Entice Me
Luscious Love Stories
The Authors from Romance Books 4 Us
Cindy Spencer Pape, Marianne Stephens, Jean Hart Stewart, Janice Seagraves,
Gemma Juliana, Denyse Bridger, Rose Anderson, Paris Brandon, Cara Marsi
Genre: Romance Bundle
This sweet through hot collection of love stories includes contemporary, period, and historical romance, otherworldly romance, and romance with a touch of magic by Award-winning and Bestselling Authors: Cindy Spencer Pape, Marianne Stephens, Jean Hart Stewart, Janice Seagraves, Gemma Juliana, Denyse Bridger, Rose Anderson, Paris Brandon, and Cara Marsi.
BELTANE LION by Cindy Spencer Pape
Genre: Historical Romance
Rhodri of Llyan has returned from the Crusades a cursed man. On the way home to Wales, a young friend is sorely injured. Rhodri seeks the aid of village healer, Selene, whose gift for healing is as uncanny as her beauty. Selene’s magic can cure wounds, but she isn’t sure she can break the curse or heal the wounds on Rhodri’s heart?
Originally published in a shorter form by The Wild Rose Press as Beltaine Bargain ©July 2007
Cindy Spencer Pape firmly believes in happily-ever-after and brings that to her writing. Award-winning author of 19 novels and more than 40 shorter works, Cindy lives in southeast Michigan with her family and a houseful of pets. When not hard at work writing she can be found dressing up for steampunk parties and Renaissance fairs, or with her nose buried in a book. Cindy lives in Michigan with her family and a houseful of pets.
Author Media Links:
Website: http://www.cindyspencerpape.com
Twitter: http://twitter.com/CindySPape
Facebook: http://on.fb.me/gjbLLC
OPERATION MAN HUNT by Marianne Stephens
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Chris Carlisle needs a man and Tony Davis becomes her goal. He learns the hidden reason for her enticing attempts to capture his attention. Both can’t deny the mutual, lusty attraction. Will true love follow?
Marianne Stephens writes sensual and highly sensual mainstream romance and nonfiction books. Her other pen name, April Ash, writes erotic romance books. Publishers include, Ellora’s Cave, Secret Cravings Publishing. Self-published books are at Lulu.com and CreateSpace.com. All books are available at Amazon, B&N, and many other book retailers. She writes with The Naughty Literati as Marianne Stephens.
Author Media Links:
http://www.mariannestephens.net
http://www.aprilash.net
Email Marianne: Marianne@mariannestephens.net
Email April: april@aprilash.net
Marianne also runs a promotional website for author and industry representatives at http://www.romancebooks4us.com, a blog at http://romancebooks4us.blogspot.com, and a yahoo group: https://groups.yahoo.com/neo/groups/romancebooks4us.com/info
DESIRE’S DILEMMA by Jean Hart Stewart
Genre: Historical Romance
When Lady Valanna meets her new guardian, The Marquis of Tendale, she finds her attraction to him overcomes her feeling of resentment for his neglect. When she discovers that neglect was due to dreadful war injuries, the attraction deepens. A former spy for Wellington, Marcus knows his injuries from almost fatal torture will keep him forever from marriage to the girl he has long loved.
Even as Marcus fights to keep revealing his love, Valanna admits hers. Valanna is determined to break his resolve, but Marcus’ honor stands between them. How can these two ever reconcile their differences, and find happiness?
What possible twist of fate can help these despairing lovers?
Writing claims my heart, and one of the best decisions I ever made was when I decided to write full time. I’m pretty ordinary really. But I had the chance to travel a lot when my husband did, and fell in love with England. Since I grew up on tales of King Arthur, when my kids were older and I retired from real estate, I turned to a much-desired career of author. I’m now on my 34th book, and loving every minute I can spend at the computer. But let’s not get on the subject of computers! I just switched from a PC to a Mac and the Mac is much smarter than me!
All my heroes are strikingly handsome, of course, with a flaw or two the heroine gets to correct. Writing has always been my joy and I’m so lucky that readers actually buy my stories!
Author Media Links:Website http://www.jeanhartstewart.com/ Amazon Author’s Page http://www.amazon.com/Jean-Hart-Stewart/e/B0035GJ13S/
Morgan isn’t expecting romance when she accompanies her friend for a week of skiing, but when she meets Jared all bets are off.
Jared has secrets that he doesn’t mind sharing with a special lady, and he hopes Morgan is that special someone. When his past and present collide it’s worse than he imagined, and he’s forced to run for his life.
Janice Seagraves grew up with a deep love of science fiction and adventure stories. Always the consummate artist, she traded in her paint brush for a laptop to write breathless life-affirming novels that celebrate enduring love.
