Romace, Romance! Just in time for snuggling down with a good book this cold, blustery winter holiday. Try one of these romances by Marie Lavender:

She’s got it all for those of you who love a heart twisting novel!

Synopsis from Upon Your Return:

Fara Bellamont has been back in society for a year after leaving Cluny Abbey, where her uncle sent her long ago. When he chooses a suitor for her for marriage, she fears that she will be forced to marry a stranger and live a miserable life. But, Fara finds herself thrust into an adventure of a lifetime when unforeseen circumstances cause her to place her trust in a strange man for protection. His intervention not only saves her, but puts her in an even more compromising position. Grant Hill, a trading captain, is enchanted by the young heiress not only because of her beauty, but because she is hardly conventional. Underneath her ladylike exterior lies a tigress. Grant cannot help but offer his protection as she is in need and he is far from immune from her charms. Fara just never bargained on the passion that she feels for Grant Hill. As events unfold, she must decide whether her desires and the dictates of her heart should trump the rules of society…

Read on for a sneak peek at the book: Upon Your Return…..But first:

Marie Lavender takes the time to answer a few questions about her passion- writing!

What can we expect from you this coming year?

I have a few projects going on. I plan to release an anthology titled Miss Lavender’s Anthology of Ramblings. It is a collection of short stories and poetry. I also have a paranormal romance that should be released in 2014 through Solstice Publishing, and it is titled Magick & Moonlight. Beyond that, I am polishing the sequel to Upon Your Return. It is called Upon Your Honor.

What genre do you like to write? What genre is your favorite to read?

I write romance, all types of romance. I write contemporary, paranormal and historical romance stories. I read a lot of the same, but I have to say it is a real tie between paranormal and historical romance. For paranormal, I lean toward books like J.R. Ward’s Black Dagger Brotherhood series or Kerrelyn Sparks’ Love At Stake series. For historical, I read Catherine Coulter, Tessa Dare or Emma Wildes.

Where do you get your ideas?

That’s a good question. I really wish I knew. I think sometimes I am influenced by current events in the world or things that happen to me. At other times, it’s almost as if something takes possession of me and writes through me. I guess that’s what they call “the muse”.

What other hobbies do you have besides writing?

I read a lot. And does social networking count? I feel like I live on Facebook and Twitter. LOL. I also run two blogs, Marie Lavender’s Books and Writing in the Modern Age, where I have guest authors visit. When I have time, I may watch an episode of Castle, Bones or Once Upon A Time.

Who is your favorite character and why?

Fara Bellamont from Upon Your Return is still my favorite character. She behaves so unlike ladies of her time period, and the hero is still fascinated by her antics. She manages to get her happy ending, despite all of the trials she has to endure.

Which book are you most proud of?

Upon Your Return will always be my crowning glory because it is my first traditionally published book. Right now, I am feeling really great about Leather and Lace, my newest release. But, I am also feeling good about the sequel to Upon Your Return. Do I have to choose one of them? LOL. I guess I’ll go with Leather and Lace. It is equal parts steamy romance and suspense. Angie and Patrick will keep you guessing as to who actually succumbs to whom. Throw in the secrets she keeps from the cop, and you have a read that will thrill you.

And now….the sneak peek at Upon Your Return:

“Grant?”
“Oui?”
“Where will you be sleeping?”
“Right here, if you do not mind.”
She swallowed. “Here? In this bed?” She drew in a sharp breath. Surely he was joking.
“That’s right. Someone must look after you. You’ve had a fairly eventful evening, and if you have a concussion, I must fetch a physician right away. But, if you insist, I will find another place. Perhaps Eric will relinquish his quarters for the night…” His voice was soft, as if he was speaking to himself.
This man had saved her life and already she was pushing him out of his cabin on his ship? It did not seem quite right. “No, I do not want you to do that, Monsieur.” She sighed. “We may share the bunk, Grant. It is quite simple.” She colored beneath his gaze. “Of course, you would have to be a gentleman about it.”
“I would not encroach…” His gaze traveled over her from head to toe.
It should have made her shudder; she should have been appalled at that kind of look, but it seemed almost normal in the intimacy of the moment. She felt gratitude for his rescue, but more, a part of her was comforted by the protection he provided. And she craved that safe haven desperately, or at least to hold on for it for a while, if only for tonight.
“You saved my life. It is only right that I give you something in return, if not a good night’s rest.”
“You owe me nothing, Fara.”
“Tis’ not the way I see it.”
“Very well.” He began to unbutton his cravat and white shirt and threw them aside. He bent to pull off his boots and then approached her. “Is there some way I may assist you, to make you more…comfortable?”
She hesitated a moment, unnerved by his half-naked state, and then went on. “I do have a predicament. My corset…it is dreadfully tight. If you would assist me, I should be very grateful.” She watched his lips part in surprise and he swallowed audibly.
“Of course.” He waited for her to sit up, and then bent to work at the buttons of her lavender dress.
His body was so near that his clean, male scent was almost intoxicating. An additional aroma wafted about too, musky like cigars. It reminded her of the ones she smelled when she passed by her uncle’s office while he met with other men for business affairs.
Her breathing came faster and she struggled to control it. Her heartbeat pounded in her ears and she half-wished it all to go away. But, she felt giddy with it too. It was almost a sense of invincibility as his gentleness was lover-like.
He eased the fabric away and when she leaned forward to assist him, he bent over her still to work at the bands of her corset and his hands splayed across her lower back.
Soon, the fabric fell away and she licked her lips, staring into his gaze. His dark eyes were bright with something she’d never seen before. His face was nearly inches from hers and she feared he might kiss her. Half of her wanted it; the other half was her uncle’s voice telling her it wasn’t right for unattached ladies to display such behavior. No, ’twas too soon for she’d just met this man. She cleared her throat, looking away.
He sat back, away from her. “I was thinking to give you some laudanum tonight for the pain. It will help you sleep,” he urged.
“Merci,” she replied and watched as he went to fetch it. She sighed. She would need it indeed if she wanted to sleep. She felt so heady with a want she didn’t understand and she was certain his presence might keep her from sleeping. Not to mention how her head ached so very much.
When he returned, she drank the wine dutifully and set the glass on the table beside the bed. As he climbed onto the mattress and doused the lights, she wriggled out of her dress, corset and hoop skirt, leaving only her thin shift to sleep in. Her slippers were pinching her feet and so she kicked them to the floor.
She felt his presence beside her, was aware of his even breathing, and wondered if he slept. She couldn’t help thinking that laying there made her feel safer than she’d ever felt in her life. Within minutes, she was claimed by a drug-induced sleep.

