Maggie’s Starring Role by Emily Mims
Happy holidays to all? Give a big welcome to Emily Mims, author of Maggie’s Starring Role!
Have a seat and grab an insulated mug. I’ve got hot chocolate, hot cider and coffee. Choose your pot, they’re labeled. Pick your choice of a Snicker-doodle, Chocolate Chip or Peanut butter cookie from the plate. Yep, I baked them myself. Lets see what Maggie’s Starring Role is all about. But first take a peek into Emily’s Christmas Traditions of Making Music. Thanks for joining us! Don’t forget to enter the Rafflecopter at the end of this post.
just about everyone’s Christmas, whether it’s Christmas carols at the church
Christmas program, a rerun of Bing Crosby singing in ‘White Christmas’, or the
incessant Muzak playing at the malls. As
a singer and musician, Christmas music is an especially important part of my Christmas. I have been making music for the holidays
since I was a teenager playing the organ in a little Baptist church, and it
continues to be an important part of my Christmas celebration every year.
about everywhere. In that small church,
at the school where I taught for many years, in the televised choir of a large
suburban congregation, in the back of a truck on a Christmas caroling hayride,
on a barge floating down the San Antonio River with the Boy Scouts, for church
senior groups, in the dining rooms and halls of nursing homes. I’ve made Christmas music in every one of
those places. My opportunities to make
Christmas music grew exponentially when I learned to play the dulcimer and
ukulele. My dulcimer group, The San Antonio Slow Jam, is still in the learning
stage, but we make plenty of Christmas music nevertheless! Hopefully in a year
or two we will be able to perform publicly and share our music with the people
of San Antonio.
Antonio’s Ukulele Ladies and Gents. This group is a performing band and has
become quite accomplished over the years. This group is special to me in that
it offers me the opportunity to take to the mic every so often, complete with
forty ukuleles, forty backup singers and a bass behind me. We play all kinds of
music, including lots of island songs, and perform for just about anyone who
wants to listen! With this group, I have
expanded my holiday repertoire beyond the usual Christmas carols and radio and
movie songs to include Hawaiian Christmas music, complete with hula dancers and
red and green Aloha shirts. And we sing
them in Hawaiian! Of course, we do other
Christmas songs also. The ukulele group plays many different places, including
parades and churches and libraries and a lot of nursing homes. I love going
into the nursing homes, especially the Alzheimer’s units. It constantly amazes
me that the residents can remember the words to a Christmas carol when they’ve
lost so much else. I also love singing with school choirs and the young ukulele
players accompanying them. Although we play for someone or something every
month, the holidays tend to be our busy season.
So far, we have four performances scheduled for December. And that’s so far. There may be more.
the ladies’ choir at my church. Every Thursday we hop on a bus and sing at a
different nursing home. We have a lot of fun with four-part ladies’ harmony and
have been known to sing Christmas songs from Africa, complete with drums.
Occasionally we must skip a party or another event to play and sing. But making music, especially Christmas
music, deeply enriches our holiday. I cannot imagine Christmas without it.
A peek between the pages of Maggie’s Starring Role –
She settled into her desk chair and Kirby sat down across from her. “So are there any questions I can answer for you?” she asked, cursing the faint flush she could feel on her cheeks. She wasn’t sure if it was from wanting to impress him on the theater’s behalf or Kirby himself.
“No. Not a one.” He leaned forward with an unreadable expression. “Don’t get your hopes up about the grant. The only reason I came today was because the Rileys insisted. I have no intention of letting those people award their grant to the Durango.” She caught a smirk starting to cross his face before he schooled it into impassivity.
The rustling coming from the other office stopped. Maggie willed herself not to look up at the gap at the top of the temporary wall. “May I ask why? Don’t we meet the parameters of the grant?” she asked, feigning confusion.
“Actually, you do. If things were different, I would be happy to see them award the grant to the theater. But with things the way they are, I intend to see that they send the grant another direction. I’m sure you understand.”
Maggie’s heart sank as she looked at him. So the grant was lost because of his antipathy toward her. He really was going to take his anger with her out on the whole theater. Damn him, she thought hotly. He was a prick. Some things never change. The grant might be gone, but he wasn’t going to get away with a stunt like this. She’d be damned if she let him walk out the door with no repercussions. He was going to explain himself to everyone at the Durango and the chips could fall where they may. She had nothing to lose. “No, I’m afraid I don’t understand. If we meet the parameters of the grant, why are you so determined that it go elsewhere?”
