Hi, it’s Christina –
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I see books in your future. |
Good Morning!
I hope all of you had a
SPOOKTACULAR Halloween! I actually dressed up this year. I was seriously
debating going to my book signing in costume, but then I said, “What the heck.”
Initially I was going to go as Mrs. Claus and change over my Halloween display
to my Christmas display early. Unfortunately, when I went down the basement to
get the dress, I realized it was one of the items which did not survive
Hurricane Irene. It’s amazing, three years later and I’m still being reminded.
On the other hand, I haven’t looked for it in over three years, so did I really
need it anymore? Obviously not.
So, in going with the
theme of my newest book, Spirited Tales, an anthology of short spooky stories
where I’m one of eight authors, which has a crystal ball on the cover, I
decided to be a fortune teller. When my girlfriend Dina moved, she gave me an
authentic Indian outfit. It’s lovely, however I don’t exactly have a place to
use it. Hopefully, I did not offend anyone by using the outfit as a costume.
So the reason behind this
blog post today is to tell you about this weekend. It’s Apple Festival at Peddlers Village, and it is probably the biggest festival of the year. It
runs from 10:00 am - 6:00 pm both days. (I’ll be there from 10-4.) There will be bands playing music, face painters, balloon artists, crafters, pony rides, food, food, food and more
food (apples, apple cider, apple pie, apple donuts, apple fritters, apple dumplings, apple sauce,
apple butter, etc …) I think you get my point.
There will also be six,
that’s right SIX, authors there signing their books, and I wanted to introduce
you to them and their work(s).
As always, I will have A
Second Chance and Taking Chances with me. These are the first two books in my
Bradford Series. The Bradfords are members of the British Secret Service in the
early 1800s, so you have mystery, intrigue, suspense, as well as romance. From
barroom brawls to Regency balls, they have it all.
I will also have Corporate
Blues, which is a contemporary romance, however, FBI & local police are
involved, so again you have some mystery, intrigue and suspense thrown in with
the romance. Finally, I will have copies of Spirited Tales. My contribution to
the anthology is a spooky Scottish Lore.
The first author I would
like to introduce you to is Rev. Janet Stafford. Like me, Janet writes both
historical and contemporary award winning novels and will have four books with
her at the signing.
SAINT MAGGIE –
is the story of Maggie Blaine, a widow with two teenage daughters, runs a rooming house smack dab on the town square. In 1860 this makes her a social outcast. Boarding houses are only semi-respectable and hers has a collection of eclectic boarders – an aging writer, an undertaker’s apprentice, a struggling young lawyer, and an old Irishman. In addition, she has a friendship with Emily and Nate, the African-American couple with whom she shares her home and chores. Lucky thing the town doesn’t know that Maggie, Nate, Emily, and Eli Smith (the free-thinking editor of the weekly newspaper) are involved in the Underground Railroad. When she is asked to house handsome, gifted Jeremiah Madison, the new Methodist minister, Maggie hopes that he will both revive the little church she attends and provide her boarding house with a bit of badly-needed respectability. But Jeremiah comes with dark secrets that challenge Maggie’s resolve to love and respect all people. As the town’s people reel from a series of shocking events, the compassionate, faithful Maggie searches for the truth as she struggles to forgive. (Based on a historical event.)
WALK BY FAITH is
the second book in the Saint Maggie Series. No one thought the Second Street
boarding house would be destroyed by arsonists. No one wanted to believe that
Nate would be beaten simply because of his race, but things have gotten ugly in
Blaineton, New Jersey. It is in the middle of the Civil War, and the
abolitionist sympathies of the people in Maggie’s boarding house have made them
a target for racist and Copperhead forces. When the violence threatens to
escalate, Maggie’s husband Eli has a proposal for them: his two sisters need
help aiding fugitive slaves evade the Confederate Army and find freedom in the
north. However, first they must relocate to Gettysburg,
Pennsylvania.
A TIME TO HEAL - The
third book in the Saint Maggie Series, is set in the months immediately after
the Battle of Gettysburg, continues the story of Maggie and Eli Smith and their
diverse family. Maggie’s daughters and friends are struggling to care for a
houseful of wounded soldiers in the town of Gettysburg. Meanwhile, Maggie and
Emily, after suffering terrible trauma, have moved with their husbands to a
quieter location. Everyone hopes and prays for healing and a return to normal
life. But an act of compassion mistaken as civil disobedience threatens the
family and forces them to stand up for their beliefs.
