Jenyfer Matthews

I know that vacation is rapidly drawing to a close when I start to freak out about my luggage. I arrived traveling fairly light for a women with two small(ish) children in tow, but I’ve been happily shopping all summer. Traveling light is no longer possible.

In all the years I’ve been traveling, I’ve only ever had to pay excess baggage fees once. Since then, I’ve got packing nearly down to an art form. It’s an important skill to have now that the international luggage allowance has gone from 70 lbs / piece to 50 lbs / piece.

First I pack all the heaviest items in the smallest suitcases – you’d have to pack quite a bit in there to make it go over 50 lbs. Bulky light things like quilt batting and stuffed animals go in the largest suitcases. And I take full advantage of the number of bags we are allowed – two per ticket. The only problem with that method is that there is only one of me and six bags. I love waving goodbye to that pile at the check-in counter.

Not looking forward to carrying it all up five flights of stairs at the other end however. It’s a good thing my husband arrived home first

While I’m puzzling over where to pack what this weekend, stop by and visit Elizabeth Jennings, my featured author this weekend. She’ll be talking about her book Dying for Siena and the fascinating inspiration behind the story.

Summers are short in northern Minnesota (for frame of reference, it’s been down to about 42F the last couple of nights). So when the weather is nice, as it has been lately, you have to get out and take advantage of it. Which is what we did, non-stop, all weekend long.

Saturday was cool, breezy, and clear. We took a morning walk, and then headed out to the Grand Portage reservation around lunchtime to catch the grand entry of their dancers at the annual pow-wow. We’ve been for the last several years and the children really enjoy looking at the elaborate costumes and head dresses and watching them dance to their traditional drumming. It is a striking display.

After the dancing and a look at all the sales tables – my daughter bought herself and her brother each a buffalo tooth, because hey, it was there – my dad and step-mother and I took the children to a beach along Lake Superior. It was windy enough that the waves were pretty high but that didn’t put the children off at all, nor did the fact that the water couldn’t have been more than 40F – they both stripped down to their underwear and dove in! What doesn’t kill them…

Sunday was another gorgeous day. We packed a picnic lunch, the canoe, and off we went to the Swamp River. First we had lunch – bratwurst cooked over a campfire, cheetos, and smores – and then we got in the canoe. I’m surprised we didn’t sink it as much as we all ate! The river was tranquil and lovely as always – so calm in places it was like a mirror.

After our big lunch and our canoe trip, we went blueberry picking. That makes it sound easy – before we found any blueberries we first had to climb a small mountain along a trail that was a tad overgrown. I really should have brought along a machete. I had on jeans and insect repellent, but someone needs to write to the makers of Off! and tell them that the Minnesota mosquitoes and black flies laugh in the face of their floral fresh spray. They bit me through my shirt so thoroughly I look like I have measles on my back! (we won’t talk about my face!)

We were at least rewarded at the top with a bumper crop of blueberries.

So my city children learned a thing or two this weekend: 1) don’t rock the boat – particularly if you are in a canoe, 2) always wear jeans when going hiking with grandpa, 3) don’t beat on rotten logs unless you want to stir up the ants, 4) it’s a good idea to pee downhill if you want to keep your shoes clean.

Less than a week left now. Time flies when you’re having fun…

Click the link below for a funny, funny, funny video – totally worth any upload time

timhawkinsguitar

Congratulations to Elaine – you won a copy of my book ONE CRAZY SUMMER! Send me an email and tell me your email and your preferred format!

Award-winning T. L. Gray grew up reading Harlequin Romances, Nancy Drew and The Hardy Boys. So it’s no wonder her favorite kind of book is one where romance and mystery are entwined. She’s a member of Romance Writer’s of America and several RWA Chapters. Currently, she writes single title contemporary romance and romantic suspense for Cerridwen Press—the mainstream arm of Ellora’s Cave. For more news and information about T. L. Gray visit her website.

Blurb

Nikki Jones didn’t experience childhood, she survived it. Now she’s a Night Stalker Black Hawk pilot and the new poster girl for women in Special Forces. Being the only woman in this historically all-male area makes her a natural target. Disgruntled men, she can handle. It’s the strong, completely unexpected attraction to the sexy, infuriatingly arrogant Delta sniper, Marshall Eastwood, that throws her off balance. When her mother’s killer attains parole and comes looking for revenge, Nikki has to make some hard choices in order to keep the secret of her shameful or risk losing everything—including her life. The thing about secrets is. . .they never stay secret.

