Bookland Heights: Temporarily Rolls Up The Sidewalk

"I would be the most content if my children grew up

to be the kind of people who think decorating consists

mostly of building enough bookshelves."

--Anna Quindlen

"I cannot live without books."

--Thomas Jefferson

Bookland Heights will return again.

It's just right now...we don't know when!

Thanks to all who shared their love

Of writing or reading or both the above.

Until next time, discover new worlds

And climb new heights through the written word!

-- Diana & Mary

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Gwyn Ramsey & Her Historical Family Series in Bookland Heights

JOURNEY TO TRACER'S POINT:

They left Virginia with dreams of getting rich quick. When lured by his brother, John, to seek adventure in the California gold fields, Alexander Anderson sells his farm, packs up his family, and heads west cross-country in a covered wagon along
the unmarked trails.

Heavy hearted and compelled to make the perilous journey West, Caroline Anderson does not want to leave her comfortable home in Virginia and dreads the possibility of unknown hazards facing her and her family on such a long, dangerous trip.

When Caroline is abandoned, afraid of what lies ahead, she is forced to make a life-threatening decision. Determined to survive she trudges forward through uncharted land to conquer rugged mountain terrain, treks through treacherous Indian lands and crosses a searing desert. Her dim but only hope now is to find her brother-in-law and try to obtain her husband’s share of
the gold claim.

WINDS OF CHANGE:

After struggling through the throes of being kidnapped by Indians and traded for goods to the Arapahos, Sarah Anderson proves herself worthy of the Indian name Vision Seeker, becomes the wife to Running Swift and the mother to Little Feather.

Sarah settles into the comfortable daily routines of Indian wife and mother until her life is again changed when the Army charges into the village to arrest the warring warriors only to find Sarah living among the natives.

Returned to Fort Laramie, Sarah must now face the difficult task of transitioning back into the white world with an Indian child. As a soiled dove she is shunned by the white populace. At the fort, her path crosses that of Patrick O Brien whom she once loved and believes can no longer have.

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Gwyn Ramsey is the author of two published novels in a historical family series, Journey to Tracer’s Point and the latest Winds of Change.

She is a member of EPIC, Mystery Writers of America, Women Writing the West, Romance Writers of America, Western Writers of America, Tampa Area Romance Authors, and Peace River Writers. Gwyn makes her home in Port Charlotte, Florida and is a member of the Port Charlotte Reading Council. Visit her blog at http://gwynramsey.blogspot.com/

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BH: What or who most influenced your writing?

GR: As a young person, I enjoyed the spaghetti westerns at the show. What an adventure each weekend brought to my life. I sat with a small bag of popcorn and watched the western stars ride across the screen. John Wayne captured my attention with many of his film. Then I began reading Louis L’Amour, Dana Ross Fuller, Zane Grey, and other western writers. Now I enjoy the challenge of bringing back the old west in my writings. A journey of where we came from.

BH: What is the one thing you want readers to know about your book(s) and/or writing?

GR:As a researcher at the Library of Congress, my books are fiction based on fact. I wrote my novels as fiction to entertain, but wanted to bring out the history of our wonderful country and what it truly was like back when people struggled to settle our land, being it pioneer, slaves, or Indians. The challenges they faced, the struggles they endured, and the disasters that befell them are what we must remember, it's who we are.

BH: What is your next project and when can we expect to read it?

GR: My latest book, Winds of Change, was released in April 2009, the second in the series about the Anderson family. The storyline is about Sarah Anderson, her life as a wife to an Arapaho Indian and the mother to his child.

My next project, Bound for Texas, is a work in progress and should be out in 2010. The story is the life and challenges of James Anderson who, as a young boy, is rescued from a river bank, hauled to Texas by two drifters and becomes a rancher, all the while searching for his family who journeyed west to California in Journey to Tracer's Point.

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"Look to the East" with Maureen Lang in Bookland Heights

Look to the East:

At the dawn of the First World War, the French village of Briecourt is isolated from the battles, but the century-old feud between the Toussaints and the de Colvilles still rages in the streets. When the German army sweeps in to occupy the town, families on both sides of the feud are forced to work together to protect stragglers caught behind enemy lines.

