Summer Solstice: Event, Book, Did you know...? Brenda Sparks @Brenda_Sparks #MFRWauthor #Romance #SummerSolstice

13 Interesting Facts about the Summer Solstice by Brenda Sparks

1.         The term "solstice" is derived from the Latin words sol (sun) and sistere (to stand still). The term Solstice was chosen because the sun's position in the sky at noon does not appear to change much during the solstice.
2.         During the solstice, the sun is directly over the Tropic of Cancer.
3.         The summer solstice is the longest day of the year.
4.         The sun is the highest in the sky on the summer solstice.
5.         The summer solstice is also called “midsummer”.
6.         The summer solstice is not exclusive to Earth. In fact, every planet in our solar system has a summer solstice.
7.         Stonehenge in England is thought to have been built to celebrate the summer solstice. In fact, each summer a celebration is still held in the ancient structure.
8.         According to pagan folklore, evil spirits appeared on the summer solstice. Ancient people would wear protective garlands of herbs and flowers to ward them off. One of the most powerful of these plants was called “chase devil,” and today we call it St. John’s Wort.
9.         In northern Iceland, there is a cliff overlooking the sea where you can sit and watch the sun not set. The sun goes down just to the horizon, brushes the water, then starts to rise back up.
10.       In Alaska, they celebrate the summer solstice with a midnight baseball game. The game starts at 10:30 p.m. and continues into the next morning.
11.       If you are in the Tropic of Cancer during the solstice, you’ll notice that you can’t see any shadows at noon. That’s because at that precise time the sun is directly overhead at a 90-degree angle to the Earth.
12.       The summer solstice stresses out rats and other nocturnal creatures. Just as some humans get sad or anxious during winter due to there being less daylight, some rats experience the same thing during the summer solstice. The longer days can produce stress in the nocturnal animals.
13.       On the summer solstice, St. Petersburg experiences almost 19 hours of daylight, and Russians make the most of it by having a White Nights festival. Ballet and opera events take place outdoors because the light never completely fades to full darkness.

Under a Blood Moon by Brenda Sparks from Summer Solstice

Fill yourself with the heat of summer with these paranormal and fantasy reads.
From shifters to goddesses, vampires to aliens, there's something for everyone within these pages. Look no further for sizzling romances and thrilling adventures that are bound to leave you desperate for a cool down.

Genre Paranormal Romance
Book heat level (based on movie ratings): R
Tall, strong, and powerful, Caden is the last werewolf on earth most people would ask for a favor. As the leader of his pack, it is his job to keep the pack members safe—and Caden takes his job very seriously. But when a ballsy stranger shows up on his doorstep begging for help, he cannot turn her away. Unfortunately, helping her means blurring the lines of pack law and with the Blood Moon setting everyone on edge, pack rule is precarious enough.
Once a member of a formidable pack, Kate now finds herself an outsider. When her brother is imprisoned by his Alpha for helping her, it’s up to Kate to come to his rescue. Alone and lost, it seems Kate’s stars have aligned when she stumbles upon Caden—until he refuses to help. With her brother’s life in escalating peril and her faith in Caden shattered, Caden will have to risk everything while facing the most intense fight of his life…the battle for Kate’s heart.
Under a Blood Moon is part of a collection of short romance stories in Summer Solstice: A Limited Edition Collection of Fantasy and Paranormal Romances.

Where to buy Under a Blood Moon

Amazon https://www.amazon.com/Summer-Solstice-Collection-Paranormal-Romances-ebook/dp/B07PXBW3JY/
Barnes and Noble  https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/books/1130534155
iBooks https://itunes.apple.com/us/book/summer-solstice/id1451906944?mt=11&ign-mpt=uo%3D4
Kobo  https://www.kobo.com/us/en/ebook/summer-solstice-11

Brenda Sparks Social Media

Brenda Sparks has always loved all things spooky and enjoys incorporating paranormal elements in her writing. She refuses to allow pesky human constraints to get in the way of telling the story. Luckily the only thing limiting her stories is her imagination. Her characters are strong, courageous, and she adores spending time with them in their imaginary world.
Her idea of a perfect day is one spent in front of a computer with a hot cup of coffee, her fingers flying over the keys to send her characters off on their latest adventure.
Website http://brenda-sparks.com/index.html
Blog http://brenda-sparks.com/blog.html
Twitter https://twitter.com/brenda_sparks
Facebook https://www.facebook.com/forBrendaSparks/
Pinterest https://www.pinterest.com/brendasparks/
Goodreads https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/4416074.Brenda_Sparks
Amazon Author Page https://www.amazon.com/Brenda-Sparks/e/B00B7AJBBQ
Newsletter http://brenda-sparks.com/welcome-readers.html

#MFRWauthor Book Spotlight: Fangs (Feral Justice) by Vella Munn

Vella Munn released a new book!
Fangs

As death and danger stalk the southern Oregon coast, Mia Sandas and Jeff Julian must trust each other. Can they handle the truth?

