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Adriana Kraft

Adriana Kraft

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On Tour: Dude or Die, by Lynn Downey #DudeRanch #HistoricalFiction #WomensFiction #WesternWomen #BlogTour #TheCoffeePotBookClub @WriterLynnD @cathiedunn

February 12, 2024 by Adriana Kraft

BOOK INFORMATION

Book Title: Dude or Die
Series: H Double Bar Dude Ranch series
Author: Lynn Downey
Publication Date: October 15, 2023
Publisher: Pronghorn Press
Page Length: 328
Genre: Historical Fiction

BLURB:

It’s 1954, and San Francisco writer Phoebe Kelley is enjoying the success of her first novel, Lady in the Desert. When Phoebe’s sister-in-law asks her to return to Tribulation, Arizona to help run the H Double Bar Dude Ranch, she doesn’t hesitate. There’s competition from a new dude ranch this year, so the H Double Bar puts on a rodeo featuring a trick rider with a mysterious past. When accidents begin to happen around the ranch, Phoebe jumps in to figure out why, and confronts an unexpected foe. And a man from her own past forces her to confront feelings long buried. Dude or Die is the second book in the award-winning H Double Bar Dude Ranch series.

BUY LINK:

This title is available to read on #KindleUnlimited.

Universal Buy Link: https://books2read.com/u/b5BVwp

EXCERPT

Synopsis: It’s 1954, and San Francisco writer Phoebe Kelley returns to the H Double Bar dude ranch in Tribulation, Arizona to help her late husband’s sister Mary, her husband Sam, and their young son Joe run the ranch for the fall season. Phoebe and the ranch were introduced in the first book in this series, Dudes Rush In. There’s stiff competition from a new guest ranch in town, called the Desert Grande, run by a powerful woman named Thelma Powell who seems determined to put other ranches out of business. Phoebe and Mary decide to put on a “dudeo,” a rodeo for both the ranch’s wranglers and the visiting dudes, to thwart Thelma’s efforts. They bring in a trick rider from California with a mysterious past named Eden Williams, and a man from Phoebe’s past also reappears. When accidents happen around the ranch, Phoebe must confront an unexpected foe.

Excerpt from Chapter 20:

Virgil Freeman, a man from Phoebe’s past in Dudes Rush In, is visiting the H Double Bar. They have breakfast the morning after a mysterious midnight fire in a tool shed, and after Phoebe acts on her suspicion that one of the guests is in league with Thelma Powell and the Desert Grande guest ranch.

“How are you this morning?” Virgil asked.

“OK, I guess. I managed to get some sleep, how about you?”

“Oh, I’m fine. Have you seen Mary?”

“Yes, I went over to the site of the fire a few minutes ago, and she is there talking with Sam about rebuilding. She already called her friend at the Bar K and he’s bringing over some tack for today’s trail ride.”

“It’s wonderful the way all the ranches pull together,” said Virgil, who had given his plate to Maryanne and asked for seconds on bacon.

“I know, it’s a very special kind of business,” said Phoebe. “Well, except for the Desert Grande, of course.”

“That place doesn’t sound much like a dude ranch to me.”

“That’s what Mary says. She is sure they are behind some of the mishaps that we’ve had around here.”

“Why would they do that?”

“To put her out of business? Who knows.”

“Have you had any more trouble here from that Carter fellow?”

Phoebe hesitated a moment, then made a decision.

“Well, not exactly trouble, but I did find out something about the both of them.”

She told Virgil about seeing Jayne at the Desert Grande, and about what she found when she searched the Carters’ cabin.

His reaction surprised her. She had never seen Virgil look mad.

“Phoebe, what were you thinking? First of all, that was completely illegal, and what if they came back early and found you? That could have been a disaster for Sam and Mary and their business. And dangerous for you. That Carter guy has a temper, he could have hurt you.”

Phoebe was shocked at his scolding tone, and then she got angry.

“Don’t lecture me, I was very careful, and I can take care of myself.”

“Just because you survived the last time a man threatened you, doesn’t mean it will happen again.”

A guest at the H Double Bar had been killed two years ago, and his murderer pulled a gun on Phoebe when she confronted him. She got away, but had nightmares for a long time.

“I’m worried about you,” Virgil continued.

Phoebe saw a couple of the guests looking their way and lowered her voice.

“Well, you don’t have to be,” Phoebe retorted.

“I know you love Mary and Sam, but does your loyalty to your late husband mean you have to put yourself in danger for them?”

Phoebe gaped at him.

“What the hell are you talking about?”

Maryanne brought Virgil’s bacon at that moment, saw the look on his face, and Phoebe’s, and set the plate down quickly.

When she had scurried away, Phoebe continued.

“First of all, I am not loyal to Jack. He died ten years ago and I’ve moved on with my life. I come here because Mary is like my own sister, and her family is my family. The Desert Grande is a real threat to their business and I will do whatever I can to protect it.”

