Welcome Author M. S. Spencer
Give a warm welcome to M.S. Spencer, author of Whirlwind Romance released on August 17, 2016!
Pull up a chair, grab a drink of your choice from the cooler, a Chocolate Chip or Peanut Butter cookie from the plate, and let’s find out a little about M.S. and her new release.
Thank you so much for having me today, Tena. I’ll just take one of these yummy Chocolate Chip cookies. I’d like to talk about my new release from The Wild Rose Press, Whirlwind Romance.
Up until my thirties, I traveled a great deal, living in many countries with amenities that many would consider below standard. So it wasn’t until I married and settled down in an old farmhouse with an acre of land that I could indulge my fantasy growing my own food. We planted apple, plum, peach, fig, hazelnut, and cherry trees; gooseberries, strawberries, blueberries, and raspberries; all kinds of vegetables, including an ill-fated attempt to grow artichokes; and finally, lots and lots of herbs. I built a formal herb garden and planted thyme, lovage, rosemary, chives, tarragon, sage, and lemon balm. The one thing I couldn’t get to grow was mint. Yes, the gardeners among you will scoff, but it took me years to get a plot to flourish. When it did, I had to do something or it would take over the entire acre.
So I called upon my sister-in-law, to whom Whirlwind Romance is dedicated. She directed me to an old recipe for mint jelly. Once the mint invasion was under control and I’d mastered the technique, I spent whole summers working up recipes for herb jellies. It was great fun. Despite the fact that I’m not really fond of jelly, they made excellent Christmas gifts.
As I started Whirlwind Romance, I thought about what my heroine, Lacey Delahaye, would do for a living. She lives alone in Florida, her one son grown. What could she do? I thought of the innumerable ecosystems in Florida, from pine uplands, to coastal plains, to palm hammocks—all of which are host to many wild fruits, most of which can be made into jelly. Ah hah! She’d be a jelly maker.
For fun, I added the recipes to each chapter. I hope you enjoy them as much as you do Lacey and Armand’s love story.
So who is this handsome guy you brought with you?
I’m Armand.
Tells us about the real you, Armand. What event in your past has left the most indelible impression on you? I’d have to say being kidnapped by pirates.
What do you most value? My country.
What is the type of woman you want to spend the rest of your life with? Feisty, independent, loyal and of course (why not?) beautiful.
What do you consider most important in life? To rule honorably.
What is your biggest secret? If I told you that you wouldn’t read the book.
Well, I guess that better than “If I told you, I’d have to kill you. routine. But not by much. LOL Only kidding.
This beautiful woman just walking in the door must be Lacey?
And you’d be right.
Great! I love it when I’m right. Now tell us, who are you really? Just an old-fashioned girl who likes to cook.
Who were the biggest role models in your life? An ancestor who swept the Spanish Main.
What kind of man do you want to spend the rest of your life with? Someone who know how to clean a bathroom.
What kind of man would you never choose? A man who lies.
What is most important to you in life? Contentment.
What is your biggest fear? To lose my son.
Totally understand that. Thank you for taking the time to stop by and chat Lacey.
Okay, M.S. Tell us a little about writing this story. Was it fun or difficult?
It was great fun to write—I never expected to end up somewhere in the western Caribbean though. It started as a simple island tale and grew into a swashbuckling tale of adventure and romance. This is what happens when you Google indiscriminately.
Sounds wonderful, tell us a little about the book.
In the aftermath of a hurricane, Lacey Delahaye finds herself marooned on an island on the Gulf coast of Florida with a mysterious man. They are immediately drawn to each other, but before Armand can confess his identity, they are kidnapped and taken to a tiny island in the western Caribbean. With the help of her son Crispin and a cadre of loyal followers, she and Armand must face down pirates, power-mad ideologues, and palace intrigue, if they are to restore the once idyllic tropical island to its former glory.
Any chance we could get a sneak peek into Whirlwind Romance?
She climbed quietly, hand over hand. As she reached the last board, a soft, but menacing voice purred, “Well, my sweet, you’ve found me.”
Okay, here’s where we find out if he’s a bad guy. “Give me a hand up, will you?” Other than a slight intake of breath, he complied without a word.
