Category: Uncategorized

A Plane Ticket to Anywhere—#OpenBook Blog Hop

  By Uncategorized

Before I get started on this week’s topic, I want to apologize to anyone who might have missed me the last few weeks. I didn’t go totally off-grid, but my time and internet access were limited. I spent the time with my daughter and grandson, and wanted to savor every minute.

Which segues nicely into this week’s topic—if someone gave you a free plane ticket to anywhere in the world, where would you go and why?

So many choices, so little time! In fact, can I get one of those tickets that you can use unlimited times? For the rest of your life? (They used to sell them!)

Because this is my blog, I can change the rules, Right? So you’re going to get the top three places I would visit.

First one would be right back to visit my daughter. Even though she’s in Florida and I just got back from there and she doesn’t have any electricity yet. Or maybe mostly because she doesn’t have any electricity! She’s got her hands full and I want to be there to help her. Luckily, no damage was done to her house. (The mailbox went missing, the wire that carries electricity to her house is damaged, and a tree in the backyard had to be taken down.) I assume you’ve seen the pictures of storm damage in Florida after the hurricane. She got off lucky compared to some nearby neighborhoods.

(Not my daughter’s home, thankfully)

In a dead heat for # 1 on my list would be a ticket to visit my mother. She’s still in the town where I grew up and since I admit to being an old fart, you can guess how old she is. Although we talk on a regular basis, it’s been too long since I’ve been back to visit her. She’s in good health, thank you, and I have no doubt she’s going to break her family’s record and live past 90. At least I hope so. Still, I need to get back there.

And now for the fantasy trip, # 3 on my list. Ireland. The home of my ancestors and generations of poets and writers. I’ve traveled extensively within the Unites States, but travel outside the country has been limited. Ireland has always topped my list of places I want to go.

I’ve been fascinated by the romantic descriptions of Ireland for years. From the old castles and their ancient lore to the mountains to the people themselves. The country calls to me.

Even back during “The Troubles” my desire to see Ireland didn’t fade. Sure, I plotted the “safe” places to go visit and worried if anyplace was truly safe, but decided I wouldn’t pass up a trip if I could make it happen. To this day, the opportunity hasn’t happened, but Ireland is still at the top of my fantasy list.

To find out where the other authors would like to visit, see the links below. And tell me where you’d want to go in the comments, if you want. 🙂

October 10 – If someone gave you a free plane ticket to anywhere in the world, where would you go and why?
Rules:
1. Link your blog to this hop.
2. Notify your following that you are participating in this blog hop.
3. Promise to visit/leave a comment on all participants’ blogs.
4. Tweet/or share each person’s blog post. Use #OpenBook when tweeting.
5. Put a banner on your blog that you are participating.
WordPress:



Custom Blog:


Code for Link:

get the InLinkz code

A Plane Ticket to Anywhere—#OpenBook Blog Hop

  By Uncategorized

Before I get started on this week’s topic, I want to apologize to anyone who might have missed me the last few weeks. I didn’t go totally off-grid, but my time and internet access were limited. I spent the time with my daughter and grandson, and wanted to savor every minute.

Which segues nicely into this week’s topic—if someone gave you a free plane ticket to anywhere in the world, where would you go and why?

So many choices, so little time! In fact, can I get one of those tickets that you can use unlimited times? For the rest of your life? (They used to sell them!)

Because this is my blog, I can change the rules, Right? So you’re going to get the top three places I would visit.

First one would be right back to visit my daughter. Even though she’s in Florida and I just got back from there and she doesn’t have any electricity yet. Or maybe mostly because she doesn’t have any electricity! She’s got her hands full and I want to be there to help her. Luckily, no damage was done to her house. (The mailbox went missing, the wire that carries electricity to her house is damaged, and a tree in the backyard had to be taken down.) I assume you’ve seen the pictures of storm damage in Florida after the hurricane. She got off lucky compared to some nearby neighborhoods.

(Not my daughter’s home, thankfully)

In a dead heat for # 1 on my list would be a ticket to visit my mother. She’s still in the town where I grew up and since I admit to being an old fart, you can guess how old she is. Although we talk on a regular basis, it’s been too long since I’ve been back to visit her. She’s in good health, thank you, and I have no doubt she’s going to break her family’s record and live past 90. At least I hope so. Still, I need to get back there.

