Summer Blog Party – Part 1

My favorite time of the year is summer so when Joanne Troppello announced her plans to celebrate the beginning of the season with a Summer Blog Party, I jumped at the opportunity.

So too, did Patrica Bates, Kay Springseen,  and Gabrielle Bisset. Along with Joanne, we’re helping out as Summer Blog Party hosts for the day. Five authors, five blogs, five opportunities to win free books, and five times the fun!

First things first: Help yourself to some cyber lemonade, ice cream or whatever summertime treat you fancy. Stay and chat with the authors.  Leave a comment for a chance to win Joanne Tropello’s Mr. Shipley's Governess (ecopy) or Awakening by JoAnn Durgin (print copy).  (Winners will be announced later this month.)  

Your hosts: Patricia Bates, Joanne Troppello, Kay Springsteen and Gabrielle Bisset

Who’s attending the Summer Blog Party? You, me, and these very talented authors:

Born and raised in a California farming community called Weedpatch, Delia Latham moved to Oklahoma in 2008, making her a self-proclaimed California Okie. She loves to read and write in her simple country home, and gets a kick out of watching her husband play Farmer John. Contact her through her website or e-mail (delia@delialatham.net).

Joanne Troppello is an author of mystery and inspirational romance novels. Her second novel, Mr. Shipley’s Governess, was recently released by Wild Horse Press. She is at work on her next novel, a romantic suspense. She is married and loves spending time with her husband and family.

Although Stacy Juba specializes in writing adult mysteries and romantic suspense novels, she has also authored books for children and young adults – she pursues whatever story ideas won’t leave her alone. Stacy’s titles include Twenty-Five Years Ago Today, Sink or Swim, and the patriotic children’s picture book The Flag Keeper.

Heather Haven has written short stories, comedy acts, plays, television treatments, ad copy, commercials, and novels. Her series, Murder is a Family Business, and A Wedding To Die For are part of the Alvarez Murder Mystery series, and can be found at MuseItUp Publishing, Amazon, Smashwords, and other ebookstores. HTTP://Twitter.com/HeatherHaven Follow Heather's blog.

Killarney Sheffield - Married mother of 5 living on a commercial cattle ranch in Alberta Canada. Writes historical romance for MuseItUp Publishing LTD. Former horse trainer, farrier and riding coach. HUGE music fan, everything from 50's to 2011. Yes, I'm the crazy author who talked Canadian singer/songwriter/juno winner Lawrence Gowan into letting me use on of his ballads for my Guilty Kisses book trailer. www.youtube.com/watch?v=J41qLNKjrQA
http://romanceauthorkillarneysheffield.yolasite.com

Annette Snyder calls a small town in the heart of the Midwest her home. In an old house, with her husband and two dogs, she writes. Her four grown children visit often and the grandkids cause beautiful havoc. All her life, she paid attention to things around her and one day she compiled those stories together and wrote a book. It was that one book which started a wave of ideas so she continued to write. Visit her at her website or her blog.

Elaine Marie Cooper grew up in Massachusetts but now lives in the Midwest. A retired registered nurse, Elaine has been a magazine freelance writer for many years, and writes for a blog on the Midwest called The Barn Door & a blog on Christian living, Reflections In Hindsight . She is also the author of her award-winning novel called “The Road to Deer Run” and has just completed the sequel, “The Promise of Deer Run.”

 
For Julie Lence, cowboys and horses have always been her weakness, which is why she lives in the west and writes western romance. She’s a stay-at-home mom, married to her high school sweetheart and spends her days working on her latest novel. You can learn more about her at her website. 

Elaine Cantrell was born and raised in South Carolina. She holds a Master’s Degree in Personnel Services from Clemson University and is a member of Alpha Delta Kappa, an international honorary sorority for women educators. She is also a member of Romance Writer’s of America and EPIC authors. Her first novel, A New Leaf, was the 2003 winner of the Timeless Love Contest and was published in 2004 by Oak Tree Books. Visit Elaine at her website.

