THE "REAL" STAR OF BETHLEHEM

When I read the following article a couple of years ago about the real star that led the magi to Jesus, I got the goose bumps, and I hope you do too!
MERRY CHRISTMAS, AND LIKE TINY TIM SAYS, GOD BLESS US, EVERYONE! BEST WISHES AND HAPPY HOLIDAYS TO ALL, WHATEVER YOUR BELIEF MAY BE!
The Star of Bethlehem has fascinated writers from across the centuries.
Experts believe the Magi or Wise Men who saw the star that led them to Bethlehem were court astrologers and advisors to the ancient kingdom of Babylon.

Was it a star? Was it a comet or simply a miracle? Some astronomers and historians are teaming up to give a logical, yet miraculous explanation.

Scholars increasingly suggest that the Star of Bethlehem was the star we know as the planet Jupiter, the king of planets representing the infant King of Kings. To get the details, astronomers like John Mosley need historians.

"You give me a period of time and I can find something in the sky that would have been sufficiently interesting to alert the wise men to send them on their journey," says Mosley.

For the last one hundred years, most experts had said that Jesus was born about 7 B.C., contradicting what the early Church writers had said about 3 B.C.

Historian Ernest Martin contends those ancient authors had it right, enabling Mosley to reconstruct on his computer those skies of old.

"August 5, 3 B.C., August 9, and there on the morning of August 12, 3 B.C., Jupiter and Venus were in very close conjunction," he explains. "I can zoom into a part of the sky so that you can see Venus and Jupiter almost touching. They were separated by about a fourteenth of a degree."

The appearance of Jupiter and Venus cheek-to-cheek was likely enough to get the Magi on their camels headed to Jerusalem because the conjunctions all took place in the constellation of the Lion that represented Israel to the Babylonians.

"Astrology is nothing more than a corruption of primitive truth that we can find in the Scripture," says Martin. "But astronomy and signs in the heavens that God did give to introduce His Son into the world are valid."

Jupiter and Venus represented a father and mother, and from them you'd expect a royal baby to be born. That is apparently what the Magi thought.

"But by the time the Magi got there about 15 months later, he was now a 'padeion,'" notes Martin. "He was a toddler."

But the Magi had more to see before they got to Bethlehem. Jupiter came close to the star Regulus, yet another symbol of royalty, not once, but three times in a looping pattern reminiscent of a celestial crown.

"Venus comes in and is in conjunction with Jupiter," explains Mosley. "Beneath the Lion, to the left of Regulus, June 17, 2 B.C."

"And we find that Jupiter in its two very close conjunctions with Venus and then three close conjunctions with the star Regulus over a ten-month period of time satisfies our concept of what would have been very exciting to the Magi and that's why we pick Jupiter as the Star," says Mosley.

So, the Magi would have viewed these events like a billboard in the sky that says a mighty king has been born in Israel!

Once they'd made their long 'star trek' to Jerusalem, scribes there told them to make the brief journey to Bethlehem. After all, the Scriptures tell of a king rising from the city of David.

Next, the return of Jupiter, once again, this time in the womb of the constellation of the Virgin. Martin interprets this as a symbol of the Virgin Mary with child and a guide for the Magi.

"They just saw it come to a stop mid-body to Virgo in the direction of Bethlehem and they went by the direction of an angel and they gave their gifts to the Christ child," says Martin.

The date, about December 25, 2 B.C., New Testament scholar Peter Jones says God brought those astrologically wacky gurus to Jesus for a reason that's still valid for the unique people in our own lives.

"We need to try and make friends with them, we need to bring them to Christ, we might not have a star in the sky, but we are disciples and that's what the Lord left with us as His command to go and make disciples of gurus," says Jones.

As much as these new explanations about the Star of Bethlehem may enrich the meaning of Christmas, the story of the star represents only one chapter in the telling of the greatest story ever told.

IM ON 2 SPECIAL BLOGS TODAY


HEY EVERYONE, PLEASE CHECK OUT MY RAMBLINGS N INTERVIEW ON SOME REALLY AWESOME BLOGS. MELISSA KEIR'S BLOG, SEXY BETWEEN THE COVERS AND ANN SNIZEK'S BLOG, RAMBLING VOICES IN MY HEAD. THIS IS ANN'S NEW BLOG! PLEASE CHECK ME N THE BLOGS OUT! I'LL BE TALKING ABOUT MY LATEST PARANORMAL NOVEL, THE BANISHED ONE. IT'S BOOK 3 IN THE UNDEPARTED SERIES

FLIP FLOP FRIDAY, Readers in Wonderland

Today I am spotlighting Readers In Wonderland, A YA Book Review Blog.