“You’re being reckless, Phoebe. Please don’t do anything to get yourself hurt.”

“I am not reckless, I know what I’m doing.”

“I don’t think you do.” Virgil stood up.  “And it’s obvious I can’t talk you out of any course you plan to take.”

He put his napkin on the table next to the untouched plate.

“I think I should go. Please thank Mary for her hospitality. And please take care of yourself.”

Before Phoebe could respond Virgil left the table and she watched him walk out the lodge door. She sat at the table for a few more minutes, then got up and looked out the front window. Virgil’s car was gone.

AUTHOR BIO:

Lynn Downey is an award-winning novelist, short story writer, historian of the West, and native Californian.

She was the Historian for Levi Strauss & Co. in San Francisco for 25 years. Her adventures as ambassador for company history took her around the world, where she spoke to television audiences, magazine editors, and university students, appeared in numerous documentaries, and on The Oprah Winfrey Show. She wrote many books and articles about the history of the company and the jeans, and her biography, Levi Strauss: The Man Who Gave Blue Jeans to the World, won the Foreword Reviews silver INDIE award.

Lynn got interested in dude ranches during her time at Levi’s. Her debut historical novel, Dudes Rush In, is set on an Arizona dude ranch in the 1950s; Arizona because she’s a desert rat at heart, and the 1950s because the clothes were fabulous.

Dudes Rush In won a Will Rogers Medallion Award, and placed first in Arizona Historical Fiction at the New Mexico-Arizona book awards. The next book in this series, Dude or Die, was released in 2023. And just for fun, Lynn wrote a screenplay based on Dudes Rush In, which is currently making the rounds of reviewers and competitions.

She pens short stories, as well. “The Wind and the Widow” took Honorable Mention in the History Through Fiction story contest, and “Incident at the Circle H” was a Finalist for the Longhorn Prize from Saddlebag Dispatches. The story “Goldie Hawn at the Good Karma Café,” won second place in The LAURA Short Fiction contest from Women Writing the West, and is based on her experiences in a San Francisco religious cult in the 1970s. (That will be another book one of these days.)

Lynn’s latest nonfiction book is American Dude Ranch: A Touch of the Cowboy and the Thrill of the West, a cultural history of the dude ranch. It was reviewed in The Wall Street Journal, True West, Cowgirl, and The Denver Post, and was a Finalist for the Next Generation INDIE Award in Nonfiction. Kirkus Reviews said the book is “…deeply engaging and balances accessible writing style with solid research.”

When she’s not writing, Lynn works as a consulting archivist and historian for museums, libraries, cultural institutions, and businesses. She is the past president of Women Writing the West, a member of the Western Writers of America, and is on numerous boards devoted to archives and historic preservation.

Lynn lives in Sonoma, California, where she sometimes makes wine from the Pinot Noir grapes in her back yard vineyard.

AUTHOR LINKS:

Website: https://www.lynndowney.com [My site is being redesigned and will be live in another week or so.]

Tumblereads blog: https://tumblereadsblog.com/blog-sg/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/WriterLynnD

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/lynndowney/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lynn-downey-b82460249/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lynn.downey.historian/

Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/westernhistorygal.bsky.social

Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/WesternHistoryGal/

Amazon Author Page: https://www.amazon.com/stores/Lynn-Downey/author/B001IXQ2N2

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Filed Under: Blog, Excerpts, Guest Bloggers Tagged With: Blog Tour, Dude Ranch, Historical Fiction, The Coffee Pot Book Club, Western Women, Women's Fiction

On Tour: Bound in Roses, by Katherine Kayne #BoundinRoses #HistoricalRomance #GildedAge #BlogTour #TheCoffeePotBookClub @cathiedunn

January 24, 2024 by Adriana Kraft

A red-hot Hawaiian romance blooms for a buttoned-up botanist
who must learn to let go and embrace the ancient voice within her.

Book Information

Book Title: Bound in Roses
Series: Hawaiian Ladies Riding Society
Author: Katherine Kayne
Publication Date: January 23, 2024
Publisher: Passionflower Press
Page Length: 397
Genre: Historical Romance (Gilded Age)

Blurb:

After a failed engagement to a high-society suitor in San Francisco, Lokelani “Lucky” Letwin returns home to Hawaii, leaving her beloved rosebushes behind. She’s desperate to establish a life of her own-a daunting task for any unmarried female in the early twentieth century but particularly for one passionate about the science of plants. A stubborn, song-filled girl now grown into an accomplished woman Lokelani is haunted by a family tragedy. She is as reluctant to acknowledge her past as she is to accept the supernatural force building inside her, strong and inevitable. She is a mākāhā, a Gate, ever connected to the power of the islands . . . if only she will admit it.