Julitte Toussaint may have been adopted from a faraway island, but she feels the scorn of the de Colvilles as much as anyone born a Toussaint. So when she falls in love with one of the stragglers—a wealthy and handsome Belgian entrepreneur—she knows she’s playing with fire. Charles Lassone hides in the cellar of the Briecourt church, safe from the Germans for the moment. But if he’s discovered, it will bring danger to the entire village and could cost Charles his life.
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Review: "This is an intriguing historical tale with a romantic subplot enhancing the deep look at life during an occupation. Julitte is terrific as the lead protagonist who holds the insightful story line together as her love with Charles is pure and in stark contrast to a village filled with the seven deadly sins. Readers will enjoy this cautionary tale that resonates today at a time when outright lies by leaders are acceptable because the mean no longer matters if the end is achieved." --
Harriet Klausner
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A chat with the author, Maureen Lang:

BH: What or who most influenced your writing?

ML:I’ve been writing since I was ten so I’ve had many influences over the years. Perhaps the very first to make an impact were the authors who wrote the Nancy Drew series—and many influences since!

BH: What is the one thing you want readers to know about your book(s) and/or writing?

ML: I’m hopeful that the underlying theme in all of my books reflects the love of God. That’s my hope, anyway!

BH: What is your next project and when can we expect to read it?

ML: My next book in this Great War Series is called Whisper on the Wind and will release summer 2010. It’s the story of two people who get involved in a secret press, rebelling against the censors of the German army occupying Belgium in 1914. And they do it romantically, of course!
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Andrew Kent & "Johnny Denovo" visit Bookland Heights

Five years ago, when neuroscientist John A. Novarro helped with a highly sensitive government investigation, he had no idea how it would change his life - separating him from his past, giving him a new identity, transforming him into Johnny Denovo, the world-famous Detective of the Mind.

Now, the Denovo name is the bane of high-stakes criminals the world over. When Johnny's finely honed senses detect codes hidden in spam emails, the puzzling phrases and suggestive metaphors hint at a plot to steal rare and valuable objects.

Soon, Johnny learns that something even more sinister is brewing. As he tracks the emails to their source, events explode into an adrenalized, trans-Atlantic race to prevent a geopolitical catastrophe. Will his allies, nerve, media savvy, and knowledge of the human brain be enough to unhinge the criminal mastermind? Or will he become another victim of a ruthless conspiracy?

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"Andrew Kent has created a character so memorable and distinct that he will surely dazzle on-screen someday as he dazzles in a book. . . . [the book has] a fast-paced, exciting plot involving vivid characters and geo-political interests. But what really sets this book apart is the author’s mastery of language, vocabulary and metaphor. Reading it is an utter delight, as much for the sheer pleasure in superb writing as for the story itself. Bravo to a new author whose originality explodes from these pages. Highly recommend." – The Urbane Dame

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BH: What or who most influenced your writing?

AK: I like writers who play with words, writers who can evoke a sense of elsewhere, and writers who can teach. I think if I were to narrow down a vast list, I'd have to say Shakespeare for wordplay, Faulkner and Hawthorne for atmospherics, and John McPhee for clarity of thought.

BH: What is the one thing you want readers to know about your book(s) and/orwriting?

AK: My mystery novels are fast-paced and fun, but with a foundation in psychological research. We think and dream in metaphors, so I wanted to see what it would be like if a detective used intuitive reasoning to follow metaphors to criminals. It's working so far!

BH: What is your next project and when can we expect to read it?

AK: I've published two Johnny Denovo mysteries, and am well along with a third, one that reveals how the first two are related. It should be out early 2010. I'm also working on a non-fiction book about health and physicians. I have no clear timeline for it yet.

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Maggie Bishop's "Appalacian Adventure Mysteries"

Maggie Bishop is the author of a mystery series, Appalachian Adventure Mysteries, and two romance novels set in the Mountains of North Carolina in the Boone area. "I started with romance and have turned to murder."

In Perfect for Framing, greed and a lust for power led to murder in a clash of personal versus public needs.

Murder at Blue Falls has Jemma who leads trail rides on her parents’ guest ranch as a suspect in the murder of neighborhood dogs and well as a man.

Emeralds in the Snow involves skiing at Sugar Mountain, an emerald mine, and a cold case murder. Award winning Appalachian Paradise takes place on a five-day backpacking trip in the spring amongst the bears, boars and girl scouts.

