Wednesday, April 2, 2025

Meet My Guest J.A. Schneider and Read About Her Suspense Thriller THE GIRL THIEF

I met Joyce after I read her author bio on Amazon--it captured my interest--I thought, wow, I'd like to meet her--so I contacted her. She graciously accepted my invite to be my blog guest and feature THE GIRL THIEF, which I purchased after meeting her, but have to finish one more book before I get to it--looking forward to delving in!

So enjoy meeting Joyce!

About Joyce

Joyce is a former writer at Newsweek and the author of multiple murder mysteries and psychological thrillers. She has studied at the Sorbonne and been an exchange student in the Soviet Union. Now her idea of more than enough excitement is writing thrillers and gardening (chasing off deer and using a crowbar to get out stubborn rocks). She lives with her family and two funny dachshunds in Connecticut. To write Joyce or find more of her thrillers, check out jaschneiderauthor.net. Thanks for reading!

About THE GIRL THIEF




Ensnared into the lives of a troubled, wealthy couple - or is she? A caterer's assistant finds herself entangled in the dark secrets of a troubled glamorous couple, navigating danger while harboring her own hidden agenda.

Excerpt

Prologue


I
shouldn’t be doing this.


It’s late. I’m limp from fatigue but find myself standing out in the hall, feeling torn. Because tonight is my only chance to essentially be alone in this house. Kate is in bed drunk and will be out of it for at least overnight, and the housekeeper won’t be back until morning. The police could be back too.


What do I do with this chance?

 

The hall is nearly dark, with just one sconce lit. I look around, feeling my pulse quicken. The whole house is deathly quiet.


Something thuds, and I jump. “Oh!”


My eyes dart around. Someone coming? The noise sounded near, and a sick feeling shoots through me.


Thump! There it is again. A low sound coming from…down the hall? Panic stirs, but I have to know. I pass closed bedroom doors on the right and left, knowing that this is crazy. Frightening, but my feet keep moving as I strain to listen.


I hear the thud again and jerk my gaze up. That sound came from over my head.


The attic.


I remember Kate opening the attic door, wrinkling her nose and closing it again. No one goes up there. It’s too creepy.


Common sense tells me to - forget this! Quit while I’m ahead and get some sleep! But I know I won’t sleep. Not with this one night to look around…


On wobbly legs I reach the hall’s backstairs landing, and turn to the attic door. It is cracked open. My heart pounds but compulsion rules, so I get out my phone, flick on its light, and open the door into darkness.


My beam lights the musty steps. I start up – and hear that thud again. Only now it’s louder. My lips go dry. Cold dread shoots through me.


At the top of the stairs, I shine my light shakily through a dark vastness of stacked trunks and ghostly, sheet-covered shapes. Roof beams slant low at the edges, and at the far end is a tall, arched window emitting thin moonlight.


Surprise, the thudding is coming from it! I move closer, shifting my light to the moonlit glass, and my shoulders relax. A breeze gusts through a low, broken pane covered flimsily by a tied board. Thud…thud…


My, this house is full of things that go bump in the night. I breathe again, but the sound is still frightening.


Shapes to my right loom. I shine my light on an old dressmaker’s mannequin, and a long rack holding clothes covered with dry cleaner plastic. Outdated-looking dresses, men’s suits, an old-fashioned tuxedo and …


I let out a strangled gasp.


My light jumps as I see what is hanging there. I lurch backward, shoulders heaving with my free hand clapped to my mouth - just as a hideous shriek tears through the air. I freeze in shock for seconds, can’t move. The shriek sounds again.


Someone is dying, brutally. Where? Frantically, I whirl my light around, seeing no one.


Horror bolts through me as I wheel away and fly down the stairs. From the landing I race down the hall stumbling, trembling uncontrollably.



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Thursday, March 20, 2025

An Anthology of Sweet Romances--Nine Ladies Dancing--Read About it and Meet the Authors

As I planned a blog exchange with author Patricia Kiyono, she told me about the Dingbat Publishing anthology...so in this exchange I got more than I bargained for!

For the past several years, Dingbat Publishing has compiled a collection of sweet holiday romances set during England’s Regency period. For 2024, seven authors contributed to the anthology, called Nine Ladies Dancing. Here are the authors (their names are linked to their websites) and their stories:

 


Elizabeth Hanbury presents "A Knight to the Rescue" — Jessica and Richard start off their acquaintance on entirely the wrong note. How can they learn to sing in tune?

