Monthly Archives: March 2023
An underwater adventure worthy of Lara Croft or Indiana Jones!
Please welcome Lyndi’s Adventurous Friend D.V. STONE!!!
Thank you so much for sharing your space to talk about Sea Hunter with me. My life tends to be an adventure. In the past I’ve crawled through caves, repelled off of buildings, white-water rafted, and hiked parts of the Appalachian Trail. Down in the Caribbean when I was the oldest in the group of jet skiers, they stuck me at the end of the line. Geez, don’t judge this book by her cover. By the end they’d moved me up and I was side by side with the leader. My adventures these days are a little milder but still fun and exciting. My hubby and I travel in our 5th Wheel Camper. This sucker is 41 feet long and 13 feet high and yes I drive pulling it.
Sea Hunter is my latest book and it’s my first action adventure. This is a romance between Professor Zahra Corbyn, a historical conservator, and an underwater archeologist. Jack Alexander is the captain of Freya, a refitted tender for hire for diving adventures. He also happens to be a treasure hunter and has a piece of the map she needs.
This story was so much fun to write and especially research. I traveled to Freeport, Maine, and then to Cape Cod and tried New England Clam Chowder everywhere we could. Yum. Oh, about the book. Sorry, I lost myself remembering the creamy goodness of the soup.
Sometimes the research was daunting. In so many ways, WWII was horrid. So much loss of life and people, but it also led science forward by giant steps. Colleges and universities worked together with the armed services to develop things like sonar, radar, and radio communications, which opened up a new and exciting area for divers, equipment, and underwater archeology.
During our time in New England, we visited the Bath Iron Works Shipyard and naval museums then a visit to the Whydah Pirate Museum on Cape Cod immersed me in all things pirate. I learned so much about their way of life. One of the most exciting things was consulting with one of the conservators about protecting artifacts. Thankfully, maritime laws have been established to keep treasure hunters from destroying so much of our history from ancient to modern times.
One of my favorite passages is:
“But I’ve had dealings with treasure hunters before. People like you who take what you want without care for preserving our past.” She yanked her hand from his and turned toward the open water. “I spend my life locating pieces of history. Trying to understand them. Things that may help our future.”
The other thing I enjoyed was learning about people in the post-war years. Their vernacular, way of dressing, and spunk—especially for women who’d learned to depend on themselves when men were overseas fighting.
So hoist the sails, Squidies, and join me on a seafaring adventure of love, treachery, fun, and treasure. Oh, did I mention there’s a ghost and a curse? AND that Sea Hunter is only .99 for a few more days! OR, that there is a free series sample for download!
Blurb
Sea Hunter:
Zahra Corbyn
As the professor of antiquities, nothing snaps my cap more than treasure hunters and looters. They smash and grab and then are gone with the wind. And there are two after Sea Wraith. But fate is a funny thing. Thanks to an ancient Mortar and Pestle, not only am I in cahoots with one of them but he’s also fired up my heart, turning me into a khaki-wacky.
Captain Jack Alexander.
I’ve been told women on a ship are unlucky, but this dame has the two pieces of the map I need to finally claim Sea Wraith. Now, I find myself in a lousy deal that makes me one-third partner with her and a known scalawag. It’s either that or bupkis. After all these years of chasing down my dream of finding the shipwreck, my obsession is cooling off and heating up toward a bird who’s way above my pay grade.
Can the two unlikely allies work together while safeguarding their hearts against the power of the Mortar and Pestle?
If you like Lara Croft and Indiana Jones, you’ll love Zahra Corbyn and Jack Alexander.
Excerpt
“Come on, gorgeous.” Hugh slunk up behind her again, his plummy voice sliding over her like mold on fruit. “You like the attention. Stop playing hard to get.”
Zahra Corbyn flinched. Between the wind blowing and her fascination with the choppy waters off Cape Cod, she’d missed the sound of his approach. This man needed to leave her alone. The jerk saw her USO dancing-and-singing act overseas and decided she was easy. Though World War II was over, this battle raged on. She turned and stiff-armed him to keep him away. “I’ve told you more than once—I’m not interested.”
“Listen, chippies like you are nothing but teases.” He grabbed her wrist. A greasy lock of dark hair fell across his forehead. “I…
“It’s lady, jerk.” She let her arm go soft as she kicked out and broke the hold. “And I said, ‘no’.”
Taking a boxer’s stance, she fisted her hands. This guy picked the wrong woman to mess with. Zahra knew how to take care of herself.
A sneer crossed his face under the bushy eyebrows and wide, flat nose, but he turned away.
Zahra relaxed. After being released with the last USO troop, she was tired and wanted nothing more than to be left alone. Besides, the ocean waves called to her.
Out of the corner of her eye she saw him swing back around with a viper’s speed.
She whirled about.
His shoulder hit her stomach.
“Oomph.”
