Wow Wednesday ~ The Trouble With Cupcakes

It's Wow Wednesday: be prepared to be wowed!

I'll tell you right off I'm not easily impressed by just any ole book or novelette for that matter, but there was something about The Trouble with Cupcakes that hooked me. First off: way cool title, although I wished the cover was a bit humorous because that's what I thought this novelette was.  Speaking as a writer, I love me some short stories and novelettes. It's so hard to fit longer works into my crazy schedule, but I do so try for the love of...reading!

Book description:

Heather Ryan is the proud owner of Cupcakes on Royal. It’s a thriving business, but if she wants to put her cupcakery on the map, she needs to win the coveted Krewe of Bacchus after-party contract. When she finds out who’s leading the Krewe, Heather realizes she’s about to get a second chance with her first true but unrequited love, Alec Carlisle.

Alec is a successful New Orleans lawyer. As the leader of the Krewe of Bacchus, it’s up to him to put together the top caterers from around the city to cater the Krewe’s Fat Tuesday event. He has few regrets in life, but missing a chance with a woman from long ago is one he plans on rectifying when he finds out Heather is the baker behind Cupcakes on Royal. It won’t be an easy task, there are a lot of years behind them, but Heather is worth fighting for. His ex, Lila, who’s also vying for the contract, has her eyes on winning the contract at all costs. She also makes it clear she wants Alec back.

Will Heather and Alec find forgiveness of the past and be able to get past Lila’s obstacles to find the sweet ending they both deserve?

Now for the Wow Wednesday Sample

“Ohmigod!” Heather ran over to the stunning woman who was now covered in bits of cupcake and icing. 

“You idiot!” 

“I’m so sorry. Here, let me help.” Heather looked around for a towel, a rag, a spare anything to help mop the sugary mess off what she knew was a cream-colored Chanel blouse. 

“Did you just learn to walk and carry things?” The icy blonde beauty snapped as she flung purple, green and gold buttercream icing onto the carpet. 

“Come on, Lila, it was an accident.” 

Heather stopped in her tracks at the deep masculine voice coming from beside her. She’d been too stunned at seeing Alec’s gorgeous self she was momentarily speechless. The years had been kind to him and she was shocked by the zing of attraction that coursed through her which resulted in her current predicament. 

Ahlers, Kristi (2012-08-21). The Trouble with Cupcakes (The Trouble Series) (Kindle Locations 219-228). Tirgearr Publishing. Kindle Edition. 

My take: Lighthearted and simply entertaining. I'm kind of a klutz and could immediately identify with character Heather Ryan. There were certainly some laugh out loud moments. What woman didn't have a secret crush in high school and wished she could meet up with him one day. That's exactly what Heather did when ran into Alec Carlisle, literally! She had no clue that he was the leader of the Krewe of Bacchus, a contract she desperately needed to keep her Cupcakery in business! Sparks flew right off the bat and that's not all! I'd recommend this book for anyone who loves romance and humor, and anyone else that loves quirky characters. 

Tirgearr Publishing is having half off all ebooks today, August 29th, in celebration of it's six month anniversary! 

Kristi Ahlers

Bio

Kristi Ahlers is a California girl! She grew up in Northern California in a small city called Yuba City. Since then she's lived in Brussels, Belgium, and England along with a myriad of other locations. A former flight attendant, she was able to continue to feed her love of travel. This has greatly influenced her writing, allowing her to pen stories about places she's managed to visit and things she's experienced.

Kristi loves to hear from her readers.

Check out Kristi on Facebook.

Buy The Trouble WIth Cupcakes on Amazon or Smashwords for 50% off today or buy more books 2 for 1. I know I'm sure going back to Amazon to buy another of Kristi's novelettes. 

Sample Sunday ~ Redneck Romance

This is another sample from my WIP Redneck Romance. In this scene the lost and utterly clueless Kelly Gray just ran out of gas and found a local — Jimmy Bob Willows — from the mountains of North Carolina to help her out.

I trembled slightly. "I'm a photographer and I'm here to take pictures of the fall leaves."

"Go home City."

