E.E. Burke's Best of the West: Becky Lower's Cotillion Ball Series

Blinded By Grace (Cotillion Ball Series)

In 1858 New York City, Halwyn Fitzpatrick thinks he's off the hook for attendance at the annual Cotillion Ball. He has no sister to shepherd down the grand staircase this year and no real desire to go through the rituals of courtship and betrothal himself. Besides, he'll know the right girl when he sees her, especially now that he has new spectacles. But his mother has other plans for him. At twenty-seven years of age, her son is in dire need of a wife.

Grace Wagner needs a husband by July in order to inherit the trust her father has left for her. Her stepfather, though, has plans for the money that don't include Grace, and the last thing he wants is for her to find a husband before she turns twenty-one, thereby fulfilling the terms of the trust. 

She's been in love with Halwyn since she was thirteen, but he hasn't noticed her at any of the balls they've been at over the years. With the aid of his new glasses, he spies Grace from across the room and they share a dance. Grace decides to present him with a business proposition that will satisfy them both. But can a clueless knight in shining armor and a desperate damsel in distress find a way to turn this marriage of convenience into something more?

Excerpt:

Amazon best-selling author Becky Lower has traveled the United States in search of great settings for her novels. She loves to write about two people finding each other and falling in love amid the backdrop of a great setting, be it in America on a covered wagon headed west or in Regency England. Her Cotillion Ball Series features the nine children from an upscale New York family prior to and during the Civil War. Her first Regency, A Regency Yuletide, received the Crowned Heart and has been nominated for the prestigious RONE award from InD’Tale Magazine. A regular contributor to USA Today’s Happy Ever After section, her books have been featured in the column on ten separate occasions.

Website: http://www.beckylowerauthor.com

Newsletter– http://beckylowerauthor.com/contact.html#newsletter

Facebook–http://facebook.com/becky.lower

Twitter–http://twitter.com/BeckyLower1

BookBub– https://www.bookbub.com/authors/becky-lower

Becky’s blog: http://beckylowerauthor.blogspot.com

Review Becky’s books on Goodreads–http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/6159227.Becky_Lower

What’s the first book you remember reading?  

I read everything I could get my hands on from an early age, but the first ones I can remember were the Laura Ingalls Wilder books and the Trixie Belden series. I guess that’s why I’ve written a series myself. My Cotillion Ball series is set in America in the years leading up to and into the Civil War, so I tip my hat to Ms. Wilder.

If you could interview one person (and it doesn’t have to be a writer) who would it be?

I’ve been fascinated by Jedediah Smith for years now. In fact, I credit him for starting me on my writing journey. I saw a program about his fascinating life and I was so disappointed with the way his life ended. I wanted to write a new ending to his life. I’ve written the story about five different ways now, but it’s still under the bed.

If you were given a chance to travel to the past where would you go and specifically why?

I’d love to have attended a Rocky Mountain Rendevous in 1825 or so. Maybe I could have met Jed Smith there.

What is your favorite tradition from your childhood that you would love to pass on or did pass on to your children?

We didn’t have a lot of money when I was growing up, and I come from a large family, so food was always scarce. Except at Thanksgiving. That was the one day when I could have seconds. And thirds, if I wanted. So now, as an adult, whenever two or more of my siblings get together, we celebrate with a full-blown Thanksgiving dinner, regardless of what the calendar says. This year, we had three generations together to celebrate the holiday early. And we passed on the tradition that the date on the calendar doesn’t matter. It’s the people you choose to celebrate with.

Tea or Coffee? And how do you take it?

Coffee, please, with a dollop of cream. I’ve never been able to drink it black.

What will always make you smile, even on a bad day?

I moved to North Carolina last year and there’s one road that I try to take whenever I have to go to town. It’s a tree tunnel, with towering pine trees on either side of the road, so close to the road you can almost touch them from your car. Whenever I take it, regardless of how my day’s going, it makes me smile.

Becky is graciously offering two copies of her Cotillion Ball books Blinding by Grace and The Duplicitous Debutante. To enter the drawing, leave a comment and your email so we can contact you.

If you could go back in time and meet someone, who would it be and what would ask them?

Trouble in Glamour Town

I've known Sarah (S.R.) Mallery for about four years now, but I've never met her in person. I hope to one day.  Isn't that the power of social media?  We've chatted, plotted and helped each other out over the years and we've yet to see each other face to face.

I'm thrilled Sarah agreed to be interviewed for Get Lost In A Story, and I think you'll love her stories, I sure do.

So, let's get started, shall we?

Sarah, how often do you get lost in a story?