Author Media Links:
http://janice-seagraves.org/
http://www.amazon.com/Janice-Seagraves/e/B0056D223Y/
Genre: Contemporary Romance
WERECAT LOVE by Janice Seagraves
Genre: Paranormal RomanceMorgan isn’t expecting romance when she accompanies her friend for a week of skiing, but when she meets Jared all bets are off.
Jared has secrets that he doesn’t mind sharing with a special lady, and he hopes Morgan is that special someone. When his past and present collide it’s worse than he imagined, and he’s forced to run for his life.
Janice Seagraves grew up with a deep love of science fiction and adventure stories. Always the consummate artist, she traded in her paint brush for a laptop to write breathless life-affirming novels that celebrate enduring love.
Author Media Links:
http://janice-seagraves.org/
http://www.amazon.com/Janice-Seagraves/e/B0056D223Y/
RIVIERA RENDEZVOUS by Gemma Juliana
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Amalie flees when she runs into danger on the cruise ship she calls home, but soon realizes she can’t afford a ticket to fly home. Xandros is more than the shipping agent everybody thinks he is, and he’s had his sights on Amalie for months. So when she suddenly becomes a stranded damsel in distress, he is quick to suggest a solution.
Gemma Juliana Bio
Multi-published author Gemma Juliana writes romance and mystery in many genres from contemporary to paranormal. When not at her desk, Gemma loves to cook for family and friends, collect sparkly stones, and travel the world. Her muse demands large doses of coffee and chocolate.
Author Media Links:
http://www.gemmajuliana.com
https://www.facebook.com/gemma.juliana
https://www.twitter.com/gemma_juliana
Genre: Contemporary Romance
An unexpected trip to Ireland takes Caragh McCarthy back to her ancestral home, and the past collides with the present when car trouble strands her on the moors of Country Tyrone. When Kelan O’Shea comes to her rescue, a 300 year old injustice might yet be set right, and a promised future can be fulfilled.
Denysé Bridger: As an award-winning, best-selling author, Denysé Bridger writes about a multitude of things, always with a touch of romance, passion, and fantasy. Her heroes tend to be alpha men who are willing to do whatever it takes to win the heroine’s heart and trust, while her heroines are strong, emotionally courageous women who put their hearts on the line for the men they love. Passionate, honourable characters drive Denysé’s stories, in whatever genre you find them in.
Author Media Links:
Website: www.denysebridger.com
Mobile Friendly website: www.denysebridger.weebly.com
Twitter: http://twitter.com/DenyseBridger
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/Romance.and.Fantasy
Blog: http://www.fantasypages.ca
Genre: Fantasy Romance
The story opens with the notorious witch hunts in 17th Century Salem, Massachusetts.
Multi-published author Gemma Juliana writes romance and mystery in many genres from contemporary to paranormal. When not at her desk, Gemma loves to cook for family and friends, collect sparkly stones, and travel the world. Her muse demands large doses of coffee and chocolate.
Author Media Links:
http://www.gemmajuliana.com
https://www.facebook.com/gemma.juliana
https://www.twitter.com/gemma_juliana
SOMETHING MOOR by Denysé Bridger
Genre: Contemporary Romance
An unexpected trip to Ireland takes Caragh McCarthy back to her ancestral home, and the past collides with the present when car trouble strands her on the moors of Country Tyrone. When Kelan O’Shea comes to her rescue, a 300 year old injustice might yet be set right, and a promised future can be fulfilled.
Denysé Bridger: As an award-winning, best-selling author, Denysé Bridger writes about a multitude of things, always with a touch of romance, passion, and fantasy. Her heroes tend to be alpha men who are willing to do whatever it takes to win the heroine’s heart and trust, while her heroines are strong, emotionally courageous women who put their hearts on the line for the men they love. Passionate, honourable characters drive Denysé’s stories, in whatever genre you find them in.
Author Media Links:
Website: www.denysebridger.com
Mobile Friendly website: www.denysebridger.weebly.com
Twitter: http://twitter.com/DenyseBridger
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/Romance.and.Fantasy
Blog: http://www.fantasypages.ca
Heart of Stone by Madeline Archer
Genre: Fantasy Romance
The story opens with the notorious witch hunts in 17th Century Salem, Massachusetts.
As formal education for women lacks substance in 1904, Neila Flannigan leaves Ireland to attend Radcliffe women’s college in America. Shy and introverted, Neila passes her lonesome hours making sketches of the Harvard grounds and sending them home to her father. A chance encounter with a kindly old Irish woman inspires her to sketch a statue in an old, unused building. Desperately lonely, Neila ends up sharing her thoughts and feelings with a man carved in stone. Some days it feels like he listens.
