Living the Dream

The magic of the holiday season,
filled with wonders, hope…
and romance.
Find your secret true love in this collection of contemporary romances, all with Happy Ever Afters. Included in this box set are these award-winning authors and titles:

Rachelle Ayala – WHERE LOVE TEMPTS – A haunting reenactment leads to love and secrets at Moonshadow Manor.
A historical actress plays the role of a vanished heiress in a creepy mansion while combing through a list of mysterious disappearances. Love, however, crosses her path with a man under a cloud of suspicion. Will secrets uncovered and Christmas wishes forge a path to true love? USA Today Bestselling Author

Dani Haviland – KINKY BOOTS AND ME – Was ‘It’ll all come together as long as you have faith and a plan’ a cruel taunt to the homeless woman?
Homeless but not hopeless, Fabiola’s grueling work schedule left little room for love until she met Scoots. Can the duo transform ‘Under Construction Park’ into “Ultra Cool Skatepark’ and still keep safe from Lorenzo, the town loudmouth and bully who claims to be her boyfriend? USA Today Bestselling Author

Taylor Lee – DANCE OF THE SUGAR PLUM FAIRIES: Can the drool-worthy financier persuade her that Christmas dreams can come true?
Emma is convinced she has what it takes to make it in the Big Apple. Unfortunately for the starry-eyed Midwesterner, New York City is a hard nut to crack. USA Today Bestselling Author

Susanne Matthews – MURDER AND MISTLETOE – Going home for Christmas can be deadly.
Visiting the ancestral Georgia plantation, Candy uncovers dark family history and regrets aiding grieving widower Steve in trapping his wife’s killer. International Bestselling Author

Josie Riviera – 1-800-CHRISTMAS: Taking the high road is a whole lot easier with someone to love…
When two hearts get in a jam, it’ll take more than whiskey cake to sweeten the deal. USA Today Bestselling Author

Denise Devine – A MERRY LITTLE CHRISTMAS – Merry Connor and Anthony Lewis search for stolen money and find true love along the way.
Widowed father Tony’s heart mends when he bonds with struggling single mom Merry and her kids, but his connection to her deceitful ex may ruin their chance at love. USA Today Bestselling Author

Patricia Rosemoor – CRIMSON HOLIDAY – Someone killed Santa Claus!
Passed out after the store Christmas party, Shelby Corbin awakens only to trip over Santa, the store’s co-owner and her boss. Seeing her flee the scene, CEO Rand McNabb helps her search for the truth about that fatal night. New York Times and USA Today Bestselling Author

Mimi Barbour – TOGETHER FOR CHRISTMAS – The season is Christmas, and love is all around… in the most unlikely situations.
Falling into a coma, Abbie’s beautiful spirit resides inside a prickly, big-shot businessman who has no time for her… until she falls in love. New York Times and USA Today Bestselling Author

ENJOY THE WONDERS OF CHRISTMAS WITH UNFORGETTABLE ROMANCES!

Unfrogettable Christmas Wonders is available for only 99 cents USD or on Kindle Unlimited.

Filled with heart, hope, and holiday traditions…it’s Christmas, the most magical time of the year.
So, what could be more romantic than breaking through the bah humbugs to find love with your own personal Scrooge?

Find your spirit of the season in these NINE HOLIDAY ROMANCES, featuring BRAND-NEW, NEVER BEFORE PUBLISHED steamy stories, from New York Times & USA Today Bestselling, Award-Winning Authors.


TWO HEARTS’ CHRISTMAS SURRENDER by Tamara Ferguson, USA Today Bestselling Author: For years, Sergeant Matt Johnston’s been blackmailed. But there’s a puzzle to be solved—what does the blackmailer even want? When musician Cara Naughton unexpectedly breaks through to his heart, Matt decides that it’s time to somehow move forward. But Cara has secrets of her own that she’s afraid to expose. Can they finally put the dark secrets from their pasts behind them and surrender their hearts at Christmas?

