Some of My Best Friends Aren't Real

 “Well, then, sugar. Let’s get started.” 

With those last words, I typed The End to book five in the Wild Horse Peaks books. Sniff, sniff. 

The Deep Well of Love and Murder ends the Wild Horse Peaks series. When I wrote that last sentence, I sadly bid farewell to a cast of characters I loved and lived with for the several years. Even now, I miss Lacy’s level-headed personality, Chance’s dedication to peace-keeping and to Lacy, Phoebe’s sassy, gypsy style, Mason’s sexy attitude, August’s feistiness, Wolf’s James Bond coolness, Penny’s braveness, Jake’s soft side, and last, but not least, from The Deep Well of Love and Murder, Laura’s independent flare and Randy’s…oh, there’s too much to miss about Randy. 

When I write a book, I know so much more about the characters than I can include between the pages. It’s a satisfying feeling, putting their stories to rest, but it’s also as if they move on without me. Can they? I suppose Randy and Laura will be just fine without my meddling, but honestly, I’ll miss checking in on them every day. 

The Deep Well of Love and Murder Excerpt:

“You let me be the judge of what messes I choose in my life.”

His hands twitched at his sides, longing to hold her and stifle her anger. He narrowed his eyes and stared deeper into hers instead. “Taking care of your ex is a mess I look forward to.”

“This is my mess, not yours.” Her tone grew more combative. “I’ve handled what I’ve been dealt, and I’ll continue handling whatever gets thrown at me.”

“I don’t see it that way.” He kept his voice level, but hard edged. His own emotions, convincing her while fear of losing her, hammered his self-control. “You’re locking me out. Why? Because you think you aren’t allowed to be happy?”

Her mouth pinched in a tight line, and she glared at him. “Randy—”

“I think it’s about damned time you stopped blaming your mother, your ex, or whoever for your unhappiness.”

She whirled away, ready to flee, but he couldn’t stop now. He needed her and had to make her see how much she needed him. “Don’t be afraid of me, Laura Jane.” He shuffled a half-step closer.

“I’m not afraid.” She faced him again. “But I don’t need you to tell me how to run my life, if that’s what you think you can do.”

Perro jumped and planted his paws on Randy’s hip, panting heavily. “For Pete’s sake, Perro—”

Laura’s brow furrowed. “Do you smell that?” “What?” As soon as he’d asked, the hot, smoky scent assaulted his senses.

Fire. 

The Deep Well of Love and Murder:

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0BQ59LGT7 

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/80583692-the-deep-well-of-love-and-murder 

https://www.bookbub.com/books/the-deep-well-of-love-and-murder-wild-horse-peaks-book-4-by-brenda-whiteside

Series Link: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0BNC7LT9J 

If you’d like to get all four books in the series, I have a boxset available. You can receive the sequel, A Legacy of Love and Murder, by becoming a BNG member. See below. 

The Full Romantic Suspense Series

Danger, betrayal, secrets, murder, and love will keep you turning the pages. In northern Arizona, the mountain/college town of Timberline lies at the foot of the Wild Horse Peaks. This award-winning, five-star series is set in picturesque, rugged country, and the people who populate these stories are as colorful as the setting. 

The Art of Love and Murder, book 1

A woman searching for her past. A sheriff hiding in his present.

Their future together threatened by murder.

 

Southwest of Love and Murder, book 2

Writing murder mysteries is all in a day's work

until an obsessed fan brings Phoebe’s stories to life.

 

The Power of Love and Murder, book 3

Penny’s secrets can ruin the presidential contender who ordered her family’s murder

…and mark her as the next hit.

 

The Deep Well of Love and Murder, book 4

A vengeful ex-husband and bloody fight for land threaten a love-struck couple’s happiness. 

WILD HORSE PEAKS

COMPLETE SERIES BOXSET

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0DD4Z1V6P 

Goodreads

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/217473717-wild-horse-peaks-complete-series 

BookBub

https://www.bookbub.com/books/wild-horse-peaks-complete-series-the-full-romantic-suspense-series-by-brenda-whiteside 

Brenda Whiteside is the award-winning author of romantic suspense, romance, and cozy mystery. She writes children’s books under the pen name, Brenda Sue and Sadi Belle. After living in six states and two countries—so far—she and her husband have settled in Central Arizona. They share their home with a rescue dog named Amigo. While FDW fishes, Brenda writes. 