HEART SOUL & ROCK 'N 'ROLL
– Here
Janet leaves the nineteenth century and dives into a contemporary story located
at the Jersey shore.
Forty-year-old Lindsay
Mitchell is an assistant minister at a central New Jersey church, a place where
she’s always been happy. But a sudden case of midlife crisis finds her missing
her old college band. “I just want to rock one more time before I die,” she
moans to friends Sue and Patti. When Patti invites her to vacation at Point
Pleasant Beach, Lins meets Neil Gardner, front man for a bar band called the
Grim Reapers. The two definitely have musical and personal chemistry. But does
Lins really want a whirlwind romance with a broke, agnostic musician who lives
over a music store? Is that really what God has in mind?
The next author is Karen
Hluchan, and since she is a dear friend of mine, you’ve already been “introduced”
to her several times. However, I will recap for you. Karen’s participation at
the event is two-pronged. Yes she will have copies of her book, HOW HAVE YOU LOVED? with her, but Karen is not just an author, she is a spirit
medium, and she will be doing FREE readings, both days, at 12, 2 & 4. Karen
also holds a drawing for a FREE one-on-one reading – a $60 value.
HOW HAVE YOU LOVED? - Have you ever wondered why
you are here on this earth and what you are supposed to accomplish in your
lifetime?
Spirit medium Karen T.
Hluchan shines her light on the mysteries of heaven and earth that have been
revealed to her through her connection with spirit.
How Have You Loved? is a
journey about
♥
exploring how your thoughts determine your destiny;
♥
discovering the love within your heart;
♥
understanding the gifts of mediumship and our connection in spirit with one
another;
♥
sharing the love within your heart; and
♥
appreciating the role that nature plays in the development of your soul plan.
The elements of each
chapter are designed to help you make the most of your life here on earth and
to prepare you to answer the most important question you will ever be asked
when you cross over into heaven: How Have You Loved?
Next I would like to
introduce you to Larry Deibert. I met Larry a little over a year ago and we hit
it off like a house-on-fire. He is a wonderful person, and a Vietnam Veteran
who was nice enough to sit down and chat with me for over three hours so I
could pick his brain for an upcoming book (working title: from TEXAS with LOVE).
Larry has written so many
books, I’ve actually lost track, and I have no clue which ones, if not all, he’ll
be bringing with him. He is an eclectic writer – meaning he has not pigeonholed
himself into a genre. If his characters take a paranormal route, so be it.
Romance, Intrigue, Contemporary, Historical, Time Travel, up he’s got them
covered as well. Heck, he’s even got a vampire or two popping up. I have chosen
a random sampling for you (in no particular order of preference).
Combat Boots Dainty Feet - In 1969, Greg Taylor, an
overweight 21 year old man is drafted in the army. After 17 weeks of basic and
MP training, Greg comes home 79 pounds lighter only to hear from his
girlfriend, Terry that she doesn't want to see him again. He is sent to
Vietnam, where on his first night out on the road, his partner is killed in
front of his eyes. A few weeks later, Greg is once again nearly killed by a knife-wielding
prisoner. After the incident, he is reunited with a nurse he knew back in “The
World”. Sharon Andrews and Greg begin a stormy, illicit relationship.
Fraternization between enlisted personnel and officers is illegal in the eyes
of the army.
Fathoms: A Novel Of The Paranormal - Seventy years after her
husband, Al, goes missing from his battleship, the North Carolina, Eleanor
Pederson flies to Wilmington to join her grandson, Brandon, and his wife,
JoAnne, as they attempt to find out what really happened to him. Several
spirits help guide them to the answers they seek.
Requiem for a Vampire - Chained to a wall in an
abandoned warehouse, twenty-one year old Lani Jorgenson, the daughter of a
minister becomes a vampire. Her creator, Marcus Bronson, lies dead on the
floor, his head severed from his body. Lani breaks her bonds and seeks her
first victim. With his blood, she gathers the strength she will need to begin
her new life. She reads Marcus's journals and finds out many things, he, once
known as Marcellus Bratius, learned in his two thousand years as an immortal.
