Interview with R.E. Laurel

Hello.  My name is Ruth E. Wolfe.  I write as R.E. Laurel.  I have lived my whole life in Western Pennsylvania among the foothills of the Appalachians in Armstrong County.  I live in a ranch style home with my husband Tim; Jack Russell Terrier and three rescue cats.  Other interests of mine include photography, dried floral arranging, loud muscle cars, Paranormal Investigator, yes you read that correct so a few novels with paranormal tendencies are in the making.

I write sweet sensual hot sexy romance.  Recently, I self-published my work through Createspace where they are available and also can be found on Amazon and Kindle.  I found my love for writing in school and began in the 80's writing off and on when time permitted.  My main genre is Women's Contemporary fiction, sexy romance, steamy romance I should add.  Humor can be found in my stories.  My readers told me they love how I pull them into the stories.  By the time this blog is released I will have a paranormal romance, nothing gory, also released.  THE TIME REMEMBERED.

I have five published my recent a holiday story titled, WHAT A NEW YEAR’S EVE.

Lexi: What made you chose your title?

Ruth:  I chose that title because I mainly see holiday stories set around the Christmas season. I thought, why not do one for New Year’s Eve.

Lexi: What has been the best piece of advice you ever received for your writing career?

Ruth:  Write from your heart.  Write about something you know and if you don’t know about the subject, research, research and more research.  Do a storyboard where you paste pictures depicting your story in the process will help keep your story in order.

Lexi: What was your first writer’s conference?

Ruth:  Sadly, I’ve never made it to a writer’s conference.  I was involved for a few years with a fantastic bunch of published authors where we met monthly and I received a lot of my advice.   We talked about our current WIP and often would read portions of the story and get critiqued.  We also had online group via e-mails which were great if we couldn’t make meetings.  Actually, the e-mail group is still in process and that has been for over ten years.

Lexi: Why did you choose this sub-genre of romance?

Ruth:    Romance is something I know about  (wink)  I love romance, humor, and wondering how people meet the right one.  Accidental meetings are wonderful to plan and write about.  A few others are lost loves returning home after a bad life experience.

 My motto is ‘Let me take you to chance meetings, romance and falling in love.’

Lexi: What has been the most memorable fan comment you ever had?

Ruth:    My husband and I took a bus trip to Mackinac Island last year.   Word got out about an author with them.  An elderly lady downloaded my first release Still Loving You.  Each time she would see me out in the group she made a point to come to me with a naughty smile on her lips and would just say, “That Matt.”   I answered, “I know, right?”  She would put her hand on my arm and reply, “Don’t tell me another thing.  That Matt.”  

People who read them tell me they can’t put them down and also approach me and talk about my stories as if they know the characters.  I take that as a great compliment.

WHAT A NEW YEAR’S EVE - blurb

Victor Montgomery Neal the VI is heir to Neal's Emporium.  Born into a family of extreme wealth and a family who fails to show affection it has made him cold-hearted and non-caring. Always being the roaming love them and leave them type until he meets employee Maren Wilson. Her beauty and authenticity hits him hard and not like other women who knew him and always agreed with whatever he would say, her bluntness leaves him captivated. She doesn't know his true identity as he chooses to keep it a secret. Due to cutbacks, she is one of many he is forced to let go but still, she feels sorry for the ‘new guy’ and asks him to join her family for Thanksgiving. Surprising himself he agrees to go with her instead of flying off with friends to warmer places. 

Maren has a heart of gold, always thinking of others over herself.  She gives herself 100% with whatever she finds herself involved doing. Quickly he learns what the meaning of the holidays is really about.  He can’t understand how but he quickly loses his heart to her and wonders how he can capture hers.  When a snowstorm hits, stranding him at her home, it promotes the opportunity and brings many surprises to both.

EXCERPT OF WHAT A NEW YEAR’S EVE.

“Sex is nothing to take lightly.  I want to have the romance, the feelings of respect, love.  Of being the one.  Not just being hit and then left alone.  I love the thought of monogamy, of having the commitment.”

“That’s asking a lot if the relationship is new, don’t you think?”

She shrugged.  “If you meet the right one and just know it then, giving yourself to them early in the relationship could happen,” she muttered.

“How early,” he teased, gaining a smile from her.

Maren squealed when she suddenly felt his arm shifting on her shoulder and found herself being turned and pulled onto his lap.  In one smooth move, his arms wrapped around her waist, holding her against him.  Her legs stretched out on the couch, her hands resting on top of his shoulders.  With wide eyes, she looked at his handsome, serious face.

“It’s hard for me to believe we’ve only known each other two weeks.”  His voice was sincere as he looked directly into her eyes.

“I’ve thought the same.  It’s already hard for me to imagine my life before you walked in.”  She confessed.

“And spending practically every hour with you for the past few days have really meant a lot to me.”

“I’ve enjoyed you with me too.”

“You’re so damn adorable,” he muttered before easing her face towards his to cover her lips with a slow kiss.

Maren returned his kiss with such fervor that she knew she surprised him as he eased slightly away.  His hand slid through her hair, splaying his fingers at the back of her head to hold her closer.  His mouth covered hers again with a heated response.  Slanting over her delicious mouth forcing her mouth opened, his tongue slid entry refusing to release the contact, needing more of her, getting drunk on her kiss on her presence.  The touch of her gentle fingers at his chin set his heart racing, aching for more.

Risking the temptation, he slid his hand to her breast, pausing for her to ease away but her groan of desire filled his ears.  Her tempting sinuous moves against him were a silent plea to be touched deeper than just a caress.  Daring to pursue further, he trailed kisses down her neck towards the mounds beneath her shirt.  He felt her torso lean back, arching towards his touch.  His mouth eagerly covered where his hand just vacated, feeling the hardened peak beneath the material.  His teeth gently tugged on her shirt.  Her gasp of pleasure filled the room gaining a fiery response through his veins.

Oh Gawd, she was more than just a woman.  She was someone he wanted to stay with.  That revelation brought an instant stop to the preliminary love making.

“What the?” She gasped. 

He sat back to gaze into chocolate brown eyes filled with passion and desire and confusion.

“I need to go.  Yea, I just remembered some business matters that I really need to attend to.  And, I have a few errands I need to run before any stores close,” he explained.

“But…”

“Let me put it to you like this.  If I don’t leave now, this could very well end with us making love and you don’t deserve that to happen like this.”

Her brows furrowed.  “But…” she repeated.  He held her by the upper arms and stood so fast then released her that her body bounced back onto the cushions.  She raised herself upon her elbows, watching as he hurried around the couch making a hasty exit towards the doorway.  “For the record, I’m beginning to think that you never had sex yet,” Maren brazenly stated at his retreating back.

Victor’s eyes widened.  Turning around he cautiously returned to the parlor where he saw her still laying on the couch.  He quipped, “I’m beginning to think I’ve never had sex with anyone like you.”

Maren grasped the back of the couch to pull herself up to gaze over the back at him.  “I’m beginning to think you’re never going to.  Not with the way you take off whenever things begin to heat up.”

“Not yet.”

Available on https://www.createspace.com/6604464    Amazon.com and Kindle

 You can find more excerpts from my other work at my website;

https://senecacaine.wix.com/relaurel

Facebook – R.E. Laurel

Twitter - @relaurel1

relaurel@outlook.com

Chocolate...Chocolate...Chocolate!!!

CHOCOLATE AFFAIRE!!!

Hey, folks, I'm gonna keep this short and sweet today.  I just wanted to remind everyone that a week from today (2/3) is the first day of The Glendale Chocolate Affaire...and you do NOT want to miss it if you live in the Phoenix Valley area because there will be music, vendors, food, and romance authors!!!

To check out the main event page, CLICK HERE.

For a list of authors attending and signing times, CLICK HERE.

For a list of scheduled workshops, CLICK HERE.

So pack up your sweetie, your kids, or just yourself, and head on over to downtown Glendale for a funtabulous day of indulgence.  And be sure to stop by the romance author booth and say 'Hey'.  I'll be there signing, and if you want to sit in on our workshop "Making Stuff Up With The BMGs", be there by 1pm on Saturday 2/4!

That's my story, fun and funtabulous, and I'm stickin' to it.  Hang on tight now, 'cuz we're gonna go real, real fast!

Love ya,

Kayce

Celebrating a New Contract

          Hello, gentle readers! Nice to have you drop by again!

          If you’ve stopped by this blog before, then you know how fortunate and blessed I consider myself. As we know, life isn’t always easy. Sometimes, it’s downright hard but I’m grateful for all of it…even the hard stuff and believe me, there has been hard stuff, but it teaches one resilience and faith and how to roll with the punches.

Yes, I am that “glass half-full” kinda gal.

That’s not to say I don’t occasionally have the blues…everyone does now and then, but for the most part, I am eternally optimistic, for as surely as the sun goes down each night, it returns in the morning. There may be clouds, but behind those clouds….well, there are rays of beautiful sunlight.

          I’ve recently been given another reason to be grateful (in addition to everything I’m already thankful for). I’ve just signed a contract for the release of my eighth book (Eight! Can you believe that?!?!). Crimson Romance, my publisher (I LOVE them!) said yes to A Kiss in the Morning Mist, the second book in the MacDermott Brothers trilogy (I am eagerly awaiting my first round of edits! Whooo-hooo!).

A Kiss in the Morning Mist focuses on Eamon, the youngest of the brothers. Here’s what it’s about….

Eamon MacDermott, former U.S. Marshal, hung up his guns after the tragedy that befell his family at the hands of the Logan Gang when they tried to break one of their own out of jail. 

Believing he might have been able to stop the heartbreak before it ever happened, he blames himself for the death of his brother, his brother’s wife and their son. Not even being shot and left for dead by Tell Logan is enough to exonerate himself…until he meets Theodosia “Theo” Danforth.

Widowed and running Morning Mist horse farm with the help of her extended family and friends, Theo befriends Eamon with her unshakeable belief that everyone needs kindness. Even Eamon. The problem is convincing him he is worthy.

Can he forgive himself and let the past remain in the past? Or will he pick up his guns again to face the man who nearly killed him and risk losing Theo?

So that’s it. Another reason in my long list of things to be thankful for!

As always, happy reading (and be kind to each other….the world needs more kindness)

Marie

UNDYING LOVE by Betty Bolte and her Ode to a Cat

Ode to a Cat

Felines have been part of my life since I was a baby. Currently, I am owned by a tortoise shell cat, Calliope. I say that as though she is all about me, but I’m not her favorite human. Nope. That would be my hubby. Whenever he sits down she comes from wherever she’s been holed up to be on his lap, for as long as she permits him to hold her, of course. But when it’s just her and me, then she likes me well enough to do the occasional scritch or have her on my lap so I can reach her chest easily. (Side note: Some folks don’t recognize that word, “scritch,” thinking it’s a typo. But it’s actually the word we’ve used all my life to mean the gentle rubbing with the pads of your fingers, not your fingernails to scratch, on an animal.) Then she’s off for a nap or a snack, perhaps watching out the back sliding glass door at the birds perched on the feeder. Or more fun, even, chasing away from the back door our medium-sized Chow-cross dog!

Cats and their independence counterpoised with their dependence intrigues me. Think about how they only come when they want to. I have “trained” Calli to come when I call, but it doesn’t always work. One thing that will summon her is opening the sliding glass door. She has to know who is entering or leaving her domain, after all! But she is dependent on us to provide her food, clean her cat box, etc. She’s not shy about reminding us it’s time to eat! She paces and prowls and meows until she convinces me it’s close enough to five o’clock in the afternoon to feed her.

In my latest release, Undying Love, a calico cat named Grizabella plays a role in alerting my main character to the presence of the Lady in Blue, the ghost who haunts the Twin Oaks Plantation. Here’s an excerpt describing the feisty feline:

 

   “Meooww.” The carrier wobbled on the tiled floor as the yowl echoed in the room.

   “Okay, okay. Hold on.” No dangers lurked in the corners and shadows as far as she could tell, so she’d let her feline loose. “Just don’t go getting lost, deal?”

   “Meooww…”

   Laughing at her vocal companion, Meredith slid the latches open and lifted the carrier’s lid. Grizabella’s white, black, and orange head popped up and swiveled like a periscope surveying the unfamiliar horizon. She leaped out of the confines of the plastic box in one fluid arc. Griz picked her way across the floor, lifting and placing each paw, nose and tail both twitching at the onslaught of new scents.

   “Behave yourself.” Chuckling, Meredith found a place to hold her remaining groceries. She reached for the handle on the pantry door, only to have the tarnished brass and glass knob come off in her hand. Sighing, she pulled her Swiss army knife from her pocket and flipped up the appropriate tool to turn the inner mechanism. Finally popping open the pantry door, she flinched at the odor accompanying the spiderwebs stretched across the interior. This place needed more than a bit of work.

   Wonder if Grandma kept things in the same places all this time? She hurried to the back staircase, the one once used by the servants of the house and connected the kitchen to the bedrooms above. Similar to the front stairs, a small door led to a closet made from the space underneath the risers. Unlike the front hall closet, this one’s door sat firmly shut. Meredith gingerly tested the doorknob before giving it a firm twist to pull it open. A small cloud of dust swirled around her feet, lightly coating her shoes.