And now for the fantasy trip, # 3 on my list. Ireland. The home of my ancestors and generations of poets and writers. I’ve traveled extensively within the Unites States, but travel outside the country has been limited. Ireland has always topped my list of places I want to go.

I’ve been fascinated by the romantic descriptions of Ireland for years. From the old castles and their ancient lore to the mountains to the people themselves. The country calls to me.

Even back during “The Troubles” my desire to see Ireland didn’t fade. Sure, I plotted the “safe” places to go visit and worried if anyplace was truly safe, but decided I wouldn’t pass up a trip if I could make it happen. To this day, the opportunity hasn’t happened, but Ireland is still at the top of my fantasy list.

To find out where the other authors would like to visit, see the links below. And tell me where you’d want to go in the comments, if you want. 🙂

October 10 – If someone gave you a free plane ticket to anywhere in the world, where would you go and why?
Rules:
1. Link your blog to this hop.
2. Notify your following that you are participating in this blog hop.
3. Promise to visit/leave a comment on all participants’ blogs.
4. Tweet/or share each person’s blog post. Use #OpenBook when tweeting.
5. Put a banner on your blog that you are participating.
Wordpress:

Custom Blog:

Code for Link:

get the InLinkz code

Folktales—Open Book Blog Hop

  By Uncategorized





When I first started writing Wolves’ Pawn, I knew I didn’t want my wolves to be bound by the traditional rules of werewolves. No changing only at with the full moon, I wanted my characters to be able to shift at will. But in order to break the rules, I needed first to understand what the rules were.

Which led me to research the lore of shifters from around the globe. And most particularly, the stories of shifters in Native American legends and beliefs. What I found fascinated me. There is a large variety of shifter tales and not just wolves. I mention several of them in the book.

One of these is the Navajo skinwalker. The skinwalker is a creature of great evil. Legend has it that they are tribal medicine men who, after achieving power, kill a member of their family. They gain the ability to change into the shape of any animal, but primarily favor coyote, fox, crow and wolf. 

Skinwalkers are described in some stories as being able to read human thoughts. They are also said to
be able to mimic the sound of any animal. In some of the stories they are part man part beast, other stories have them changing fully into animal form.

Traditionally, the Navajo are reluctant to talk about skinwalkers, If you’d like to check out some supposedly authentic modern-day stories, here’s a link. Skinwalker Stories. What follows is one of the antecedents which includes many of the standard elements of skinwalker tales. 

This didn’t happen to me but a very close friend of mine. I’ve heard a lot about coyotes and Skinwalkers, and had a weird experience or two with coyotes (creepiest was waking up to my sleeping bag being surrounded in paw prints without ever hearing them during the night) but never anything paranormal so to speak. Patrick’s story, however, kept me from going back to a favorite backcountry secret stash.
He was leaving the area one morning, had been camping there a couple days and said there was a coyote that always seemed to be close by, like in his peripheral vision but never overt. He loaded up his truck and started to drive down the wash out to the fire road. At the end of the wash, he could see the coyote following him. When he pulled onto the road, it was running next to him. Now he was freaked out, so he sped up. He said he was going 35 or so, and it was running along beside him. Definitely not possible. When he looked back, the coyote was running on two legs and was wearing what Patrick said looked like buckskin pants. An instant later, it was a person wearing a coyote fur keeping pace with his truck. When he looked again… It was gone.

We never went back to the grove after that.


Credit to Sean Reveron.

I ended up not using the skinwalker abilities in my book, although I do make reference to the legend. The Navajo aren’t the only tribe with shifter stories, and the shape that shifters take vary from tribe to tribe.

To find out what folktales the other authors are talking about, follow the links below.

Additional rescources

Sept. 12 – Folktales –
Rules:
1. Link your blog to this hop.
2. Notify your following that you are participating in this blog hop.
3. Promise to visit/leave a comment on all participants’ blogs.
4. Tweet/or share each person’s blog post. Use #OpenBook when tweeting.
5. Put a banner on your blog that you are participating.
WordPress:



Custom Blog:


Code for Link:

get the InLinkz code

Folktales—Open Book Blog Hop

  By Uncategorized








When I first started writing Wolves’ Pawn, I knew I didn’t want my wolves to be bound by the traditional rules of werewolves. No changing only at with the full moon, I wanted my characters to be able to shift at will. But in order to break the rules, I needed first to understand what the rules were.


