Thursday Spotlight ~ Quail Crossings

Tragedy has struck the small town of Knollwood, Texas and Dovie Grant finds herself dealing with the loss of her husband and daughter. Despite her grief, she still must fight to bring her remaining family through the already trying times of The Great Depression. Her father needs help on their struggling farm, Quail Crossings. She isn't thrilled that he's hired a young 18 year old boy who's caring for his three younger siblings. Surviving her grief, as well as the constant dust storms that plague the plains, will Dovie be able to put her pain aside to care for these children or be forever trapped in the darkness of the loss in her family.

Quail Crossings

Cover Design by Linda Boulanger, Tell~Tale Book Cover Designs

Weekly Wrap Up

In case you missed it:

Motivational Monday ~ Keep Going

Tuesday ~ The Divine Heart - Part 2 (Anna's Legacy)

Wee Wednesday ~ Drawing a Blank

Thursday Spotlight ~ Winter Song Book Trailer




Fiction Friday ~ Where Summer Never Ends for Us

Thursday Spotlight ~ Winter Song Trailer

Thursday Spotlight ~ Oklahoma Women Bloggers

I'm over at Oklahoma Women Bloggers today, talking about how to get started and keep going. Check it out. ~ http://www.oklahomawomenbloggers.com

Thursday Spotlight ~ Margery Warder

It's the Christmas season and what's better around Christmas than Christmas stories and poems. You'll love this collection of seasonal splendor by Margery Warder. You can buy them all in Christmas Musings ...

 

Or you can buy each story individually ....

Last Christmas

 

Christmas in Our Hearts

 

Mary, Meet Dr. Luke

 

Either way you won't want to miss out!

 

Thursday Spotlight ~ The Home Warranty Handbook: Insider Secrets That Save You Money

One of the best reference materials you can buy. There was so much about my home warranty that I didn't know and this book cleared up everything and saved me money. I highly recommend.

The Home Warranty Handbook:

Insider Secrets That Will Save You Money

by Barbara Shoff

Thursday Spotlight ~ TMI Mom Getting Lucky (after kids)

This hilarious second book from Heather Davis had me laughing out loud (as all her other books have done to me as well) and giving my husband just cause to kick me out of the bedroom for waking him up, which is ironic given the topic of "Getting Lucky". Keeping the romance alive isn't easy after kids, but you can't help but laugh WITH Heather as she and her hubby attempt to keep their romantic life sparky. I highly recommend it if you're looking for good snort laugh fun.

Thursday Spotlight ~ Winter Song

Sage McKennan never expected she’d have to go at it alone. Cooper Davis had always been by her side as they worked to fulfill their dream of owning a bed and breakfast named, Winter Song. One cold Wyoming night, Sage is brought to her knees by the news of Cooper’s death. She has never felt so alone. Little does she know Cooper hasn’t gone anywhere. His spirit is determined to stay with Sage, so she’s never alone again.

Noah Finnley is down on his luck. He can’t find work and now he’s being evicted. Things start looking up when the beautiful Sage offers him a partnership at Winter Song. Just one problem, she has a ghost attached to her and Noah’s no Ghost Whisperer. He knows taking the job at Winter Song is a bad idea, but with his landlord threatening to confiscated his belongings and throw him out on the street; he feels he has no other choice, ghost or no ghost.

The two men must work together when Sage stumbles upon a mad man's secret. If Noah and Cooper don't find a way to settle their differences, Sage could join Cooper on the other side, permanently.

 

Winter Song available on Amazon, Smashwords, ePub, and Barnes & Noble.

 

 



Thursday Spotlight ~ Jar of Pickles

An ordinary trip to the grocery store for pickles turns out to be anything but ordinary.

 

Jar of Pickles always #FREE on Amazon and Smashwords.

 

 

 

 

Thursday Spotlight ~ Finding Hope

Becca finds unexpected hope during a wintery walk.    

 

Finding Hope, always FREE on Smashwords.com

 

Thursday Spotlight ~ Seasons Remembered: A WordWeaver Anthology

Take a journey with the WordWeavers as they lead you through a path filled with seasonal splendor. The stories will make you think, cry and maybe even induce the highest form of flattery for a writer - the snort laugh. Bartlesville, OK has a slew of talented authors and we are honored to share their work with you as the WordWeavers annual fund raiser.

