#WeekendWritingWarriors #SnippetSunday - The Matchmaker's mare

Weekend Writing Warriors   

Eight Sentence Sunday

                                 Snippet Sunday Facebook  Group

Don't forget to visit the other authors at the link above, there's something for all tastes.

Hi folks, Hope you all had a good week - how are the New Year Resulutions going? (or not)

I'm continuing snippets from the draft of my current 'work in progress' unpublished fantasy romance 'The Matchmaker's Mare' which takes place in Wales. The  story is told from three p.o.vs. and two time-lines. Today's excerpt is again from Megan's P.O.V. 

Megan has inherited an old cottage and started a new life, and a new job at the veterinary surgery, Her nearest neighbour is Glyn, a single dad and his young son, Huw. A mysterious pony has appeared in Glyn's horse paddocks and even his experienced horse breaker, Evan, can't seem to handle her. Meanwhile, objects have been disappearing and reappearing at the cottage, and Megan isn't sure if she's imagining things. In the last snippet, she is surprised to see Huw riding the supposedly unmanageable pony

 (This is only a rough draft to give the gist of the novel, and is subject to change and edits - and improvement on the creative punctuation which is needed  to adhere to the ten sentence rule!) Any feedback gratefully received.

SNIPPET

Megan shot a glance at Evan Griffiths, leaning against the fence with a bemused expression on his face. 


“She trusts him, see,” the man said in answer to her unspoken question, “that’s the only way to explain it.” He paused, “p’raps she’s one of those horses which prefer children to adults, some horses do, you know.”

“We only discovered Huw was riding the pony the other day, and I can’t get him to tell me how long he’s been riding her or how he managed to gain her confidence,” Glyn added.

“Well he seems happy,” she replied, “and so does the pony for that matter.”

The boy must have noticed her arrival, and cantered up to the fence, patting the pony’s neck, he drew her to a halt and jumped down from the saddle.

“Hello Miss Johnson, did you see me jumping -- how d’you like my new pony?”

“Your pony now, is she?” his father said, and Megan could not help noticing the twinkle in his eye.

“You seem to be doing really well with her,” she said, stepping back from the fence a little, as the pony snorted and tossed her head. She hoped Glyn Phillips hadn’t noticed

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Retaliation - Spotlight and #Giveaway

Retaliation 

The Oceanstone Initiative #2 

by Haley Cavanagh 

Genre: S.F. Romance 

Publisher: Covey Publishing, LLC 

Publication Date: December 27, 2019

One doctor, one alien lover, one botanist, and one engineer on a desperate mission to save earth from human destruction. 

Sakota saved Astraeus and her friends from certain death, but in doing so, she gained the attention of the Oreck, who will stop at nothing to destroy everything in their path. 

With their ship severely damaged, Sakota and her crew land on a nearby planet and seek sanctuary while they make repairs to return home. But nothing on this perfect planet is as it appears, and Sakota soon learns they've traded one danger for another. 

Hunted and targeted, will Sakota be able to carry out her mission, or will everyone she cares about be destroyed? 

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Astraeus 

The Oceanstone Initiative #1 

Publisher: Covey Publishing, LLC 

Publication Date: October 12, 2018

One pre-apocalyptic Earth. One desperate space mission to find a solution. One unexpected alien. 

When Dr. Sakota Thorell signed onto the mission to scout out a new, habitable planet, she knew discovering extraterrestrial life was always a possibility. But she never expected to find an alien adrift in space, nor for that alien to be so intriguing. Sakota feels an instant and undeniable attraction to Astraeus, but he represents a million possibilities, and just as many threats. 

There are others hunting Astraeus, and his rescue may cost Earth its last hope. 

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Book Trailer 

https://youtu.be/eWwKlQ4siTQ

Haley Cavanagh is a military veteran, wife, and mother. She is an alumna of Columbia College, a musical theater nut, and she loves to dive into any book that crosses her path. Haley resides with her family in the United States and enjoys spending time with her husband and children when she’s not writing. She loves to hear from her readers, and encourages you to contact her via her website and social media. 

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$25 Amazon and autographed paperback bundle of The Oceanstone Initiative series and swag 

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#WeekendWritingWarriors #SnippetSunday - The Matchmaker's mare - and some memories of Christmas just gone!

