Category: Uncategorized

During the months of February and March, I’ll be featuring excerpts and interviews from a variety of authors and characters, and in turn, I’ll be appearing on their blogs. Today’s  guest is Kim Kasch. Welcome, Kim!

BLURB for THE CATS OF CULLABY CREEK:

When Savannah meets Kyle, its love at first sight. And why wouldn’t it be? He’s perfect, as far as she can tell. But Kyle appears whenever things go wrong. Maybe he isn’t everything she thought he was. It’s a complete mystery until she discovers the water in Cullaby Creek is being bottled and sold as vitamin “infused” water. Mistic Water promises the impossible. And then, like a magical elixir, it delivers. People who drink it feel younger, smarter, faster…healthier. But it doesn’t take long before side effects hit. Literally. The secret has to be in the water…or is it something more?

EXCERPT:
Kelly and Kyle
These two shared some sort of history. And now I was in the middle of their story.
Sparks flew through the air. But, they didn’t seem to notice—or maybe they just didn’t care how uncomfortable they were making the rest of us.
I scanned the room. The terribly odd thing was that while they stood in the center of the cafeteria—arguing—everyone’s eyes were on me.
What is so interesting about me?
After a few seconds, I heard whispered accusations slammed back and forth, like a ping-pong ball. My name, muttered in odd and angry tones. No one seemed to mind staring at me, but only the bravest few were sneaking sideways glances over at Kelly and Kyle, hoping no one noticed.
This wasn’t what I needed on my first day at a new school. I hadn’t come here looking for instant enemies, but I knew I’d accidentally stirred a private pot and things were already starting to boil.
I needed to do something and quick. From the sounds floating around me, if they got into an actual argument, I was going to get the blame.
I spit out the first words I could think to say, “What’s a new kid to do, after school, around here… for fun?”
Kyle sighed and chuckled, “That depends on what you’re hoping to find and what you think is fun.” He stepped back away from Kelly for a moment. “You big city kids always think something needs to be going on. But in real life, in a small town, not much ever happens.”
“We could ask my Mom to drive us into Astoria to do some shopping,” I suggested. It was a little too obvious—even to me—Kelly wanted me out of the picture and was trying everything she could think of to keep me away from Kyle. I almost felt sorry for her—but only for a second.
“Or,” Kyle sat down and nodded for me to join him. I could feel a warm rush of air and his scent worked its way up inside my head. I barely heard him finish, “We could go for a run.”
“What?” Kelly demanded, clenching her hands into tight-balled fists at her side.
“Savannah,” Kyle lowered his voice and said my name slow, putting an emphasis on the last syllable, like it was a soft sigh, ‘ah’. And, for the first time in my life, I loved the sound of my own name. “Is a runner. And she’s fast. Aren’t ‘cha?” He nudged me and moved even closer. I could barely think. His smell overpowered my senses; it was the sweet woodsy scent of him that took me by surprise. I closed my eyes and drank it in.
When I opened them back up, Kelly’s eyes were shooting red flames of rage straight at me.
I gazed at Kyle and felt a warmth in my stomach again. It was working its way up into my chest. “That’s not what you said this morning,” I laughed then spun away.

Character interview with Savannah

1. Nickname: Vannah

2. Job: Student
3. Level of schooling, or self-taught: High school
4. Birthdate: 8.15.2009
5. Birthplace: Portland, Oregon
6. Currently residing in…Mist, Oregon
7. Favorite type of pet: Cat
8. Favorite place to visit: Portland
9. Significant other: Kyle
10. Most important goal: Get her family out of Mist
11. Worst fear or nightmare: That Kyle won’t make it out of Mist
12. Favorite food: Chili Dogs
13. Wealthy, poor, or somewhere in between? In-between
14. Secret desire or fantasy: To Morph into a cougar
15. What would you do if you won the lottery? Move and buy out Mistic Water

– author bio –
I’m a writer who grew up in a family with 9 kids and only 1 t.v. so I spent my days reading and, later, writing. I love books. . .maybe because I never got to pick t.v. shows we watched. But I’d run home after school to catch the last fifteen minutes of Dark Shadows…
 I still love to run…and read. My favorite romance novels are The Hunger Games…okay, I know, it’s a survival book but it’s really all about romance. Then there were the series: Twilight, Fifty Shades, and more but I also love paranormal, Horror and even light books like Dewey the Small Town Library Cat… Mainly, I just love to read. . . and write.

