Thursday, October 31, 2013

Halloween Memories

Halloween has always been one of my favorite holidays! Even more so as an adult than when I was a child. All that trick-or-treating when I was a kid was great fun. I loved dressing up in fun costumes, getting together with family and friends to go door-to-door in our neighborhood filling our bags, baskets and plastic pumpkins with yummy treats and candy. What kid doesn't like Halloween just for the candy end of it? But, that wasn't all. I loved the spookiness of Halloween. The scary feeling of ghosts around every corner and the vampires-and-werewolves-could-be-real feeling.

I was looking through my photograph albums this afternoon and I came across these pictures of a Halloween Trick-or-Treat night when I was a kid. Does anyone else remember these types of costumes from the '80's? There I am as Strawberry Shortcake and my brother as a Smurf. I laugh thinking about Trick-or-Treat night. As much as I loved it when I was around this age, I was also scared to death of some of the scary costumes people wore. One Halloween spent with my uncle and grandparents I remember being so excited that I was going to hand out candy to the kids who knocked at the door. It was such fun! And I'd go running to the door when they knocked, a big grin on my face. Only as soon as we opened the door,
I'd take one look and turn around and run away. I guess it's typical for kids to love and fear this holiday.

My own children love Halloween, but behave in a similar manner. They love getting dressed up in their pirate costumes or Star Wars costumes, but as soon as my husband drags out his zombie costume, my two youngest start crying right away. It's not even the scary mask that frightens them, but the gauzy material that wraps around the costume. Weird, but that's what they told me!

It looks like it's going to rain this evening, so our town's Trick-or-Treat night might be canceled. That won't stop my family from dressing up. We'll celebrate! Just love getting dressed up!

Happy Halloween!
~Tricia

Monday, October 28, 2013

Now on Kindle! The Witch's Thief by Tricia Schneider

It's release day!!!

The Witch's Thief is now available on Kindle!

This is a paranormal regency-set romance and the third book in The Merriweather Series, although you don't need to read them in order. This story is about the eldest Merriweather sibling as he returns home from a decade long self-imposed exile and his childhood sweetheart who is currently living in his home as lady's companion to his aunt.

Here's the blurb:

To save her sister’s life, Julia Grey seeks a spell hidden somewhere within Merriweather Manor. Her position as a lady's companion affords her the freedom to search the house. But time is running out. The necromancer she's bargained with is growing impatient. And an unexpected appearance of a man from her past makes matters worse in an already complicated situation.

Basil Merriweather returns to England after ten years abroad to discover his childhood sweetheart living in his home. But, he's no longer the carefree man of his youth and she's hiding something--deadly secrets Basil vows to uncover even as he hides a dark secret of his own.

While neither Basil nor Julia will trust in the other, their hearts speak a truer language.  In a grand attempt to save Julia's sister and Basil's life, the two must finally confess sinister truths. Will their admissions help or hinder any future they may have together? Or will the necromancer destroy all in a vile attempt at revenge.

Excerpt:
"What are you doing?" 

He ignored her frantic questioning. Instead, he blocked out the sound of her voice and raised his arms into the air at his sides, his fingers splayed out as he extended his senses to scan the area. His power eased out, like extensions of his fingertips, stretching into the corners of the room, seeking, searching for the source of the magic he sensed. 

It was here...somewhere. 

He had sensed it earlier on his arrival, but being that his aunt and siblings practiced magic on a regular basis he'd never given it a second thought. 

This room, however, stank with it. He smelled the odor, something strangely like sulfur... 

"A spell has been cast in this room," he muttered. A strange spell. Odd. A spell he'd never sensed before, something new. It felt off is some way he couldn't explain. Who would be working new magic of this kind in his home? And, in this room in particular. Aunt Petunia worked her spells in the privacy of her rooms upstairs, or sometimes in the gardens, but never in this room. And his siblings each, practiced in their own private settings, places where they could concentrate without the threat of being disturbed. A fairly difficult task with the number of people normally in residence at Merriweather Manor. 

He took a step closer to the center of the room where he sensed a surge of power. He shivered as coldness seeped into his skin. It wrapped around his arm, sinking into his flesh, right down to the bone. This was not right. 

The magic in his house was always full of warmth and gentleness. Goodness and love. This magic chilled him to the bone. His heart skipped a beat. There was fear, terror, pain. This spell was full of darkness. 

Buy on Amazon... 

I'm currently participating in a few blog hops where you can enter for a chance to win one of my books. I'm offering a copy of The Witch and the Vampire for the Fall Into Fantasy blog hop, and a copy of The Witch's Thief for the Snarkology Paranormal Blog Hop. Both of these blog hops run until October 31, so hurry for your chance to enter!