Who Are These People?

has been reading ever since she can remember and loves each new world a book creates. Although a bit cynical, she's genuine and honest. She reads in every spare moment, and even every no-so spare moment. She currently is (crazily) trying to finish more than thirty books in the two months before 2013. She loves Richelle Mead.
TWITTER

and Alise have been friends and book confidantes for over three years now. Brooke has a tendency to use sarcasm like breathing but she is also kind. Brooke is not afraid to be honest and blunt in a review.


is the newest member to Readers in Wonderland and you might not see her around much, she's extremely busy with classes but reads as much as she can when she can! She wishes she could read faster so she could enjoy the huge amount of novels out there.   EMAIL




is 26 years old and I am a Canadian through and through. I tend to gush a lot in my reviews about my current book boyfriends, I also say awesome and amazing way too much!


I'M ON A FRIEND'S BLOG TODAY

HEY EVERYONE, PLEASE FOLLOW ME TO MAMA'S BOOK CORNER BLOG WHERE LEIGH LET ME RAMBLE FOR A FEW MINUTES ABOUT MY NEWEST, THE BANISHED ONE, book 3 in THE UNDEPARTED SERIES.

AWESOME AUTHOR, JJ collins

PLEASE WELCOME MY GOOD FRIEND, NON- FICTION AUTHOR JJ COLLINS, FROM ACROSS THE POND

J.J.Collins is an Indie Author, Blogger and Political Commentator based in the United Kingdom Collins has always been passionate about American History and politics; he enjoyed a long and successful business career before a serious illness forced a change in life and career direction. This unexpected turn of events allowed Collins to rediscover his passion & love for writing.

"I have been fortunate enough to have travelled extensively and I have to admit, I'm definitely a news junkie! but also a person who loves learning about new cultures, places and people. I believe by capturing and studying key events in our history, is a vitally important way in understanding the modern world we live in. The study of politics and history can often assist us in opening our minds and improving our language skills and can also be a lot of fun.

I believe the study of Politics and History helps us understand other people and other societies. Society is shaped by what came before Collins says. In order to understand how we have become what we are, and why we differ from others, it's important to look to history. Very few events are truly "global" - and understanding the "non-global" is a key to understanding why people living in one country can develop stereotypes of those living in another country. It has been said that History is written by the victors however; Collins loves exploring not only why those persons were victorious, but also what was the basis for the defeat and sometimes destruction of others.

History helps us understand current events much better and on a more personal level, it can also help us understand who we are and the "risk factors" we have to face on a daily basis in this ever changing world.

In terms of role models; Abraham Lincoln is definitely one of the most inspirational and influential people I have had the privilege of studying and learning about. I also hold great admiration for the Founding Fathers; Ronald Reagan and Bill Clinton. I'm a pretty outgoing person so I find many things to admire in people and have been lucky enough to have worked and studied with some truly talented people in my life and career." JJ Collins


Thank you so much JJ, for your wonderful contribution to the book world AND to my humble blog! I admire you greatly! Deborah

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My blog was nominated for the very inspiring blog award

Hey, my blog was nominated for the very inspiring blog award by OLGA and so I pass on the gift to others who have inspired me; it's the way it works; it's like playing tag. Well, here we go: The Vampire Queen, Jodie Pierce, Terrell Ash Talks!, Karen Docter, Tome Tender, TeaHoney's Book Cafe, JH Gaines

AWESOME AUTHOR, Elodie Parkes

PLEASE WELCOME ELODIE PARKES
Give a big cheer, a big hello!
Elodie lives in Canterbury, United Kingdom. It’s famous for the Cathedral, Chaucer, and there is a UNESCO world heritage site, which includes the ancient ruins of St Augustine's Abbey and St Martin's Church.
She works in an antiques shop and writes. Elodie has two dogs that keep her fit with their need for walks.
Elodie writes romance, contemporary, and always erotic with a twist of mystery, paranormal, and suspense now and then. She likes to make the story unusual in some way, by a quirk in the tale
 
Add caption
‘The Horoscope Writer’ is about a man, Dominic, who is a writer and has lots of different writing jobs for magazines amongst which is that of horoscope writing. Dominic Reed, the horoscope writer, is desperate for love. He doesn’t know he has never had the kind of love he suddenly finds with Cassie the female lead character. It ignites a sexual passion in him he didn’t know he could feel.
He is a lonely soul, living in the country on a funny country lane where a few artisan’s workshops are. Fortunately he has a friend there too, Jeremy, who has a workshop, design studio there on the lane.
Dominic is lonely. His last relationship broke up a couple of years prior to the opening of the story and he really wants love.
There is a workshop to let on the lane and Cassie comes along to rent it.
Dominic is instantly attracted to her when he sees her in Jeremy’s office and she finds Dominic irresistible.
There is a mild paranormal streak running through what is an erotic romance because Dominic has been strangely influenced by his great uncle who was also a horoscope writer.
This is a love story, erotic and enticing.
 
