Saturday 18 June 2016

Kathleen Rowland, Romantic Suspense Author

MEET KATHLEEN ROWLAND 

Book Buyers Best finalist Kathleen Rowland is devoted to giving her readers fast-paced, high-stakes suspense with a sizzling love story sure to melt their hearts.  Kathleen used to write computer programs but now writes novels.   She grew up in Iowa where she caught lightning bugs, ran barefoot, and raced her sailboat on Lake Okoboji.  Now she wears flip-flops and sails with her husband, Gerry, on Newport Harbor but wishes there were lightning bugs in California.
Kathleen exists happily with her witty CPA husband, Gerry, in their 70’s poolside retreat in Southern California where she adores time spent with visiting grandchildren, dogs, one bunny, and noisy neighbors.  While proud of their five children who’ve flown the coop, she appreciates the luxury of time to write while listening to demanding character voices in her head.


Blurb for Deadly Alliance, romantic suspense
Finbar Donahue, former Army Ranger, walked on the wild side in Iraq, but now he lives in the shadows. After his evasive partner, Les, was shot in a random drive-by, Finn discovers cash is siphoned monthly. He fights to keep his investment company afloat. When the late partner’s girlfriend, Amy Kintyre, applies for his book-keeping job, Finn suspects she knows about his company drain and hires her.
Amy needs a nine-to-five with free evenings and weekends to get her fashion design business back on track. She unearths Les’ s secret bank account and alerts Finn. Freezing of the money laundering account sets off havoc within an Irish gang. Amy witnesses a gang fight between a brutal ISIS fundraising organization and the Irish. Desperate to escape a stalker’s crosshairs, she seeks refuge with Finn. As danger heats up, sparks fly hotter. 




What follows is a fun interview with Finn and Amy, main players of Deadly Alliance. First up is Finn... 
Have you a Nickname?  
Finn. My full name is Finbar Michael Donahue.
What do you work at, Finn?  
I own my own investment company, but who’s the chickenshit stealing money from me?  My goal is to find the thief.
How about your schooling/education?  
B.A. in finance, former Army Ranger. That was when I targeted a known enemy.  Believe me, it’s harder now.

Next up is Amy ... 
What’s your dream job?    
I want to get my sportswear design business back on track.  A few days ago a buyer phoned me and gave me an opportunity to present my line.  I need a nine-to-five with evenings and weekends off to sew mockups. 
 Is that why you applied for Finbar Donahue’s book-keeping job?     
Yes, but I have a huge problem.   Last night I found a sketchy bank account belonging to my late boyfriend, Les.  He and Finn were partners.       
       Would you enjoy working for Finn?  
       No, but there aren’t many job openings in Lake Arrowhead. 

Now for a Short excerpt-- Amy’s first day working for Finn
Hours later, Finn straightened his spine as he listened to his new bookkeeper order Rosenberg around with the authority of an Army lieutenant. She spoke with confidence from her chair and waited for answers with intensity. Somehow she came across larger than her delicate self.
“Brad,” his pretty war buddy said, “I’ll need your password to access activity-to-date.” Her attitude wasn’t for show. Her curiosity propelled her to the depths of the drain. Heaven help those who lurked there.
“Sure thing.” Brad blew out a breath and scribbled his password on a sticky note. Handing it to her, he bent to her level.
She said, “I apologize for causing chaos.”
“No apology necessary.” Brad asked, “What are you working on?”
Jumping in, Finn said, “Comparisons, Rosenberg, that’s what she’s working on.” Unholy as she’d undoubtedly turn out to be, at the moment they were forged in combat. “Give her your full support.”
“Absolutely. Consider me your scaffold,” Rosenberg said, accepting his fate. “Excuse me, won’t you? I’m running payroll.”
Finn liked his head accountant. He was solid. Dependable. Not creative, but his easy-going manner was soothing. “Payroll. You’re a masochist.”
Amy smiled, and her crystal-green gaze sought his. She found his comment amusing. Her professional attire included a gray satin blouse tucked into a herringbone skirt. When she moved, her layered, dark-blonde hair settled into a sleek flip over her shoulders.
Amy’s bending and reaching, as she took control of her four-by-four cubicle, was damn compelling. She found a rhythm with a handy notepad beside her computer. Using Brad’s password, she turned sideways to open files. Attractive summed up her symmetrical profile and creamy complexion.
For a long while, getting hot and heavy had not been on his mind. Her envelope gave him concrete evidence to bring to the sheriff and eased his tension. As she brushed tresses off her face, he wanted to nibble on her ear.
Amy packed her lithe frame with succulent curves. He enjoyed observing her ample bust which required high-performance support. He’d like to see those globes running free. He’d never considered her as dating material. Timing was off. When she started dating Les, he was hooking up with Miss California. Now it was too late. She worked for him. Hands off. Finn liked women—lots of women, all women, in all shapes and sizes and ethnicities as long as they met
the enthusiasm requirement. He hadn’t tested this, but she was off-limits for another reason. He didn’t intend to put her through another relationship leading to nowhere.
Finn kept things loose. A woman in his bed but not in his life was what he often said. There
hadn’t been that either.  Why was she looking at him like that?

