Spotlight: Sugar by Lydia Michaels

Genre: Contemporary Romance 

Release Date: September 28th 

Avery Johansson is borrowing against her youth and beauty to afford a better future by working as a sugar baby. Men think she’s everything they desire, soft, delicate, and able to stroke their fragile egos with a mere sweep of her lashes. The more they pay, the sweeter she becomes. If only they knew the woman behind the façade. Oh, she could bring them to their knees, make them beg, and unburden their minds to a point of ecstasy. The true Avery doesn’t care for roses. She prefers the thorns. Because behind her beautiful exterior, she’s more leather than lace, and beneath the sugar there’s nothing but spice. The only thing missing is a strong and submissive man to make everything nice.

Noah Wolfe is used to getting exactly what he wants when he wants, and as he sets his sights on Avery Johansson, nothing will stop him short of having her. He’s determined to bury himself in her mind and body, and plans to unravel every dark secret she hides. 

As two dominant hearts collide in an explosion of sin and secrets, boundaries come tumbling down. But their future lies in someone’s surrender, a sacrifice neither is prepared to make—and everything their happiness depends on.

Pre-Order Your Copy Today:  Amazon

About Lydia Michaels

Lydia Michaels is the author of over thirty-five novels and the consecutive winner of the 2018 & 2019 Author of the Year Award from Happenings Media, as well as the recipient of the 2014 Best Author Award from the Courier Times. She has been featured in USA Today, Romantic Times Magazine, Love & Lace, and more. As the host and founder of the East Coast Author Convention, the Behind the Keys Author Retreat, and Read Between the Wines, she continues to celebrate her growing love for readers and romance novels around the world.

Lydia is happily married to her childhood sweetheart. Some of her favorite things include the scent of paperback books, listening to her husband play piano, escaping to her coastal home at the Jersey Shore, cheap wine, 80’s pop culture, coffee, and kilts. She hopes to meet you soon at one of her many upcoming events. You can follow Lydia at www.Facebook.com/LydiaMichaels

Connect with Lydia:  Facebook | Reader Group | Instagram | Twitter | BookBub | Website | Newsletter

Spotlight: Changed by Vicki Stiefel

(The Made Ones Saga, #2)
Publication date: August 13th 2020
Genres: Adult, Fantasy, Romance

What if you could be young again? Would it be a dream come true or truly a nightmare?

That’s the startling reality retired circus trapeze artist Breena Balážová awakens to on the world of Eleutia in her own re-engineered younger body. For a woman whose death on Earth was inches away, it seems like a second chance at life. But in this parallel world, where horses fly and animals and humans are symbionts, Bree is intended as breeding stock to balance the plummeting female birthrate.

As she searches for her missing sisters, who were pulled to Eleutia with her, Bree also must survive assassination attempts, the growing threat of war, and her unexpected attraction to the arrogant animal Clan Alpha, Gato, a man with terrible burdens and secrets.

The animal Clans join forces to combat a dark conspiracy that will shake the foundations of their world, even as Bree’s search for her sisters grows more desperate and dangerous.

If Bree has any hope of finding her sisters and fulfilling her own destiny, she and Gato must carry out a perilous deception, their success or failure deciding not only their own fate, but that of all Eleutia.

Excerpt

Breena meets Mother Tree. Mother is the origin of all trees on Eleutia, where trees are near sentient. Mother is fully sentient, and she knows things and makes things happen. She speaks to few humans and has chosen to speak with Bree.

****

Another step forward and Bree reached the wall of trees, a gentle mist brushing her face. She pressed a palm to a sentinel, but snapped it away from the tree’s burning heat. Now what? 

Creaks and groans sounded. 

“Holy moly.” 

The two closest trees bowed their trunks, opening a hole big enough for her to pass through. She guessed she was to climb inside the opening, so that’s what she did. And gaped.

A canopy of mist shrouded the circle of trees, yet a ray of light shone down onto the small grassy rise in the center where a single diminutive tree grew. It was the strangest, most beautiful thing Bree had ever seen. 

Blue frilly blossoms cascaded like a willow’s, obscuring bark and branches, to trail across the earth like a woman’s hair. 

Come.

It was both whisper and shout, a crone’s voice and a newborn’s, solemn and gay as a child’s. 

She walked across the lush grass, whispers and laughter echoing in her head, and as she neared the tree, the blossoms sharpened into blue stars with gold centers, the scents of rose, lilac, and gardenia perfuming the air. 

The tree was not far above her head, and she wondered if she should duck beneath the branches. A breeze at her back urged her onward, and she parted the blossoms and stepped forward. 

Oh my stars alive. 

Light filtered through the translucent blossoms, and before her lay a carpet of flowers—white lily-of-the-valley, blue roses, green jack-in-the pulpit, and yellow lady slippers. They surrounded the trunk, its silver bark inlaid with small gems—emerald and diamond, sapphire and ruby.

Shooting stars. The surrounding trees were sentinels, for she was in the presence of Mother, the genesis of all trees on Eleutia.

