Friday, November 14, 2014

~ FIND THE MAGIC with Alicia Dean! ~



Award winning author and editor, Alicia Dean, shares her process of creating a story, along with bonus tips in Find The Magic – How to Plot a Story in 10 Easy Steps.


*** ON SALE - 99¢ through November 15, 2014 *** 




How to write a novel? That is the question. There are probably as many answers to that question as there are people who ask it.

Wanting to write and actually doing it are two very different things. I am well acquainted with the sometimes grueling process of churning out a story. Over the years, I have tried many methods for creating and completing manuscripts, and have tweaked and honed it down to a workable (for me) process.

Using specific examples from one of my own novels, Without Mercy, I share my method in this mini how to book. The first eight steps actually deal with plotting while the last two are designed to help expand your outline into a well-developed draft. There is no one, perfect way to create a story, but there will be a method, or methods that work for you. I’m not sure if this is the one, but it works for me. Only you can decide if it also works for you. Fingers crossed that it does!


Buy FIND THE MAGIC ~ HOW TO PLOT A STORY IN 10 EASY STEPS here:

Kindle:
Alicia Dean lives in Edmond, Oklahoma. She has three grown children and a huge network of supportive friends and family. She writes mostly contemporary suspense and paranormal, but has also written in other genres, including a few vintage historicals.

In addition to being an author of more than twenty published works, Alicia is both a freelance editor and an editor for The Wild Rose Press, under the name, Ally Robertson, in their suspense line.

Other than reading and writing, her passions are Elvis Presley, MLB, NFL (she usually works in a mention of one or all three into her stories) and watching her favorite televisions shows like Vampire Diaries, Justified, Sons of Anarchy, Haven, The Mindy Project, and Dexter (even though it has sadly ended, she will forever be a fan). Some of her favorite authors are Michael Connelly, Dennis Lehane, Lee Child, Lisa Gardner, Sharon Sala, Jordan Dane, Ridley Pearson, Joseph Finder, and Jonathan Kellerman…to name a few.



Find Alicia here:

Website: http://aliciadean.com/

Blog: http://aliciadean.com/alicias-blog/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100008364070487

Twitter: https://twitter.com/Alicia_Dean_

Pinterest: http://www.pinterest.com/aliciamdean/

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/468339.Alicia_Dean


Tuesday, November 11, 2014

~ Making REMEMBERED BY MOONLIGHT Picture Perfect ~








I'm happy to welcome back the wonderful Nancy Gideon, the woman who introduced me to paranormal romance. Well-written paranormal romance. If you haven't read any yet, I challenge you to pick up one of Nancy's books. They're hot, entertaining, suspenseful, interesting...I could go on and on. But why not just let Nancy tell you herself. She's chatting with us today about book trailers, and then we'll take a quick look at her newest release! Take it away, Nancy!


~ Pictures worth a 1,000 words! ~

By Nancy Gideon 

The fun part about doing a book release is all the goodies that go along with it – like blog tours. I love to get a little lagniappe – that something extra you didn’t expect . One of my favorites is a book trailer, that visual and audio tease of what you can expect between the pages of the book. Getting it juuuuust right is always a challenge. Finding the right music to set the tone, the text that packs enough impact in six words or less per flip. And the images to tie everything together.

I’ve done several trailers for my earlier “By Moonlight” books. For the first, I only supplied the text and crossed my fingers (It turned out great!). For the second, I picked the music clip as well, and offered suggestions. For the third, I got in on finding graphics (Who would have thought paging through hundreds of ‘Sexy Male Torso’ pictures could be such a chore!) and found a very cool film intro. But REMEMBERED BY MOONLIGHT was special – my first self-published book as well as the return of my favorite main couple, and I wanted (in my very OCD way!) to have my finger prints on everything. Finding my Max Savoie took hours upon hours – but I recognized MY Max the second I saw him. My cover artist and I scoured the image sights and I picked out graphics that represented the setting, the mood, several scenes, and the characters and she did her magic with them. I played match-up between text and images, found an old collection of music clips from earlier trailers, and sent the package off to my awesome virtual assistant, My Girl Friday (I draw the line somewhere. I don’t do tech!). A couple of tweaks later . . . Well, see for yourself. I think it captures my new release perfectly. How about you?







