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!

IN MEMORY OF TRISH JENSEN

Last week the literary community lost one of its own. A champion of the written word and a talented author. Trish Jensen will be forever missed. Her words will continue to live in the hearts of her fans and pages of her books. In the words of her friends:

“I’ve known Trish Jensen for more than twenty years, first online and later in person. I remember when she made her first sale. I remember when she hit the USA Today list with one of her earlier books, and she didn’t seem to realize what a major accomplishment that was. I remember when she fell in love with her computer-geek boyfriend, and, some years later, when she fell out of love with him and sent him on his way. I remember when she was stricken unexpectedly by liver failure, and she was told she needed a liver transplant. A bunch of her writer friends organized an auction to raise money for her. I critiqued a bunch of manuscripts, for which the writers generously paid into the Trish fund. We were all so glad we could do SOMETHING for our Trishie.

And then she got her new liver and recovered, and she was back, as feisty and funny as ever. She and I disagreed on politics, but we never let those disagreements get in the way of our friendship. She was curious about Judaism and frequently asked me–no expert on the subject, but with the basic knowledge that comes from growing up in a reformed Jewish family–questions about the religion’s beliefs and practices. She was a Penn State fanatic, although she always cheered with me when the Patriots won a Superbowl. (I can’t prove it, but I think she might have had a crush on quarterback Tom Brady. <g>) She loved shopping at Chico’s. She doted on her dog. I think the dog ate better than Trish did–although I always meant to get Trish’s vichyssoise recipe. That was one of her specialties.

The last time I saw Trish was at the Ninc conference in 2011. I was hoping she’d come to this year’s conference. Three years was way too long to go without a hug from Trishie. I can’t believe I’ll never again get one of her emails asking about why Orthodox Jews aren’t supposed to watch TV on Friday nights, or a collage of adorable animal photos, or some silly joke. At least her books will live on, as will the love of her friends.” —USA Today Bestselling Author Judith Arnold

“For those of you who are Trish Jensen’s friends in real life, my deepest condolences.  But what a tribute to an extraordinary person that she touched people who didn’t know her in everyday life as well.  She promoted, cheered, and fought for us whether we were newbies like me or longtime bestselling authors.  My heart goes out to her family and friends. She’ll be missed, but never forgotten.” —Donnell Ann Bell, author of The Past Came Hunting, Deadly Recall, and Betrayed.

“I’m one of those lucky ones who has known Trish for years. She was always as she was here, the first to cheer, the first to support, and passionate in defending anyone or anything she loved.

I’m not feeling very lucky this morning. But I’m glad her pain is over, even if mine is just beginning.

A dear, sweet friend, author Trish Jensen, slipped away from this world early this morning. In all the many years I knew her, Trish was the first to jump up and cheer for anyone’s achievement, no matter how small, and was always there with support for everyone she knew. We nearly lost her a few years ago, so I suppose this extra time was a gift, but I’m having trouble feeling grateful for it when it wasn’t supposed to end yet. Later I will, I’m sure, but right now I’m just horribly sad. The world needs bright spirits like Trish.

About Trish being a force of nature, as Lynn said. Jill Barnett and I were messaging and got onto about there better be dogs in heaven, for Trish. And said if there weren’t she’d turn around and leave. And then I realized no, she would start a campaign and rally the troops to demand a rule change!”—USA Today Bestselling Author Justine Dare

“While many of us are homebodies, we writers know how to connect with each other across the miles, and Trish was always the first to step up.  She started the BBB authors loop, and then she made it work.  She introduced newbies and made them feel welcome.  She was first to encourage, first to raise a virtual toast, first to sympathize.  She didn’t just send positive vibes–she was positive vibes.  Trish was a generous friend.  I miss her already, and I will treasure her stories.”—New York Times Bestselling Author Kathleen Eagle

“There are people who knew Trish much better than I did, but I she always made me smile and made me feel like the little things in my life were important.  I will miss her sunny personality and am so glad I have her books so that I can continue to feel her presence. ” —USA Today Bestselling Author Katherine Garbera

“Trish was a loving and loyal friend, an author who made us laugh and touched our hearts.  She loved animals and she was always there to cheer people on and give them support in any way she could.  I will miss her very much.”—Eve Gaddy, author of Cowboy Come Home, Uncertain Future, and Too Close for Comfort

Humor is the great thing, the saving thing. The minute it crops up, all our irritations and resentments slip away and a sunny spirit takes their place.—Mark Twain

“Trish was very much a sunny spirit, and her books are a legacy that will be enjoyed for years to come.”—Lynn Kerstan, author of The Big Cat Trilogy

“I didn’t know Trish other than from the BBB Loop, but with all of the tributes to her that I’ve read today, I wish I had known her. The tributes show just how much she was loved and how much she gave of herself to others. It sounds like Heaven got another angel.” —Vickie King, author of Carly’s Rule

“I’m partial to funny writers–or rather writers who write funny books–and the writing world lost a good one today with the death of Trish Jensen.  I first read her when I judged her entry in the West Houston Emily contest.  Right away, I knew she was going to sell that book–and I told her so.  She did and it was published as THE HARDER THEY FALL.  We’ll miss you, Trish.”—USA Today Bestselling Author, Heather MacAllister

_____________________________________________

If I can’t make myself giggle while writing, I’m a goner.