Weekend Writing Warriors   

Eight Sentence Sunday

                                 Snippet Sunday Facebook  Group

Don't forget to visit the other authors at the link above, there's something for all tastes.

Hi folks, 

I hope everyone who celebrates it had a lovely Christmas and that the New Year will bring you much happiness, health and contentment. I've been away from here longer than I intended, so many apologies.

After a trip to my beloved homeland to visit family and friends, just before Christmas, we spent a day at a local 'stately home', Waddesdon Manor.  Every year they decorate the grounds with lights in the trees, and illuminated models. There is a Christmas Market, with lots of beautiful craftie things, and food, and the inside of the house has several rooms all decorated for Christmas to a special theme. The theme this year was Christmas music. Forgive me for going back in time, it's been less than two weeks but I know Christmas now seems like an age away already, and I wanted to share some pictures with you.

This is the entrance to what used to be the stable yard,but it is now shops and cafes, with outdoor seating. There were two enormous illuminated baubles in the yard, which were quite spectacular - one could wander in and out of them.

 There were many decorated rooms, each with a gigantic Christmas tree, to celebrate Christmas songs, from While Shepherds watched their flocks by night' to The Nutcracker. I immediately thought of ED - and his great Christmas SF romance, ALIEN CONTACT FOR A CHRISTMAS NUTCRACKER!

Anyway, back to today!

I'm continuing snippets from the draft of my current 'work in progress' unpublished fantasy romance 'The Matchmaker's Mare' which takes place in Wales. The  story is told from three p.o.vs. and two time-lines. Today's excerpt is again from Megan's P.O.V. 

Megan has inherited an old cottage and started a new life, and a new job at the veterinary surgery, Her nearest neighbour is Glyn, a single dad and his young son, Huw. A mysterious pony has appeared in Glyn's horse paddocks and even his experienced horse breaker, Evan, can't seem to handle her. Meanwhile, objects have been disappearing and reappearing at the cottage, and Megan isn't sure if she's imagining things.The next snippet finds her about to deliver some medication from the vets for Glyn's dog.


SNIPPET

The late afternoon sun shone golden through the lush canopy of trees lining the drive up to the house. as Megan  drew up at the gate to Hafod farm. She opened the gate and parked in front of the house and breathed in the warm, earthy-scented air. There was something about a balmy spring afternoon like this, which made one glad to be alive. A host of birds chirped as they made their way to their roosts for the night, and somewhere an owl hooted.

There didn’t seem to be anyone around, so, clutching the package of medication for Bob, she walked down to the paddocks.She stopped in her tracks and blinked. Glyn Phillips and the stable hand, Evan Griffiths stood as if mesmerised. The chestnut pony, which was supposed to be un-rideable, trotted sedately around the schooling area, with Glyn’s son, Huw, on her back.

She shaded her eyes against the glare of the sun to make sure she wasn’t mistaken. As she approached, Glyn turned and beckoned to her to come and stand beside him and she obliged, trying to hide her amazement as the boy cantered the pony up and down, made a few circles and figures of eight, and then took her over a series of small jumps situated along one side of the school. It hardly seemed like the same pony she’d watched unseat Evan a few weeks earlier.

 (This is only a rough draft to give the gist of the novel, and is subject to change and edits - and improvement on the creative punctuation which is needed  to adhere to the ten sentence rule!) Any feedback gratefully received.








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Spotlight on End of The Road Audio book

 

Author: Karen Michelle Nutt

Narrator: Kelly Jackson

Length: 9 hours 27 minutes

Publisher: Karen Michelle Nutt

Released: Sep. 24, 2019

Genre: Paranormal Romance

Synopsis

Lars Gunner, the frontman for Silent Plaids, died 23 years ago, and his death was ruled an unfortunate accident. Despite the fact that he can't recall what happened to him in his last moments of life, he is convinced that he was murdered. He has been trapped in limbo until his daughter Cecilia unearths his journal and is able to see him. She seeks help from Kaleb, a psychic, but as they resurrect the past, the secrets and lies surrounding Lars' rock-and-roll life just may be the death of them, too.

