Bachelors of Blueberry Cove

HALF MOON HARBOR

Bachelors of Blueberry Cove, book 2

Kensington

Bold, brash, Irish–Brodie Monaghan’s been breaking hearts ever since he arrived in Maine to rebuild the family business. Still, there’s one woman he just can’t wow. Grace Maddox claims she’s now part owner of Monaghan Shipbuilders, and she has her own dreams for the weathered dockside buildings. Tiny Blueberry Cove has a way of welcoming strangers with wide open arms, but is the sleepy coastal village ready for the fireworks these two spark?

DIY is so much better with two. . .

Read a little, Buy the book

USA Today bestselling author of the Cupcake Club Romance series, DONNA KAUFFMAN has seen her books reviewed in venues ranging from Kirkus Reviews and Library Journal to Entertainment Weekly and Cosmopolitan. She lives just outside of DC in the lovely Virginia countryside, where she is presently trying to makeover her newly empty nest into something that doesn’t have to accommodate piles of sports equipment falling out of her coat closet (okay, out of every closet...and under every bed....), size 13 cleats and sweaty uniforms cluttering her foyer (and stairwell, and laundry room, and...), and a kitchen that should have come with a traffic light. And a pantry monitor. (Anyone with a clever idea on how to repurpose lacrosse sticks into matching reading lamps, she’s all ears!) When she’s not stripping paint, varnishing an old auction house find, or trying to avoid bodily injury with her latest power tool purchase, she loves to hear from readers! You can contact her through her website.

THE DOWN LOW on BLUEBERRY COVE

In an article about fictional small towns Donna stated, "I love the encapsulated feel of a small town. As a character in one of my Cupcake Club books says, 'It's like being in a continual group hug.' I like that closeness, both the support it gives to all the characters, and the obstacles it creates, being in each other's back pockets. Secrets are hard to keep in a small town, and everybody has an opinion on everything. I love that!"

ANGI: What's different about BLUEBERRY COVE, MAINE?

DONNA: I love all of coastal Maine, and have been end to end numerous times now, but was most deeply drawn to the northern stretch of the coast, Downeast, than the more traditionally well-known touristy southern end. So, I decided to set my small town there, where it’s more rustic, more rugged, and the folks perhaps a bit more delightfully quirky. 

ANGI: What's your favorite thing about Blueberry Cove?

DONNA:  That would go hand in hand with the first answer - it’s a different setting for coastal Maine, and I love that it allows me to explore a different kind of small town, one that embraces its rich, seafaring ancestry as one of the earliest towns to be settled in the Americas. 

ANGI: Can you share if Blueberry Cove is modeled after a real Maine town (and which one)?

DONNA: Blueberry isn’t modeled after any one town. It’s drawn more as a composite, from the history of that part of the coast, the heritage there, drawing from many elements of the way of life there, both now and throughout the centuries since it was originally settled. 

ANGI: Who are your favorite recurring secondary characters? 

DONNA: I think Fergus McRae, the somewhat crusty Irishman who runs the Rusty Puffin pub and is the patriarchal figure in the McRae family is one of them, for sure, but most definitely the top spot goes to Eula March, the ageless, timeless owner of Mossycup Antiques, which features a mossy cup oak tree growing right up through the middle of the shop and is rumored to be inhabited by the wee folk who may or may not help her with her somewhat magical and mystical restorations.  

ANGI: What’s your favorite thing about Brodie?

DONNA: I adore an Irishman with a sexy swagger, and the drop dead accent to go with it.  Especially when he’s quite content with charming his way into the hearts and lives of his new American neighbors, but thinks he’s immune to the charms of any one particular woman. He begins to see the error in that thinking in Pelican Point, the first book in the series, but it’s not until he meets Grace Maddox in Half Moon Harbor that he realizes his life as a happy bachelor is about to come to a rather abrupt end.

ANGI: What’s your favorite thing about Grace?

DONNA: I love that she’s brave enough to make the change in her life she must make if she wants to have a chance at finding what is most important to her, even if it terrifies her, with no guarantee it will work out the way she hopes it will. She wants to reunite with her estranged brother, Ford, who is her only remaining family, and more importantly, find a way to establish herself in a place she can call home, and truly feel and believe it is all of that and more. 

ANGI’S GOTTA ASK: You said in our last interview-- "I've gotten to travel to so many fascinating places and meet so many wonderful, amazing people while researching books, speaking at conferences, attending signings." Where's your favorite place you've gotten to travel? 

