Variety Excerpt: "Dark Days of Promise" by Shaunna Gonzales

I am SO excited about today's Variety Excerpt from Shaunna. I got to help Shaunna as a beta-reader for "Dark Days of Promise" way back, so it's so exciting for me to see the fruits of Shaunna's labors be successful. "Dark Days of Promise" will be released on September 21, 2012 by Desert Breeze Publishing, but because Shaunna's such a good writing friend of mine, we get a sneak peak to whet your appetite!

Variety Excerpt: From "Small Deceptions" by H. Linn Murphy

Francesca Kennington merely wants to be left to her studies, despite her mother's best efforts to saddle her with a rich husband. Then she meets a mysterious gentleman, who leads her on a romp through the ballrooms and countryside of Georgian England. Their romance blossoms but secrets cause Francesca's house of cards to tumble. She must find a way to put her life back together, while still following her heart.

Excerpt: 

Chapter 1—Mr. Hedge

Larks trilled in the hedges, filling the warm breezes with song. It was a languid, cerulean afternoon, dotted only with a very few shreds of cloud. A russet-headed and bespectacled young lady strode rapidly down the lane, muttering to herself and occasionally swiping at the weeds at the side of the road with a stick she had found. One could almost say she stomped pettishly, punctuating her angry diatribe with swipes of her stick.

Variety Excerpt: From "To Finish The Dance" by Serena Casey

Serena Casey grew up in the wild and beautiful Upper Peninsula of Michigan, the setting for "To Finish The Dance" as well as the novel she's writing now. She and her husband and their two lazy, non-mousing cats live just a bike ride from the shore of Lake Superior. She's been writing since she was old enough to put stubby pencil to lined paper but has only pursued it in a serious fashion for the last five years.


The following excerpt is from her novel "To Finish the Dance."


COMMENTARY

I wrote most of "To Finish the Dance" during two weeks in 2006 while recuperating from a health crisis. It had always been difficult to find good romances that weren't explicit but focused instead on the love story itself, so I decided it was time to write one!

It was an incredible experience. I did most of my writing between 10 p.m. and 4 a.m. each night. It simply gushed out of me like a geyser, and I felt like I was just there to take dictation. I'm still not sure I'm the one who wrote it! :)

The story takes place in Michigan's Upper Peninsula, a very rural and secluded area that's sometimes a few years behind the rest of the world. I have lived there all my life and always felt it would be a wonderful setting for a love story. Especially since it's where I married my own high school sweetheart and we're still going strong over 26 years later.

The main characters in the novel, Joe and Lucy, were childhood best friends and high school sweethearts, but they have not seen each other for over twenty years. This excerpt takes place immediately after they go to lunch to catch up on each other's lives. I hope you enjoy it!

Serena Casey

Variety Excerpt: "In God Is Our Trust" Volume 5 of Laurie LC Lewis' "Free Men and Dreamers"

Hi Ranee, and Ranee’s followers! Thanks for inviting me to guest blog about my FREE MEN and DREAMERS books.

I’m from Maryland, but about 14 years ago, I fell in love with historic Williamsburg. There is a sacred spirit there, one felt also in other places that welcomed the great patriots—Washington, Jefferson, Adams, Madison, Franklin, Key, and others—cities like Philadelphia, Washington, and Georgetown; and places like Fort McHenry, Hampton, Craney Island, Fort Monroe, and dozens more.

Excerpt from "Master of Emotion" by D. Ogden Huff

Beau’s getting loads of attention lately. Whether he wants it or not. Even if it’s his worst nightmare.

Announcing the release of Master of Emotion, a YA paranormal romance by D. Ogden Huff.

When a reclusive teen with the enhanced ability to read others’ emotions finds more teens with similar powers, he must confront his fears before a budding romance and his twin brother’s life fall into the hands of the devious doctor who created them all.

Variety Excerpt: "Falling in October" by Gina Gates

The first Variety Excerpt is truly more unique than anything I've ever come across--part-memoir, part self-help. As well as a million other things. Please welcome Gina Gates ...

When I was asked to post an excerpt from “Falling in October,” it was a challenge to choose just one passage to represent the spectrum of the entire book. The elements are diverse and fascinating. It’s a memoir, except it’s mostly about a time to come. It's about real life, but sweetly steeped in fantasy. It's quite romantic, yet it's not a romance. And it’s just as much a spiritual work as a fairy tale.