A Killer Past (And A Giveaway)

Join me in welcoming Maris Soule to the blog today! Her book, A KILLER PAST, is being re-released a an ebook, and I’m very excited!

Plus, I’ll be doing a little giveaway, which you can enter below.

Maris, thanks for celebrating the ebook reissue of A KILLER PAST with us today.

Thank you, Alyssa, for inviting me to announce the re-issuing of A KILLER PAST as an eBook. For the past two years I’ve been checking Amazon and the other on-line bookstores, hoping to see A KILLER PAST once again available as an eBook. Every time I looked, the only buy option was for the paperback edition. Which is great, if the reader wants to buy a paperback, but not so great if the reader prefers eBooks or buys them because it’s easier to carry an eReader than a stack of books.

I loved writing this book. It’s my answer to the question: What would someone who was an assassin in her twenties be like in her seventies?

This is Mary Harrington’s story.

For forty-four years Mary, now a widow, has been living in Rivershore, a small, rural town in southwest Michigan. No one knows about her past, and that’s the way she wants to keep it. Over the years she married Harry Harrington, the local dentist, and raised a son, Robert, who is a financial advisor and overly concerned about his mother’s ability to take care of herself. Robert’s wife Clare, who is into genealogy, wants to know more about Mary’s family. Problem is the family she’s told them about never existed. Also, Mary’s eighteen-year-old granddaughter, Shannon, wants Mary to take her to Paris, and Mary knows that would be a big mistake.

Her hope for anonymity ends the night before Halloween, when her car breaks down two blocks from her house and two gang members try to mug her. She should have simply let them take her purse. Instead, Mary discovers she hasn’t forgotten the months of training she went through in her twenties.

As Detective Jack Rossini investigates the incident, Mary denies being the one who put the two boys in the hospital; nevertheless, he’s sure she was involved, and the more he comes in contact with Mary, the more he’s convinced she’s hiding something, especially when his inquiries result in an order from the FBI to drop his investigation.

As I wrote A KILLER PAST, I had fun researching the types of weapons Mary would have been trained to use as an assassin. I then had to figure out if she could (or should) try to use them to protect herself as she faced the gang members looking for retaliation and a man from her past who wants her dead. Her afternoon practicing with the kubotan she’s had hidden in her cellar for forty-four years was fun to write. The weapon left her with several bruises which she has trouble explaining to her son, who already thinks she needs to move into a retirement home.

Available Now As An Ebook!

If you’d like to read about Mary Harrington and her efforts to keep her past a secret and yet survive, it’s now available now as an ebook or as a paperback.

Or read for free with Kindle Unlimited!

Giveaway

To celebrate the release of A KILLER PAST as an ebook, I’m giving away an ebook copy of THE CROWS, A PJ Benson Mystery. All you have to do to enter is tell me your favorite mystery book or movie. That’s it!

Open to US and International entrants 18 years or older. Winner to be chosen by random . org on Thursday, October 29.

About Maris Soule

Maris Soule has had thirty books published, ranging from romance and romantic suspense to mystery and thriller. Over the years, her books have won and placed in more than a dozen contests. Born and raised in California, she was working on a master’s degree in art history when she met and married her husband. She taught high school art and math for eight years before turning to writing full time. The Soules, who have two grown children and two granddaughters, now live in Michigan in the summer and Florida in the winter.

Visit her at: https://www.marissoule.com

Or find her on social media:

Lawman? Outlaws? Romance? Count me in!

Happy Release Day to Rosanne Bittner!

Author of over 60 books (might be over 70 now), many of them westerns, Rosanne is a prolific writer and proponent of the romance genre. Today she has a new book out, LAWMAN IN THE HIGH LONESOME. It’s the second book in the Outlaw Series, which features the infamous Outlaw Trail that runs along the Rockies from Montana to New Mexico, occupied mostly by outlaws from the late 1860’s through the early 1900’s.

LAWMAN IN THE HIGH LONESOME is a stand alone book, so you don’t need to read the first book in the series, but if you want to pick it up, RIDE THE HIGH LONESOME is available here!

Civil War widow Elly Lowe is heading for California after losing everything in a prairie fire. She and her family need a new start. On the way, fate interrupts Elly’s plans in a horrifying way, leaving her desperate for help.

