Welcome, Sarah! Congratulations on your new release! Please tell us about your writing.
I write contemporary romance novellas and my novels are historical paranormal romance. Why the two different genres you ask? Well, I hadn’t intended it to be that way. I began writing historical paranormal romance because I love time travel and going into the past. I enjoy the research involved. If you take a person from the future and place them in the past or vice versa, I find it interesting on how they would interact with the people, adapt to their surroundings, and try to make a life for themselves in a place so foreign to them. I like how it brings out their true nature.
My contemporary novellas began with one called Heaven Sent. I began writing it for a contest and from there, it became published. I decided then to continue to write them. One- because it gives my readers another genre to read plus it might bring in new readers who may not like the other genre. Two- I can put out the novellas in between the novels so that everyone has something to read while they are waiting.
You would think contemporary romance would be fairly easy to write considering we live in the here and now, but that’s not always the case. Because we live in this time, it can be harder to impress the reader. No matter the genre, no matter the theme, we authors put our hearts in every book.
I want to thank the ladies here for having me. I appreciate the opportunity to speak and meet new people.
Thank you so much for being our guest today, Sarah!
***
Two
Lifetimes – Two Hearts – One future, if they can only survive the past.
Hamish
Macpherson is surrounded by turmoil: an arsonist is on the loose, he’s in the
middle of a feud with a local clansman, and just as he’s trying to save his
sister from a burning cottage, he appears in the middle of a foreign living
room three hundred years past his own time.
Gillian
Meadows thinks she’s self-sufficient and can handle anything until she
witnesses a murder in the alley next to an Olde City tavern. In a desperate run
to escape being the next victim, she stumbles into a wiccan store and accepts
the help of the shop owner. Little does she know that one mis-spoken word of a
simple incantation can change everything.
Neither
world is safe, but Hamish can better protect Gillian if he returns to his own
time. Gillian has no choice but to go with him if she wants to escape the
danger closing in. Little do they know that his past could be the biggest
threat of all to their future.
***
Excerpt!
Loud
shouts grabbed her attention. She stared forward, trying to ignore the
fighting. A woman’s scream echoed from the alleyway, sending a shiver up her
back, making the hair at the nape of her neck stand up.
The
man yelled on the top of his lungs, something about her never doing it again.
How he trusted her and he was a fool, that all women were the same. The crying
woman pleaded.
Gillian
stopped and searched the streets in both directions, praying the cab would come
soon. She heard a slap, then another. She would have to cross the alley to get
back to the bar and she stopped, not sure what to do. She had no desire to be
stuck outside, listening to a man beat his girlfriend. Once inside the bar, she
could tell someone and they could come and help her. Rat bastard deserved a little taste of what he was dishing out.
Her
lips puckered and she blew out a long silent breath, trying desperately to
steady her nerves. She walked on her tip toes, slowly approaching the alley.
Her heart raced. Silently, she said a prayer asking to not be seen. Panic
coursed through her veins like ice and she shivered.
She
stood immobile with her toes touching the edge of the alley as she listened to
the man’s degrading words. The woman’s sobbing gripped her heart and squeezed.
She should do something, but what? She was no match against the brute. She had
to get into the bar. The safest route
was to cross the street, walk down a block, then cross back over to the bar.
The fastest, was to cross the alley.
Staring
straight ahead, she made it halfway across when a gunshot pierced the night air
and broke her resolve. She stopped, covered her ears and bowed her head.
Instinct told her to run but she couldn’t help but peek down the alley. The
woman slid to the ground and fell hard on the cement. She didn’t move. Gillian willed
her feet to go, but they had a mind of their own. The man stood still as he
watched the woman collapse, the gun held tight in his hand at his side.
Gillian’s entire body shook and she dropped her purse.
She
screamed, then bit down on her fist to stifle the sound. The man turned toward
her. Time seemed to slow down.
The
lighting wasn’t the best and she couldn’t make out a lot of details, but he was
tall.
He
stepped toward her as she unconsciously took a step back, kicking her purse,
and she bent over to pick it up. She turned to run, then her heel caught in the
sewer grate, causing her to fall and lose her shoe. She was vaguely aware of a
plastic bag as it blew down the street like tumbleweed. A street lamp flashed
on and off at the corner. Faint music played from within the tavern. She was
aware of the searing pain that shot through her knee and elbow and the
overwhelming desire to get up and run into the bar. She scrambled to her feet,
stumbling awkwardly with only one heel.
Before
she’d taken two steps, he reached her and grabbed her arm. “Come here, bitch.”
His words came out in a tone just above a whisper. It was creepy and grated
against her nerves. He pulled her back into the edge of the alley.
