Friday, January 30, 2015

Meet My Guest, Paranormal Wild Rose Press Author Angela Hayes... "If love isn't worth fighting for, what is?"


Angela is the author of LOVE'S BATTLE of the TRUE BLUE trilogy.
Since I devour time travels and believe in the possibility of reincarnation, Angela's books grabbed me.
Here's a bit about Angela, how to contact her, and below you can read about LOVE'S BATTLE, a time travel romance about reincarnation, and see Angela's answers to some tough questions!
 
"A married mother of two, I split my time between bringing characters to life by computer, and yarn to life with needle and hook. You can find me at www.authorangelahayes.blogspot.com and follow me on Pinterest  and Twitter."

Other places you can find me:

 




About LOVE'S BATTLE
 
Love Howard has more than a knack for matchmaking. Born from a forbidden passion and a twelve-hundred-year-old promise, she and her sisters can literally see true love. And while Love has no problem bringing other couples together, her own romantic life could use a little help. 
Danton DeAngelo has always been well grounded in reality. So it throws him for no small loop when the woman he’s fallen for believes that she’s been reincarnated eleven times and can actually see true love. 
Now Danton is faced with the biggest decision of his life. Accept Love for who she really is, or walk away from her forever.
 
Excerpt 
            The hand Love pressed to her brow was visibly shaking. “There’s something I need to tell you. I just need you to keep an open mind.”
            “What is it? Are you sick?” Danton asked.
            “No, I’m not sick.” Her voice trembled on a forced laugh. “It’s something else. Something I‘ve been trying to prepare you for. This would be so much easier if you believed in magic. If you could believe that what I’m about to tell you is the honest truth.”
            Turning, Love opened the iron chest, the hinges groaning with the effort as specks of rust littered the floor. From its depths she pulled out a clear plastic bag that she held tight to her chest, eyes closed, before handing it to a confused Danton.
            “This is my tartan, my plaid. Before it faded and was dinner for the moths, it was once patterned in checks of green, gray, and brown. The purple and white stripes that ran through the hem identified the wearer as part of the royal family.” Love tapped the plastic, her finger pointing out where each color should be. “It was a gift from my father. The first and only time my sisters and I met him, he was on his deathbed, we were eighteen. A week later our mother died in the same moment he drew his last breath.” Needing the extra air Love drew a breath of her own. “That day was the thirteenth of February, eight-hundred and fifty-eight AD. My father was Cinaed mac Alpin, crowned king of the Picts and Gaels. He was Scotland’s first king.”
            “Eight- hundred and fifty-eight?” That couldn’t be right, she was only twenty-five. “Don’t you mean Nineteen-eighty-seven?”
            “No. I was born for the first time in Scotland during the middle of the ninth century.”
 
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An Interview with Angela

Some writers edit excessively as they write; others wait until a novel is finished to do the bulk of editing.  How about you?

I am not good at editing. I don’t have the patience and I always second guess what I’ve written when I’m looking it over.
I do tend to edit as I go. I write until I get to a stopping point, where I’m not sure what the characters are going to do next. Then I go back to see if I can add anything, or take the story in a new direction, or hoping to grab another idea as I go. I do this until the story is finished- probably not the best way to do things, but it seems to be working. And I keep word count like crazy as I edit- to make sure I meet/surpass my goal. 
What do you read?  Do you read different genres when you’re writing versus not writing?
 
I’m a person of habit, I write what I read and read what I write. But I fluctuate between fantasy, mystery, contemporary, but usually always romance.  
What books are on your nightstand or by your chair?
 
I’ve got several! I got a Barnes and Noble gift card for Christmas and went crazy. I bought the Silmarillion, The Hobbitt, and Lord of the Rings- all by JRR Tolkien, and Stardust by Neil Gaiman. Once the kids are doing with The Fault in Our Stars and The Giver, I’ll be adding them to the pile!!! 
If you could have one skill that you don’t currently have, what would it be?
 