When a poacher leaves a wounded elk cow to suffer, Mia Sandas has no choice but to end its misery. Before she’s forced to do the same to the cow’s orphaned calf, a massive gray dog appears and snaps its neck.

Unknown to Mia, this is the beginning of a test of her courage and comprehension. As she turns to Fish and Wildlife Officer Jeff Julian, the gray and his four-legged companions stalk local animal abusers.

Jeff and Mia are drawn together as they seek understanding of what is taking place in the forested mountains. They canines are committed to primitive justice but why? Who are the targets and what will be the outcome?

Can Jeff and Mia stop more bloodshed—and do they want to?

AMAZON Buy Link!

EXCERPT
Crack! Crack!
Her heart pounding and breath caught, Mia Sandas stopped. The explosion wasn’t that close, the location impossible to pinpoint. Still, it alarmed Banshee enough that her dog barked and whined until she ordered him to stop. She strained to catch any and all sounds that didn’t belong in the wilderness.
As the seconds passed and the sounds weren’t repeated, her heart rate slowed. Her breathing remained ragged. 
Vulnerable. She was fighting the fight or flight instinct because, alone except for Banshee, she was vulnerable. Rifle shots were common in southern Oregon’s coastal forest during hunting season, but it was June. If someone had been target shooting he or she would have fired more than twice, right? 
Prompted by Banshee’s tension, Mia abandoned the deer trail she’d been on and followed the Rottweiler-bullmastiff cross-country. The change in direction took her straight up Dark Mountain. Her hundred pound plus, mostly black mutt picked his way around the ground-blanketing vegetation. Because Mia’s business demanded physical labor, the climb didn’t tax her. 
Although nature’s sounds had resumed, Banshee remained determined to find some answers. In the three years they’d been companions, Mia had learned to take him seriously. Banshee could snore with the best of them—usually on the couch near her wood stove—but when his hackles lifted and he exposed his fangs, the dog meant business. 
Despite his solid form, Banshee moved almost soundlessly. So did she, thanks to lessons learned from the uncle and his wife who’d raised her in Alaska. If she was going to continue to live near the wilderness, which she needed to with every fiber she possessed, she had to remain part of her surroundings.
Banshee stopped and looked back at her, prompting her to return his gaze. A little over a hundred feet above them the land briefly leveled and opened up, revealing good summer feeding ground for the coast’s Roosevelt elk.
At the thought of elk, she sucked in clean, cool, damp air. She wasn’t afraid for herself and only marginally so for Banshee, but she might soon see something she didn’t want to. Not far away, a long-abandoned logging road crawled up this side of the mountain. Only a few people knew of its existence, most of them hunters.
Not hunters this time of the year. Poachers. 

ABOUT Vella Munn
Vella has been writing for so long, she no longer has any other marketable skills, not that she wants to do anything else. With over 70 books in a multitude of genres under her belt, it's obvious she's like a child, curious about everything. The Feral Justice suspense series speaks to her loathing of animal abusers.
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SEEKING REVIEWERS
If you'de like to review this book, contact the author directly here.

#MFRWauthor @KateHillRomance Writes What She Knows BOLT @CompBeastsBlog

Always a fan of romance and the paranormal, MFRW Author Kate Hill started writing over twenty years ago for pleasure. Her first story, a short erotic vampire tale, was accepted for publication in 1996. Since then she has sold over one hundred short stories, novellas and novels.

When she's not working on her books, Kate enjoys reading, working out, spending time with her family and pets and running the Compelling Beasts Blog, dedicated to antagonists, antiheroes and paranormal creatures. She also writes under the name Saloni Quinby.

You can connect with Kate on her website, blog, Compelling Beasts Blog or on twitter.

Today she talks about WRITING WHAT YOU KNOW...

