30 June 2018

New Release by Elizabeth York! On SALE now!

#NewRelease ⇒ Unsteady by Elizabeth York is #LIVE! #OneClick this new #Standalone today for only #99pennies! #LimitedTimeSale

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GOODREADS TBR ⇒ http://bit.ly/2EUcrps

== BLURB ==

He was the only one for me
When I close my eyes, I still see the way he looked at me all those years ago.
The way it felt to have someone so amazing in my life, especially after my parents abandoned me.
The bond that only a childhood friend could understand.
He was my balance and never let me fall
But I lied to him…

She was my better half

I remember the fear she hid under her smile when I met her.
There were so many adventures we concocted, that we were sure we lived a hundred lifetimes in our minds.
She was the reason I got up in the morning.
She was my gravity and kept me grounded.
But then she lied…


He kept my heart when I broke his.

I was never going to see him again.
He would always hate me, even if he knew the truth.
It would be better this way.
If only he hadn’t kept my heart.

She threw my heart away when I wanted her to have it the most.

I am so full of rage – I never want to see her again.
She ruined every memory that we made with a simple sentence.
My life would be better without her.
If only she hadn’t kept my heart.

At forty-thousand feet the Earth shifted, and planets aligned. My world came into focus and for once I was no longer unsteady and ready to fall. As the winds of the plane drifted over the icy cold ocean my heart warmed when I saw him. Once I saw his eyes and the way he was looking at me I knew.

He was the balance I always needed.
… And she was mine.



28 June 2018

My Ancestry Journey Continued



Anyone who starts this journey of finding out their ancestral tree hopes to find someone of historical significance. I was no different. How cool would it be to discover a past president or a movie star is my cousin? My father’s paternal tree had been very straightforward, a progression of the name Cowsert in a very linear line dating from the time my ancestor sailed from Belfast Ireland to land in South Carolina. I focused on the direct descendants and left all the other children behind. With Ancestry.com it was very easy to find the documentation I needed.

A plethora of names pop up on my line (including another Cowsert…yes, two cousins married) but one name catches my attention…one of my two times great grandmothers, Lydia Twitchell. Her name to me sounded either Quaker or Puritan to me, so I researched further. Her grandfather was named Moses Twitchell, and his grandmother was a woman named Lydia Knapp. And it is this woman that I find my historical significant. Lydia Knapp’s mother was a woman named Mary Whitney and the Whitney line takes me back to the 1400’s and to the name of Katherine Cromwell.

Now, I have studied history, and when I came to the name Cromwell, I had THAT moment.  That what the hell have I just discovered moment. 1400’s in England, and yes, she’s part of that Cromwell family. Katherine was married to Morgan Williams whose mother was Joan Tudor.  Wait!  What?  If you know history then you know the Tudor name. And at this point, documentation is pretty much already done for me. To know that I am part of the Tudor line, albeit a very distant cousin many, many times removed, is still thrilling to no end.

The Cromwell name and the Tudor name are some of the most well-known and famous in English history. To come from that, down to my grandfather was who was a humble poor carpenter, is a wonderfully strange story. I am just as proud of that as I am proud of coming from the small town of Dexter, Missouri.


Part 3 coming soon....

26 June 2018

My Ancestry Journey Part 1



My ancestry journey began in the nineteen nineties, doing everything old school by sending letters to many different counties for the slightest bit of information related to any of my obscure ancestors. It was difficult back then because there is a pattern in the males of my paternal lineage of having two families in their lifetimes. They’d marry young, have a bunch of kids, the wife would die and then man would marry a much younger woman and start a new family. It’s amazing how generations repeat the same behavior, even my own father followed this rule of thumb for the Cowsert clan. I was his fourth child, born to his third wife, and twenty-two years after the birth of his third child.

Ever since I was a child, going to the family reunion in Cave-in-Rock, Illinois, there was a belief that our family line came from Ireland. This was never substantiated, so when I became an adult, I took on the task of trying to verify this rumor. I got nowhere fast in my first venture before the internet, bogged down with trying to figure out children names and parentage, on a family tree that had many, many branches. I found out some interesting facts, like an ancestor that fought as a patriot in the American Revolution and a great-grandfather, George Washington Cowsert Jr., who fought for the Union in the War Between the States. I also learned my ancestors liked naming sons after presidents.