©August 2015. Rose Anderson writing as Madeline Archer
Known for crafting characters that stay with you long after the last page has turned, Rose Anderson is a multi-published award-winning author and dilettante who loves great conversation and delights in interesting things to weave into stories. Rose also writes across genres under the pen name Madeline Archer. No matter which pen name she uses, Rose chooses descriptive words as carefully as an artist might choose a color.
As a self-described “persnickety leisure reader”, Rose especially enjoys novels that feel like they were written just for her. “It's hard to explain, but if you have ever read a book that felt like you alone knew what the author was getting at, then you’ll know what I mean. I tend to sneak symbolism and metaphor into my writing. You might say it's a game I play with myself when I write. I just love when readers email to say they've found something.” These hidden insights are her gift to her readers. Rose hopes readers will feel her stories were written just for them, for that’s the truth.
She lives with her family and small menagerie amid oak groves and prairie in the rolling glacial hills of the upper Midwest.
Author Media Links:
Website http://calliopeswritingtablet.com/
Amazon Author’s Page http://www.amazon.com/-/e/B004XDGWL6
Twitter https://twitter.com/roseanderson_ (notice the _ at the end)Facebook https://www.facebook.com/rose.anderson.7524
Heart of Stone by Madeline Archer
A Cup of Tea with Finola and Martin
Hello, my name is Rose Anderson and I am a romance novelist. As Rose, I write award-winning erotic romance. I also write children's and youth books, murder mysteries and high-concept fiction, as well as historical non-fiction. And that's where Madeline Archer steps in. As Madeline Archer, I write the other flavors of adult fiction, including the sweet romance featured here. Heart of Stone by Madeline Archer is my novelette in Entice Me: a 10-author romance anthology by the authors from Romance Books ‘4’ Us.
Experience tells me the literary characters created in my imagination evolve into people of substance. I walk into their world and they share with me all the details of their lives, details I never realized while writing them. I’m always surprised to discover these insights for they too have life’s baggage and skeletons in their closets. Things like this make us the people we are. Funny thing, I feel these emotions when they reveal them, as if those insights are actually a view inside my own soul. Hmm… I suppose they are. I wrote them!
I had such an encounter recently when I found myself 111 years in the past …
A Cup of Tea with Finola and Martin.
I was standing beside an ancient tree on the Harvard campus, absorbed in the magic of being transported 111 years back in time, when a lovely old woman came up to me. She had snow-white hair and expressive eyes, her appearance indefinably reminiscent of an Irish actor I’d seen. I recognized her instantly as Finola Maguire. I said hello.
She was all smiles and spoke with a faint Irish lilt when she said, “Ah, Rose, I’ve been waitin’ for ye to come to call. Come inside an’ I’ll put the kettle on for tea.”
She placed her hands on the ancient tree and I heard her indistinct whisper. Suddenly, a small glittering cottage appeared right before my eyes. I followed her inside and she asked me to sit. The house was cozy, no more than two or three rooms, as far as I could tell. She took off her coat and hung it on a hook by the door, then went to tend her teakettle. To my surprise, a brass button shot out of an old boot near the hearth to clatter across the floor.
Seeing it, Mrs. Maguire peered into the boot, and said, “Martin, stop sortin’ yer treasures. Look who’s come for a visit. It’s Rose herself!”
A second later, a packrat emerged. I greeted him and he chittered happily. I caught Mrs. Maguire’s eye hoping she’d translate. After all, she was a witch and he was her familiar spirit.
She said, “Martin says he’s so glad you’ve come and wonders if ye’d care to look at his collection. He’s very proud of it, ye know. Go on an’ take a look, dear. it’s sure to make ye smile. I’ll only be a minute with our tea.”
I said I’d be delighted and turned my attention to the packrat. The little sprite dipped in and out of his boot with a great many buttons, keys, and other things that he’d found lost on the ground. I told him, how impressed I was and could tell it pleased him by the happy ridges that appeared just above his eyes. He was about to show me the collection in the other full boot in the corner across the room, when we were called to tea.
Mrs. Maguire filled my cup first and then saw to her own. For Martin, she poured a splash of milk in a saucer, then buttered a corner of a biscuit for him. His tail pointed to the jam jar and she spread blackberry jam over his butter then handed it over. He took the piece in his deft little paws and launched right into it.
Apparently his not waiting for us was a lapse in manners in her opinion, for she tsked. Motioning to the plate of scrumptious-looking biscuits, she told me, “Oh do help yerself, dear. We don’t stand on ceremony, do we Martin?”
He looked at me and shook his head. His whiskers were purple with jam and crumbs stuck to his nose. I found him adorable.