Which led me to research the lore of shifters from around the globe. And most particularly, the stories of shifters in Native American legends and beliefs. What I found fascinated me. There is a large variety of shifter tales and not just wolves. I mention several of them in the book.


One of these is the Navajo skinwalker. The skinwalker is a creature of great evil. Legend has it that they are tribal medicine men who, after achieving power, kill a member of their family. They gain the ability to change into the shape of any animal, but primarily favor coyote, fox, crow and wolf. 


Skinwalkers are described in some stories as being able to read human thoughts. They are also said to
be able to mimic the sound of any animal. In some of the stories they are part man part beast, other stories have them changing fully into animal form.

Traditionally, the Navajo are reluctant to talk about skinwalkers, If you’d like to check out some supposedly authentic modern-day stories, here’s a link. Skinwalker Stories. What follows is one of the antecedents which includes many of the standard elements of skinwalker tales. 


This didn’t happen to me but a very close friend of mine. I’ve heard a lot about coyotes and Skinwalkers, and had a weird experience or two with coyotes (creepiest was waking up to my sleeping bag being surrounded in paw prints without ever hearing them during the night) but never anything paranormal so to speak. Patrick’s story, however, kept me from going back to a favorite backcountry secret stash.
He was leaving the area one morning, had been camping there a couple days and said there was a coyote that always seemed to be close by, like in his peripheral vision but never overt. He loaded up his truck and started to drive down the wash out to the fire road. At the end of the wash, he could see the coyote following him. When he pulled onto the road, it was running next to him. Now he was freaked out, so he sped up. He said he was going 35 or so, and it was running along beside him. Definitely not possible. When he looked back, the coyote was running on two legs and was wearing what Patrick said looked like buckskin pants. An instant later, it was a person wearing a coyote fur keeping pace with his truck. When he looked again… It was gone.


We never went back to the grove after that.



Credit to Sean Reveron.

I ended up not using the skinwalker abilities in my book, although I do make reference to the legend. The Navajo aren’t the only tribe with shifter stories, and the shape that shifters take vary from tribe to tribe.

To find out what folktales the other authors are talking about, follow the links below.

Additional rescources

Sept. 12 – Folktales –
Rules:
1. Link your blog to this hop.
2. Notify your following that you are participating in this blog hop.
3. Promise to visit/leave a comment on all participants’ blogs.
4. Tweet/or share each person’s blog post. Use #OpenBook when tweeting.
5. Put a banner on your blog that you are participating.
Wordpress:

Custom Blog:

Code for Link:

get the InLinkz code

Labor Day—#OpenBook Blog Hop

  By Uncategorized

This week on the Blog Hop, we’re talking about Labor Day. To me, it’s always marked the end of summer.

As a kid, school never started until after Labor Day. Although I liked school, it always seemed like summer wasn’t long enough. There were still hills to climb and bikes to ride and nights to spend sitting on the front porch listening to the whippoorwill calling down in the valley and watching the fireflies flash among the willow trees. I feel bad for today’s youth, who start school in the middle of August. It feels like they are getting cheated.

As an adult, I no longer have the free time to spend my summers in pursuit of wild huckleberries or trying to track down the ends of elusive summer rainbows. I have duties and responsibilities and a paycheck to earn, by gum. I must prove that I’m a productive member of society. When I manage to slip away to the mountains on a weekend, no one needs to know that I spent time watching the clouds form pictures while pretending to try to catch a fish.

In the mountains, Fall comes early. Much earlier than the official date of September 22nd. In fact, I’d have to say it has already arrived. There’s been snow in the mountains and we’ve had to turn on the heater several nights. We’re taking bets on when the first snow will fall where we will live. I’ve seen in snow as early as mid-September.

So it’s fair to say that Labor Day really does mark the end of summer. The leaves on the trees are already starting to show a change in color. It’s time to pack away the shorts and throw another blanket on the bed. The extra day off work will be used to cut the grass one more time and do housework that was neglected all summer long.

What does Labor Day mean to you? You can share your thoughts in the comments. And if you click on the links below, you can find out what other authors think.

