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Judith Sterling

~ Award-winning Author

Judith Sterling

Tag Archives: romance

Be Mine Bookish Giveaway

02 Wednesday Feb 2022

Posted by Judith Sterling in Uncategorized

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chocolate, gift cards, Guardians of Erin, Judith Sterling, literary giveaway, N. N. Light's Book Heaven, paranormal fantasy, romance, The Cauldron Stirred, The Stone Awakened, The Sword Unsheathed, Valentine's Day, young adult series

This month, I’ve teamed up with N. N. Light and several authors to bring you a sweet giveaway! There are more than 50 prizes, including autographed print copies, e-books, audiobook codes, a box of chocolates, gift cards, and swag. It’s heavy on the romance, but you’ll also find women’s fiction, suspense, thriller, literary fiction, and more.  I’m giving away the first three books in my young adult series, Guardians of Erin.

Check out all the prizes here. If there are any in particular you’d like to win, make sure to say so when you enter here. The giveaway runs through February 28th. Good luck!

LIFE FOR SALE by Linda Nightingale

09 Wednesday Sep 2020

Posted by Judith Sterling in Uncategorized

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fantasy, Judith Sterling, Life for Sale, Linda Nightingale, Love for Sale, romance, sci-fi romance, science fiction, sentient androids, series, The Wild Rose Press, Tomorrow's Angels

Please welcome Linda Nightingale back to the blog! She’s a sister Rose (published by The Wild Rose Press), and she’s here to talk about humanoid, sentient androids. Why, you ask? Her Tomorrow’s Angels series features them. Here’s a little about it:

Mayfair Electronics has created life.

In Love for Sale, the high-tech electronics company, in black and white, offers “love for sale”. Mayfair has engineered sentient androids indistinguishable from humans. March Morgan flies to England and meets the man she has been searching for her entire life. Christian requires no programming to love March at first sight, but her past and his future soon threaten their happiness—and their lives.

In the sequel, Life for Sale, four of the Special Editions have escaped. Rebel, Christian and March are on the run, but they have a bigger problem than his creator’s plan to destroy him. They’ve discovered that one of the renegades has suffered a dangerous malfunction, threatening them with more than just exposure. March and Christian must stop the insane robot before someone else dies. All the evidence points to March being the killer’s next victim.

Now, without further ado, here’s Linda...

Toshiba builds computers, right?

To add to the pages of sci-fi happening as we speak, humanlike robots are in development that will come near to mimicking human emotions and facial expressions. These robots are in their infancy but amazing!

Recently, Toshiba introduced Junko Chihira, a very realistic humanlike android. She is 5’5”, 26 years old, and her birthday is 6/1.  She works in a new tourist information center in Japan. The android speaks Japanese, Chinese, and English—handy if you work in the tourist trade.

A female android named Geminoid F stars in a Japanese film from director Koji Fukada. Sayonara premiered at the Tokyo International Film Festival.

Erika is a creation of Osaka University, Koyo University, and ATR. She was ‘born’ in Japan in 2015 (the year Love for Sale was published). When Erika is listening, she blinks and moves her eyes and head like a human. The following link is a YouTube video of Erika and a child, illustrating AI’s possibilities with children. She is pretty and interacts well. She pauses while she processes in this conversation, but her answers do not sound at all scripted but real-time.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TFT7iM3FDUI&feature=youtu.be

Probably the most lifelike is the android Sophia by Hanson Robotics. Sophia has appeared on The Tonight Show as well as addressed a UN committee. She has been granted citizenship by Saudi Arabia.

https://twitter.com/RealSophiaRobot/status/1258381654642561027/video/1

Hanson boasts other robots, one designed to look like Einstein. Just a few of the many are:

In 2005, Hanson debuted Philip K. Dick II. He was designed by David Hanson as a robotic version of the popular writer of sci-fi. The original Philip K. Dick android was lost on a flight from Dallas to San Francisco in late 2005. However, in 2011 Hanson Robotics, together with Dutch broadcasting firm VPRO, developed a new version, including state of the art computer vision technology. This robot employs 36 servomotors to power a complex and wide range of facial expressions. These days, PKD serves researchers at the Apollo Mind Initiative.