   Taking a deep breath, she ventured inside. The old straw broom Grandma had always preferred over the “newfangled” ones with plastic bristles rested against the back wall. A dust mop, rag mop, bucket, and round-headed wall brush Meg needed to use on the cobwebs everywhere flanked the yellow-bristled tool. Grabbing the broom handle, Meredith strode back to the pantry and swiped the webs from the shelves. Satisfied, she replaced the broom in its home. A roll of paper towels sat on a faux marble spindle on the kitchen counter. She wet one to wipe down the shelves. Before long, her groceries sat neatly situated in the pantry.

   She glanced at her watch. Putting away her groceries only took an hour. If every task took that long, she’d be here until Independence Day, or worse, Christmas.

   The light thump of cat paws sounded in the back hallway. Meredith kept one ear tuned to track where Griz explored, just in case she needed to rescue the cat from her own curiosity. Which had happened when they first moved into the little apartment in Baltimore, overlooking the Inner Harbor. Griz had sniffed out a hole in the wall between the kitchen and the living room. Meredith hadn’t known anything was amiss until the cat’s plaintive cries came from within the wall. Ultimately, repairing the wall was easier than trying to lure her back to the small opening.

This cat is my way of paying homage to my dear departed mother-in-law and her cat of the same breed and name. Our love of cats was one of the many loves I shared with her (her son being the main one…). In fact, when she decided to adopt a kitty, I went with her. Now my father-in-law will always “blame” me (he’s joking; I think) for permitting her to bring home two cats – Grizabella and a silver tabby named Tabitha – instead of one. But she’d fallen in love with both and I simply couldn’t talk her out of them.

Grizabella had very unique coloring for a calico. She was mainly a dark gray with orange and white patches. Her personality was quixotic to say the least and don’t even try to hold her. However, she’d occasionally allow herself to sit on a person’s lap for a few minutes. But only a few minutes! She was lithe and fast and skittish. Although the Grizabella in Undying Love is not an exact replica of my mother-in-law’s cat, I still feel that Griz lives on in the pages of the story, and its sequel, Haunted Melody, which is available for pre-order now and releases on March 28.

Have you ever been owned by a cat? Have you ever managed to train a cat? If so, what did you teach it to do?

Blurb of Undying Love

When architect Meredith Reed inherits her family’s plantation after the devastating loss of her own family, she must choose how to move on with her life. Keep the plantation? Not a good idea. Sell it? Better. Turn it into a memorial park? Better yet. But can she go against her family traditions and the hunky but irate lawyer?

Max Chandler needs two things to complete his life plan: become a senior partner and find his soul mate. He’s due a promotion once his legislation to protect the county’s historic properties is approved. The wife part he finds more challenging, having never met the right woman. If only the talented, attractive, aloof Meredith didn’t want to destroy the very property he cherishes.

While Meredith struggles to reconcile her past and future, will she learn a lesson from the spectral Lady in Blue in time to save both her family and home from destruction?

Buy Links

B&N: http://bit.ly/2fF4QTf

Amazon: http://amzn.to/2fnRyHK

Amazon CA: http://amzn.to/2fOyEdQ

Amazon UK: http://amzn.to/2eYDp5w

Amazon AU: http://amzn.to/2eYzWUS

iTunes: http://apple.co/2fF4mfT

Kobo: http://bit.ly/2fSnDL6

About Betty

Betty Bolté writes both historical and contemporary stories featuring strong, loving women and brave, compassionate men. No matter whether the stories are set in the past or the present, she loves to include a touch of the paranormal. In addition to her romantic fiction, she’s the author of several nonfiction books and earned a Master’s in English in 2008. She is a member of Romance Writers of America, the Historical Novel Society, the Women’s Fiction Writers Association, and the Authors Guild. Get to know her at www.bettybolte.com.

Blog: www.bettybolte.net

Newsletter: http://eepurl.com/bBE4JX

Betty’s Novel Ninjas Street Team: http://on.fb.me/15usNUf

Facebook: www.facebook.com/AuthorBettyBolte

Twitter: @BettyBolte

Goodreads: www.goodreads.com/bettybolte

BookBub: https://www.bookbub.com/authors/betty-bolte

Pinterest: www.pinterest.com/bettybolte9

Amazon: www.amazon.com/author/bettybolte

Author’s Den: http://www.authorsden.com/visit/author.asp?authorid=6014

Instagram: https://instagram.com/bjbolte/