Sept. 5 – Labor Day – What does it mean to you or how do you celebrate?
Rules:
1. Link your blog to this hop.
2. Notify your following that you are participating in this blog hop.
3. Promise to visit/leave a comment on all participants’ blogs.
4. Tweet/or share each person’s blog post. Use #OpenBook when tweeting.
5. Put a banner on your blog that you are participating.
WordPress:



Custom Blog:


Code for Link:

get the InLinkz code

Labor Day—#OpenBook Blog Hop

  By Uncategorized

This week on the Blog Hop, we’re talking about Labor Day. To me, it’s always marked the end of summer.

As a kid, school never started until after Labor Day. Although I liked school, it always seemed like summer wasn’t long enough. There were still hills to climb and bikes to ride and nights to spend sitting on the front porch listening to the whippoorwill calling down in the valley and watching the fireflies flash among the willow trees. I feel bad for today’s youth, who start school in the middle of August. It feels like they are getting cheated.

As an adult, I no longer have the free time to spend my summers in pursuit of wild huckleberries or trying to track down the ends of elusive summer rainbows. I have duties and responsibilities and a paycheck to earn, by gum. I must prove that I’m a productive member of society. When I manage to slip away to the mountains on a weekend, no one needs to know that I spent time watching the clouds form pictures while pretending to try to catch a fish.

In the mountains, Fall comes early. Much earlier than the official date of September 22nd. In fact, I’d have to say it has already arrived. There’s been snow in the mountains and we’ve had to turn on the heater several nights. We’re taking bets on when the first snow will fall where we will live. I’ve seen in snow as early as mid-September.

So it’s fair to say that Labor Day really does mark the end of summer. The leaves on the trees are already starting to show a change in color. It’s time to pack away the shorts and throw another blanket on the bed. The extra day off work will be used to cut the grass one more time and do housework that was neglected all summer long.

What does Labor Day mean to you? You can share your thoughts in the comments. And if you click on the links below, you can find out what other authors think.

Sept. 5 – Labor Day – What does it mean to you or how do you celebrate?
Rules:
1. Link your blog to this hop.
2. Notify your following that you are participating in this blog hop.
3. Promise to visit/leave a comment on all participants’ blogs.
4. Tweet/or share each person’s blog post. Use #OpenBook when tweeting.
5. Put a banner on your blog that you are participating.
Wordpress:

Custom Blog:

Code for Link:

get the InLinkz code

#SunsetonRomance

  By Uncategorized

If you’re here from the Sunset on Summer Romance Blog Hop, welcome!  Before I give you a scene from my book Wolves’ Pawn, let me present the book’s description.

Dot McKenzie is a lone wolf-shifter on the run, using everything available to her to stay one step ahead of her pursuers. When she is offered a chance for friendship and safety with the Fairwood pack, she accepts.

Gavin Fairwood, reluctant heir to the Fairwood pack leadership, is content to let life happen while he waits. But old longings surface when he appoints himself Dot’s protector … and becomes more than a friend.

But her presence puts the pack and her new friends at risk, and Dot must go into hiding again. When old enemies threaten the destruction of the Fairwood pack, it will take the combined efforts of Dot and Gavin to save it.

Can anything save their love and Dot’s life when she becomes a pawn in a pack leader’s deadly game?

Romance among wolf shifters often doesn’t follow traditional paths. When you have two alphas, the path can take a lot of negotiation. Even when a deal is struck, there can be a lot of obstacles in the way. And sometimes it takes a threat from a joint enemy to bring them together.