Jules was activated in 2006 and debuted at the Wired Nextfest. Hanson Robotics and partner Personality Forge created Jules for the University of West England in Bristol. Still in residence at UWE, Jules incorporates a number of advanced technologies that make him an eerily realistic and conversant android, including natural language AI, computer vision and facial tracking.

From Hanson’s website: “On the tree of robotic life, human-like robots play a particularly valuable role. It makes sense. Humans are brilliant, beautiful, compassionate, loveable, and capable of love, so why shouldn’t we aspire to make robots human-like in these ways? Don’t we want robots to have such marvelous capabilities as love, compassion, and genius?”

I would. I dare say I would buy my hero Christian, if he were available and not the price of an Aston Martin.

~*~

I’ve written two books about humanoid, sentient androids in my series, Tomorrow’s Angels. Love for Sale was published in 2015 and was way beyond its time. It still is. Even with the progress made in lifelike robots, none of them are conscious or have real feelings like the Special Editions in my sci-fi romances. Love for Sale is on sale for $.99!  For less than a dollar, you can meet Christian (the android) and March (his owner).

Buy it now!

A peek between the pages of Life for Sale:

Monica moved closer to Christian, holding his gaze. “You were always your creator’s favorite…it’s rumored.”

Shaking his head, he moved away from her advance. “I didn’t hear that rumor.”

Her brows shot up, but she said nothing. Her steady gaze challenged him to deny her claim.

Was what she said true? Without Damien Wills’ help, their bid for freedom would have failed. They’d have been captured and deactivated on the spot…

Monica’s sensual yet oddly hard voice jerked him back to the ocean liner. He awoke from the memory, gazing over his shoulder at the restless sea

“Why else would Dr. Wills turn off the alarm, allowing us to escape?” Monica positioned herself in front of Christian. In a bold act, she stroked his cheek. “Did Dr. Wills tell you how perfect you are?” Her shoulders moved ever-so slightly, the gesture carnally arousing. “Every day, Stefan told me how special I was.”

March flung Monica an irritated glance. Now and then, jealousy overcame his wife. Since Monica’s appearance, now more than then. He almost laughed when she captured his hand, staking her claim and warning the sexy android to butt out.

“Looks like we have another Special Edition with an independent streak,” March commented softly—the iron fist in the velvet glove. Monica had better beware.

“I have to be independent. Fending for myself alone.” Monica swept a hand through her hair, the gesture highlighting the pert fullness of her breasts.

At his side, March tensed, a distant look in her eyes. “You don’t have to be single to be alone.”

Why was Monica II acting as if she were the only person never to have found a partner? He hated that she’d reminded March of her failed marriage and the long years she felt she’d wasted. They were silent for a long moment, each perhaps considering his or her own quest for love. Christian was relieved when Daniel spoke into the growing darkness.

“Are you that unhappy?” His brother’s voice held compassion, but something else echoed behind his question. He sounded sad as Monica felt—or pretended?

“Let’s just say my life could be fuller.” Monica turned back to the rail, staring at the black sea. “What would happen if we jumped into the ocean? Would we drown?”

Christian stiffened. “No, but don’t test it. The immersion in water might cause a short circuit that would destroy you—”

“But it didn’t—” Daniel broke off when Christian raised a warning hand.

“Why do you ask such a question?” He was concerned, angry, and more than a little worried about Monica.

Daniel joined her at the rail, placing his hands on her shoulders from behind. “We both need someone to love; someone to love us.”

“Let’s change the subject,” March’s expression showed sympathy not pique. “Do we need to change for the big Welcome Party?”

“There’s plenty of time.” Daniel pulled Monica to him and hugged her. “I’m sorry things didn’t work out for you and the pilot. You’ll find someone else.”

She patted his back. “Thanks, Daniel, but it won’t work. I’ve tried.”

March smiled. “Okay, team, our mission is to find Monica’s Mr. Right.”

“I’m in,” Christian said, and Daniel raised a hand.

Monica’s expression hardened. “I don’t think it’s possible.”

Buy the book!

Thanks so much for joining me today, Linda. Wishing you all the best with the series!