Purchase Options

Buy on Amazon⎮Audible⎮iTunes

About the Author: Karen Michelle Nutt

Karen Michelle Nutt resides in California with her husband. Though her three children are grown and starting their own adventures, she still has a houseful of demanding pets. Jack, her Chorkie, is her writing buddy and sits long hours with her at the computer.
When she's not time traveling, fighting outlaws, or otherworldly creatures, she creates book covers at Gillian's Book Covers, "Judge Your Book By Its Cover".
Whether your reading fancy is paranormal, time travel or contemporary romances, all her stories capture the rich array of emotions that accompany the most fabulous human phenomena—falling in love.

.About the Narrator: Kelly Jackson

Kelly Jackson is a SAG/AFTRA-affiliated actor and comedienne, and as such, she loves idealizing characters in the books that she narrates.  Kelly and her sister are also bloggers known as The Midlife Gals Gone Gray. That’s how this whole thing got started. They choose a topic and then annihilate it through two hilariously disparate points of view.  Kelly wrote a book, A Texan Goes to Nirvana, and wanted to narrate it herself. That’s how that got started. When not writing and narrating, Kelly has a ‘death grip on the control panel’ as a Senior Executive Assistant/Girl Friday to CEOs.  Although a Texan by birth, Kelly and her sister live in Hawaii and enjoy a regular yoga practice, movies, swimming and oddbody watching at nearby beaches. Aloha!Proud member of SAG/AFTRA

https://gleam.io/yjKLh/end-of-the-road-giveaway-25-amazon-gift-card
End of the Road Giveaway: $25 Amazon Gift Card



Dec. 12th:
Southern Girl Bookaholic
Viviana MacKade

Dec. 13th:
Smada’s Book Smack
4 the Love of Audiobooks
Dec. 14th:
Dab of Darkness Book Reviews
Eileen Troemel
Dec. 15th:
Jazzy Book Reviews
All the Ups and Downs
 Romance that’s ‘Out Of This World’

Dec. 16th:
The Book Junkie Reads . . .
Dec. 17th:
Locks, Hooks and Books
Dec. 18th:
Teatime and Books
Nesie’s Place

Plugging you into the audio community since 2016.

Sign up as a tour host here.

For insider news and subscriber-only info, subscribe to my occasional Newsletter. I promise not to spam and your in-box will only see an email from me every 3 or 4 months or so - unless of course I have something really Newsworthy to share! I also promise that I never have and never will share your information or email address with anyone or any organisation.  http://madmimi.com/signups/196357/join

#WeekendWritingWarriors #SnippetSunday - The Matchmaker's mare

Weekend Writing Warriors   

Eight Sentence Sunday

                                 Snippet Sunday Facebook  Group

Hi folks, I'm continuing snippets from the draft of my current 'work in progress' unpublished fantasy romance 'The Matchmaker's Mare' which takes place in Wales. The  story is told from three p.o.vs. and two time-lines. Today's excerpt is again from Megan's P.O.V.  

Don't forget to visit the other authors at the link above, there's something for all tastes.

 (This is only a rough draft to give the gist of the novel, and is subject to change and edits - and improvement on the creative punctuation which is needed  to adhere to the ten sentence rule!) Any feedback gratefully received.

SNIPPET

A Welsh Cottage, A single horse loving dad, trying to build a future for his son, a young woman who has sworn off men and is hoping to make a new start, a matchmaking ghost and her truelove, desperate to get these two together ...and a chestnut pony mare who might just be the means to an end.

Much as she enjoyed her work, and the extra money from the additional hours which was very welcome,Megan sometimes felt so tired she  didn’t feel like doing more than having an early night and reading a book in bed. On a couple of these occasions she found the quilt turned back invitingly, when she could have sworn she’d made the bed properly that morning.

Once or twice she put her keys down on the little table in the hall, and when she went to fetch them they weren’t there and she had to search high and low to find them, usually on top of the refrigerator, or the table in the kitchen. She chided herself for being so absent minded. Another time, she spent a fruitless half hour searching for her comfortable walking shoes and eventually found them in their usual place beneath the hall table, this was the first place she’d looked for them and she had no idea how she could have missed seeing them the first time. 

