Poetry in Motion with Guest Blogger: Margaret Fieland

Welcome author, blogger, & poet
Margaret Fieland to the Book Boost today!

She's here to discuss writing in a new kind of voice and here's what she had to say...


As a poet, I tend to return to the same subjects over and over. Notably...family, relationships, and (to a lesser extent) the landscape around me. In spite of the fact that these subjects are near and dear to my heart, some recent experiences have shown me that I care about, and am capable of writing poetry about much more.


Last year, I participated in National Novel Writing Month (NaNo) as well as a chap book challenge that involved writing a poem every day through the month of November. Because I wanted to tie the two together, I invented a poet as part of the novel and wrote the poems in his voice.


The novel is a tween Sci-Fi genre piece and I wanted to bring out the spiritual values of the aliens, and so my poet's work was intended to be one of their sacred texts and contained a fair number of prayers, affirmations, and poems that spoke to the society's values.


I found myself slipping into my imaginary poet's head and despite the fact that I don't usually write spiritual or religious poetry, these works flowed easily and I had no difficulty either deciding on the subject matter or in expressing what I felt would be my poet's values. I ended up with thirty poems, thirty poems about subject matter I cared about deeply, but which, if not for the novel, it would never have occurred me to write about.


This year, I've again created a poet, this time a Terran (human) poet, and this time, also, I find myself slipping easily into my created persona and again, writing about subject matter that I would not normally take up. Constance, my imaginary poet, it appears, is far more political than I am. She has written a number of poems that speak to the chaotic political situation of her time, a hundred years before my novel begins and about a hundred years in our future.


As a poet, I am always striving to extend myself, both in terms of what and how I write my poems. Imagining myself a different person has proven to be a way to do that.


Trying Times

We were meant as a sacrifice to expediency, an excuse to attack the innocent, who meant only to watch over us.

Yet we have ears to hear the silence, the unspoken, the hidden,
the ashes of those sacrificed by corrupt government
on the alter of public policy.

Lies kept the peace. We spoke truth,
we let loose war among ourselves.

What else could we have done?

Want More Margaret?

Visit her on the web here: http://poetic-muselings.net

Pick up a copy of her anthology Lifelines today! Click here.

Take a Hike with Guest Blogger: Nancy Warren

Welcome award winning author Nancy Warren to the Book Boost!

She's here to reveal her dirty little secret and here's what she had to say...


So, here's is my dirty little secret (a/k/a DLS). Okay, not anywhere near the dirtiest, but it's January which always seems like a time for new beginnings and the end of old bad habits so it's time to fess up.


My DLS is this: for more than twenty years, my New Year's Resolution was the same. It was two, in fact, though I sort of ran them together in my head. They were:


1. Get Fit.
2. Get Organized.


For. Twenty. Years. The same ones.


You'd think a creative writer could come up with something a little fresher every year or five, but no.


Each January would begin with the usual flurry. A few painful jogs. A visit to the steroid factory aka the gym. When my muscles got too sore to work out, I'd turn to part two of the compound resolution. Get organized. I'd dump out a drawer, find that lipstick I thought I'd lost forever, remove the gunked-on lint and crumbs and try and find the cap. Then I'd decide the entire task too overwhelming and simply give up.


However, three years ago, all of that changed. No, actually, part of that changed.


I love to hike. I love being out in the trees and the mountains and here in the pacific northwest we have plenty of those. Also rain, but if you don't want to get wet, stay out of the rain forest. I happen to love rain.


I don't think I'd ever connected doing something I love with my Get Fit resolution. Stupid, I know. I seemed to believe that if there was no pain and seized muscles involved, I wasn't getting anywhere. So, three years ago in October, I joined a local Meet-Up hiking group.


I could have no idea that that simple click of a button could change me life, but it has. I now hike several times every week with a group of like minded souls who have become some of my closest friends. This past summer, two other women from my hiking group and I hiked in the Rockies for nine days.


At some point, I realized to myself, that I am fitter and healthier than I've ever been. I don't have to worry about my weight, the mountains take care of that. And the coolest thing is discovering the connection between hiking and creativity. When you are out hiking (or walking, jogging, swimming, cross country skiing, etc.) something happens. It's a sort of moving meditation for want of a better term. I find story ideas popping up, or thorny plot issues working themselves out as I breathe in the fresh air and make my way up a tough hill. Sure there's effort and sometimes sore muscles involved, but for me, doing something I loved was the secret to fitness.


As for the Get Organized thing, my progress has been, well, not so good. This year, however, I made a slight variation to the old plan. I made a much smaller, daily measurable goal. My New Year's Resolution is to clean off my desk at the end of every day. I figure I can spend a couple of minutes filing, removing candy wrappers (ahem), paying bills, and putting things that have no business in my office (like the glittery change purse and feather earrings my daughter didn't want which I am looking at now) and put them where they belong.


I believe I can do this. And you know what? If I can't, my life will still go on. In spite of chronic disorganization and an office that could feature in its own episode of Hoarders, I have managed to write 45 novels, raise a family, enjoy my friends and live a life.


Maybe the secret to living a happy life isn't to beat yourself up for the things you don't achieve, but to celebrate the things you do.


