Showcasing: Mara Purl

Mara Purl is one of those one-in-a-lifetime people. You know the kind. Your glad you got to know her and how special she is. No, I never met her. However, when I do these Works in Progress blogs I snoop. I try to find something the author didn't share with me. I'll share that bit of information later.
 

The Facts:

Mara Purl was a performer on-camera and on-stage, with her regular character on Days Of Our Lives. *see photo   A prolific fiction author, she also has written a play and several non-fiction books including Act Right: A Manual for the On-Camera Actor with actress Erin Gray.( One of her best friends by the way)

Mara's writing credits include two cover stories for Rolling Stone, staff writing with the Financial Times (of London), and an Associated Press assignment to cover the Apollo Soyuz mission, She is a member of the Authors Guild and of the Writers Guild West.

She also has been awarded the New York Festivals Award; the Peak Award; Woman of the Year 2002 by the Los Angeles County Commission for Women. Here is the link to see all the great things she has accomplished in detail. http://www.marapurl.com/_pdfs/mp-author-bio.pdf . 

Mara Purl is the award-winning author of The Milford-Haven Novels, which, collectively, and has won fifteen literary awards. She knows her stuff.

The Works in Progress:               

In a half-built house, high on a        bluff.....

In a half-built house, high on a bluff overhanging the ocean,

beautiful reporter Chris Christian is being murdered, while

in an endangered forest overlooking the Cove, Miranda Jones

is being chased by a stranger who might be the man of her dreams.

Meanwhile on Main Street, Sally is dishing up home cooking

and perfecting her eavesdropping on everything from Jack Sawyer’s

nefarious building practices, to Zack Calvin’s unexplained

attraction to Milford Haven, and she’d give a free basket of

fresh, hot biscuits to know what secrets are locked away in

Samantha Hugo’s journal….

Here's what the publisher said:

Join Mara Purl on California’s Central Coast for the
Milford-Haven Novels and Stories…
Locations to fuel your imagination . . .
romances to stir your soul . . .
friendships to warm your heart . . .
issues to challenge your mind . . .
And the mystery you’ll want to solve in . . .Milford-Haven
       Small town simplicities. Global complexities.
http://www.bellekeepbooks.com/books/the-milford-haven-novels/

Here's what Betty says:

Ms. Purl envisioned and delivered more then just an entertaining story. She brings a fresh new approach to writing. This series is designed to get women talking, thinking, and to take action.

What Samantha the heroine says:

"But, more than caring what others think, I care about making sense of my life. I care that my events and choices have a discernible logic to their pattern, that I be able to trace a path of reason—even if no one else can. The thing is, what I’ve glimpsed lately is that logic alone can’t resolve life’s purpose; the heart has to be involved."

 ......After you read the book see if you agree.

Mara and her publisher have joined forces and there will be 12 releases in the series. So get on board with the first book out in September.

Nurse Darla Cook 

Mara Purl is also an accomplished musician. Her instrument

is the Koto and she recorded and has played on the international stage

with many noteworthy musicians.

Mara and her publisher have joined forces and there will be 12 releases in the series. So get on board with the first book out in September. There is so much more to discover about Mara. And all the things that lead to why she founded Milford-Haven.

Mara's links here............http://www.marapurl.com/ and http://www.facebook.com/mara.purl

Mara, thank you for letting me be part of those spreading your message to readers everywhere. Readers check out  the links. You never know Mara might be in a town near you soon or at least a blog near you.

Thanks for stopping by and do feel free to browse around. 

Betty Carlton

Surprise! Someone is going to win a free autographed copy of one of Mara's books. Here's how.

Fill out the follow by email top right hand side of page.

Remember your always invited back to  learn nmore about what your favorite authors are up too. 

Showcasing: Susanne O'Leary

The Facts:

Susanne O’Leary brings her own family history to life. She hales from Stockholm, Sweden and lives in Ireland with her Irish husband. She started writing about twelve years ago and has not stopped. Her first novel, 'Diplomatic Incidents' caused a few raised eyebrows in the world of diplomacy.

