Roche Hotel Season One by Mysti Parker

                                              The Roche Hotel

Season One

A serial romantic comedy by Mysti Parker

            After her husband ditches her for a blonde actress wannabe, Jane Seymour needs a job that pays the rent. The struggling Roche Hotel needs a miracle. With the former owner’s wife butting her nose into the renovations and new owners who are in way over their heads, Jane may be the answer to their prayers. Sure, she can handle The Roche Hotel’s quirky staff. But, can this skittish divorcee keep it all together when handsome Henry the Donut Guy makes his first delivery? This collection of serial fiction stories is a Tudorific romantic comedy that will leave you laughing out loud and hungry for more.

****

THEY say a lot of things, don’t they? Like don’t wear white after Labor Day or don’t fry bacon with your shirt off (that’s probably good advice, come to think of it). Most of what THEY say goes right in one ear and out the other. But, in terms of writing, when THEY say “write what you know”, it makes a lot of sense. So, that’s where The Roche Hotel got its start—from my own experience working in a hotel way back in the ‘90s.

Many of these first 10 episodes are based on some very real incidents that happened during my days as a front desk clerk in a little mid-priced hotel. Sure, a lot of stuff’s made up purely from my crazy imagination, but there were 5:00 AM donuts—delicious being fresh from the bakery. Henry the Donut Guy—not real, but I wouldn’t have argued one bit if he had been! Among the many other true-to-life items that appear at the Roche Hotel are a popcorn machine, a Muzak (think elevator music) that never played at the right volume, at least one “lady of the night”, and a dead body.

To discover all those things for yourself, from now until release day on October 15, you can pre-order your copy of The Roche Hotel, Season One for just $0.99 on Amazon Kindle! After that, the price goes up to $1.99, so make your reservation now and save a buck!

Click HERE to Pre-Order The Roche Hotel, Season One

Because I like parties, I’m also inviting all of you to the release day party on Facebook, October 15 from 6-9 PM EST.

You’ll get a chance to win a hotel-themed gift basket which includes:

·       Robe

·       Shampoo

·       Conditioner

·       Lotion

·       Tiny soap bars (so cute!)

·       Ghirardelli chocolates

·       Signed postcards

We’ll also have some fun and games, so I hope you’ll join me. And please bring a friend!

Click HERE to Join the Facebook Release Day Party!

Thanks so much for your support! Happy reading! ~Mysti Parker

****

Mysti Parker (pseudonym) is a wife, mom, author, and shameless chocoholic. She is the author of the Tallenmere standalone fantasy romance series. Her other writings have appeared in the anthologies Hearts of Tomorrow, Christmas Lites, Christmas Lites II, The Darwin Murders, Tasteful Murders and EveryDayFiction.

Other writing pursuits include serving as a class mentor in Writers Village University's seven week online course, F2K. She finished her first historical romance this spring and has one children’s book (Quentin’s Problem) soon to be published, with one more waiting for illustrations, and many more stewing in her head.

When she's not writing fiction, Mysti works as a freelance editor and copywriter. She also reviews books for SQ Magazine, an online specfic publication, and is the proud owner of Unwritten, a blog voted #3 for eCollegeFinder's Top Writing Blogs award. She resides in Buckner, KY with her husband and three children.

Subscribe to my blog, Unwritten 

Visit my webpage: www.mystiparker.com (in construction)

LIKE my fan page on Facebook! 

Follow me on Twitter @MystiParker

 

   

Imaginarium Bound

This past week has been an exciting one for me. Not only did I get a huge box of print copies of Hemphill Towers, but the long-awaited Imaginarium Convention was at hand. Both my daughters, Barbara Bray and Rhonda Inman, and my son-in-law, Christopher Inman, made the trip to Louisville, KY with me.

We (they) packed up the rented wheelchair van Thursday night in order to get an early start on Friday. Of course, I didn't sleep much in anticipation of our six-hour trip. But dozing, as we sped along, did make the trip go faster. After arriving at the Crowne Plaza Hotel and convention center, the first person we met was my online friend, Mysti Parker. They say online friends are so different when you meet them in person--not true with Mysti or Veronica Jorden--they were exactly how I expected them to be. (Well, Mysti was a little thinner than I expected.) And my fear of not being able to read their lips flew out the window. 

