Tuesday, December 24, 2013

A Christmas Funny for my peeps...

In the spirit of the holidays, I was on the blog of the lovely Ms. Kristen Lamb earlier today and she asked the question, What's the best Christmas Present you've ever gotten or given? And I just had to tell this story...(Warning, do *not* drink while reading the following...just sayin'...)

I got stopped once – back when I worked a 7pm to 3am shift and was sooooo tired the poor cop thought I was drunk. (I was a little punch drunk mind you, but still safe enough to drive.)

Anyway, I proceeded to stumble a bit, shot my arm in the air and answered the cop’s question of “Have you had anything to drink?” with, “YES! But it was the Klingon’s….they MADE me do it!”

This of course required the standard sobriety test to follow – which continuing to play the part of the drunken, alien diplomat – I failed in gloriously horrible fashion – doing things like, “Walk a straight line, heel to toe…” where I would pretend to stumble (not really cause I’m a natural klutz anyway!) and shout…”THERE IT GOES…” and “Say your ABC’s backwards…” To which I answered in some randomly made up and very ALIEN sounding language and the “Lean your head back, close your eyes and touch the tips of your fingers to your nose…” brought about a rockin’ rendition of a horribly belted out Klingon Opera whilst randomly poking myself in the eye!

Needless to say, the poor cop eventually gave me the Breathalyzer, which I passed of course (I truly had not had a drop!). When he finally broke down, frowning at the poor machine (He made me take it four times mind you b/c he thought it was busted) I leaned back against my car and told him in a perfectly calm tone, “Merry Christmas Sir. You looked like you could use a bit of levity on this day.”

At which point he fell over laughing…

When he could speak again, he just shook his head and said, “That, by far, was the strangest traffic stop/possible DUI I’ve ever had, but thank you. And Merry Christmas to you too.”

Now, as I have no friends and no family – and didn’t back then either – this was by far the best present I’ve ever given or gotten.

Best part…I still have the video! (Somewhere mind you, I have moved over the years, but it was all caught on his dash cam. And yes, for the remaining two years I lived in the area, every time I passed a cop, be they city or county, they smiled and waved, telling me they too, had seen...the video!)

The point being, during this time of year, remember it's not necessarily that you give a gaily wrapped gift of paper, ribbons and bows, but the fact that you give a gift of laughter and joy to someone who might just need it...


And I'd love to hear the best present you've ever gotten, given or got this year! Feel free to comment below with your answer and your email and I might just draw a name for a copy of I Saw Momma Shoot Santa Claus sometime later on tonight...you never know!

Happy Holidays everyone. May yours be filled with good food, fun laughter, Peace and Joy!

Until next time,

Margaret Taylor

Monday, December 23, 2013

Last Minute Christmas Sale

So, because I just love you all...

I've put I Saw Momma Shoot Santa Claus on sale for the next couple of days.

If you haven't grabbed a copy yet of this funny, romantic take on the Mythos of Santa, now's as good at time as any, right?

Right!

So, grab it while it's hot ladies and gents!

Feel free to share and if you like it, please consider writing a review! I love hearing from you!


http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00HETCOZO
 
 
Slade McKinney does not believe in Santa Claus. She never has. Calling the worst places in the Chicago foster care system home just doesn’t inspire belief in a jolly fat man who grants wishes and creates miracles. So, when she discovers Santa Claus in her living room on Christmas Eve, she reacts just as if she were still a Chicago police detective …

Chris St. Nick has watched the horrors unfold in Slade’s life until he could no longer sit by. As a child he saved her from a horrible home. Slade carries a heavier burden into adulthood and Chris breaks protocol for the first time in order to ease her suffering again. Will his sacrifice truly help and can she appreciate the gifts he leaves behind?

Slade can’t understand a life without suffering and loss. Chris has never had to sacrifice anything. He wants to heal her pain but can Slade give in to the longings of her heart and find hope for the first time? Will Chris’ optimism be enough to overcome the years of pain she’s endured? Or is Slade cursed by a generation’s old tradition that has nothing to do with Chris but everything to do with the man he is...
 
 
Thanks, as always for stopping by.
 
May your Holiday be filled with good food, fun family, Peace and Joy!
 
Until next time.
 
Margaret Taylor

Friday, November 29, 2013

BLACK FRIDAY SALE!

That's right my lovelies. You heard me!

Today, through Monday 12/2, Both Books 1 & 2 of The Spi-Corp Series are on sale for just .99!

So, if you haven't picked up your copy of either yet, now is the perfect time to do so!

 
 
 

 
 
 
Oh and because I love you all so very much, I'm going to give you a very short teaser of my upcoming release - slated for 12/10/2013 - I Saw Momma Shoot Santa Claus, which is the introductory full-length novel into the hot, smexy St. Nick Boys and the world of The Legacy!
 
 
 
I Saw Momma Shoot Santa Claus
 
EXCERPT:
 
