The True Meaning

Sometimes it is just what it is...

Source: yfrog.com via lizziestarr on Pinterest

Welcome to the Shelves--Wild Keltic Carouselle

I stayed up way too late a couple nights ago, but the fourth tale in the Double Keltic Triad is now available for adding to readers' cyber shelves. This was a fun book to write--introducing new characters to the series and learning some astounding facts about a favorite secondary character. No matter how well I might think I know a character, they do like to surprise me.


And the cover's purple. Excellently perfect thanks to my cover designer Jingraphix!


Falling in love was easy. But demons of the past and evil-doers intent on destroying the present tear Carrie and Bryce from their newfound love, throwing them into a world of deception, lies and revenge. Will family, unexpected allies and magic be enough to keep that love alive?


A short excerpt to tempt you...

A faint pink covered Carrie’s cheeks and she glanced away. Bryce took the opportunity to study the woman cradling his daughter so carefully in a completely relaxed, natural embrace.

Her highlighted, golden brown hair was pulled back with a clip. Strands had escaped the confinement and trailed loosely around her face and down her neck. A tiny spot of whipped cream, a remnant from her beverage, hovered just above her upper lip. A shapely lip, poised above the lush, kissable pout the lower.

Yep. Definitely kissable.

Her lips moved and pulled into a wide smile. Guiltily, Bryce lifted his gaze. Chocolate brown eyes twinkled as if she fought to control some hidden amusement.

He’d been caught.

“Uh, sorry for staring.”

“’S okay. Actually, I’m used to it.”

He could believe that.

“But, it’s not usually my face being stared at.” Carrie chuckled, a low throaty sound that insisted he respond. He did, in a pure, naturally male way. His gaze dropped to her breasts. She chuckled again, her body moving against the soft material of her shirt.

The Sahara Desert would seem lush and tropical in comparison to the sudden dryness in his mouth. Her breasts were—perfect. Neither overly large, nor small enough to need padding. Nope, there was no padding there. In fact, if she even wore a bra, it had to be one of those soft athletic things. He could see the tantalizing, firming peak of...


Buy Links:
Amazon

Barnes & Noble

Smashwords

What do you think of an exotic dancer as a heroine? (I know, the question's out of the blue--but not really when considering Wild Keltic Carouselle.)

Lily White Lies by Kathy Reinhart

Today I'm thrilled to welcome Kathy Reinhart, author of Lily White Lies to starrwords! Enjoy this lovely cover, short excerpt and learning about Kathy.

Blurb:

Meg Embry has finally faced up to the fact that the shine has worn off her engagement ring, her family members are the equivalent of comfortable strangers and her dreams are running faster than she is. Change is imminent, but where does she begin?

With the support of her two closest friends, one who’ll make her laugh and one who’ll let her cry, Meg faces life head on and learns that sometimes, love, family and betrayal are bound together by lily white lies.

Excerpt:

I bit down on my lip as the door handle slowly turned. The door opened and a big-bosomed woman in a simple gray dress squealed with delight. “Connor, my boy. Come here and give me a hug. Why do you wait so long between visits?”

Con wrapped his arms around the woman’s waist, giving her what she requested. Turning to me, he said, “Meg, this is Ivory…” the affection in his eyes was apparent as he continued, “She’s been like a second mother to me and the only person—other than my grandmother—who could put up with Joker for any length of time.”

Ivory let out a belly laugh. “The ornery one. Yes, well, he’s an acquired taste.” She extended her hand. “Ivory Steck, I’m the housekeeper here, and you are?”

Taking her hand, I replied, “Meg. Meg Embry.”

“Embry?” Turning her attention to Con, she asked, “Is your grandfather expecting you… better yet, is your grandfather expecting her?”

Offering a mischievous smile, Con answered, “I thought we’d surprise him.”

Ivory shook her head and motioned us in. “Oh, you will. The man’s over seventy-years-old, you may just be dishing up his last surprise.”

I found her remark disturbing and turned to Con for reassurance. He smiled and shook his head at Ivory.

“Mom used to say there wasn’t enough arsenic in the world to kill him off so I wouldn’t worry about this fazing him.”

Ivory let out another full belly laugh causing her large chest to vibrate, and then led us from the foyer, down a long hall.