To receive special offers, news about her latest books, and to be eligible for quarterly and year-end gifts that only members of BNG receive, join Brenda’s Newsletter Group.

https://us3.list-manage.com/subscribe?u=4804e039587723cfe02e83f2c&id=5e4b22a4ac 

Visit Brenda at https://www.brendawhiteside.com

Or on FaceBook: https://www.facebook.com/brenda.whiteside.58/

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She blogs and has guests: https://brendawhiteside.blogspot.com/

Amazon Author Page: https://www.amazon.com/-/e/B003V15WF8

Goodreads Author Page: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/3972045.Brenda_Whiteside

BookBub: https://www.bookbub.com/authors/brenda-whiteside

 

Wicked Wednesday and Wicked Attraction by Tina Donahue

WICKED WEDNESDAY

There's that first meet. Maybe it tells you something right away about the person, or maybe only questions arise. Maybe you're instantly drawn in, or you could be repelled. Welcome Tina Donahue to Discover... today for Wicked Wednesday and that first meet. 

A wicked first meeting… This scene is when Kuma’s and Gwen’s eyes first meet. Enjoy.  

A sole woman lagged behind them.

Her.

The breeze seemed to pause.

Tall, she wore jeans as he did and what he’d learned was a hoodie on this side, the navy fabric pulled over her head, protecting her hair from the thin autumn shower, hiding those tresses from him. A few wisps had escaped, those locks short and dark.

She stopped within light spilling from the building, the harsh illumination revealing her exotic features, lush lips, coppery skin.

Her fragrance wafted close.

He drew it in. The woodsy scent intoxicated him and complemented her pale-blue eyes, the color sheer, ethereal.

Drizzle collected on her long, dark lashes.

She shoved her hands into her pockets, advanced a few steps, then stopped, and looked at him.

His legs weakened.

Color rose to her cheeks, darkening them.

Why? Because she feared him…or wanted him? 

SHAMELESS DESIRE

BOOK THREE – OUTLAWED REALM

Erotic Urban Fantasy SciFi Romance

AMAZON: Buy Link

Blurb: 

Passion without limit. Carnal hunger that knows no bounds.

Within Earth’s five dimensions, nothing is as it seems…and desire is never far away.

In E4’s jungle, Kuma’s the Alpha werewolf bent on revenge against the hated guards. Swept with them from that dimension to E1, he prowls Seattle at night, stopping the thugs from abducting women for use as sex slaves in E4’s Pleasure Palace.

On her way home from her nursing job, Gwen senses danger in the night’s shadows. A stranger attacks. Clinging to consciousness, she watches the impossible, a wolf fighting him off…protecting her. She wakes in her own bed, convinced it must have been a dream until she sees Kuma in human form. Virile, intense. A man like no other. 

Within his powerful embrace, Gwen experiences rapture she didn’t believe existed. His unrestrained lust and burning need end her loneliness, though not the menace they face. The guards are a constant threat in their hunt for women and their determination to see Kuma dead. Together, he and Gwen must fight—for his life, her freedom, their future.

She stopped within light spilling from the building, the harsh illumination revealing her exotic features, lush lips, coppery skin.

Her fragrance wafted close.

He drew it in. The woodsy scent intoxicated him and complemented her pale-blue eyes, the color sheer, ethereal.

Drizzle collected on her long, dark lashes.

She shoved her hands into her pockets, advanced a few steps, then stopped, and looked at him.

Rain pattered the concrete, matching his thumping pulse. Music poured from inside a car, its steady throb intensifying the moment. Wind whipped past. Tires swished over asphalt.

Ignoring the incessant noise, she studied him with female interest and curiosity.

He considered her approaching him, drawing close enough to touch.

His legs weakened.

She didn’t budge. Color rose to her cheeks, darkening them.

Why? Because she feared him…or wanted him?

