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Going Back to New Orleans by Pauline Baird Jones – Guest Post

27 Tuesday Nov 2018

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As a tourist, I have spent some time in New Orleans.  Not nearly enough time.  I hope to go back someday.  In the meantime, I’ve asked Pauline Baird Jones to tell us about her time in New Orleans.  If you follow this blog, you may know that she is one of my favorite authors, so I am very happy to welcome Pauline Baird Jones!

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Going Back to New Orleans
by Pauline Baird Jones

I’d like to thank Riley for inviting me here to talk about my love affair with New Orleans, a city we lived in for eighteen years.

The hubs and I arrived in New Orleans in what I would call a state of disarray. The hubs had just had a hip replaced, and I’d just had a baby. Our first “meal,” in the city famous for its food, was at the Taco Bell.

Yes, it is embarrassing.

As a gal raised in Wyoming, I don’t think I exaggerate when I say that where I came from and where I found myself were polar opposites (particularly in the winter lol). I was so struck by the opposite-ness, that for a while, I wrote a column for my hometown paper called Letters Home.

Things I struggled with in New Orleans:

1. Bugs and critters – there were a lot of both in a lot of varieties, but the two worst for me were the water bugs (basically, these were big, FLYING cockroaches) and the stinging caterpillars that infested the trees in the spring. I love trees so much, it was a shock the first time one of those things dropped on my head. Once they’ve made contact, they curl into a circle of stinging ouch.

2. Heat, humidity, and oh yes, hurricanes. Need I say more? And yet, there is more. Once Christmas, when we were supposed to fly home, they shut down the WHOLE city because it might snow. I wish I was kidding about this. lol

3. Navigating a city that has parallel streets that cross each other. Oh yes, you read that right. Having the Mississippi River bend around the city the way it does causes some…peculiarities in the traffic flow. An example would be: driving due EAST over the bridge to get to the WEST bank. (I once had this entirely real, not exaggerated phone call with my hubs: Me: I found the Children’s Museum. Hubs: Really? How? Me: I got off at the wrong exit from the bridge, realized it and took a right, then went straight for two blocks and there it was. Hubs: It scares me that I understood that.)

Things I still miss about living in New Orleans:

1. Bread pudding and pastries. I used to navigate my way by where the best of these were. Lol

2. New Orleans. Yes, the whole Big Easy of amazing architecture, flowers, trees, music, food, street cars, Mardi Gras, and the people. It was the lovely, warm-hearted, joyous people of the city that care forgot that helped us adapt to life in what an almost foreign assignment for someone from Wyoming.

I loved being called “baby” by the gal selling me pralines. I loved sitting overlooking the river and watching the river traffic while behind me jazz or zydeco or rock or country music played in the background.

I can close my eyes and feel the silken stroke of cool, but humid air against my skin. I can smell the intense mix of spice scents from walking through the French Quarter. And I will never forget the taste of pastries and bread puddings that sometimes haunt my dreams. I might be a touch obsessive about my desserts. Lol

So many famous people passed through, or lived and worked and wrote in New Orleans. I will always believe it was the intense creative environment of this fantastic city that launched my writing career. I wrote my first book there, and when life took us away, and it was a joy to “go back” there with my Big Uneasy series.

The series is about the Baker family, patriarch Zach, and his Baker’s dozen, who have “protect and serve” imprinted on their genes. In the latest installment, EMT Laura Baker’s act of kindness to a hit and run victim puts her heart and her life at risk.

Available at Amazon, Apple Books, Kobo, Barnes & Noble and GooglePlay December 1, 2018!

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Links

Add Worry Beads to your Goodreads shelf:

Pre-order Worry Beads (releases 12/1/18):

Amazon          Apple          Nook

Kobo          GooglePlay

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About the Author

USA Today Bestselling author Pauline Baird Jones never liked reality, so she writes books. She likes to wander among the genres, rampaging like Godzilla, because she does love peril mixed in her romance. Loves chocolate, bacon, flamingoes, and mid-century modern anything.

Find Pauline here:

 

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Giveaway

Don’t forget the ongoing Holiday Treat Giveaway for the audiobook of The Mystery Woman by Amanda Quick, or the print books of Tiffany Roberts’ Dustwalker and Bec McMaster’s Nobody’s Hero.  If you haven’t entered yet, you might be interested to know that commenting on today’s post helps qualify you for an entry – see the giveaway post for all the details.  Or go straight to the giveaway….