In her quest to retrieve her roses, Lokelani is reunited with Artemus Chang, a childhood friend, who’s now a handsome and successful lawyer. As the spark between them grows, Artemus agrees to help her recover her roses, only to discover her kisses leave him literally breathless. When a mystical teacher enters her life, Lokelani’s embrace of the voice of ancient power bubbling up within her takes on new urgency and new apprehensions.

Will Lokelani continue to be bound by guilt and fear? Or will she learn to reconcile her gifts – as both a practical botanist and a mystical Gate – to sing once more and claim her love?

Buy Links:

This title is available to read on #KindleUnlimited.

Universal Buy Link: https://books2read.com/u/47R5VL

Author Bio:

Award winning author Katherine Kayne writes deeply romantic historical fantasy set in old Hawaii. Her critically acclaimed debut novel BOUND IN FLAME delivers myth, magic and all the sparks promised by the title. The next installment in her Hawaiian Ladies’ Riding Society series, BOUND IN ROSES, is available for preorder now.

Katherine’s novels are filled with horses and history and happily ever after . . . and heroes strong enough to follow their heroine’s lead. She spends a part of each year on Hawaii Island immersing herself in Hawaii’s past. Aided of course by the occasional mai tai. Katherine created the world of the Hawaiian Ladies Riding Society to tell the stories of the fearless horsewomen of the islands’ ranches. Because who doesn’t love a suffragist on horseback? With a bullwhip? Wearing flowers?

If you come along for the ride, be prepared for almost anything to happen. Katherine can promise you fiery kisses, charming cowboys, women who ride like the rainbow to save the day, and that rarest of beasts-handsome men who like to dance.

Author Links:

Website: https://www.katherinekayne.com/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/KatherineKayneAuthor

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/k2writesbooks/

Threads: https://www.threads.net/@k2writesbooks

Book Bub: https://www.bookbub.com/profile/katherine-kayne

Amazon Author Page:  Amazon.com: Katherine Kayne: books, biography, latest update

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/19231806.Katherine_Kayne

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Filed Under: Blog, Guest Bloggers Tagged With: Gilded Age, historical romance

On Tour: The Low Road, by Katharine Quarmby #WomensFiction #FeministFiction #HistoricalFiction #TheCoffeePotBookClub #BlogTour @katharineq @cathiedunn

January 23, 2024 by Adriana Kraft

In 1828, two young women were torn apart as they were sentenced to transportation to Botany Bay. Will they ever meet again?

Book Information

Book Title: The Low Road
Author: Katharine Quarmby
Publication Date: UK: 22nd June 2023. US: 19th September 2023. Australia/NZ: 2nd January 2024
Publisher: Unbound Publishing
Page Length: 400
Genre: Historical Fiction / Lesbian Fiction / Women’s Literature

Blurb:

Norfolk, 1813. In the quiet Waveney Valley, the body of a woman – Mary Tyrell – is staked through the heart after her death by suicide. She had been under arrest for the suspected murder of her newborn child. Mary leaves behind a young daughter, Hannah, who is later sent away to the Refuge for the Destitute in London, where she will be trained for a life of domestic service.

It is at the Refuge that Hannah meets Annie Simpkins, a fellow resident, and together they forge a friendship that deepens into passionate love. But the strength of this bond is put to the test when the girls are caught stealing from the Refuge’s laundry, and they are sentenced to transportation to Botany Bay, setting them on separate paths that may never cross again.

Drawing on real events, The Low Road is a gripping, atmospheric tale that brings to life the forgotten voices of the past – convicts, servants, the rural poor – as well as a moving evocation of love that blossomed in the face of prejudice and ill fortune.

Excerpt

CHAPTER THIRTY-SIX
We sail into Sydney Cove on a fine autumn May morning. The world turned upside down, right enough. As we near the quay other boats slide alongside, and there are men in them who look us up and down with hunger in their eyes, although they remain silent and the captain looks down at them with venom.

From deck I wonder if I am dreaming to see these miles and miles of sand and wooded shore and then we are in safe harbour. I look out, and find I am clutching at Jennet and Grace.

The streets are uneven, but the houses have gardens and I can see vegetables and fruit growing in them, and chickens and pigs grubbing for food inside wooden pens. I see a quantity of butchered beasts lying outside a great shop and the men with cleavers and bloody aprons. I look away. The houses are made of stone mostly but there are also huts, higher up where the roads run out between the rocks. There are stores too, and women working in the yards. Others gather water from the public well, or shop, or are even bathing. There is order, but also chaos, for “the streets are crooked and unlevel, and the throng immense. Houses perch on the slopes.

We are disembarked and then together we are helped up and onto land. Everything is swaying. We hold onto each other, form a circle of eight as our luggage is heaped up by us. I smell the sea, blood, spices that tickle the nose. London but not London, something else, somewhere else.

The captain comes towards us with papers in his hands. “Jennet will go to the work factory, Grace too. You have farming experience, Hannah?”