Author Bio :Marie Lavender lives in the Midwest with her family and three cats. She has been writing for over twenty years. She has more works in progress than she can count on two hands.

At the tender age of nine, she began writing stories. Her imagination fueled a lot of her early child’s play. Even growing up, she entered writing contests and received a certificate for achieving the second round in one. She majored in Creative Writing in college because that was all she ever wanted – to be a writer. While there, she published two works in a university publication, and was a copy editor on the staff of an online student journal. After graduating from college, she sought out her dream to publish a book.

Since then, Marie has published seventeen books. Marie Lavender’s real love is writing romances, but she has also written mysteries, literary fiction and dabbled a little in paranormal stories. Most of her works have a romantic element involved in them. Upon Your Return is her first historical romance novel. Feel free to visit her website at http://www.facebook.com/l/FAQFi-1fqAQF-O3os5EFrijyFDsKVyeTHKQHRKtkyG85BGw/marielavender.webs.com/ for further information about her books and her life. Marie is also on Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn.

A list of her books and pen names are as follows:

Marie Lavender: Upon Your Return

Erica Sutherhome: Hard to Get; Memories; A Hint of Scandal; Without You; Strange Heat; Terror in the Night; Haunted; Pursuit; Perfect Game; A Touch of Dawn; Ransom; Leather and Lace

Kathryn Layne: A Misplaced Life

Heather Crouse: Express Café and Other Ramblings; Ramblings, Musings and Other Things; Soulful Ramblings and Other Worldly Things

Author Links:

http://www.marielavender.webs.com/
http://marielavenderbooks.blogspot.com/
http://marielavender.blogspot.com/
https://www.facebook.com/MarieAnnLavender
https://www.facebook.com/pages/Upon-Your-Return/221212331354873
https://twitter.com/marielavender1
http://www.linkedin.com/pub/marie-lavender/27/187/10a
https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/6938764.Marie_Lavender
http://www.amazon.com/Marie-Lavender/e/B00C10Q94I/ref=ntt_athr_dp_pel_1
http://store.solsticepublishing.com/upon-your-return/
https://www.createspace.com/4284739

When Dallas resident Callie Taylor died young, she expected to go to Heaven, or maybe Hell. Instead, she met her fate early thanks to a creep with a knife and a mommy complex. Now she’s witnessed another murder, and she’s not about to let this one go. She’s determined to help solve it before an innocent man goes to prison. And to answer the biggest question of all: why the hell did she wake up in Alabama?

Read on for free excerpts!!

Excerpt 1

 When I died, I expected to go to heaven.

Okay. Maybe hell. It’s not like I was perfect or anything. But I was sort of hoping for heaven.

Instead, I went to Alabama.

Yeah. I know. It’s weird.

I died in Dallas, my hometown. I was killed, actually. Murdered. I’ll spare you the gruesome details. I don’t like to remember them myself. Some jerk with a knife–and probably a Bad-Mommy complex. Believe me, if I knew where he was, I’d go haunt his ass.

At any rate, by the time death came, I was ready for it–ready to stop hurting, ready to let go. I didn’t even fight it.

And then I woke up dead in Alabama. Talk about pissed off.

You know, even reincarnation would have been fine with me–I could have started over, clean slate and all that. Human, cow, bug. Whatever. But no. I ended up haunting someplace I’d never even been.

That’s not the way it’s supposed to work, right? Ghosts are supposed to be the tortured spirits of those who cannot let go of their earthly existence. If they could be convinced to follow the light, they’d leave behind said earthly existence and quit scaring the bejesus out of the poor folks who run across them. That’s what all those “ghost hunter” shows on television tell us.

Let me tell you something. The living don’t know jack about the dead.

Not this dead chick, anyway.

 _____________________________________________

 Excerpt 2

 As Molly straightened up, the man slipped the wire over her head and twisted it around her neck. She struggled, but he pulled the garrote tighter and tighter.

I was screaming at the top of my ghostly voice, for all the good it did me. I moved up behind the man and beat at his back with closed fists–fists that slipped in and out of his back without ever making real contact. He shuddered a little–clearly he was one of the very slightly sensitive ones–but he didn’t loosen his hands.

I reached up and tried to grab the wire, tried to pull against the pressure he was exerting on the wire and it did loosen for an instant. But only for an instant. The living have more control over solid objects than the dead do. I never resented that fact more than at that moment.

But I kept trying. I kept trying as Molly’s face turned purple, then blue, then black, kept trying even as she drooped in the man’s grip.

Then he loosened the wire and it was too late. I watched that wispy, light-on-fog life force slip out of Molly and move on to wherever it is that other people go when they die. I was glad she didn’t show up next to me as a full-blown ghost. At that moment, I wouldn’t have wished my impotent half-existence on anyone.

I couldn’t help thinking that if I’d been alive, I might have been able to save her.

If I could have cried real tears, I would have. As it was, I was sobbing hoarsely and calling the man every dirty name I could think of.

I was still cursing as I followed him around the kitchen. First he opened the pantry and pulled out a box of Hefty garbage bags. Then he grabbed a knife out of the block on the counter. And finally, he picked up Molly’s body and carried it to the bathroom.

Author’s Bio: Margo Bond Collins lives in Texas with her husband, their daughter, several spoiled cats, and a ridiculous turtle. She teaches college-level English courses online, though writing fiction is her first love. She enjoys reading urban fantasy and paranormal fiction of any genre and spends most of her free time daydreaming about vampires, ghosts, zombies, werewolves, and other monsters. Waking Up Dead is her first published novel. Her second novel, Legally Undead, is an urban fantasy, forthcoming in 2014 from World Weaver Press.

Find more at : http://www.MargoBondCollins.com

Email: MargoBondCollins@gmail.com

Website: http://www.MargoBondCollins.com

Twitter: https://twitter.com/MargoBondCollin  @MargoBondCollin

Google+: https://plus.google.com/116484555448104519902

Goodreads Author Page: http://www.goodreads.com/vampirarchy

Facebook Author Page: https://www.facebook.com/MargoBondCollins

Facebook Novel Page: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Waking-Up-Dead/502076076537575

Tumblr: http://vampirarchybooks.tumblr.com/

Pinterest: http://www.pinterest.com/mbondcollins/

 Be sure to add Waking Up Dead to your Goodreads bookshelves: http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/18428064-waking-up-dead

 Book Trailers:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0j_TmvpxxBw

http://youtu.be/KUBg83s4BOU

What if to save the ones you love, you had to unlock the key to a different reality?