Heat radiated from his chest to his belly. Unused to clothing, he ached to tear away his jeans, t-shirt, and suede jacket. At the very least, he longed to be near her.

Intuition warned him to remain where he was. For the moment. When she left, he’d follow. He had no choice, sensing what awaited her on the shadowed streets. Within the last minutes, the smell from a guard—the most hated predator in his realm—had grown more obvious, leading him to this area. If the night air had calmed, he might have located the man’s hiding place with little effort. As it was, the wind kept changing direction, snatching the odor away.

EXCERPT

To put her at ease and keep her from leaving the safety this place afforded, he smiled.

Her lips parted. Moisture slipped over the bottom one to her chin.

Yearning battered him. He wanted to lick the bead off, kiss her throat, gather her into his arms, and do so much more.

She stared. Uncertainty emanated from her.

He wasn’t certain whether she’d return his smile or flee.

Stay here until the threat’s gone. The guard will hide in a new location. He’ll stalk another woman.

She crossed the parking lot, away from him, her strides long and purposeful.

On instinct, he advanced a step, then stopped from tailing her. He couldn’t now, not after they’d exchanged such a prolonged glance. For him to follow too close behind would make her run, perhaps scream, bringing unwanted notice. His only option was to wait and allow things to play out as they had since he’d come to this realm, hunting—killing—protecting those he could in the hours before dawn.

About Tina: 

Tina’s an Amazon and international bestselling novelist who writes passionate romance for every taste – ‘heat with heart’ – for traditional publishers and indie. Booklist, Publisher’s Weekly, Romantic Times and numerous online sites have praised her work. She’s won Readers’ Choice Awards, was named a finalist in the EPIC competition, received a Book of the Year award, The Golden Nib Award, awards of merit in the RWA Holt Medallion competitions, and second place in the NEC RWA contests. She’s featured in the Novel & Short Story Writer’s Market. Before penning romances, she worked at a major Hollywood production company in Story Direction. 

On a less serious note: she’s an admitted and unrepentant chocoholic, brakes for Mexican restaurants, and has been known to moan like Meg Ryan in When Harry Met Sally while wolfing down tostadas. She’s flown a single-engine airplane (freaking scary), rewired an old house using an ‘electricity for dummies’ book, and is horribly shy despite the hot romances she writes. 

MeWe: https://mewe.com/i/tinadonahue

Bluesky: @tinadonauthor.bsky.social

Website/Blog: https://tinadonahuebooks.blogspot.com/

Newsletter: https://tinadonahuebooks.blogspot.com/p/newsletter.html

BookBub: https://www.bookbub.com/authors/tina-donahue

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/146988.Tina_Donahue

Tumblr: https://www.tumblr.com/tinadonahue

Amazon author page: https://amzn.to/1ChWFkO

Sweet ‘n Sexy Divas: https://sweetnsexydivas.blogspot.com/

Wattpad: https://www.wattpad.com/user/AuthorTinaDonahue 

In the Book

 Blogging about life's adventures and books...

Adventures past, present, or future. And my books--then and now. 

Last month, I published the complete set of the series, Wild Horse Peaks. This compilation, this series has had quite an evolutionary journey. I'm often asked where I get my ideas or how does a book or story come about. Authors talk like books are their babies. They even celebrate book birthdays. Sounds silly, I suppose, but we don't just write a book, set it free, and then forget about it. I find myself thinking about certain characters as if their life has continued without me looking in. I think about how I might have written their stories differently.

What are today known as the Wild Horse Peaks books have had a journey. In 2012, I had a concept for a series that would eventually become five books. I called the series, Love and Murder. It was my first venture into Romantic Suspense. I intended to weave my love of coffee, my Indian heritage, and Minneapolis into the first book. As it progressed, I moved the setting to Arizona, I incorporated Hopi heritage not my own, but I was able to keep coffee love the same. My heroine owned a coffee shop.

I was able to pitch my concept to an agent and gained representation. I had the first two books written at the time. I wanted her to pitch the series to publishers I couldn't get into on my own. But she worked too slow for my comfort, and we parted ways. In 2013, I submitted the first book to a publisher who had several of my books, and it was accepted with an agreement to publish the whole series. The five books in the Love and Murder Series were published between 2014 and 2018.

