Sunday, April 29, 2018

Connor Walsh, Echoes of the Past, by Iris Blobel, @_iris_b, #Romance, #MustRead, #MFRWAuthor





RW:   What’s your story/back story? Why would someone come up with a story about you?

CW:   I grew up in a small town in Australia. I was only around five or six years old when one day my English-born mother packed our bags and moved us to London in the UK. We’ve never talked about that time in my life so there’s a complete blank when it comes to my early childhood. Then, out of the blue, my biological father contacts me and invites me to Fermosa Bay, Australia. Apparently, he has terminal cancer. I’m a lawyer, so it’s in my nature to be curious. A few weeks later, I’m on my way…

RW:    Can you tell us about your heroine

CW:    Emily, my little ray of sunshine. I’ve been told I already had a thing for her when I was a kid. Even gave her a kiss. *Shakes his head.* She’s beautiful. Inside as well as outside.

RW:    What problems do you have to face and overcome in your life?

CW:    See, the thing is, my life is in London. I suppose that’s the biggest obstacle when it comes to my relationship with my dad, but also with Emily. But I have to tell you, it’s overwhelming to dig into the past and find out all these little things I had no idea about. I mean, dad told me about my love for the water. Really? I never go near water nowadays. Or all these baby stories. Dad’s photos have been a great help… as well as fun. I have to admit, I sit quite often on the veranda thinking “what if”. What if I had lived all my life here? What would my life be like? I like it here, but I know, my life’s in London. It’s going to be hard to say goodbye.

RW:    Do you expect your heroine to help or is she the problem?

CW:   Well, Emily can’t really help unless she would come with me to the UK, but honestly, wow, moving from Fermosa Bay to London, I don’t think, no let me rephrase that, I know she wouldn’t like it.

RW:    How are you coping with the conflict in your life?

CW:    It’s hard to come to terms with the fact that I could’ve had a completely different life. I mean, I lived in a metropolitan city for most of my life. The lifestyle is completely opposite to the one in Fermosa Bay … where people know each other, which, by the way, can be a disadvantage as well, but most of the time … wow, you go into the bakery and they know you like doughnuts.

RW:    If money were not an object, where would you most like to live?

CW:    I’d give Fermosa Bay a go.

RW:    If you were stranded on a tropical island, who would it be with? You can choose any living, deceased or mythical figure.

CW:    My dad. We missed out on over twenty years. I’d definitely take him with me to catch up on lost time.

RW:    City life or country life?

CW:    I’ve lived in the city for most of my life. You can’t get much bigger than London. But I tell you, Fermosa Bay, the small place at the Australian coast is growing on me.

RW:    If you came with a warning label, what would it say?

CW:   The lawyer in me never goes to sleep. I like to mull over things and discuss things.

RW:   Satin, Egyptian cotton, jersey, flannel… What are your favorite sheets?

CW:    Hahaha … I wouldn’t have a clue. As long as it’s nice and comfy.

RW:    Those are all the questions I have for you. Thank you for speaking to me.


CW:    Thank you for having me. It’s been interesting. I hope your readers will give my story a go, Iris did great putting it onto paper.


IRIS BLOBEL

Bio

Iris Blobel was born and raised in Germany and only immigrated to Australia in the late 1990s. Having had the travel bug most of her life, Iris spent quite some time living in Scotland, London, as well as Canada where she met her husband. Her love for putting her stories onto paper only emerged a few years back, but now her laptop is a constant companion.

Iris resides west of Melbourne with her husband and her two beautiful daughters as well as their dog. Next to her job at a private school, she also presents a German program at the local community radio.

ECHOES OF THE PAST

The Plot

When Connor Walsh, a business lawyer in London, receives news that his estranged father is terminally ill, he returns to Fermosa Bay, a little coastal town in Australia. With the memories of his childhood years tucked away in the back of his mind, he finds his father and kindergarten friends rallying around to remind him of the past. But he’s unprepared for the growing attraction he feels for Emily, and it doesn’t take long for Connor to feel regret that his life could have been so much different.

