First Graphs: Stolen Birthright by Margaret Tanner

Today's except is from Margaret Tanner, author of several Australian-set stories including STOLEN BIRTHRIGHT (Whiskey Creek Press, May 2008).

In STOLEN BIRTHRIGHT, the sequel to SAVAGE UTOPIA, Georgina, a wild colonial girl, meets and falls in love with a dashing young English aristocrat, Marcus Lindquist.

When Johnny Dawson is ambushed and killed, Marcus finally learns the secret of what has bound him to Georgina. Johnny is her brother, not her lover as he had jealously supposed, but even darker secrets from the past overshadow their love.

How can an English nobleman marry the daughter of convicts?





Excerpt from STOLEN BIRTHRIGHT


The Honourable Marcus Lindquist cursed inwardly as another bump almost unseated him.

What did this idiot of a driver think he was doing? Bloody half-witted colonial.

He had been forced to leave England to save the Lindquist name from being dragged further into disrepute, now he was exiled in this Godforsaken penal colony. Australia was only fit for convicts and destitute immigrants.

September Reader's Contest: Win a Special Bookmark!

I've decided to have a contest!

One lucky winner will receive this beautiful silver-plated carved bookmark from England in the shape of Sherlock Holmes! A perfect way to accent your favorite mystery!

To enter:

* Comment on any of the posts on my blog. Suggest a new blog topic, share something from your own collection, or tell me about a favorite book or story you're reading or just read.

Be sure to include an email to contact you. NOTE: I manually approve messages so it will not show up on blog immediately. Don't forget to check out my book links while you're here!

* Contest ends 9/30/09. Entrants limited to US and western Europe only.

Thanks for stopping by and entering! Chris

Saturday sales: skellies, tea and perfumes

So.... Mr. and Mrs. Skellie are celebrating their love with a quiet concert, just the two of them...

But Harold....

Not now, dear.

Sweetest, you really should listen to me.

Not this time, dear.

Harold!!! What is that thing inside the piano?

He's speechlees, it seems.

Well, the "creature" appears to be harmless, so they continue their concert.





Spooky, worn wood piano, stool and small "skull" candlestick.

She has a silk skirt with sparkle net over it and a net shawl. And she just had her hair done!

* Perfume stands: hand-made small wood displays for table, boudoir, dresser, store etc.

Perfume stand 1 - deco style




Perfume stand 2 w/ gloves



Tea stand - wood display -Contact me if interested in any of these items.

First Graphs: Secrets to Die For by LJ Sellers

Welcome to LJ Sellers, author of the Detective Wade Jackson mystery series, which includes THE SEX CLUB and the soon-to-be-released SECRETS TO DIE FOR,(coming Sept. '09, Echelon Press).

A brutal murder, a suspect with a strange story, and a kidnap victim with a secret to hide—can Detective Jackson uncover the truth in time to save her?

When social worker Raina Hughes visits the home of a young boy she’s been assigned to monitor, things quickly turn ugly. Later, when she’s found brutally murdered, Detective Wade Jackson is confident it’s an open-and-shut case against the boy’s ex-con father.

But nothing is as it seems and complications develop when new evidence points to a serial rapist who’s becoming more violent with each attack. Raina’s lover Jamie knows what the rape victims have in common, but won’t tell for fear of revealing her own secrets.

When Jamie disappears, Jackson knows time is running out and he’s determined to discover the truth before the body count goes any higher.



Except from SECRETS TO DIE FOR:

Wednesday, February 13

Raina shut off the motor and glanced up at the puke-green
doublewide with a chunk of plywood over the front window.
The near dusk couldn't hide the broken dreams of the trailer's
occupants, Bruce and Cindy Gorman. Raina wasn't here to
see them. She was here for Josh, their eight-year-old son.

As a children’s support advocate, Raina had been assigned to monitor Josh six months ago, when the state of Oregon had taken temporary custody and placed the boy in foster care. Her primary responsibility was to stay in touch with Josh and to ensure the system did not fail him. During that time, the Gormans had danced all the right steps–anger management for him, parenting classes for her, and a rehab program for both. So now Josh was back in their care, and this was Raina’s last official contact…for now.

* Read the rest of Chapter 1, "Secrets to Die For."

* Pre-order: Amazon.com

Welcome to Echelon Shorts!

Today is the official launch day for the new Echelon Press Shorts .

What's a Short you ask? Other than me?

Well...

* Check out NEW releases on the first AND the fifteenth. Find some great new authors with exciting stories that you're sure to enjoy reading!

* Meet new authors via new blog posts Monday through Friday. Get news on the authors, their latest ventures, and their characters.

* This week, there'll be new releases and posts from the authors of those stories including Regan Black, Marc Vun Kannon, Mary Welk, and Michelle Sonnier. And to celebrate, they are giving away *free* ebook downloads.

Stop by, check it out and comment at: Echelon Shorts

Miniatures on Monday: Kitty's Lady's Shoppe

The real joy of working in miniature is creating a project that invites the viewer to return again and again, and each time, they see something new.

That's what happens when you look at the recent project completed by my Dutch friend, Kitty Balke.

Her Lady's Shoppe is somewhere I'd love to go shopping. This store offers a great assortment of goods.

There are shelves stuffed with shoes and shoeboxes. How about the wealth of goods on the tables? The displays offer plenty to choose from as well.





She has become a big fan (as I am) of Kansas miniaturist Lisa Engler who sells kits and other items as Lisa's Little Things, using many of her decorative items, packages, and furniture kits in the room. Fantastic, isn't it?