  Blurb ~



Because the road to . . . 

Clever, cool and preternaturally lethal, Max Savoie is leader of a secretive shape-shifter clan, heir to a mobster’s legacy, and the love of New Orleans’ top cop . . . but he can’t remember any of them. The only way to recover his past, and his rightful place in the arms of the woman who risked all to save him, is to surrender to a mysterious visitor who could use him as a weapon against all he’d loved.

Happily-Ever-After . . .

After rescuing her mate from his ruthless captors in the North, hard-hitting Detective Charlotte Caissie is now painfully vulnerable—a stranger in his eyes . . . and in his bed. The key to his memories is locked in a tortuous past. To reclaim the strength of their passionate bond, Max must learn to trust her enough to face that darkness at her side before the threat it hides exposes the secret Cee Cee carries.

Is never smooth.

When an investigation into grisly deaths in an underground Shifter fight club points to more than just dangerous clan rivalries, Cee Cee enlists Max’s help to find a traitor in their midst while there’s still time to turn a deadly invading tide. But the cost of saving their treasured future may mean sacrificing his past. Especially when the enemy they pursue . . . might be Max, himself.

Excerpt ~


The bare wall of windows let in the lights of the city against an ink-black sky, silhouetting a solitary figure. Her throat clutched as she recalled the first time she’d seen him there when the building was still a metal skeleton, toeing the edge of the beam, his dark coat billowing behind him like the wings of a fallen angel. His pose was no less dramatic now, sleek, dark and solitary as he stared out into the night.

Cee Cee bit down on her initial impulse to demand where he’d been, knowing her panic would shine through. No pressure. Don’t push. Give him space. Her restraint was rewarded by the quiet murmur of his voice.

“I didn’t mean to wake you. Giles and I were going through the books at LEI, and time got away from us. There’s so much I need to learn if I’m to maintain the masquerade of knowing who I am. I apologize if you were worried.”

He’d been with Giles at Legere Enterprises International tending his inherited ill-gotten and now nearly legal gains. All anxieties addressed and answered. She relaxed.

She could tell by his hesitation that there was more he wanted to say, so she remained silent and let him work up to it. Still, his question took her by surprise.

“What was that this morning?”

“I had a very busy morning. Be more specific.”

“Between us.”

Specific as a heart attack. No use tiptoeing around it.

“We’ve had a sort of psychic connection since we bonded.” Thankfully, he didn’t ask her to explain thatprocess. “We can get inside each other’s heads.”

He had yet to look toward her. She didn’t need a psychic bond to feel him locking down tight to prevent her unauthorized entry.

“How does it work?” How can I stop it? That’s what he really wanted to know.

“I’m not sure. We share thoughts, feelings, dreams.”

“All the time?” Oh, such wariness in that simple question. So Max.

“No. Of course not. It’s not something we’ve explored. It happens rarely, in times of stress or when we . . .”

Have sex. That dropped between them like a ticking bomb.

“Don’t worry,” she concluded, tone brittle. “I knock before I come in, and wait for permission.”

He turned slowly to face her.

The past months of anxiety and fear fell away as she stared at him, heart seizing. Here was the Max Savoie she’d fallen helplessly in love with against all her best intentions. Impeccably dressed, the lines of a designer suit skimming his long, lean and lethal frame, the toes of his athletic shoes peeping from beneath tailored slacks in sassy juxtaposition.

Darkness and shadow carved out features too rough and bold to be handsome, yet too compelling to be ignored. Unblinking eyes, as pale and green as the still waters of the bayou, shone with an eerie intensity from beneath an uncompromising line of heavy brows and unruly black hair nearly tamed by a stylishly short cut. Faint stubble shaded the set of his rugged jaw, lending a harshly dangerous air to his outward sophistication.

