New Year

As the New Year approaches, people and me included, often reflect on the year that has gone by. Mine has been quite traumatic but that has been the case for many, especially the families of those serving overseas. These young men dying is terribly tragic. Let us hope the New Year brings a resolution but I am not optimistic.

On the positive side I had three books out this year. Not that I had written three, as two were re-working, but nevertheless a lot of work was involved, especially in the promotion side.

A Fatal Flaw was a completely new book and I so enjoyed writing it. It is set in my favorite Florida - I love Florida, my family are here and they are close to my heart. A friend who read the novel said I had captured Florida and that was the best compliment I have ever had.It was a different novel for me too, as it did not have spicy bits. Somehow for this novel, a romantic suspense,I did not think it appropriate. I do wonder what my readers thought - whether they were disappointed or not. Ah well, I guess I will never know the answer to that one.

I will be sharing New Year with my family before I return to England, I hope that 2011 will be a better year. I also hope to get back to writing properly instead of just playing around on the computer!

I want to take this chance now to wish you all a very happy New Year, may all your dreams come true and your ambitions be realized.

Blessings.

Merry Christmas

I love this season. The decorations are spectacular here in Florida. My neighbor's homes are lighted and festive and evening walks no longer require a flashlight. What I especially like are the holiday cards and hearing from old and new friends. I have all the cards displayed on the window seat in my kitchen.

I also like the shopping and wrapping but didn't do it this year. As a family we decided to skip giving each other presents and donate the money to charity. I selected a local mission that aids the children of migrant workers. I'll do that donation next year too but I might go back to giving presents as well. I kind of missed standing in line at the post office and all the holiday hustle and bustle. So the week after Christmas I'm going to start shopping for next year.

Have a great holiday!

Free Promo Opportunity

I'm so excited! I've been thinking about this for a while now and finally took the time to do it. I've created a new blog called Sex Between the Covers, where romance authors of all genres can showcase their beautiful book covers only. You can include a one line teaser, and one link for readers to check out if their interest is peaked.

SPREAD THE WORD!
Authors - send me a request to become a member so you can post book covers any time. There's also a FREE Author Spotlight twice a month if you're interested, sign up.
Publishers - send me your links and I'll post them
Promo/Review sites - send me your links and I'll post them

It's a new baby so don't expect too much right now. Please check it out, become a follower if you'd like, and let me know what you think.

email me - tory.richards@yahoo.com

Bear Cat

I alternate back and forth between living with my hubby and living with my daughter and her family. Since I tend to spend more time at my daughter's I brought my babies with me. That left hubby alone and miserable. So this past weekend I took him to the humane society to get him a cat.

The goal was simple. He wanted a kitten. But when I walked in a little black cat with gold eyes called out to me. He was so pretty, and starved for attention. I mean, he rubbed up against the cage and reached out for me, taking care not to catch me with his claws. He let me hold him and cried out when I walked away from his cage. It broke my heart and I knew immediately he was the one.

He wasn't a kitten.

Hubby waited in the car because he said if he went in and saw them he couldn't take it, he'd want them all. This is the man who hated cats when we first met. But Woofy, Gin Gin and Jezzie took care of that, and it wasn't long before he was hooked. You know what they say about giving the elderly a pet for companionship, something to occupy their time? It's absolutely true!

Now, before you think I'm the meanest woman in the world, I did offer to leave Gin Gin when I left, but he was adamant the cats not be broken up. So here we are at the humane society. It didn't take him long to come walking in. I called him over to Bear Cat's cage. At that point I'd taken him out and was cuddling with him. He was so friendly! I looked Earl right in the eye and said, "This is the one for you."

Bear Cat is almost a year old and has lived in the humane society since he was brought in with his litter mates, as a kitten. It broke my heart to hear that he'd been living in that cage for all that time. Why had no one adopted him? Because he was black I learned. What?! Then I was informed that black cats are hard to find homes for because no one wants them.

Bear Cat looks exactly like my little Jezzie, except that he has a smudge of white on his ear. I fell in love with him so we took him home. He's already adapted to his new surroundings, and has made himself right to home. He comes to us when we call to him. I know hubby is going to spoil the hell out of him. Because he spoiled our other three.

Bear Cat is going to spoil Earl, too.

One – Bitter Betrayal by Margaret Blake

There was no one at the reception desk. Michael believed there should always be a clerk ready to greet customers. It looked like you didn’t care if there was no one there. He rang the bell; it seemed to echo out along the corridor. He checked his watch, almost ten thirty… there should have been some guests checking out, or a clerk making up bills, something happening, not this feeling of emptiness. The atmosphere was so desolate that he wondered if he was off his head to contemplate buying this hotel. After all, he owned a chain of exclusive hotels and Blooms was hardly in that league, far from it.
He was just about to slam his palm on the bell again when a door opposite the desk that he knew let in onto the office, opened. A tall, slim person wearing a sweatshirt and grubby jeans stood there. There was a baseball cap pulled low on her head, for it was a she. The curves at her chest showed that clearly enough.
“Hi,” he said, trying to stem the faint feeling of revulsion washing over him. What was Bloom thinking about having someone like that as a hotel receptionist? No wonder no one wanted to stay at his damn hotel. “I’m here to see Charles Bloom.”
“Charley Bloom is here,” she said, “Mr Hernandez, you’d better come through.”
That was one strike up for her; she knew who he was. She opened the little gate and raised the counter so he could step behind reception, then led the way into the office.
The office was in a real mess, with papers and files littering the desks and most of the area of floor space. There was a filing cabinet, one of the drawers open, files piled high on their holders instead of sitting snugly inside.
“Take a seat,” she said, indicating the only chair that did not have files on it. He refused to sit. She shrugged and went behind the desk, but the chair was also cluttered so she perched on the edge of the desk. He wished she would not keep looking down; he hated it when people refused to make eye contact.
“So where is Charles Bloom?” he asked as politely as he could muster. He didn’t have all day and his limited patience was fast evaporating.
“What do you want? You had to have heard we weren’t selling,” she answered in a rather impudent tone of voice.
He had not heard. “We weren’t? Who’s the we?”
“My dad and me.”
“Your dad?” He thought he got it. “I didn’t know there was a me and my dad.”
“There wasn’t when you first spoke to my dad, but there is now.”
“Oh, yeah? Look, Miss Bloom, I don’t have all day. I want a definite yes or no from Mr Bloom. Is he selling or not?”
“He isn’t selling and neither am I, Michael…”
He threw her a sharp look at her use of his Christian name. She raised her chin, then her hand and pulled off the grubby baseball cap. Long nut-brown hair spilled out, falling in wanton waves over her slender shoulders. She met his stare; her eyes were so familiar, very pale tawny coloured round eyes that were shaded by long thick lashes.
“My God!” The words exploded from him. “Charlotte?”

Published by Wings Press Limited
And available as e book and print.
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