Gavin went over to retrieve the knife and examined it before handing it back to her. “Special steel?” he asked.
“Yes, chosen to hold its edge and point longer while still staying tough enough not to break under pressure.”
“Like you.”
The sudden rush of moisture in her eyes surprised him. “Is that how you see me, Gavin? If you knew how many times I’ve come close to breaking, you might think differently.”
“Each time you learned and got stronger. Now you’re as strong as the steel in your knives.” He moved to put his arm around her waist, but she stepped away.
He wondered what he had done wrong as the silence grew. She walked over and stared at the whiteboard again. “This is dangerous, isn’t it?”
“Yes.”
She sighed. “Can I ask you a favor as a friend?”
“Of course.” Gavin was puzzled but waited.
“Have you chosen a mate yet?”
She’s standing right here, he thought, but she doesn’t know it yet. “Not officially.” Now that she was back, he needed to have that conversation with his pack leader.
“Oh,” she said, “Never mind then.”
“Why, Dot?”
She sighed. “I was going to ask you to have sex with me tonight,” she said, and the knives spun in the air again. “But if you’re spoken for, never mind.” He waited again, sensing there was more she needed to say. “I realize there is a chance I’ll get captured tomorrow night, and if I do, there’s a better chance I’ll be raped. Probably by more than one man as they either fight over me or share me as spoils. And I hoped my first experience would be a pleasant one.” His fists were clenched as tightly as his teeth as she slid the knives back in place. “Can you believe that I’m still a virgin?” she asked, avoiding his eyes. “I’ve had a few offers, but decided I wasn’t into the friends-with-benefits scene.”
He cock grew hard instantly. He’d dreamt of holding her too many times for his body not to react. He had his arms around her and his mouth pressed against hers before she had a chance to move. “I can’t have sex with you,” he said as he backed her against the wall. “I told you in Atlanta I loved you and I heard you say it to me too.”
“You heard that?”
He thrust his body against hers and kissed her again. “Yes, I heard that. And when I take you, it won’t be just sex. I will make love to you, every part of you, and you will know that you are loved.” His ran his hands up and down her back while his mouth wandered from her lips to her neck and back again. He raised his head and stared into her eyes. “Let me know now if that’s not what you want while I still have the strength to walk away.”
“Please …” She met his gaze and returned his stare, not blinking. The beating of his heart pounded in his ears as he waited for her to say more.
“Please make love to me.”

 Wolves’ Pawn is available at: 

  Amazon (Kindle)    Barnes & Noble   iTunes  Kobo   Inktera for mobile

#SunsetonRomance

  By Uncategorized

If you’re here from the Sunset on Summer Romance Blog Hop, welcome!  Before I give you a scene from my book Wolves’ Pawn, let me present the book’s description.

Dot McKenzie is a lone wolf-shifter on the run, using everything available to her to stay one step ahead of her pursuers. When she is offered a chance for friendship and safety with the Fairwood pack, she accepts.

Gavin Fairwood, reluctant heir to the Fairwood pack leadership, is content to let life happen while he waits. But old longings surface when he appoints himself Dot’s protector … and becomes more than a friend.

But her presence puts the pack and her new friends at risk, and Dot must go into hiding again. When old enemies threaten the destruction of the Fairwood pack, it will take the combined efforts of Dot and Gavin to save it.

Can anything save their love and Dot’s life when she becomes a pawn in a pack leader’s deadly game?

Romance among wolf shifters often doesn’t follow traditional paths. When you have two alphas, the path can take a lot of negotiation. Even when a deal is struck, there can be a lot of obstacles in the way. And sometimes it takes a threat from a joint enemy to bring them together.

Gavin went over to retrieve the knife and examined it before handing it back to her. “Special steel?” he asked.
“Yes, chosen to hold its edge and point longer while still staying tough enough not to break under pressure.”
“Like you.”
The sudden rush of moisture in her eyes surprised him. “Is that how you see me, Gavin? If you knew how many times I’ve come close to breaking, you might think differently.”
“Each time you learned and got stronger. Now you’re as strong as the steel in your knives.” He moved to put his arm around her waist, but she stepped away.
He wondered what he had done wrong as the silence grew. She walked over and stared at the whiteboard again. “This is dangerous, isn’t it?”
“Yes.”
She sighed. “Can I ask you a favor as a friend?”
“Of course.” Gavin was puzzled but waited.
“Have you chosen a mate yet?”
She’s standing right here, he thought, but she doesn’t know it yet. “Not officially.” Now that she was back, he needed to have that conversation with his pack leader.
“Oh,” she said, “Never mind then.”
“Why, Dot?”
She sighed. “I was going to ask you to have sex with me tonight,” she said, and the knives spun in the air again. “But if you’re spoken for, never mind.” He waited again, sensing there was more she needed to say. “I realize there is a chance I’ll get captured tomorrow night, and if I do, there’s a better chance I’ll be raped. Probably by more than one man as they either fight over me or share me as spoils. And I hoped my first experience would be a pleasant one.” His fists were clenched as tightly as his teeth as she slid the knives back in place. “Can you believe that I’m still a virgin?” she asked, avoiding his eyes. “I’ve had a few offers, but decided I wasn’t into the friends-with-benefits scene.”
He cock grew hard instantly. He’d dreamt of holding her too many times for his body not to react. He had his arms around her and his mouth pressed against hers before she had a chance to move. “I can’t have sex with you,” he said as he backed her against the wall. “I told you in Atlanta I loved you and I heard you say it to me too.”
“You heard that?”
He thrust his body against hers and kissed her again. “Yes, I heard that. And when I take you, it won’t be just sex. I will make love to you, every part of you, and you will know that you are loved.” His ran his hands up and down her back while his mouth wandered from her lips to her neck and back again. He raised his head and stared into her eyes. “Let me know now if that’s not what you want while I still have the strength to walk away.”
“Please …” She met his gaze and returned his stare, not blinking. The beating of his heart pounded in his ears as he waited for her to say more.
“Please make love to me.”