Half an hour later, Slade McKinney sat back on her heels, wiping a bloody hand across her sweating brow. Smiling cautiously toward her son, she said, “I think that’s got it. Go and get some blankets from my bed and some pillows. We’ll have to leave him here for now.”
Jesse nodded and shot to his feet, racing off to fulfill her request. 
She turned and stoked up the fire. The adrenaline that had carried her through this ebbed and she noted the shake in her blood covered hands. Had she really shot someone tonight? And Santa at that? Surely not. This was a dream, it had to be. Santa Claus didn’t exist.
She looked over her shoulder at the stranger lying in the splintered wood of her coffee table. But there he was. Sure as she was breathing, there he was. She pinched the bridge of her nose, closed her eyes, blinked them open again and focused.
Still there. “Dammit!” she cursed yet again. 
“Mom!” Jesse admonished as he came back into the room. He shot a pointed look toward the mythical being passed out on their carpet. “He’ll hear you. Santa doesn’t like that kind of language.” Arms laden with blankets and pillows, he knelt, stage-whispering toward the stranger to apologize. “Sorry Sir, she forgets herself sometimes.”
Incensed, she snorted out a reply. “I do not.”  But it was a useless argument. She did curse, far too often truth be told, but it was another of those old cop habits she just couldn’t seem to break, especially in stress filled situations such as this.
Her son turned his pointed look on her. “Right,” he said all too knowingly. Setting down the pile of material, he reached toward Santa’s belted waist.
She halted his fingers just shy of the buckle. “No, I’ll do that. Go and get cleaned up.”
Jesse’s small head bobbed on his neck. “You ok Mom?”
“Fine,” she lied softly. “Now go on.”
While he was gone, she darted into her bedroom and grabbed a pair of her husbands old sweat pants. Draping them over her shoulder, she returned to her patient. She quickly made a pallet out of the blankets, setting up a temporary bed next to the fire place. He’d be able to stay warm and dry. She noted the pool of water at his feet. She eyed the front door but it hadn’t been opened. There was no fresh snow on the hard wood. She shrugged it off, storing the mystery away for later. Right now, she needed to make him as comfortable as possible. She reached for the black patent leather belt, slipping the ends apart. Easing an arm under his wide shoulders she gently hefted him into a sitting position.
He groaned softly but thankfully didn’t wake.
It wasn’t easy but with a few tries she slipped the white, fir-lined coat off his torso and lobed it onto the couch. Standing, she wrapped both her arms around his upper body and as gently as she could, put all her strength into moving his three-hundred pounds out of the rubble. 
Settling him among the blankets, she pulled off his boots and tossed them over with the coat. Clinically, she started toward his pants, only to notice they didn’t seem to fit anymore.
Was it her imagination or had his belly suddenly flattened out right in front of her eyes? She blinked twice, shaking her head. Nope, nope, it was definitely flat now. Slowly she lifted her gaze. 
Oh my…! She gulped, hard, swallowing air. No way!
But the proof, as they say, is in the pudding. And dammit if she wasn’t now staring at some very yummy looking pudding!
She gulped again, swallowing more air. In a daze her fingers splayed across his flat abs, watching the muscles ripple slightly when he breathed. Santa wasn’t fat and jolly as she’d first thought. No, he was a drop-dead, model-quality, grade-A, 100% gorgeous beefcake!
“Holy shit!”
Staring hard and wondering if she’d truly cracked, she watched in fascination as the last bit of his beard receded into his strong jaw, leaving only a rough shadow of stubble in its wake. His once white hair was now a chocolate brown, a deep rich, dark chocolate that lay against his shoulders. It reminded her of the treats she allowed herself when she was feeling moody and alone. His face was relaxed in his unconsciousness, but there was no mistaking the classic cheekbones and forehead that spoke of ancient, noble blood. She briefly wondered what color his eyes were but supposed she could find that out later.
“Who’s that?”
Jesse’s voice startled her and she let out an involuntary shriek of surprise. “That’s what I’m wondering son,” she said before she could stop the words.
 
----------------------------

Enjoy my lovelies. This will be out on December 10, 2014!

Until then...

Thanks as always for stopping by.

Margaret Taylor


Friday, November 22, 2013

So, here we go...

This is it folks! I did it!

As promised, the epic story of Jake and Janel continues...finally...and Saving His Love, Book 2 of The Spi-Corp Series is now live and in living color!

That's right folks, you can now FINALLY find out what happens...*please, kindly insert an evil cackle...*

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00GTJI3L4
 
Book 2 of The Spi-Corp Series
 

 
Now, I want you to understand, this book, like the first, deals with some pretty rough subjects. Torture, drug induced Psychosis, all sorts of mayhem and destruction. So, just be prepared.
 
And of course you get to meet a whole host of fun, new characters along the way too...*again, please, kindly insert an evil cackle here...thank you!*
 
Now, with Book 2 out in the world, it's time to move on to Book 3, Retrieving His Heart. I won't bore you with the story, but if you pick up Book 2, you'll get an exclusive sneak peek at it. Since my schedule was pushed back (see my last blog post if you don't believe me), I'll just say I'm projecting it to be ready either shortly before the New Year or early January at the latest. I'll keep you posted.
 
And now we can move on to the more pressing matters, the real reason I know you all stop by here. No, no, it's ok. I know you don't stop by for teasers, or excerpts, or hot men, you really come by for the contests...*sniffles...holds up a hand...* It's ok, I understand and don't hold it against you.
 
Anyway, to catch up...
 
Let's start with the swag packs and gift cards I had up back in August. I'm sorry this is so late, but yeah, blame my car! (again, see the last blog post...) But, still, I'll accept slaps on the hand for getting so far behind on this.
 
Winners
 
 
The first $10 Amazon or B&N Gift Card goes to: Samantha Alvey
 
The first signed Swag Pack goes to: Missy Morrison Goodsell
 
The second $10 Amazon or B&N Gift Card goes to: Linda Alcorn-Burg
 
And the second signed Swag Pack goes to: Joe Hawk
 
Congratulations to all of you and again I am so sorry for the delay! Send your email and/or mailing address to: margarettaylor@satx.rr.com and I'll get your prizes out to you ASAP!!!!
 
 
Then we had the Fall Into Romance Blog Hop.
 
Winners
 

 
Winners choice between, The Devil Drinks Coffee, One of the The Rylee Adamson Series, One of the Legend of Regia Books or The Crossroads Saga is: Emily Wells
 
An eBook copy of A First Love Never Dies is: dv8 
 
and the Swag Pack goes to: Donna Simmonds
 
Again, send your email and/or snail mail to: margarettaylor@satx.rr.com and I'll get your prizes out to you ASAP as well!
 