Lacey’s head rose up over the floor to find a cubicle lit by a small pencil torch and cluttered with toy guns, candy bar wrappers, and crushed Dr Pepper cans. And Armand. Who took up most of the rest of the space. He still held her hand, but he had stopped pulling her. “Where did you plan to sit, on my lap?”
At least he’s toned down the threat level. “Or you could come down. I don’t think Tommy Forster allows uninvited guests in his palace.”
His jaw dropped. “Palace?” After a brief interval, he said, “Oh. I see. I can’t.”
“Can’t what?”
“Come down.”
“Why not?”
“I…I…think I reinjured the ankle. I can’t put any weight on it.”
Lacey toyed with the idea of leaving him there for little Tommy, but his mother would have been appalled. “All right, just a minute.” She climbed down and went back to her house, grabbed a coil of rope from the shed and sprinted back up the street.
“Armand?”
“At your service.”
“I’m bringing up a rope. I want you to tie it to something, then you can shimmy down without using your feet.”
“Um, what about when I get to the ground?”
How much did he say he weighed? Twelve stone? Lacey calculated swiftly. Must be over a hundred sixty pounds. “I’ll try to ease you down.” She threw the coil into the darkness and backed down the tree.
A few minutes later the rope tumbled down and Armand emerged. “For the record, this was my worst sporting event in public school.” He held on for dear life and inched down the rope. Five minutes later he’d descended a foot.
“Come on, Armand—hurry it up.”
“I’m doing my best.” By dint of a lot of swearing and some wild swinging, Armand made it into Lacey’s waiting arms. He sat on the ground, legs splayed out in front, panting. “Now what?”
Lacey hadn’t really thought that far. If he’s a fugitive, I can’t trust him. And I have no way of contacting the police. Maybe this wasn’t such a great idea. “Er, I guess we’d better get you back home. Then you can tell me what this is all about.” He didn’t argue, but when he tried to stand, he fell over. She considered the situation. “What we need is some kind of transport. Like…like…what was that thing the Indians used?” Lacey cast about for the word.
“Travois?”
“That’s it—aren’t you clever. A sort of triangular thingy to carry a wounded man. Made of logs and deerskins.” She stopped, not—as one might assume— due to the lack of readily available logs and skins, but to savor the picture in her mind. An injured warrior, lying spread-eagled before her—bare-chested, sexy, bravely enduring the pain. Wow.
Armand didn’t seem to notice her heightened color and pointed at the carport across the street. “Could we use that little red wagon?”
She followed his gaze. Story of my life—instead of Geronimo I get Ralphie. “That’ll do. Wait here.”
“Yes, I think I shall.” Armand kept a straight face. Lacey brought the little wagon to him, and he lay down in it, arms and legs hanging over the sides.
“You’ll have to lift up your extremities if this is going to work.” And so, with Armand looking like an upside down turtle and Lacey with tears of laughter streaming down her face, they staggered along the road to her house.
You can find Whirlwind Romance at the retailers below:
The Wild Rose Press, Amazon, AllRomanceEBooks, Barnes & Noble, Kobo, Bookstrand, and ITunes.
To learn more about M.S. Spencer, check her out online. She loves to hear from readers.
Blog: http://msspencertalespinner.blogspot.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/msspencerromance
Twitter: www.twitter.com/msspencerauthor
GoodReads:http://www.goodreads.com/msspencer
Google +: https://plus.google.com/u/0/+MSSpencerauthor
Pinterest: http://pinterest.com/msspencerauthor/
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Posted in Authors' Secrets Blog and tagged books, Romance by Tena Stetler with 13 comments.
10th Anniversary – Mountain of Authors
Saturday, April 23, 2016, I had the pleasure of being part of the Pikes Peak Library
District Mountain of Authors. It was a blast. Thirty-four local Colorado authors were on hand to showcase their work. A panel of three mystery authors and a panel of two authors and an agent each presented stories and their experiences in the publishing industry.
The keynote speaker was Anne Hillerman, daughter of award winning author, Tony Hillerman
who penned eighteen Navajo mysteries. I loved his books and was deeply saddened at his passing in October of 2008. I own every one of his books and have enjoyed the adventures of characters, Joe Leaphorn, Jim Chee and Bernadette Manuelito.