DONNA'S GOTTA ANSWER: So many to choose from! Coastal Maine nears the top of the list and I look forward to heading back there this fall…but top spot has to go to the Western Highlands of Scotland. Specifically the Isle of Skye and the Outer Hebridean Islands.  I write contemporary romance and love bringing in a setting that is otherwise more traditionally seen only in historical romance. Skye and the outer islands have been inspiration for a number of books, most notably The Legend MacKinnon, The Charm Stone and, most recently, my Hot Scot series. It is the home of my ancestors and I have felt inexplicably like a lifelong resident (maybe more than one life?) since my first time setting foot on the island.

FIND DONNA

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Instagram: writerchick Donna Kauffman

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DON'T MISS

PELICAN POINT

Bachelors of Blueberry Cove Series

book 1

Blueberry Cove, Maine, is as small-town as small towns get. More than a little quirky, it has sheltered generations of families. But there’s always room for a new face…

Fixing things has always been Alex McFarland’s greatest gift and keenest pleasure. But with her own life thoroughly broken, she’s signed on to renovate the dilapidated Pelican Point lighthouse, hoping to reconnect with herself. The last thing she expects is to find herself falling in love – with the glorious coastline, with age-old secrets and welcome-home smiles . . .with rugged Logan McCrae, the man she just might be able to build new hopes on.

DIY is so much better with two.

ANGI'S back on First Friday with the Crew.

UP NEXT ON GLIAS:  EMMA CONNOR.

~Angi Morgan

Get Lost on Goodreads, Facebook

or @GetLostInAStory  #GetLostStories

DONNA WANTS TO KNOW: Are you drawn to books set in places that might interest you personally? Do you enjoy reading books where the setting (coastal, mountains, big city, small town) is intrinsic to the story itself? (Okay, so I cheated, that’s two questions, but they go hand in hand!) Tell me what location/setting is a “must check out” - one that will make you pick up a book regardless of if you’ve heard of the author before.

Welcome Hope Ramsay!

The Inn at Last Chance

Publisher: Hachette Book Group, Forever Romance

The Story Blurb:

Jenny Carpenter is the unrivaled pie-baking champion of Last Chance, South Carolina's annual Watermelon Festival and the town's unofficial spinster. With her dream of marriage and children on hold, she focuses on another dream, turning the local haunted house into a charming bed-and-breakfast. But her plans go off course when the home's former owner shows up on her doorstep on a dark and stormy night . . .

Mega-bestselling horror writer Gabriel Raintree is as mysterious and tortured as his heroes. His family's long-deserted mansion is just the inspiration he needs to finish his latest twisted tale, or so he thinks until he learns it's been sold. The new innkeeper proves to be as determined as she is kind, and soon Gabriel finds himself a paying guest in his own home. As Jenny and Gabe bring new passion to the old house, can she convince him to leave the ghosts of his past behind-and make Last Chance their first choice for a future together?

Want to read an excerpt?  Check out Hope's website

Meet Hope!

Hope Ramsay was born in New York and grew up on the North Shore of Long Island, but every summer Momma would pack her off under the care of Aunt Annie to go visiting with relatives in the midlands of South Carolina. Her extended family includes its share of colorful aunts and uncles, as well as cousins by the dozens, who provide the fodder for the characters you'll find in Last Chance, South Carolina. Hope earned a BA in Political Science from the University of Buffalo, and has had various jobs working as a Congressional aide, a lobbyist, a public relations consultant, and a meeting planner. She's a two-time finalist in the Golden Heart, and is married to a good ol' Georgia boy who resembles every single one of her heroes. She has two grown children and a couple of demanding lap cats. She lives in Fairfax, Virginia where you can often find her on the back deck, picking on her thirty-five-year-old Martin guitar.

Lara: How often to you get lost in a story?

Hope: I read every weekday morning while I’m walking on the treadmill.  I walk for an hour, and it’s not because I love to exercise.  The only thing that gets me on that machine is knowing that for one hour no one can complain that I have my nose shoved into a book.  (Of course I read on a Nook while I’m walking, but you get the idea.)  When I get lost in a story, and it often happens, the hour finishes and the machine’s belt stops running and my reaction is, “No, wait, I’m not at the end of the chapter.”  And if the book is really good I’ll go find the recumbent bike at the gym and keep on reading while I pedal. [Lara: What a great strategy for exercise!]

Lara: What’s the first thing you do when you finish writing a book?

Hope:  I inform my husband that we’re going out to dinner and I’m ordering a glass (or two) of wine.  Finishing a book is a major accomplishment.  I’m always amazed that I’m able to do it.  And to be honest when I’m finished with a book’s first draft, I’m so tired of the characters that I feel like strangling them.  Luckily I get over that feeling when the revisions turn up several weeks later.