Generations of mystery smash together when a seemingly traditional family must shatter their illusions of normality to confront themselves and their friends, leaving no possibility unexplored in order to rescue- well, who exactly? Watch the Ross family, the High Five Gang, and multiple generations dig into an innovative explosion of imagination where they must confront numerous realities, real-world danger, and worst of all—their own teenage hormones!

In a place where nothing is as it seems and shocks are around every corner, even the people you thought you knew may find themselves strangers in this moving and provocative reality-bender. With breathless pacing and psychological intrigue, Erasing: Shadows and the High Five Gang will keep you guessing until the very end.

Erasing: Shadows will be available for Pre-order on December 7 and for purchase on December 18!

Author K.D. Rose sits down with me today to answer a few questions about her upcoming books and more:

What can we expect from you this year?

So many new things! This book, Erasing: Shadows can be pre-ordered on December 7 and is releasing on December 18. It is Book One of a Seven Book New Adult, Paranormal Series. I am very pleased with it and I think Erasing: Shadows is something different that the new adult age range is going to love. That book was picked up for Lycaon Press which publishes Young and New Adult books. I was in the middle of doing Erasing: Shadows and had already planned to do the whole series as an indie when it was picked up so obviously I am beyond excited. And have you seen the cover? I love it. I also still have my indie books on Amazon which were all mainly poetry, although Heavy Bags of Soul was a blend of poetry, prose, dialogues and short stories.

Then I also write for Breathless Press under a different name, because I did not want to confuse younger age books with books that have not necessarily sex, but certainly more adult themes, actions, motivations and situations. So under H.K. Sterling I have already had a mystery and two shorts accepted and I am working on a science fiction book that I am really excited about! Writing for BP I will become known for my twist endings, especially in the short stories so look out for many publications in 2014!

What genre do you like to write? What genre is your favorite to read?

I grew up reading everything I could get my hands on. Now that I am an adult, I still tend towards science fiction but I also like non-fiction more. But I still salivate over Harlan Ellison, Philip K. Dick and even Neil Gaiman.

Writing, I like best to write short (under 5K) but there is not a lot of call for those. They are my preference though. I like to tell a tight story with a surprise at the end. However, I am learning I can write many genres and that is really fun! Plotting through a series is a real experience too, let me tell you!

 Where do you get your ideas?

Almost exclusively out of my head and occasionally from dreams. I don’t need anything else. I can write from now until I drop just from my own imagination. LOL

Who is your favorite character and why?

I don’t have one particular character, I mean some of the best characters as written are not necessarily people you would want to meet. But I guess I do have a preference for anti-heroes. Flawed people who do the right thing.

Name some of your favorite authors or people who influence your writing.

Well this may seem strange but poetry is and remains my number one influence  ( though music runs second). So when you ask for favorite authors I’m going to give you Rimbaud, e.e. Cummings (who is greatly underrated), Borges, Cesaire and other poets.

What other hobbies do you have besides writing?

My husband and I bought a run down house so we spend our free time fixing it up so we can actually live comfortably in it (As opposed to having no kitchen for a year. Yes, we did that. LOL)

Who is your favorite author? Favorite book?

Harlan Ellison wins over Philip K. Dick by a smidge. And only because Harlan’s books bring in the visceral more, they make you feel, where as Philip K. Dick was a genius but he brings me fascination and depth without necessarily leaving my head. Favorite book is probably still Dangerous Visions and that is so old. LOL A newer one ( by comparison) would be American Gods.  I don’t want it to seem like I don’t read the newer books, I do, I am just not as moved by them.

Is there anything else you want readers to know about you or your books?

Just to expect the unexpected and don’t fence me in! I will surprise you by running the gamut with my writing, which reminds me, I will still publish poetry, because that is my first love. I will just be submitting now to magazines rather than indie pubbing. I have already had two accepted by magazines (I will continue to write poetry, literary and New Adult under K.D. Rose) so that is going well too!

Oh, and the last thing is- remember to write reviews! Sales sometimes live or die on the reviews, and when you like a book, tell people!

Thank you again for this opportunity.

Author. Bleeding Edge. Will not fit into your mold.

K.D. Rose is an author and poet and currently has “Heavy Bags of Soul” and “Inside Sorrow” on sale at Amazon.com. Look for “I AM”- a book for female empowerment and “The Erasing Series”, Book 1- Erasing: Shadows on sale soon!K.D. Rose is now also an Author With Lycaon Press, a subsidiary of Breathless Press. Her book, Inside Sorrow won the Readers Favorite 2013 international Silver Medal for Poetry.

Just like her books, KD Rose is edgy, hits you in the gut and gives you the education you never knew you needed. Writing with irony, truth, and a spiked pen, she takes you past the self into self-evolution.

I AM will be released at the end of October and Erasing: Shadows will be released in December! Erasing: Shadows is Book 1 of a Seven Book Series for New Adults in the Paranormal Genre.

K.D. has an eclectic mind and loves language, physics, philosophy, photography, design, art of all… Read More

Author.  Bleeding Edge.  Will not fit into your mold.

K.D. Rose is an author and poet and currently has “Heavy Bags of Soul”, “Inside Sorrow” and “I AM” on sale at Amazon.com. Look for The Erasing Series, Book 1-“Erasing: Shadows” on sale in December, 2013! Erasing: Shadows is the first of a Seven Book Series for New Adults in the Paranormal Genre.

K.D. Rose is now also an author with Lycaon Press, a subsidiary of Breathless Press.

Just like her books, K.D. Rose is edgy, hits you in the gut and gives you the education you never knew you needed. Writing with irony, truth, and a spiked pen, she takes you past the self into self-evolution.

K.D. has an eclectic mind and loves language, physics, philosophy, photography, design, art of all kinds, writing of all kinds, symbolism, semiotics, spirituality, and Dr. Who.

K.D. Rose values the question more than the answer and loves creativity and innovation.
K.D. is an avid supporter of music, the arts, cutting edge science, technology, and creativity in all forms that encourage us to expand and explore past the artificial limits we often set for ourselves in order to see the everyday connections that exist among all things.

Join K. D. Rose on the following social media sites:

Amazon Author Page: http://www.amazon.com/-/e/B00830RFC0

Blog: http://www.kdroseauthortales.com

Email: kd.rose@aol.com

Twitter: @kdrose1

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/K.D.RoseWriter

Lycaon Press: http://www.lycaonpress.com/

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/6038789.K_D_Rose

LinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/profile/view?id=184204909&trk=nav_responsive_tab_profile

Website for the Erasing Series: http://kdroseworld.com/ (in process)

More info:

LP Releases 3rd Quarter 2013

My Right Brain Rebellion- by Angela Burke

The right brain versus left brain saga continues, and like many of you, I’ve taken the infamous on-line tests.  I am dominantly right-brained…no surprise there, but the biggest piece of evidence to support this is how I wrote my first two novels, Lucidity and Beneath the Mayan Moon.  I wrote the last chapters first.  Yes.  It’s true.

