Naomi Witherspoon lives in interesting times. At the winter solstice, she was Seized by a Native American goddess to mediate a power-sharing agreement between all the pagan gods and goddesses and the Christian God. Then, as her relationship with her new boyfriend Fissured, she Tapped a wellspring of strength – her Native American heritage.

Now, Gravid and due any day, she must conduct the mediation of her life. Will she succeed? Or will it all go up in smoke?

The answers to those questions, and more, can be found in Annealed, the final installment in the Pipe Woman Chronicles, an urban fantasy series by Lynne Cantwell.

It began at the winter solstice

And it ends

Now.

It’s zero hour…

Naomi has just two weeks to find a new home for Joseph’s grandfather. The old Ute shaman is fighting for his life against a mysterious injection of toxin he received at the hands of the Norse Trickster god Loki. If Naomi is to defeat Loki once and for all, she must learn what it is he seeks under the old man’s wickiup.

She has just one week before she must mediate between the Earth’s pagan gods and goddesses and the Christian God. If her efforts fail, all of humankind will suffer the consequences.

And her baby is due any day.

In this, the fifth and final book of the Pipe Woman Chronicles, Naomi is in a race against the clock to balance the demands of her body, her family, and her friends – and she must do it while the whole world is watching.

A taste of chapter 10:

Jehovah sighed. “White Buffalo Calf Pipe Woman, I concede that much of what You have said here is true. Humanity wrestles still with its baser impulses, even as it reaches for the pinnacle of its potential. Math, the sciences, engineering. I never thought they would figure out fractal theory.” He chuckled. “I love My children dearly. Soon they will reach the stars. They are ever a surprise and a delight to Me.”

Lynne Cantwell’s take on the excerpt:

“Naomi has finally reached the Big Mediation — the one between the Christian God and all the pagan gods and goddesses that the whole series has been driving toward. In this scene, White Buffalo Calf Pipe Woman has just outlined all the ways humanity has trashed God’s Creation: ruining the environment, using Scripture as an excuse to treat other human races like animals, and so on. God acknowledges all of that. But it’s also clear that He takes great delight in what He has created — and He has a sense of humor, too.”

About the Author: Lynne Cantwell

Lynne Cantwell has been writing fiction since the second grade, when the kid who sat in front of her showed her a book he had written, and she thought, “I could do that.” The result was Susie and the Talking Doll, a picture book, illustrated by the author, about a girl who owned a doll that not only could talk, but could carry on conversations. The book had dialogue but no paragraph breaks. Today, after a twenty-year career in broadcast journalism and a master’s degree in fiction writing from Johns Hopkins University (or perhaps despite the master’s degree), Lynne is still writing fantasy. In addition, she is a contributing author at Indies Unlimited and writes a monthly post for The Indie Exchange.

TWITTER | FACEBOOK | BLOG | GOODREADS | AMAZON

Giveaway!!

Here’s your chance to win the whole series! Just follow the directions in the rafflecopter!

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Want to buy the books?

From RT to the Lori Foster Author Reader Get Together, from Pony Club Rally to a local women’s conference, I’ve been running at top speed. When I do take a moment to sit down and catch my breath, I don’t feel right unless my laptop is on my lap and I’m spinning stories.

I know I’m not the only one who has a multi-page to do list and in the spirit of doing all of this together I’d like to share some of my tips for sanity and ask all of you to share some of yours.

1. Limits – Sometimes it’s okay to say no.  When I noticed early last week that I had double booked myself this weekend, my initial reaction was to try to make it all work. My mind began spinning for a way I could be two places, that were about seventy-five miles apart. Then I remembered some recent advice from a good friend, and had to say no to one. Sometimes, for our sanity, we have to remember we’re not superman. We can’t do it all.

2. Make a schedule. When life gets out-of-hand you absolutely, positively need a written schedule. Keeping it all in your head just doesn’t work.

3. Give yourself permission to stray from the schedule. Just like what happened with me last week, schedules can look good on paper, but when it comes to real life…well it’s just not manageable. At that point, see number one and remember it’s okay to say no.

