Hi, it’s Christina –
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| Sorry, had to sneak in a picture of my baby girl on Prom night. |
So, is anyone else a
little bleary-eyed this morning, or is it just me? I’m telling you, as I get
older, I don’t adjust to the time change as quickly as I used to. When I was
younger – boop – the next day, I was good to go. Now… not so much.
I don’t know what the
weather’s been like by you, but here in Central Jersey, Mother Nature has
smiled upon us for the past several days. We’ve had 60s, 70s and even days in
the 80s, which is unheard of in March, BUT I’M NOT COMPLAINING! All in all,
this winter wasn’t all that bad – a few bitter days, a few snowy days, and one
blizzard. Even still, I’m ready for spring. Friday, the day of my youngest daughter’s
prom, the daffodils in my yard bloomed – that’s, at minimum, three weeks early.
Okay, enough rambling. You
don’t want to hear about the weather, you want your Monday Morning Meet the
Authors. Again this week it’s going to be a Meet the Author, not authors; and I
will confess, I’m being a little self-indulgent with this one because I want to
feature one of my top ten favorite authors of all time. (Ooo, ouch, yikes, I could
picture the eye rolls and almost hear you say, “When isn’t a blog ‘self-indulgent’?”,
but please continue reading, because this author is truly wonderful.)
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| Carla Neggers |
I would like to introduce
you to Carla Neggers. Originally from Massachusetts, and now living with her
family in Vermont (a little over an hour south of Lys), Carla began writing at
an early age. Her favorite place to write… high up in a tree. Sound like
someone else you know? Where my tree was a Japanese Cherry, Carla’s was a sugar
maple.
Since that time, Carla had
penned over 70 books, of which I’ve probably read 80%. Most of the ones I
missed were the ones she wrote for Harlequin, but now that you no longer need
to have a subscription to Harlequin to get their books, and you can actually
chose which authors you want to purchase not just settle for whomever they send
you, I’ll be able to fill in my collection. YEAH!
Yikes, there I go rambling
again. Please chock it up to time-change brain. It’s far past time you get to
hear about Carla’s books. I’m trying to remember which series, either Carriage
House or Cold Ridge, which got me hooked on Carla’s writing so I can recommend
where to start, but I guess it doesn’t matter, and it’s all going to hinge on
what you like to read. I’ll try to give you a short summation of what each
series is about, and a list of the books, in order, so you know where to begin.
Even though she has several series as well as stand-alone novels, I think this
time, I’m going to focus on these two instead of giving you my usual little
taste of everything approach. This way you’ll get to see how Carla has woven
the stories together – an amazing talent, one I hope I emulate in my own
series.
Let’s start with the Carriage House
Series – Murders, mysteries, Rangers
& G-men, all centered around picturesque New England cottages.
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| The Carriage House |
THE CARRIAGE HOUSE (#1) - Fun
and a little hard work. That's all Tess Haviland had in mind when Ike Grantham paid
her for her graphic design work with the run-down, nineteenth-century carriage
house on Boston's North Shore.
Then
Ike disappeared, and now Tess finds herself with much more than a simple
weekend project to get her out of the city. It's not just the rumors that the
carriage house is haunted—it's the neighbors: six-year-old Dolly Thorne, her
reclusive babysitter, Harley Beckett…and especially Dolly's father, Andrew
Thorne, who has his own ideas about why Tess has turned up next door.
But
when Tess discovers a human skeleton in her dirt cellar, she begins to ask
questions about the history of the carriage house, the untimely death of
Andrew's wife…and Ike's disappearance. Questions a desperate killer wants to
silence before the truth reveals that someone got away with murder.
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| The Cabin |
Texas
Ranger Jack Galway knows his wife Susanna loves him, so when their marriage
hits a rough patch, he supports her decision to take their two teenaged
daughters to Boston for a break. But when a few weeks turns into several
months, Jack heads to Boston to get his family back.
Packing
up the girls and her grandmother, Susanna heads to her cabin in the
Adirondacks, trying to escape her fears, her secrets and even the man she
loves. Little does she know she's being followed, not just by her husband but
by a murderer….