“You tease. I’ll show you.” He rushed forward. “Filthy Jezebel.”
Zahra flailed when he pitched her over the rail of the steamer.
The sneering smile got smaller, and he saluted before the frigid Atlantic water closed over her.
Splashing into the rough water, she suppressed her initial gasp. As an experienced diver, she understood the peril of aspirating saltwater. However, her heartbeat was out of control. When the disorienting shock of hitting the cold ocean in the darkness dissipated, she kicked toward the surface, following the bubbles up. Gasping and sputtering, she stared at the disappearing ship while treading water in its wake.
Stop and focus, Zahra.
Surfacing once more, she coughed and turned three hundred sixty degrees, looking for anything to help her. A buoy, a plank, floating garbage.
She wasn’t shivering anymore. Uh-oh, this was it. Her body was shutting down. Slowly, she descended below the surface. A flicker of light caught her attention. Was that a ship? Or rather the wreck of one? She must be hallucinating.
The depth of the water here wasn’t bad, considering. Only about twenty to thirty feet. Could it be Sea Wraith? Archeologists and fortune hunters had been searching for her for years. The figurehead poking from the sand and silt resembled a specter with its gaping maw and tendrils like an octopus. Spots developed in her vision. The last thing she saw was the shape of a man standing on the ship’s figurehead.
Sea Hunter
A Mortar & Pestle Story
A wisp of smoke, a swirl of promise, a breath of destiny…a message within the Mortar & Pestle for those who want to believe. Throughout time people have sought their heart’s desire. But true love is often elusive. Carved with ancient Norse runes, the Mortar & Pestle shows paths to happily-ever-afters. Once you capture the Mortar & Pestle’s scent of magic, you’ll want to read all seven individual romances.
Link to Sea Hunter https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0BRYJLLW1
Link to series https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0BS42PKHZ
Link to free sample of serieshttps://dl.bookfunnel.com/b1ytv2r7nq
Social Media links for D.V. Stone:
https://www.dvstoneauthor.com/
https://www.instagram.com/d.v.stone/
https://www.facebook.com/dv.stone.1
https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/16344100.D_V_Stone
https://www.bookbub.com/authors/d-v-stone
https://mailchi.mp/3b289d8d7569/d-v-stones-peek-further-and-campfire-crew
Revelations abound in new book–meet author Ellen Byham Saturday
Welcome to Lyndi’s Adventurous Friend Ellen Byham!!
Ellen’s is an adventure of the spiritual kind. Take it away, ELLEN!
Many people, maybe even you, are asking, “Is the end near? Are we in the last days before the return of the Lord?”
In this colorful and straightforward 70-entry devotional, The Time is Near, Ellen Byham examines those questions and then explains the implications for you if these are indeed the end times. Ellen takes you through the book of Revelation, not to try and explain all its symbols, but to help you prepare for the coming of the Lord, whether it happens tomorrow or ten years from now.
To assist you in this, Ellen has included questions to make sure you apply what you read, and she has also developed a journal for you to use as you read to keep a record of what you’ve learned and your action steps to help you remember that the time is near for many of God’s end-time promises to be fulfilled.
UPCOMING EVENT:
I will be at the Traveler’s Café, 167 Main Street, Saegertown, PA, on Saturday, March 25, from 10 am until Noon for a book signing of my new release, The Time is Near, Preparing for the Return of the Lord.
Come hungry and order breakfast or lunch while we chat and enjoy a cup of coffee and some cookies that will be graciously donated by our hostess, Mrs. Tabitha Myers, owner of the Traveler’s Café. Her café is a beautiful space right on main street in our quiet Saegertown. Check out her Menu ahead of time and prepare to be dazzled in delicious! Our family frequents this quaint little eatery and we have always been wowed in yummy food!
By the way, bring your hubby along. The Traveler’s Café is connected to
Tabitha’s husbands store, Myers Sportsman’s Connection. So there is plenty of eating, book signing, and shopping available for a lovely Saturday morning. You can walk along in town and visit other shops or cross the main street and walk along beautiful French Creek. There is also a park overlooking French Creek where you can sit and read your newly signed book and write reflections in your journal.
website link:https://www.beautifulbalanceinspirations.org/
Amazon page: https://author.amazon.com/home
ELLEN ADDS: Beautiful Balance began when I realized how stressed, over-committed and exhausted my friends appeared. I wanted to offer them encouragement in finding purpose and peace in God’s two greatest commandments with my writing.
Now Beautiful Balance has added Inspirations and has grown into a 501c3 non-profit organization raising others up through education, micro-finance and healthcare offering hope in India, Africa, Romania, and here in the United States.
Let your heart be your compass–Opening Night by Lisabet Sarai
Please welcome Lyndi’s Adventurous Friend LISABET SARAI!