4. Breathe. Sounds obvious, hu? I mean, we have to breathe to survive, but I’m not talking about the physical act. Part of my to-do for Saturday was to go watch my son at Pony Club Dressage Rally. I can’t tell you the lasts time I spent time sitting in the grass, under a tree, and visiting with friends. The weather was beautiful and the sun on my skin was invigorating. It seems my battery is a solar one and can be recharged by the sun (okay, that’s not NEWS to me, I knew that already.)  That time helped make me more productive with my writing when I got home.

Do you have any tips for surviving a crazy spring/summer schedule? I’d love to hear them. Share below in the comment section.

Thank you to Coffee Time Romance for the thoughtful review of Resurrecting Harry.

“There are many lessons to be learned within the pages of this clever tale that will stay with the reader after the last page is turned.”

4 Cups!

Read the entire review at their site.

Make sure you follow through to the end to get your chance to enter a great giveaway.

Thanks for having me on your blog today, Constance! It’s been a crazy few weeks getting ready for the release of my new book, and yet I can’t believe it’s FINALLY HERE!

It took a long time, and many revisions, to get Son of a Mermaid to publication. I started this story when my middle child was in fifth grade. He’s now finishing his freshman year of high school…

When I first started looking for a home for my book, I was told repeatedly that “no one” liked mermaid stories. Which just isn’t the case. Yes, vampires and angels are hot paranormal subject matter, but why weren’t there more mermaid stories on the YA shelf? A whole generation of girls raised with Disney’s Ariel were left without any mermaids in their literature.

There are mermaid myths and legends in every country around the world, across every culture, across the centuries. There are cave paintings of mermaids that date back 30,000 years. We’re talking Stone Age mermaids.

Why not in current YA?

Mine isn’t the first mermaid book out there, so I know I’m not the only one who saw the empty space in the paranormal genre. Mermaid tales are still easily outnumbered by vampires, zombies, angels and demons. But they finally seem to be growing in popularity.

Early last summer, a pseudo-documentary on the Animal Planet and Discovery channels, titled “Mermaids: The Body Found,” garnered wide television audiences. The film accused the government of covering up evidence, and keeping the existence of a mermaid race classified.

The attention raised prompted NOAA (the National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration, a serious federal agency with serious issues to deal with like, say, global warming and rising seas) to issue a statement that mermaids definitely do not exist. “No evidence of aquatic humanoids has ever been found,” NOAA declares in a statement that can still be read on its website.

And yet there are creatures lurking in the depths of our oceans yet to be discovered. Scientists have undertaken very few deep sea explorations. Why make a carefully worded statement like that about mermaids… is the government really hiding something? Is it possible that an underwater race does exist?

I’d like to think it’s possible. And I know I’m not the only one.

What about you? Do you believe in the existence of mermaids?

Leave a comment below and be sure to enter the rafflecopter giveaway. You could win an ecopy of Son of a Mermaid, or one of the other cool prizes!

Thank you, Constance, for inviting me over today to talk about mermaids, and for helping me celebrate my new novel making its own splash in the world!

SON OF A MERMAID, by Katie O’Sullivan — Published May 2013 by Crescent Moon Press

Shea MacNamara’s life just got complicated.

After a freak tornado devastates his Oklahoma farm, the fifteen-year-old orphan moves to Cape Cod to live with a grandmother he’s never met. Struggling to make sense of his new surroundings, he meets a girl along the shore who changes his life forever.

Kae belongs to an undersea world hidden from drylanders. The daughter of royal servants, she knows the planned marriage of her Princess to the foreign King should put an end to the war between the clans. Two things stand in the way of lasting peace: an ambitious Regent and rumors of a half-human child who will save the oceans.

Sparks fly when she meets Shea, but could the cute drylander really be the Son of a Mermaid?