WINTER AT THE LIGHT by Stephen B. King

19 Wednesday Aug 2020

Posted by Judith Sterling in Uncategorized

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1950s, Australia, award winning author, guest post, historical, Judith Sterling, lighthouses, romance, Stephen B. King, The Wild Rose Press, Thirty-Three Days, thriller, Winter at the Light

I’m thrilled to have Stephen B. King on my blog today! He’s a brother Rose (published by The Wild Rose Press), and he’s here to tell us all about the inspiration for his latest release, Winter at the Light. Take it away, Stephen!

Write what you know (so they say…)

Mostly, for the twelve books I have written and published, this tenet holds true. I am by nature a ‘pantster’, which loosely means that once I get an idea I have to write it to explore and see where it leads. Sometimes that spark turns into nothing I can use to build around, others it finishes around short story length, and occasionally the 100,000 words, or so, that to me works for a book length.

Along the way of re-modeling that idea into a novel I often drift into areas of which I know nothing about, so I have to stop the creative flow to research it. This has been particularly true of my psychological thrillers because I am neither a psychologist nor a policeman, though I have always had a deep-seated interest in both (along with serial killers). But, isn’t Google wonderful? On occasions, because I write stories set in my home state of Western Australia I have to visit those places I write about, but it’s all very piecemeal, if you know what I mean? I stop writing to research something that has popped up, figure it out, then go back to writing. I find that by writing this way, I want to know what is going to happen next, because truthfully I have no idea, and sometimes I pen a passage and sit back afterward and think, Where the heck did that come from? I have found, that in my humble opinion, the best things I’ve written came through me, and not from me, if that makes sense?

But for Winter at the Light, this was not the case. The idea came, as they often do for me, while I was driving along, almost in auto pilot mode. The traffic was its usual annoying self and I wasn’t thinking about anything terribly important, not even concrete if I’m honest. Suddenly, a random thought snuck into my consciousness and said: The Lighthouse Keeper’s Daughter. I have no idea where it came from, or why I even thought it, one moment I was wondering what time I’d get to work, and the next I was thinking about a lighthouse, and in particular the daughter of the keeper. Weird? You bet, welcome to my life.

When I arrived at work, I was so fascinated I Googled it and discovered it had been a book, written many years before and I felt immediately disappointed that it hadn’t been an original idea. But, it wouldn’t go away and all through the day I wondered things like, why is she looking after the lighthouse for her father? Surely, it had to be years ago as to the best of my knowledge lighthouses are mostly automated these days. Slowly the plotline came together, a twenty-year-old woman, a nurse who lost her mother during the war when she was a child agrees to tend a remote lighthouse miles from anywhere when her father is injured and he will lose his job if she doesn’t.

Then a very curious thing happened. I was driving home that same evening, daydreaming, and as clear as a bell, in my mind’s eye, I saw a young woman, in a horrendous raging storm risk her life and wade into the crashing waves to grab a life raft. In the inflatable dinghy, is an injured man, and he has lost his memory…or has he?

Never before, except perhaps when I had the idea for Thirty-Three Days, and that came to me in a dream, has an emerging plot line been so vivid in my imagination. I knew for example, the man was on the run, and he had been shot and wounded, but he says he can’t remember why. I also knew that the men who had shot him, were still hunting for him, and they would eventually turn up at the lighthouse to look for him. So, pretty much I had the outline for the whole story, but I knew nothing about nursing, lighthouses, or the era shortly after the war when in my soul I knew the story had to be set. And so, I researched like never before. By that I mean I studied so I could tell a story, and not tell a story and research along the way.

I found, online, a diary of a lighthouse keeper from the fifties, and read every single word. I learned how kerosene fueled lights operated, the responsibilities of the keepers in an era before we had satellite navigation, radio check ins, the officialdom that ran the operations, and so much more. Then nursing, what was it like in the fifties? It was male dominated and these wonderful women were, in general, treated poorly by the hospital, and doctors. Next the war, Molly (I’d come up with her name by then) lost her mother in an air raid, while her father was in the navy as chief medical officer; more research.

So, by the time I sat down to write the first words, I had an incredible amount of information I knew I would need to tell the story of Molly, and her stay at Forbe’s Reef Light, during the worst storm season of the decade, and her eventual fight for survival against two men who are going to come to the island and kill the man she has been nursing back to health. It was exhilarating for me, and I hope I have done the story the justice it deserved.

