The Wild Rose Press

  I'm writing today to thank my fellow roses and intend to make this a regular feature. Roses refer to all authors who write for the traditional publisher, The Wild Rose Press. I asked them to tell me about their book and offer a short description. What you'll check out is wonderful samples of the quality of The Wild Rose Press authors.

Some Other Way, Margot Johnson

Jayne Jones’s life is full as surrogate aunt to her birth daughter, given up in open adoption five years ago, and as leader of the Adopt-a-Dog service. She yearns to expand the overcrowded dog shelter on a coveted piece of adjacent land. When Dr. Evan Scott, her high school crush, returns, he complicates everything by becoming her formidable opponent.
Back in his hometown to join a medical clinic that wants to expand onto the same property, Evan is ready to forget past hurts and embrace a fresh start with the cute girl—now attractive woman—he remembers. But should Jayne bare her heart to the good-looking newcomer? And will her secret change his mind?

Link to Some Other Way

 Child of Mine, Jana Richards

Lauren didn't intend to sleep with her brother-in-law Cole on the day of her husband's funeral. But now that she is pregnant, she's not sorry. Cole's given her a baby, a long-wished-for miracle. He's been her friend forever, though she never told him or anyone else how unhappy her marriage to his cheating brother was. And she's afraid to tell the small town that considered her husband a hero that the baby isn't his.

Cole's been in love with Lauren since he was sixteen. It kills him that everyone believes the baby is his dead brother's. All he wants is to claim the baby, and Lauren, as his own. Though she marries him, will Lauren's heart ever be his?

Lauren must tell the truth or risk losing Cole. Is her newly-discovered love for him greater than her fear of scandal in her hometown?

https://books2read.com/Child-of-Mine

Autumn's Summer, Felicity Talisman

What if you were given up for adoption NOT because your mother didn't want you, but because she was trying to protect you from a curse?

A mysterious package is delivered by Richard’s solicitors one year after his wife Autumn’s death. What he expected to find, he didn’t know, but he would never have guessed in a million years what was about to unfold.
A beautiful leather-bound diary written in his wife’s hand contains many secrets; that his lonely empty-nester wife’s life changed profoundly after a purely-by-chance meeting in, of all places, a normal, mundane, corner grocery store. She embarks on a voyage of discovery with the spiritualist, Summer, to find new meaning to her life, that, once commenced, transports her to realms and dimensions she never knew existed.
He also learns of a heart-breaking secret and love affair she kept from him until after her death.
Idyllic. That was Richard’s understanding of his marriage. Although often away from their home on Sammamish Lake, he thought that his wife, Autumn, felt the same. But suddenly she develops a cancer as if from nowhere and very soon he is alone.
After a year and a day grieving for his beloved wife, Richard receives a package from their lawyers; her diary. He is to discover many secrets from it, but the first is that Autumn had been conducting an affair only not with a male. With a woman. Her best friend Summer. Richard knew that the friendship, although new, was deep and meaningful, but she was a spiritualist. He thought “deep and meaningful” went with the territory, especially as she was supposed to just be helping Autumn find herself, find a passion for her, now that their two children had flown the nest.
It was just a chance meeting at the grocery store that had led her to Summer, and now he learns that the attraction between them was instant. Apart from the spiritualism, she also claimed to be a psychic, which she proved in part by telling her that she is adopted, which Autumn already knew but had not divulged. She also tells her that she knows Autumn and her husband visit his mother’s grave every Mother’s Day, and that she is drawn to the grave of an unknown woman that she visits whilst Richard sits with his mom.
Autumn’s spiritual journey continues as she discovers that just like her and her new-found siblings, Summer also has a Celtic background.
It is revealed to Autumn that, like Summer, she has a Wolf Spirit, her protector animal spirit.
Summer takes her to a sacred meadow of criss-crossing ley lines to open up her soul.
With Autumn’s spirituality now in full flow, she begins to dream. She finds a stone wall with a locked wooden door, a barrier to her continuing on her journey to find herself. Summer helps her through it and, once through the door, the curse begins that her mother tried to protect her from.

Link to Autumn's Summer

Framed for Murder, Marla White

After a life-changing injury, Mel O’Rourke trades in her badge for bed sheets, running a B & B in the quirky mountain town of Pine Cove. Her peaceful life is interrupted when an old frenemy, the notorious and charismatic cat burglar, Poppy Phillips, shows up on her doorstep, claiming she’s been framed for murder. While she’s broken plenty of laws, Mel knows she’d never kill anyone. Good thing she’s a better detective than she is a cook as she sets out to prove Poppy's innocence.

The situation gets complicated, however, when the ruggedly handsome Deputy Sheriff Gregg Marks flirts with Mel, bringing him dangerously close to the criminal she’s hiding. And just when her friendship with café owner Jackson Thibodeaux blossoms into something more, he’s offered the opportunity of a lifetime in New Orleans. Should she encourage him to go, or ask him to stay? Who knew romance could be just as hard to solve as murder?

The Wishing Tree: Love, Lies and Spies on Chincoteague Island, M.S. Spencer

Will the wind whip her token from the Wishing Tree and make her wish come true? Addison Steele dreams of the day her husband-lost at sea-returns to her. Instead, she meets Nick Savage, whose every word may be a lie. She is soon embroiled in mystery, all related to the top-secret science station at Wallops Island, Virginia. After a Belarusian scientist at Wallops is murdered, the questions multiply. Was it because he caught the person stealing classified documents or because he wanted to defect? Is Nick the spy-or is it his brother? How can she trust the man who is slowly claiming her heart when his story keeps shifting?

