Sooner or later, every author gets asked, “Where do you get your ideas?” And the answer varies, from author to author and even book to book for any author. I often say, ripped from the headlines, or it was an amusing story I heard from a friend. But sometimes it’s just the crazy way a writer’s brain works.

For twenty years, I lived on the beautiful coast of Maine. From my front yard, I could see the scattering of islands just outside Boothbay Harbor. One of them, Damariscove, caught my interest in particular because of its history. I’d read that there were communities of Europeans living on the islands along the coast of Maine fishing the teeming waters and salting their catch to be shipped back to hungry Europeans long before the Mayflower brought the Pilgrims to these shores, and in the journal of Henry Winslow, a pilgrim who had come north to beg for food when the little settlement at Plymouth was starving and in need, he mentioned that there were thirty ships of sail in that harbor and that the good people of Damariscove had given them four hundred pounds of food. More than a hundred years later Capt. Henry Mowat of the British Royal Navy, on orders from Parliament to harass the communities along the New England coast to discourage them from joining the patriot cause, put in at Damariscove and commandeered seventy sheep to feed his crew of sailors and Marines, before turning south to burn the little port city of Falmouth to the ground. During the War of 1812 the men and women of Damariscove were able to watch the battle between the British ship Boxer and the American Enterprise from their own shore. And there are stories that a pirate put ashore to hide his treasure in the pond. All this history on one tiny scrap of island piqued my interest.

So, as I stood in my front yard and contemplated what I could see of this now treeless little island, I was taken by the desire to explore it. I sailed out there on a beautiful sunny summer day, anchored in one of the coves and rowed ashore. There were a few buildings still standing but mostly it was long abandoned, grass and daisy lined cellar holes and overgrown dirt roads.

As I stood at the high point of the island and gazed back toward the harbor that Captain John Smith had once described as a busy place, I considered the ghosts who are supposed to haunt this place. A headless man named Pattishall and his faithful dog, a woman with long flowing hair who has been seen walking into the pond. There are others, I’m sure. But as I stood there, balanced on the edge of an old foundation, the large slab of granite wobbled and I jumped back, not wanting to fall in.

And here’s where my twisted writer’s brain comes in. On the sail back home, the thought came to me: What if I had slipped and fallen into that old cellar hole? And what if I’d hit my head and been knocked unconscious? What if when I came to, there was a roof over my head? What then?

That is how the book, Iain’s Plaid came to be. From a fascinating, yet little known island off the Maine coast with a long and colorful history came a really fun tale of a woman named Dani who sailed out there just like I had, who did fall into that cellar hole and woke up in 1775. And that cellar belonged to Iain, a merchant captain who had his ship loaded with contraband destined for the beleaguered citizens of Boston. When Iain finds Dani hammering away at the door, trying to get out, he thinks she is a lad, but is afraid she might be spying for the British and he’s not about to set this questionable youth free until the goods have been safely delivered. How long before he discovers she’s not what she seems at all? And what will he do with her then? Pick up Iain’s Plaid while it’s on sale and find out…..

I’ve often been asked if there is going to be a sequel and there are plenty of characters who leapt off the page in Iain’s Plaid, whose stories I might just tell. Be sure to let me know what you think after you’ve read Iain’s Plaid. I love hearing from my readers. You can visit me at http://www.Skye-writer.com

Ian’s Plaid by Skye Taylor is on sale 8/16 – 8/31

Find it on Amazon, Kobo, Barnes & Noble, Google, and Apple

Did she know what John Wilkes Booth was planning? Could she have stopped him? 

Booth’s Sister.

Would she want to learn the secret cipher code, her brother asked. He was a rebel spy, of course, she knew this but could not bear to know this.

And when she refused, he left. And was back the next night, in the pitch dark of night with a packet of papers. This you can, you will do for me, Asia, he said. They are meant for you. They are my plans. Hide them.