ANGELS ABOVE by Natalie Ann, USA Today Bestselling Author: Cal Perkins tells everyone he hates Christmas because of a tragic event in his childhood, yet he’s Santa to those around him. Can Mia’s love make him a believer again?

SAVING CHRISTMAS by Cynthia Cooke, USA Today Bestselling Author: Roni’s been wishing for a second chance with the long-ago sweetheart who slipped away. He’s back in time for Christmas, proving that wishes do come true. Except, he’s running his Dad’s coffee shop and doing a good job destroying hers. Can Roni find a way to save her business and get her wish of a happy Christmas?

BUYING UNDERWEAR ON EBAY by Suzanne Jenkins, USA Today Bestselling Author: Bella Roman channels her sadness from past defeats and losses into an obsessive habit, until a freak accident gives her a new focus, and a new man.

THE SCROOGE FACTOR by Alicia Street, USA Today Bestselling Author: Can Kate save the Christmas holiday village when she discovers she has to deal with a hot and hunky Scrooge who challenges her can-do optimism…and her heart.

WE’RE SURVIVORS by Mona Risk, USA Today Bestselling Author: They’re both survivors, the surgeon injured in Iraq and his physical therapist, jilted at the altar by his selfish brother. Can they turn the page on their grim past and trust each other?

FLAMINGO CHRISTMAS by Mimi Barbour, New York Times & USA Today Bestselling Author: When toy manufacturer, Sue Ross, found an email in her inbox from a distraught father asking her to make a stuffed toy flamingo for his small, injured child, she dropped everything. Would she be in time?

NOTHING GOOD HAPPENS AFTER MIDNIGHT by Taylor Lee, USA Today Bestselling Author: • The brazen detective crashes the emergency room determined to her question her dying agent • The new head of the ER stops her at the door • Their antagonism aside, the arrogant physician and the brash detective agree, • Christmas is the worst holiday of the year.

NOELLE’S GAMBIT by Susanne Matthews, International Bestselling Author: When Noelle Canton discovers that her uncle’s decision will ruin Christmas not just for her but for the town, she’s determined not to let it happen.

Turn the November blahs into early Christmas joy! Nine Novels fir Ninety-Nine Cents! Also available in Kindle Unlimited. Get your copy of this box set today!

The Authors’ Billboard does it again. Thrilled to have one of my books included in this amazing box set.

After years of deception, tragedy, lies, and trauma, these women need a change. Meet five incredible women who have been through the wringer, but never gave up. Join them as they fight to reclaim themselves, and forge forward to build a new and better life.
Watch out world, it’s time for RECLAIMING ME!

Mission: Believe – Stacy Eaton, USA Today Bestselling Author
Helping people through their toughest moments is what Dr. Lauren Falcone does. It’s not until she meets Shane Logan, a disabled military veteran who struggles with physical and mental pain, social unacceptance, and suicidal ideation that she realizes she still needs to learn to deal with her own demons.

The Bootlegger’s Legacy – Denise Devine, USA Today Bestselling Author
It’s June 1926 in St. Paul, Minnesota, and Charlotte LeDoux’s late husband, a notorious
bootlegger, left her a reputation riddled with bullet holes. Can she escape his toxic legacy and rebuild her life?

The Blue Dragon – Susanne Matthews
Samantha Collins has lost everything she ever wanted. Now, her life in shambles, can she make a future for herself and satisfy her aunt’s final request?

The Set Up – Dani Haviland, USA Today Bestselling Author
One day life is glorious.
The next, it implodes, and all she’s loved and cared for is lost.

A Change of Heart – Patrice Wilton, NY Times Bestselling Author
Stephanie, a hopeless romantic who believes in the fairy-tale romances she spins, is confronted by her first heartbreak, Jason, a dedicated doctor committed to a lifetime of service. Tragedy and circumstance separated the two lovers for more than a decade until one fateful day they met again.

My book, The Blue Dragon, was written a couple of years ago, but it’s been edited and revised to provide you with what I hope will be an even better reading experience.

Samantha Collins has lost everything she ever wanted. Now, with her life in shambles, can she make a future for herself and satisfy her aunt’s final request?

