Christmas with Erica Scott!

Christmas Traditions at Ericka Scott’s House

Around the Scott household, the weekends between Thanksgiving and Christmas all seem to be jam-packed with Christmas parties and family get-togethers. Some years, we have too many to fit into two short days. Over the last couple of years, I’ve let activities crowd out some of our most memorable traditions. Not this year.

This year, we’re having a real tree which we’ll decorate to the strains of NSync’s Christmas album (it’s tradition, you know). Then, we’ll gather around the fireplace to light our Yule log and eat sugar cookies we made to distribute to the neighbors as gifts.

These cookies are, in our eyes, masterpieces. No, they aren’t those gorgeous things you see in bakery windows, but have the quirks that our family is known by. We decorate Christmas fish, only one of which is given three eyes and made especially for our friend, Jon. There are some traditional shapes, stars and Santas, but you are just as likely to find rocket ships amongst the Christmas trees, a T-Rex waiting to devour the red and green bunnies, and there is always a haunted church cookie -- complete with sugar black bats in the belfry. 

Given the oddities of our family, I guess it’s no surprise to find that my holiday tales aren’t full of Christmas cheer, instead they tout titles like A Christmas Curse, which can be found in the ‘Twas a Dark and Delicious Christmas Anthology (http://www.erickascott.com/books/cursed-for-christmas-in-twas-a-dark-and-delicious-christmas-anthology/) and my latest, Tidings of Fear (http://www.erickascott.com/books/tidingsoffear/). I guess I enjoy making readers shiver from more than just the cold. 

Erica Scott is sharing TIDINGS OF FEAR with us today.

A psychic, a skeptic, and a serial killer…

Psychic Lia Morgan sees portents all around her. Although estranged from her family, she joins the search for her missing sister. A simple case gets complicated fast when she discovers her sister’s plethora of secrets includes a son.

Professor Jared Trimble’s world has no room for paranormal mumbo-jumbo. When asked to consult on a case involving a series of crossword puzzles, he’s conflicted. Is he a suspect, or an investigator?

While Lia uses her physic gift and follows signs, Jared uses his wits and experience. When the two collide, passions flare and the final clue brings them both into the bull’s-eye of a serial killer’s target. 

********

Excerpt

“Hello?” she called. A creak sounded from above and a trickle of discomfort slid down her spine. She pulled out her key chain, from which hung a small canister of mace. Another creak made her jump.

“Hello?” she called again. Taking a deep breath, she strode purposefully into the house and found herself in a small living room. Lia glimpsed a small alcove off to the side and expected to find a small dining area, or perhaps an attached office.

Her breath caught in her throat as she walked into another large living room and straight into the past. Positioned under the window were the couch and loveseat she remembered from growing up. A recliner sat in the corner, a newspaper already opened to the comics on the seat.

She shivered. A tall enclosed bookcase, the one that had resided in Lia’s bedroom, stood next to the window. If she stepped closer, she knew she’d recognize every title on its shelves.

A small wooden rocking chair sat next to the recliner. A Raggedy Ann doll vied for seat space with her twin, Raggedy Andy.

“Oh, God,” Lia said. The memorial to her family should have been macabre. Instead, it brought tears to her eyes. Even the antique desk her sister, Sylvie, had thrown a fit to own and then despised when computers became popular and her father wouldn’t let her buy a more functional desk had a place in the room. A smile tugged at the corner of Lia’s mouth.

She could almost hear Sylvie’s famous whine, “But, Dad…”

As memories flooded her mind, she had to blink back a sudden rush of tears. She took a step back, turned and nearly ran back to the hallway. A light dimmed and brightened in another room. Lia didn’t need to count the pulses to know there would be eight.

A short walk found her in the kitchen. The stainless steel appliances sparkled and even the floor seemed to have been freshly waxed. She wished her kitchen looked this good. A towering pile of newspapers indicated they were sisters, after all. The stack teetered on the corner of the kitchen table. All of them were opened and folded to reveal the crossword puzzle.

Had Sylvie left these here? She couldn’t remember her sister having a penchant for crosswords, but she obviously didn’t know Sylvie as well as she’d thought.