Lara: What do you do to unwind and relax?

Hope:  I knit.  This explains why my last book was all about a yarn shop.  Knitting is an addiction.  If you’ve ever met a knitter you will understand this.  And it doesn’t take much for me to find an excuse to go “yarn crawling,” which is sort of like pub crawling only you drive from yarn shop to yarn shop.  Every May I make a pilgrimage to the Maryland Sheep and Wool Festival along with other addicted knitters.  I make sure to carry cash and not my credit card, because that way I won’t spend too much on yarn I don’t have room for because my yarn stash has already outgrown its storage space.

Lara: Tea or Coffee? And how do you take it?

Hope: I’m ambidextrous on this topic.  Coffee in the morning.  Tea at night.  Sugar and milk in the coffee.  Just a little bit of sugar in the tea.  (And it had better be Earl Grey.) 

Lara: What’s your favorite kind of story to get lost in?

Hope: You’re kidding, right?  I have to choose one kind of story?  Not possible.  I read everything.  Stories that sweep me away always have fabulous characters facing impossible odds and are set in worlds that feel real.  But it doesn’t matter if they are romances, fantasies, science fiction, thrillers, mysteries or any other kind of fiction. 

Lara: What are the next five books on your ‘to be read’ pile?

Hope:  I’m currently re-reading the Sevenwaters series by Juliette Marrilier.  These stories, which are set in Ireland at the time of the Vikings, are on my keeper shelf.  I love this author because she sweeps me away to an incredibly rich world with three-dimensional characters who are flawed but nevertheless heroic.  I have to re-read these stories every few years because I love them so much.  And there are more than five in the series.  I’m currently on book three with a long way to go (he, he, he).

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

Hope: Tulane Rhodes would be my hands-down choice of dinner guest, for a couple of reasons.  First of all the guy is just funny as hell and I’m sure he’d have me in stitches for most of the evening.  And second, he’s a NASCAR driver and one of my fantasies is to meet Dale Earnhardt Jr. face-to-face.  (And, yeah, I was sort of thinking of Dale when I was writing Tulane’s story.)

Lara: Can you tell us about a real-life hero you’ve met?

Hope: I’d have to say that my Aunt Annie is my real-life hero.  (I know you were expecting me to choose some hunky guy, right?  So sorry to disappoint.)  Annie served in the Army during World War II as a nurse.  She was stationed in England and helped to care for the American Air Corps members who were hurt flying bombing missions over Europe.  After the war she returned to her nursing job at St. Luke’s hospital in New York City where she worked her entire life taking care of people.  She had a no-nonsense bed-side manner, and when I was sick I much preferred to be nursed by Aunt Annie over my mom.  Annie also took me traveling to South Carolina to visit family.  Those visits with Aunt Annie became the memories that fueled the Last Chance series.  She gave of herself and served her country.  She was a role model for me.  She taught me how to sew a straight seam, make turkey gravy, and the names of countless plants in the garden.  I miss her every day. [Lara: she sounds like an amazing woman!]

Lara’s GOTTA ASK:  What is something that not a lot of people know about you but you WISH more people COULD know?

Hope’s GOTTA ANSWER:   When I was in my twenties, I wanted to be a singer-songwriter.   I’m fairly accomplished as a guitarist and at one point in my life all of my creative energy was focused on writing song lyrics.  I was in a girl band that had a sound much like the Indigo Girls (but this was way before anyone had ever heard of the Indigo Girls), and we performed at lots of clubs and restaurants around the Washington, DC area.  We even made it into a recording studio.  But, alas bands break up (sort of like marriages) and when that happened to my band it was emotionally painful.  I didn’t ever want to do that again, as much as I loved playing music.  So I put my guitar away for a while and that’s when I started writing my first novel.   The thing about fiction writing is that it’s a solitary pursuit, which made it emotionally much safer for me at the time.  Of course I also discovered that I had more talent for telling stories than for writing lyrics.  I still play my guitar.  And since I practice regularly (and have been playing since I was thirteen), I keep improving little by little.  But today, I don’t perform.  And I’m happy about that.  When you perform you have to be perfect.  When you play just for the joy of it, well it’s like a heavenly gift, and mistakes are always forgiven. [Lara: What a great skill!]

Where can you find Hope?

Contact her

Website

Blog

Facebook: HopeRamsayAuthor

Twitter: @HopeRamsay

Pintrest: Hope Ramsay

What's next?

