A Word or Two on Headers

July 20, 2019 / Marcia Meara / 27 Comments

Getting ready to head off for a presentation at Enterprise Museum on “Those Squirrely Guys,” but I wanted to take a minute first to thank you all for the terrific emails I got yesterday on our new Friday feature. I think this is going to turn into something fun, even for those not interesting in winning free books. 😀 You guys rock!

And I also wanted to mention the latest header at the top of the page. I’m sure you’ve all noticed that I change them pretty frequently, because, why not? I have the power! And the same old picture bores me after awhile, so I switch, just for “pretty.” The header above has special significance for me, though, because my daughter took it.

Erin & family have lived in Charleston for the last few years, but decided to relocate to Denver. They rented their house, packed up all their belongings, and hit the road, determined to make the drive west one they’d never forget. They’ve been on the road for 3 weeks, camping at some gorgeous places, and visiting many of America’s most beautiful locations. My favorites so far have been Niagara Falls (which I visited many years ago) and Mt. Rushmore, which I’d dearly love to see. But it was the pictures of the Badlands, themselves, that amazed me the most. I never expected them to be so beautiful.

Now I won’t say they look like a place I’d want to live–which might be why you see no housing developments in the immediate vicinity 😀 –but they are utterly gorgeous. So for the next few days, you’ll have those stunning rock formations with the colorful striations to enjoy. After that, who knows what I’ll put up. I have a plethora of images to choose from, stretching all the way across the country.

Enjoy! 🙂

#ExcerptWeek – Amanda in New Mexico-Ghosts in the Wind by Darlene Foster

August 2, 2017August 2, 2017 / Darlene / 24 Comments

Here is an excerpt from the sixth book in the Amanda Travels series, Amanda in New Mexico – Ghosts in the Wind soon to be released.

9781771681209

Amanda stood in front of a door the map showed as the Santos Display Room.

“What’s in here?”

Along with Caleb and a couple of other students, she entered the dimly lit room containing glass cabinets filled with pictures and statues of various saints. A sign explained how the families in Spanish America always kept a shrine to a saint in their homes. The shrine often held Milagros, tiny silver shapes attached to statues of the saints. There were legs for people who couldn’t walk, eyes for those who had bad eyesight and animal figures to wish a farmer a productive year with his flock. Amanda was fascinated as she peered carefully through the glass at the small objects stuck on the figures.

She looked up and gasped. At the end of the narrow room stood a life-sized skeleton of a woman riding in a wooden cart. Amanda, heart beating, crept closer to the scary figure wearing a scraggly white wig and a long dark robe. She carried a scythe in one hand and a globe in the other. On the wall beside the figure, a plaque told of Doña Sebastiana, the female saint of death, or Santa Muerte. During the Holy Week procession at Easter time, this female Grim Reaper was rolled out in her death cart and transported through the town. Parents would point her out and tell the children if they did not behave, Doña Sebastiana would come for them.

Amanda gulped and peered more closely at the horrible figure. She couldn’t understand why parents would want to scare their children like that. Imagine the nightmares!

Just then, everything went black. Something brushed Amanda’s shoulder. She froze.

“Caleb,” she whispered. “Is that you?”

There was no answer.

A cold breeze passed over her.

***

To watch the trailer for Amanda in New Mexico -Ghosts in the Wind click here

Amanda Ross is on a school trip to Taos, New Mexico with several fellow creative students. She shares a room with Cleo, an anxious classmate who insists she sees ghosts. Determined to prove there is no such thing, Amanda can’t seem to shake the feeling that something or someone is watching her.

Join Amanda, Cleo and their funny friend, Caleb, as they visit a rugged and beautiful landscape where a traditional hacienda, an ancient pueblo, and a haunted and spooky hotel all hold secrets to a wild and violent past.

Does Cleo really see ghosts? Can Amanda escape the eerie wind that follows her everywhere she goes?