Maybe the best resolution for all of us is to stop being so hard on ourselves! (But if you happen to hear of a meet-up group of people who like to come to messy people's houses and organize them, sign me up!)


Happy New Year. I think you are fabulous just the way you are.


A Note from the Book Boost: Nancy, I like your way of thinking. You are not alone. Get Fit/Get Organized are always out there looming around the next corner and taunting us with "nanna nanna boo boo". Your hiking adventures sound great and thanks for sharing your story with us today. Please tell us more about your latest book.

Blurb:

There’s nothing pretty about murder.

Meet Toni Diamond, make up artist to middle America. She’s also got a nose for trouble and a passion for solving mysteries. Imagine Columbo in a lavender suit. She never met a woman who wouldn’t look better with a little help from the Lady Bianca line of cosmetics. But don’t be fooled by appearances. Underneath the fake diamonds and the big hair is a sharp brain and a keen eye that sees the details as well as the funny side of life.

When a Lady Bianca sales rep is murdered at the annual convention in Dallas, Toni is the one who notices things that some people, like sexy Detective Luke Marciano, might easily miss. Only someone who understands as much about how to make appearances deceiving could see into the mind of this killer -- a murderer who wants to give Toni a permanent makeover. Into a dead woman.


Excerpt:

Toni stepped forward, squeezing her way through the crush of well-dressed, well-coiffed, well-made-up women. As a fairly senior member of the organization she felt she might be needed. Besides, she was dying to see what was happening.

She ‘scuse me’d her way through the crush of women until she could see. The small conference room, Longhorn C, was where a dozen people could enjoy a breakout session or a meeting.

Yellow crime scene tape stretched across the entrance way but a further half circle of emptiness engulfed the doorway as though an invisible rope held everyone back. By craning her neck she could peek into the room. A flash went off as a guy with a camera took a picture of something on the floor. A technician was dusting the table for fingerprints. Another operated what looked like a black shop vac. His back was to her, his jacket said Crime Scene Investigation.

While she stood there, a woman of about forty in a linen business suit, with her dark hair in a take-me-seriously chignon, emerged from the room. In a low voice, she gave her name to a uniformed officer standing near the door. All Toni could hear was “D.A.’s office,” and then she signed her name on a form held onto a metal clipboard, ducked under the tape and walked briskly toward the escalator. The Lady Bianca reps parted for her the way the Red Sea had parted for Moses.

Inside Longhorn C, a stretcher on wheels stood beside a clump of people in cop uniforms, plain clothes and one portly man with white hair in a black jacket that read Coroner. There was a shift of bodies and a sudden gap and she saw that they were sliding the victim into a body bag.

She only saw the bottom part of the dead woman. Legs in Capri pants, open-toed sandals. Feet in crying need of a pedicure. As they maneuvered the body, a Birkenstock sandal fell off the woman’s foot and a hand wearing a surgical glove picked it up and dropped it into the bag.

She watched a hand zip up the bag but couldn’t hear it over the sound of the vacuum. They hoisted the body onto the gurney and then it rolled slowly out toward the hundreds of silent women, almost like a preview of the funeral procession. If Toni had been wearing a hat she’d have removed it; as it was she tried to think of a suitable prayer or even a bible verse as the body rolled by.

Two young uniformed cops -- one male and one female -- wheeled the gurney in her direction. Behind them walked the coroner wearing a suitably serious face. He sported a white moustache and the erect way he carried himself suggested to her that he’d once been in the military. Walking beside him, talking quietly was a guy in plain clothes who might as well have been in uniform. He had cop written all over him from his short haircut to his watchful eyes to his upright stance.

The black shape passed by where she stood and as she gazed toward it, she realized something obvious.

“That’s not a Lady Bianca rep.”

Want More Nancy?

Nancy is a USA Today bestselling Harlequin and Kensington author who got her big break when she won Harlequin's 2000 Blaze Contest. Her sensuous, humorous romances have won numerous awards and appeared on the Waldenbooks bestseller list.

Visit her website here: http://www.nancywarren.net

Pick up a copy of her book today! Click here.

Blogger of the Year Nominee: Margaret West

Win a Book Bundle from our
talented nominees and
Welcome the second of five special
interviews with our 2011
Book Boost Blogger of the Year Nominees!

Today, we welcome nominated author Margaret West to the blog. We chatted with her recently and asked 21 questions, here's what she had to say...


TBB: How and when did you become a professional author?

MW: I was first published way back in1999, I suppose you could say it was then I was officially professional, but I used to write for various columns before that. I’ve always liked writing. I was always the girl with the biggest project at school (lol) but when I began to work for Eon Productions, who make the James Bond Films, I became fascinated with the scriptwriters and how they put a story together.

I commented that I’d love to write and create people, one of them replied, 'nothings impossible in this world if you put your mind to it.’ So I did put my mind to it and my first novel was written while I was working for that prestigious company.


TBB: What do you find to be the most difficult aspect of writing a book (the creation/concept, writing, achieving publication, sales/promotion, etc…)?

MW: I struggle with promotions and sales. I always have done. Sometimes I feel the book writing is the easy part and nowadays the author does nearly ALL the promotions and the publishers take quite a back seat.