Touch.

The word echoed inside her, and Bree laid her palms and cheek against the trunk. Soothing, like standing within a cool mountain stream.

She is here. She will come. Be at ease.

Words, yet not. More like the sigh of the wind. Yet she understood. “Who will come?”

We did this. We brought you here.

“Here, you mean, to you?”

Blossoms fluttered and murmurs rose. We whispered to the owls, who told the falcons, who spoke with Falcon to choose you three. Falcon showed you to the Evil Ones, so they would bring you.

She is here. She will come. Be at ease. Go.

“Who is She?”

But Mother said no more.

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About the Author

Vicki’s fantasy romantic suspense series, The Afterworld Chronicles, launched with Chest of Bone, followed by Chest of Stone and Chest of Time. She is currently pounding the keys on her series’ fourth novel, Chest of Fire, and the first in a new series, The Made Ones Sags: Altered.

Her mystery/thrillers include Body Parts, The Dead Stone, The Bone Man, and The Grief Shop, a Daphne du Maurier prize winner. All feature homicide counselor Tally Whyte. All are available as ebooks.

She co-wrote (with Lisa Souza) and photographed the 10 Secrets of the LaidBack Knitters. With her late husband, William G. Tapply, she ran The Writers Studio workshops in creative fiction. 

Vicki taught fiction writing and modern media writing at Clark University.

She loves both a well-crafted sentence and unlocking the doors of a student’s imagination.

She grew up in professional theater and planned to become an actress, with a bent for song and dance. She didn’t. Instead, she’s been a professional photographer, a high-school teacher, a hamburger slinger, a scuba-shop manager, and an editor. 

She’s Blake’s and Ben’s mom, her favorite role of all. 

Her passions include scuba diving and fly fishing and knitting; photography and movies; vinho verde and bourbon (not together!); Maine lobster and chocolate (also not together!); and musical comedy scores, which she sing in the shower, unfortunately not an Equity venue; and a fascination with people in all walks of life. 

Connect:

http://www.vickistiefel.com/

https://www.facebook.com/vickistiefelauthor/

https://twitter.com/VickiStiefel

https://www.instagram.com/vickistiefel/

https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/37179.Vicki_Stiefel

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Spotlight: Designs on Forever by Susan Carlisle

Contemporary Romance

Published: September 2020

As a model, Mallory Andrews’ good looks had worked for her for years, but now she’s determined to prove she’s a talented historical interior designer. To do that she must remain unwavering in her focus regarding her current project, the restoration of a historical English manor house turned hotel. The problem is, she keeps getting sidetracked by the handsome and charming grandson of the owner.

Renowned hotel magnate and business consultant, Evan Townsend is retained by the board of his estranged grandmother’s company to make recommendations regarding the failing hotel that could put his grandmother into bankruptcy. His first chore is to terminate the work Mallory is doing. She launches a campaign to prove the changes she has made and others she has planned will benefit his grandmother’s financial bottom line. Evan’s mounting attraction to the beautiful and clever Mallory has him reconsidering his stance on her present work, yet he remains resistant to her requests not to sell the hotel so her work can continue. If only he could be as unaffected by her kisses.

Both fear the other is using the sexual magnetism between them to get what they want. Can Mallory and Evan design a way to break through the walls of half-truths and what-ifs to build a lifetime of love?

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About the Author

Susan Carlisle’s love affair with books began when she made a bad grade in math in the sixth grade. Not allowed to watch TV until she brought the grade up, Susan filled her time with books. She turned her love of reading into a love of writing romance. Susan has currently authored more than thirty books for the HarperCollins Harlequin medical imprint. Her Modern Masters of Their Castles trilogy is under her own imprint. Her heroes are strong, vibrant man and the women that challenge them.

In her past life Susan has been a full time mother to four children, a high school substitute teacher and now when she isn’t writing she is busy being a fun grandmother. She lives near Atlanta, Georgia, with her husband of over thirty-five years. Susan loves castles, traveling, sewing and reads voraciously. Visit her at www.SusanCarlisle.com

Connect:

Website: http://www.SusanCarlisle.com

Twitter: http://twiter.com/SusanCarlisle1

Facebook: http://Facebook.com/SusanCarlisle

Instagram: http://Instagram.com/SusanCarlisle

Spotlight: Life in Increments by Andy Hueller

Meet Philihp. He’s in middle school, and he’s in love with Auburn Brown. He doesn’t know how to talk to anyone about it, not even his cousin Graham, with whom he shares movie quotes and other obsessions. But no matter. Philip comes to know, as certainly as anyone can know anything, that destiny, fate, cosmic powers, the universe--they’ll bring him and Auburn together in the end. All he has to do is pay attention to life’s patterns, to live his life in manageable, predictable, proper increments, and the world will reward him.

Meet Auburn. She’s a talented soccer player, a loving sister and daughter. She has very little idea Philihp exists. She’s busy adjusting to a new school, worrying about her brother, and trying to figure out who she’s supposed to be when everything she ever knew feels uncertain.