 Wolves’ Pawn is available at: 

  Amazon (Kindle)    Barnes & Noble   iTunes  Kobo   Inktera for mobile

Excerpts from my Books- Open Book Blog Hop

  By Uncategorized

This week we get to highlight our books in the firm of excerpts. I thought it might be fun to get acquainted with Tasha, a minor character in Wolves’ Pawn, who ended up being the hero of her own story in Wolves’ Knight. But first, for those of you who managed to stumble upon my blog and haven’t read Wolves’ Pawn yet, here’s the blurb:

Dot McKenzie is a lone wolf-shifter on the run, using everything available to her to stay one step ahead of her pursuers. When she is offered a chance for friendship and safety with the Fairwood pack, she accepts.

Gavin Fairwood, reluctant heir to the Fairwood pack leadership, is content to let life happen while he waits. But old longings surface when he appoints himself Dot’s protector … and becomes more than a friend.

But her presence puts the pack and her new friends at risk, and Dot must go into hiding again. When old enemies threaten the destruction of the Fairwood pack, it will take the combined efforts of Dot and Gavin to save it.

Can anything save their love and Dot’s life when she becomes a pawn in a pack leader’s deadly game?

And now here’s our introduction to Tasha. She first shows up about a quarter of the way into the book, 

Outside the conference room, a number of men and women with guns stood at alert in the hallways. Dot shivered at the sight, and Gavin placed a comforting hand on the small of her back. One of the women, a tall blonde with two guns strapped across her back, a pistol stuck in the waistband of her pants, and a nasty looking knife strapped to her thigh, jumped out of the chair she’d been sitting in, and approached them.
“Hey, Gavin,” she said with a grin as she pulled one of the guns over her head and handed it to him. “The arms master sends his regards—said he remembered this was your favorite model rifle.” Nodding, he hefted the AK-47 then slung the band on his shoulder. She handed him a magazine. “He said to see him if you want more ammo,” she added. She turned to Dot and extended her hand. “I’m Tasha. One of your bodyguards for the night. Tanya will be the other one. She’s my twin sister. You won’t see much of her, she’ll be taking outside duty.

Tasha got written out of the story about halfway through it. Spoiler alert! No, she didn’t die. But I guess she wasn’t real happy with that, because about a year after Wolves’ Pawn was released, she started bugging me. She wanted me to tell her story. I tried putting her off for awhile, but she wasn’t listening. I finally gave in and Wolves’ Knight was the result.

First, here’s the description of the book:

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?

In this excerpt, Tasha, after being gone for over a year, is meeting with the Fairwood’s pack arms-master, Elder Fenner.

 “We weren’t sure you’d want to come back. The reports we got were that you fit in well with the pack in Maine. I half-expected you to find your mate.”