KIM’S AMAZON AUTHOR PAGE
http://www.amazon.com/Kim-Kasch/e/B00ZOAUKMO/ref=dp_byline_cont_ebooks_1
Website: https://www.kimkasch.com
https://www.kimbrakasch.com
Blog: https://www.kimkasch.blogspot.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100009489617484
Twitter: https://twitter.com/kimkasch

During the months of February and March, I’ll be featuring excerpts and interviews from a variety of authors and characters, and in turn, I’ll be appearing on their blogs. Today’s  guest is Kim Kasch. Welcome, Kim!

BLURB for THE CATS OF CULLABY CREEK:

When Savannah meets Kyle, its love at first sight. And why wouldn’t it be? He’s perfect, as far as she can tell. But Kyle appears whenever things go wrong. Maybe he isn’t everything she thought he was. It’s a complete mystery until she discovers the water in Cullaby Creek is being bottled and sold as vitamin “infused” water. Mistic Water promises the impossible. And then, like a magical elixir, it delivers. People who drink it feel younger, smarter, faster…healthier. But it doesn’t take long before side effects hit. Literally. The secret has to be in the water…or is it something more?

EXCERPT:
Kelly and Kyle
These two shared some sort of history. And now I was in the middle of their story.
Sparks flew through the air. But, they didn’t seem to notice—or maybe they just didn’t care how uncomfortable they were making the rest of us.
I scanned the room. The terribly odd thing was that while they stood in the center of the cafeteria—arguing—everyone’s eyes were on me.
What is so interesting about me?
After a few seconds, I heard whispered accusations slammed back and forth, like a ping-pong ball. My name, muttered in odd and angry tones. No one seemed to mind staring at me, but only the bravest few were sneaking sideways glances over at Kelly and Kyle, hoping no one noticed.
This wasn’t what I needed on my first day at a new school. I hadn’t come here looking for instant enemies, but I knew I’d accidentally stirred a private pot and things were already starting to boil.
I needed to do something and quick. From the sounds floating around me, if they got into an actual argument, I was going to get the blame.
I spit out the first words I could think to say, “What’s a new kid to do, after school, around here… for fun?”
Kyle sighed and chuckled, “That depends on what you’re hoping to find and what you think is fun.” He stepped back away from Kelly for a moment. “You big city kids always think something needs to be going on. But in real life, in a small town, not much ever happens.”
“We could ask my Mom to drive us into Astoria to do some shopping,” I suggested. It was a little too obvious—even to me—Kelly wanted me out of the picture and was trying everything she could think of to keep me away from Kyle. I almost felt sorry for her—but only for a second.
“Or,” Kyle sat down and nodded for me to join him. I could feel a warm rush of air and his scent worked its way up inside my head. I barely heard him finish, “We could go for a run.”
“What?” Kelly demanded, clenching her hands into tight-balled fists at her side.
“Savannah,” Kyle lowered his voice and said my name slow, putting an emphasis on the last syllable, like it was a soft sigh, ‘ah’. And, for the first time in my life, I loved the sound of my own name. “Is a runner. And she’s fast. Aren’t ‘cha?” He nudged me and moved even closer. I could barely think. His smell overpowered my senses; it was the sweet woodsy scent of him that took me by surprise. I closed my eyes and drank it in.
When I opened them back up, Kelly’s eyes were shooting red flames of rage straight at me.
I gazed at Kyle and felt a warmth in my stomach again. It was working its way up into my chest. “That’s not what you said this morning,” I laughed then spun away.

