Start the week with ANN YOST

The waiting room was in shadows but Baz noticed the small fir tree decorated with dog biscuits. It was thin and scraggly, a “Charlie Brown” tree like the one she’d insisted they buy last Christmas. They’d strung popcorn on the branches then made love like hounds in season.

The memory made him hard.

The door to the treatment room was propped open. Baz barely noticed the paw-print wallpaper or the lifecycle-of-a-heartworm poster. He was mesmerized by her shapely silhouette and the way her brown-sugar-colored curls framed her face. He’d forgotten how small she was. He hadn’t forgotten her ability to concentrate.

Baz drew in a deep breath and the smell of peaches and wildflowers washed over him. His heart lurched. Such a familiar scent. Such a beloved scent. He wanted to put his hand on the warm skin of her neck. He wanted to rub his raging erection against her round bottom.

Hallie.

He didn’t realize he’d spoken her name out loud until she turned. “Baz. What’re you doing here?”

The husky voice triggered another surge of lust. He fisted his hands to keep from touching her. “I wanted to talk to you.” He cleared his throat.

She turned back to the table. “It’s not a good time. I’m working.”

He moved closer and peered at the creature under her gloved hands. “That’s a bat.”

“He’s just a baby. He broke a bone in his wing so I’ve splinted and taped it.” She spoke as if veterinarians treated disease-infested rodents every day of the week.

“Are you out of your mind?”

“Don’t raise your voice to me Baz.” She turned back to her work. “The family lives in my attic. He must have flown into something in the dark.”

“Bats are supposed to be able to see at night.”

“Maybe he didn’t read the fine print in his contract.”
He smiled. He placed his hands on either side of her rib cage.

“Don’t,” she said. He knew she meant it. She was still mad. Well, hell, what had he expected? She was entitled to a little payback. Make that a lot of payback. He just hoped it wouldn’t take too long. His lower body throbbed.

“That creature’s probably loaded with rabies.”

She twisted to look at him and he lost himself in her golden eyes. “He was hurt,” she said.

Tenderness caught him in the chest and he could barely breathe. He couldn’t believe he’d let her go, that he’d waited a year to reclaim her. He damned himself for hurting her. He couldn’t resist slipping a hand under the curls. Christ, her skin was soft. He felt her shiver and relief washed through him. At least he could still make her want him.

“I need to give him a rabies shot.”

A rabies shot? Oh. The bat. He frowned. “This isn’t a good idea.”

“I like saving creatures.”

The way she’d saved him last year right before he’d failed her.

********************
You just read an excerpt from:
ABOUT A BABY
by
ANN YOST
Te Wild Rose Press
********************
Today, we’re here with published author, Ann Yost.

Linda Kage: Hi Ann! Tell us a little about you and what you write please.

Ann Yost: Hi Linda. I am honored to be a guest on your blog in company with other fine writers whose names I recognize from my far-flung reading.

Long before I wrote a word of fiction, or anything else, I believed I was destined to become a writer because my father was city editor of our local newspaper and when he arrived home each evening with a fragrant, freshly printed copy of the Ann Arbor (Mich.) News, I assumed it was named in my honor. The town, too.

I majored in English lit at the University of Michigan then worked as a reporter and copy editor for ten years on daily papers then as a freelance writer for my current local paper, the Washington Post. (I never thought that publication was named after me.) I have worked for foundations and state government programs in the fields of neighborhood redevelopment, after school and early childhood initiatives. I’ve got a newsman husband (Associated Press) and three fantastic children, a wonderful daughter-in-law and a brand, new fabulous son-in-law. And an aged golden retriever.

I’d always planned to write mysteries but ten years ago when I picked up my first romantic suspense novel I was seduced by the sex. And, of course, the love story.

My naturally indecisive nature has led me to bounce around between pure romance, romantic suspense, romance/cosy mysteries and historical. I like to include a mystery.
Humor, quirky characters and a small-town atmosphere. Many of my stories are set at Christmas time.

My one attempt to use a pen name failed. It felt all wrong. I just use my own name which is only seven letters and fits easily on a cover!

Kage: What happened to the first book you ever wrote?

Ann Yost: The first book I wrote was a 100,000-word Regency romance. The heroine’s name was Elphine. The manuscript is languishing in one of the many piles in my office.

Kage:What’s your backlist and coming soon bookshelf look like?

Ann Yost: My list is the soul of brevity.

THAT VOODOO THAT YOU DO, 2009, The Wild Rose Press
ABOUT A BABY, 2010, The Wild Rose Press
FOR BETTER OR HEARSE, the Wild Rose Press, part of the Jewels of the Night series, coming soon.

Kage: So, what story are we going to talk about today?