The Other Side of the Ridge - Transported to the past
through a weather anomaly, retired Brigadier General Daniel Rodin is captured
by Confederate soldiers. He is taken to their camp where he meets and is
questioned by General Robert E. Lee himself! Despite evidence proving he comes
from the future, Lee deems Rodin a prisoner of war and has him placed under
guard, but not everyone is happy with a black man being treated as cordially as
Rodin has been. And a plot to hang him starts among the soldiers. Two Time
Inspectors from the future, his brother and a long-time friend all travel back
in time to try to save him, but without being able to reveal the future, or
risk the outcome of the Civil war, can they free Dan before his hanging and get
him back home before permanent damage is done to the timeline?
The next author is our
youngest author – I know, many are younger than me ‘cause I’m an oldfart, but
Riley Morton’s REALLY young. We’re talking FIFTEEN here, and she doesn’t have
only one novel, she has two! I wish I would have had her confidence at her age,
heck, I’d probably have fifty novels finished by now. Her novels are YA (young
adult) and I would describe them as Percy Jackson meets Harry Potter.
Sorcerers - One day when
Castor Gemini was almost 14 he received a ring from his mother; passed down
through generations of Gemini's — this ring would unlock Castor's sorcery
powers. The very same day, after school, Castor's best friend Vela is presented
with a lamp from her mother that unlocks her special genie powers. Together,
they are sent away to live with the Protectors; a group whose sole mission is
to teach young sorcerers and genies like Castor & Vela how to develop their
powers so that they can one day help defeat the forces of evil in the world.
Once their training is complete, Castor and Vela join a group of other young
sorcerers and genies to confront the evil forces of Medusa and Hades, who are
plotting to destroy the world. Utilizing their new found powers, this army of
sorcerers and genies get into deadly battles in an attempt to save the world.
Will these battles be the end of Castor or just the beginning?
Discovered -
In a sequel to Riley Morton’s first book Sorcerers, the adventure continues.
Castor and his friends are back, and still on the run. They thought they were
finally finished with their problems, after their big battle with the evil
forces of the world. But they were wrong… Now they are against new enemies, but
this time there isn't much help. The team is small and the beasts are big. The group
is finding new friends, and losing others. Castor, Pollux, Vela, Puppis, and
Epsilon, are still trying to find a safe zone. But is there a safe zone? They
don’t know if there is a way out of this madness. The barriers keep getting
bigger and block the way to success. Will they make it through the tough times
in their lives, or will they fail trying?
Finally we have Samuel
Knight, who, like Karen, you’ve been introduced to him before, but in case you’ve
forgotten, Sam is the author of MONTY a Christmas Story. Sam teases that I am
his “weekend wife” because we spend so many weekends together at book signings.
Luckily his girlfriend knows I adore her and Paulie knows I couldn’t handle
more than one husband. LOL
MONTY a Christmas Story - Monty
was born with ears too long, and his feet were stubby and lame. But love
knows no boundaries when a little girl and her father discover Basset hound
pups one Christmas Eve. Sadly, little Andrea's father doesn't allow Monty to
stay. And thus begins the journey for young Monty as he is sent from place to
place, without a family, and longing for a home. If you believe in the true
Spirit of Christmas, then Monty, A Christmas Story is the timeless tale that
you will want to share with your family this special holiday season and every
Christmas for generations to come.
Bucks County, Pennsylvania author Samuel L.
Knight and renowned Canadian illustrator Romi Caron have teamed up to bring you
Monty, A Christmas Story. With its beautiful poetic verses and thirty-eight
original water color paintings, every parent will want to make Monty, A
Christmas Story a part of their child's holiday reading collection. MONTY BOOKS CAN ONLY BE PURCHASED STRAIGHT FROM THE AUTHOR, so don't miss your chance at getting this wonderful Christmas book.
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Karen, Sam, Wayne (the owner of Canterbury Tales Forever Book Shoppe) and me at a previous signing. |
PHEW! That’s a lot of good
stuff! Plenty of variety to choose from, for sure. So, if you have some spare
time this Saturday or Sunday, please come on out to Canterbury Tales Forever Book Shoppe, in Peddlers Village, Lahaska, PA – dance a little jig, gorge on
apple everything, and pick up some signed first edition books to add to your
collection or to give as unique holiday gifts.
Until next time – I hope
you have a WONDERFUL day & Happy Writing!