Character interview with Savannah

1. Nickname: Vannah

2. Job: Student
3. Level of schooling, or self-taught: High school
4. Birthdate: 8.15.2009
5. Birthplace: Portland, Oregon
6. Currently residing in…Mist, Oregon
7. Favorite type of pet: Cat
8. Favorite place to visit: Portland
9. Significant other: Kyle
10. Most important goal: Get her family out of Mist
11. Worst fear or nightmare: That Kyle won’t make it out of Mist
12. Favorite food: Chili Dogs
13. Wealthy, poor, or somewhere in between? In-between
14. Secret desire or fantasy: To Morph into a cougar
15. What would you do if you won the lottery? Move and buy out Mistic Water

– author bio –
I’m a writer who grew up in a family with 9 kids and only 1 t.v. so I spent my days reading and, later, writing. I love books. . .maybe because I never got to pick t.v. shows we watched. But I’d run home after school to catch the last fifteen minutes of Dark Shadows…
 I still love to run…and read. My favorite romance novels are The Hunger Games…okay, I know, it’s a survival book but it’s really all about romance. Then there were the series: Twilight, Fifty Shades, and more but I also love paranormal, Horror and even light books like Dewey the Small Town Library Cat… Mainly, I just love to read. . . and write.

KIM’S AMAZON AUTHOR PAGE
http://www.amazon.com/Kim-Kasch/e/B00ZOAUKMO/ref=dp_byline_cont_ebooks_1
Website: https://www.kimkasch.com
https://www.kimbrakasch.com
Blog: https://www.kimkasch.blogspot.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100009489617484
Twitter: https://twitter.com/kimkasch

This week we’re doing a tutorial on a subject of our choosing. It took me a while to figure out what to write about—there’s lots of things I’m good at, but many of them are better taught hands-on rather than in written form. I’m a country girl at heart, and as a result, I know how to do things that people who never leave the city may not. So today I’m going to tell you how to start a campfire. No, I don’t expect you ti rub two sticks together. Matched are allowed!

But safety first. In the words of the legendary Smokey the Bear, only YOU can prevent forest fires. Here’s a few tips on how to do that.

First: have a bucket of water handy! Don’t even think about having a campfire unless you have a good source of water nearby! And just like in the picture, you should have a shovel too.

Next, build a campfire ring. Dig away all the grass, leaves, etc. that are in your chosen spot. Then dog a little deeper. (at least an inch. Now you have your base. Surround your spot with rocks (not from a creek bed or wet. They have the potential to explode)  Take a look overhead. Any dead branches or leaves that might catch fire from sparks? Choose another place for your fire. The bigger a fire you plan to have, the larger area you need to have clear, both on the ground and overhead.

Now it’s time to gather your wood. You are going to need several different sizes of fuel. You’ll want to start with tinder- that’s dry grass, dead pine needles, very small twigs, dried leaves, etc. Things that will catch fire quickly and burn hot. (Dried pine needles are the best!) But if you want to cheat a little, you can supplement your tinder with paper.

Next come kindling. Kindling is composed of bigger twigs and small branches. The largest branches and logs are called fuel, All your branches should be short enough to fit within your campfire ring. Cut them down to size if you need too.

Pile your kindling and fuel away from the fire ring. You don’t want to accidentally  catch them on fire.

Now to actually build your campfire.

Start with the tinder. Put it in the middle of the campfire ring. Don’t pack it down, fire needs air to burn, so pile it loosely.

Next add your tinder. There are several styles of campfires, the two most popular are tepee and log cabin. Tepee looks the easiest, but it can be difficult to get your sticks to lean against each other. The log cabin isn’t a true cabin, because you want to place your bigger kindling at the base and build upward and inward. No matter which style you choose, make sure you leave an opening to get to the tinder.

Now you’re ready to light the fire. Hopefully you’re using the large wooden matched, nit the kind you get in the little paper matches. Carefully light the match, and reach in and light the tinder. If you’re lucky and you’re tinder is good, it should light the first time. If not, try again.

As the tinder burns, it should catch the smallest kindling on fire. That will, in turn, light the bigger kindling. Add more kindling as needed, and carefully add larger branches once the fire in going. You don’t want to just drop them in and potentially spread sparks everywhere. You might get burnt! Same when you add the largest branches or logs.