Vivian Roycroft and "His Christmas Proposal" — Helena Whittle used to adore riding. Then she was thrown from a strange horse, and her life, her confidence, and even her engagement fell apart. Can she find room in her broken heart for a second chance at love?

Kay Springsteen and "The Maid's Christmas Miracle" — Servants were seldom able to marry. Can a miracle in a stable change their lives forever?

Jenna Jaxon and "A Match Made at Christmas" — Sophia promised to let her grandmother select her husband. Then she met the man of her dreams.

Patricia Kiyono and "Bugs, Bluestockings, and Beginnings" — If only there was a way for Elizabeth to support herself with her scientific knowledge — and of course love was the furthest thought from her mind.

Ruth J. Hartman and "Romancing the Dustman's Daughter" — Augustus Sinclair makes Anne believe in love and romance, even if he is wealthy and she is just the dustman’s daughter. A delightful retelling of the Cinderella story.

Felicia Rogers and "Rented One Christmas" — The ruse Mira's employer is asking of her is so crazy, it could ruin her life forever. Does she dare? And if she does, can she stop herself from falling in love?

Where did the ideas for their stories come from? Here are some of their responses:

ELIZABETH HANBURY: The inspiration for “A Knight to the Rescue” came from the popularity of the waltz in Regency times, despite it being seen as scandalous among some high society people. I thought it would be fun to have a heroine living in Bath who composed waltzes, and a wealthy hero who disguised himself as an artist to avoid fortune hunters - as well as help the woman of his dreams!  

FELICIA ROGERS: One day my daughter mentioned how many children my sister has and that she could rent them out.  It got to me to thinking... what if someone needed a family but didn't have one.  They could rent one!  And the story (“Rented One Christmas” was born.

PATRICIA KIYONO: A few years ago, Dingbat Publishing planned a multi-author series about a winter garden in the Highgate area of London. Ruth J. Hartman wrote a story in which the main characters create a home for bluestocking ladies, and I decided to continue the story, because of course the home would need someone to coordinate educational activities at this home! I had fun with Elizabeth, an out-of-work governess, and Benjamin, an entomologist. 

Nine Ladies Dancing is available only at Amazon

 

 

 

 

Wednesday, March 19, 2025

Meet Sadira Stone and Read About RUNAWAY LOVE STORY, Released Today!

 My guest Sadira Stone's new title just came out today! Meet Sadira and read 

all about it!

About Sadira

Award-winning contemporary romance author Sadira Stone spins steamy, smoochy tales set in small businesses—a quirky bookstore, a neighborhood bar, a vintage boutique. Set in the U.S. Pacific Northwest, her stories highlight found family, friendship, and the sizzling chemistry that pulls unlikely partners together. When she emerges from her writing cave in Las Vegas, Nevada (which she seldom does), she can be found shaking her hips in dance class, playing her guitar (badly, but getting better), exploring the Western U.S. with her charming husband, cooking up a storm, and gobbling all the romance books. For a guaranteed HEA (and no cliffhangers!) visit Sadira on her website.



About the Book Nirvana Series

Welcome to Book Nirvana, an indie bookstore in Eugene, Oregon, where you’ll find every flavor of bookish delight, a quirky staff who are as close as family, Lulu the all-wise shop cat, Coffee Dreams next door, and a dazzling collection of naughty books kept behind the red door in back. If you ask shop owner Clara nicely, she just might let you peek inside!  

About RUNAWAY LOVE STORY

Wrong time, wrong place, perfect guy.

A heartbreaking distress cry interrupts my search for a new art gallery job. Darling Maxie needs my help, so now I’m stuck in Eugene, Oregon, rescuing the auntie who rescued me.

Running into adorable Coach Dalton ignites a sweet flirtation that quickly turns spicy. He’s wise, funny, and he’s going through the same heartbreak: losing a loved one to dementia.   

But he wants lasting love, and I’m only passing through. No matter how much I crave him, I can’t let him derail my dreams. 

Come to Book Nirvana for a spicy, funny, heart-wrenching tale of true love and second chances.

Runaway Love Story was previously published and has been revised and updated with new chapters.

PG Rated Excerpt

“Come back, Blondie. I just want a little taste.”

Footsteps sound behind me—only one set but closing fast.

I gulp air and lengthen my stride. My quads burn and my sides ache, my reserves nearly spent.

I’ll never run without pepper spray again.

The guy is right on my tail, puffing like a bellows.