_MG_0158-Edit-sm

Brought up on a ranch in southern Alberta, Darlene Foster dreamt of writing, travelling the world and meeting interesting people. She also believes everyone is capable of making their dreams come true. It’s no surprise that she’s now an award-winning author of children’s adventure books. She divides her time between the west coast of Canada and the Costa Blanca, in Spain with her husband and entertaining dog, Dot.

Reach Darlene on Social Media Here:
Website
Blog
Facebook
Twitter
Amazon Author Page

Missing on Maui #ExcerptWeek

June 29, 2016 / Kassandra Lamb / 19 Comments

by Kassandra Lamb

Missing on Maui FINAL

A row of palm trees and tropical underbrush–with foliage Kate recognized from houseplants in Maryland–greeted her at the edge of the beach. She was about to step out onto the sand when she noticed a young man loading a canoe off to her right.

The predawn light made his movements seem furtive. He hefted a large gray sack and slid it into the boat.

Kate’s fertile imagination wondered if there was a body in that sack.

Stop that!

She’d had more than her share of adventures with corpses and wouldn’t mind if she never encountered one again, thank you very much!

The young man, a blond wearing a tropical shirt and swim trunks, leaned down to shove the canoe into the froth at the edge of the ocean. Then he climbed in and lifted a paddle to steer the boat further out into the surf. Once clear of the breaking waves, he let the boat drift. It shifted around, and Kate could now see that it was an outrigger–from one side, a float extended on two curved supports to keep the vessel more stable. The increasing daylight revealed a mast. A white sail unfurled in the early morning breeze.

Ah, that’s what was in the sack–the sail.

The man looked back to shore, his head turning slowly as if scanning the beach.

Kate instinctively moved back into the shadow of the palm trees, then wondered why she’d done that. She was considering stepping out into the open and waving, when the man turned his head toward the open sea and pulled in the sail to make it taut. The boat skimmed off across the water.

Kate soon forgot the young man as she walked along the deserted beach. Beams of sunlight streamed across the water, sparkling like bracelets on a young girl’s arm. But the puffy white clouds in the sky were only slightly tinged with pink. Disappointed in the poor showing the sunrise was making, Kate turned her head toward land.

There, above the mountain, the sky was streaked in pale yellow and pink.

Duh, this is the western side of the island. The sun would set over the ocean this evening.

Kate yawned, unsure if her jet-lagged body would be able to stay awake until sunset.

She strolled on the beach, one eye on the rolling surf and one on her footing. The sand was deep, making it hard to walk. Ahead of her, the shoreline curved outward a bit into the sea, giving her a view of sand and water juxtaposed against red and black lava cliffs. She sucked in air at the beauty of the sight. The green hillside sloped upward to the top of the dormant volcano that had formed this section of the island of Maui.

Kate set a goal of rounding that point. Then she would rest. She slogged forward through the thick sand. The sun was now peeking above the top of the mountain, and the sea sparkled in various shades of blue, from turquoise to indigo and everything in between.

By the time she reached the point, her legs were wobbly from the strain of walking in the deep sand. She gingerly lowered herself to sit on the beach. Leaning back on her elbows, she raised her face to the morning light.

She hadn’t realized she’d drifted off until one elbow gave out, dumping her sideways into the sand.

The sound of a throat clearing. She startled and jerked her head up.

A massive shadow blocked the sun.

Missing On Maui, A Kate on Vacation Mystery

It’s an awkward situation at best, and a deadly one at worst.

Days before Kate Huntington is scheduled to leave for her niece’s wedding on Maui, she receives a frantic call from said niece. Amy’s mother–Kate’s rather difficult sister-in-law–is at it again, alienating the groom’s family and even the wedding planner. Can Aunt Kate come early and run interference?

Soon after her arrival, Kate discovers that young women are going missing on the island, and Amy’s maid of honor is hanging out with a notorious local player. Is he involved in the disappearances?

Hawaii is supposed to be a relaxing paradise, but Aunt Kate is kept busy locating a new wedding planner (the delightful Pali Moon), refereeing between Amy and her mother and chasing down errant wedding party members… Oh, and facing off with a psychopath.

AMAZON US AMAZON UK AMAZON CA APPLE KOBO NOOK