Snarkology Paranormal Blog Hop with Tricia Schneider

Snarkology Paranormal Blog Hop


Time to celebrate  Halloween!! This is the absolute best time of the year. Not only is the weather getting cooler, but the leaves are turning into glorious shades of gold, red and orange. The smell of apples and spice fill the air. Painted or carved pumpkins decorate porches and kitchens. And stories of ghosts, witches, and vampires fuel everyone's imagination! 

My interest in ghosts has kept me firmly rooted in all things paranormal since I was a very young child. 

From my grandmother's haunted house where I played hide-and-seek with my grandfather after he died to my mother-in-law's house where the doors would open and close on their own to my very own house where phantom footsteps can be heard in the hallway, ghosts seem to have followed me all my life. Or I suppose, more accurately, I've just kept my eyes and ears open to my surroundings. 

Are ghosts real? 

It's a question that I've kept trying to answer all of my life. Sometimes, I think the strange happenings that occur must be my imagination. After all, as an author of paranormal fiction, I have a vivid and healthy imagination that keeps me up at night creating emotional stories. Is it possible, I've created ghosts where no ghosts can be?

It's when someone's with me during these events that I begin to realize, it's not just me. My
husband has heard the footsteps in our home. We heard them together only a few nights after we moved in to our house almost 8 years ago. The floor boards were creaking downstairs, as if someone was pacing. We went downstairs to investigate, trying to figure out what could be making such a noise. As we stood in the dining room, we started hearing the footsteps in the hallway above us. So, back upstairs we went. Shortly after, the sounds were heard downstairs again. Finally, we just let it be and went to bed.

The sounds of footsteps have occurred on and off throughout the years. I've heard booted feet of a man walking around my bed at night. My husband has heard the small footsteps of a child in the hallway. He thought at first it was one of our own, but when he went in to check on them, they were fast asleep and snoring softly. 

Last year, when my daughter was 2 years-old, we were sitting in the kitchen eating breakfast when she asked me who the man was standing behind me. No one else was home; my husband was at work and my sons were both in school. Of course, I looked behind me, but I saw no one. When I moved away from the spot, to stand beside my daughter, I saw her gaze was still fixed on the area where I had been standing, where she said she saw the man. I can't remember exactly what I told her, something along the lines of 'I don't know who the man is, but we should be nice and say hello'. I waved and smiled, but she just kept staring as if trying to figure him out.
Then she was back to eating and talk of the man was done.

Was it a child's imagination? Or was there a ghost standing behind me in my kitchen?

I told my husband about the incident and it just so happened he was there when my daughter saw the man again, this time in my bedroom. We were all upstairs getting dressed for bed. The boys were wrestling on my bed, laughing and giggling. I was holding my daughter in my arms when she lifted her hand and pointed to the wall. A plain wall, with no decoration, no paintings or pictures. Just a plain wall. And she said again, "Who is that man?"

My husband heard her and asked about the man. I asked her to try to describe him. Being only 2, it was difficult for her to understand. But, I watched as her gazed moved from that plain wall, across my room to my closet. There she pointed again. She said he went into my closet. Well, I followed with her in my arms and when I opened the door and took her in, we looked around, but she said the man was gone. 

She's 3 now and she hasn't seen the man in quite some time. It does leave me wondering who he was, if he was real. My father-in-law died when my husband was 18. Could it be he was visiting his grandchildren? Or my husband's brother? Was it perhaps one of my grandfathers? Or my uncle? Or was it a former owner of our house? 

Who knows? But, it's interesting. Very interesting! And I keep a journal of the strange, unexplained events as they occur. For now, I'll just keep my eyes and ears open.

Now that I've shared my Halloween post about ghosts in my house, I think you deserve the chance to win something. 

Thanks go to Melissa Snark for organizing this Halloween blog hop event!

CONTEST! 
Since I have a brand new book being released on Kindle today 
(yes, today!!!), 
I will give a copy of The Witch's Thief to a random commenter. 
All you must do is answer this question: 
Do you believe in ghosts? 

Please specify if you'd like a Kindle or a .pdf version 
and don't forget to add your email address in your comment 
so I can send it to you if you win!

Also, I ask if you read my book and like it, 
please take a moment to add a review 
to Amazon, Goodreads, or any other place where reviews are accepted. 
This is a great way for readers to help authors! 
Thank you!

To save her sister’s life, Julia Grey seeks a spell hidden somewhere within Merriweather Manor. Her position as a lady's companion affords her the freedom to search the house. But time is running out. The necromancer she's bargained with is growing impatient. And an unexpected appearance of a man from her past makes matters worse in an already complicated situation.



