Jenyfer Matthews

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

It’s ironic that a few weeks back I was lamenting being so out of touch with popular music – what’s hot and happening now. I had hoped that perhaps I could catch up a bit while I was back in the US, maybe pick up a few new CDs.

It hasn’t quite worked out that way.

I discovered that when I’m scanning the radio stations, I seem to gravitate toward either the classic rock stations or the stations that play 80s, 90s, and today. I don’t want to think too much about what that means about my age. Now that I’m up in the woods, the reception is somewhat limited. (Though having better reception doesn’t necessarily mean anything given what I just told you about wanting to listen to older music!)

My mother gave my daughter the soundtrack to Grease for her birthday so guess what I’ve been listening to more than anything else? I think I’m going to have to check out internet radio when I get back to Cairo…

Don’t forget to stop by this weekend when Cyndi Friberg will be my Friday Feature!

One of the things I love to do when I’m traveling is eat – not for quanity but all the things that I can’t ordinarily get.

Our first stop on this trip was the New Jersey coast. Some may mock New Jersey but I’ve always enjoyed my visits there – though the beach may have something to do with it. Well, the beach and the pizza. My husband and I were out exploring on a trip we made more than a decade ago and stumbled upon a small local pizzeria. This was no ordinary pizza though – it’s heaven by the slice. I’ve made it a point to get back to that place every time we are in the vicinity and I live in fear that they will go under between my visits.

Imagine my delight to find it still going strong even after a considerable gap in visits. If you’re ever in the Allenherst area, give Serpico’s Pizza a try. You won’t be disappointed.

Another food I always like to eat when I’m back in the US is Mexican food. For whatever reason, it’s not easy to find good Mexican food in the Middle East. I was delighted to discover a good Mexican place located right next door to my hotel in Duluth – the burrito I ordered was obscenely large and they had nice margaritas too. I’ll be staying over again the night before my departure. Guess where I’ll be having dinner?

Now that I’m up in the woods with my parents (dividing my time between their separate dwellings) I’m enjoying home cooking that I didn’t have to prepare myself. I’ve only been here a couple of days and I’ve had fresh fish twice. My mother has a list of all my favorites planned and my stepmother loves to bake.

I’m doomed.

I mentioned a few weeks back that I’d won a year’s gym membership – I think I’m going to need it by the end of this trip!

Great news – my books Here to Stay, One Crazy Summer, and All the Way Home are now available from All Romance eBooks! More choices and ways to buy books is always a good thing.

And if anyone has already read them and feels moved to leave a reader review, that would be much appreciated

Nancy spent her early years wanting to be an English countryside vet (à la James Herriot) and an adventure-seeking archaeologist (à la Indiana Jones). After studying biochemistry and earning an anthropology degree, she realized that her true passion is for writing fictional stories about smart, adventurous women and the men who are strong enough to love them.

Nancy lives in Maryland with her real-life hero/husband, talented musician daughter, and many, many rescued cats.

**BONUS** Through August, Nancy is having a weekly contest! Just visit her website and sign up for her newsletter – each week one winner will receive a pair of hand-made Native American beaded earrings. All people have to do is sign up for her newsletter at her website for automatic entry! Or send an email to nancy@nancyhunterbooks.com with a subject line newletter signup. Good luck!

Taste of Liberty
by
Nancy Hunter

Blurb

In a time of war and hope, loss and redemption, death and rebirth, tragedy unites two enemies who seek vengeance and find love, only to learn that it was never their destiny to be together…

Liberty MacRae, daughter of an American Revolutionary, and Sebastian Cole, a British soldier, share a vendetta against the brutal British commander who killed their loved ones. Each brings a special gift to their quest – Liberty has a second sight that allows her to predict death, and Sebastian is a Fated One, a man who died before he could kill his enemy and has been sent back by the spirits to complete the task. When they fall in love, they have to find a way to defeat not only the murderer, but destiny as well – a destiny that demands that Sebastian either forfeit his life to defeat his enemy or forfeit his soul. Can they find a way to change their destiny before Liberty’s most harrowing premonition – that of her lover’s death – comes true?