“Babe, there you are. Hold up.” This voice is deeper and lacks the mocking tone of the others.

Without slowing, I risk a backward glance. Tall bald guy. Serious runner, judging by his gear. His face drips from exertion, but his broad smile holds no threat. He tilts his shaved head toward the bushes and rolls his eyes.

I slow, and he pulls up alongside me, exclaiming with unnecessary volume, “I stopped to tie my shoelaces, and you disappeared.”

Hard of hearing? Near-sighted?

He throws a glance over his shoulder and lowers his voice. “You okay?”

Understanding dawns. He’s rescuing me!

“I’m good, thanks.” I jog to a stop and bend over, hands on my knees, gulping air. He waits beside me and scans the bushes, his breathing hard but steady. Expensive running shoes. Above his enormous feet rise long, well-muscled legs encased in snug shorts and the finest ass I’ve seen in a long, long time—high and firm and muscular. My fingertips itch to trace its contours.

Holy heck, what’s wrong with me?

His back to me, he surveys the trail. And what a back it is, outlined by his sweat-soaked T-shirt, narrow at the waist and broad at the shoulders. He runs his long fingers over his shiny shaved head and turns to face me.

Late thirties, I’m guessing. Aquiline nose, straight, pale brows, and deep-set eyes, blue as the summer twilight. A short golden beard covers his jaw. His lips spread in a slow smile, transforming his bony face into something dazzling.

Our eyes meet, and a spark jolts through me, strong and sharp and aimed straight at my core.

Uh-oh.

 ♦️ 💖♦️ 💖♦️ 💖♦️ 💖♦️ 💖♦️💖♦️💖♦️💖♦️ 💖♦️ 💖♦️ 💖♦️ 💖♦️ 💖♦️💖♦️💖♦️

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Friday, March 7, 2025

Meet My Dear Friend, Romance Author Angela Rosati, and Read About Her Extraordinary Stories, Straight From the Heart--With Her Own Brand of Humor

Angela has been a very dear friend of mine for 30 years, and she is a gifted writer. She is 96 years YOUNG and still writing heartfelt historical romances.

I highly recommend every one of her historical novels. She writes straight from the heart, and her stories are 100% genuine and authentic–because she was THERE!



About Angela

I was born on August 22, 1929 in Long Island City, NY. I grew up in Astoria, NY. I wanted to be a teacher, but got drafted into the family business. Then at age 29 (which was very old as per Italians) got married. Then in my late 70s, I bought a computer and started writing hysterical/historical family tales my family was tired of hearing. I love music and I sing opera arias by Giacomo Puccini. My grandson, at a very young age, asked me why I sing in the shower. I responded, "The door is locked and nobody can tell me to shut up!"


An article in The Italic Institute of America, "The Italian Heritage on a Classical Foundation" :

Monday, February 24, 2025

Meet Author Pamela Thibodeaux and Read About Her Short Story Romance Collection A HINT OF ROMANCE

Pam & I have hosted each other many times; today I'm featuring her new book of short romances A HINT OF ROMANCE.

Why did Pam write A HINT OF ROMANCE? 

"As a novel writer, short stories are a welcome diversion, but also a challenge. To tell a complete story in so few words can sometimes frustrate one who thrives on the detail and description found in a novel. Some of these were written with a particular women’s magazine in mind. Others were for the publisher I was with earlier in my career who listed them for free through the website or for 99 cents at Amazon. ALL were written for fun and the experience. A friend of mine said I write excellent short stories. I hope I’ve done well enough in these to entice you to want to read my longer works."



About the Stories in A HINT OF ROMANCE

Twin Flames: Twins, Raymond and Raelee MacFarland have spent a couple of years and a ton of money turning the property they inherited from their uncle into a small guest ranch, rebuilding their lives after her husband runs off with his wife. Will they succeed and perhaps, get a second chance at love?

Like a Rock: Macey finds herself at a crossroads when her and Jerry’s youngest child leaves for college. Will their love survive midlife crisis and empty nest syndrome?

The Big Catch Karla and, the love of her life, Jeff, have uncovered some uncommon ground: The Great Outdoors. For the life of her, she does not understand his love of fishing and how he can spend so much time doing so. Will she come to love the sport as much as he or will his passion for a rod and reel tangle up their relationship?

A Hero for Jessica: Anthony Paul Seville is known as the ‘most eligible bachelor’ in New Orleans, possibly even the entire state of Louisiana, but finds himself alone—completely and explicitly alone. Jessica Aucoin is a writer on her way to fame and fortune but is haunted by a man from her past. Will the “champion” lawyer and the author of romantic suspense find love written in their future? 

