On Conversations: Excerpt from BEARING ALL by #author Tiffinie Helmer #amreading



Love the holidays!  And I love romance, mystery and intrigue during the holidays. This book by Tiffinie Helmer, Bearing All seems to have it all!  So sit back with a cup of coffee and enjoy!
Lisa ~

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Bearing All (Wild Men of Alaska Series) will be FREE on November 29th – December 3rd.

Author Bio:

Tiffinie Helmer is an award-winning author who is always up for a gripping adventure. Raised in Alaska, she was dragged “Outside” by her husband, but escapes the lower forty-eight to spend her summers commercial fishing on the Bering Sea.

A wife and mother of four, Tiffinie divides her time between enjoying her family, throwing her acclaimed pottery, and writing of flawed characters in unique and severe situations.

Book Blurb:

All he wants for Christmas is her…
                                      
Former Russian spy, Sergei Lavinsky, code name The Bear, is hibernating on the edge of Alaska.  He lures the woman he loves to the Edge of Reason Lodge, hoping enough time has passed that her heart has softened and her knives have dulled.

All she wants is revenge…
                                
Kate “No Mercy” Mercer is a CIA Agent sent to assassinate him.  Again.  This time she intends to succeed without ending up in his bed.  She has a dozen reasons to kill him, and one of them is personal.

They’ll be completely unwrapped before the holiday is over…

Excerpt:

Chapter One

            She’d been sent to kill him, and this time she wasn’t going to fail.
            Donned in head-to-toe white winter gear, blending seamlessly with her surroundings, Kate “No Mercy” Mercer lay on her stomach in the snow and viewed the terrain through white binoculars.  She’d been casing the area for days, freezing her ass off. 
The Edge of Reason Lodge came by its name naturally.  Built on the edge of the Kenai Peninsula in Kachemak Bay, Alaska, the lodge perched on an imposing mountain with a jagged ice-encrusted beach at its feet.  The deep, frigid waters of the finger fjord split off from the bay with no outlet, creating a natural defense for the lodge against invasion.  There would be no surprise attacks as the only way in was by boat or float plane.  He’d see her coming.  Which is why Kate had chosen to drop in behind Sadie Mountain and trek in from there.  A person would have to be crazy to attempt it.  Luckily she was way past crazy. 
She’d served in Afghanistan and had thought nothing of conquering the Kenai Mountains.  She should have thought again.  Hiking the glacier-pocked, steep terrain mid-winter had been a bitch.  All of it added more motivation to take down Sergei Lavinsky, code name The Bear. 
Kate had to give it to Sergei, the man was pretty damn smart for holing up here in the middle of nowhere. 
But she’d still found him. 
It appeared all of the lodge’s occupants were gone presumably for the holiday.  Probably somewhere warmer would be her vote. 
Leaving Sergei alone.  
All she needed to do now was wait for the perfect opening to move in.  It was the day before Christmas Eve.  By tomorrow night she planned to be somewhere more hospitable herself.
The temperature dropped fast as the winter solstice sun slid behind the snow-laden peaks.  The view was breathtaking, that is if she could tear her eyes away from Sergei, who was currently chopping wood, wearing snug jeans, snow boots, and only a half-buttoned flannel shirt.  His sable-black hair swung around his shoulders with each powerful plunge of the ax into the logs.  She didn’t know why he was chopping wood when there were rows and rows of ready firewood alongside the lodge under the cover of a lean-to.  It was almost as if he were teasing her, though she knew there was no way he was aware of her presence.  This was the closest she’d dared venture toward the lodge, keeping to the tree line high above the large log structure.
            Through the binoculars, she could clearly see the black stubble peppering his chin and tried to suppress the shiver as she remembered how it felt to have that rasp of beard against her bare skin.  She adjusted her position slightly where she lay prone in the snow above him. 
She’d planned well, done her homework.  Waiting until she knew the lodge would be closed for the season and the owners scheduled to be away, vacationing for Christmas.  Only Sergei was left as caretaker.  She didn’t understand how a man with his skill set was content to play guide, fisherman, and handyman of a rustic lodge in Alaska.  Living here, she got.  He was, after all, Russian, and Alaska was as close as he could get to Mother Russia in topography after his defection.
Defecting or not, he still had to die.
A final swing and he sunk the ax in the stump he’d been chopping against.  Good, she needed that ax out of his hands before she made her move.  He stretched his arms over his head, fingers linked as he arched from side-to-side.  She tried not to appreciate the breadth of his shoulders as the muscles bunched under the red and black flannel of his shirt.  His tanned forearms, revealed by rolled up sleeves, were bigger than her biceps, and sprinkled with dark hair and heavily roped with veins.  The cold didn’t seem to faze him at all. 
He turned and glanced her direction.  Hawk-like eyes, arched with heavy brows, swooped over her where she hunkered down in the snow.  She held caught her breath and held still.  His eyes continued to sweep the landscape, not settling on anything in particular.  Seeming at ease, he bent and loaded his arms with firewood from the large pile at his feet.  
Time to make her move.
She couldn’t shoot him from here.  It was too far away for accuracy.  Besides, this was a personal kill.  He needed to know who had taken him down, and she needed to look into his eyes and watch the life drain out of them.  She stamped down that little part of her that bemoaned the thought of this big, magnificent man no longer walking the earth.  That weak part of her had ended up in his bed when she’d been sent to neutralize him the first time.  And if she hadn’t, Perry would still be alive.
Stowing away her binoculars, she slowly rose to her feet and crouched toward deeper shadows within the spruce trees.  Silently, she crept down the mountainside.
Gloves off and zipped in her coat pockets, she unclipped her 9mm from its holster and clamped it with both hands, ignoring the sweat coating her palms. 
Sergei returned to load his arms again, and Kate remained under the heavy snow-covered branches of a spruce.  He never looked her direction.  No more than a hundred yards from him, she waited as he overloaded his arms, stacking the firewood up to his chin.  He gave her his back and headed toward the woodpile.  She inched closer, stopping when he paused, and cocked his head as though he heard something.  She waited until he resumed his trek and then snuck up behind him. 
She raised her gun.
“Hello, Kate,” Sergei said, not bothering to turn around and face her.