* See more of Kitty's miniature rooms and dolls at her blog, Kitty's Minis

Searching for A Starry Night and Other Books in Galena!

There's nothing like a group of authors getting together to make a booksigning memorable. (Unless Norm Cowie or Joe Konrath are there. No explanation necessary.)

That's what a bunch of us did this past weekend at the first Literary Bookfest in Galena, Ill.

Thanks to the organizational skills of, and wonderful accommodations at the charming Huckleberry Inn by author Barb Annino, this soon-to-be-annual event in Galena, Ill. managed to even outshine former resident, Civil War General and 18th US President, Ulysses S. Grant (if that's at all possible!)

Besides their own books, most of the authors had stories in the anthology, Missing, with proceeds going to benefit the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children.

Authors present included:
* Norm Cowie (Fang Face); (be sure to read his funny take on the trip and a few of the uh, less "savory" events);
* Barb Annino (Missing);
* Henry Perez (Killing Red);
* J.A. Konrath (Cherry Bomb);
* Luisa Buehler (The Innkeeper: An Unregistered Death);
* Margot Justes (A Hotel in Paris);
* Mary Welk (The Rune Stone Murders);
* JD Webb (Moon Over Chicago);
* Barbara DeShong (Too Rich and Too Thin);
* and me, Christine Verstraete (Searching for a Starry Night, A Miniature Art Mystery)

There were two signings, one at the Fried Green Tomatoes Restaurant, where you were greeted by this guy inside the door. (Nice place, don't let the grouchy face fool you.)

A second signing was held at the Brio Art Gallery, a wonderful modern jewel set right in vintage downtown Galena. Stunning art and jewelry.



Oh Beautiful, Spacious Skies!



I hadn't been to Galena in over 20 years and forgot some of the highlights. The big surprise was coming over the hill on the way and suddenly this wonderful green vista explodes in front of you. I forgot how hilly - and beautiful - the area was. (This pic doesn't do it justice. I thought I'd taken the better view looking down.)

Oh, and when I say hilly, I actually mean monstrous stairs! There are several whopping sets of steps. I think this is the one that has more than 200 steps. Going down was fine. (I didn't try going up; walking back up the hills to the B&B was enough for me.)

It is a town full of interesting shops and fascinating history. Lincoln spoke from the balcony of the old DeSoto House Hotel.

Grant's Home, a gift from the townspeople after his return from the Civil War on Aug. 18, 1865, is a charming brick residence and still contains much of the original furnishings.



I didn't get a chance to tour any of the other historic buildings, but I'm looking forward to another visit and more time to do so.

It was a great event: interesting history, great books, fun people and beautiful scenery. What more can you ask for?

First Graphs: The Advocate by Teresa Burrell

Meet the female John Grisham!

With a background as an attorney and teacher in San Diego, Teresa Burrell has been active in advocating for children and children's isssues.

Now Burrell is striving for justice in fiction that is inspired by many of her past cases, including her new novel, THE ADVOCATE (Echelon Press, Aug. 2009):

For Sabre Orin Brown, life is good; she has it all...or would have, if only she could solve the mysterious disappearance of her brother. The search for her brother and her career as a Juvenile Court attorney collide when she defends a nine-year-old whose father will go to any length to obtain custody.



First Graphs from THE ADVOCATE:

"If I knew he were dead, maybe then I could let go." Sabre Brown's fingers slid up and down the side of her Styrofoam cup as she and her best friend, Bob, walked away from the coffee cart, in front of the Juvenile Division of the San Diego Superior Court.

He put his arm around her tiny waist and pulled her closer to him. "I know how much you miss him."

"Not knowing is the worst part. You'd think after five years, I'd quit expecting him to return." She sighed and her voice softened. "The last time I talked to him, he called to wish me a happy birthday. He called me the night before because his plane was leaving early in the morning and he didn't want to wake me. I teased him about growing up, since waking me in the middle of the night would generally bring him great pleasure."

Buy: Amazon.com

Searching For A Starry Night Featured in Austin Writing Examiner Column

I can't say I enjoy being called "older," but Austin Writing Examiner Sylvia Dickey Smith featured Searching for a Starry Night, A Miniature Art Mystery in her new Austin Writing Examiner column.

She calls the book "delightful" and says: "Who can resist a story about an adorable canine, a search for a miniature art piece--and a haunted house, to boot."

Thanks, Sylvia!

First Graphs: Curse of the Bayou, Cynthia's Attic by Mary Cunningham

Today's excerpt is from the fun children's series, Cynthia's Attic, by author Mary Cunningham.

In book three, CURSE OF THE BAYOU (2007, Echelon Press), time-traveling best friends Gus and Cynthia find themselves in 1914 New Orleans.

There, the girls search for answers in the disappearance of Cynthia's great-grandfather, Beau Connor, who was on his way down the Mississippi River to sell a flatboat full of produce.

(Book Four: THE MAGICIAN'S CASTLE will be published in December '09.)





Excerpt, CURSE OF THE BAYOU:

"Don’t move.”

“Are you kidding? Why on earth would I move?”

Just another boring trip through the trunk. There we were, hanging on for dear life to a log in the middle of a swamp.

My best friend and I had been on some frightening adventures together since discovering time travel through an old trunk in her attic. But nothing prepared us for a face-to-face encounter with an alligator. No, siree. Nothing prepared us for this.

* Buy: Amazon.com

* Visit the Cynthia's Attic blog