“Yes, as a child.”

“Wait here.”

He gestures for everyone to step aside, except me, but for a moment we huddle together and embrace. We promise to find each other, though how will we do it without addresses? But I tell them, desperately, “I will find you, somehow.”

The captain speaks then, seeing our faces. “The newspapers here are full of articles, the names of those assigned often appear in them. It is quite possible to trace somebody, or even place a notice that you are seeking them.” I wonder how we will ever pay for such a thing, but it is a sliver of hope.

Then the captain tells them that they must go to the factory and I feel their arms around me, one last time. We have loved each other on this journey and now Grace and Jennet pick up their bundles, their crates are loaded onto a boat and I watch as they embark and are rowed away, upriver, the vision blurs before me and I cannot see them any more. I am completely alone now.

The captain taps me on the shoulder. “You can milk, you said?” I rub at my eyes with my sleeve. The ground stills at last.

Beside him is a tall man, perhaps in his thirties, brown-skinned and with light blue eyes. He carries a leather hat in one hand, a bag in the other.

“I grew up in service, on a farm in the county of Norfolk.” I hesitate. “I was born on one, sir, in the east of England. I lived on a farm with my mama, until she died when I was still a child. I used to milk the cows and perform other tasks.” Not all of the truth, but enough.

“And could you nurse a little, when I cannot, when I am out, working?” He adds but his voice is jerky, “My wife is ailing.”

“Yes, sir. I nursed my mistress. With my mother, as I was just a child.” The truth again, measured out. I see the farmer’s wife, the spills of opium, and how small her coffin had been, how light. I can bear this.

He turns to the captain, and together they walk over to a table, sign some paperwork and thus I am assigned to work as a servant to Frank Emerson, farmer. I sign my name, and he tells me, “We are sailing to Newcastle, north from here, and then on by river. But first we will eat.”

He leads me through the streets and as I look around me, I wonder how it can be that so much is familiar, and yet I am on the other side of the world.”

Excerpt from
he Low Road
Katharine Quarmby
This material is protected by copyright.

Buy Links:

Universal Buy Link: https://books2read.com/u/mg5RAD

Bookshop: https://uk.bookshop.org/p/books/the-low-road-katharine-quarmby/7418138?ean=9781800182394

Author Bio:

Katharine Quarmby has written non-fiction, short stories and books for children and her debut novel, The Low Road, is published by Unbound in 2023. Her non-fiction works include Scapegoat: Why We Are Failing Disabled People (Portobello Books, 2011) and No Place to Call Home: Inside the Real Lives of Gypsies and Travellers (Oneworld, 2013). She has also written picture books and shorter e-books.

She is an investigative journalist and editor, with particular interests in disability, the environment, race and ethnicity, and the care system. Her reporting has appeared in outlets including the Guardian, The Economist, The Atlantic, The Times of London, the Telegraph, New Statesman and The Spectator. Katharine lives in London.

Katharine also works as an editor for investigative journalism outlets, including Investigative Reporting Denmark and the Bureau of Investigative Journalism.

Author Links:

Website: https://www.katharinequarmby.com

Twitter: https://twitter.com/KatharineQ

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/katharinequarmbywriter/

LinkedIn: Katharine Quarmby – Writer, Journalist, Editor – Self-employed | LinkedIn

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/katharinequarmby_/

Amazon Author Page: https://www.amazon.co.uk/stores/Katharine-Quarmby/author/B004GH8LS6

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/2082356.Katharine_Quarmby

 

 

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Filed Under: Blog, Excerpts, Guest Bloggers Tagged With: Feminist Fiction, Historical Fiction, Lesbian Fiction, Women's Fiction

Out Now! Nice and Naughty by Lil DeVille #NewRelease #bisexual #m/m romance #polyamory #role playing

December 23, 2023 by Adriana Kraft

BOOK INFORMATION

Title: Nice and Naughty
Author: Lil DeVille
Genre: Gay Romance, Holiday Romance, M/M Romance, Romantic Comedy
Heat Level: 5 Flames
ASIN: ‎ B0CP9WP2DF
ISBN: 9798871986608
Publisher: ‎Naughty Netherworld Press
Publication date:  December 23, 2023
Length: 14,500 words (Novelette)

BLURB

Parsifal returns home to spend the Christmas holidays with his family. As he arrives at the airport, he is greeted by his brother Hart and his ex-boyfriend Bobby. Bobby is accompanied by his new boyfriend Seth. As they spend the day together, Parsifal notices something peculiar. Bobby seeks comfort from Hart rather than Seth after a minor accident at the park.

Meanwhile, Parsifal finds himself drawn to hot nerd Seth. The more time they spend together, the more Parsifal believes the feeling is mutual.