A Lifelong Passion
When I was five years old, my parents took me to see my first Gilbert and Sullivan concert. I remember it surprisingly well. Organized outdoors as part of a summer music festival on the Boston Common, the performance featured the legendary Martyn Green from the D’Oyly Carte Opera company – the same troupe that originally mounted William Gilbert’s and Arthur Sullivan’s comic operas in the nineteenth century.
My father and mother were both G&S aficionados. The family must have had phonograph records of at least some of the operettas, because I could sing many of the songs by the time I was in my teens. Certainly we took advantage of whatever opportunities came along during my childhood to indulge ourselves in the topsy-turvy world of the famous pair.
The day I met my husband-to-be, he happened to mention that he was a G&S fan. I will admit, I took this as a sign that we were meant to be together. Later, he and I lived in a town that had its own G&S amateur group, who mounted a different operetta every year. Those were heady days! My parents would often travel cross-country to join us in what became a beloved ritual. During those years, I believe we saw performances of the entire G&S catalog.
Though not as generally popular as The Mikado or Pinafore, Ruddigore is probably my favorite Gilbert and Sullivan opera. This is partly due to the hints of darkness – Sullivan’s music echoing the eerier strains of Mozart’s Don Giovanni – but also the humor. The paradoxical logic that allows Sir Ruthven Murgatroyd to argue his way out of the witches’ curse is some of the best comic sleight-of-hand in any G&S play. Ruddigore also includes one of the most outstanding female characters in the oeuvre, Mad Margaret – a village woman driven to insanity by her passion for Ruthven’s Bad Baronet brother Despard. (Yes, I know, just the sort of person to whom a romance author would be drawn…)
There’s another bit in Ruddigore, though, that gave me the initial idea for Opening Night. Rollicking seaman Dick Dauntless is the foster brother and (supposedly) the bosom friend of the disguised Ruthven, and loudly proclaims his love for his brother in one of the scenes. What if that scene were to develop into a homo-erotic confession? I wondered. And then I thought about the possible repercussions, during the straight-laced Victorian period, if Gilbert were to find himself falling in love with another man.
Opening Night quotes liberally from the original play (courtesy of my mother’s Complete Works of Gilbert and Sullivan, which I inherited), but I admit to playing fast and loose with both history and the plot. I hope the result justifies this distortion – and that Gilbert would recognize the romantic appeal of my artistic license.
If you’ve never experienced Ruddigore, you’ll find a variety of recordings on YouTube, for instance: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=litYduyL1Xw
And for those of you who don’t have the patience to watch the opera… you might enjoy this four minute summary of the plot: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MeHbS8aA6TQ
In any case – I hope you’ll also check out my story!
Excerpt – ALERT R-rated
Opening night was tomorrow, and everyone seemed to be eager and ready. So why did he feel so weighed down, so anxious and exhausted?
It was past ten when a knock woke him from a doze that must have crept up on him despite the fear of nightmares. “Yes, who is it?”
His visitor didn’t wait to be invited in. “It’s me, William. It’s Frank.”
Gilbert bolted upright, anger providing him with sudden energy. Red boiled behind his eyelids. “What are you doing here? I can’t have you here. Get out, this instant.”
The younger man shut the door. He sidled over in Gilbert’s direction. Gilbert backed away. “I needed to see you, William. To talk to you, about the other afternoon. I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have pushed you so hard.”
“Never mind. Just go away now. Please, go away.”
“I apologize for being so rude, so insensitive. I’ve been wanting you so long, it just seemed natural to say it. To show you. I should have realized how new this would be for you, how shocking.” With theatrical grace, Wilson glided to his knees in front of Gilbert, his head bowed. “Forgive me, please.”
Gilbert gazed down at Frank’s golden curls, gleaming in the harsh electric light. He smelled the man’s floral cologne. Damn, his heart was beating like thunder, and there was an uncomfortable tightness in his crotch. Damn, damn, damn.
“Get up,” he said gruffly. “Show a bit of self-respect, Wilson.”
“Not until I hear you say that I’m forgiven.”
“Fine, fine, I forgive you, now get up and go.”
Gilbert didn’t understand how he did it, but all at once Frank was standing in front of him, face to face, close, much too close. He was taller than Gilbert and had to bend to whisper.
“Thank you, William.” Then Gilbert felt the man’s mouth on his own. He felt Frank’s tongue toying with his mustache, tickling, probing, tentative at first, then bold and confident as Gilbert opened his lips.
Gilbert’s resistance melted. Frank’s arms encircled him, and Gilbert reciprocated, stirred by the sensation of strength in those young limbs. Frank tasted of horehound and tobacco, masculine and yet sweet. Frank kissed him eagerly, passionately, and from some place he had not known existed, Gilbert responded with equal passion.
He felt the hard, hot lump that he knew was Frank’s cock, grinding against his thigh. Somehow this did not terrify or appall him. He welcomed it, exquisitely aware that his own cock was swollen and sensitive.
