Wednesday, November 27, 2013
Sunday, November 10, 2013
Nancy Lee Badger: Veteran's Day to Me
Guest author Nancy Lee Badger stopped by to talk about her latest release, UNWRAPPING CHRIS, a contemporary Military short story with a Scottish Christmas theme.My family and my husband's family have a proud history of military service. When researching our
family history many years ago, my hubby and I discovered that at least one member of our family served in every war fought on American soil since before the French & Indian War (1754-1763) through to the recent conflict in Iraq. (except for Desert Storm. There may be a cousin or two we missed, but our research did not find anyone fighting then.)
We found a memorial obelisk in front of Concord Hospital in Concord, NH with the name of ancestor John Bean who was killed by Indians on August 11, 1746.
Our son has just completed 10 years of service in the United states army which included a tour in Iraq during Operation Iraqi Freedom.
My late father-in-law retired from the air force as a Lt. Colonel, and my dad served in the navy during WW2. What does this all mean to me on November 11th...America's National Veteran's Day? It means that I am very proud of all who served.
So proud that I wrote a short story I titled Unwrapping Chris. It was published in 2010 by Whispers Publishing when they published a dozen short stories whose main theme had to include a Christmas wedding. When I recently got my rights back from the publisher, I created a new cover and released the book on October 10th everywhere. Yes, there is a military theme, and my son, Sgt. Eric Badger, assisted me by helping me make sure the military terminology was correct.
Here is the BOOK BLURB:
Army widow Jayne Rockwell searches for a secure future for her and her two daughters. Staff Sergeant Christopher Hawkins regrets leaving young Jayne eight years ago to go off to war. A crash encounter a week before Christmas thrusts these two lonely people back into each other's lives once more. Jayne must learn to trust a man who disappeared with her heart. Chris must overcome the guilt of taking her innocence, and then leaving her heartbroken and alone. A Christmas wedding brings them closer when Jayne spies him as a groomsman in Highland dress, complete with kilt. He cannot keep his eyes off the woman in green velvet wearing a wedding ring. Accusations, explanations, and remorse leads to a love that erupts among candlelight, Christmas carols, and a dark room. Who needs mistletoe?
UNWRAPPING CHRIS buy links
Blog http://www.nancyleebadger.blogspot.com
Website http://www.nancyleebadger.com
Twitter https://twitter.com/NLBadger
Facebook https://www.facebook.com/#!/nancy.l.badger
Goodreads http://bit.ly/Vd1Usg
Amazon Author Page http://amzn.to/13ICHLq
Website http://www.nancyleebadger.com
Twitter https://twitter.com/NLBadger
Facebook https://www.facebook.com/#!/nancy.l.badger
Goodreads http://bit.ly/Vd1Usg
Amazon Author Page http://amzn.to/13ICHLq
Please visit my Blog
for a more on all my books!
Friday, November 1, 2013
Come away with me…
Turtle Island is the setting for my new historical-romance-with-a-paranormal-twist, Keeper of the Light.
If you’ve read Deceptive Hearts, the first book of
the Wild Geese Series, you’ll recognize Cathal as one of Shane MacDermott’s
best friends. A story teller and a singer of songs, a dreamer and a bit of a
rebel, Cathal washes up on the stormy shores of Turtle Island with no memory of
who he is or why he’s there.
He’s rescued by Laura Bainbridge, a spirited
Maritime beauty with dreams of a wider world beyond the island home she’s
always known. But will dreams of Prince Charming take her away from Turtle
Island? Or will an encounter with Helena Bodewell, the island ghost, point her
in a different direction.
Here’s an excerpt from Keeper of the Light, when Laura first meets the Lady of Turtle
Island:
A high, thin cry
sliced through her reverie. Her skin prickling, Laura peered into the thick
fog.
Nothing. Had she
imagined the sound? Was it merely the wail of the wind, the cry of a seabird?
The sound came
again, lost, grief-stricken. A woman’s keening wail.
She squinted
harder, straining to make out a form, a shape, anything in the thick shroud of
fog and dark.
“Is someone
there?”
The heartrending
cry came again, shivering along Laura’s spine and raking fingers of pain across
her heart. “Please… where are you?”
There! High on the cliff at the far end of the beach. A small white-gowned
figure, long blonde hair blowing around her. Laura gasped, coughing violently
as the wind scored her lungs.
It couldn’t be!
“Helena?” The
howling wind snatched the whispered word and carried it away.
The woman turned
slowly, and Laura’s breath caught in her throat. Had the woman in white heard?