I helped myself to the biscuits. They were delicious and tasted exactly like biscuits my grandmother used to make. But of course they would. We writers often use what we know when we write our scenes. I judiciously asked about her grandson. I pretty much knew the outcome of this story, but they didn’t just yet.
“Oh Rose,” she said, “for more than two hundred years I’ve searched high an’ low for others to help me with me daughter Abigayle’s charm. There are no other witch folk.”
She went on to say she recently spent two weeks traveling to Salem for the rents, then on to Boston for the banking, and then back home again. While she was in Boston, she placed inscrutable ads in the local newspapers, things only other witch folk would understand. Not a soul had yet replied. She dabbed her glistening eyes with her napkin, and said, “I’ve come to suspect the others of my kind were either all murdered during the witch hunts, or they abandoned the Auld ways to save themselves.”
Martin chittered and I suspected he wanted her to explain the Auld ways to me. This proved to be the case when she asked him the best way to distill this vast concept to a non-witch like myself. Whiskers dripping with milk, he chittered on and on. She listened and occasionally nodded. Finally, to me she said, “Ye know Martin is an ancient creature, Rose, far older than we. What he knows comes from long ago when people lived closer to nature. Back then, there were some with an affinity for the energies of all life. These were my people, Rose. The energies are auld, as old as time itself—a life force if ye will, an’ it exists in every livin’ thing. Folks with this affinity understand that life comes in two halves of the whole.”
Martin, now grooming himself after his meal, stopped and chittered once more.
“Oh that’s a good explanation, Martin.” To me, she said, “Ye don’t see a stag without seein’ a doe, nor a hen without a rooster. An’ ye don’t see a woman without seein’ a man. It’s the same for everythin’, Rose. Even the flowers an’ trees have both sides within them. My kind understands the glorious Mind who made it all, an’ we know the Mind walks among creation as both the god an’ goddess. An’ because we understand this, we are allowed to call upon the energies of nature for magic.”
I couldn’t help but ask why the witches of Salem couldn’t call upon these energies to help put an end to the persecutions.
“Oh bless ye, dear. If only we could have done so. There were so few of us to stand against the fear and intolerance, ye see. Long ago, when everyone followed the Auld ways, it would have been a small matter to turn an ill wish into good. It takes the belief of many to turn dark thoughts to light ones. But somethin’ happened nearly two thousand years ago, when a few people learned they could wield power by incitin’ fear in others. The fearful ones turned away from the Auld ways an’ in time they simply forgot.”
I couldn’t help but compare the intolerance of the past to events current in my own time. It was an ugly thing no matter when. I told them as much.
Martin chimed in. She nodded and relayed his words, “He says ye always must believe the world can be better, for that’s exactly how it becomes so. Ye must believe, dear. Believe and hope.”
I understood what they meant. Positive thinking often made the seemingly impossible possible. My thoughts turning to the nearly impossible situation her grandson was in, I asked about Neila.
“Oh, she’s a dear, sweet-natured lass. An’ so terribly shy. The poor dear gets all tongue-tied when it comes to talkin’ with people so she keeps to herself. I have her makin’ her sketches across the way in that empty building. She’s practicin’ her conversation while she works.”
How sly of her. I told her so.
Her cheeks pinkened. She smiled back at me and said, “Hope is a good thing, dear.”
Martin chittered. There was no need to translate. I understood.
Heart of Stone
The story opens with the notorious witch hunts in 17th Century Salem, Massachusetts.
As formal education for women lacks substance in her own country, Neila Flannigan leaves Ireland in 1904 to attend Radcliffe women’s college America. Shy and introverted, Neila passes her lonesome hours sketching the Harvard grounds and sending drawings home to her father. A chance encounter with a kindly old Irish woman inspires her to sketch a statue in an old, unused building. Desperately lonely, Neila ends up sharing her thoughts and feelings with a man carved in stone. Some days it feels like he listens.
©August 2015. Rose Anderson writing as Madeline Archer
Bio
Rose Anderson is a multi-published award-winning author and dilettante who loves great conversation and delights in interesting things to weave into stories. She’s known for crafting characters that stay with you long after the last page has turned. Rose also writes across genres under the pen name Madeline Archer. She lives with her family and small menagerie amid oak groves and prairie in the rolling glacial hills of the upper Midwest.
Website http://calliopeswritingtablet.com/
Amazon http://www.amazon.com/-/e/B004XDGWL6
Fun Facts:
1. I’m a World drummer with a collection of drums from all over the world that takes up a lot of space. Most of my closest friends are fellow drummers and we gather often to make music. We’ve considered making professional music CD’s but haven’t yet. We’re so in sync when we play, we often stop at the same time without being prompted. It’s a spooky thing that makes you look at one another wide-eyed and go wow.