 

But I only got as far as my three times great grandfather, and I wasn’t able to verify what country he came from. So I put the research aside, until the internet grew and Ancestry.com became a huge database of records I didn’t have access to twenty years before. I signed up and spent a month glued to my computer, expanding a family tree that completely blew my mind. The most important discovery was the fact that I was able to verify my paternal father’s side came from Ireland, from Northern Ireland to be exact, in the year 1790. Two brothers, married to two sisters, and the rest of their family, landed in Chester County, South Carolina.

Finally, at last, I was able to prove through documents, the Irish heritage that had always been a rumor. County Antrim. I was more than ecstatic. It’s hard to describe the excitement I felt because growing up, I had a fascination with Ireland. The land, the people, the accent. The tales of magic and myth…one day I’d love to travel there and see where my father’s family came from. 


But Co. Antrim is a large place. And more research is needed to find out where in the county my family came from. Cowsert is not an Irish name, so where did the name originate? Was it a bastardization from an English name? Or a Scottish name? This is perhaps the only thing on my bucket list. To KNOW.


Part 2...coming soon....

20 June 2018

Love at the End of the World - 4th story Profile!


The New Era by C. L. Scholey
BLURB

By the twenty third century much of earth was destroyed. Mother Nature played a significant part but so too did the numerous meteors that slammed nations. The Superiors, a self-aware intelligence, went on line soon after their creator, Jason Superior, a kind man who abhorred violence or suffering of any kind, sent a remaining signal to a lone satellite.

Before long the systems intelligence grew as Jason added his own ideals, until his passing. The Superiors began to take control of the world and the few remaining survivors. Their vast approach to saving life was by destroying those who were capable of misguided influential acts. Only the innocent were allowed to live. Until they became not as innocent. This is their story....

Q) Tell us an interesting fact to your story.

I was diagnosed with diabetes and a few other ailments last summer. I was thrown into my own uncertain world not knowing what to do. I’ve had to learn what to do to survive. Everything I do now is based on my environment and the necessary tools I need. Greyson and Infinity didn’t know what hit them and they had to hit the ground running. Their innocence about the unknown is what it feels like to have a diagnosis on something that will change a life—forever.

Q) How did you narrow down what catastrophe to use for the apocalyptic theme?

I’ve written one other apocalyptic story and had so much fun writing it, but I wanted something different, and yet the same. I love to do research about survival in the forest. Being back in that element was something I had been excited to do.

Q)  If you were thrust into your story, do you think you’d survive?

Yes! If I were younger, heathier, stronger…well you get the general idea. ;)



EXCERPT

A small memory nagged her. She remembered her grandmother being pinned to a wall by her grandfather as he demanded to know why humans couldn’t even make love to their spouse.

It was an odd concept to Infinity. Why would a woman want the weight of a man on top of her, pinning her? Greyson was huge compared to her. She shuddered and let the thought go. It would never happen to her, and she breathed a sigh of relief.

She smiled at Greyson and they walked further into the city, ignoring the moving sidewalks. Many couples were about the grounds, enjoying the day. Each smiling as she was. Some were situated in the abundant outdoor restaurants. Other couples sat in numerous shaded areas, watching colorful images dance to a sweet tune.

Flowers in various color were located in many places. They were allowed to pick the flowers for their hair, and when she snapped a purple one she asked Greyson to place it behind her ear. As he did so, he was awkward; he normally was. For a second she imagined he lingered too long and muttered the word ‘silky’. But there was no reason to want to touch her hair. Although he had been acting a little strangely today. Earlier he had mentioned that she smelled wonderful.

Infinity would have liked to put a flower in his shoulder-length, dark hair. But he would simply laugh at her. His dark eyes flickered for a second when she gazed up at him to thank him. He shifted suddenly as though embarrassed, or worried about something. He glanced down at his lower extremity and seemed to breathe a sigh of relief. She wondered if he needed to relieve himself.

“We can stop if you need to use a privacy chamber,” she said.

“No, I’m fine.”

A bee flew up to her, and Infinity held out her hand. The beautiful blue insect changed colors to make her smile. The bee seemed to study Greyson for a few seconds then winked at her and flew off. Infinity knew the bug must have sensed her fear for a split second and had come to find out if she needed assistance. She didn’t but she loved those little flying insects. And she reminded herself a man would never lay on top of her.