“Because of your association with the theater,” he said, his voice calm and his expression cold. “I absolutely refuse to work with you. You are directly responsible for my father’s death and I will not work with you, have anything to do with you, or award the grant to the theater that employs you.”
“So let me be clear. You’re mad at me, so you’re willing to take it out on everyone here at the Durango, despite the wonderful proposal, and even though we meet the parameters and need the money desperately. Do I have that right?”
“I wouldn’t have put it that way, but yes. You have that right.” He leaned forward. “Karma’s a bitch, isn’t she?”
“Oh dear. I am so disappointed.” She leaned forward so that they were barely a foot apart. “Especially since your old friend Josh Goldstein, who’s my boss and the executive director of the theater, assured me you’d be fair despite your feelings toward me. Why, he sat in that office next door, the one he’s sitting in right now eavesdropping on this entire conversation, and said you weren’t the kind to take out your feelings about me on the theater.” She looked up and raised her voice. “Did you hear all that, Josh? Guess you were wrong. He doesn’t plan to play fair.”
“Yes, I heard every damned word,” Josh yelled.
“I did, too,” Rachel shouted from her office two doors down.
“So did I,” a deep voice piped up from the lobby.
Kirby’s face morphed from a vindictive smirk to unmasked horror. “You…you knew they were listening,” he gasped. “You knew they’d hear every word.”
“They needed to.” Maggie regarded him steadily. “You’re breaking faith with the Rileys and you’re breaking faith with us. I told you yesterday we both needed to behave in a professional manner. Instead you decided to use the grant as a weapon to pay me back for something in our past that you hold against me. You’re being unfair to the Durango and you’re being unfair to the Rileys. Somebody needs to know. Hopefully someone who will inform the Rileys of your duplicity.”
Kirby opened his mouth but glanced up and closed it again. He muttered something under his breath as he stood up and yanked the door open, slamming it behind him.
Maggie leaned her elbows on the desk and put her chin in her hands. That had been sneaky, but damn it, Kirby had no right to punish the theater because he was mad at her. They deserved a fair shake, and if that meant getting Kirby in trouble for admitting he was using the grant as a weapon, so be it. She giggled as the sound of raised voices filtered into her office. Good. Josh was giving Kirby a deserved ration of shit. And if she wasn’t mistaken, the voice she’d heard in the lobby was none other than Wade Baxter. The Rileys’ grandson. She smirked even as she rubbed her aching temples.
Yes, Kirby, Karma can be a bitch.
It was wonderful having you with us today. Please feel free to stop by anytime. Good Luck with Maggie’s Starring Role!
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Posted in Authors' Secrets Blog and tagged Contemporary Romance, Durango St. Theatre Series, Emily Mims, Maggie's Starring Role by Tena Stetler with 4 comments.
Chat with Peggy Jaeger Author of It’s A Trust Thing
Happy holidays to all! Give a big welcome to Peggy Jaeger, author of It’s A Trust Thing, releases today. Happy book birthday Peggy! Have a seat and grab an insulated mug. I’ve got hot chocolate, hot cider and coffee. Choose your pot, they’re labeled. Pick your choice of a Snicker-doodle, Chocolate Chip or Peanut butter cookie from the plate. Yep, I baked them myself. Lets see what It’s A Trust Thing is all about But first Peggy tell is a little about you and what inspired It’s A Trust Thing!
I’ve always had a strange fascination with serial killers, crime lords, and wise guy wannabes. And while I love seeing criminals brought to justice, once they are no longer capable of executing their nefarious deeds, my attention has always shifted to their families and the ones they left behind.
The children of these horrible people intrigue me, especially what happens to their lives once their parent is caught, killed, or incarcerated. How do they fare in the court of public opinion? How badly are their lives changed, sometimes irreparably? Are they vilified as their parents were, or do they become sympathetic in the eyes of society? Do the sins of the fathers (and mothers) rain down upon them?
Cases in point:
One of Bernie Madoff’s sons committed suicide after his father was sent to prison.
