New Release: Border Town

Some stories may be based upon reality – loosely.

You know that disclaimer that appears in the beginning of books that says the story is not based upon anyone or life? Well, that’s not exactly true with Border Town, the first book in my new SLICE series.

Growing up, I heard stories about how my grandparents met at a USO dance in southern Texas. My grandmother was attending with her sisters, and they met my grandfather and his friends. The three sisters ended up marrying the three military buddies.

My grandmother

My grandfather

Grandma came from a family with its roots deep into the Texan soil. They own a ranch, which even has a private family cemetery.  Over the past year, I lost both of my grandparents. Grandma lived to a rich age of 99, and thoroughly enjoyed reading romance novels.

Border Town captures the spirit of the history. While my grandfather wasn’t a member of a secret government group, he was in the Air Force, Coast Guard and Merchant Marines. The family ranch really did lose land during a massive hurricane in the 1940s.

Who knows what it possibly could have unleashed!

Border Town

SLICE Agency, book one
After Glows Publishing

A thin line exists between reality and the paranormal, between one country and the next. Lucia grew up stuck between cultures on the border of Texas and Mexico and the wavy lines of reality. With the help of her two sisters, she runs the family ranch, or what’s left of it.

Years ago, a hurricane shifted the river, cutting through the property with their land partially ending up on the other side of the Rio Grande. Mother Nature unleashed more than land wars. Legend tells of a supernatural beast slaughtering the livestock every seven years. When the carcasses of goats show up drained of blood, she reaches out for help.

Shaw McDiamond doesn’t want to be stuck in a hick town chasing after the myth of the chupacabra. As part of an elite force of paranormal agents that work the border, Shaw’s group, SLICE, exposes aliens of another kind. This vampiric creature is like nothing he’s encountered, and the woman he’s working with unnerves him even more. 

Lucia and Shaw clash over folklore and reality, fate and free will. As the killings escalate with the attack of a ranch hand, the storm returns, and the two become trapped in an ever-shifting world they can’t control. And to survive, they’ll have to do it together.

Available now!

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Tell me: What’s your favorite urban myth? 

Until next time!

Louisa Bacio

http://www.facebook.com/louisabacio

https://www.facebook.com/Louisabacioauthor/  

http://www.twitter.com/louisabacio

Why do we Love the Ugly Duckling? with Kim Carmichael

I’m hosting a special author today – Kim Carmichael. I first met Kim through one of my Online writing classes. She’s talented and driven, and has turned into a real friend. (It’s wonderful when the people you meet online actually live close!)

 

She’s giving away a few goodies to one lucky commenter. The winner can have a choice of skin care or a vintage Harlequin romance. Kim also is giving away signature bookmarks to the first five who requests them!

Enter to Win a Vintage Harlequin 

The story of the Ugly Duckling is one of the most beloved and well-known fairy tales.  The outcast Ugly Duckling is made fun for his different looks. He hides away in a cave and reemerges as the beautiful swan where he floats off into the sunset.

Over the years, the story has been criticized for the Ugly Duckling did not really have to do anything, or accomplish a goal of any kind to solve his problem.  Time and DNA took care of him. 

Still, we are fascinated by this tale, it has been told time and again in different incarnations, and so I had to ask myself why is it that we love the Ugly Duckling and his dilemma? 

We identify with him and his plight – I think everyone at one point or another has felt like a mess.   No matter if you went through a gawky phase in your youth, or just wore an inappropriate outfit to a party, there are times we all think the spotlight is shining down on us and highlighting our flaws.

We have an inner need to fit in – Something about the Ugly Duckling reminds me of Dr. Seuss story, The Sneetches, where everyone wants whatever is fashionable, either the star on their belly or not.  Even if we try to be different, at the end of the day we want to fit in somewhere.  Everyone needs a place to belong.

We all love the concept of change – While the Ugly Duckling undergoes a natural metamorphosis, we all love the idea of being able to change into something completely different and beautiful.  The Ugly Duckling undergoes the ultimate makeover. 