My next release will be Last Chance Family.  It’s a story of Mike Taggart, a professional gambler who finds himself suddenly responsible for his five-year-old niece.  He decides that the child needs a daddy who is more reliable than he is, so he sets out for Last Chance, South Carolina to reconnect with his long, lost half-brother, who is a minister.  Of course Mike has no idea what he’s getting himself into as he tries to find his brother the perfect wife.  He got to befriend the Altar Guild, manage a slightly senile matchmaker, and run like hell from the feelings he’s starting to have for the cute veterinarian in town.

Hope is giving away 2 copies of Inn at Last Chance to some lucky US commenters!

Hope says: As noted above my favorite place to read a book is on the treadmill.  What’s your favorite place to get lost in a story, and why?

Note: Please leave an email address for notification. Offer void where prohibited. Prizes will be mailed to North America addresses only unless specifically mentioned in the post. Odds of winning vary due to the number of entrants. Winners of drawings are responsible for checking this site in a timely manner. If prizes are not claimed in a timely manner, the author may not have a prize available. Get Lost In A Story cannot be responsible for an author's failure to mail the listed prize. GLIAS does not automatically pass email addresses to guest authors unless the commenter publicly posts their email address. 

Get Lost in a Story welcomes Liz Sinclair

Get Lost in a Story readers, Liz Sinclair may seem like a new name to some, but I did my research and found out she’s simply changing genre hats for her new mystery series.  I am thrilled to present Liz Sinclair.  Some may recognize her as the indomitable Elizabeth Sinclair.  In the meantime, s-h-h-h, we’ll keep her secret.  Please welcome Liz Sinclair. 

ABOUT THE LAST MOVE by Liz Sinclair

BLURB:

Called the Chessman for the game pieces left behind in the wake of deadly fires, the arsonist is intent on making The Last Move. 

Arson Investigator Katie Sullivan is determined to find the serial arsonist who murdered her father, but the arsonist is playing a deadly game with her, and only the winner will live. 

Sheriff Drew Winters is just as determined to keep Katie, the woman he loves, alive and, if need be, save her from herself and her blind, reckless quest to succeed. They were a couple before and could be one again. 

Flames and death await them at every turn. Can they survive? Who will die and who will ultimately declare checkmate depends on Katie's skill as an arson investigator and Drew's abilities as a detective to outsmart the Chessman. 


Please welcome Liz Sinclair!  

DONNELL:  Okay, as soon as I read the blurb, I bought the book.  If you love mysteries as much as I do, this is right up my alley.  Liz, is that what you want us to call you? Way back in the day you wrote Romantic Suspense for Intimate Moments.  So… why the new name? And what drew you to write about an arson investigator?

LIZ: First of all, thank you so much for having me. Second, since my new personae is “Liz,” for today you can call me Liz. J  I grew up in a family of firefighters, but never had much interest in fires beyond the annual firemen’s parade and the big, red, noisy trucks. Then my writer’s mind came up with the plot for BAPTISM IN FIRE, the intimate Moments you referred to. When I began researching for the book, I got hooked on the arson investigation aspects of firefighting. As for the new name, my esteemed editors do not want “Elizabeth’s” readers to confuse this book with the sweet Hawks Mountain books written as Elizabeth Sinclair. There’s nothing sweet about this one beyond the sugar my characters use in their coffee.

DONNELL:  Where I’m from we’ve had two deadly fires, and arson is suspected.  How do you get into the head of someone so evil and twisted as an arsonist?

LIZ: Profiling. There’s a widely accepted view that most arsonists start as children—torturing small animals and cats, setting small fires, a fascination with fire, etc. This doesn’t always hold true. Sometimes they just want revenge. Sometimes they just love to watch things burn. They’re supposed to be one of the hardest criminals to catch because most of the evidence burns in the fire.

DONNELL:  Where does your story take place, and what kind of research did you have to do to write this book?

LIZ: The story takes place in a fictional Florida city. In the acknowledgments at the front of the book, you’ll see a few names connected with firefighting and arson investigation. These people were indispensable to me for brain-picking. I also got books, books, and more books and read Point of Origin, by Joseph Wambaugh from cover to cover (twice). It was a very lengthy process for someone whose prior knowledge of fire was to strike a match and hold it to something that burned and the men in the red trucks showed up to put it out. Oh, and I also had to learn how to assemble an incendiary device. Thank heavens for Amazon!

DONNELL:  What is the most interesting piece of research you’ve ever taken away from writing a book?

