The Hero of His Own Story #LongandShortReviews #BlogChallenge

Wednesday Weekly Blogging Challenge hosted by Long and Short Reviews.

This week's topic: A villain that I wish could be redeemed and why

The Witch's Thief and The Witch's Kiss are tied together by the villain, Drake Merriweather, a witch who has turned to dark magic because he is obsessed with finding a way to bring back his dead wife. He blames himself for her death. He is a character torn apart by the madness of grief which leads to some poor decisions on his part. He is determined to find a spell to bring her back and to do that, he needs Julia Grey's help. He threatens her sister's life in order to get Julia to search for the hidden grimoire located within Merriweather Manor.

Drake is the villain of the story, although he's not necessarily evil. But he will do evil things to get what he wants. He's a character that has marked my heart and one day I would like to write his story and give him the redemption I believe he deserves. He has some very bad wrongs to right, however. With some help, I think he can do it.

I already have an idea of where his journey might take him. Once I've completed the several works-in-progress I have contracts for, I'd like to dive deeper into his story to give him the happily-ever-after he needs.

Fortunately, I've had emails and comments from readers asking about Drake's future. It's nice to see that I'm not the only one hoping for this bad guy to get his chance to become a hero.

The Witch's Thief

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 admission help or hinder any future they may have together? Or will the necromancer destroy all in a vile attempt at revenge?

The Witch's Kiss

Marianne Grey is a ghost.

But, she's not dead. Cursed by a necromancer, Marianne searches for the elusive spell needed to merge her spirit with her physical body. She's not alone in her search. Her neighbor and best friend, Sage Merriweather, has vowed to help her break the curse.

Sage suffers from his own demons. Literally.

After surviving a horrific attack, a demon has bonded with him, mutating Sage's magic so he can only conjure fire. Until he can break the bond, he is a danger to everyone near him, including those he loves.

From the glittering ballrooms of London to eerily dark graveyards, Marianne and Sage battle forces of evil destined to claim their souls for eternity. Though their newfound love for each other may be the toughest battle of all.

Be sure to check out the other blogger's suggestions at ...

I write sensual paranormal and historical romances. Interested in learning more about my stories? Sign-up for my newsletter where you'll learn about my new book releases, updates on my works-in-progress, writing tips, book reviews, contests, and other fun book-related info!

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Summer Reading ~ Life's a Beach #Giveaway #BlogHop

I always have a list of themed books lined up for summer reading. When I think of beach reads, I'm thinking of books set during the summer months, sometimes on the ocean or an island, along the coast or perhaps a lakefront. Or just a hot and steamy romance.

These are the books I have lined up for some hot summertime reading.

Mermaidia

Love mermaids and all creatures aquatic? This limited time anthology is just for you! With more than 1500 pages of captivating fiction, you'll be enchanted by sirens, dive the depths with a mermaid, and fear whether the sea witch is friend or foe.

Midsummer Night Shifts

Unleash the beast within!

Fall in love with shifters stalking through the moonlit heat of a summer night.

Join the hunt as these shifters slide through the shadows unseen, stalk their enemies, pursue their loves, and take down their prey.

Sink your teeth into 20+ stories of hot city streets, steamy tropical jungles, pack politics, and fated mates as the heroes and heroines embrace their inner animals.

Island Cupid

40-something Ellen is perfectly happy being single and hitting bars with her much younger best friend Hannah. Or is she? When Ellen's high school boyfriend looks her up on social media, a mid-life crisis suddenly strikes. Hannah's solution: A trip to Hawaii for Valentine's Day. Will Ellen find the love she didn't know she needed on a beautiful island? Or will she settle for a one-time fling?

Smitten by the Brit

DEFINITELY, MAYBE...OR LOVE, ACTUALLY?

English professor Bonnie Blythe expects her life to play out like her favorite novels, especially now that her long-term boyfriend has finally proposed. So when a shocking discovery leads Bonnie to end her engagement, she decides to close the book on love. But the plot thickens when a brand-new character enters the scene - and quickens Bonnie's heart.