Charles Manson, Jr. killed himself as well because he could never outrun his infamous name.
BTK’s daughter claimed the FBI had the wrong man once her father was arrested. She couldn’t believe the man she loved and revered could be such a monster.
These children of notorious men have all had to deal with the aftermath of their father’s betrayal, greed, and crimes, and they each dealt with it in different ways.
I wrote IT’S A TRUST THING because I wanted to explore what happens to the child of someone notorious. Even though the subject matter is heavy, the story is mostly lightweight, something I had to do to balance the underlying theme. I bill it as RomComLite. My heroine, Penelope “Nell” Newbery is feisty, determined to succeed, loyal to a fault, and a strange mix of awkward and sassy.
Nell Newbery has trust issues. It’s hard to trust when you’re the daughter of a fallen financial scion who bilked people out of billions in a pyramid scheme that made Madoff’s look picayune in comparison. Nell was 16 when her father was first arrested and then sent to prison for 100 lifetimes. Her mother suffered a mental breakdown due to the stress and it was up to Nell to take care of her when she was little more than a child.
Nell’s done everything in her power to keep away from men who see her as their ticket to fortune and fame due to her father’s notoriety. All she wants to do is run her ultra-successful business, HELPFUL HUNKS, in peace.
But it wouldn’t hurt to find a guy who doesn’t know a thing about her father’s felonious past; one she can give her heart to and trust it won’t come back to her battered, bruised, and broken.
Thank you Peg. Now tell us a bit about It’s A Trust Thing.
Nell Newbery has trust issues. It’s hard to trust when you’re the daughter of a fallen financial scion who bilked people out of billions. Nell’s done everything in her power to keep away from men who see her as their ticket to fortune and fame. All she wants to do is run her ultra-successful business, HELPFUL HUNKS, in peace.
But it wouldn’t hurt to find a guy who doesn’t know a thing about her father’s felonious past; one she can give her heart to and trust it won’t come back to her battered, bruised, and broken.
Is Charlie Churchill that guy? On the surface he seems perfect, all polished manners and quiet mirth. Nell’s convinced he knows nothing about her, other than she likes superhero movies and views junk food as a food group.
Can she trust him to be what he appears to be? Or is he just pretending?
For Nell, trust is everything in life…and in love.
Buy Links:
Exclusive to KU and Kindle only:
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07Y7LMJNR
A sneak peek between the pages of It’s A Trust Thing.
He opened the passenger door for me and I got in.
“You never answered me,” he said when I was seated. “Would you like to do this again?”
I’d lived my entire adult life taking chances in my professional life but shying away from them in my personal one. The reasons to avoid becoming involved were valid ones, in my mind, and they’d served me well.
But there was something so different about this man, something that wanted me to finally give in and take a chance that he wouldn’t be like all the other men I’d gotten close to. He wouldn’t use me to his own end; he wouldn’t betray me; he wouldn’t lie to me about who and what he was.
And dammit, I deserved to have some fun.
All this ran through my head as he stood, patiently waiting for my answer.
It really didn’t take much effort on my part to make a decision. With a half grin and my gaze staying zeroed in on his, I reached into my briefcase and pulled out one of my business cards. While the driver waited, I wrote my private cell number on the back of it. There were only five people on the planet who had this number.
Now, Charlie did as well.
As I handed it to him, I cocked my head and said, “Maybe next time we can get through an evening without me needing first aid or being mugged.”
His jaw wide smile made my stomach muscles flutter. He leaned in, gave me a quick peck on the cheek and said, “Where would the fun be in that?”
About the Author:
Peggy Jaeger is a contemporary romance writer who writes Romantic Comedies about strong women, the families who support them, and the men who can’t live without them. If she can make you cry on one page and bring you out of tears rolling with laughter the next, she’s done her job as a writer!
Family and food play huge roles in Peggy’s stories because she believes there is nothing that holds a family structure together like sharing a meal…or two…or ten. Dotted with humor and characters that are as real as they are loving, she brings all topics of daily life into her stories: life, death, sibling rivalry, illness and the desire for everyone to find their own happily ever after. Growing up the only child of divorced parents she longed for sisters, brothers and a family that vowed to stick together no matter what came their way. Through her books, she’s created the families she wanted as that lonely child.
