Month: November 2023

Powerful Women in Winter Solstice in the Crystal Castle

Posted on by Chelsey M. Ortega

“Well behaved women rarely make history.”

Princess Gabrielle is not well behaved. She is a skilled archer, can fight any man with her own sword, and gallops across the French countryside to her heart’s content. The ladies of Paris cannot fathom such a lifestyle, nor do they think it’s acceptable for a princess and future queen to be acting in such a manner. 

But it’s this unladylike behavior that will allow Gabrielle to save her own life, twice. In a time when Gabrielle must obey her father, and then her future husband, she is determined to forge her own destiny, and that destiny lies in the arms of Basiten; the Master of Horse, and her combat trainer turned personal guard. 

“Behind every successful man there stands a woman.”

Bastien has two women other than Gabrielle working behind the scenes to ensure that he wins Gabrielle’s hand in marriage, and the kingdom of Finistere. His mother, Laudine, uses her Winter Solstice wish for her son rather than herself. Then we have Beatrice, Gabrielle’s great aunt, and a powerful socialite in Paris. Beatrice will play an important role protecting Bastien’s legal right to marry Gabrielle.

If I’m going to read historical fiction, I want to read about powerful women – or at least women who created their own power in a world trying to stop them. Jennifer Ivy Walker does this masterfully with her female characters, particularly with Gabrielle and Beatrice in Winter Solstice in the Crystal Castle. 

Gabrielle is the only child of the King of Finistere. But since this is medieval France, she can’t inherit her father’s throne on her own. The king’s health is failing, and he needs to choose his daughter’s husband, who will also be his successor. One particularly unsavory nobleman wants Gabrielle for nefarious reasons, and in order to stop him, King Guillemin plans a tournament; where the winner will be given Gabrielle’s hand and Guillemin’s kingdom. But Gabrielle can only imagine marrying one person: Bastien, her father’s master of horse. Bastien has trained Gabrielle in archery and hand-to-hand combat; and the only thing keeping them apart is Bastien’s lack of a noble title. Luckily, a moment of foul play from another contender provides Bastien with the opportunity to be ennobled, and eligible for Gabrielle’s hand. But will the official documents arrive in time?  

And for the second half of this review, I’m pleased to announce that the author herself, Jennifer Ivy Walker agreed to an interview!

What time period is this supposed to take place in?

This trilogy is set in the HIgh Middle Ages in medieval France.

And can you explain how the politics and culture worked in multiple smaller kingdoms dotting the area that is now modern-day France? How does that fit into your story?

During the Middle Ages, there were many separate kingdoms and duchies in France.  The region of Brittany was separate from the rest of France until 1532, well after my trilogy takes place.

Lancelot makes an appearance in the first chapter. He is the only character I am familiar with. Who else is based on European mythology? Are there any characters that are based on historical figures?

Nearly all of the characters in my trilogy come from the original medieval French legend of Tristan et Yseult (Tristan and Isolde in English). The characters of King Marke of Cornwall, King Hoël of France, Prince Kaherdin, Lady Gargeolaine, and the Morholt all come from that French legend as well. Some of the characters, such asViviane (the Lady of the Lake) and Morgane la Fée come from French versions of Arthurian legend.

I know that you are a French teacher. Is the French used in the book modern-day or medieval?

I used modern French with medieval phrases and terminology, for authentic medieval French would be even more difficult to understand than medieval English. (Imagine reading Shakespeare, but in French!) 

The second book in your Wild Rose and the Sea Raven series is titled The Lady of the Mirrored Lake. Is Viviane that lady? And if so, should your books be read in a specific order?

No, Viviane is the Lady of the Lake–le Lac de Diane in the enchanted Forest of Brocéliande. My protagonist and heroine Issylte becomes the Lady of the Mirrored Lake (Le Miroir aux Fées–the lake known as the Fairy Mirror) when she becomes a Priestess of the Tribe of Dana (the Goddess of the Earth). Yes, the books should be read in chronological order since they are a continuing trilogy and not stand alone novels.

What are you currently working on? And what’s next to be released from you?