LINKS:







On Conversations: Love Gone to the Dogs #Author Margaret Daley!



Please welcome author Margaret Daley to Conversations.  Today Margaret is talking about her Indie reissue, Love Gone to the Dogs and she is giving away a free e-copy of the book to one lucky person who leaves a comment.  Sit back with a cup of coffee and enjoy!
Lisa ~



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LoveGone to the Dogs is a sweet contemporary romance that was published by Kensington and is now out of print. I reissued it as an ebook. This is the first in a series I will be putting out about second chances. I particularly had fun writing this story about a zany family and two dogs that bring Leah and Shane together.

Blurb for Love Gone tothe Dogs by Margaret Daley:

Single mom, Leah Taylor, has her hands full with a grandfather, an inventor, who lives a bit risky when it comes to his job and two sons, one a rambunctious genius. But it is her free spirited beagle who gets her into trouble with her new neighbor, Dr. Shane O'Grady, when her dog makes a move on his champion bichon that he wants to breed.

Leah and Shane clash over their dogs that clearly like each other. Leah is determined to ignore her neighbor, but when her youngest son who tries to defy gravity and fly ends up hurt, it is her neighbor, the doctor, who takes care of her son. Can Leah and Shane find love or has love gone to the dogs? 

Order Love Gone to the Dogs at AMAZON 


BIO:


Margaret Daley, an award-winning author of eighty-three books, has been married for over forty years and is a firm believer in romance and love. When she isn’t traveling, she’s writing love stories, often with a suspense thread and corralling her three cats that think they rule her household. To find out more about Margaret visit her website at http://www.margaretdaley.com.



Be a part of the FANTASTIC news for #WaveGoodbye web series fans!! Check it out! #scriptchat

If you're a fan of Sgt Mitch Preston and the web series, WAVE GOODBYE, there is fantastic news!

Wait, don't know who Sgt Mitch Preston is?  You've never see WAVE GOODBYE?  Never heard of it?  Well, never fear. 

Check out the trailer for WAVE GOODBYE Season One:

 

You're hooked aren't you.  I know.  I am, too.  So now that you're hooked, you can check out all 20 episodes of WAVE GOODBYE on YOUTUBE.  It's totally cool.  You're going to love it.  Here's the link.

http://www.youtube.com/user/wavegoodbyeseries?feature=results_main 

Okay, so I promised you some big news and here it is.  WAVE GOODBYE is coming back for a second season AS A FEATURE FILM!  That's right!!  How cool is that? You can hear all about it directly from show creator and writer, Zac Sansford, and director Eric Goodwin on the shows KickStarter page.

http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/zacsanford/wave-goodbye-season-2/posts/350773

Kickstarter.  Wait...you haven't heard of Kickstarter?  Well, sit back and let me tell you about how you can be a part of making the Season Two Feature Film happen! 

Have you ever dreamed of being a part of the making of a movie?  Well, now you can through WAVE GOODBYE's Kickstarter campaign to raise money for the making of Season Two.  You can get all the updates directly from Kickstarter at the links below.  Find out about the WAVE GOODBYE series and see behind the scenes footage.  Then simply make a pledge and get a cool thank you gift for your support.  It's fun, and totally cool to be a part of the making of this fantastic web series and now FEATURE FILM!  Check it out and make a pledge today!