ALL THE TIME. With movies, TV series, and of course, books!...in fact I even get lost in song lyrics while I drive...

What's your favorite thing about your current book hero?

For my Work In Progress, TENDER ENEMIES (not due out until mid November 2018), I like my HEROINE because she's complex. Having been molested as a young girl, she's grown up with a dual personality: strong and sassy on the outside, insecure and vulnerable on the inside.

Do you have a favorite movie of all time? Tell me about it.

There are so many, but just listening to its opening music and how it makes me INSTANTLY cry, I'd have to say, "To Kill A Mockingbird"

What's your perfect day like?

Lots of writing, editing, and good connections with author friends. Then walking as I talked to several close friends/family on the phone, walking outside and listening to Pandora, or going to my Fit Class. Then at night, sitting around with my hubby of 38 years, watching a film that makes both of us either laugh, cry, or sit on the edges of our seats!

Let's do some rapid fire questions.

Okay doke.

Favorite meal?

Steak and salad or Pizza and salad

Name something on your bucket list.

That's a hard one. I hate heights so no sky diving....I had never tried a gun but being a mystery fan, I secretly wanted to at least see what it felt like to shoot. But no go. I was told at the gun range I couldn't (detached retina problem)

Dream vacation?

Going to Tuscany and renting a little cottage. It could also be in England or Ireland.. Just somewhere picturesque and OOZING charm.

Favorite book boyfriend?

I'm such an old lady....Rhett Butler!

Favorite memory.

There have been many, but what immediately pops into my head was the time I gave a stray pregnant cat to a woman who advertised she would take her and not kill her or the kittens afterwards. Then, several weeks later she called to see if I wanted to visit with the cat's litter of seven week olds. My young kids and I went, and apparently this woman had had other pregnant cats at the same time, because when the three of us walked into this small, special room, there were twenty-five little playful kitties. O M G! Such a fun time!

Geek or Jock?

I appreciate jocky guys enormously for their hunkiness, but I also need to be around a good brain. How about a combo? That's what attracted me to my husband years ago. He was so smart but also wore a tool belt. Youza!

The most daring thing you’ve ever done… Care to share?

Oh, boy. When I was a teenager, unbeknownst to my parents, I went up in a little four-seater plane with two male teenagers. The 'pilot' teenager who was taking lessons but wasn't licensed yet (he neglected to tell me this), thought it would be fun to fly upside down and try some aerobatic tricks to see my reaction. After what seemed like hours (it was probably only five minutes), he and his pal did decide to stop and come down––I wouldn't stop moaning and crying...

Anything you want to share about your favorite shoes?

LOL. Actually no. I do not wear particularly fashionable shoes. I've always gone for comfort and lower prices.

Do you have a giveaway? If so, tell me about it.

I will be giving away three Amazon gifted ebook copies of my TROUBLE IN GLAMOUR TOWN.

Please tell me what readers should do to enter?

Follow me on Book Bub, please.  

Winners chosen May 24th.  

Let's look at the blurb for Trouble in Glamour Town.

Murder. Corruption. Romance. Movie stars. A modern day TV shoot ‘em up? No. It’s 1926 Old Hollywood, and a film producer is gunned down in cold blood. In comes Rosie, a pretty bit-player, who, in spite of her stage-mother’s expectations, just longs to be happy. Silent screen idols Clara Bow, Gloria Swanson, Lon Chaney, and Rudolph Valentino float in and out, as Los Angeles’ corruption is exposed, the era described, and a chase to find the killer revs up before there’s another hit.

Enjoy an Excerpt:

“It will take a bit of effort…a bit of sweat and perhaps…

 a bit of blood.”

 –– From the 1922 movie, Nosferatu

IT WAS ANOTHER glorious day in Los Angeles. Sparkling like actress Theda Bara’s bejeweled robe in the 1917 movie, Cleopatra, the Hollywood hills behind the man and his rifle glistened in the midday sun as each ray glanced off the small, jagged rocks. With his 1903 Springfield bolt-action sharpshooter locked tight against his shoulder, the assassin slowly rolled the scope ring around to set the precise distance. He knew from experience that with the wind factor leveled near zero, his chances were good for a clean hit.

January 4, 1926, 1:15 p.m.

   For the third time, he peered through the lens. Fifty yards directly south of his position on the low-lying rooftop was Medford Studio’s back lot. There, on the outdoor set, where a Bell & Howell 35mm camera had been set up on a wooden tripod, an agitated film director was busy barking orders through his giant megaphone, while all the actors remained frozen in their assigned positions.

 Yet to the killer, none of that scenario was important. All he cared about was how his target stood off to one side, in perfect alignment with his scope view.

