Match Making for Beginners by Maddie Dawson

Watch out where the gold dust sparkles and splashes the air because that is where love is wonderful and real.

And if you can’t see the shimmers, mistakes will be made.  Marnie can see the love in the air, but not for herself, so she’s not any better off in the mistake category than you and me.

At her first marriage to Noah, she meets the groom’s Great Aunt Blix.  Blix has the touch of magic, the books to cast spells, and a true belief in love for a life time no matter how many men it takes!

The marriage ends after two weeks.  Marnie falls into the idea that settling and being “normal” is her best choice.   Just ask her fiancé, Jeremy.  Yet, Blix has no intentions of letting Marnie off the hook that easily.  Marnie has a great life ahead of herself and don’t think it’s getting back together with Noah, settling for a sweet but boring man, Jeremy, or being alone.

But how can Blix help Marnie after Blix dies?  I didn’t want her to die as I loved her as a character, but I didn’t feel she was gone when Blix left her Brooklyn triplex to Marnie with a condition.  Live in it for three months.

Marnie has to learn about love, how she can be a matchmaker, and what true love entails.  With built in tenants in Blix’s home, Marnie meets Julia, Lola, Sammy, and Patrick.  All have parts in creating her Big Life and it’s nothing but grand when a Thanksgiving fiasco sets it in motion.

Adorable story that I nearly passed up!

Happy reading,

Dawn

REMINDER TO REVIEW.

Hey gang, I'm on the run, but popping in real quick to post a gentle reminder to everyone.

Hope everyone has a fun and fabulous weekend ahead!

That's my story, true and terrific, and I'm stickin' to it.  Hang on tight now, 'cuz we're gonna go real, real fast!

Hugs.

Kayce

The Unknowns of Eastern Europe…

I recently returned with jet lag from a tour of Eastern Europe, Germany, Czech Republic, Slovakia (home of the handsome professional cyclist, Peter Sagan), Hungary, and Austria.  It was a fantastic trip, all the history, sites, food, and culture.  We all know that’s what can be enjoyable in a foreign tour.

I’ll tell you a few things people don’t usually comment on, serious and not-so-serious.

The fields in the northern countries are covered with corn, sunflowers, and solar panels.

The toilet paper is like a strip of Bounty…not soft.

Some water closets (toilets) require a fee.

Prague and other cities have a scooper person following the horse carriages.

Wine is served with all meals!

Hot men own wineries.  Their favorite wine is red.

Eating and drinking on a river boat in Budapest (pronounced Budapesht) after the sun retreats is phenomenal.  Buda is on one side of the Danube River and Pest on the other.

Dogs can go into restaurants and water closets.

Coffee is served per half-cup.  Plenty of room for cream and sugar (I don’t use those).

Brie cheese was included with every morning breakfast.  I acquired a taste for cheese with breakfast.

There are armed guards in front of palaces and around the Hungarian jeweled crown, which had been guarded in the US for many years.

Vienna is paradise.  Time to pour a glass of wine.

You can walk the streets at night and feel safe in all of our locations…yet watch out for pick pockets.  My husband and I outsmarted the group of three studying us.  Yeah!

The Hapsburgs ruled all of Bavaria (all these countries and more) for 640 years.  The summer cottage is smaller than the winter palace.  They’re both palaces and I find that funny…the summer palace has about 1400 rooms.

A Viennese symphony concert in the king’s palace is outstanding. 

By the way, does anyone read or write about the Hapsburg reign?  I bought a book and it remains somewhere in Eastern Europe.   Along with the bookmark.

The shower in the Vienna hotel, the Renaissance, had a Renaissance print on the whole wall of the shower.  If I ever remodel my shower, I know what it will look like!

Austrian Alps are magnificent.  The lower mountains have not had snow on the caps for the last twelve years during summer.  First time in recorded history.

The Kleinstanhaus, Eagle’s Nest as named by American soldiers, is on top of a mountain and former home of Hitler.  An amazing piece of architecture and history.

I must say that the funny and fantastic local guide for Austria, Natasha, told us that the “N” word (Nazi) must never be used and never raise the arm in “Heil Hitler.”  You will be pummeled. 

Yodeling is easy.  Just say… Little old lady who, Little old lady who.  Yeah, right. Natasha told our group not to give up our day jobs. 

Hell, let’s have some more wine!

I think long distance flying sucks.  I’m not afraid and I don’t get sick.  It’s really hard to sit in one place for so long.  Alcohol affects me greatly, but I still can never sleep.  Each end of the trip resulted in being wide awake for 22-24 hours.  Bring a book or three.

I must leave this on a good note.  I love men with a European accent.  It makes them all sexy.  I think that’s part of the requirements for the waiters.  I have a picture of one.  Actually, I have 664 other pictures, but I won’t bore you as I did my mother. 

This trip has given me a "total feel" of writing books located in these countries.  I can't wait to get to them! 

I’m sure I left a lot out, but I hope you enjoyed my virtual tour!

Travel lots, travel safely, bring a book,

Dawn

The Liar by Nora Roberts

This is a delightful read, granted being a liar is nothing but the lowest form of relationship problems to deal with.

The liar is the dead husband of Shelby Pomeroy.  And what a horrific way to find out he lied - about everything.  He gave her all that money could buy and left on frequent business trips to make this money. 

When her husband died, he also left her with a lot of debt, a lot of doubt, and a background that terrified her.

Shelby made a plan to pay off the millions in debt by selling everything and taking her daughter to her hometown in Tennessee.

Her large family welcomed her home, along with a buff and gorgeous man, Griff, dead-set on helping her out, which includes in the protection department.  Shelby’s husband’s past followed her along with murders in Little Rock.  Griff would do his best to keep her alive and at his side.

The close knit community in Tennessee, the charming people, and the far from charming people can only be created by Nora Roberts.  If you’ve read her books, you’ll know what I mean.  If not, it’s never too late to jump in and find another favorite author!

 

Happy reading,

Dawn

A Romance Author's Vacation...Part III

As is tradition here on HEAT, an author speaks on Sundays with a giveaway!  Leave me a comment or a curious question and you’ll be in the running for an e-book of Inked (From the CIA 1)!

On with the journey of the United Kingdom!

After we traversed the lowlands and skirted the highlands of Scotland, a ferry scooted us across the North Channel between the Irish Sea and North Atlantic Ocean.  Sounds cold and frigid talking about deep waters and when I leaned over the edge of the ferry – had to do it – the churning waters below were mesmerizing.  I might have to kill someone in the waters in the next book!

Our next stop was Belfast, Northern Ireland.  Expecting to see destructed areas from the war with the IRA during the Troubles, instead we crossed a maintained and recreated city. 

We stopped at the Titanic Museum.  Really?  A museum built to honor the failure of what was supposed to be THE unsinkable ship of the times.  Okay, the story behind the museum is when the love story “The Titanic” was filmed and made oodles of money, Belfast, where the ship was built, wanted in on the cash. 

Let’s get back to the brilliant green pastures where we encountered a horse ranch, a very special ranch, The Irish National Stud.   This ranch is home of highly bred racing horses that have run the Kentucky Derby, English Derby, and other well-known races.  Owners pay some hefty fees to mate their mares with the handsome, sleek, and fast studs.

The ranch uses “Tommy the Teaser,” a tempting stud, to assure the mares are ready to mate with the paid for stud.  Prices range from 6,000 euros to a million euros for mating.  A euro is approximately $1.48 (when I was there) and constantly is in flux.

Attached to the ranch is a Japanese garden.  The garden is full of orchids, maples, streams, sculptures, and words of wisdom.  One of my Aussie friends decided to grab a piece of a statue, right between the legs…maybe she needs to read a romance

Time for a sip of Irish Scotch and a few hours of sleep before we continue.

Create an adventure and do something different!

Dawn 

Highland Scandal by Julia London

 

I can’t help but pick up a novel by Julia London when I’m in the mood for a lot of Scottish kilt and gown mixing.

Jack Haines, Earl of Lambourne, is on the run from a false accusation amongst the London nobility.

Lizzie Beale remains unwed and waiting for her knight in the highlands.

When Lizzie’s uncle captures Jack, Jack thinks he’s done for, and so does Lizzie.  Her uncle forces Jack and Lizzie into a hand-fasting for a year.  In other words, a pretend marriage for her uncles benefit. 

From this decree, a pot-pouri of trouble begins…Lizzie challenges Jack’s “rights” as a husband, Mr. Gordon arrives to take Lizzie away, and the most challenging situation is a secret.

The uncle has a reason for uniting his niece and a strange man.

Lizzie and jack quarrel, butt heads, and argue as they try to uncover her uncle’s devious endeavors.

Lizzie and Jack really get to know each other during this long and arduous time.  It’s tantalizing to follow their relationship and to watch the blunders and accidental camaraderie.  

 

Happy reading,

Dawn

Low Pressure by Sandra Brown

 

When an eighteen-year-old messed-up murder case is depicted as a fiction novel, of course the nerves of those involved are rattled.  The family, the police and the investigators, and the suspects all have a bone to pick with Bellamy Lyston, the little rich-bitch author and sister of the dead.

Bellamy uses a pen name, but is soon uncovered.  She leaves New York and returns to her hometown, Austin, mainly to make amends with Dent Carter, a former suspect.

He’s not happy to see her, even if his Levi’s rise when she wants him to help her find out who really killed her sister, Susan.  

The mysterious element common in Brown’s novels is that the criminal is hard to find among all the players. 

With only circumstantial evidence, the paperwork neatly disposed of, the family, the attorney, the detectives, and the local low-life all had a chance, motive, and desire to put Susan underground.  Anyone who might be able to ferret out the real murderer will be on the criminal’s hit list.

In other words, Bellamy, Dent, and anyone else in the way have a dagger pointed at their vitals. 

Constant tension will leave you shocked at the outcome of the investigation and whether Bellamy and Dent can secure a future together.  It makes me tingle at how it’s all wrapped up.

 

Happy reading,

Dawn

The Mercy Seller by Brenda Rickman Vantrease

In the fifteenth century Europe, freedoms were not as liberal as in many countries today.  Heresy was high on England’s King’s list to be done away with.

Do not believe what the King considers wrong, do not write the Bible in any language other than Latin, and do not counter the word of the Church. 

Anna Bookman writes in multiple languages and can’t ignore what the English translation of the Bible tells her.  Her manuscripts will hang her if found out.  She lives in Prague with her grandfather until he dies, and then she is directed to find help in England. 

At the same time, a priest, Brother Gabriel, encounters her under a tip of heresy.  He disguises his identity and against church rules, has incredibly lustful feelings for the maiden. 

Both hidden behind false agendas, their paths take many wrong turns.  Danger and enemies multiply for each until they are forced together and their true works and goals revealed.

The historical detail of the fifteenth century and the range of characters give a heart-pounding and fearsome reality to the challenges Anna and Gabriel must overcome in order to be true to themselves and their love for each other.

Happy reading,

Dawn

Interview with Romantic Suspense Author Dawn Kunda

 

I hope you’ve all taken in the advice of the groundhog by now, whether he told you what you want to hear or not in your part of the country.  My local groundhog wants to sleep longer.

Now it’s time for reading info, and I hope it’ll put a smile on your face.

Warning:  Any anxiety or fear created from reading Inked by Dawn Kunda is pure fiction.

Here are some favorite questions I get…

Did you always want to be a writer?

No, I wanted to be a brain surgeon, a financial planner, an attorney, and a bunch of other things.  Maybe I should’ve made up my mind sooner.  I did dabble in the legal system as a private investigator and many law school classes. 

How did you start, then?

I thought about it for about ten years, then decided it was time.  I sat down and wrote whatever came to mind.

I still do that, write whatever comes to mind.  I tell myself “You can always change it later.”

How do you keep the characters from all sounding the same?

Many times I pick a person I know, whether friend or acquaintance, and imagine what they’d do.  Eventually the character takes over and does the thinking for me.  Granted, I have to get them out of sticky situations that I hadn’t planned many times.

Who’s your biggest supporter?

Many people support me, whether they realize it or not, but of course my husband is the best!  He encouraged me before I physically sat down and wrote, and he still likes to read my work.

What we’ve been waiting for…Your new release, INKED, now in ebook and scheduled for paperback in May.  Give us a clue!

Ah, yes, INKED (From the CIA #1) is hot off the press.  Here’s a little about the romantic suspense…

Guns and sex make Mary go round…

CIA agent Mary Reiss is teamed with the agent of her nightmares, Cal Guevin.  He nearly got her killed and now they’re teamed to infiltrate Egyptian terrorists.  The imminent danger reignites their fiery past, yet mistrust and a deadly enemy block their advances.

What’s the “bonus” for readers who purchase INKED?

This is very exciting for me and many others.  I will be donating a portion of my royalties from the first quarter of 2014 to the American Cancer Society!

May romance and cancer patients both have a happily-ever-afterJ

Thanks for finding me on HEAT, and happy reading to everyone!  Leave me a comment and a random participant will receive a free ecopy of INKED!

Here’s where you can find me:

dawnkunda.com

sirenbookstrand.com/dawn-kunda/inked

sirenbookstrand.com/dawn-kunda/court-of-lies

goodreads.com/dawn-kunda

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