In a small Nebraska town, Sheriff Matt Stover grieves the loss of his wife and unborn child in a bank robbery. He has always lived by the law, but he is determined to find and kill the guilty Liberty brothers. Matt sets out to follow the culprits into notorious Outlaw Country, very dangerous territory for a lawman.

When Matt meets Elly along the way, they strike up a sweet friendship, an attraction they know is only temporary. They must go their separate ways, but they will meet again under very different circumstances, leaving Matt to face life or death situations. Will lawman Matt Stover turn outlaw for revenge? Or will Elly’s faith and devotion be enough to bring him peace?

Introducing: Meika Usher!

I met Meika Usher at a Capital City Writers meeting (or perhaps conference—I can’t remember now) a few years back. She was just starting out then, and we met at a local coffee shop to write together, or chatted after meetings, went to book signings for local authors.

Then I gave Meika her very first deadline.

Asked her how long she thought it would take her to finish her first book, have it edited, formatted and released on Amazon. She gave me a date. I said I was holding her to it.

From time to time I would heckle her when I saw her on social media instead of writing. I’d check in periodically on her progress. Mostly, though, Meika buckled down, risked carpal tunnel, and finished that manuscript. Then she did all the other things an author must do to get a book out.

She met her deadline. And I got an acknowledgement in her book. <3

Now, her third book, READY TO RUN, has just released. Her fourth book is currently releasing on Radish as well, so if you hop over there and subscribe, you’ll be getting a sneak peek at the next book as well.

Meika is feisty and funny and snarky and has the most gorgeous green eyes. She’s a riot to hang with because you never know what’s going to come out of her mouth—and that’s reflected in her books.

So, for a little fun, I invited Meika to do a Lightning Round of questions, a la James Lipton.

Ready? Set? Go!

Blue jeans or party clothes? Dresses are my go-to, but don’t try to get me in heels. I’ll fall and die.

Sushi or steak? DON’T MAKE ME CHOOSE!!! Um…sushi? No! Steak. Yes. Steak. I think.

Cats or dogs? (Or hamsters?) Pssh, dogs. Mine would kill me if I said anything else. Seriously. She’s scary.

Beer, wine or water? Beer, please.

Coke or Pepsi? (If you answer Pepsi I hereby disown you. Ask my father.) Coke! No disowning necessary! Technically, Cherry Coke Zero.

Favorite color? Burgundy. Almost everything I own is this color. Even my hair. It’s a little absurd.

Favorite word? Wanderlust. (PS Alyssa here, adding that Meika is also a solo international traveler, like moi!)

Least favorite word? Hmm. I don’t know if I have one. I know there’s a whole anti-moist movement, but that word has never bothered me. I think I’m gonna have to go with…gaping? Especially when paired with “wound.” Ughhhhh.

Coffee or tea? Hot? Tea. Cold? Coffee.

And last but not least…. Chris Hemsworth or Chris Pine or Chris Evans? This is cruel. Like, super cruel. I don’t know how I’m supposed to choo—Evans. With the beard, please.

Now for a peek at READY TO RUN!

SHE SIDESTEPS FEELINGS LIKE A PRO

Comic book artist Sunny Oliver is prepared for anything. Rabid fans? No biggie. Zombie Apocalypse? Piece of cake. Her older brother’s best friend? Er…not so much. He’s obnoxious. He’s gross. He’s…hot? Back in high school, Ben Owens made her feel invisible. But now he sees her. And the way he’s looking at her has her ready to drop her walls…AND her pants. 

HE’S A MASTER AT DODGING COMMITMENT

ER nurse Ben Owens is a one girl kinda guy. One girl a NIGHT, that is. As a rule, he doesn’t get attached. Sunny Oliver has always been the exception to that rule. Years ago, he made a promise to keep his distance. Breaking it could cost him. But if it’s such a bad idea, why does it feel SO good?

BUT NEITHER CAN OUTRUN LOVE

With each pizza shared and every digital zombie vanquished, Sunny and Ben rekindle the friendship they shared years ago. Only, this time, something’s different. Will they give in to their newfound feelings, or will past promises–and past hurt–send them running in the opposite direction?

Want a little more Meika?