Once the fire is burning well, sit back and enjoy. Add more fuel as needed.

Before leaving your campfire, make sure you put it out. Completely. And when you think it’s out, dump another bucket of water on it. Stir the ashes and make sure there are no hot spots left. Now dump another bucket of water on it.No kidding.

And that’s how you build a campfire!

Lela Markham is talking about how to quilt over on her blog.  Lela  Lela Markham is the pen name of an Alaskan novelist who was raised in a home built of books. Alaska is a grand adventure like none other with a culture that embraces summer adventure and winter artistic pursuits.

A multi-genre writer, currently Lela is concentrating on dystopian and fantasy, but you never know what her imagination might get up to.

Lela shares her life with her adventuresome husband, two fearless offspring and a sentient husky who keeps a yellow Lab for a pet.

You can find her books on Amazon. Lela’s Author Page

February 8, 2016 – Tutorial or How-To
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.
Custom Blog:

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This week we’re doing a tutorial on a subject of our choosing. It took me a while to figure out what to write about—there’s lots of things I’m good at, but many of them are better taught hands-on rather than in written form. I’m a country girl at heart, and as a result, I know how to do things that people who never leave the city may not. So today I’m going to tell you how to start a campfire. No, I don’t expect you ti rub two sticks together. Matched are allowed!

But safety first. In the words of the legendary Smokey the Bear, only YOU can prevent forest fires. Here’s a few tips on how to do that.

First: have a bucket of water handy! Don’t even think about having a campfire unless you have a good source of water nearby! And just like in the picture, you should have a shovel too.

Next, build a campfire ring. Dig away all the grass, leaves, etc. that are in your chosen spot. Then dog a little deeper. (at least an inch. Now you have your base. Surround your spot with rocks (not from a creek bed or wet. They have the potential to explode)  Take a look overhead. Any dead branches or leaves that might catch fire from sparks? Choose another place for your fire. The bigger a fire you plan to have, the larger area you need to have clear, both on the ground and overhead.

Now it’s time to gather your wood. You are going to need several different sizes of fuel. You’ll want to start with tinder- that’s dry grass, dead pine needles, very small twigs, dried leaves, etc. Things that will catch fire quickly and burn hot. (Dried pine needles are the best!) But if you want to cheat a little, you can supplement your tinder with paper.

Next come kindling. Kindling is composed of bigger twigs and small branches. The largest branches and logs are called fuel, All your branches should be short enough to fit within your campfire ring. Cut them down to size if you need too.

Pile your kindling and fuel away from the fire ring. You don’t want to accidentally  catch them on fire.

Now to actually build your campfire.

Start with the tinder. Put it in the middle of the campfire ring. Don’t pack it down, fire needs air to burn, so pile it loosely.

Next add your tinder. There are several styles of campfires, the two most popular are tepee and log cabin. Tepee looks the easiest, but it can be difficult to get your sticks to lean against each other. The log cabin isn’t a true cabin, because you want to place your bigger kindling at the base and build upward and inward. No matter which style you choose, make sure you leave an opening to get to the tinder.

Now you’re ready to light the fire. Hopefully you’re using the large wooden matched, nit the kind you get in the little paper matches. Carefully light the match, and reach in and light the tinder. If you’re lucky and you’re tinder is good, it should light the first time. If not, try again.

As the tinder burns, it should catch the smallest kindling on fire. That will, in turn, light the bigger kindling. Add more kindling as needed, and carefully add larger branches once the fire in going. You don’t want to just drop them in and potentially spread sparks everywhere. You might get burnt! Same when you add the largest branches or logs.

Once the fire is burning well, sit back and enjoy. Add more fuel as needed.

Before leaving your campfire, make sure you put it out. Completely. And when you think it’s out, dump another bucket of water on it. Stir the ashes and make sure there are no hot spots left. Now dump another bucket of water on it.No kidding.

And that’s how you build a campfire!

