Tuesday, August 27, 2019

Free audiocodes, Free recipe Two hilarious videos.

Posted by Susan B James on 3:00:00 AM with No comments


Thanks to all of you who voted in The Raven Awards. Maybe This Time won in Contemporary.  Maybe This Time is also a finalist for the 2019 RONE awards in Audiobooks General. Stephanie Bentley is a wonderful narrator. Another reason I feel blessed.
I have free audiobook codes for Time and Forever and Maybe This Time for anyone interested in leaving a review.You can email me at sueberger3@gmail.com
Irish Magic released last week. Its up to 40 reviews on Amazon with an average of 4.2 stars. 18 reviews on Goodreads and five recommendations on BookBub.
Buy for 3.99 What a Bargain!
Blurb
A romantic comedy with a touch of magic.
What do you do when everything goes wrong?
Make a wish on a four-leaf clover, right?
There’s no other logical way out of it!
But a clover wish is a heart wish. Everyone knows that.
When part leprechaun, Bradley Flynn, is charged with finding Kate’s true love, he calls on retired matchmaker, Essie O’Callaghan, who happens to have a mission of her own.
Dr. Michael Walshe had a ring in his pocket when he walked in on his girlfriend sleeping with her costar. He wants no part of Essie’s plan to find him a wife.
Fate – or something more leprechaun-shaped – has Kate and the doctor both heading to Cluhalaugh, home to Ireland’s most famous matchmaking festival. And somehow their paths keep crossing. The more they see of each other the harder it is to resist exploring their reluctant attraction. Will Kate realize that Michael could be far more than the cure to her writer’s block?

Pavlova Recipe

 Pavlova is one of my favorite summer desserts. It was created for Anna Pavlova, the Russian ballerina during her 1926 tour, either by a hotel chef in Wellington, New Zealand, or a by a chef in Australia. Both countries claim the credit.I claim it's delicious and easy to make.

Pavlova Re

Pavlova
A Pavlova is a baked meringue covered with unsweetened whipped cream and the fruit of your choice.
 I like to use raspberries, blueberries, Kiwi fruit and apricots.

Preheat the oven to 200 degrees.
The Meringue
4egg whites
2 cups Confectioner’s sugar
1tbs cornstarch
1tbs vinegar
Pinch of salt
Directions:
Beat egg whites until stiff
Add sugar one tablespoon at a time
Fold in vinegar, cornstarch, and salt
Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
Using a spatula, free-form a plate or platter sized circle on the baking sheet
(Or you could draw a circle pattern on the parchment. Better idea,)
Bake for 2 hours at 200 degrees. Then leave in the oven to dry for another hour.
Step 2 Whip 1 ½ cups heavy cream (Add 1 tsp Vanilla. Optional).
Move the meringue to your serving plate.
When ready to serve, cover the meringue with the whipped cream and decorate with fruit the fruit of your choice.

 I wanted to leave you with some laughter.
The first video is one of my favorite Saturday Night Live sketches. Alexa for Seniors. I definitely relate to this one.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YvT_gqs5ETk


The second video was written by Billy Crystal's son in law and it is so funny. 4 minutes and 37 seconds.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y9pkhp_SSr8&feature=youtu.be&utm
Live long. Laugh often. And love always.
And maybe read my books?

Tuesday, August 20, 2019

Meet Barbara Russell and her Steampunk/Victorian The Heart Collector #Giveaway

Posted by Susan B James on 3:00:00 AM with 2 comments

When I realized The Heart Collector was a Steampunk novel set in Aukland in 1884, I immediately wanted to meet the author. Barbara is not only here, she is giving away five copies of The Heart Collector. Rafflecopter at the end of the post.
 Barbara, please tell us a little about yourself.
I’m an entomologist and a soil biologist, which is a fancy way to say that I dig in the dirt, looking for bugs. Nature and books have always been my passion. I was a kid when I read The Lord Of The Rings and fell in love with fantasy novels.
When I discovered cosy mystery and crime novels, I fell in love with Hercules Poirot and Sherlock Holmes. Then I grew up and . . . Nah, I’m joking. I didn’t grow up. Don’t grow up, folks! It’s a trap. Agree!!!!
PS I hate gardening. There, I said it. Sorry fellow Kiwis. 