Meika Usher is a Michigan-based romance author, a puppy mama, and a pizza lover. When she’s not writing snarky, sexy love stories, she can be found binge-watching Supernatural (she’s a Dean girl), memorizing all the song lyrics ever (it’s her superpower), or planning her next solo trip (she’s thinking Estonia). She is on the board of Lansing’s Capital City Writers, and a member of Romance Writers of America, and Mid-Michigan RWA. READY TO RUN is her third novel.

Find Meika:
www.meikausher.com
www.facebook.com/authormeikausher
www.instagram.com/meikausher
www.twitter.com/meikausher
meikausher@gmail.com


Viking Cheese w/ Guest Author Gina Conkle

Please join me in welcoming Gina Conkle, author of Georgian and Viking romance (with a foray into contemporary romance with WAITING FOR A GIRL LIKE YOU releasing just last week)! Gina, so glad to have you visit today. 

Thank you, Alyssa, for hosting me on your blog. I’m sharing one of my adventures—eating like a Viking. Last summer my family took a dip back in time with my Viking garden and Viking recipes.*

We learned a lot. One point of interest: Vikings ate a lot of kale. Another interesting point: Reading about seasonal foods and how the Vikings solved those problems.

The Cheese Alternative

Dairy products were the midsummer answer to food shortages. By spring, regular Viking folk would’ve plowed and planted their fields. Winter stores of dried and pickled veggies and whey treated meat would’ve dwindled. Fresh fish would be the answer in some places, but even large schools of herring don’t pass through southern Scandinavian waters until summer’s end.

Enter Cheese Lovers

Milk products from goats or cows would’ve been the protein mainstay, but the wise farmer made sure the kid goat and calf gets their fill first. People got leftover milk to drink and make into cheese. Yes, even hearty Viking warriors guzzled milk. Here’s a snippet from the Sagas:

Tables were brought forth and they were given food: bread and butter. Large boxes with skyr** were also placed on the table. Bard said: “I regret much that I have no ale to offer you, though I would  have liked to.” You will have to suffice with that which is here. Olvi and his followers were very thirsty and drank the skyr.  At that Bard brought out some buttermilk and that they drank as well.

~Egil’s Saga

Viking Cheese

The process is like making mead: a little labor intensive at first with well-timed follow ups. This is how I made my Viking cheese.

 

~ 10 cups whole milk in a pan and cook on medium heat (stirring it often) until the milk reaches 39 degrees Celsius (102.2 deg. F)

~Stir in 1 tbsp. of rennett, cover the pan, and let this mixture sit for 30-40 minutes.

~When you lift the lid, you’ll see a lumpy white-ish, yellow-y mass with watery edges. That watery liquid under the coagulated mass is whey.*** Grab your ladle and remove all the whey into a separate container. Nothing’s wasted. Vikings used everything.

 

 

 

~Now here’s the interesting part. You keep pressing the curds (even punching them!) to get the last of the whey out and to form your cheese. I tried punching my cheese, but a flat wooden spoon worked better.

~ Cover your cheese with a plate, a pan lid, whatever works, and let it sit for 6 hours.

~For 3 days you’ll turn your cheese over once in the morning and once in the evening, patting it with a little salt and wrapping it in fresh cloth. Keep the cheese at 17 degrees Celsius (62 degrees F).

 

 

~Days 4-28 turn your cheese twice a day like before, wrap it in a clean cloth, but NO salting. At the end of the month, you’ll have fresh Viking cheese. My cheese turned out like a crumbly version of mozzarella. I’ll have to keep practicing to perfect a firmer block cheese.

 

*This “Eat Like a Viking” adventure started when a history writer sent me a link to this book, An Early Meal. Two historians studied seven Viking archaeological sites for clues to what Vikings ate and how they prepared their foods. It was nerd-vana for me.

** Skyr (pronounced skeer) is a type of Icelandic yogurt that seems to be catching on worldwide now. Cattle and goats were scant in Iceland’s early days. The prized animals were a sign of wealth, thus, consuming their milk was preferred. By the late tenth century, horse was actually a favored Viking meat.

***Whey is the thin watery part of milk. Vikings used it for meat preservation among other things. Vats big enough to hide a man were commonplace on Viking farms. In fact, there’s one saga tale of a Viking warrior on the run. He’s being chased and ends up on a farm. One of the women agrees to help by hiding him in a vat of whey.