Mysti and I shared a vendor table which soon held our books and goodies. No sooner had we settled in than a fire alarm went off. We spent about twenty minutes outside before we were cleared to go back in. Barb was up on the 4th floor and had just stepped out of the shower when someone yelled for people to leave via the stairs. She missed being in the photo below.

Leona & Rhonda

 Rhonda made up a fantastic basket with chocolates, crackers, cookies, a bottle of wine from my character's FMartinique winery, and more. People added their names to a bowl and we drew a winner Saturday evening. Congratulations went to Jennifer Laslie. She also won a copy of Hemphill Towers. 

Mysti Parker, Veronica Jorden, Leona Pence

I'm sorry to say that I let my deafness keep me from signing up for workshops and panel discussions. This convention was a learning experience for me. Stephen Zimmer did an amazing job putting it all together. The highlight for me was meeting Mysti and Veronica--and seeing our picture splashed across Facebook, thanks to Mysti's camera phone.


I also met Amy McCorkle who talked me in to leaving my comfort zone and traveling to the convention. She and I exchanged a book which I look forward to reading. I made many new Facebook friends from those I met at the convention. Mysti's family and Veronica joined us for dinner at the Hotel's Blue Horse restaurant. The picture is a bit dark, and Rhonda is missing because she's taking the picture.

The last event we attended was the Masquerade party. Don't you just love Mysti's ears?

Mysti & me

I enjoyed watching people on the dance floor. I don't know the name of the guy in the kilt, but boy could he dance.
All in all, I had a great time. I'd like to say I'll return next year, but...unless I can magically replace my 1995 wheelchair van, it won't be possible.

Rhonda started a gofundme without my knowledge. I was a bit peeved at her and wouldn't let her post it on my Facebook wall. I didn't feel right asking others for money. But, I was amazed at how generous my family and friends were, even complete strangers. When Thomas Bruch wrote an in depth article about me, it generated a lot of donations. A special thanks goes out to Thomas and all those who gave to the fund, and those who cheered  me on.

Thanks to Lea Shizas, my publisher at MuseItUp, for working hard to get my print books to me.

Katie Carroll's Elixir Bound Blitz

Please join Katie Carroll on her Elixir Bound book blitz. What a bargain for a wonderful, enteertaining book. Katie has written a page turner for all ages. I loved the book and I'm no spring chicken.

ELIXIR BOUND

YA fantasy

by Katie L. Carroll

Katora Kase is next in line to take over as guardian to a secret and powerful healing Elixir. Now she must journey into the wilds of Faway Forest to find the ingredient that gives the Elixir its potency. Even though she has her sister and brother, an old family friend, and the handsome son of a mapmaker as companions, she feels alone.

It is her decision alone whether or not to bind herself to the Elixir to serve and protect it until it chooses a new guardian. The forest hosts many dangers, including wicked beings that will stop at nothing to gain power, but the biggest danger Katora may face is whether or not to open up her heart to love.

Elixir Bound excerpt:

“Let me start with what I can tell you,” Pop explained. “The Elixir…well, it’s not just any healing Elixir. It’s the greatest healing Elixir ever available to humans.”

Katora remained perfectly still; her father’s words deflated the balloon of anger building inside her and filled the hole with cold shock.

Pop stood and began to pace while he explained. “Deep in Faway grows the plant that gives the Elixir its potency. The Kase family and our ancestors have harvested this plant and acted as guardians of the Elixir for hundreds of years. We developed methods for increasing its potency and have passed these secrets down for generations. I am the current guardian.”

Pop? The guardian of the greatest healing Elixir ever available to humans? Could it be true? As he stood in front of Katora, his eyes betrayed no hint of a lie. How did she fail to notice this all her life? And what did it mean for her?

Pop’s words came in a hurry. “Even though the Elixir has largely remained a secret, there are several very important beings and others close to this family who know of it. Some are human, but others are greater than human, like Mother Nature and her offspring. These beings use the weather to communicate. Sometimes it’s not very clear what they mean, but I believe the snowstorm arriving as the supply of Elixir dwindles is a message from the Great Mother that we need to stock up.”

