Ava James ~ Romance To Last A Lifetime

Please join me in my over exhuberance for my first release!

Cocktail Reviews called it, "An absolutely fantastic, up-beat tale that brings the idea of gods still existing to the fore—and Ms. James makes it entirely believable. Excellent fun!"

5 Flutes!!!!!

http://cocktailreviews.wordpress.com/2008/11/24/the-eagle-at-midnight-freyas-bower/#comment-4246

http://www.freyasbower.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=8&products_id=144&zenid=0d6c3502e5c313e9487693f3113c87f7

Deadly Secrets , Sylvia Dickey Smith

Rookie PI Sidra Smart thinks she knows where she’s headed. She’s divorced her preacher-husband, she’s inherited a private detective business, and she’s solved her first case. But then she moves into a ghost active house and discovers that the past holds the key not only to her future, but to the lives of innocent people trapped in an unholy web of deception that spans decades.
This mystery/suspense novel is set in a small Texas town where everyone knows everything about the other—or at least think they do—until the sins of the past catch up with the secrets of the present. Where yesterday’s lighthouses, yellow fever, and Civil War skirmishes play a significant role in uncovering the sins of today.
When Sid’s second case requires she clear the name of a dead man, she finds herself confounded by clues that lead nowhere. She battles her own prejudice, a burned-out office, the disappearance of a local preacher’s wife, and a midnight trip through a murky swamp before clues begin to fall in place. Then, with assistance from a seemingly unknown and perhaps ghostly force, Sid learns something about herself—when the cause is right she never retreats.
The interaction between Sid and her client, a tobacco-spitting, chair-rocking old codger more interested in the shine on his shoes than the dust on his furniture, once again brings small-town America to life.
Buy Deadly Secrets
Visit Sylvia Dickey Smith's Website

Warrior’s Rise Blurb:

Logan Savage is a man’s man. His idea of a good time has never included watching over and entertaining a bunch of kids at a summer camp. Especially when that camp happens to be full of kids with a love for mythology and medieval fantasy. In other words—a bunch of geeks. Unfortunately, in order to avoid a jail sentence for assaulting a cop, that’s exactly what he has to do. Head counselor and owner of the camp, Willow Avaris, is a nice surprise. Beautiful, fiery and sexy… Too bad she loathes his very existence. Plus, the kids are making his life a living nightmare. Could the summer get any worse?
Bravery and strength were things Logan always thought he had in spades, but as the summer goes on, and strange, surreal events take place around the camp, Logan is forced to look within himself and figure out what’s important to him. It’s safe to remain the self absorbed, shallow man he’s always been, but can he find the courage to reach inside and embrace the true warrior he was destined to become?

Warrior’s Rise Excerpt:

The bailiff was a definite hottie. Blonde, petite, slender waist, nice rack. He could tell she had a killer body even in that unflattering uniform. His fingers itched to peel her out of it. He caught her eye across the court room as the judge began to pass the sentence. He gave her a boyish smile and a flirty wink. That always did the trick. This time was no exception. She smirked and averted her eyes, obviously trying not to attract attention, but she slid her gaze back up to his and chewed on her bottom lip.
Logan heard the judge sentence him to so many hours of community service and he suppressed a gloating chuckle. That’s right. No jail time for Logan Savage. He stole a sidelong glance at the tall brunette representing him. His sister was one fine attorney. He could murder someone and she’d be able to get him a lesser sentence, if not get him off completely.
It was nice to have connections.
Court adjourned and he turned to his sister with a grin. “You’re the best, Iz.”
She rolled her eyes and shoved various papers in her briefcase. “Whatever, Logan. You owe me several grand.”
He frowned. “Excuse me? I’m your brother!” he protested.
“You’re an idiot,” she stated. “That’s what you are.” She snapped her briefcase shut and started to stride out of the courtroom.
Logan threw a momentary glance back at the cute bailiff, but followed after his sister. “Isabelle, what the crap did I ever do to you? Name calling? That’s not very professional. You do that to all of your clients?”
“Only the really clueless ones.” She sneered. She shook her head. “I swear, Logan, when are you going to grow up?”
He blinked and grabbed her elbow, stopping her and turning her to face him. “What are you talking about? It’s not like I’m living in Mom’s basement. I have my own apartment. I have a good job.”
Isabelle heaved a sigh. “Logan, you’re twenty-nine years old and you’re still getting into bar brawls. You beat a guy within inches of his life. You think you’re sooo cool, but you’re really just making a fool out of yourself.” She shook her head and handed him a manila envelope full of papers. “I’m not bailing you out again. The next time you decide to pull your macho crap and deck an officer of the law, figure it out yourself. I’ve been fixing your mistakes my entire life and I’m not going to do it anymore.”
She shook the envelope at him until he took it. He frowned. “What’s this?”
“The information on the summer camp you’ll be working at.”
His frown deepened. “Summer camp?”
She rolled her eyes. “Yeah. If you’d been paying attention to the judge instead of trying to undress the bailiff with your eyes, you would have heard him say that. You’re to serve out your sentence working as a volunteer counselor at a kids’ summer camp.”
His first reaction was repulsion. Just what he needed was to be stuck hanging around a bunch of stupid nose-pickers all summer long, but his second thought was that it might not be so bad. Summer camp was full of outdoor activity. He could teach the ankle biters how to hunt and fish, be men’s men. He could see the reverent looks on their faces now. “Cool. Thanks, Izzie.”
“Don’t thank me. Just quit being stupid. I’m sick of having the delinquent brother who never grew out of his teenage years. Get over yourself and get a life.”
She turned her back on him again and he let her go this time. No point in following after her if she was only going to verbally bash him. Whatever. Isabelle had no idea who he was or what he did with his life. Get over himself? He snorted. He wasn’t stuck on himself. It wasn’t his fault that every woman he met wanted to do wicked things to him… And it wasn’t his fault if the men that were with those women felt really inadequate, thus resulting in bar brawls that got him arrested. Besides, how was he supposed to know that the man he’d shown what-for was a cop?
Not like he asked for a resume before he handed someone their butt on a plate.
Besides, Isabelle was probably just jealous. She was stuck in a tedious routine living in suburban, 2.5 kid land. That kind of torturous existence would make anyone look at someone free and rootless like him in envy.
Dismissing his sister’s words, he opened up the envelope and looked at the information packet he’d been given. Rogue River Fantasy Camp. He frowned. Fantasy Camp? What in the world did that mean? His interest piqued. Maybe there were strippers involved. That would definitely be a fantasy. Somebody in a Catholic school girl outfit maybe…
He smirked and shoved the papers back into the envelope. No biggee. It was somewhere in between Gold Hill and Shady Cove. He’d find it easy enough. He’d camped and hunted most of the forests in his area of Oregon. Shouldn’t be too hard. All he had to do was find the camp and show up on the scheduled date. No use in reading a bunch of papers that would just bore him to death. He had better things to do with his time.
He glanced at his watch and smiled, then smoothed his sandy brown hair. Perfect. It was happy hour and he was still in his suit. That would definitely attract some attention. He’d get his game on tonight. He was feeling particularly lucky.
Squaring his shoulders, he folded the papers in half and shoved them in his back pocket, then made his way out of the courthouse.

Please join me in welcoming another great author to the blog, Brieanna Robertson!
Below is my breif interview with the talented author.

Ava: What drew you to writing? When did you first put your fingers to the keyboard, or pen to paper and write your first complete manuscript?

B: In all reality, I think I've been writing since I was first taught how. lol. As far as I know, I've always had stories in my head. They've never not been there, and I've been writing them down ever since I was a little kid. My mother would have thought something was terribly wrong if she didn't see me surrounded by notebooks, scribbling madly away. I wrote my first real manuscript when I was thirteen. As we can all imagine, it sucked pretty badly. lol. Then I started writing seriously in high school. I sent my first manuscript to a publisher when I was 17, but of course got rejected. My first publication-worthy novel was first completed when I was 19, and it went through several drafts before it was finally acceptable to my own standards.

Ava: That's great that you had such an early start and a lasting passion for writing. Is your first novel still out there for those of us interested to read?

B: Yes! It's the first in my Serendipity Series of contemporary romance. It's The Road Less Traveled and is available in ebook at www.forbiddenpublications.com and in print at www.amazon.com

Ava: What is something all of us should know about you? Besides the fact that you are a fabulous author.