 

Seasons Remember: A WordWeaver Anthology

 



Thursday Spotlight - Footprints in the Snow

Today's spotlight is on my Christmas short story, Footprints in the Snow, always FREE on Smashwords.

 

 

Julie and her young daughter, Emily, find themselves with no place to go on a blizzardy Christmas Eve. How will Julie keep Emily's innocence intact while fighting for their very survival?    

 

 

Thursday Spotlight ~ Emma's Walk

Emma and her dog, Sophie, find a mysterious balloon in the woods which leads to lost love and a reunited family.    

Emma's Walk

Always FREE

 



Thursday Spotlight ~ Thesis Revised

Joella gets more than she bargains for while researching the reclusive cougar for her thesis, in an old mining canyon.    

Thesis Revised

Always FREE!



Thursday Spotlight ~ Winter Song

I am so excited to announce that Winter Song is now available!! I hope you enjoy this paranormal romance novel, I had a lot of fun writing it.

Buy it for your Kindle here for $2.99.

Buy it for your Nook, Sony Reader, or other eReaders here for $2.99. (Limited Time)

Buy a paperback on Amazon for $12.30.

To buy a signed or unsigned paperback directly from me for $18.00 (that includes s/h) please e-mail me at JenniferMcMurrain(at)yahoo.com.

Come to one of my signings! Check out the Events page for my upcoming signings.

Cooper and Sage, inseparable since high school, hope to fulfill their dream of running Winter Song, a bed and breakfast in the Wyoming mountains. But one cold night, Sage is brought to her knees by the news of Cooper’s death. Little does she know Cooper's spirit hasn’t gone anywhere. He is determined to stay with Sage, so she’s never alone again.

Noah Finnley a carpenter down on his luck, can’t find work and now he’s being evicted. Things start looking up when the beautiful Sage offers him a partnership at Winter Song. Just one problem, she has a ghost attached to her... and Noah can see dead people. He knows taking the job at Winter Song is a bad idea, but with his landlord threatening to confiscate his belongings and throw him out on the street; he feels he has no other choice - ghost or no ghost. When Sage's life is put in danger, Noah and Cooper must find a way to settle their differences, or Sage might end up among the dead herself.

Thursday Spotlight ~ Winter Song Sneak Peek #3

Closing her eyes, she listened to the rain as Cooper snuggled up behind her. She tried to clear her mind, to just enjoy the soft percussion of nature, but her memory had other ideas. Before she could stop herself, she could see Cooper.

He was running in front of her, gently pulling her along as they ran through the rain. Sage smiled at the memory. They were barely twenty, and the world was theirs to conquer. As they reached the porch of the one-bedroom cabin that was their first home together, Sage pulled Cooper toward her and kissed him in the rain.

“I've always dreamed about doing that,” she said, smiling.

“Baby, I'll make all your dreams come true.” Cooper smiled back, before kissing her again. “Now come on, it's cold.”

He pulled her inside where they shed their raincoats and boots. Sage hurried to the kitchen. “I'll make us some omelets and hot cocoa. That'll warm us up.”

As she gathered the necessary ingredients for their brunch from the fridge, Cooper switched on the stereo. The soft melody of their song caressed the air, and Sage began to sway to the music. Soon she felt Cooper's strong arms wrap around her as he hugged her from behind. She leaned into him as he kissed her neck, then giggled as he nibbled on her ear.

She set the eggs back in the fridge and turned around to face her lover. She kissed him, giving his bottom lip a quick bite, causing Cooper to give her a wicked smile. Pushing her against the fridge, they locked hands as he kissed her hard on the lips before moving back to her neck.

“Stop it, Sage!” she yelled, bringing herself out of her daydream. “Those kinds of memories are not helpful right now. He's never coming back. It's time to move forward.” She brushed a tear off her cheek.

Thursday Spotlight ~ Winter Song Excerpt #1

Winter Song

Available Sept. 3rd!! 

Cooper Davis felt like he's been smacked by a Mac truck and drug forty miles. Eight hours; he had eight hours until he had to go on deck. Signing up to be a greenhorn on a fishing vessel to catch cod was a mistake. He knew that, but it was a mistake that would lead to his dream of owning a bed and breakfast with his girl, Sage, a reality.