Katora put her hands on her hips as if she didn’t care, but subtly leaned against the bookcase at the same time. She doubted if her legs would support her. Not only was Pop the guardian of the Elixir, but Mother Nature herself knew. She sent Pop messages through the weather. If Katora took over the farm, she must take over everything to do with the farm.

Katora’s breaths came in shallow puffs. She realized Pop stared at her with concerned eyes. She silently cursed herself for making such a spectacle.

“I know this is a lot to take in,” he said. “I have a little more to tell you right now. My business partners outside of Tussar have reported unrest throughout the Great Peninsula. There are things stirring in this world, things that I have no control over, and I believe they are going to spin out of control sometime in the near future. When that happens, there will be a dire need for the Elixir. There’s so much I can’t control, but the future of the Elixir is in my power right now.”

Pop stopped in front of Katora, placed his hands on her shoulders, and looked her straight in the eyes for the second time that night. Katora knew what was coming, but she held her breath, hoping maybe she was wrong, maybe she had more time before this responsibility fell on her shoulders.

“Katora, you are next in line to be guardian of the Elixir. Its future is in your control.”

Ebook on sale for $.99 until September 27:

Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Elixir-Bound-Katie-L-Carroll-ebook/dp/B0093CL4OM/ref=tmm_kin_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&sr=8-1&qid=1385863834

MuseItUp bookstore: http://museituppublishing.com/bookstore/index.php/now-available-in-ebook/elixir-bound-432-detail

Signed paperback giveaway on Goodreads until September 28: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/15821579-elixir-bound

About the Author:

Katie L. Carroll began writing at a very sad time in her life after her 16-year-old sister, Kylene, unexpectedly passed away. Since then writing has taken her to many wonderful places, real and imagined. She wrote ELIXIR BOUND and the forthcoming ELIXIR SAVED so Kylene could live on in the pages of a book. Katie is also the author of the picture app THE BEDTIME KNIGHT and an editor for MuseItUp Publishing. She lives not too far from the beach in a small Connecticut city with her husband and son. For more about Katie, visit her website at www.katielcarroll.com and follow her on Twitter (@KatieLCarroll) or Tumblr.

Welcome, Joyce Hertzoff

Hi Joyce, welcome to my blog, and congratulations on the launch of your book, The Crimson Orb. I’ve read it and highly recommend it to readers of all ages.

Have you always been a writer, Joyce?

No. Well, not a fiction writer. I spent forty-five years in the scientific information field, writing summaries of journal articles and translating scientific papers and books. I participated in the transition from print to digital publication and the development of searchable databases. The last twenty years of that career, I managed groups of scientists doing that work. I only turned to writing fiction when I retired in 2008.

How did you feel when you were offered a contract for your book series?

Elated! Ecstatic! I never thought I'd ever see my writing published. My publisher, Assent Publications, has been a joy to work with, and the imprint editor for Phantasm Books is incredibly knowledgeable about marketing and promotion.

Did you set out to write a series or did it just happen?

It just happened. The story of The Crimson Orb was gestating in my head for years. I finally started writing it in 2010 for National Novel Writing Month. As I revised it, I fell in love with my characters and realized there was much more of their story I wanted to tell.

What is the genre of your book? Would you consider writing in other genres, like romance or even erotica?

My book is high fantasy. It has overtones of a post-apocalyptic world, romance, and adventure, with touches of science. I've written romance/mystery/thriller stories and I'm still working on those. I do draw the line at erotica. I can neither read nor write it.

What genre is your reading preference? Name four favorite authors.

I love mysteries, especially the ones by Lisa Scottoline, Marcia Muller, Leslie Glass, and Susan Dunlap. If I could name a fifth, it would be Dana Stabenow. I also love fantasy and science fiction.

What are you working on right now?

I'm polishing up book two of the Crystal Odyssey series, developing another fantasy series, and as I mentioned, working on a romance/thriller.

How do you juggle writing with family obligations?

My children are grown and live at opposite ends of the country. We spend about a week at a time with them, and I also love to travel with my husband. But I find time every day to work on my writing, usually when my husband is involved with one of his hobbies.

You mentioned Writer’s Village University in your acknowledgements. Would you tell us more about that?