And John Wilkes Booth was gone. Off somewhere with strangers. Gone forever but she did not know that. And then she knew everything. And could not bear it. And that knowing is in her story.

Booth’s Sister.

Booth’s Sister by Jane Singer

eBook on sale now until May 15th for only $0.99!

Find it on Amazon, Kobo, Barnes & Noble, Google, and Apple

Wanna Play a Terrifying Game of Hide and Seek? 1…2…3… By Allie Harrison

“With one touch of a cold, dead hand, Tess Fairmont had the ability to see the last several moments of a victim’s horrifying murder. She felt what the victim felt, even smelled every whiff of fear.

If you had the ability to help others, no matter how terrifying it was for you, would you?

In Hide and Seek, by Allie Harrison, Tess chooses to help the FBI search out serial killers.

And the latest murderer is the most horrifying she’s ever encountered. Why? Because he has the ability to follow her through her visions, right to her own front door.

Of course it helps to have Dr. Michael Adams’ shoulder to lean on, and she finds safety in his embrace.

If you’re looking for a suspense with paranormal elements, mind games all baked into a lovely cupcake with a sweet frosting of romance on top, Hide and Seek is the book for you.

I can’t remember a time I didn’t love suspense. From true horror to who done it, I love anything that keeps me on the edge of my seat or keeps me wondering. Feel free to like me on Facebook and follow along. https://www.facebook.com/Allie-Harrison-Author-106928505995715/?ref=bookmarks

I’ll hold your hand if you need me to!”

Hide and Seek by Allie Harrison is only $0.99 until the 30th! Get your eBook copy today!

Available on Amazon, Kobo, Barnes & Noble, Google, and Apple.

The Lure of a Dangerous Man By Cindi Myers

“American history is full of people who, though on the wrong side of the law, captured the public’s attention and became revered in spite of their crimes – men like Wyatt Earp, Doc Holliday, Butch Cassidy, and Jesse James. These larger-than-life legends can be both compelling and repelling as we dig into their stories, but for me, the most fascinating things about these outlaws are the families who supported them and the women who loved them. What was it about these men – and what was it in these women – that led them to link their fates to men who almost inevitably came to bad ends?
In a dozen years after the Civil War, Jesse James and his cohorts committed as many as 19 robberies, during which almost twenty people died – some of them members of Jesse’s own gang. He was a super-celebrity, someone profiled in every newspaper and known throughout the country, written about in books and popularized in plays – in the days before the internet, television, or even telephones. And all the while he was carrying out his crimes and growing his legend, he was also a husband and father.

When I began writing The Woman Who Loved Jesse James, I had to dig deeply to find information on his wife Zerelda, called Zee. Zee was Jesse’s first cousin, named after his mother. Delving into census records, family histories and the few lines she merited in the many biographies of Jesse, I discovered a quiet, serious woman enough in love with her handsome, dashing cousin to endure a nine-year engagement. Once married, however, life was not all comfort and ease, as Jesse’s notoriety increased. Zee supposedly begged him to settle down. I imagined Zee, like many woman drawn to ‘bad’ men, torn by her desire for adventure and excitement, and the need to protect her children from danger and uncertainty.

Pictures of Jesse show a blond, blue-eyed man who would have turned any woman’s head. An excellent rider, educated, with good manners and a reputation as a sharp dresser, it’s not hard to see why Zee might have fallen for him. The few images available of Zee James show a tiny (under five feet), woman with dark frizzed hair. She was from a poor family, one of twelve children, and had known Jesse all her life.

Though my book is fiction, it is based on fact. Zee and Jesse did live under assumed names during a time in which Jesse was supposedly trying to go straight. She kept Jesse’s secrets throughout her life and, unlike her mother-in-law, retreated from the public eye after his death, and didn’t try to make money off her tragedy. Looking at photos of her taken after Jesse’s death, it’s easy to see the pain in her eyes. I wanted to know what she thought about the life she had led – The Woman Who Loved Jesse James is my attempt to tell her story.