Winter at the Light is a love story, a thriller, and it is historical. It is set in a more romantic, less promiscuous era than now and features one very special woman. Molly is not one of the ‘beautiful people’; she is just a normal, everyday young woman, who must find strength and courage she doesn’t know she has to survive. When there is nowhere to hide, she must stand and fight back against two armed men who want to kill her.

Thanks so much to Judith for hosting me, and letting me rave on about Winter at the Light.

My pleasure, Stephen. It sounds like a wonderful story! I love it when inspiration strikes out of the blue; thank you for sharing yours with us. Wishing you all the best with the book!

A little more about Winter at the Light:

Forbes Lighthouse is a dangerous place. Twenty-year-old Molly McLaren agrees to tend the light when her father breaks his leg, so she leaves behind the city and her nursing career. Molly dreads the thought of three months as the sole inhabitant on the tiny island, nineteen nautical miles off the rugged coastline of Augusta in Western Australia.

Molly discovers she enjoys the solitude, and when a massive storm arrives bringing a life raft, Molly risks her life to save the unconscious man inside. On waking, he says he has lost his memory but as Molly nurses him back to health she wonders if he has. When the storm finally clears, Molly has fallen for the man she’s nicknamed John, but still has doubts about his honesty.

The real danger arrives with two men who are searching for her mystery man. They want to kill him and anyone else who can identify them, and Molly quickly learns; on a lighthouse, there is nowhere to hide.

A peek between the pages:

A man sat on a chair in front of the desk, and Mrs. Frost waited with fingers tented. “Come in, Molly, please take a seat,” Mrs. Frost said softly and smiled, but to Molly, it looked like a shark grinning. She was in her fifties with silver, gray curly hair and wore a yellow shirt buttoned to the neck with a ribbon tied in a bow at the collar. “This is Mr. Darcy Harpington, from the Department of Marine and Harbors; he has some news for you about your father.”

The man stood up and held out his hand to shake. He was short, balding, with spectacles which sat halfway down his nose and wore a gray pinstriped suit. Molly barely noticed as her heart leaped inside her mouth. “What about Dad, what’s wrong, is he hurt?” She struggled to retain tears of fear from pouring forth. She knew it would be terrible news; it had to be, why else is he here? She worried.

The man smiled and raised a placating hand. “No need to panic; your father is a remarkable man, Miss McLaren. He broke his leg out on the rocks while checking the moorings for the boat during a severe storm. He made it back to the light basically by crawling; it was quite a journey; he tells us. Being a doctor, he has splinted his leg and been in constant radio contact since. We are sending a boat out to pick him up tomorrow; the weather forecast is for the storm to ease enough to go and evacuate him. We need to get him into hospital for X-rays, set the leg properly, and make sure he’s done no permanent damage from crawling over the rocky ground.”

Molly looked from one to the other, unable to understand what they were saying. Dad broke his leg, she thought. She realized she was in shock. Molly sat down, hard, on the straight-backed chair, as the man sat back down too. Just for a moment, she had a mental image of her father dying, and her world went black.

She knew he could be stubborn and obstinate when he had a bee in his bonnet, and how typical of him not to lie down without a fight. Crawled back to the lighthouse with a broken leg in a severe storm? She was incredulous. Molly had spent three weeks there and knew the terrain well from her frequent exploratory walks. He’d achieved a miraculous result if the accident happened anywhere near the dock. Tears welled in her eyes, never did she realize just how much she loved him, and needed him in her life, until then. “He’s going to be all right?” she asked in a quivering voice.

“Yes Miss McLaren, we believe he will be fine after a lengthy hospital stay. It’s possible, I’m told, the doctors may need to reset the fracture, and put him in a cast, possibly stretch the leg back into place.” He nodded slightly and stared pointedly at her; the implication of the seriousness unsaid.

“I’d like to thank you, Mr. Harpington, for coming to tell me personally, that was very kind of you.”

“Oh, think nothing of it, Miss McLaren. Your father has done a sterling job for getting on toward two years for us, and he is a valued member of our lighthouse staff. Um, that brings me to another matter, which he asked me to discuss with you.”

She had been staring down at her hands as they gripped and clasped each other but looked up sharply at his words. She didn’t like the sudden change in his tone. “And, just what is that?” She recognized the defensive aggression in her tone of voice, and it shocked her. Calm down, Molly girl, you’ve had a shock, be careful, she told herself sternly.