I have three new releases:  Winter Solstice in the Crystal Castle–a stand alone novel that involves many of the characters introduced in my trilogy. It’s a medieval romance between a fiery French princess descended from Viking Valkyrie and the chivalrous knight who suffers an impossible love for her.

I also have two contemporary novellas which are steamy romances set in modern-day France. Amour in Avignon (releasing November 29th!)  is a Cyrano de Bergerac inspired love story set in the south of France during the world-famous Festival of Theater in Avignon. 

Flames of Flamenco (releasing December 27th) is a fiery romance set in Montmartre– the bohemian heart of Paris–between a skilled artist who melts the frozen heart of the American heroine with the flames of his passionate flamenco dance. 

I have also written a World War II historical romance,The Witch of the Breton Woods, which will be published in early 2024. It’s the story of a reclusive, traumatized young woman who heals and shelters a wounded American paratrooper, keeping him hidden from the Gestapo and la Milice–the local French paramilitary organization that collaborates with the Nazis. She introduces her soldier to the underground French Resistance (of which she is a member) and together, they join forces with the Allies to fight in the Battle of Saint-Malo.

I have just completed another stand alone spinoff of my trilogy, entitled A Celtic Yuletide Carol, which I hope will be published for the holiday season in 2024. And I am currently working on a Viking trilogy set in Normandy during the tenth century–the ancestors of my French Viking princess from Winter Solstice in the Crystal Castle. I have also outlined another three book series introducing the next generation of characters from The Wild Rose and the Sea Raven trilogy. I hope to write those three books in 2024.

I rate Winter Solstice in the Crystal Castle 5 stars. If you like medieval folklore and romance check out not only Winter Solstice, but Jennifer’s other books as well.

New Release: Fireflies at Dusk by Mike Torreano

Posted on by Chelsey M. Ortega

I’ve always been a fan of history, and the Civil War in particular, so when I first decided to write a novel, I picked one of my favorite CW personalities to focus on-George McClellan.

So in thinking about how to showcase McClellan, I decided to create a character to see McClellan through, hence Jonathan Gray, a young lieutenant on McClellan’s staff. To fill Jonathan out, I created his childhood, and that’s where the story really took off in a different direction.

Jonathan was raised in a pacifist family in Ohio, part of the Underground Railroad. When slavers took a runaway family away from the Quaker meeting house, Jonathan was crestfallen that no one tried to stop them. He rejected his father’s pacifism, which started a thread of conflict between them that ran the length of the novel.

Finally away from the family farm at college, Jonathan’s youthful arrogance led him far astray from the solid values he was raised with. He behaved with reckless abandon, further distancing him from his family, his childhood sweetheart, and his faith.

With great disdain, joins the Union Army when the War breaks out. At first an entitled junior officer on McClellan’s staff, he’s later sent west to join General Sherman’s army. His commander’s ‘welcome to the fightin’ side of the Army, son’ sends him on his way.

There, he joins a Company of combat-hardened veterans who’ve gotten wind of Jonathan’s prideful attitude. Forced to lead battle-hardened men who would just as soon see him dead, he must decide whether or not to undertake what promises to be a grueling journey to regain his self-respect amid continual harsh fighting.

Bottom line-While I started out thinking I’d be writing about McClellan, Jonathan pushed him clearly into the background, which was an interesting twist for me as a new writer years ago.

Back in 2014, I shotgunned this manuscript out to agents and editors with no luck. I did get one rejection which gave chapter and verse about what it needed. The editor was right, Fireflies wasn’t ready then. Months later I emailed the same editor and asked if anyone wanted to see the western mystery I was writing at the time. She said, ‘Send it to me when it’s ready.’ I polished and polished The Reckoning, and it became my first contract with The Wild Rose Press.

I now have five books with them, the latest being Fireflies at Dusk, which I decided to finally pivot back to last fall. After much revision and polish, I sent it in to TWRP and got my latest contract. So a rejection led to my first contract, and then years later, to this, my latest one.

As for my writing process, I’m not one other writers should emulate. I’m a total pantser, and I only write when I feel like it, which isn’t daily which also means I don’t have an organized schedule. I oftentimes get stuck in a scene and then take some time to percolate on things. Sometimes days.