Tears threatened to spill. "I can't, I need this." I turned away and dabbed at the tears and faced him again. "Perhaps I just need a guide. Are you available." Okay so I threw caution into the wind. I trusted him. I think I can trust him.

"No way, am I gonna go into the wilderness with some green city girl that don't know the first thing about surviving. Ya don't even know how to fill yore gas tank."

"Please help me, I'll pay you." I tried to convince him.

He gave me a sideways look like he might be considering it.

"I have plenty of money."

He slapped his hands over his face. "You are intent on supplying information that you shouldn't to a complete stranger that you don't even know." A smile tugged at the corners of his lips. "What you got for supplies?" he asked.

Publishing Contract

This has been a long journey and I have reached the point where I had to make some hard decisions. I love being an Indie Author and that part is changing to a point. I signed a contract with an Independant Publisher for my thriller, The Bone Extractor!

It's a hard decision for many reasons, but unfortunately I just don't have the time and resources to continue to go it alone, maybe one day. I wouldn't make this move unless it's for the greater good of my books and my writing career. I owe it to my readers to put out quality books.  

What is different with this Independant Publisher is that they are including a promotional package that is out of this world. I'm very excited and hope you'll all be here to cheer me on! 

Smiles :)

OUTRAGEOUS BOOK SALE

OUTRAGEOUS BOOK SALE

Us http://tiny.cc/aelhjw  UK http://tiny.cc/xglhjw

Outrageous book Sale begins today thru Labor Day! Get your copy of Armed and Outrageous for 99 cents, £0.75 for the UK!

This is your chance to get you copy of the #1 Senior Sleuth on Amazon! It's more than the bang for your buck.

Senior sleuth — Grandma Mazur meets Murder She Wrote — cozy mystery.

Agnes Barton is not your typical senior citizen living in Tadium, MI, on the shores of Lake Huron. She drives a red hot Mustang, shops at Victoria's Secret, rankles local police officials, and has a knack for sticking her nose where it doesn't belong.

What does a murder that happened forty-three years ago have to do with missing tourist Jennifer Martin? Agnes makes it her personal mission to find out, and she's not letting the fact she's seventy-two get in the way. Butting heads with Sheriff Clem Peterson is something she's accustomed to, but lately Clem seems to be acting even more strange, making Agnes wonder what he may be hiding ala the Martin disappearance.

Agnes’ partner in crime, Eleanor Mason tags along, Watson to her Holmes. 

Together, they unearth clues. If only Eleanor would behave, as although lovable, she has a knack for getting into trouble by tangling with her rival, Dorothy Alton, or flirting with anyone—male or female—and gossiping! She's incorrigible, but she does carry a Pink Lady revolver in her purse, one that has proved useful at times.

Life for Agnes and Eleanor is shaken up when Agnes' former boss and secret crush comes to Tadium. Before long, the lady sleuths have more on their hands to contend with as goons roll into town and bullets begin to fly.

Six Sentence Sunday

Sequel to Armed and Outrageous:

This is a bit over six sentences, but I think you get the idea. In this scene Agnes Barton and Eleanor Mason are where else, but the scene of a crime. 

"I'm Agnes Baron PI and this is my assistant, Watsin here." I thumbed in El's direction.

El's eyes narrowed. "That's fine, Watsin is way smarter than Sherlock Holmes ever was."

"Are you Miss Marple?" a woman dressed in a maid uniform asked me inquisitively. 

I smoothed my hair back. "I fancy myself more of a Jessica Fletcher."

"She's such a know-it-all Aggie, you don't want to be her." Eleanor laughed.

"I'm certainly not trying to be Miss Marple or any other fictional character. I'm the real deal." I made an elegant stance like I was posing for a magazine. "I have never even read an Agatha Christie book before." I insisted.

Celebrating Michigan Authors ~ Gabriel Rheaume

In the first of the series: Celebrating Michigan Authors, I'd like to introduce  you to Author Gabriel Rheaume.

Bio: Gabriel Rheaume is from Detroit, Michigan, born in 1982. He is a graduate from Wayne State University concentrating in English, Spanish, and Africana Studies. He has spent time on the shores of Lake Huron, and traveled extensively across the United States as well as Canada. He currently resides in Michigan and is 29 years old.