Click Here:  a Rafflecopter giveaway

 

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Zoraida Grey and the Spirits by Sorchia DuBois, Author of Zoraida Grey and the Voodoo Queen – Guest Post with Excerpt and Giveaway

01 Wednesday Aug 2018

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Last year, I read this really great book that ended with a cliffhanger.  You know how I am about cliffhangers.  Often a star is deducted from my rating because I am so frustrated that story is not finished.  In this case Zoraida Grey and the Family Stones had only 1/2 star deducted for my first and only 4 1/2 star rating.  I have been patiently waiting.  Wait, that is a lie.  I have been chomping at the bit.  Wait, that may be an exaggeration.  At any rate, I am relieved the story can now continue in Zoraida Grey and the Voodoo Queen by Sorchia Dubois.

Ms. DuBois is here to today to talk spirits.  You know, spirits, like whiskey, which has a significant role in her books. Turns out, we not only share an appreciation for whiskey, but there is a reason for it.  Read on to find out why.  And then come back tomorrow for my review of Zoraida Grey and the Voodoo Queen.

Guest Post

Zoraida Grey and the Spirits
by Sorchia DuBois

To celebrate the release of the second book in the Zoraida Grey series, I’m blogging all around about signs of the zodiac and the characters in the story. The series is about a small town fortune teller and how she wreaks havoc in a haunted Scottish castle. Book 2, Zoraida Grey and the Voodoo Queen, takes the characters on the road as Zoraida and company track down a wayward relative who may have the keys to Castle Logan. Be sure to stop by my Witchmageddon page to enter my giveaway for a natural stone birthstone pendant and to see the rest of the book launch festivities.

Now, it’s no secret that Zoraida (and I) like a wee nip of Scotch. Since Laphroaig is my preference, most of my characters tend to lean toward the smoky side as well. But not everyone. Here are the signs of the Zodiac and their drink preferences Plus a few notes on Characters from Zoraida Grey and the Voodoo Queen as well as characters in my very own clan.

Aries—Adventurous and dynamic. Try a little vodka or a mixed drink like Sex on the Beach (vodka, peach liqueur, orange juice, cranberry juice.) My mom was an Aries and she did enjoy gin fizzes. I think she would have loved a vodka and lime as well.

Taurus—Beer. Stable and practical, these people enjoy earthly pleasures and hard, productive work! Jock, a mysterious member of Zoraida’s family, is a definite Taurus though his birth date is lost in the distant past. He loves mead better than life, but in dire circumstances, he isn’t picky. He’s a craftsman and a family man at heart—though you can’t tell by looking.

Gemini—Tequila. Party animals all the way, Gemini will chug marguerites or whisky sours with sugar on the rim to show their dual nature. Both the hero and the villain of the Zoraida Grey series are Geminis. They do like their whisky but one of them prefers brandy and the other swigs Laphroaig straight from the bottle.

Cancer—Zoraida Grey is a Cancer. Just because Cancer is a watery sign doesn’t mean she can’t handle the strong stuff. Since I’m the author, Zoraida likes Laphroaig—that’s what her Granny gave her for coughs when she was little. Other Cancers who have not had the benefit of a Scottish witch upbringing may prefer a good gin for its subtle mix of flavors.

Leo—Red Wine. My daughter is a Leo, though she isn’t drinking anything of the kind right now because she is about to pop out my first grandchild—a girl—in early October—on or near my birthday. I’m certain she will welcome a glass of velvety red wine soon thereafter and this drink perfectly fits her personality. She’s elegant and earthy but embraces the fire her sign is known for.

Virgo—White Wine. Elegant and independent and often purists, Virgos demand the best. They are dedicated and hardworking but sometimes get a little too uptight. A crisp white wine brings them back to their nurturing, helpful focus. Al, Zoraida’s ex-boyfriend is a Virgo. He tends to hang on too tightly and Zoraida isn’t ready to be somebody’s wife just yet. At least, she doesn’t think so.