2. I’ve paddled the wilderness several times and enjoy the thrill of canoeing through white water rapids. These are what I consider to be reasonable rapids, not the kind where you ride the inflatable raft, hang on for dear life and wear a helmet so you don’t die. Hmm…I think I’d like to try that.
3. I’ve walked on fire three times. I’ll bet you’re thinking once would be enough! It was transcendent. There’s something about stepping beyond instinctual fear. No, I didn’t get burned and yes, I could have cooked a steak on the coals.
4. I’m Master Level Reiki trained.
5. To combat a crushing shyness, I took a DJ job in college. I enjoy all sorts of music but music of the British Isles and Appalachia are my particular favorites. I really don’t care for rap, winey country, or improv jazz but will give everything a fair hearing. My itunes now has 8902 songs loaded on it. Unfortunately they won’t all fit on the ipod
6. I once had a pet rooster named Brutus who weighed 48 lbs. No kidding. Hindsight says I should have sent his stats to the Guinness Book people.
7. I’m a very fast reader & take great pains to slow down when I read aloud. It makes my husband nuts when I read my manuscripts to him. lol
8. I enjoy bowling and average a 160 game. I did bowl 200 once but only after the ball smashed my finger and I was in pain. Talk about focus.
9. I cry at weddings. Heck, I cry over commercials. I'm sensitive.
10. I really dislike shopping but love scrounging in junk shops and flea markets.
11. I read the entire 1985 World Book Encyclopedia (A to Z) on a whim. It took me about six years with all the updates.
12. I love games like Balderdash and Trivial Pursuit, but no one will play with me *sniff* I think it’s because I read the encyclopedia.
13. I’m an introvert but love great conversation
14. Costuming takes the edge off my shyness. I use to do historical reenactments and living history events spanning the years 1640 –1850. Because of surprise on a recent DNA test, I’m currently dabbling in the Viking world. lol After that, who knows? Steampunk here I come!
15. I’m a decent shot with a rifle and used to take part in black powder competitions at those same living history events.
16. I can do seven moves in Cat’s Cradle (my grandma taught me). I wish I could find someone who knows more moves to teach me.
17. I’ve collected a rainbow of 1930-40’s Hall Pottery ball-shaped water jugs and tea pots. The glazes of that time just call to me. I even have a pair of mildly radioactive salt and pepper shakers. Some of the glazes back then had some pretty potent issues.
18. I own a pair of Converse high-tops with flames on them. And I wear them too! One day they’ll look amazing with my red hat.
19. I’m a natural redhead with all that goes with it. I actually change color with the seasons and I always have. People comment on it every year. I’m told it’s very strange, but it’s just me.
20. I play Scrabble with a 9-letter tray but not for scores. I play for the perfect looking board (try it!)
21. I once owned a purple AMC Gremlin (back in the day) and shared one gas cap with every other Gremlin owner in Chicago. Let your imagination run with that!
Genre: Period Romance
Jack Howland, part of an elite group of special OSS agents can’t resist the pull of the moon or widowed USO hostess, Lulu Lane. Their paths cross again after the war but will the truth about what he is send her screaming into the night or back into his arms?
A lover of action-adventure movies and vintage clothing, Paris can be found most days bent over her keyboard, creating worlds where a wolf shifter saving the woman he loves from a Nazi war criminal, is all in a day’s work.
Author Media Links:
Website http://parisbrandon.com
Twitter http://twitter.com/#!/ParisBrandon
Facebook https://www.facebook.com/paris.brandon.author
Amazon http://www.amazon.com/Paris-Brandon/e/B00N3M7EEM/
Genre: Contemporary Romance
©August 2015. Rose Anderson writing as Madeline Archer
Known for crafting characters that stay with you long after the last page has turned, Rose Anderson is a multi-published award-winning author and dilettante who loves great conversation and delights in interesting things to weave into stories. Rose also writes across genres under the pen name Madeline Archer. No matter which pen name she uses, Rose chooses descriptive words as carefully as an artist might choose a color.
As a self-described “persnickety leisure reader”, Rose especially enjoys novels that feel like they were written just for her. “It's hard to explain, but if you have ever read a book that felt like you alone knew what the author was getting at, then you’ll know what I mean. I tend to sneak symbolism and metaphor into my writing. You might say it's a game I play with myself when I write. I just love when readers email to say they've found something.” These hidden insights are her gift to her readers. Rose hopes readers will feel her stories were written just for them, for that’s the truth.
She lives with her family and small menagerie amid oak groves and prairie in the rolling glacial hills of the upper Midwest.