Ann Yost: ABOUT A BABY, released in August by the Wild Rose Press, is story based on the premise that timing is everything. Taciturn veterinarian Baz Outlaw cares for co-worker Hallie Scott but he instinctively rejects the commitment she requests. By the time he comes to his senses and crosses the country to find her on Christmas Eve, a year has passed along with the remnants of Hallie’s fertility. She has to decide whether she can forgive Baz for costing her the family she’d wanted more than anything, especially when she discovers that Baz harbors a baby secret of his own.

********************BLURB********************
ABOUT A BABY
by
ANN YOST
Timing is everything…

Small-town veterinarian Hallie Scott loves all creatures great and small except for boa constrictors and Basil Outlaw, the man whose Christmas eve rejection slammed the door on her last chance to have a baby of her own.

Baz Outlaw doesn't believe in love or family but his life is empty without Hallie. A year later he shows up under her tree prepared to give her everything but he's too late. Motherhood is out, Hallie's started a new life and Baz is harboring a small secret that could break her heart all over again.

Will the their sizzling chemistry and Hallie's warm heart be enough to overcome the timing and make this Christmas all about love?
*********************************************

Kage: What would the story be rated if it were a movie?

Ann Yost: Probably R. It is a sweet story but the sex is pretty graphic..

Kage: If you HAD to fit this story into a cliché, which one would it be?

Ann Yost: Maybe “second chances” with a “secret baby” twist.

Kage:Okay, now that we have a general idea which class to fit ABOUT A BABY under, what makes this book so unique from every other book out there?

Ann Yost: ABOUT A BABY is the first of three books about the Outlaw family. The second, HE LOVES LUCY, centers on Baz’s baby sister and her infatuation with the sheriff, a single father who is a dozen years her senior. The third, EYE OF THE TIGER LILY, is about Baz’s brother, Cameron and Molly Whitecloud from the nearby Blackbird Reservation, and it includes two baby secrets.

All this is to explain that what’s unique about the series is the setting in Western Maine, where economic struggles both in town and on the reservation interfere with affairs of the heart but, ultimately, can’t quench the spirit of community…and love.

Kage:What was the easiest part to write?

Ann Yost: I always love to write about the characters, their inner thoughts and the impact of setbacks on them. I also love to write the sex scenes but I’ll admit I loved it more before people began to read them. (But that’s a story for another time!) I love to create a little town in my mind, complete with a town square or green, a Christmas pageant, shop owners, and those fabulous quirky characters. In THAT VOODOO THAT YOU DO, there is a trio of old ladies who’ve left their canasta-playing behind to pursue witchcraft.

Kage:What do you like most about the main character(s) and what do you like least? Did you learn anything from them?

Ann Yost: I love Hallie’s resiliency, probably because I always wonder whether I’d have the moral fortitude to be optimistic in the face of a major disappointment – like infertility. An orphan she has always yearned for the Norman Rockwell ideal but when it’s denied, she finds a way to fill the void with an unconventional family.

Baz I like for his flaws and the way that, despite his pride and natural reserve, he flounders to do what is right. Again, I always hope that I’ll do what is right in any given situation, but I’m never sure.

Kage:Ann, Thank you so much for stopping by today and gracing us with your presence. Before we go, is there anything else you’d like to say to wrap things up?

Ann Yost: Only that ABOUT A BABY is about disappointment and rising above it and, I think, provides a heartwarming story that is perfect for Christmas time.

Now that Ann has totally made us want to buy ABOUT A BABY, here is a buy link : eBook or Paperback

If you're still curious about Ann, here is a link to her Website: http://www.annyost.com/

End the Week with VICTORIA RODER

Out of my collection of weapons that I have stashed around my apartment, I choose my Browning A-Bolt Stainless Stalker rifle from behind the mop in the broom closet. I headed in the direction of the enclosed storage area. Flipping on the porch light in hopes of frightening an intruder, I exited my front door. As I reached the bottom of the wooden steps, I could detect an outline of a person in front of the shadowed storage area door. Male-at least six feet tall.

Cocking the rifle, I warned, “Stop. I have a rifle.”

“Calm down, Bolt. It’s just me.” Lance Kestler ran his hand through his thick black hair as he stepped from the shadows into the glow of the porch light.

“Oh for crying out loud. What the hell are you doing here?” I released the trigger. “Did you just come out of my storage area?”

“No, I got out of my car and walked toward your door.” Kestler placed his hands on his slim hips. “How come you never wear your hair down during the day?”

I ignored the question. “I heard a door close.”

Kestler shrugged his broad, black Fieora-clothed shoulders, and wobbled on his feet. “Must’a heard my car door.”

Headlights from a passing car shined toward me and I slid the rifle behind my back. “Whatever. It’s like midnight— what the hell do you want?”

“Well, I remembered you don’t sleep much at night so I assumed you’d still be up. Or maybe you just didn’t sleep at night because I kept you up—or should I say you kept me up?” Kestler took a stumbling step forward.

