This looks like a wonderful boxed set, and I'm so happy to feature it on the blog. Here's an interview with author, Anna Celeste Burke!
1. What hidden talents do you have?
I used to be a chef and still cook;
paint and do collages; also worked as a shrink for about 5 years between
college degrees
2. If you were a ghost, who would
you haunt and why?
Congress--I wouldn't let any of
those suckers sleep until they got some things done
3. What is the weirdest thing you
have ever Googled and why?
All sorts of information about
crime scenes analysis, autopsies, murder weapons, rigor mortis, fingerprints
& DNA evidence, etc.Mystery writers' browser histories are enough to give
anyone the willies!
4. What would the name of your
autobiography be titled and why?
Second chances...a lot of the best
things in my life have come about by starting over, moving in a completely new
direction or taking a second chance at an old one.
5. Who would play you in a movie?
Why that person?
Linda Carter--I love her in Wonder
Woman and it would be great to imagine myself as a tall woman.
6. At what age did you become an
adult? Explain
At 17 I married my husband in
Tijuana--the cops picked me up as a runaway. Once they let me go, I was
launched and had to figure out how to make a go of it as a grown up. Still
trying to figure that out, btw!
7. What color represents your
personality & why?
Purple--thoughtful and moody
8. In the animal kingdom what
animal are you? Why?
A flamingo--a little outrageous and
i often feel like I'm standing around on one leg
9. What is the craziest thing
you've ever done?
Marrying my high school dropout,
rock musician husband in Tijuana, then running off with him to Hawai'i
10. Do you have any superstitions?
What are they?
Not really
11. What is your one major
weakness?
I'm a control freak--like to
imagine I have control even when I don't
12. What was the last song you
listened to?
Love Adele's new release--Hello
13.What advice would you give
aspiring writers?
It's a marathon, not a sprint, so
plan accordingly
14. What 3 words best describe you?
Stubborn, smart, hardworking
15. What is your favorite holiday
and why?
Christmas--I love the spirit in the
air--carols and old holiday movies broadcast during that season
16. What is your favorite fun
activity?
Hiking
17. If you could visit with any
author, past or present, who would it be and why?
Agatha Christie--a prolific,
bestselling author of all time. I'd like to hear all her secrets, including what
happened when she went missing!
18. What writer was your biggest
inspiration?
Janet Evanovich who mixes romance
and humor with mystery!
19. What non-writer had the most
influence on your life?
Marie Curie who, along with other
women scientists like Margaret Meade, inspired my own career as a social and
behavioral scientist.
20. What genre(s) do you prefer to
read?
Mystery--ranging from cozy to
thrillers
21. What genre(s) do you write?
Mystery with a heavy dose of
women's issues--so a blend of mystery and women's fiction
22. Did you always want to be a
writer? Explain what made you decide to become an author?
My first year of graduate school in
the social and behavioral studies at the University of Michigan, I began to
feel the pressure to publish. In the halls of academia when they say publish or
perish they mean it! Writing fiction was a perfect 'antidote' to the tightly
structured, stuffy writing required in science.
Since Mother's Day Magic is about
mothers. tell us about your mom.
Let's just say the wig in the tree
incident in my story really happened, but Mom didn't need to be wearing a wig.
Moms inspire you in all sorts of ways you can never imagine to become the woman
you become
Mother’s
Day Magic
The perfect Mother’s Day Gift, written with love,
sent with love.
Every mother’s heart holds a bit of magic…her
children’s love. Enchantment awaits in a dozen brand new, previously
unpublished-stories, written by #1 bestselling and/or multi-award winning
authors from across the globe. Whether it’s a captivating tale of romance or
fiction fashioned from loving memories, these poignant stories are sure to
touch your heart.
10% of proceeds from this anthology will go to the
USA National Multiple Sclerosis Society toward
research.
Felt
by the Heart by Angela Ford
#1
Bestselling, Amazon Top 50 and Award-Winning Author
Rachel fiftieth birthday approached, the forever she
found with Ryan ended with heartache. And for her daughter, the second chance
of having a dad. Will Rachel find the strength to rebuild her life and her
daughter's?
I
Love You More by Cornelia Amiri
Best-selling
author The Celtic Romance Queen
Garland recalls memories of her life’s journey from
an abusive childhood to a bad marriage to the ups and downs of a single mom.
She’s rewarded with a magical mother’s day with her loving family.
Two
Hearts Unspoken by Tamara Ferguson
#1
Bestselling and Multi-Award Winning Author of TRR Readers' Choice Award
Retired air force captain and wounded warrior, Zach
Logan, discovers that his scars are more than skin deep, when he falls in love
with Beth Bowen; the lovely single mother of an autistic son.
December
Roses by Daisy Banks
Bestselling
Author
A present day gift of flowers sets off delightful
memories for Jean. The recollections of the day love first bloomed, and trust
overcoming a frightening challenge, are carved deep into her heart.