Then followed three further novels, 'European Affairs'

(renamed 'Villa Caramel' for the e-book version),

'Fresh Powder' and 'Finding Margo' (all written in English and published in Ireland), which, masquerading as romantic comedies, were written with her tongue firmly in her cheek, causing further consternation in the polite world.

In early 2010, Susanne published her fifth novel, 'Swedish for Beginners' as an e-book, swiftly followed by three e-books

from her previously published backlist and a further two

works; 'A Woman's Place', a historical novel and 'Virtual Strangers', a co written detective story with fellow Swedish writer Ola Zaltin.

The work in Progress:

Is a sequel that demanded it be written.

I was delighted by the response to 'A Woman's Place' and after a while, I received many requests for a sequel from readers who had been very taken by the character of Sonja, asking me to tell them what happened to her subsequently. I hesitated for a while, as I felt I had finished the story. But then I found later letters from Sonja, describing her subsequent life and was immediately drawn in to the rest of her life story (I had left her when she had moved into her own apartment in NewYork in 1932).

Sonja

She was such a courageous woman, who had many

 sad events in her life and often had to draw on her

 own strength to survive. She eventually found love

and happiness but the road there was long and hard.

I greatly admire the way she made a career for herself

and how independent she was, despite living during a

time when women had few opportunities to work in

high profile jobs.

The period just after the depression and before the outbreak of World War II is also very interesting, as is the setting of New York city during this period. The people she met and the choices she made were all described in her many letters to her Aunt Katia in Finland (my grandmother) and the emotions expressed in them truly moving.

I put together the letters and diary entries for the story into this sequel, which I really enjoyed

writing. My readers are eagerly awaiting this story so I am working hard to have it published in

a month or two.

The first Story:

Susanne O'Leary's

A Woman's Place

Can be purchased here: 

http://www.amazon.com/A-Womans-Place-ebook/dp/B0049U4BXO/ref=ntt_at_ep_dpt_4

Here are a few photos to give you an idea of the New york City, they found. So different from today or was it?

The masses

The poor

                                                                                                                                                                                     

  

The wealthy

The learn more about Sonja and her mother Julia where do you need to go? Why here of course:
http://www.susanne-oleary.com

I wrote a piece about the background to the book and posted all the photos of the people the characters in the book are based on: http://www.facebook.com/search.php?k=100000080&id=752391461#!/note.php?note_id=450636741629  It's open to all to enjoy.

Thank you, Susanne. There isn't anything more exciting to the when an author can bring real people to life for us readers. And then you go a step further and delight us with your own family history,

Betty Carlton

Showcasing: Lisa Day

The Facts:
Lisa Day as a child did not enjoy reading. Finally as a teenager she discovered books she could sit back and savory. So it made perfect sense that she did not discover how much pleasure she found in writing until she was much older. How old? She isn't saying.

She resides in the southern USA. She and her husband share their home with a beagle they rescued from doggy prison (the local pound.)

Lisa was thrilled when the first publisher she summited  The Stepbrothers  to accepted it.


She hopes you'll enjoy reading it as much as she had fun in writing it.


The Works:
                                       The Blurb

 

The story:

People with cruel intentions never stop to think about future repercussions. Such a man was George. As a young man he set up his stepbrother. From fist fights to causing the death of Clint Hawks' mother and destroying the girl he loved for George nothing was off limits.  

The time will come for Hawks to find a way to get back at his stepbrother and will be nothing off limits for him either. Cunning and planning put George's fiancee into his hands. Alone in a cabin, far away from anywhere, he will destroy George by ruining the woman. 

 The fates are not with him. Hawks as Samantha Culpepper does not destroy so easily. He may have compromised her innocence but he did not foresee his heart getting involved and that definitely is not in the plan. 

Just when Hawks realizes his feeling but before he could figure out if it was

a good thing or not his best friend shows up. He almost let go of his scheme to

involve her in his plans. However, like any good friend, Mac who is handsome,

likable, and interested in Samantha as soon as he laid eyes on her. He will

complicate matters.

Please look For The Stepbrothers to be release by Rebel Ink Press in November of 2011.

Mean while you can follow Lisa Day on tweeter, Facebook and her website.