I love firsts, so tell me about the moment when a publisher told you they wanted to publish your book.
I was walking my dogs when I got the email from Champagne Books with the contract offer. I couldn’t believe it. In fact, I tripped and my dogs fell over me, and they started to bark, all excited. It took a while to calm them down, haha.

If it isn’t too nosy. How about the first time you kissed your true love?
It was super awkward. It was too dark to see a thing and I think I kissed his nose first. Then we tried again, and he kissed my chin. Third time is the charm and finally we got it right ;)
Other than your own, who are your favorite (heroes/heroines/writers) in your genre?
I love everything by Bec Macmaster. Love her characters, plots, and writing style. She’s one of my fav authors.
What is the most exciting moment, so far, in your writing career?
Hmm… not sure if it sounds so exciting, but it’s the moment when I reached 10 reviews on Amazon!! I felt like an accomplished author.  Watching reviews come in is lovely. Like author hugs.


What is your favorite pastime, other than writing?
I love trekking and climbing and spend time with my dogs. I’m not a TV person, so I read A LOT. I prefer books to films. In fact, I’ve never seen Dr Who, Game of Throne, Breaking Bad… I know. Kill me now.
How do you motivate yourself when inspiration takes a vacation?
I don’t want to jinx myself *fingers crossed* but so far, I’ve never had a writer’s block. I always start writing the outline first, so if the story doesn’t work, I change it or leave it and start a new outline. Once I start writing the novel, I don’t stop until it’s finished. I have an OCD about writing, lol. I feel guilty when I’m not writing or when I write less than 3K per day. It’s a bit exhausting.

Any advice for new writers just starting out?
Don’t quit. I don’t believe in luck, but I believe in hard work and that hard work ultimately brings luck :)
Tell us about The Heart Collector.   http://www.amazon.com/-/e/B07HHJGBBX
Blurb:
Auckland, 1884. The Supernaturals are frightened. Despite being able to do extraordinary things like teleporting or lighting a fire with a stare, a serial killer, the Heart Collector, is slaughtering them. He rips their chests open and removes their hearts.
While other aristocratic, nineteen-year-old girls spend time dancing, Isabel trains hard to become an MI7 agent—Military Intelligence Seventh Division, a crime squad run by Supernaturals. The Heart Collector murdered her best friend, and enrolling at MI7 is the best way to help catch the killer.

Isabel senses other people’s feelings as if they were her owns. But MI7’s leader is too worried about Isabel’s safety to let her join the team.
Eager to prove that her power is valuable, Isabel volunteers to meet Murk, a dangerous Supernatural man who can turn himself invisible. MI7 desperately tried to recruit him and failed.
She believes that her power is enough to convince Murk to become an MI7’s agent and help apprehend the Heart Collector. If he wants to attack her, his feelings will broadcast his intention, and she’ll be ready.
What Isabel isn’t ready for is to fall in love with the man who will collect her heart.


Teaser:
Auckland, New Zealand, 1884
Lady Ermintrude

You don’t mind if I whisper, do you? Hastings Manor is full of ears, and people’s best pastime is gossip. Thank goodness I’m not that type of lady. But I have to speak my mind.
My niece Isabel, the current Duchess of Sussex, has gone mad. She’s accommodating, here in Hastings Manor, street urchins. Street urchins! From Auckland’s rookery!
Good gracious, I need a sherry. These street urchins don’t even have decent names and the youngest one, called Trigger—ptf!—spat on his teaspoon to clean it. The older, the one called Murk, I think he’s a thief or a murderer. Apparently, he can turn himself invisible. Invisible! So inappropriate.
Those dark eyes mean trouble, mark my word, but Isabel thinks he’s charming. Poppycock, I say. I’m sure she’d like to dirty-puzzle with him. Oh, the horror. But does she listen to me? No one is listening to me anymore. A bunch of rebels they are.  Now, where’s my sherry?
I love the blurb and teaser and the cover. I want to read it. What’s your current WIP?
I’m working on a new series. I’ve recently published The Heart Collector-Auckland Steampunk#1, which is the first book of a planned series, a romantic suspense novel. I’ve already written the first seven books of the series (they needs a few rounds of edit though, lol). So I wanted to take a break from that and start something new. It’s set in the Victorian Era. I love Victorian novels and writing in that setting for many reasons. I love the dresses (aside from the blasted corsets, haha), the social setting gives a lot of material for conflict, and it reminds me of Sherlock Holmes’s novels. I have a passion for crime/ mystery stories. Conan Doyle and Agatha Christie are my favourite authors, along with Tolkien and J. K. Rowling. I just finished writing a Victorian Time Travel and I am about to send it to beta readers. Anyone interested in being a beta reader for Lord Byron's Daughter?