He was thuggishly elegant, graceful yet seething with raw power, aloof and still undeniably fascinating. Legere’s enigmatic enforcer turned influential businessman and philanthropist. Traumatized orphan child who’d polarized a group of frightened misfits into a tight community family. Everything she’d ever wanted.

She’d worried over him, missed him, needed him but until this moment, when the unexpected mention of sex reared its wicked head, Cee Cee hadn’t realized just how long she’d gone without the physical side of their relationship. Seeing him standing there fit and fine, wreathed in stillness and mystery, so tempting, so inviting, a fever hot dream personified, her body burned until only a fire extinguisher could cool her intention of coaxing him back into an intimate bed.

Until he spoke.

“How is this possible, you being a human?”

It was her turn to hold back behind silence.

His eyes narrowed into long cautious slits. “What are you, Detective? What makes you different?” What makes you dangerous to me? was tacitly implied.

“I’m like you. I’m more.”



Giveaway ~


a Rafflecopter giveaway




Author Bio ~


Nancy Gideon is the author of over 55 novels ranging from Regencies, historicals and contemporary suspense to dark paranormal romance, with a couple of horror screenplays thrown into the mix. When not at the keyboard or working full time as a legal assistant in Southwest Michigan, she can be found feeding her addictions for Netflix and all things fur, feather and fin, enjoying Grammy time (usually watchingThe Avengers), and meeting new friends and readers through her GoodReads “Nancy Gideon by Moonlight” group. Her books can also be found under the pen names Dana Ransom, Rosalyn West and Lauren Giddings.
You can buy REMEMBERED BY MOONLIGHT at:


Series ~


Masked by Moonlight {Book 1}



Goodreads
IN THIS STUNNING FIRST BOOK FROM NANCY GIDEON’S SIZZLING NEW SERIES, A TENACIOUS COP AND HER SHAPE-SHIFTING ENEMY SACRIFICE EVERYTHING FOR FORBIDDEN DESIRE.


ALL SHE WANTS IS REVENGE.

New Orleans homicide detective Charlotte Caissie is dedicated to bringing down the crime boss responsible for her father’s murder. Using Jimmy Legere’s mysterious and irresistible right-hand man is a dangerous gamble, and not only due to his reputation as more monster than man. Because her feelings for Max Savoie are . . . complicated.

THEN HE RISKS HIS LIFE TO SAVE HERS.

Rescued from the swamps as a child, Max exists silently in Legere’s shadow, heeding only his voice—until Charlotte Caissie awakens his emotions and tests his loyalties. Stepping outside his cautious rules threatens more than just his heart. He could expose his darkest secret.

NOW THEY’RE BOTH IN OVER THEIR HEADS.

Testing boundaries they weren’t meant to cross means facing the truth about who and what they are—and what they need from each other. If Max is the murderer she seeks, Charlotte could be his next victim. She can’t afford to trust any man. Good thing Max isn’t one.

Praise for Masked by Moonlight


Great chemistry!, June 21, 2010 By Mrs. L

This review is from: Masked by Moonlight (Mass Market Paperback)

Masked by Moonlight is the first in a hot new trilogy by Nancy Gideon. I killed this book in two days – it was impossible to set down. I was devoured by the main characters as Gideon laced the pages with brilliant chemistry between Max and Charlotte. [Read the Entire Review]





Chased by Moonlight {Book 2}

Goodreads

IN NANCY GIDEON’S SEDUCTIVE NEW NOVEL, A TOUGH-AS-NAILS NEW ORLEANS COP MUST CHOOSE BETWEEN THE CAREER SHE’S DEDICATED TO AND THE DANGEROUS SHAPE-SHIFTING LOVER SHE CAN’T RESIST.

SHE’S SLEEPING WITH THE ENEMY.

Mixing business with pleasure gets more complicated for Detective Charlotte Caissie when her sexy preternatural lover, Max Savoie, is accused of a high-profile murder. To prove him innocent she must distance herself, but her tangled emotions don’t make it easy for her to stay away from him. And neither does Max.


HE’S DESPERATE TO UNCOVER HIS PAST.