I knew from an early age that my brain worked a little differently.  I could read a page in a book and have no clue what I just read.  I’m sure many of you can relate.  The reason being is my need to have to translate words into pictures.  If I don’t do this, I won’t remember.  In college, if I attempted to read a page in a text book, the information was gone in a few minutes.  But if I created graphic pictures and designs, webs of concepts, I found the information would stick permanently.  And so I taught myself how to learn in the very linear, left-brained dominant world of education.

Being a conceptual, holistic processor has its challenges.  I hate taking tests.  (Unless they are essays.)  Memorizing pieces of information is painful. (Anatomy about killed me.)  I can’t remember anything from a lecture unless I take notes, or the information is presented as a narrative. (Or I’m completely interested!)  And I have to work hard at being organized.  I can begin a task, and easily become distracted with another one.  However, when it comes to writing, having a vision of the ending of my stories is an asset.  Especially in the case of Beneath the Mayan Moon, my suspense novel.  It’s much easier to scatter in clues when you know how the story is going to end.  My novels unfold like a movie in my brain.

And so I have accepted my fate as a “right-brainer”.  I enjoy seeing the big picture and it’s the only way I know how to think.  Living in a sequential world can be crazy and rather frustrating…boring at times.  And that is why I am happy to be an author.  Writing feeds my right-brain rebellion.

           Author Bio-  Angela Burke is the author of LUCIDITY and BENEATH the MAYAN MOON.  She lives in Boulder, Colorado and enjoys running, skiing and taking long hikes in the mountains. A former teacher, she now spends her time building her massage therapy practice, while chasing after her three great kids and daydreaming up new story ideas.

            You can find her at www.angelaburkebooks.com, on the Solstice Publishing website, Facebook and Twitter.  Her books are available on Amazon.

BENEATH the MAYAN MOON is FREE on Amazon Dec. 1-5! http://www.amazon.com/Beneath-the-Mayan-Moon-ebook/dp/B00774LJWU/ref=pd_sim_kstore_1

This time of year, we turn to things that inspire, that make us feel and believe in the holiday magic. I have written a blog on miraculous happenings for my publishing house to bring the focus back to the true meaning of the season; meaning we can’t find in the long lines at the mall on Black Friday. I call the blog, “I Choose to Believe”- because of the feeling I get this time of year that reminds me of heavenly beings-specifically guardian angels. Have you ever had something happen you couldn’t quite explain? Had someone protect you when you didn’t know you needed it? Tune into solsticepublishing.com website for my blogs on miracles in  everyday life and share with me in the comments here if you have had something similar happen.

If you are a reader- find me on goodreads.com and let’s share reads! I am always looking for that next big book to draw me in. And watch in January for sales on my books Linked Through Time and Lost Through Time, with the 3rd and final of the trilogy coming soon! Have a wonderful holiday season!

After tonight, Eden would be forever different. The life she knew was in the past making way for a future unknown. Her destiny beckoned, Eden took a breath and walked into the portal away from childhood, away from her home.

Eden Arik was a typical teenager who lived the typical teenage life…until the pale eyes showed up in her dreams. The birthmark, Eden had always ignored, burned at the new nightmares, raising questions about her past. Eden finds out she is part witch and fairy that is destined to save a world she never knew existed that inhabits people far more than human. Her only solitude is the woods behind her house where she meets a mysterious stranger with steel eyes. With the help of her guardians, two unlikely shape shifters, and a vampire who can bring her to her knees with one glance, Eden goes on to search the secrets of her past, present, and future. Along her way to discovery, Eden comes across Circenn; her grandmother, consort to the Darkness and the evil magic he possess. Circenn will stop at nothing to bring Eden to the darkness so she can harness her granddaughter’s limitless power. Seduction, power, and death pave the way towards Eden’s destiny and the fate of Ellethny.

Up close and personal! Interviews with the characters of Eden’s Mark:

Hi everyone! This is D.M. Sears, author of Eden’s Mark, and I have been trying desperately to interview some of the characters from the book. Unfortunately, they are off trying to save their world and cannot come in for a formal interview. Not to fear! I sent along some questions and they have sent me a letter answering them for us.

To: D.M. Sears,

Good day everyone. For those of you that do not know me, my name is Eden Lanae Knightly. I live in Ellethny with my husband Gregor, my aunt and uncle, Lexington and Valora, and two friends of ours who happen to be shape shifters, Koren and Maiya. I lived a normal life, just like you; until I found out I was chosen to save another world I didn’t even know existed. My family and friends help me every day to defeat Circenn and Darkness from destroying Ellethny.

I received a letter asking if we could do an interview, that won’t be happening, not with shadow attacks. So, we have all collaborated and answered a few questions that D.M. Sears sent us.

Question One: How is married life treating you?

Eden : Married life is wonderful, when we aren’t being chased by Circenn or being attacked by her Wielders and shadows. Gregor makes me very happy and hopefully I do the same for him as well.

Gregor: You do my heart, everyday.

Question Two: How do you feel about Circenn being your grandmother?

Eden: I have to say that she beyond cray. I mean, who in their right mind would destroy their family for power? Smh. Back to the question, it is a little scary to know she has no respect for family, love, or a stable mental state. It bothers me, but I know I am nothing like her. If anything, she has made me even more determined to stop her.

Question Three: How is it knowing you are the savior of Ellethny?

Eden: Unreal. The whole super power thing is pretty sweet. Who wouldn’t love to change forms or blow fire from their mouth!

Maiya: I remember you upset because didn’t know if you could handle the pressure of your powers little one.

Eden: Okay, that’s true. I am still learning all the things I can do, and does get overwhelming, but all in all, I am grateful I have them.

Question Four: Koren and Maiya, how do you feel being tied to Gregor and Eden?

Koren: Gregor is a good friend of ours, and we love Eden just as much. It is an honor to walk with them on this journey.

Maiya: We would not have it any other way. We are blessed to be part of their lives for as long as the spirits will allow us.

Question Four: Lex and Val, what did you think when you realized Eden’s destiny?

Valora: I was beside myself. I saw what Circenn was capable of when Eden was an infant, I didn’t want her to have to go back to that as an adult.

Lex: It was terrifying. Eden is precious to us and there is nothing that we want more than to see her live a normal life. That apparently, is not in the cards anymore.

