Moving On: A Prairie Romance (Guest Post & $25 Amazon GC)

Today I would like to welcome to Novel Moments, Annette Bower, who would like to talk to us about her novel, Moving On: A Prairie Romance. Nice to have you here, Annette.

Good morning Liz. Thank you for hosting me on your blog today. 

My family and I lived in Regina Beach, Saskatchewan for many years and I knew Regina Beach, a resort community, would be the perfect setting for a story about adapting to change.  It is a small and tight knit community in the fall, winter and spring but in the summer it becomes a very different place when it swells to ten times the usual population. Anna moves to town in the spring just before the summer residents and visitors arrive, therefore she is a visible stranger. 

Anna is at a junction in her life. Murray, her fiancé, was badly injured on the job. Anna, a trauma nurse, couldn’t save him. Instead of walking down the aisle to meet him she followed his casket. She couldn’t work to her capacity; and had to go on a stress leave from her job. She received a notice that Murray was the beneficiary of a cottage in Saskatchewan, two provinces west from her province of Ontario. Because Murray had changed his will, Anna became the owner of a mystery cottage. She packed many of her things in a storage locker and drove twenty-six hundred kilometers to what she hoped would be a different life. “The windows were dirty and the exterior paint cracked and flaked. This was just the place she needed if as they say, your environment reflects your state of mind. Maybe in this place they would get off her back.”

She arrived in the small town and kept her counsel. Just after Margaret Lamb, Anna’s neighbor came over and asked her name:        

 

“Anna Jenkins.” She held her breath. She hoped that the months since the accident were enough time for sympathy not to cross her new neighbor’s face. She’d had enough of that. This pity party was over.”

I explore what it is like to move from a large urban center to a small town and all of the quirks that go with it which includes a certain loss of privacy. But loss also provides the benefits of caring friends who help both Nick and Anna heal and grow.

 “Can’t get too lost in this town, especially a new woman and pretty to boot! You should have heard the tongues clattering on coffee row this morning.”

“People talked about me?” She reached for the railing.

“They more or less speculated. You’re news. Some of the fellows were commenting about your packing. I didn’t get that one.”

Her cheeks burned when she remembered her butt pointed to Centre Street for all to see. Bile burned in her belly. “I’ll have to watch my P’s and Q’s.”

Nick is a sergeant in the Canadian Armed Forces who is adjusting to life with a prosthesis replacing his lower left leg because of an injury his sustained in Afghanistan. While Nick is home rehabilitating from his injury, his father leaves on a vacation and Nick is forced to run the B&B while he lends his expertise to his home town becoming a temporary town foreman.

I am fascinated with mourning loss and the process of beginning again. Nick and Anna recognize that they have something large in common. Loss. They are reticent and keep the facts close to their chest.

“He shifted away from her as if he sensed danger. Nick turned on his rubber-soled boots and almost leapt through the door. The moment was thick with fear. Anna caught a chuckle that ended up like a snort. They were like two wounded animals who suddenly found themselves in the same pen, wondering who was stronger and would survive. Surely she wasn’t attracted to Nick Donnelly just because they were both grieving their severed pasts.”

This book explores how our pasts are part of our present. Life’s challenges that we overcome or continue working on are a part of who we are. In the end both Anna and Nick choose to grow and thrive and bravely follow their hearts. 

*The quotes are from Moving On A Prairie Romance.

 

Moving On: A Prairie Romance

by Annette Bower

BLURB:

Anna is a mysterious woman that has just moved to Regina Beach. The residents of the small town know everyone’s business and they are very interested in discovering Anna’s secrets. Nick was a Sergeant in the Canadian Army, doing active duty until a horrific accident sent him home to recover. He helps Anna feel safe and comfortable in her new environment, just as he has always done for his men in strange, dangerous places. Meanwhile, he focuses on preparing for his future physical endurance test to prove that he is capable of returning to active duty.

Anna doesn’t talk about her past, and Nick doesn’t talk about his future therefore she is shocked to discover that his greatest wish is to return to active duty. She won’t love a man who may die on the job again. Intellectually, she knows that all life cycles end, but emotionally, she doesn’t know if she has the strength to support Nick.