Left in charge of a criminal empire and protector of a clan of shadowy shape-shifters, Max walks a precarious line. Can he believe the cunning stranger who claims he can teach Max the things he needs to know to stay alive? A con man who would betray anyone to make a profit, who may be a ruthless killer?

TOGETHER, THEY’RE TEMPTING FATE.

The harder Cee Cee fights to clear Max’s name, the more he pushes her away. He’s protecting a dark truth that could blow the top off her investigation. And that means hiding his motives and lying to a woman who values truth above all. The woman who can save him . . . if he’ll let her.


Praise for Chased by Moonlight

Intense and Complex Story – My Favorite So Far in 2010 October 9, 2010

Ms Gideon, a talented and very creative author, captivated me from the first page of the first book to the last page of the third. She had stirred up my emotions with her bewitching stories. The plots were non-stop action with twist and turns on each page, which curl my toes many times, full of suspense, romance, and humor.

The characters were passionate, complex, and dynamic. I also loved Moonlight Series because it is about Charlotte and Max, with whom I have fallen in love with. I am desparetly waiting for the rest of the series to come. [Read the Entire Review]





Captured by Moonlight {Book 3}


Goodreads

IN THIS DARK THRILLER FROM NANCY GIDEON’S SULTRY NEW SERIES, SEXY NEW ORLEANS COP CHARLOTTE CAISSIE GOES HEAD-TO-HEAD WITH THE LAST NEMESIS SHE EVER EXPECTED: HER SUPERNATURAL BOYFRIEND.

THEIR LOVE IS JUST BEGINNING.

Detective Charlotte Caissie is growing used to the secrets that come with loving the mysterious leader of a shape-shifter clan. But that doesn’t mean she has to like it. She’s avoided complications of the heart all her life, but when it comes to irresistible Max Savoie, she’ll force the truth out of him if she has to.

HIS TIME IS ALMOST UP.

Hunted by the deadly trackers his nefarious father warned him about, Max is transforming into a preternatural force he can’t explain and Cee Cee will never understand. He’s tempting the dangerous limits of their love, but it’s her curiosity that could get them both killed.

WILL THEY EVER REALLY BE TOGETHER?

When Max discovers the enemy’s true target is someone far more vulnerable than he, he must do the unthinkable to save his own flesh and blood. But he can’t fight this battle alone, and Cee Cee faces the ultimate test of loyalty: the man she’d sacrifice everything for . . . or the laws she swore her life to protect.

Praise for Captured by Moonlight

Loving me some Max and Charlotte!, July 28, 2010

By tudi (usa) – See all my reviews

This review is from: Captured by Moonlight (Mass Market Paperback)

I can’t say enough good things about this book. It was every bit as good as the first two. I love Max and Charlotte together. And Max? He is tough, scary, loyal, and oh so vulnerable. I read somewhere, maybe on Ms. Gideon’s website, that there are 3 more books to this series. I can’t wait.




Bound by Moonlight {Book 4}


Goodreads

POLICE DETECTIVE CHARLOTTE CAISSIE AND HER SHAPE-SHIFTING PARAMOUR MAX SAVOIE THOUGHT THE PAST WAS BEHIND THEM. BUT IN NANCY GIDEON’S IRRESISTIBLE NEW ROMANCE, THEY DISCOVER IT MAY NEVER LET THEM GO. . . .

THEY SWORE THEY’D BE TOGETHER FOREVER.

Detective Charlotte Caissie is suddenly sharing drawer space and making local news with her shape-shifter lover, Max Savoie. He’s determined to be accepted by her peers—so how can she ask him to return to his criminal roots to help her solve a complex case?


BUT THOSE THEY TRUST THE MOST . . .

Working undercover with her partner to find the serial killer who’s kidnapped a colleague’s daughter, Cee Cee is caught between her job and her fiercely possessive lover. And when she calls on Max’s preternatural talents to aid his hated enemy, she crosses a line that strains their relationship to its limit.

. . . WILL DO ANYTHING TO TEAR THEM APART.

With his secret spreading, Max is forced to protect his family and his clan. The only certainty is his love for his human mate . . . unless the loyalties that define them divide them forever.