He made a performance of taking his spectacles off, then removing a handkerchief from his jacket pocket and wiping them. “Miss McLaren, your father understands, we cannot leave the light unattended, and if we replace him with another employee, then…”

“You won’t let him go back?” She saw the predicament immediately and was suddenly angry, enough to slap the officious looking man. Molly stood up, furious and almost shouted, “Dad donates a leg to the cause, and he loses his job, is that what you are telling me, Mr. Harpington?”

“Mind your tone, Molly,” Mrs. Frost interjected. “Sit down; there could be an alternative which Mr. Harpington and I have discussed. Mr. Harpington has sought a special arrangement with his Department, and this hospital, at your father’s behest, to find a solution to the problem. I would suggest you hold on to that temper of yours until you’ve heard what he has to say.”

Buy the book on Amazon!

Connect with Stephen:

Website

Twitter: @stephenBKing1

Facebook: @stephenbkingauthor

Email: stephenk8@me.com

Booklovers’ Pot o’ Gold Event ~ THE STONE AWAKENED

17 Tuesday Mar 2020

Posted by Judith Sterling in Uncategorized

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Booklovers' Pot o' Gold Event, Guardians of Erin, Ireland, Judith Sterling, literary giveaway, N. N. Light's Book Heaven, romance, St. Patrick's Day, The Stone Awakened, YA paranormal fantasy

HAPPY ST. PATRICK’S DAY!!!  If you love Ireland as much as I do, you might want to check in with the Booklovers’ Pot o’ Gold Event on N. N. Light’s Book Heaven, where several novels showcasing the Emerald Isle await.  My second young adult book, The Stone Awakened, is one of them.  Read an excerpt and see why it and the other featured books are must-reads for those smitten with Ireland.

 

Remember to enter the giveaway.  You might win an e-book bundle of all 17 books featured in the event!  The winner’s name will be drawn on March 23, 2020.  Good luck, and have a lovely St. Patrick’s Day.

Booklovers’ Pot o’ Gold Event ~ N. N. Light’s Book Heaven

13 Friday Mar 2020

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Booklovers' Pot o' Gold Event, Guardians of Erin, Ireland, Judith Sterling, literary giveaway, N. N. Light's Book Heaven, romance, St. Patrick's Day, The Stone Awakened, YA paranormal fantasy, YA series

N. N. Light’s Book Heaven has cooked up a special giveaway in honor of St. Patrick’s Day.  Over the next few days, they’re featuring 17 books which feature–or take place in–Ireland.  The Stone Awakened (the second book in my young adult paranormal fantasy series, Guardians of Erin) will be spotlighted on St. Patrick’s Day itself.

One lucky winner will win all 17 books featured.  Visit the event here!

Open internationally.

Runs March 13 – 17, 2020.

Winner will be drawn on March 23, 2020.

Enter to win here.  May the luck of the Irish smile upon you!

Happy Valentine’s Day!

14 Friday Feb 2020

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books on sale, Flight of the Raven, Judith Sterling, medieval romance series, Night of the Owl, romance, Shadow of the Swan, Soul of the Wolf, The Novels of Ravenwood, Valentine's Day

Happy Valentine’s Day!  Sending an abundance of love to you this morning.

If thoughts of romance inspire you to read, all four of The Novels of Ravenwood are still on sale for only 99 cents.  Find the links here.

Wishing you a beautiful day and a great weekend ahead!  🙂

Be Mine Bookish Giveaway ~ N. N. Light’s Book Heaven

03 Monday Feb 2020

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#bookish, author swag, Be Mine Bookish Giveaway, fantasy, free books, Guardians of Erin, Judith Sterling, literary giveaway, N. N. Light's Book Heaven, romance, suspense, The Cauldron Stirred, Valentine's Day, women's fiction, YA paranormal fantasy

Many people think of hearts and flowers when Valentine’s Day approaches. I say, give me books and I’ll be your forever sweetheart! I’ve teamed up with several authors to bring you the sweetest giveaway filled with all your favorite things: books. We’re giving away autographed print copies, digital books, and swag. It’s heavy on the romance, but you’ll also find women’s fiction, suspense, and fantasy.  You could even win The Cauldron Stirred, the first book in my Guardians of Erin YA series, which has romance, suspense, fantasy, and all things paranormal.