Author Media Links:
Website http://calliopeswritingtablet.com/
Amazon Author’s Page http://www.amazon.com/-/e/B004XDGWL6
Twitter https://twitter.com/roseanderson_ (notice the _ at the end)Facebook https://www.facebook.com/rose.anderson.7524
Heart of Stone by Madeline Archer
A Cup of Tea with Finola and Martin
Hello, my name is Rose Anderson and I am a romance novelist. As Rose, I write award-winning erotic romance. I also write children's and youth books, murder mysteries and high-concept fiction, as well as historical non-fiction. And that's where Madeline Archer steps in. As Madeline Archer, I write the other flavors of adult fiction, including the sweet romance featured here. Heart of Stone by Madeline Archer is my novelette in Entice Me: a 10-author romance anthology by the authors from Romance Books ‘4’ Us.
Experience tells me the literary characters created in my imagination evolve into people of substance. I walk into their world and they share with me all the details of their lives, details I never realized while writing them. I’m always surprised to discover these insights for they too have life’s baggage and skeletons in their closets. Things like this make us the people we are. Funny thing, I feel these emotions when they reveal them, as if those insights are actually a view inside my own soul. Hmm… I suppose they are. I wrote them!
I had such an encounter recently when I found myself 111 years in the past …
A Cup of Tea with Finola and Martin.
I was standing beside an ancient tree on the Harvard campus, absorbed in the magic of being transported 111 years back in time, when a lovely old woman came up to me. She had snow-white hair and expressive eyes, her appearance indefinably reminiscent of an Irish actor I’d seen. I recognized her instantly as Finola Maguire. I said hello.
She was all smiles and spoke with a faint Irish lilt when she said, “Ah, Rose, I’ve been waitin’ for ye to come to call. Come inside an’ I’ll put the kettle on for tea.”
She placed her hands on the ancient tree and I heard her indistinct whisper. Suddenly, a small glittering cottage appeared right before my eyes. I followed her inside and she asked me to sit. The house was cozy, no more than two or three rooms, as far as I could tell. She took off her coat and hung it on a hook by the door, then went to tend her teakettle. To my surprise, a brass button shot out of an old boot near the hearth to clatter across the floor.
Seeing it, Mrs. Maguire peered into the boot, and said, “Martin, stop sortin’ yer treasures. Look who’s come for a visit. It’s Rose herself!”
A second later, a packrat emerged. I greeted him and he chittered happily. I caught Mrs. Maguire’s eye hoping she’d translate. After all, she was a witch and he was her familiar spirit.
She said, “Martin says he’s so glad you’ve come and wonders if ye’d care to look at his collection. He’s very proud of it, ye know. Go on an’ take a look, dear. it’s sure to make ye smile. I’ll only be a minute with our tea.”
I said I’d be delighted and turned my attention to the packrat. The little sprite dipped in and out of his boot with a great many buttons, keys, and other things that he’d found lost on the ground. I told him, how impressed I was and could tell it pleased him by the happy ridges that appeared just above his eyes. He was about to show me the collection in the other full boot in the corner across the room, when we were called to tea.
Mrs. Maguire filled my cup first and then saw to her own. For Martin, she poured a splash of milk in a saucer, then buttered a corner of a biscuit for him. His tail pointed to the jam jar and she spread blackberry jam over his butter then handed it over. He took the piece in his deft little paws and launched right into it.
Apparently his not waiting for us was a lapse in manners in her opinion, for she tsked. Motioning to the plate of scrumptious-looking biscuits, she told me, “Oh do help yerself, dear. We don’t stand on ceremony, do we Martin?”
He looked at me and shook his head. His whiskers were purple with jam and crumbs stuck to his nose. I found him adorable.
I helped myself to the biscuits. They were delicious and tasted exactly like biscuits my grandmother used to make. But of course they would. We writers often use what we know when we write our scenes. I judiciously asked about her grandson. I pretty much knew the outcome of this story, but they didn’t just yet.
“Oh Rose,” she said, “for more than two hundred years I’ve searched high an’ low for others to help me with me daughter Abigayle’s charm. There are no other witch folk.”
She went on to say she recently spent two weeks traveling to Salem for the rents, then on to Boston for the banking, and then back home again. While she was in Boston, she placed inscrutable ads in the local newspapers, things only other witch folk would understand. Not a soul had yet replied. She dabbed her glistening eyes with her napkin, and said, “I’ve come to suspect the others of my kind were either all murdered during the witch hunts, or they abandoned the Auld ways to save themselves.”
Martin chittered and I suspected he wanted her to explain the Auld ways to me. This proved to be the case when she asked him the best way to distill this vast concept to a non-witch like myself. Whiskers dripping with milk, he chittered on and on. She listened and occasionally nodded. Finally, to me she said, “Ye know Martin is an ancient creature, Rose, far older than we. What he knows comes from long ago when people lived closer to nature. Back then, there were some with an affinity for the energies of all life. These were my people, Rose. The energies are auld, as old as time itself—a life force if ye will, an’ it exists in every livin’ thing. Folks with this affinity understand that life comes in two halves of the whole.”