She put it down to being overtired, perhaps she should try to get some more early nights but there was so much to be done in the hitherto neglected garden, now spring was well underway. She also wanted to find time to work on her sketches and painting. She cleared most of the weeds and brambles from the garden but there was no sign of any lavender, just a few sad looking roses. She took a trip to the nearest garden centre and purchased a few of the shrubs, along with some flowering perennials

That's it for this week - have a great week, everyone and for those of you who've just celebrated Thanksgiving, I hope you had a wonderful time!


For insider news and subscriber-only info, subscribe to my occasional Newsletter. I promise not to spam and your in-box will only see an email from me every 3 or 4 months or so - unless of course I have something really Newsworthy to share! I also promise that I never have and never will share your information or email address with anyone or any organisation.  http://madmimi.com/signups/196357/join

Lost and Found - Book Tour and #Giveaway

Lost and Found 

by Breanna Hayse 

Genre: S F Romance

Lance Callahan, MD, is known to his hospital staff as a man with a heart of gold. When a young woman is brought in with a gunshot wound and severe post-traumatic amnesia, Lance is just the man to care for her. No one knows who she is, where she's from, or why she was left to perish in the unforgiving desert. Even her name, Noelle, is known to Lance only from an inscription on a necklace found in her pocket.

In his effort to help Noelle, Lance determines that due to the trauma she has suffered, the young woman requires retraining to become age-appropriate in all of her activities. Her little girl persona further shocks him when she suddenly claims him as her "Daddy."

With nowhere else for her to go, Lance turns to his close-knit family for help, and Noelle suddenly finds herself with a new aunt and two new uncles, along with more love than she can handle. She quickly learns that there are some very specific rules in the Callahan home, for both Daddy's little girl and Lance's big girl, and that the consequences for breaking the rules include a very red and sore bottom!

Questions remain about Noelle's past, and as the mystery of her origins slowly unravels, it becomes clear that Noelle has a very special secret of her own… a secret that could tear apart everything she's learned to love, including the joy of being lost and then found by a man who's given his heart to her. 

Goodreads * Amazon

Who am I?

I'm a native Californian gone 'wild', and had the opportunity to travel the globe and discover the world through the eyes of both a Marine Intelligence specialist and a BDSM lifestyler. I left the service to go into hospice nursing and grief counseling, eventually working as a marriage and family therapist for those involved in alternative lifestyle development. This experience has allowed me to gain unique inspiration for my books and offer realistic plots and relatable characters.

In 2004, my husband, John, and I joined forces to work with both submissives and dominants- teaching, training, listening and loving. Our goal was to take the mystery and fear out of the lifestyle and mentor people in safe, consensual and healthy relationships.

My first book, The Game Plan, was published in 2012 and opened the door to the now-booming world of Age-Play literature. Since that time, I've devoted my 'spare' time to writing, researching, community involvement, and private and group pro bono counseling in deviant behavior, alternative lifestyle, and addiction recovery.

I was formally 'dungeon trained' as a Domme before discovering my submissive side when I joined the service. My scenarios are pulled primarily from either personal experience or observation, including spending time in BDSM clubs as the safety/medical officer. My multi-faceted background allows me to glean from many avenues and give a unique and intelligent literary experience through elements of fantasy and fiction. I also discuss the questions and psychology of the lifestyle in a manner that is fun and informative, and based on 'the real deal.'

I live with my husband, musician, and fellow-author, John Hayse, and two border collies in southern California. We practice a 24/7 D&S relationship with speckles of AP (and many trips to Build-A-Bear), and happily spend every moment together that we can. My hobbies include my puppies, hiding my vanilla salt-water taffy where John can't find it, exotic art, collecting inspirational trinkets, and developing my own paddle line. You can also see me as a featured author/instructor in professional conference settings and as a Sexpert for kinkyliterature.com. 

Website * Facebook * Twitter * Instagram * Bookbub * Amazon * Goodreads

Follow the tour HERE for special content and a giveaway!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

For insider news and subscriber-only info, subscribe to my occasional Newsletter. I promise not to spam and your in-box will only see an email from me every 3 or 4 months or so - unless of course I have something really Newsworthy to share! I also promise that I never have and never will share your information or email address with anyone or any organisation.  http://madmimi.com/signups/196357/join