Gillian
was frozen in place. All of his attention stayed focused on her. The gun was
still in his hand. She willed her mind to work and tried to slow her breathing
before she hyperventilated. She needed to come up with a plan for escape. She
turned quickly to look out into the street. People came in and out of the bar
all the time, why didn’t someone come now? There were no cars, no nothing. Was
the night conspiring against her?
He
grabbed her by the arms, forcefully pulling her against his chest. She
struggled but he was too strong.
“Let
me go!” she screamed.
“You
saw, didn’t you, blackbird?” His hot breath stung her ear. It reeked of whisky.
Bile rose in her throat as he fisted his hand into her hair and forced her to
stare at him.
She
swallowed. “No, sir. I swear I didn’t.” Tears danced in her lashes, then fell
down her cheeks at the pain of her hair being pulled.
“Bullshit.”
Spittle
flew against her face as he spat his angry words. A car roared around the
corner and she stole a glance. Her taxi. Here was her chance to get away before
this turned uglier than it already was.
After
sucking in a breath of courage, she yelled, “Go to hell!” then brought her knee
up hard against his crotch, dropping him to the ground. His ring caught in her
hair as he grabbed his injured manhood, causing her to jerk backward for a
second. She spun on her feet, tearing her panty hose and ran for the taxi.
A
gunshot echoed in the night for a second time. The bullet hit the decorative
street lamp above her head, making a funny tinging noise. She reached the car
just as another shot rang through the air, striking the back window of the car.
Glass shattered and she ducked down into the seat.
“Drive
me to Bradford Place Apartments,” she hollered as the driver was already
putting the car into gear. As he dialed 911, she clutched her purse to her
chest and cried. All she wanted to do was lock herself away in her apartment
forever.
The
cab sped away as the words of the man trailed her. “I will find you!”
AUTHOR BIO:
Sarah Hoss grew up
believing she could try anything and if she set her mind to it, she would
succeed. Sixteen years of dance lessons, Cheerleading, and school plays proved
to her that her parent’s words rang true. Writing was no exception. Reading the
Outlander series made her fall in love with time travels and the historical
places books could take her. Always a child with a vivid imagination, she
realized as an adult, she could put her imagination to good use and began
writing. Marrying her very own hero, they live in Indiana in the town where she
grew up. They have three beautiful children and one hyper dog. When Sarah isn’t
writing, she enjoys gardening, camping, and watching her kids’ play sports.
Where to find
Sarah-
Twitter- @SarahHoss1
Facebook-
Sarah is giving away an ebook copy of Highland Savior to one lucky commenter!
USA Today Bestseller and Award-winning author of urban fantasy and medieval historical romantic suspense, Terry Spear also writes true stories for adult and young adult audiences. She’s a retired lieutenant colonel in the U.S. Army Reserves and has an MBA from Monmouth University. She also creates award-winning teddy bears, Wilde & Woolly Bears, to include personalized bears designed to commemorate authors’ books. When she’s not writing or making bears, she’s teaching online writing courses. Originally from California, she’s lived in eight states and now resides in the heart of Texas. She is the author of Heart of the Wolf (Publishers Weekly's BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR), Destiny of the Wolf, To Tempt the Wolf, Legend of the White Wolf, Seduced by the Wolf, Wolf Fever, Heart of the Highland Wolf, Dreaming of the Wolf, The Highland Wolf in Paradise, Deadly Liaisons (vampire romantic suspense), Winning the Highlander’s Heart, The Accidental Highland Hero, A Ghost of a Chance at Love (Time Travel Western Romance), The Vampire…In My Dreams (young adult), Deidre’s Secret (young adult) and numerous articles and short stories for magazines.
Have a great one!
I know that divorce is probably not the most inviting topic for a romance blog; however, many romances center around characters who have experienced this kind of traumatic life change, so I thought that Amy Koko's There's Been a Change of Plans would be something of interest. She's an author with my current publisher, and when I read her memoir, I couldn't put it down. It made me laugh, and it made me think. It's both funny and poignant, and she doesn't hold back on the topics of divorce, mid-life, and, most importantly, finding new love after finding oneself. 
The USA Today bestselling author of award-winning Scottish historical romance. Her favorite pastime is exploring Scotland, and taking photos along the way. She also enjoys creating hot, Highland heroes and spirited lasses to drive them mad. She lives in the mountains of North Carolina where she is crafting another Scottish story. Please visit her website at www.vondasinclair.com
After
a few minutes, her shivering ceased, and she settled back against his chest,
deep in slumber. Her womanly hips pressed between his thighs were causing
Duncan a great deal of discomfort. He groaned, then shifted her in his arms. No
use. He would just have to bear it.