@lisaday12

author page https://www.facebook.com/pages/Lisa-Day-Author-Page/249701868374938?sk=wall

Lisa day on the web http://lisaday.weebly.com/

Showcasing: Jenn Nixon

The Facts:

Jenn Nixon's love of writing all began

with Nancy Drew. So it's no it's no

surprise whether she pens Romance,

Science Fiction, or Fantasy you

suspenseful and thriller feel to them.

Jenn resides in New Jersey. She is a

member of Romance Writers of

America and Liberty State Fiction

Writers.

When not writing, she spends her

free time reading, absorbing pop

culture and current events, and social

networking online. .

The Works in Progress:

Mason Storm waited three agonizing months to hear from the wild Veronica Chance after she walked out of his life and back to her world.

Instead her sister calls, sobbing, and begs him to come to California. He drops everything and takes the first plane across the country to find out what happened.

After a chilly welcome from General Michael Chance, Mason learns Veronica was kidnapped along with her mother who is still being held hostage.

Their initial meeting is short, but Veronica is determined to get her mother back safely and asks for Mason's help knowing he can get the job done.

He's eager to get involved and carefully navigates his way into the investigation while trying to figure out exactly where he in stands in Veronica's eyes. .

  

A tease of an excerpt:

Keeping her focus off of Mason Storm grew harder each moment she breathed the same air as him. He constantly watched her. Pondering eyes studying every word, facial expression, and body movement she made. Feeling his arms around her once again threatened to drive the last bit of sanity from her mind. Veronica wanted to get swept away by the man. Spiral into the madness of lust with someone who already revved up her engine like no other man had.

Veronica couldn’t afford madness now as much as it killed her. Her father continued his retreat into the house, up to the second floor, closing in on his library. She wouldn’t let him get away that easily.

“You can’t give them that file and you know it.”

“Then you condemn your mother to death.”

“They’re playing the game. You have to play it back,” she said, grabbing his arm to stop him from going further.

“This isn’t a game, Roni!”

“Same as last time—”

“Enough!” her father snapped, dagger eyes digging into her soul. “You can’t give it to them! I won’t let you.”

He grabbed her by the arms, lifting her to her tip toes, touching his nose to her.

“I’ll decide what we will and will not do.”

“General!” Storm shouted from behind.

“Back off.”

Her father’s eyes filled with fire, neck craning back.

“You have no business here, Mr. Storm. I suggest you cut your losses and leave before I have my men remove you.”

“Try it,” he said, way too calmly as he moved to her father’s side. “Your daughter wants me here. I can understand why, you don’t listen to her; you cut her off all the time, talk down to her and Valerie. If you’d paid attention, you’d see she’s as scared as you are.”

He released her from the vice grip, straightened his shirt and stared down at her. Her anger threatened her wild tongue, but she stayed silent, shocked at Storm’s speech and keen observation.

“I’m…sorry, Roni. I haven’t been thinking clearly since…”

“I know,” she responded but didn’t reach out to offer him any comfort this time.

“There’s nothing we can do tonight.” He frowned, running his hand through the silver strands on his head.

“Let my men do their work…we’ll regroup in the morning.” “Okay,” she replied with a nod. “If I remember anything else, I’ll let you know.”

“Very well,” he said, regarded Storm with a narrowing gaze then vanished inside his library.

She sighed, covered her face and shook her head.

“Such a mess.”

“Yeah,” Storm replied. When she gazed up, his cheeks were still fiery with anger, hands clenched at his sides.

“Are you okay?”

“No, not really,” she answered.

“This is…bad, Storm.” .

Jenn's current release it's on Sale on Now:

 Veronica Chance’s sister has gone missing. In order to find Valerie, “Roni” takes a waitressing job at Foxxes Gentlemen’s Club, the last place her sister worked, to search for clues.
First day on the job, the club owner makes her give a lap dance to his VIP guest, Mason Storm. Veronica’s instant attraction to the former detective means trouble and threatens to blow her cover.

 If you  like to know many about Jenn or the great books she written here's where to find her and her books.