“Man down,” the shooter said as human screams from below echoed up to him.

“Here we go, here we go,” he muttered. He steadied himself against the roof edge and made sure the bolt was in the forward down position. With one eye pressed against the scope, he curled his index finger around the trigger and squeezed.
On the set, the director was still hollering his directions to the actors and crew when the shot rang out.

  With a quick ‘that’s done’ sigh of relief, the killer, still clutching his rifle, wiggled backward on his belly before he stood up out of sight of the ensuing chaos. A glance down at his shoes assured him the cloth swabs covering them were still in place. Then, his bag tucked under his arm, he hurried over to the outside ladder on the roof’s back edge. From there, he deftly descended, grateful he had practiced this procedure at least once beforehand.

You can read more by picking this book up here:  http://BookShow.me/B077D7T2KC/

A little more about Sarah.

A two-time READERS’ FAVORITE Gold Medal winner, S.R. Mallery has been labeled nothing short of 'eclectic'. She has been a singer, a calligrapher, a quilt designer, and an ESL teacher. As a writer, History is her focus and like in “Forrest Gump,” she weaves her fictional characters together with real people into her stories with a delicate thread. When people talk about the news of the day, or listen to music, her imagination likens the story to a similar kind of news in the past and is conjuring up scenes between characters she has yet to meet.

E.E. Burke's Best of the West with Danica Favorite

Purchase on Amazon

Her Rancher Bodyguard

When Laura Booth’s dangerous ex-husband escapes from prison, she turns to the one man who can protect her: Owen Hamilton. Living with the widowed former lawman—who once helped put her ex in jail—and his adorable twin daughters on their Colorado ranch is a welcome respite. For the first time, Laura feels safe—but after her troubled past, she’ll never trust her heart again.

Owen would like to say only obligation draws him to Laura’s side. But in his gut, he knows his feelings for the gentle beauty run deeper than duty—and it stops him cold. After guarding their wary hearts for years, can Owen and Laura give love a second chance?

Here's an excerpt: https://samples.overdrive.com/?crid=0ce90d27-2d96-433f-9679-6dbd40ccc92f&.epub-sample.overdrive.com

Meet Danica 

A self-professed crazy chicken lady, Danica Favorite loves the adventure of living a creative life. She and her family recently moved into their dream home in the mountains above Denver, Colorado.  Danica loves to explore the depths of human nature and follow people on the journey to happily ever after. Though the journey is often bumpy, those bumps are what refine imperfect characters as they live the life God created them for. Oops, that just spoiled the ending of all of Danica’s stories. Then again, getting there is all the fun.

You can connect with Danica at the following places:

Newsletter: http://eepurl.com/7HCXj

Website: http://www.danicafavorite.com/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/danicafavorite

Instagram: https://instagram.com/danicafavorite/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/DanicaFavoriteAuthor 

Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Danica-Favorite/e/B00KRP0IFU

BookBub: https://www.bookbub.com/authors/danica-favorite

E.E. If you couldn’t be a writer anymore, what profession would you take up?

Danica: I would probably go into counseling. I was accepted to grad school to be a counselor years ago, but as a newlywed, we just couldn’t make the finances work, and the school lost all of my financial paperwork! Every couple of years, I look at schools and paperwork, so you never know! I just might do it anyway!

E.E.: What do you do to unwind and relax?

I take a bath with a book, a cup of tea, a glass of wine, and a glass of water, and I don’t leave the tub until they’re all gone!

E.E.: Do you read reviews of your books? If so, do you pay any attention to them, or let them influence your writing?

I try not to. The good reviews are definitely flattering and make me feel good, but a lot of the bad reviews are pretty mean. I don’t have thick enough skin to not take it personally, and I don’t have time to handle it emotionally. As far as it letting them influence my writing, not really. Since I try not to read them, I’m not always aware of their comments. Even when a comment is brought to my attention, I haven’t found anything helpful enough that would make me change anything. Generally, what one reader loves, another hates, and vice versa. I can’t please everyone, so I write what makes me happy, and it will connect with the readers it connects with. There are a lot of other great books for those who want something different.

E.E.: What dreams have been realized as a result of your writing?