Tasha knew the pack leader had sent reports back. At first she felt like a kid in school again, but soon decided that it didn’t matter. It wasn’t like she was a prisoner. She had been free to leave anytime she wanted.
“Have you been talking to my mother? Because she mentioned the same thing.” She grinned. “I bonded deeply with many members of the pack, both male and female, and I can count on them for help if I ever need it. But none of the males appealed to me as anything but friends. My mother is worried because I’m well past the typical mating age for females, and I’ve never been in a serious relationship.” Although Tanya hadn’t mated yet, she’d had several long-term boyfriends. The older she and her twin got, the more they developed their own personalities.
“Your mother has mentioned her concerns to several of the elders. That’s why I brought it up. As much as people push the whole concept of mates, there always have been exceptions to the rule. For a while, we thought Elder Fairwood might be one of them, that he might never choose a mate. That would’ve been a disaster for the pack.”
“And then he found Dot.”
“Yes.”
Tasha smiled. “So the Elders gossip about the pack members’ love lives.”
“It’s not gossiping,” Elder Fenner said sternly. “We’re showing our concern for the future of the pack.” He grinned. “Don’t tell anyone. It’s a badly kept secret.”
“Got it.” She watched an ant crawling up a stem of grass, wondering if she should breech protocol and ask a personal question. “You never mated.”
“No.” He closed his eyes. “I came close once, but she was killed in a pack war. Since then, I’ve devoted myself to making the pack as secure as possible so the same fate doesn’t happen to anyone else.”
“You’ve done a good job.”

A V of geese flew overhead. “Am I good enough?” she asked quietly.

So Tasha is responsible for turning Wolves. Pawn, which was intended as a stand-alone book, into a series. Yes, there will be more books in the Free Wolves’ Saga.  If you haven’t bought the books yet, the links follow.

I can’t wait to see what all the other bloggers posted. You can find out by following the links below. And feel free to leave a comment!

Wolves’ Pawn

Amazon

smarturl.it/tyseu6  (Amazon world-wide)

http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/wolves-pawn-pj-maclayne/1119391168

https://itunes.apple.com/us/book/id873248397

http://store.kobobooks.com/en-US/ebook/wolves-pawn

Here are the links for Wolves’ Knight, Tasha’s Tale

http://www.amazon.com/Wolves-Knight-Free-Book-ebook/dp/B0199BC6YI/

https://store.kobobooks.com/en-us/ebook/wolves-knight

http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/wolves-knight-pj-maclayne/1123127673

https://itunes.apple.com/us/book/id1066865102

https://www.createspace.com/5920665

August 29 – Excerpts from Your Novel. This is probably the easiest. It has the added advantage of allowing us, your potential readers, to “sample the brew.” Just write a paragraph to set up the excerpt. Oh, and be sure to link to your book, so we can buy it.

Rules:
1. Link your blog to this hop.
2. Notify your following that you are participating in this blog hop.
3. Promise to visit/leave a comment on all participants’ blogs.
4. Tweet/or share each person’s blog post. Use #OpenBook when tweeting.
5. Put a banner on your blog that you are participating.
WordPress:



Custom Blog:


Code for Link:

get the InLinkz code

InLinkz | view linkup

Excerpts from my Books- Open Book Blog Hop

  By Uncategorized

This week we get to highlight our books in the firm of excerpts. I thought it might be fun to get acquainted with Tasha, a minor character in Wolves’ Pawn, who ended up being the hero of her own story in Wolves’ Knight. But first, for those of you who managed to stumble upon my blog and haven’t read Wolves’ Pawn yet, here’s the blurb:

Dot McKenzie is a lone wolf-shifter on the run,
using everything available to her to stay one step ahead of her
pursuers. When she is offered a chance for friendship and safety with
the Fairwood pack, she accepts.

Gavin Fairwood, reluctant heir to the Fairwood
pack leadership, is content to let life happen while he waits. But
old longings surface when he appoints himself Dot’s protector …
and becomes more than a friend.

But her presence puts the pack and her new
friends at risk, and Dot must go into hiding again. When old enemies
threaten the destruction of the Fairwood pack, it will take the
combined efforts of Dot and Gavin to save it.

Can anything save their love and Dot’s life
when she becomes a pawn in a pack leader’s deadly game?

And now here’s our introduction to Tasha. She first shows up about a quarter of the way into the book, 

Outside
the conference room, a number of men and women with guns stood at
alert in the hallways. Dot shivered at the sight, and Gavin placed a
comforting hand on the small of her back. One of the women, a tall
blonde with two guns strapped across her back, a pistol stuck in the
waistband of her pants, and a nasty looking knife strapped to her
thigh, jumped out of the chair she’d been sitting in, and
approached them.
“Hey,
Gavin,” she said with a grin as she pulled one of the guns over her
head and handed it to him. “The arms master sends his regards—said
he remembered this was your favorite model rifle.” Nodding, he
hefted the AK-47 then slung the band on his shoulder. She handed him
a magazine. “He said to see him if you want more ammo,” she
added. She turned to Dot and extended her hand. “I’m Tasha. One
of your bodyguards for the night. Tanya will be the other one. She’s
my twin sister. You won’t see much of her, she’ll be taking
outside duty.

