Guest Blogger Chrys Fey

We are so thrilled to have Chrys Fey back with us here at Heroines with Hearts to talk about her latest release. Welcome back, Chrys!

What is Romantic? SEISMIC CRIMES by Chrys Fey

What one person finds romantic another could find weird or nauseating. Some people are extremely uncomfortable with romance and because of that they rarely do anything romantic. Others are so in love with love that they ooze romance 24/7. Beth and Donovan are neither of these. Or, more precisely, they are smack dab in the middle.
Beth didn’t receive much romance in her previous relationships, so she doesn’t exactly know what to do with it. Donovan, who never thought he’d fall in love and want marriage and children, is suddenly finding himself being quite romantic. When these two are romantic, it’s always for a good reason and not because their story requires it.
Their romance can be subtle or a grand gesture. It can be an act of healing, a profession of love, a way of protection, or a moment of bonding. While they both are new to this whole romance deal, they both have their own ideas of what’s romantic.

Beth –
- Cooking a surprise dinner even if all you have is Kool-Aid to drink instead of wine.
- Eating ice cream together in bed.
- Sharing hobbies and special interests to the point of participating in something you’ve never done because you know your partner loves it.

Donovan –
- Bringing your partner to your hometown and showing her places from your childhood.
- Memorizing her body with your hands and lips.
- Holding each other on the beach while looking out at the waves.

EXCERPT:
To some, a meal might be a small thing, but to him, it was a big gesture. “It smells great.” He peered down at her body. “And I can see you raided my closet.”
“I don’t have any clothes here, so I created a makeshift dress out of your shirt and belt. Do you like it?”
Donovan pulled her to him and devoured her lips. Beth reacted instantly, grabbing his shoulders and moaning. He hadn’t meant to get carried away, but feeling her reaction to him exploded whatever control he possessed. Needs clawed at his chest, cravings becoming unbearable. He cupped the back of her head, and his fingers tangled with her maple locks as he deepened the kiss. He doubted the lasagna, as great as it smelled, would taste better than the flavors in her mouth—sweet and strong, hot and addicting.
Donovan pulled back a fraction. “That’s how much I like it,” he said between her parted lips.

BLURB:

An Internal Affairs Investigator was murdered and his brother, Donovan Goldwyn, was framed. Now Donovan is desperate to prove his innocence. And the one person who can do that is the woman who saved him from a deadly hurricane—Beth Kennedy. From the moment their fates intertwined, passion consumed him. He wants her in his arms. More, he wants her by his side in his darkest moments.

Beth Kennedy may not know everything about Donovan, but she can’t deny what she feels for him. It’s her love for him that pushes her to do whatever she has to do to help him get justice, including putting herself in a criminal’s crosshairs.

When a tip reveals the killer's location, they travel to California, but then an earthquake of catastrophic proportions separates them. As aftershocks roll the land, Beth and Donovan have to endure dangerous conditions while trying to find their way back to one another. Will they reunite and find the killer, or will they lose everything?


Digital:
Amazon: http://amzn.com/B01CRJSPIU
Barnes & Noble: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/seismic-crimes-chrys-fey/1123508790?ean=2940158028380
KOBO: https://store.kobobooks.com/en-us/ebook/seismic-crimes
The Wild Rose Press:
http://catalog.thewildrosepress.com/all-titles/3804-seismic-crimes.html

Print:
Amazon: http://amzn.com/1509207252
The Wild Rose Press:
http://catalog.thewildrosepress.com/paperback-books/3838-seismic-crimes-paperback.html



BIO:

Chrys Fey is the author of Hurricane Crimes, Book One in the Disaster Crimes series, as well as these releases from The Wild Rose Press: 30 Seconds, Ghost of Death, and Witch of Death. She is an administrator for the Insecure Writer's Support Group and creates their monthly newsletter.

Fey lives in Florida and is always on the lookout for hurricanes. She has four adopted cats who keep her entertained with their antics, and three nephews who keep her entertained with their antics. You can connect with her on Facebook, Twitter, and through her blog, Write with Fey. She loves to get to know her readers!

AUTHOR LINKS:
Website www.ChrysFey.com
Blog www.writewithfey.blogspot.com
Facebook www.facebook.com/chrysfey
Twitter https://twitter.com/ChrysFey


QUESTION: What do you find romantic?