In His Sight: Grade school teacher Carson Alexander has a gift—a gift that has driven a wedge between him and his family. Worse, it’s put him at odds with God. Feeling alone and misunderstood, Carson views God’s gift of prophecy as the worst kind of curse…that is until he meets Lorelei Conner, landscape artist extraordinaire, and perhaps the one person who may need Carson and his gift more than anyone ever has.  

Lorelei Connor is a mother on the run. Her abusive ex-husband has followed her all over the country trying to steal their daughter. Distrusting of men and needing to keep on the move, she’s surprised by her desire to remain close to Carson Alexander. Through her fear and hesitation, she must learn to rely on God to guide her—not an easy task when He’s prompting her to trust a man.

Can their relationship withstand the tragedy lurking on the horizon?

Review of Love: Jason Stockwell has been commissioned to interview Kylie Erickson and to review her books. The only problem is, she won’t give the time of day much less an interview to someone whose type of writing she deems not worthy of respect. Can they suspend their judgmental attitudes and find true love?

Paper Roses: Widowed eleven years, Patti Howard has found herself enamored with her son’s football coach. Will a homecoming tradition give them a chance at romance?

Journey’s End: Ellie Thibaudeau’s travelling days ended when she bore a daughter who, in turn, left a granddaughter to be reared in the small town of Wellington, Florida. With retirement on the horizon will her dream of seeing the world come true with a new man or will she be resigned to staying put and live vicariously through her Angel Girl, Callyn?

Soul Mates Jolie LeBlanc has used her Masters in Archeology and Minor in Anthropology to study the paranormal all over the world and ends up on five acres of land supposedly haunted by the famed pirate, Jean Lafitte. Will she and her soul mate will reconnect once again or will she live another lifetime without him?

Purchase A HINT OF ROMANCE on Amazon

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Monday, February 17, 2025

Meet Joan Koster, Another Author Who Celebrates Sassy Ladies, and Read About PRAIRIE CINDERELLA, Sculptress Vinnie Ream

I'm currently working on the 4th book in my "Sassy Ladies Series" and have found a kindred soul in Joan, whose series is called "Forgotten Ladies." I've read, enjoyed and highly recommend every one of them (see my Amazon reviews). Her newest release celebrates Vinnie Ream, the Victorian sculptress whose statue of Abraham Lincoln stands in the Rotunda of the U. S. Capitol.

About Joan

When she is not writing in her studio by the sea, Joan lives an 1860s farmhouse stacked to the ceiling with books. In a life full of adventures, she has scaled mountains, chased sheep, and been abandoned on an island for longer than she wants to remember. 

An ethnographer, educator, and award-winning author who loves mentoring writers, Joan blends her love of history, and romance into eye-opening historical novels about women who shouldn’t be forgotten and into romantic thrillers under the pen name, Zara West. She is the author of the award-winning romantic suspense series The Skin Quartet and the top-selling Write for Success series, and of multi-award-winning biographical historicals  including THAT DICKINSON GIRL, CENSORED ANGEL, and now PRAIRIE CINDERELLA.

Joan blogs at JoanKoster.com, American Civil War Voice, Zara West Romance, and Zara West’s Journal and teaches numerous online writing courses. 

An Excerpt From PRAIRIE CINDERELLA


The Capitol, Washington City, April 1866

“Ah, this is where you hide out.”

I snap my head up. The woman is a stranger, but I can tell she hasn’t come to make a purchase or praise my work. Beneath her fashionable hat, adorned with bunches of fake cherries, she wears the nose-pinched expression of someone smelling not the rose petal potpourri discreetly placed around the studio, but the stench of something foul.

She moves along the wall, studying the medallions on display. “These are yours, Miss Ream?” She glares at me. “You are Miss Ream, I presume?”

I grab the wet rag hanging on a hook by my work stand and wipe the clay dust from my fingers. “Vinnie Ream, at your service. All the works here are mine. And available for purchase.”

She puts on spectacles and peruses my newest work—the bust of a bare-breasted young woman, which I’ve christened Violet.

The woman straightens. “Heard about you. Had to see for myself.” She gives me a long stare. “I’m Jane Swisshelm.”

A polite greeting sticks in my throat. Everyone has heard of the razor-tongued, overly opinionated journalist who gave her all to the wounded soldiers during the war but then had the distinction of being fired by both Horace Greeley and the War Department for being too radical in her news articles.