Lela Markham is talking about how to quilt over on her blog.  Lela  Lela Markham is the pen name of an Alaskan novelist who was raised in a home built of books. Alaska is a grand adventure like none other with a culture that embraces summer adventure and winter artistic pursuits.

A multi-genre writer, currently Lela is concentrating on dystopian and fantasy, but you never know what her imagination might get up to.

Lela shares her life with her adventuresome husband, two fearless offspring and a sentient husky who keeps a yellow Lab for a pet.

You can find her books on Amazon. Lela’s Author Page

February 8, 2016 – Tutorial or How-To
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.
Custom Blog:

document.write(”);

Code for Hosting:

Code for Link:

get the InLinkz code
<!– end InLinkz script —

1.  What sort of conditions are most conducive to your productivity?

At the age of 47 I went to hell in my mind when first diagnosed with cancer, and thought of nothing but dying for at least a year.  However, 11 years later I am still here and in a much better frame of mind.  I’ve learned over the years that just because you’re diagnosed with cancer, it doesn’t always mean that your life is about to end.  Instead it sometimes means that you live with a chronic illness, but then again, lots of other people suffering from different conditions do this every day as well.

That one’s easy as well.  It’s got to be poor old Frances Andrews, my main character in The Porn Detective.  I made her go through hell; much more than I suffered myself, and I’m glad she came out of the experience as well as she did!



Thanks for answering my questions, Stevie! There are one or two of them I didn’t want to answer myself. To find out who Traci Carlisle Wooden interviewed, check out her blog HERE

Don’t forget to check out her books while you’re there.

My Beauty For Your Ashes is the first book, of a Christian-fiction series, that leads you through the lives of four people striving towards different marks with unexpected connections.
Though they hail from backgrounds that are worlds apart, it only takes one fateful accident to rearrange their priorities and set them on roads that intersect, forcing them to acknowledge the relationships they can’t do without.
Elder Paige Morganson has worked hard to overcome the anger, hate, and abuse of her past; Mason Jenson is a self-made man who has been able to create his own fortune and build a home life with his wife and child void of God’s help…so he thinks,; Elder Brandon Tatum’s, new in town, has prided himself on not making a move until he’s heard God; Victoria Branchett has ruthlessly survived the death of her only daughter by fierce determination, but is the strength she has relied on enough to see her through a failing marriage and an ailing grandchild?
This novel merges colorful characters facing one untimely circumstance after another, and mixes in a serious spin on how one views God, both inside and outside of His will. Of course, this is just the beginning. More people emerge from behind the scenes; some to help and others, to hurt. With everything happening simultaneously, one would almost question if God is able to truly fix and heal everything, and the readers will see just how far each person’s faith (or lack thereof) will carry them. As they sift through the debris of past dreams and hopes left by the wayside, they are offered a lifeline and given an opportunity to receive God’s Beauty for their ashes

Feb. 1, 2016 – Seven questions.
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.
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Code for Hosting:

Code for Link:

get the InLinkz code

1.  What sort of conditions are most conducive to your productivity?

At the age of 47 I went to hell in my mind when first diagnosed with cancer, and thought of nothing but dying for at least a year.  However, 11 years later I am still here and in a much better frame of mind.  I’ve learned over the years that just because you’re diagnosed with cancer, it doesn’t always mean that your life is about to end.  Instead it sometimes means that you live with a chronic illness, but then again, lots of other people suffering from different conditions do this every day as well.

That one’s easy as well.  It’s got to be poor old Frances Andrews, my main character in The Porn Detective.  I made her go through hell; much more than I suffered myself, and I’m glad she came out of the experience as well as she did!





Thanks for answering my questions, Stevie! There are one or two of them I didn’t want to answer myself. To find out who Traci Carlisle Wooden interviewed, check out her blog HERE

Don’t forget to check out her books while you’re there.