When she’s not writing Peggy is usually painting, crafting, scrapbooking or decoupaging old steamer trunks she finds at rummage stores and garage sales.
A lifelong and avid romance reader and writer, Peggy is a member of RWA and her local New Hampshire RWA Chapter.
As a lifelong diarist, she caught the blogging bug early on, and you can visit her at peggyjaeger.com where she blogs daily about life, writing, and stuff that makes her go “What??!”
Social Media links:
Website/Blog: http://peggyjaeger.com/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/peggy_jaeger
Amazon Author page: http://www.amazon.com/-/e/B00T8E5LN0
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Peggy-Jaeger-Author/825914814095072?ref=bookmarks
Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/peggyjaeger/
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/13478796.Peggy_Jaeger
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/peggyjaeger_author/
BookBub: https://www.bookbub.com/authors/peggy-jaeger
You-Tube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCDR8RRIlssIyS0FYZWeGqsg/videos?view_as=subscriber
It was wonderful having you with us today. Please feel free to stop by anytime. Good Luck with It’s A Trust Thing!
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Posted in Authors' Secrets Blog and tagged Contemporary Romance, It's A Trust Thing, Peggy Jaeger by Tena Stetler with 8 comments.
Book Blast for The Very Thought of You by Claire Marti
Happy Halloween!! Today I have treat for you from a fellow author friend Claire Marti! Her book The Very Thought of You ( Pacific Vista Ranch Book #2) released October 30, 2019, and I know you are going to love it.
Click on the cover to read more or purchase!
A perfectionistic equine vet. A gorgeous fireman. An unrequited high school crush blazes hot twelve years later.
She’d spent most of her life always choosing the safe path. She’d been the big sister to her twin siblings when they’d lost their mom. The shy, private bookworm, her books and her animals had always comforted her. She was the only McNeill family member who didn’t either wear their heart on their sleeve or have a temper like a rollercoaster.
No matter how much she despised the label, she was a practical woman. Sensible even. When Jake and she were together, undeniable chemistry sizzled in the air between them.
As a practical woman, the smart move would be to take the situation into her own hands. She’d test it out to see how he reacted, but if he was even half as attracted to her as she was to him, she’d make the first move.
It was the sensible thing to do, considering the circumstances.
What did she have to lose?
Well, besides her pride and possibly her free personal trainer.
And her dog.
But what if her gamble paid off? She shivered.
He sat quietly next to her, the warmth from his skin reaching across the space between them. There was just so much smooth bronzed skin, stretched taut against all the sinewy muscles. She’d never been this close to such a perfect physical specimen.
Heat pooled low in her belly. This was ridiculous. They hadn’t even kissed yet and she was on fire for him. She’d never had this type of reaction to a guy before. Maybe if she had, she would have gone on more dates over the last six years.
And maybe because she hadn’t gone on many dates over the last six years was exactly why she was so on fire. Regardless.
About the author:Claire Marti started writing stories as soon as she was old enough to pick up pencil and paper. After graduating from the University of Virginia with a BA in English Literature, Claire was sidetracked by other careers, including practicing law, selling software for legal publishers, and managing a non-profit animal rescue for a Hollywood actress.
Finally, Claire followed her heart and now focuses on two of her true passions: writing romance and teaching yoga.
Claire loves to hear from readers!
Reach out via email or sign up for her newsletter at www.clairemarti.com
Follow Claire:
Twitter @clairepmarti
Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/ClaireMartiAuthor/
Instagram at @clairepmarti
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/8203678.Claire_Marti”>https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/8203678.Claire_Marti
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Posted in Authors' Secrets Blog and tagged Claire Marti, Contemporary Romance, Equine vet, Firefighter, The Very Thought of You by Tena Stetler with comments disabled.
A Peek at Miss Felicity’s Dilemma by Eileen Dreyer
Give a warm welcome to Eileen Dreyer author of Miss Felicity’s Dilemma.
This post is part of a virtual book tour organized by Goddess Fish Promotions. The author will be awarding a $25 Amazon/BN gift card to a randomly drawn winner. Click on the tour banner to see the other stops on the tour.
What’s Miss Felicity’s Dilemma about?