The Blue Dragon is a modern historical romance, set in 2006.

Gravely wounded in Afghanistan, Samantha Collins returns to Canada to discover a previously unknown relative has died and made her heir to the family estate. The bequest consists of a century-old farmhouse, the land surrounding it, and a chubby, independent orange tabby with a mind of his own.

Alone, having given up on love, marriage, and children, facing a grim future, Sam opts to move into the house until she decides what to do with it, but when she opens the door, she gets more than she bargained for. Nobody mentioned Great-aunt Esther was a hoarder.

Following his divorce, Phil Austin returns to South Creek. An architect who prefers restoring old buildings to designing new ones, he’s intrigued to learn one of the area’s century-old houses may be for sale Picturing the house converted to an inn, Phil knocks on the door, but he gets more than he expected. The new owner is the woman he loved and lost fifteen years ago.

Stunned to find the only man she ever loved on her doorstep, Sam is carried away by his ideas for the house. Torn between hope and despair, she agrees to his business proposal. As they renew their friendship and sift through the trash and treasures Esther Cohen left behind, looking for the mysterious Blue Dragon she mentioned in her letter, Sam begins to think that her future may not be so grim after all. Can she find the courage to open her heart once more?

Sometimes, it takes an event in one’s own life to put things in perspective. After my father died, my mother went into a sharp mental and emotional decline, resulting in the need for her to be placed in a long-term care facility. This was at the onset of COVID 19, so that decision was a hard one to make. Among the things we had to do was empty the house and get it ready to sell. That’s when we discovered that Mom and Dad were tidy hoarders. What Sam finds inside the house is a mild exaggeration of what we dealt with. The saddest part is that, in my mother’s mind, the house was destroyed in a fire–it wasn’t, but all the things she prized she was convinced were lost forever.

The fat orange cat, Beef, was ours.

Reclaiming Me is available from all Amazon retailers. At only 99 cents USD, It’s a great deal!

Welcome to this week’s edition of Tuesday Tales: Last week, I went back a little to tell you more about Uncle Angus and a Scottish custom that was near and dear to my mother-in-law’s heart. This week, we’re back in the airport with Marina. Our word is NARROW. Enjoy!

“Lady Fraser, I do apologize for this. It seems my desk calendar may have had an issue while I was away last week.” Her tone of voice spoke to her annoyance and confusion, but it was the words themselves that surprised Marina.

She stared down at the phone, dropping onto the narrow bench.

“What did you call me?”

“Lady Fraser. It’s who you are now that you’ve arrived on the Isle of Lewis to claim your birthright.”

Marina smiled, not quite sure how she felt about being Lady Fraser or Laird Fraser as Angus had been. Hell, back home, just being called Mrs. Fraser-Mitchell had made her uncomfortable.

“Are there other lairds and ladies here on the Isle of Lewis?”

“Yes, but not as many as there used to be since there are few large estates, most crofters owning their own bits of land.”

“I see. Could you just call me Marina? “

“Of course, Marina, but most people you’ll meet will likely call you Lady Fraser. It’s meant as a sign of respect.”

“I suppose … As for the mix-up with the plane, we did bandy around a lot of dates. At some point, we must’ve considered October 20 as my arrival date, but we did change it.”

It was impossible for her to be wrong. Last night had been her last night in Inverness. The hotel would not have made that mistake. Her plane ticket had been for this morning. Again, the airline would not have made that error.

Marina exhaled. Did it matter whose fault it was? What was done was done. So what if she hadn’t had a grand welcome home? She was here and that was all that mattered. What was important was that she get a ride out to Fraser Hall as soon as possible. What had seemed like a friendly airport had quickly lost its charm.

“Can Mr. MacDonald come and get me now?”

“I’m sorry, but that’s not possible. He isn’t here.”

Not there! Her heart plummeted. What else could go wrong?

“He’s gone to Aberdeen for a deposition,” the secretary continued. “He planned it that way to be back tomorrow before your flight lands—or was supposed to land.” The woman’s accent was stronger in her agitation. “He’ll not be happy about this.”

