What's a Woman To Do...When He's Wicked by Laura Strickland

MUSE MONDAY
It's all about wicked. Please welcome my guest, Laura Strickland...

Oh, these heroines in the Romance Novels we love to read! Is there any hope for them? They persist in making bad choices—walking down dark streets alone when there’s a madman on the loose, daring to help strangers in need and worst of all venturing into that dark basement. They dress up as boys and go into battle; they hide messages in their hoop skirts and act as spies. And the men they choose! Don’t they have any common sense?

I think one of the things we love about reading (and writing) is that heroines often take chances we might not in real life, and via the written word we can make the perilous, frequently scandalous journey right along with them. Sure, we might eye the buff stud at the gym while he’s working out but would we really agree to a one-night stand with him if offered the chance? Probably not, though if a favorite heroine does, we get to go along for the adventure.

But how about those truly wicked leading men…you know the ones I mean. The dissolute Edwardian rake who spends his ancestral fortunes like water and beds a different heiress every night. The Norman warrior who has his way with the Saxon maiden he captures, and makes sure she enjoys it. The dangerous pirate with the charming smile. And oh, those Highland renegades…

Some leading ladies just can’t resist. Pity the poor heroine of my Highlander Romance, His Wicked Highland Ways. All her life Jeannie Robertson has been dutiful and level-headed. She kept her father’s household in lowland Dumfries together against impossible odds and now, when her back’s to the wall, she’s still fighting for survival. Then she gets a look at her new landlord, Finnan MacAllister—the laird of the glen: over six foot of scarred and tattooed, well-muscled warrior and thoroughly wicked. What’s a woman to do?

Aren’t we glad we need only pick up the book and read, to find out? Here’s wishing you happy and enjoyably wicked reading!

Buy Link Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Wicked-Highland-Ways-Laura-Strickland-ebook/dp/B00V7CT52O/ref=sr_1_2?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1429877108&sr=1-2

From Son's Field Trip to Novel by M.S. Spencer

MUSE MONDAY

I'm happy to have M. S. Spencer as my guest today.

Thank you so much for having me, Gideon, and Claire at your lovely site today. A little background to my new romantic suspense might be in order.

When my son was in the fifth grade the teacher asked him to write a book report on a local landmark. We lived in Arlington, Virginia at the time—literally a hop, skip and jump from Washington, DC—so we were certainly not starved for landmarks. However, instead of the obvious Lincoln or Jefferson memorials, or the Library of Congress, my son chose the George Washington National Masonic Memorial. We took a tour of this fascinating building and the place struck me immediately as the perfect setting for a delightful murder mystery. It took me a few years, but eventually the victim—a mysterious Italian mason—found his way to the ninth floor observation deck of the Memorial. Thus was born The Mason's Mark: Love and Death in the Tower, my latest mystery/romantic suspense.

The Mason's Mark: Love and Death in the Tower (an Old Town Romance)

Wild Rose Press, May 6,2016 (Crimson Rose imprint)
Mystery/Cozy Mystery, Romantic suspense
ebook 79,000 words; print 322 pp.

M/F;  3 flames

Claire Wilding is a newly minted docent for the George Washington National Masonic Memorial and a recent widow. On her first day she meets the handsome, if mysterious Gideon Bliss, newly minted U. S. Senator. They do not hit it off.

Thrown together due to the unexpected appearance of a corpse in the Memorial, any possibility of romance is thwarted by assorted villains and intrusive friends and relatives.

Blurb:

In both the best and worst first day at work ever, docent Claire Wilding meets the man of her dreams, but her carefully rehearsed guided tour of the George Washington National Masonic Memorial collapses when she discovers a body and is drawn into a dark world of black ops and Italian renegade masons, of secret cabals and hidden treasure. Also cloaked in mystery is handsome Gideon Bliss, a George Washington expert who haunts the Memorial, his manner evasive. What is his secret? Claire fears she'll fall in love with him only to learn he's a thief or even a murderer. Juggling two eccentric mothers, an inquisitive sister, and an increasingly smitten detective, Claire must find answers to a complex web of intrigue, including who to trust and who to love.

In this excerpt it seems their future is close to hopeless.

Excerpt (PG): The Breakup

“Gideon, I…I think you should clear this matter up before we see each other again.”

The phone went dead. Hmm, he took that surprisingly well. She resisted the urge to cry and went into the kitchen. When she came out carrying a glass filled with ice and a bottle of vodka, she found Gideon sitting on the packing crate. His eyebrows bristled. Claire didn’t think she’d ever seen eyebrows actually bristle. It made him look like an angry centipede.

“Claire, you can’t dump me over the phone. I forbid it.”

She poured a large tot into her glass. “I see.”

He stood and paced, not an easy thing to do in a room the size of a refrigerator box. Watching him, it occurred to Claire that she should decorate her house in the Shaker style—have all the furniture hang on pegs, up and out of the way of large trampling feet. She forced herself to focus on the words spilling out of the side of his mouth. “I never hid my predicament from you. It’s unfair to let me fall head over heels for you and then suddenly go all ethical on me.” He stopped and peered down at her. His face drooped. “Claire, I need you to help me through this.”