We love a success story – Good genes aside, we love that the Ugly Duckling succeeds.  He evolves into an elegant swan and is taken into a group where he belongs leaving the other ducks at the edge of the pond wondering what happened.  He now holds his head up high having achieved everything he ever wanted and we smile with him.

It gives us hope – Deep down in our hearts we want to believe that everyone has a chance to live their dream, no matter how large or small it may be.  Maybe you just want to take a swim in a pond and feel like a part of the group, or maybe you want to travel to the moon, either way we want to know that little bit of hope is out there and we can achieve our goals.

We love the Ugly Duckling because at its core it is more than simply a story about outward beauty, it is a story about life, and we can all relate.

Hands on Me

Kim Carmichael

Keith Publications

Agent Gwen Fredricks is a living target.  Captured after a failed mission, the code to crack a safe has literally been permanently hidden on her.  To free herself, she must retrieve a final key.   All

Agent Colin Alexander has to do to avoid a desk job is get a code said to be on an enemy agent.   He never dreamed it would actually be on the agent, especially Gwen.

The simple shoot-and-swoop mission takes a turn for these two sometime-lovers and full-time rivals when they call a truce to give into their desire.  Now with the promise to keep both hands on each other at all times, they share a night together.  Loyalties are tested when Gwen manages to swipe the key away, and Colin discovers the code carefully embedded into Gwen's tramp stamp tattoo in a glow of UV light.  When morning comes they must decide if what they feel for each other is worth betraying their agencies.

About the Author:

Kim Carmichael began writing eight years ago when her love of happy endings inspired her to create her own.  She has a weakness for bad boys and techno geeks, and married her own computer whiz after he proved he could keep all her gadgets running.  When not writing, she can usually be found slathered in sunscreen trolling Los Angeles and helping top doctors build their practices.

Website / Facebook / Twitter

Excerpt:

"Stop!" A man yelled.

The barrel of another gun met her inches from her face. She tensed, not from the gun, but from the familiar inflection in his voice. The position of both their weapons hid the man's face.

"Get in and lower your gun, or we'll both lose."

"Back up and lower yours, or you won't have a hand left." No one told her what to do, not ever again. 

The click of her cocking her weapon echoed around them.

He stepped back. "Get in and close the door."

With her gun still raised, she stepped and waited for her opponent to flinch first.

"Now." He moved a fraction of an inch.

She did the same, and with the silent acknowledgement they would both comply, they lowered their guns in unison. She almost shot herself in the foot at the sight of the man who greeted her. Before she made a mistake, she de-cocked her gun and shook her head. "Colin?" Her body betrayed her by trembling. Was this her punishment?

"Gwen." He shoved the gun in his waistband. "You're the one. I would have never guessed."

Think. She screamed at herself to remember her training, and not allow him to best her or distract her. She glanced around the room, giving her time to not look at him. Agents were supposed to be everyday people and blend in, but Colin Alexander stood out. From the moment she quite literally fell into his lap through a two-story ceiling three years ago, she wasn't sure why his agency chose such a standout. She supposed his combed-back black hair and golden eyes were some bizarre form of female torture.

Giveaway 

Why do you think we like the Ugly Duckling stories? Please leave a comment for Kim, and a valid email address and you'll be entered into her giveaway for your choice of a skin care product or vintage Harlequin. 

Guilty Pleasures with debut author Beth Yarnall

The other night I indulged in a guilty pleasure.

While Mr. Y. took the boys to swim at his parents’ house, I whipped around the corner and bought Chinese food and those cookies with an almond on top. Then I poured myself a glass of cheap Shiraz (maybe it was more like 2) and sat down at the dinner table to eat, drink, and... read. The only thing that would have made it better was if I was sitting in the bathtub (although I would never do that-I have a weird thing about food in a bathroom-gross).