B: I guess one thing I like to tell everyone is how much of a heavy metal music fan I am. lol. It seems to contradict the image of an author, I guess. People seem surprised when they hear about me going to concerts, banging my head and stalking rock stars. Music is a great inspiration for me. I have a lot of plots in my books that revolve around music in some fashion. It also goes hand in hand with my overall philosophy to be true to yourself. That's the one, main, consitent theme in all of my books.

Ava: Well, would you like to know where I was on the first two tuesday's in November? ZZ Top and Sammy Hagar-- and I was in pampers when their first music videos came out. LOL

B: Right on! Keep rockin' :)

Ava: What is your all time favorite movie? The one that you could watch again and again.

B: My absolute favorite would have to be Anne of Green Gables. When I was a little girl, all I wanted to be was a stubborn, rebellious, no-nonsense girl like Anne, and I always wanted to have flaming red hair. Now, twenty years later, here I am. I have flaming red hair by choice and couldn't have turned out more like Anne Shirley if I'd tried. lol. She is my favorite heroine of all time, indomitable and indestructable. She doesn't let anything stand in her way. I watch this movie whenever I'm feeling down. It instantly lifts my spirits and makes me feel like I can take on the world again.

Ava: What would you like to find underneath your Christmas tree?

B: Well, I actually don't celebrate Christmas, but if I did...Could it be my favorite musician standing there with two plane tickets, waiting to take me to Finland? LOL

Ava: Certainly! Brieanna, thanks for joining me. Before you go, where can we find you out in the ebook world?

B: You can find my ebooks at www.forbiddenpublications.com, www.amirapress.com, www.freyasbower.com, and www.fictionwise.com as well as many other online resellers. I also have print work available at www.amazon.com and www.whimsicalpublications.com

I am proud to announce the arrival of my first review. Although, she does have a valid point. I should have showen Demetri's pain a bit more. But, oh well.

http://dirtygirlreviews.blogspot.com/ Here's the link if you would like to read the full review of the One Touch, One Glance Anthology.

Waking Up by Ava James
Waking up is a military romance, with a wounded soldier, who has more than physical pain, his heart needs healing too. Ripping out the catheter would have caused excruciating pain and damage, but after I got over that forgotten detail I has found this a really enjoyable romance. That’s what I get for having a medical background, I can’t read the medical romances not written by someone with experience in that field. Ava James is an extremely talented author and I can’t wait to see what she has planned next. I do love men in uniform.

I did an author interview with Michelle E. Ellis over at Four Strong Women!

http://fourstrongwomen.blogspot.com/2008/11/ava-james-m.html

Check it out, and leave a comment!

My muse has deserted me. To make matters worse--I have neglected my blog for far too long. I was soo busy with editing my upcoming stories that I let this go and lost my muse.

*Sigh*

Maybe she'll be back this weekend.

Alright, I have tried and now I am finally done. Or at least done for a few days. Here is my website

www.avajames.weebly.com

Check it out and leave me a comment on the Guest Musings Page!

Coming Soon ~ Autumn 08'
From Freya's Bower
One Touch, One Glance A Sweet Romance Anthology

Or, I should say I soon will be!

Happy dance around the home office, I have been offered a contract through Freya's Bower for two of my short stories ( Waking Up and The Eagle at Midnight)

Just too happy to type!

The formatting is off but the chapter is definitely shaping up!