The house was enormous with pressed tin ceilings that had to be at least twelve feet high, an open staircase that was a solid six feet wide and plank flooring covered with enough lacquer to reflect the light that streamed through the floor to ceiling windows. Carved in intricate detail, the woodwork was commonplace in a house built over a century ago. Antique furniture filled every corner of every room and framed artwork hung on the walls.

The hallway ended at a set of French doors, the glass panes covered by white lace curtains. Ivory stopped in front of the doors, turned toward us, and said, “Good luck,” as she knocked twice.

I heard, “What is it?” barked out from behind the door.

Ivory appeared unaffected by his rudeness. “Your grandson is here to visit. Shall I send him in?”

“Grandson? It’s been so damn long since I’ve seen the boy; I almost forgot I had one. Yeah, get him on in here.”

Ivory opened the door, offering a sympathetic smile.

Con patted her arm and whispered, “Don’t worry Ivory. I’ll get her out before he hurts her.”

I felt my breath catch in my throat. What had I gotten myself in to? I looked up in time to catch Con wink at Ivory and let out the breath I’d been holding.

About the author:


Kathy Reinhart, restauranteur turned author of 3 novels, including the award-winning ‘Lily White Lies’ lives in southern Pennsylvania where aside from writing, she enjoys interacting with other authors on her blog ‘Ink Drop Interviews’, cooking, horses, travel, but most of all, spending time with her granddaughters, Joonie & the Little One.

Learn more about Kathy here:

Blog: http://www.inkdropinterviews.com/

Website: http://www.kathyreinhart.com/

Twitter: @kathyreinhart

Purchase: http://www.amazon.com/Lily-White-Lies-Kathy-Reinhart/dp/0971327882/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1328731794&sr=8-1

Thanks for stopping by Kathy!

St. Pat's Blog Hop Winners

The Luck o' the Irish was with these fine blog hoppers.

Grand Prize Winners:
The Kindle Fire or Nook Tablet:
#136 from Carrie Ann Ryan’s
 Melissa L 
Winner of the $90 Amazon or B&N Gift Card
#4186 from Wendy Smith’s Blog
Shadow

And from mz *lizzie--the bracelet and earrings (handmade by *Jennifer Made This*)

{All the names are tossed into the Weird Al cap and picked by the sibs random generator...}

June M.

Congratulations to June and all the blog hop winners!



Myspace Comments

St. Paddy's Dancing

Welcome to the St. Patrick's Day blog hop! 


In the Irish part of my soul I know that, in some lifetime, I was a dancer. So to celebrate the wearin' o' the green, here's a peek for you.

Leave a comment with your email and follow this blog for a chance to win a handmade stretchy bracelet and earrings. (North America only please.)There's lots of interesting stuff here on starr words besides dancing.

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

May you always find the end of your rainbow!

Oh? You're interested in my fantasy romance books which have a Keltic theme? Click on the Double Keltic Triad  button above.


Here's the links to all the participating blog hop folks. Have fun!

Time Travel Day Winner

Denise Z stopped by starr words on International Time Travel Day allowing the sibs random generator to pick her as the winner of a copy of... 

Congratulations and happy reading!

Time Travel--It's All About The Bow Tie

Welcome to our International Time Travel Day blog hop. The 12 authors listed below have banded together to share thoughts and tales and...prizes on this exciting day. That is...if we can all come together during our travels through time.

I've always loved the thought of time travel, probably from the time my 6th grade teacher read A Wrinkle In Time to the class. Imagine... folding space and time to get from one place to another. Imagine...


And I suppose I did. As I watched movies I discovered other ways to travel through time. From a whirling Victorian machine to a DeLorean, scientists invented the means to transport themselves to another time. 

Or perhaps it was a blessin' to make an entire village appear for only one day every 100 years. A knock on the head takes us to wonderful places and times. Visiting a mystical castle or standing in the shadow of standing stones might find you in some other time.


Sometimes, we never know exactly what causes a passage through time. But, seriously...a hot tub? (Okay, I'll admit it, I enjoyed that movie.)


I watch all the programs I can on theories of time travel and love, love, love string theory. Now, ask if I understand it? Knowing is right there--right in the forefront of my brain, so... almost. When I attempted a physics class in college I was lost the moment the professor said, "Good Morning." In another time, I must have been a scientist---it's all so fascinating. Hopefully I understood the concepts and theories then.


Of course now--for me time travel is all about a big blue box and a bow tie!