Visit Jenn Nixon online: http://www.jennnixon.com/ or:Blog,Facebook,Twitter

Thanks, Jenn for letting us learn more about what you have been up to.
Betty

Showcasing the works of Kellie Kamryn

THE FACTS:

Kellie-Kamryn believes: "Love - an emotion so strong that you would give up everything to just feel it once, to know that you are part of something special."

After publishing a family-oriented collection of poetry, her sensual novel and erotic short story writing allows her to spread her vivid imagination to everyone out there who is willing to listen.  My first novel is due out in November from Secret Cravings Publishing. I just got a contract with The Wild Rose Press for Pleasure Island. I'll put the blurbs below. I haven't found a home yet for my contemporary romances, but my world used to revolve around artistic gymnastics so I wrote a series based on gymnastics coaches and their love trials and tribulations.

A PRO member of the RWA, she writes seductive tales where characters come to life and touch your heart and soul, making your fingers tingle with anticipation. Of course it goes without saying you might find a special surprise when each word you read pleases your every desire...             

THE WORKS IN PROGRESS:

MONKEYS, SEX AND OTHER BIRTHDAY SURPRISES (Scheduled to be released November 2011 from Secret Cravings Publishing)

Blurb:

Missy Harder is reluctant to ruin a good thing and meet her on-line lover, Sam Kentley, in person. Sam is the first man she’s had any kind of relationship with in the past two years, and their on-line conversations, sexting and recent upgrade to phone sex, all suit her just fine. And the picture he sent makes her panties wetter than a summer downpour. But what if it’s all fantasy and there is no chemistry when they actually meet?

Sam Kentley is dying to see if the connection he and Missy have is real. She is easy to talk to, her picture is sexy as hell, and his sex drive’s ratcheted into high gear by her ability to play along with scenarios on text. When she agrees to phone sex, he thinks he’s in heaven. He can’t believe his good fortune when he accompanies a friend to a woman’s surprise birthday party, and the lady in question is Missy. However, he hadn’t expected their first meeting to include her zany family, or be witness to a tiny primate marking his territory on his woman, and then get attacked by the little monkey!

.



He's a  cutie! *



Humiliated enough for one evening, Missy wants nothing more than to be left alone. But when Sam refuses to leave Missy to her misery, they both learn that humor will get you through anything, and sometimes great sex and love sneak up on you when you least expect it. .

.

.

.OK  Maybe this good looking guy?.

I guess you'll just have to wait for the book or you could ask Kellie.

****** 

 

PLEASURE ISLAND (To be published by The Wild Rose Press, no release date yet)

Chelsea Hunter didn't come to the resort looking for sex. Jake Davis refuses to go home without it. Will they be able to turn up the heat, or will their visit to Pleasure Island leave them cold?

After finalizing her divorce, Chelsea Hunter came to the resort island of Paradise for some peace and quiet so she could figure out what her next step would be. She hadn’t expected to find herself at an exotic hotel dedicated to pleasures of the flesh. Too bad she doesn’t want sex.

Jake Davis is back in Paradise after visiting a year ago when his own marriage fell apart. This time his fantasy is to guide a woman through her sexual journey. He hadn’t counted on being paired with the only woman in Paradise who prefers privacy over pleasure!

Will Jake be able to discover what Chelsea truly needs, or will their journey to Paradise remain unfulfilled?

So, there you go, two great teasers to hurry up and wait for. Make sure you follow her blog to know when you can read the whole tantalizing book (s).

I asked and Kellie was gracious enough to let me share a piece of her poetry with you.

Here's where you find can more about this exciting new author and her Works in Progress.

Blog: www.kelliekamryn.blogspot.com

website: www.kelliekamryn.com

facebook author page: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Kellie-Kamryn/212459612108100

A big thank you to Kellie for letting me know what she's been working on. Great stuff!
Till next time,
Betty

* *Photo of a homemade sock monkey, made by Stacey Shintani of Chicago, Illinois.

Please check out my other blog at: http://bettysbloggingplace.blogspot.com/ where you see my books published and  works in progress as well as reviews of other great books and You Gotta See This !

.

Showcasing Lee Brazil

The Facts:
Lee Brazil believes that falling in love is the grandest adventure anyone can have. 