 
EXCERPT 18+ From The Horoscope Writer
 
“Can I get you anything Cassie? Coffee?”
She smiled at him thinking he had perhaps changed his mind about going to bed together.
“Okay coffee is good” she answered.
Dominic washed his hands and made coffee. Cassie watched him.
“If you’ve changed your mind Dominic it’s okay”, she told him. It was what Dominic needed.
He went to her and held her head to kiss her. The kiss was like nectar to Cassie and she began to put her hand up inside his sweater to reach his skin. Dominic held her head with one hand kissing her almost desperately as he used the other hand to unzip her jeans and push them down her thighs. Cassie unzipped his jeans. Dominic felt almost lightheaded, he couldn’t stop kissing her, and he put his hand down inside her underwear to press his palm against her lower stomach.
Cassie gasped and searched for a way to lower his jeans and feel his hard bottom. She felt his fingers reach her entrance and she parted her legs a little so that he could push them into her.
Dominic’s voice was a whisper.
“Cassie let’s go to bed. I want to feel you naked against me. I need you”.
She nodded slightly as his face was still against hers. She moaned involuntarily as he took his fingers from her.
Dominic took her jacket, and put it over the back of a kitchen chair.
Cassie pulled her jeans up leaving them unzipped.
Dominic held her hand to lead her up to his bedroom. The staircase was surprisingly wide, and they could walk up there side by side. Dominic’s room was at the end of the landing, and he pushed the door open with the side of his body as he turned to hold Cassie again and kiss her.
Somehow, though it wasn’t clear how to either of them when they thought about it later, they undressed, and lay clasped against each other on the bed breathing into each other’s mouths when the sensation of being skin to skin overwhelmed them for a few moments.
Dominic traced his fingers down her stomach reaching her entrance to find she was wet for him. His lips found hers and their tongues touched gently as his fingers began to work magic on Cassie. She moved against his palm and made little sounds into his kiss as she reached for him. He thrust into her hands and they both groaned with need.
“Cassie wait I’ll find a condom”, he said, as she began to whisper her need to him.
“Dominic I need you inside me now”, she whispered over, and over as she kissed him.
Her hands felt cool on him and he was still thrusting his hips as he moved his fingers in her. Cassie was close to coming and she kissed Dominic shaking a little against his lips.
“Dominic I’m going to---”. He knew, and he decided to give her that first.
He kissed her tenderly and moved his thumb over her bud, his fingers deep inside her. “Cassie I know, let go, do it”, he whispered, and left his lips soft against her mouth as she moaned and thrust on his fingers coming. It seemed to last a long time and Dominic liked that. He looked at her with love as she finally opened her eyes and smiled a little at him.
He wanted to be inside her and he reached over her to the drawer in the bedside table to find a condom. He couldn’t find one, and because he was kissing Cassie as she stroked his erection, he stopped kissing her to look into the drawer. Cassie took the opportunity to move down his body and take him into her mouth. She felt his intake of breath as she did it and held his hips still before moving a hand to hold him low on his shaft and suck him.
Dominic let the feeling of complete pleasure soothe his worry about not finding a condom. He held Cassie’s head gently with his hands in her hair. As he looked down at her, Cassie shifted her body and moved her leg over his so that he could feel her entrance wet against the top of his shin. Her hair fell over his lower stomach. She was doing amazing things with her tongue and his gaze fell on the lovely curve of her bottom and length of her satiny thighs. Dominic felt his orgasm rise up from his thighs as Cassie’s hair feathered across them. The sensation rippled up him all the way to his lips and he groaned. Cassie kept him in her mouth until she knew he had completely finished. She had never known quite what to do with the mouthful of seed and this seemed like such a lot. Without thinking too much about it she swallowed and then kissed up his stomach and chest until she nuzzled against his throat.
Dominic could feel her moving gently against his thigh and sighed at the pleasure it gave him to feel her damp entrance on his skin.
“Cassie”, he whispered, as she sucked a little at the base of his throat.
She waited.
“Cassie”, he whispered again, and he lifted her gently up so that her head was level with his. He kissed her tenderly and then kept her cuddled against him. They both closed their eyes and lay quietly together until they slept for a short time.
 Copyright Elodie Parkes 2012
 