With his brilliant blue eyes, sexy accent, and irresistible charm, Theo Wharton is like a romantic hero straight out of a Jane Austen novel. When fate places Bonnie in England for a summer - conveniently close to Theo - she realizes a hot friends-with-benefits fling is exactly what she needs to start a fresh chapter. Just as Bonnie begins to believe she's falling in love, an eye-opening revelation into Theo's life makes Bonnie feel like she's wandered into one of her favorite books. Will Bonnie have the courage to risk her heart and turn the page with the dashing Brit to find her true happy ending after all?

Love in the Golden Years

Harold, a widower and a retired government worker, misses his wife and decides to take up a hobby. Courageously stepping out of his shell, he joins a scuba diving class, where he meets a vivacious widow and discovers new adventures.

Attractive and fun-loving Aletha spices up Harold's mostly routine life with one surprise after another. Neither of them expect any obstacles to a nice relationship, but everything - from sexual malfunction to legalese to Aletha's new career - seems to interfere.

Will they ever find married bliss?



Some other possible summer-themed books to read:




I write sensual paranormal and historical romances. Interested in learning more about my stories? Sign-up for my newsletter where you'll learn about my new book releases, updates on my works-in-progress, writing tips, book reviews, contests, and other fun book-related info!

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Getting into the Writing Zone with Kids at Home #IWSG #writinglife

The first Wednesday of every month is officially 

Insecure Writer's Support Group day.

The Purpose: To share and encourage. Writers can express doubts and concerns without fear of appearing foolish or weak. Those who have been through the fire can offer assistance and guidance. It's a safe have for insecure writers of all kinds!

IWSG Asks: Do you have any rituals that you use when you need help getting into the ZONE? Care to share? 

Yes! I'm all about rituals. Or habits. Or magical spells.

Getting into the ZONE is one of the easiest and equally most difficult things for me to do. Typically, I try to get my writing done first thing in the morning when my brain feels fresh and I have no distractions (aka my kids are still sleeping).

My morning routine remains relatively the same each day. Feed the kitty-cats. Make coffee or tea. Do some yoga and meditation. Eat breakfast. 

And then sit-butt-in-chair and write.

Now that my kids are home from school thanks to Covid-19, I usually have the mornings all to myself from 6am to sometime after 8am-ish. My 5 y/o is the alarm clock for the family. When he wakes up, everyone else wakes up and then our day truly begins. (This online schooling sucks, btw. Just saying.)

But while I have the house blissfully to myself, I can write and edit to my heart's content. To get into the ZONE, I re-read a brief section of the work I did the day before and then force myself to write. One word at a time. Then one sentence at a time. And one paragraph, and on and on.

It's not fun at first, but I have a ticking time bomb of when will my kids wake up hovering over me. It's a race of how much writing can I do before they wake and stop me? There are times when I come upon that elusive ZONE just by sheer force of willpower. Other times, it stays just beyond my reach. 

Since this is my job, however, I need to write more than an hour or two in the morning.

When I need to keep writing after a morning of chaos with my four children (breakfast, getting dressed, making beds, yes, of course you need to brush your teeth - and your hair! I don't care if we're not going anywhere today!), that makes it a little more tricky.

After my children are done taking turns sharing the school's borrowed Chromebook to do their lessons, they are free to play or cause whatever mayhem they can concoct (safely) while I use my earphones to block out the noise. Since I'm a single mom and have no one to help me with the kids, my writing desk is the sofa in the living room. I'm still there physically, at least, to prevent any major disasters. Mentally, if I'm lucky, I'm worlds away!

In this situation, I use music to help get into the ZONE. The music depends on the work-in-progress. I often create a playlist for the story I'm writing to help get me in the mood. Or I have a certain type of music for whatever subgenre I'm writing. Type O'Negative always works well for me when I'm writing gothic paranormals or dark suspense or I'll listen to classical music if I'm writing a historical or regency romance. Of course, Christmas music is perfect for a holiday romance. You get the idea.

I wish it was easier. The ZONE is a mystical place where the writing fairy blesses us and our fingers fly with something akin to a magical presence controlling us.

I'll be honest. There are many days that I don't achieve the ZONE. 

Those are sad days. 

But, the writing still needs to get done. Getting into the ZONE is like icing on the cake. Such deliciousness! But plain cake is still good, too.

Be safe! Stay healthy! Keep writing!


~ Tricia 

Be sure to visit the other writers in the 

Insecure Writer's Support Group!

