Welcome SPIRITED Author Mary Behre

On March 18, 2014March 17, 2014 By Tara Kingston5 Comments

I’m so pleased to welcome my friend, author Mary Behre, today. She’s celebrating the launch of her wonderful debut novel, SPIRITED. I loved this story and blazed through it on my Kindle last weekend. What a terrific read! To celebrate, Mary will be giving away a copy of SPIRITED and a “swag bag”. Just leave a comment and your email for a chance to win.

Now, here’s Mary:

Hi Tara! Thank you for having me as a guest on your blog today. This whole week has been so amazing, I appreciate you inviting me to continue my launch celebration here.

Mary, please tell us a little about your story.

A reluctant psychic and an no-nonsense cop thrown together by ghost on a mission when her purse is found in the hands of his dead informant. SPIRITED has it all… humor, suspense and a psychic love-connection.

All Jules Scott wants is to live a normal, quiet life—preferably one that doesn’t include ghosts. Jules’s ability for communicating with the dead means needy spirits always find a way to draw her into their otherworldly drama. When one implicates her in a series of deadly crimes, Jules is forced to entrust her paranormal secrets to the person least likely to believe her, the super-hot cop who also poses a danger to her heart.

He’ll do whatever it takes to catch her.

Detective Seth English can’t get distracted from the big case he’s working on, not even by his alluring new neighbor. He doesn’t believe that Jules had anything to do with the string of robberies-turned-murders that he’s investigating, but when she keeps showing up in all the wrong places, including some scintillating fantasies, his gut tells him she knows more than she’s letting on. To solve his case, he’ll need to expose what the sexy redhead is hiding— but the truth could threaten more than the budding attraction between them…

I love this story…it drew me in from the first page! And Seth is such a wonderful hero. Mary, if you could bring a fictional hero to life, which one would it be? Heathcliff? Mr. Darcy? Mr. Rochester? Tarzan? Captain Mal? One of your own heroes?

Oh my, Captain Mal, definitely! I’m a huge Firefly fan. I saw the show for the first time, ten years after it aired and loved it. I’ve put the Blu-Ray on my wish list for my birthday this year. LOL

He’s one of my favorites…I devoured an entire season of Firefly in a day on a snowy weekend when my hubby was out of town. Firefly episodes are like potato chips 🙂 The fact we both adore Captain Mal doesn’t surprise me in the least. Great minds, you know! But what’s one thing about you that would surprise readers?

Like Jules I have a distinctive tattoo that I got in honor of my older sister. The tattoo is of a pink ribbon with a Celtic symbol for the feminine goddess in the center. If you see me at a conference ask me about the tat, I proudly show it off.

What an original idea!

If you could live anywhere in the world, where would it be?

Oh, that’s easy. Virginia Beach. I moved there when I was twenty-two and never wanted to leave. In fact, I loved the Tidewater area so much, I used it as inspiration for the setting for SPIRITED. The Tidewater area is what the locals refer to the cities of Virginia Beach, Norfolk, Suffolk, Chesapeake and Portsmouth. Tidewater is actually not on a map. Locals of the five cities often work in one city, live in another, go to concerts in another, plays in another, and dinner in another. But beta readers of my first book, showed me they didn’t understand why locals would leave their own city for food. So Tidewater was born as the fictitious city that had it all.

I’m missing Tidewater, too. I grew up in that area and lived there most of my life until two years ago, when we traded the beach for the mountains of Pennsylvania. Now it’s on my “gotta get there” list at least once a season.

Mary, as a writer, what’s your favorite inspirational quote?

My favorite writing quote is from the sci-fi spoof, GALAXY QUEST. “Never give up. Never surrender.”

Do you follow sports? Favorite teams?

I’m a Baltimore fan all the way. I’m Orioles fan (baseball) and a Ravens fan (football). I love that the Ravens color is purple. My favorite color. So all season long, I wear my Ravens’ gear. The Orioles color is orange. I wear that color as little as possible. Only birds look good in orange. LOL

Hmmm…I’m a Steeler gal…looks like we might have a little Flacco/Big Ben rivalry going on here…

Thanks for being my guest, Mary! It’s been a pleasure to host you. Where can readers find SPIRITED?

Here are buy links to three major retailers:

Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Spirited-Tidewater-Novel-Mary-Behre-ebook/dp/B00EOAS0BS/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1388161462&sr=8-1&keywords=mary+behre

Barnes & Noble: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/spirited-mary-behre/1116561037?ean=9780425268612

Books-A-Million: http://www.booksamillion.com/p/Spirited/Mary-Behre/9780425268612?id=5649170482822

Don’t forget to leave a comment and your email for a chance to win a swag bag. We’ll announce the winner on Thursday, March 20…Happy first day of Spring!