I would love to be musically inclined. I can’t carry a tune in a bucket and I can’t play an instrument to save my life. But if I could, when would I read, write, or crochet?!!!
What music “soothes your soul”?  Do you listen to music as you write?
I love music and what I listen to all depends on how I’m feeling. Right now I’m obsessed with Ed Sheeran. I listen to his songs over and over. There are two that are very influential on Faith’s Forever, that’s Book Two in the True Blue Trilogy, right now. And I have to play it over and over while I’m writing because I have a tendency to tune it out and it helps keep the thoughts flowing. 
What’s your favorite comfort food?  Least favorite food? 
I love food like I love music and books, so I have many favorites. But today it’s cold out and to me, cold calls for soup. I found an awesome recipe on Pinterest- Philly Cheesesteak Soup- that I could literally eat until I made myself sick. It’s awesome and there is definitely something comforting about a hot bowl of soup. Um, least favorite would have to be… beets! I don’t think I’ve ever eaten a beet!

 
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Purchase LOVE'S BATTLE


 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

Saturday, January 24, 2015

Meet Romance/Mystery Author Rebecca Grace--"Where Romance Lives, While Danger Lurks."


Rebecca has been writing stories since she was ten years old. Through high school and college she often wrote stories in a spiral bound notebook, and from the beginning she found she loved combining romance and intrigue or mystery. The first story she completed was about a rock star who was kidnapped, along with a teenage fan. Her love of writing took her in the direction of a journalism degree. While she first envisioned herself as a newspaper reporter or sports writer, she ended up as a broadcast journalist. Eventually she ended up working in a number of TV newsrooms around the west. Most of her time was spent in Los Angeles, where she worked for all three major network affiliates. 
Her writing still involves romance and mystery, hence her slogan, “Where romance lives, while danger lurks.”  Her latest book is BLUES AT 11, a romantic mystery set in the world she knows so well – TV news.  It revolves around a television anchor woman, Kimberly delaGarza, who finds herself suspected of killing her ex-boyfriend. Suddenly her fame is working against her. Jealous former competitors are happy to see her in trouble, her best friend is out of the country and the one man who might be able to help her is a man she dumped for her dead ex.  
 
 

About BLUES AT 11
 
Kimberly delagarza is a familiar face in Los Angeles. She can be seen nightly on the evening news. She drives a fancy car, lives in a house on the beach, and wears designer clothes. But now she is no longer delivering the news—she has become the biggest story of the day. The TV anchorwoman is suspected of murder.

No one believes she didn't kill her louse of an ex-boyfriend after he dumped her. Her next picture may be on a wanted poster, and her next home may be the Big House, with a wardrobe consisting of orange jumpsuits. The only man who can help her is a man she once wronged...
 
Purchase BLUES AT 11
Amazon                         
BN.com                              
The Wild Rose Press                            
 
A Chat With Rebecca
 
If you have 2 hours free time tonight, what would you rather do? Why?
If I have free time, I would probably write. I love to be able to lose myself in a story I am inventing. It’s kind of like daydreaming, but doing it on the written page.
What kind of books do you love to read? Why?
I read a lot of mystery books, romance and romantic suspense. I am a big fan of Janet Evanovich and her Stephanie Plum series because of the mixture of romance and the mystery.  But I also enjoy Brenda Novak, Cindy Gerard and Sandra Brown.  On the straight mystery side, I enjoy Harlan Coben and his domestic thrillers, I’ve long been a fan of John Sandford and his Lucas Davenport and Virgil Flowers books and Robert Crais and his Elvis Cole.
What type of music do you enjoy relaxing to?
I’m afraid I never moved past the 70s and early 80s in my musical tastes.  I still love the oldies, whether it groups like Foreigner or the Eagles, and not to age myself or anything, but I was one of those crazy girls who was screaming at the movie theater when the first Beatles movie, “A Hard Day’s Night” came out.
What is your stress buster?
My stress buster is to play video games. Games like, Zuma, Tetris, Candy Crush, Spider, all calm me down.
What is your favorite food? What food do you seek when you’re sad, sort of a comfort food?
Chinese food is a good comfort food for me for several reasons. Going out for Chinese food alone usually means writing time. One of my favorite things to do when stuck on a scene is to head over to P F Chang’s with my notebook and write. It doesn’t hurt that one of the closest restaurants also has an absolutely majestic view of the Colorado Rocky Mountains. But it’s not just when I’m stuck on a scene. If I want to celebrate, I order a split of champagne.  And then  there is cheesecake -- strawberry cheesecake or blueberry cheesecake. Sometimes pumpkin cheesecake does the trick.  It’s probably good that the nearest Cheesecake Factory is more than ten miles away.
Describe yourself in one word.
I would say I am optimistic. I like to look for the good side of situations and in people.
If a fairy grants you one wish and one wish only, what would it be? Why?
Wow, so many things come to mind. But probably what I would want is a cruise around the world to see all the special things we have in our world.
What’s your biggest regret in life?
Probably not following through on my writing possibilities many years ago and then waiting so long to really work at getting published. Back in the early 80s when I finished one of my first fully edited books I submitted to Harlequin and got rejected. I think I might have submitted elsewhere too, but the Harlequin rejection letter is the only one I still have. When I read it over now and look at the editor’s notes on the manuscript (and yes, back then they actually would make notes) I realize I should have taken that book and re-written it and re-edited and maybe I would have gotten published sooner. I  let the  rejections get me down and stopped pursuing getting published. I never stopped writing, though and eventually I did go back and submit and eventually got published.
What is the most adventurous thing you’ve ever done?
I’m not certain if it was adventurous or stupid, but twice when I decided I needed a change in my life, I simply packed up my belongings and moved more than a thousand miles away to cities where I’d never been and knew no one without a job and without a safety net to get me back home if I didn’t like it.  Fortunately, I fell in love with both San Diego and Seattle, and within weeks of arriving in both places I was able to find a job working at TV stations.
What makes you happy/sad/disappointed/frustrated/hopeful/angry? (Pick one)
What makes me happy and hopeful is the ability to write. As long as I can keep telling my stories, I am happy.
What are your wildest dreams/fantasies/kinks/quirks?
My wildest dream is to go back in time.  I’m not sure where or when, but just to go back for one day and be able to live in another time just to see what it was like.