That’s it. Stay safe, and don’t forget to check out the other Tuesday Tales.

Welcome to November. Many of the leaves have fallen and we’ve even had a dusting or two of snow. This week the Tuesday Tales authors bring you posts based on the word RUN. I’m continuing with Listen to the Stones, my Contemporary Romance with paranormal elements.

Duncan turned back to the road. “The Laird was a feared man for many years after his brother died. He kept to himself and interacted with his tenants only when necessary. Some said he battled ghosts and a guilty conscience until one Hogmanay, about twenty years ago.”

She frowned. “Hogmanay? I’m unfamiliar with that term.”

“Scotland celebrates the end of the old year and the beginning of the new one with a holiday we call Hogmanay. There are several parts to it, such as first footing, exchanging gifts of food and drink to bring friends health and prosperity, and sanctifying the house. As a lad, my favorite activity was donning the sheepskin and going from house to house to collect black buns, a type of fruit cake, and shortbread. We’d run from house to house, knock on the door, and say, ‘Rise up, guid wife, an’ shake your feathers. Dinna think that we are beggars! We are bairns come out to play, get up and gie’s our Hogmanay!’ ‘Twas a lot like a second round of Halloween.”

“It seems I have a lot to learn about the island’s customs. I’ll make sure to have plenty of black buns and shortcake on hand.” She chewed her bottom lip. “So what happened to my uncle?”

“Some say the stones paid him a visit since he wouldn’t go to them, although as far as I know he never did, not even after the change. Like the famous Ebenezer Scrooge, he became more kind and understanding. He invested in the tweed mill and had his weavers trained to make the tweed. He helped his crofters improve their farms and grow their herds, he planted more pine trees, and he gave to the poor of the island, rarely doing so publicly so as not to be thanked. “Twas only after he died that many learned who had been their benefactor. Then a year following the change as we called it, Angus decided to open Fraser Hall as a bed and breakfast. People weren’t sure he could make a go of such a thing, but he had the black house renovated and hired staff to help him with it. For what it’s worth, I think he simply got tired of his own company. Having guests stay for a night or a week satisfied his need for humanity.”

She frowned. “You sound as if you knew him personally.”

That’s it. Stay safe, and don’t forget to check out the other Tuesday Tales.

Welcome to November 2023. Hard to believe another year is almost over, but it’s been a grim year for the world. Let’s hope that things start to turn around soon. It’s ironic when, in the midst of war, we’ll be remembering the soldiers who died in the past conflicts when there are new ones going on. All of the negativity in the world tends to stifle creativity and positive thoughts, making it hard to write romance of any genre.

November 1 question: November is National Novel Writing Month. Have you ever participated? If not, why not?

I have participated in NaNoWriMo three times, successfully completing my novels each time, and eventually publishing them. At the time that I did participate, I had no external factors preventing me from writing each day. Since it was early in my writing career, I enjoyed challenging myself and found the support available from others on my team encouraging.

That being said, I probably won’t be participating this year. I have a novel to complete by November 10, as well as some independent editing to do. In addition, my time is no longer all my own, and I have daughter as well as grandmother obligations that cut into my writing time. As well, Christmas is just around the corner and I have things to do for that. Then, it’ll be January and time to leave the snow and cold behind for a few days in the sun.

As I grow older, I find that everything takes longer to accomplish and yet I have fewer hours available with which to work. Who knew?

Good luck to anyone who does participate. May yourmuse be with you all the way.

Check out other answers here: https://www.insecurewriterssupportgroup.com/p/iwsg-sign-up.html

Happy Halloween. I wish you all a safe and spooktacular time. This week, the authors involved in Tuesday Tales are writing to the word prompt SCARY. I’m continuing with Listen to the Stones, my contemporary romance with paranormal elements. Enjoy!