About the Author:

Katie O’Sullivan lives with her family and big dogs next to the ocean on Cape Cod, drinking way too much coffee and inventing new excuses not to dust. She writes YA and romantic suspense novels, and works as an editor making other people’s words sparkle. For the last four years, she’s been the Editor of CapeWomenOnline.com magazine and writes a column entitled “The Write Way.”

She hopes her debut YA novel, SON OF A MERMAID, will make a big splash this summer, engaging young readers with a Cape Cod tale of a boy who discovers both his roots and his destiny far below the waters of Nantucket Sound.

Find Katie online:

Follow her Blog | Like her on Facebook | Find her on Twitter  | Check out her website

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I met Aria a few years ago at Romance Writer’s of America’s National Convention when it was in Orlando, Florida. I quickly discovered that she had a sense of humor and dynamic personality and knew she would go far. It was great to reconnect with her just a couple of weeks ago at RT, and now, to get to introduce her and the book to you.

She is a recovering mechanical engineer and romance writer. She lives in sunny Florida with a 60 lb mutt who thinks he’s a Chihuahua. You can learn more about her at ariakane.com or on Twitter @aria_kane.

Once Upon A Darkness — Available June 17

Gretchen and her twin brother, Hank, were abandoned to a zombie horde when they were five years old. Intended to be a sacrifice by their zealot parents, they were instead rescued by The Company. Raised to become soldiers in the war against zombies, they now provide safe passage through danger zones, one contract at a time.

Clint’s only skill is war, but he’s weary of killing other men. When his contract with the Marines runs out, he takes a job on Gretchen’s team, hoping that the search-and-rescue life will suit him better.

On Clint’s second day, their four-man team is attacked, drugged, and taken to a prison full of frightened civilians. The only way in or out is by helicopter and, here, their enemies are human. One by one, the captives are culled from the holding area.  Rumors say the facility director uses the prisoners as experimental subjects for the testing of a zombie cure.

When Hank is taken, Clint and Gretchen must put aside their personal feelings and find a way out of the prison, surrounded by thousands of starving zombies, before Hank becomes just one more disposable guinea pig in the hands of a twisted mad woman.

Add Once Upon a Darkness on Goodreads!

Giveaway

To celebrate the Once Upon a Darkness cover reveal, Aria is giving away a $20 giftcard and an ecopy of an Entranced book of the winner’s choice.

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For anyone whose scene any of the Iron Man films — or any suspense or thriller movie — knows how they tend to speed toward resolution. The hero (in this case Robert Downey Jr.) speeds against a ticking clock to save the day.

Not only is the audience on the edge of its seat because of the battle between good vs. evil, but the element of will the day be saved before the final sands slip through the hour-glass adds tension.

I used this technique in my newest release Resurrecting Harry. A built-in ticking clock, Erich had one month to achieve his goal. Not only was he trying to reason with Bess and figure out who was manipulating her, but he also had to do it before time ran out.

This lesson struck me in a particularly poignant way, because in order to enjoy the very special time with my family yesterday, yet stay on track with my current writing deadline, I had to plan out my time to the minute. I had to take advantage of every fifteen or twenty-minute stretch of “me time” and make it productive time.

And I was reminded how, for me,  a ticking clock forces me to bring my A game.

It’s not a new lesson. I’ve spoken on the blog before how much I enjoy doing what’s known as writing sprints. Setting a timer for an hour and doing my best to produce one thousand words or more before the bell goes off.  For some reason they work for me. Knowing my time is limited, seems to dial in my focus. Saying, “I only have an hour” pushes me to do the best I can, maybe because I know in a short time I will be able to get up from the desk, walk around, and refresh my coffee.

Or maybe there’s a part of me that likes feeling like Robert Downey Jr. in the final scenes of an action movie.

Take a few minutes to get reacquainted with this great book — or get to know it, if it’s slipped under your radar by now –  and the wonderfully, sweet Sasha Summers.

Medusa, A Love Story:

It’s said love can change a person. Medusa wasn’t always a monster…

Medusa is ruled by duty, to her Titan father and the Goddess Athena. She’s no room for the tenderness her warrior guard, Ariston, stirs. When Olympus frees her from service, her heart leads her into the arms of the guard she loves… and curses her as the creature with serpent locks.