TBB: Which of your books is your favorite and why?

MW: Abigail Cottage, it’s the first book I ever wrote and it was when I worked at Eon and it’s only JUST been published last year. It’s a dark paranormal and shows how my writing has changed over the years.


TBB: If you had to describe that book using ONLY ONE word what would it be?

MW: Inspiring


TBB: Looking back on your writing career thus far, if you could change one thing, what would it be and why?

MW: I would have maybe got an agent. It’s been hard subbing to so many publishers and getting a ton of rejections. Remember, I was subbing before the internet and computers were around lol


TBB: Is there a message imbedded into your stories you hope readers will get? If so, what is it?

MW: Yes. In my latest books every story has a subtle meaning. I make them inspirational, so each reader will gain something from the stories. It might be a fiction book, but some of my characters actions can be related to in the real world.


TBB: What has been your favorite fan letter or fan comment ever?

MW: Actually, I received it not so long ago. A reader said that Abigail Cottage took over their life (lol). Even when she wasn’t reading it, she was thinking about the character and their situation within the story. It made me feel all the effort I put into making the characters three dimensional had worked.


TBB: What is your top writing career goal?

MW: To get my books back into the stores. They used to be, but the publisher I was with folded and now my books are internet based, as my overseas publishers don’t seem to have the connections with the UK stores. Which makes selling them harder.


TBB: Give me one quote (from yourself/by yourself) about being a writer.

MW: "It’s a lonely life, but a consuming one."

TBB: What do you dislike the most about being a writer?

MW: The fact that sometimes people do not realize how hard I work. How much blood sweat and tears go into every facet of my book. That my works just as important as there’s even though they probably get paid a lot more than me lol I’m not just sitting on my backside tapping away at a computer for fun.

It’s my life, it defines me. My work IS me. Oooh don’t get me started (lol).


TBB: What other author would you most like to meet & have lunch with?

MW: Catherine Cookson, Catherine Marchant, and Katie McMullen, all the same person (lol). She was Britain’s most widely read author whose sales topped 100 million. I grew up reading her books. I know she’s not with us now, but it doesn’t mean she is not available for a chat though (lol) but that’s a whole can of worms I won’t go into.


TBB: Who, in your life, is your biggest source of inspiration and why?

MW: It sounds cliché and I don’t want to sound soppy, but it has to be my husband. He is so positive with my writing. He constantly reminds me what a great achievement my books are and that each one is a legacy from me. When I feel down about a book, or the sales are low, he reminds me that being an author is not an easy path, but it’s a path that many would like to walk on and never do. I’m blessed publishers and readers like my books.


TBB: What is your favorite breakfast food?

MW: Chocolate. If that can be classed as food. I eat shed loads of it as it helps me think.


TBB: What is your worst habit?

MW: Biting my nails. If I am stuck in a chapter, they are the first to go.


TBB: What song lyrics get stuck in your head most often?

MW: I’m a bit of a classical fan, and I always play Andrea Bocelli - "Time to say goodbye". I drive my hubby nuts with it, as he knows when that plays I’m in a plot and people are suffering (lol).


TBB: If someone wrote a biography about you, what should the title be?

MW: She Followed a Dream and Found Reality


TBB: If you were a t-shirt, what slogan would appear on you?

MW: "Feed Me Chocolate"


TBB: Favorite place to visit?

MW: The coast. I feel alive, invigorated when I walk near the ocean. Hence why I live near the coast lol


TBB: Favorite time of year (or fave holiday)?

MW: I don’t have one. How sad is that (lol)? It used to be Christmas, but with the children grown up and gone, it’s a bit too commercialized for me now. It will be different again when the grandchildren come (lol).


TBB: If you were a cartoon character, which one would you be and why?

MW: Dorie in Finding Nemo (lol). Because my mind is always in my work, real life seems far too complicated and I am forever making mistakes and forgetting things. My friends always say I have my head in the etheric clouds most of time. I think I have to agree (lol).


TBB: What is your least favorite interview question to be asked?

MW: Usually it’s marketing advice for authors. That’s not my strong point I’m afraid.


TBB: Thanks for joining us today, Margaret and congrats on your nomination. We enjoyed getting to know you better and appreciate your appearance at the blog in 2011.

If you'd like to learn more about Margaret and her books, visit her on the web here:

www.margaretwest.net

And don't forget to pick up a copy of Abigail Cottage, click cover to purchase:
























Be sure to check back for our next nominee interview on January 17th with Patricia Pellicane!


Contest Time:


Reminder: The nominees will be counting on your votes to win the Grand Prize and one lucky commenter will receive a gift pack with a book from each nominee (donated by The Book Boost).


So, leave a comment or question for each nominee to increase your odds of winning! Winners announced on Valentine's Day 2012!




**Winners for Book Boost prizes are drawn the first week of the following month and posted in the Recent Winners box in the right hand side of the blog. Check back to see if you are a winner and to claim your prize! Please leave your contact information in your blog post!**

Take a Non-Coffee Break with Guest Blogger: Miriam Newman

Welcome best selling author
Miriam Newman to the Book Boost!

Here's what she had to say...