BONUS: Leave a comment for T.L. and you’ll have a chance to win a copy of Jenyfer’s book ONE CRAZY SUMMER!

Die Slowly For Me is an exceptional romantic suspense with inspiring characters and s plot that engaged all your senses and emotions.
The Romance Studio

Die Slowly For Me
by
T.L. Gray

Excerpt

Nik groaned inwardly as she stood in front of the sink. Marshall stood beside her, head bent over her hand, his brow furrowed as he concentrated on picking at the slivers of glass in her palm. Why couldn’t she have remembered she’d washed out a few things before she’d sent him in here? “So, now you know.”

He pitched a sliver into the wastebasket beside his feet. “About the underwear or Vargas?”

Even though he wasn’t looking at her, she made a face. “It’s not something I like for people to know.”
“Everybody has skeletons. Want to talk about it?”

Not these kinds of skeletons. What she wanted to do was crawl into a hole and hide until it was all over. “No.”

His gaze shifted to her shoulder, then back to her hand. “Well, we could talk about your orange bra, but that’s probably not a good idea, either.”

She glanced down, saw the strap peeking out the side. “It’s Mango Madness.” And she had no idea why she’d just said that. The room suddenly got ten degrees hotter. For both of them.

He let out a long, slow breath and dropped another piece of glass into the basket. “Way to cool a guy down, Nik.”

“I never meant for you to be involved in any of this.”

“Relax, I won’t say anything to anybody. I’m sorry about your mom. Is that what was eating at you overseas?”

Relax, sure, because this was the absolute worst time in her career that this could happen. She nodded in answer to his question. What was the use in denying it now? “Sometimes it just…gets to me.”

“I know.” He glanced at her other hand and said, “What’s with the stitches?”

Glad for the change in topic, she held up the hand in question. “Cut it on piece of metal. They sent me to medical.”

Another small sliver hit the basket. He ran the pad of his finger around her palm. When she flinched, he zeroed in on the area. Finally, when he was satisfied he’d gotten all the glass, he turned on the warm water. She hissed when his sudsy hands glided over hers and the soap began doing its job. Of course, it was nothing compared to the tetanus shot. Her upper arm, where they’d given it to her, was still sore.

“I guess you heard about Jude.”

He nodded. “I heard. He’ll live. That’s not the worst thing that’ll ever happen to him out there.” Turning off the water, he reached for the small towel on the rack and wrapped it around her hand, gently patting the area dry. “Ointment? Gauze?”

She pointed to the drawer. “Still, I feel bad.”

“A sprained knee versus what you came home to—I’d say you win.” He pulled out the Neosporin, spread on a thin layer then wrapped her hand with the gauze, tying off the ends.

“Thanks,” she said when he was finished.

Keeping hold of her hand, he gazed down at her. “You’re welcome.” In his eyes she saw sincere concern and something else she couldn’t name. “You can’t stay here. It’s not safe.”

“I’ll be fine.”

“Nik, come on. You’re not being rational.”

No, to him it probably didn’t seem that she was. However, she was not having this discussion with him. This was her home. She had a choice this time. Last time she hadn’t had a say. Vargas had moved his things into their place. And because Allan both employed and bedded Janice Jones he’d thought that gave him control over everything around her—including Nikki. But then, Janice hadn’t known everything what went on in her house. Most of the time it had been Nikki against a grown man who enjoyed terrorizing a twelve year old.

And here he was again, the vindictive puke, invading her space, showing her he could still control some aspect of her life. That he could still make her cower in fear.

Easing her hand from Marshall’s grip, she said firmly, “I’m not leaving.”

“It’s not like you don’t have options. Stay with friends. Go to a hotel. Move onto base for a while.”

Yeah, because she had so many friends. “I’ve only been here three months,” she reminded him. “I can’t afford to stay at a hotel indefinitely. Besides, I’d have to come home eventually and he’ll still be out there, so what does that solve?” And now, well, they were back to the reason she didn’t live on base.