PURCHASE LINKS FOR DEADLY ALLIANCE
Amazon UK
Nook:
Amazon US
http://www.amazon.com/Deadly-Alliance-Kathleen-Rowland-ebook/dp/B019EE5OP8/
Goodreads:
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/28225810-deadly-alliance?from_search=true&search_version=service

BELOW ARE SOME AUTHOR LINKS FOR YOU TO CONNECT WITH KATHLEEN:
http://www.amazon.com/Kathleen-Rowland/e/B007RYMF7S/ref=sr_tc_2_0?qid=1462406582&sr=1-2-ent


Thursday 9 June 2016

Lily Harlem, Sexy & Sizzling, Releasing 29th June

One Night in Cape Town
Pre-order a copy of Lily Harlem’s hot new story, ONE NIGHT IN CAPE TOWN and be seduced on a mountain top by a seriously sexy backpacker who knows exactly what he needs to do not only to
survive but also to claim the woman he wants!

Pre-order price just 99c/99p – goes up on release day 29th June!






About Lily Harlem

Lily Harlem lives in the UK and is an award-winning author of erotic romance. She writes for publishers on both sides of the Atlantic including HarperCollins, Totally Bound, Pride Publishing, Evernight Publishing, All Romance eBooks, and Sweetmeats Press. Her work regularly receives high praise and industry nominations.
Before turning her hand to writing Lily Harlem worked as a trauma nurse and her latest HarperCollins release, Confessions of a Naughty Night Nurse draws on her many experiences while nursing in London. Lily also self-publishes and The Silk Tie, The Glass Knot and Scored have been blessed with many 5* reviews since their release.
Lily writes MF, MM and ménage a trois, her books regularly hit the #1 spot on Amazon Best Seller lists and Breathe You In was named a USA Today Reviewer’s Recommended Read of 2014. Her latest MM novel is Dark Warrior.
Lily also co-authors with Natalie Dae and publishes under the name Harlem Dae - check out the Sexy as Hell Trilogy - The Novice, The Player, and The Vixen - and That Filthy Book which has been hailed as a novel 'every woman should read'.
One thing you can be sure of, whatever book you pick up by Ms Harlem, is it will be wildly romantic and down-and-dirty sexy. Enjoy! 
NOW FOR THE BLURB
The week before her big day, Tia catches her fiancé getting down and dirty with her best friend. She quickly washes her hands of them both. But why waste a perfectly good and very expensive honeymoon to her dream spot-South Africa?            

After bumping into the same cute guy three times in Cape Town, Tia's reminded she still has desires. Before long, they’re hiking over Table Mountain together, and getting to know each other.

But when trouble brews in the African sky, a wild storm leaves them stranded on the mountain as night falls. Levi's survival skills provide them with quick shelter as the storm rages above. But for Tia, another storm rages between her and her sexy saviour. Will he teach her to trust again? Or is there more to the hot American than meets the eye?

Buy Links (pre-order on Amazon only)





Check out Lily’s website for details of her other books and her Amazon Author Page. Subscribe to her newsletter to get a FREE ebook and be the first to hear of new releases and free reads, and if you enjoy Facebook, hop on over there and say hi!
WANT TO CONTACT LILY? THEN FIND HER AT THE LINKS BELOW. 