BUY ELODIES BOOKS NOW:
REINVENTED @ AMAZON US
REINVENTED @ AMAZON UK
TWO OF THEM @ AMAZON US
TWO OF THEM @ AMAZON UK
 
 
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AWESOME AUTHOR SPOTLIGHT, MELISSA KEIR

WELCOME TO AWESOME AUTHOR MELISSA KEIR
 
Melissa Keir has always wanted to be an author when she wasn’t hoping for a career as a race car driver. Her love of books was instilled by her mother and grandparents who were avid readers. She’d often sneak books away from them so that she could fantasize about those strong alpha males and plucky heroines. In middle school and high school, Melissa wrote sappy love poems and shared them with her friends. She still has those poems today! In college, her writing changed to sarcastic musings on life as well as poems with a modern twist on fairy tales and won awards for her writing. You can find many of these musings along with her latest releases on her website and blog.



There is something enticing about a small town during the holidays. Maybe it is the festive decorations dotting the streetlights or the three-story plastic Santa Claus that stands sentinel over the lawn of my favorite restaurant. I love when the snow creates a winter wonderland as the aroma of baked goods filter out into the street from Keidrowski’s Bakery or watching the children with their faces pressed up against the old Ben Franklin’s window. The older homes become showcases once the lights go on and darkness settles about the town. It is so peaceful to drive through the town looking at all the lights while listening to Christmas music on the radio. The church bell still rings on the hour at the church on the corner of Church Street and people just seem friendlier.

I wanted to share my hometown with my readers. Amherst, Ohio has become a huge part of the Wilder Sisters series. Each book shares a little bit about the city and what it was like growing up in the town. Forever Love talks about the teen years at the local beach. Beach Desires shares some of the angst of high school, while A Christmas Accident shows how the community comes together for others. I encourage you to take a trip to Amherst in the latest Wilder Sisters series book.

 FIND MELISSA'S BOOKS ON AMAZON AND HER WEBSITE WITH SAMPLE READINGS AND DESCRIPTIONS. LOOK FOR UPCOMING NOVELS:  Her releases include Forever Love- The Wilder Sisters coming in January from Secret Cravings Publishing. And two more Wilder Sisters stories- Beach Desires and A Christmas Accident.  Coming soon to e-book retailers everywhere. http://store.secretcravingspublishing.com

A CHRISTMAS ACCIDENT BLURB:
Sherri Wilder Davison wants nothing more than to spend time with her father and sister over the holidays, but fate has a way of changing her best-laid plans.
Adam Davison is willing to do anything to make his pregnant wife happy. He will face hell to take her home for the holidays.
When a holiday storm causes an automobile accident that puts the lives of those she loves on the line, can a Christmas miracle save them?
 
MELISSA LOVES HEARING FROM PEOPLE:
WEBSITE W CONTACT INFO

 READ MORE ABOUT MELISSA and find out what readers are saying about Melissa’s books:

SATURDAY SNIPPET

THE UNDEPARTED


My paranormal mystery/romance series


Book one


Quentin turned his eyes on her to convince her that she was being too hasty in deciding their fate. She was suddenly struck by the darkness of his eyes. There was something about them that melted her like hot wax. She wanted to resist him, but it was as if she had no willpower of her own. This one, he was strong. So much stronger than Christian. He knelt down at her side on a Persian rug of red and gold. She could smell his cologne. She could feel his breath on her neck. He felt compelled to taste her essence and she wanted to surrender herself to him.....
IF YOU LIKE THE UNDEPARTED AND THIS SNIPPET, PLEASE HIT THE LIKE BUTTON ON AMAZON AND PICK UP A COPY!

IM ON A FRIENDS BLOG TODAY

Hey, please check out my spotlight on Susan Mac Nicol's blog! Hope to see you HERE

BE BOP, ZOOT SUITS, CROONERS. IT'S MY CRIME NOIR


WHEN THE TEMPERATURE RISES

Well, before I take you for a spin in Detective Humphrey McAllister's 1941 black Ford Sedan right up to the crime scene of Sam Santino's murder, I want to explain some things to you about Humphrey.

Humphrey was constantly skirt chasing; blonde dames were like magnets and he had absolutely no self control. His other device was consuming too much of the funny water. Yeah, yeah he shook those nasty habits like dance hall girls doing the hoochie coochie, but it's hard to prove you've got your act together. Pot bellied Captain Milroy has lost all faith in his Detective and reluctantly turns over the Santino case to Humph. Humph has 48 hours to solve it or he's gonna be demoted from homicide to following bed jumpers at sleazy motels.