However, Parsifal’s Christmas holiday is about to get even crazier. His redneck relatives are coming over for Christmas Eve dinner, and Parsifal is dreading the chaos that is sure to ensue. Between his family’s quirky behavior and Seth’s enticing presence, Parsifal’s vacation is shaping up to be anything but relaxing.

This is the second book in The Shape Of Heat series. It can be read as a standalone, but the first book, Awakening, should be read first if you wish to know more about the background of Parsifal and his girlfriends Candi and Luisa.

EXCERPT

Over the summer, things heated beyond the boiling point between me and my longtime friends Candi and Luisa. We grew even closer as the fall that never looks like fall rolled into the Caribbean island where we work and play. Our boss had nothing but praise for us as resort workers, and we were popular writers at Climax Productions. Everyone needs to rest sometime, though, so I was glad to be heading home to Tennessee to reconnect with family and friends over the winter holidays.

I was especially looking forward to seeing my big brother Hart and my ex-boyfriend Bobby. Although Bobby and I broke up after I cheated on him, we remained close friends. Plus, I was looking forward to meeting Bobby’s new guy Seth.

Hart was waiting in the pickup zone in his beloved 1965 burgundy Mustang. He was a dark-haired, lanky drink of water who resembled the late, great Hank Williams. I’m a skinny beach bum with wavy, strawberry-blond hair. I think I look like a young Dennis Wilson. My girl Candi says I look like an elf. My little brothers say that Hart and I look like Beavis and Butthead. Well, what can you expect from little brothers? At least they have great taste in cartoons.

Hart gave me a great big bear hug and put my bags in the trunk. I settled in the passenger seat. Bobby and Seth, who had flown into Nashville from Los Angeles, were riding in the back.

Bobby reached around the seat to hug me. He was still the same golden-haired, freckle-faced ray of California sunshine that I remembered. Seth was quiet and had a brooding artist vibe about him. He had shaggy coffee-brown hair with long wedge bangs and a pale complexion. He smiled shyly when he shook my hand.

“Seth Dinapoli,” he said, his voice cool and whispery like the winds outside a haunted castle.

“Parsifal Matveev. Pleased to meet you.”

“The pleasure is all mine,” Seth said, unaware of how he was killing me with his seductive gray eyes peeking from behind his dark curtain of hair.

“Don’t even think about it, Parsley,” I admonished myself as I felt a stirring in my loins when I gripped Seth’s pale, slender hand. “We’ll draft a nice Gothic story about a smolderingly seductive vampire who has his way with the innocent young prodigal son who just returned home to Ye Olde Manor after a year away. We will have naughty video chats with our sexy girlfriends. We will not, and I repeat, will not seduce our ex-boyfriend’s new man.”

BUY LINK

https://amzn.to/3T3srPF

Ebook: Just 99 cents.

Paperback: $4.20

ABOUT LIL

Lil DeVille is a former nurse who started writing erotica after becoming disabled in 2019. She enjoys imagining quirky characters involved in lusty encounters anywhere from a tropical paradise or a rustic mountain village in the present day to an all-male mining colony on an asteroid in the distant future.

Lil likes to end her stories on a Happy for Now note with a promise of more good things to come. Although her writing sometimes addresses difficult subjects such as alcoholism or past abuse, she brings a note of love and support to scenes involving these issues.

Lil lives in a remote prairie town in Northeastern Colorado with her adult son and three cats. When she isn’t cooking up spicy stories, she enjoys baking and crafts.

Lil’s Links

Amazon Author Page: https://bit.ly/LilDevilleAmazonAuthor

Lil’s Latest: https://www.subscribepage.com/lildeville

Naughty Netherworld Press Blog: http://www.naughtynetherworldpress.com

Naughty Netherworld Press Books: https://bit.ly/NNPBooks

Naughty Netherworld Press Start Page

https://naughtynetherworldpress.start.page

Naughty Netherworld Press Substack

https://naughtynetherworldpress.substack.com

Naughty Netherworld Press Tumblr

http://netherworldwritersguild.tumblr.com

Readers Roost Book Blog https://bit.ly/ReadersRoost

Readers Roost Twitter https://twitter.com/ReadersRoost

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Filed Under: Blog, Erotic Romance, Excerpts, Guest Bloggers, LGBT Tagged With: erotic romance, Gay Romance, Holiday Romance, Holiday Story, LGBTQ, M/M Romance, romantic comedy

Out Now! Wild About That Thing by Lisabet Sarai #ChicagoBlues #DeltaBlues #NewYorkCity #SingleMom #Multiracial #Threesome #Menage #Polyamory #Instalove

December 21, 2023 by Adriana Kraft

There’s more than one way to beat the blues

BOOK INFORMATION

Wild About That Thing
By LisabetSarai
Multiracial Ménage Erotic Romance
Five flames
20,000 words, 78 pages
Smashwords and Amazon KDP
ISBN (Smashwords): 9798215599563
ASIN: ‎ B0CPDD3JR9‎

Not Me

Most authors put some of themselves into their characters. We can’t help it, really. We’re all shaped by our experience, in ways we can’t fully or consciously appreciate. Our characters are likely to share our assumptions, our biases and our values, whether this is our intention or not.