O is for Oxymorons

We're delighted to welcome guest Joanne Guidoccio back to Heroines with Hearts!

I collect oxymorons—or to be more technically correct, oxymora—and like to pepper my conversations with same difference, random order, and open secret. When I use less common oxymora such as planned spontaneity, controlled chaos, clean dirt, and pontificatory salvos, I enjoy watching the puzzled expressions on the faces of listeners who wonder whether they should laugh or not.



But I was taken aback by the yoga oxymoron that appeared in the pages of my cozy mystery, A Season for Killing Blondes.

While creating a character sketch of protagonist Gilda Greco, I decided to include her interest in yoga. I had originally intended for yoga instructor Jean Taylor to be a minor character, but she decided to misbehave, and in doing so, found herself embroiled in a murder investigation.

In the early chapters, we hear only positive comments about the calm and thoughtful yoga instructor who lights candles and radiates kindness and goodness. She takes an active interest in the lives of her students and goes out of her way to make them feel welcome and at ease in her classes. Able to effectively lead classes of five or thirty, Jean supports a spontaneous, intuitive style of teaching. Quietly, she works the room, letting each of her students know she is watching and paying attention to their moves while stopping to give a gentle nudge, a firm adjustment, or a high-five.

And she thinks nothing of extending that positive energy beyond the walls of her yoga studio.

Weeks before the opening of Gilda’s ReCareering office, Jean researched and ordered a River Rock Lucky Bamboo plant. Unable to restrain herself, Jean gushed to everyone about the three symbols—wealth, happiness, longevity—inherent in each plant.

Without giving too much away, I’ll say that Jean experienced an abrupt change of plans when she decided to personally deliver the plant on the eve of Gilda’s Open House. Thrown off kilter, she retreats to her aunt’s cottage and resurfaces several days later in an altered state.

Short excerpt...

“Stay out of my life, bitch!” A blast of cool air accompanied a loud, vaguely familiar voice. Jean Taylor stood in the doorway, clutching a pair of scissors in her hands. The normally well-groomed yogini wore baggy gray sweats. Her blonde hair hung in disarray and looked like it hadn’t been washed in days. Jean’s angry eyes surveyed the room, and then she walked briskly toward the bamboo plant. She savagely cut the stalks and threw them on the floor. “May you have decades of bad luck.” She slammed the door and ran out.

A yoga instructor with anger management issues – Could she have murdered four blondes?

Amazon: http://is.gd/jADjPp
Website: http://joanneguidoccio.com/

I certainly love cozies and can't wait to read this one. Thanks for guesting with us again, Joanne. It's always so nice to 'see' you here! :)

G IS FOR GILDA GRECO (AND ME)

Please welcome guest blogger Joanne Guidoccio.

Joanne, we're so glad you could join us again. We are so tickled you wanted to 'play along' with our A - Z challenge.

While imagining the protagonist of

A Season for Killing Blondes, I

realized she could easily be my

literary twin. In fact, I like to tell

people that Gilda Greco is 70

percent of me. As to how I came

up with that particular number,

let’s just say my well-honed left

brain did all the work.


Some similarities...

1. Born and raised in Sudbury, Ontario, Gilda and I lived in Gatchell, the Italian section of town.

2. We love to read and could spend hours curled up with our favorite books.

3. In school, we were high-achieving, happy nerds who majored in mathematics and then decided to pursue teaching careers.

4. In spite of our mathematical knowledge of probability, we buy lottery tickets. Gilda hit the jackpot and won $19 million in Lotto 649. As for me, I’m still buying tickets and hoping! BTW...the probability of winning Lotto 649 is 1 in 13,983,816.

5. We spent the early years of our teaching careers in Sudbury.

6. We relocated to Southern Ontario and ended up teaching in Guelph.

7. We completed the Career Development Practitioner program at Conestoga College. I had hoped to pursue a second career as a career counselor but personal and health circumstances intervened. Instead, I am living vicariously through Gilda who has set up her own ReCareering office in Sudbury.

8. We love our zebra colors. Black pantsuits are staples in our wardrobes.

9. We are non-foodies. That’s right, we don’t like to cook or bake. But we have a great appreciation for all foodies who possess that special gift.

10. We love cheesecake. And one of our favorites is Blueberry Delight, an easy-to-prepare recipe that actually calls for frozen blueberries. We invite all non-foodies (and foodies) to try our recipe.