Maddie’s
Project by Anna Celeste Burke
Multi-Bestselling
Author and Winner Of 2015’s Self-Pub Most Worth Reading
Laura’s mother, Maddie, led a full life, filled with
family and a million projects. May changed everything. More than a decade
later, Laura reflects on Maddie’s biggest project, and how it changed all their
lives.
Vision
of the Heart by Mary Crawford
#1
Bestselling Author African-American Romance
Facing vision loss is hard enough, but it’s causing
Julia to question everything she knows about herself, a wife, a mother, and
nurse. Can she handle a reunion when she’s a shadow of the person she once was?
An
English Rose by Allyson R. Abbott
#1
Bestselling Author--4 Readers’ Favorite 5★s
reviews
A compelling and humorous insight of past years and
present dilemma’s as Rose reflects on her usefulness in later life. She
acknowledges and accepts her sell-by-date is approaching as life suddenly
becomes interesting again.
The
Art of Forgiveness by Tamara Philip
2014
Debut Nominee—Angie Ovations Outstanding Interracial Romance
One woman's journey to seek the truth surrounding
her adoption. Amidst the tragedy of the past, she finds connections to her
complicated history and a gentle reminder about the power of forgiveness.
The
Illusion of Happiness by Neva Squires Rodriquez
Divorced and having lived under the illusion of
happiness, for 30+yrs, Graciela struggles to find strength. With her fiftieth
birthday and Mother’s Day weekend approaching, a surprise visit helps put
things into prospective.
The
Day Before Eclosion by Adrienne Ruvalcaba
Sharon's daughter, Gracie, is moving out. What
should be an exciting transition is complicated by Gracie's disability. Can
Sharon learn to accept Gracie's need for autonomy before irreparable damage is
done to their relationship?
The
Light We Found by Q.D. Purdu
1st
Place Romance—2014 Texas Writers' League
Calla has survived divorce and developed a crush on
Ben, the special guy in her dance class. Life is rocking until her ex confesses
a long-hidden betrayal, and Ben reveals the most hurtful secret of all.
Forever
Sunshine by Cary Allen Stone and Tyler Hosea
Multi-Bestselling
Author and Top SELF-e eBooks Winner of 2015
A letter containing the last request of their mother
was handed to the children at the funeral service. They were told to read the
letter at her gravesite on the year anniversary of her passing.
Angela
Ford originates from Nova Scotia…Canada’s Ocean Playground!
Her love of the ocean and sunsets are always in her
heart and give her inspiration. Her love for words keeps her turning the page.
She is never without a book, whether she’s reading or writing. Now residing in
Ontario, Angela works in Finance – numbers by day – words by night.
Angela Ford’s dedication and involvement with cyber
safety seminars gave her an Award of Distinction and sparked the idea for her
first book Closure – crime suspense that hit Best Selling Action/Adventure. Ms.
Ford continued her FBI series with Forbidden and Obsessed with the final in the
series coming in 2016. In between mysteries, Ms. Ford writes short contemporary
romance…sometimes sweet...sometimes spicy and sometimes with a dash of
suspense! Her #1 Bestseller Christmas Holiday Romance put her in Amazon’s Top
50 Authors.
Between two jobs and two kids, mom’s home is always
filled with young adults and rather interesting stories. But it is the furry
family members who rule the house – a Puggle, a new Chug puppy and two loveable
cats. Every possible quiet moment she finds, she treasures and just writes
about the moments to come. Angela is an avid reader of romance, a member of the
RWA, KOD (Kiss of Death – Suspense Chapter) and Mississauga Writers Group. You
can follow her at BTGN www.bookstogonow.com or visit her website/blog Romantic
Escapes at http://www.angelafordauthor.com to connect with her on her social
network sites. She loves to hear from her readers – they keep her smiling!
Cornelia
Amiri, who also writes as Maeve Alpin, is the author of 30 published books.
Known as the Celtic Romance Queen, she writes Celtic Fantasy Romance, Celtic
Historical Romance, Steampunk Romance and Sci-fi Romance. She lives in Houston
Texas as does her son and granddaughter and her cat, Severus. Severus is a
writer's cat, he loves books. He likes to knock them off the bookshelf, sit on
them, and sniff the open pages. He also uses the computer, he sits on it, lays
on top of it, and walks across the key board almost constantly. She is working
on two soon to be released books a historical romance box set, Scandalously
Yours and a modern day fantasy romance novella, Back to the One I love
Twitter @corneliaAmiri
A
member of the Romance Writers of America, Tamara Ferguson is
the top-ten best-selling, multi-award winning author of the Kissed By Fate
Romance Series and the Tales of The Dragonfly Romance Suspense Series.
Her latest release is Two Hearts Surrendered. This
military romance was her contribution to the bestselling Magical Weddings
anthology, which included stories by fifteen USA Today, best-selling, and
award-winning authors. Two Hearts Surrendered recently earned 3-5★reviews from Readers’ Favorite, and has
just become a #1 Wounded Warrior Romance Bestseller, Kindle Book and Series.
Tales of the Dragonfly Book I: In Tandem was a
romance finalist at the 2013 Indie Excellence Awards, while Tales of the
Dragonfly Book II: In Flight was a 2014 WINNER at the Readers' Favorite
International Book Awards. Her latest release, That Unforgettable Kiss was
recently a top ten Amazon bestseller in Kindle Saga Fiction, earned 3-5★editorial reviews from Readers'
Favorite, and has just become the 2015 WINNER of The Romance Reviews Readers'
Choice Awards in New Adult Romance.
That Unforgettable Kiss is currently featured in the
#5 bestselling A Touch of Passion, 12 full-length novels by USA Today, New York
Times bestselling and multi-award winning authors. This anthology is also a #1
New Adult Romance Bestseller, as well as a New Adult Bestseller.
Since she remains a full-time caregiver for an
autistic son, you can usually find Tammy working at home, where she spends a
lot of time not completing her numerous home improvement projects, because
she's writing or helping indie authors promote their books on twitter.
Daisy
Banks writes romances ranging from sweetly tender through
to sexily spicy tales in the Historical, Paranormal and Fantasy genres. From
Victorian devotion to a werewolf passion, a rogue and a courtesan, a clumsy
fairy and a saucy ghost, you can discover a different world with Daisy in each
of her stories.
Antiques and collecting entertain Daisy when she
isn’t writing. There are also some rare occasions she makes a meal that doesn’t
stick to the pan.
Twitter @DaisyBanks16
For
Anna Celeste Burke life is an extravaganza! Figuring out
how to hang tough and make the most of the wild ride is the challenge. On my
way to Oahu, to join the rock musician and high school drop-out I had married
in Tijuana, I was nabbed as a runaway. Eventually, the police let me go, but
the rock band broke up. Our next stop: Disney World, where we ‘worked for the
Mouse’ as chefs, courtesy of Walt Disney World University Chef’s School
training. More education landed us in academia at The Ohio State University.
For decades, I researched, wrote, and taught a number of gloriously nerdy
topics. Retired now, I’m still married to the same, sweet, guy and live with
him near Palm Springs, California. I write mysteries set in sunny California!
The Jessica Huntington Desert Cities Mystery series, set here in the Coachella
Valley, the Corsario Cove Cozy Mystery Series set in California’s Central
Coast, and The Georgie Shaw Cozy Mystery series set in the OC. Coming soon, The
Misadventures of Betsy Stark that also take place, here, in the Coachella
Valley.
Mary
Crawford has been lucky enough to live her own version of a
romance novel. She married the guy who kissed her at summer camp. He told her
on the night they met that he was going to marry her and be the father of their
children. Eventually she stopped giggling when he said it, and they just
celebrated their 27th wedding anniversary. They have two children. The oldest
is in medical school, where he recently found and married the love of his life,
and the youngest is still in elementary school.
Ms. Crawford writes full time now. She has published
six books and has several more underway. She volunteers her time to a variety
of causes and has worked as a Civil Rights Attorney and diversity advocate. Ms.
Crawford spent several years working for various social service agencies before
becoming an attorney. In her spare time, she loved to cook, decorate cakes and
of course, obsessively, compulsively read.
Allyson
R. Abbott.
I love to travel, but I also need to work. Being an
author allows me to combine both of activities and has the added bonus of life
being an adventure. I never know where I will be sitting writing from one year
to the next. As I write this, I am in Africa, in spring I travel to Europe for
a few months and later in the year to the USA and Canada. It is a great life,
if you don’t mind a little insecurity.
I try to bring a little of my adventurous
personality into my stories. Being a 'mature aging gracefully' woman, I feel
akin to the problems of aging and relationships. I spent many years on my own
before finding my truly remarkable and very patient partner who I happily gave
up my whole world for. My stories are about mature relationships with mature
people. People who have character and humour, who have a history; people just
like us.
After
spending most of her life in New York City, Tamara Philip
decided to let love lead her on an international adventure, where she's met
many amazing people and ate entirely too much. Tamara and her English-born
Husband, Chris, now split their time between the United Kingdom and Trinidad
and Tobago.
Writing has been her secret passion since childhood.
Quirky female leads are her trademark.
On any given day you can find Tamara telling people
what to do, dodging adulthood, and working hard on her next novel.
Other works by Tamara Philip are The Trouble with
Playing Cupid, The Trouble with Romance and two holiday short stories,
Romancing the Grinch and This Season...Have Love/Have Faith with fellow author,
Neva Squires Rodriguez.