By 2021, I grew dissatisfied with lackluster sales. Publishers do very little to promote books. I had done some promotion, but I was busy writing other books too. I had dipped my toes into self-publication with another series and found the waters quite warm and welcoming. 

I asked for my rights back for all five books. I was excited. I could dig in, re-edit, make the books better. And I think I did. I wanted a more western flavor, so I changed the setting names. The San Francisco Peaks became Wild Horse Peaks. I updated some of the verbiage and cleaned up any mistakes that had been missed first time around. I was super excited to change the covers to reflect more of the suspense and the story. I also turned it into a four book series with a sequel, which it should've been all along.

Last month, I got another idea...bundle the four books into a complete works set. It's been well received!

If you haven't read all of the books in the series, or if only one, then now is the time to dig into the four book series, Wild Horse Peaks. It's available in eBook and Kindle Unlimited:

Wild Horse Peaks, The Complete Series

The sequel, A Legacy of Love and Murder, is available for eBook purchase separately here:

A Legacy of Love and Murder

OR you can receive the sequel FREE if you're a member of BNG (Brenda's Newsletter Group):

Brenda's Newsletter Group

Not Your Greenhorn's Arizona

Although I’ve lived in other places, my heart resides in the west. Born and raised in Arizona, I have a love for the rural and small-town atmosphere from the southern desert to the northern high country. 

Although most will conjure cactus and desert when they think of Arizona, there are snowy ski slopes and beautiful prairies too. This is the country of the Wild Horse Peaks novels. 

Scene setting is one of my favorite parts of creating a story. I’ve chosen to write most of my stories in Arizona, a setting I know well. But keep in mind, Arizona is as varied a landscape as you can

imagine. A couple of years ago, we had a friend visit from the Midwest. He’d never been to Arizona. We picked him up at the airport in Phoenix: hot, low elevation desert covered with cacti and creosote bushes. In my humble-born-in-Phoenix opinion—boring and unattractive. We drove to the small farm where we lived at the time, two hours north. The drive took us through the Sonoran desert with our saguaro cacti, rugged mountains and scrub pine as well as forested areas to an elevation of 5,300 feet. We then dropped down to 4,400 feet and encountered golden

prairie where the antelope roam. The following day, we drove him east through more mountains heavy with a history of mining. From Jerome, hanging on the side of Cleopatra Hill, we looked out on the Verde (green) Valley to the red rock beauty of Sedona. He was speechless. His comment was how amazing to pass through so many kinds of landscapes in only a few hours. 

The varied landscapes and western flavor are some of the reasons I’m drawn to setting my stories in Arizona. If you’re unfamiliar with this part of the country, I hope my stories entrench you in a new experience.

One more note about setting the scene. If you are familiar with Arizona, you might recognize some of my cities and places but by a different name. I like to sculpt my world using the inspiration of a real place and then mold it into the world of my characters.

Find all of my books here: AMAZON AUTHOR PAGE

My latest series, Wild Horse Peaks, is available here: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0BNC7LT9J

Writing and Re-Writing a Series #writing #inspiration #RomanticSuspense

At a recent book signing, I was asked where do you begin when writing a series. The truth is, every writer has their own method. My process has drastically changed over the years, mostly due to what I learned from writing my first series. The Love and Murder Series, kicked off in 2016 and was comprised of five books. The end result was good; I’ve received many good reviews and awards. But I had to work harder than needed due to lack of a cohesive system. 

Now, I’m proud to announce the re-release of this series, retitled Wild Horse Peaks. It’s been edited and changed up to polish it. I took book three, A Legacy of Love and Murder, out of the series lineup and made it a standalone sequel to book one. Actually, although it’s a series, you can read each book as a standalone. 

When I wrote the series, I didn’t think ahead far enough. I had to work a little harder to gel the series in the end because I didn’t think ahead. On the other hand, I had a lot of fun letting the characters from book one demand their own stories. 