Taste of Liberty
Excerpt

Just come a little closer, you miserable bastard, Libbie thought, but she remained silent.

“Now, how could I kill you,” Winters said. “Let’s see, I could cut off your eyelids and tie you to a post, then watch while the sun burns out your eyes and you slowly die of thirst. Very long business, that—takes about a week. Or I could skin you alive, inch by beautiful inch.” His eyes raked over her. “But I would rather see every inch of you under more pleasant circumstances.”
He took another step toward her and Libbie breathed faster.

“I understand your name is beside your mother’s on the deed to your family farm. You simply need to sign over that deed to me. Then you and I will get to know each other better, much better.” He grinned wickedly. “It will almost be a shame to kill you but when it’s time, I’ll make it as painless as possible.” He waved the paper in the air again.

She shook her head, trying to make sense of it. “The deed? What good would my signature do? My mother will still own the farm.”

He shrugged. “Perhaps she could be persuaded to forfeit her share, as well. Especially if she believes it will save your pretty neck.”

Libbie fought to keep her wits about her as he stepped closer, almost within striking range. He wouldn’t go to the farm, not yet. Her dreams, then later visions, had always been clear about the timing of Winters’ attack—it was in springtime, after the first planting. On the first anniversary of her father’s and brother’s deaths.

Libbie’s fingers coiled expectantly around the knife hilt and her heart pounded hard but slowly, like a ceremonial drum. All else was quiet, the deepest quiet she had ever heard.

An explosion shattered the silence. Shrieks, howls and running feet shook the ground above them and then a soldier was calling for Winters. Something about a fire in the munitions building. And then he was farther away from her, throwing a promise to return over his shoulder and disappearing through the cell door.

Libbie turned to the wall and let out a shrill scream. She pounded her fists against her earthen prison walls, re-igniting the pain in her injured hand. She cradled it against her and dropped to her knees. So close. She had been so close, had nearly felt his blood flowing over her fingers, had almost avenged the deaths of her loved ones and saved those few still living. But the chance had passed and she had failed.

With a loud clang, her prison door swung open again. Libbie straightened her back, slipped the knife into her sleeve and waited. She slowed her breathing, tensed her muscles, prepared for a fight. Perhaps she would have another chance after all.

“Miss MacRae? What are you doing here? Did he hurt you?”

That voice. No, it couldn’t be. Her mind was playing tricks on her. She’d thought she must have imagined hearing Winters’ men say his name but now the months fell away as she turned to see that he truly stood in front of her, taller and broader than she remembered, hair as black as night, blue eyes preternaturally bright. Her vision narrowed until all she could see were Sebastian Cole’s hypnotic eyes.

She could almost smell the flowers in Lady Jane’s garden as he moved closer. She opened her mouth to say his name. The word did not come from her. Just a gasp as he pulled her close. He crushed his lips against hers. His mouth was cold and hard but warmed and softened as he deepened the kiss.

Terror and pain and fury and exhaustion swept over her at once. Given no time to think, only time to respond, she kissed him back. Passion rose to the surface of her skin under the touch of his fingers, just as it had that night.

But that night had been a lifetime ago, when she was barely a woman, just returned home from finishing school. Now her tranquil life had been shattered, her family destroyed, her mother’s and sister’s lives made pawns in some perverse game of a madman. And that naïve young woman was no more.

Libbie pushed him away from her and for the first time noticed his long, red coat. A sobering reminder of who and what he was. “How dare you?”

“You’re right. This is no time for a reunion. We have to get out of here.” He grabbed her hand.
A cold chill started at the point where he touched her and crept up her arm. She pulled away from him, then flung her open hand across his cheek. “I’m not going anywhere with you!”

He touched his reddening face and stared at her with those unflinching blue eyes. “Miss MacRae, Winters will soon return. Do you trust him or me?”

How could she respond when she didn’t know the answer herself? That Sebastian was a British soldier and a spy was clear. But one of Winters’ butchers? Was he more treacherous than she’d realized? And why did she still react to his touch? She backed away from him, ready to pull her knife.

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