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Next project: One Shot Too Many, Spring 2010, continues with CSI wannabe Jemma Chase and Detective Tucker working to solve the mystery when a local newspaper photographer dies at a photography club meeting

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"Dispel the Mist" with Marilyn Meredith in Bookland Heights

Dispel The Mist:

A Tulare County Supervisor, with both Native American and Mexican roots, dies under suspicious circumstances. Because of Deputy Tempe Crabtree’s own ties to the Bear Creek Indian Reservation, she’s asked to help with the investigation. To complicate matters, besides the supervisor’s husband, several others had reason to want the woman dead.

Tempe has unsettling dreams, dreams that may predict the future and bring back memories of her grandmother’s stories about the legend of the Hairy Man. Once again, Tempe’s life is threatened and this time, she fears no one will come to her rescue in time.

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“Filled with suspense, mystery and legends, you'll keep turning pages until you reach a satisfying conclusion.”—The Book Connection

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Marilyn Meredith is the author of over twenty-five published novels, including the award winning Deputy Tempe Crabtree mystery series, the latest Dispel the Mist from Mundania Press. Under the name of F. M. Meredith she writes the Rocky Bluff P.D. crime series. No Sanctuary is the newest from Oak Tree Press.

She is a member of EPIC, four chapters of Sisters in Crime, Mystery Writers of America, WOK, and on the board of the Public Safety Writers of America. She was an instructor for Writer’s Digest School for ten years, served as an instructor at the Maui Writer’s Retreat and many other writer’s conferences. She makes her home in Springville CA, much like Bear Creek where Deputy Tempe Crabtree lives. Visit her at FictionForYou.com and at her blog - MarilynMeredith.blogspot.com.

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BH: What or who most influenced your writing?

MM: This is a wonderful site and I’m happy to be stopping here again. First and foremost I believe all the books I’ve read over the years had a great influence on my writing. I try to write the kind of books that I most enjoy reading. I love mysteries and especially those with characters who are in law enforcement—so that’s what I enjoy writing about.

BH: What is the one thing you want readers to know about your book(s) and/or writing?

MM: In my Deputy Tempe Crabtree books there is always something to do with Native American legends or mysticism. My books don’t have unnecessary sex or gore but definitely have unusual mysteries.

BH: What is your next project and when can we expect to read it?

MM: My latest book is out now, Dispel the Mist. My heroine, Deputy Tempe Crabtree, investigates the murder of a popular county supervisor and has an encounter with the Hairy Man. The Hairy Man is a Tule River Indian legend similar to Big Foot.

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Cat Connor with her "Killerbyte" in Bookland Heights

With a new and exciting voice, Cat Connor introduces Ellie Conway, an FBI Agent who challenges the rules with her attitude, sense of the ridiculous and how she tackles a serial murderer with a difference: a murderer connected with Ellie’s internet poetry chat room.

With a litter of bodies ‘presented’ in unexpected places, Killerbyte is a provocatively bizarre and entertaining dance. Ellie, with the aid of Mac Connelly, must track down a seemingly motiveless and ghost-like murderer, who defies detection. After her own mother is dispatched by this slaughterer, Ellie fears for the lives of everyone close: her lover Mac, her father, her boss Special Agent Caine Grafton, and chat room colleagues. Reluctantly she begins to suspect her boss, colleagues and, her brother Aidan.

A chance remark provides a connection between past hurts and present pain.

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Cat, what or who most influenced your writing?
The desire to tell a story that I (and my friends) wanted to read- with a strong female mc and great supporting characters.

What is the one thing you want readers to know about your book(s) and/or writing?
Don’t start Killerbyte late at night – you won’t be able to sleep until you know who did it!

What is your next project and when can we expect to read it?
Terrorbyte is next. You can expect to read it later this year. We don’t have a release date yet but will do soon!

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It's Paula Margulies & "Coyote Heart" in Bookland Heights!

Trapped in a troubled marriage with a disabled husband, Carolyn Weedman is ripe for a change in her life. After a chance encounter with a widowed Pala Indian professor, Carolyn finds herself drawn into an unexpected love affair. Torn by conflicting feelings, she discovers a secret about her husband's past that forces her to confront her divided emotions and choose between the two men she loves.

Set against the simmering backdrop of local politics on the Pala Indian Reservation in San Diego, Coyote Heart explores the intricacies of illicit love and marriage, the strength that comes from sacrifice, and the courage to forgive the injuries of the past.