I blew out a breath in frustration. How did I ever get involved with this guy in the first place? “Get off it, Kestler. You’ve been drinking. What do you want?”

“Aren’t you gonna invite me in?” He winked in his typical cocky manner. “It’s been a long time since I’ve had your firm body under mine.”

I couldn’t help but roll my eyes and shake my head. “Are you kidding me?”

“Look, I just want to apologize for how things have been going between us lately.” Lance stumbled and dragged his hand across the side of the duplex to stabilize himself.

“Apologize?” The rifle dug into my hand as I tightened my grip on it. “You can’t even talk in complete sentences. How come you only show up and want to talk after you’ve been drinking?”

Kestler advanced two steps toward me. “What’s wrong with you? I’m trying to rekindle a civil relationship between us, and you show up acting like Annie Oakley the sharpshooter.”

“You don’t do apologies, or favors without an ulterior motive.” I pointed the rifle towards him. “What the hell do you want? Why don’t you just go home?”

“What? You’re gonna shoot me? ” Lance threw up his hands, pretending to surrender, and laughed.

His humor was lost on me. I wanted Kestler off my property and wanted him to know I meant business. Not that really would have shot him. Probably. “You’ve been drinking, and you’re trespassing. I believed you were an intruder and I had to defend myself.” I shrugged my shoulders. “Sounds convincing. I might be able to get someone to buy that.”

“You’d miss.”

My finger itched to pull the trigger. “Don’t you remember my target scores where always better than yours?”

Lance winked at me. “That’s because I was distracted by your cute ass.”

I rolled my eyes. “You are an ass.”

“I’m done with trying to be nice to you.”

“When did you start?”

“Screw you.” He turned to stomp back toward his car.

I lowered the rifle and called out, “Kestler, you’ve been drinking. Should I call you a cab?”

I heard him open his car door. As I walked backward up the three steps to the front door, it didn’t take detective skills to realize he didn’t have the ability nor the courtesy to answer me. Kestler was six feet tall—could he have consumed more then two drinks an hour? I ran back down the steps to offer him a ride.

“Kestler!” I pounded on the hood of the car. “Kestler, wait!”

He jammed the car in reverse, spun it around and squealed his tires on the usually quiet street. I watched him drive off and prayed he wouldn’t hit someone on his way home. Retreating inside my apartment, I locked and dead-bolted the front door. I returned the A-Bolt rifle to its spot behind the mop in my closet, and headed for the phone to call in a tip about a drunk driver. If he was lucky, he’d be stopped by a friendly cop. If not—if he had to spend the night in the drunk tank—at least he wouldn’t kill himself or anyone else. My infuriation with Lance Kestler made my hands jitter as if I had guzzled three pots of coffee.

********************
You just read an excerpt from:
Bolt Action
by
Victoria Roder
Availalbe in paperback from Champagne Books
********************

Linda Kage: Tell us a little about you and what you write please.

Victoria: I write paranormal, murder mystery, and children's picture books and mysteries. I always enjoyed writing, but never considered becoming an author. I began having recurring dreams about a house that my birth family lived in for a brief period of time when I was a child. Even with the passage of time, in the dreams I remained a young girl. Each time I woke up I knew that I had experienced the dream before. The dream began to trouble me, so I discussed it with my sister Tammy. She suggested I write it down, in the hope that it wouldn’t bother me anymore.

I began recording the details of the dream and then instead of it not bothering me, it consumed me. I continued to dream about the house, but now the dreams began to evolve and take on a life of their own. It became a movie in my imagination; the characters developed and demanded screen time. I placed a notebook, flashlight, and pen beside the bed. My husband would wake up to find me holding the flashlight and frantically scribbling in the notebook. Those dreams became the premise for my paranormal romance novel The Dream House Visions and Nightmares.

Kage: What happened to the first book you ever wrote?

Victoria: My first novel was The Dream House Visions and Nightmares. The first book I wrote was a children's mystery. I have just recently pulled it out and began editing. I haven't decided if there is hope for the story.

Kage:What’s your backlist and coming soon bookshelf look like?

Victoria: My Paranormal Romance, The Dream House Visions and Nightmares is a murder mystery wrapped in a ghost story, Asylett Press 2009. Coming Soon is children's picture book, What if a Zebra had Triangles? From Vinspire Publishing and a children's chapter book, The Curse of King Ramesse II from Wild Child Publishing.

Kage: So, what story are we going to talk about today?

Victoria: Action Thriller, Bolt Action was release from Champagne Books in April 2010.