EXCERPT

Anna plowed through fallen leaves and broken twigs that were spread over the stone pathway leading to the stairs. The screened summer door sprung open but the solid weather door refused to budge. She twisted the key, jiggled the door knob and finally she turned sideways and bumped her hip against the stubborn paint- encrusted door. Banging against something and having it move felt wonderful. The momentary hip sting was an annoyance compared to the pain that she’d endured over the last year. Taking a deep breath she pushed the door open, inhaled stale air and watched dust motes floating on current of outside air.

The lawyer hadn’t known if Murray had spent any time here. Part of her wanted to look around and think of him as a carefree child, then a young man whole and alive, while the other part of her wanted a clean slate.    

Anna ran her hand over the white refrigerator and matching stove and trailed a finger in the dust on the country kitchen table and solid chairs. Through a large window was an expansive view of blue water. Her tongue stuck to the roof of her mouth reminding her that she was thirsty. Anna turned the taps at the kitchen sink. They squeaked, but nothing came. All that water out there but none where she was going to live. She walked down a hallway and peered into rooms until she found the bathroom. The taps in the sink and tub repeated the noise and the toilet had green liquid in the bottom. She stomped her feet against the tiled floor. Damn. There were a few bottles of water in the car, but how would she use the other facilities? She didn’t know how to rough it; Murray was supposed to teach her how to camp in the wilds.

REVIEWS

I have just been reading MOVING ON on my Kindle. It's lovely... -- a gentle, feel-good book with a nice variety of individualized characters and a positive over-all message. The familiar setting was a treat too. Congratulations! I would recommend it. - Mary Balogh: http://www.marybalogh.com/

“Moving On: A Prairie Romance” by Annette Bower In “Moving On: A Prairie Romance”, Annette Bower explores the redemptive power of affection. When we meet Nick and Anna, the characters at the centre of the novel, both are reeling from devastating personal tragedies, and both are fearful of making a connection that would open them to future pain. In the course of the novel, Nick and Anna slowly but surely learn to trust and to hope. Bower’s warm tale of the coming together of her two very likable protagonists is told with a keen eye and an understanding heart. This lake-side romance is perfect summer reading. ….Gail Bowen, author of the Joanne Kilbourn series.  http://www.gailbowen.com/

 

AUTHOR BIO

Annette Bower lives and writes in Regina, SK Canada. She is an author of many short stories published in anthologies and magazines in Canada, the United States and the United Kingdom. She explores women in families, women in communities and women at the beginning and end of love and their quest for love. She pursues the writing craft in workshops, conferences, Writing with Style, Banff Centre for the Arts, Victoria School of Writing, Sage Hill Writing Experience, the Surrey International Writing Conferences and the Romance Writing of America Conferences. 

When she isn’t writing she walks or bikes around the streets and parks in her neighborhood imagining complex worlds behind seemingly ordinary events.

 Her first contemporary romance, Moving On A Prairie Romance is published by XoXo Publishing™ a division of Ninni Group Inc.

IMPORTANT LINKS

Website: http://www.annettebower.com/

Blog:  http://www.annettebower.com/blog

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/#!/pages/Annette-Bower-XOXO-Publishing-Author/378438088839629

Annette will award a $25 GC to one randomly drawn commenter. Please follow the tour and comment to increase your chances of winning. The tour dates can be found here: Goddess Fish Promotions

Good Luck.

Random Acts Tour: Interview & Giveaways ($25 Amazon GC and Autographed Bookmarks)

Today I would like to welcome to Novel Moments, Alison Stone, author of  Random Acts.

What keeps you writing, Alison?

First and foremost, I enjoy writing. I enjoy the challenge of it. I am the mother of four children and I love the flexibility of working at home.

What inspired you to write Random Acts? Can you tell us a little more about the novel?