She huffed out a breath. Where was Ewen MacDonald? He’d promised to meet her plane personally, but the only people left here were a custodian mopping the wet floor near the door leading out to the tarmac and an agent at the Highland Airways desk. Her fellow passengers must all have been locals with cars or rides waiting for them, so where was hers? This wasn’t a place where people lounged around and socialized. Being alone here made her skin crawl. Sighing, she found a place to sit and wait. What else could she do?

Fifteen minutes later, the Highland Airways representative closed the kiosk, put on his coat, and headed out into the rain. The janitor was nowhere in sight. She swallowed uncomfortably. This was far from the welcome she’d expected.

The wind whistled and howled through chinks in the window frames. When a door slammed in the distance, she jumped, only slightly reassured when the janitor returned to empty the trash bin before disappearing once more. He hadn’t even acknowledged her presence—no friendly smile, no hello, not even a what the hell are you doing here?

Suddenly, the lights went out, the only brightness coming from emergency lamps. The desolate airport took on a scary disposition. Power failure or deliberate attempt to frighten her? Once again, she was reminded that not everyone might be happy to have her home.

Hoping there hadn’t been an accident, she pulled out her phone and dialed MacDonald’s office number.

“MacDonald and MacPhee Solicitors, how may I help you?”

Marina exhaled the breath she’d been holding. Fiona would know what to do.

“Fiona, it’s Marina Fraser.”

“Hello, Ms. Fraser,” the woman’s voice was filled with warmth and welcome. “Are you anxious for the last leg of your trip home?”

“Actually, that’s what I’m calling about. I’m here and Mr. MacDonald isn’t.”

“Here? Here in Stornoway?”

The disbelief in the woman’s voice didn’t bode well. After the encounter with the man at the airport, it had been one glitch after another. Was it Fate telling her she had no damn business here?

“Yes. My flight landed on schedule thirty minutes ago.” She tried to dampen the frustration in her voice.

That’s it. Stay safe, and don’t forget to check out the other Tuesday Tales.

Welcome to this week’s edition of Tuesday Tales. We have a word prompt again. I’m continuing with Listen to the Stones, my contemporary romance with paranormal elements. Enjoy.

Marina, hair quickly getting plastered to her head, wrapped her raincoat tightly around her, pressing her handbag to her side as she followed her fellow passengers down the stairs and along the tarmac to the terminal doors, wishing the airport had been large enough to have a covered walkway or ramp into the terminal. Unlike the weather in Inverness earlier, the sun had vanished, replaced by vicious wind and a bone-chilling rain that didn’t exactly scream “Welcome home.”

Determined not to let a little water cloud her spirits, she hurried inside the airport terminal. She followed the signs to the baggage claim area. Not having to go through customs saved time and within twenty minutes of landing, she’d loaded all of her bags onto a luggage cart, grateful to see they’d all arrived with her. That had to be a good sign.

Pushing the luggage cart ahead of her, she went through the automatic doors into the arrivals area and stopped cold. Where was everyone? She’d only made one stop after getting off the plane, a quick trip to the lavatory before going to collect her luggage, but of the fifty or so people who’d been on her flight, she was the only one left.

The Stornoway airport was a far cry from the larger ones she’d seen on her journey here. There were no bars and restaurants, no large waiting areas, but the place was clean.

She sighed. At least she hadn’t been followed here. There was no sign of the man from the airport, the one she was sure she’d seen again in Inverness.

Glancing around, she took in the posters depicting sheep on the moors, a castle, the harbor, and of course the Standing Stones of Callanais, this one taken at night with the Aurora Borealis in the background. There were advertisements for stores selling Harris tweed, and even one noting that all overseas Christmas cards had to be mailed by November 30 to ensure delivery before Christmas.

Christmas. With the rush to get here, she hadn’t even thought about that holiday. She would miss Thanksgiving in two weeks and Halloween at the end of the month of October. Did children Trick or Treat here. Considering where the bed and breakfast was located, it was unlikely that she would have children come to the door even if they did. As for Christmas, it would be strange to celebrate without snow, but the odds were that she would be doing so alone.

That’s it. Stay safe, and don’t forget to check out the other Tuesday Tales.