Your Writing
When did you write your first book? How long did it take you to write it?
I wrote my first novel back in 1978. It was a very bad romance novel about a professional football player and the daughter of the man he replaced as quarterback.  I think I worked on that off and on through college and finished it five years later. I kept restarting it
Did you encounter any obstacles in writing? What are they? How did you overcome
them?
I had problems finishing my first books. I kept going back and starting them over
And rewriting from scratch. My first few books were never published and I cringe when I reread them today.
How did you feel when you received your first contract? What did you do? Any celebratory dinner, dance, event, etc to commemorate the occasion?
I couldn’t believe it.  After so many years to finally have a publisher who wanted to distribute my writing – wow!  I was out of town at the time, visiting my brother so the whole family went out to celebrate. The only problem was that when I came back from that trip, I lost my day job. In a way it was great because it allowed me to focus full time on writing.
Any writing peeves, things you wish you could improve on, things you do with exceptional talent?
I have a problem with having too many ideas in my head at once and then I want to get started on them. The end result is I always have a bunch of stories going at once, and I think it keeps me from totally focusing on finishing just one faster.
What kind of books do you love/hate to write? Why?
I love to write books with mystery and romance in them. I started out writing books that were purely romances, but then I found I like that hint of danger and ever since I have had trouble not killing at least one person in my books or giving the protagonists a mystery to solve.
What do you think about editing?
As a journalist, I’ve spent so much of my time editing, I know it’s a necessity, no matter how good a writer might be. Nothing is perfect the first time around and good editing can make even the best writing better.
Where and when do you write? Tell us about your favorite work place and time. Any special reason?
Most of my writing is done in my home office at my computer. However I will write anywhere and anytime. I have tons of little notebooks that I carry around in my purse or keep in my car so that no matter where I am and what I’m doing I can write if something strikes me. I keep the notebooks with me because I’ve been known to write on the backs of receipts, grocery bags and any sort of paper I can find if I don’t have one handy.
How do you write? Do your characters come to you first or the plot or the world of the story? How do you go on from there? Maybe you can give us an example with one of your books.
Usually it is the story idea that comes to me first, but it can also be the character. In my newest book, Blues at 11, I got my inspiration for the story from an afternoon I spent drinking with gal pal as we lamented my break up with a long time boyfriend. We started playfully thinking of ways to do him in. I was working in Las Vegas at the time and we wanted to bury him in the desert. About halfway through the afternoon the bartender finally came over to us and playfully mentioned he wouldn’t tell the police when they found the body that we were the culprits. And that was the start!  But this was also back during the time of OJ Simpson when the LA media that I’d just left went into a total frenzy over his fame. It took me a couple of years but I finally put it all together
What books can you recommend to aspiring writers to improve on style, character development, plot, structure, dialogue, etc?
I am one of those people who is aways looking for how-to books on writing. I have so many,  but I think one of the best is Stephen King’s On Writing.  It not only talks about things a writer needs to know—the writer’s toolbox—but  it’s a good behind-the-scenes view of how a struggling beginner went from starving writer to mega best selling author.
What is your must-have book for writing?
There are two books I have had on my desk for years. I had them when I worked as a journalist, when I worked as a public information officer and now they are on my desk where I write every day.  They are the  Associated  Press Style book and Strunk and White’s Elements of  Style.  When I am editing I also have Browne and King’s Self Editing for Fiction Writers and The Writer’s Digest Grammar reference book.  I find that with these books readily available to me I can manage almost any problem I run into. 
What is your advice to aspiring writers?
Don’t give up if you want to get published. These days there are more opportunities than ever. See my above question about my big regret. It took a boyfriend who was also trying to get published to push me back into the fray, but I’m glad I made the renewed effort. It took 3 years from when I started re-submitting to finally get a contract. 
If you don’t know where to start, look around for writing groups near you or groups that offer online workshops. There are plenty of them out there, with members who are willing to help beginning writers. Spend some time with those writing groups. Often they offer sessions or online lessons on writing. And if you are in a small town where you might not find groups, then get on the internet and join an online group.  Some of my earliest help in learning how to write came from the online group, Kiss of Death, a mystery-suspense chapter of Romance Writers of America.  They offer online workshops on writing and that idea has taken off. There are other online groups out there too, like Savvy Authors. I have taught for Savvy for four years as well as giving online workshops for other groups.
  But most of all, never stop writing!
 
