Love is in the air!

Winter is a time of blustery winds, warm blankets, and book friends to fill your heart.

Sunday, February 12, 2012

W. Lynn Chantale Shares Two


Today my good friend, W. Lynn Chantale, is joining us in the Spell Room. Lynn has two new releases to share with us. I can't wait to get my copies!


Be Mine
W. Lynn Chantale

Remember those little Valentine cards we handed out in school? I used to hate doing that. Even though the teacher sent out a class list, and every student had to make sure there were enough cards, I always hated that moment. What if I didn’t get one? Or would the cute boy I had a crush on give me the “special” Valentine card from the box.
Junior High and High School saw candygrams. I think for fifty cents you could send a card and message with a sucker or something. I’d get a few of those, but by then whether or not I received didn’t matter as much. I was too focused on writing and reading.
So in the spirit of the Valentine’s Day I thought I’d write you a poem. Hopefully it will bring a smile to your face.

Rose are Red
Violets are Blue
Yes, I thought I’d start with
lines tried and true.

Lilies are White
Tulips are Pink
Thank goodness this is the
last line, ‘cause this poem stinks!

Happy Valentine’s Day.

Until next time, Indulge Your Inner Romantic

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/W.LynnChantaleAuthor





The Designer’s Bride-Valentine Delights:Kiss Me
Jordan has planned the perfect wedding, only one catch, the bride hasn't said yes.

For cosmetics heiress Elisabeth Bach, finding the right man hasn’t been easy, especially when her father is bent on arranging her love life for his own twisted purposes. When she falls for fashion designer Jordan Carlisle, she knows she’s met The One, and she’ll do anything to keep their relationship secret from her father’s schemes.

Jordan Carlisle has been waiting a long time for a chance to date Elisabeth and he’s determined to make her his wife. Will a Valentine’s Day proposal be enough to keep her or will his checkered past destroy his future? 

Watching him reminded her of the first time they met and her lips quirked at the memory. At least then she’d had some warning of the broken date…

Alone. Again. Elisabeth managed a halfhearted smile as she laid her phone on the pristine white linen and accepted a menu from the maitre d’. “Thank you,” she murmured.

She glanced around the quiet restaurant. Cloth-topped tables dotted the room while various couples sat shrouded in shadows, heads bent, indulging in private conversations. With a sigh, she opened her menu. She didn’t even know why she bothered anymore.

Dating was hard under the best of circumstances, but in the last year it seemed to grow more difficult. Any man who survived to the third date, canceled by the fourth. Which is why she sat in a four star restaurant alone...again. She didn’t even have the heart to stay anymore.

“Will someone be joining you this evening, Miss Bach?”

She smiled at the sandy-haired waiter hovering near her elbow. “Not tonight. I think I’ll just go home.”

A frown creased his lightly tanned features. “That’s too bad. A gentleman at another table asked if he might join you.”

“Are you playing matchmaker again, Dylan?”

He chuckled. “No ma’am. He saw you sitting alone.”

“I think I can take it from here,” a smooth, velvety voice interrupted.

Dylan nodded and backed away. Elisabeth straightened a little in her chair. Her breath stuck in her throat at the intensity of the newcomer’s stare. His long slow perusal left her body simmering.

His jet black hair was cut close, the smooth hairline tapering to neatly trimmed sideburns. Otherwise, his rugged face was clean-shaven. He smiled and her eyes were drawn to his full, sexy mouth. For a moment, she wondered how his lips would feel pressed against hers. Desire flooded her veins.

“Jordan Carlisle.” He offered his hand. The oversized watch on his wrist winked in the dim light, vying for attention with his gold cufflinks.

 She accepted his hand. “Elisabeth.” She snapped her gaze to his at the crackle of electricity between them. He held her hand a second too long and flirtation gleamed in the depths of his coffee-colored eyes.

“Mind if I join you?” He waved to the vacant chair across from hers.