It's been said write what you know. Since I write mostly erotic paranormal romance, it's impossible to take that advice literally. Even if I didn't write paranormal romance, my books would be quite limited if I stuck to only things I know or do in my daily routine. I've found that regarding fiction, writing what you know must be open to interpretation. For example, even though I don't know any werewolves, I needed to know my fictional wolves pretty well before I started writing my latest book. It's a made up world, but there needs to be consistency and good character development.  

Research also helps me write what I know. If I want a character to use a particular skill, I need to study that skill to make their experiences authentic. That doesn't always mean I have to practice the actual skill, but I talk to people who might have it, read about it and do my best to check facts. Sometimes it means trying something new myself. For example, I've written a few characters who belly dance and for research I took lessons. I was horrible at it, but I had a lot of fun and I feel it helped me know my characters better. 

So I guess I'd say that you should write what you know, but that statement itself is open to interpretation.

Kate recently released Fangs and Fists: Bolt, an Erotic Paranormal Romance, with Changeling Press.
In a futuristic world ruled by demons, werewolves are enslaved to fight in gladiatorial matches for the amusement of their evil masters.

Kiara remembers what life was like living free -- before she was taken by demons and bred to gladiators so that the new generations of wolves would retain their ferocity but forget their freedom. Mated to top gladiator Grit, she has a son with this surprisingly gentle lover who is also planning their escape. When Grit is killed in the arena, his close friend Bolt upholds his promise to protect Kiara and the cub.

Bolt and Kiara have loved each other from the moment they met, but they buried their feelings because she was mated to his best friend. When Grit dies, despite their guilt, Bolt and Kiara surrender to their desire for each other. Will their love be strong enough to help them win freedom?

Is love stronger than magic? Wolf mates Kiara and Bolt are about to find out.

AMAZON BUY LINK!

EXCERPT
Startled, Kiara jumped to her feet, her senses alive.

Two guards shoved Bolt inside. Naked and covered from head to toe in dried blood, he stood, trembling visibly. His blue gaze found hers and Kiara felt a bit ill. She'd never seen him like this.

""She's yours now,"" said one of the guards. ""We'll remove the cub of her previous mate.""

Kiara nearly panicked. She growled, her inner wolf on the verge of attacking the guards, futile as it would be. Still, she'd rather die fighting to protect Jett than willingly surrender him to these monsters.

""No,"" Bolt said. ""The cub is too young. Let her keep him for now.""

""Very well,"" said the second guard. ""But it will soon be weaned. Do your duty, wolf. She's a healthy female and ripe for more offspring.""

The guards marched out, leaving Kiara and Bolt facing each other.

Kiara wasn't sure about the severity of his injuries. The blood covering him didn't look fresh, which was good. Apparently any wounds he'd sustained had started to heal.

She couldn't begin to guess what he'd endured.

""Come sit."" Kiara reached for his hand. It was ice cold and he jerked away.

""I'm a mess.""

""It's not the first time I've had blood on me,"" she said, remembering the days when she'd hunted with her pack.

This time when she took his hand, he tightened his grip so that it was almost painful and followed her to the washroom. She turned on the water in the black tile shower.

SEEKING REVIEWERS
Author will provide an ebook copy for review. Contact Kate directly HERE.

In My Opinion... #MFRWauthor Vonna Harper Writes What She Knows... Do You?

Writing What You Know aka Writing What Fascinates You
In an effort to be as honest as possible, I admit I’ve long fantasized about becoming some hunk’s captive. The thought of ropes around my wrists turns me on. For years I thought maybe there was something wrong with me. Then I started reading erotica with BDSM elements as well as the edgier capture/bondage stuff. That's when I decided to learn all I could about the appeal.

Here’s what I’ve learned.

In purely psychological terms, Freud didn't know what he was talking about. In 1908, he declared that, ""a happy person never fantasizes, only a dissatisfied one.""

Fortunately, a great deal has changed since those uninformed days with such experts as psychologists Harold Leitenberg and Kris Henning doing extensive studies on peoples' sexual fantasies. Their conclusion: only about 5% of people don't dream up sexy romps.  In fact, it's now considered pathological not to have such fantasies.

Erotica fiction banks on readers' need and desire for the aforementioned.  But it isn't enough for an erotica writer like me to simply open the bedroom door wide.  There has to be a plot to go with the sex. Many times I decorate the plot around bondage.

The late psychiatrist Ethel Person of Columbia University reported that 51 percent of women imagine being forced to have sex and  another third get off on pretending to be a slave who must obey a man's every wish.