Priya couldn’t believe her eyes. Gripping her wounded hand she watched as Hector began to change. A deep fierce howl ripped throw the air and Priya jumped at the threatening sound.
Hector’s shoulders grew broader as his height increased. She watched in stunned silence as his clothing began to rip away. Bulging muscle burst free of their confinement while his fingers grew long with claws flashing from his fingertips. Hair sprouted thick and dark to cover his skin.
A fearsome growl escaped his lips flashing white large teeth. The only part of the beast before her that resembled Hector were its eyes. The deep amber gold orbs reflected vibrantly. Glowing with an intensity of a ragging inferno. But his gaze did not settle on Priya. It settled on Lethgorn.
Or the shell of him, for now Lethgorn was shocked. The man held disbelief and panic in his cruel countenance. Stunned, Lethgorn had even let his weapon fall to his side. Hector however was ready for a fight. The great beast that was her lover looked as though he would eat her fiancé.
Now on all fours, Hector’s head was lowered while his legs were ready to pounce. Snarls rumbled through his body as the hair on his back stood on end.
The sound of Serge’s pounding shattered the spell of tension cast upon the scene and Lethgorn raised his weapon to fire. Hector launched his body at Lethrogn and a shot was fired. Captivated in fear Priya was uncertain where the shot went. Hector’s jaws clamped down with bone shattering force on Lethgorn’s shoulder. Blood rushed forth in an angry torrent as Lethgorn’s cries of pain filled the air.
Pound! Pound! Scrap!
At the bay door Serge was slowly but surely prying his way into the bay. Despite her hard work this was going to end terribly if she did not take action and quick!
“Hector.” Priya called to the wolf straddling Lethgorn. His head raised with Lethgorn’s debilitated shoulder still between his jaws. Hector was looking at her; that was a good sign right? If he recognized his name and her then he would certainly listen to her.
Then again he wasn’t one for taking orders.
Either way Priya knew they had to get out of here. Murdering Lethgorn wasn’t necessary for their escape.
“Hector, come on!” Her wolf cocked his head as if confused and remained where he was. Even as a wolf he would question her.
“Come on!” Priya yelled as she pointed to the previously sealed cargo bay door. Serge had pried the door a quarter of the way up. With that much room he could certainly shot them.
Dropping the whimpering Lethgorn, Hector bounded over the trunks in his path and lept into the lander hatch. Priya hurriedly closed the hatch and ran for the control panel. From the cockpit she booted the system and ordered the lander dock to be lowered into the release bay.
Lethgorn was attempting to crawl with one arm toward what she knew was his weapon. The son of a bitch just wouldn’t give up! Not giving a naftar’s ass if she killed the bastard or not, Priya fired a small blast before him.
As addled as he was Lethgorn managed to roll away. She couldn’t hear him but Priya could see his lips moving. The little coward was probably coursing her to Hades and the gods knew what else.

Nothing will Come of Nothing. Shakespeare

The more alternatives, the more difficult the choice. Abbe D'Allianval 1700-1753

To be able to say how much you love is to love but little. Petrach c. 1300 "To Laura in Death"

All the priviledge I claim for my sex is that of loving longest, when existence or when hope is gone. Jane Austen Persuasion

Fortune and Love favor the Brave. Ovid

I could go on and on but I thought these would be a good start.

I don't watch the news. Anything important enough for me to need to know about will be talked about on the radio in the morning during my morning commute. It is sad that in our society there is only bad news broadcasted. I do not know about other countries and I am sure it is much the same everywhere you go, but why can't there every be any good news?
I guess we should all live by the saying that "No news is good news."

I have been writting and rewritting. And rewritting some more. Every time I go back and read what I have wrote I change something. Maybe something small like one word in one line, then again it maybe something big, like an entire scene.
This weekend I changed an entire scene which caused an entire chapter to be rewritten and who knows how much more. It is just frustrating! I feel like a hamster in a wheel. I am caught up in my own perfectionism and I can't get out!!!
On top of that it is midterm. I hate midterms--give me a paper any day.

Ok, so I am reworking a story, like I said before. Problem is that I am finding many of the things I have written are not adequatley expressing what I feel or want to convey with it.
It is hard to write something that can evoke those feelings in the reader. You could say She felt this but that is not the point of writing. I don;t just want to tell a story, I want the reader to feel for the story while I tell it.
It is hard to say what you feel and I am just wrestling with that now.

Okay. So I am a lack luster blogger. It is a new year and I still hadn't written anything. I could make the excuse that I am a graduate student and that's why I haven't wrote in months, but with that attitude I would never accomplish anything.
Instead I am going to start February off right or write.

For One Dark Knight needs alot of work. I have all these great ideas for stories that buzz around in my head and with the exception with some scribbled notes and a few chapters thay never are a finished work. I did write a complete novel, but as I reread it I see more and more the essential mistakes I have made as a novice in the feild of writting. So I am reworking the reworked.