Welcome to this week’s Tuesday Tales. We’re mid-way through October. Days are shorter and there’s a definite nip in the air. This week, I’m continuing with Listen to the Stones. This is picture week, so we’re limited to 300 words.

Here’s the picture I chose.

“Angus gave Eileen a sum of money and sent her back to Canada, making her promise never to contact anyone nor to come back. As far as I know, she was as good as her word. It broke my Maeve’s heart. She and Eileen were friends. Angus locked up the croft they’d lived in, leased his own, and moved into the Hall. I can tell you Maeve is looking forward to seeing her again as am I. We just hope she’ll bear us no ill will.”

It was obvious the old man wanted to talk. Maybe it was the magic of the stones making him so loquacious.

“So, she accepted his terms and is coming back.”

“Oh tha,” he reverted to Gaelic once more. “She’ll be here on September 30. I’ve got to go to Tarbet to see about a ram for the ewes. Brian Lennox, the Hall’s handyman, will be coming with me. We’ll be gone the day, more or less, but we’ll be back before she arrives. Brian’s got all the appliances running, but he hasn’t turned on the heat. The light bulbs for the new fixtures arrived a while ago with the groceries. He’ll have plenty of time to put them into place before she gets here. We don’t want her to spend her first night in the cold and dark. We want her to stay here where she belongs. I spent the summer refinishing the furniture from Eileen and Hugh’s cottage and moving it into the apartment for her. All sunshine and light it is now, complete with the crockery reproductions her mother learned to make here. The stones want her to stay. As the rightful heir, she’s connected to them just as you are. Angus never understood that. They didn’t speak to him.”

Before Jerome could ask him what he meant, the dog barked.

That’s it. Stay safe, and don’t forget to check out the other Tuesday Tales.

The closest I come to writing horror is my paranormal detective series, The Punishers. The characters are all fantasy creatures, living in New Orleans and working to enforce the law with both the living and the dead–they just tend to focus on the dead.

In The Tigress,

Paranormal Detective Ellie Taggart, a rakshasa capable of assuming the shape of a tigress, has always worked alone, searching for those responsible for her mother’s murder. When an investigation results in the death of a close friend and vampire, she’s forced to partner with handsome and mysterious peredhil, Steve Cassidy.
Like her, the half-human, half-elf uses his special talents to fight evil wherever it exists. Rogue vampires, shapeshifters, zombies, practitioners of black magic, poltergeists, ghosts—none of them can beat him. That is until someone or something no longer plays by the rules. There’s a new villain in New Orleans, one who threatens both the humans and non-humans who make the city home.
Is the enemy Draug, the wizard who murdered Ellie’s mother centuries ago? Is it someone from Steve’s shrouded past intent on revenge? Or are they facing a new enemy with an agenda all his or her own? As the tigress and her partner search for answers, trying to prevent the bodies from piling up, they have to manage conflicting emotions and desires that threaten to overwhelm them. Can two such different creatures of the light join forces to defeat the darkness, or will the powers of evil triumph?

In The Guardian

The Punishers are at it again in The Guardian, the second book in the series.
The past can always come back to haunt you.
After defeating the demon and casting him back into the abyss, Steve Cassidy and Ellie Taggart, the Tigress, expect a break, but evil never rests.
Knud, a dark-elf and an immortal, has escaped from his prison in Niflheim, intent on exacting his revenge against all of those who sent him there, including Steve. To make matters worse, Knud has teamed up with both supernatural and human criminals—a Voodoo priest and magician with an axe to grind against the city’s preternatural population, and a paramilitary group with an agenda all their own.
With a hurricane on the horizon, the lives of ten females and one male hang in the balance. With the help of a Vodun priestess, the head of the city’s Wicca coven, a selkie, merfolk, shapeshifters, and vampires, Steve, Ellie, Mike, and Chelsea, the Punishers, have 72 hours to find the missing yacht and rescue those aboard. Because if they don’t, by October 31st, all hell will break loose.

The Punishers are available on Amazon and free to read in Kindle Unlimited. Why not dive into the New Orleans Underworld and start Book One today.