BIO & SOCIAL MEDIA LINKS

 I love to write about everything and can't wait for an idea that grips me and sends me to a new place. Between worlds keeps me busy, that and chasing after my children and grandchildren and recently a new kitten. Plus one ornery 116 pound mastiff who thinks he's a lap dog. Welcome into my adventures, and hang on!






Where to Buy…..




18 June 2018

Love at the End of the World Anthology - 3rd Story Profile!


Heart of Survival by Ashlynn Monroe



McKaye Tanner lost everything when the world ended. She grew into adulthood without anyone she could trust. She’s not sure what’s left of civilization, but from what she’s seen, it’s not much.



Reece Rogers has worked hard to keep his small band of survivors alive. He doesn’t take any bullshit or risks. But when he sees a young woman running from a group of the contaminated he can’t turn his back on her and takes a gamble to save her.



Can two battle-scarred, lonely people find love in a world that wants to destroy everything good about being human?



Q) Tell us an interesting fact to your story.

This was a challenge to write because my hero only has one arm. The love scenes were especially difficult because of his disability, but like the strong man he is, he made it work. *wink*

Q) How did you narrow down what catastrophe to use for the apocalyptic theme?

I wanted to pick a world where the disease was realistic, but extreme. I picked a form of leprosy that was very contagious and made its victims dangerous. This infection was a lot like a zombie virus, but has a basis in reality that I hope is a little frightening with its what-if potential. 

Q)  If you were thrust into your story, do you think you’d survive?

Nope. My kids always come first so I have a feeling I’d die doing something foolish to protect them.



Excerpt

McKaye’s lungs burned and her legs ached as she ran. She’d stayed in good health considering most of her life she’d lived in the apocalypse, but she’d never exactly been a marathon runner. Her endurance hit the wall and her mortality rushed at her like a freight train. She would die.

Terror gripped her—and so did a hand. Shrieking, she fell helplessly through a doorway. Gazing up, she stared into the gray eyes of a dark-haired male. His graying beard was dark against his gaunt, but beautiful face. He was gorgeous. Thick lashes framed his eyes. He held her around her waist in one arm, and she realized his other appendage was missing below the elbow. His clothing was tattered, but clean.

Slack-jawed, she lay like a mindless fool as he pulled her inside the building and closed the door. He let her go, and then held his finger to his lips as the sound of sicks running past the building made her breath catch. She lay in his lap, still stunned, while the loud rumble outside began to lessen.

“Who are you?” McKaye whispered.

He held up his finger again, and she waited with him until the rabble outside had moved farther away.

“I’m a friend. I have to lead those contaminated in another direction. Follow me, and trust me.”

It took her a second to realize he was talking about the sicks. Trusting a stranger seemed as stupid as messing with that herd of trouble that just passed by. “Why?”

“I have people at the warehouse. I need to keep the contaminated away long enough for them to get away and go home.”

“Home?” She felt like a parrot, and not a very smart one.

“Yes, we have a safe place. You’re welcome to come with us if you haven’t been touched by the contaminated.”

“I haven’t. Besides, if I was, you are too now.”

“Fair point. Do you have people?” he asked.

“Not anymore.”

“I’m sorry.” His condolences sounded genuine.

She nodded. “Thanks. It was a long time ago.”

“When I noticed you at a distance I thought you were a child.”

“Gee, thanks.”

“No offense meant. I have a lot of questions for you before I take you to my people, but those will have to wait until that herd you’ve brought are taken care of.”

She didn’t like how it sounded as if he was blaming her. She wasn’t someone who would have brought danger to strangers purposefully. “I wasn’t trying to endanger your people.”

He shrugged. “Of course. Come on.”

He stood, and she followed him. Her body still ached from her dash from her house. Home.

He looked outside, then motioned for her to follow him out the door. She didn’t even know the man’s name, but she went with him across the street, and she noticed they were a few blocks behind the sicks.

He rushed to the old bank building and grabbed the fire escape ladder, pulling himself up and climbing. Arm strength wasn’t one of her survival skills, but she took a running jump and managed to pull herself up enough to get her foot in the bottom rung. The guy climbed with one arm, so she could at least try since she had two.