Eden: I know they were upset, and sometimes I see the worry on their faces, but they have raised me very well and I know with their help, I can do anything.

Question Five: Have you picked a name for the baby yet?

Gregor: Yes we have, but we can’t reveal it. We want it to be a surprise.

Eden: Always so dramatic. (eyeroll)

Question Six: What do you see for the future of Ellethny and your roles in the future?

Eden: I hope that we can restore the light back to the world. My want is that I can save the people in Ellethny and live a happy life with my family. Reality tells me that we can’t make any assumptions and all we can do is hope for the best.

Gregor: We will succeed. There is no other course of action but to prevail.

Eden: My vampire…

Koren: Gregor is right, we shall overcome and survive.

Thanks D.M. Sears for the great questions, I hope we have answered them to your liking. I must be going now, super heroes never rest! Just kidding, although if I don’t go help them fight off the shadows, they could get very angry with me. TTYL!!

Sincerely,

Eden and the Family

FREE! FREE!- Chapter One!

Chapter One:

Air…I needed air. I sucked breath in between my lips trying to calm my shaking limbs. My skin covered in sweat was ice cold. My wrist seemed as if on fire, my birthmark pulsed an ugly red in unison with my labored breathing. For all the years I dreamed, my birthmark never flared

or bothered me, not until recently. Dreams of odd goings on haunted me now. Distant images of a gray sky, purple mountains, and mostly, of these too white blank pair of eyes. Those dreams cause my mark to burn savagely leaving me with a feeling of unsettledness.

I lay in my bed hoping to get a grip on reality as I heard footsteps coming from the hallway.  The clock on my nightstand read 2:30 am. Ugh, another night of waking up my guardians. Poor Lex and Val. Every night that a dream troubled me, they came to comfort me. So many sleepless nights they have had all because I am a freak with nightmares.

Tucking my arm under my cover, I sat up in bed waiting for them to burst in. The large oak door opened as my faithful guardians rushed into the room, worried expressions plagued their faces.

“Eden, are you all right?” Val threw her arms around my shoulders pulling me into her warm embrace. Her cracking voice gave a hint that tears were not far behind.

So sleep deprived. Val’s rich brown eyes lacked luster where once they looked like shiny pebbles from a creek bed. Her peaches and cream complexion was pale, pasty, marred with dark circles. The worst part was her hair. Val’s long copper tresses looked colorless and ill treated. I remember wanting to touch the strands all the time. I would wrap my fingers in her natural curls and watch her hair dance as it fell down her back. Taking her in now, the sadness had become so apparent. I was responsible for this whole mess.

“Same dream again. Sorry for getting you both up. I just don’t understand why these dreams keep coming back.” I stared at Lex; his face was shadowed with concern.

Lexington, much like Valora, was also a ghost of his once youthful self. He had perfect blonde hair, deep-set aqua eyes, and always carried a smile. Now, he looked weary, sad, almost guilty yet sympathetic to my night terrors. Not much to smile about anymore, for any of us.

“You have nothing to be sorry for.” Lex patted my shoulder and I took some solace in his soft voice. “We love you and want to help. If coming in here and sitting with you through these nightmares is all we can do, then, we will, for as long as we can.” His smile never reached the corners of his mouth. Val stood behind him, gazing at her husband with sweet appreciation.

“Let’s go downstairs and I will make us some tea. There’s a new recipe I want to try. Made correctly, should induce sleep. Sound good?”Her playful smirk gave way to my grin. I always smiled when she had new recipes to try on us.

“Who doesn’t love being a guinea pig?” I gave a short laugh trying to release the heavy.

“That’s our girl!”  Lex beamed at me.

Val winked at the two of us and strolled out of the room. Lex gave his signature smile-nod combo and followed behind.

I pushed the covers off once they had gone. A faded pink birthmark replaced the red inflamed skin that throbbed just moments ago. I pulled my sleeve back in place to cover it, removing it from sight. I needed a minute to get myself under control; I watched the small particles of dust float around in the air.

“Come on feet, time to get moving.” I sat up on the corner of my bed, my feet found my slippers and I walked into my bathroom.

The faucet was arched spitting the cold water into the bowl sink. I filled my hands, splashing my face several times enjoying the serenity it gave me. At this point, I would try anything to clear my head. Too many days had come and gone where I was mentally useless. My thoughts hung up on my dreams or weird feelings I was having. Now that my birthmark was coming alive, it added to my already struggle-some life.

The fluffy towel dried my now cooled face and I took the chance to look at myself in the mirror. A worn image of a youthful girl stared back at me. The girl in the mirror looked exhausted, run down from nightly thrashing and screaming. Lifeless auburn hair, pin straight, hung over her shoulders. The girl’s large hazel eyes, dull and bloodshot from endless nightmares, had lost their charm. Exotic, warm, glowing, people said these things about her face. All I could see was a face that had lost its vitality.

There was no point in trying to look nice, have a boyfriend, or friends in general. “Eden nothing is going to help the hot mess that is you.” Talking to myself seemed to be my favorite past time. I pulled my hair back and walked out of the room.

The familiar pictures on the walls comforted me. I had seen these photos for the past seventeen years of my life, each one displaying scenes of my guardians and me. Lex and Val, the only real family I had, but somewhere inside of me there had to be more to my life I had yet to discover; about myself and my past.

My guardians told me I came to live with them as a baby. Fragmented, blurry images were all I could ever remember of my early childhood. Anytime the subject was broached, they shut it down… immediately. For some reason that particular topic was a sore spot. I hoped in time they would tell me on their own, but that came to no avail. Avoidance became the routine. Now, with these super creepy dreams coming at me every night, something had to be done. My gut told me the dreams and my past was interconnected somehow.

My ears picked up the hushed sounds of my guardians in the kitchen. Even though eavesdropping was wrong, I tipped toed to the door straining to hear their conversation.

“Honey, we have to tell her. These dreams are coming more and more often. Something is going to happen if we do not prepare her. We promised we would tell Eden everything when the time was right, that time has come.”

Watching through the crack in the door, Lex walked over and wrapped his arms around Val. Her eyes followed the reflections in the glass before them.

“I don’t know Lex. Her protection is all that matters to me. My family died so I could keep her safe. I cannot put Eden in the same danger I fled from, I just can’t.”

“Don’t cry Valora, Eden has a great destiny, one she will need guidance to fulfill, it is our job to prepare her, no matter what.” Tenderness and sincerity backed each syllable he uttered.