This past July, I had a bit of a shock. Now entering my sixties, I’ve always been an active, outdoorsy kind of person. Weight was never an issue; in fact, when I was younger I was on the thin side, probably due to my ceaseless physical activity. Then the writing bug hit. Many long hours at the computer. Lots of coffee. Not a lot of sleep. Sound familiar?

Things kept cropping up. First I was diagnosed with cataracts in both eyes. The eye doctor said it was due to sun exposure. It made using the computer screen a real pain, but I plugged on. Next it was a relatively minor injury to one ankle which turned out not to be so minor. One blood clot, surgery and some physical therapy later, I realized it had taken six months to heal.
OK, I said, this is not normal.

Diabetes runs in my family and although I wasn’t having the usual symptoms, I was suspicious. So off I went to the doctor, asking to be tested even though it wasn’t “time.” When she called me from home on a Saturday morning, I knew the news was bad. My glucose level was three times normal. She couldn’t believe I was still walking around. Well, I was…but not enough, apparently.

The writer’s life was doing me in.

It was time to reorganize that life, if I wanted to keep on having one. Weight gain and inactivity are deadly enemies with this disease, which the Centers for Disease Control says is becoming a worldwide epidemic, and I came out shooting. I learned to balance my carbohydrates and took off 25 pounds in a hurry. No more pizza and Dr. Pepper (sob).

Fortunately I’ve always loved my fruits and veggies, milk, fish and whole grain products. Good thing, too, because that’s pretty much all I ate. Next I got reacquainted with my neighborhood by walking…yes, walking…through it every day, rain or shine. In between chapters, I walked, as much as three times a day. I was putting in about six miles daily.

Free, relatively convenient and surprisingly social. There are a lot of other people out there doing the same thing. My blood sugar dropped over 200 points. I could see again. When the doctor tested me three months after the diagnosis, the test that measures blood sugar levels over the previous three months (which ought to be below 7) was 6.6. It started at 13, mind you (oops).

What WAS I thinking? In a word—writing. It’s the essence of my being, but…and this is a big but…not at any cost. We can joke about the coffee and the chocolate, the flashes of inspiration that keep us up till 5 a.m. writing something that just has to come out, skipping meals and then shoveling in the food because you’re starved, sending out for pizza because you’re on a roll and don’t want to take time to cook. But you know, it’s not a joke. It’s your life.

So don’t take that BICHOK (Butt in Chair, Hand of Keys) thing too literally. Walk. Jog. Take your dog for a spin—he or she will love you for it. Buy a bike…you know, the kind with pedals. Go meet your neighbors on lovely clear mornings; you might be surprised at what they have to share with you.

Watch the sun rise. Check out the stars at night. Rediscover 7-grain waffles with fresh raspberries…apples with natural peanut butter…tilapia broiled with sugar-free marmalade and grated fresh ginger on top…beets roasted in the oven just like a potato . Salads. Seltzer water instead of soda. You may not be eating as much, but by golly you’ll treasure everything you eat.

And it’s so, so nice to get back into old clothes—like a whole new wardrobe you didn’t realize you had.

Fresh organic food—maybe $70 a week. Doctor’s visits—around $90 a pop. Not dying early of preventable complications—priceless. Take care of your body. If you don’t, where will you live?

A Note from the Book Boost: So glad you're doing better now, my friend. You know how I live with diabetes daily as my daughter has Type 1. Unfortunately, she can't control hers by diet and exercise alone but I hope I've instilled good habits in her at an early age nonetheless. Thanks for sharing your story and I'm so happy that you joined us today. Please tell us more about your latest book.


Blurb:

An ambitious young Norman knight, Neel, is seriously wounded at the Battle of Hastings and nursed back to health by a Saxon girl, Rowena. For her, it is only a matter of Christian duty and she is shocked to receive his proposal of marriage in return. She dares not refuse, but how can she love a Norman?

For Neel, Normandy is only a bad memory. His future lies in Rowena’s land and her bed, but he is not welcome in either.

From pastoral Sussex to the furthest reaches of Wales, he will seek to make her his own.



Excerpt:

Fumbling at the gaudy tie, she drew out a necklace of stones like the eyes of a cat. Carefully drilled and strung on a fine wire, they slid through her fingers smoothly.

“They are called topaz,” Neel explained. Stunned, Rowena had neither moved nor spoken.

“They are the color of your eyes. I have given Bryna a gown for you, too. And a head covering.” He smiled at her. “I think you will like ours better. All I ask is that you wear them for Christ’s Mass.”

She remained obdurately silent, but she could not…dared not…refuse. No doubt the gown was Norman. He called her “little Saxon,” yet did not wish her to appear to be one. And perhaps, if Ralf had spoken truly, he was correct and she wasn’t one at all.

“Here,” Neel said as if her acceptance was a given. “Sit beside me and I will put it on you.”

Still mute, she perched rigidly on the edge of the mattress she had shared with him in perfect comfort when he was unconscious. This time he was awake and aware and so was she-- jolted by every nuance as he touched her for the first time.

He was efficient, raising her wild hair with a hand holding its weight, parting it and dropping it forward over both shoulders so that he could fix the clasp of the necklace. She felt the cold, rich stones against her collarbones and heard the tiny snick of the clasp as he put his claim on her.