Leave a comment with your favorite mode of time transportation or a favorite book or movie. I'll use the sibs random number generator to pick the winner of an ebook of my time travel romance Fires of a Keltic Moon.


When I decided to write a time travel romance, I chose magic as my means of transport. My Faerie folk live in a parallel world to this human earth and use magical portals to move between worlds. Once in a blue moon, a Faerie discovers they have the talent to also create portals through time. Lara Zeroun's talent is discovered when, at four years old, she loses herself in time. As an adult, she uses her ability to study different periods in history. When she no longer can find a direction for her life, she goes further back in time than she ever has, to the Highlands even before Scotland was, well, Scotland. 839 AD.

Searching…

Lara Zeroun needs something in her life, so she opens a portal in time and travels to the ancient Highlands. But, how can she become involved with a dark, mysterious man who belongs to another time?

Waiting…

Due to the matriarchal line of inheritance, Iain is no longer able to lay claim to his father's lands. He's prepared to leave--until a golden-haired woman visits the manor on the arm of a wandering storyteller. But, with no land or possessions, Iain dares not succumb to the temptation of Lara.

Finding…

Danger lurks in Iain's time and becomes a threat to Lara's present. Will Lara and Iain be able to defeat the evil and make their ways through time--finding the love they both desire?

Excerpt:

 Lara’s back was to him, her bare back. She was curled in the old bathing tub and wet, dark-golden hair straggled between her shoulder blades.

Iain could not breathe, would not be able to move to save his life. Until she shivered.

“Ooh, close the door, Beitris, you’re letting in cold air.”

Iain sank against the door and stumbled back as it slid closed. The latch fell with a finality that made Iain jump away from the warm wood. A tremor ran along his skin. He should leave, should look away at the very least. But, he could not.

Lara lifted one arm over her shoulder, dangling a rag. “I’m almost done, but could you do me one more favor? Would you wash my back?”

Forgotten, the pile of clothing dropped with a soft swoosh to the floor. Iain moved in a trance, one hand lifting to take the rag from her fingers. Lara hunched forward exposing the narrow width of her back. He knelt behind her and dipped the rag in the warm water. Lara’s other hand lifted holding a lump of soap. When his palm touched the tips of her extended fingers, the soap plopped into his hand.

A pleased sigh expanded Lara’s shoulders. “Thank you. This is wonderful. And the soap is wonderful, too. The fragrance is much like what my grandmother makes for me.”

Iain soaped the rag but hesitated with it nearly touching her golden skin. Strange thin stripes of pale, creamy skin stood out in stark contrast to the darker tan. He ached to touch those stripes and taste them with his tongue. The breath burned tight in his chest.

Lara gasped when Iain rubbed the cloth softly over her back. Then she rotated her shoulders. “Ah, yes. That’s what I needed. You have been a great help to me today. Don’t stop, please.”

If he only could. Intense concentration kept him breathing, for the swirl of suds over her back was a potent aphrodisiac. When she swiped her hair forward over one shoulder, he could see a tiny red mark at the base of her neck, a birthing mark that begged for his kisses.

The growing tightness of his loins became unbearable. He shifted position. And dropped the rag. Unable to allow the torture of reaching beneath the water to search for it, he cleared his throat.

“Oh, my God. Iain? What are you doing here?” Lara sank as far into the water as she could and tried to cover herself with her hands. Accusation glared from her eyes. “Where’s Beitris?”

Iain willed himself to look away from her nakedness, to offer her the honor she deserved. All he could do was lower his gaze to the lump of soap still clutched between his fingers. Lara turned sideways in the narrow tub, arms wrapped over her breasts, and cocked her head to one side. Her eyes were wide while she waited for his answer. The sudden hard lump in his throat mimicked the firm ache of his groin. Somehow, he swallowed and found his strained voice.

“I brought you fresh clothing.” He winced and glanced at her. Did he truly sound so dull-witted?

“Oh. Beitris hasn’t been here?”

Iain shook his head. A shy grin gently stretched Lara’s lips. He could not draw his gaze from the rosy fullness. At least it was more honorable than looking at the pink skin below the waterline.

“You will have to finish rinsing my back, then.” She turned and leaned forward. After fishing through the water, she lifted the sopping rag to him. Iain held his palms out to her in denial and shook his head. “Please, I will itch terribly if you don’t wash off the soap.”