We want you to be our valentine. Say yes by entering to win below. If there’s a particular book or prize you’d like to win, be sure to say which one when you enter via Rafflecopter. Enter below and good luck!

Be Mine Bookish Giveaway

Literary Giveaway Portal

Silver Dagger Book Tours ~ THE NOVELS OF RAVENWOOD

24 Friday Jan 2020

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Amazon gift card, blog tour, book tour, fantasy, Flight of the Raven, giveaway, Goodreads, Judith Sterling, medieval, Night of the Owl, romance, romance series, Shadow of the Swan, Silver Dagger Book Tours, Soul of the Wolf, The Novels of Ravenwood, The Wild Rose Press, time travel

Happy Friday!  Today, I’m kicking off a month-long blog tour with Silver Dagger Book Tours, featuring the first four books in my medieval romance/time travel series, The Novels of Ravenwood.  There are excerpts and more, and you can enter to win a $10 Amazon gift card.  Check it out here!

A little about the books themselves:

Flight of the Raven (The Novels of Ravenwood, Book One)

How eager would the bridegroom be if he knew he could never bed the bride?

Lady Emma of Ravenwood Keep is prepared to give Sir William l’Orage land, wealth, and her hand in marriage. But her virginity? Not unless he loves her. The curse that claimed her mother is clear: unless a Ravenwood heir is conceived in love, the mother will die in childbirth. Emma is determined to dodge the curse. Then William arrives, brandishing raw sensuality which dares her to explore her own.

William the Storm isn’t a man to be gainsaid. He’ll give her protection, loyalty, and as much tenderness as he can muster. But malignant memories quell the mere thought of love. To him, the curse is codswallop. He plans a seduction to breach Emma’s fears and raze her objections. What follows is a test of wills and an affirmation of the power of love.

See more on Goodreads

Buy Links

Amazon | Apple | B&N | Google | Kobo

Soul of the Wolf (The Novels of Ravenwood, Book Two)

A Norman loyalist, Lady Jocelyn bristles when ordered to marry Wulfstan, a Saxon sorcerer. She nurses a painful secret and would rather bathe in a cesspit than be pawed by such a man…until her lifelong dream of motherhood rears its head.

A man of magic and mystery, Wulfstan has no time for wedded bliss. He fears that consummating their marriage will bind their souls and wrench his focus from the ancient riddle his dying mother begged him to solve. He’s a lone wolf, salving old wounds with endless work. But Jocelyn stirs him as no woman ever has.

Their attraction is undeniable. Their fates are intertwined. Together, they must face their demons and bring light to a troubled land.

See more on Goodreads

Buy Links

Amazon | Apple | B&N | Google

Shadow of the Swan (The Novels of Ravenwood, Book Three)

Lady Constance de Bret was determined to be a nun, until shadows from the past eclipsed her present. Marriage is the safest option, but she insists on a spiritual union, in which physical intimacy is forbidden. Not so easy with a bridegroom who wields unparalleled charm! But a long-buried secret could taint his affection and cloak her in shadow forever.

Back from the Crusades, Sir Robert le Donjon craves a home of his own and children to inherit it. From the moment he meets Constance, he feels a mysterious bond between them. When she’s threatened, he vows to protect her and agrees to the spiritual marriage, with the hope of one day persuading her to enjoy a “real” one. She captivates him but opens old wounds and challenges everything he thought he believed.

Two souls in need of healing. Two hearts destined to beat as one.

See more on Goodreads

Buy Links

Amazon | Apple | B&N | Google | Kobo

Night of the Owl (The Novels of Ravenwood, Book Four)

PhD student Ardyth Nightshade has renounced men and pursues her twentieth-century career with single-minded focus. When fate whisks her to medieval England, she meets her match in a man whose passions mirror her own. Can she sacrifice ambition for a love she never sought?

Hugh, Lord Seacrest confounds all who know him. He refuses to marry without a meeting of minds and hearts, and no lady has even approached his ideal…until Ardyth. But she’s an odd one, with unique skills, shocking habits, and total conviction she needs no man. She also harbors secrets, and in the midst of rumors, plots, and murder, trust is fragile.

A woman outside of her time. A man ahead of his. They must take a leap of faith to forge a bond that will shape history.