So, that catches us up on the prizes and such and just because I love you guys, no, no, I really do, I'm going to put Book 1, A First Love Never Dies on Sale. Beginning Wednesday, November 27, it'll be .99 and that sale will run through the weekend. So, if you're looking for a fast, fun read while the Alpha Man watches the bowl games, be sure to pick up your copy then!
 
Until next time,
 
Thanks as always for stopping by.

Margaret Taylor

Wednesday, November 6, 2013

Two Months of Hel...

Ok, so let me qualify this post by saying first...

I'm not going to tell you the story of the last two months because I'm looking for sympathy. I'm not going to tell you the story of the last two months because I want anyone to feel sorry for me. I'm simply going to explain what's been going on with me so that you'll understand why I haven't been around...anywhere.

I haven't Facebooked. (I know, I know, bad Author!)

I haven't Tweeted. (Again, I know, I know, bad Author! *hangs head in shame*)

And I certainly haven't been writing...(Ok, ok, I'm soooo sorry! *drops to knees and begs your forgiveness...*)

Anyway, I normally do my very best to keep my professional, personal and work lives separate. I really do. But there are times that the lines get blurred between those three and you just can't do anything but roll with the punches each throws your way.

In the last two months, those three lines have crisscrossed, jumped over one another, tangled around each other, chewed me up, spit me out and looked at me like I'm the red-headed step child of a really disastrous one night stand!

Epic Line Crossing #1

On Labor Day, on a trip back from Austin, my poor 2012 Hyundai decided to pick a fight with a pick-up...and lost.

Now, I don't know if the Truck looked at him funny...called him a name I couldn't hear...shouted some obscenity that just sent my little car into a blinding rage, but, whatever happened, my poor, normally kind, gentle and loving Silver Surfer came out on the loosing end of things.

Fortunately, no one human was hurt, overly much. The Truck suffered a bent bumper and my beautiful, wonderful, manly Sonata came out with most of his front end pressed up against the engine. Being that it was still summer here in Texas, this jeopardized the cooling system and thus rendered him inoperable. *sighs*

Also thankfully, I have excellent insurance (It truly was my fault. No, no, I wasn't texting or anything but I wasn't paying attention in Stop-n-go traffic either and I looked down just long enough for the truck to stop suddenly as I was speeding up thinking we were moving again. Neither here nor there, I know, but the picking a fight story sounds better, doesn't it?)

Anyhoo, the other driver was fine and for the most part so was I. Or so I thought...which leads us too...

Epic Line Crossing #2

About a week after the accident I noticed a lump on the back of my neck, right about where the skull ends. Over the course of a week or so it kept getting bigger and bigger and more painful and more painful. Eventually it was about the size of a quarter and I thought it was probably best to get it checked out.

I go to the doctor and low and behold I have a "bleeder" in the back of my head. Apparently, even though I hit the truck doing less than about 20 mph, it was enough to rupture something that was already there.

Now, for years, I would occasionally get a really sharp pain in the area where this was going on. I didn't think anything of it, I truly didn't because it came on and left just as quickly. With the accident though, there was enough of a jerk in my neck to press the base of my skull against a benign tumor I'd been carrying around for goodness knows how long and break it open. The lump that was now growing back there was the fluid and nastiness leaking out...

Which now brings us too...

Epic Line Crossing #3

Once we'd discovered this problem, the doctor decided that surgery was probably a good thing, if for no other reason than to clean it out and make sure it truly was benign. The next day I was in the hospital, waiting patiently and feeling like a complete and total idiot for not having this pain examined ages ago.

I'm happy to report that it was benign and save for the occasional remaining drainage - which is a lot less now than it was - I'm fit as a fiddle once again. More or less.

So, that was the month of September.

Which now brings us to October and...

Epic Line Crossing #'s 4, 5, AND 6

Now, I've not really mentioned it before, because I really do try and keep my professional Authorly self and my real self separate and apart from one another, but in my day job, I work for the Government.

And unless you were living under a *rock* somewhere on like Pluto or something, you're all well aware that at the beginning of October the Federal Government was partially shut down for 16 days. While this helped my recovery tremendously, it didn't help my peace of mind at all. Like most, I'm not a NY Times Best Seller, yet, so I truly depend on the income from my day job. I'm single, have no real family to speak of - save for a few wonderful cousins in my life (LOVE YOU JANA!), and everything boils down to me. All my bills, the food, gas for the car, etc is all paid for by me alone.

And having that uncertainty hanging over my head, for 16 days, is not something I ever want to go through again! It also killed any sort of concentration I might have been able - should have been able to muster up to write! I became a CNN junkie during those 16 days, constantly listening for any breaking news that would tell me when I could go back to work.

I love my day job, I truly do, it's the second job I've ever had in my life that actually fits my personality to a "T". It's only eclipsed by my love for writing and if I could - and when I do - make a real living at writing, I will loose no sleep walking away from it to write full time. But, that hasn't happened, yet, so for the time being, I enjoy what I do and not being able to do it threw me into all sorts of kilter-whompass that I just didn't know how to deal with until it ended.

It's over now, thankfully and I've spent the last bits of October getting that part of my life caught up and back where it needs to be in order for me to function as an Author...

Or, at least I thought I had. But work intervened with something that, were it not for the shut down, would have taken place in the early part of October and not the end part. It's neither here nor there, other than to distract me, but that's over now too and while it's six-days into November, I'm happy to report that I am once again back where I want to be, where I need to be to balance everything in my life and start releasing my work to the world again.