He pictured her as he drifted off. Her face made the pain bearable. Every ache was soothed by her smile. He heard her singing, as she did every morning as she made breakfast. She was a natural morning person, forced to be a night owl to keep her job. But not for much longer, soon she'd make her own hours and he was going to make that happen.

Sage's cheery voice was soon interrupted by a ringing. It was faint at first, but grew louder. Then it was ear-splitting. Cooper bolted up, quickly taking in his surroundings. He was still in his bunk on the Fancy Nancy cod boat, Sage a thousand miles away.

“Oh my god. Oh my god. Oh my god,” came a chant from the floor. It was Gavin Hart, Cooper's bunkmate and fellow greenhorn.

Cooper hopped out of his bunk and grabbed the survival suits. “It's okay, kid. Just put on your suit. Probably another drill.”

But Cooper knew it wasn't another drill, his heart thumbed against his chest so violently, he was afraid it would explode.

Taking a deep breath, he peeked his head into the galley. Smoke hazed throughout the cabin as Captian Mullis ran through the galley to get back to the wheelhouse. “Put on your suit, Davis and then up on deck and get the life raft ready. We're gonna need it.”

“Yes, sir,” Cooper nodded and grabbed for his suit.

“There's a hole,” Gavin whimpered. “I caught my suit on that nail we're always complaining about and now there's a hole in my Gumby suit.” He looked at Cooper tears in his eyes. “My mother begged me to stay home. Said I'd die out here. She's right. I'm going to die, aren't I, Davis. I'm never going to see my mother again or Suzie. The whole reason I came on this stupid boat was for Suzie. I want to marry her.”

Cooper rolled his eyes. “No one's going to die today.” He threw his suit at Gavin. “Put mine on.”

Gavin shook his head. “I can't. I can't move.”

“Yes you can,” said Cooper, helping Gavin slip his feet into the full suit. He pulled the kid up, shoved his hands into the arms, pulled the hood up and zipped the suit as Gavin started to cry.

Cooper grabbed his chin. “You are not gonna die, Hart. Listen up. You're going up on deck and get that life boat ready. Then you're going to get in the damn boat and you're going to live. The minute you get on land you hug your Momma and kiss that girl. You hear me?”

Gavin nodded as Cooper pushed him out the door. “I expect to be in the life boat as soon as I get my suit on. I'm counting on you, Hart.”

The kid gave Cooper one more determined nod before running toward the stairs. Cooper turned and reached for the holey survival suit. With one foot in the suit, the boat listed to port side, causing Cooper to tumble. His mind raced as the boat didn't right itself. It was going down.

Ditching the suit, he struggled to make his way out of the bunk. Captain Mullis lay near the stairs. Water filled the galley as Cooper made his way to the Captain, who was already in his survival suit.

“Captain Mullis wake up!” yelled Cooper.

The captain mumbled and Cooper could smell the unmistakable scent of whiskey. Captain Mullis was drunk.

“You stupid son-of-a... -- what have done?” yelled Cooper.

The cold water felt like tiny shards of glass stabbing Cooper's socked feet as he pulled the captain up the fun house stairs. Defying gravity, he made it to the top, just in time to see two more deck hands crawl out of the engine room, smoke billowing out from behind them. Neither had on their Gumby suits.

The men pulled the captain the rest of the way out of the stair case, inflated his life vest and threw him over the side of the boat and into the frigid waters near the life boat.

The boat groaned as it tilted even more, threatening to completely capsize. The men looked at each other, terror on every brow.

“We have to swim for the life boat,” said Cooper.

“Are you crazy?” said one of the men. “We'll die of hypothermia. It's better we stay on the boat. The Coast Guard is coming. We'll be safe here.”

An explosion from the engine room rocked the ship again, causing the men to stumble. Cooper fell towards the water, grabbing at anything in his path to hold on, but it was no use. He hit the water, the cold causing him to lose his breath instantly.

He tried to remain calm, tried to remember where the surface was. His fingers instantly went numb making it hard to swim, but he reached toward the light as hard as he could, breaking the surface just in time to see the boat sinking beneath the waves. The two deckhands still clinging to the fragmented ship, trying to stay out of the water.