I have a few other guilty pleasures-

I love to watch American Idol, and am geeked out enough to know all the contestants’ names.

I love circus peanuts. You know, those spongy orange candies shaped like a peanut.

I love cheesy music from the 70's, especially disco. One hit wonders... bring 'em on.

I love to watch The Maury show. ‘You are NOT the father!’ So car-crashingly awesome.

I like to shop catalogs and circle all of the things I want (and then not order them).

I like to play solitaire on the computer. For hours. It's a sickness really.

I love to watch TMZ. I like how they make fun of all the celebrities. So awesome.

I love to take baths. Light the candles, pick out a good book, and press play on the iPod. It’s mommy time!

I love Ebay. I put a whole bunch of stuff on my watch list and then don't buy any of it. I suppose it's the on-line version of my catalogue shopping.

And I love social media. Especially Twitter. You can eavesdrop follow some really interesting conversations. I’m totally the Gladys Kravitz of Twitter.

Now tell me…what are your guilty pleasures?

Exclusive excerpt from Rush!

God above, she wanted him.

Taking his hand, she slipped down from her barstool and drew him off his. Without a word, she towed him to the big bedroom at the end of the hall. When she’d imagined them together, she’d pictured them here in his big bed with the walls of windows. Stopping at the side of the bed, she turned to face him. She reached for the hem of her shirt and pulled it over her head. The city lights twinkling in the distance were the only illumination, but she could clearly make out his expression as his gaze roamed over her bare skin.

 Damn, but she was beautiful, Lucas thought, shucking his shirt in one fluid motion. He couldn’t take his eyes off of her. She glowed. The golden light gilded her skin, like the statue of a goddess, the gentle slope of her breasts the only shadow. She reached for the button of her jeans. His eyes followed the motion. Then she was standing before him in nothing but the smallest scrap of lace. He wasted no time following suit, kicking off his shoes and shedding his jeans. He didn’t dare look away from her. If she were going to retreat from him, he’d have to find a way to convince her to stay.

He stood before her, bare in more ways than one, wanting nothing more than the feel of her skin on his. She moved toward him, her lips curved into a coy smile as though she knew she had all the power. And damned if she didn’t. She put her hands on him, rising up on her toes to smooth her palms over his pecs, across his shoulders, down his arms and back again. He shuddered and she repeated the motion, adding a sweet little purring sound that locked the breath in his throat.

“Touch me,” she begged.

Rush~Book One in the Pleasure at Home Series

Someone is stalking Miyuki Price-Jones.

As the host of a very successful home shopping TV show that sells adult toys, Mi has become the object of an ex-con’s obsession, requiring the services of ex-Navy SEAL turned bodyguard, Lucas Vega. As the attraction between Lucas and Mi grows, Lucas has a difficult time keeping his feelings for Mi separate from his mission to keep her safe. A mission that is more challenging than anyone could have predicted.

    Damaged by their pasts, Lucas and Mi find more in common then they could have imagined and secrets they thought would tear them apart could be the ties that bind them together forever. But with the stalker growing bolder, Lucas and Mi must learn to trust each other or risk losing more than their hearts.

One of them could lose their life.

Beth Yarnall

Beth Yarnall writes romantic suspense, mysteries and the occasional hilarious blog post. A storyteller since her playground days, Beth remembers her friends asking her to make up stories of how the person `died' in the slumber party game Light as a Feather, Stiff as a Board, so it's little wonder she prefers writing stories in which people meet unfortunate ends. In middle school she discovered romance novels, which inspired her to write a spoof of soap operas for the school's newspaper. She hasn't stopped writing since.

For a number of years, Beth made her living as a hairstylist and makeup artist and co-owned a salon with her very best friend. Somehow hairstylists and salons always seem to find their way into her stories. Beth lives deep in the heart of `The O.C.' California with her husband, two sons, and their dog where she is hard at work on her next novel. For more information about Beth and her stories please visit her website- www.bethyarnall.com.