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Reviews:

“With Coyote Heart, Paula Margulies uses lyrical, yet restrained prose to take us into a world where the usual definitions will not fit—where the personal and the political, even the human and the animal, become increasingly difficult to differentiate. This novel bravely explores the difference between a relationship that bends and one that breaks; it even suggests that a healed fracture is stronger than what was originally whole.” -Peter Rock, author of My Abandonment, The Bewildered, and The Unsettling

Disabilities and marriage make things hard for both parties involved. "Coyote Heart: A Graceful Story of Love and Redemption" tells the story of Carolyn Weedman as she copes with a disabled husband and a failing marriage. When love begins to bloom elsewhere, she is faced with harsh decisions that will change her life forever. Poignant and intriguing reading with strong romance elements, "Coyote Heart" is a solid and top pick for general fiction readers. -- Midwest Book Review

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Paula, what or who most influenced your writing?
I’ve always been a huge fan of the Southern gothic – William Faulkner and Flannery O’Connor are my all-time favorite writers. As a graduate student in English Literature, I studied Hemingway, Fitzgerald, Bellow, Doctorow, Didion, Heller, and Pynchon. Other authors whose stories have haunted me, stunned me, or made me weep: Sherman Alexie, Ha Jin, Barbara Kingsolver, Louise Erdrich, Jane Smiley, Jane Hamilton, Anna Quindlen, and Elizabeth Berg.

What is the one thing you want readers to know about your book(s) and/or writing?
I wrote this novel, in part, because I’ve always been fascinated by what makes a marriage work. My sense is that many marriages survive not because the two individuals involved are meant for each other, but because the losses and hardships that they’ve endured forge a bond that is difficult, and sometimes impossible, to sever. I also believe that oftentimes one has to leave a marriage – sometimes through adultery or separation – in order to find it again. Carolyn Weedman has married young and given up her career while in her twenties. She loses a child, suffers through her husband’s affair with a friend’s wife, and then has to live with his disability after an auto accident. When Coyote Heart begins, she’s ripe for a detour in her life and an incident where she accidentally hits a dog and meets Roy Washburn presents her with that option. Although she doesn’t seek the affair, when the opportunity arises, she lets it happen and, ultimately (ironically), saves her marriage.

What is your next project and when can we expect to read it?
I am working on an historical novel called Favorite Daughter, which is about Pocahontas, who tells the story in first person, in her own point of view. I recently read Sena Jeter Naslund’s novel, Abundance, which tells the story of Marie Antoinette in her own voice and was fascinated by the way it dispelled so many myths about her character, while showing us who she really was as a person. I’m trying to do the same thing in Favorite Daughter, by telling the story from Pocahontas’s perspective and letting her show us the true nature of her relationship with John Smith and how she came to play such a significant role in American history.

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The Fabled City of God, Bruce Golden & "Evergreen"

A heretic priest launches an expedition into the unexplored regions of the frontier forest world of Evergreen, in search of the fabled City of God. A young man seeks his mother's killer amidst a rough and tumble camp of off-world lumberjacks. A woman is torn between love for her husband and lust for her stepson. A guilt-wracked man finds himself recruited by a colonial rebellion despite his desire to withdraw into narcotic dreams. An exobiologist studies primate-like creatures she believes have the capability to evolve into the first extraterrestrial sentient species. All the while the vegetal consciousness that is Evergreen contemplates the human colony.

As their personal conflicts unfold, and secrets are revealed, the expedition discovers the ruins of an ancient village, and evidence that a Neanderthal-like intelligence once existed on this world. The mystery of what happened to that species reveals the truth about Evergreen.

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Bruce, what or who most influenced your writing? Robert Heinlein, Mark Twain, Robert Howard, Rod Serling, Edgar Allan Poe, and Jim Morrison were my main influences as a youngster.
What is the one thing you want readers to know about your book(s) and/or writing? I'm always trying to do something different--something unexpected. In Evergreen I tackled a theme not often seen in science fiction.
What is your next project and when can we expect to read it? Dancing with the Velvet Lizard is a collection of all my short stories. It should be out in mid 2010.

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"The Pot Thief Who Studied Pythagoras" In Bookland Heights!

"The Pot Thief Who Studied Pythagoras has all the components of a great read – an intricate plot, quirky characters, crackling dialog, and a surprise ending. What’s more, Orenduff successfully captures the essence of New Mexico through humor, romance, and even a little philosophical musing. New Mexico’s rich history, people, food, and landscape come alive on its pages. But, while Orenduff’s account is authentic, this book leaves you wanting more of New Mexico, and the only way to remedy that is to come see for yourself." – Bill Richardson, Governor of New Mexico

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What or who most influenced your writing?
Margaret Atwood, Lawrence Block, Garrison Keillor, and Woody Allen

What is the one thing you want readers to know about your book(s) and/or writing?
If you look carefully for the clues, you might solve the mystery between laughs.