I stood dumbstruck for a brief moment. What did Val mean…her family had died and what danger had she come from? Confusion filled my thoughts. I pushed the door open causing it to hit the wall loudly. “What journey, what am I being prepared for? I think you all need to fill me in on some things.” Curiosity killed the cat they say, I say…meow.

“You heard us huh?” I nodded in response. “Eden, for many years you have asked us what happened to you, your parents, and how you came to live here with us. It’s time to tell you all you want to know.”

Anxiousness overwhelmed me. Trepidation claimed me over what they were going to say. Seventeen years was a long time to keep something quiet, my guess, it wasn’t going to be good news.

“Perhaps we should go sit and talk. The tea is almost ready, I will be with you in a few moments. Val’s whispering voice was barely audible.

Lex gestured towards the door, I followed working out the questions I wanted to ask and hoping I vomit from nervousness.

Lex sat in his usual spot on the worn leather sofa, its matching chair and ottoman sat near the fireplace, my favorite seat in the house. Warm, inviting, I could sit in that chair and read for hours. On more than one occasion, Lex or Valora would find me asleep with a book open in my lap. They would cover me up and leave me. I would eventually wake up minus one book and plus one blanket. Slight warmth, like bath water, flowed from the eclipsed shape mark on my wrist relaxing my tense somewhat.

Semi-relaxed, Val brought me a cup of her tea; I smelled it to see if I could figure out what she had put in it. My guardian has always had this thing with herbs, flowers, and spices. She has a gift, to say the least. Val can combine different herbs and plants into food and drink to help others. She has a small home based business and supplies such remedies to those who can afford it. Tonight her tea smelled of jasmine, lavender, and one other fragrance that stumped me. I took a sip of the heated brown liquid, delicious. It had a strong bitter taste at first, but soon melted away to a sweet floral, honey-like after taste. I felt the tea slide down my throat and warm me from the inside. Relaxation hit immediately. Val knew what she was doing.

“I don’t want to be rude, and I am sorry for listening in on you two, but what do I need to be prepared for?” My gaze flitted between the both of them seated side by side on the leather sofa. They were holding hands, staring at each other; Val had tears in her eyes.

Slowly Lex set his cup down and cleared his throat. “I guess the best place to start is our past. You need to know where we come from to understand the situation we now find ourselves in.”

Lex was ready to speak when Val put a hand up in front of him. “Wait, I should be the one to tell her, after all, she is my niece.” Niece…when did that happen? My insides rolled.

“What? I thought you said you were friends with my mom?” I know I looked stunned, I felt stunned.

Author Bio: D.M. Sears lives in the heart of the mid-west with her daughter, Larissa Eden, and a crazy cat named Cindy Lou Hou. During the day she is a director for an early childhood center and at night, takes care of her daughter and bakes gourmet cupcakes. Eden’s Mark is her first publication from Solstice Publishing. She is currently working on Eden’s Darkness which will be published in 2014 along with a new series The Order of Amite.

Blurb: One Husband Too Many (time travel)

Magic sends her back through time…to the rogue she’s trying to avoid! On the verge of a divorce, Jana Edwards wishes she could go back six years, before she met the stranger she impulsively married, and respond to the online profile of a farmer who sounded like an ideal husband and father. To her astonishment, her heirloom pendant grants her wish…but the “perfect” man turns out to be the same rogue, using another name and involved in a shady project. Jana knows Drake Edwards—intimately—but he has no idea who she is. And no matter how hard she wishes, her pendant refuses to send her home to the future. Could it be trying to tell her something?

Link: http://moourl.com/noh24

Blurb: Out of Her Universe (real-world science fiction)

She has no idea she was born in another universe. Strange perceptions trouble artist Hannah Fleischer, but she’s found happiness in her engagement to a police detective. She has no idea that she was brought to California as a child from a parallel world where history has taken a dangerously different course. Then the link between the two universes reactivates unexpectedly. While a secret security team struggles to prevent an intruder from carrying out a deadly agenda, cascading events thrust Hannah, unprepared, into the center of a crisis that could destroy both her worlds.

Link: http://moourl.com/agh45

Real People, Unreal Fun- by Jacqueline Diamond

“What’s a down-to-earth girl like you doing in a genre like this?”

Okay, nobody’s asked that question in so many words, but I see it on many faces when I admit that, although better known for my Regency and contemporary medical romances, I’ve also written a time travel romance (One Husband Too Many), an unusual science fiction novel (Out of Her Universe), plus a fantasy (Shadowlight), a horror novel (Echoes) and a Gothic romantic suspense with a ghost (Touch Me in the Dark).

Isn’t true life, with its tangled emotions and joyous discoveries, enough to challenge an author? Sometimes, sure. I enjoy finding new twists on secret babies, egg donors and multiple pregnancies in my long-running Safe Harbor Medical series for Harlequin American Romance (book 12, The Surprise Holiday Dad, comes out in January).

But when I was a child, my favorite stories involved kids like me who dropped into a fantasy setting or discovered fantastical friends in the real world. Maybe you too enjoyed David and the Phoenix or The Shy Stegosaurus of Cricket Creek, plus of course the Narnia series.

So it’s not surprising that every now and then an otherworldly idea pops into my head and refuses to go away. I love seeing people and events through the eyes of someone who doesn’t quite fit. It’s also great fun to drop my characters into situations they aren’t prepared for—can’t possibly be prepared for—and watch how they figure things out, react and grow.

During my early years as a novelist (I sold my first novel, Lady in Disguise, thirty years ago), genres such as science fiction and fantasy were clearly defined, with little room for crossover. Paranormal romances with shapeshifters and vampires, when anyone dared to write one, received nearly automatic rejections from publishers. Even time travel, with its deep roots going back to H.G. Wells and Mark Twain, rarely saw print until the 1991 success of Diana Gabaldon’s Outlander.

Then mainstream editors began taking a chance. One Husband Too Many, in which a six-year trip into the past reveals how little the heroine knows the man she’s about to divorce, was published by Harlequin in 1996. I recently updated and revised it for release as an ebook.

Now the dam has burst, allowing readers as well as writers to expand their horizons. When a book is so unusual it still can’t find a home, the author can self-publish, as I did with Out of Her Universe, which is my favorite of all my books. The story of parallel worlds in which history diverged eighty years ago and where most of us and our loved ones have a “twin,” it stretched my creativity and provided dramatic opportunities outside the usual reaches of fiction (imagine a world in which the Holocaust never happened, but it’s about to). It’s the book I kept haunting bookstores looking for and never found, so I wrote it myself.

Love, loss, dreams, the depths of terror and the heights of courage pull us out of our everyday existence and into a higher realm. That’s why fiction of all genres touches our hearts, speaking truths that transcend the mundane.