Libra—Whisky or whiskey. I happen to be a Libra so I can say this for certain. I enjoy a good bourbon or a Jameson. A smoky Rob Roy made with Laphroaig or a sweet Manhattan will also do the trick. We Libras like a balance of flavors and appreciate strong and clear alternatives. Zoraida’s granny is a Libra. She prefers a peaceful life, but when that isn’t possible, she’ll settle for a little dark and brutal revenge.

Scorpio—Moonshine. Intense and focused, Scorpios are all in! Zoraida’s best friend, Zhu, is a Scorpio. She is hardcore ride or die. Don’t let her diminutive stature and her oriental beauty lull you into a false sense of security. Zhu’s personality often resembles that of a wolverine with a toothache and she has the moves to make it stick.

Sagittarius—Champagne. This is my husband and he does indeed have a taste for the bubbly. A bit rigid, Sagittarius have a flare for the dramatic but sometimes stick with one drink rather than try something new.

Capricorn—Scotch or something simple. On the rocks or with a twist is about as exotic as Capricorns want to get. My son and my dad epitomize this sign: simple, to the point, easy—and effective. In Zoraida Grey and the Voodoo Queen, Cade Pettitpas embodies this down to earth sign. He was a shrimper in the Caribbean but has moved into more lucrative waters when Zoraida meets him.

Aquarius—boxed wine or Everclear. Unpretentious and quirky, Capricorns don’t give a winged rodent’s rear end what anyone thinks. They do as they please and enjoy everything. Azili, a very old soul and a friend of Granny’s, may be a Capricorn though exactly when she was born into this plane is a mystery. She likes the finer things, but when it comes right down to it, she doesn’t need a thing from anybody—except maybe Cade Pettitpas. That relationship is fraught with peril for them both.

Pisces—These dreamers and healers crave something sweet. Absinthe or Moscato or maybe or a mixed drink with Schnapps. They like to dance and they hate reality checks. Jaqueline, the daughter of a Voodoo priestess and a Scottish wizard, is a Pisces. She’s destined to be a healer—if she can survive her mother’s barbaric plan.

So there is a bit about my own family and the characters in Zoraida Grey and the Voodoo Queen. Let’s hear from you!! Do these drink choices fit your sign of the Zodiac?

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About Zoraida Grey and the Voodoo Queen

Magic may save Zoraida’s skin, but what about her heart?

Zoraida Grey needs help. With the witchy Logan clan holding her best friend hostage in a haunted Scottish castle, she can’t trust anyone—certainly not beguiling but dangerous Shea Logan. And Al, her overprotective boyfriend, doesn’t believe in magic.

Only one creature strikes fear in the blackened hearts of the Logan witches. Trouble is Jock disappeared five centuries ago leaving a trail of destruction across the Gulf of Mexico. Now he’s stepped into a steaming pile of Voodoo.

Can Zoraida drag wayward Jock back to Scotland? And what’s she supposed to do with two men who promise completely different futures?

A Scottish wizard, stripped naked and painted blue—a Voodoo priestess bent on immortality—a yacht-load of Caribbean pirates. What can possibly go wrong?

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Excerpt from Zoraida Grey and the Voodoo Queen

“By the way, where is this house of Odette’s?” I have a bad feeling.

“That way.” Cade grins, white teeth shining in his broad handsome face. He takes the cigar from his lips and motions with it, directly into the heart of the blue-green bank of clouds at the outer edges of Hurricane Mab.

A dull rumble of thunder rolls across the Gulf. The water, still and smooth a moment before, swells with a rising wind. The deck vibrates with the pulse of the storm.

“Of course it is.” I am no longer surprised by anything. The carafe of wine looks better by the minute, but that bottle of Laphroaig looks better still. Shea, his eyes crinkled, laughs at me inside my own head—which is both infuriating and strangely comforting.

“Do you always turn to liquor in every emergency, little witch?”

In hindsight, I guess I do. Zhu’s and my standard method of coping with a difficult day was to crack open a bottle of wine or a six-pack of beer, order a Mega-size serving of cheesy fries from Hufstedler’s Café, and turn on the sappiest movie we could find. But what we called difficult days then seem like a romp in the daisies compared to the past few weeks. It’s going to take more than a couple of drinks and some greasy comfort food to fix this.