So why do scenes full of ropes and chains touch so many women's hot buttons?  As Leitenberg and Henning said, ""Women who find submission fantasies sexually  arousing are very clear that they have no wise to be raped in reality.  In their fantasies, women control every aspect of what happens.""
According to the article, ""Power, Desire, and Pleasure in Sexual Fantasies"" by Eileen Zurbriggen in the Aug, 2004 Journal of Sex Research, women who fanaticize about submission have a more positive attitude about sex and are less sexually guilty and more open to a variety of sexual experiences.  Female submissive fantasies may be one aspect of an open, positive, guilt-free sexuality. (That’s good to know)

As Leitenberg and Henning put it, ""Women tend to envision something being done to them and to concentrate more on their partner's interest in her."" So if, like me, you're intrigued by certain aspects of the sexual human being, I encourage you to write about it.

Vonna's newest book is The Wolf's Mate, an erotica novel with Stormy Night Publishing.
A year ago, the man Aileen loved fell into a raging river deep in the Pacific Northwest wilderness, and she has returned to the spot to say goodbye. Instead of finding closure, however, she encounters a wolf who transforms into the man she had thought lost.

Since he plunged to his death only to be brought back to life in a new form by some power beyond his understanding, Slade has grown used to his wolf's body. When he sees the woman he loved, he finds himself again with the body of a man, but his primal lusts remain strong and he is driven to reclaim her as his mate.

Slade gives Aileen little time to ponder the situation. Instead he strips her, spanks her, and sets about teaching her to surrender to him, but can he stay in human form long enough to truly make her his?

AMAZON  |  GOODREADS

EXCERPT
Disbelief clutched Aileen. The unexpected sexual energy had morphed into something she didn’t understand or want.
She was staring at a wolf, a creature that hadn’t been seen around here since man had hunted them into extinction in this area. Wolves had been reintroduced to the wild but none had yet migrated here. At least that’s what the experts declared.
To hell with what she as a forest ranger had bought into as gospel. She was face to face with a pure predator. Everything about the beast spoke of pride, courage, and determination—except for his eyes.
A second wave of disbelief slammed into her, briefly stilling her heart. As it started beating again, she forced herself to face a simple fact. Instead of a wolf’s yellow eyes, this creature’s were deep brown.
Even more incomprehensible, she’d seen and been turned on by those eyes, but not for a year. Not since Slade had drowned while she helplessly watched.
Oh, God, Slade! Please tell me you didn’t die after all.
The longer she stared at the creature, the less she saw of Slade. Other than those beautiful eyes, the wolf was what nature had designed it to be, a hunter and killer. Its muscles were finely honed, rangy and powerful. Most compelling were fangs meant for one thing, killing. Studying that perfect body filled her with equal parts of fear and admiration. She could barely think. Like most humans, she wore countless hats and shouldered countless roles, but a wolf had no such complexity. It hunted, ate, slept, fucked. Existed.
“Slade?” Despite swallowing repeatedly, she couldn’t utter another word.
The wolf returned her stare. Yes, the eyes were brown, rich and glistening. More to the point, they were pulling her deep into something incomprehensible. Inescapable.
Slade Nashel had been the sexiest man she’d ever met, although whether that was because his body was cleanly masculine or because his touch destroyed her she’d never known.
For too long after his death, she’d suspected she’d died along with him, but the passing minutes, hours, and then days and weeks had helped her heal so she once again believed she had a reason to go on living. Her tears had finally dried and she’d found things to laugh at. Sometimes she’d felt guilty for embracing what he’d been denied, but she couldn’t change reality. He was dead, she alive.

ABOUT Vonna Harper
Vonna Harper isn't sure how many erotic romance books, novellas, and short stories she's written since she's just along for the ride. Many have capture/bondage elements in part because studies show that a majority of women fantasize about giving up control, and Vonna wants to give them what they're looking for. Also, as a woman herself, she wants to write what fascinates her.

http://www.vonnaharper.com/index.html  |  https://www.facebook.com/vonna.harper.35

SEEKING REVIEWERS
If interested in reviewing this book, contact the author directly by clicking here.

Seeking Reviewers: Lover in Stone #PNR Dark Kynd Novel @SCDaneLove #MFRWauthor

Lover in Stone
A Darkest Kynd Novel, Book 1
by MFRW Author S.C. Dane


To the world they are the Grotesques—hideous chimeras and gargoyles of stone. But before they are locked in their granite prisons, they are Kynd—magnificent beings condemned to prowl the nightmares of every realm.

