T-Shirt Contest ends Tonight at Midnight!

If you want to enter the Edge of the Cedars T-Shirt Contest, get your name in asap. The deadline is tonight at midnight. Only 13 people have entered so your odds of winning are better. The details are on a previous post. Here is the link

http://lindalaroqueauthor.blogspot.com/2013/08/contest-for-edge-of-cedars-t-shirt.html

There is nothing to buy. Just take a look at the descriptions of my books and answer one question.


Good luck!

Linda

Birdie's Nest is now in Paperback!

If you've been waiting for a paper copy of Birdie's Nest, it is now available at CreateSpace. At a later date, it will be available at Barnes and Noble, Amazon and other book sellers.

https://www.createspace.com/4443916

I hope you'll order your copy soon.

Thanks and Happy Reading and Writing!

Linda

CONTEST DEADLINE—Edge of the Cedars T-shirt Contest

The Edge of the Cedars T-shirt contest ends October 1st. First prize is this beautiful (new) T-shirt. It is marked XL but fits like a L.

First place wins the T-shirt and an ebook of their choice.

Second place wins an ebook of their choice.

I don't have a lot of entries, so get yours in asap!

For details on how to enter, scroll down to a previous post.
http://lindalaroqueauthor.blogspot.com/2013/08/contest-for-edge-of-cedars-t-shirt.html

Thanks for stopping by,

Linda
www.lindalaroque.com

Shared Whispers - Anthology of Romance Stories

15 stories of love, romance, mystery and

adventure in the world of yesterday and today. The

collection will touch your heart and mind with

possibilities you've yet to imagine in the quest for

the one meant to travel beside you here, now, and

beyond.

Blurb:

Welcome to a collection of short stories created by sixteen published authors. We are an eclectic group of award-winning writers from across the globe who create novels in such diverse genres as romance, suspense, mystery, thrillers, paranormal, fantasy, and science fiction, to mention a few. What’s the common theme to the collection you’re about to read? Each story reflects the allure and importance of amore in our lives. That’s right, even the shorts from male authors have romance at their core.

Why the title, Shared Whispers? Every writer has a unique voice in which they reflect the fictional world carried in their mind’s eye. It can be the flow of their words or the rhythm or pulse to their scenes. The elegance of some voices pull you into the story, envelop you with their characters and offer momentary release from the drudgery and the complexity of modern life. In essence, these stories reveal the thoughts, the murmurs, the whispers shared with the Muse, our individual guide that holds our hand from the first to the last word. At the end of each creation, the author offers the Story Behind the Story, the seed from which the idea evolved.

Table of Contents

                                 ~ Contemporary Romance ~

- Beyond Forever by M. W. Davis - Two ill-fated lovers from the past show a modern day couple the real meaning of love.

- Special Delivery by Linda Rettstatt - During a blizzard, a road sign promised sanctuary from the storm until a woman running from her past learns the doctor is a veterinarian.

- The Setup by Victoria Roder - Blowing off a blind date might mean avoiding an unpleasant evening with a stranger—or being saved by one.

- Life at Full Speed by Ute Carbone - Sparks fly when a prosecutor and a man she almost sent to prison meet under unusual circumstances—a  speed dating event.

- Frozen Section by Jane Toombs - An acknowledgement of a past loss does more than thaw a woman’s heart. It opens the path to an unplanned future—and a family she never expected to have.

- After the Tears by Angelica Hart and Zi - Grief darkened the future, until love took a hand.

~ Historical Romance/Western ~

- Colours by Chris Fenge - Historical romance. In this tale, one woman seeks to escape the grey coloring her world and return to the bright colors of yesteryear and her true love.

-Wailing Down the Wall by Julie Eberhart Painter - A Chinese legend comes to life amidst the creation of one of the world’s greatest architectural marvels.

- Journey Home by Linda LaRoque - Historical western. Life is hard and dangerous on the Texas plain for a couple separated by time, distance, and duty. Love brings them together—forever.