I write sensual paranormal and historical romances. Interested in learning more about my stories? Become a VIP Reader by signing-up for my newsletter where you'll learn about my new book releases, updates on my works-in-progress, writing tips, book reviews, contests, and other fun book-related info!

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When a Series Goes In a Different Direction #LongandShortReviews #BlogChallenge

Wednesday Weekly Blogging Challenge hosted by Long and Short Reviews.

This week's topic: Reason Why I Stopped Reading a Series I Loved

There's one series that pops into my brain when I read this week's topic.

The Anita Blake series by Laurell K. Hamilton

I started reading this series in August 2001. I was working at Waldenbooks and we got a sampler of her newest novel, I think it was Obsidian Butterfly. It looked good, but I knew that this wasn't the first in the series and I like to begin at the beginning.

So, I bought Guilty Pleasures to give it a try.

I was so hooked. It was deliciously dark. Anita was a heroine with issues, but brave, strong and with a good heart. And she raised the dead for the living. How neat is that? She also assisted the police with their preternatural crimes division during the more nastier investigations dealing with supernatural monsters. Oh, did I mention she was also a vampire executioner?

Then there were characters like Jean-Claude, the vampire, and Richard, the science teacher werewolf. Not only were they possible love interests, but there was a mystery to solve with them, too.

This series had everything I could ask for, romance, horror, mystery, suspense. It was seriously page-turning and I was addicted.

That year, I took a road trip with a bunch of my friends from Pennsylvania to New Orleans. Of course, I bring books with me no matter where I go. I bought all of her available books to bring with me to read along the way.

And I read them back to back, down to New Orleans and back. Which is something I don't normally do. I was in reader heaven.

And then something strange happened around book #10-ish. 

The romantic horror series suddenly shifted to erotic horror. That alone didn't bother me. In fact, I might have enjoyed it. But suddenly Anita was sleeping with all these guys, sometimes all at the same time. And it was always for some mystical reason, not that she really wanted to (at the beginning of this change). Anita wasn't exactly forced, but she wasn't given many options not to...for reasons. 

It felt more like the author didn't wish to admit that she wanted her character to sleep with so many people and made it seem like Anita had to for her own good.

It was a dilemma that Anita had to face. If it would have been one book, or two, I wouldn't have minded... but every single book after? She's dealing with all these relationships with these many men and the drama and whining about who gets her attention and blah, blah, blah. They are a whiny bunch. I'm not sure how she can stand them all. Then again, she started getting whiny, too.

I just want her to go back to killing monsters and raising the dead. You know? The simple life.

I guess now as I look back, this might have been my introduction to reverse harem. This would be something I normally don't mind. I've read reverse harem romances and enjoyed them, but I didn't start reading this series expecting the horror novels to turn in the direction of erotic novels and then on to the drama of a soap opera.

And Anita has a lot of sex in the newer books. A lot. In my opinion, the sex scenes don't always move the plot forward. You can skip those scenes and it won't matter much for the rest of the book. To me, that feels unnecessary.

I stopped reading this series for a while. But because I still remember my love for these characters, I try reading another every so often. I still have hope that the old type of story-telling that I loved might show itself in some way. 

Frankly, I miss the characters and the simple love triangle between Anita, Richard and Jean-Claude. I was excited to see who she would choose and what monster-of-the-week she had to fight. I didn't expect her to fall into bed with Micah, Nathanial, Asher, Damian, Jason, among others (is she sleeping with Edward, yet? Because then, I'm absolutely done!) and suddenly the monster-of-the-week wasn't really so dangerous, life-threatening or important.

Even though I'm personally disappointed with the direction the author took these books, I still recommend this series to others. These books are absolutely amazing up until about 10, if you like horror mixed with romance and mystery. If you like reverse harem romances mixed with a bit of horror and mystery with a side of relationship issues between the characters, then you'll love book 11 and onward. 

Readers might be interested in these books for different reasons, and I hope you enjoy them.

Be sure to check out the other blogger's suggestions at ...

I write sensual paranormal and historical romances. Interested in learning more about my stories? Sign-up for my newsletter where you'll learn about my new book releases, updates on my works-in-progress, writing tips, book reviews, contests, and other fun book-related info!

You can Follow me on ...

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