I just wanted to post this, so you'd understand my absence of late and beg your forgiveness for not releasing Spi-Corp's Book 2 in Mid-September like I promised (In my defense, I was kinda in the hospital that day having a stint implanted to drain the ickiness...so, yeah...) and let you all know that the release date for Book 2 is now November 25th. I'm hoping to get it done earlier but that's my firm deadline and come hell or high water, it will be out!

Thank you all though for your patience. It truly is appreciated!

So, until next time.

Thanks as always for stopping by.

Margaret Taylor

Oh, and P.S., I haven't forgotten about the drawings I had up. I'm going to go back and draw for winners and I'll post them here in the next day or so and contact them via email to get the prizes out!!!!

Thursday, September 12, 2013

Fall Into Romance Hop



So, as usual, I'm totally late to the party and have absolutely no idea what to do for this...

But, if you know me at all, this is absolutely nothing new, right?

Right!

So, I thought I'd do something new and original instead of just talking about books or myself or my writing or whatever. I thought this time around I'd do something fun and funny and something I haven't done in awhile.

Ten word Reviews!!!!

*gasp, shock, horror...* I know, I know.

I should tell you, as an Author, it is so hard for me to read another's work, it really is. And I'll briefly tell you why. And please, don't take offense to this, this is totally me and not anyone else.

I've said it before. I've been writing since I was 13. That's 31 years that I've spent honing a passion for the written word. Now, granted I spent a lot of those early years reading anything I could get my hands on. And not just because I wanted to write either but because I truly enjoyed reading the stories others crafted and gave to the world. I appreciated the talents of Kate Hill and Julie Garwood and Catherine Coulter and too many others to name back when all we had was books.

eBooks weren't even a gleam in someone's eye...and no one had even contemplated Amazon! Ok, well they had but in the tall, statuesque lady Warrior from deep in the jungles of South America type of way!

But now that we have this fantastic thing out there where you can get a story and sink deep into it's pages in one-click, and you'd think it would be normal for me to be even more of a voracious reader than I was in my youth.

But, sadly, I'm not. And not because I don't want to be, it's simply because like most Authors, I just don't have the time. Between work, school and my own writing and marketing (I'm glaring at you over there Facebook!) it's very rare that I can find the time to read another's work.

I try my hardest, especially for my Author friends and family, but still it's hard. I love them all and want to read their work, but most of the time when I start a book it just spurs me back to wanting to write on my own. I know, I know that's greedy and selfish and well, it is what it is. It is me.

But, occasionally, I get sucked in to a story or a world or an Author and I just can not stop reading! I've suffered plenty of book hangovers just this year alone from all the great, wonderful, stupendous Authors out there - both Indie and Traditional - and I'd love to spotlight them all during this hop.

But, I can't. So, I thought I'd do something different and give you my take on a few different books I've read this year...in ten words or less.

*gasp, shock, horror!* Margaret Taylor Reviews in ten words or less? Can it be done?

I'm certainly gonna try, dang it!!!!!

So, first up:

The Devil Drinks Coffee By Destiny Ford
 
 
 

Be Scared of Mom, Revolving Doors and The Pig!
 
 
And then there's one of my favorites!!!!!
 
 

 
 
Don't make Rylee mad and Don't drink Ogre Beer!
 
 
And just today I discovered:
 
 
 
Justice isn't always Blind and neither is the Heart!
 
 
And then finally, last but definitely not least by a long shot:

 
 
 

Demons and Angels and Love, Oh My!
 
 
So, in closing, if you haven't had a chance to check any of these lovely, wonderful ladies out, please do so.
 
And because I'm stupendously cool like that, either leave a comment below telling me which one of these you'd like to read, or enter using the Rafflecopter and I'll pick the winners at the end of the hop, Sept 22nd!!!!
 
So, thanks, as always for stopping by.

Until next time, don't forget to click on the button below to be sent to the next blog along the way when you're done entering!!!
 
Margaret 


a Rafflecopter giveaway

The Romance Reviews Hop

Sunday, September 1, 2013

Sunday Shenanigans

So, it's that time of the week ladies and gents...

It's another episode of Sunday Shenanigans!!!! Yes, that's right, it's the time of the week that I catch you up on stuffs and have some fun while we're at it.

Let's get started then, shall we?

First off, here's a fun little tidbit of info...

A First Love Never Dies got itself nominated in the 2013 Novel Grounds Literary Awards for the Best Romance! Can you believe it?

 

Yeah, neither could I. I'm up against some stiff competition though so I have no expectations of winning, but still, it's fun to be nominated, so thank you! From the bottom of my heart! No, really, I mean that!!!

Now, head on over and cast your vote in all the categories. They've got some good ones too and some fabulous Authors in them. We work so hard to put ourselves out there, so show some love and click!

Next up, today, I released my latest, Love's Prophecy

 
 
Here's the blurb, cause I know your dying to find out more, right?
 
An Ancient Prophecy could change the World…

Marla Cortside has been a Witch all her life. As the Leader of Coven Seven, she’s fought evil at every turn and saved humanity too many times to count. And until she starts dreaming of a man being tortured, the job has never touched her personally. She’s always managed to keep evil and it’s minions at arm’s length. But the day she meets Austin Tygris and discovers his role in a world-altering Prophecy, all of that changes.

From the beginning, Atlanta Police Detective Austin Tygris would never have believed a Witch could help him find his missing twin, Max. He’s grounded in reality and knows the only way to save his brother is through good, old-fashioned hard work. But that’s failed him for the last seven months and with nothing left to lose, he turns to Marla and her Coven for help…

An Ancient Prophecy speaks of a set of Twins with enough power to alter the balance between good and evil and the Witch who will have to choose between them. Can Marla decide the Fate of the world or will her love allow Evil to gain the foothold it’s always wanted?

Find out for yourself in Love’s Prophecy…


And then finally the long awaited Book 2 of the Spi-Corp Series should be live sometime Tuesday, Sept 3rd! Yes, that's right, you heard it hear first folks! You'll finally get to find out what happened...*wicked grin*

So, stay tuned for more details!!!!