Here’s a little more about Mary:

Mary Behre is the lone female in a house full of males and the undisputed queen of her domain. She even has the glittery tiara to prove it. She loves stories with humor, ghosts, mysteries and above all else, a good romance. When not writing, she enjoys reading, gluten-free baking, and hanging out at the beach with the most important men in her life, her family.

Her debut paranormal romance, SPIRITED (Tidewater Novel #1) was an award-winning manuscript before it sold to Berkley Sensation. The Tidewater Series is mix of humor, suspense, and a psychic love-connection. The first three stories are about three sisters separated years before in the foster care system. As they search for love, each other, and a way to live with their psychic abilities, they’re tossed into the middle of mysteries that only their unique gifts can help solve.

Author Mary Behre – A “Spirited” Look at Things that Go Bump in the Night

On October 31, 2013October 31, 2013 By Tara Kingston7 Comments

I’m thrilled to welcome my friend, author Mary Behre, to the blog on one of my favorite holidays, Halloween! Mary writes stories with humor, suspense, and a psychic love-connection. Her debut novel, Spirited, will take its bow in the spring. She’s here today discussing one of my favorite things that go bump in the night – ghosts. She’s also going to give away a wonderful “treat” to one lucky commenter – a prize pack and an advanced reader copy of Spirited. Be sure to enter the giveaway below. The winner will be announced on Monday, November 4.

Welcome, Mary.

Happy Halloween! Tara, thank you for having me as a guest today. In honor of the spookiest day of the year, I thought I’d talk a little bit about ghosts.

Ghosts are souls of people who’ve died, right? Yeah, everyone seems to agree on that. But not everyone agrees on what ghosts can or cannot do. Since my debut novel features a ghost, I thought I’d share a little bit of knowledge here today about the different types of ghosts out there.

First up…Wraiths.

These are ghosts who, for all intent and purposes, hang around a place or an item. They haunt houses, old factories, certain streets late at night, and even old chairs.

These specters are little more than an echo effect of what happened long ago. It’s the echoes the living report seeing when the spirit of a grandmother sits in old rocker, or a Civil War soldier walks across a specific path in a field, or even a child holds a yellow balloon.

Wraiths don’t interact with the living. They simply repeat what they’ve done before they died. In some ways, it’s like watching a movie on replay. Many ghost tours throughout the states feature wraiths.

But wraiths aren’t the only game in town.

Next up…Visitants.

Ghosts who cannot move on after they’ve died because they still have work to do are on a mission. These missions often have ghosts reaching out to whoever can hear them. Most often, psychics or mediums. The ghosts want to tell Little Barbara where Uncle Milton left his real will or Little Jamie where to find Aunt Maisey’s missing ring.

Visitants are the type of ghosts who want to accomplish something then move on. Once the mission is completed—the real will is read or the missing ring is located—the spirit departs.

Finally, we have…Poltergeists.

Thanks to the 80’s flick of the same name and numerous horror movies since, everyone knows the word Poltergeist. But most people equate the name with malevolence. That’s not necessarily true. The word Poltergeist broken down actually means “to knock” (poltern) and “spirit” (geist). Poltergeists can be mischievous and hide keys, open and close doors, and rattle pipes. Still, they aren’t typically evil. Mostly, they just make noise.

I know in lots of horror movies people get injured by ghosts but really, most ghostly encounters end with the living walking away unscathed. And when they are injured, it’s usually due to their own clumsiness.

Now it’s your turn. Do you believe in ghosts? Have you ever seen one? Share your ghost story here.

One lucky commenter will win a prize pack and Advanced Reader Copy of my debut novel, SPIRITED.

Author Bio:

Mary Behre could never decide story she liked more, paranormal, mystery or romance. So it only made sense that she combined all three in her books. Her debut novel, SPIRITED, is the first in the Tidewater Series. Stories with humor, suspense and a psychic love-connection. When not writing, she can be found hanging out with the most important men in her life, her family.