WAVE GOODBYE Kickstarter Updates:

http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/zacsanford/wave-goodbye-season-2/posts/348392

http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/zacsanford/wave-goodbye-season-2/posts/349977

And the latest, greatest news!!!

http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/zacsanford/wave-goodbye-season-2/posts/350773



On Conversations: Read an #Excerpt of Stephanie Queens #NewRelease THE HOT SHOTS #amreading



Please welcome author Stephanie Queen to Conversations today.  We have a real treat.  Stephanie has a new release TODAY!  Yes, The Hot Shots is her latest book and we have an excerpt from this fabulous book.  So sit back with a cup of coffee and enjoy!
Lisa ~

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The Hot Shots
Stephanie Queen

Decorator Sophia Alano’s career gets side-tracked from the moment she meets hot shot Scotland Yard detective Chauncey Miller. On the run in Boston, Chauncey must now protect this spitfire Pixie from the madman out for revenge. But once he catches their would-be killer, how does he hold onto his Pixie decorator?


About the Author:
Stephanie Queen lives in bucolic New Hampshire where writing happy, snappy romances takes most of her time. However you can also find her watching UConn football and basketball games whenever they’re on TV, and sometimes even in person. Right now, she’s busy writing her next book in the Scotland Yard Exchange Program Series. Visit her website to learn more at StephanieQueen.com or connect with Stephanie Queen on Twitter or Facebook.

Chapter One Excerpt:
“I have a favor to ask,” Grace said from behind her desk, pencil in hand and dimple in place. “I need you to pick up David’s latest recruit from Scotland Yard at Logan Airport and keep him busy for the day. Show him around.” 
Sophia couldn’t stop her usual sarcasm in spite of the fact that Grace was her boss as well as her best friend. This so-called favor made no sense. Even for Grace.
“Are you serious?” Sophia planted her hands on her hips. “Let me make sure I understand you--You’re asking me to babysit one of David’s Scotland Yard hot shots on the eve of my possible career breakthrough?”
Grace nodded. Her big blue eyes were wide and honest. Something was up.
“That’s crazy talk. Tomorrow’s the shoot for the audition tape.” Sophia knew that Grace knew this since Grace helped set it up for her, but she felt it was worth mentioning the obvious.
“Yes. I know.” Grace smiled then looked back down at her drawing. “And a distraction is exactly what you need to keep your nerves at bay.”
“What? My nerves are fine.” If her dam voice hadn’t squeaked at that moment, she’d have been more convincing. Something was definitely up. And Sophia would never admit it to Grace, but she did feel a bit edgy--if edginess included nausea, headaches and sleeplessness.
“I know you.” Grace paused and gave her the serious-yet-loving older-sister type look that she mostly put up with. “This will be good for you and…and I’d really appreciate it.”
Grace was playing dirty pool now with that appreciation bit, but Sophia still didn’t buy it.
“And what if I didn’t have time today?  Were you going to tear me away from my project?”
“Actually, yes.  I wasn’t going to mention it, but some of the men were complaining about your presence at the set and asked me to have you back off just a smidge.” Grace scrunched her brow. “But don’t worry, honey, they think you’re wonderful. It’s just lately...”
“Great. That’s great.” Her hands flew into the air. “I got painters and paperhangers and carpenters talking to my boss behind my back.” This was not good. She plunked herself on the edge of Grace’s desk and folded her arms. She tried staring at the stack of fabric samples on the other side of the office so Grace wouldn’t notice if a tear slipped out. Because, damn it, she might be on the brink of crying.
Grace picked up the box of tissues and handed it to her. “You’ll be alright, Pixie honey. This is the perfect way to get your mind off everything to do with decorating and the design show audition filming and TV cameras. I’m asking for a one-day one-shot favor.”
Grace’s voice sounded a little too sweet, even for her, and “Pixie honey” or no “Pixie honey”, that was cause for suspicion.  She blew her nose. Okay, so maybe she needed a break, but she wasn’t convinced that playing tour guide to some British guy fresh off the boat...or rather airline--was the way to go.      
“I’m saving up my vacation time and I don’t think you have the authority to assign me to pick up some random guy at Logan Airport and show him around town while I’m on the clock.  We’re in the decorating business.”   She remained seated on the edge of Grace’s desk, tossed the balled-up tissue in a basket halfway across the small office and re-folded her arms.  “Besides it doesn’t even sound safe.”   She blew the blunt-cut bangs off her forehead for emphasis.
Grace looked at her with that smile and said, “He’s from Scotland Yard, honey.  Of course it’s safe.  It’ll be fun.  I don’t know what you’re worried about.” Her face brightened and she added, “You don’t have to use vacation time. Consider it a client recruitment assignment.”  Grace went back to the sketch she’d been working on.
Sophia looked at her best friend and boss with a suspicious squint.  What it sounded like to her was another one of Grace’s blind date set-ups in disguise.

http://www.stephaniequeen.com  

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