What is your next project and when can we expect to read it?
The next book in the series, The Pot Thief Who Studied Ptolemy, is due out this fall.

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Morgan Mandel and her Killer Career

Killer Career Blog Tour with author, Morgan Mandel!

KILLER CAREER is about a lawyer who wants to quit her day job and be a writer. Sounds tame, right? Not when her mentor is a New York Times bestselling author who not only writes about murders, but also commits them. And what about her law partner? Does he mean more to her than she thought? Will he let her go without a fight?

Did I mention she has an elevator phobia? The bad guy knows that, too.

Sometimes it’s not easy to be a writer, but most of us know that already.



BH: Welcome to Bookland Heights, Morgan. We always like to give our readers a glimpse into the author's world, so here goes. What or whom most influenced your writing?

MM: I enjoyed reading mysteries by Mary Higgins Clark, Dick Francis and Sidney Sheldon, but a library presentation by Chicago-North RWA authors hooked me into the writing addiction.

BH: What is the one thing you want readers to know about your book(s) and/or writing?

MM: My books are very dear to me, but so are all of my online friends. I’ve never met many of them in person, yet I feel I know them very well.

BH: Hope we're included! What is your next project and when can we expect to read it?

MM: After my best efforts to launch KILLER CAREER and set it on its path, I plan on publishing the first book in the Our Little Rascal series, about my special needs dog. I’m also halfway through writing Forever Young, a thriller targeted for the Boomer generation. I hope to get one or both books out within a year.

To find out more about Killer Career and Morgan Mandel's Blog Tour visit her website and her blog

The next stop on the tour is on Monday, August 17 at http://thelittleblogofmurder.com/, hosted by Jeffrey Marks.

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Also available at Bookstores, Libraries, Mobipocket.com

HOW I NAMED MY BABY By Morgan Mandel
It’s not easy to name a novel. The title needs to be catchy enough to attract readers, yet descriptive enough to portray what’s inside.
When I was writing KILLER CAREER, its name was Deadly Dreams. That was an okay name. Still, for some reason, maybe because the word, dreams, was in the title, the name lacked energy.
The book was done. It was with my editor. Everything would soon be finalized. I had to think up something and fast, but for the life of me, I couldn’t come up with the right words.
I brainstormed with friends, one of them being the multi-published Robert W. Walker, a fellow member of Acme Authors Link. He came up with a few suggestions, one of them being Career Killer. I kind of liked the name. Its meaning could be taken more than one way and had alliteration going for it. Still, for some reason it didn’t ring true.
Then it hit me. Switch the two words around. Make it KILLER CAREER. Yes, that sounded exactly right. I’d found a name in the nick of time.
So now you know how I named my baby. Thanks, Rob, for the inspiration.

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Teryl Cartwright's "A Sensible Match"

A SENSIBLE MATCH: How do you thwart well-meaning, but relentless, matchmaking parents without getting caught?

Abby's perfect solution was to try too hard to chase down and please her equally reluctant counterpart, the new vicar of Midland. Lord Edwin Chappell was certainly startled by her performance but too smart to be taken in by Abby's act. Just as she was showing him that she was anything but the perfect vicar's wife, he was trying to prove that her idea of a vicar was quite as far fetched.

After a humorous battle of wits and wills between the young couple, tragic events lead the matchmaking parents to stand against the match just when Abby and Edwin are falling in love. Now, the couple must decide to obey the time-honored dictates of their respective families or follow the path they believe God has now chosen for them.

Kay James of The Romance Readers at Heart website has this to say..."A SENSIBLE MATCH by Teryl Cartwright is one of those delightful books that brings a smile to the reader’s face from the very first page. Then, it kept me entertained so thoroughly that I was saddened to realize the adventure was nearing an end. Although the story feels a bit “rambling” in spots, the story is overall wonderfully written, engaging and through-and-through humorous. Not merely an account of one couple’s awkward courtship, it is a commentary on relationships. Those between men and women, families and their opinions on marriage and the opposite sex.