I curtsy and force out a response. “You are most welcome to my little studio, Mrs. Swisshelm.”

Little studio? You’re right here in the Capitol. That’s an honor deserving of a renowned artist like Clark Mills, not you. You look to be all of fourteen. But buxom enough, I guess. And all that hair. No wonder the men are rapturous about you. Be forewarned: I am not so easily persuaded by a bit of feminine fluff.”

She sails across to my bust of Lincoln and places her hand on top of the head as if my most important work is nothing more than a doorpost. “Heard you’re claiming the President himself posed for you?”

How dare this woman accuse me of lying? I bite out the words, “He did.”

“Well, my good friend, Mary Todd, disagrees. Says she’s never heard of you.”

“My arrangement was with the President and his secretary.”

“So you say.” She clasps her hands in front of her own less-than-generous bosom. “I’m here to tell you to drop the petition you’re circulating. You have no right to make a marble sculpture of him.”

I should grovel. Pretend to think about her suggestion. After all, I’m not sure what I am going to do. But I can’t. The woman reminds me too much of Ma and her dictates. So, I throw back my shoulders and firm my voice. “You can’t tell me how to pursue my career.”

She comes closer. “Give up the petition, or I’ll spread the rumor that your obscene woman in the shop window is actually you. A self-portrait, shall we say.”

“What? Are you blind? That looks nothing like me. That is a classical pose based on numerous renowned works of art.”

“It is unsuitable for you to show such nakedness, and an insult to all women. Men do not need their lust stirred by bared breasts.”

“It is a most appropriate work to be created by a woman. Why should only men be allowed to sculpt our sex? No one criticizes them for sculpting nude males.”

Her lips pinch together. “The only reason to create nudes of either sex is to titillate.”

“The human body is beautiful and wondrous. It must be. After all, the Lord has modeled a good many people in the nude.”

Swisshelm sneers. “Our good Lord has no place in this den of obscenity or in this discussion. Mark my words. If you continue the course you have set for yourself, you will be rebuffed in society.”

“Society, as you call it, doesn’t accept me now—an upstart girl from the wild prairie who works with her hands. But people who value excellent artwork support me with their pocketbooks.” Poker-hot anger overrides my commonsense. “Long after you are gone and your newspaper turned to dust, Mrs. Swisshelm, my work—nude or dressed—will endure. Do your worst. I’m going to get that commission.”

To learn more about Jane Swisshelm see my article: “Jane Gray Swisshelm on Congressional Behavior.”

To learn more about Vinnie Ream see my article “Vinnie Ream on Art and Nature.”


Why Joan wrote PRAIRIE CINDERELLA: The Story of American Sculptress Vinnie Ream Hoxie

Vinnie Ream was both celebrated and reviled in her lifetime. She was petite, outgoing, and female. The fact that she wanted to be a sculptress at a time when the art world was dominated by men who believed only European-trained artists were the best is what makes her success more incredible.

Yes, some of her success was due to chance. Because she was born in a log cabin like him, Abraham Lincoln at the height of the Civil War gave her permission to sketch and sculpt him during his afternoon naps. After his assassination, at the age of seventeen, she rose to prominence for her bust of him done from life. This led to her receiving the first sculpture commission given by Congress to a woman. Today, her statue of Lincoln stands in the Rotunda of the U. S. Capitol, where it is often seen during state occasions.

But it was not all chance. Vinnie Ream was an amazingly gifted woman who despite her lack of training excelled in art. She was also personable and smart.

Of course, such an accomplishment was questioned. How could a young girl sculpt the body of man? (Remember this was the Victorian age.) How could a frontier-raised American, who'd never been to Europe, be any good at sculpture? How did she get Congress to give her a studio in the Capitol and to vote her $10,000 plus a $5,000 bonus for Lincoln’s statue?

Naturally rumors flew. Some man did the work for her. She never met Lincoln. She traded favors with Congressmen to get the commission. Mark Twain went so far as to call her “the smartest politician of all.” This was to be expected at the time. What surprised me was that these claims are still made today by academics who wink and nod when they talk about her. That got me angry and that is why I wrote this novel.

In PRAIRIE CINDERELLA, I have tried to portray her as a complex woman who was driven to create but who also gave her all to take care of the people she loved. There are two love stories in this novel, and a happy ending. Vinnie Ream was amazing. I hope you will read Prairie Cinderella and come to love her as much as I do.

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