Contact Rebecca:
 
 
 
 

 

Friday, January 16, 2015

Lovers of Romance and Elvis: Meet Alicia Dean, Author of END OF LONELY STREET


The Wild Rose Press author Alicia Dean is here to tell us about
 END OF LONELY STREET and a bit about herself in our interview below.
 
I live in Edmond, Oklahoma. I have three grown children and I’ve been divorced for almost twenty years, but I get along well with my ex-husband, and we’ve remained friends. I first published in 2007, a romantic suspense with The Wild Rose Press titled Nothing to Fear. I now have 24 published works, in a variety of genres from suspense to paranormal to vintage historical, to sweet contemporary. I even recently released a short ‘how to’ writing book called “Find the Magic, How to Plot a Story in Ten Easy Steps.”
 
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About END OF LONELY STREET
 
All Toby Lawson wanted was to go to college to pursue her dream of becoming a teacher and to be free of her alcoholic mother and the painful memories of finding her and the guy Toby loved kissing. But when her mother nearly burns the house down, Toby must put her dreams on hold and return home to care for her. The only time she isn’t lonely and miserable is when she’s listening to her heartthrob, Elvis Presley. His music takes her away, helps her escape from everything wrong in her life. 
Noah Rivers has always loved Toby, but no matter what he says, and even though she knows her mother initiated the kiss, and that he didn’t kiss her back, she can‘t seem to get past what happened. He soon realizes that the true problem lies in Toby’s belief that she’s not good enough for him and in her fear that she will be just like her mother. 
What will it take to prove to her that she deserves to be happy, and that he would give anything to be the man to make her dreams come true?
 
