#Sale – #TenDaysOnly – #Riverbend eBooks 1, 2, and 3 – $.99

Still celebrating my escape from the world of Breakthrough COVID. Thought I’d offer another sale for you guys, only this one is going to last through 10/15, or ten days. So, if you’ve been curious about life in this little Florida town, replete with all the weird folks who live there, now’s your chance to download these books for $.99 each, or under $3.00 for all three!

Swamp Ghosts – Riverbend Book 1

BLURB

Wildlife photographer Gunnar Wolfe looked like the kind of guy every man wanted to be and every woman just plain wanted, and the St. Johns River of central Florida drew him like a magnet. EcoTour boat owner Maggie Devlin knew all the river’s secrets, including the deadliest ones found in the swamps. But neither Maggie nor Gunn was prepared for the danger that would come after them on two legs.

On a quest to make history photographing the rarest birds of them all, Gunnar hires the fiery, no-nonsense Maggie to canoe him into the most remote wetland areas in the state. He was unprepared for how much he would enjoy both the trips and Maggie’s company. He soon realizes he wants more than she’s able to give, but before he can win her over, they make a grisly discovery that changes everything, and turns the quiet little town of Riverbend upside down. A serial killer is on the prowl among them.

RECENT REVIEW

Strange people make wonderful stories.
Verified Purchase

I don’t actually read romances, but was drawn to this one. The author is a nature lover, much like myself, and knowing she was placing this tale in what amounts to her back yard appealed to me. The swamps of Florida are foreign to a westerner like myself. The depictions and descriptions are wonderful.

What I found was a wonderful murder mystery that lands squarely in these same swamps. It’s intense, thrilling, and scary. I pegged the killer early on, but that didn’t detract from the story. He’s so wonderfully creepy, Meara gets this across like she lived some of it.

I walked in knowing it was a romance, and that part was well done. I admit it was the nature tours, and the murder mystery that called to me. I’m giving it five stars, because it was that wonderful.

Download Swamp Ghosts HERE
~~~

Finding Hunter – Riverbend Book 2

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Before, I never thought about taking a life. Not once.
Now, the thought fills my mind day and night, and
I wonder how I’ll hide that terrible need,
As an old car swings to the shoulder,
And stops.

~ Traveling Man ~

Hunter Painter’s darkest fears have shaped his offbeat personality since he was a child, crippling him in ways invisible to those unable to see past his quiet exterior. In a sleepy Florida town known for its eccentric inhabitants, he’s always been a mystery to most.

Only one person sees beyond Hunter’s quirky facade. Willow Greene, the new age herbalist who owns the local candle and potpourri shop, has secretly loved him since they were in high school. When, sixteen years later, she discovers Hunter has loved her just as long, Willow hopes her dreams are finally coming true.

Willow soon learns that Hunter fears happiness at her side isn’t in the cards for him. With her natural optimism and courage, she almost convinces him he’s wrong—that they can really have that life together they both long for—but even Willow can’t stop what Hunter knows is coming.

One by one, his worst nightmares become reality, culminating in an unthinkable tragedy, which devastates everyone it touches. Willow’s battle begins in earnest as Hunter is plunged into a bleak, guilt-ridden despair, threatening to destroy not only their love, but Hunter, himself.

Finding Hunter is the story of a lost man’s desperate struggle to make his way home again, and one woman’s unshakeable faith in him and the power of their love.

RECENT REVIEW

5.0 out of 5 stars A Truly Inspirational Story

The characters who populate the small town of River Bend come to life in this story about the power of love, from the inspired imagination of talented author, Marcia Meara. A truly wonderful novel, this story features two minor characters from Ms. Meara’s previous novel, Swamp Ghosts. Hunter, an introverted, hapless, but troubled writer who carries a load of family problems on his shoulders, and has no idea of the talent he possesses. And Willow, the selfless, caring extrovert, who adores him and tries her best to point out how valuable his life is.

This story is rather unusual as it’s the reverse of the standard romance novel. It begins with the romance, expertly written by the way, and works up to the events that threaten to end it forever.

The short poems at the beginning of each chapter add a bit of suspense to the story as you can’t help but wonder who’s thoughts they are. But eventually everything is revealed. The story pulled me in from the very first page, and kept me reading well into the night. I highly recommend this novel.

Download Finding Hunter HERE
~~~

That Darkest Place – Riverbend Book 3

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“There are dark places in every heart, in every head. Some you turn away from. Some you light a candle within. But there is one place so black, it consumes all light. It will pull you in and swallow you whole. You don’t leave your brother stranded in that darkest place.”
~Hunter Painter~

The new year is a chance for new beginnings—usually hopeful, positive ones. But when Jackson Painter plows his car into a tree shortly after midnight on January 1, his new beginnings are tragic. His brothers, Forrest and Hunter, take up a grim bedside vigil at the hospital, waiting for Jackson to regain consciousness and anxious over how he’ll take the news that he’s lost a leg and his fiancée is dead. After all, the accident was all his fault.