She was
beautiful. Laura had known she would be. Fragile and ethereal, the small
woman’s sea-colored eyes blazed, her ruby lips curved into a smile of
heartbreaking loveliness as she gazed steadily at Laura for a timeless moment.
Then the wisp of
a vision vanished.
Laura squeezed
her eyes shut. “It can’t be.”
Was it possible?
Had she really just seen the legendary Lady of Turtle Island? Had Helena’s gaze
really met hers?
Would the island
ghost’s prophesy come true?
Come visit me!
Come visit me!
Buy Keeper of the Light:
Amazon
Kindle
Barnes & Noble
Nook
Smashwords
Chapters
The Book Depository
Booksamillion
Foyle`s
Powell's
Thursday, October 31, 2013
Saturday, September 28, 2013
Autumn Glimmer: Just in Time for Halloween
Teenage Prince Liam stars in the Glimmer books, along with his American friend, Janet Gleason, who can’t seem to stay away from the fairies.
Because Janet’s grandfather is the U.S. Ambassador to Ireland, Janet lives in Dublin and attends an upscale boarding school. She still misses Boston, especially in autumn, when New England’s trees are so gorgeously vibrant. But she’s settled into her new life well and landed the lead in the next school play. When King Brian invites the Gleasons to his country estate to celebrate Halloween, Janet is happy: she’ll be with Liam again.She should know Ireland better by now…
Blurb for Autumn Glimmer:
Janet and Liam meet again for a Halloween weekend they’ll never forget… Fairies living beneath the lake on the King of Ireland’s country estate? Janet Gleason isn’t surprised. The American teen and her royal friend, Prince Liam Boru, have met the Good People before. Just before Halloween, three of the fairies, Blinn, Mell, and Lewy, leave their watery home to fill a magical bag with the flowers their queen requires to keep a hungry monster asleep. A tragic ride on a Fairy Wind leaves poor Lewy lost and alone. Can Liam and Janet help him find the flower bag before the monster awakens? Or will Lewy’s misguided glimmer trap the young mortals forever in the palace beneath the lake?
Excerpt:
Below the bubble, the water brightened to lustrous cobalt blue. Stars seemed to shimmer deep in the lake. A forest of vegetation waved on the lake bed. The impossible sight of crystal towers emerged beyond the greenery, and Liam wanted to dance.
Janet raised a hand to her face. “It’s lovely, but why does it smell so bad?”
She was right. A nasty whiff of something vile had seeped into the bubble.
Becula raised her arms. “Hasten!"
The bubble’s downward speed increased. The stench intensified. Trying to pinpoint its source, Liam scanned the ghostly lake. An amber mist glowed in the inky water beyond the light and seemed to be pursuing them.
“What is it?” he asked, dreading the answer.
“The Crogall Cú,” said Becula, her nonchalant tone at odds with the stiffened sags and bags on her face. “When it hunts, its nostrils blow foul vapors to confuse its prey. Fear not, young prince. It shall not harm us.”
A terrible roar tore through the bubble. Janet yipped and clung to Liam. Squashing his lips to keep from yipping himself, he hugged her to him. The mist billowed into to a putrid fog that poured like custard to sully the water. Another roar, much closer this time, jolted the bubble.
Janet screamed. Liam’s heart leapt into his throat. A blood-red eye as big as an autumn moon stared in at them from the water. How could such a behemoth exist in the little pond? Liam tightened his hold on Janet and hoped the Invincible Orb lived up to its name.
* * * * *
About Pat McDermott:
Boston native Pat McDermott writes romantic action/adventure stories set in Ireland.
Pat is a member of the New Hampshire Writers’ Project, Romance Writers of America, and Celtic Hearts Romance Writers. Her favorite non-writing activities include cooking, hiking, reading, and traveling, especially to Ireland. She lives and writes in New Hampshire, USA.Sunday, September 8, 2013
Salty Roses Rounds Off the Band of Roses Trilogy
Pat McDermott here, announcing that Salty Roses, Book Three in the Band of Roses Trilogy, has just been released in print.
That means the entire trilogy is available in paperback!The Band of Roses Trilogy, a series of romantic action/adventures set in a modern Ireland that might have been, supposes that High King Brian Boru survived the Battle of Clontarf in 1014 A.D. and established a royal dynasty that rules Ireland to this day. As head of state, the current King Brian upholds ancient traditions, as does his daughter, Crown Princess Talty, though Talty has a knack for landing in trouble.
Book One, A Band of Roses - The indomitable princess must hide her identity to outwit assassins, but she can't hide her ingrained training as a warrior sworn to protect her homeland. From Japan to California to an eleventh century Ireland, she finds romance and adventure, yet all she wants is to return to her family and Neil Boru, the adoptive cousin she secretly loves and cannot have—or so she thinks.
In Book Two, Fiery Roses, a major discovery of offshore gas ensnares the Boru clan in a web of blackmail and murder. When the residents of rural County Mayo object to plans to run pipelines over their pristine bogs, an arsonist tries to change their minds. One of his fires sends newlyweds Talty and Neil to an ancient world at the mercy of a waking volcano. While they struggle to outwit a tyrant with a shocking secret, King Brian locks horns with ruthless oilmen. The resulting conflict proves fatal for the Boru clan, whose members once again close ranks to thwart the latest threat to the kingdom they are sworn to protect.Book Three, Salty Roses, finds the dynamic heir to the Irish throne thinking her days of exotic adventure are all done and dusted, yet Talty's royal duties seem endless, and a day off with handsome husband Neil is looking good. Former naval officer Talty eagerly accepts an eccentric billionaire’s invitation to sail aboard his luxury submarine, but as she and Neil dive beneath the waves to view an eerie shipwreck, a sinister plot unfolds. An unknown enemy lures them to an ancient tomb and sends them to a world infested with treacherous pirates. Talty takes charge of a pirate ship and its mangy crew, while Neil matches wits with a steamy temptress who jeopardizes his wedding vows. As he and Talty fight to save their marriage, they learn that the door to parallel worlds swings both ways.
An Excerpt from Salty Roses:
The wind fills the rigging and whips my hair. Salt spray dampens my face. The men at the oars propel my galley over the sea to capture the foolish merchant ship that dared to invade my waters. She sits low in the waves, weighed down with gold and silver, packed with silk and spices from the Far East. She’s mine.
"Man the cannons!” I shout from the gun deck. “Prepare to board her!”
“Your
Highness? We have here a model of Granuaile’s galley. Not an exact
reproduction, but assembled as closely as possible from the descriptions in the
existing records.”
The droning
words seeped into Talty’s fantasy like ink drops clouding a pool of water. The bracing
tang of briny air gave way to the scent of new wood and fresh paint. She was
back in the Grace O’Malley museum in Louisburg, Mayo.
“You’ll
walk the plank for this, me bucko!”
Though
miffed that the curator’s ongoing narrative had spoiled her imagined adventure,
she smiled graciously at the gangly, white-haired man. “The ship looks quite
authentic, Mr. Gavin.”
The
raisin-like eyes behind his glasses squinted back at her. “Grania had several
galleys under her command.” Gavin walked on, babbling away about tribal warfare
in sixteenth century Ireland.
Talty knew
the story of Granuaile, also known as Pirate Queen Grania “Grace” O’Malley, yet
she listened politely, ambling along after Gavin to the next display. Neil stopped
beside her, biting his lip the way he did when trying not to laugh. The merry
gleam in his eye said he’d caught her daydreaming.
She stepped
on his foot. “I understand Grania divorced one of her husbands and locked him
out of his castle.”
Gavin didn’t
miss a beat. “Richard Bourke. Sometimes known as Iron Dick.”
Neil’s
polite cough barely muffled a snort of laughter. “The fella possessed
exceptional marital skills, did he?”
Talty
stepped harder on his foot, somehow managing to keep her public smile in place.
“Isn’t the name from the armor he wore?”
Gavin’s
unsmiling face betrayed no awareness of their playful interaction. His
attention seemed riveted on the exhibit before him. He clasped his hands behind
his back. “That’s one theory. The name may have referred to an ironworks on his
property. Unfortunately, we have more folklore than fact about the history of
this time. It’s folklore that tells us how Grania herself became known as
Granuaile. ‘Gráinne Mhaol’ means ‘Bald Grace’ in Irish. Legend has it she cut
her hair after her father refused to take her along on his voyages. He claimed
her hair was so long, it would get caught in the rigging.”
Neil tugged
Talty’s shoulder length hair. “Obviously he let her sail with him after that.”
“Obviously.
This ends the tour, ma’am. If you’re ready, we’ll officially open the museum.”
Gavin started for the door.
Talty
followed, recalling one of her favorite stories about Grace O’Malley. Only
hours after the Pirate Queen gave birth to a son in her cabin, foreign pirates
attacked her galley. Grace appeared on deck clad only in a blanket. She shot
the pirate captain with her blunderbuss pistol and led her men to victory.