Have you known a woman who loved a man in spite of his dangerous behavior? What do you think is the attraction for them?”

The Woman Who Loved Jesse James by Cindi Myers is only $0.99 until the 30th! Get your eBook copy today!

Available on Amazon, Kobo, Barnes & Noble, Google, and Apple.

One of our authors, Howard Odentz, gave a great interview with Raynbow Affair Magazine! Check it out here!

Dead End, Odentz’s third book in the Dead (A Lot) Trilogy, is on sale from now until 4/15! eBook only, $0.99!

Find it on Amazon, Kobo, Barnes & Noble, Google, and Apple

It’s National Psychic Week!

That means that we have great books

*with a psychic twist*

on sale!

Don’t miss out! The sale ends August 5th!

*sale is for ebook only*

The Manicurist by Phyllis Schieber – $0.99

A magical novel of secrets revealed and a family in turmoil, searching together for new beginnings.

Tessa and Walter have, by all appearances, the perfect marriage. And they seem to be ideal parents for their somewhat rebellious teenage daughter, Regina. Without warning, however, their comfortable lives are thrown into turmoil when a disturbing customer comes into the salon where Tessa works as a manicurist.

Suddenly, Tessa’s world is turned upside down as revelations come to light about the mother she thought had abandoned her in childhood and the second sight that she so guardedly seeks to keep from others.

The Challenge by Susan Kearney – $0.99

Book 1 of The Rystani Warrior Series

Domination. Desire. Destiny.

He rules a future in which women are helpless, obedient, and always willing. She comes from a past in which a woman’s strength, brains, and courage are unquestioned. The challenge between them is timeless.

Secret Service agent Tessa Camen took a bullet meant for the president. She regains consciousness three hundred years in the future on a spaceship, naked in the arms of Kahn, a fierce warlord from the planet Rystan. He’s been expecting her. Tessa was whisked forward in time because her fighting abilities include a psychic talent like none other. Only she can defeat an enemy who threatens Earth. The fate of her home hangs in the balance. Once again, she’s called on to serve and protect her nation.

In Kahn’s world, women are meant to be ruled but also protected. He can seduce Tessa, but can he own her heart and mind? Can he put aside his beliefs about women to help her train for a brutal intergalactic test, The Challenge? If she loses, so does Earth.

Tessa and Kahn are caught in a war of wills set in a future where survival is a skill, power is an aphrodisiac, and love is a challenge that could destroy everything they cherish.

The Lightning Charmer by Kathryn Magendie – $1.99

He brought down the sky for her.

The spell was cast when they were children. That bond cannot be broken.

In the deep hollows and high ridges of the ancient Appalachian mountains, a legacy of stunning magic will change their lives forever.

Laura is caught between the modern and the mystical, struggling to lead a normal life in New York despite a powerful psychic connection to her childhood home in North Carolina—and to the mysterious stranger who calls her name. She’s a synesthete—someone who mentally “sees” and “tastes” splashes of color connected to people, emotions, and things. She’s struggled against the distracting ability all her life; now the effects have grown stronger. She returns home to the mountains, desperate to resolve the obsessive pull of their mysteries.

But life in her mountain community is far from peaceful. An arsonist has the town on edge, and she discovers Ayron, scarred and tormented, an irresistible recluse who rarely leaves the forest. As her childhood memories of him surface, the facade of her ordinary world begins to fade. The knots she’s tied around her heart and her beliefs start unraveling. Ayron has never forgotten her or the meaning of their astonishing bond. If his kind is to survive in modern times, he and Laura must face the consequences of falling in love.

Nothing But Trouble by Trish Jensen – $0.99

He’s gorgeous, rich, sexy, super nice, and head-over-heels for her. So what’s the problem?