Ariston goes to war with a full heart… and dreadful foreboding. He learns too late of the danger Medusa faces, alone, and a Persian blade sends him into the Underworld. But death, curses, nor the wrath of the Gods will keep him from returning to her.

Poseidon will use Greece’s war to get what he wants: Medusa. He does not care that she belongs to another. He does not care that she will be damned. He is a God, an Olympian, and she will be his.

Buy Links: Amazon | B&N |  Kobo |  All Romance ebooks |  Goodreads link |

About Sasha:

Sasha is part gypsy. Born June 9, 1974, stories have always played an important role in her life. Her passions have always been storytelling, Hollywood, history, and travel. It’s no surprise that her books include a little of each. Her first play, ‘Greek Gods and Goddesses’ was written for her Girl Scout troupe. She’s been writing ever since. She loves getting lost in the worlds and characters she creates; even if she frequently forgets to run the dishwasher or wash socks when she’s doing so. Luckily, her four brilliant children and hero-inspiring hubby are super understanding and supportive.

You can find Sasha in all the usual places

Website/Blog | Twitter | FB Author Page | Goodreads | Pinterest | YouTube |

And Now….The Giveaway:

Here’s your chance to win:

• Autographed copy of “Medusa, A Love Story (Loves of Olympus Series, Bk #1)”
• Autographed copy of “For the Love of Hades (Loves of Olympus Series, Bk #2)”
• Thea (owl) Necklace
• “Medusa” car charm
• Series Swag

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Please welcome fellow Crescent Moon Press author, Maer Wilson, to the blog today. She’s here to take us behind the scenes of her fantastic book, Relics, which was released May, 1.

I was lucky enough to receive an ARC of the book, and you can find my review on this post.

One of the things I knew before I ever started writing Relics was that I wanted my heroine to be married. So many heroines in Urban Fantasy are on their own. They take on the world and are pretty kickass doing it. But at the end of the day or night they go home to their empty apartment/house. Oh, they might have a friend or two and often a romantic interest may appear. But sometimes not. Some of them are fine with being alone. Others not.

So, I wanted to do something a little different. I not only wanted a married heroine, I wanted a couple who worked together as a team. That idea was in the back of my mind, but it all came together with the names.

As a gamer playing World of Warcraft, I belonged to a guild that seemed to have an over-abundance of characters whose names began with “Moo”. With several “Moo-somethings” to add to the confusion, I decided to give nicknames to this one married couple. The result was Thulu and La Fi.

Just as I was typing in a message to tell them what I was going to call them, I looked at those names and knew that they didn’t belong to the couple in the game. They were the main characters in my story, which was already shoving its way to the front of my brain, demanding that I pay attention.

It was as if naming them gave them substance. I knew who they were and what they did. I had yet to discover what would happen to them, but that’s been part of the fun the last few years.

So, I erased the message and wrote the book.

I gave Thulu and La Fi a huge support system with a very large family. And they work together at their detective agency for the supernatural. I’m quite attached to them and I love playing in their world.

In fact, the whole experience has been a fascinating ride so far. And I’m having the time of my life!

Thanks for having me on your blog, Constance!

Book Blurb

Most of Thulu and La Fi’s clients are dead. Which is perfect since their detective agency caters to the supernatural. So, a job finding relics for an ancient daemon should be simple.

The daemon needs the relics to keep a dangerous portal closed. His enemy, Gabriel, wants the relics to open the portal and give his people access to a new feeding ground – Earth.

Stunning humanity with their existence, portals to other worlds begin to open and the creatures of magic return to Earth.

When Gabriel threatens their family, Thulu and La Fi’s search becomes personal. The couple will need powerful allies in the race to find the relics before Gabriel does. But maybe that’s what grateful dead, magical allies and daemonic clients are for.

When the creatures of myth and magic return to Earth, they’re nothing like your mother’s fairy tales.