Book two of Wild Horse Peaks, Southwest of Love and Murder, spotlights a best friend we meet only over the phone in book one. Phoebe is a lusty, strong lady, a mystery writer, and I’m so glad she demanded her own book. The suspense is tight and the romance is fun. 

The Power of Love and Murder, Wild Horse Peaks Book 3, came as a result of a minor character in The Art of Love and Murder. She was introduced as Penny, but the heroine, Lacy, nicknamed her The Black Fairy because of her penchant for all things black in her clothing. She wore fun stuff, too, such as lace gloves and tiaras. Little did I know when we met her in book one that she was living under an assumed name and feared for her life.

Penny was only one inspiration for The Power of Love and Murder. Years ago, my brother told us a story of a miserable night in a cheap hotel when he was broke and trying to get from one job to another. As sorry as that story was, we had to laugh. I knew I’d use it someday in a novel. When you read The Power of Love and Murder, you’ll recognize the scene. 

All the books share characters and setting. It’s a community of twisty plots with plenty of suspense. 

So, where do you begin when writing a series? Decide the kind of series, give some thought to how many books might come out of your ideas, and think ahead. I also keep copious files on each character (everything from eye color to the car they drive), a detailed historical timeline (could even go back a few decades or centuries), location research, event timeline, and any other pertinent files unique to the series. These files have grown over the years, and they are built long before I begin to write the characters’ stories. 

RELEASE DATES FOR THE WILD HORSE PEAKS BOOKS ARE BELOW. All eBooks are UP FOR PREORDER while print books ARE AVAILABLE NOW:

FIND THEM HERE ON AMAZON 

The Art of Love and Murder  February 21, 2023

A woman searching for her past. A sheriff hiding in his present. Their future together threatened by murder.

Southwest of Love and Murder  March 21, 2023

Writing murder mysteries is all in a day's work until an obsessed fan brings Phoebe’s stories to life. 

The Power of Love and Murder  April 25, 2023

Penny’s secrets can ruin the presidential contender who ordered her family’s murder…and mark her as the next hit. 

The Deep Well of Love and Murder  May 23, 2023

A vengeful ex-husband and bloody fight for land threaten a love-struck couple’s happiness. 

A Legacy of Love and Murder, Sequel  May 9, 2023

This  book is free to anyone who subscribes to my newsletter. Subscribe to BNG here.

Inheriting an Austrian Castle is an Alpine fairytale for August, until someone begins targeting the heirs.

Some of My Best Friends Aren't Real

MUSE MONDAY

I'm very close to having book three of the MacKenzie Chronicles completed, which means I'll be saying goodbye to a cast of characters I've grown close to in the town of Joshua, Arizona. Getting all sentimental reminds me of the last series I completed and how I felt.

The Love and Murder Series is a five-book series, so the time spent with those people was a few years. I still think about them. I remember vividly the last line of the last book:

“Well, then, sugar. Let’s get started.” 

With those last words, I typed The End to book five in the Love and Murder Series. Sniff, sniff. 

The Deep Well of Love and Murder ended the series, and I sadly bid farewell to a cast of characters I’d loved and lived with for a few years. I still Lacy’s level-headed personality, Chance’s dedication to peace-keeping, Phoebe’s sassy, gypsy style, Mason’s sexy attitude, August’s feistiness, Wolf’s James Bond coolness, Penny’s braveness, Jake’s soft side, and last, but not least, from The Deep Well, Laura’s independent flare and Randy’s…there’s too much to miss about Randy. 

When I write a book, I know so much more about the characters than I can include between the pages. It’s a satisfying feeling, putting their stories to rest, but it’s also as if they move on without me. Can they? I suppose Randy and Laura are just fine without my meddling, but honestly, I miss checking in on them every day. 

The Deep Well of Love and Murder Excerpt:

“You let me be the judge of what messes I choose in my life.” His hands twitched at his sides, longing to hold her and stifle her anger. He narrowed his eyes and stared deeper into hers instead. “Taking care of your ex is a mess I look forward to.”

“This is my mess, not yours.” Her tone grew more combative. “I’ve handled what I’ve been dealt, and I’ll continue handling whatever gets thrown at me.”