Basil Merriweather returns to England after ten years abroad to discover his childhood sweetheart living in his home. But, he's no longer the carefree man of his youth and she's hiding something--deadly secrets Basil vows to uncover even as he hides a dark secret of his own.



While neither Basil nor Julia will trust in the other, their hearts speak a truer language.  In a grand attempt to save Julia's sister and Basil's life, the two must finally confess sinister truths. Will their admissions help or hinder any future they may have together? Or will the necromancer destroy all in a vile attempt at revenge.


GRAND PRIZE CONTEST!
THE BLOG HOP WIDE GRAND PRIZE GIVEAWAY IS 
A $60 AMAZON GIFT CARD! 
 Simply complete the Rafflecopter form below
to enter for the 
GRAND PRIZE!

And, be sure to hop to the next blog 
to discover more great prizes!


a Rafflecopter giveaway

Monday, October 21, 2013

Cover Reveal: The Witch's Thief by Tricia Schneider


Here it is! Oh, isn't it pretty!? I absolutely LOVE it! Many, many thanks go to Debbie Taylor for the gorgeous cover art.

Blurb:

To save her sister's life, Julia Grey seeks a spell hidden within Merriweather Manor. Her position as a lady's companion affords her the freedom to search the house. But time is running out. The necromancer she's bargained with is growing impatient. And an unexpected appearance of a man from her past makes matters worse in an already complicated situation.
  
 Basil Merriweather returns to England after ten years abroad to discover his childhood sweetheart living in his home. But, he's no longer the carefree man of his youth and she's hiding something--deadly secrets Basil vows to uncover even as he hides a dark secret of his own.

While neither Basil nor Julia will trust in the other, their hearts speak a truer language.  In a grand attempt to save Julia's sister and Basil's life, the two must finally confess sinister truths. Will their admissions help or hinder any future they may have together? Or will the necromancer destroy all in a vile attempt at revenge.

Excerpt:
 
"What are you doing?"

He ignored her frantic questioning. Instead, he blocked out the sound of her voice and raised his arms into the air at his sides, his fingers splayed out as he extended his senses to scan the area. His power eased out, like extensions of his fingertips, stretching into the corners of the room, seeking, searching for the source of the magic he sensed.

It was here...somewhere.

He had sensed it earlier on his arrival, but being that his aunt and siblings practiced magic on a regular basis he'd never given it a second thought.

This room, however, stank with it. He smelled the odor, something strangely like sulfur...

"A spell has been cast in this room," he muttered. A strange spell. Odd. A spell he'd never sensed before, something new. It felt off is some way he couldn't explain. Who would be working new magic of this kind in his home? And, in this room in particular. Aunt Petunia worked her spells in the privacy of her rooms upstairs, or sometimes in the gardens, but never in this room. And his siblings each, practiced in their own private settings, places where they could concentrate without the threat of being disturbed. A fairly difficult task with the number of people normally in residence at Merriweather Manor.

He took a step closer to the center of the room where he sensed a surge of power. He shivered as coldness seeped into his skin. It wrapped around his arm, sinking into his flesh, right down to the bone. This was not right.

The magic in his house was always full of warmth and gentleness. Goodness and love. This magic chilled him to the bone. His heart skipped a beat. There was fear, terror, pain. This spell was full of darkness.



Available Soon!

Thursday, October 17, 2013

Fall Into Fantasy Give@way!



Halloween is just around the corner and what better way to celebrate than with a nice selection of paranormal and fantasy books!

The talented Ash Krafton (author of Bleeding Hearts and Blood Rush) has put together a wonderful group giveaway to bring readers and authors together. Fall Into Fantasy with over 50 authors offering great prizes for readers!

This multi-author giveaway event continues from October 17-31. Just check out the rafflecopter form below which lists the prizes and possible entries for the giveaways. It's that easy! For more information, check out Ash Krafton's blog.

For my own part, I'm celebrating the upcoming release of my newest book, The Witch's Thief, so I'm giving away a copy of The Witch and the Vampire! More news on The Witch's Thief will be posted here on my blog in a few days, so be sure to check back soon!

The Witch and the Vampire
Melora Merriweather is searching for a fellow witch to protect her from a scheming uncle with plans of marriage. When her carriage overturns on her journey, she is rescued by a mysterious man whom she learns is the very person she seeks. But, he’s not the witch she thought he was…

Sebastian Collins should have left for London days ago. Now a snowstorm has trapped him with a woman who has come seeking protection, a woman who intrigues him like no other. And with each passing hour, his hunger for her grows…hunger for her kiss, her caress, and her blood.