My Beauty For Your Ashes is the first book, of a Christian-fiction series, that leads you through the lives of four people striving towards different marks with unexpected connections.
Though they hail from backgrounds that are worlds apart, it only takes one fateful accident to rearrange their priorities and set them on roads that intersect, forcing them to acknowledge the relationships they can’t do without.
Elder Paige Morganson has worked hard to overcome the anger, hate, and abuse of her past; Mason Jenson is a self-made man who has been able to create his own fortune and build a home life with his wife and child void of God’s help…so he thinks,; Elder Brandon Tatum’s, new in town, has prided himself on not making a move until he’s heard God; Victoria Branchett has ruthlessly survived the death of her only daughter by fierce determination, but is the strength she has relied on enough to see her through a failing marriage and an ailing grandchild?
This novel merges colorful characters facing one untimely circumstance after another, and mixes in a serious spin on how one views God, both inside and outside of His will. Of course, this is just the beginning. More people emerge from behind the scenes; some to help and others, to hurt. With everything happening simultaneously, one would almost question if God is able to truly fix and heal everything, and the readers will see just how far each person’s faith (or lack thereof) will carry them. As they sift through the debris of past dreams and hopes left by the wayside, they are offered a lifeline and given an opportunity to receive God’s Beauty for their ashes

Feb. 1, 2016 – Seven questions.
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.
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This week we’re talking about the backstory of our books. Since I have two different series, I decided to write about the most obvious one (in my mind). The Oak Grove Mysteries.

I’ve told bits and pieces of this story before, but my book, The Marquesa’s Necklace, didn’t start off as a mystery. It was supposed to be a romance—a romance with a touch of the paranormal. The Marquesa’s Necklace wasn’t even the original title. The working title of the book was The Ghost Who Loved Me. And yes, for those of you who’ve read the book, Eli was supposed to be a ghost.

But although I always have a basic plot in mind when I start writing a book, I allow myself to listen to my characters. And Harmony, the main character of the book, was absolutely certain that Eli wasn’t a figment of her rather vivid imagination nor an other-worldly apparition.  I tried to convince her otherwise, and her friends tried telling her she was wrong, but she wasn’t listening. So I gave in and made Eli real. Which worked out nicely for the book, and for Harmony.

Once I realized that Eli wasn’t a real ghost, I considered making him a spy. That way I could keep the title. That didn’t work out wither. Eli convinced me he wasn’t a James Bond wanna-be, he was just a very skilled computer programmer with white-hat hacking skills. He didn’t want to have to run all over the world, his long-distance relationship with Harmony is tough enough as it is.

Not only did Eli fall in love with Harmony, so did I. I hadn’t planned to make the original book a series, but I knew before I got done writing the first book there would be another. Harmony was fun to write, and fun to spend time with.

So the second book, Her Ladyship’s Ring, happened. And unexpectedly, Jake happened too. He was supposed to be just a small piece of backstory. The guy who broke Harmony’s heart and almost ruined her life. But no, he tried to take over the whole book. Thankfully, Harmony is one strong lady and she put him in his place. It was her book and her story, and  if he didn’t like it, too bad.

But Harmony isn’t done with me yet. I’m writing a third book of her adventures. It’s tentatively called “The Baron’s Cufflinks.” I’m finding this book a little harder to write. Not because Harmony has stopped talking to me, but because other writing projects keep getting in the way. But I will finish it, I promise you. Harmony won’t let me rest if I don’t. And who knows, there may be a fourth book as well. I haven’t run out of jewelry to use in the title.

Oh, and the original title? The Ghost Who Loved Me? I haven’t given up on that title yet. There may still be a book by that name. But Harmony won’t be in it. At least, I don’t think she will be.

To buy the books of The Oak Grove Mysteries (if you haven’t already) check out the My Books page here on my blog. You’ll find my Free Wolves books there too, including my newest release, Wolves’ Knight.

To find out the backstory of author Nicole Sorrell’s  book, catch her post at Nicole Sorrell  She’s highlighting her book The Art of Going Home.

Maddie dreads going home to face the memories of her dead sister. But she must go back to the tiny town after a decade to attend a funeral. As it turns out, the haunting reminders of her twin are the least of her worries. . .

     Not given any details of her sister’s murder at the age of ten, Maddie is persuaded to track down the killer. Following one ominous clue after another, she learns the surrogate family she thought honestly loved her has been hiding the truth of her childhood for eighteen years. As suppressed memories of her past come crashing forward, Maddie begins to doubt everything she once believed. And everybody she thought she could trust.