Buy Links:

The Wild Rose Press

iTunes

Barnes and Noble

(pre-order): ARe

Amazon

Bookstrand

Kobo

I’d love to hear from your readers: 

Blog: http://msspencertalespinner.blogspot.com

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/msspencerromance

Twitter: www.twitter.com/msspencerauthor

Google +: https://plus.google.com/u/0/+MSSpencerauthor

GoodReads:http://www.goodreads.com/msspencer
Pinterest: http://pinterest.com/msspencerauthor/

Linked in: www.linkedin.com/in/msspencerauthor

Author Pages:

Romance Books 4 Us: http://romancebooks4us.com/Romance%20Author%20M.%20S.%20Spencer.html OR

http://bit.ly/1d6ehza

GoodReads:http://www.goodreads.com/msspencer

TRIPPIN' THROUGH THE ROCKIES Part Two

TRIPPIN' THURSDAY
In everything there is a season, and a time to every purpose...in our latest season, with only a vague plan and a touch of creativity, we're off on another adventure. Half of this twosome is retired; my half will probably never know what that means. I promise to share.

Nana, Sadi, and peacock

So much for it being the ugly time of year in Trinidad, Colorado. But wait...before that fateful exit day, we took a day and drove to Pueblo, CO, to go to the zoo.

Pueblo, CO, has been tagged as the worst city to live in that state. I

Sadi and otter

can't say one way or the other about that, but they do have a nice little zoo Sadi thoroughly enjoyed. The two legged creatures were also very friendly. Lunch at the local

Daddy and baby

Village Inn was mediocre with horrible service, but we got free pie. Can't beat that!

Sadi loves the stairs in this 1886 home

We awoke the morning we were to leave to five inches of snow. and it was still coming down. We had expected a little snow mixed with rain. Granddaughter was running through the house singing, "it's snowing, it's snowing! Nana, Papa, Daddy, it's snowing." Mommy was running with her. No time for tearful goodbyes. The Raton Pass is infamous for shutting down in inclement weather so we hurriedly packed the car, caught a little of

Part of the stairwell

Sadi's delight, and beat feet.

Snowy awakening

There were two accidents and three spin outs in the pass. Luckily the accidents were in the lanes heading into Colorado. It was white knuckle driving for a short while. By the time we reached Santa Fe, it had turned to rain.

I love car trips over flying, even with weather. In fact, I love riding in the rain and snow. I hate driving so I'm lucky the husband enjoys it. We drove through snow, rain, sleet, fog, sun, and back into rain and sleet, and etc. That part of New Mexico/Arizona is barren for the most

Snowy retreat

part, but it's Indian country so there are some fun sites. Love the signs claiming dinosaur bones and footprints. Not saying it isn't true...

Now, Frank and I are working hard to get the not-a-farm-anymore, spruced up to sell. No plans to go trippin' anywhere next week. For now anyway...

LAND SHARKS by Nancy Raven Smith

MUSE MONDAY

Welcome my guest, Nancy Raven Smith. Grab a cup and enjoy the post!

As a writer and a reader, I am intrigued by frauds, cons, and scams. I recently wrote the first book in my new mystery/romantic suspense series, Land Sharks – A Swindle in Sumatra. For me, land sharks stands for people who prey on others. In my story, the major fraud involved is a sweetheart swindle.

A sweetheart swindle, a Casanova con, or a love con are all the same. They occur when a con artist pretends to love their victims, when in reality, all they want is their target’s money. My research for on the subject shows older people are the predominant targets, because they are often alone and lonely. But it can happen to anyone at any age.

We’re all aware of possible misrepresentations on online dating services. But one of the recent occurrences of this type scam occurs on Facebook. I must get five or six friend requests a week from (supposedly) men who are retired, generals, businessmen, writers, doctors, etc, and who are widowed. If you go their Facebook page, there are very few entries, indicating a new account. There will be three or four pictures, the main one of a handsome man, another maybe of a cute dog, or a pretty little girl, but not with the man whose page it is. Their “stats” will say they live in Berlin or St Petersburg and went to school at Princeton and vacation in California or work at the U.N or something similar. Is you alarm bell ringing yet? 

You’ll also see they’re friends with a couple people you know. That’s misleading. Somehow they got a couple of your friends to ok them. If you’re really interested in the person wanting to friend you, call or email that friend and ask how well they know the person. My guess is they won’t. If you do friend this type person in error, they will try to start a personal conversation immediately with you. It may be as simple as “Hi, I’d like to know you better” or “You look beautiful.” How are your alarm bells doing now?

A friend of mine has a picture of a toad up as her personal picture. She was told how beautiful she was. She hit the unfriend button as fast as she could and reported the person to Facebook as spam. That’s the right thing to do.

So how do you know when relationships and love are real? That’s the question the female protagonist in Land Sharks has to answer for herself.

Land Sharks – A Swindle in Sumatra

A bank fraud investigator goes undercover in Sumatra to find a young woman who may or may not be kidnapped. Her job might be easier if she didn't have to deal with her boss's untrained son who has a crush on her and the unexpected appearance of an ex-boyfriend who’s a conman and always has a secret agenda.

From Land Sharks – A Swindle in Sumatra

I sense Andre studying my face as I force myself to stare fixedly at the passing landscape. I can’t believe I’m sitting within two feet of him. It’s not fair. It’s like waving a box of See’s dark chocolate butter creams in front of a diabetic. You know it will destroy you, but you can’t resist having one -- or two . . .

Bio

Nancy Raven Smith grew up in Virginia where she ran horse sport events. Later in California, she traded her event experience for film work as a production coordinator and enrolled at UCLA to study screenwriting. Her scripts have won numerous awards, but she decided to write one idea as a novel. To her surprise, she discovered a passion for writing mysteries. She’s a member of Sisters in Crime, Women in Film, Romance Writers of America, & Mystery Writers of America. Her debut novel, Land Sharks – A Swindle in Sumatra, was chosen as an Amazon/Kindle Scout Program Selection Winner.

Land Sharks Available on Amazon - http://amzn.to/1JuIHku

http://www.NancyRavenSmith.com

Http://www.Facebook.com/NancyRavenSmithWriter