LIZ: I believe it would be finding out that an arson investigator can sometimes tell if the fire was set by a man or a woman simply by looking at the point of origin. Men tend to sprinkle accelerants around then light it. Women tend to build piles of inflammables, such as clothing or newspapers, pour on the accelerant, and then light the pile.

DONNELL:  When you’re not writing, where will we find you?

LIZ: Usually reading or playing with my beautiful two-year-old grandson. Both of which bring me the utmost pleasure.

DONNELL:  Finish this sentence.  I’m most comfortable when . . .

LIZ: In my recliner, holding a hot cup of fresh coffee, and watching NCIS. Yes, I’m a Mark Harmon junkie. J

DONNELL:  Are you organized?

LIZ: I like to think I am, and I guess I am to a certain degree, but not as organized as I’d like to be. The area around my computer is very organized and neat, but don’t open a filing cabinet. I have this awful habit of cramming things in there and telling myself “I’ll take care of that later,” but later never seems to materialize.

DONNELL:  What’s the most unusual thing you have in your closet?

LIZ: My brother’s bowling shirt. He passed away a few years ago, and I just can’t bring myself to get rid of it.

DONNELL:  Who inspired you to write, and if you could sit down with anyone, past or present, who would it be – this doesn’t necessarily have to be an author.

LIZ: I’ve always been a voracious reader, but one day I picked up a book called THE FLAME AND THE FLOWER. When I finished it, I had this incredible feeling of having just read something that would stay with me forever. I wanted to inspire that feeling in someone else, so I dove in and wrote the worst historical ever to see a typewritten page (yes, I wrote it on a typewriter). I quickly decided that I should write contemporary books because…they took less research. LOL Little did I know….

As to who I would like to sit down with….that would be Barbara Bush. I read one of her books not long ago and found her fascinating as a wife and mother.

Liz, thank you for being our guest today.  I've been reading the The Last Move, and you're right on two counts -- it's different than Hawks Mountain and I think we can safely say research isn't necessarily easier when writing contemporary.  Now it’s your turn to ask the readers a question.  

LIZ'S QUESTION FOR READERS: Do you like not knowing who the villain is in a mystery or would you rather know up front and why?

Liz Sinclair will be doing a book book giveaway, winner's preference, digital or trade paperback (US/Canadian only for trade paperback) of THE LAST MOVE.

Contact and buy links. www.elizabethsinclair.com esinclair1@aol.com 

Amazon: http://tinyurl.com/n9uk8v3  

A LAZY SUNDAY WITH THE BOYS

NAVY SEAL SURRENDER COUNTRY

It seems that I looked up one day and hay bales were no more...at least not around here. I remember almost all the high school boys being gone all summer as they made the rounds with hay bailers. They'd cut it, bail it, move it, stack it. They had a great summer job. And then I realized there was more and more hay just left in the fields. Huge taller than men rolls turning a pale brown.

This picture above was taken this spring in Ennis, Texas, the heart of bluebonnnet country. You can see the old building...there's another just to its right, an old haybarn rotting. Location is always important to my stories. I find that I get stuck during the writing process more if I haven't visited where I'm writing about.

Visiting gives me visuals that help my imagination, almost like a visualization board. Sometimes, like the hay, they make it into the story...and then sometimes they just make me smile.


On our picture excurtion to Aubrey, the home town of the Sloane brothers, Texas met his first horse.

You can catch more photographs that inspired scenes in Texas Family Reckoning (and all my books) on A Picture A Day.

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ANGI MORGAN writes “Intrigues where honor and danger collide with love.” She combines actual Texas settings with characters who are in realistic and dangerous situations. Angi's work has been a finalist in the Bookseller’s Best Award, Romantic Times Best First Series, Carolyn Readers Choice, Gayle Wilson Award of Excellence and the Daphne du Maurier.

Website   Facebook   FB Fan Page   Twitter @AngiMorganAuthr

A Picture A Day   Goodreads   Pintrest  Book Trailers on YouTube

Monthly Giveaway

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Don't forget to share the covers or the book trailers for extra chances into the $20 gift card drawing.

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Give me one word that describes your favorite place? Can be fictional, real, TV, movie...

SATURDAY WITH THE BOYS

NAVY SEAL SURRENDER

THE RENEGADE RANCHER

I like book trailers, it might be because my husband works in video and he creates them for me.

I think he did a fantastic job, as usual.

While discussing what text we'd use, we have to boil the story down to a few words. One point that we didn't use was that John and Brian Sloane were loyal to a fault. It was their loyalty to each other that was threatened twelve years ago. It was loyalty that tore the rift between them. It's love that brings them back together.