Or had someone else brought these in and put them there?

Speaking of which, where was her sister?

She headed upstairs, calling as she went. Just as empty as downstairs. And just as neat. A small blue plastic item on the floor of her sister’s office appeared to be the only thing out of place.

Lia scooped it up. A thumb drive. She went to put it on the desk when a loud creak sounded behind her. She shoved it into her pocket and fumbled for her keys.

Heavy footsteps approached up the stairs.

Lia turned as a shadow fell across the doorway.

*****

Check out the Free Reads Page on my website in December for our infamous sugar cookie recipe (it contains eggnog) and also one for a decadent chocolate Yule log (yum).

And yes, Virginia, there were once camels in California…

Ericka Scott is a multi-published, bestselling author of seductive suspense. She's written stories for as long as she can remember and reads anything under the sun (including the back of cereal boxes in a pinch). She got hooked on romantic suspense in her college days, when reading anything but a textbook was a guilty pleasure. Now, when she’s not chauffeuring children around, wishing she had a maid, or lurking at the library, she’s spinning her own web of fantasy and penning tales of seduction and suspense. She currently lives in Southern California with her husband and three children.

Get a behind the scenes look at her writing and zany family on her blog at http://erickascott.blogspot.com

She also loves friends, so come friend her at http://myspace.com/erickascott

She's also on Facebook at http://facebook.com/ericka.scott and Twitter @ErickaScott

You can find out more about her books at www.erickascott.com

Thanks for joining me and Have a Sparkling Holiday!

Rebecca Rose 

Christmas with Autumn Piper!

 The first time I went to a local writers’ group meeting, someone mentioned a writing contest, with an entry deadline in two weeks. It was a week before Thanksgiving, and I had no idea what to write about, but decided to come up with something. Holidays seem fraught with emotion—good for most families, and downright awful in others. And since writing a short story presented a challenge for me (my ongoing 1^st novel at that point had already capped out around 189k words), I opted for a story that would leave readers to decide the ending for themselves. The premise was this: a woman out for a walk on Thanksgiving, after in-laws had gone home, facing a decision about her marriage after she’d caught her husband fooling around the night before at a party. While she’s out walking, she meets a man (and they have instant chemistry), who shows obvious interest in her, going so far as to confess he watches her out walking every day. Which is a little creepy and makes his character a little iffy… During this meeting, she feels drawn to him regardless, and ends up spilling her troubles to him. He asks her what she’s going to do about her marriage, but she doesn’t know yet, and leaves him wondering, along with the reader.

I won 3^rd place in the writing contest.

But then…

Even though I loved leaving my readers hanging, I’d kind of gotten attached to my main character Mandy. I liked her pithy, smart-ass way of seeing things, and really wanted to see if she’d take her wayward husband back, or go for the new guy. And, being a pantser, I honestly had no idea how it’d turn out. I did know her husband wasn’t all bad, and she wasn’t perfect, and Adam (aka New Guy) wouldn’t be 100% good—because I was tired of stories with perfect lead characters and totally evil bad guys.

The result turned out to be something like this (here’s the book trailer link http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9NJUIDdanyg ):

One good heartbreak deserves another.

Mandy plans to leave her husband the minute their month of counseling is over. How can she forgive his outrageous affair? It would almost be funny if the consequences weren't so harsh. They've got kids, and families with strong--and warped--opinions on marriage.

Her aunt thinks she should take a page from the black widow spider. Her brother's begging to avenge her broken heart, and their marriage counselor offers to play the willing victim in some payback sex.

While her clueless husband launches a campaign to win her back, Mandy meets Adam, the perfect shoulder to cry on. Will perfect justice prove just how sweet revenge can be when you wait for it?

Content Warning: Real people aren't all good or all bad. Neither are the characters in this story. The shade of right or wrong you see may depend upon whose glasses you are looking through.

Waiting for Revenge is available wherever ebooks are sold, for $0.99.

http://www.lyricalpress.com/store/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=2_12&products_id=138

Autumn Piper

Got romance?

http://piperpatter.blogspot.com/

www.autumnpiper.com

Don't forget, Waiting For Revenge and other select Lyrical Press ebooks are now on sale 30% off until Christmas!