Her psychic best friend predicts that Laura Tanner is due to meet a prince—the man of her dreams. Not a likely scenario for a hard-working bar owner who’s better at karate-chopping rowdy patrons than hobnobbing with the silver-spoon crowd. When Ivy League lawyer Brandon Prince (a prince!) strolls into her bar, Laura admits he’s hard to resist. Brandon quickly realizes that this lovely, funny, take-no-prisoners woman is the special someone he’s always wanted.

Brandon is an expert at wooing women, and even a tough cookie like Laura can’t help but fall under his spell. Before she knows what’s happening, he’s lured her on a romantic adventure filled with laughter and desire. Dazzled, she begins to believe that she really can have this prince of a man as her own.

One problem: Brandon’s powerful mother is used to women chasing his family fortune, and she’ll do whatever it takes to keep yet another money-grubbing female out of his life. If a man is everything you’ve ever wanted, how can he also be nothing but trouble?

Raging Spirits by Angel Smits – $0.99

Can she break the spell that haunts him?

Clarissa Elgin’s psychic powers have brought her trouble before. This time, her vision shows her a handsome man dying in her arms after being shot in a robbery. The stranger whispers the name Rachel as his killer. She also envisions an embezzlement scheme at a bank where she soon spots the man in real life. David Lorde, a bank vice president, is skeptical when she visits his office to warn him about the future.

Another vision shows her a lovers’ quarrel between David and Rachel—his wife. He suspected her of marrying him for his money and prestige. A shot rings out. Did he kill Rachel?

Clarissa can’t get David out of her mind. As she falls in love with him, she deduces that somehow his late wife’s spirit has cast a spell over him. But an even more sinister evil is behind Rachel’s power. . .

Clarissa must risk her life to save him.

In addition to our amazing sale, we asked our intern, Cody, to write a post for National Psychic Week! He did not disappoint…

Psychic powers have long fascinated me. I am on the fence about whether I think people can actually have psychic abilities. I want to believe they can, but I’ll need a piece of hard proof in front of me before I will completely go out on that limb. That being said, psychics have indisputably had a hand in solving various murders and missing persons cases over the years. They continue to be able to tell us things about people who have passed away that seemingly they should not know if their powers were fake. Cases upon cases of psychic occurrences have been documented, but without being able to actually enter the mind of the psychic, no one has been able to explain or completely validate whether or not psychics are real.

Perhaps the most interesting psychic of all time was Nostradamus. He wrote over a thousand quatrains (a four line block) about events he believed would happen in the future. The poetic nature of his prophesies makes it difficult to pinpoint specific events. However, looking at his writings in hindsight, there are countless events that he might have predicted. One of his most famous predictions was about the coming of Hitler. He wrote:

“From the depths of the West of Europe,
A young child will be born of poor people,
He who by his tongue will seduce a great troop;
His fame will increase towards the realm of the East.

           Beasts ferocious with hunger will cross the rivers,
           The greater part of the battlefield will be against Hister.
           Into a cage of iron will the great one be drawn,
           When the child of Germany observes nothing.”

Many people have interpreted, and with good reason, this to be a direct reference to Hitler. He only missed calling out Hitler specifically by one letter. Also, the two quatrains almost perfectly describe Hitler’s upbringing as well as the political landscape during WWII concerning the Allied and Axis forces.

Nostradamus’s predictions don’t stop there. He also predicted the Great Fire of London in 1666 and possibly the terror attacks of 9/11 in New York City. He spoke of the terror attacks by referring to the “great new city” where the “sky will burn at 45 degrees.”  Most scholars believe that Nostradamus’s “45 degrees” is in reference to the city’s location, near the 45 degree line of latitude.            

All of that being said, I think we need to take Nostradamus’s prophecies with a grain of salt. The vast majority of his writings are very imprecise and can seemingly only be understood after an event has happened. However, I still believe there is some validity to the psychic argument. Nostradamus, while vague, clearly had a grasp on something a little bit deeper than a basic understanding of the universe. Whether that means he was a genius at deception or a true psychic, only time and more research will tell, but the possibility of a person having a psychic connection to their surroundings continues to fascinate millions of people. I cannot discount the fact that there are people who can discern information in ways that most cannot explain. This phenomenon will remain capable of captivating us for many generations to come.