The dark clouds that had haunted him for the past two days dissolved in the brilliance of Frank’s kiss. Gilbert did not think, did not worry or reason or judge. For the first time in a very long time, he simply allowed himself to feel.
It’s January 1887, a few days before the opening of the audacious new operetta “Ruddigore”. As if librettist William Gilbert doesn’t have enough to worry about, one of the D’Oyly Carte stars breaks his leg doing the horn pipe. Fortunately, the understudy Frank Wilson turns out to be immensely talented, as well as devilishly handsome. Wilson has set his heart on Gilbert – and he’s not going to be swayed from his course.
Buy Links
Amazon US – https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0BXCJVLC1
Amazon UK – https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B0BXCJVLC1
Smashwords – https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/1354766
Barnes and Noble – https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/opening-night-lisabet-sarai/1143156836?ean=2940166025562
Kobo – https://www.kobo.com/us/en/ebook/opening-night-17
Apple Books – https://books.apple.com/us/book/x/id6445998898
Add on Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/123174847-opening-night
About Lisabet
Lisabet Sarai became addicted to words at an early age. She began reading when she was four. She wrote her first story at five years old and her first poem at seven. Since then, she has written plays, tutorials, scholarly articles, marketing brochures, software specifications, self-help books, press releases, a five-hundred page dissertation, and lots of erotica and erotic romance – over one hundred titles, and counting, in nearly every sub-genre—paranormal, scifi, ménage, BDSM, GLBT, and more. Regardless of the genre, every one of her stories illustrates her motto: Imagination is the ultimate aphrodisiac.
You’ll find information and excerpts from all Lisabet’s books on her website (http://www.lisabetsarai.com/books.html), along with more than fifty free stories and lots more. At her blog Beyond Romance (http://lisabetsarai.blogspot.com), she shares her philosophy and her news and hosts lots of other great authors. She’s also on Goodreads, Pinterest, BookBub, BingeBooks and Twitter.
Join her VIP email list here: https://btn.ymlp.com/xgjjhmhugmgh
Better late than never–Dariel Raye’s newest cover revealed!
Rehobeth’s Passion
Orlosian Warriors Book
4
by Dariel Raye
Genre: Paranormal
Romance
Repaying a debt could cost him his soul.
He sacrificed everything else centuries ago.
Rehobeth sentenced himself to a life of penance, atoning for a multitude of sins by
helping others. He’s accustomed to being alone, but upholding a promise he never thought he’d have to
keep unearths emotions he hasn’t felt in centuries.
A terrifying attack changed Max’s life
forever. Now, she’s back home with a target on her back. Forced to face demons from her past, her life
takes a drastic turn and she’s thrown into a world borne of nightmares. Still, she can’t deny an
overpowering pull towards a mysterious and dangerous man.
Could Rehobeth be connected to
her nightmarish visions? Max is determined to find out, but Rehobeth is hiding something from her. He’s
hiding a lot of somethings from her, and learning the truth could not only be dangerous, but deadly.
**PreOrder now on Amazon!**
** Don’t miss the rest of the series! **
Calm Assurance
Orlosian Warriors Book
1
Destiny’s Favor
Orlosian Warriors Book
2
Gideon’s Light
Orlosian Warriors Book
3
Outreach
An Orlosian Warriors Novella
Dariel Raye is an animal rights activist, a musician, therapist, Netflix
binger, and an award-winning, USA TODAY, and International bestselling author of powerful
paranormal romance and dark urban fantasy with IR/MC (Interracial/Multi-cultural) alpha male heroes to
die for, and strong heroines with hearts worth winning.
She is a classically trained mezzo-soprano and pianist who started singing with perfect pitch
before she could walk (according to her mother, anyway), then fell in love with books and started reciting
stories at the age of 3. Dariel plays over 11 musical instruments, including piano, organ, brass, and
percussion.
Her stories tell of shifters, Nephilim, demons, and fae/fey (the Vodouin variety). Dariel is
currently writing four series: “Dark Sentinels” (wolf shifters), “Orlosian Warriors” (Vampire-like
Nephilim), Gateway (demon hunters), and “Secret Admirer’s Christmas Wish,” (sweet holiday romance).
For
more about Dariel, follow her ‘Musings’ blog or
visit her website. She also offers free reads,
giveaways, and other insider info in her VIP Readers’ Club newsletter.
Website * Facebook * Twitter * Instagram * Bookbub * Amazon * Goodreads
A great read from author Terri Branson!
What is the connection between the oil business and the ghost? Find out in the paranormal romance MUSK RAIN by Terri Branson. Available in print and ebook. To read an excerpt, watch a video, read reviews, and find sales links CLICK HERE. #MuskRain #TerriBranson #paranormalromance
Lyndi Alexander's worlds of fancy 