Emily Bradshaw has waited for over twenty years to see Connor again. And although he can’t remember her, let alone their first kiss, her childhood crush is still in full swing. Eager to pick up where they left off as children, she’s determined to enjoy the short time he is in Fermosa Bay, accepting her heart will break when he returns to his life in London.

Will the echoes of the past lure him into staying in Fermosa Bay?

An Excerpt:

She looked at him, studied his eyes. “Was it hard to leave everything behind?”

He thought back to their early days in London. Living with his grandparents, trying to fit into one new school after the other, being the new one everywhere, being the one with the different accent. He didn’t like thinking of those days and preferred to lock them away with a cache of other memories.

“If you can’t remember what you had, you can’t miss it, right?”

“We missed you, and it was very hard for us to accept that you were gone.”

Her voice was quiet, and he stared at her for a long moment before gazing back towards the horizon. Everything inside him stilled when she took his hand into hers and entwined her fingers with his.

“I missed you,” she told him just above a whisper.

“You missed a boy you knew when you were seven, Emily.”

She shook her head. “I know that boy is still somewhere inside you. You just have to let go and trust.”

He removed his hands from hers and met her gaze. “Emily. Ethan told me that you still have a crush on me, but—”

“That little bugger.” She laughed and surprised him with her reaction. If anything, he’d expected anger or irritation. But not laughter.

“Okay, crush or no crush,” she replied. “Fact is, we missed you. You were part of our neighbourhood. We were friends. We all were. Then you were gone and nobody ever knew why. It’s got nothing to do with my crush, which, by the way, I resent that. My best friend was taken away from me, and I missed you. Don’t go all soppy on me.”

“No crush?”

Her attempt to look serious failed miserably. “Nah. Perhaps a little. Okay, yes, so sue me.”

“I’m a lawyer, sunshine. Don’t say what you don’t mean.”

Emily stared at him and then whispered, “See, it’s coming back to you. You always called me sunshine. Unless…” She paused. “Unless, you call every woman sunshine. Then I might get upset.”

Connor watched her. He hadn’t had such a delightful conversation in a very long time. Talking to Emily was so easy, and it seemed he couldn’t say a wrong word. The corner of her mouth was pulled into a slight smile.



Contact Iris At:

Website & Blog: http://www.irisblobel.com


Book Links:


Sunday, April 22, 2018

Jacob “JT” Whitloch, Defending Her Heart by Laura Haley-McNeil @laurarmcneil #Cowboy, #Music World, #Western Romance


Jacob “JT” Whitloch, Defending Her Heart by Laura Haley-McNeil @laurarmcneil #Cowboy, #Music World, #Western Romance


I’d like to welcome JT Whitloch of Defending Her Heart by Laura Haley-McNeil

RW:   What's your story/back story? Why would someone come up with a story about you?

JTW:  Back story isn’t something I want to discuss. No one needs to know why I came to Crystal Creek. That secret should remain buried and would have, but then my entire past erupted and came to life in that petite bombshell who rocks the stage with her sultry voice and fathomless dark eyes.

RW:    Can you tell us about your heroine

JTW:  I can tell you she’s interrupting my life. She’s not who she pretends to be. The more I find out about her, the more I don’t like. The more I try to stay away from her, the more she interferes, stirs up memories and stirs up the past.

RW:    What problems do you have to face and overcome in your life?

JTW:  If I knew the answer to that, I’d have some peace in my life. That’s why I came to Crystal Creek—to find peace. What I wouldn’t give to have one night of restful sleep, but instead every time I close my eyes, the nightmares come full-blown.

RW:   Do you expect your heroine to help or is she the problem?

JTW:  She’s definitely the problem. She waltzes into town with more money than God, or at least more money than the Whitlochs have, and starts buying up the place. She wants the ranch, she wants the show horses. She’s putting down roots and she’s making it clear—she has no intention of leaving.

RW:    Where do you live?

JTW:  In the bunkhouse on the Crystal Creek Ranch. A far cry from my European estate, but I won’t stay in the place that turned my life upside down. Crystal Creek offers me peace and quiet. Or it did until she showed up.

RW:    During what time-period does your story take place?

A.                    Now.

RW:    How are you coping with the conflict in your life?