Praise for Bound by Moonlight

Excellent addition to the series, August 13, 2011

By Ksbaird “KSB” (Central Ohio) – See all my reviews

This review is from: Bound By Moonlight (Kindle Edition)

I will not give a synopsis as others have already done so, but I wanted to give my recommendation to this book because it held my attention non-stop from start to finish. The development of the characters were true to who they were in the previous three books, but you also learn more about their pasts and how those pasts shape their decisions and relationships today (especially between the main two characters). Ms Gideon doesn’t pull any punches on the positives and negatives of every character; whether it be how they deal with relationships to how different characters handle the idea of shifters in their midst to the shifter’s fear of the Trackers. Please note, I do not believe this is a stand alone book. Readers, in my opinion, would be confused by alot of the story provided without reading the first three books. Still, I believe reading all four books to be worthwhile, and this book was an excellent addition to a wonderful series of books about Max and CeeCee.




Hunter of Shadows {Book 5}


Goodreads

NANCY GIDEON RETURNS TO HER STEAMY NEW ORLEANS PRETERNATURAL WORLD WITH AN IRRESISTIBLE NEW SHAPE-SHIFTER ROMANCE.

The secrets he knows about her could get him killed.

Transferring to the New Orleans Police Department, Detective Silas MacCreedy has a hidden agenda: to secure his clan’s place once again in the Shifter hierarchy. What he didn’t count on was stumbling upon a sexy assassin who could shred his best intentions and lead him into a dangerous dance that threatens to engage his heart.

But the ones he doesn’t know . . .

Monica Fraser knows just how to make a man beg—for his life. But she has no clue how to fight her attraction to the fiercely intense detective who seems determined to get in her way, both professionally and intimately.

. . . could kill them both.

When emotional attachments to the past and an unexpected glimpse of a different future have her questioning her deadly purpose, Nica must discover the truth about her secret abilities in order to free herself from the forces that control her. But that freedom comes with a price—trusting those she’s been ordered to eliminate.


Praise for Hunter of Shadows

great romantic urban fantasy, November 29, 2011

By Harriet Klausner

This review is from: Hunter of Shadows (Mass Market Paperback)

New Orleans Police Detective Silas MacCreedy wants his shapeshifter clan to regain the preeminence his family once had. He investigates the recent rash of Shaper females vanishing without a trace. When he sees a woman under assault in an alley, he races to her rescue. Only shapeshfting Monica Fraser proves capable of taking care of herself.Nica is an assassin in town on a mission. He has no time for a cop, but is attracted to Silas. He wants her as much as she does him. As they team up to look into what is happening to shapeshfting women, Charlotte Caissie and Max Savoie assist them. With their lives in peril, the pairs of couples face their biggest danger: love.

This is a great romantic urban fantasy with links to Nancy Gideon’s Moonlight saga (see Masked by Moonlight and Bound by Moonlight). The story line is loaded with twists as the “Good Samaritan” cop seems to always be near the trained professional killer. Star-crossed as a rival tribe hired her, fans will enjoy the first Shadows of New Orleans due to the kick butt heroine who easily takes the life out of men.





Seeker of Shadows {Book 6}


Goodreads

NANCY GIDEON CONTINUES HER COMPELLING, SENSUAL NEW SERIES WITH A SEDUCTIVE TALE OF FORBIDDEN ALLEGIANCE AND REDISCOVERED LOVE.

His town.

Susanna Duchamps came to New Orleans to settle a debt and to temporarily escape the controlled constraints of her life among the Chosen. What she finds is an opportunity to make miraculous strides with her research into Shifter genetics . . . and an unexpected, but never forgotten, man from her complicated past.

Her rules.

Shifter club owner Jacques LaRoche is fiercely protective of his freedom. Stripped of his memories of a former life, he longs for the mate he lost . . . until the enticingly familiar presence of a mysterious stranger from the north ignites a primal, nearly uncontrollable need to release the untamed beast inside him.

Their last chance.