He lifted her hair back carefully, not catching it in the necklace. But he did not take his hands from her shoulders after he had done it.

She fell back upon manners, drilled into her by Bryna. “I have nothing for you,” she said faintly.

“Then give me a kiss.”

There it was--the trap she had sensed. She could wrest her body from beneath his hands and bolt for the door and he couldn’t stop her, but that was only postponing the inevitable. Slowly, she turned her head to the side, not moving towards him but not moving away.

“Come,” he said softly, inching closer. How was he doing that…hurt as he was?

“Be careful,” she said, ambiguously.

“It’s just a kiss.”

It would be capitulation…unspoken acknowledgement of his ownership. But just as the needs of the body had drawn her to offered food, other needs tempted her, too. Trapped not by his hands but by her own indecision, she made no move to resist as he turned her within their circle, now at her waist. It was an awkward position, though, leaving her in imminent danger of falling off the side of the bed.

“Better hold on,” he said, the devil incarnate. She did, twining her hands in his fine tunic as he spread his palm against her back to support her. The other hand cupped the back of her head. Infinitely gentle, he lowered his face to hers, teasing at her lips.

“Very sweet,” he murmured. It was nothing like she had thought a kiss would be. She had imagined Ralf plunging his tongue into her as Leofric had done…pictured him groping her breast, hurting her, gross and fetid.

It was not like that at all. Neel’s tongue traced the outline of hers lips, slow and enticing, not a bit revolting. When his lips nudged hers gently she opened her mouth, sighing. He kissed her slowly and deeply, a silken invasion that set her heart pounding. Her hold on him increased, involuntarily, and she felt his response in the strength of his hand on her back, fingers splayed, supporting her. Guiding her. He drew her against his chest until she could feel her breasts taut and aching against his warm flesh and started to resist. Immediately, his grip slackened and he lifted his face from hers.

“I’m only playing, little Saxon,” he whispered.

Want More Miriam?

Visit her website here.

Watch the exciting trailer! Click here.

Pick up a copy today! Click here.

The Stand Alone World of Indie Publishing with Guest Blogger: Phyllis A. Humphrey

Welcome Book Boost featured author
Phyllis Humphrey to the blog!

She's here to discuss her journey into the world of Indie Publishing and here's what she had to say...


I’ve joined the Indie Publishing revolution and am very excited about it. In fact I have put three books up on Amazon within the past month from my back list and have sold five copies already.


Of course, most of my books (but not these three) have been available as e-books from their various publishers for a few years, and usually my royalty statements show more e-book sales than trade paper. But this time I’ve done it myself. Well, hubby did it actually, but I’m technologically illiterate, dontcha know.


The newly-sold e-books are North By Northeast and The Green Bough, both for $2.99, and Once More With Feeling, which I priced at 99 cents to see what would happen. Didn’t I read that some guy sold a million copies of his 99-cent book? Plus the local newspaper book page listed two 99-cent books on their best seller list recently. And they were not by famous writers like Stephen King or Sue Grafton.


Once More With Feeling is the second romance novel I wrote, way back in the early 1980's and was published by Kensington for their short-lived Precious Gems line in the 90's. I set it in San Francisco, where I was living at the time. Two of the characters in the book are 85-year-old twin aunts of the hero, and on two different occasions I was told by readers that they knew those ladies and wondered how I came to know them. The truth was I didn’t. I thought I had invented them. Small world, isn’t it?


Because my hubby did it for me, I can’t boast about how easy it is to self-publish like this, although many other authors have said so. However, reading the blogs of Anne R. Allen, Kristine Kathryn Rusch, Dean Wesley Smith, and J.A. Konrath convinced me this is the wave of the future and I hope to be there.


Besides, I have my own horror stories about publishers who literally held my books for years--one for 26 months and another for 35 months--before returning them. Another published my book but went out of business before paying me. Still another wanted the rights for the life of the copyright. (That’s the life of the author, plus seventy years!) I didn’t sign with them: I may be technically challenged, but I’m not stupid.


I also rejected a contract that offered me a “generous” ten percent discount on any of my own books I might buy. And one which charged writers $35 to enter their annual contest, the winner of which might be published. One publisher--a woman--claimed to be suddenly hospitalized and asked her authors to please buy a bunch of books so she could pay that month’s bills. (I fell for that one; found out later she did it every year.) One male publisher wanted to put his name on my book as co-author. Oh no, that was an agent. But my agent stories will have to wait for another day and another blog.


At any rate, whatever happens, I’ve decided I can’t do any worse, and may do better in Indie-land. Stay tuned.


A Note from the Book Boost: Phyllis, your blog was like a breath of fresh air! I love your "can do" attitude. Tech savvy or not you're making strides toward accomplishing your dreams even after all the hurdles you've endured along the way. Good for you! Please tell us more about your latest.


Blurb:

Fresh from three years in America, Englishwoman Elizabeth Shallcross has big plans for her future, and they do not include remaining in England as a lowly governess. She agrees, however, to one last obligation. She must accompany Richard Graham, an American widower, and care for his little girl on a luxurious voyage to America.