Tasha got written out of the story about halfway through it. Spoiler alert! No, she didn’t die. But I guess she wasn’t real happy with that, because about a year after Wolves’ Pawn was released, she started bugging me. She wanted me to tell her story. I tried putting her off for awhile, but she wasn’t listening. I finally gave in and Wolves’ Knight was the result.

First, here’s the description of the book:

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?

In this excerpt, Tasha, after being gone for over a year, is meeting with the Fairwood’s pack arms-master, Elder Fenner.


 “We weren’t sure you’d
want to come back. The reports we got were that you fit in well with
the pack in Maine. I half-expected you to find your mate.”

Tasha knew the pack leader had
sent reports back. At first she felt like a kid in school again, but
soon decided that it didn’t matter. It wasn’t like she was a
prisoner. She had been free to leave anytime she wanted.

“Have you been talking to my
mother? Because she mentioned the same thing.” She grinned. “I
bonded deeply with many members of the pack, both male and female,
and I can count on them for help if I ever need it. But none of the
males appealed to me as anything but friends. My mother is worried
because I’m well past the typical mating age for females, and I’ve
never been in a serious relationship.” Although Tanya hadn’t
mated yet, she’d had several long-term boyfriends. The older she
and her twin got, the more they developed their own personalities.

“Your mother has mentioned
her concerns to several of the elders. That’s why I brought it up.
As much as people push the whole concept of mates, there always have
been exceptions to the rule. For a while, we thought Elder Fairwood
might be one of them, that he might never choose a mate. That
would’ve been a disaster for the pack.”

“And then he found Dot.”

“Yes.”
Tasha smiled. “So the Elders
gossip about the pack members’ love lives.”

“It’s not gossiping,”
Elder Fenner said sternly. “We’re showing our concern for the
future of the pack.” He grinned. “Don’t tell anyone. It’s a
badly kept secret.”

“Got it.” She watched an
ant crawling up a stem of grass, wondering if she should breech
protocol and ask a personal question. “You never mated.”

“No.” He closed his eyes.
“I came close once, but she was killed in a pack war. Since then,
I’ve devoted myself to making the pack as secure as possible so the
same fate doesn’t happen to anyone else.”

“You’ve done a good job.”

A V of geese flew overhead.
“Am I good enough?” she asked quietly.

So Tasha is responsible for turning Wolves. Pawn, which was intended as a stand-alone book, into a series. Yes, there will be more books in the Free Wolves’ Saga.  If you haven’t bought the books yet, the links follow.

I can’t wait to see what all the other bloggers posted. You can find out by following the links below. And feel free to leave a comment!

Wolves’ Pawn

Amazon

smarturl.it/tyseu6  (Amazon world-wide)

http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/wolves-pawn-pj-maclayne/1119391168

https://itunes.apple.com/us/book/id873248397

http://store.kobobooks.com/en-US/ebook/wolves-pawn

Here are the links for Wolves’ Knight, Tasha’s Tale

http://www.amazon.com/Wolves-Knight-Free-Book-ebook/dp/B0199BC6YI/

https://store.kobobooks.com/en-us/ebook/wolves-knight

http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/wolves-knight-pj-maclayne/1123127673

https://itunes.apple.com/us/book/id1066865102

https://www.createspace.com/5920665

August 29 – Excerpts from Your Novel. This is probably the easiest. It has the added advantage of allowing us, your potential readers, to “sample the brew.” Just write a paragraph to set up the excerpt. Oh, and be sure to link to your book, so we can buy it.

Rules:
1. Link your blog to this hop.
2. Notify your following that you are participating in this blog hop.
3. Promise to visit/leave a comment on all participants’ blogs.
4. Tweet/or share each person’s blog post. Use #OpenBook when tweeting.
5. Put a banner on your blog that you are participating.
Wordpress:

Custom Blog:

Code for Link:

get the InLinkz code

InLinkz | view linkup