and listen, My musical tastes ended going in a different direction than his, but I still credit him for opening my eyes to new artists.





I also stood in awe of my big sister who is borderline genius. I was basically an introvert (and still am in many ways) and never understood how she made friends so easily. Thankfully, she allowed me to hang out with her “group” on many occasions and even if I didn’t feel like I was totally a part of it they never made me feel unwelcome. We were only a year apart in school, and I felt that I was competing with her.  She almost always won except when I did things she didn’t do. (I was better at embroidery and climbing trees.) 

I haven’t talked about the younger half of the family much. I can only hope I made some impact on the next four kids in line. The youngest—well, I was out of the house by the time she turned three. She’s only a few years older than my daughter! We’ve connected as adults although we live far apart. Modern technology can be a wonderful thing. 

Tell us about your brothers and sisters in the comments. To find out what Lela Markham has to say about brothers and sisters, head to her blog HERE.  You can find her books on Amazon. 

The WIllow Branch:


A healer must mend a fractured kingdom and bring two enemy races together before a greater enemy destroys them both. 


Fate took Prince Maryn by surprise, leaving Celdrya to tear itself apart. A century later an army amasses against the warring remains of the kingdom as prophesy sends a half-elven healer on a journey to find the nameless True King. Padraig lacks the power to put the True King on the throne, yet compelled by forces greater than himself, Padraig contends with dark mages, Celtic goddesses, human factions and the ancient animosities of two peoples while seeking a myth. With all that distraction, a man might meet the True King and not recognize him. 

You can find more stops on this hop by following the links below.

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Join us each week as our group of authors discuss different topics. This week we’re interviewing a character from one of our books. I decided to interview Gavin Fairwood, the hero from Wolves’ Pawn and the upcoming Wolves’ Knight. And yes, I’ve interviewed him before and enjoyed it so much I decided to do another,

I met up with Gavin at his office at Fairwood Industries. His tailored dark blue shirt accented his deeply tanned face, but didn’t hide his broad shoulders. From the stacks of paper and folders on his desk, it appeared he was in the middle of a major project.


Me: Thanks for taking time out of your busy schedule to talk to me.

Gavin: My pleasure. It’s a good excuse to take a break from all the paperwork.Would you like to take a stroll while we talk? I’d need to stretch my legs.

Me: Of course. (Editor’s note: The Fairwood village is made up of neatly-kept and brightly painted Victorian style homes. It’s like walking through a Courier and Ives painting.) Did you get to help out on the search for that little boy who was lost a few weeks ago?

Gavin: Only from an organizational level, although I was ready to drop everything if needed. That one had me worried. The daytime temperatures have been warm but nighttime temperatures are dropping below freezing. According to the preliminary information given to the state police, the boy was dressed only in a T-shirt and jeans. If he hadn’t been found before dark, there was a good chance he wouldn’t have survived the night.

Me: Did one of your group locate him?

Gavin: No, one of his neighbors actually found him asleep in a shed behind his house. We are glad to help whenever we can, but it’s always good when we turn out not to be needed.

Me: Would you know anything about the two big doggies the boy claimed found him in the woods and led him to the shed?

Gavin: He must have been dreaming. With an imagination like that, maybe he’ll be a writer when he grows up.

Me: Right. Switching topics, tell me about the biggest challenge you’re facing as the CEO of Fairwood Industries?

Gavin: The software field is overloaded with start-ups and young companies that make big promises and then can’t deliver. We’ve lost a few customers to young companies. When those companies fold, and the majority will, we’ll have to hustle to get them back and hire the employees we need to support them again.

Me: What is the biggest challenge you face as the pack leader?

Gavin: The conflict I feel every time one of our young people leaves. On one hand, I’m proud that they’ve confident enough to head out on their own. On the other hand, I worry that it weakens the pack. But after the influx of new members we got from Free Wolves, our numbers are actually up. Dot tells me I worry too much.

Me: Speaking of your mate, how is she doing?

Gavin: Working too hard. I keep telling her she needs to let her board of directors take on more responsibility. She feels like to has to know everything that’s going on. But then she tells me she’s learned by example.

Me: (laughing) Meaning you, of course.

Gavin: I’ll admit to nothing. Of course, I’m trying to figure out a way to make her slow down. I’d like to give her a vacation, but I want to take her somewhere she’s never been. That’s tough, because she traveled all over before settling down here. I don’t think she’s ever been to either Alaska or Hawaii, so maybe I’ll surprise her with a trip to one or both of those states.

Me: There’s a rumor going around that you’re thinking of running for the position of the Head of the Council. Care to comment?

Gavin: I don’t know who your source is, but they’re wrong. I’ve got enough on my plate without taking on additional responsibilities. Besides, Counselor Carlson is doing a fine job. Any other rumors I can squash?

Me: No, but there’s a pool at the office taking bets on how soon you and Dot will have a baby. Have you got any inside information you could share with me?

