A spine of steel, a heart of gold by Emma Lang

A year after their family was brutally torn apart, the Graham siblings begin to put their lives back together at their ranch in East Texas. With their parents gone, their bonds will truly be tested…

Olivia Graham has worked hard to take care of her family at the Circle Eight Ranch. But their family circle was broken when their young brother Benjy disappeared. Liv can’t shake the feeling that he must be out there, somewhere.

Brody Armstrong, a handsome but rough-around-the-edges Texas Ranger, has been working on their case for months, and now he has a promising lead.

As Liv follows him across the rugged Texas landscape and into Mexico, she’ll begin to find the answers she needs—as Brody finds a passion he didn’t know he wanted…

 

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A spine of steel, a heart of gold.  I tend to have strong-willed heroines in my books, sometimes they are more than stubborn, they can come across as rough around the edges. Sometimes really rough, like a diamond waiting to be tumbled around until it shines. Yet they are all women with integrity, honor and a heart of gold.

The heroine in my newest release, CIRCLE EIGHT: BRODY, is definitely one of those gems. Olivia Graham has suffered through some tragedies in her life, not the least of which was losing her parents to murder, her brother to kidnappers and her fiancee because he was a lousy jackass. It’s made her somewhat hard, the wall she’s built up around herself is nearly impossible to breach. She fires on anyone who tries. Yet Ranger Brody Armstrong doesn’t want to scale her walls or be subjected to her sharp tongue. Yet she sticks to him like a cockleburr, determined to find young Benjy Graham.

Thus begins a road romance that brings back fond memories of THE BOUNTY, my first book and road romance between Nicky and Tyler. Yet Olivia and Brody’s story is darker, more violent and much hotter. Olivia doesn’t give in or melt into a puddle. Oh no, she takes what she wants, never giving an inch but taking a mile. Brody is as strong as she is, but he isn’t prepared for the force of nature called Olivia.

I know it was atypical for women to be so strong-willed in the 19th century, but I’d like to think there were ladies like mine. Those who led the suffragette movement, argued for women’s rights and pushed their way into the “men’s club” of medicine and law. While Olivia isn’t a famous woman, she is stronger than steel, made to survive the harsh realities of life in the Republic of Texas. Made to be a fitting mate for a Texas Ranger like Brody Armstrong. My favorite strong woman in history has to be Eleanor Roosevelt. What about y’all? Who is your favorite?

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To find out more about Emma Lang, visit www.bethwilliamson.com.

One lucky reader will win both MATTHEW and BRODY in paperback. To be entered, leave a comment answering Emma’s question. The winner will be drawn on Sunday. Good luck!

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DFRAT – Growing e-Wings by Susan Schreyer

A human skeleton is the last thing Thea Campbell and fiancé Paul Hudson expect to find buried in their own yard. Neither do they expect the town of Snohomish, Washington to erupt with excitement over a fictional pirate treasure the dead man is rumored to be guarding. This is obviously an old murder, and the police need to solve it.

 

Unfortunately, the disappearance of the bones hardly slows down local excitement as family and friends abandon any good sense they previously possessed. Some hold a séance, hoping for guidance to the treasure from the hereafter. Others take a more straightforward approach and dig up Thea’s yard with an unwavering persistence.

 

Someone, however, has not forgotten the decades-old crime, and that someone wants all the evidence destroyed, no matter the cost.

 

Thea and Paul are drawn into the mystery by earthly and unearthly forces, headed for a trap that, if sprung, could be their final rest.

 

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Two years ago I believed in the honing fires of rejection.

Two years ago I believed if I wrote well enough my books would be published.

Two years ago I believed someone else’s opinion was more important than my own.

 

Then I asked myself why I believed these things, and I didn’t like my answer.

What was my answer? The same as many people’s: I believed those things because that’s the way it had always been.

 

Two years ago the changes taking place in the publishing industry were getting harder and harder to ignore. If you raised your eyes and looked around you could see authors who were beginning to take charge of their careers, putting their out-of-print work up for sale on Kindle and Smashwords, Nook and Kobo. And they were doing well – often better than when the original publisher marketed their books. I started asking questions and investigating the process of digital publishing and found it looked deceptively easy to do. There had to be a catch and, of course, there was: digital publishing is very easy to do.

I’m a cautious person by nature, suspicious of things that are easy. I had a heart-to-heart with myself and hammered out the goals for my career. What I found was that digital publishing, despite the myriad of warnings from those with more industry experience, suited me. The creative decisions and the business aspects were areas where I felt comfortable. Marketing and promotion, on the other hand, was another story — and a rather scary one at that. But the truth was all authors (except for a very lucky few) were being asked to shoulder that burden solo, especially previously unpublished authors. I’d have to learn to do those things, regardless of the path I took to publishing.

Armed with self-knowledge and a plan, I put the final polish on my first publicly offered book and announced to the world I was going to jump off a cliff.

Surprisingly, I found out I could fly. Not well at first, but by continuing to educate myself in all aspects of my chosen profession I find it is getting easier. Now, with my fourth book coming out, I feel I am hitting my rhythm. Am I wildly successful? No, but I am a working author. People read and enjoy my books and will continue to do so as long as I choose to continue.

 

You may ask, in light of my answer to my original question, what do I believe now?

 

I believe in the constructive criticism of good editors.

I believe if I write well enough my books should be published.

I believe my opinion has as much merit as anyone else’s, and my reader’s opinions are the ones that matter to me the most.

 

And finally, I believe the changes that continue to take place in the publishing industry are good. If we stay active and involved we will all benefit. Have I looked back? Sure, but not with regret. I’m still happy with my decision and excited about a future that continues to defy the predictors.

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Susan Schreyer is author of the Thea Campbell Mystery Series: Death By A Dark Horse, Levels Of Deception, An Error in Judgment and, just released, BushWhacked.  She lives in Washington State with her husband, two teenage children, an untrustworthy rabbit and the ghost of a demanding old cat. Her horse lives within easy driving distance. Occasionally, she makes a diligent effort at updating her blogs “Writing Horses” and “Things I Learned From My Horse,” and writes articles for worthy publications. Mostly, she works on stories about people in the next town being murdered. As a diversion from the plotting of nefarious deeds Susan trains horses and teaches people how to ride them, and when the weather gets to her she works in a veterinarians’ office. She serves on the steering committee of the Guppies Chapter of Sisters in Crime and is co-president of the Puget Sound Chapter of SinC. When she has a minute she cleans her house and does laundry.

 

Susan loves to hear from her readers and can be contacted at any of these sites:

 

Susan Schreyer Mysteries web site

http://susanschreyer.com

Things I Learned From My Horse – blog

http://thingsilearnedfrommyhorse.blogspot.com

Writing Horses – blog

http://writinghorses.blogspot.com

Twitter: @susanschreyer

Facebook: Susan Schreyer Mysteries

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GIVEAWAY

We have Death By A Dark Horse, Levels of Deception, and An Error In Judgement to give away! Click here to read blurbs for each. One person will win the grand prize of all three books and three runner ups will win one book of their choice from the list. To be entered, simply leave a comment below. Good luck!

 

 

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