Their tortures will doom them to stone.

The love of a Chosen One could save them.

Hell hath no fury like a woman who wants her man...

AMAZON Buy Link!

REVIEWS
5.0 out of 5 starsShe's done it again...
By Redwood Treasures on September 10, 2016
Format: Paperback
...left me waiting for more!! When do they come out on Audio? Then I can ""read"" and ride and not have to wait until I get home to keep reading!

S C Dane has done it again!
By Gem Davis on July 30, 2016
Format: Kindle Edition
S C Dane has done it again! [She] had me into the world she created by the end of the first chapter and sadden by the last page of the book, knowing I’d have to wait for the next book to read what she has planned other Kynds.

EXCERPT: Chapter One
The pose didn’t suit her. Although far be it from Angelia Delacroix to notice she formed the perfect imitation of a long-legged grasshopper. Not when her attention was riveted to the skin-bound book spread open in front of her.
She felt like the member of the bomb squad holding the wire snips: her breath locked in her lungs. And not because the pages of the book were fragile, either. Given its age, the darn thing had defied the ravages of time.
What worried her, and kept her from breathing, was the aura of magic surrounding the thing.
The relic sitting in front of her was volatile as a real bomb. All it would take would be one wrong move, one offensive stumble from her, and the book could do anything.
So, she couldn’t screw up.
As it was, the only reason she sat in the same room with the ancient tome was because she was the only being it allowed to read its pages.
Like the Scriptum had an inkling of its own.
Which made it one scary so and so.
Because, let’s face it, she wasn’t anyone special. Not in this world of faery, vampires, shifters, and ghouls.
And Grotesques.
She would never forget to add the gargoyles and chimerae to her list of supernatural wonders. When she was younger, she used to fantasize about them, spending countless nights conjuring tales of derring-do for her Grotesque heroes.
Which was fine when you were a little kid. Playing make-believe was as normal as snot dripping from your nose. Even as a teenager, she could be excused when she’d gripped tight to her fascination, practically wallpapering her bedroom with pictures of chimerae.
Except she never outgrew her fascination.
Which made her a loser on all counts. She was a mere human, living in a realm populated by creatures with innate talents that left her wanting.
And feeling pathetically inadequate.
Ugh. Yeah. She’d polish that nugget of loveliness later. Right then, she was preoccupied with sliding her silver reading blade along the pages she was translating. She had come to the running end of an unfinished sentence about her favorite subject: gargoyles and chimerae.
So to her, the Scriptum read like a New York Times best-selling novel: a real page-turner. Hastening to devour more, she flicked the blade to roll the page. Only to slice her finger on the vellum—even though she’d been using her knife.
“Ooh, crap!”She jabbed her bleeding finger into her mouth, her eyes dancing like frantic maids to find something, anything, to dab the blood off the ancient page.
“Oh, God, oh God, how could I be so stupid?” Mortified, she jumped to her feet, tipping her stool so it clattered to the floor behind her.
The droplet of blood spread in a widening circle into the page. Like an atomic cloud.
And just as flipping devastating.
She’d marred the ancient Scriptum. With her stupid human ineptitude, she’d scarred a relic which had remained in near pristine condition for centuries.
Stumbling back, she couldn’t peel her helpless stare from her blunder.
Fear snatched her breath as droplets of sweat stung her armpits and prickled the small of her back. Aro, her vampire boss, would be…enraged.
See? Pathetic. Aro would never lay a fang on her. Not when her father was Vampyre, one of the ruling Triumvirate.
Okay, so he wasn’t her real father. But she’d been raised since infancy as Anton’s own, and it was no secret to the vampire realm. Inept human she might be, but Angelia moved freely within her father’s world.
No vampire in their right mind dared touch her.
Including Aro.
Right. Taking a deep breath to calm her panic, she bent to put her stool back onto its three feet. Then bolted upright, her hand clutched to her heart like a clichéd heroine wrapped tight in her corset and long skirts.

ABOUT S.C. Dane
S.C. Dane currently lives in Wyoming on a working cattle ranch. When she’s not riding horses on the range, she’s immersed in her second passion: writing. She loves traveling, too, and isn’t sure what adventures her next move will find for her.
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SEEKING REVIEWERS
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Meet #MFRWauthor @RaineEnglish in Shadows and Lies

MFRW author Raine English recently released Shadows and Lies, a Contemporary Paranormal Romantic Suspense, by Elusive Dreams Press.