Excerpt:
Chapter One
Mapleton, Tennessee, November, 1957
Toby Lawson closed her eyes and shut out all sounds of the diner, except for Elvis Presley’s voice. He was crooning about how she was the only one for him…no matter where he went or what he did… he’d spend his whole life loving her…
Rough hands landed on her waist and shattered the fantasy. She caught a whiff of hair tonic and too much cologne, and she snapped her eyes open. Wes Markham’s hateful face replaced the image of Elvis’ beautiful, crooked smile and smoldering blue eyes.
“Let me go.” She gritted her teeth, keeping her voice low. If her boss, Mr. Winstead, knew there was trouble on account of her, he’d explode. He’d barely let her have the job in the first place. Everyone in Mapleton knew the Lawson women were trouble.
“Come on, honey. If you like that hip swivel, Presley ain’t the only one who’s got it. I got it too.” He released her with his left hand so he could run it over his slicked down hair and gave her a big-toothed, wolfish smile. “Only we’d be naked.” He shot a cocky grin over to his two companions—Chuck Stenson and Billy Garfield—who were leaning against the jukebox making kissing and whooping sounds.
Toby gripped his right wrist with one hand, tightening her hold on the utensils she held in the other. “I said let me go. Now!”
“Aw, be a sport, Green-Eyes.”
The bulge of his pelvis pressed into her abdomen, and she gasped in shock. Nausea tightened in her esophagus. “Wes Markham, I’m warning you…”
She shoved against him, but he didn’t budge.
He pulled her tighter. “Your momma’s a whole lot friendlier than you are. They say the apple don’t fall far from the tree, so how’s about you cut the pretense and we go someplace quiet? Winstead won’t miss you for a few minutes.”
Her cheeks heated. She didn’t dare look around. No doubt the customers were watching, listening. Elvis had stopped singing and everyone in the place could hear what he’d said about her mother. It wasn’t like they didn’t all know, though. Constance Lawson hadn’t exactly kept her escapades a secret.
Toby clenched her teeth and brandished the utensils. She spoke loud enough for everyone to hear. “Release me this instant, or I swear, you’ll be pulling this steak knife out of your eyeball.”
He held her gaze for a split second, then gave a laugh that was somewhere between nervous and furious. “Sure, sure. Okay.” He released her and stepped back. “I was just foolin’ around anyway. I got better things to do with my time than waste it on a used up chick like you.”
Muffled laughter rose around her. Oh God, she could crawl into a hole.
“How about you apologize to the lady, then beat it?”
Toby whirled at the male voice. Noah Rivers stood behind her, looking handsome and sharp in his police uniform—even with his dark hair in the military buzz cut. Her knees weakened, and tingles swept over her skin. She swallowed against the sudden dryness in her throat. She’d heard he was back, but hadn’t seen him until now. And what a time to have a reunion. 
10% of all of Alicia Dean’s net royalties for End of Lonely Street will go to
 
 
 
About Alicia: 

What kind of books do you love to read? Why?
I love to read thriller/suspense mostly, because I am fascinated with crime and murder (yes, I know, I’m a bit twisted), and I love the adrenalin rush of reading about danger and trying to help the characters solve a mystery.
If a fairy grants you one wish and one wish only, what would it be? Why?
For my friends and loved ones to be healthy and happy.
What is the most adventurous thing you’ve ever done?
Joined the service in 1980. I was in the Army National Guard.
Your writing
When did you write your first book? How long did it take you to write it?
My first novel was called Lady Killer, and it probably took me about 6 months to write. It’s one of those ‘under the bed’ projects, but I learned a great deal from it, and it actually won a few contests. I wrote my first romance, although it was a short story, when I was 11 years old.
Any writing peeves, things you wish you could improve on, things you do with exceptional talent? 
I wish I could write more character-oriented books. My characters aren’t always real/relatable. I wouldn’t say I have any ‘exceptional’ talent, but I think my strengths lie in plotting and suspense.
What kind of books do you love/hate to write? Why?
I love to write any book that calls to me. Ideas come to me, and they take hold and grow and won’t let me go until I write them. I don’t hate to write anything, because I just wouldn’t write it if I hated it. J
What do you think about editing?
I think it’s a MUST. I’m an editor myself, with The Wild Rose Press, and a freelance editor, yet I still have my own work edited. It’s not exactly the fun part of the process, but you’ll have a much better book if you have it edited. I also feel strongly that you should only take the advice you agree with, unless you’re under contract, then while you can voice your opinion, your editor might have the final say.
How do you write? Do your characters come to you first or the plot or the world of the story? How do you go on from there? Maybe you can give us an example with one of your books.  
I most definitely think of the plot first. The, I try to decide which characters would best fit the plot, as in, who has the most to lose in this situation? For example, in my thriller, Without Mercy, I thought, what if a seemingly random crime turns out to be something more, and targets someone for a specific reason? I came up with a bank robbery and mercenaries who have an underlying goal. I thought the best character to put in that situation would be a single mom, because she would have so much to lose if her child were threatened. For my paranormal, Soul Seducer, I knew I wanted to write about Grim Reapers, since books about  those paranormal creatures are rather rare, and I find them very creepy, and I love creepy. J I knew I wanted my hero AND my villain to be Grim Reapers and I thought, who would have the most conflict in falling for a Grim Reaper, and who would have the most to lose if a Grim Reaper targeted them? I decided my heroine should be a nurse, in the business of saving lives.
Who is your strongest/sexiest/most lovable/hottest hero/heroine? Why?
I believe I like Dimitri in Soul Seducer the most, because he’s a hot, sexy combination of bad and good, and he was modeled after Ian Somerhalder (Damon Salvatore of The Vampire Diaries), who has the market cornered on bad/good sexy.
Tell us more about your latest release End of Lonely Street, published by The Wild Rose Press.
End of Lonely Street is a story of my heart, because it is set in 1957, when Elvis Presley’s phenomenal career was just beginning. (And, I released it on January 8, which would have been Elvis’ 80th birthday) My heroine is an Elvis fan with a troubled life, and listening to Elvis music gives her peace. I feel the same way about Elvis. All my life, when I’ve been stressed or troubled, listening to Elvis soothes my soul.
Any new projects, work in progress?
I’m very excited about an upcoming release that is now available for pre-order. Three of my writer friends and I have written a series of novellas called Martini Club 4 – The 1920’s centered around a Martini Lounge where we have been meeting every Friday evening for drinks for nearly four years. You can learn more about it here:  https://martiniclub4.wordpress.com/ 
Purchase END OF LONELY STREET
 