A writing friend of mine suggested we both try the free survey course F2K a few years ago. I learned a lot from it and have retaken it a few times since.  That led me to try the courses and critique groups at the village. What a find! Not only did I learn from others and the course work and texts, but I made many new friends, including the wonderful writer, Leona Pence.

Thank you for the compliment, Joyce.  I truly enjoy the friendships I've made there too.

What makes Joyce Hertzoff tick? Makes her happy? Keeps her writing?

When I was in school, it wasn't cool for girls to like science and math, but those were the subjects I liked the most. Today, girls can choose any career they want. My passion is to encourage them in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Math) programs. If I can do that with books about strong females who fight for the right to participate in male-dominated fields, then I'll be very happy. 

One Word Answers:

(a)  Writing area – neat or cluttered?  Cluttered.

(b) Coffee, tea, or Pepsi? Coffee, but at times only a good cuppa tea will do.

(c)  Favorite season?  Spring

(d) Cereal or omelet?  Omelet

(e)  Fiction or fact?  Fiction

(f)   Hosting or guesting? Guesting

(g) Editing or research?  Editing (my proofreader background likes to come out and play)

May we see an excerpt from The Crimson Orb?

I sat on a carved wooden bench in my favorite corner in the vegetable garden, watching the boys at their morning sword practice with my father and wishing I was out there with them. My brother Blane, nineteen years old and blond like Father, was easily besting the Duke's son Kerr, as he usually did.

My favorite of the pure black cats inhabiting the Manor jumped up on my lap, licked a paw, then curled up and promptly fell asleep. It was that kind of warm summer day when, if I wasn't with the boys, I didn't want to do anything more than sit in the shade of the old apple tree, inhaling its sweet scent. Since I was ten I've dreamed of learning to feint and parry, thrust and slice like Blane, Kerr, and my other brother Donal. But I'm a girl and it wasn't seemly.

Girls of ten to twenty were relegated to the sewing room, where Jannet, the governess and seamstress, taught us the fine art of needlepoint. I couldn't sew a straight line to save myself, and I really wasn't interested in learning. Our only other lessons were in the kitchens. Cook, whose name was Bridey although no one ever called her anything but 'Cook', not even her husband, taught us to boil an egg and make soup from whatever was available. That wasn't so bad, because we could eat what we made and no one else was the wiser when it tasted awful.

Bio:

I have a Bachelor of Science degree in Chemistry from the City University of New York, and spent forty-five years in the scientific information publishing business as a translator, indexer, and, for twenty years, as a manager of other scientists. I saw the business go from printing of paper journals to electronic processing and production. In addition to enabling my staff to be productive and accurate as these changes occurred, I recruited staff, developed training materials, and taught workshops,

After retiring in 2008, I left fact-based writing behind and turned my efforts to fiction. I participated in the National Novel Writing program for the first time that year. I have continued to do that every year since, writing several mysteries and fantasy novels, and even finishing some of them, including The Crimson Orb, which was first written for NaNoWriMo in 2010. It gone through several revisions since.

I perfected my writing skills in classes and writing groups at Writers Village University. Classmates there have reviewed portions of this book. I served as a mentor intern for the F2K survey course on writing at WVU.

My flash mystery, Natural Causes, was published in the anthology The Darwin Murders. A longer short story, Princess Petra, appears in The Way Back.

I live with my husband of forty-nine years in the high desert at the base of the Sandia Mountains, where we can watch the quail, roadrunners and other creatures scamper along the top of the wall around our back patio, and the play of light across the mountain face.

Contact links:

www.joycehertzoffauthor.com

www.fantasybyjoycehertzoff.com

www.hertzoffjo.blogspot.com

https://twitter.com/JoyceHertzoff

https://facebook.com/joyce.hertzoff.3

 Buy links:

Amazon print (createspace):

https://www.createspace.com/4851386

 Amazon paperback:

http://www.amazon.com/Crimson-Orb-Joyce-Hertzoff/dp/162827929X/ref=tmm_pap_title_0

 Amazon Kindle:

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00KWUO7E8

 Barnes and Noble for Nook:

http://www.barnesandnoble.com/s/The-Crimson-Orb?store=book&keyword=The+Crimson+Orb

Smashwords (temp for Apple, Kobo,  etc.) https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/447186

Luna, The Escape Artist

How many of you have a puppy who became an escape artist? I adopted a cute Spaniel mix puppy who changed my life, not to mention the money I’ve spent to keep her in my back yard. You should see her sail right over a 3 ½ foot chain link fence. Doesn't she look so sweet and innocent? This is her adoption picture. (not my yard)

Max and Sophie lived here for two years without jumping the fence. Of course, they could have, but I think they just respected their boundary. Max, an Australian Shepherd, and Sophie, a Pit Bull, belong to my granddaughter. After they left, I adopted Luna. 