And finally, where can we find you?
Bookbub: https://www.bookbub.com/authors/barbara-russell
Facebook: www.facebook.com/RussellBarbara84

Landing page: https://mailchi.mp/f3c0a9bf3544/barbararussell
Barbara, thank you for being here. Fair warning folks. I am entering the Rafflecopter. May the odds be ever in your favor. Happy Reading, everyone.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Tuesday, August 13, 2019

Irish Magic A Romantic Comedy. Sneak peek and #Giveaway.

Posted by Susan B James on 3:00:00 AM with 5 comments

It's My Book Birthday. Irish Magic comes out August 14th. And I already have a couple of reviews on Goodreads.

4.5 Stars from Dianne (No, I don't know her, but I love her.)
IRISH MAGIC by Susan B. James is a quirky tale of love where and when you least expect it, but exactly when you need it most.
4 Stars from Trish (No, I don't know her either, but I love her.)
I found myself not wanting to put this book down and read it into the wee hours of the morning. This book is a lovely cross of contemporary with a touch of fantasy. I’d definitely pick up more books like this one from Ms. James.

Blurb
A romantic comedy with a touch of magic.

What do you do when everything goes wrong?
Make a wish on a four-leaf clover, right?
There’s no other logical way out of it!

But a clover wish is a heart wish. Everyone knows that.
When part leprechaun, Bradley Flynn, is charged with finding Kate’s true love, he calls on retired matchmaker, Essie O’Callaghan, who happens to have a mission of her own.
Dr. Michael Walshe had a ring in his pocket when he walked in on his girlfriend sleeping with her costar. He wants no part of Essie’s plan to find him a wife.
Fate – or something more leprechaun-shaped – has Kate and the doctor both heading to Cluhalaugh, home to Ireland’s most famous matchmaking festival. And somehow their paths keep crossing. The more they see of each other the harder it is to resist exploring their reluctant attraction. Will Kate realize that Michael could be far more than the cure to her writer’s block?

Want to read the first two Chapters? Click here

There really is an Irish Matchmaking Festival celebrated in the town of Lisdoonvarna. I visited Ireland in 2013 to research this book.
I changed the name of the town to protect the innocent. 


If I interested you, I am celebrating by giving away three copies of the eBook. 
I am also giving away a necklace which looks magic to me.

It's costume jewelry but very pretty.
Enter below. Happy Reading.
Side note:
Michael Walshe, the hero in Irish Magic, is Sherry's son from Time and Forever. He is a side character in Maybe This Time. Irish Magic could be called book three in the Second Chance series. But the other two involved time travel and this one doesn't. Should I go back and change that? What say you?

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Tuesday, August 6, 2019

Smugglers, Spies, and Sizzling Romance. Meet Barbara Monajem #Giveaway

Posted by Susan B James on 3:00:00 AM with 4 comments


Meet Barbara Monajem, and her latest lighthearted Regency romance, The Smuggler's Escape.  Barbara, please tell us a little about yourself.
I write too many different kinds of stories. I’ve done vampires, regular Regency romances, Regencies-with-Magic (semi-paranormal and truly paranormal), mysteries with romance, romances with mystery, even a children’s fantasy and a time travel short story. In other words, I’m all over the place and don’t know how to settle. I mentioned this on a Facebook takeover the other day, and one reader told me not to settle—to write whatever I like. Which was kind of her and very encouraging, because although my current release is a Regency romance with lots of adventure, I have a ghostly romance coming out in an anthology in October, the aforementioned time travel story in December, and a Regency mystery in April 2020. Like I said, all over the place! I love it. I'm a little all over the place myself.

I love firsts, so tell me about the moment when a publisher told you they wanted to publish your book.
Hmm. There were three of these moments. The first was eons ago, when my kids were little and before e-books happened. That was for my children’s fantasy, and I think it must have been via snail mail. One of these days I will have that story scanned in and made available as an e-book.
 The second time, the phone was ringing as I got home from work. I ran to answer it –- this was before the time when 9 out of 10 calls were from telemarketers – and the screen on the phone read “Dorchester Publishing.” Eureka! I was thrilled when editor Chris Keeslar offered me a contract on my contemporary vampire romance, Sunrise in a Garden of Love and Evil, as well as two more in the same series.
The third time was at the Romance Writers of America national conference. An editor from Harlequin Mills and Boon emailed, saying they wanted my Regency novella, Notorious Eliza, and asked to meet me that very day!