 
 
Oh, and let's do something fun this week!
 
For your chance to win a copy of Love's Prophecy, leave me a comment and answer me this:
 
Name your favorite witch or warlock, good or bad doesn't matter and if you had the ability to cast a spell, what would you cast and why! I'll random.org two lucky winners on Tuesday for your very own copy of my latest release!
 
Good luck and happy casting...*winks*
 
Until next time.
 
Thanks as always for stopping by.

Margaret Taylor
 


Tuesday, August 27, 2013

Cover Reveal for the Lovely Airicka Phoenix

I am so very pleased to be part of the Cover Reveal for a good friend of mine, the illustrious Airicka Phoenix!

Her new book, Betraying Innocence is set to release on October 31, 2013 and she kindly asked me - ok, she bribed me with some delicious cookies of her own - to post this for her and give all my lovely readers a sneak peek at the book.

So, without further ado...here we go:





Book Name: Betraying Innocence

Author: Airicka Phoenix
Publisher: Fire & Ash Publishing
Release date: Oct 31, 2013

Genre: Young Adult, Horror Romance

Warnings: Language.
Formats: ebook, paperback

Synopsis
 
Roseanna - Ana - French was happy with her life. Sure she had to move to a strange new town and live in a creepy new house that had inexplicable cold spots, but she could live with that. What she couldn’t deal with was the relentless tapping inside the walls at night, the sinister shadows in the halls or the spirit crawling its way beneath her skin.



 
Author Bio
 
Airicka Phoenix is the best-selling author of The Touch Saga, Games of Fire, Octavian's Undoing & The Lost Girl Series with short stories in Whispered Beginnings: A Clever Fiction Anthology and Midnight Surrender Anthology. She also writes adult paranormal & contemporary romance under her alter ego, Morgana Phoenix.

For more about Airicka, also on how to win giveaways, read author interviews and reviews, visit her website at: 
http://airickaphoenix.com/Author/


Twitter: http://twitter.com/#!/AirickaPhoenix
Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/AirickaPhoenix
LinkedIn:
http://www.linkedin.com/pub/airicka-phoenix/40/432/74
Fanpage:
http://www.goodreads.com/group/show/100193
 
As always, thanks for stopping by.
 
Until next time.
 
Margaret Taylor

 

Sunday, August 25, 2013

Sunday Shenanigans

And folks, we're back with another episode of Sunday Shenanigans!!!!!

YAY! The crowd goes wild...

And before I forget, no I didn't forget, life has just been crazy busy this last week so I was a bit delayed in drawing the winners for the Super Duper Secretly Cool Swag Packs! I apologize but sometimes life steps up and tries to kick your teeth in. It almost succeeded this week, but I'm a tough old bird and, well, I kicked back.

Anyhoo...

I did get a chance to draw two very lucky names and they are:

Samantha Alvey

and

Missy Goodsell

I've emailed both but if they don't respond in 48 hours, I'll draw two more and go from there.

But, while we're waiting, I thought I'd share a couple of good things that managed to override the otherwise bad.

I won a Kindle Fire H.D. this week from the lovely J.S. Scott! Whoo hoo! I love it too. It's awesome! And, she's giving away another 15 too. If you haven't entered, get your happy little behinds over and do so!!!!!

 
I also picked up several eBooks which I'm looking forward to reading and I managed to get the print cover for A First Love Never Dies up and ready thanks to the lovely R.A. Mizer over at Shoutlines Designs I won a discount from them, so I used it and I must say the cover looks awesome! I'm gonna reveal it as soon as it's finished and I'll let you know when A First Love Never Dies is available in Print...YAY!
 
And, even better news, Book 2, Saving His Love is almost done. With the week being what it was, I just didn't get enough time to put the finishing touches on it like I wanted.
 
Oh, and one final thing, I've sent another Paranormal off to be formatted. Love's Prophecy will be out later on this week...
 
If you missed the cover before, here's another little sneak peek! Enjoy...
 
 
 
And just because I'm sure you want to know...here's an exclusive excerpt:
 
-----------------------------

The bell above the door jingled, echoing across the empty magic shop. “May I help,”
 
The words died abruptly in Marla Cortside’s throat. Her fingers clenched, crushing the day’s receipts as her eyes locked into twin pools of shadowed, mossy green. The dream she’d been having for months slammed into her mind. She saw him as he had been then. Dirty, bloody and terrified. He was anorexic with hunger, and desperately in need of her help.
 
But now he stood in the doorway, holding it open as if he wanted to turn and run instead of stay. He was tall, nearly 6’3”. Broad shoulders stretched his t-shirt, threatening to rip the seams. Blue jeans hugged a trim waist. Golden brown hair fell to his shoulders. Her fingers burned to stroke it, feel it slip through her fingers like newly spun silk. The same heat of connection she felt in her dreams sang through her veins.
 
Oh Goddess!
 
What the hell? What was going on?
 
Who was this man and why did he look healthy?
 
They stared at one another. She looked for some sign, some indication that he was the one from her dreams. But aside from the uncanny resemblance, there wasn’t the slightest hint he’d been hurt recently, much less tortured. She blinked and broke the contact through sheer effort of will.
 
He cleared his throat and spoke. “I understand you might be able to help me.”
 
His tone was blunt, despite the unease that had been just on his face. He shut the door, his long legs eating up the distance to the counter in three fluid strides. He propped a hip against it and crossed his arms over his wide barrel of a chest.
 
She untwisted the receipts and smoothed them out. This man, unlike his dream-state counterpart, made her nervous, something she wasn’t used to. It was one thing to be powerless to help in her dreams, quite another to be face-to-face with him looking healthy and virile.
 