Having recently experienced childbirth herself, Talty found her admiration of
the legendary woman turning to awe.
The wax
figures of Granuaile and her husbands, sons, and enemies positioned throughout
the room appeared ready to step down and strike up a conversation. Colorful
murals on the walls portrayed seascapes and sixteenth century sailing vessels,
adding to the fanciful mood.
This
morning’s formalities would be modest compared to the afternoon gala at the
Marine Foundation, yet Talty suspected she would spend the most enjoyable part
of her day here in Mayo. The Marine Foundation was important, yes, but the
reception following its opening ceremony was “by invitation only.” She dreaded
facing the fawning, praise-seeking politicians who’d have the run of the place,
and she didn’t care a whit if she ever met the billionaire tycoon, Roxy
what’s-his-name.
The
Granuaile event was open to the public. Talty looked forward to her allotted
forty-five minutes of shaking hands and chatting with the people before the
Morrigan whisked her south to Galway. Silently rehearsing her short speech, she
walked between Neil and Gavin to the Granuaile Center’s humble lobby. The
standing crowd enthusiastically applauded her entry.
Despite the
warm welcome, Barry and Rory stood guard on either side of the packed little
room. Their eagle-eyed vigilance was more than adequate for this quiet corner
of Mayo. Security at the Marine Foundation would be tighter than a goatskin on
a drum.
Her public smile firmly in place, Talty cordially greeted the well-wishers, who had no way of knowing she was already back on her pirate ship, shouting orders to man the cannons and prepare to board.
Boston native Pat McDermott writes romantic action/adventure stories set in Ireland. Glancing Through the Glimmer and its sequel, Autumn Glimmer, are young adult paranormal adventures starring Ireland’s mischievous fairies and an Irish royal family that might have been. Both books are “prequels” to her popular Band of Roses Trilogy: A Band of Roses, Fiery Roses, and Salty Roses. Her first contemporary romance, The Rosewood Whistle, features Ireland’s music and myths.
Pat’s favorite non-writing activities include cooking, reading, music, hiking, music, and traveling, especially to Ireland. She is a member of the New Hampshire Writers’ Project, Romance Writers of America, and Celtic Hearts Romance Writers. She lives and writes in New Hampshire, USA.
Her public smile firmly in place, Talty cordially greeted the well-wishers, who had no way of knowing she was already back on her pirate ship, shouting orders to man the cannons and prepare to board.
* * * * *
About Pat McDermott:
Boston native Pat McDermott writes romantic action/adventure stories set in Ireland. Glancing Through the Glimmer and its sequel, Autumn Glimmer, are young adult paranormal adventures starring Ireland’s mischievous fairies and an Irish royal family that might have been. Both books are “prequels” to her popular Band of Roses Trilogy: A Band of Roses, Fiery Roses, and Salty Roses. Her first contemporary romance, The Rosewood Whistle, features Ireland’s music and myths.Pat’s favorite non-writing activities include cooking, reading, music, hiking, music, and traveling, especially to Ireland. She is a member of the New Hampshire Writers’ Project, Romance Writers of America, and Celtic Hearts Romance Writers. She lives and writes in New Hampshire, USA.
* * * * *
for more information.
Sunday, August 4, 2013
Fiery Roses, Book Two in the Band of Roses Trilogy - Now in Print!
The "Roses" books are romantic action/adventures set in a modern Ireland that might have been. The "what if" premise supposes that High King Brian Boru survived the Battle of Clontarf in 1014 AD and established a royal dynasty still in existence. As head of state, the current King Brian upholds ancient traditions, as does his daughter, Crown Princess Talty, though Talty has a knack for landing in trouble.
In the first book, A Band of Roses, Talty must hide her identity to outwit assassins, but she can't hide her ingrained training as a warrior sworn to protect her homeland. From Japan to California to an eleventh century Ireland, she finds romance and adventure, yet all she wants is to return to her family and Neil Boru, the adoptive cousin she secretly loves and cannot have—or so she thinks.In Fiery Roses, a major discovery of offshore gas ensnares the Boru clan in a web of blackmail and murder. When the residents of rural County Mayo object to plans to run pipelines over their pristine bogs, an arsonist tries to change their minds. One of his fires sends Talty and Neil to an ancient world beset by a waking volcano, and the residents believe she is the Goddess Pele, come to save them. As they struggle to outwit a tyrant with a shocking secret and find their way back to Ireland, King Brian locks horns with ruthless oilmen trying to bully their way over the bogs.