~ ~ ~

ANGI MORGAN writes “Intrigues where honor and danger collide with love.” She combines actual Texas settings with characters who are in realistic and dangerous situations. Angi's work has been a finalist in the Bookseller’s Best Award, Romantic Times Best First Series, Carolyn Readers Choice, Gayle Wilson Award of Excellence and the Daphne du Maurier.

Website   Facebook   FB Fan Page   Twitter @AngiMorganAuthr

A Picture A Day   Goodreads   Pintrest  Book Trailers on YouTube

Monthly Giveaway: ENTER ANGI'S monthly giveaway contest: register through April 30th for a $10 gift card.  ~ ~ ~ SPECIAL FOR TODAY Recieve EXTRA entries if you share the booktrailers on Facebook (or other mediums).

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What do you like to do on a Saturday afternoon? Do you run errands, watch soccer or baseball, or get to read a good book?

MY BOYS ARE BACK IN TOWN

NAVY SEAL SURRENDER

My "boys" are John & Brian Sloane and their story begins much earlier than the beginning of NAVY SEAL SURRENDER. The Sloanes are identical twins, but couldn’t have been more different growing up. Brian: responsible, trustworthy, a protector. John: prankster, outgoing, an adventurer. Their high school graduation brought hope of leaving their small Texas town and fading horse ranch. They were about to begin two separate lives and discover their individual dreams when a fire changed them forever. Witnesses put one of the brothers at the scene. Each knows he's innocent and tries to cover for their brother. There's the rub…they both thought the other accidentally started the fire.

After their father suffers a stroke, estranged brothers are forced to set their differences aside in order to save their family ranch in north Texas--solving a kidnapping and a twelve-year-old murder in the process.

NAVY SEAL SURRENDER

Texas Family Reckoning, book one

JOHN SLOANE RETURNS TO TEXAS TO FIND HIS FAMILY IN TROUBLE AND HIS HIGH SCHOOL SWEETHEART IMPOSSIBLE TO RESIST…

Navy SEAL John Sloane thought he'd come home to Texas to save the family ranch and reconnect with his estranged twin brother. He never expected to reunite with the girl whose heart he broke. But when Alicia Adams's daughter is kidnapped, the fearless SEAL jumps into action.

However, the off-book op poses unfamiliar dangers to John, none more risky than his feelings for Alicia. To regain her trust and protect her from the kidnappers, he'll risk his career and even his life. It all hinges on one daring scheme that could prove he's the hero she needs—or break her heart all over again….

"With Navy SEAL Surrender, Morgan launches a new small-town mystery series with strong characters and a richly developed plot with crosses and double crosses in every chapter."

 ~4 STARS Romantic Times Magazine

"This is an action packed story that takes some clever twists to make this one a very hard book to put down. The reader can really relate to the characters and sympathize with them as they deal with the nightmare their life has become. With every word the story comes to life and takes the reader there so they can feel what the characters are feeling. This is a nice second chance at love story that is sure to please readers. It will also leave the reader hoping for more books to see if the other characters get their own HEA." 

~5 STARS LH Amazon Reviews

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ANGI MORGAN writes “Intrigues where honor and danger collide with love.” She combines actual Texas settings with characters who are in realistic and dangerous situations. Angi's work has been a finalist in the Bookseller’s Best Award, Romantic Times Best First Series, Gayle Wilson Award of Excellence and the Daphne du Maurier.

Website   Facebook   FB Fan Page   Twitter @AngiMorganAuthr

A Picture A Day   Goodreads   Pintrest  Book Trailers on YouTube

Monthly Giveaway

~ ~ ~

ENTER ANGI'S monthly giveaway contest: register at Rafflecopter through April 30th for a $10 gift card. 

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Who's your favorite hero? Can be fictional, real, TV, movie, comic book.

JUST MY OPINION

I've been published for just under 4 years. That's not long and believe me...I have a tough skin when it comes to my writing since I've been seeking opinions on it for close to 2 decades or longer. My closest friends hear me whine about reviews, but I never say things in public. Everyone is entitled to their opinion and I know that not every story is going to resonate with every reader. But this time . . .

Dear Annonymous Reviewer who said NAVY SEAL SURRENNDER was a "pretty good read." THANKS ! I appreciate the fact that you took the time to read my book and that you want to read the sequel. I also appreciate your opinion and your ranking.

(you guys knew that was coming, right?)

Sometimes fiction does reflect reality better than you know.