Wend Petzler has been writing since her teenage years and well, finally got off her tush and made her dreams come true. New Concepts Publishing took her into their family, and she will be eternally grateful to Andrea DePasture for believing in her. Wend likes to
shake up the venues and loves writing combinations of historical, fantasy, and her lovely vamps: The Borne Vampires series.

By day, Gabrielle Bisset is a history faculty member at a campus of a major university, but by night and weekends, she writes erotic romance. She recently published her first novella, Vampire Dreams, and her first novel, Stolen Destiny, is scheduled for release from Siren Publishing on June 29. Visit her website for more information.

Kay Springsteen grew up in Michigan. She lives in Virginia with seven rescue dogs. When she's not writing or cuddled up with a romantic read, she enjoys photography—the subjects in her camera’s eye are her favorite things: Family, garden, mountains, and pups. You will find Kay on Facebook.

Cher Green writes in many genres, spanning from horror to romance. Her work has appeared in various magazines, and her romance novella, “Escape to Love,” is scheduled to debut at the end of June.

JoAnn Durgin’s debut novel, Awakening, was released in late 2010. A member of the American Christian Fiction Writers and the Romance Writers of America, she was a finalist in the 2010 RWA/Faith Hope & Love Touched by Love contest (long contemporary romance). Her second novel, Second Time Around, releases later in 2010.

Now that everyone’s acquainted, let’s chat about summer fun! Everyone has an opinion about amusement parks. People either love them or hate them or are indifferent. What about you, Stacy?

Stacy Juba ~ Love them. I'm not into roller coasters - the flume is as daring as I get- but I love Disney World-type rides. Amusement theme parks are my favorite places to spend a vacation.

I’m with you as far as the Disney World rides are concerned. What about you, Delia?

Delia Latham ~ Love the rides and the excitement—hate the rude, shoving crowds. I don’t go often, for that reason.

Crowds can make or break an event, that’s true. How about you, Joanne?

Joanne Troppello ~ I’m not excited about amusement parks. I hate heights and don’t like roller coasters. I get dizzy easily. I’d rather be camping, and I don’t even like that.

LOL! Although I haven’t camped for years, my memories include plenty of rain and bugs. I hate bugs. L

JoAnn Durgin ~ Some women are meant to camp. Not this one. I hate it. Absolutely detest it. My first church camp was called Gnawbone. No joke. About as rustic as it gets, and I was about eight or ten. No running water without walking a half mile and outhouses. A daddy longlegs crawled across my face when I was in my bed one night. I didn’t scream, but I vowed (as I picked it off my face and threw it across the room) never EVER to do the camping thing again. And I haven’t, at least without running water, a toilet and shower in the same cabin. I avoid camping at all costs.

Kay Springsteen ~ Avid camper here! And in a tent, too. No RV for me. We used to take 5 kids camping when we went. Haven’t been in a few years since the kids went out on their own.

Just goes to show how different we all are. What about amusement parks, Kay? Do you like them?

Kay Springsteen ~ I love amusement parks and summer county/state fairs. The most fun is people watching at these places.

People watching is an activity for every author regardless of the season!  Your turn, Gabrielle.

Gabrielle Bisset ~ I love amusement parks! The rides, the food, the water parks...love it all. It’s still what I do for vacation whenever I can.

What’s your favorite roller coaster ride, JoAnn? Why?

JoAnn Durgin ~ Space Mountain since you can’t see what’s around you – or not. You can enjoy the thrill without the terror.

You’re a brave woman. I burst into tears after my first and last ride on Space Mountain. Obviously, I’m not a fan of roller coasters, and will not be riding any this summer! Or camping, for that matter!

Let’s take a quick break and we’ll be back this afternoon for more conversation and fun during the Summer Blog Party. Please feel free to comment. You don’t want to miss out on the opportunity to win Joanne Tropello’s Mr. Shipley's Governess (ecopy) or Awakening by JoAnn Durgin (print copy).

Please continue on to the following sites for more exciting Summer Blog Party events and a chance to win more books by these participating amazing romance authors.

The hosts again are: Patricia Bates, Joanne Troppello, Kay Springsteen and Gabrielle Bisset.

See you this afternoon!

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