Their ship? The Titanic. On the fateful trip, two men vie for her attention. But when the ship strikes an iceberg, who will survive?


Excerpt (edited for length):

“If I’m not being too bold, may I ask if I may assist you further? You seemed to be searching for someone in this crowd. Perhaps I could find a safer place for you to wait?”

Since he was obviously a gentleman, she had no qualms about telling him the circumstances.

“You’re right. I am waiting for someone--Lord and Lady Wheatly--with whom I’ve just returned from America.”

He gave a broad grin. “What a coincidence. I came here today to meet them myself. Are you a relative of the Wheatlys?”

“No.” She decided quickly that explaining her position would be awkward as well as unnecessary and said no more.

“Forgive me.” He touched the brim of his hat. “I should have introduced myself at once. My name is Richard Graham.”

“Elizabeth Shallcross.”

He took her gloved hand in his. “What a delightful coincidence. Since you are a friend of Lady Wheatly, I expect we shall see a great deal of one another in future. I shall look forward to it.”
His smile and the length of time he held her hand in his could mean only one thing. He was flirting with her, obviously wanting to become better acquainted. She’d had admiring glances before and suspected he might, as other men she’d met recently had done, attempt to pursue a closer relationship. His next words confirmed her opinion.

“You say you were with the Wheatlys in America?”

“Yes, I was.”

“I understand the Bennetts are planning a welcome-home party for them. No doubt you will be attending.” Without giving her time to answer, he went on. “If no one is escorting you to the soiree, may I offer my services in that regard?”

Elizabeth felt her cheeks warm. How marvelous it would be to attend such a party, and in Graham’s company at that. But the acceptance she framed in her mind never became spoken words.

An imposing voice--which she recognized at once as belonging to Lord Wheatly--broke the little tete-a-tete and Mr. Graham released Elizabeth’s hand.

“Richard, my boy,” Wheatly said to her companion, “how good of you to come to meet us.”

Almost at once, Lady Wheatly appeared behind her husband, both hands occupied holding onto those of her two children. And behind her, a uniformed steward pushed a heavy-duty cart laden with steamer trunks, boxes and leather bags.

Richard Graham bowed again. “Lady Wheatly. Sir. I took the liberty of engaging a large motorcar for your return to London. The rack on top will hold all your luggage. I hope that meets with your approval.”

“Capital,” Wheatly said. “Very thoughtful of you.”

Penelope, who was eight years old, pulled her hand out of her mother’s and rushed to Elizabeth’s side.

“I see you have met the children’s governess,” Lady Wheatly said to Graham. “Elizabeth Shallcross. But we call her Beth. We somehow lost touch with one another leaving the ship, but it seems you have found her for us.”

After taking Penelope’s hand in hers, Beth looked up at Lady Wheatly. “I’m so sorry if I caused you any worry. I returned to my stateroom for the gift I’d purchased for my mother.”

During her explanation, Beth watched the smile fade from Mr. Graham’s face. She knew exactly what he thought. No doubt an aristocrat, he’d presumed her to be one as well. Now he knew she was only an employee of the Wheatlys’. So much for his offer to be her escort to a party. A knot formed in her midriff. In spite of changing times, the class system was obviously still alive and well in twentieth century England.

A half-hearted smile reappeared on Richard Graham’s face. “Yes, Miss Shallcross and I have met.” He paused. “However, I’m not sure if there will be room in the motorcar...”
Beth spoke again. “I shan’t need a ride back to town, Mr. Graham. I expect my parents will be meeting me here very soon.”

“Admirable,” Lord Wheatly said.

Lady Wheatly leaned toward Beth. “But this is au revoir and not good-bye. You remember we have much to discuss, and I shall expect you to call on us in a day or so. When it is convenient and you’re rested from the crossing.”

“Yes, Ma’am.” She dropped her gaze, unwilling to look at the others any longer. Why had she allowed herself to be enticed even for a moment when Richard Graham introduced himself earlier? She should have known nothing would come of it. She supposed her three years in New York were responsible for such optimism. Little, if any, class consciousness existed there.

“Well, let us be on our way,” Lord Wheatly said. “Richard, is the motorcar nearby?”

Mr. Graham stared at the procession of automobiles threading their way through the slowly-diminishing crowd. “I believe I see it now.” He paused. “Miss Shallcross, a pleasure to meet you.”

She detected no warmth in the smile he gave her then, but she nodded her head for an instant and said nothing.

Both Penelope and Charles, who was six, gave her the polite handshakes she’d taught them to give when greeting or parting from others. She watched them enter the large silver limousine where the steward arranged the luggage on top. She recognized it, from magazine pictures she’d seen, as a Rolls Royce Silver Cloud. Seemingly almost as large as a railroad passenger car, it provided plenty of room for her, especially if Mr. Graham were to sit in the front seat with the chauffeur.

But he apparently preferred not to include her, and the steward placed her own steamer trunk at her feet. Although she chafed at the slight, her common sense told her she didn’t want Mr. Graham to see where she lived anyway. She curtsied to Lord and Lady Wheatly, and they, too, climbed into the vehicle. Richard Graham apparently entered from the other side, and she didn’t see him again.