He tried to yell at them to get away from the boat, that the suction would take them down too, but he lacked the air and strength to get his message across. He couldn't help them now, he had to find the life boat. He had to make sure Gavin was okay.

Twirling in a circle, he finally spotted the bright red boat. It was a good hundred yards away from him. He could just make out the Hart kid pulling Captain Mullis into the raft. “Good” he thought, “the kid made it to the raft.”

He turned his focus on Sage. He had to get back to her. Mustering up all the strength he had left he swam toward the boat. “I must get back to Sage” were his final words before everything went dark.

 

 

Thursday Spotlight - Katie McCory and the Dagger of Truth

Because this is a LilyBear House release and because I am the founder of LilyBear House, not to mention C. L. Collar is my mother, I will not be reviewing Katie McCory and the Dagger of Truth. But I can say that even if she wasn't my mother and I wasn't representing this book, I would definitely buy it.

Available on Amazon and Smashwords

 

 A mysterious golden chest in Grams’ attic, a stained-glass window that never ages, and a strange dream. What do these three things have in common? MAGIC. This magic sends twins, Katie and Billy, and their two best friends on a quest into Fey in pursuit of a stolen talisman, The Dagger of Truth. In the hands of dark magic, this mighty talisman can be transformed into The Dagger of Malice and possess the power to destroy both Fey and mortal Earth. The friends are guided on their mission by four good fairies, a Brownie, Sun Fairy, Sphinx, and The Green Lady. Armed with magical weapons, gifted from the Dwarfs, they go in pursuit of the thief, a Soul Shrinker, and his mother the Queen of the Dark Fairies. Come along for the ride as “The Chosen Ones” step into an exotic land full of danger, magic and mystery.

Thursday Spotlight ~ Anna Dressed in Blood by Kendare Blake

It wasn’t that long ago that I complained on Facebook about a YA book having graphic language. I’m not going to lie, I was totally turned off by the language, at first. But the story intrigued me so I continued to read. And I’m very glad I did.

Anna Dressed in Blood by Kendare Blake will pull you in from the beginning and keep you turning those pages. I thought I had this book figured out, but I was wrong. Being on vacation, I was listening to this book in the car and during the climax I was so into the story I didn’t hear my husband who was sitting right next to me. This book was intense and the bad guy was creepy. It has been a long time since a book actually scared me and this one did.

Now here is a warning. This book is full of “colorful” language. I think this book would’ve been just as good without it, but it’s there. I would still recommend this book, even with the language, it’s a good story.

 

 

Story Description (Amazon.com)

Cas Lowood has inherited an unusual vocation: He kills the dead.

So did his father before him, until his gruesome murder by a ghost he sought to kill. Now, armed with his father's mysterious and deadly athame, Cas travels the country with his kitchen-witch mother and their spirit-sniffing cat. Together they follow legends and local lore, trying to keep up with the murderous dead—keeping pesky things like the future and friends at bay.

When they arrive in a new town in search of a ghost the locals call Anna Dressed in Blood, Cas doesn't expect anything outside of the ordinary: move, hunt, kill. What he finds instead is a girl entangled in curses and rage, a ghost like he's never faced before. She still wears the dress she wore on the day of her brutal murder in 1958: once white, but now stained red and dripping blood. Since her death, Anna has killed any and every person who has dared to step into the deserted Victorian she used to call home.

And she, for whatever reason, spares his life.

Thursday Spotlight ~ Whispered Beginnings

Whispered Beginnings: A Clever Fiction Anthology

 

From remembrances of better days in lives so dark they make us shudder, to the fearful reality of a back against a cold metal slab, comes hope that can bud on a rainy day, in being cared about for the first time, from taking the hand of a stranger, or in the smile of a recognized angel. Immerse yourself in the fictional world of clever writers rising up to meet the challenge, prompted with three simple words: New, Whisper, Spring. This anthology contains stories that flow across many genres: Fantasy, Romance, Mystery, and more; all intertwined with a basic theme that whispers sweetly of new beginnings.

 

 

 

Buy Whispered Beginnings from Anna's Legacy and we'll donate 10% to the Leukemia-Lymphoma Society! ~ http://www.annaslegacy.com/servlet/the-586/Whispered-Beginnings-cln--A-Clever/Detail