“I don’t see it that way.” He kept his voice level, but hard edged. His own emotions, convincing her while fear of losing her, hammered his self-control. “You’re locking me out. Why? Because you think you aren’t allowed to be happy?”

Her mouth pinched in a tight line, and she glared at him. “Randy—”

“I think it’s about damned time you stopped blaming your mother, your ex, or whoever for your unhappiness.”

She whirled away, ready to flee, but he couldn’t stop now. He needed her and had to make her see how much she needed him. “Don’t be afraid of me, Laura Jane.” He shuffled a half-step closer.

“I’m not afraid.” She faced him again. “But I don’t need you to tell me how to run my life, if that’s what you think you can do.”

Perro jumped and planted his paws on Randy’s hip, panting heavily. “For Pete’s sake, Perro—”

Laura’s brow furrowed. “Do you smell that?” “What?” As soon as he’d asked, the hot, smoky scent assaulted his senses.

Fire.

You can find all of the Love and Murder books as well as my other books including The MacKenzie Chronicles: CLICK HERE

Other places to find my books:

Google Play: https://play.google.com/store/books/author?id=Brenda+Whiteside 

Kobo: https://www.kobo.com/us/en/search?query=Brenda%20%20Whiteside&fcsearchfield=Author

Barnes & Noble: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/s/brenda+whiteside

iTunes: https://books.apple.com/us/author/brenda-whiteside/id495132245

Books-A-Million (BAM!): https://www.booksamillion.com/search?id=8220345408823&type=author&query=Brenda+Whiteside

BookShop.org: https://bookshop.org/books?keywords=brenda%20whiteside&fbclid=IwAR35A03th1m7RK4uRaC80WF432kuimIjH7GoDtxkglohOGFacmIVYLXpZb0

Audible US: https://www.audible.com/author/Brenda-Whiteside/B003V15WF8 

Audible UK: https://www.audible.co.uk/search?searchAuthor=Brenda+Whiteside

WIP Update #RomanticSuspense #series #writing

The view from the Ghostly Goulash

To refresh your memory, the setting for this new WIP (work in process) is based on a real-life mining town turned ghost town turned tourist town. I fell in love with Jerome, Arizona years ago. In order to have more flexibility with the lay of the land and the history, I've renamed it Joshua. All the people in Joshua are purely from my imagination. This Romantic Suspense Series should keep you turning the pages long into the night. An unsolved murder from 1990 has a bearing on today…especially now that bones have been found in the Hippie section of town called The Ravine.

Last month, I offered up the first page of the first book. So, where am I with the first book in the series today? Not as far along as I’d hoped. I have finished two more chapters, made a chart of characters that are involved in the plot with their ages in 1969, 1990, and 2019. There are twenty-five of them so I definitely needed a chart. The book is set in 2019, involves a murder in 1990, and is interwoven with what happened in 1969.

I found I had to rename quite a few characters. This idea started as a three-book series set in

1930s "house of pleasure"

1969/1970 and three books set in present day. But I decided to write a book within a book. Too many characters from the two time periods had similar names. That done, I continued writing. I’m handling 1969 through a series of flashbacks.

I’ll share one of those flashbacks with you today. Every flashback will be seen from the POV (point of view) of Frank Harlan MacKenzie, who came to Joshua in 1969, met Susie Muse and had three children, Magpie, Harlan, and Elidor. Frank and Susie were some of the first of the so-called Hippies that settled in Joshua. I can’t share the whole flashback because it’s too long, so here’s the latter part. He’s just dropped off his friend, Snuff, at the clinic. This is when Frank meets Susie…1969.

Frank closed the clinic door behind him and strolled through the archway that led to another part of the building. A sign intricately painted with scrolls and flowers read Knit Two Wear. The arrow pointed straight ahead. In the middle of the shop, Lolly—the Lolly—arranged some sort of knitted clothing on a rack. Even without seeing her face, she was hard to mistake for anyone else. He was just under six feet, and the woman stood nearly as tall as him. She had to weigh three hundred pounds.

She glanced up. “Good morning. Anything I can help you with?” She dressed the same as the first time he’d met her: full, floor length skirt, sandals, and a cotton blouse with a plunging neckline that left little to the imagination about an abundance of breasts. A leather strap held straight blonde hair at the back of her neck.