When Olivia Lockwood leaves the comfort of her quaint Massachusetts home for an eerie mansion in Louisiana to fulfill her grandfather’s dying wish, she has no idea of the long-buried secrets that await her there. Or whether Jaxon Carter, her grandfather’s right-hand man, might steal her heart or put her life in jeopardy.

A love so strong it transcends time, but can it survive an evil that’s out to destroy?

Buy Link!

REVIEW
A haunting romantic suspense on an 1830’s sugar plantation. The story alternates from present day back to 1800’s. Woven seamlessly into the storyline are time travel, ghost story, curses, and romance. A nice, intriguing, quick read. Finding your soulmate from long ago
Source: Comfy Chair Books

EXCERPT
As I stood looking at the house, clouds covered the sun, darkening the bright, beautiful day and casting shadows over Turnberry, giving it a much more sinister appearance. My gaze traveled up to the second floor, and I could have sworn I saw someone staring out from one of the large paned windows, but upon second glance, no one was there. Could it have been my imagination, or had someone been watching me arrive?
My fingers curled around the spinel pendant that hung from my neck, and I stroked the cool, smooth stone, hoping it would help to ease my anxiety.
“That’s a lovely necklace, Miss Olivia,” Gerard said, his gaze fixed on the pendant.
“Thank you. My mother gave it to me.”
“Many people confuse spinel with rubies, but I don’t quite know how that’s possible. No other stone gives off that fire. Did you know it has mystic qualities?”
I nodded, thinking back to how my mother had said it would protect me...

ABOUT Raine English
USA Today bestselling author Raine English writes in a variety of genres, including Gothic romantic suspense, paranormal, and sweet small-town contemporary romance. Her books have won many awards, such as the prestigious Daphne du Maurier Award. She was also a finalist for the Romance Writers of America® Golden Heart®. She lives in New England with her family and two French bulldogs, Bailey and Dolly.

Website: www.RaineEnglish.com
Facebook: www.facebook.com/RaineEnglish
Twitter: https://twitter.com/RaineEnglish
Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/l/B00ADCU816?

SEEKING REVIEWERS
This book is available in exchange for reviews. Contact author directly through her website.

Curious Incidents with #MFRWauthor Liese Sherwood-Fabre @LSFabre

Curious Incidents: More Improbable Adventures of Sherlock Holmes--Second Anthology 
by Liese Sherwood-Fabre
with Mocha Memoirs Press
Sherlock Holmes is one of the most recognizable characters in Western literature.  Conan Doyle’s inimitable detective has been the subject of literally thousands of books, movies, television shows, plays and even songs. In Curious Incidents: More Improbable Adventures, 15 authors of horror and mystery come together to create a unique anthology that sets Holmes and Watson on some of their most terrifying adventures. They face an amazing array of cases involving murder, mayhem, and mystery with a supernatural twist.

This time the great detective and his stalwart companion will venture into alternate universes, histories, and futures to solve puzzling cases of the paranormal beyond the bounds of imagination.

BUY LINK

EXCERPT
"The Case of the Tainted Blood”
The epidemic arrived from the Continent in 1889, and a year later, our world shifted on its axis, plunging survivors into a nocturnal, feral existence. Had it not been for a peculiar turn of events one spring evening in 1891, that world might have consumed both Holmes and myself.

We were both involved in the change from the beginning, although we didn’t recognize it at first. As a medical doctor, I was called in to treat a number of extreme anemia cases, which all led to general organ failure and death. While I responded to medical emergencies, Holmes assisted in the investigation of a series of quite gruesome murders involving ripped throats, but a complete lack of blood in the victim or the surrounding scene.

And no one was immune from infection or attack.

I sent Mary to the country early on to avoid the illness’s rapid spread. Two weeks after seeing her off, I received a chatty letter from her, giving no hint of illness, and a telegram an hour later informing me of her death from rapid-onset anemia. At the time, I considered my inability to protect her my greatest failure.

Of course, events soon overwhelmed the medical and law enforcement communities, and many fell victim to the infection themselves. When Inspector Lestrade called on us a few weeks after Mary’s demise and provided a full explanation of the disease, we were forced to make a decision—survival or death. A year later, I wondered if we had made the appropriate choice.

Vampyre.