Maer’s Bio

After a successful career being other people, and later teaching others the many tricks of that trade, Maer Wilson has decided to be herself for a while. Turns out she’s a writer. She’s always loved stories, especially fantasy, mystery and sci fi. Maer was born in the Year of the Dragon and has a dragon-themed room in her home, but sadly no dragons in the back yard. When she’s not writing, Maer plays online video games, teaches college and reads. She also co-hosts the literary podcast, “MythBehaving” and writes for two gaming fansites. She lives in the high desert of Southern Nevada with her two dogs, a chihuahua and a poodle. Relics is her first novel and will be released by Crescent Moon Press on May 1, 2013. You can visit her website at maerwilson.com.

Trailer for Relics:
‘

Maer’s Links:

Website | Facebook | Twitter |  Goodreads

Relics Buy Links

Amazon |  Barnes & Noble

Today, I’d like to share a few pictures of the men of Romantic Times. (Few words are necessary…)

Harvey Gaudun-Stables and DeLonn Donvian

Me with Harvey Gaudun-Stables

Susanna Ellis, Me and Len

Authors: Lee Brazil, Hank Edwards, Havan Fellows, Ravan McAllan, Dianne Hartsock, Doris O’Connor, S.J. Thomas and Jamieson Wolf.

Genre: Paranormal Erotic

Heat Rating: 4

Publisher: Breathless Press

Formats Available In: All eBook formats

Word Count: 13,066

Blurb: Death Day Anniversary by Lee Brazil

A newcomer to town follows urban legend to the cemetery- is he a willing sacrifice, or an unfortunate dupe?

The Sum of His Parts by Hank Edwards

Scott Tallow awakens in a hospital, stitches holding him together. As a handsome doctor helps him heal, Scott comes to realize he’s not quite himself.

Writing is a Socially Acceptable Form of Schizophrenia by Havan Fellows

Almost everyone has an interesting story to tell. I’ve got numerous—and they’ve declared war against me.

That Special Feeling by Raven McAllan

Can you carve your future happiness in a pumpkin?

Andrew Calls the Dead by Dianne Hartsock

Love is powerful, but is it strong enough to raise the dead?

Make me a Sandwich by Lee Brazil

When his roommate is away, distraction is just a horror movie away for Gregory…until the things that go bump in the night take over.

Destiny by Doris O’Connor

Can Arabella reach sanctuary, or will her dreams become reality?

Spin the Bottle by Raven McAllan

Aeons ago, Attric had been banished in disgrace. Halloween gave him the chance to redeem himself. Would he? Or was he doomed to live in a bottle forever?

The Birthday by Dianne Hartsock

Every birthday Cyrus visits the dance clubs with a surprise for the young men. This year, the tables are turned.

Strength’s Curse by S.J. Thomas

Hunted through the night by a terrifying creature a young girl refuses to give up, but her strength will be her curse.

Reaping Darkness by Jamieson Wolf

As a new Reaper of Souls, Kale knows who Death is. He just isn’t used to Death showing up in his dreams. When he does, Kale learns that attraction, even in dreams, can be very real indeed…

The Fog by Lee Brazil

Starting afresh in a new home in the valley should have helped Jeff leave memories of his lost love behind. Instead his dreams are filled with a passion that is terrifying in the light of day.

In the Shadows by Dianne Hartsock

He waits in the shadows; silent, hungry. Careful! He might be watching you.

Book Links:

Breathless Press

All Romance eBooks

Amazon

Bookstrand

Excerpt:

Death Day Anniversary by Lee Brazil

His squirming movements created unbearable friction, and I traced a hand down the tight denim to capture a taut buttock and hold him still against me while I thoroughly explored the wet cavern he’d granted me access to.

I drew away and stared down at him. “I wanted to do that the first moment I saw you at my resting place.”

Awakening at moonrise to find such a tempting morsel in my tomb had been a delicious surprise. His flight across the graveyard had been invigorating.

“Yeah.” His breathy agreement made me smile again.