See more on Goodreads

Buy Links

Amazon | Apple | B&N | Google | Kobo

A big thanks to Silver Dagger Book Tours for organizing everything. 

Follow the tour HERE for special content and a giveaway!

An Interview with Karen Hulene Bartell, author of THE KEYS: VOICE OF THE TURTLE

09 Wednesday Oct 2019

Posted by Judith Sterling in Uncategorized

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excerpt, Ireland, Judith Sterling, Karen Hulene Bartell, paranormal, romance, Sacred Emblem, Sacred Journey, Sacred Messenger, series, Texas, The Keys: Voice of the Turtle, The Wild Rose Press

I’m excited to have another sister Rose (published by The Wild Rose Press) here today.  Please welcome Karen Hulene Bartell, author of The Keys: Voice of the Turtle.  Let’s get this interview started!

At what age did you write your first story?

I started writing my first novel when I was nine. After several days, I realized I didn’t know anything – that I’d have to wait for experience to catch up. However, that lack of knowledge didn’t stop this only child from writing stories about large families.

Which genre was the first to hook you?

Westerns were my first love.

What was your first published book?

The Best of Polish Cooking – it made Publisher’s Weekly and is still my only “best seller.”

What’s your favorite part of the writing process? Brainstorming?  Research?  Outlining?  Writing?  Editing?

The best part of writing for me is the space to be creative, to let my imagination soar. I’m five years old again, and whatever I imagine “comes to life”—at least, on the page.

Yes, that’s a great feeling! What are you working on now?

Currently I’m in final edits with The Wild Rose Press on a Western Romance entitled Wild Rose Pass. I’ve also begun a Mainstream Fantasy entitled Kyoto: Tale of the Fox.

Wonderful! Good luck with both of them. Of all the settings you’ve used (or created!) for your books, which is your favorite? Why?

Barcelona, Spain and the Camino de Santiago, or The Way of Saint James. The area intrigued me with its mystical landscape and two-thousand-year spirituality. I wrote about it in Christmas in Catalonia.

Have you ever dreamed about a character you created?

I once dreamed that the character’s wife told me insightful details about the character. (In my book, the character was not married.)

Interesting! If you could travel to any time and place, when and where would that be?

I’ve wanted to visit Ireland for years. The pictures I’ve seen and the descriptions I’ve read appeal to me.

I LOVE Ireland, which is one reason why I set my YA paranormal fantasy series there. I think you’d love the Emerald Isle, too! If you could step inside any book or series and live there for a week, which would you choose?

I’d have to say the Sacred Emblem and Sacred Journey series because each book is set in a different geographical area, featuring a distinct cultural motif or totem: The Keys: Voice of the Turtle, Christmas in Cahokia: Song of the Owl, and Angels from Ashes: Hour of the Wolf.

It’s time to learn some of your favorites!

Sound: Twilight in the country – the sounds of birds and the rest of nature preparing for the evening

Eye color: Violet

Foreign language (whether or not you speak it!): French

Song: “O Holy Night”

Book: Gone with the Wind

Movie: Under the Tuscan Sun

Cuisine: Tex-Mex

Cookie: Peanut butter

US location: Fort Davis, Texas

Foreign location: Barcelona, Spain

And finally, list your preference from the following choices:

Tea or coffee? Coffee

Cake or pie? Cake

Halloween or Christmas? Christmas

Nancy Drew or Sherlock Holmes? Nancy Drew

Jane Austen or the Brontë sisters? Jane Austen

A mortal, vampire, ghost, or fae for a lover? Ghost

English gent, Scottish highlander, European count, or all-American guy?  All-American guy

Thanks so much for joining me today, Karen. Best of luck with the book! Speaking of which, here’s a little about it:

Hours after arriving in the Florida Keys to help her cousin Keya create a turtle preserve, Ruth discovers a washed-up body and not one, but two apparitions—Maita, the angry victim’s spirit, and Bart, a swashbuckling ghost. Ruth’s curious ability to connect with the ghosts may help them move on, but how?

Keya is in a probate battle over her turtle-nesting beach. Land-hungry relatives want it bulldozed and developed. Like Ruth, she has a special gift—she can talk to animals. Between Ruth’s help and Keya’s unique ability, they work to save the property, but is it too late?