The name dredged up images of an all-consuming and soul-less thirst, but the true transformation was to society itself. At the beginning of the epidemic, an ample supply of humans existed. Over time, however, the scales tipped and alternative sources developed as the human population faded from this earth. Animals were no longer kept for their meat—only for their blood.

My friend foresaw the inevitable near-extinction of all mammals and had cleverly captured his own stock of rats to maintain his and my existence. But survival is not always living.

ABOUT Liese Sherwood-Fabre
Best-selling author Steve Berry has praised Liese Sherwood-Fabre’s work as "gimmick-free, old-fashioned storytelling,” and her current story of Holmes and Watson’s adventure of solving the mystery of a murdered vampyre is no exception. She holds a PhD from Indiana University and currently works for the US government. An award-winning author, her pieces have appeared in national magazines and a collection of short stories and a novella are available through all major on-line retailers. An avid Sherlockian, she is a member of several scions and a monthly contributor to more than fifteen Sherlockian newsletters.

www.liesesherwoodfabre.com  |  https://twitter.com/lsfabre
https://www.facebook.com/liese.sherwoodfabre/
https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/5758587.Liese_Sherwood_Fabre

#MFRWauthor Brenda Sparks brings her Alpha Lover visiting on #Thursday13

Born in Virginia, #MFRWauthor Brenda Sparks now resides in the Sunshine State. Balancing her professional commitment to the local school district with her writing is challenging at times, but writing suspenseful paranormal romances is a passion that won’t be denied. Her idea of a perfect day is one spent in front of a computer with a hot cup of coffee, her fingers flying over the keys to send her characters off on their latest adventure. Brenda loves to connect with readers. Please visit her online or stop by her website to say hi.
                                               Alpha Lover

Genre Paranormal
Publisher The Wild Rose Press
 Blurb

Starved for blood, vampire, Nicholai Peterhof is greatly relieved when two tourists decide to grace his restaurant, but one sip from the pretty brunette and his world is forever turned upside down. Juliette Staint-John is everything he could have asked for in a heartmate; pretty, smart, built with curves in all the right places…and totally unavailable.

Juliette doesn’t want anything to do with the handsome, young-looking Nicholai. As if their differences aren’t enough, the acute grief over the loss of loved ones keeps her heart guarded. He may be her fantasy, but that’s all he can ever be.

Unbeknownst to the couple, her personal demons are not the only ones threatening their relationship. Hiding virtually unseen by the vampires, Demon Royalty plots to destroy not only the couple but the entire vampire breed. Luckily, Nicholai will do anything for Juliette—even if it means sacrificing himself.




Buy link:  http://ow.ly/FP0030654tF

 Visual teaser

In the shadows of the night, there exists a band of warriors--a group of vampires, known as the Alpha Council. Together they will confront an extraordinary destiny of peril, passion, and dark pleasures in the riveting new series from paranormal romance author Brenda Sparks.

13 things I love about the holidays:
1. Reading romance novels set during the holidays, even if they are a paranormal romance like my newest release, Alpha Lover.
2. The Hallmark Channel. The ENTIRE CHANNEL is dedicated to showing Christmas themed movies, and it’s glorious.
3. Singing Christmas carols, especially ones I can harmonize with.
4. Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol.
5. A Charlie Brown Christmas. Takes me back to my childhood.
6. Lavish department store window displays.
7. Everyone is encouraged to bring a tree indoors and fill their home with that Christmassy pine smell.
8. Strangers bond over horror stories involving delivery companies and the post office.
9. Christmas lights. Inside or out they add to the festivities. You could decorate a garbage can with twinkle lights and it would look magical.
10. Seasonal spices! Just dump some cinnamon, peppermint or ginger in anything you’re cooking, and it suddenly “tastes like Christmas.”
11. Eggnog. YUM!
12. Dinner with the family. Dramatic or peaceful, there’s nothing like a dinner with loved ones to make life interesting.
13. Riding through the snow in a horse drawn sleigh. I’m suck a sucker for this romantic scene I included a sleigh ride in Alpha Lover. The hero in that story is such a romantic. He won my heart.