ALL SHE WANTS IS HER OWN HOME
Miss Felicity Chambers is the new teacher of piano and deportment at Miss Manville’s Academy for Superior Girls. There is no reason a duke should contact her. There is certainly no reason she should marry his son. But that is evidently what the duke wants. Felicity should be delighted. But the orphaned schoolteacher has long since stopped believing in fairy tales. If only the duke’s son weren’t so compelling…
ALL HE WANTS IS THIS HOME
Lord Flint Bracken knows just what is behind the duke’s command, and it isn’t an attempt to secure a happily-ever-after for his son. The proposal is one of the duke’s schemes. Flint has no choice but to cooperate, though, or he risks more than his home. He risks national security. So court a penniless schoolteacher he must. He should be furious. But Felicity Chambers isn’t at all what he expected. She might very well be what he wants…
A sneak peek between the pages of Miss Felicity’s Dilemma
It wasn’t until she heard the door close that she breathed a sigh of relief. Time to escape from under the bed.
“Aren’t you growing cramped under there?” Lord Flint suddenly asked.
Felicity’s eyes flew open to find an upside-down face where the boots had been. Her heart dropped like a stone.
“Not at all,” she said, proud at how composed she sounded. “I am quite petite. But you really should have someone sweep under here. The dust balls are the size of wolfhounds.”
He reached a hand under the bed. For a moment Felicity just stared at it, unable to move. Even in the shadows it was a beautiful hand, with long, elegant fingers and a strong wrist. And she noticed beautiful hands. She was also, after all, the substitute art teacher for Miss Manners Academy for Superior Girls.
“I’m getting a crick in my neck,” Lord Flint growled, wiggling his fingers.
Felicity gave up and took hold. And gasped. It felt as if she’d been rubbing her stockinged feet on the carpet on a cold winter’s day and gotten a shock. She had heard of such a thing, of course, in every Minerva Press novel she had ever secreted under her pillow. But she had always thought it a literary device. A myth.
That was no myth tingling up her arm.
Before she had a chance to do more than stare at the offending member, Lord Flint grasped her tightly and pulled her out from under the bed. She came out in a tangle of arms and legs, dragging dust after her.
How mortifying, she thought, brushing madly at her sensible gray kerseymere skirts.
“Er….”
She looked up and forgot what she was going to say. She forgot her name.
He was beautiful. Tall and lean and russet-haired, with eyes the color of spring leaves and a humorous cant to his mouth. Chiseled features, square shoulders, slim hips. Hard and sharp as quartz.
Suddenly his name wasn’t so funny.
About the Author:
New York Times Bestselling, award-winning author Eileen Dreyer has published 40 novels and 10 short stories under her name and that of her evil twin, Kathleen Korbel in contemporary romance, paranormal romance, historical romance, romantic suspense, mystery and medical forensic suspense. A proud member of RWA’s Hall of FAME, she also has numerous awards from RT BookLovers and an Anthony nomination for mystery. She is now focusing on what she calls historic romantic adventure in her DRAKE’S RAKES series. A native of St. Louis, she still lives there with her family. She has animals but refuses to subject them to the limelight.
http://eileendreyer.com/
https://www.bookbub.com/authors/eileen-dreyer
https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/19012.Eileen_Dreyer
https://www.amazon.com/Eileen-Dreyer/e/B000AQ3F2O/
https://www.facebook.com/EileenDreyer/
https://twitter.com/eileendreyer?lang=en
https://www.instagram.com/eileendreyerauthor/
Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Miss-Felicitys-Dilemma-Drakes-Rakes-ebook/dp/B07WWJSFJW
Nook: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/miss-felicitys-dilemma-eileen-dreyer/1133345594?ean=2940163616749
Kobo: https://www.kobo.com/us/en/ebook/miss-felicity-s-dilemma
iBooks: https://books.apple.com/us/book/miss-felicitys-dilemma/id1478890709
It was wonderful having you with us today. Please feel free to stop by anytime. Good Luck with Miss Felicity’s Dilemma!
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Posted in Authors' Secrets Blog and tagged Contemporary Romance, Eileen Dreyer, Miss Felicity's Dilemma, Sweet Regency Romance by Tena Stetler with 5 comments.