********************BLURB********************
Bolt Action
by
Victoria Roder

With a Ruger Blackhawk .357 under her pillow, a Browning A-Bolt Stainless Stalker rifle in her broom closet, and a Saturday Night Special in her road-hog cookie jar, Detective Leslie Bolt’s sarcastic attitude and inability to trust, alienates her from most people, including her sister. In the mystery/suspense, Bolt Action, The “State Quarter Killer” is selecting victims that appear to have nothing in common except for the State Quarter placed under their lifeless bodies, when her sister goes missing Detective Bolt must conquer her own past to capture the serial killer before her sister is the next victim.
*********************************************

Kage: What would the story be rated if it were a movie?

Victoria: Bolt Action would be rated R.

Kage: If you HAD to fit this story into a cliché, which one would it be?

Victoria: Bolt Action is definitely a whodunit. Check out the Book Video:

Kage:Okay, now that we have a general idea which class to fit Bolt Action under, what makes this book so unique from every other book out there?

Victoria: I have five sisters and I based Detective Leslie Bolt on one of them. If you watch the video, the girl on the motorcycle even looks like my sister.

Kage:What was the easiest part to write?

Victoria: The easiest part of Bolt Action was developing the characters of Leslie and Tasha Bolt. I was thrilled to have my personal story of adoption published in the anthology entitled A Cup of Comfort for Adoptive Families, Adams Media 2009. My story entitled Why I Believe in Angels is the account of how I came to live with my current family at the age of seven. With their acceptance and support, they helped me become who I am today.

That publication has inspired many people to share their own stories of adoption with me. Heartfelt tales told through the eyes of parents and also from the children that were adopted. I am sorry to report I also heard a few troubled stories of adoption, and one comment remained in my thoughts and stalked me. That sole comment became the disposition for two of my characters in my novel, Bolt Action. Sarcastic, gun hording, motorcycle riding Detective Leslie Bolt and her superficial, live for the moment sister Tasha. Both sister's grew up in the same adoptive home, but view their experience in opposite spectrums.

Kage:What do you like most about the main character(s) and what do you like least? Did you learn anything from them?

Victoria: The answer to what I like most and what I like least about Detective Leslie Bolt is the same. It is her sarcasm. I am naturally sarcastic and sometimes I wish I could retort with the thoughts that cross my mind, but then I worry about hurting someone's feelings. So, I like Leslie's sarcasm, but I'm sure she hurts other people's feeling when she speaks the first thing that crosses her mind.

What I learned from my characters Leslie and Tasha Bolt, is that we can't always control our circumstances, but we can choose our reaction and attitude about them. My life motto is, You can't change your past, but you can chose your future.

Kage:Victoria, Thank you so much for stopping by today and gracing us with your presence. Before we go, is there anything else you’d like to say to wrap things up?

Victoria: I hope everyone had a blessed Thanksgiving. I enjoy hearing from readers and can be reached through my website. Thanks for hosting me on your site, Linda.

Now that Victoria has totally made us want to buy her book, here's buy link to Bolt Action: at CHAMPAGNE BOOKS

And here are other places to meet Victoria online:
Website: http://www.victoriaroder.com/

Facebook

Goodreads

Amazon

Crimespace

Booktown

Publisher’s Author Page: For The Dream House

Amazon's Author Central

I never feel like I can offer anyone interesting tidbits of information to assist them along in their writing path. But when someone asked me, "Hey, how'd you get an author page on Amazon.com," I gasped. Wow, maybe I do know something to help others self-promote.

So, in case you don't already know...

If you go onto Amazon.com and type in the name of one of your favorite authors (ahem, may I suggest Linda Kage perhaps!), you might find a picture of that author with a link that says Amazon's That-Author's-Name Page along with a listing of all their books.

Any author with a book that sells on Amazon can sign up for an author page on Amazon's Author Central. Just go to the website: https://authorcentral.amazon.com/gp/landing?ie=UTF8&%2AVersion%2A=1&%2Aentries%2A=0 and click on the "join author central" button.

Once you fill out all the required information, it takes a few weeks (though they told me it's be a few days) for Amazon to process and air your author page. Then once you're up, you can link to all your books, put up an author picture, add a bio, a book trailer video, and even feed your own blog into the page (If you have Blogger, make sure the RSS feed address isn't the address of your blog but rather http:// [YourBlogAddress] .blogspot.com/feeds/posts/default?alt=rss).

To make changes once your page is up, you click back into the Join Author Central button that you pushed to initially sign up and type in your amazon account sign-in information. From there, it'll take you to the page where you can add and edit.

So, maybe, hopefully, there was someone out there today that actually learned something from little ol' me. Here are a couple Amazon author pages I recommend you check out. All the following women are very lovely, talented romance authors...(well, except for that stinker at the top of the list).

Linda Kage
Molly Daniels
Claire Ashgrove
Nancy J. Parra
Jennifer Shirk
Jody Hedlund ********************************* Happy Thanksgiving!!