She sighed. Most likely she would never see the man again.

Want More Phyllis?

Visit her website here: http://phyllishumphrey.com/

Pick up a copy of her book today! Click here.

Strive for Success with Guest Blogger: Shelly Bell

Win a $25 Bath and Body Works
Gift Card and meet author
Shelly Bell today at the Book Boost!

Here's what she had to say about her plan for the New Year...


Resolutions No More: Goal Setting for Success

With the New Year come the inevitable resolutions. Topping the list are losing weight and exercising. Unfortunately, most people break their resolutions by the end of the month, if not sooner. Which is why, I no longer make New Year’s resolutions.


To me, a resolution is a decision to do something, i.e., I resolve to lose ten pounds. Instead, I believe in goal setting. Without goals, how can we ever achieve our dreams? But unlike a resolution, goals require you to make a plan of action.


The problem arises when we fail to accomplish our goal. We chastise ourselves for the inability to lose the last ten pounds or exercise five days a week. After our perceived failure, we throw our goal out the window, deciding that because we ate a piece of cake, we might as well eat the whole dessert.


When we make our goal, we need to set up realistic expectations. If you never exercise, don’t set your goal at five days a week. Start with one day a week and expect that occasionally, life will get in the way. After you get comfortable with the one day, add another. Hopefully, exercise will become a habit but if it doesn’t, don’t beat yourself up for it and don’t give up.


The same goes for weight loss. While you should eat a healthy and balanced diet, for most people, it’s acceptable to eat dessert now and then. Just because you enjoyed a piece of cake, doesn’t mean you’ve failed. Accept it and move on. Don’t give in to the temptation of gorging on everything in sight.


Getting healthy must begin with our thoughts. The past few years, I’ve focused not on losing weight, but on eliminating food binges. I’ve eliminated wheat and sugar from my diet and as a result, lost seventy pounds. I’m still not thin. My goal is to obtain a healthy weight and maintain it, regardless of what society and the BMI believe to be an acceptable weight for me. It may take years to achieve my goal but I won’t give up. In the meantime, my blood pressure, cholesterol and sugars are normal without medication. I added back years to my life. That to me is much more important than a number on the scale. In fact, I don’t weigh myself anymore.


I also started exercising with a personal trainer twice a week. I’d love to do it more, but right now, that’s all I can manage. I’ve learned to enjoy weight lifting and pilates, something I never would have tried if I kept my emphasis on weight loss. I can’t believe how flexible I’ve gotten this year!


Each day, I try to eat foods that will make me feel good physically. That means three balanced meals of protein, carbs and fats. Gone are the days when lunch consisted of Peanut M&M’s and Diet Coke. Also gone are those days when I ate pre-packaged meals, drank shakes or starved my body. With a balanced diet, I have the energy to work, play with my children, read a book a day, and write. I never could have done that when my goal was to lose weight.


Of course, I’m not perfect. I sometimes eat a larger portion than I should, so I need to get back to weighing and measuring my food. Not because of my weight but because mentally, I feel better when I take care of myself.


My health goals are simple. Love myself and others with my whole heart. Focus on the positive. Live each day to the fullest. Express my feelings.


I don’t make New Year’s resolutions, but I do set goals year-round and make a plan to achieve my goals. It’s helped me more than with my weight. Last year, I set a goal to write a book. When I finished writing it, I set a goal to work to get it published.


Notice I said work. Whether it was accepted for publication wasn’t up to me, so how could I set it as my goal? What I could do was send out submissions to the publishers. I did the work and it paid off.


My first book, A Year to Remember, will be available on January 31st. It’s about a young woman who resolves to find and marry her soul mate within a year’s time. If only she had set a goal…


A Note from the Book Boost: Congrats on achieving your goals and I wish you much success with your debut release! Your post was very inspirational and thank you so much for joining us today at the Boost. Please tell us a little more about that fabulous book.


Blurb:

When her younger brother marries on her twenty-ninth birthday, food addict Sara Friedman drunkenly vows to three hundred wedding guests to find and marry her soul mate within the year. After her humiliating toast becomes a YouTube sensation, she permits a national morning show to chronicle her search. With the help of best friend Missy, she plunges head first into the shallow end of the dating pool.

Her journey leads her to question the true meaning of soul mates, as she decides between fulfilling her vow to marry before her thirtieth birthday and following her heart’s desire. But before she can make the biggest decision of her life, Sara must begin to take her first steps towards recovery from her addiction to food.


Excerpt:

Plunged into darkness as the door closed behind me, I couldn’t find the light switch. I hit my knee against a chair and groaned from the pain.

The door opened and someone entered the room. I assumed it was Missy coming to rescue me once again.

“I can’t find the light switch, Missy. Do you know where it is?”

Without warning, someone yanked me tightly against his warm, solid body. I heard his slight intake of breath and then he kissed me.

I know I should have fought against it, but whoever he was, he kissed sinfully well. At first, his soft lips whispered lightly against my own, seeking permission. When not only didn’t I stop him, but made a little moan of approval, his tongue caressed my lips until I opened my mouth.