Danica: Just being published is a dream! But since then, we’ve moved into our dream house (still under construction), done more traveling, and had a lot of fun experiences. Being a writer has given me the courage to dream big, and to see where those dreams lead. The move to our dream house was a total act of faith where I told my husband, “look, we’ve been talking about this as long as we’ve known each other. We need to either start making plans to make it happen, or we need to stop talking about it.” In my grand speech, I was thinking it would be a 2-5 year plan. It ended up being a 2-5 month plan! But, as I mentioned, we’re still under construction, 2 ½ years later! However, being a writer has taught me about dreaming, making plans, taking risks, and being patient with the process, so even though I have a lot of moments of discouragement, I am constantly reminded to keep trusting in the process, and the time will come. One of the first things we bought for the house, two years ago, was my dream bathtub. I love a nice bath for relaxation! However, it didn’t get installed and working until this week! And I still have no drywall, flooring, or even decent lighting in there. For a while, I joked that my master bath had a toilet and hand sanitizer. Now, we have a toilet, hand sanitizer, and a tub, and my friend helpfully reminded me that now I can wash my hands in the tub!

This whole house process has been like a slow version of the writing process. You can see a lot of the results and dream about them well before they ever happen, and a lot of the time you spend as a writer is all in the waiting for the thing you’ve had in your head to finally reach a reader’s hands.

E.E.: Tea or Coffee? And how do you take it?

Danica: Tea. Plain. And I have a rather extensive collection.

E.E.: What one thing about your hero drives his heroine crazy? And what one thing about your heroine drives her hero nuts?

Danica: Definitely my hero’s need for control. He gives a lot of orders, expecting her to follow them, and she doesn’t like that he doesn’t give her a lot of say in the matter. For the hero, it drives him crazy that the heroine doesn’t trust him to do his job and keep her safe. He doesn’t have precious time to waste to explain his every move to her and get her to understand.

Today, Danica is giving away a copy of her book, Honor Bound Lawman. Just leave a comment and enter the rafflecopter.

What is a dream you have, and how are you working to reach it?

a Rafflecopter giveaway

E.E. Burke's Best of the West featuring Peggy Henderson

The Yellowstone Romance Series

A young woman is given the opportunity of a lifetime to travel back in time to the era of the mountain men in untamed Yellowstone, where she meets the love of her life and sets in motion an ancient plan for the preservation of the park we love today. 

Yellowstone Heart Song: Book 1

"I am not good with words, but you make my heart sing, Aimee..."

Nurse and avid backpacker Aimee Donovan is offered the opportunity of a lifetime. She encounters a patient who tells her he is a time traveler and can send her two hundred years into the past to spend three months in the rugged Yellowstone wilderness at the dawn of the mountain man era. The only requirement: she cannot tell anyone that she’s from the future. 

How did a white woman suddenly appear in the remote Rocky Mountain wilderness? Trapper Daniel Osborne’s first instinct is to protect this mysterious and unconventional woman from the harsh realities of his mountains. While he fights his growing attraction to her, he is left frustrated by her lies and secrecy. 

Daniel shows Aimee a side of Yellowstone she’s never experienced. She is torn between her feelings for him and exposing a secret that will destroy everything he holds as truth. As her three months come to an end, she is faced with a dilemma: return to her own time, or stay with the man who opened her eyes to a whole new world. When the decision is made for her, both their lives will be changed forever.

Excerpt from Yellowstone Heart Song

Daniel wrapped the buffalo robe tighter around his shoulders, trying to ward off the chill of the cold October wind. His hair whipped around his face. He gazed out across the gaping expanse of the canyon before him. Sitting on a rocky outcropping, he solemnly watched the brilliant yellow and red colors of the canyon walls change their shimmering hues with each passing moment as the morning sun’s rays illuminated the rocks.  Off in the distance, the mighty E-chee-dick-karsh-ah-shay roared as its turquoise waters plunged loudly several hundred feet deeper into the canyon. He never tired of this awesome spectacle in all the years he had come to this spot. This time, however, it brought no joy to his heart. Everywhere he looked, visions of Aimee materialized before his eyes. The sound of her voice echoed in the wind, sometimes so clearly, Daniel thought he was losing his mind.

“I want you to know that no matter what happens in the future, I will always love you. I’ve never loved anyone the way I love you. Please don’t ever forget that.”

Had he been wrong? Had she tried to tell him something that last day? With the way she clung to him the morning he left the cabin? The intensity and passion with which she made love to him the night of the storm, and her words of love couldn’t have been acted.

He stiffened at the rustling sound of leaves behind him, but didn’t bother to turn around. He had been aware of Elk Runner watching him from the trees for some time already.

“Why do you come here, brother?” he finally asked, his eyes still riveted on nature’s splendor before him. He had wanted to share this spectacular place with Aimee, but had never gotten the chance.

Meet Peggy

Thank you so much for having me on Get Lost in A Story today!