“I’m just looking around.”

“Please do.” Thick brows drew together. “We’ve met.”

“Yeah, first night I was in town. At your house.”

“That’s right. You live with Doug and Maureen.” She floated toward him, all fullness of skirt flouncing, breasts bobbing and threatening to break free of what little material covered them.

Her arms spread wide, and he suddenly dissolved into warm flesh. He could’ve laid his head on her shoulder and taken a nap. The scent of patchouli lulled him.

She stood back then, still clasping his shoulders. “My, you are a strong young man.” Her hands slipped to his biceps. “Mm—mm.” She winked. “Why haven’t you been back to my house?”

Her welcome hug could’ve turned into a whole lot more. She was really beautiful, but the beauty came as a result of the openness and warmth that radiated from inside her. Lolly held nothing back of herself. How he knew all of this with one hug and a wink, he didn’t know, but thoroughly believed.

“I’ve been busy getting settled and working on my sculptures.”

“Ohhh, you’re a sculptor.” Her fingers massaged his biceps. “I should’ve guessed.” Another wink, and she released him. “Well, you know where I am. You come around any time you want. My home is open most every night to all of our friends.”

Two women entered the shop from the street door. With a smile, she left him to greet her customers.

Having been officially welcomed to Joshua, he left through the street entrance and stepped into the almost noonday sunshine. This is home. He smiled.

The heat of eighty-degree weather penetrated his cotton shirt, and he rolled the sleeves above his elbows as he walked. Turning onto Cutway Street, aptly named as the road jutted upward at an angle to connect to Main Street above, his leg muscles felt the pull with the climb. He didn’t mind. Cutway Street dumped onto Main and into the heart of downtown Joshua. He took a deep breath as he paused at the top. He hadn’t quite acclimated to the elevation yet.

His stomach growled. He’d had only coffee for breakfast. The shop directly in front of him looked promising for food when he spied two wrought iron tables on the sidewalk in front. The sign above the door said “Susie’s” and was flanked by a window on each side. Over one window, “Wake Up Susie” was painted in purple and over the other window in bright taxi-cab yellow was “The Muse.”

He stepped through the open doorway, greeted by a delicious spicy aroma, as well as a nicely rounded bottom covered in worn jeans frayed on the leg edges and missing a pocket.

The petite woman belonging to the butt, bent from the waist downward, peeked around her legs. Black hair, so curly it hung in corkscrews, dusted the floor. “Hi!” She straightened from the shelf of books she was arranging and laughed. The sound was a melody. The face a work of art. Her eyes were the color of gold nuggets rimmed in the color of dark fertile soil. How appropriate for an old mining town. She smoothed her waist-length hair down without much success. Her ripe peach lips were moving, and Frank started with the realization she was speaking.

I’ve been floundering on what to call this new series. Not wanting to wait for some inspiration to hit

Hanging on the side of a mountain

me, I’m going with these working titles. First off, the series will be called Joshua, Arizona. And I’ll name the books for the main character. Book one will be “Magpie, a Joshua, Arizona Novel.” Book two will be “Harlan MacKenzie, a Joshua, Arizona Novel.” And book three, “Elidor, (maybe Elidor Muse), a Joshua, Arizona Novel.” If I find these are too boring, I just might offer a contest to readers to help me choose new titles. More on that in the months ahead.

Now to get back to writing. I’ll give you an update next month.

My Traveling Muse by Kay Harris #Scene #Setting

MUSE MONDAY

Please welcome Kay Harris to my blog today. In my opinion, scene setting is so important and Kay has a real handle on that!

Thank you so much for having me, Brenda! My muse for many of my books, but most poignantly for my recent release “Lost on the Road to Love” is the art of travel and the amazing places it has taken me to. Book 2 of the I Want Morrison series takes place on a travel show where the hero and heroine take their trek to love across the globe in a heart-filled adventure. 

Rather than go into each of the sites Henry and Chelsea visit on their journey. I would like to talk about the city that starts it all, the city our protagonists call home. It is none other than the City by the Bay. I have a love affair with San Francisco that comes out clearly in the four books of the series, all of which take place at least partly in that beautiful Northern California metropolis. 

