I have three releases within twenty-seven days. Don't get me wrong, I'm thrilled--thrilled and incredibly lucky--but all the self-promotion ahead gives me pause. I'd sooner be writing. How do you handle the demands of selling yourself? Of pushing your work in a nonpushing way?
TUMBLEWEED LETTERS, part of The Wild Rose Press's Love Letters series released on Wednesday. In the historical Love Letters series, a life-changing letter must arrive within the first three pages of the story.
BLURB:
When rancher and
single father Cam McBride finds a letter tucked in a strip of cloth tied to a
tumbleweed, he is captivated by the mysterious author. Finding a second
tumbleweed letter further pulls him under the lonely writer's spell. He needs a
mother for his little boy and a wife to warm his bed. Could this mysterious
woman fill his needs?
Sophie Flannigan is
alone, scared, and on the run from a rogue Pinkerton agent. She spends her days
as a scrub lady at Madame Dora's brothel and her nights writing notes to the
four winds. Her life holds little hope until a small boy lays claim to her and
his handsome father proposes an advantageous arrangement.
Can these three
benefit from a marriage of convenience, or will a determined Pinkerton agent
destroy their fragile, newly formed bond?
On November 9th, my first romantic suspense releases from The Wild Rose Press. MONA LISA'S ROOM is book one of a trilogy involving mahem created by a terrorist group called The Red Hand.
BLURB:
Gwen,
You won't believe this email. I'm sitting in a
French safe house, eating caviar and drinking champagne with a handsome
government agent, Niko Reynard. He's wearing nothing but silk pajama bottoms
and mega doses of sex appeal. I'm in big trouble, little sister. He's kissed me
several times and given me a foot massage that nearly caused spontaneous
combustion. I'm feeling strangely virginal compared to the sexual prowess this
thirty-year-old man exudes.
When I came to Paris for a bit of adventure, I
never imagined I'd foil a bombing attempt, karate-kick two men, and run from
terrorists while wearing a new pair of stilettos. I've met a German musician, a
gay poet from Australia, and the most delightful older French woman.
Don't worry. I'm safe--the jury's still out on
yummy Niko, though. The more champagne I drink, the less reserved I feel. What
an unforgettable fortieth birthday!
Alyson
I also have a short story releasing from Still Moments Publishing on November 27th. A TASTE OF CHOCOLATE kicks off their Matchmaker Series. A short, magical read.
BLURB:
Hope Morningstar has the worst luck with
men. One boyfriend wrote her a “Dear
John” letter while serving overseas. Her latest romantic interest broke up with
her in a text. When a traffic detour puts her in an unfamiliar neighborhood,
she stops at Freya’s Coffee Shop where she gets more than directions. She gets
another chance at finding love.
Declan Fleming, scarred by a cheating
ex-wife, has given up searching for love. He’s taken the route of a few other
men and engaged the services of Freya, the matchmaker. Still, he’s been waiting
for a year and he’s just about given up hope. Then Freya sends him Hope.
When feelings of insecurity and trust
issues come into play, can finding love stand a chance? Can the magical
influence of this matchmaker create a happy ending? After all, finding that one
special love often involves a bit of special magic, does it not?
It is kept under glass at the Bancroft Library, UC Berkeley, California. Dr. Charles Kirkpatrick's handwriting was quite well done on the 45 pages. I was able to use what he wrote and sprinkle it throughout Marriage Bargain, my second story in my Paradise Pines Series which was released this week on March 21st. 
The trail was used by about 2,700 settlers up to 1849. After about 1848 the most popular route was the Carson Route which, while rugged, was still easier than most of the others and it entered California in the middle of the gold fields. Trail traffic rapidly fell off as the cross-country trip was much quicker by train -- only about seven days. The economy class fare of about $69 was affordable by most potential travelers.
BLURB:
Marriage Bargain is set on the dusty trail of a wagon train traveling from St. Joseph, Missouri, to the California gold rush area at Placerville, California, in 1849. Betrayal and embarrassment drives Darrah Benjamin to run away from home to take a tutoring job in San Francisco. Darrah finds her journey a pathway to love and forgiveness when an arranged marriage to the wagon scout becomes much more than a convenience. Chase challenges her determination to keep their marriage in name only with his promise -- she’ll give him her heart and invite him to her bed before they arrive at their destination. Darrah has an immediate attraction to the rogue, but holds her emotions tight because she doesn't want her heart broken again.
Charles Danforth, a scout known as Chase, leads a wagon train of emigrants west through plains plundered by murderers. As an undercover agent of President Polk, he has sworn to stop the massacres. Darrah's inadvertent comment gives him the clue he needs to achieve his assignment. His Sioux blood brother helps Chase end the killings, but almost ruins Chase’s chance of winning Darrah’s heart when he takes matters in his own hands to demonstrate the depth of love Chase has for his wife.
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