Let's fast forward just a bit shall we. Santino got himself whacked pretty good. He's shot up full of bullet holes so that he looks like a damn piece of swiss cheese. He's alive when Humphrey arrives, barely alive; Humphrey dials the emergency wagon for poor Sam, but Sam expires before the wagon arrives. Before his unfortunate demise though he tries to convey some kind of message to Humphrey, but he has too much lead in him to complete a sentence. There might be a clue though but Humphrey can't decipher it.

So, Humphrey sweeps the apartment for tangible clues and one clue leads to another and takes Humphrey on a journey to some pretty interesting people on his list; some are voluptuous blonde dames that attract the Detective like magnets, others are boxers who could lay Humphrey out with one right hook. But the most interesting suspect comes right out of left field like some fly ball: Roberta, Humphrey's ex wife.




Now what you have to understand about Humphrey is he's still carrying a torch for Roberta, so hauling her in is the last thing he wants to do. In fact, Humphrey's thinking he'll see ice skating in hell before he slaps handcuffs on her.



So anyway, he pulls up to Roberta's quaint rancher with the green shutters and wants to see if he can shake that feeling about her guilt, but when Ro's cat Tuna gets out of the house and dashes into the bushes, Humphrey does the gentlemanly thing and scoots down through the bushes to save Tuna. That's when Humphrey gets the shock of his life!
Now I can't tell you bupkis about what happens for obvious reasons. Whether or not he slaps a steel bracelet on his ex and hauls her off or not or let's her walk into the sunset....you'll have to read the novel WHEN THE TEMPERATURE RISES.  BUY NOW
If you do I sure hope you enjoy it!
Ciao!
Deborah Palumbo


CAN I ASK A FAVOR?

IS ANYONE WILLING TO WRITE TO PETER GAFFNEY OF THE HISTORY CHANNEL REQUESTING THEY THEY SHOW PAPA, THE MAN, THE MYTH, THE LEGEND? IT STARS JORDAN RHODES!
PAPA, A Tribute to
Ernest Hemingway

Winner of The NY International Independent Film Festival Award as Best Historical Drama is the filmed version of the critically acclaimed play.

HERE'S A YOU TUBE TRAILER...JORDAN IS REMARKABLE!
PLEASE WRITE TO:
 
Peter Gaffney
Senior VP of Acquisitions
The History Channel
235 East 45th Street
New York, NY 10017

FLIP FLOP FRIDAY INTERVIEW, Leigh Ann

WELCOME LEIGH FROM MAMA'S BOOK CORNER BLOG

Before we begin our interview, here's a little bit about Leigh:
 My name's Leigh Ann and I live in western North Dakota.  I am a stay-at-home-mommy with a 9 year old stepson (Teegan), 3 year old daughter (Shaelyn), and a 1 year old son (Kemper). I also do a little daycare on the side. I have 2 dogs (Trip and Dodge), 2 cats (Deefenbaker and Willow), and a hedgehog (Miss Talulah Mae Pricklesworth). I started my blog back in August as a sort of journal where I could write about the books I've read and connect with other people who enjoy reading as much as I do. If anyone follows me please be sure to leave a comment with a link to your blog so I can stop by and return the favor.


Wow, Leigh has her hands delightfully full with a bunch of sweet critters including her babies, Shaelyn and Kemper. Adorable, huh?



So now onto our interview. Here are the questions I asked Leigh:

DEBORAH: What was the first book you ever read?

Oh man! I have no idea what the first book I ever read would be. One of the first books I really remember was this big yellow Curious George book. It is filled with a ton of different Curious George stories. In fact, it is my daughter’s book now!

DEBORAH: I think it's great to hand down your books from childhood to your own child! So, how many books a week do you read now that you're all grown up?

I usually read about 2-3 books a week, sometimes more. It really just depends on how much time I can devote to reading that week. Some days I barely have the time to sit down!

DEBORAH: And what is your favorite genre?

I read all different kinds of genres and enjoy a lot of them. If I had to pick a favorite it would probably be YA paranormal. I’ve really been into that type of book lately.

DEBORAH: What made you decide to start blogging and reviewing?

I have always loved reading and I used to talk on end to my fiance about the book I was reading (he didn’t really seem interested). I also used to keep a list of all the books I read and when I looked back over the list I wouldn’t remember what the books were about or if I liked them or not. So I started blogging as a sort of journal for all of the books I’ve read and so I would have other people to talk to about them (who WOULD be interested)! I also enjoy all of the recommendations that I get from others!

DEBORAH: That's an interesting satory, Leigh. So a journal started it all! Do you enjoy Indie authors as much as traditionally pubbed authors?