How I came to write: I came to write The Shores We Walk from a statement I made to my girlfriend, who is now deceased. I told her that her family was so dysfunctional that someone should write a book about them. As time passed I became more interested in the idea and pursuing it myself. When she took her life at the age of 19, I made a vow to myself that this book would transpire. So I had a creative writing class in college and it all started from there.

Her death led me to alcoholism and drug addiction. As my addiction became worse my writing style transformed into surreal and delusional accounts of memories and life itself. As time progressed my best friend died of a heroin overdose in my apartment while I was sleeping, and another one of my close friends passed away due to unexplained causes. All of these factors continued to come out into my writing, so I decided to write the book as a tribute to all of them and write it in a way that way that feels like being on drugs as well as bouts of psychosis, and visits from beyond the grave. The book grew as I was in and out of rehabs, but not until I got my own addictions under control was I able to wrap up the story, get an editor, and self-publish The Shores We Walk. Although it is a tragedy, there is also a ray of hope. I recommend it to those struggling with addiction, families of addicts, and those just curious about the lifestyle of a junkie. It is a fast paced read, that is brutally honest and painful, but also written in a lyrical prose.

Synopsis: 

When all the people close to Francis end up dying, a lot of questions are left in the air while Francis falls into a deep psychosis. It is written through a veil of drugs and visits from beyond the grave. It is a love story, a tragedy, a struggle with faith, and brief moments of hope. Through all of the darkness there is also so much beauty. "In the book, The Shores We Walk, Francis, based on a postmodern St. Francis of Assisi, narrates the story of four people as they slowly self-destruct and battle drug addiction, homelessness, and poverty. While Gabriel attended Wayne State University he saw such tragic things every day.  He was inspired by the fact that even though these people had nothing, they never lost sight of what really mattered to them. He realized that life has more joys than sorrow and wished that more people would recognize that simple fact. When asked about his experiences in downtown Detroit he simply says, “When you see a homeless man with a larger smile than a rich man you have to question what’s actually important in your life” (Sandusky Tribune).

Excerpt: 

"If the weathered barns along the road did not reveal their age, it would seem like going back in time. He had not visited her cottage since the snow had fallen. It is off one of Michigan's Great Lakes with a beach that has a coast with no near end. There is no view beyond the lake and sky. Sometimes freight ships sit near the horizon, slowly drifting in time with the clouds. At times the sky and the lake become indistinguishable. There is not a better easel for the sunset than the framed sky above this vast oasis. To sit afloat in the center of any large mass of water has an unfathomable magnificence. It is like analyzing the one infinite living second that is recognizable as life. The horizon can be divided by two shades, that of the water, and of the the air. There is no end to this one-second as there is seemingly no end to the polar vision of the water and the sky.

     

Each season is equally enchanting. Lake Huron in winter is deep blue with waves frozen to the white beach. The barren rolling, snow-covered hills are like a desert. The wind forms drifts that are small cliffs.

     

The spring is a time of new life. The green is so vibrant that plants glow in the daylight. Blossoms decorate trees like white and pink ribbons. The air is as fresh as rich, black, soil.

     

In the summer, the purple chicory grows in fields of grass. Queen Anne's Lace makes groups of wild plants flowers look like bouquets. The breeze from the lake is cool and comforting.

     

The colors of the leaves in autumn are almost unnatural. A rainbow falls from the sky and the land becomes a palette of trees."

Links: E-store https:www.createspace.com/3523749

Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Shores-We-Walk-Gabriel-Rheaume/dp/145644431X/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1343859333&sr=1-1&keywords=the+shores+we+walk

Amazon Kindle: http://www.amazon.com/The-Shores-We-Walk-ebook/dp/B006GCD82I/ref=sr_1_1?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1343859370&sr=1-1&keywords=the+shores+we+walk

Facebook book page: www.facebook.com/theshoreswewalk

Article and review from the Sandusky Tribune: http://sanduskytribune.com/?p=3258

Book review Outsider Writers: http://www.outsiderwriters.org/2011/the-shores-we-walk-a-review-by-dawn-graves

Twitter: OscarOptimism

Thank you Madison!

Gabriel Rheaume

The Shores We Walk