For instance, my female characters tend to be independent, well-educated and unapologetic about their sexuality. Anyone who knows me at all will recognize these traits also describe me. I don’t think I’ve ever written a helpless, timid virgin or a self-obsessed beauty queen. I don’t create violent characters, either, or at least not violent protagonists. You won’t find any mafia capos or special forces agents in my books. (The one exception is Cecily Harrowsmith in Rajasthani Moon, who is Queen Victoria’s spy, and she’s a slightly comic figure.)

Sometimes I deliberately try to create characters who are different from me, but that can be a struggle. The thing is, how can you imagine the inner life of someone whose background, priorities and goals deviate significantly from your own?

So my success varies. In that regard, I’m pretty proud of Wild About That Thing.

My heroine Ruby Jones is definitely not me. She’s a black woman, for one thing. As much as I try to empathize, I doubt I can really understand what it’s like to grow up black in America. She’s also a mother – a single mother, having divorced her cheating ex-husband. I’ve never had children, so it’s a stretch to imagine what it would be like to have total responsibility for someone else’s safety and well-being. Scary. My experience with marriage has been ninety nine percent positive. Ruby in contrast has been badly burned, and is naturally wary of new commitments.

Despite our differences, however, I feel that I know Ruby well. Early in the writing process, I learned about Ruby’s parents and came to see how her relationships with both her mother and her father shaped her personality and her behavior. Somehow these insights were not intellectual. Instead, I found myself in Ruby’s head, listening to her inner critic who often speaks with her mother’s voice.

Ruby is constantly torn between her analytical tendencies and her passionate nature. I suppose this is somewhat true of me, but in Ruby’s case the conflict is  particularly painful. One minute she’s a hard-headed businesswoman. The next, she’s a puddle of lust.

Anyway, I do hope my readers enjoy Ruby Jones. I feel that she’s one of the most realistic heroines I’ve created, as well as one of the most likable.

Note, though, that she still shares some attributes with me. She is independent and, as you might guess from the tag line, unapologetic about her sexuality.

BLURB

She’s always been proud of her sensual nature. Now it seems to have landed her in an impossible situation. Two lovers…and she wants them both.

Ruby Jones has clear priorities. Her teenage son comes first, then her struggling blues club. Her love life ranks as a distant third, despite the efforts of Zeke Chambers to convince her otherwise. Zeke’s the lead singer in her house band, a devoted friend, and an occasional lover. He can drive her wild with desire, but can’t get her to make a commitment. Deserted by her cheating ex-husband, Ruby’s determined she’s going to make it on her own. She’s hot-blooded like her bluesman daddy, happy to satisfy her physical cravings, but she’s not about to let any man into her heart.

The stranger who takes the stage on open mike night upsets the delicate balance in Ruby’s world. From the moment Ruby sets eyes on him, Remy Saint-Michel inspires irresistible lust and inexplicable sympathy. Confused, guilty and worried about her prized independence, Ruby decides that the only way to deal with the two men is to push them both away. Zeke and Remy, however, have other ideas.

Note: Wild About That Thing was previously published by Totally Entwined. This new edition has been revised and re-edited.

EXCERPT

He looked pretty good himself. He wore his work clothes—trim navy blue chinos and a striped shirt with a button-down collar. The trousers weren’t as tight as the jeans he wore when he was off-duty, but they couldn’t hide the bulk of his hard-on. His eyes sparkled like sapphires under his bushy blond brows and a lock of his honey-colored hair hung down over his forehead. She fought the urge to brush it back into place.

“I thought maybe I could join you two for dinner,” he continued. “Then maybe after, we can all watch a video or something.”

He didn’t say anything more, but she knew what he was thinking. After Isaiah was safe in his bed, maybe Zeke could spend some time in hers.

Ruby remembered her assignation with Remy—remembered the insane lust he’d inspired. It had been intoxicating, but scary too. For a moment, all she wanted was to say yes to Zeke’s unspoken question, to trade the risky promise of a stranger for more familiar pleasures. But she’d given her word to Remy. Anyway, what gave Zeke the right to barge in to her life, assuming she’d be available?

“We’d love for you eat with us,” she began, trying to be gentle. “But afterward, I’ve got a date.”

Zeke’s forehead knitted into a frown. “A date?” His voice was dark as gathering thunderclouds. “Who with?”

Ruby laid her hand on his arm. That was a mistake. The feel of his warm, firm flesh under the fine cotton made her want to take it all back—to swear that she wanted only him, to beg him to fuck her. “I don’t think you need to know,” she said, her eyes cast downward.