We are in the process of erecting a six foot wooden privacy fence. All that remains to do is build the gates. Luna will once again have the run of the back yard.

Please tell me that it will contain her. I mean, six feet seems like along way for a dog to jump. Her agility amazes me though.  Will she dig under the fence?  God forbid.

If your dog is an escape artist, how did you solve your problem?

Charcot-Marie-Tooth

This was originally posted on Mysti Parker's blog as part of her A to Z Challenge.

C is for Charcot-Marie-Tooth

by

Leona Pence

How many of you have heard of Charcot-Marie-Tooth disease (CMT)? Named for three physicians (Jean –Martin Charcot, Pierre Marie from Paris, Howard Henry Tooth from Cambridge England) who identified it in 1886, CMT is one of the most common inherited neurological disorders, affecting 1 in 2500 in the United States. There are many forms of CMT, but the type I inherited is CMT1a. 

Click here to find out more about CMT

There are many people in my large extended family with CMT. To pass the gene, one parent must have the disease. There is a 50-50 chance of passing it on to their children. I am one of eight children, three of whom inherited the genetic flaw from our mother.

CMT affects peripheral nerves and muscles. As a result, my lower legs and feet, lower arms and hands are affected. By the time I was eleven, I’d had several surgeries on my feet to correct deformities. I walked with a limp and unsteady gait, but I had a fairly normal childhood. The worst part for me growing up was not having a diagnosis. My mom just said we had bad blood. School children could be cruel. They would ask why I walked funny and I couldn’t give them an answer.

A hearing loss is rare with CMT. However, my family, being rare, inherited that flaw too. My mom was deaf by the time I was born, and my brother was severely hard of hearing at an early age. My sister and I didn’t have hearing problems until our latter twenties. I am thankful I was able to complete my schooling before my hearing was affected. CMT is slowly progressive. By the time I was forty-five, I was both deaf and using a wheelchair. My hands/fingers are too weak for sign language, but I’m an excellent lip reader.

I got married to a wonderful man on my 19^th birthday and raised four children with him. Our oldest son inherited CMT. We were given a diagnosis by the Muscular Dystrophy Association when he was in the third grade. At age forty-nine, he works as a microbiologist in Rochester, NY. He is deaf and uses a cane for balance.

My motto is: When life hands you lemons, make the best lemonade possible. I’ve tried to keep a positive outlook. CMT does not affect ones lifespan and can range from mild to severe. Since my hands are too weak to type, I wrote Hemphill Towers using the eraser end of a pencil. I now use an ipad stylus to type with to keep eraser goop out of my keyboard.

CMT is a complex topic. I hope you’ll click the above link to read more about it, and bear in mind that all people who walk with a staggering gait and hold onto walls are not drunk. They just might have CMT.

I don’t know if I’ve overcome obstacles or just worked the best I could with what life offered me. Losing my husband to lung cancer in 2006 was the hardest of all. But it forced me to turn to my computer to save my sanity. A big door to the world opened for me. I made more friends than I ever thought possible. Writing a novel and being a classroom mentor at F2K still boggles my mind at times.

Leona Pence

Hemphill Towers
MuseItUp: http://tinyurl.com/lrqon56 
Amazon: http://tinyurl.com/krom6yw
B & N :http://tinyurl.com/k597f84

itunes: http://tinyurl.com/mclslgs

Omnilit: http://tinyurl.com/lxo7x44

Blio: http://tinyurl.com/mpy4oxg
Goodreads: http://tinyurl.com/lyojbwo
Smashwords:http://tinyurl.com/kb6ohpt
Blog: http://leonaschatter.blogspot.com/

Anthology:http://goo.gl/T97WNW

The Darwin Murders:http://goo.gl/YX3Xre