Martin, now grooming himself after his meal, stopped and chittered once more.
“Oh that’s a good explanation, Martin.” To me, she said, “Ye don’t see a stag without seein’ a doe, nor a hen without a rooster. An’ ye don’t see a woman without seein’ a man. It’s the same for everythin’, Rose. Even the flowers an’ trees have both sides within them. My kind understands the glorious Mind who made it all, an’ we know the Mind walks among creation as both the god an’ goddess. An’ because we understand this, we are allowed to call upon the energies of nature for magic.”
I couldn’t help but ask why the witches of Salem couldn’t call upon these energies to help put an end to the persecutions.
“Oh bless ye, dear. If only we could have done so. There were so few of us to stand against the fear and intolerance, ye see. Long ago, when everyone followed the Auld ways, it would have been a small matter to turn an ill wish into good. It takes the belief of many to turn dark thoughts to light ones. But somethin’ happened nearly two thousand years ago, when a few people learned they could wield power by incitin’ fear in others. The fearful ones turned away from the Auld ways an’ in time they simply forgot.”
I couldn’t help but compare the intolerance of the past to events current in my own time. It was an ugly thing no matter when. I told them as much.
Martin chimed in. She nodded and relayed his words, “He says ye always must believe the world can be better, for that’s exactly how it becomes so. Ye must believe, dear. Believe and hope.”
I understood what they meant. Positive thinking often made the seemingly impossible possible. My thoughts turning to the nearly impossible situation her grandson was in, I asked about Neila.
“Oh, she’s a dear, sweet-natured lass. An’ so terribly shy. The poor dear gets all tongue-tied when it comes to talkin’ with people so she keeps to herself. I have her makin’ her sketches across the way in that empty building. She’s practicin’ her conversation while she works.”
How sly of her. I told her so.
Her cheeks pinkened. She smiled back at me and said, “Hope is a good thing, dear.”
Martin chittered. There was no need to translate. I understood.
Heart of Stone
The story opens with the notorious witch hunts in 17th Century Salem, Massachusetts.
As formal education for women lacks substance in her own country, Neila Flannigan leaves Ireland in 1904 to attend Radcliffe women’s college America. Shy and introverted, Neila passes her lonesome hours sketching the Harvard grounds and sending drawings home to her father. A chance encounter with a kindly old Irish woman inspires her to sketch a statue in an old, unused building. Desperately lonely, Neila ends up sharing her thoughts and feelings with a man carved in stone. Some days it feels like he listens.
©August 2015. Rose Anderson writing as Madeline Archer
Bio
Rose Anderson is a multi-published award-winning author and dilettante who loves great conversation and delights in interesting things to weave into stories. She’s known for crafting characters that stay with you long after the last page has turned. Rose also writes across genres under the pen name Madeline Archer. She lives with her family and small menagerie amid oak groves and prairie in the rolling glacial hills of the upper Midwest.
Website http://calliopeswritingtablet.com/
Amazon http://www.amazon.com/-/e/B004XDGWL6
Fun Facts:
1. I’m a World drummer with a collection of drums from all over the world that takes up a lot of space. Most of my closest friends are fellow drummers and we gather often to make music. We’ve considered making professional music CD’s but haven’t yet. We’re so in sync when we play, we often stop at the same time without being prompted. It’s a spooky thing that makes you look at one another wide-eyed and go wow.
2. I’ve paddled the wilderness several times and enjoy the thrill of canoeing through white water rapids. These are what I consider to be reasonable rapids, not the kind where you ride the inflatable raft, hang on for dear life and wear a helmet so you don’t die. Hmm…I think I’d like to try that.
3. I’ve walked on fire three times. I’ll bet you’re thinking once would be enough! It was transcendent. There’s something about stepping beyond instinctual fear. No, I didn’t get burned and yes, I could have cooked a steak on the coals.
4. I’m Master Level Reiki trained.
5. To combat a crushing shyness, I took a DJ job in college. I enjoy all sorts of music but music of the British Isles and Appalachia are my particular favorites. I really don’t care for rap, winey country, or improv jazz but will give everything a fair hearing. My itunes now has 8902 songs loaded on it. Unfortunately they won’t all fit on the ipod
6. I once had a pet rooster named Brutus who weighed 48 lbs. No kidding. Hindsight says I should have sent his stats to the Guinness Book people.
7. I’m a very fast reader & take great pains to slow down when I read aloud. It makes my husband nuts when I read my manuscripts to him. lol
8. I enjoy bowling and average a 160 game. I did bowl 200 once but only after the ball smashed my finger and I was in pain. Talk about focus.