Amazon Pre-Order Link

http://www.amazon.com/Spirited-A-Tidewater-Trilogy-ebook/dp/B00EOAS0BS/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1383058874&sr=8-1&keywords=spirited+mary+behre

Barnes & Noble Pre-Order Link

http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/spirited-mary-behre/1116561037?ean=9780425268612

A little about SPIRITED:

She’s running from who she is…

All Jules Scott wants is to live a normal, quiet life–preferably one that doesn’t include ghosts. Jules’s ability for communicating with the dead has brought her nothing but trouble. Despite her best efforts, needy spirits always find her and draw her into their otherworldly drama. When one implicates her in a series of deadly crimes, she may need to entrust her secrets to the person least likely to believe her…

He’ll do whatever it takes to catch her.

Detective Seth English can’t get distracted from the big case he’s working on, not even by his alluring new neighbor. He doesn’t believe that Jules had anything to do with the string of robberies-turned-murders that he’s investigating, but when she keeps showing up in all the wrong places, his gut tells him she knows more than she’s letting on. To solve his case, he’ll need to expose what the sexy redhead is hiding–no matter how impossible the truth may be…

What an intriguing story – can’t wait to read this! Don’t forget to leave a comment for a chance to win an advanced reader copy of Spirited as well as a prize pack.

Enter the giveaway here:
a Rafflecopter giveaway

Welcome Guest Author Jodi Vaughn

On July 11, 2013July 10, 2013 By Tara Kingston4 Comments

It’s my pleasure to welcome author Jodi Vaughn to the blog today. She’s going to tell us a little about her upcoming paranormal romance release, Veiled Secrets. Welcome, Jodi. Please tell us about Veiled Secrets.

Veiled Secrets

When fairies and demons collide all hell breaks loose.

Celeste Hart yearns for a normal life, but she has never fit in because of her dark visions. She vows to let nothing stop her from discovering what she is, good, bad or evil. But she is soon distracted from her quest when sexy Eric Nordstrom charms his way into her bed. He leaves her even more confused by her intense feelings for him and discovers their one night of passion has resulted in something that will change them forever, a child.

CEO Eric Nordstrom has no interest in romance and even less in a relationship. His company has always been his focus. But he can’t stop thinking about the elusive Celeste, who has made him feel more in one night than he has in his entire life. When he learns of the pregnancy, he convinces Celeste to marry him on the pretense of keeping the company from another scandal while trying to seduce her back into his arms.

Celeste struggles to fit into Eric’s elite world and soon discovers her visions are a result of having Fae blood. When the vengeful Queen of the Fairies sends a demon army to take her unborn child, Celeste must embrace her fairy heritage and enlist Eric’s help in her life and death fight. Suspicious of a world he doesn’t understand yet determined to protect the woman he loves, Eric joins forces with Celeste to protect their unborn child from the evil that has invaded their home.

Fate brought them together, will destiny rip them apart?

Jodi, how about a little info about you – Inquiring minds want to know…

Jodi, You’ve landed in Oz…who would you rather meet: Dorothy, the Wicked Witch, or Oz?

I would rather meet The Wicked Witch. Dorothy was a drama queen and Oz was trying to be someone he wasn’t. The Wicked Witch had her sister murdered by a house and her inheritance stolen (red shoes). She actually had a reason be vengeful. Plus I always root for the underdog.

What’s your all-time favorite movie? Why?

Pride and Prejudice. And yes it’s my favorite book too! I think every romance novel is based on the same principle. Hero and heroine can’t admit they love each other and fight it until the end.

I also love You’ve Got Mail. Same principal!

Jodi, I adore those movies. Colin Firth in Pride and Prejudice is simply unforgettable, and I loved the witty banter between Tom Hanks and Meg Ryan in You’ve Got Mail. Two of my absolute favorites!

When you’re not writing, where are you most likely to be found?

I read whenever I’m not writing and I love to travel. But when I’m at home I love to sit out on our deck with my family at night while listening to the sounds of nature.

If you could wake up stranded on a desert island with one celebrity hunk (actor, athlete, musician, etc.), who would it be? Why?

Travis Fimmel. Because it’s Travis Fimmel.

Thanks for stopping by, Jodi. I’m really looking forward to reading your book when it becomes available later this summer.

Readers can contact Jodi at

http://jodivaughn.com or visit Jodi’s Facebook author page : Jodi Vaughn, Author and follow her on Twitter JodiVaughn1

Welcome Guest Author Gina Danna

On July 3, 2013July 3, 2013 By Tara Kingston24 Comments

It’s my pleasure to welcome author Gina Danna to the blog today. She’s going to tell us a little about her latest release, Her Eternal Rogue, a scorching paranormal romance. Gina’s graciously offering an e-book to one lucky commenter. Be sure to leave your comment by Saturday, July 6. The winner will be announced by Monday, July 8.