While it’s not a method I’d recommend it seems to work for me. What also seems most important is that a writer discover how they best work. There’s no one right way, ultimately just what works.

This latest novel, Fireflies, has taken an unusually lengthy path to publication, but most of my novels take about a year and a half.

Mike Torreano is an award-winning author of traditional western mysteries set in Colorado and New Mexico Territories. In the fifth grade he read his first Zane Grey novel and has been hooked on the Old West ever since.

His debut western mystery, The Reckoning, was released in 2016 by The Wild Rose Press and the sequel, The Renewal, was released in 2018. Both are set in South Park, just west of the Rampart Range. He’s now finishing up the third in the South Park series, The Return.

An interest in the Goodnight-Loving cattle trail inspired his first stand-alone western, A Score To Settle, which was set on that trail and came out in 2020. A friend’s suggestion prompted Mike to write his latest western mystery, White Sands Gold, which was released in September 2022. It has received four literary awards.

His first historical novel, Fireflies at Dusk, is due out this month and is a coming-of age tale about a young man torn between his pacifist family and his urge to fight against slavery with the Union Army as the Civil War breaks out.

Mike also speaks at clubs and organizations about the timeless values of the Old West and The Code of the West, and how those values are still relevant today.

He can be found on Facebook, LinkedIn, Bookbub, and Goodreads, and his website: https://miketorreano.com/

As the Civil War looms, a young Ohio farm boy comes face to face with the injustice of slavery—an evil that tears at his very soul. In his callow youth, he rejects his family’s pacifism after runaways are cruelly seized from his Quaker meeting house. His anger causes him to turn his back on everyone who ever loved him. When the War breaks out, Jonathan joins the Union Army, making this rift complete. Will he ever turn back to his family, his sweetheart and his faith? Or has Jonathan drifted so far away that he can’t find his way back?

Check out the book trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DKVlj4InOMo&t=7s

Holiday Highlight: Mistletoe in the City by Amber Daulton

Posted on by Chelsey M. Ortega

It’s Christmas and holiday cheer is in the air, but Krista Hartley and Derek Weston from my steamy New Adult romance, Mistletoe in the City, are too stressed to care. She needs a breather from her overbearing parents, so she’s out apartment hunting and spending the weekends at a craft fair to make some extra money. Derek is super busy as the groundskeeper and handyman at his mom’s apartment complex to even worry about decorating his own place. When Krista winds up as his new tenant, he’s determined to right the wrongs from his and Krista’s shared past, but will they find a happily ever after this snowy holiday season?

Hi, everyone. I’m Amber Daulton, the author of Mistletoe in the City. Christmas is my second favorite holiday, right behind Halloween, so I was thrilled to write this hot holiday novella. Actually, I wrote it several years ago as part of a Christmas anthology with my former publisher, but the rights have reverted to me, so I’m re-releasing it with a fresh edit, blurb, and cover. Also, it’s twice as long as it used to be and now clocks in at about 35,000 words with new scenes, subplots, and revised characterizations.

Krista and Derek are your average young twenty-somethings struggling to make their way in an uncertain world. From overprotective parents and peer pressure from some not-so-good friends, they have their work cut out for them in trying to build a real relationship. With Christmas right around the corner, they’re each trying to live up to their family’s expectations and still be true to who they are. That’s not always so easy, and I’m sure readers can relate to feeling stressed and wishing the holiday season would fly by sooner rather than later.

For good or bad, Christmas is here again. Let’s hunker down and brave the wintery chill as best we can, hopefully with a new book to keep us grounded and relaxed in our off-time. Thanks for reading!