The thought of causing her discomfort centered painfully in his chest. He sighed the feeling away and took the offered rag. Using long, careful strokes, he rinsed the drying suds from her bent back. Even when there was no soapy residue remaining, Iain continued to swipe the rag across her skin. Her breathing changed subtly, matching his.

She straightened, lifting her chest from the water. The rag slipped from his fingers, but he continued to rub his palm lightly over her back. Her damp skin glistened. Unable to draw moisture to his mouth, Iain licked suddenly dry lips

.

There was only one relief. He lifted the dripping mass of her hair and touched his lips to the birthing mark.

Available at Amazon, Barnes & Noble and Smashwords.


Hop through time with us and visit the following authors! And don't forget to leave a comment here and everywhere. Let us know what you think of Time Travel Day.

Madeline Baker          www.madelinebaker.net

Melodie Campbell       www.funnygirlmelodie.blogspot.com

Pauline B. Jones         www.paulinebjones.com

Chris Karlsen               www.chriskarlsen.com

Laura Martello            www.la-mitchell.blogspot.com

Troy McCombs           http://www.tmhorror.blogspot.com/

Theresa Ragan        http://www.theresaragan.com

Cate Rowan                 www.funnygirlmelodie.blogspot.com

Terry Spear                 http://terry-spear.blogspot.com/

Lizzie Starr                  http://starrwords.blogspot.com

Cheryl Kaye Tardif    www.cherylktardif.com

Nicholas Wisseman    www.funnygirlmelodie.blogspot.com

Coming in Two Days...or was it yesterday?

INTERNATIONAL TIME TRAVEL DAY is March 14^th!

By no coincidence, it is also the birthday of Albert Einstein, author of the “space and time bend" theory.

Join ten Time Travel Authors across North America as they celebrate International Time Travel Day with great giveaways!

Visit the following blogs/websites on March 14, and leave a comment on each for your chance to win free books that celebrate time travel in all its guises:

Funny or scary….sexy or sweet…rollicking adventure stories…

ESCAPE WITH TIME TRAVEL!

Participating Authors:

Madeline Baker          http://www.madelinebaker.net/

Melodie Campbell       http://www.funnygirlmelodie.blogspot.com/

Pauline B. Jones       http://paulinebairdjones.blogspot.com Chris Karlsen               http://www.chriskarlsen.com/

Laura Martello            http://www.la-mitchell.blogspot.com/

Troy McCombs           http://www.tmhorror.blogspot.com/

Theresa Ragan                         http://www.theresaragan.com/

Terry Spear                 http://terry-spear.blogspot.com/

*lizzie starr                  http://starrwords.blogspot.com/

Cheryl Kaye Tardif    http://www.cherylktartdif.com/

Nicholas Wisseman    http://www.funnygirlmelodie.blogspot.com/

From Apocolyptica to Zydeco

I've gone visiting today.

Visit Shelly Bell's blog ,

take a listen to one of my favorite songs

and find out a little about how I use music when I write.

creating compelling blog posts

Creating content for  a blog isn't always difficult. It's the compelling aspect that frequently ties a blogger in knots. Thanks to Copyblogger, here's a list of 22 ways to pump up the content. Today I'm "taking a page from someone else!'


Like this infographic? Get more content marketing tips from Copyblogger.

Happy 145th Birthday Nebraska!

Today the fourth grade class lead the lunch room in singing Happy Birthday to our beautiful Nebraska. One hundred forty-five years ago, Nebraska became the 37th state. 


I'm aging myself a bit here, but I remember Nebraska's centennial birthday occurred while I was about the age of today's lunch room chorus. Way back then everyone wore pioneer clothes to school that day. I was proud of my dress--my Grandma wore it for the Golden Spike Days in Omaha, 1939. Since Omaha was the Union Pacific Railroad headquarters, Cecil B. DeMille's film Union Pacific premiered there and area folks dressed in period clothing for the four day celebration.  Hmm, I think somewhere in a box of photos and memorabilia I have a newspaper clipping with Gramma in her dress. I'll have to look for that! 


But, back to my time in the dress. A bit of alteration, the addition of a bonnet and shawl and I was ready to celebrate 100 years of statehood.


And now, it's 45 years later and we still celebrate our beautiful Nebraska!


Here's the state song and some great photographs from around the state--and world.
Enjoy!



What memories do you have from a state or country birthday celebration? I'd love to hear!