By the Goddess, how many times after waking had she fantasized about the aftermath of his rescue? In them, he’d come to her, weeks or months later, fully recovered and looking like he did now. All man and very dangerous to her libido!
 
No, she was awake now and wouldn’t let her night time indulgences interfere with business.
 
“It depends on the nature of your situation Mister?”
 
She let the hint trail off, waiting on him to give his name. Maybe she’d get some answers. If she knew who he was, she could help him either prevent what was to come, or help him get over whatever it was he’d been through in the past.
 
“I thought all you Witches could read minds.”
 
Oh great, a non-believer
 
That wasn’t going to help! She shrugged indifferently. “Some do, some don’t. I could cast a spell that would tell me exactly who you are, but it would be far easier if you just told me.”
 
He tossed his wallet onto the counter. It flipped open and a gold Atlanta Police Department badge winked in the beam of sunlight filtering through the skylight above them. “Tygris,” he said. “Detective Austin Tygris,”
 
She scooped it up, checked the picture against his face and handed it back. “Well then, what can I do for you, Detective?”
 
Maybe this wasn’t the man from her dream. But the resemblance was uncanny. Granted Dream Man, as she’d come to think of him in the last months, didn’t have any hair, was probably fifty pounds lighter due to starvation, and his flesh looked like it had been stripped to the bone in several places but still. It had to be him.
 
Past, present or future she just wasn’t sure…yet.
 
“I need your help on a case.”
 
Ok, while it wasn’t uncommon for Paganites to help the police, he hadn’t gone through the official channels. If he had, she wouldn’t be talking to him at all. Ellenair, her Coven’s liaison to the Council would be standing here, not the all too sexy, deliciously handsome Detective Austin Tygris. The instant connection she felt disturbed her, cracking through the hard shell she’d spent years building. She smoothed out the stack of receipts again. “Did you petition our local council?”
 
“No.”
 
Confirmation! That meant he wasn’t officially here for her help. It was personal.
 
She checked his finger for a wedding ring. Nothing. Ok, so it wasn’t the cheating wife. Could be a girlfriend? That thought didn’t sit well in her stomach. She tossed it aside and looked up into his eyes. It was a mistake.
 
She drew in a breath and his scent wafted over her mind, invading her senses like nothing else ever had. Her heart tripped, slamming to a painful halt. The manly smell of Stetson cologne triggered an image of well-worn leather and jingling spurs. An image of this man in tight chaps, a white cowboy hat centered low over his eyes and little else came to mind.
 
She blinked, pushing the fantasy back. Not now!
 
“Why haven’t you? Petitioned the Council, I mean. That is standard procedure for the Atlanta Police Department, is it not?” she managed to ask.
 
“It is. But this is personal.”
 
Another confirmation. Yeah, it’s getting personal, real fast. The shell cracked again. It was only a tiny fracture but more than enough to unnerve her further. She prided herself on being a professional--cool, calm and unshakable. But this man, in a matter of minutes, had managed to agitate her. “Well then, let’s talk in my office.”
 
He nodded. “Yes, let’s do that.”
 
--------------
 
So, there ya go. Love's Prophecy will be up and live as soon as I get it back from the formatter. Hope you enjoyed it.
 
Until next time.

Thanks as always for stopping by.
 
Margaret Taylor

Wednesday, August 14, 2013

Wednesday's Wanderings...

And no, I didn't misspell the title.

In the Texas heat - 100 + today here in San Antonio - I'm just a touch scattered.

And since I had the lovely Ms. Ella Jade on the blog Sunday, and I didn't get a chance to do a Sunday Shenanigans, my week has felt a little...well, off.

Anyhoo...

With that said, I've actually had a pretty awesome week...so far.

On Monday, I got a lovely review from Novel Grounds for A First Love Never Dies

Then yesterday, I found this little gem on Amazon from the equally lovely Ms. Vampy of Vampy's Ramblings. http://www.amazon.com/review/R19YERHZXX7G8W/ref=cm_cr_dp_title?ie=UTF8&ASIN=B00D5UWYC4&nodeID=133140011&store=digital-text

If you haven't liked her page, you really, really, really should! (Don't make me hold the cookies hostage now! Go on. Click. It. You know you want too!)

And then today - the best day so far - I got *THIS* from the lovely Danielle of Danielle's Dazzling Designs! And again, if you haven't liked HER, you'd best get to clickin'. I'm serious now. I'm gonna hold these freshly baked Quadruple Chocolate Chip Cookies hostage if I don't see some serious likeage for these two awesome ladies!!!!!

 
 
I got the Keychain and the Dog Tag in the middle there today.
 
And I'll bet you can guess exactly what Imma do with them, can't you! Yep, that's right, you guessed it. I'm gonna do a middle of the week giveaway.
 
And not just any giveaway either. This ones gonna be special. *nod nod* And the reason it's going to be so special I only got FOUR of these. That's right four. And honestly, one is around my neck right now and it'sa gonna stay there too! *stomps a foot*
 
But, I'm going to giveaway two of the others and save the third for a very special occasion. (Such as the release of Book 2 - Saving His Love.) But, that's for later.
 
For now though, here's what we'll do. I'm gonna set a Rafflecopter up and it's gonna run for five days. Until Midnight on Monday.
 
Now, not only will you have a chance at this super duper - yes, SIGNED - swagage, but I'm also gonna throw in a $10.00 Gift Card to Amazon or B&N, your choice.
 
So, you're gonna have two chances to win here. Two sets of swag and 2 Gift Cards will be the prizes. *nods*
 
But, and you honestly didn't think I was gonna make this easy on ya, did you? Yeah, didn't think so. You're gonna have to work for it...
 
So, get to clickin' on the Copter below and have some fun!
 