Cade pats my arm. “Don’t worry, ma chère. We race the storm to a quiet inlet I know well. The Black Magic Woman can harbor safely within sight of Odette’s house high on a hill. And maybe, if we are fast enough, we find Old Jock before he knows we are there. To do that, we must fly.”

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Links

Add Zoraida Grey and the Voodoo Queen to your Goodreads shelf:

Purchase Zoraida Grey and the Voodoo Queen:

Amazon          Wild Rose Press          Other Booksellers

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About the Author

Award-winning author Sorchia Dubois lives in the piney forest of the Missouri Ozarks with eight cats, two fish, one dog, and one husband.

A proud member of the Scottish Ross clan, Sorchia incorporates all things Celtic (especially Scottish) into her works. She can often be found at Scottish festivals watching kilted men toss large objects for no apparent reason.

Social Media Links:

Website:  www.SorchiaDubois.com
Blog: https://www.sorchiadubois.com/sorchias-universe-the-bloga/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/SorchiaDubois
Pinterest: www.pinterest.com/SorchiaDubois/
Facebook:  www.facebook.com/SorchiaD
Amazon author page: http://www.amazon.com/SorchiaDuBois/e/B00B60NOUQ/
Goodreads  author page: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/6879978.Sorchia_DuBois
Google +: https://plus.google.com/u/0/+SorchiaDuBois
Email: SorchiaDuBois@GMail.com
BookBub: https://www.bookbub.com/authors/sorchia-dubois
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sorchiad/

Why I Write Steampunk by Juli D. Revezzo, Author of Vesta’s Clockwork Companions – Guest Post with Excerpt

25 Wednesday Jul 2018

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Juli D. Revezzo is a new-to-me author who has a new steampunk novel out.  I do love a good steampunk adventure and have Vesta’s Clockwork Companions on my TBR list.  Check out the great cover!


Guest Post

Why I Write Steampunk

To ask this question goes to asking about my influences and whole history as a reader and a writer. Once upon a time, while I was bored in study hall, a teacher and I got to talking about what I liked to read. Honestly, I don’t remember how the subject came up, but you get the idea. Anyway, he recommended I read the work of science fiction author Julian May. Around the same time I was reading Isaac Asimov’s Robots of Dawn and also a friend had just turned me on to Michael Moorcock’s Elric series(and hello, the alt-history fantasies Von Bek and Gloriana!), an author whose works I have never fallen out of love with. I was also a fan of Star Trek and Battlestar Galactica, and of course, Star Wars, to name a few (and, though admittedly, this was a much later discovery, the gone-but-still-very-much-loved series Firefly). All these things hit my emerging writer’s mind at roughly the same time. (*Insert comic book Zap Pow! Sound effects here!)

After high school, I spent a few years in college studying literature and art history, and world history (specifically the Renaissance and Victorian age) in general. Somehow, the romance of the Victorian age, and the gadgets of science fiction, and the magic in the various fantasy novels I devoured, all this merged altogether in the first couple manuscripts I wrote, and those I first tried to submit. Problem was (and this will date me), back then, what the heck to call it?

Oh, right. Now we call it steampunk. 🙂  (Alas, at the time, though some authors were using it, I don’t recall that word showing up in many, if any, Writer’s Guides To….)

Why do I write steampunk? If you ask me, except for a few experiments into Urban Fantasy (with my witches of Antique Magic, and fantasy romance with my Celtic Stewards Chronicles), I think I always have!

Heck, let’s be honest, it’s just plain fun to let my worlds and characters wander off the edges of the map and see what happens. Give me a couple kernels, a blender, a dash of magic and flash, and I’m a happy gal.

The result of all this blending is my latest steampunk romance, Vesta’s Clockwork Companions, which combines historical romance hallmarks, with a steampunk aesthetic, and maybe a nod or two to Dickens and Thackery. *rubs hands* The result was such fun to write!

S’cuze me, now. I have to catch an airship for a date for tea with Mr. Tesla and Merlin. 😉

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About Vesta’s Clockwork Companions

When Vesta Bartlett, a wealthy alchemist and inventor, arrives in England to finalize an arranged marriage and help overhaul a family friend’s outdated ironworks, she never expects to find the family so secretive, nor to develop feelings for her fiancé’s younger brother, Henry.