I saw an article in a local newspaper about a college student who was coerced into signing an agreement to serve as a drug informant in exchange for leniency on traffic tickets. The student had never been involved with drugs. Her father was a lawyer and brought it to the attention of the news. Turns out this practice is commonplace in many communities. From here, I started plotting and came up with the idea for Random Acts. In the story, the heroine, Danielle, is forced to return home after her sister is in a car accident. When she learns her former crush, Patrick, may have had hand in putting her sister in harm’s way, her fragile trust is crushed. But Patrick, now a cop, is the only man who can help her stop the villain before everything they both love is destroyed. Faith, family…and their second chance at forever.

How long did it take you to research and write Random Acts?

It’s hard to pinpoint how long it took me to research and write Random Acts. If I had to guess, I’d say a year. I tend to work on a project, go back and revise, submit, work on something new, then maybe revisit the original project when an editor asks for revisions.

Is there a certain message you would like readers to get out of this novel?

I want my books to entertain readers. If something in the story sticks with them long after they’ve read it, that’s a bonus.

Do you experience writer’s block? How do you deal with it?

I think my writer’s block should be called writer’s procrastination. I am distracted by all things shiny. When I was in college, I was such a disciplined student. I wish I had a fraction of that discipline now. The internet was not around when I was in college. That’s my excuse. J I find the only way to get over writer’s block is to just sit down and start writing. The words will come if I show up.

Are you a full time author? If not, how do you make time to write?

I am very fortunate to write full time. I left my job as an engineer years ago to raise my family. I have four children who are all in school and I am fortunate to have five to six quiet hours a day to write.

How does your daily writing schedule look like?

I get up around 7 a.m. and get 4 kids off to 3 different schools. I try to sit down by 9 a.m. to write. I find the first 2 hours are quickly absorbed by e-mails, Twitter, Facebook, and the like. I work until early afternoon when my youngest gets off the bus. I usually return to writing in the evening either after dinner or the younger children go to bed. I am always looking for ways to be more productive.

What books can we expect from you in the future?

I have another “sweet” romantic suspense, Too Close to Home, coming out August 7^th. In this one, the heroine is an engineer. (A girl after my own heart!) She quickly learns something sinister is going on at the factory.

What was your best ever moment as a published author?

To date, the “best ever moment” was the first few days after the release of my debut Random Acts. So, perhaps it was a series of moments. I was tickled by the number of people from my daughters’ dance teachers, to friends, to the school bus driver who made a point to say they downloaded my book. I truly appreciate their support and enthusiasm.

What other question are you dying to be asked?

 How does one go from being an engineer to a writer?

And the answer is?

I always considered myself to be a “math” person. Writing was the furthest thing from my mind. Yet, after I left my job to become a stay-at-home mom, I started to consider writing. Initially I dismissed the notion. Why did I think I could be a writer? Eventually, I pushed aside my doubts and got to the business of writing. You can’t be afraid to step outside your comfort zone and try new things. You might discover you have far more facets than you ever imagined.

That’s so true. Thanks so much, Alison for paying Novel Moments a visit. It’s lovely to know more about you. I wish you lots of luck with Random Acts and your future books. Oh, and thanks for the lovely giveaways.

You're welcome. Thank you, Liz, for having me. 

Alison will be awarding autographed bookmarks at every stop, as well as a $25 Amazon GC to one randomly drawn commenter during the tour.

Please follow the tour and comment to increase your chances of winning. The tour dates can be found HERE.
 

Second chances can have a terrible sense of timing.

As a child, watching her mother always pick the wrong man left Danielle Carson wary of opening her heart to anyone—except Patrick Kingsley. But circumstances came between them and left Danielle with a broken heart. Now she buries the pain of what might have been by channeling all her energy into her career. When a family crisis brings her back to her hometown, she is forced to face the past—and the disturbing fact that her sister’s car accident was staged to mask a brutal beating.

A police officer and widower, Patrick guards his heart as fiercely as he guards his beloved daughter. Seeing Danielle again unexpectedly reignites their old flame, but no way will he introduce a woman into his daughter’s life. Certainly not one whose values on faith and family are so different from his own.

Despite their best intentions, they are drawn together—until Danielle learns Patrick had a hand in putting her sister in harm’s way. Her fragile trust is crushed, but Patrick is the only man who can help her stop the villain before everything they both love is destroyed. Faith, family…and their second chance at forever. 