Authors find these truths at a subconscious level that defies explanation. So what’s a down-to-earth girl like me doing in a genre like this? Nurturing the creative spark that inspired me to write novels in the first place.

Bio

Jacqueline Diamond has published more than 95 novels, including romantic comedy, romantic suspense, fantasy, mystery, Regency romance and science fiction. A two-time finalist for the Rita Award, Jackie received a Career Achievement Award from Romantic Times and is a former reporter and TV columnist for the Associated Press. Jackie also writes the Safe Harbor Medical miniseries for Harlequin American Romance. Visit her at jacquelinediamond.com, or on Facebook at JacquelineDiamondAuthor. At Twitter, she’s @Jacquediamond.

Check out  the latest interview with Indie Author Land- http://www.indieauthorland.com

Last day to enter the contest to win free books! www.solsticepublishing.com and leave a comment on the interview below!

Scavenger Hunt Riddle: Why didn’t the skeleton cross the road?

By now, hopefully you have joined in the Solstice Publishing Scavenger Hunt, where you visit many blogs and websites such as mine, search for a Halloween joke/riddle and submit your answers to Solstice to have a chance to win free books! (www.solsticepublishing.com)  Now, here’s another chance to win books if you are a time travel addict!

Life II, by Scott Spotson, and Linked Through Time are available to win as well! All you have to do is leave a comment about the following interview with your name and email address, and we will randomly select winners to receive both books! And on a side note, if you aren’t chosen as a winner- both books will be on sale November 1st for only .99! (Lost Through Time, the sequel will be .99 this day as well!) Winners will be contacted after November 1st!

And now….for a unique twist. Scott Spotson’s character, Max Thorning, and my character, Kate Christenson, have both agreed to a combined interview on the likes of time travel! Read on for their thoughts on time travel, their warnings, and life lessons learned.

Private Interview with MBC correspondent, Mabel Watters, and time travelers, Kate Christenson (Linked Through Time/ Lost Through Time) and Max Thorning (Life II).

Mabel- In the efforts to maintain all evidence as factual, is it okay if I record this session?

Kate- Absolutely. I have nothing to hide.

Max- Yes.

Mabel-By the way, sorry to interview you two together, we’re just pressed for time…

Kate (laughs) – Pressed for time! We never have enough time, do we?

Max (laughs also) – Believe me, I know what you mean.

Mabel-In fact, we’ve been interviewing everyone in twosomes. The last interview, we had Marty McFly…

Max (groaning) – Aw! I would have loved to meet him! He’s one of my heroes.

Mabel- …with Hank Morgan.

Max- Who’s that?

Kate- That’s the guy from “A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur’s Court.”

Max- Aw, man. I’m 42 and you’re 28. I should know this stuff!

Kate (jabbing him with her elbow) – Yes, you should! (laughs)

Mabel-Do the two of you know each other?

Kate- No, I just met Max here while standing in line. I can’t believe how many people are here; there’s no way half of them are telling the truth!

Max- Yes, Kate and I traded notes. I was blown away by what she went through…

Kate- You too, Max…

Max- It’s tough. And only a few of us have truly experienced it. No one else will understand unless they experience it themselves.

Mabel- Well, that’s why we’re interviewing you. How is it that you have both come today as part of this group of supposed “time travelers”?

Kate-There’s no ‘supposed’ about it. We have experienced time travel, and we’re trying to prevent any future acts or rash decisions. There is nothing fantastic or even remotely sane about time travel.

Max (whispering)- In fact, I almost went insane. (sniffs)

Kate (putting her hand on Max’s shoulder) – I know, you sure held up well. You should be proud of yourself, Max.

Max- Thanks.

Mabel- Aren’t you afraid of what people will think about you? What you are claiming? Have you lost friends and family over this? It’s certainly the most far-fetched thing I have ever heard of. Why I’d have to see it with my own eyes!

Max- I lost my wife because of this. She didn’t believe me. She just walked away.

Kate- To explain, that was Max’s Life II wife, the wife he had in the alternate future. Yes, I know it’s confusing. He was married to a different woman in his original life.

Max- It’s tough to carry this secret. It’s really tough. I can’t imagine -

Kate-I used to be afraid of what people would think. Now, I’m just interested in controlling something that is potentially the most dangerous thing one could ever attempt. I guess it’s like anything else with humans. Curiosity will usually win out, but maybe by hearing our stories, it may cause someone to think twice.

Max- Definitely!

Mabel- The U.S. Government in alliance with Canada has been trying to locate all people with claims to knowing something about time travel. How many people out there do you think have the ability? Do you think the government will try to cover up these scientific abnormalities, or use them in some sort of bizarre experiments?

Kate-I only came here today to inform and educate about the mistakes of time traveling. It looks like the whole thing has turned into some sideshow circus act. Seriously, they think I’m going to submit to DNA testing and a full exam? Not on your life!

Max- Believe me, after they hear what I’ve been through, no one would ever try this. No sane person would.

Mabel- Both of you have said you experienced major life changes from time traveling. Can you explain?

Max (laughs) – Boy, where do I start? Unlike the original timeline I was from, my best friend didn’t go to university, he developed a gambling problem, went bankrupt, and then re-invented himself as a successful real estate agent! None of that happened in Life I.

Kate- Whoa!

Max- And there’s more. But – never mind…

Kate- (interrupts) At least you got to travel back into your own life! I not only traveled to other times, but I took on other bodies! I survived an attempted murder and a horrific wildfire, an adulterous thug and a crazy, obsessed aunt who was supposed to have died, but instead started taking over people’s lives on purpose! (Kate pauses)

Max- (holds his hand on Kate’s shoulder) I can feel for you. Really, I can…

Kate (sniffling) - Sorry, I got a little carried away. I didn’t mean to make light of your experience whatsoever.

Mabel- So you can control time travel then?

Kate-No.

Max- Yes.

(They look at each other)

Mabel- I guess I am a little confused. So what exactly are you doing here? Why get involved?

Kate- Risking time travel is dangerous; it’s so much more than what you see in the movies. It sounds tempting, you know, to see through the eyes of another lifetime, but believe me-

Max- (interrupting) Wait, wait. Part of me is happy I did it…

Kate – See..the time traveling makes you insane. (points to Max) Case in point!

Max- Wait, wait. I got my sister to be closer to everyone in our family. That was precious, it really was. Also, I satisfied my curiosity about many other things..

Kate- Yes, maybe you want to see what other choices may have led to, but in my case, I wasn’t trying to travel on purpose, and it changed the lives of so many people. I guess that’s the point, time traveling is a selfish wish. It’s never about just you, but everyone you come into contact with. Maybe I would have felt differently if I had chosen to go back in time, if I’d had more control. But I lost so much in the process. My mother…my grandmother.