I'm glad you're reacting like you don't have experience with family members not communicating. But it happens. And just because they end up in the same town (or room) doesn't make things better or mean they walk up to each other and talk again.  I'm very glad it's hard for you to imagine this sad part of many people's lives.Sometimes our fiction does reflect reality. No one deserves to lose their family for any reason--health, disaster or petty misunderstandings.

As I stated above, everyone has their opinion and interpretation of our work. I don't think yours is wrong. Honestly, it amazes me that twin brothers not speaking for twelve years made such an impression. I guess I must have done my job... For good or bad, you were moved by my story.

But on a personal level, I had an uncle who I never met. He left the family before I was born and only kept in contact with my grandmother for many years. I heard about him only when he was in trouble. It wasn't until after his death that I ever met my cousins. I think if my father could have changed those circumstances he would have. Family was everything to him. But I also know that the situation could not have been resolved by a discussion.

Why talk about this when I'm supposed to be celebrating the release of my book? 

Perhaps it's because... oh never mind. I could philosophize and in the end ... IT'S JUST MY OPINION.

Actually, someone recently read another book of mine and used the word "stupid" to describe it. Not once, but several times. Sometimes, I think our society cloaks itelf in anonymity and forgets that people are real, flawed, and mostly deserve respect. My ultimate point?

Dear Anonymous Reader who thought NAVY SEAL SURRENDER was a "pretty good read"... THANKS. Seriously. THANKS.


AND to that other anonymous reader who thought my heroine "stupid." Who thought my hero "stupid." Who thought herself too intelligent enough to accept a work of fiction and just had to let me know my writing was "stupid" ... well ...

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ANGI MORGAN writes “Intrigues where honor and danger collide with love.” She combines actual Texas settings with characters who are in realistic and dangerous situations. Angi's work has been a finalist in the Bookseller’s Best Award, Romantic Times Best First Series, Gayle Wilson Award of Excellence and the Daphne du Maurier.

Website   Facebook   FB Fan Page   Twitter @AngiMorganAuthr

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ENTER ANGI'S monthly giveaway contest: register at Rafflecopter through April 30th for a $10 gift card. Speaking of giveaways for a Blog Commenter. 

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Lena Diaz Returns to Get Lost

THE BODYGUARD

Harlequin Intrigue

SHE HAD NO ONE TO FIGHT FOR HER-UNTIL ONE POWERFUL BODYGUARD REFUSED TO LEAVE HER SIDE.

Her perfect marriage was a sham and Caroline Ashton had the physical and emotional wounds to prove it. With nothing left to lose, Caroline is ready to walk away—and hires Luke Dawson as her personal bodyguard. But before Luke can do more than secure her a safe house, Caroline stumbles upon the body of the man she'd fought day and night to escape.

Now, as Caroline is confronted with fears beyond anything she ever imagined, Luke is the only man she can trust. Putting her life in someone else's hands isn't easy, but Caroline knows survival never is. Besides, Luke's proven himself to be a worthy protector—one who'll stop at nothing to see she never suffers again….

Read a Little, Buy the Book 

LENA DIAZ is originally from Kentucky, romantic suspense author Lena Diaz also lived in California and Louisiana before settling in northeast Florida with her husband, two children, and a Shetland Sheepdog named Sparky. A former Romance Writers of America Golden Heart® finalist, she won the prestigious Daphne du Maurier award for excellence in mystery and suspense and has been a finalist in the National Excellence in Romance Fiction Awards. She loves to watch action movies, garden, and hike in the beautiful Tennessee Smoky Mountains. You can contact Lena through her website.

MORE ABOUT THE BODYGUARD

ANGI: Hey Lena, nice to have you back again. I noticed there's a fountain on your cover. Is it important to your story? Can you share something about that scene?

LENA: Thank you so much for hosting me again, Angi! Isn’t that fountain gorgeous? I recognize it as the one in Forsyth Park in Savannah, Georgia. But, sadly, the fountain is not actually in my book. It’s just one of those beautiful, mood-setting touches the art department made to evoke the majestic, old-world charm of the historic district in Savannah.

ANGI: Can you share a little about the setting for THE BODYGUARD?

LENA: Absolutely. Savannah, Georgia is one of my all-time favorite places to set stories. It’s only about five hours from where I live, so I’ve been there many times and just love it. The historic district has these little parks, or squares, all over the place, each one with its own name and specific claim to fame (like the fountain on the cover). This story takes place in Savannah and in the rural area outside the city as well. I just love the ambience of the Spanish-moss covered oak trees, the historic mansions, and the Savannah River to provide the perfect atmosphere for a suspense novel.

ANGI: What's your favorite thing about your hero, Luke Dawson?