EXCERPT

 

Opening scene Random Acts by Alison Stone:

The Protector yanked open the back door of the girl’s beat-up car. The door groaned in protest, the loud sound splintering the stagnant night air. He pulled at his collar, cursing the heat. October nights usually meant fleece jackets and first frosts, not suffocating mugginess. He swiped the back of his hand across his forehead but didn’t stop. He had to work fast.

The dome light stood out like a beacon, making his pulse spike. He reached in and punched the plastic cover, casting them once again in darkness. A twig snapped behind him. He jerked to a stop and listened. Hard. The tiny hairs on the back of his neck prickled to life and a bead of sweat rolled down his back. As if in slow motion, he turned on his heel, the loose gravel shifting under his weight. Complete darkness. A chorus of crickets and night critters, but nothing else.

He drew in a deep breath and forced his attention back to the vehicle. The girl lay unconscious. Her head lolled at an awkward angle over the edge of the narrow back seat. A trickle of blood snaked out from one of her nostrils, her delicate lips swollen. His stomach clenched and he cursed under his breath. Tamping down the swirl of emotions, he crouched down into the vehicle and jammed his hands under her armpits. And pulled. 

 ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Growing up, Alison Stone never imagined becoming a writer. She enjoyed math and science and ultimately earned a degree in engineering. Go Yellow Jackets!

After the birth of her second child, Alison left Corporate America for full-time motherhood. She credits an advertisement for writing children’s books for sparking her interest in writing. She never did complete a children’s book, but she did have success writing articles for local publications.

Finally, Alison got up the nerve to try her hand at full-length fiction. After completing a handful of manuscripts, she sold her first book to Samhain Publishing in 2011, followed a few weeks later by a second sale.

Now, Alison has the best of both worlds. From her home office in Western New York, she writes fast-paced romantic suspense while her four children are in school. It never fails to amaze her how soon the afternoon bus arrives.

Website   Blog   Twitter   Facebook                                                                Alison@AlisonStone.com

DreamSpired Writing

We often consider a lot of things to be sources of writing inspiration; the weather, music, the newspaper, movies etc. But often we forget about dreams. 

I love to dream and I dream almost every night. My hubby doesn’t so much. Most of the time I dream, wake up, and forget my dreams as my day begins. But in the last month I had two very vivid dreams (different ones) that will inspire two of my future novels. It was so amazing, as if I was seeing a movie while asleep. Both of the dreams didn’t show me how the stories ended but I guess that’s left for me to decide. I can’t wait to write the novels. As soon as I woke up, before I was pulled into my day, I made a lot of notes and added even more ideas. Some of my dreams are rubbish and don’t make sense. Forget those.

Anyway, it got me thinking about dreams and writing. How many famous books are actually inspired by dreams? The following books can be traced back to dreams:

Twilight: I’m sure a lot of people already know that this series was inspired by a dream Stephenie Meyer had back in 2003. She dreamt of couple lying in a meadow. They were in love but something stood in the way, preventing them from freely indulging in that love; the boy was a vampire and the other a normal girl. As they lay there, they discussed their love and its complications. Especially about the vampire’s urge to kill the girl he loved and drink her blood. Well, you know what happened next.

Misery: Stephen King was on a flight to London when he feel asleep and had the dream that inspired the novel. It’s so gruesome, I’m finding it hard to write about it. If you want to know what it’s about, go to Amazon. Apparently Stephen King gets quite a lot of his inspiration from his dreams. According to him, “Dreams are just another part of life. To me, it’s like seeing something on the street you can use in your fiction. Writers are scavengers by nature.” 

One thing is for sure, I wouldn’t like to be in his head at night.

Frankenstein:  Mary Wollstonecraft Godwin was nineteen when she had the dream that inspired one of the most famous horror stories. Again, I’d rather not put the book description here. If you’re strong enough you can read the description on Amazon or another place. I have goose bumps just thinking about what it must have been like to have a dream like Mary's.  

There are other novels out there that were either completely or partially inspired by dreams such as the children’s book, Stuart Little by E.B. White, and Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte.