If it isn’t too nosy. How about the first time you kissed your true love?
It’s way too nosy! The answer is: It was amazing!! I dare not say more.

Who are your favorite writers in your genre?
I have too many favorite writers to mention. Here are a few: In Regency romance, the late, fabulous Georgette Heyer. She is my go-to for comfort reads. (yes!) More recently, my favorite author of historicals is Joanna Bourne. In mystery… hmm. Lately I’ve been reading classic romance from 80 to 100 years ago—such as Dorothy Sayers and Margery Allingham—as well as recent Regency-era mysteries by Ashley Gardner and contemporary police procedurals by Anne Cleeland. In scifi/fantasy, Lois McMaster Bujold is one of my favorites. Her recent series of fantasy novellas about Penric the sorcerer and his demon Desdemona are wonderful. I have the latest waiting on my Kindle now.

What is your favorite pastime, other than writing?
I don’t have time for any pastimes! I love to cook, but since I do it almost every day, it doesn’t feel like a pastime. In what little downtime I have, I read, read, read.

How do you motivate yourself when inspiration takes a vacation?
When inspiration takes a vacation, I don’t need motivation – I need brainstorming. I discuss my story ideas with my daughters. They are hugely helpful! I’m so grateful for their help.

Tell us about The Smuggler's Escape.

After escaping the guillotine, Noelle de Vallon takes refuge with her aunt in England. Determined to make her own way, she joins the local smugglers, but when their plans are uncovered, Richard, Lord Boltwood steps out of the shadows to save her. Too bad he’s the last man on earth she ever wanted to see again.
 Years ago, Richard Boltwood’s plan to marry Noelle was foiled when his ruthless father shipped him to the Continent to work in espionage. But with the old man at death’s door, Richard returns to England with one final mission: to catch a spy. And Noelle is the prime suspect.
 Noelle needs Richard’s help, but how can she ever trust the man who abandoned her? And how can Richard catch the real culprit while protecting the woman who stole his heart and won’t forgive him for breaking hers?

Short teaser:
“Open it, my love,” Richard said. “If you don’t like it, the jeweler will allow us to exchange it for something else.”

Slowly, almost reluctantly, Noelle opened the little box. Nestled inside was a delicate necklace of diamonds and sapphires. “It’s beautiful.” She didn’t touch it. She returned it to his hand.
“Take it, sweetheart. It will suit you admirably and as befits my wife.”
She sighed. “As I have told you over and over, I will not marry you.”
He tried to drum up his usual lighthearted retort, but fortunately, she forestalled him.
“I will accept your gift under one condition,” she said.
He managed a smile. “A condition. How delightful! Do tell me.”
Noelle, his darling, the love of his life, said, “Will you take me as your mistress instead?”


 I love your writing. I am adding this to my TBR list on Goodreads.
Buy links:


What’s your current WIP?
There are three: a Regency-with-Magic, a Regency Christmas novella with secondary characters from The Smuggler’s Escape, and the second book in my Regency mystery series. I’m busy – hence no time for pastimes! Wow. You are one busy lady. I applaud you.

And finally, where can we find you?

Thank you for being here, Barbara. Barbara is giving away Book one of her Scandalous Kisses series, To Kiss A Rake 



Blurb:
WHEN A LADY IS ABDUCTED BY MISTAKE . . .

Melinda Starling doesn’t let ladylike behavior get in the way of true love. She’s secretly assisting in an elopement . . . until she’s tossed into the waiting coach and driven away by a notorious rake.

REVENGE REALLY DOESN’T PAY.

Miles Warren, Lord Garrison, comes from a family of libertines, and he’s the worst of them all—or so society believes. When Miles helps a friend to run away with an heiress, it’s an entertaining way to revenge himself on one of the gossips who slandered him. 

Except that he drives off with the wrong woman . . . and as if that wasn’t scandalous enough, he can’t resist stealing a kiss.
Interested? 
You can enter below. Happy reading.



a Rafflecopter giveaway