 

 

 

And now a bit about one of Gina’s Viking romances, To Find a Viking Treasure.

 

Survival’s in his blood

Rough-souled Brandr’s ready for a new life far from Uppsala, but the Viking has one final task —protect the slave, Sestra. Her life’s been full of hardship…until she learns the location of a treasure.

Saving others is her purpose

With war coming, stealing the enemy’s riches will save lives, but only one man can watch over Sestra —the fierce Viking scout, Brandr. The two have always traded taunts, now they must share trust. Passions flare as secrets unfold, leading one to make a daring sacrifice that changes everything on their quest To Find a Viking Treasure

Amazon    |    B&N    |    Kobo

 

 

 

Gina Conkle writes Viking and Georgian romance, with a recent foray into contemporary romance. She grew up in southern California and despite all that sunshine, Gina loves books over beaches and stone castles over sand castles. Now she lives in Michigan with her favorite alpha male, Brian, and their two sons where she’s known to occasionally garden and cook.

 

 

Find Gina online!

Facebook    |    Twitter     |   Website    |    Newsletter (Free Reads!)

Guest Author Lucy Naylor Kubash

Alyssa: Lucy, thank you so much for stopping by today to share your latest release of mini-romances, THE CHRISTMAS WISH!

lmktek72_The_Christmas_Wish ebookBonnie and Charlie married after a whirlwind affair, but it all ended when Bonnie left with no explanation. Now she’s back and Charlie wants answers, about what happened to them and why she left, but especially about the three children she has in tow. Can they all really make it home for Christmas?

As an empty nester, Caroline is feeling lonely this Christmas. When she meets the new veterinarian in town, Joshua Kendall, and his two children, she’s more than happy to invite them to her library for a holiday program.  Joshua’s children seem to have little interest in celebrating, but Caroline is determined to put smiles on their little faces, and to make Joshua find joy in life again.

Brant and Hope found love the second time around, but now their farm is struggling and it’s taking a toll on their relationship. Hope’s daughter has asked for one thing for Christmas, but Brant is certain it’s something they can’t afford. There is a new baby on the way, and he’s worried about more than just the farm. Will they find a way to rekindle their love and still make the Christmas wish come true?

Certain to get you in the Christmas spirit, here are three heartwarming stories about love and family and finding joy in the Season.

 

This excerpt is from Home for Christmas, one of the stories in The Christmas Wish trilogy of mini-romances.

Charlie O’Neill stepped back to survey the Christmas tree in the corner of the living room. The pungent pine scent almost overcame the smell of burnt cookies.

The tree leaned drunkenly to the right. Heck, he didn’t know the first thing about decorating a Christmas tree. His sister had done it while she lived here, but Cady had remarried late last summer.

Sometimes it was tough living in the old ranch house alone. For a moment he thought about what it might have been like had his brief marriage worked out. There might have been a baby on the way by now, somebody to make noise in this empty house. What’s over’s over. It was just that sometimes he still had a hard time dealing with it.

Charlie hung a few strands of tinsel on the tree, then gave up. What the hell! He’d go into town tonight, stop at the Hitching Post, have a beer. It was better than knocking around this place by himself. He’d just plunked on his hat and shrugged into his coat when the phone rang. The voice he heard when he answered it rocked Charlie down to his scuffed up boots.

The Christmas Wish is available on Amazon. Find it here: 

http://tinyurl.com/h8bcxab

About Lucy:

I’ve been making up stories for as long as I can remember. I’m a long time member of Romance Writers of America and my local chapter, Mid-Michigan RWA. I also write a monthly column, The Pet Corner, for a local paper, Mailmax, in support of animal care and rescue. Reading and writing romance is a passion, maybe because I’ve been married for nearly 44 years to the same guy. We met our senior year of high school. We live near Lake Michigan with our furry kids and have a grown son and daughter. We enjoy traveling, and I love finding new settings for my stories.

For more information on my books, please visit my website: http://www.lucynaylorkubash.com/.
My blogs are at: http://www.lucynaylorkubash.blogspot.com/ and The Zeke Chronicles, http://www.thezekechronicles.wordpress.com/

You can also find me on Facebook: www.facebook.com/LucyNaylorKubash and follow me on Twitter @LucyKubash