Check out more of Nostradamus’s predictions:

http://read.bi/2w7z6M2

You can also get your own copy of Nostradamus’s Prophecies here:

 http://amzn.to/2f9zcyC

Happy Reading!

CURTAINS CLOSED

by Arlene Kay

When is the right time for an author to end a series? As readers we never want to see the last of beloved characters who have almost become family members. As authors we know that it is preferable to end our series at its peak rather than see our fictional friends decline to a mere shadow of themselves. I think of series I have loved that simply went on too long and became derivative shells of their formerly vibrant selves. (No names, please).

I faced this dilemma with two of my series, (the Grace Quinn/Patrick Fong mysteries), and the Boston Uncommons saga from Bellebridge books. With the former, the story line played out after six books. Ending the tales of Eja and Deming was more challenging. Many readers have since told me that four books were NOT enough to satisfy them. Although I have since moved on, I am considering a Christmas novella featuring the Swanns. Think of Boston, blizzards, and bodies—with a baby or two thrown in. How seasonal can one get?

Ultimately although the outcome rests with a number of players, one factor supersedes them all:  the viability of plot and characters. Authors owe their best effort to both readers and their literary creations.

GILT TRIP (Book #3 of the Boston Uncommons Series) is on special for $1.99 from July 15-31 on all e-platforms.  

And don’t forget to grab the rest of the Boston Uncommons Mysteries as well!

Regency Sea Travel 101

Shereen Vedam

Hang on, there’s stormy weather ahead! And a bit of a history lesson.

The “Regency” era covers the period 1811 to 1820, when Prince George IV became Regent of England because his father, King George III, due to a malady, was declared incapable of performing the necessary royal functions.

During most of the Regency period and before, passengers who wished to travel by sea had to make do with paying for the privilege of boarding a vessel that primarily carried cargo and mail. It was only in 1818 that the Black Ball Line was founded to provide a regular service for passengers aboard its packet ships from the United States to England.

“I shall go the way our brave Sailors do, so take care of my petticoates, Captain and chair the Bishop!” Is not She a Spunky one…or the Princess and the Bishop

Before then, the best way to travel from England to Europe or elsewhere was on board a merchant vessel. As an island, England needed to conduct trade to and from India, China, West Indies, Canada and elsewhere, bringing in raw goods like rice, rum and precious spices, and carting away manufactured textiles, pottery and metallic goods. Therefore, lots of merchant vessels plied their trade between Britain and many of its colonies.

These sea voyages came to a crashing halt once the Peninsula War between England and France began. You see Napoléon Bonaparte had placed his brothers as kings of neighboring countries in order to create puppet states and dominate Europe. The moment he tried that ploy with Spain and Portugal, it instigated a widespread populace uprising against French occupation. And thus began the Peninsula War.

This war lasted from 1808 to 1814, and during that time, travel by the general public to Europe was hindered by Britain imposing a series of decrees (Orders in Council) in 1807. These decrees restricted the movement of merchant vessels seeking to trade with European countries.

Side note: these trade restrictions imposed by Britain was partly responsible for the American War of 1812.

Moving on. After Napoleon Bonaparte abdicated in April of 1814, the Peninsula War ended, and trading vessels once again sought ways to make money through sea travel to Europe. Despite the war ending, however, travel by sea remained perilous and uncomfortable. Cabins were cramped, food was terrible and the cost exorbitant.

Nowadays, we can simply board an engine powered cruise ship or ferry knowing that if trouble arose, there would be lifeboats and marine evacuation chutes to take us to safety. We can be fairly confident the crew will be well-trained to combat emergency situations because regulations require that vessel crew regularly practice evacuation drills. We also know that when we are served a meal, the quality is covered by food safety laws.