Dear authors, what do you dream about at night? Have any of your novels been inspired by your inner late night movies? Any other interesting sources of inspiration?

Shadow On The Wall: Release Day Blitz

Hello everyone,

 

Today Novel Moments is excited to be celebrating the release of Shadow on the Wall by Pavarti K. Tyler. Without wasting time, let's find out more about this new interesting book.

 

BLURB:  Recai Osman: Muslim, philosopher, billionaire and Superhero?

Controversial and daring, Shadow on the Wall details the transformation of Recai Osman from complicated man to Superhero. Forced to witness the cruelty of the Morality Police in his home city of Elih, Turkey, Recai is called upon by the power of the desert to be the vehicle of change. Does he have the strength to answer Allah's call or will his dark past and self doubt stand in his way?

Pulling on his faith in Allah, the friendship of a Jewish father-figure and a deeply held belief that his people deserve better, Recai Osman must become The SandStorm.

In the tradition of books by Margaret Atwood and Salman Rushdie, Shadow on the Wall tackles issues of religion, gender, corruption and the basic human condition. Beautiful and challenging, this is not a book to miss.

*Book Trailer*Purchase on Amazon*

EXCERPT

Knock. Just one solid sound. 

Recai sat up too quickly and fell back against his mattress gasping as Rebekah stuck her head into his small room, her face creased with worry and fear.

“Cover yourself and stay silent,” she whispered before closing the door and rushing back into the living room to retrieve her burqa and open the door. Recai heard the movement of the heavy fabric she wore on top of her house dress as she moved across the room to greet their visitor. He wondered if she had retrieved her father’s gun which he’d overheard Hasad say was under the couch in the living room.

Before hiding beneath the thin sheet that covered him, he reached down and pulled the rug from the floor and threw it across his legs. He covered his head and melted against the wall with the pillow on top of his upper body. Feeling foolish, Recai laid there, wishing he had his ID, his phone, anything to help bribe his way out of this situation if it was indeed the RTK at the door.

Perhaps it’s just a neighbor, he thought. A neighbor come to ask after Rebekah’s father’s health or to borrow some salt. His attempt at rationalizing the unexpected visit did not quell his fears. The RTK made a habit of performing home inspections, especially if they suspected a woman alone. It wasn’t a safe time for anyone under the jurisdiction of Mayor Yilmaz.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR 

Pavarti K Tyler is an artist, wife, mother and number-cruncher who has been committed to causing trouble since her first moment on this Earth. Her eclectic career has flirted with Broadway, Teaching, Law Firms and the IRS. Author of many short stories, Pavarti spans genres from Horror and Erotica all the way to Fantasy. Currently Pavarti is hard at work establishing her Indie Publishing Company Fighting Monkey Press.

Pavarti K Tyler’s novel Two Moons of Sera is a Fantasy/Romance and began in a serial format in November 2011. Her next novel Shadow on the Wall is scheduled for release in May 2012. Shadow on the Wall is Book One of The SandStorm Chronicles, the saga of Recai Osman — businessman, philosopher, Muslim and . . . superhero.

Author's Blog     Tumbrl    Fan Page    Twitter    Google+

OTHER BOOKS by Pavarti K. Tyler
Two Moons of Sera
Consumed by Love (novella)

INTERVIEW: Monica La Porta Author of The Priest

Today I would like to welcome to Novel Moments, Monica La Porta, author of The Priest.
Welcome, Monica. Please Tell us a bit about yourself

Thanks, Liz. My name is Monica La Porta and I’m an Italian who moved to the States several years ago. I love to say that I found the perfect weather for writing in Washington State, because it’s true. The green, the misty vapors, the constant drizzling are all conducive to writing. I spend hours looking outside my window, cup of perfumed Earl Grey tea handy, daydreaming about all the stories taking places beyond the realm of my backyard.

What keeps you writing?

I love writing. It’s my vacation from reality. I think about writing day and night. When I’m not writing, I’m editing or thinking about what I want to write next.

Can you tell us a little more about your novel, The Priest? Amazing cover, by the way.