Tuesday 7 June 2016

A NEW NAME IN WRITING, Meet Joseph Y Roberts.


When I first came across Joseph, it was in a writer's group that we are both members of. I was intrigued with this bearded guy, he said little I thought, yet, what he did share always kept me interested. So when he announced the release of his latest title, BRIGHT LIGHT DARK HEART, I saw it as an opportunity to bribe him to come along here and answer a few questions. Turns out he is a real gem and I hope you go check out his books. 

Mary Bradford: Can you tell us a little about yourself? 
Joseph Y Roberts: I'm afraid not. I have a congenital defect that won't allow me to use personal pronouns. But I could tell you a lot. I was born and raised in a suburb of Los Angeles in the late fifties. It had a small town feel despite being a part of the L.A. metropolis. Because of that, I like to call myself a “small town boy from a big city.” I spent many years working as a newspaper graphic artist building display ads. When you work at a newspaper, you learn the ins and outs of human behavior. My hobby of tabletop role-playing games honed my understanding and drafting of character backstory and portrayal. I feel all my experiences and interests have paved the way to my being a writer, a feeling I suspect may be common among wirters. In short, I have arrived where I need to be.  
MB: What genres do you like to write in? 
JYR: Historic and military fiction, which combine well together. Though I have been told by writer colleagues that my stories always have a literary flavor, no matter what genre is intended.

MB:What is the title of your latest book, (tell us a bit about it)? 
JYR: Bright Light, Dark Heart is my current release. It's the first story of the Jacob Vanderhoek cycle of tales that will ultimately be compiled into the mosaic novel “Echo Four.” It tells of Jacob's first major mission to guard a farmer's family from Communist insurgents seeking to kill them as collaborators. His life and prejudices are on the line.   
MB: What are you currently working on? 
JYR:Well, mostly on my first novel of historic fiction about the Second Boer War at the turn of the 20th century. I also work on short stories my muse insists be written.  

MB: When and where do you like to write? Have you a favourite place? 
JYR: Oh yes. It's at a TV table at my living room couch during the day. At night, I shift to my desk in my room, the first bedroom I've had in five years (long story). Of those two, the second is my favorite, because of the joy of having my own private space once more. 
MB: Has there been a defining moment in your career that made you think, ‘Yes, I am a writer’? 
JYR: What a great question. Let's see if I have a great answer. Okay, for me it was the moment I almost gave up writing altogether. I had received harsh, but ultimately honest, feedback on a story rejected by an anthology. It was a hard rejection. I was devastated. I thought the story good ((I was wrong by the way) and felt if my best was so wretched, I had no business calling myself a writer. After sulking a few days, I got angry and took it out on the story, ripping it down to its bare bones. I resubmitted the quivering remains. It was rejected, but the feedback was more positive, the bare skeleton now seen as a good staring point. Encouraged, I rewrote, giving it useful meat. That version was accepted. I had been baptized by fire and emerged stronger and war-hardened. When I looked back on that experience, I did think, “What do you know? I AM a writer.”
            Since then, when anyone asks me what I do, I say with a smile, “I'm a writer.” 

MB: What is next for you?
JYR: Release the next stories in Jacob's saga, build a readership for them, finish the first draft of the Boer War novel (or BWN as I call it). The next Jacob Vanderhoek story is a novelette called “Scars.” I also have several short stories I plan to submit to magazines. I haven't entirely abandoned traditional publishing. 
MB: Many thanks for taking part in this interview. 
JYR: You're welcome. It was my pleasure. 



Book blurb to whet your appetite:
 
Rhodesia 1977. A grassfire war rages as Communist insurgents fight to overthrow the white minority government. Into this fray stalks the Selous Scouts, a shadowy Special Ops regiment of the Rhodesian military, waging counter-insurgency tactics bent on terrorizing the terrorists. Pvt. Jacob, their newest member, is assigned a Bright Light duty protecting an isolated farming family from terrorist assault. Facing the enemies without, Jacob must fight his prejudices and flaws within.

Book buy link:


Online links to interact with Joseph: