Pink Lock Picks & Sequined Witch Hats by Carla Rehse
Give a warm welcome to Carla Rehse, author of Pink Lock Picks & Sequined Witch Hats ! With a title like that I simple had to read it.
Pull up a chair, grab a drink of your choice from the cooler, or Pink Lemonade in the crystal pitcher on the counter. It’s next to the plate of Chocolate Chip or Peanut Butter cookies, and let’s find out a little about Carla Rehse and Pink Lock Picks & Sequined Witch Hats. I love that title!
My take on Pink Lock Picks & Sequined Witch Hats.
A magical tale with loveable characters.
Seventeen-year-old Gracie Mason has everything going for her, homecoming queen, co-captain of the cheerleading squad, and a member of the student council. Due to family problems and an unrequited crush she turns to burglary as a way to win Ben’s affections.
Her first attempted break-in goes badly. She steps into a male witch’s “circle of power” and finds herself in quite a mess. On top of that she’s bonded to him for life unless she can break the bond. Gracie quickly learns that dissolving the bond with Asher, admittedly a hunk, is more complicated than she imagined. Right when it seems things can’t get any worse, witches start turning up dead. Her quest to sever the bond magically turns into a murder investigation.
This was a fun read, filled with magic, adventure, with a bit of humor mixed in. Pink Lock Picks and Sequined Witch Hats is an urban fantasy set in central Texas. Author Carla Rehse’s characters are entertaining in a magical world where the unexpected takes place.
If you like YA and urban fantasy, you’ll enjoy Pink Lock Picks and Sequined Witch Hats. Four stars in my book.
You can find Pink Lock Pick and Sequined Witch Hats at Amazon
Daddy told me years ago that to succeed in life I need a strong plan, the right tools, and the gumption to follow through. His words of wisdom helped me get elected homecoming queen, become co-captain of the cheerleading squad, and voted on the student council. Now I plan to use them to help me pull off my first burglary.
My plan is solid. I’ve also never backed down from a challenge, not even last year when Brittany Thomas became overly friendly with the entire football team in a sad attempt to deprive me of my crown. People say I started the rumor about the rash of STD cases spreading through the boys’ locker room faster than a brush fire. I didn’t, of course. Why start gossip when the squad of doctors from the local Health Department did it for me?
I take a deep breath as I enter the Trinity Building. At almost four o’clock on a Friday before a three-day weekend, the place is deader than a PTA meeting. It helps that today is the hottest July first on record for Central Texas and the air conditioning in this building is dismally subpar. The Trinity Corporation may claim to have the most upscale rental space in town, but one look at the gold leopard granite floor paired with peach-painted walls shows that’s a downright fib.
The only guard on duty leans back in his chair and sucks down a Sonic Route 44 Coke like his life depends on it. I wave as I pass the security desk, wearing a megawatt smile and fully confident in the strength of my lavender-scented Lavanila deodorant—vegan, of course. Deputy Dawg gives me his usual perv stare before returning to the comic book balanced on his knee.
Centex Therapy, LPC occupies most of the first floor office space. A small bell tinkles when I open the frosted glass door. What decorum the overall building lacks, the waiting room has in spades. Brown leather chairs sit on a bamboo rug and pastel paintings from local artists brighten the walls. A tall grandfather clock in the corner softly chimes four times. This late on a Friday means the room is empty of other patients. Perfect.
Jane, the receptionist, fans herself with a copy of Country Living. “Cutting it awfully close, Gracie. Go on in.”
Dr. McDozzle gives me a pained smile as I enter the room.
“Good afternoon, Miss Mason. Have a seat.” For a head shrinker, he’s incredibly formal. And a non-Texan, who hates football and sweet tea. I haven’t learned much more about him in the last month, but that’s enough to get him tarred and feathered if word got out.
The leather recliner squeaks when I sit down. “Thanks for seeing me on a Friday, Doc.” I twirl a strand of newly highlighted platinum hair around my finger. It goes wonderful with my bubblegum pink manicure. “Mr. Anderson, Daddy’s new lawyer, is now insisting I have two sessions a month with you. Of course, Mama’s lawyer says once a month is just fine, seeing how I’m such a well-adjusted high school senior and all. Almost a senior, I guess, since school’s not started.”
Dr. McDozzle straightens his glasses. “Yes, well, your parents do seem to have quite the barrage of attorneys involved in their divorce. Have you worked on the homework I gave you during our last session?”
This is such a waste of time. My parents have spent the last five years embroiled in a divorce dirtier than a greased pig-wrestling contest. Both sides of the family have more money than sense, much to the delight of every lawyer in the tri-county area. Not that I want my parents to get back together. Anytime they’re within spitting distance of each other, the tension between them gives me a migraine. Besides, if they hadn’t split up, I never would’ve met Ben.
Ben’s the son of Daddy’s ex-girlfriend. Until four months ago, they all lived together in Daddy’s condo. Ben is a sophomore at the local college and is truly hot, in a geeky, stud muffin, save-the-world, kinda way. Crushing on my almost stepbrother might seem a bit sketchy, but it’s legal—I Googled it twice.
Which means it’s time to start step one in my Get Ben Plan.
I toss my hair over my shoulder before pulling out a pink glitter notebook from my Eiffel Tower-shaped mini-purse.
“You wanted me to write down my feelings about my parents’ shared custody thing. Honestly, I don’t understand why the lawyers are so panty-twisted about me spending a week with Mama and the next with Daddy. It means I get double the wardrobe. Hello? What girl would say no to that? It’s way better than Heather’s situation. I told you about her last time, I think. The girl with the hideous frizzed-out curls but drives a cute BMW Z4 roadster? Anyway, her parents are insane.” I continue a steady stream of babble until Dr. McDozzle’s eyes glaze over.
There’s no clocks in the room, but Dr. McDozzle keeps checking his watch. I’m sure the poor man created a nice therapy plan for me, but I’ve completely derailed it. Mama always says a girl has many tools to choose from in her arsenal—perfectly curled hair, well-placed boobs, and endless chatter are my faves. Besides, Daddy’s been paying therapists a fortune for years to show the divorce court how concerned he is about me. Dr. McDozzle’s earning his car payment today.
Goodreads Book Giveaway
Pink Lock Picks and Sequined Witch Hats
by Carla Rehse
Giveaway ends August 16, 2017.
See the giveaway details
at Goodreads.
It was wonderful having you with us today. Please feel free to stop by anytime. Good Luck with Pink Lock Picks and Sequined Witch Hats!
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Posted in Authors' Secrets Blog, Book Reviews and tagged Carla Rehse, dead bodies, fantasy, fashion, magic, Murder, Murder Mystery, Paranormal, Pink Lock Picks and Sequined Witch Hats, Romance, YA Urban Fantasy by Tena Stetler with 3 comments.
Welcome Margo Bond Collins Author of Immortal Winter!
Happy holidays to all! Give a big welcome to Margo Bond Collins, author of Immortal Winter. Have a seat and grab an insulated mug. I’ve got hot chocolate, hot cider and coffee. Choose your pot, they’re labeled. Pick a Snicker-doodle and Gingerbread cookie from the plate. Yep, I baked them myself. Lets see what Immortal Winter is all about. Thanks for joining us!
A princess locked away in an ice tower.
A handsome kidnapper who insists her savior-queen is a liar.
And a chance to break the curse that binds them all.
Jayla Storm woke up today next to a dead body, with no memory of how it got there. Then Kip Stanton blew up her ice tower—the only home she’s ever known—and kidnapped her, insisting it was for her own good.
Now she’s stuck with a group of rebels hell-bent on usurping the queen who saved Jayla’s life. As her memories resurface, she’s afraid to trust anyone, even while her feelings for Kip grow stronger.
But wherever Jayla goes, the monstrous ravagers follow. If she’s going to survive, and perhaps save Kip and the others, she’ll have to learn to trust someone—maybe especially herself.
Immortal Winter, a stand-alone dystopian paranormal romance
by New York Times bestselling authors N.R. Larry and Margo Bond Collins
A peek into Immortal Winter:
I woke in my ice tower, covered in a coating of sweat, lying next to a dead body.
With a gasp, I scrambled back against the headboard of my own bed. Other than the motionless figure beside me, nothing around me had changed, though it was tinted yellow from the flickering lanterns.
Arina’s dead body?
I’d never seen a corpse. Not a real one. I eyed the spike sticking out of her forehead and the odd snarl twisting her open mouth. My head swam and I swallowed convulsively.
I knew I needed to act, but all I could manage to do was let Arina continue to bleed out—onto the sheets and onto me. I should have been screaming. I should have been throwing myself off the bed and toward the window. But I didn’t, anchored in place by fire and sweat and blood.
I tried to connect the scene in front of me to some memory, something that swam barely out of reach. I stretched after it, catching a fragment: yesterday was Arina’s day. The day I wouldn’t be alone.
A pain day.
I looked forward to those. That much I knew.
Forcing myself to sit up, I scooted away from her still form, my jaw clenched with the memory of pain. I would have laughed at what lingered but there was a body to attend to. Stumbling out of bed, I stepped out of my clothes and limped toward my ivory dresser. On the way, my feet grazed against something rough. Some imperfection in the ice. Something that wasn’t there before.
I backed up and stared down at the message scratched into the ice, blood swiped across it to highlight the letters, like ink rubbed on a seal impression to darken the image.
She found me. She knows. Went to warn them. Don’t take the infusions. Watch out for Kip.
My body began to tremble, even before my mind caught up.
Yesterday.
Available from Amazon.com
***
Thanks for stopping by Margo. It was wonderful having you with us today. Please feel free to stop by anytime. Good Luck with Immortal Winter! Merry Christmas & Happy New Year!
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Posted in Authors' Secrets Blog and tagged Dystopian, Murder, Paranormal, Queen, Romance by Tena Stetler with comments disabled.
Welcome Author C.B. Clark
Give a warm welcome to CB Clark, author of Cherished Secrets, released October 26, 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 C.B., and her romantic suspense with menacing web of secrets, deception and danger.
Oooh sounds like my kind of book. How about you? Now, I have a few questions for you.
What secret do you use to blast through writer’s block?
There’s nothing worse than staring at a blank page and a blinking cursor. If I’m stuck in a story and the words won’t come, I go back and re-read the previous scene. I usually find that I’ve boxed myself in a corner, or I’ve written scenes where I have my characters doing things they’d never do. Once I rewrite the scene, the words usually flow. If that doesn’t work, there’s always a long walk in the woods, or a big glass of red wine.
Did you tell friends and family that you were writing a book? Or did it take awhile to come out and tell friends and family you were a writer?
It took me a long time to admit to others that I wrote. I still struggle with this. I think it’s because I live in a small town where there aren’t any writers’ groups, and I feel alone in my pursuit. Once people find out I’ve written a manuscript, their first question is, ‘Are you published?’ They have no understanding of how hard it is to be published in today’s market. Their second question is, ‘What do you write?’ How often have I cringed as their lips curl and they smirk when I admit I write romance? It wasn’t until I connected with other romance writers on-line and attended conferences that I became comfortable telling others that I write and what I write.
Why do you write romantic suspense?
I love creating new worlds and peopling them with interesting characters and then upping the stakes and watching them scramble to reach their goals. I grew up reading romantic suspense greats like Mary Stewart, Daphne du Maurier, Phyllis Whitney and Victoria Holt. Later, I enjoyed Linda Howard, Suzanne Brockman and Nora Roberts, among others. What’s more exciting than a strong hero and heroine finding love against all odds? Add in a dollop of action, danger, and intrigue and you have the perfect read.
What do you like to do when you’re not writing?
I love the outdoors and spend as much time as I can hiking with my dog through the forested wilderness behind my house. I also enjoy canoeing on a quiet lake or careening through rapids on a wild river. In the winter, I cross country ski and snowshoe. This past year I’ve caught the travelling bug, and along with my husband, I’ve hiked the Inca Trail in Peru, canoed the Yukon River, and cycled through Central America. My next adventure is Vietnam.
WOW, what fun! I like to travel too but we aren’t world travelers. My hubby and I travel the US in our RV as vacation time allows. LOL
BIO:
C.B. Clark has always loved reading, especially romances, but it wasn’t until she lost her voice for a year that she considered writing her own romantic suspense stories. She grew up in Canada’s Northwest Territories and Yukon. Graduating with a degree in Anthropology and Archaeology, she has worked as an archaeologist and an educator, teaching students from the primary grades through the first year of college. She enjoys hiking, canoeing, and snowshoeing with her husband and dog near her home in the wilderness of central British Columbia.
You can find more information about C.B. Clark here:
Facebook: cbclarkauthor@facebook.com
Twitter: https://twitter.com/cbclarkauthor @cbclarkauthor
Blog: https://cbclarkauthor.wordpress.com
Goodreads author page: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/15029617.C_B_Clark
Tell us a little about Cherished Secrets.
Twelve years ago, sixteen-year old Carrie Ann Hetherington, pregnant with the child of a murder suspect, fled the small town of Cooper’s Ridge for the anonymity of Seattle. Now, faced with a family dilemma, she must risk her carefully reinvented life and return to her childhood home.
Eighteen-year-old Declan McAllister’s prom date is found beaten and strangled to death, and he becomes the prime suspect accused of the grisly crime. Now this successful Dallas businessman returns to Cooper’s Ridge to find the true murderer and finally lift the cloak of suspicion he’s faced all these years. In his quest to prove his innocence, he must join forces with the woman who shattered his heart to find a devious killer who will stop at nothing to protect a shocking truth.
Caught up in a menacing web of secrets, deception and danger, they struggle to overcome past betrayals and present danger. Can they tear down the barriers they’ve erected around their hearts and rediscover true love?
How about an excerpt?
Her breath caught in her throat. A small fragment of cloth lay atop her purse, the vibrant colors glowing in the meager, late afternoon light. With a shaking hand, she picked up the cloth. The smooth silk slid between her fingers. Mesmerized, she studied the scrap of torn fabric.
The air in the car was suddenly too thick to breathe. Fingers shaking, she turned the cloth over and jammed her fist in her mouth stifling a scream. Written across the silk in thick, black letters was a single, condemning word. Guilty.
She dropped the cloth as if it burned and gulped air. While she’d been traipsing around the forest looking for where the killer had dumped Skye’s body, someone had been inside her car and left this piece of Skye’s scarf for her to find. The same person could still be here, watching her, waiting.
Her hands shook so much she dropped the keys on the floor twice before finally fitting them in the ignition and starting the car. The engine choked, sputtered and died.
Where can we pickup a copy?
Buy Links:
It was wonderful having you with us today. Please feel free to stop by anytime. Wish you all the best for Cherished Secrets.
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Posted in Authors' Secrets Blog and tagged Murder, Romance, Suspense by Tena Stetler with 23 comments.
Death in Beauty – Profile of A Female Assassin
Today, for your haunting entertainment, Author’s Secrets is doing something a little different in honor of Halloween. We are participating in a Blogfest for Chrys Fey, and her new release 00:30 Seconds Before. Her challenge for the Blogfest is the host blog owner, Tena, to answer the question: “If I were a Mobster…” So without further ado — My answer:
Allow me introduce myself/character. Penelope Savage, I work for Ghost the main mob boss of the Wycked Crime Family out of San Francisco, California. At my disposal I have a variety of Porsche vehicles and a fully dressed Dodge 1500 pickup truck, so I blend. I get the job done with a Stiletto. No, no not a women’s high-heeled shoe, but a deadly dagger with a long slender blade and needle-like point. Dressed in black jeans, peasant blouse and black over-the-knee boots, seduction is my first game, death the end game. Using my womanly wiles to get close to my victim, I stab them in the heart, give a little twist and watch them die. It’s not personal, just my profession. Death in Beauty my calling card. Would you hire me to eliminate the wrongs perpetrated upon you? Creating a never happy ending for your enemies.
Sound like a sequence for a book? Yep, one of my many WIP.
Blurb for 00:30 Seconds Before:
Blake Herro is a cop in the Cleveland Police Force. Ever since he was a child he wanted to do right by the city he loved by cleaning up the streets and protecting its citizens. Red, a notorious mobster, has other plans.
On a bitter December night, ten police officers are drawn into a trap and killed by Red’s followers. Blake wants to bring down the Mob to avenge his fallen brothers and to prevent other cops from being murdered. Except the only way he can do that is by infiltrating the Mob.
Every minute he’s with these mobsters he’s in danger. Around every corner lies the threat of coming face to face with a gun. Will he make it out of the Mob alive or will he be their next victim?
Amazon US / Amazon UK / Amazon CA
Nook / Kobo / The Wild Rose Press
To celebrate, 30 Seconds, the follow up story, is on sale for 99 cents!
Sale Oct. 21st – Nov. 4th
SALE LINKS:
Amazon / The Wild Rose Press / NOOK / KOBO
Chrys Fey is the author of the Disaster Crimes Series (Hurricane Crimes and Seismic Crimes), as well as these releases from The Wild Rose Press: 30 Seconds, Ghost of Death, and Witch of Death.
Website / Blog / Facebook / Twitter
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Posted in Authors' Secrets Blog and tagged Assassin, Blogfest, Book Mob, Murder, Police by Tena Stetler with 20 comments.