Something about this guy made her trust him. She’d stopped playing it safe the moment she went home. At this point following this guy seemed like as good a plan as any. So she climbed.

The guy pulled himself onto the roof. McKaye didn’t look down. She hated heights. She wanted to climb down, but curiosity made her follow him to the roof. He was all the way across by the time she made it up. He wasn’t even winded, and she was totally out of breath.

“What are we doing?” she asked.

He took off his backpack. “You’ll see.”

Scowling, she watched him take something out of his pack that looked a lot like a grenade. He pulled the pin and heaved the explosive, hard. McKaye scooted farther away from the edge of the roof and covered her ears as the boom shook the building under her.

“Are you fucking crazy?” she hissed.

He turned to look at her, grinning. “I’ve been told I am, more than once, but right now I’m totally sane. Trust me.”

This guy was asking a lot from her. More than he could possibly know.

He pulled out another explosive. “Ready?”

Before she could say no he pulled the pin. She covered her ears as he tossed the danger away from them. The roof shook. She sat there, uncertain. This guy was crazy! She tried to stay calm, but it was hard. She was at the mercy of a stranger—a stranger with grenades!

Another blast shook the world. She pressed her hands tighter against her ears, waiting.

The maniac seemed pretty happy as he pointed. “It’s working.”

“The explosives?”

“Yes. The herd is moving toward the river.”

“Water won’t kill them. They’ll walk on the bottom.”

“That doesn’t matter. They’re getting away from my people.”

She restrained her urge to freak out at him. Her hermit-like existence left her out of practice at being human. “Your people aren’t the only ones left. Don’t you know how many families are out there?”

“What?” His brows drew together as his lips compressed. He blanched.

“Yes, a bunch of boats are floating together in the center of the river. You’ve just sent sicks out there that will walk on the bottom of the water and could sink the boats.”

“I wasn’t trying to hurt anyone. I had no idea there were people out there.”

“There are. What are we going to do now?”

He paused. “I have a few more of these.” He held up another explosive.





BIO & SOCIAL MEDIA LINKS

Ashlynn Monroe has been dreaming up stories all her life but didn’t share them with anyone until she was thirty. She’s a busy mom with a full-time job, great friends, and a unique sense of humor. She’s just a regular girl, who’s in love with the idea of happily-ever-after. She’s honored to be multi-published by some of the best publishers in the industry. Ashlynn survives each day by dreaming up her next tale of romance.







Where to Buy…..


https://www.amazon.com/Love-at-End-World-Scholey-ebook/dp/B07DS8RVDT/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1529385563&sr=8-2&keywords=love+at+the+end+of+the+world

17 June 2018

Love at the End of the World - 2nd Story Profile!


BLURB
The Reset by Imogene Nix

Elaine is just an ordinary woman, but when the apocalypse occurs, she must find a way to survive in an increasingly hostile world. Enter Liam, the policeman who saves her at their first meeting and provides assistance as they try to cope with the zombie outbreak brought about by an unknown infection that’s spreading out of control.

Together they form a community, trying to save as many lives as they can, a place where people can be safe. Even in the throes of disaster though, emotions creep up, taking both of them by surprise. Who knows? They might just get their happy ever after...if they can survive.



Q) Tell us an interesting fact to your story.

This is actually going to be the first story in a whole new series (I started writing it about a year ago, but haven’t finished it… I didn’t realise I’d need this story first!)

Q) How did you narrow down what catastrophe to use for the apocalyptic theme?

It was simple. My daughter wanted a zombie story and a friend kind of talked me into it…

Q)  If you were thrust into your story, do you think you’d survive?

I’d like to think I would. I’m resourceful enough to have thought up this scenario after all J



 BIO & SOCIAL MEDIA LINKS


Imogene is published in a range of romance genres including Paranormal, Science Fiction and Contemporary. She is mainly published in the UK and USA due to the nature of her tales.

In 2011, Imogene Nix (the pen name not Imogene herself) was born. Imogene sat down and worked tirelessly for 3 months culminating in the books Starline, which became the first in a trilogy titled, "Warriors of the Elector." 

Imogene has successfully been contracted for twenty-five titles.  She has also completed several others. In 2017 Imogene decided to self publish most of her further works - a plan which is in train.