Susanna dares not tell Jacques it was she who sacrificed his past and her future years ago, to protect him and the secret she carried. But her arrival in New Orleans comes with consequences. When a bloody confrontation erupts between their enemy clans, will she betray her lover once again—or throw her own life on the line so they can finish what they started?

Praise for Seeker of Shadows

Another fabulous story, June 21, 2012

By DianeSee all my reviews

This review is from: Seeker of Shadows (Kindle Edition)

Wow. Once again, Nancy Gideon delivers a terrific story with whopping impact. She made me love Jacques and ache for his lost memories. Then, she wrenched my heart with Susanna’s secret. I so wanted those two to come together with no secrets between them. I love to read series because of recurring characters. So glad she included Max & CeeCee. Can’t wait for the next book in the series.




Betrayed by Shadows {Book 7}


Goodreads

A good man drowning in bad deeds . . .

Balancing a criminal empire and a preternatural clan war, reluctant front man Giles St. Clair doesn’t need a problem like Brigit MacCreedy . . . How much trouble can the head-strong and manipulative Shifter beauty get into in two weeks? Plenty when her schemes range from kidnapping to fleeing the retribution of her dead lover’s clan.

A bad girl denying a good heart . . .

With her family’s lives on the line, Brigit is willing to do whatever it takes to save them. The only thing standing in her way is an immovable stone wall of a man she can’t bully or beguile . . . a human, no less, who has promised to protect her from the secrets and dangers she conceals.

Caught in a battle they can’t win . . .

Risking her own safety gets complicated when an honorable and annoyingly desirable man puts himself between her and her powerful enemies in Book 7 of the “By Moonlight” series.

Praise for Betrayed by Shadows

The shifters are back , January 20, 2013

By Delia (New England USA) – See all my reviews

This review is from: Betrayed by Shadows (Kindle Edition)
I was worried at the start of this book that I wasn’t going to like it as much as the rest of the series. The main character Brigit is just not the lovable type. After all it was her boyfriend who tried to kill Max. Luckily that guy was not all that smart and Max got away with just a few minor injuries. But have faith fellow readers because Nancy Gideon has outdone herself on this one. It takes an excellent writer to take a semi villain, or at least a major annoyance, and turn them into a character you truly care about.

Of course I should mention that Giles is lovable from the start. Loyal to a fault he is the kind of man everyone needs in their corner. He is even to look past all of his coworkers more interesting traits, seeing as they are all shifters.

For those of you really concerened with how Max is doing I will tell you we get a peak or two into that. I’d love to read more about my favorite shifter in upcoming books. Overall this was a fantastic novel. The kind I stayed up far too late on a work night because I just couldn’t put it down. Its easy to see why Nancy Gideon has made it into my list of favorite authors!





Prince of Shadows {Book 8}


Goodreads

The fourth original eBook in the steamy Shadows paranormal romance series features a woman forced to choose a mate, and a Shifter prince who may need to give up everything to win her.

Held hostage until she chooses a mate, Kendra Terriot must play a careful courtship game when choosing among the dangerous Shifter heirs. As a prince in the House of Terriot, Cale knows he can be the leader his clan needs with Kendra at his side, but first he must learn to become the kind of man she desires. In a treacherous race for the crown, where weakness means death, the only way to win her trust could mean surrendering his throne. But the only way to win her heart could mean letting her go…

Praise for Prince of Shadows

The shifters are back , January 20, 2013

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars LITERAL ADDICTION’s Review of Prince of Shadows, June 4, 2013

By

LITERAL ADDICTIONSee all my reviews

This review is from: Prince of Shadows (Kindle Edition)

Our Review, by LITERAL ADDICTION‘s Pack Alpha – Michelle L. Olson:
*Copy gifted for an honest reviewI think this might be my favorite book of the series. Don’t get me wrong, I’ve loved Max and the gang, but there was just something about this installment that grabbed me and wouldn’t let go. I actually think I know what it was… I read & enjoy Paranormal Romance a lot, but I always tend to gravitate back to Urban Fantasy, Sci-Fi, Horror, and Thriller, and quite frankly, the darker the better. This installment of the Moonlight series was definitely darker, grittier, more dangerous, and had a plot rife with twists… and I simply loved it!