Can Keya save her beloved turtles? Can Ruth find Maita’s murderer or help Bart solve his 400-year-old mystery? There’s more than meets the eye to Keya’s land. Add in a dashing sailor who believes in her, and Keya may have more than she bargained for…

A peek between the pages:

Conveying this land to the turtles would be my way of leaving the world a better place.” She turned toward Ruth. “Does that make sense?”

Ruth nodded and gazed at Keya as if for the first time. Her cousin’s intentions were clear. “But legally, how can you will the property to the turtles?”

“Easy. I leave it to the Turtle Refuge.” Keya laughed inwardly as they meandered along the beach. “And this is where you come in. When you’re writing the brochure, add a few paragraphs about planned giving and charitable bequests…” Her words broke off as Keya stared as if in a trance.

Ruth looked at her. “What’s wrong?”

Her hand shaking, Keya pointed to a shady patch of beach half hidden by sand dunes. A lifeless hand lay tangled in seaweed, its fingernails broken and bloodied.

Racing behind the sandbanks to help, Ruth skidded to a halt, her heels digging into the sand. A woman’s bloated body lay staring at the sun, her eyes opaque and unseeing. “Do you recognize her?”

“No.” Keya shook her head as the cat gingerly approached, sniffing and meowing. But Earnestine said she smells familiar.”

“Knock, knock,” called a man’s voice.

Ruth flinched at the sound. “Who’s there?”

Buy the book:

Amazon eBook: https://amzn.to/2XV2wO1

Barnes & Noble NOOK Book: https://bit.ly/2YFHWgQ

The Wild Rose Press: https://bit.ly/2ZsH1lm

More about Karen:

Author of the Sacred Emblem, Sacred Journey, and Sacred Messenger series, Karen is a best-selling author, motivational keynote speaker, wife, and all-around pilgrim of life. She writes multicultural, offbeat love stories steeped in the supernatural that lift the spirit. Born to rolling-stone parents who moved annually, Bartell found her earliest playmates as fictional friends in books. Paperbacks became her portable pals. Ghost stories kept her up at night—reading feverishly. The paranormal was her passion. Wanderlust inherent, Karen enjoyed traveling, although loathed changing schools. Novels offered an imaginative escape. An only child, she began writing her first novel at the age of nine, learning the joy of creating her own happy endings. Professor emeritus of the University of Texas at Austin, Karen resides in the Hill Country with her husband Peter and her “mews”—three rescued cats and a rescued *Cat*ahoula Leopard dog.

Where to find her:

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/KarenHuleneBartell   

Twitter: https://twitter.com/KarenHuleneBart   

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/explore/tags/karenhulenebartell/    

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/611950.Karen_Hulene_Bartell

Website: http://www.KarenHuleneBartell.com/  

Email: info@KarenHuleneBartell.com

Amazon Author Page: https://www.amazon.com/author/karenhulenebartell  

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/karenhulenebartell/

BookBub: https://www.bookbub.com/profile/karen-hulene-bartell

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/karenhulenebartell/

The Dog Days of Summer Reading Giveaway ~ N. N. Light’s Book Heaven

02 Friday Aug 2019

Posted by Judith Sterling in Uncategorized

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Dog Days of Summer, Flight of the Raven, Judith Sterling, literary giveaway, medieval romance, mystery, N. N. Light's Book Heaven, romance, summer reading, The Novels of Ravenwood

August has arrived, and the “dog days of summer” are in full swing. I don’t know about you, but I am DYING for the crisp, cool weather of fall!

N. N. Light must have heat stroke because they’ve got a sizzling giveaway! You can win free books (both autographed print and e-copy) generously donated by some of their favorite authors, including me! The genres range from young adult to erotic romance to mystery to sweet romance. If you’re a booklover like me, you crave books like a dog craves a nice walk on the beach, and this is your chance to score one. You could even win an e-copy of Flight of the Raven, the first book in my medieval romance series, The Novels of Ravenwood.

If there’s a particular book or prize you’d like to win, be sure to specify which one when you enter via Rafflecopter. Enter below and good luck!

Dog Day of Summer Reading Giveaway: https://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/92db775034

Literary Giveaway Portal: https://www.nnlightsbookheaven.com/literary-giveaway-portal

Have a beautiful day and a great weekend!  🙂

 

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