Thank you, Liz. The Priest is the first book in a trilogy, The Ginecean Chronicles, and is set in an alternate reality where women have absolute power over a race of enslaved men and the only socially acceptable union is between women.  Loving a man is considered a perversion. The main character in The Priest is Mauricio, a slave resigned to a hopeless life. One day, he hears Rosie sing and his life is changed forever. Love is born where only hate has roots. 

What inspired you to write the novel?

Two main ideas are behind The Priest. Two years ago, I read an article about the possibility for a woman to create life without the man’s contribution. Around the same time, I heard about the campaign ‘It Gets Better’ in support of kids being bullied because of their sexual orientation or because they are different. I asked myself what would happen in a society where everything was the other way around compared to ours? What if we lived in a woman’s world? What if heterosexual love was a sin? 

How did you come up with the title?

Names have meanings and I like playing with them. Almost every book I wrote has a character whose name stands for something relative to the story. In The Priest, the title’s meaning is explained at its very end.

How long did it take you to research and write the novel?

The Priest has an interesting genesis. I was writing Pax in the Land of Women, when these two characters, Mauricio and Rosie, came to life. I thought they were too interesting to be relegated to a small part in Pax. So, I decided to use Nanowrimo 2010 to write down the first draft of The Priest. In one month I wrote the bulk of it, then I polished it for another year. Finally, I went back and forth adding and erasing details to the three books in The Ginecean Chronicles to eliminate incongruences.

Is there a certain message you would like readers to get out of this novel?

Acceptance. Everything is relative. What is acceptable in a society could be taboo for another. Love is love.

Do you experience writer’s block? How do you deal with it?

I write every day, even when I don’t feel to. My goal is one thousand words per day and I normally manage to achieve that. Sometimes, it’s harder. I found that the best ideas come in days like that, when I push myself to finish and I struggle through every word I write. 

Are you a full time writer? If not, how do you make time to write?

I’m a full time writer and a housekeeper in my spare time. Since I feed the family regularly, nobody has complained so far.

How does your daily writing schedule look like?

For the most part, I keep office hours. During Nanowrimo, there’s no schedule; I just write until I drop. 

How does your marketing schedule look like?

It doesn’t. I’ve published only a few months ago and my marketing skills are laughable. I’m on twitter, where I like to talk with other authors. I’m on facebook, where I like to talk with other authors. I’m on Goodreads, where I like to talk with other authors. I’m on Kindleboards, and you can imagine what I like to do there. If marketing has anything to do with getting to know interesting people, I’m okay. Otherwise, I’m not.

Which avenues do you use to market your books?

Mainly twitter and hopefully word of mouth. 

What books can we expect from you in the future?

Pax in the Land of Women and Prince of War, respectively second and third book in The Ginecean Chronicles, should be published in the immediate future. Later on, I’ve some urban fantasy YA on the way.

What was your best ever moment as a published author?

I haven’t been in the trade for long, but I’ve been lucky enough to inspire a teenager to write a book report about The Priest for her English class. It made me immensely happy.

What other question are you dying to be asked? And the answer is?

Have you ever been interviewed on a live radio show?

Funny you should ask, as a matter of fact I have! Just recently, I was interviewed on a live radio show and it was great fun. At first, I was terrified I was going to say something silly, then I realized I was going to say something silly no matter what and relaxed.

Do you have a message for your readers?

Stay tuned! Pax in the Land of Women and Prince of War are coming soon to a Kindle near you!

Thank you so much for telling us a little more about you and your novel. It was lovely having you here.

Thank you, Liz, for having me.
Purchase The Priest on AMAZON

Mauricio is a slave. Like any man born on Ginecea, he is but a number for the pure breed women who rule over him with cruel hands. Imprisoned inside the Temple since birth, Mauricio has never been outside, never felt the warmth of the sun on his skin. He lives a life devoid of hopes and desires. Then one day, he hears Rosie sing. He risks everything for one look at her and his life is changed, forever. An impossible friendship blossoms into affection deemed sinful and perverted in a society where the only rightful union is between women. Love is born where only hate has roots and leads Mauricio to uncover a truth that could destroy Ginecea.