Imogene is a member of a range of professional organisations world wide, and believes in the mantra of mentoring and paying it forward.

She loves to drink coffee, wine & eat chocolate and is parenting 2 spoiled dogs and a ferocious cat along with her husband and 2 human daughters.








15 June 2018

Love at the End of the World - Story Profile


I have been very privileged to work with this talented group of authors before on our Sex, Love & Aliens Anthology (Beachwalk Press).  I loved writing my stories of the alien invaders called the TEV, aliens who are able to alter the DNA of humans to make hybrids. This time around we got to write about finding love at the end of the world. The main theme is hope in an otherwise hopeless world. 
My main character is Jo. She comes from a painful past and is a nurse with a realistic sense of how to survive in a decimated world. When she meets Luke and his teenager daughter Casey, she's suddenly involved. More than she wants to be, because to survive means not giving a shit about anyone.  
I loved this story mainly because Jo is forty. You really don't read about strong heroines out of their twenties or thirties. As I get older I find my heroines are also getting older. I hope readers enjoy Jo and Luke's story as much as I liked writing it!

 
Blurb

Jo was one of the lucky ones. She survived the virus that decimated eighty-five percent of the world’s population and now searches for a sanctuary in a ruined world. She trusts no one, keeping to herself, until she meets Luke and his daughter, Casey.

Suddenly she’s involved, and emotions she thought she had iced over long ago invade her self-imposed isolation. The more time she spends with Luke, the more she wants him, leaving her conflicted. Does she stay with him? Or will she continue her trek to find a heaven among the apocalypse?



Q) Tell us an interesting fact to your story.

The majority of people don’t know their blood types so many may not be aware that about fifteen percent of the population has what is known as negative blood. I happen to be one of those people. Scientists aren’t really sure where this blood group came from, making it an interesting type of mutation and known as the Rh factor. Simplified down, positive blood has a protein on the cell which makes it “positive”. So I came up with a virus that attacks this protein, and as it kills the blood cell it kills the person.  My story takes place about a year after this virus began to spread.


Q) How did you narrow down what catastrophe to use for the apocalyptic theme?

Believe me, this was difficult! I knew that a couple of authors were going the zombieland way, so I wanted to do something different. However, all the scenarios I dreamed up would’ve required a longer version instead of the set parameters of an anthology story. It took me about a month to come up with Heaven For Us.  


Q)  If you were thrust into your story, do you think you’d survive?


Yes, because I happen to have negative blood! I found out when I got pregnant and realized my boyfriend had positive blood. When this happens, the mother must get a shot called Rhogam so if the baby’s blood is positive then the mother doesn’t build up antibodies to the baby’s blood. The shot is administered in the butt and it hurts.  When my son was born his blood was tested and he’s negative as well, so he and I have the two rarest blood types. (And I didn’t need that damn shot after all)


EXCERPT

“Look, thank you for protecting her, but you don’t know anything about us.”

“You’re right, I don’t know anything about you two, but I do know what it means to survive. Turn her from your daughter into your son, if you really want to protect her.”

Jo shook her head and started to march past him to leave the alley, but he grabbed her arm, stopping her. It was the first time in a long time that a man had touched her, and instinct had her trying to pull away, but the small spark of electricity when their skin met confused her so she stopped her struggle. Instead, she glared at him. “Let go of me.”

The man stared at her, hard, and when their gazes met, butterflies fluttered in her belly. “You’re a woman,” he finally said, surprised.

“You don’t have to sound so shocked.”

“I’m not. I mean…you’re a pretty good aim…” His voice trailed off, as if he knew exactly how sexist his words were.

Jo was quite aware of how she looked. She’d cut her once-long hair off and deliberately kept her face a little dirty to disguise her rounded features. His disbelief was warranted, but instead of pissing her off his unease amused her.

“I’m a pretty good aim…for a female?”

“It sounded better in my head.”

“I’m sure it did.”

“My name is Luke,” the man said. “And this is my daughter Casey.”

“I’m Jo.”

“I’m sorry, Daddy,” Casey blubbered through tears. “I didn’t mean any of it!”