I’m not sure if I enjoy them as much, but I have read a lot of Indie books that were wonderful! I had never read books from Indie authors before I started blogging so I’m just starting to get a feel for them.

DEBORAH: Welll, take it from me, not only am I a self pubbed author, but I've met some awesome self pubbed, Indie authors! Do you prefer ebooks or paperback?

I prefer paperback. I love the convenience of eBooks but in my opinion there’s nothing like having a real book in your hands. :)

DEBORAH: Well that's why authors' books are available in both formats! We know everyone has different likes. So we heard a bit about your babies and critters, but tell us what's life like away from blogging and reading and little ones, furry or otherwise?

Life away from blogging is crazy! I have 3 kids at home and I also do daycare. I spend most of my day chasing after kids, cooking, and cleaning. There’s always dishes to be washed, messes to clean up, and laundry to be done! I am very blessed to be able to be a stay-at-home-mama but somedays I really think it’s the hardest job I’ve ever had.

DEBORAH: Leigh, I'm exhausted from just reading about your day! Hey, it was really nice hosting you today. Thanks so much for being here. Happy Reading!
Join Leigh's
 BLOG
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One Good Turn Deserves Another

I was MENTIONED on an author's blog, but what made it really special was that the mention was a total surprise. The author who mentioned me is LEON TERRELL ASH. I had Leon on my blog before, spotlighting his children's book, and he was a friendly guy, a gentleman; we tweeted a few times too, but I didn't know Leon as well as I knew other authors, so his speech about me really came out of left field; it was a really sweet and awesome thing! So, I thought one good turn deserves another.
THANK YOU LEON TERRELL ASH FOR BEING THE SWEET GUY YOU ARE
LEON TERRELL ASH ON TWITTER
 

AWESOME AUTHOR, Susan Macnicol

WELCOME TO AWESOME AUTHOR,
SUSAN MAC  NICOL
Susan Mac Nicol (Sue to most people) was born in Headingly, Leeds in the United Kingdom. When she was eight years old, her family emigrated to Johannesburg in South Africa, where she remained until her and her family’s return, with husband and two children, to the UK in December 2000.
Sue’s career as a professional business woman was mainly in the operational side of the Financial Services and Vehicle Leasing markets. Currently her responsibilities have evolved to being the Regulatory Compliance Officer at a financial services company in Cambridge.
Having written all her life, since her first short story was published in a local youth competition when she was just eleven, in between the day job and daily life, the inspiration for the Starlight series of romance novels was born. Her characters, Cassie and Bennett, finally made their debut on the flickering screen of a laptop. The character of Bennett was inspired by someone very special and perhaps one day, if you get the chance to ask her or meet her, over a cup of good coffee, Sue might just explain who this was. She will probably smile wryly and say, ‘Hopefully without sounding like a teenage groupie.’
Her first novel was submitted to various publishers and one of them, Boroughs Publishing Group in the US, liked what they saw. Sue was offered a contract for her novels and that, as they say in the classics, was that.
Sue is a member of the Romance Writers of America and the Romantic Novelists Association here in the UK. She lives in a town house in the rural village of Bocking, in Essex, with her husband, two children and a mixed collie mongrel called Blu, so named because of his two different colour eyes –blue and brown. Sue is a voracious e book reader and a self confessed geek and Android phone fan. Her office is in her bag most days and without all her gadgets, she confesses she could barely function.
Feel free to drop Sue a line anytime using the Contact Me details and she promises to respond personally wherever she can.

                                                
Unconventional though she may be, Cassandra Wallace leads the life of an average Londoner, from blind dates to rush hour traffic. Then, along comes Bennett Saville. Charming, erudite, the up-and-coming actor is like the hero of a romantic movie. He sets Cassie afire like he has the stage and screen, and defies the tragedy that brought them together. From the tips of his Armani loafers to their scorching hot first kiss, he’s perfect. Only, he’s ten years younger and from the upper class, and those emerald eyes invite dangerous secrets. The world is full of hungry leading ladies, and every show must have its villain. Yet a true romance will always find its happy ending.

BUY THE BOOK NOW
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DEBORAH: When did you first know you'd like to be an author?

 I’ve always had a yen to be published, but I found the inspiration to write and pursue this dream late in life. At the start of this year, I had an idea for a story but was struggling to bring it and the characters together. Then after seeing a British actor on screen, the wonderful Benedict Cumberbatch from the Sherlock series, I just knew I’d found someone to model my leading man on. The story then took on a life of its own and now here we are…

 DEBORAH: How many books are available for purchase?