Amber Daulton is the author of the romantic-suspense series Arresting Onyx and several standalone novellas. Her books are published through Daulton Publishing, The Wild Rose Press, and Books to Go Now, and are available in ebook, print on demand, audio, and foreign language formats. She lives in North Carolina with her husband and demanding cats. Follow and connect with Amber at her website: https://amberdaulton.com/

Derek’s world is about to change forever—again.
After his father’s stroke, Derek Weston dropped out of college and returned home to help his parents
with the family business, Oak Landing Apartments. Now living on the premises as the groundskeeper
and handyman, he never expected the girl he’d secretly crushed on in high school to move into a unit
right before Christmas or stir up desires he thought long gone.
Krista Hartley needs a fresh start away from her overbearing parents, but falling for the tattooed hottie
who ignored her back in school wasn’t in the plans. Despite old hurts, Derek’s hot kisses and strong
arms offer the shelter she craves.
When another woman sets her sight on Derek and drives a wedge between him and Krista, they’ll have
to decide if their relationship is real, or just a winter fling.

Add to Goodreads – https://bit.ly/MistletoeInTheCityGoodreads
Check it out on BookBub – https://bit.ly/MistletoeInTheCityBookbub

New Release: Cruel Lessons by Randy Overbeck

Posted on by Chelsey M. Ortega

Cruel Lesson is an atmospheric, amateur sleuth mystery, the first in a new series set in schools called “Lessons in Peril.” The story involves a rogue, hallucinogenic drug being pushed in a middle school and, after it results in the death of four students, the rush to stop the drug pusher before more children die. The narrative takes place in a small Midwest town during October, 1995. All of these literary choices—the year at the height of the “Just Say No” Anti- Drug campaign and right in the middle of time for the D.A.R.E. program, the anonymous Midwest setting and the school as the battle ground—are deliberate and carefully chosen.

This novel is a work of honor and recognition as well as a work of art. As a long-time educator, I saw the ravages of student drug abuse and addiction up close. Over more than three decades as a teacher and school leader, I witnessed kids’ lives shattered and ended from their abuse of drugs, both legal and illegal. I crafted this story—while completely fictional and about an imaginary drug—as an homage to those educators who battle this very real problem everyday in our schools. Though set in the recent past, the scourge of student drug abuse today is frighteningly similar to my tale, only with a new generation and new drugs. In addition to being a pulse-pounding thriller, I wanted the narrative to honor the children we’ve lost to drugs in the almost thirty years as well as those educators committed to doing everything they can to rescue kids at risk.

I don’t want to give the wrong impression. This novel is hardly didactic. According to early reviews, Cruel Lessons is “Brilliant from start to finish…Impressive storytelling left me with a racing heart and shivers. One of the best thrillers I’ve ever read.” ★★★★★+++—N.N. Light’s Bookheaven.

ReaderViews called the novel “a thrilling murder mystery…with an immersive plot, steady pace and stellar character development…one of the best mysteries of 2023.” ★★★★★

Literary Titan wrote “Cruel Lessons is “masterfully written…Each new revelation adds to the suspense and keeps the reader on edge, eagerly anticipating what further secrets the story holds…a gripping crime thriller and amateur sleuth mystery.”

Wow! I am thrilled and humbled by these incredible reviews. Still, I hope the message about saving children will come through loud and clear. To help amplify this message, I’ve decided to use the novel to partner with NaturalHigh.org, a national drug prevention program for youth. This non-profit provides evidence-based resources for parents and children to use in talking with students about the dangers of experimenting with drugs and at no cost. I’m so committed to this cause, I’m donating a portion of the profit from the sale of every copy of Cruel Lessons to Natural High.

Check out Cruel Lessons yourself. You’ll not only get a great read. You’ll be helping to provide parents and teachers with resources they need to talk with children about drugs.

Dr. Randy Overbeck is an award-winning educator, author and speaker. As an educator, he served children for more than three decades and has turned that experience into captivating fiction, authoring the bestselling series, the Haunted Shores Mysteries, winner of nine national awards. This fall, the Wild Rose Press will release his newest work, an atmospheric amateur sleuth mystery, CRUEL LESSONS, the first installment in a new series set in schools, “Lessons in Peril.” He is the host of the popular podcast, “Great Stories about Great Storytellers,” which reveals the unusual and sometimes strange backstories of famous authors, directors and poets. He is also a speaker in much demand, sharing his multi-media presentations, “Things Still Go Bump in the Night,” “A Few Favorite Haunts,” and “Everything You Wanted to Know About Publishing” with audiences all over the USA. As a member of the Mystery Writers of America, Dr. Overbeck is an active member of the literary community, contributing to a writers’ critique group, serving as a mentor to emerging writers and participating in writing conferences such as Sleuthfest, Killer Nashville and the Midwest Writers Workshop. Follow and connect with Randy at his website: https://www.authorrandyoverbeck.com/.