Ex-convict
Alice Parker left a mess back in Texas, and she'll never forgive Jack Galway
for killing her dream of becoming a Texas Ranger herself. Obsessed with
revenge, she's got her sights set on Jack's family.
Trapped
in the mountains, Jack and Susanna must find strength in each other if they hope
to keep their family together and escape the cabin alive.
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| Stonebrook Cottage |
To
put her life back in perspective, Kara Galway has moved home to Texas after
years in New England. The up-and-coming defense attorney intends to concentrate
on her career and spend time with her Texas Ranger brother. But fate has
something else in store.
While
Kara is devastated to learn her former mentor, Connecticut governor Mike
Parisi, has died suddenly, she's pleased for her best friend, Allyson
Stockwell, the new governor. Then Allyson's children show up at Kara's Texas
home. They are terrified—and hiding something. Afraid for themselves and their
mother, they are certain the circumstances of Mike's death are suspicious.
Kara
must return with the children to Allyson's home, Stonebrook Cottage, to unravel
what exactly is going on. Are the children really in danger? What secret is
Allyson hiding? And then there's Sam Temple, the Texas Ranger Kara has fallen
head over heels in love with. Sam has followed her to Connecticut and has no
intention of leaving without her. Kara must uncover the truth if she is going
to protect the people she loves.
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| The Harbor |
Shattered
by her father's murder, Zoe West left Goose Harbor, Maine. Still struggling,
Zoe realizes only one thing will help to repair the damage—returning home to
confront the past.
FBI
special agent J. B. McGrath is burned-out after working undercover for a year.
Forced to take a break, he chooses Goose Harbor as a retreat. But he isn't
lying low. He believes a killer is still loose in the town—a killer who isn't
happy to see Zoe West return.
Zoe
isn't sure she can trust the unpredictable FBI agent—or their growing
attraction to each other. But the danger mounts, and one wrong move could
destroy everything she and J.B. care about. Someone got away with murder and is
determined to keep it that way.
Next up is the Cold Ridge Series – it’s time for you to fall in love with some amazing US Marshals.
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| Shelter Island |
SHELTER ISLAND (Novella - Cold Ridge prequel) – Boston doctor Antonia Winter has a feeling that someone
is stalking her. Thinking someone sees her as a means of derailing the
senatorial hopes of her boyfriend, Hank Callahan, Antonia leaves Boston for the
secluded wilderness of Shelter Island.
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| Cold Ridge |
COLD RIDGE (#1) -
When
Tyler hears about the murder, he rushes to see his friend Manny, expecting him
to ask for help. Instead, Manny urges Tyler to protect Carine, to take her back
to Cold Ridge and away from the temptation to meddle in a murder investigation.
What
Tyler learns is that Carine's at the center of a deadly game. And the only
person she can trust is the person she vowed never to trust again: him. But
they're running out of time—because a killer has followed them to Cold Ridge…
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| Night's Landing |
NIGHT'S LANDING (#2) -
Archaeologist Sarah Dunnemore is prepared for almost anything when she returns
to her family home in Night's Landing, Tennessee...except the news that her
twin brother, Rob, has just been seriously wounded in a sniper attack in
Central Park. She rushes to New York to be with him, only to come up against
no-nonsense Nate Winter, who was slightly wounded in the attack.
In
his work as a deputy U.S. marshal, Nate is the best, but he's willing to break
the rules to track down his and Rob's would-be killer. Nate believes the
official investigation is going in the wrong direction-especially when he
learns that Sarah is like a surrogate daughter and a confidante to her family's
famous Night's Landing neighbor-the president of the United States.
When
Nate suspects that Sarah has held back crucial information, he follows her to
Night's Landing. Because Nate will let nothing-not his and Sarah's growing
attraction for each other, not the mounting danger they face-stand in the way
of the truth. But in a place filled with betrayal, greed and long-held secrets,
truth is guarded with a deadly vengeance.
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| The Rapids |
THE RAPIDS (#3) -
She has no time to take a break after playing a key role in the arrest of
dangerous fugitive Nicholas Janssen. But with Janssen fighting extradition from
his Dutch prison, U.S. diplomatic security agent Maggie Spencer isn't about to
back off—even when U.S. marshal Rob Dunnemore turns up asking some very tough
questions. Maggie has no reason to trust Rob, especially when she learns he has
a personal interest: he was almost killed thanks to Janssen.