The walls were closing in on her. It was too close, too intimate. She needed to get away from him, from the temptation to throw her arms around his neck and cry like a baby. Shouldering her way around him, she walked to the kitchen. He was right behind her. “Look, I have some money put away—”

Oh wrong thing to say. She whirled on him, gripping the top of the chair on the other side of the
table. “Are you out of your mind?”

“You lied to me, Nik. I don’t know why, I’m sure you thought you had good reason. It doesn’t matter now. What matters is you can’t do this alone. Let me help you.”

He had no idea how very much she wanted to take him up on the offer. But she wouldn’t, because she’d learned the hard way to depend only on herself. Since the day Vargas had entered her life, and every day thereafter, there hadn’t been anyone to lean on, no one to count on. No one to step between her and trouble.

This time wasn’t any different.

Anger and frustration flashed in his eyes. “Why do you have to make it so hard for people to care about you?”

Because it won’t hurt so much later, when the bottom falls out. “I don’t want your money.”

“Well you’re getting something. Personal protection, money, me here in the house—pick one.”
Just who the hell did he think he was? “Have you heard one word I’ve said?”

He leaned his knuckles on the table. His voice dropped a full octave as he said in a deadly soft voice, “I’m only going to say this one more time. I’m not leaving you here alone.”

“You don’t get a say in this.”

They bristled at each other across the table. She didn’t shy away from the hard look he was giving her. She’d withstood plenty of them over the years from rigid COs.

“Okay then.” He straightened. “Have it your way.”

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There are no Dairy Queens in Egypt so I decided to stop by and treat the kids.

Another weird fact about me: going into a restaurant where I’m unfamiliar with the menu kind of freaks me out. I mean, it’s fast food. Which means you should make your decision fast, not dilly dally over the menu. It’s not rocket science, but I start feeling pressure from everyone else in there who already know what they want and then I can’t focus on anything. I freeze up. I know, it’s dumb. But we all have our quirks.

So picture me walking into a Dairy Queen full of Boy Scouts with two excited children in tow and trying to make a quick decision. I got the children each a small hot fudge sundae, my mother a Dilly bar, and myself? I wasn’t quite up to my usual peanut buster parfait and deciding on what to put in a blizzard was just too much for me at that moment, Boy Scouts crowding around, so I just pointed at a picture ordered a small Mocha MooLatte.

OMG. So, so good.

Unfortunately, I made the mistake of looking it up online when I got home. Aside from the unfortunate name, the small (16oz of heaven) has 23g of fat and nearly 600 calories. Consume enough of those things and people will be moo-ing at me as I amble down the street.

It’s hard to regret it because it was that good, but I’m going to have to take a few more hikes to counteract that treat.

Don’t forget to stop by over the weekend when T.L. Gray will be my Friday Feature.

I went back and forth about whether or not to bring my laptop with me on vacation. On the pro side, I could write if I wanted to and I could post pictures to my blog (provided that I took it to a wi-fi site) but on the con side, it is heavy! So I decided to leave it at home – you’ll just have to wait on seeing the pictures – and bring along a notebook instead.

I might as well have left the notebook at home too as much time as I’ve had to write anything. The kids have gotten on a later schedule so I don’t have the time in the evenings that I do when we are at home. When they do finally settle down, I’m tired. (Walking five miles and then going raspberry picking will do that!) I’ve jotted down some ideas and a few details for my next story, but not much more.

Instead, I’ve been reading. I got my computer to talk to my ebookwise reader before I left and I’ve been happily reading other people’s stories. There was also a small stack of books waiting for me at my dad’s house when I arrived. Summer is my time for guiltless indulgence and reading is just another thing I’m overindulging in.

I just finished Certain Girls by Jennifer Weiner, sequel to Good In Bed. It was as good as I expected, even if I didn’t totally love the way she ended it. (That’s probably just me though). I picked up a copy of The Other Side of the Story by Marianne Keyes in JFK and devoured that in a couple of days. She hooked me with Rachel’s Holiday and I’ve been addicted ever since (pun intended) I love her style. I still have a copy of the first J.D. Robb In Death books on my ereader. I’m sure I’ll love it but I’m a little afraid to read it – will it live up to the hype that surrounds the series and the characters? And if it does, am I prepared to get sucked into a series? I may never get anything else done!

What about you? How are you enjoying your summer? Read any good books lately?