I am an award-winning, best-selling western historical and time travel romance author of the Yellowstone Romance Series, Second Chances Time Travel Romance Series, Teton Romance Trilogy, and the Blemished Brides and Wilderness Brides Western Historical Romance Series. When I’m not writing about Yellowstone, the Tetons, or the old west, I’m out hiking the trails, spending time with my family and pets, or catching up on much-needed sleep. I’m happily married to my high school sweetheart. Along with my husband and two sons, I divide my time between living in Southern California and Yellowstone National Park.

I’m currently finishing the eighth – and final – full-length novel in the Yellowstone Romance Series, which is a series that started as a single book I never expected to publish. The first book, Yellowstone Heart Song, was simply a story stuck in my head that I finally had to write down. I was urged to publish it after it sat on my computer for over a year after I finished it. I never thought anyone would be interested in reading about a modern woman traveling to the Yellowstone of the past, and have been overwhelmed with how well the book, and the entire series, has been received.

Amazon | Barnes and Noble | iTunes | Blog |Facebook | Facebook Group | Pinterest | Twitter |mailing list

E.E.: How often to you get lost in a story?

Peggy: I get lost in a story as often as I can. I may not have as much time to read anymore as I used to, but I love listening to audiobooks. I can listen in the car of when I go for walks or do other chores, and make the time fly.

E.E.: Fairy Tale or Action Adventure?

Peggy: I love a good action adventure. If it combines with fairy tales, even better.

E.E. What sound or noise do you love?

Peggy: I love the sound of horses munching on hay in a warm barn. It’s just such a peaceful and happy sound. I also love the sound of a creek gurgling along, the wind through the tops of trees, and rain falling. I’m a lover of nature, and these are the sounds that bring me inner peace.

E.E.: Why did you start writing?

Peggy: I started writing because, frankly, I couldn’t find the story that was in my head for over a year and wouldn’t let go. I searched and searched, but nothing was close to the story or the setting, so I finally decided to write it down. That story became a 12-book series and two spin-offs!

E.E.: Do you write while listening to music? If so what kind?

Peggy: No, I have to have complete silence to write. There’s enough chatter going on in my head that is distracting. I don’t want to add any more to it by adding music. Even music without words tends to distract me. I will sometimes listen to a song or melody to get me mentally ready for a scene I’m about to write, but I can’t have the music playing while writing that scene.

E.E.: If you were given a chance to travel to the past where would you go?

Peggy; To the place I write about in my Yellowstone Romance Series, of course! Yellowstone National Park. The Yellowstone of the past is where I send all of my modern heroes and heroines.

E.E.: What is something that not a lot of people know about you but you WISH more people COULD know?

Peggy: This is difficult for me to talk about, but lately, I’ve been more open about it. I suffer from depression and anxiety disorder (general anxiety, plus social anxiety, and health anxiety) No, I’m not a hypochondriac when it comes to health anxiety. There are only a two or three things I worry about when it comes to my health, and talking about them sets off triggers. It’s not easy dealing with constant fear and constant sadness (depression is more than sadness, but I’m keeping it simple) on an almost daily basis, and it’s even more difficult to explain to people, even those we are closest to. It’s a very misunderstood problem, which makes people with anxiety and depression more isolated. 

E.E.: Which of your characters would you most/least to invite to dinner, and why?

Peggy: I would love to invite Lucas Walker from the Teton Romance Trilogy. He is such a fun character, so full of life, and I know he’d have a lot of incredible tales of action and adventure in the Tetons to tell.

E.E.: What dreams have been realized as a result of your writing?

Peggy: I’ve been able to write full-time, and from anywhere, which has given my husband and I the freedom and opportunity to move to Yellowstone National Park this past season. I wrote my books while he took a job as a historical preservation craftsman (his dream job) at the historic Old Faithful Inn.

E.E.: What three things are, at this moment, in your heroine’s purse?

Peggy: A gun, a petrified snakehead, a cellphone

E.E.: What is your hero’s “kryptonite” – in other words, what will bring him instantly to his knees?

Peggy: If anything happened to his heroine

E.E.: What drew you to write in the genre(s) you do?

Peggy: I love the American West and the history that goes with it. I especially love the time of the explorers, the trailblazers – the mountain men and fur trappers, and then the scouts and pioneers. That’s why my favorite genre is historical westerns.  I also have a lot of fun with “present meets past” in my time travels that bring heroes and heroines from that time period to the future and sends them from the future to that time.

Win a signed paperback copy of YELLOWSTONE HEART SONG! Just enter the Rafflecopter below. Tweet or Follow Peggy to get more chances.

If you could travel anywhere back in time, where would you go and why?

a Rafflecopter giveaway