(That was the first time I was ever at the receiving end of Gavin Fairwood’s alpha stare, and it was not a fun experience. He didn’t answer the question, simply stared at me  until I backed down. It only took a few seconds.)

Me: I withdraw the question. I don’t want to take up too much of your time, but I have one final thing to ask. Some of our readers are wondering about Tasha. How is she doing?

Gavin (returning to his normal friendly demeanor) I’m told she’s doing well. The time she’s spent with the pack in Maine has been a good experience for her. We’ll welcome her back whenever she’s ready to come home.

Me: (We had returned to the front door of the office building, and Gavin  had glanced at his watch a couple of times. I took the hint.) Thanks for your time. Anything else you’d like to tell your readers?

Gavin: No, but I hear you have some exciting news. Want to share?

Me: I will at the end of this post. Thanks again!

To read Kelly Williams’ interview with Captain Maiel from The Shadow Soul, go Here.  This is Kelly’s description of the captain:

“Today on the blog I’ll be interviewing Captain Maiel, of Eden, Zion. She’s a commander of a military unit under the designation Moon Order. Her commanding presence, reaching just over seven feet in height is disarming, along with those eyes of lurid blue and brilliant red hair. This doesn’t even mention the wings! Today she is dressed in the plainclothes uniform of her order, a subtle toga-styled gown in cream with the order penannular (that’s a brooch of sorts, fitted with nano-tech that houses her active duty uniform—that uniform is very Greco-Roman in design—see the figure on the left) fixed on her left shoulder. Ever at her side is Leader Argus, a wolf who serves the legions in her unit. Despite his formidable appearance, he is laying by the Captain’s chair as sweetly as a pup.”


And now for the big news Gavin hinted at:

Wolves Knight-Tasha’s Tale, the follow up to Wolves’ Pawn, should be available in early December. Tasha was shipped off to Maine in the middle of the pack wars to recuperate from physical and mental injuries, and to learn new skills in the field of providing security. Here’s the working blurb:

Stay tuned for more updates!

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Want to find out more about some of your favorite authors? Each week we discuss something different. This week on the Open Book Blog Hop we’re talking about movies.


I grew up in the era of drive-in movies. The folks would load us all into the station wagon on one-price-per-car nights and we’d head out. If we got there early, there was a swingset and other equipment in the playground at the base of the screen. Before the movie started, we’d stick the speaker in the window and settle in.


But the first movie that I saw in a sit-down theater is the one that made the biggest impression on me.  It was the re-release of Gone With the Wind. It was the first time that just my mom and us sisters went to a movie by ourselves. A girls’ afternoon out, I suppose, back before that became a “thing.”


The theater itself was one of those marvelous old buildings with ornate decorations both inside and out. Sadly, it’s no longer used a theater, but the exterior of the building still bears witness to it’s past glory.


It was the perfect setting to watch that glorious old movie. The velvet covered chairs and the embossed and gilded ceiling seemed to be part of the set of the movie. 


I still remember quite clearly a few of the scenes from the movie. I remember the maid helping Scarlett get tied into her corset, and when she took her wedding ring off to donate to the cause of Southern independence. I remember her tearing the curtains down to make a dress. 


I think that’s when I first started my love affair with bad boys. Rhett was handsome and suave and definitely not the boy you want to take home to your mother.  But you could tell he really loved Scarlett, and that made him even more desirable. And that smile of his—it’s still swoon worthy!


You can find out what other authors have to say by following the links below. Or you can start HERE with Nichole Sorrell’s  entry in this week’s hop. Check out her book while you’re there. Isn’t that a great cover? 














Tell us about your favorite movie in the comments.

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UPDATE! UPDATE! 


The giveaway is over and Kristi Van Howling is the winner! She’ll receive a copy of Wolves’ Knight when the edits are done. Congratulations, Kristi!



Werewolves, Vampires, and Witches, oh my! Welcome to another stop on the Snarkology Halloween Hop. I’ll be giving away an e-book copy of Wolves’ Knight to one lucky winner. Details at the end of this post.

I wanted to write y’all a short story for Halloween, but the darn thing wants to turn into a book. Instead, I’m going to share a few memories of Halloween, and I’ve been around for a few of them.

Living in the country, trick-or-treating was different than it was for the city kids  We might not have ended up with as much candy, but in some ways it was better. Many of the neighbors handed out two different categories of treats—normal small candy to the kids from out of the area, and the “good” stuff to the locals. Yes, they’d ask if we were from the neighborhood and all we had to do was mention our last name. That served as the key to unlock the treasure chest.

Made-from-scratch cookies were common, and one house handed out home-made caramel apples. Another made popcorn balls. That was long before the first scare of razor blades and hazardous items being placed in the treats. Some people gave us full-size candy bars instead of the small ones. 

So even though we might have ended up with fewer treats than our city friends, I think our “take” was better. Sure, we had to walk longer distances since the houses had bigger yards and there were empty lots between the houses, but we were country kinds, and that didn’t faze us.