LENA: Luke is a tough, alpha hero, who tends to intimidate people with his size and strength. But from the moment he learns that Carolyn has come from an abusive situation, he does everything he can to make her feel safe and in control. He’s so tender and careful of her feelings. He treats her with respect, not pity. And he helps her become the independent, strong woman she was meant to be. And of course, when her life is threatened, he’ll do whatever it takes to protect her.

ANGI: Do you model your characters off movie stars or pictures? Care to share?

LENA: I really don’t model my characters off anyone that I know, or know of. But if I had to choose someone famous who reminds me of Luke--at least in the looks department--I’d say Josh Duhamel. Don’t let the blond hair on the cover of THE BODYGUARD fool you. The hero has dark hair in the story. Below is Josh Duhamel’s publicity shot from IMDB.com.

ANGI: What's your favorite thing about your heroine, Caroline Ashton?

LENA: Her strength. She’s been through so much and manages to find the strength to leave her abusive husband and everything familiar to her even without a support system.

ANGI: What's your favorite thing about THE BODYGUARD? 

LENA: I LOVE that I got to put Alex Buchanan from my “Deadly Games Thrillers” Avon series into this book as a secondary character. When Caroline needs a defense attorney, it only made sense to me that she’d get the best attorney in Savannah. And that would of course be Alex, the patriarch of the Buchanan family who is in my Avon books. It was such fun to include him. I hope some of my Avon readers will take a chance on an Intrigue book to see Alex in this story.

ANGI’S GOTTA ASK: Did you watch THE BODYGUARD with Kevin Costner and Whitney Houston?

LENA'S GOTTA ANSWER:   Oh my goodness, of course! Loved that movie. Hated the ending. The hero always gets the girl at the end of my books. J

FIND LENA:

Contact     Website    Facebook   

Twitter @LenaDiaz     Goodreads    

KissAndThrill      Previous GLIAS interviews  

UP NEXT for LENA: The fourth installment in my Deadly Games Thrillers series with Avon comes out August 5^th and is called TAKE THE KEY AND LOCK HER UP. Isn’t that creepy cool? I’ve had such fun with the titles in this series. This story is about Devlin “Devil” Buchanan and is the darkest story I’ve every written. The hero is more of an anti-hero who does some really bad things. Did I mention it’s dark? And that he’s an assassin? It was a real challenge to write because I wanted Devlin to be a true bad boy hero with a tortured soul but redeemable. This is also an introduction to my new Avon print series about EXIT Inc., the company Devlin works for. But that’s all I’m saying about that! Here’s a draft of the cover. It’s close to what the final one will be. I adore the colors. All of my Avon books will have new covers soon. They’ll all have the dark background like this one so they look more alike.

PREVIOUS RELEASES by LENA:

He Kills Me, He Kills Me Not

Avon Impulse (Harper Collins)

August 2011

Simon Says Die

Publisher: Avon Impulse (Harper Collins)

March 2012

Ashes, Ashes, They All Fall Dead

Publisher: Avon Impulse (Harper Collins)

September 2013

Tennessee Takedown

Publisher: Harlequin Intrigue

February 2014

LENA is giving away  a complete set of my “Deadly Games Thrillers” from Avon, plus one of my Intrigue anthologies, in print, signed. Just get a friend to like my Facebook page and put their name and yours in the comments of my contest post to be entered in the drawing. I’ll draw the winner on Friday, April 25^th .

Also, I’m happy to give one signed print copy to North American readers of THE BODYGUARD to a random commenter on the GLIAS post.

Note: COMMENTERS are encouraged to leave a contact email address to speed the prize notification process. Offer void where prohibited. Prizes will be mailed to North America addresses only unless specifically mentioned in the post. Odds of winning vary due to the number of entrants. Winners of drawings are responsible for checking this site in a timely manner. If prizes are not claimed in a timely manner, the author may not have a prize available. Get Lost In A Story cannot be responsible for an author's failure to mail the listed prize. GLIAS does not automatically pass email addresses to guest authors unless the commenter publicly posts their email address.

ANGI'S back on tomorrow with the

NAVY SEAL SURRENDER KICKOFF

& Back next Wednesday with:  DONNA KAUFMAN

~Angi Morgan  

Get Lost on Goodreads, Facebook

or @GetLostInAStory  #GetLostStories

LENA WANTS TO KNOW: Is there a particular setting or story trope you’re craving in romantic suspense that you haven’t seen enough of? If you could tell an author - write THIS - what would THIS be? I’d LOVE to read your comments on this one! J