As the shocking truth emerges, one thing becomes obvious—Jackson will need unconditional love and support from both of his brothers if he is to survive.

Just as he begins the long road to recovery, danger, in the form of a sinister, unsigned note, plunges him back into bleak despair. Scrawled in blood red letters, the accusation—and the threat—is clear. “MURDERER!”

Will the long, harrowing ordeal that lies ahead draw the Painter brothers closer together, or drive them apart forever?

Suspenseful and often heartbreaking, this small-town tale is a testimonial to the redemptive power of love and paints a story filled with humor, romance, and fierce family loyalty.

RECENT REVIEW

5.0 out of 5 stars This book has it all – Suspense, Romance, Tragedy and Humour
Verified Purchase

Download That Darkest Place HERE
~~~

Hope some of you will decide to take advantage of this ten-day only sale, and if you do, will let me know your thoughts on the good (and not-so-good) folks of Riverbend, Florida. I also hope you’ll  consider sharing the news of this sale  with all your online friends, far and wide.  It would be greatly appreciated! 

Thanks for stopping by today, and here’s to a great rest of the week!
Happy Reading!

#BadMoonRising – Post 4 Featuring (ahem) Marcia Meara

It’s Day 4 of Teri Polen’s wonderful Bad Moon Rising series, and yep–today, I’M the featured guest. The post features Harbinger, the 3rd book in my Wake-Robin Ridge series, and I hope you’ll drop by to check  out both the excerpt from that and my answers to Teri’s quiz.  See you there!

Check out my Bad Moon Rising contribution HERE
Enjoy!
(And please feel free to share with the Immediate World! 😊 )

#ReblogAlert – SallyCronin’s Smorgasbord Weekly RoundUp

I had planned to do a catch-up of all of Sally’s posts I missed while recovering from COVID, but I realized it would be a nearly impossible task, so I’m starting anew from this past week. As most of you know, it’s ALWAYS worth a trip to over to Sally’s place to scroll through her weekly posts. SO much to check out, and even if you typically follow along daily, there may be some pretty cool things you’ve missed. So here’s your chance to see what went on on Smorgasbord last week! 

You can read Sally’s Weekly Round-Up Post HERE
Enjoy!

 

#BadMoonRising – Post 3 Featuring John F. Leonard

Another fabulously creepy (and very interesting) Bad Moon Rising post today, folks, featuring author John F. Leonard. Trust me, you’ll want to read every word of the post, and then check out the featured book. (I know I did!) 

Head on Over to Read John F. Leonard’s post HERE

ENJOY!

 

#BadMoonRising – Post 2 Featuring S. J. Krandall

Sorry to be late getting this posted, but have been gone all day, giving a wildlife talk. But as they say, better late than never, and here is a wonderfully creepy post by S. J. Krandall. You’ll love it!

Check out S. J. Krandall’s post HERE.

Enjoy!

#BadMoonRising Post 1 Featuring Sue Rovens

It’s that time of year again, folks–frost on the pumpkin, a chill in the air, and Teri Polen’s fabulous Bad Moon Rising series.  Trust me–you really don’t want to miss a single one of these fun and spooky posts!

Today’s guest is author Sue Rovens, and you can read Sue’s post HERE.

Enjoy!

#I’m BACK! #Update #BlogFeatures

Okay, okay. I know I look NOTHING like Gene Wilder, but he’s a personal favorite of mine and I couldn’t resist his saucy expression! 😀 Besides, the message works! I am officially back from my adventure in the Land of Breakthrough COVID. (Not an adventure I’d wish on anybody else, and boy am I grateful every day that we’d gotten both of our shots before this hit us.) I’m also grateful to have come through it all not too much the worse for wear. Still low energy, so I try not to push too hard, but mostly all symptoms are gone, even those dreadful narcoleptic-like fatigue episodes.

The important thing is, I survived,  and I feel well enough to tackle getting most of my regular blog features back up and running  once more, though it’s possible, I may need to step back now and then if I find I’m getting overwhelmed. Hopefully that won’t happen, or at least, not often.  With that in mind,  here’s what you can look for coming up on The Write Stuff, usually on a bi-weekly basis:

  1. Every other Monday: #MondayMeme (usually writing related)
  2. Every other Tuesday: #GuestDayTuesday (I’m ready to start scheduling )
  3. Every other Wednesday: #TenThingsYouMayNotKnowAboutMe guests
  4.  Every other Thursday: #ThorsDaySmiles
  5. Every other Friday: #Granny Says

I have the weeks set up so that Monday, Wednesday, & Friday posts run one week, and Tuesday and Thursday posts, the next week. That gives me a couple of empty days each week for miscellaneous posts that I want to share and some extra guest posts now and then. Weekends are also open for whatever comes along, and a couple of times a year, I’m planning to run #ExcerptWeek, wherein you’ll be invited to share an excerpt from one of your books as one more way to promote them.

I have the #TenThings Wednesday spots filled every other week up to December, but if you’d like to be scheduled after Wed, Nov 24, just email me, and I’ll get you set up.