Okay, Amazon just informed me that my book has shipped. I think I’m going to sleep with it. The cover is so beautious, I can’t wait to see it in print.

I’m really liking fan girls. What ARE fan girls, anyway?

I’ve been going through emails from Trish. Hundreds of conversations. In the past few years I got to know Trish better than I realized. Now I miss her as if we were lifelong friends.

My books just arrived. OMG, he’s more gorgeous up close and personal. Guess which dog is being bumped out of bed in favor of a book? He’s GORGEOUS. — Trish, pathetic, I know, but I take thrills where I can get him . . . errr, them.

Mainly, we discussed her books. The old ones being re-issued by Bell Bridge, but also the new one she was planning to write next. But in the course of “business talk” we also covered a crazy-quilt funhouse of you-name-it: talk show hosts, Teddy Bears, dogs, cats, our shared advocacy for animal shelters, old boyfriends, people she wanted to smack with a cooking pot, people I wanted to smack with a cooking pot, and much, much more.

On the success of a relatively mild promo success:

We’re #2! We’re #2!
Okay, back to polishing book and won’t look again for at least . . . you know, at least fifteen minutes. 🙂 — Trish

And when Against His Will reached No. 1 on the Barnes & Noble bestseller list?

Muchas Gracias!  This takes the sting out of the pictures my sister keeps sending me from her Caribbean cruise.

Sprinkled through all that chat and those work discussions was a comforting bond of friendship and life itself. That’s what I’ll miss so much. —New York Times Bestselling Author Deborah Smith

“I first met Trish Jensen when she signed onto GEnie’s RomEx roundtable. She and I became instant friends, and after chatting with her for only a few minutes about her writing, I said you’re next. It wasn’t long after that when she sold her first book. I was so proud. She also wrote reviews for Pen and Mouse during that time, and I was the recipient of one. To this day, it is one of my favorites. I still quote her whenever I can. She wrote: “laugh, cry and fall in love.” And that describes my relationship with Trish. I have watched us both laugh, cry and fall in love. She held my hand while my husband was dying, and was my champion when I became a basketcase after I lost him. When my grandbabies were born, she sent gifts and demanded pictures. Her sense of loyalty knew no bounds. To be Trish’s friend was to be blessed beyond measure. And I have been so blessed. All the puppies in Heaven are getting a belly rub about now. Miss you.”—Deb Stover, author of Maid Marian and the Lawman

Today is National Cherry Pie Day! So to celebrate, we are giving you a delicious cherry pie recipe to create and share with family and friends today!

Ingredients
4 cups fresh or frozen tart cherries
1 to 1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
4 tablespoons cornstarch
1/8 tablespoon almond extract (optional)
Pie crust or pie dough recipe for 2 crust pie
1 1/2 tablespoons butter, to dot
1 tablespoon granulated sugar, to sprinkle

Cook cherries in medium saucepan over low heat and cover. Remove the pan after the cherries have lost much of their juice. Mix the sugar and cornstarch into a small bowl, then pour the sugar and cornstarch into the pan of heated cherries and mix. (You can also add in the almond extract now if you would like). After mixing, put the pan back onto the burner and continue cooking over low heat, stirring frequently until the mixture has thickened. Take off the burner and let the mixture cool. If your mix is too thin, you may add more cornstarch; however, if it is too thick, you should add a little water to thin it.

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.

Now time to prepare your crust. Cut your crust in half and flatten or roll each half into a piece that will be big enough to fit into a pan that is 8 to 9 inches. After preparing your crust,  pour your (now cool) cherry mixture inside of it. Use the butter to dot and to moisten the edge of your crust bottom. Now place your crust top on top and crimp your edges. Use a knife to make a cut into the middle of the top crust to let steam escape (and also for decoration ;)).  Sprinkle the pie with sugar and bake for 50 minutes before removing and letting it cool.

I recommend setting on top of a windowsill like they do in movies. Haha. 🙂

Also in honor of National Cherry Pie Day, we are putting Trish Jensen’s STUCK WITH YOU on promotion for only $0.99!! Just click the link and grab it now!

And while you’re there, make sure you grab the rest of Trish Jensen’s fabulous romances! 

And coming soon….

MY VERY FAVORITE VALENTINE

By Trish Jensen

I have an admission to make. I’ve never had a really cool Valentine with any boyfriends or even my husband of ten years. Same old, same old flowers and dinners out and yada, yada. Nice, but just not all that creative or new. I appreciated but kept thinking, “This is what you came up with? Did I really believe you were special?”

I spent every year thinking up treasure hunts or whatever to make them fun.  And every year I’d get roses and cards. Actually, one year I received a new furnace. I almost fainted with the romance of it all.