Like the fog that envelops it, San Francisco is blanketed in an indefinable essence. The city itself has a soul that is both rough and raw while at the same time regal and refined. For visitors, there are myriad ways to explore all it has to offer. 

First off, there is so much more than the Wharf. Sure, everyone has to see it. But once you’ve done it, leave that behind and go exploring. Still near the shore but closer to downtown there’s Coit Tower, the iconic Ferry building, which houses restaurants and shops and often has a farmer’s market right out front, and the long stretch of the Embarcadero. Turn inland and walk down Market street. Check out the venders, and frequently, the entertainment found there. Follow that or take the streetcar to Chinatown and the Civic Center area. See the amazing city hall, symphony hall, and opera house. Don’t forget all the great museums including the Museum of Modern Art, the Museum of the African Diaspora, and the Contemporary Jewish Museum. Deeper still into the heart of the city is Golden Gate Park. This gorgeous stretch of nature and peace features yet more incredible museums as well as the Conservatory of Flowers and the Botanical Gardens. 

Add to the cultural wonders San Francisco has to offer amazing food, great shopping, and public transportation that can take you anywhere you want to go, and you have one incredible trip. 

If you think I’m in love with the city that Karl the Fog likes to eat up each morning, you’re right. And my books serve as a love story to the city itself. San Francisco, she is my Monday Muse!

Blurb:

Take two best friends, add some benefits, and it may take a map to find their way to love.

On the road for eight months as part of the crew for a travel show, Chelsea Morrison expects to work hard, endure long nights, and enjoy some wicked adventures. But she doesn’t expect to fall head over heels for the show’s star. 

Henry Rush, son of a legendary rock star, is leery of women. He learned early they only want him for the fame that rightly belongs to his father. But when an intense friendship with Chelsea leads to so much more, he has to confront the one thing he’s avoided all his life. 

Can these two friends navigate their way to a happy ending? 

Excerpt:

I rested my hand on my hip. “Are you saying you find me irresistibly attractive?”

“Yes.” He gave a firm nod. There was no mirth in his eyes or in the set of his mouth.


I narrowed my gaze and scrutinized him. “I thought it was because we’re so close, remember.”

“Yes. And you’re insanely hot.”


“Am not!”


“Are too!”

I shook my head.


“Wanna make a bet on it?” he challenged.


“What?”


“You get naked for me. And if I am disappointed, you win the bet. If you’re as hot as I think you are under those clothes, I win. In fact, I already know what I want if I win. I want to see one of the films you’ve made.”

I stared at him, my mouth agape.

“What do you want if you win, Chels? Not that it matters. Because you won’t win.”

I finally found my voice. Because I couldn’t turn down this opportunity. “If I win, you sing for me.”

“Done.” He settled farther into the couch. “I’m ready when you are.”

Buy Links:

AMAZON: http://amzn.to/2Hu9T3R

B&N: http://bit.ly/2sAWhR8

AMAZON CA: http://amzn.to/2FgCOrm

AMAZON UK: http://amzn.to/2oaDGGN

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THE WILD ROSE PRESS: http://bit.ly/2BjHYmL

Kay Harris has had a diverse career with jobs ranging from college professor to park ranger. Now she adds author to her repertoire. Kay writes romance novels that contain a little bit of sweet, a dash of sexy, a touch of heartbreak, and a whole lot of fun! 

Kay grew up in the Midwest and has since lived all over the western United States including Montana, Wyoming, Utah, Arizona, Nevada, and California. She loves to hike, is obsessed with museums, and enjoys taking her extremely tall and very handsome husband on adventures.

You can find Kay here:

WEBSITE:  http://www.kayharrisauthor.com

BLOG:  https://www.kayharrisauthor.com/blog/

TWITTER:  https://twitter.com/KayHarrisAuthor

FACEBOOK:  https://www.facebook.com/AuthorKayHarris/

GOODREADS:  https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/15060640.Kay_Harris

BOOKBUB: https://www.bookbub.com/profile/kay-harris