Thanks as always for stopping by.
 
Until next time.
 
Margaret Taylor
 
 
a Rafflecopter giveaway

Monday, August 12, 2013

Winners, Winners, Chicken Dinners

Ok, actually, I had Mac and Ham for dinner tonight, but you get the idea...

With that said though, I do have to pronounce the winners from Ella's Blog Hop this weekend.

And after a very scientific method of choosing from all the comments (I had exactly 40 Comments - which is good because I suck at math sometimes! - and so I used four 10 sided dice, separated said comments into groups of ten and rolled the dice! Ha, don't you just love science and stuff?!?! Honestly, I used Random.org...*giggles* But the other way sounded cooler and showed off my geekiness, yes?)

Anyway, so here they are folks!

All four are receiving eBook copies in their preferred formats of my latest release - All In The Name Of Love and I truly hope they enjoy it. My readers tell me it's pretty good...:D

 
 
 
So say a hearty congrats to:
 
Jacquelinesreads
 
Kathy Osborn
 
LaTayna Lawson
 
JR Carroll
 
I've sent them all emails, so hopefully they'll respond. If they don't, I'll go back and choose some new victims, erm, winners!
 
As always, thanks for stopping by and showing your support for a wonderful Author and Friend, Ms. Ella Jade.
 
I hope you all have a fabulous week!

Until next time,
 
Margaret Taylor

Thursday, August 8, 2013

Ella's Turning 40 Blog Hop!





So a friend of mine has hit the big 40!

Yep, Ella Jade is turning 40 and to celebrate she's having a party and you're all invited!

And here you are at my stop along the way.

As usual, I have absolutely no clue what to post for these things but Ella suggested I give you a happy birthday memory from my past. Well, there's only one problem with that suggestion. I've never had a birthday party. Sadly, growing up as I did on the ranch, I had very few friends my own age and most birthdays I was usually working, so it just sort of slipped away.

Oh, my folks tried, they got me gifts and what not, but I never had a "party". And in my later years, after we sold the ranch and moved out of Georgia, I fear I just didn't make that many friends, so, *shrugs* as sad as it sounds, it just never happened.

But, I don't want to bring down Ella's big day...

So, let's celebrate her today and through the 11th (Sunday) and have some fun. Go peruse the other stops, see their fond memories of years gone by and celebrate with them.

And because I'm a good sport about it - I honestly usually just ignore the day if you must know - I'm going to have a little giveaway.

But, I'm gonna have to make you work for it!

So, here's what I want you to do. Go over to Ella's Facebook Page and wish her a Happy Birthday on her wall! Just for fun m'kay?

After you do that, come back here and leave me a comment down below. On Sunday, I'll draw four winners, that's right, four of you for an eBook Copy of my latest release: All In The Name Of Love

 
 
Adrian Hoyle, the Heroine of the story has a similar outlook on Birthday's and Holiday's as I do, so it's only fitting.
 
PLUS: Just because I'm cool and fun like that, one lucky winner will receive an Ultra Cool Swag Pack of stuff to include pens, post cards and bookmarks from the Spi-Corp Series - oh and a neat, nifty Dog Tag too!
 
So, go on, get to wishing people! Have fun with it too...*grins* And tell her I sent you while your at it...*laughing*
 
And don't forget to head over to the rest of the stops on the hop and enter to win the $100 Amazon Gift Card Ella is being so generous and giving away during the event! Oh and every comment here for my contest counts as an entry into the Grand Prize for that gift card. The more places you stop and comment the more chances you have to win it. So, go on now, get to clickin' people!
 
Until next time,

Thanks as always for stopping by.
 
Margaret Taylor

Thursday, August 1, 2013

Some Business to Attend to...

First off, an apology to all those awaiting results from my last Rafflecopter Giveaway.

I'm sorry. I'm usually very organized but somehow I misplaced the notebook that contained all my passwords. I'm sure most of you are like me, you're on a variety of social media sites like FB, Twitter, Linked In, BlogSpot and so on. As you know, each of them requires a log in and it's hard to keep those all straight, all the time. So, I'd taken to writing everything down and keeping that 'log' on my desk where I could find it anytime I needed it.

Smart right?

Sure, you'd think!

Well, somewhere in the midst of my roommate looking for something and me cleaning last week, said little black book got misplaced. Personally, I think the roommate or even me, might have accidentally tossed it in the trash - I doubt it was me, I know what it looks like and how important it is! - but anyway, I can not find it to save my life right now.

And wouldn't you know, one of the passwords in said book is for Rafflecopter. *sighs*. Now, when I discovered it was missing and knowing I needed to draw and notify some winners, I went and requested a new password from them, but it's taken them nearly a week to get back to me! Go figure.

So, earlier today I finally get a return email and a new log in and viola, I was able to get access to the last one I set up.

So, here are the winners:

$10 Gift Card to Amazon.com goes to: Shannon Aleene Romein

An eBook copy of A First Love Never Dies goes to: Cassandra Hicks

An eBook copy of Saving His Love (when available) goes to: Barrie Mac

And the signed Swag Pack goes to: Amanda Kalp DiDonato

Congratulations to all of you. You've been sent an email and I truly appreciate your patience!

Until next time,

Thanks as always for stopping by,

Margaret Taylor

Wednesday, July 24, 2013

Jeff Horton in the house for the Book Blogger Fair today...

Business first: We're having a reader's choice contest during this Fair, so be sure to place your votes here: http://shutupandreadgroup.blogspot.com/2013/07/readers-choice-awards.html

My book, The Spi-Corp Series, Book 1 - A First Love Never Dies is in the Science Fiction - Mature Category down toward the bottom of the page and it would sure appreciate some love!
Now, to the fun stuff...