Then
Maggie and Rob discover the body of an American diplomat, and they realize
there's another killer on the loose. Determined to tie up the case, Maggie
heads to upstate New York following a questionable lead. Knowing she's holding
back on him, Rob's right on her tail. And now she has no choice but to trust
him. Because a trap has been set and they have both walked right into it.
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| Dark Sky |
DARK SKY (#4) -
Deputy U.S. Marshal Juliet Longstreet has made her share of enemies, and now
one of them is out of prison and threatening to kill her. Her mission: find him
first.
But
hot on her suspect's trail is Special Forces officer Ethan Brooker, who has a
way of dropping into Juliet's life without warning. Haunted by his wife's
death, Ethan is a man Juliet knows she should avoid. And now he's focused on a
related mission of his own and can't—or won't—give Juliet any details.
When
she finds her doorman dead and her New York apartment ransacked, Juliet tracks
down Ethan—this time she wants answers. They agree to team up, and as they
fight their growing attraction to each other, their race to stop a ruthless
killer takes them north to Juliet's family in Vermont…and into the heart of a
dangerous web of lies, greed, deceit—and murder.
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| Breakwater |
BREAKWATER (#5) -
An idyllic cottage. An unlikely suicide. A conspiracy that could blow the lid
off the Department of Justice.
Three
months ago Quinn Harlowe left the high-pressure hallways of the Justice
Department to become an independent consultant and have more control over her
life—maybe even have a life. But the nirvana of her new gig is short-lived when
Quinn discovers her friend and former colleague Alicia Morrow dead outside
Quinn's bayside cottage. Suicide? Quinn is doubtful.
Investigating
on her own, she soon discovers that someone is following her every move. Huck
McCabe claims he's a bodyguard at Breakwater, a high-security compound near
Quinn's cottage. But Quinn suspects he's lying, never imagining the truth:
McCabe is an undercover agent trying to penetrate a violent network of
vigilantes—the same people Quinn has identified. Joined by a common goal, Quinn
and McCabe must fight the bastion of law and order…a fight they know could lead
to disaster.
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| Abandon |
ABANDON (#6) -
On what is supposed to be a quiet long weekend in New Hampshire, Deputy U.S.
Marshal Mackenzie Stewart is viciously attacked at the lakefront cottage of her
friend, federal judge Bernadette Peacham. Mackenzie fends off her attacker, but
he manages to escape. Everything suggests he's a deranged drifter—until FBI
special agent Andrew Rook arrives.
With
Rook, Mackenzie broke her own rule not to get involved with anyone in law
enforcement, but she knows he isn't up from Washington, D.C., to set things
straight between them. He's on a case.
As
the hunt for the mysterious attacker continues, the case takes an unexpected
turn when Mackenzie follows Rook back to Washington and finds that Bernadette's
former mentor, a once-powerful, now-disgraced judge who has been providing Rook
with information, has gone missing. Mackenzie and Rook realize the stakes are
higher than either had imagined, and a master criminal with nothing left to
lose is prepared to gamble everything.
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| Yeah, Carla Neggers my bookshelf is kinda full, and I still have more to add! |
Carla also has a 5 novel
& prequel novella FBI series called the Sharpe & Donovan Series (LOVE
these characters), a 4 novel series called BDP/FBI Series (these will keep you
on the edge of your seat), a 6 novel & Christmas novella series called
Sweet River Valley Series (I’m a couple behind, but I’m enjoying this series as
well), a 3 novel Black Falls Series (not to sound like a broken record, but I
loved these too), 11 standalone novels (I’ve read all except for the two
published under Carla’s other pen name, Anne Harrell), 3 anthologies (I only read one of these), and 17 novels through Harlequin (already mentioned).
Although Carla has been
writing for a little over 30 years (I believe she was first published in 1983
or 1984), this still equates to an average of two novels a year. PHEW!! That’s
some serious dedication to the craft, and a plethora of imagination! Even
though we are around the same age, I want to be Carla when I grow up!
I hope you enjoyed meeting
Carla Neggers, and I hope you fall in love with her writing just like I have.
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