She shook her head and bit back a sigh when his biceps flexed against the dark silk of his suit jacket. He unbuttoned his coat and sat down.

“I hate dining alone,” he said, smiling apologetically.

“I do too. I was just about to leave.” She studied him from beneath her lashes before meeting his eyes a second time. He seemed familiar to her, yet she couldn’t quite place where she’d seen him. “Have we met before?”

He smiled, wide and easy, and her heart fluttered in anticipation.

“Not formally. I’m a friend of your brother’s. We went to college together.”

His dark good looks and devil-may-care eyes slid into place in her memory. The photo in her brother’s room, of the lacrosse team. Jordan had been the captain.

“You and Drew played lacrosse.”

He nodded. “How is Andrew? It’s been a few months since we’ve seen each other.”

“Out of town at the moment. At a conference.” She reached for her water glass and Dylan reappeared with a second menu. “I’ll have to tell Andrew we spoke.”

 “I’m sure he won’t mind.” Jordan smiled again and she melted.

She shook her head. “He thinks I should get out more, but my father has a way of sabotaging my love life.” She sipped her water.

He regarded her a moment, avid interest shining in his eyes. “You are definitely worth protecting.”
Heat crept into her cheeks from his scrutiny as well as the compliment. “You’re pretty suave, aren’t you?”

He chuckled, a smooth laugh that reminded her of warm fudge. “When it suits me.”

“Like now?”

He inclined his head.

“And my father knows nothing about you?”

“Not that I’m aware of.”

She picked up a menu. “Let’s keep it that way.”


Decadent Seconds

As a caterer, Darling gets to witness some of life’s happiest moments, but yearns for a marriage proposal of her own. After years of waiting on her beloved to pop the question, she gives up on ever having a happy ending of her own and severs the relationship. When she learns she’s pregnant, she has no choice but to face her child’s father on a daily basis as well as the love and attraction she has for him.

Darryl Manning always believed Darling would be his forever. After all he didn’t need a piece of paper to show her how much he loved her, but when she leaves him to pursue her dream of owning a catering company and raising his son, he may have to rethink his views on marriage. That is if he wants a second chance at family.




Thursday, February 9, 2012

Jillian Chantal


Jillian Chantal, author of The Coroner's Heart, has stopped by the Spell Room to tell us a little about her new story. Welcome, Jillian.

Thanks for inviting me to be on your blog today, Liberty. I’m going to chat a bit about my short story in a Valentine’s Day Anthology from Still Moments Anthology. I’m honored as well to be in your company in this book. How fun is it that we both have stories in the same anthology?

My story is The Coroner’s Heart and takes place mostly in a crime lab. The heroine is the city coroner and the hero is a blood analyst in the lab. The mayor of the city is dead. The public and deputy mayor is demanding a quick resolution to the mayor’s death. The staff has to work overtime to get to the solution.



The lab also has a staff Valentine’s day luncheon planned and the  heroine is bringing a candy heart made from spun sugar and JELL-O. Here is the tag line for the story: Making a Valentine’s Day candy heart from Jell-o is easy for this coroner, performing an autopsy on a real heart is even easier, but what happens when her own heart is at risk?

The hero and heroine have worked near each other for a while, but the week of Valentine’s Day, the hero’s normal sarcastic attitude and general teasing of the coroner takes a turn toward the flirtatious. He asks her to share Valentine’s Dinner with him and his valentine. She thinks he’s lost his mind to expect her to accompany him to such a dinner.

This was a fun story to write and I really like the hero- he’s witty and charming even when he’s a bit of a pain to the heroine. I hope the readers love him as much as I do.

I like to have a twist in my tales and I hope the readers appreciate the one in this story.


Thanks again for letting me chat today, Liberty.

Find me on the web: www.JillianChantal.com


Monday, February 6, 2012

Change of Heart, my Valentine Day story is now available  through Still Moments Publishing.





and

Valentine Delights Be Mine on Smashwords:
https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/130214