 
 
 


Monday, January 5, 2015

Meet Pamela Thibodeaux: Her Writing is "Inspirational with an Edge!"


Award-winning author Pamela S. Thibodeaux is the Co-Founder and a lifetime member of Bayou Writers Group in Lake Charles, Louisiana. Multi-published in romantic fiction as well as creative non-fiction, her writing has been tagged as, “Inspirational with an Edge!” ™ and reviewed as “steamier and grittier than the typical Christian novel without decreasing the message.”
 
Her latest title is CIRCLES OF FATE:
 
 

Set at the tail end of the Vietnam War era, Circles of Fate takes the reader from Fort Benning, Georgia to Thibodaux, Louisiana. A romantic saga, this gripping novel covers nearly twenty years in the lives of Shaunna Chatman and Todd Jameson. Constantly thrown together and torn apart by fate, the two are repeatedly forced to choose between love and duty, right and wrong, standing on faith or succumbing to the world’s viewpoint on life, love, marriage and fidelity. With intriguing twists and turns, fate brings together a cast of characters whose lives will forever be entwined. Through it all is the hand of God as He works all things together for the good of those who love Him and are called according to His purpose. 

Excerpt:
“What?” Todd Jameson’s hand trembled so hard the phone he held threatened to slip through his numb fingers. He wiped a sweaty palm down his thigh and grabbed the receiver then switched ears. The anguish in Mike Ferel’s voice made the pleasantries they shared the first few minutes of the call seem like a distant conversation.
“I’m sorry, Todd, to be the one to tell you this, especially after what you’ve been through this last year.”
He’d spent nine months at war, nine months facing and dealing with death, but not even those things prepared him for the death of his hopes and dreams in nine short minutes. “When?”
A heavy exhale preceded Mike’s answer. “Margaret died six months ago. Shaunna married three months after.”
She said she loved me. He hadn’t meant to utter the thought aloud, but somehow the words slipped past the knot in his throat.
“She cried a long time after you left, didn’t understand why you never wrote or called.”
Though his voice held no accusation, Todd heard the chastisement in Mike’s tone. “I...”
He blinked hard and cleared his throat. “What was I supposed to do, blurt out my feelings over the phone or in a letter and ask her to wait? I thought she was too young to go through that, especially with the war and all. Not knowing if, when, I’d get sent over there was hard enough on me; she didn’t need that on her heart. What if I didn’t come back? I couldn’t fathom putting her through such an ordeal. Not with all the responsibilities she shouldered from her mother’s illness.”
“I’m sorry.”
Todd raked a hand over his face. “Is she happy? Is he a good man?”
“Seems to be.”
Purchase CIRCLES OF FATE:






 
VISIT PAMELA:
 
 
 
 
Twitter: http://twitter.com/psthib @psthib
 

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