Fiery Roses wasn’t supposed to be a sequel. When I started writing the book, I researched arsonists and developed a character sketch of an arsonist. Meanwhile, I monitored the Irish news online, vicariously living in Ireland, the country with which I’d fallen in love during my first visit in 2004. I noted rumblings concerning plans to harvest the natural gas discovered off the northwest coast of County Mayo in 1996.
My arsonist began to merge with the cast from A Band of Roses. With the indomitable Princess Talty and her spirited kin still fresh in my mind, I wondered how the Boru clan would deal with the situation in north Mayo.
 |
| Cut Turf Drying on a Bog |
We soon saw men in hard hats working behind a chain link fence, large sections of blue pipe awaiting installation, and protesters sitting in parked cars. Surrounding them were hand-painted signs that said things like, "We are Irish citizens, not Shell subjects."
The next morning, we learned that Royal Dutch Shell had sought and obtained a court order for the arrest of five Mayo men who refused the company access to their land. The men spent ninety-four days in prison.
As I worked on Fiery Roses, a story filled with fictitious villains and heroes, I followed the Irish news, waiting for some resolution to the increasing hostility in north Mayo. I spent three years writing the book and tidying up all the imaginary plot twists. Sadly, the real situation in north Mayo remains unresolved.
* * * * *
EXCERPT from Fiery Roses - A Little Lost:From his window seat in one of Casa Verro’s largest guest suites, Neil opened the shutters and caught the scent of the sea. Beneath him, a patchwork of planted fields and pastures stretched for mile after emerald mile. Yet the realization that the land sat on a waking volcano spoiled the idyllic scene. That and knowing the verdant panorama wasn’t Ireland.
The air currents shifted. Tantalizing whiffs of roasting pork and baking bread made his mouth water, yet they couldn’t subdue his growing dread that he’d never see Ireland again, never fly again, or zoom off in his Jaguar. His family, his friends, and his precious Talty would all be lost to him if the Peregrine Portal left him behind when it called the others home.
The fervent "Ooh!" behind him was a sound he knew well: Talty had found something to wear to the feast for the Meddiss. Neil turned his head just as Renen raised the top of a shimmering white gown over the pink-tipped breasts that perfectly fit the palms of his hands.
For over an hour, Talty had been trying on the late Danella’s gowns. Renen had come to help. Her shocked gasp when she’d first seen the scars on Talty’s chest had nearly caused Neil to send the woman away. Talty had said nothing, and Renen, a servant unaccustomed to questioning her betters, had recovered well.
"This is lovely, Renen," Talty said.
"It is the finest silk." The fussing servant pinned the shoulder straps with matching broaches.
The dress fell in graceful folds, the cloth so fine it seemed transparent. Gold threads woven through the material shimmered with Talty’s slightest move. The gathered waist flattered her slender form—too slender in her view, it seemed.
"It fits well enough," she said with a downward glance, "but the top is too big."
"Your mamms do look a little lost in there," Neil called from the window.
The women’s heads jerked. As he’d suspected, they’d forgotten he was there.
Talty raised her chin and glared. "You never seem to have any trouble finding them!"
Renen grinned at the playful repartee. "The baroness stretched the dress more, yes, but you, Lady, are well formed and lovely. We will show them. We only have to fix the pins." She gathered the material tighter and reset the broaches.
When she finished, Talty’s eyes widened, silently asking Neil’s opinion.
"You look more grippable now, darlin’." He made squeezing gestures and laughed at her openmouthed gasp. "Really, Tal, you look fine. No goddess could be more beautiful."
"This one can," said Renen. "We will add perfume and jewels, though even the baroness had no rings as fine as yours, Lady."
Talty extended her hand and gazed at the rings Neil had placed there. She smiled lovingly at him as she answered Renen. "I feel strange wearing Danella’s things, but I suppose I have no choice."
"No," Neil muttered. "The airline lost our luggage."
* * * * *
About Pat McDermott:
Boston, Massachusetts native Pat McDermott writes romantic action/adventure stories set in an Ireland that might have been. Glancing Through the Glimmer and its sequel, Autumn Glimmer, are young adult paranormal adventures featuring Ireland’s mischievous fairies. Both books are “prequels” to her popular Band of Roses Trilogy: A Band of Roses, Fiery Roses, and Salty Roses. Her first adult contemporary romance, The Rosewood Whistle, was released in June, 2013.
* * * * *
To Learn More About Pat and Her Books, Visit Her
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