Welcome, Gina. Please tell us about Her Eternal Rogue.

Alexander Barrington flees his tyrannical uncle for the open seas where he becomes a ruthless pirate who turns vampire.

Captured and sentence to hang, a fate he must avoid to keep his vampire self hidden, a reprieve comes if he rescues Lady Lavinia Sinclair from the French pirates and returns her to her fiancé in England.

In this Vampire Diaries meets Pirates of the Caribbean, Alexander falls for the woman who makes him feel human and alive, but can he really have her without exposing what he is – a thief, the undead? The damned? Refusing to taint her innocence any further, he erases her memory of him and vanishes into the night but can he really exist without her?

Wow, that is going to be a terrific read. Now, tell us some things about your future releases, Gina.

Love my debut – Her Eternal Rogue (Regency w/ paranormal twist) but also excited about my release next April – Love & Vengeance (Ancient Rome – gladiators!) & next June – The Wicked Bargain (Regency – about a male courtesan).

Who would you cast to play your hero and heroine in an adaptation of your story?

Hard to answer – got the heroes figured out. For Her Eternal Rogue, Alexander was fashioned after Ian Somerhalder (Damon Salvadore – Vampire Diaries) & my gladiator in Love & Vengeance was Channing Tatum <sweet!>

If you could live during any era in time, when would that be? Why?

Probably America, 1861 & probably in Deep South – my mother’s family was from the South, Mississippi at that time. Why? I’m very drawn to the American Civil War. It changed this nation – I teach college US History & the War is the focal point to my classes – how settling in the US pushed us towards this calamity and how the after-effects are still around even today in 2013.

If you could live anywhere in the world, where would it be?

Rome. I’m ½ Italian (Sicilian actually) My family migrated from Northern Italy down to Palermo, Sicily before my grandfather came to the US.

What’s your all-time favorite movie? Why?

Tough Question – I have a lot, but probably Gladiator. It is a fascinating time in history, the Roman Empire.

Do you follow sports? Favorite teams?

Fave is a tie: Horseracing (love the Triple Crown & the Breeder’s Cup – wanted to be a jockey) & Baseball – ST. LOUIS CARDINALS!!!!!!!!! (Hey, I live in Cardinal-Nation!)

Thanks for stopping by, Gina. I’m sure one lucky reader will be thrilled to win a copy of Her Eternal Rogue.

Her Eternal Rogue is available from Amazon: http://bit.ly/HerEternalRogue

You can check out Gina’s web page at: http://ginadanna.com

Tara’s Next Big Thing

On June 5, 2013June 5, 2013 By Tara Kingston2 Comments

I’ve been invited to participate in a blog hop where we discuss our “Next Big Thing”. Well, not sure how “big” this is, but here goes 🙂

1) What is the working title of your next book?

The Slayer Next Door

2) Where did the idea come from for the book?

I’m a big Buffy the Vampire Slayer fan…the movie as well as the show. This could be described as Buffy meets 27 Dresses.

3) What genre does your book fall under?

Light Paranormal – there’s quite a bit of humor

4) What actors would you choose to play the part of your characters in a movie rendition?

For my heroine, I’m thinking Katherine Heigl. She’s great at these types of roles. For my hero, Ryan Gosling would be perfect.

5) What is the one-sentence synopsis of your book?

She could handle a classroom full of kids…putting a vampire or two in his place shouldn’t be a problem.

6) Who is publishing your book?

Ah, that’s a good question. It’s not finished, but I’m hoping it will find a good home.

7) How long did it take you to write the first draft of the manuscript?

I’m still working on it, but it’s flowing quickly. Really enjoying this story.

8) Who or what inspired you to write the story?

Actually, there’s an old Goldie Hawn comedy that I adore, Foul Play. Her character in that movie is my inspiration for my heroine, blended with Buffy the Vampire Slayer.

9) What else about the book might pique the readers’ interests?

A school teacher heroine, an ex-Navy Seal hero, and a fur ball of a cat…mixed in with a vampire queen and a warped sense of humor…if you like romantic comedies with a hint of danger and adventure, I think you’ll enjoy this.

Next week, look for the next big thing from Kelsey Browning and Tessa Berkley. Kelsey Browning can be found at her awesome Brain Candy blog and Tessa Berkley’s hot cowboys can be found at: http://tessaberkleyauthor.blogspot.com/

Thanks for dropping by! I’ll let you know when it’s close to publication.