Max- My grandmother died about a year and a half early in the alternate timeline. I know it! She died from natural causes in both timelines, but I always wonder if I should be responsible…

Kate- Shush, Max. You did save your uncle..

Max- Yes, yes, I did. He had cancer, and I warned him just in time.

Mabel- Wow! This must all be so incredibly personal to you both.

Kate and Max- Yes.

Mabel-If you could contribute one thing to this study, what would it be?

Max- Just don’t do it, period. It’s not worth it. Curiosity is fun and all, but that’s why we have movies. When you do it to yourself, it’s not fun. (he moans) Just take it from me.

Kate- Well, I guess I would warn people to watch for the signs of traveling. I’m not certain that all the telltale signs of being a traveler are the same. For instance, Max here, doesn’t have the birthmark like my family carries. Just today, I’ve learned that people travel in many different methods, but I would tell them a hundred times, if you can prevent it from happening-do it! My first time traveling was a complete accident, but I should have stopped there. The second time I traveled loosed a whole Pandora’s Box of troubles and loss. I did it for the intention of helping, but only caused irreparable damage.

Mabel- Are you saying that you wouldn’t try and go back to fix the problem in the first place, even when you have the power to do so?

Kate- Have you been listening to a word I’ve said?

Max- That’s Life II for me. When you fix a problem, another one just comes up. Sometimes I think Time has its own vendetta!

Mabel- One more thing. Time travel is all about time, after all. What are the dates you left Time and the dates you went to?

Max- I left this year, 2013. I went back to my 16-year-old self in 1987.

Mabel- Wow. That’s a very long period…

Max- Tell me about it. I lived 26 years back to this present.

Mabel- Amazing. Kate?

Kate- I left 2000 to go back to 1960. Then again back to 1910. But outside my life span and as I said, in the bodies of my relatives who were living back then…

Max- Must be interesting to observe history before your time..

Kate- I’m not sure if interesting is the word. Mostly terrifying, to be truthful. I’m still working on closure, and I’m hunting someone down who’s mission is only to further hurt the world with traveling.

Mabel- Will either of you pursue other forms of media to tell your story? Maybe write a book? Venture into movie options? You have quite the stories and could make a pretty penny.

Kate- Reliving those moments is not something I choose to do. I feel like if I turn it into something people may construe as a ploy for fame, I won’t be taken seriously.

Max- As Shylock from Shakespeare’s time would say, I’ve extracted my own pound of flesh. I could never do this again.

Mabel- So I guess in some way, for both of you, time travel was fascinating, but also detrimental.

Kate- It is unfair of us to entice people with claims of being able to travel and then say “Don’t do it!”. After all, if I hadn’t time traveled and  then heard about it being possible, I am sure I would be tempted to try. It’s just so dangerous…playing with fire, if I can be so cliché. The concept is fascinating for sure!

Max- I learned so much about myself…my family. It was rewarding and destructive all at the same time.

Mabel-Thanks for your time and for agreeing to be interviewed. With your permission, we will air this segment later this week. Good luck, it was a pleasure to meet you both.

Max- My pleasure.

Kate- Thank you!

Check out these books on Amazon.com. Don’t forget the  .99 sale on November 1st!

My favorite book this year, has to be Orphan Train. Maybe it had something to do with my roots in Minnesota, but I think mostly, it was just a book that touched my heart. I got to interview Kline this week, and I was so excited to get to know this fabulous author. She was gracious and sweet, and I knew right away that I might love her books, but I would also like her as a person as well! Thank you , Christina~

Read on to know more about this author and to find the scavenger hunt clue for Solstice’s Halloween Hunt! Solstice Publishing will have you visit several websites to find riddles and jokes to answer–winner may receive up to 50 free books!

What do you expect to accomplish this year?

I am working on a novel inspired by the painting, Christina’s World. It speaks to me and represents America in its dignity and strength. There is a great story behind it and I can’t wait to write more about it. If you google the name, you will see what I mean; it is set in Maine, my favorite place to be. (It helps that the name of the painting just happens to be my name as well! I grew up knowing this painting.)

Also, I am still touring for Orphan Train as it remains a bestseller, and will continue to do so for as long as the events are available.

What genre do you like to write? Read?

I am a fan of Literary Fiction in general. I also write for this genre, and mainly stay to an adult contemporary fiction path. I do love so many novels, memoirs, and some nonfiction as well. Sometimes, I think my books cross genres and age groups as they have a hint of historical fiction, or maybe have a younger protagonist that may interest teens, but overall they fit into literary fiction.

Where do you get your ideas? Do you have a personal attachment to the Orphan Train story, or an interest in history?

My husband’s grandfather was an orphan on a train sent to Jamestown, ND. When I read the article, I just knew this was a fascinating piece of history. He wasn’t from New York, as in the setting in my book, but from Missouri.  I also have another book with a character that cooks, which I used to do professionally. I do incorporate a lot of my life into my work.

What other hobbies do you have besides writing?

I love to go for walks with friends, cook, and spend time with my three boys. I like to go to Maine and hike as much as I can, and I am doing a little bit of weight training, which I don’t love, but it is part of my life.

Who is your favorite author? Favorite book?

I do tend to favor the 19th century authors. I love books like Anna Karenina, Madame Bovary…I love The Hours by Cunningham, and most recently, Room by Donahue.

Which book are you most proud of?
That’s hard to say. It would be like asking to pick your favorite child. For a more serious read, I might choose, Bird in Hand. It involves a car accident and the dissolution of marriage. It has a lot of depth. On the other hand, for a lighter read, I would say, The Way Life Should Be. It’s a great read as it’s light hearted, has delicious recipes and a little bit of comedy.

Christina Baker Kline is the New York Times-bestselling author of five novels – Orphan Train, Bird in Hand, The Way Life Should Be, Desire Lines and Sweet Water – and the author/editor of five nonfiction books.  Writer-in-Residence at Fordham University from 2007-2011, Kline is a recent recipient of a Geraldine R. Dodge Foundation Fellowship and several research fellowships (to Ireland and Minnesota), and has been a Writer-in-Residence at the Virginia Center for the Creative Arts.  She lives with husband and three sons near New York City, and spends as much time as possible on the coast of Maine, where she grew up.

Scavenger Hunt Riddle:

Why didn’t the skeleton cross the road?

 Go to this website to find out all the sites you need to visit to win tons of free books! http://store.solsticepublishing.com/halloween-scavenger-hunt/