"A SENSIBLE MATCH is a sensible choice for summertime reading. It is entertaining and lively, romantic and funny. I loved watching the relationship between Abby and Edwin evolve. Without giving too much away, I’ll just say it was great fun to watch them change so drastically. They are not the same characters at the end of this novel that they were in the opening pages, and it was entertaining to watch the transformation."


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An excerpt - A Sensible Match:

“Well?” Constance tapped her toe impatiently, awaiting Abby’s response.

“I am sure I must see him soon enough. I need not appear eager for I am not.” Abby’s heart raced; she wished she could just go home.

What must everyone be thinking? Were they watching her, too?

Constance moved to put her arm around Abby’s shoulder. “Truly I sympathize with you, sister, though I don’t understand.”

“You would not wish to marry against your will,” Abby explained. She really didn’t want to meet this man and resented her parents for insisting upon it.

“But if you don’t marry, I may have to wait!” Constance whined. “It doesn’t seem fair to do that to me. Now, does it?”

“Fair…what is fair?” Abby kept her voice low. “Should I marry to please you, Mama, Papa, his family, him…all but myself?” She ended up sputtering rebelliously.

“Isn’t it a Christian duty to forget the self? Besides, from what I can see of him, he looks a man of fine mettle.” Constance smiled provocatively. She kept stealing glances across the room to see the newcomers more clearly.

“Fine mettle.” Abby looked over her shoulder. She saw the top of his head with some difficulty for many people had moved to greet him.

“Look how he enters a room and makes it his own. Oh, how I hate how everyone crowds around him. How well pleased he must be with all the attention.”

She watched him move and talk. His smile was charming and his looks handsome… not at all what she had expected. Surprisingly, he did not look sickly; he looked very fit and well dressed for a country assembly.

He looked fine, but Abby told herself that Christian character remained more important above all. She would not be fooled by looks; she knew what he thought of her.

“His is the gift of a silver tongue and a smile that speaks as well,” Constance observed. She almost looked envious of her staid older sister and continued lightly tapping her fan against her arm as if preoccupied.

“Mettle indeed…fine metal. I’d rather he have a heart of gold than quicksilver wit or…or iron will.” Abby was not impressed by him or his winning ways.

“Perhaps he has lead feet as well. That would indeed be tragic if you must dance with him,” Constance teased. “Fine metal, Abby, just for you.”

Abby became envious of the ease with which he graced the dance. This man looked as if he had the gift of social graces. He seemed so eloquent that surely he could have his choice of bride. So why was he not already engaged? What was wrong with him?

Thoughts from the author:

* What or who most influenced your writing?
While Jane Austen’s Mansfield Park influenced my novel, A Sensible Match, my writing has most been influenced overall by Georgette Heyer and Louis L’amour.

* What is the one thing you want readers to know about your book(s) and/or writing?
I would like readers to know that it’s possible to have faith and a sense of humor; I try to include both within a great story.

* What is your next project and when can we expect to read it?
Courting Constance, sequel to A Sensible Match, will be published next year. It’s about “how to win a guy in 10 days” with hilarious results.

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Stacey Kannenberg, The Get Ready To Learn Mom!

With over 60,000 copies sold and reviews by over 700 mom bloggers, the Let’s Get Ready Series is helping parents, kids and teachers get ready for Kindergarten and First Grade like never before! These award-winning, state-approved books are used inside homes and in over 400 school districts nationwide! Don’t let your child be left behind – make learning fun with Let’s Get Ready For Kindergarten (Now in a Spanish/English edition) & Let’s Get Ready For First Grade! (for ages 2-8).

Stacey Kannenberg: Award-winning Author, Publisher, Consultant, Speaker, Motivator, Blogger, Keynote, Spokesmom & Get Ready To Learn Mom CEO

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Matthew Simon and "The Chosen Few"

The Chosen Few In an investigation that takes him through the Boston neighborhoods of Back Bay, Beacon Hill, the South End, and downtown, private investigator Max Lovely finds himself entangled in an expanding web of men and women with big dreams and dark secrets. As he draws closer to the truth, his own life becomes the target of the malevolent forces he has uncovered.

Matthew Simon grew up in Amherst, Massachusetts and attended Williams College in Williamstown, Massachusetts. He lived and worked in many of Boston's urban neighborhoods, including Back Bay, Beacon Hill, the South End, and Chelsea. Matt spent ten years bedridden with Chronic Fatigue Syndrome. During those years of forced silence, the Max Lovely mystery series evolved as a form of internal entertainment. Matt has since recovered his health.

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