The camera opens on a newsroom and sitting behind a desk is Laytak Draza, a very handsome Borgla from the planet Yerod. He is tall, with broad shoulders, a barrel of a chest and his long arms are folded on the desk. His face is a muted grey with high cheekbones and a strong, defined chin. He has no hair but the ridges that begin at his hairline, could almost be braids. His brilliant red eyes glow with underlying knowledge and his full lips split into a grin as he speaks...

Good Morning and welcome to the Galactic News Network. I'm Laytak Draza. On today's show we're speaking with Amena Wharry, Captain of The Patrick Henry.


Welcome. Why don't we start by with who you are, tell my audience a little about yourself...

My people are called Entelli, and we are a race of sentient, living computers. Unfortunately, human beings cannot pronounce my true name, but you may call me Ignis. I was recovered from a Valhari ship that crashed near Roswell, New Mexico in the year 1947. When I was finally revived nearly seventy years later, I discovered that a scientist named Kate Summers, the same human who reactivated me, had named me Ignis. I believe that means "ignition" in one the many languages you speak here on Earth. You may address me by that name.

Interesting. And what's your current mission...

I had been linked via a neural interface with the man who would become Kate's husband, a man named Nick Reynolds. He so impressed me that I took a great interest in humanity, lending my support to aid in humanity's emergence into the greater galactic community. I left Nick a little "gift" before I left Earth, an ability that later enabled you humans to build your first interstellar spacecraft. Nick wrote about what followed in a book he entitled, "Frontiers, I highly recommend it.

Anyway, sometime later, when I learned you Earth had built its first fleet of interstellar ships, and that you had finally set out to establish your first colony on another world (Nick's son wrote about this in a book he entitled, "New Beginnings," I decided I wanted to be a part of it. I transferred from another Valhari ship to one of the Earth Space Alliance ships that will be transferred to the colony on New Eden. Much of this was documented in the two books I mentioned, Frontiers and New Beginnings, manuscripts that document Frontier, the first interstellar ship, and the new Earth Space Program.

*Laytak looks at the camera.* How quaint. So, you’re a sentient computer who is currently inhabiting a space ship?

Correct, although not all Entelli choose to serve on interstellar ships, as I do. I happen to enjoy the exciting interaction with alien species, and I want to see as much of the universe as I can. I serve many functions aboard the ship, but I primarily act as the ship's navigational computer, I bridge the gap between machine and the sentient beings piloting the ship.

Very Interesting. And have you enjoyed helping humans?

Human beings are a remarkable life form; the Valhari have always thought so as well. Human beings are full of passion, curiosity, and an insatiable to learn. They are also capable of incredible acts of kindness as well as barbaric, unspeakable acts. The way you balance these various qualities is truly quite astonishing.

And what do you think of Earth?

Well, since I have no biological eyes, I've experienced it only seen it directly through the ships scanners, and the numerous images in the ship's database, since we Entelli have no eyes, as you humans do. It's a beautiful planet, and I've seen quite a few so I'm extremely qualified to say so.

Enlightening. And do you wish to return to your home world? When your mission is complete?

Absolutely, as much as I enjoy meeting new species and experiencing the wonders of the universe, after a while I miss my own people. We communicate with one another through a global network of sorts.

Well then, what are your plans?

Humanity is a most promising and exciting new species, the most recent to join the League of Sentient Beings. I plan to offer my services to their new fleet of ships as often as I possibly can.
 Well, thank you for your time Ingis... I am quite sure we will be hearing more of your adventures soon enough.

Thank you very much for having me, Laytak, you quite an exceptional person, for a Borgla!

*Laytak turns back to the camera.* If you would like to know more about Ingis, you can find him here

 
Excerpt:
 
“Nick, wake-up! They’re here! Nick, wake up!” Kate was frantically yelling at him when he opened his eyes. He quickly took off the helmet, stood up, and backed away from Ignis.
 
“Hi, Kate!” Nick said to her, before pulling her close, embracing and kissing her once more. Kate took a step back and smacked him on the arm. 
 
“Don’t you ever scare me like that again, Nick Reynolds! I had no idea whether you were going to come out of it in time, or whether you’d end up going back with Ignis!” 
 
Nick suddenly became aware that the building all around him was shaking.
 
“What’s going on?” he asked. Kate walked over to the window and pointed up.
 
“Just take a look. It looks like Ignis’ friends from out of town have come to take him back home after sixty-five years,” she said, smiling, happy to have Nick back. She jumped back into his arms once more before standing next to him with her arm around his waist, alternately looking out the window and back at Ignis.
 
“Wow,” was all Nick said, as he watched the huge alien spacecraft stop when it arrived over their location at S-4. It was beautiful, a circular, saucer-shaped craft. It had considerably more detail than anything he’d ever seen before. There were numerous, square shaped portals all around the craft, and there was a center ring underneath, which rotated in the opposite direction from the larger outer ring. The immense craft from another world filled the sky above them.
 
"Okay, so I wonder what happens next?” asked Kate. “Will they send a ship down to collect Ignis?”
 
Nick shook his head. “I don’t think so,” he answered. “Somehow, I don’t think they’ll need to.” They were watching Ignis when suddenly a bright blue light materialized all around the lab table. The light grew brighter and brighter until a moment later, a brilliant white light appeared in the midst of the blue one. When both lights suddenly disappeared, the Ignis device had disappeared. Moments later, the rattling stopped. When they looked out the window, they found that the ship had already vanished."
 
------------------------------------------------------
 
Jeff has also been kind enough to host a giveaway during his stop today. Simply comment below answering the question, what would you say to a sentient computer if you could and be eligible to win a copy of either The Dark Age, The Last Prophet, The Way of Nacor or Cybersp@ace, winner's choice.
 
Thanks as always for stopping by today.
 
Until next time.

Margaret Taylor