#GuestDayTuesday, where you can post anything you want about your books and writing (from promos to new releases to cover reveals, and more),  is wide open, starting now. Tuesday, Oct 12 is the only Tuesday I have already scheduled at this point, so feel free to contact me if you’d like to take part. (Otherwise, you might be seeing a lot of ME as my own guest. 😁 )

And I think that pretty much covers what’s coming up, but if you have any questions, all of the instructions and lists of what I’d need for you to send me are listed above (right beneath the blog header) under “General Blog Rules and Various Feature Instructions.” If you can’t find the information you’re looking for there, feel free to email me, and I’ll help as best I can.

Thanks so much to each of you for your support, healing wishes and prayers, and patience as I dealt with this situation. I am truly looking forward to catching up with all of my favorite blogs once again. And I can’t begin to tell you how much our writing and blogging community has meant to me during the eight-plus weeks I was quarantined! Probably would have lost my mind without the online friendships I’ve made.

All that being said,
IT’S GREAT TO BE BACK!

#TenThingsYouMayNotKnow – About Sarah Brentyn

Today’s Wednesday, folks, and you know what that means, right? Right! Another Ten Things post, this time featuring Sarah Brentyn, who, bless her heart, has sucked up her courage and presented us with the ten things she wants everyone to know about her.
(Brace yourselves! 😀  ) You’re on, Sarah … take it away! 

Ten Things You May Not Know About Me
by Sarah Brentyn

Ten juicy, little secrets about myself? Ooh… You all are simply dying to know these things. Your curiosity is palpable. I can feel it through the screen. I will put you out of your misery (and bring you into mine).

  1. I still believe in fairies. (We have fairy doors in our home and build fairy houses in our yard. Though they don’t look as nice as the ones you’re imagining, believe me. Trying to duplicate a beautiful fairy house is like trying to bake a panda bear cake from Pinterest—it turns out looking much like a squashed beetle.)
  2. I have two tattoos. They are not in naughty places—sorry. Ankle and back, I’m afraid. Nothing to see here. Move on.
  3. I fell off a stone at Avebury and landed in nettle. (And took my dear friend down in the process. In fairness to me, I did warn her something like this might happen but, alas, she didn’t believe me. So that’s kind of on her. As were my feet.)
  4. I love essential oils and use them almost every day. Lavender is my go-to, can’t-live-without oil.
  5. I prefer paperback books and am nuts about the condition of them. After I’ve read them, you basically can’t tell I’ve even breathed on them. The spines aren’t creased, the covers aren’t wrinkled, and the pages aren’t crinkled. They’re in mint condition and, yes, yes I do sniff my books (my precioussssss…). Also, I rarely never lend them to anyone. (See previous precious parenthetical.)
  6. I got stuck in a phone booth in Paris with a mime outside. (Don’t ask me about this in the comments. I mean, honestly, why would you want to make me relive that kind of pain? That’s just mean.)
  7. I have a bag in my car at all times filled with blankets, clothing, and coffee shop gift cards so I can give items or food to someone who needs it.
  8. I love herbal tea. I have so much that it takes up two shelves in my kitchen and I buy it in bulk. Fun fact, for those who don’t already know this, herbal “tea” is not tea (because it’s not made from tea leaves).
  9. My natural hair color is (was) blond but I colored it brown. When I became pregnant, I stopped coloring my hair (thinking the blonde roots would grow in and I’d look a bit like a skunk) and it grew in almost the exact shade of brown I was coloring it. (Except for my purple streak…that’s still colored. And wicked cool.)
  10. I’ve worked as a bartender, a cocktail waitress, and a beer girl. (I’ve had other jobs but these are ones you probably didn’t know about and, maybe, didn’t want to. But there you go.)

Here are two bonus facts about me you’ve already figured out (if you’ve been paying any attention to this list): I am a commaholic and have a deep and abiding love for alliteration and parentheses. (Also, I’m very, very bad at math. Those are three facts.)

~~~

Author Sarah Brentyn

I wrote my first story when I was nine years old and never looked back. My work has appeared both in print and online in lit mags, newsletters, websites, newspapers, and anthologies. I have a master’s degree in writing and have taught all ages, from Kindergarteners to adults. When other girls dreamt of being a ballerina, I dreamt of scribbling my thoughts in a notebook and turning them into a book. I bleed ink.

Buy Sarah’s books on Amazon HERE

You can reach Sarah on Social Media HERE:

Books: Hinting at Shadows | On the Edge of a Raindrop

Website: Sarah Brentyn

Blog: Lemon Shark | Lemon Shark Reef

Twitter

Instagram

Pinterest

#MondayMeme #MondayBlogs #AmLaughing #Humor

Monday, Monday–You just can’t trust that day!
But maybe you can start it with a laugh or two.
Hope you find some new ones in these.
Enjoy! 😁

And when all else fails, look to Bob the Skull!
(Certainly the funniest talking skull I know, anyway!)

And that wraps it up for this Monday!
See you next time!