My first series of books is called my ‘Starlight’ trilogy and the first one is Cassandra by Starlight. This is available for purchase now in various formats. The second book is undergoing edits as we speak and I’m waiting for a publication date on that one. By the time this post appears, I’m hoping to have my short story out too, ‘The Magic of Christmas’.

DEBORAH: What genre do you write in?

 I write contemporary romance with a fair amount of suspense and adventure. I find it balances out my love for thrills and drama with happy ever after endings.

 DEBORAH: Do you have a special place where you like to write?

 I sit in my lounge, curled up in the corner of the sofa with my laptop on my lap, surrounded by the family and the dog, with the TV blaring and various interruptions. I find the hum and the buzz a must to write in, total silence tends to throw me off balance. It’s also the only way I can interact with the hubby and kids as if I went to my study, they would probably never see me and have to send out the St. Bernard, hopefully with brandy, to look for me…

 DEBORAH : Isn't that interesting that you need noise to write. Well, you found what works for you; that's great.
Tell me about a favorite character from a book?

My all time favourite character has to be Matthew Clairmont from Deborah Harkness’ book, ‘A Discovery of Witches.’ I am a great fan of her writing and have read both the books in her trilogy. Matthew is a geneticist, vampire, and fellow of All Souls College at Oxford University. He’s an incredibly rich and diverse character and I’d really like one of my own.

 
DEBORAH: What are you writing now?

 Currently I’m writing something outside of my comfort zone, which is a psychological crime thriller with a couple of fairly complicated romantic relationships in it. I’m not quite sure where this will take me and it’s too early to talk about just yet –I’m just getting started!

 However, I’ve just completed the edits on a two book series of a paranormal contemporary romance called ‘Double Alchemy’ and I’m happy to share the blurb with you in the question below…

DEBORAH: I love and write in the paranormal genre too.
How about a synopsis of the new book?

Quinn Fairmont is a warlock, a remnant from an ancient family trying to deal with his immense responsibilities and live in the 21st century.  Inside him dwells his Withinner, an alter ego called Taliesen, his dark, magyck side and the bane of his life. Summonsing Taliesin just seems to cause Quinn more trouble than he’s worth, what with all the nefarious characters who want to possess him for their own evil ends.
Kate Mairston is an anthropologist, beautiful, sassy and passionate about her work and career, but she possesses one serious character flaw- an insatiable curiosity about the past and the present. She’ll go the ends of the earth to get answers that satisfy her. She’s feisty, independent and one hell of a handful for any man. It’s probably why she’s still single.
From the minute Kate thinks she sees Quinn do something that is–well, quite literally out of this world- she’s determined to get to the bottom of who this man is and why he’s so mysterious. But she was never prepared to be drawn into a world of magyck, danger and intrigue and certainly never prepared her for the charms and mystique of the man who is Quinn Fairmont who sets out to seduce her from their very first eye contact.
He discovers something about Kate that she’d never known, a breath taking discovery that explains a lot about who and what she is. It also leaves Quinn feeling a little threatened when he thinks he might lose her for good.
As things heat up between them, they form a strong alliance to fight off the evil that threatens to harm them and at the same time come to terms with each other in a way they would never have envisaged.

DEBORAH: That sounds great, Susan. We all found another wonderful book to read. I appreciate you sharing with us. I wish you all the best!

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AWESOME AUTHOR Jade Kerrion

WELCOME JADE KERRION TO AWESOME AUTHOR BOOK SPOTLIGHT





JADE STOPPED BY TO DISCUSS 3 OF HER NOVELS, PERFECTION UNLEASHED, PERFECT BETRAYAL AND PERFECT WEAPON...PART OF HER DOUBLE HELIX TOUR. So HERE'S JADE KERRION....


DESCRIPTION OF PERFECTION UNLEASHED:


Two men, one face. One seeks to embrace destiny, and the other to escape it…

Danyael Sabre spent sixteen years clawing out of the ruins of his childhood and finally has everything he wanted—a career, a home, and a trusted friend. To hold on to them, he keeps his head down and plays by the rules. An alpha empath, he is powerful in a world transformed by the Genetic Revolution, yet his experience has taught him to avoid attention.

When the perfect human being, Galahad, escapes from Pioneer Laboratories, the illusory peace between humans and their derivatives—the in vitros, clones, and mutants—collapses into social upheaval. The abominations, deformed and distorted mirrors of humanity, created unintentionally in Pioneer Lab’s search for perfection, descend upon Washington D.C. The first era of the Genetic Revolution was peaceful. The second is headed for open war.

Although the genetic future of the human race pivots on Galahad, Danyael does not feel compelled to get involved and risk his cover of anonymity, until he finds out that the perfect human being looks just like him.