I feel like I’ve been doing more eating than anything else this vacation. It’s all good stuff, but I haven’t actually felt hungry in days now. And yet, somehow, I manage to go on.

The town my mother lives in had their annual street fair this weekend – The Fisherman’s Picnic. There are tables by local crafts people to browse, the local stores have sidewalk sales, there are activities for the children, and of course food. How could I resist getting a grilled bratwurst? Or a bag (or two) of mini donuts? The whole event is a fund raiser. I’m just supporting the local economy!

I’ve also been revisiting childhood favorites. I noticed that Milky Way and Nestle’s Crunch candy bars have new variations – the Milky Way Midnight dark chocolate bar and Nestle’s layered chunky crunch. I tried them both and while I can’t say they were bad, they didn’t thrill me. It may just be nostalgia or it may be that I’ve been ruined by long term exposure to Swiss chocolate. Don’t get me started on crunchy Cheetos. No really – don’t. I have no willpower against them. What do they put in that orange powder anyway??

My adult side has been indulging itself at the liquor store. Back in Cairo, the local liquor stores carry primarily locally produced beer and wine. There are perhaps four brands of beer that I am aware of and it pretty much all tastes the same. The wine? The quality is inconsistent and pretty meh in general. Since I buy my wine based more on where it comes from and how pretty the label is, I don’t consider myself a wine snob, but I won’t drink just anything and I’ve been considering giving up on Egyptian wine altogether. (Gotta cut the caloric intake somewhere!) I’ve been having a blast trying out all the microbrewed beer and choosing wines at random as they catch my eye. I was excited to have my first wine from New Zealand last night – a Monkey Bay white. It was really, really nice. Going to have to go back and look for a red…

On Sunday my step-mother took us for a 5 mile hike. My son has been looking forward to the walk all year. Me, not so much. But having eaten as much as I have lately, I felt obligated to go. If I don’t do something to offset all the eating, I’m going to grow out of all my new clothes before I get home again!

And with two weeks still to go it’s a legitimate risk

Anything-but-Ordinary is Cyndi Friberg’s creed and her writing reflects her dedication to the concept. She writes in a variety of sub genres, but she seems happiest in outer space. Her books have appeared on the Fictionwise Best Seller list, been nominated for The Romance Studio’s CAPA award, and named Best Fantasy/Science Fiction Romance of 2005 by Romance Reviews Today.

She lives in Colorado with her high school sweetheart turned husband of many years. With a pampered cat curled on the corner of her desk, she dreams of fascinating words and larger than life adventures — and wouldn’t have it any other way!

You can find more information on Cyndi at her website or join Cyndi’s announcement group at: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Anything-but-Ordinary/

Born of the Shadows
by
Cyndi Friberg

Proud and rebellious, Gideon is banished from the Light. His own words define his punishment, transforming bloodlust into literal hunger. Living by his sword, he wanders the land of mortals, embittered and alone.

Naomi works in secret, illuminating manuscripts for the Knights of St. John. Gideon is drawn to her beauty and fascinated by her innocence. She stirs the shattered remnants of his nobility, intensifying the conflict already raging within him.

Gideon is unlike anyone Naomi has ever encountered before. His passionate kisses and intoxicating caresses leave her restless and wanting. Still, she senses the bleak loneliness he tries so hard to deny. Responding to his seduction with tenderness, she is determined to help him rediscover the beauty in life.

The battle lines are drawn. Gideon must seek redemption or Fall. Naomi must lead her Rebel Angel back into the light before the forces of darkness claim them both.

Born of the Shadows
Excerpt

Fidgeting upon the wooden stool, Naomi pushed a lock of long hair behind her ear and concentrated on the manuscript page spread before her. Dust motes danced playfully in the rapidly fading sunlight, but she couldn’t allow herself to be distracted. The familiar scent of ink and sandalwood soothed her, helping her focus. She shifted the precious vellum folio to a slightly different angle, catching what was left of the light.

To achieve true illumination, a scribe must release light from within the text, not just decorate the margins. Her design was intricate and interesting, but there was no spark or inspiration. No illumination.

Naomi focused on the entwined figures centered on the page and set her quill aside. Eve’s long hair concealed everything but her slender limbs. Adam, on the other hand, had only a strategically placed fig leaf to protect his modesty.