Cale Terriot, or hero, is completely caught up in the dark world of his father’s making as possible heir to the Terriot throne. While deep in his heart he yearns for so much more, he does what must be done, no matter how grave.

Kendra loved Cale as a child, but after her family was destroyed she blames the family for her loss and fears that Cale has turned into his father… or worse.

The Prince of Shadows tale is all about Cale playing a very dangerous game – trying to prove his love to Kendra, while keeping up appearances with his father and family – all the while just trying to stay alive. It kept me on the edge of my seat and was deliciously entertaining.

LITERAL ADDICTION gives Prince of Shadows 5 Skulls. While I do suggest reading the entire MOONLIGHT series, Prince of Shadows easily stands well on its own as a great read.

Saturday, November 8, 2014

~ There's No Place Like HOME IS WHERE THE HUNK IS! ~



Please welcome the lovely and talented Nancy Fraser! Ladies, she's brought with her a hunk. A hunk of major proportions! Right this way --->


Today I'm interviewing Evan Carver from HOME IS WHERE THE HUNK IS!



Q: Evan, I understand you own the Double C Ranch, just outside of Wharton, Montana. How many acres do you have and how did you decide on the name?


Evan: The Double C is named for the joined spreads of the Carver and Cain families. Lifelong friends, my parents and my late-wife’s parents had always dreamed of joining their lucrative ranches into one big conglomerate. After our marriage, and the passing of both sets of parents, it became important to us that we honor their dream. The ranch is a little over 5,000 acres, made up mostly of prime grazing land. We also have a number of streams, brooks and our own natural waterfall. The spread now belongs to me and my sister-in-law, Allison. Although, because of her successful career away from the ranch, the day-to-day decisions are mine.

Q: As a widower with a young son to raise, how do you balance work and family responsibilities?

Evan: (Chuckles) Very carefully. Ranching requires long days and great attention to detail. I’m blessed to have a wonderful network of long-time family friends to rely on. As well, my ranch staff are the best in the business. I do everything in my power to devote as much of my time to my five-year-old son, Cody.


Q: We hear that you’ve been dating? Is there another Mrs. Carver on the horizon?

Evan: Dating yes, ready to re-marry, not so much. Although, if the lovely ladies of Wharton are to be believed, I’ve got one foot on the altar and the other in a slippery pile of cow dung.


Q: You mentioned your sister-in-law earlier. We understand she’s on her way home for a vacation. How eager are you and your son to see her again?


Evan: Cody is over the moon. He loves his Aunt Ali very much. I’ve always considered Allison the little sister I never had. It will be great to have her home for an extended visit.


Q: You also mentioned her successful career. She’s a very in-demand photojournalist, correct?

Evan: Yes, very talented and sought after for many projects. Her constant traveling takes her all over the world. She just returned from six months in South America where she assisted in bringing some much needed relief to the poorer residents of a number of South American states.

Q: You must be very proud of her altruistic work. Does she have another assignment coming up?


Evan: Both Cody and I are very pleased she was able to share her photographs with the world and aide in making changes. As for another assignment, you’d have to ask her. All I can confirm is that she’s welcome to stay here with us for as long as she’d like.

Q: To get back to your status as a very handsome, successful and available man, what is it you’re looking for in a wife … assuming of course that you’re actively looking?


Evan: (Another chuckle) First of all, thank you for the glowing compliments. Of course I’d love to meet someone and fall in love again. A mother for my son, and possibly more children, is every sane man’s dream. If I had to pinpoint one or two attributes that I consider a must, it would be compassion and honesty. Any woman I would date, and consider marrying would have to be willingly open to loving and caring for my son. She’d have a kind heart and be a giving, loving person. She’d also have to be up front and honest. Her integrity must be beyond reproach.

Q: One final question. Where should all of these compassionate, honest women go to apply?


Evan: Applications are not necessary. If, and only if, I’m interested, I’m confidant fate will intervene and I’ll find them on my own.