She felt like such a traitor. Of course, they’d agreed when they began that their relationship should be non-exclusive. Still, she hadn’t been with anyone else, not for two years. Why should she, when she had a strong, sexy, generous man like Ezekiel Chambers?

But Remy…she’d never experienced anything like the magnetic pull she’d felt in his presence. She had to find out what it would be like to fuck him. To get him out of her system.

“Thanks for being honest,” Zeke said softly. “That’s something at least.”

“I’d never lie to you, baby. That’s just plain wrong. Otis taught me that. It’s just this one time, anyway.”

“You do what you need to do, Ruby. It won’t change how I feel about you.” He blinked once or twice, then stood up. “Guess I should go.”

“No, please—stay for dinner. Just pizza and salad, but we’d love to have you. I’m sure that Isaiah will want to tell you the big news about his band.”

“You sure?”

“Positive.” Ruby gave him a hug, fighting the urge to rub herself against the still-obvious lump in his groin. “Let’s go call Antonio’s.”

“You got someone to stay with the kid while you’re out?” Zeke asked, as Ruby retrieved the pizza menu stuck onto the refrigerator door.

“Um—no… He’ll be okay. It’s just a couple hours.” Ruby’s doubts resurfaced. Maybe she really should call Remy and cancel. Things were just too complicated…

“I’ll hang out here until you get back, then.”

“What?” Ruby stared at him, astonished and grateful. “You’re gonna babysit, while I go meet another man? What are you, some kind of saint?”

“Nah, I’m just a guy who loves you and wants you to be happy. I know you won’t be able to relax if Isaiah’s home alone.”

Ruby rewarded him with a kiss. What had she done to deserve him? “You know me too well, baby.”

“I do, darlin’. You’re like Skynard’s free bird. Ain’t nobody can put you in a cage.”

BUY LINKS

Kinky Literature – https://www.kinkyliterature.com/book/1342-wild-about-that-thing-/

Amazon US – https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0CPDD3JR9

Amazon UK – https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B0CPDD3JR9

Smashwords – https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/1485627

Barnes and Noble – https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/wild-about-that-thing-lisabet-sarai/1110738210?ean=2940167659858

Kobo  – https://www.kobo.com/us/en/ebook/wild-about-that-thing-4

Apple Books – https://books.apple.com/us/book/x/id6474285642

Add on Goodreads – https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/203152943-wild-about-that-thing

Add on BookBub – https://www.bookbub.com/books/wild-about-that-thing-by-lisabet-sarai-2023-12-10

ABOUT LISABET

Lisabet Sarai became addicted to words at an early age. She began reading when she was four. She wrote her first story at five years old and her first poem at seven. Since then, she has written plays, tutorials, scholarly articles, marketing brochures, software specifications, self-help books, press releases, a five-hundred page dissertation, and lots of erotica and erotic romance – over one hundred titles, and counting, in nearly every sub-genre—paranormal, scifi, ménage, BDSM, LGBTQ, and more. Regardless of the genre, every one of her stories illustrates her motto: Imagination is the ultimate aphrodisiac.

You’ll find information and excerpts from all Lisabet’s books on her website (http://www.lisabetsarai.com/books.html), along with more than fifty free stories and lots more. At her blog Beyond Romance (http://lisabetsarai.blogspot.com), she shares her philosophy and her news and hosts lots of other great authors. She’s also on Goodreads, BookBub and Twitter. Join her VIP email list here: https://btn.ymlp.com/xgjjhmhugmgh

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Filed Under: Blog, Erotic Romance, Excerpts, Guest Bloggers Tagged With: Chicago Blues, Delta Blues, Instalove, ménage, Multiracial, New York City, polyamory, Siingle Mom, Threesome

Blog Tour: The Redemption of Mattie Silks by Kimberly Burns #TheCoffeePotBookClub #BlogTour #WestwardExpansion #Historical #WomensFiction

December 19, 2023 by Adriana Kraft

BOOK INFORMATION

Book Title: The Redemption of Mattie Silks
Author: Kimberly Burns
Publication Date: October 25, 2023
Publisher: Thomas Bard Publishing
Page Length: 315
Genre: Historical Fiction

HISTORICAL RESEARCH OF THE UNDERWORLD

Painted ladies, soiled doves, jeweled birds… How do you research a historical topic that people didn’t like to talk about, referring to it in veiled terms?

My latest novel, The Redemption of Mattie Silks, is based on the true story of the Old West’s most successful madam and her feud with notorious con man Soapy Smith. While over one hundred books and magazine articles were written about Smith and his gang, less was written about Mattie and her shady ladies. To learn about these gals, I had to walk the streets (so to speak).