9. I cry at weddings. Heck, I cry over commercials. I'm sensitive.
10. I really dislike shopping but love scrounging in junk shops and flea markets.
11. I read the entire 1985 World Book Encyclopedia (A to Z) on a whim. It took me about six years with all the updates.
12. I love games like Balderdash and Trivial Pursuit, but no one will play with me *sniff* I think it’s because I read the encyclopedia.
13. I’m an introvert but love great conversation
14. Costuming takes the edge off my shyness. I use to do historical reenactments and living history events spanning the years 1640 –1850. Because of surprise on a recent DNA test, I’m currently dabbling in the Viking world. lol After that, who knows? Steampunk here I come!
15. I’m a decent shot with a rifle and used to take part in black powder competitions at those same living history events.
16. I can do seven moves in Cat’s Cradle (my grandma taught me). I wish I could find someone who knows more moves to teach me.
17. I’ve collected a rainbow of 1930-40’s Hall Pottery ball-shaped water jugs and tea pots. The glazes of that time just call to me. I even have a pair of mildly radioactive salt and pepper shakers. Some of the glazes back then had some pretty potent issues.
18. I own a pair of Converse high-tops with flames on them. And I wear them too! One day they’ll look amazing with my red hat.
19. I’m a natural redhead with all that goes with it. I actually change color with the seasons and I always have. People comment on it every year. I’m told it’s very strange, but it’s just me.
20. I play Scrabble with a 9-letter tray but not for scores. I play for the perfect looking board (try it!)
21. I once owned a purple AMC Gremlin (back in the day) and shared one gas cap with every other Gremlin owner in Chicago. Let your imagination run with that!
I’ll BE SEEING YOU by Paris Brandon
Genre: Period Romance
Jack Howland, part of an elite group of special OSS agents can’t resist the pull of the moon or widowed USO hostess, Lulu Lane. Their paths cross again after the war but will the truth about what he is send her screaming into the night or back into his arms?
A lover of action-adventure movies and vintage clothing, Paris can be found most days bent over her keyboard, creating worlds where a wolf shifter saving the woman he loves from a Nazi war criminal, is all in a day’s work.
Author Media Links:
Website http://parisbrandon.com
Twitter http://twitter.com/#!/ParisBrandon
Facebook https://www.facebook.com/paris.brandon.author
Amazon http://www.amazon.com/Paris-Brandon/e/B00N3M7EEM/
CAPRI NIGHTS by Cara Marsi
Genre: Contemporary Romance
A San Francisco sous chef discovers she might have bitten off more than she can chew when a yummy Italian man stirs up a recipe for romance on the delicious Isle of Capri.
Sous chef Cat Connors has spent a lifetime feeling like a stale cracker on a plate of fancy hors d'oeuvres among her stepfamily. But when she travels from San Francisco to the sunny Isle of Capri, she’s determined to finally shed her dowdy image and spice up her life. She has big plans for her future as a chef. Those plans don’t include a yummy Italian with a mouth-watering body and a smile that melts her insides like gelato under the hot Capri sun.
When Alex Viteli retreats to his villa on Capri to escape the notoriety and legal troubles brought on by his family, the last thing he needs is a beautiful, tempting dish of a woman. Alex may be the scion of a wealthy Italian family, but that won’t matter if he can’t cook up a scheme to clear his father’s name and keep himself out of prison.
Though they fit together like strawberries and chocolate, Cat and Alex may not have time for more than a quick bite of romance. Cat’s future is in San Francisco. Alex can’t leave Italy. But the sultry Capri nights might tempt them both to savor just one more sweet taste of love.
An award-winning and eclectic author, Cara Marsi is published in romantic suspense, paranormal romance, and contemporary romance. She loves a good love story, and believes that everyone deserves a second chance at love. Sexy, sweet, thrilling, or magical, Cara’s stories are first and foremost about the love. Treat yourself today, with a taste of romance.
When not traveling or dreaming of traveling, Cara and her husband live on the East Coast in a house ruled by two spoiled cats who compete for attention.
Author’s Note: Thank you for reading my story. I hope you enjoyed this romantic trip to the Isle of Capri. I’ve visited Capri twice, and it is indeed bewitching.
*Read about all Cara’s books and sign up for her newsletter at www.caramarsi.com. She’s on Facebook, Twitter, Goodreads, and Pinterest and is always interested in making new friends.*
Author Media Links:
http://www.carolynmatkowsky.com/
https://www.facebook.com/authorcaramarsi
http://www.amazon.com/Cara-Marsi/e/B002BMIB8S/
No comments:
Post a Comment