“Perhaps without the leaf I could find illumination,” Naomi muttered with a mischievous smile.

“I’d be willing to serve as your model.”

Naomi twirled about so suddenly she nearly toppled from the stool. Stifling a startled gasp, she stumbled to her feet, pretending the movement had been graceful.

Raising her gaze to the stranger’s face, Naomi forgot her clever rejoinder. She forgot to breathe. She forgot everything except the man standing near the doorway.

His features were harsh and angular yet so incredibly beautiful he didn’t seem real. Bright with amusement and speculation, his strange golden eyes captured her gaze completely.

“Shall I disrobe?”

The smoky quality of his voice made Naomi tingle. Sleek black hair had been pulled straight back from his face and secured at the nape of his neck. Naomi wanted to trace the slash of his black eyebrows and smooth the faint creases that framed his extraordinary eyes. She wanted to test the resilience of his mouth with her fingertips and…

What was wrong with her?

Shaking away the strange stupor, Naomi forced herself to speak. “I’m not the scribe, my lord, so I require no model.”

He walked toward her, his stride long and lazy. “If you aren’t the scribe, what were you doing when I arrived?”

Naomi quickly hid her ink-stained hand behind her back. Her sandals scraped against the floorboards as she moved away from the high, angled table. “I was admiring Brother Gabriel’s work. He is the finest illuminator in the entire order.”

After so many years, the deception shouldn’t rankle, but it did. She hated the prejudice, which required she deny her accomplishments.

He glanced at the manuscript page then back at her. Who was this man? His garments told her only that he was wealthy. The plush, black velvet surcoat had been elaborately embroidered in gold and the gray tunic beneath was no less costly. He wore no sword, but Naomi sensed the menace that hovered around men of war.

“What business have you here?” she asked. “Were you looking for Brother Gabriel?”

Before she realized his intention, he reached behind her and grabbed her wrist. His touch sent shivers up her arm and Naomi sucked in a ragged breath. Drawing her arm back in front of her, he turned her hand this way and that, inspecting the calluses and stains.

“You’re not a scribe?” he challenged softly.

“The order has been charged with illuminating the Holy Scripts, sir.” She avoided his gaze as she continued her explanation. “Some learned men believe women do not possess souls. Almighty God would never bestow talent and inspiration on so lowly a creature. Only a man can be trusted to script the Word of God.”

The stranger laughed and Naomi felt her insides clench. He had been beautiful when he scowled. His appeal now made her restless and…hot.

His thumb brushed over her wrist and his gaze settled on her mouth. “Gabriel must have his hands full with you about. Where is he?”

Naomi tried to draw her hand from his grasp, but he wouldn’t allow it. The soft stroke of his thumb made her pulse jump and her skin flush. “What do you want with Brother Gabriel?”

“What I want at the moment has nothing to do with Gabriel.”

Her hand brushed against coarse stone. She’d backed herself against the wall! Her heart fluttered and she found it hard to swallow. “If you have business with—”

“What’s your name?” he interrupted.

His shimmering gaze moved slowly over her features. Naomi felt the caress like a physical touch. Coolness from the stones at her back seeped through her clothing in sharp contrast to the heat radiating from his body. She shivered, shifting her weight from one foot to the other.

“I do not share my favors, sir. There are women in the village who are willing to…accommodate your needs.”

“What would you know of my needs?”

He sounded odd, as if she had struck some dark, painful chord within him. Naomi’s chest tightened and her heart pounded. “Nothing, my lord. I meant only to make clear that I am not a harlot.”

He released her hand and moved in closer. Pressing his palms against the wall, he caged her with his body. “I would have your name, damsel.”

Fear welled within Naomi, but she tried not to panic. The scriptorium was high in a stone tower, secluded and isolated. “Please, my lord. I didn’t mean to anger you.” She spoke in a calm, even tone.

“I am not angry.”

But he looked angry. His golden eyes glittered with determination and the set of his jaw seemed dangerous. He was tall and broad, strong and menacing.

“Who are you?” His voice was barely more than a whisper, his eyes searching.

“No one of consequence.” She pushed against his chest, shocked by the inflexibility of his flesh. “Let me go.”

He smiled slowly, provocatively. “I think not on both accounts.”

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Echoes and Embers, the next book in the Rebel Angel series, coming August 28th!