Casey’s shaky voice jolted Jo, and she took the opportunity to pull her arm out of Luke’s grasp, stepping far enough back so he couldn’t touch her again. Despite herself, she was curious about Casey’s words, so she waited for Luke to explain.

“We had an argument,” Luke said over Casey’s head. “She said she wished it had been me who died instead of her mother.”

“Ouch,” Jo said, wincing.

“I didn’t mean it!” Casey wailed.

“Keep your voice down,” Jo said. “Sorry to hear about your mom, Casey, but this new world sucks and girls like you are worth a lot of money, so try to put the teenage angst behind you in order to survive this messed-up world. ’Kay?”

Casey nodded. Jo turned to the dad. “Now, the chance of someone not hearing those gunshots are about zero to nil, so I suggest you skedaddle and forget about—”

Before she finished what she was saying, the sound of another gunshot ripped through the alley. Luke gasped and grabbed his side, stumbling forward into her and trapping Casey between them. As a shrill whistle pealed through the night, Jo instinctively raised her gun and fired, causing the whistle to abruptly end, followed by the dull thud of a body hitting the ground hard. For a split second, Jo couldn’t believe she just killed one of the haven guards.

Love at the End of the World Anthology
 Five stories of couples who just might find love at the end of the world. That is, if they can survive.

His Bounty by Jaye Shields
After the nuclear war decimated much of the population, causing widespread infertility, the Stork Company became a billion-dollar industry. Caleb Black is the company’s top bounty hunter, bringing in healthy men and women to contribute to the breeding program and put babies into the hands of wealthy citizens. Few people willingly sign up to be a breeder, so hunters need to be tough and devoid of emotion. But Caleb’s newest target cracks his hardened heart.
Aurora Jones grew up in the Alaskan bush. Adept at living off the land, she’s thrived when others have failed to survive life post-nuclear war. She spends the majority of her time alone at her cabin, so when a handsome stranger shows up, curiosity gets the best of her. And it quickly turns into desire.
Caleb falls for the beautiful woman and decides he’d rather die than turn her into the Stork Company. But when she finds out who he really is and why he’s in Alaska, will the betrayal end the only chance he’s ever known of love?

Heaven for Us by Beth D. Carter
Jo was one of the lucky ones. She survived the virus that decimated eighty-five percent of the world’s population and now searches for a sanctuary in a ruined world. She trusts no one, keeping to herself, until she meets Luke and his daughter, Casey.
Suddenly she’s involved, and emotions she thought she had iced over long ago invade her self-imposed isolation. The more time she spends with Luke, the more she wants him, leaving her conflicted. Does she stay with him? Or will she continue her trek to find a heaven among the apocalypse?

Heart of Survival by Ashlynn Monroe
McKaye Tanner lost everything when the world ended. She grew into adulthood without anyone she could trust. She’s not sure what’s left of civilization, but from what she’s seen, it’s not much.
Reece Rogers has worked hard to keep his small band of survivors alive. He doesn’t take any bullshit or risks. But when he sees a young woman running from a group of the contaminated he can’t turn his back on her and takes a gamble to save her.
Can two battle-scarred, lonely people find love in a world that wants to destroy everything good about being human?

The Reset by Imogene Nix
Elaine is just an ordinary woman, but when the apocalypse occurs, she must find a way to survive in an increasingly hostile world. Enter Liam, the policeman who saves her at their first meeting and provides assistance as they try to cope with the zombie outbreak brought about by an unknown infection that’s spreading out of control.
Together they form a community, trying to save as many lives as they can, a place where people can be safe. Even in the throes of disaster though, emotions creep up, taking both of them by surprise. Who knows? They might just get their happy ever after...if they can survive.

The New Era by C. L. Scholey
By the twenty-third century much of Earth was destroyed. Mother Nature played a significant part, but so too did the numerous meteors that slammed into the world. The Superiors, a self-aware intelligence, went online soon after their creator, Jason Superior—a kind man who abhorred violence or suffering of any kind—sent a signal to a lone satellite. The system’s intelligence grew as Jason continued to add his own ideals until his passing.

The Superiors began to take control of the world and the few remaining survivors. Their approach to saving life was to destroy those who were capable of misguided influential acts. Only the innocent were allowed to live. Until they became not as innocent. This is their story.
 Content Warning: these stories contain sexual content