Welcome Author Angela Quarles

On January 16, 2013January 15, 2013 By Tara Kingston8 Comments

I’m so pleased to welcome author Angela Quarles today. Angela writes romantic comedy with a hint of the paranormal and witty steampunk. Like me, she’s a Browncoat (Firefly fan…love, love, love Nathan Fillion!) and the fact she mentions Star Trek and Monty Python in her blurb makes me like her even more! Welcome, Angela!

Please tell us a little about your story:

Sure thing! It’s BEER AND GROPING IN LAS VEGAS, an erotic geek romantic comedy with a touch of the paranormal by way of a wish-granting djinn. (Can I get one?) It’s a novelette, so if you’re looking for a quick but fun read, this might be just for you. Here’s the blurb:

Can a djinn and a magic slot machine bring two geeks together?

Riley McGregor is a geek trapped in a Good Ole Boy body and as owner of a microbrewery, smart chicks never look at him twice.

Rejected by a geek who wanted to “trade up,” Mirjam Linna would rather immerse herself in work than be the girlfriend-of-the-moment. Stranded in a Vegas hotel, she makes a wish—a night of hot sex with the man of her dreams. It’s granted. She agrees to dinner, but afterward, she’ll say thanks, but no thanks, and see what’s on the SyFy channel. But when they meet, they’re surprised to find they had a shared connection in their past. Sparks fly as these two learn to be in the moment, be themselves and find love.

Fans of Star Trek, Star Wars, Monty Python, Firefly and Marvin the Martian will enjoy this romantic comedy.

Tell us a little about what you are working on or have coming out?

I’m in the research/brainstorming phase for a sequel to MUST LOVE BREECHES, my time travel romance, and all I can say right now is that it will be another time travel set in the past. How’s that for vague? LOL. I don’t want to say more as my agent and I are still working that out and I don’t want to make any promises I can’t keep. Meanwhile, I’m revising my NaNo draft from November, which is a meta fiction romance called NOT ANOTHER DARCY, which is about an indie bookstore owner who helps train literary manifestations that come to life in her store.

What makes a book a keeper?

Hmm, this is a multi-pronged answer for me. I’m assuming one you mean what I’d like to read over and over again, but I also just keep books because I love books and love having them around me, so pretty much any book I buy is going to be ‘kept’. But in the spirit of the question, I’ll pick up a book again if the characters have become like old friends and I want to relive the time with them. Also if I know I can learn/see more on subsequent readings. I’ve also reread some to better learn some techniques I’m working on.
Do you have any guilty pleasures?

Besides books? I’d probably say computer games. The guilt comes from the amount the game costs plus the hours and hours spent playing. I have an addictive personality and so I have now learned to “schedule” this time for when I can afford it time-wise. The last time I indulged was just after I signed with my agent—I felt like I deserved the break—and I spent a very fun week or so playing the dystopian steampunk game Dishonored. But back in the early days it wasn’t unusual for me to turn down social events and hole myself up for a weekend and just living and breathing a game to where the next thing I knew, the birds were chirping outside and a pallid light was infusing my room as the sun’s come up. But doing it occasionally I have justified in my mind, since it’s only about once or twice a year and it’s a great mechanism for me to wipe my mind clean.

If a movie was made based on your story, who would you cast as the hero and heroine?

For Riley McGregor in Beer and Groping in Las Vegas? Hmmm. Maybe a short-haired Joe Mangeniello.

For Mirjam, I’d pick my cousin, Lauren Benz Phillips currently with a small part on NBC’s Go On 🙂 In fact, a friend of mine thought the model on the cover looked like Lauren!

Where can readers find you on the web?

Angela works at an independent bookstore and lives in an historic house in the beautiful and quirky town of Mobile, AL, with her two matched gray cats, Darcy and Bingley. When she’s not writing, she enjoys the usual stuff like gardening, reading, hanging out, eating, drinking, chasing squirrels out of the walls and creating the occasional knitted scarf. She’s had a varied career, including website programming and directing a small local history museum.
She’s an admitted geek and is proud to be among the few but mighty Browncoats who watched Firefly the first night it aired. She was introduced to the wonderful world of science fiction by her father, by way of watching reruns of the original Star Trek in her tweens and later giving her a copy of Walter M. Miller Jr’s A Canticle for Leibowitz as a teenager. She hasn’t looked back since.
She has a B.A. in Anthropology and International Studies with a minor in German from Emory University, and a Masters in Heritage Preservation from Georgia State University. She was an exchange student to Finland in high school and studied abroad in Vienna one summer in college. She recently found representation with Maura Kye-Casella at Don Congdon, Assoc.