JTW:  If I could remember what happened that night, that would be a start, but it was a typical night at my estate—the parties, the beautiful women, the drinking. You can guess the rest. I must’ve blacked out or fallen asleep, but when I came to, the authorities were there pummeling me questions. I couldn’t answer them because I couldn’t remember. I still can’t remember.

RW:    City life or country life? E-Book or paperback? Zebras or elephants?

JTW:  I used to jet around the world to some of the most exotic place on the planet. My every whim was granted. I lived the life of luxury, until the night everything changed. Now the country offers more riches than all the money in the world.

Not that I have time to read, but I’d be happy to hold a dogeared paperback any day.

Zebras or elephants—that reminds me of the safaris my personal assistant used to schedule for me. The massive size and the intelligence of the elephants I’d see always appealed to me.

RW:    If you came with a warning label, what would it say?

JTW:  Stay away. You don’t want to be a part of my world. There’s no peace here. And if you get dragged into my nightmare, I can guarantee you you’ll never escape.

RW:    Party life or quiet dinner for two?

JTW:  A few years ago, it would’ve been the party life. It WAS the party life, now it’s dinner for one. I’ve already ruined the life of one innocent person. I’m not about to drag anyone else into my nightmare.

RW:    I'm always ready for (fill in the blank).

JTW:  I can’t say no to peace and quiet and solitude. Every chance I get, I’m on my horse and riding over the ranch. Colorado is a beautiful state and no place is more perfect than the Crystal Creek Ranch.

RW:    Those are all the questions I have for you. Thank you for speaking to me.


Laura Haley-McNeil

Bio

Laura Haley-McNeil is an award-winning author of romantic suspense and women’s fiction in novel length and in short stories. Her work has been featured in several women’s magazines. She has studied piano and ballet and has been a board member for two community orchestras. She and her husband reside in Colorado. When she isn’t writing, she jogs, bicycles and crochets.

DEFENDING HER HEART
Book 6 of the Crystal Creek Series

The Plot

JT Whitloch can’t close his eyes without seeing the body of the woman who drowned in his swimming pool two years ago. He doesn’t remember that night but blames himself for her death. He walks away from his affluent life and moves to Crystal Creek, but still he can’t find peace.

Then Gretchen Moore moves to town. She stirs up his desire and his past with a secret so deadly it could destroy her.

Gretchen wants nothing to do with JT. Because of him, someone wants her dead. The terror from his past forces them into an alliance that soon ignites their passion. Fighting these feelings leads them to the secret of the woman floating in JT’s swimming pool, but the knowledge doesn’t ease JT’s inner turmoil. Instead, it reveals an answer that could destroy him and Gretchen. His own destruction he could accept, but he’ll defend Gretchen to his death.

An Excerpt:

Chapter One

JT Whitloch sensed the woman the moment he set foot inside the auction stables. Through the scent of anxiety-ridden horses and a mass of humanity floated the fragrance of delicacy and wealth. A wave of disappointment dropped over him. He’d been twenty-three years old when he’d walked away from that life two years ago. He thought he’d suppressed his urges for women—at least that kind of woman. The desire pumping through him was a quick reminder—he’d failed.

The brim of the woman’s cowgirl hat cast a shadow over her I’m-a-celebrity sunglasses. Two words popped into his mind—elegant and stunning—as elegant and stunning as the Arabian stallion they both eyed.

Behind her glamorous exterior he sensed something else—cool strength and determination. She may be used to winning but if she planned to bid on the stallion, she’d learn she was no match for Rose Whitloch, JT’s stepmother. What Rose wanted, Rose got, and she wanted to add this horse to her Crystal Creek ranch stable.

The stud’s whinny rang in JT’s ears. It was a refined timbre practiced to receive immediate attention. And it demanded freedom.

That was what JT wanted—freedom from these urges pouring through him and freedom from the past.
The past didn’t let go.

Contact Laura At:

Website & Blog:  http://laurahaleymcneil.com
Amazon Author Page:  https://www.amazon.com/Laura-Haley-McNeil/e/B008S3WD10/

Book Links:

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