But the growing attraction between Vesta and Henry is just the beginning of their troubles. Things really heat up when they’re drawn into a secret project for Queen Victoria’s military, one that requires Vesta’s knowledge of clockwork and Henry’s iron.

An epidemic has wiped out all the dogs in Britain, and beyond. If the military fail in their effort to restore the species, a clockwork creation may be all that stands in the way of a world without canine companionship.

Are Vesta and Henry up to the challenge?

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Excerpt from Vesta’s Clockwork Companions

(FROM CHAPTER SEVEN)

Ahead, Acton led him up a staircase that wound around the premises. They ended by traversing a hall. At the terminus of the hall, Henry found another door, unassuming, like any in his home. Except another set of armed guards again barred their way.

Acton reached into his coat as he approached and produced a circular device. A small button on its face caused it to glow with a faint yellowish light. He presented this device to the guards. “We’re here on the major general’s orders.”

The guard turned his attention from the device to stare at Henry. “And him?”

Acton laid a hand to his arm. “He’s a new recruit.”

The guard on the left—a tall man with cropped blond hair—nodded and pulled the door open. “Five minutes.”

“I’m what now?” Henry asked as Acton escorted him inside.

“Don’t worry about it. You’ll be all right.”

“How so? It sounds to me like you’re trying to induct me into the corps.” He frowned and turned back to the doors. “Forget it. I have no military ambitions.”

“You have no ambitions I’m aware of. Except, maybe, to help your family.”

The new voice drew his attention. Deep, yet there was an odd tone about it, enough to stop Henry and intrigue him. His first glimpse of the speaker satisfied the curiosity even as it raised new questions.

Major General Charles Gordon rolled up to a desk in an old-fashioned wheelchair. His eyes, his air, all the same as portraits he’d seen of the man in the newspapers. And yet, he was different from the other men around him, even aside from the fact that he was rumored dead.

The gold emblems of rank dotting his coat, the epaulets, these alone would tell anyone the major general’s identity. None of these held as much interest for Henry as the man’s face.

Or lack thereof. His head, from the outline of a hairline, to his lips and chin, all these, some clever surgeon had replicated in brass. The brass continued down the man’s neck, to meet up under the dark jacket. The hands settled on the desk and folded together, likewise, all brass.

Henry met the major general’s gaze. “By the gods!”

“You might sssssay that.”

The voice issuing from the lips and slurring all his s’s made him sound like a lethargic teapot. Henry didn’t know how else to describe it. All other explanation sounded childish even as he thought about it. Wondering what caused the difference, Henry found himself trying to investigate the speaker further. “Sir, I mean … forgive me, I didn’t mean to stare.”

“You wished to see us, Major General,” Acton said, breaking into Henry’s verbal astonishment. “Here we are.”

“Yes, Mr. Wren, I’m pleassssed with what I’m hearing of your work with our men.”

Henry saw no visible reason for why the major general dragged out his “s” that way. He’d never heard of the man having a lisp. Metal tubes and thin wires ran down his cheeks and neck to disappear into the chair behind him. He didn’t want to offend him by trying to take a closer look at the tech. A general guess that his speech was helped along by some sort of steam-powered mechanism involving those attachments was the best Henry’s imagination could supply. But he saw no hint of steam exhaust in the man’s vicinity.

Curious. I wonder if Vesta has ever seen such a contraption.

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Links

Add Vesta’s Clockwork Companions to your Goodreads shelf:

Purchase Vesta’s Clockwork Companions

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About the Author

Juli D. Revezzo writes fantasy and romantic stories filled in with elements garnered from a lifetime love affair with magic, myth, witches, wizards, and fated lovers and legend. She is the author of The Antique Magic series and the Paranormal Romance Celtic Stewards Chronicles series, steampunk historical romances VESTA’S CLOCKWORK COMPANIONS, WATCHMAKER’S HEART, and short stories published in ETERNAL HAUNTED SUMMER, LUNA STATION QUARTERLY, among others. She is also a member of the Independent Author Network and the Magic Appreciation Tour.

Find Juli at

Website: https://www.julidrevezzo.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/julidrevezzo/
Good Reads: http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/5782712.Juli_D_Revezzo
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/julidrevezzo/
Pinterest: http://pinterest.com/jewelsraven/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/julidrevezzo
Bookbub: https://www.bookbub.com/authors/juli-d-revezzo

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