Twitter @MsTamaraPhilip
Neva
Squires-Rodriguez was born and raised in a neighborhood
located on the North Side of Chicago. Mother, Wife, Expert at multitasking,
when she’s not writing newspaper columns or finishing up her latest novel, she
is dispatching calls for her city’s 911 center. Perhaps this is what helps Neva
create electrifying stories with a twist.
Neva Squires-Rodriguez earned her Bachelor’s Degree
from American Military University (APUS/AMU) and her Master’s Degree from
National University, a feat which she worked very hard to obtain and says she
will work even harder to pay off.
She claims to be a typical American, full of dreams
that will hopefully get her to a more comfortable lifestyle one day. She says,
"God has a plan and I will follow wherever it is that He takes me."
Adrienne
D'nelle Ruvalcaba was born and raised in Southeast Texas.
After high school, she joined the U.S. Army and served four years at Fort
Campbell, KY. After her army days, and one failed attempt at marriage, she and
her two children relocated so that she could enroll in the Engineering program
at Southern Illinois University Carbondale. While there, she completed her
Bachelor's degree in Civil Engineering with a concentration in structural
analysis. Also while at SIU, she was diagnosed with Systemic Lupus
Erythematosus. This diagnosis significantly changed her life.
Since the onset of SLE, she has learned a lot about
those close to her and even more about herself. After a few years of struggling
to accept lupus as part of her life, she has come to a more peaceful place, and
no longer lets her disease define who she is.
Adrienne has had a love of writing since grade
school, and she often takes solace in the many worlds she creates in her
imagination. She writes women's fiction and romance, and her books are meant
purely for emotional fulfilment, enjoyment, and sweet escapism. Real life is
difficult enough, and she believes that we all need a little break from it
sometimes.
Q.
D. Purdu’s debut romance, DESDEMONA FINDS THE BIG O IN LOVE
won first place in the Texas Writers’ League Romance category, 2014. The book
will be released in 2016.
Q. D. loves her rescued puppy, red wine, running
through sprinklers, dark chocolate with sugared ginger, and anything wrapped in
a corn tortilla. Her prized possessions
include a hot pink Christmas tree and a garden full of okra and basil.
She hasn’t decided what she’ll be when she grows up,
but whatever it is will be filled with romantic impossibilities.
Cary
Allen Stone’s aviation career began in 1972 and ended
in 2014. In his forty-plus years as a pilot, he flew hundreds of thousands of
miles through all types of weather, domestic and international flights, all
without an aviation accident. His aviation travels gave him a unique
perspective of life, and led to his writing. In 1992, he flew film director Sir
Ridley Scott for ten days during a location scout. Mr. Scott mentored him about
his writing. He has a Bachelor of Arts degree, and was a member of two honor
societies. He played a “bad guy” main character in an AAA Club advertisement,
and was an extra in several films both in LA and Phoenix. He has written
several action-adventure screenplays. He has done voice-over, radio
commercials, and standup comedy, which included comedy magic. He represented
the USA alongside nine other countries in the Night of Magic in Bogota,
Colombia performing before dignitaries, ambassadors and their families. Cary is
a member of the Phoenix Writer’s Club and the International Thriller Writers.
His series The Jake Roberts Novels has been well
received by Amazon Hall of Fame Top 10 Reviewers in crime fiction and
psychological thrillers from whom he receives 5–Star reviews. Action adventure
author Clive Cussler and South Florida author Tim Dorsey endorsed Stealing
Atlanta, his cybercrime thriller. His first published work, Through a Mother’s
Eyes a true crime story, was a case study of “filicide” the parental murder of
children. His subject was a friend of his who murdered her six-year-old son.
The research took four years to complete, which included time spent in the
correctional facility where Julie was incarcerated. Through a Mother’s Eyes has
a worldwide reach. Cary’s hopes are that the story will help to prevent future
tragedies from happening and to date he has received several correspondences of
success.
Google author page:
http://www google.com/+CaryAllenStone1
Tyler
Hosea is an editor and reviewer, and with Forever
Sunshine a breakout author. She has contributed to all four of Cary Allen
Stone’s Jake Roberts Novels. She has the difficult job of being his significant
other for the past eleven years, which is no small task. Tyler’s profession has
always been in aviation having spent twenty years in customer service and
management. Her current position in aviation is classified. One of these days
you will find Tyler behind the controls of an airplane as she continues her
private pilot license.
Tyler is an avid reader, a part of her nurtured by
her mother since she was a young girl. She graduated with honors from
Oglethorpe University. She is an official Georgia Peach having been born and
raised in Atlanta, Georgia. She has traveled extensively around the world.
Tyler has appeared on several of Cary Allen Stone’s book covers. Both she and
Cary will be writing their next complete book anthology continuing on from
their Forever Sunshine