Of course, that meant we had to take into account the walking when we made our costumes. We didn’t do the store bought thing, except for our masks. Ingenuity was king as we pulled together costumes from things around the house. Each year, one of my siblings managed to talk my mother out of an old sheet to make a ghost costume. Hobos were also a popular choice.

Coming from a large family, the fun didn’t stop once we got home. That’s when the trading began. We each had our favorite treats and the swapping rarely got out of hand. Of course, we also shared with our parents. Why should they be left out of the fun?

Now that I’m all grown up (and my kids are grown-ups too!) I’m the one handing out treats. No full-size candy bars or home-made popcorn balls, but I always give out chocolate candy. I love seeing the costumes and the smiles on the littlest kids’ faces when I drop the candy in the bag. I believe I was thinking of myself when I wrote the scene in “The Marquesa’s Ring where Harmony, my main character, is handing out treats on Halloween. Her bodyguard isn’t happy with the idea.

And Halloween? I didn’t expect the kids to tromp up the outside steps to my place, and I enjoyed handing out candy and seeing the costumes. Normally, I wrapped up in a blanket and sat at the bottom of the stairs with a cup of hot cocoa and handed out treats from there. Mr. Grumps-A-Lot didn’t like the idea at all. Heck, he was scarier in his every day long black coat than the kids in their costumes. He wouldn’t stay in his van but I made him sit on the landing behind me so he wouldn’t upset the youngest children too much. The teenagers escorting their younger brothers and sisters thought he was a cool prop I’d added to my minimal decorations.


You can find my books HERE.

Now for my contest. One lucky person can win a e-book copy of my next book, Wolves’ Knight, before it’s even finished. I’m hoping for a December release date, but that’s not written in stone. Wolves’ Knight is a follow-up to Wolves’ Pawn, and is the second in the Free Wolves series. The winner will receive their copy once it’s released. Enter here: a Rafflecopter giveaway

Follow the hop for more fun and prizes. you can head over to Snarkology blog hop for more blogs, or follow the link at the end of this post.


The Blog Hop has a giveaway! 
Enter for a chance to win by heading to the address below
(1) $100 Amazon or B&N Gift Card or
(1) $50 Amazon or B&N Gift Card or
(1) $50 Amazon or B&N Gift Card or
(1) $50 Amazon or B&N Gift Card

URL: http://goo.gl/forms/C8m0B2NQ3d

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Hello and Welcome, however you made your way here! This week on the Open Book Blog Hop, we’re talking about gratefulness. What are we grateful for?


When I think about this question, I realize the answer is “a lot!” So I decided to narrow it down to the many people who I’ve been privileged to know and who’ve made a difference in my life.

My mother is the first person who comes to mind, although my dad gets credit too. They both supported me in becoming myself—choosing my own path in life. I’ve run on about my mother several times in past blogs, so I’m going to skip past them and talk about some other folks.









I had wonderful teachers in high school, who opened my eyes to fresh ideas and different ways of thinking. This was a Catholic high school, but was anything but conservative in its structure. The entire way classes were offered was an experiment in allowing the students to pick the level of learning they were comfortable with. With smaller sized classes, and attentive instructors, students could learn at their own pace and pick subjects that interested them. By my senior year, half my classes were independent study. Not your normal setup for a high school, but I thrived on it. So thank you, Sister Lois, Sister Mary Andrew, Sister Regina, Father Santor, Father Rarick and Father Weibel.  (and others!) I’m grateful for the extra effort you put into helping me develop intellectually. 


College was a journey for me, through several schools and several majors. Again, I got lucky along the way, with professors who recognized my love of learning and were happy to encourage me. I wasn’t the traditional college student, but it didn’t matter to them. Or perhaps that was the reason they were willing to put the extra effort in to help me. But that help is why I have the job I do today, and I’m grateful.


I’ve met a lot on interesting and marvelous people along the way. From the landlady who became a friend ( I miss you, Lois. I hope heaven is enjoying your company) to co-workers and bosses,(here’s looking at you, Scott!) to the many folks that writing has put me in contact with. (Hey Mary Jean!) Each has made an impression on me that helped shape me. And I think I’ve turned out pretty well, so I’m grateful. (A special shout-out to Patti Fiala, who organizes this blog hop on a weekly basis.) 


Of course, I can’t forget the most special person in my life,

my dearly beloved husband, Al. It was love at first sight, and here we are many years later, still together and still in love. I love you, and I’m grateful you’re in my life. You’ve been my best friend and biggest fan, and I don’t know what I did to deserve you.

To find out what Lela Markham has to say, check out her blog HERE.   Don’t forget to check out her books while you’re there. You can also find them on Amazon. Lela on Amazon. And you can find out what other folks have to say on the subject by following the links below.



If you want, you can share what you’re grateful for in the comments.

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