Eventually, the truth finally sunk in. Men just didn’t get it. Valentine’s Day was something they had to do because it was expected. There wasn’t a romantic bone in any of their bodies.

So, okay, men were dolts. A fact of life. Live with it.

But then on Valentine’s Day, after my marriage kind of crumbled and I was looking at a pretty bleak day, my doorbell rang. It was a delivery guy, holding a box and a balloon. He sang “I’ll always love you,” then handed over the box and the balloon. The balloon said, “Happy Valentine’s Day, my sweetheart.” In the box were two things: One was a beautiful necklace and the other a note. “You’ll always be my baby.”

It was from my dad.

And that was my best Valentine’s Day ever.

It doesn’t matter who the love comes from, it matters what it means. And that meant the world to me.

I wish you all a happy Valentine’s Day! And no furnaces as gifts! J

For A Good Time Call is $1.99 at the Kindle Store.

Stuck With You is $1.99 at Kobo.

WHAT MATTERS

by Trish Jensen

There isn’t a week that goes by when I’m not asked to give a workshop, do a book signing, send someone in Armenia  a book, write a blog, whatever.

I’m shy, (seriously!)  so I turn down most workshops, no way I’m doing a book  signing, as no one will show up, can’t afford the book to Armenia, but I can write a blog and talk about what matters.

For a few months my mother has been bugging me to come chat with her book club. The problem was, no one was interested in buying my books, they wanted me to donate them, or wanted them from a library. Well, that posed a problem, as I didn’t have enough books to donate to at least twenty women , and I couldn’t afford to buy them all books, either. It was also kind of irritating that they expected me to do those things when I really wasn’t doing cartwheels at the thought of going to this chat in the first place.

But, you know, it was my MOTHER. And she wanted me to do this so much. So we compromised. I gave her about 8 or so books, all different, and then we set a time, a few months in the future, so they’d all have time to read and pass on books. So they didn’t all read the same books, but at least they all read one of my books.

One other glitch. The woman who runs the book club is very, VERY religious. Trust me, I have nothing against that, as my critique partner is, also, and she writes some of the sexiest books on the shelves. But this woman wasn’t sure she wanted a :::gasp::: writer who has love scenes visiting.

My mother, ever the bulldog, loaned her my LEAST sexiest book, and she said okay, even though it was very racy. Brace yourself, lady. You haven’t seen anything yet. And I don’t even WRITE sexy, in my opinion. I write sexual tension between two people who so do NOT want to be attracted to each other.

But the day came, and I had to face all of these women and discuss WHY I write what I write, and what I love about this job.

I’m guessing it went really well. My mother said she was “busting her buttons” with pride. And I found out later that night that my dad stood outside listening. And he was proud, too.

I received a lot of feedback from those who attended, and who want me to come back, and that’s all well and good, and I’m glad.

But making my parents proud? THAT’S what mattered.

WRITING YOUR PASSION

by Trish Jensen

In previous blogs I’ve argued for writing what you don’t know and writing what you know. Here’s a slightly different angle: writing your passion.

Here’s what I mean. Several years ago my long-time friend and critique partner watched me get down on the floor and lavish her new puppy with love. She was already well aware that I’m a fanatical animal lover, to the extent that at one point that when my then significant other said we couldn’t afford all of the bird feed I had on the grocery list, I told him, “Fine, don’t buy my milk, then, and use it to buy the bird feed.” I’m a milk guzzler. Alone I go through at least two gallons a week. So giving up milk in favor of watching the birds happily munch sunflower seed in my back yard will give you a hint of the lengths I’ll go to for any animals, including my spoiled brat black lab Cassie, whose weekly grocery bill easily doubles mine.

But getting back to the point, Sandra was watching me lavish love on her dog when she said, “You need to write a dog book.”

“Huh?”

“You need to write a book where the hero or heroine is involved with animals. A vet, a dog sitter, whatever. In fact, I read this article the other day about a dog spa.”

I instantly perked up. And my mind went to work. And Against His Will was born. A hardened, leery FBI guy inherits his aunt’s stubborn English Bulldog and is forced according to the terms of the will to take the brat mutt with an attitude to a dog spa run by, of all things, a certified Animal Psychologist.

He’s so sure it’s a scam, and that this woman has been scamming his beloved aunt for years that he’s actually looking forward to it, so he can expose this quack and shut her operation down for good. After all, that’s what he does. And what she deserves.

But when he gets there, his world is turned upside down, which kind of happens to be my modus operandi when it comes to my heroes. And then her world is turned upside down when his dangerous world intrudes on the serenity of hers.

The point being, though, is that Sandra hit it on the head by telling me to write my passion. Mine happens to be animals. There are tons of books about knitting (I tried that, I really did, but couldn’t even finish a scarf without dropping stitches at least once every couple of rows), music, painting, sailing, whatever. You can always tell when it’s an author’s passion.

So I write what I don’t know, write what I know, and write what I’m passionate about. Next time? Writing what I do and don’t know and what I’m passionate about all at once. Being Southern.  : )