During Regency times, however, travel by sea wasn’t so safe, well catered or easy. For a woman, simply getting on board was an impediment. Take a quick read of the excerpt below and see how my heroine reacts to having to climb up a slippery ladder in order to board a tall ship.

————————–

EXCERPT from A Perfect Curse

As their skiff neared the Magdalena, sailors greeted them with shouts and cheers. Nevara was dismayed to see that she would be required to climb aboard by way of a long slippery rope ladder.

Lord Terrance strapped his dog to his chest with a rope he had brought for that purpose and scaled upward as if he did this sort of thing every day. His lordship’s valet, Ellison, a meticulously groomed slender man, stood ready to assist the others. Lady Terrance confidently tied her skirts higher, exposing her ankles but allowing her to climb the ladder and follow her husband.

Once his employers were out of earshot, Ellison began to mutter about the dire consequences of this accursed voyage. He bent to offer Nevara a hand up. On closer inspection, the valet’s proud manner did not match his red-rimmed eyes or his unsteady footing. She wondered if his swaying movement had more to do with the smell of spirits on his breath than the rocking of the skiff. He was more likely to tip her overboard than help her ascend the ladder. Behind her, the other servant, Lady Terrance’s maid, Mendal, a gaunt woman in her late forties, crossed herself and murmured a psalm.

Nevara hitched up her skirts as she had seen Lady Terrance do and grabbed onto the rope ladder. She then made her careful way up. Her skirts still proved a nuisance as they caught beneath her feet at the back. Taking one hand off the rope ladder to free herself, she swayed dangerously to the side.

“Careful,” Lord Terrance called from the top. “Keep both hands on the ladder, Miss Wood.”

Easier said than done. Her tight grip kept slipping on the slimy rope ladder. She hiked her skirts again until both her feet could find purchase on the steps. Still on the skiff, Mendal was reciting a gloomy biblical verse in rhythm to Nevara’s every slippery step.

At the top, Lord Terrance pulled her over the railing with a strong heave and a stout, “Well done, Miss Wood.” His mischievous grin and a glance down to his servants suggested he understood her misgivings. His beautiful wife, too, seemed to be hiding a smile.

Nevara was not amused. She had to share a cabin with Mendal during the upcoming voyage. She hoped the lady’s maid would desist from this worrisome praying. She had enough concerns to accompany her all the way to Cadiz.

Pick up A PERFECT CURSE for just $0.99! Only through the end of September!

Goodbye to 2015

by Judith Arnold

Last year—2015—began for me, rather unpleasantly, with major surgery. I remember talking to my surgeon about whether scheduling the surgery for January 2^nd was such a hot idea. “Will you be hung over?” I asked. He assured me he wouldn’t be. I certainly wouldn’t be. My husband and I weren’t exactly in a celebratory mood that New Year’s Eve.

But as I look back on the year just ended, I realize that despite its start, 2015 wasn’t a bad year at all. The surgery went well. My husband and some potent drugs got me through the first few post-op days, and then I started to reclaim my life.

I’m an exercise freak. I jog. I work out with weights. I do crunches and stretches. One year ago, I suddenly found myself unable to do any of those things. And yet, step by step, crunch by crunch, I got stronger. A week after the surgery, I could walk all the way to the corner and back. Another few weeks and I was able to walk a mile. I was able to carry the groceries from the trunk of my car to the kitchen without assistance, and lug the laundry baskets up and down the stairs. My clothing once again fit. My scars faded.

Now, one year later, I’m me again!

So in fact, 2015 was a terrific year. I got knocked down, and I picked myself back up again. That’s my definition of wonderful.

Still, when it comes to last year, I’m ready to say “goodbye to all that.” A new year means a new beginning. New walks and jogs, new adventures, new books to write, new readers to entertain. I hope this new year will be wonderful for all of us.

Say GOODBYE TO ALL THAT with Judith Arnold – only $1.99 through January 15th!