Read the Excerpt here...

Thanks to Ash, for taking the time to put this event together! This has been wonderful! And thanks to those who've joined this giveaway! So many talented authors I can't wait to read!

Now...onto the books!



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Friday, October 11, 2013

Now on Kindle! Journey of the Magi by Barbara Edwards



Welcome fellow Wild Rose Press author, Barbara Edwards! Her newest release, Journey of the Magi, is currently available exclusively on Kindle. It's free for a limited time, so be sure to get your copy!


Thanks for inviting me to visit on #free #kindle days for Journey of the Magi: http://amzn.com/B00ES5DZEQ

I love the Christmas holidays, but it never occurred to me to write a love story about the season. My writing tends to be dark, edgy with a side order of paranormal. Writing a sweet story took a lot of help from my editor. Journey of the Magi was rejected three times before it was accepted. First It didn’t have enough romance. I asked the editor if I could resubmit.
Although I thought it had plenty, but I added more. Another rejection, but i was getting stubborn. I liked Dan and Noel and wanted them to have a happy ending.
The plot needed a few holes filled. Why was Noel in a tiny town in Minnesota at the start of a blizzard?
Okay I fixed that and gave her a more background to fill in the holes.
Finally the editor loved it. I loved it. And I hope all my readers love.

Journey of the Magi blurb:
Widow Noel Martin never breaks promises, and she promised her kids they’d have Christmas at her childhood home in Connecticut. But driving across country takes money. Noel is broke when a snowstorm blows them into a tiny Minnesota café owned by a man who can change her mind. She accepts his offer of a job. Despite her attraction to him, she makes it clear she is only temporary help.

Dan Longstreet isn’t adopting any more strays, but he needs a waitress. Dan works so hard to make his café a success, he doesn't have time for love. Though Noel’s slender blonde beauty stuns him and her two adorable children tug at his heart, he denies how they threaten to change his life.

When tragedy strikes, their new-found love is the first victim. Noel can't stay and Dan can't leave. Will their journey be the gift that reunites them?


Excerpt: Even with her knit hat pulled down over her ears, her high cheekbones and the up­-tilted tip of her nose flamed as bright red as a cheap statue of a Christmas elf. She blinked in the bright light.
 Dan’s pulse leaped like a startled deer. He knew everyone who frequented the Deer Run Lounge and Cafe. She was no local wife searching for an overdue husband or one of the three women who made a living, if you could call it that, picking up the lumberjacks and mill workers for an hour or two.
His blood heated but he managed to control his urges by slowly polishing a clean glass and setting it in the rack for the next day’s trade. Dan nodded hello.
Her over-sized man’s winter coat trailed to her ankles, but she visibly shook. He wanted to tell her to take off her coat and get warm. She removed her gloves, pulling the fingers off one by one until her white hands shone in the dim light. A pale circle around her ring finger marked the recent removal of a band.
She returned Dan’s stare. “Is that sign in the window still good? Do you need an experienced waitress?” Her flat, emotionless voice didn’t match the way her fingers twisted round and round her gloves. His palms itched to cover hers until she calmed.
 “Yeah.” He nodded slowly, his mouth dry. Something in him yearned for her to be more than a passing stranger.

Click for your free copy: http://amzn.com/B00ES5DZEQ
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Wednesday, October 2, 2013

Now on Kindle! The Princess and the O by Felicia Forella

Here's another re-release from friend and fellow Wild Rose Press author, Felicia Forella. I read The Princess and the O shortly after it was released the first time around and loved it! Now it's available on Kindle with a brand new cover! If you're a fan of spicy romance and haven't read any of Felicia's books, then you've got to check them out! They are hot! I could not put this one down!


What’s a girl got to do?

Princess Acelin of Timoria is staring down the barrel of her self-imposed deadline to marry and grant her father’s wish, her thirtieth birthday is less than a month away. She has been wined and dined by royalty from England to Monaco and everywhere in between. And she has yet to meet her Prince Charming, the man who can give her the one thing she longs for…an orgasm. She’s beginning to wonder if she’s asking for too much.

Is he the man for the job?

Prince Nolan of Bermine is beginning his leave from the Royal Air Force when his father drags him to the birthday celebration of the woman dubbed “the Promiscuous Princess” by the press. And finds himself tied up in knots over her. Now he just has to exert enough control to prove to her that she can indeed it all.

For more information about Felicia Forella and her books, check out her website or Facebook.

To purchase this book: Amazon Kindle