Only then did he allow his tongue to touch mine, first tentatively exploring the hidden depths of my mouth, and then hard and passionately, as though he’d never get enough of me.

He tasted like a heavenly combination of whiskey and cake. His tongue teased mine in sweet caresses, heating my blood to a fevered pitch.

Desperately needing to learn the identity of my mystery man, I lifted my hand to touch his face. He grabbed it away, nibbling on each fingertip then gently brushed his fingers across my cheek. I licked my lips in preparation of more kisses, but instead of kissing me, he spun me around in circles, confusing my sense of balance. As the world tilted on its axis and I tried to regain my bearings, he silently left the room.

For a few minutes, I stood rooted to the spot, attempting to recover from the encounter and craving more from my mystery kisser. Blushing from my response to him, I knew although I never saw his face, I would have made love to him if he asked. Before him, no one in twenty-nine years made my body burn that way.

Suddenly, I remembered the room’s two floor lamps. I floundered around the room until I smacked into one. After finding our coats, I left the synagogue with Missy.

Ending the evening of my twenty-ninth birthday with a kiss from my mysterious suitor should have thrilled me. Instead, I wondered why he (as drunk as I was, I was pretty sure I would have noticed if it was a woman) didn’t unmask his identity.

Was he married?

Self-conscious?

Fifteen or eighty-five years old?

Or even worse, embarrassed to be discovered kissing me?

Want More Shelly?

Visit her website here: www.ShellyBellBooks.com

Pick up a copy of her debut novel on January 31st!
Stay tuned here for details.

Contest Time:

Leave a question or comment for Shelly and be entered to win a $25 Bath & Body Works gift card.

**Winners for Book Boost prizes are drawn the first week of the following month and posted in the Recent Winners box in the right hand side of the blog. Check back to see if you are a winner and to claim your prize! Please leave your contact information in your blog post!**

Resolutions for a Rad New Year with Guest Blogger: Rachel Firasek

Welcome back to the BookBoost,

paranormal author, Rachel Firasek!

She's here to tell us about the Top 10 Things She'll Do Different This New Year and here's what she had to say...


Hello everyone, and thanks for having me on the Book Boost today! Kerri is such a sweetie. Here’s my to do better or worse this year!

1. I will not abandon my family this year! Yes, most writers will agree, it’s a fine line between neglect to your family and dedication to your craft.

2. I will clean at least one room in my house at least once a week. (promise I’m not a slob, but I’ve been on deadlines since March.)

3. I will have a schedule so I don’t miss blog posts, deadlines, contest entry dates, etc…. (*ducks and winks and Kerri*)

4. I will learn how to say “No” if I can’t follow through. (*I have a really bad habit of over extending myself*)

5. I will have a writing schedule, with goals—my first year of writing I had 90 day goals, 30 day goals, and a daily writing goal. It was great. This year, I’ve been working against time instead of for it.

6. I will take at least three craft classes. (*Not 10*) I started the year out with 8 workshops. That was almost enough to pay for Nationals—which I didn’t get to. Lol. Several of the classes I took just because I know and like the instructors. Not the best way to spend my $$.

7. I will build stronger relationships with my readers. So, yeah expect to see me on some actual forums. Gah! I’m terrified.

8. I will develop a Twitter schedule and stick to it. I’m horrible about the lovely distraction of the awesomeness of Twitter.

9. I will write 2 full length novels, 3 novellas, and 4 shorts this year. I know, it’s a hefty schedule.

10. I will be a better friend, neighbor, sister, mother, and wife. I know that it will all come together with balance, focus and perseverance.

So, that’s my to-do and improve list. How does yours compare?


A Note from the Book Boost: Sounds a lot like my "to do" list. Big, ambitious goals set for myself for January alone. Here's to a productive and successful year for both of us, my friend! Thanks for stopping by and please tell us about your latest book.


Blurb:

For three hundred years, Arabella’s life has been one meaningless death after another. In a cruel twist of fate, Osiris–god of the Underworld–gifts the phoenix her mortality and returns her voodoo magic. If she fails to harness her wayward magic and save a man worthy of a second chance, she’ll forfeit her power and her soul–forever.

Ex-soldier Greyson Meadows desperately wants to be freed from the nightmares and guilt that haunt him after the tragedy that brought him and Ari together. Confronted by the waif of a woman who forces him to face his worst fears, he resists, fighting the need to keep his personal demons hidden instead of setting them free.

When Ari becomes the target of her own magical blunder, it’s not just her life in danger, but now the one of the man she loves.
 

Want More Rachel?

Rachel Firasek grew up in the south and despite the gentle pace, she harassed life at full steam. Her curiosity about mythology, human nature, and the chemical imbalance we call love led her to writing. Her stories began with macabre war poems and shifted to enchanted fairytales, before she settled on a blending of the two.

Today you’ll find her tucked on a small parcel of land, surrounded by bleating sheep and barking dogs, with her husband and children. She entertains them all with her wacky sense of humor or animated reenactments of bad 80’s dance moves.

She’s intrigued by anything unexplained and seeks the answers to this crazy thing we call life. You can find her where the heart twists the soul and lights the shadows.

Or, visit her website here: www.rachelfirasek.com

And pick up a copy of her book today! Click here.