READ ABOUT ALL OF JADE'S BOOK HERE including her February 2013 releases, When the Silence Ends AND Earth-Sim



 


Connect with Jade Kerrion: Blog / Facebook / Twitter
Buy Perfection Unleashed: Amazon / Amazon UK / Smashwords
Buy Perfect Betrayal: Amazon / Amazon UK / Smashwords
Buy Perfect Weapon: Amazon / Amazon UK / Smashwords

Thanks for stopping by Jade and sharing you're awesome novles with us!












MYSTERY MONDAY

 
SOME OF YOU MAY KNOW I WRITE IN 3 GENRES: PARANORMAL, MYSTERY N HISTORICAL... AND WHILE ALL OF MY NOVELS ARE LACED WITH MYSTERY, I HAVE 3 NOVELS THAT ARE CLASSIFIED AS MYSTERY/SUSPENSE.
TODAY I AM SPOTLIGHTING
THE DOCTORS
Here's a synopsis:
 
The FBI agent, Donald P. Cobbs who wears big Stetsons and lizard boots in god awful colors can't believe his ears. It's the third informant from his case that died in some kind of freak accident. Now he's gotta wait for another green horn fresh out of residency to be hired by Lanny Loch and Richard Pathroff and hope the new guy on the block will be his newest informer. Or victim? Hence Adam J. Frye.

Adam and his wife Maggie think the hard days of med school and residency are behind them; the money will start rolling in, life will be smooth working for Doctors Loch and Pathroff, but their dreams are shattered when some cowboy FBI agent pays them a visit informing Adam that his life is in grave danger. He's the fourth associate of Loch and Pathroff. The other three are dead. As doornails.

It isn't long after Cobbs' visit that Adam gets suspicious over the sudden deaths of some of his healthy patients. The straw that breaks the camel's back is a young woman who comes to Frye with suspicions of her father's untimely death and asks him to "check things out." That's when Adam decides to help the FBI. He and Maggie uncover a diabolical scheme that involves the mob.

Adam having aroused suspicion unknowingly by one of the mob's key players, is on their watch list. Suddenly the tables turn on Adam when he's set up on his own wire. He's guilty in everybody's eyes. He's got to prove his innocence to the FBI, and he's got to do this before he's either thrown in jail or killed by the mob; made fish bait like the last unsuspecting associate. He can't make an error, it's life or death.
 
EXCERPT from the prologue: 
The FBI agent couldn’t believe his ears. That cigarette throated voice that just delivered bad news, caused him to slam down the phone so hard the things on the desk rattled and he captured the attention of his associate, Melvin Jones. Jones looked up from the computer screen on his desk wondering what caused his boss to act so volatile. The Director had asked to speak to Cobbs, so Jones knew it had to be of the utmost importance. He waited a minute for Cobbs to make eye contact with him, but Cobbs was still trying to absorb the bad news and hadn't looked up. When he finally raised his eyes, he was staring into nothingness. The eyes looked dazed and right past his associate to the picture on the wall. But he didn't see that either. The Sunflowers in Van Gogh's vase were nothing more than splotches of color. He was wondering, though, how the hell he could have such rotten luck. This was the third informant from the case who died under suspicious circumstances.
Of course Cobbs knew his informants were murdered, every one of them, all fine doctors too; graduated with honors from prestigious Universities; Bob Walsh, Melvin Burns, and now Jules Stern, the latest victim of an unfortunate accident. And in spite of fancy detective work, the cases never went to trial for murder because there wasn’t enough evidence to substantiate the FBI’s theory. After all, they were trying to incriminate two upstanding, well respected gentlemen in connection with the murders of their associates.
Donald P. Cobbs stood at Jones' desk, now making eye contact with his associate.
"I didn't see this one coming. I don't know why, but I didn't see this one coming. He assured me he was so careful, but apparently he wasn't careful enough," Cobbs said, his voice trailing off at the end.
"Who are you talking about?" Jones was more than a tad bit curious; after all they had several open cases they were currently involved with. There was one however, that had been going on too long and if it was that particular one, he was going to resign on the spot, just like he had threatened before when things went awry.
"I'm talking about-."
"Don't say it. Just don't tell me what I think you're going to tell me." Jones pushed the laptop away; enough with cases and deadlines and dead ends.
"Yeah, you guessed it. Jules Stern is dead!" Cobbs said.
It was that particular case Jones feared it would be. Jones was a tall black man with impeccable taste in clothing; put him next to Cobbs, the oversized Texan with a southern drawl who wears big Stetsons and lizard boots in God awful colors, and they looked like Frick and Frack. "Dead?" Agent Jones said as if Stern was some kind of eternal being.....
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