Four kids dead. Can Assistant Superintendent Ken Parks unmask the drug dealer poisoning his students before more kids die?

On a school camping trip, fifth graders experiment with a dangerous new hallucinogen and die in a horrific accident, their deaths shattering the quiet town. Assistant Superintendent Ken Parks, hoping to redeem a fatal mistake from his past, grasps the opportunity to conduct the district investigation of how students are getting the drugs. Almost before he begins, the cops make a stunning arrest. But Parks battles on, convinced the real pusher is still out there, poisoning more kids until he receives an anonymous threat: if he continues, those close to him will pay. Is Parks willing to risk those he loves for a chance at redemption?

Cruel Lessons can be purchased here:

https://www.amazon.com/Cruel-Lessons-Peril-Book-ebook/dp/B0CDJ6GL5W
https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/books/1143862801?ean=9781509252138
https://www.bookbub.com/books/cruel-lessons-by-randy-overbeck

New Release: Stonebridge by Linda Griffin

Posted on by Chelsey M. Ortega

Linda Griffin’s latest book, Stonebridge, released November 1st. Get to know Linda and her paranormal romance:

Stonebridge Manor is a Georgian mansion in Virginia, owned for centuries by the somewhat reclusive Demeray family. In 1958 Edwina Demeray lives there with her disabled scholar great-grandson Ted and has commanded her great-granddaughter Rynna to join them. One more resident may be present too—the ghost of Rosalind, the murdered cousin of Rynna’s mother.

I enjoy ghost stories and always wanted to write one. I’m also intrigued with characters who come to live with strangers. When I put the two ideas together, Rynna’s story began to take shape. It changed direction, though, when I fell in love with the man the character of Ted was based on, and he took over the story.

I am very much a pantser. My characters have minds of their own and take me where they will. It took me about a year to write Stonebridge, and then I spent another four months obsessively re-writing the ending. The only way I could get myself to stop revising was to wonder what came next and start writing the sequel, Beyond Stonebridge, which is also under contract with the Wild Rose Press. Ideally, I would prefer to write in the morning, but my characters laugh at schedules. Unfortunately, they prefer to talk to me in the evening, often when I’m trying to sleep, and I have to keep a notebook by my bed so I can take dictation.

An earlier version of Stonebridge was published by Winston-Derek Publishers, Inc. in 1994. It’s been out of print for a long time, but I was only recently able to regain the rights. I’ve learned a lot since then, so I think the new version is better written. The story is the same, but some details have been changed, and while the first version was vaguely set in the post-Vietnam era, the new one starts in 1958, a better fit for Rynna’s somewhat unliberated attitude.

Linda Griffin decided to become a “book maker” as soon as she learned to read and wrote her first story when she was six. She retired as fiction librarian for the San Diego Public Library to spend more time on her writing. Her short stories have been published in numerous journals, and Stonebridge is her eighth book from the Wild Rose Press. Connect with Linda at her website: https://www.lindagriffinauthor.com/index.htm

After the death of her mother, Rynna Dalton comes to live with her imperious great- grandmother and her bookish, disabled cousin Ted at Stonebridge Manor. Almost immediately she is aware of a mysterious presence, which she believes is the spirit of her mother’s murdered cousin, Rosalind. Rynna is charmed by Rosalind’s lawyer son Jason Wyatt, who courts her, and she agrees to marry him. Meanwhile Ted and Rynna become good friends. But Stonebridge holds secrets that will profoundly affect her future. Why is Ted so opposed to the match? Why does Rosalind seem to warn Rynna against it? And how far will Jason go to possess Stonebridge—and the woman he professes to love?

Stonebridge can be purchased here:

https://www.amazon.com/Stonebridge-Linda-Griffin-ebook/dp/B0CGG1TN31
https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/books/1000585740
https://books.apple.com/us/book/stonebridge/id6463164419