~ Fantasy/Science Fiction with a romantic core ~

- Solitude by Ronald Hore - All Keith Sommerville wanted was a little time alone aboard his sailboat. What he found was a future beyond belief.

- Cymru Am Byth (Wales Forever) by Jude Johnson - The freedom of Wales came at a price—love. Centuries later, fate intervened

- Heart of a Rebel by Dani Collins - Plans can be undermined when love and destiny take charge.

- Heaven by Elizabeth Fountain - Angels are not always found in heaven.

- Nimue’s Daughter by Rita Bay - The past and the future collide when the Merlin of King Arthur’s court seeks his true love in a world on the precipice.

- Gods and Zombies by January Bain - Do humans dance at the whim of the gods or do we write our own destiny?

I hope you'll pick up a copy.

Happy Reading and Writing!

Linda

Desires of the Heart is on Sale for $0.99

My time travel novella, Desires of the Heart, is on sale for $0.99 at both Amazon and Barnes and Noble through September 18th—my birthday. I hope you'll get a  copy and leave me a review.

http://amzn.to/11EmPfG   and http://bit.ly/15znxar

Blurb:

Loren Fairchild longs for children, but is barren. At a cottage in Carlisle, UK, she puts her divorce behind her and begins a new life. In 1947 the former owner’s wife disappeared. That same week, according to local gossip, her husband took up with a dark-headed harlot. One morning in 2007, a simple-minded woman appears at Loren’s cottage and triggers events that change Loren’s life forever.

Miles Chapeau misses the wife, the mother of his two children, he’d known before the war. When he returned from WWII in 1945, he learned she’d been hurt in an air raid and has the mind of a child. He loves her and would never forsake his duty, but misses the intimate side of marriage and a woman to share his life. One day she disappears and his existence is turned upside down.

Also, there is still time to enter Edge of the Cedars tee-shirt contest. See details at Contest for a Edge of the Cedars T-shirt/

Thanks for stopping by.

Happy Reading and Writing.

Linda

Book Reviews—The Good, Bad and the Ugly

As are all authors, or I should say most, I'm always anxious to have reviews roll in from some of the professional review sites, and I'm also pleased when I get one from a reader on Amazon, Barnes and Noble or other book seller's store. A Four or a Five Star review and I'm elated. Anything below that and I am bummed. Recently I asked myself—is my thinking skewed?

 

Well, yes, I think it is. First off, everyone has different opinions and each person comes away with something different from what they read. Some focus on plot, others on characters. A few make note of every editing error, but most people read for pure enjoyment. With that said, I shouldn't expect all reviews to be 4's and 5's. It's a good thing too, because I have gotten 3's and a couple of 2's. I must admit though the 2 hurt like the devil, but I got over the slap to my ego. As writers we must suck it up and go on. Take what we can from the review and go from there. After all, the review may have some legitimate criticism. Contrary to our belief, we are not perfect.

On another note, how about posting reviews. Do you believe in giving your friends a 5 just because they're you're friend? I don't. If I can't give them at least a 3 or 4, I don't leave a review. Tell them in a kind and constructive manner why you ranked them as you did. 

And I certainly don't want people giving me a 5 star review based on friendship. Give me what you think the story deserves and tell me why—in a nice way.

There are certain aspects of a story that are important to each of us. Please don't introduce a character to me and then forget about him/or her. I need to know what happened to them. Now when I say introduce, I mean you've given me a description in a setting with their name and connected them in some way to the plot. The same with plot elements. If you've made me think the killer is a mountain lion because the hero saw one feasting on a body on the side of the road. Make sure I know why it wasn't the murderer. For example, autopsy results show the person's throat was cut with a knife, not with an animal's sharp teeth.

Regardless of what we think, no author deserves to be slammed, mocked or embarrassed by a book review. Professionals do not denegrate and attack their fellow associates. If you can't say something nice, don't say anything at all.

These are just a few of my pet peeves and I know some of you—readers and writers— have your own. Please share them with us so we can all learn through your experience.

Linda

www.lindalaroque.com