In a nutshell, that's every story I have to tell. I'm an avid reader and former teacher of grammar and composition. Relocating from the crazy pace of life in Southern California's Orange County to the beautiful and leisurely atmosphere of the Illinois countryside has given me the time to indulge the desire to write that I set aside when I started teaching fourteen years ago.

The Work in Progress:

Get ready this is about to be published

June 24th 2011 by Breathless Press.

 

Terry has lived his life according

to the guidelines, by studying

accounting, getting an MBA,

and working for the family business.

And while his work has its own rewards, something has been missing, and his

eyes have only just been opened to

what--or rather who--that could be.

Terry’s brothers have upped the

ante in their weekly poker game.

A Truth or Dare challenge. Terry

can handle any dare his brothers

dish out, but the demand for Truth

is a different matter. Terry is

honor-bound to divulge secrets

he’s been ashamed to admit even

to himself in the privacy of his own bedroom.

Twins Dex and Trick have finally found acceptance for their relationship in the

homes of their friends. They’d never do anything to jeopardize that newfound sense of belonging. Fooling around with their friend Mischa Blake’s prissy, domineering, oh-so-sexy older brother is risky. A one-night stand might be okay, but they close ranks afterward, pushing Terry aside.

Terry isn’t going to back down without a fight. Dex and Trick are meant to be his, and he’ll do whatever it takes to make them realize all the safety and protection they need can be found in his arms.

You also might like to read Keeping House:

Donovan Holloway, advertising executive, newly made vice president of the company where he's worked for twenty years, grew up in a free love hippie commune, taking care of the parents who should have been taking care of him. He's worked hard to put himself through school and achieve the American dream. All he's ever wanted was a normal family life—house in the suburbs, two cars, two kids, a shaggy dog. A family to come home to—to care for, and to care for him.

Mischa Blake is the green eyed, liberally-pierced, black-haired, Mohawk-wearing spoiled youngest son of a Hollywood producer and his actress wife. Mischa has made a terrible mistake. In a fit of childish pique, he's accepted a dare from his older brothers. The dare? Live on his own, supporting himself completely for a year without accessing his trust fund. No problem. Except Mischa has never worked a day in his life, hasn't finished college, and has absolutely no skills that he can bring to the table.

So when he sees Donovan's ad for a housekeeper/gardener, he has nothing to lose by applying, because really...how hard can it be?

A little peek at some of Lee's favorite things...

And here is where you can catch up with Lee. Do stop by his blog and see what other goodies his is coming up with.

http://leebrazilauthor.blogspot.com/ or finding me on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100001551666797.  Feel free to drop me a line at lee.brazil@ymail.com  

And you can buy his books here: 

Available at
Amazon
All Romance Ebooks  and of course at Breathless Press

I want to thank Lee for letting me find all about him and share it with you.

Showcasing: Elle D. Hayes

THE FACTS:

According to the facts Elle D. Hayes was born to write.

Elle D. Hayes was born to write. An unapologetic dreamer, she has created characters and their unique worlds for as long as she can remember.

By day she is a not-so-mild-mannered executive assistant, but by night she is a fierce keyboard warrior hoping to one day be crowned Queen of Erotic Romance.

It makes for rough mornings filled with lots of caffeine, but she swears it’s worth it.

She is from the 'Big Apple.'

                   Brooklyn Bridge>>>

                 A busy street>>>

The Works in Progress:

Soon to be released.

*Wynter's Blossom:

Final edits of my debut novel Wynter's Blossom. It's the first book in my Unity Pack series about a pack of former lone wolves who unite to forge lives that don't follow the old traditions of werewolves. Wynter Grey is the alpha of this rough and rowdy pack of uber males. When he meets Sarah Eriksson his primal instincts war with his need to protect her, even from himself. I had such a blast writing this story and can't wait to share it with everyone. I know you'll love my Unity males as much as I do.

    * Set for June 27th release from Beautiful Trouble Publishing.

Here's where to find Elle and her great writings.

 Elle online at http://elledhayes.blogspot.com, on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/elledhayes or on Twitter at http://www.twitter.com/elledhayes.

Thank you, Elle for letting us peek in to where have been doing.

Betty Carlton     Works in Progress