Blueberry Delight

Ingredients:

½ cup brown sugar
2 ½ cups graham cracker crumbs
¾ cup butter
8 ounces cream cheese (at room temperature)
32 ounces sweetened whipped cream
1 cup sugar
1 tablespoon vanilla
3 tablespoons lemon juice
3 ½ cups frozen blueberries

Procedure:

Combine brown sugar, graham cracker crumbs, and butter.
Press into the bottom of a 9” x 13” rectangular pan.
Bake for ten minutes at 325o F.
Cool the crust.
Cream together the cream cheese, sugar, vanilla and lemon juice.
Add whipped cream and fold in blueberries using a wooden spoon.
Pour mixture into the pan.
Refrigerate for 24 hours.

Servings: 15

Note: Seven more easy-to-prepare desserts are featured in A Season for Killing Blondes.

Amazon: http://is.gd/jADjPp
Website: http://joanneguidoccio.com/

A lucky commenter will receive a free eBook of A Season for Killing Blondes.

Joanne, thanks so much for guesting with us again! You are welcome back anytime...

B is for Barbara Davies

Welcome guest author Joanne Guidoccio!

In Between Land and Sea (released in September 2013), I introduced Barbara Davies aka Isabella of the Mediterranean Kingdom. She will be returning in The Coming of Arabella (to be released August 19, 2015).

Before writing my novels, I like to interview the characters. Here’s what Barbara had to say...

Tell us about yourself.
For the first twenty-three years of my life, I was Isabella of the Mediterranean kingdom, granddaughter of Chief Elder Annabella. Each year, since turning eighteen, I was crowned Most Beautiful Mermaid—a tribute to my auburn tresses, mesmerizing green eyes, and magnificent tail. All that changed when I swam ashore one evening and met Andrew Bradley III. I fell madly in lust—I now know that wasn’t love—and gave up my tail for him. In a fit of rage, Annabella chopped off my hair, aged me thirty years, and gave me twenty extra pounds to carry. Andrew was horrified and abandoned me on the fog-drenched shores of southwest England, leaving with only a suitcase and a magic tablet.

What is your role?
I am the protagonist of Between Land and Sea and The Coming of Arabella, Books 1 and 2 of the Mediterranean trilogy.

In Between Land and Sea, the storyline revolves around my struggles to reinvent my human persona of Barbara Davies, a fifty-three-year-old woman who lived in her husband’s shadow. Thankfully, I have the magic tablet with online mermaid support. I don’t think I could have managed with the unimpressive résumé I was given—a Philosophy degree and a handful of volunteer positions and low-level jobs.

In The Coming of Arabella, I’m on the cusp of having everything I want in this human life. But fate intervenes in the form of Arabella, my perfect Bella sister, who is determined to wreak havoc in my career and relationships. She forces me to leave my well-constructed life and reinvent myself once more, this time in the desert paradise of Sedona.

Tell us about the four men in your life.
You too! It’s bad enough that all the mermaids and mermen in the Mediterranean Kingdom are continuously talking about my love life. But I guess it does bear some mention.

For one disastrous week, I thought that Andrew Bradley III would give me a fairy tale life. But all that changed when he saw me in my transformed state. I have forgiven him, but I will never forget the look of horror in his eyes.

I literally fell into Graham Scott’s life. As I was leaving the Carden Public Library, I tripped on a few stairs and Graham rushed to help me. Afterward, he invited me out for coffee, and our friendship blossomed.

When I visited my dear friend and ex-mermaid Gillian Sanderson at her condo in Chicago, she introduced me to Stewart Tobin. The attraction was instantaneous, and I found myself unable to speak. Stewart wooed me relentlessly. He even gave me a black BMW.

I fell in love (or lust, I’m still not sure) with David Ferguson when I heard him preach at Desertview Church in Arizona. That’s my latest relationship and...

It’s evolving in The Coming of Arabella.

Enter to win a $10 Starbucks gift card.
Click HERE for the Rafflecopter link.

Joanne's Website: http://joanneguidoccio.com

Joanne's Amazon Page: http://is.gd/X0GptB

Thanks so much for joining us today at Heroines with Hearts, Joanne! We're so glad you decided to participate in our A - Z theme. It was certainly intriguing learning about Barbara.