I was excited to learn that Anne has followed in her father’s footsteps breathing life into his beloved characters once again. Giving Bernadette a fresh, strong woman view point in Spider Woman’s Daughter and Rock With Wings. She also researched and wrote Tony Hillerman’s Landscape: On the Road with Chee and Leaphorn. A stunning collection of original documentary photographs of the New Mexico and Arizona landscapes that were integral to Tony’s detective novels. Pictures by photographer, Don Strel, Anne’s husband. This is a timely showcase of a hauntingly beautiful region that captured one man’s imagination for a lifetime, and is a daughter’s loving tribute to her father. Yep, you guessed it, the book enjoys a place in the center of my coffee table.
Okay one more fangirl observation. Nancy Atherton, author of over twenty Aunt Dimity mysteries, including many bestsellers. These cozy mysteries whisk you away to a small village in England filled with quirky characters. Again, I have all of her books. Nancy’s participation in the Mountain of Authors – It’s A Mystery Panel was very 
entertaining along side her cohorts in crime, Robert Greer and Manuel Ramos.
It was thrilling to visit with the above authors as well as many other talented local authors. I look forward to next year’s Mountain of Authors. I’d love to see you there.
Thanks for putting up with my fangirl musing. Oh did I mention I sold a few of my books too. Exciting adventure for a new author. Warning shameless promotion! June 15th my third book, A Witch’s Journey will be released. You’ll love it!
I enjoy hearing from readers and other authors. So please feel free to leave a comment. Until next time, take time out of your hectic schedule to read a good book. Its a great stress reducer, if only for a few hours.
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Posted in My Say What Blog, The Pikes Peak Region and tagged A Witch's Journey, Anne Hillerman, Authors, books, Mountain of Authors, Mystery, Nancy Atherton, PPLD, Tony Hillerman, Writers by Tena Stetler with comments disabled.
Finally, Mother Nature Found Her Calendar – Spring Has Sprung!
Here in Colorado, the Month of March came in and went out like a lion. Several inches
of snow several times, blizzard conditions, and cold. My poor crocus looked like they’d died in the last blizzard of the month.
But low and behold, they revived and look great. Yeah!
Over the weekend, after Mother Nature finally found her calendar, we were able to prep the garden soil, plant kale, carrots, spinach, and sweet basil. I also tried an experiment and planted a few tomato seeds outside in the garden. What’s different this year? I have hoops and covers for my garden, the covers are of three different 
weights. Heavy weight for now, since it’s still 
freezing at night. Medium weight and light weight for protection from the Colorado hail that devastated my garden last year. I’ll see which one stands the test of hail, pounding and wind driven rain. LOL
Inside the sunroom, I started tomato plants and pumpkins. If I can keep them from getting spindly, they’ll go into the garden in May after Memorial Day. Never safe to plant flowers or veggies outside before Memorial Day, frost or snow will get them every time. Not to mention we have had snow in July. Gardening in the Rocky Mountains is always a challenge! But one I gladly take on for the reward of fresh veggies and tomatoes that don’t taste like cardboard. Know what I mean?
Working in the sun and fresh air was wonderful, and because there was very little wind, made it even better. Parrot, dog and turtle joined us in a supervisory capacity. Talk about too many bosses and not enough workers. LOL
Got a little color on my face and arms, even with sunscreen, curse of being blonde and fair skinned. Wore shorts for the first time this year and I didn’t even get cold. Yep, spring has sprung and summer is headed our way.
Now back to the keyboard. I have a new book to finish, the second in the Demon’s Witch Series. Waiting on a release date for A Witch’s Journey, hopefully early summer, and turned in A Witch’s Holiday Wedding, sequel to A Witch’s Journey to my editor at the Wild Rose Press a week ago, we’ll see how it goes.
Well, that’s how my world spins and how I spent my weekend. How did you spend yours? Leave me a message you know you want to. I love hearing from readers and authors alike!
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Posted in For Fun and tagged books, Colorado, flowers, Gardening, Rocky Mountains, snow by Tena Stetler with 2 comments.