Hmm...Fate may need to buy me a ticket to the Double C! Thanks for joining us. Now here's a little bit more about HOME IS WHERE THE HUNK IS ~




Blurb ~


When globe-trotting photographer Allison Cain comes home to her family ranch in Montana it’s to get to know her nephew and to make amends with the widowed brother-in-law she’s left alone to raise his young son.



Evan Carver could never deny his late wife’s younger sister anything, despite the fact she’s been conspicuously absent over the past three years since her sister’s death. Now she’s home again on what she’s called an extended vacation. Evan’s first concern is for his son, Cody, and how his aunt’s visit will affect the five year old when she decides to return to her high profile career.



Allison has no intention of going back to work. In addition to getting to know Cody, she needs to confess her biggest secret to Evan. How do you tell the man you’ve always loved that you’re not just his son’s aunt, but also his mother?




Excerpt ~


Slowly she raised her head. Unshed tears filled her eyes, making them glisten like liquid stars. Evan felt a lump form in his own throat. She blinked rapidly in what Evan suspected was a conscious effort to hide her emotions. A knot tightened his gut. He had the sudden urge to take Ali in his arms, as he’d done the day she arrived, and bury her face against his chest, preferably without the argument that followed.

In the very back of his over-used imagination, he could see her coming willingly into his arms. He could feel the heat of her tears against his chest. His reaction surprised and frightened him in equal measure. He didn’t want to feel this way about her, especially when he knew she wouldn’t stay.

“Me, too,” she admitted softly, drawing Evan’s attention from her teary eyes to her soft, pink lips. The tears she’d been fighting back so tenaciously now pearled on her lashes, threatening to spill forth at any second.

Evan moved away from the tree, inching his way around Cody and close to Allison’s side. Cautiously, he lifted his hand and caught the first tear on his thumb, uncertain of exactly what had made her cry, yet knowing he selfishly welcomed the chance to offer her comfort.

“When I left South America, the only thing I could think of was coming here. I wanted desperately to feel the lush grass beneath my bare feet and to smell the fresh, clean air.”

“I don’t care what made you decide to come home. You’re here now and welcome to stay as long as you like.” Drawing her into his arms, he held her close and tilted her chin up with his fingertips until their gazes met.

At the first touch of his lips to hers, Evan tasted the cinnamon and apple of the dessert they’d just consumed. He pressed his lips more firmly to hers. She hesitated only briefly before returning his kiss with one of her own. He barely had time to consider what they’d done when Ali’s trembling voice broke through his consciousness.

“Evan,” she whispered. “Don’t, please.” Pressing her hands to his chest, she pushed lightly. Yet, when he would have backed away, she clenched the front of his shirt tightly in her fists. “We can’t . . .” she warned, still seemingly unwilling to let him go.

“Ali, it was only a kiss.”

She looked up at him with tear-filled eyes and Evan knew if he didn’t let her go he’d likely do something they’d both regret. Gently, he grasped her hands in his and pulled them from the death grip she’d taken on his shirt. With his thumb he wiped away a final spent tear then released her completely. A moment later he was on his feet and walking back toward the damaged fence. It would take every ounce of strength he possessed, he realized, to keep from turning around and taking her into his arms again.

Author Bio ~


Like most authors, Nancy Fraser began writing at an early age, usually on the walls and with crayons or, heaven forbid, permanent markers. Her love of writing often made her the English teacher’s pet, which, of course, resulted in a whole lot of teasing. Still, it was worth it.


When not writing (which is almost never), Nancy dotes on her five beautiful grandchildren and looks forward to traveling and reading when time permits. Nancy lives in Atlantic Canada where she enjoys the relaxed pace and colorful people. She invites you to visit her website (www.nancyfraser.ca) and follow her on Twitter (@nfraserauthor). Or, more importantly, just enjoy what she writes.

You can find Nancy at:

Website: www.nancyfraser.ca

Blog: http://nancyfraser.ca/wordpress/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/nfraserauthor @nfraserauthor Facebook: http://facebook.com/nancyfraserauthor





Giveaway ~

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