This is a love story. A true love story, in the ways that truth and love matter most. There are loving families here. Loving friends. Philihp and Auburn live in the same great big scary beautiful world you do. A world that may or may not be predictable or fair but is full of love if you look and listen for it. When all is said and done, this just might be a story about romantic love, too. You’ll have to read to find out.

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About the Author

Andy Hueller is the author of Dizzy Fantastic and Her Flying Bicycle, Skipping Stones at the Center of the Earth, How I Got Rich Writing C Papers, and other books for children and young adults. He lives and teaches in Minnesota’s Twin Cities. He happens to be impossibly lucky. The universe has gifted to him an outrageously wonderful family, its best job (teaching middle-school English), and, through his books, opportunities to tell stories even to people he’s never met. You can learn more about Andy at andrewhueller.com.

Connect:

Website: http://www.andrewhueller.com

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/andrewhueller/

Spotlight: Unlocking: A Memoir of Family and Art by Nancy L. Pressly

Paperback: 224 pages

Publisher: She Writes Press; Illustrated Edition (May 5, 2020)

While recovering from a near fatal illness, Nancy Pressly discovers a treasure trove of family material stored in her attic. Haunted by images of her grandparents and her parents in their youth, she sets out to create a family narrative before it is lost forever. It takes several more years before she summons the courage to reconstitute a path back to her own past, slowly pulling back the veil of amnesia that has, until now, all but obliterated her memory of her childhood.

In this sensitive and forgiving meditation on the meaning of family, Pressly unravels family dynamics and life in a small rural town in the 1950s that so profoundly affected her, then moves forward in time, through to her adulthood. With an eye attuned to visual detail, she relates how she came into her own as a graduate student in the tumultuous sixties in New York; examines how she assumed the role of caretaker for her family as she negotiated with courage and resilience the many health setbacks, including her own battle with pancreatic cancer, that she and her husband encountered; and evokes her interior struggle as a mother as she slowly traverses the barriers of expectations, self-doubt, and evolving norms in the 1980s to embrace a remarkable life as a scholar, champion of contemporary art, and nationally recognized art museum strategic planning consultant. Full of candor and art-inspired insight, Unlocking leaves the reader with a deep appreciation of the power of art and empathy and the value of trying to understand one’s life journey.

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About the Author

Atlanta Portrait Photography

Nancy L. Pressly, a graduate of Goucher College, received her master’s degree in Art History from Columbia University. She began her career at the Metropolitan Museum of Art and subsequently held curatorial positions at the Yale Center for British Art and the San Antonio Museum of Art, where she organized several important exhibitions, most notably the acclaimed Fuseli Circle in Rome: Early Romantic Art of the 1770s.

In 1984 she became Assistant Director of the Museum Program at the National Endowment for the Arts; was a visiting Senior Fellow at the Center for Advanced Studies in the Visual Arts during the fall of 1992; and in 1993 founded Nancy L. Pressly & Associates, a nationally recognized consulting firm specializing in strategic planning for art museums. She has authored numerous publications, most recently a book titled Settling the South Carolina Backcountry (2016.)

She and her husband, also an art historian, live in Atlanta, Georgia, close to their son and two grandchildren.  They have lived in England, traveled extensively throughout Europe, and most recently toured Morocco, Ireland, and the Baltic. In addition to writing, Nancy is an avid cook, passionate gardener, and an enthusiastic potter.

Find out more about Nancy at her website, and connect with her on Facebook.

Spotlight: Temple of Eternity by R. Scott Boyer

YA Fantasy

Release Date: September 24, 2020

Publisher: Main Street Publishing

Deep in the rain forests of Guatemala, an ancient Mayan temple holds a mythical secret. The legendary Fountain of Youth lies within, but not all myths are fairy tales. The temple ruins have been seized by the Core, a sinister cult determined to unlock the mysteries of immortality.

When their captured friends are spotted near the temple, Bobby and his cousin Jinx must journey into the dark heart of the jungle to save them. Harnessing their extraordinary abilities, the boys will undertake an epic quest to fulfill a centuries-old prophecy.

Cut off from their allies, Bobby and Jinx combat supernatural barriers, raging rivers, and deadly beasts. They’ll face savage natives, vengeful ghosts, and ruthless mercenaries who can conjure a person's darkest fears.

Past and present will collide, with the power of eternity on the line. Can Bobby fulfill the prophecy and lay the temple’s spirits to rest?

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About the Author

Scott Boyer grew up in Santa Monica, CA and graduated from the Haas School of Business at UC Berkeley in 1996. In 2008, he became fascinated with the idea of blending young adult fantasy with new-age/spiritual fiction and spent the next six years crafting his first novel, Bobby Ether and the Academy, which won critical acclaim for blending Eastern spiritual philosophies with a fun, fast-paced adventure style.

Connect:

Website: https://www.rscottboyer.com/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/RScottBoyer

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/BobbyEtherSeries/

YouTube: https://youtu.be/Y_qZrVxHqnw

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/rscottboyer/