I visited three of the four museums of Old West prostitution. I prowled the avenues and allies of Denver and Skagway, Alaska. The staffs at the Denver Public Library and History Colorado, the state history museum, were wonderful about sharing their knowledge, resources, and opinions. I found and read eleven books on the topic. Finally I googled subjects like “contraception in 1800s” and “home remedies for STD.” I’m pretty sure that now I am on a government watch list as a big weirdo.

Through all this research, I did learn an eyebrow-raising a thing or two. For example, there was a strict hierarchy among the demimonde. Among those who sold themselves, parlor house fancy women sat atop that precarious pyramid. They were the most beautiful and well-mannered and were expected to be entertaining. They often began each evening acting as hostesses to gentlemen callers. In the front sitting room, they made conversation, played games, or performed music.

Parlor house madams ran their businesses as efficiently as any modern corporation. Mattie Silks realized she could charge a premium for healthy, clean, nicely dressed, well-fed girls. So she purchased elegant gowns for her ladies of the evening on credit. They paid her back from their wages. Mattie also offered her employees two meals a day, provided laundry service, and had a doctor on retainer who conducted monthly exams. This 1890s version of a benefits package was far better than factory workers received.

Below parlor houses were common brothels or bordellos where the women’s profit lay in volume. Living by the old adage that time is money, these gals burned seven-minute candles to signal the end of a gentleman’s visit.

At the bottom the social heap were crib girls who operated out of small rooms and streetwalkers who transacted business wherever they could. It was nearly impossible to improve one’s position on this career path. Most women “tumbled down the row,” moving to increasingly grimier circumstances as they aged and lost their good looks.

Not all goodtime girls were prostitutes. Hurdy-gurdy, saloon, and dancehall girls were paid for dancing and earned a percentage from the drinks they sold. However, some saloons had rooms upstairs where girls sold their favors. As a result, dancers developed a bad reputation. The saloon girls of Cripple Creek, Colorado, were so offended by the insulting assumption they were of loose morals they banded together and formed the Dance Hall Girls’ Protective Association. They wrote letters and petitioned the local government to recognize theirs as a legitimate occupation and not a crime. It must have worked. The police stopped arresting the dancers.

Old Hollywood movies glamorized and sanitized the lives of Old West working girls. In reality there were few career choices for females in the 1800s—school teacher, servant, nurse, prostitute, or wife. Although vice could pay the best, the life of a fallen angel was dangerous and short. Any woman considering a life of ill-repute had at least a thread of desperation running through her. As my character Mattie Silks believes, “Working as a madam was a profession, but working as a prostitute was an act of self-preservation.”

BLURB

Seeking redemption, she finds retribution

In 1892, running one of the West’s fanciest brothels is a rough game. In a town filled with brazen criminals, corrupt police, zealous politicians, and morality committees, Madam Mattie Silks makes her fortune catering to Colorado’s gold and silver millionaires.

Notorious crime boss “Soapy” Smith is at the top of the Denver underworld. There are no rules for Smith’s gang. They solve problems with bribes and bullets. When Mattie’s husband stumbles into Soapy’s dealings, she struggles to protect him.

Gold is discovered in the Yukon and Mattie seizes the opportunity for adventure and profit. But Skagway, Alaska, is even more lawless than Denver. Mattie must use all her business sense and street smarts to safeguard those she cares about. Will it be enough? Or will Lady Justice again turn a blind eye?

Based on a true story, The Redemption of Mattie Silks is an action-packed tale of a woman succeeding in a man’s world even when the cards are stacked against her.

“The research on the era shines through, as do the grit and spirit of the characters. …A colorful and enthralling journey.” ~ K.T. Blakemore, award-winning author of The Good Time Girls series

“A nice, nuanced portrait of the complex underworld with fine and witty turns of phrase. A great Western romp!” ~ Randi Samuelson-Brown, award-winning author of The Bad Old Days series

BUY LINKS

This title is available to read with #KindleUnlimited

Universal Link: https://books2read.com/u/mlpKRv

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Kimberly Burns grew up in Colorado hearing stories about the colourful characters of the Old West. She has degrees from the University of Colorado and the University of Hartford. Kimberly is a member of the Historical Novel Society, Western Writers of America, and Women Writing the West. She lives with her husband and black Lab in Leesburg, Virginia.

Her debut novel The Mrs. Tabor won numerous awards including the Western Fictioneers Peacemaker Award for Best New Novel, a gold medal for Best Regional Fiction from the Independent Publisher Book Awards, a National Indie Excellence Award, and a silver medal from the Colorado Independent Publishers Association EVVY Awards.

Kimberly and her unruly heroines make for an entertaining book talk. She is available to discuss her novels with book groups in person or online. Email her at info@kimberlyburnsauthor.com.

AUTHOR LINKS

Website: www.kimberlyburnsauthor.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100072454670660
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/kimberlyburnsauthor/
Amazon Author Page: https://www.amazon.com/stores/Kimberly-Burns/author/B09G4S8N2L
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/21851914.Kimberly_Burns

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