Have a Sparkling Holiday!

Rebecca Rose 

Christmas with Silke Juppenlatz!

I am a total scatterbrain these days.
Christmas is less than two weeks away, and I have nothing done.
But I have a wonderful excuse.
Christmas came early this year. On the 3rd December to be precise.

That's my Christmas and Birthday present for the next ten years.

Talk about procrastination, when all you can do is stare at that face.

But it means I get nothing done, and time is even more at a premium than normal. I work full time, now I have a horse to look after, all the Christmas stuff to do, presents to get and wrap... It's an endless list, and the calendar keeps creeping ever so close to "D Day". Panic tends to set in right about now. LOL.

Writing suffers this time of year, not just because of Oscuro (that's his name), even though he's a great excuse for not getting things done. 
I'm sure I'm not the only one who finds time is in short supply. We all run around getting presents -- if we know what to get people -- or decorating the house, planning ahead for Christmas Dinner, attend Christmas parties, possibly volunteer for something we don't really have time for... And before you know it, there is no time left for yourself, much less for writing. 
It drives me crazy, to be honest, and I'm usually glad when it's over, no matter how much fun I'm having. 
It's just nice to breathe again, without starting to hyperventilate because you forgot to pick up a present for X, because Y happened.

It's difficult to juggle life at the best of times. Around Christmas time, I find it almost impossible. I'd like a word with whoever decided 24 hours in a day is enough to get everything done.
I usually bake Stollen and cookies. Not this year. There just isn't time.
Curling up with a book? Yeah, I'd love to, but the moment I sit down -- I fall asleep. So much for reading.
It will all have to wait until after Christmas. (Except him up there, he demands food and exercise, Christmas or not.) 
But I intend to catch up then, as I suspect most people do. 
Is there a better way than to chill on the sofa with a good book? (Okay, I can think of a couple, but hey...)

My heroes would be unlikely Santas, but I think their time management would be a little better than mine. 
I think Zalin, from Howl, would rather run naked thorugh town than don a Santa suit.
Lucia would have fun with it though. (Especially if Zalin *did* run naked through town.) 
Tiffy... yeah, she'd be right in there too. But the hero from the sequel to Howl (Watch me), Keric, would make her wear a sexy elf outfit, if she made him get into a Santa suit. 
Ashriel from Smitten would be in his element, but he'd never let on that he enjoys it. Jo...would be far too shy and would hide behind Ash.

Howl is currently on sale over at Lyrical Press, so if you want a good read for those after Christmas sofa moments...Now is a good time to grab a copy. :)

But most of all -- Have a wonderful Christmas!

When life hands you wolves — Howl. 
The alpha wolf in Zalin's pack is slowing going insane, which is tough enough to contend with, but the guy is gunning for the woman Zalin loves–the rancher's daughter who saved his hide. He's torn between taking off to avoid a confrontation with the Alpha, and sticking around to protect Lucia. Opening his heart to her is not an option– he's had enough rejection to last a lifetime.

Lucia is fascinated by the "wolf" she saved–at the time unaware he was more than a canine. Zalin seems out to save her from his Alpha, but she wants more than protection from him. When spilled family secrets make her doubt everything she knows, she turns to Zalin for stability, only to learn he's planning to leave.

Will Zalin desert the one he loves when she needs him most, or will he howl a challenge on her behalf?

Silke grew up in Germany and is used to things going bump in the night -- and it wasn't always the acrophobic cat, or someone hitting their head on a low beam on the ceiling. 
She writes paranormal romance, usually at night, but these days the only thing going bump at "oh-dark-thirty" is her -- usually when she smacks into the sofa while creeping to the kitchen for another cup of coffee. 
When she is not writing, she can be found on the back of her dapple gray Paso Fino, somewhere in the Surrey countryside.

Silke likes to hear from her readers.
Feel free to contact her via her blog at http://www.evilauthor.com, follow her on Twitter, look her up on Goodreads or become a friend on Facebook andG+.

 Her books Howl and Smitten are available at all major ebook retailers.