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McKee's Ghost haunts #MFRWauthor @AnitaPhilmar on #Thursday13

#MFRWauthor Anita Philmar likes to create stories that push the limit. A writer by day and a dreamer by night she wants her readers to see the world in a new way.
Influenced by old movies, she likes to develop places where anything can happen and where special moments come to life in a great read.
Naughty or Nice?
Read her books and decide.
                McKee's Ghost

Genre: Historical, Western, Paranormal 
 Heat: Mainstream (PG13)







 Blurb
 His fiancée called off their engagement after be accosted by a ghost in his house.
Now, a beautiful ghost detective has shown up at his ranch, saying his brother has hired her to take care of the unwanted spirit.
Konnor McKee is more than happy with PSI Agent Ruth Oliva Wilson. One look and he was hooked. Now, if he can only get some help from a ghost, he might be able to secure himself a bride after all.
With the return of his ex-fiancee, his life is turn upside down by an angry ghost, a vindictive woman and a sexy medium. Konnor doesn’t know which way to turn.
Can he get everyone out of this alive and marry the PSI Agent?
Or has he lost all hope of a happy future because of the ruthless ghost of one of his ancestors?

Buy link:  Amazon

13 Things I love about writing historical westerns.

1. It's an adventure in time for me and my readers.

2. I can weave events into the story and give characters reaction to what happen.

3. I inform the reader about events they may not know about.

4. Cowboys, I love the old west and the cowboys who built this great country.

5. Seeing things in another light helps me appreciate how wonderful we have it.

6. Setting are more rural and offer beautiful scenery.

7. The ladies had a different perspective on life.

8. People worked hard and expected good things from their labor, even if it didn't always happen.

9. Guns were an everyday tool.

10. Horse were needed to get around.

11. People thought and acted differently

12. A challenge to explore.

13. It's like visiting my ancestors and getting to know all they went through to get me here.

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#MFRWauthor @LindaNightingale will visit us on #Thursday13 at Four by Moonlight

MFRW Author Linda Nightingale has seen a lot of this country from the windshield of a truck pulling a horse trailer, having bred, trained and showed Andalusian horses for many years.

Linda has won several writing awards, including the Georgia Romance Writers Magnolia Award and the SARA Merritt. She is the mother of two wonderful sons, a retired legal assistant, member of the Houston Symphony League, and enjoys events with her car club. Among her favorite things are her snazzy black convertible and her parlor grand piano. She loves to dress up and host formal dinner parties.

Blurb
An anthology of love in the moonlight…in the paranormal realms...
Gypsy Ribbons – A moonlight ride on the moors and meeting a notorious highwayman will forever change Lady Virginia Darby’s life.
Star Angel – Lucy was stuck in a rut and in an Idaho potato patch. She’d seen him in the corner of her eye—a fleeting glimpse of beauty—now he stood before her in the flesh.
The Night Before Doomsday – All his brothers had succumbed to lust, but Azazel resisted temptation until the wrong woman came along.
The Gate Keeper’s Cottage – Newlywed Meggie Richelieu’s mysterious, phantom lover may be more than anyone, except the plantation housekeeper, suspects.
 
Buy link: Amazon


 Thirteen Sentences from Four By Moonlight

 Living life on the edge taught one to live to the fullest.- Gypsy Ribbons

The ghost that warned of death breathed that heartbreaking sigh at her door. - Gypsy Ribbons

“My lady wife.” William grabbed the love knot and jerked her head back. “Not for me this pretty ribbon. Ah, Victoria.” Gypsy Ribbons

Nightly, Simon rode with death, but his close companion betrayed him, shot him through her heart. - Gypsy Ribbons
Perhaps they hear the clatter of hooves in the courtyard or the quick rustle of a woman’s laughter. - Gypsy Ribbons

Lucy could live with, and treasure, his memory, ecstasy once better than starving forever. - Star Angel

“The servants claim my brother’s ghost haunts Fievre Faire.” She peered into the shadows, trying to see his face. - The Gatekeeper's Cottage."

Cool hands mapped the topography of her shoulders, arms, torso, leaving quivering awareness in their wake.- The Gatekeeper's Cottage
Madness escaped on ragged sighs. - The Gatekeeper's Cottage

“Not a ghost.” Shadows delineated the old woman’s face. “Ghosts don’t seduce a new bride out of her husband’s bed.”- The Gatekeeper's Cottage

“You know as well as I, Missy, Yves Richelieu isn’t dead.” Marion folded skinny arms across her bony chest. “That little taste in the shadows won’t satisfy him. Nor you.” - The Gatekeeper's Cottage

Yves’ blood stained the wide plank floors of the gatekeeper’s cottage.- The Gatekeeper's Cottage

Something was desperately wrong, and I feared I knew what it was. At long last, Retribution had come to call. - The Night Before Doomsday   

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