     Including Zac, her high school crush. Though she can’t seem to find the strength to resist their mutual attraction, Maddie isn’t sure she’ll ever be able to forgive his betrayal. As she struggles to come to grips with her family’s past and absolve those who deceived her, can she survive the horrifying discovery of who killed her sister?

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 Short Code:
[inlinkz_linkup id=599687 mode=1]
Code for Hosting:

Code for Link:

get the InLinkz code

This week we’re talking about the backstory of our books. Since I have two different series, I decided to write about the most obvious one (in my mind). The Oak Grove Mysteries.

I’ve told bits and pieces of this story before, but my book, The Marquesa’s Necklace, didn’t start off as a mystery. It was supposed to be a romance—a romance with a touch of the paranormal. The Marquesa’s Necklace wasn’t even the original title. The working title of the book was The Ghost Who Loved Me. And yes, for those of you who’ve read the book, Eli was supposed to be a ghost.

But although I always have a basic plot in mind when I start writing a book, I allow myself to listen to my characters. And Harmony, the main character of the book, was absolutely certain that Eli wasn’t a figment of her rather vivid imagination nor an other-worldly apparition.  I tried to convince her otherwise, and her friends tried telling her she was wrong, but she wasn’t listening. So I gave in and made Eli real. Which worked out nicely for the book, and for Harmony.

Once I realized that Eli wasn’t a real ghost, I considered making him a spy. That way I could keep the title. That didn’t work out wither. Eli convinced me he wasn’t a James Bond wanna-be, he was just a very skilled computer programmer with white-hat hacking skills. He didn’t want to have to run all over the world, his long-distance relationship with Harmony is tough enough as it is.

Not only did Eli fall in love with Harmony, so did I. I hadn’t planned to make the original book a series, but I knew before I got done writing the first book there would be another. Harmony was fun to write, and fun to spend time with.

So the second book, Her Ladyship’s Ring, happened. And unexpectedly, Jake happened too. He was supposed to be just a small piece of backstory. The guy who broke Harmony’s heart and almost ruined her life. But no, he tried to take over the whole book. Thankfully, Harmony is one strong lady and she put him in his place. It was her book and her story, and  if he didn’t like it, too bad.

But Harmony isn’t done with me yet. I’m writing a third book of her adventures. It’s tentatively called “The Baron’s Cufflinks.” I’m finding this book a little harder to write. Not because Harmony has stopped talking to me, but because other writing projects keep getting in the way. But I will finish it, I promise you. Harmony won’t let me rest if I don’t. And who knows, there may be a fourth book as well. I haven’t run out of jewelry to use in the title.

Oh, and the original title? The Ghost Who Loved Me? I haven’t given up on that title yet. There may still be a book by that name. But Harmony won’t be in it. At least, I don’t think she will be.

To buy the books of The Oak Grove Mysteries (if you haven’t already) check out the My Books page here on my blog. You’ll find my Free Wolves books there too, including my newest release, Wolves’ Knight.

To find out the backstory of author Nicole Sorrell’s  book, catch her post at Nicole Sorrell  She’s highlighting her book The Art of Going Home.

Maddie dreads going home to face the memories of her dead sister. But she must go back to the tiny town after a decade to attend a funeral. As it turns out, the haunting reminders of her twin are the least of her worries. . .

     Not given any details of her sister’s murder at the age of ten, Maddie is persuaded to track down the killer. Following one ominous clue after another, she learns the surrogate family she thought honestly loved her has been hiding the truth of her childhood for eighteen years. As suppressed memories of her past come crashing forward, Maddie begins to doubt everything she once believed. And everybody she thought she could trust.

     Including Zac, her high school crush. Though she can’t seem to find the strength to resist their mutual attraction, Maddie isn’t sure she’ll ever be able to forgive his betrayal. As she struggles to come to grips with her family’s past and absolve those who deceived her, can she survive the horrifying discovery of who killed her sister?

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