Link to The Wishing Tree

The Wild Rose Press authors

I'm writing today to thank my fellow roses and intend to make this a regular feature. Roses refer to all authors who write for the traditional publisher, The Wild Rose Press. I asked them to tell me about their book and offer a short description. What you'll check out is wonderful samples of the quality of The Wild Rose Press authors.

BROOME ENIGMA by Meryl Tobin

On a working holiday in Australia's cosmopolitan Outback town of Broome in 1986, Jodie, a young book designer is open to romance and adventure.
At the holiday village where she is staying, she meets Joe, a young man who works there. Despite the strong attraction between them, the many unknowns about his earlier life keep them apart. To try to uncover his mysterious past, they travel to Perth and back to Broome and are drawn into not only bizarre but also dangerous situations.

Is Joe the person Jodie thinks he is, or is he some alter ego? Can she stop their relationship from developing until she knows whether he is free to love her?

Link to Broome Enigma

THE LAST SHOT by Brett Wallach

"It is the beginning of the fourth quarter for me, actuarially. Time is running out, I’m way behind, and I’ve got to score. Now."

Middle-aged Philadelphia Private Investigator Phil Allman is writing a detective novel. And he is determined to have it published by a major house. No matter what it takes.

Rachel Arison is Senior Vice President of Fiction at Bryce Douglas. And was a high school classmate of Phil’s. When he compels her to publish his book by taking her hostage, she acquiesces in part because she has an agenda of her own. Their uneasy arrangement takes several surprising turns along the way.

The Last Shot is a suspenseful and often funny elegy about the challenges of getting older while trying to make a dream come true before it is too late. It is also a book within a book; Phil’s novel is a chronicle of his abduction of Rachel and its aftermath.

The Last Shot is the ninth in the series of Phil Allman mysteries; unlike the protagonists of many mystery novels, Phil is certainly no hero, but you can’t help but root for him.

Link to The Last Shot

SECRETS, SHAME, AND A SHOEBOX by L.B. Griffin

When Harriet Laws loses her grandmother and her job, her happy life in London seems over. Alone, grief-stricken and penniless, she thinks wildly of ending it all. Fate steps in as Tom Fletcher saves her, gives her hope, and guides her to new employment. He takes her to dinner, and she finds him attractive. He's older, but she doesn't mind. Does he?
Tom, a quiet, hardworking man, is unsure of Harriet's feelings, but he's also very busy building his business interests. So it's no wonder a suave, sophisticated fellow walks off with Harriet right under Tom's nose.
What follows, no one could have predicted, as Harriet not only loses contact with all her friends but must again fight for her very life...will she ever see Tom again?

Link to Secrets, Shame, and a Shoebox

KAT OUT OF THE BAG by Wendy Kendall
When celebrated international purse designer, Katherine Watson, hosts a gala for her Purse-onality Museum, she never expected the next day's headline to read: 'Murder at the Gala Premiere.' But after a dead body is found during the event, that's exactly what happened.

Working to solve the murder, Katherine matches wits with local cop Jason Holmes and his K-9 partner, Hobbs. Although Holmes and Watson disagree often, they discover an undeniable attraction building between them. But they'll have to put their feelings on hold and focus on solving the murder, before Katherine becomes the killer's next knock off.

Link to Kat Out of the Bag

RAG LADY by Susie Black

Holly Schlivnik dreams of being a writer, but fate has other plans. A family crisis throws her into an improbable situation and her life will never be the same. Determined to make her own luck when things don’t happen the way she plans, the irrepressible young woman takes a sledgehammer to the glass ceiling and shatters it to smithereens. The wise-cracking, irreverent transplanted Californian goes on a raucous, rollicking rollercoaster ride of hysterical adventures as a ladies' apparel sales rep traveling in the deep South and finds herself along the way.

Link to Rag Lady

The Wild Rose Press Authors

 I'm writing today to thank my fellow roses. I say roses referring to all authors who write for the traditional publisher, The Wild Rose Press. I asked them to tell me about their book and offer as a sample for this Blog on a first come first serve basis with a limit on submissions. What you'll check out is a wonderful sample of the quality of The Wild Rose Press authors.

After a family crisis, Katie Hathaway must return home to help out in the family's ice cream shop. She leaves behind her dream job of teaching ballroom dance to spend her summer scooping ice cream and mixing milkshakes.

Chaz Hollander, Katie's high school crush, has also returned to town to work in his family's business. After Katie treats him to a blueberry swirl sundae, he invites her to the town's upcoming dance. The only problem is he has two left feet.

When Katie starts giving Chaz dance lessons, their chemistry ignites, and the postponement of her dream doesn't seem as ominous. But financial woes and a suspicious business deal cast a shadow on their budding relationship.

Link to The Blueberry Swirl Waltz

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Do killers, stock manipulators, and kidnappers stalk the Temple?

After the body of Roberto Gomez is discovered in Temple Israel's parking lot, Patricia Weiss, nee Reilly, exchanges her suburban-mom sneakers for gumshoes to investigate the supposed hit-and-run.

Inspired by her police detective dad, Patricia feels compelled to uncover who killed the hardworking custodian and why. Before she can progress with her investigation or work on problems in her difficult marriage to a busy cardiologist, and his controlling Jewish mother, she is plunged into the Temple's troubles. Her mentor Rabbi Deborah, who has guided Patricia through her own recent conversion to Judaism, disappears after delivering a controversial sermon in support of interfaith marriage. Despite her husband's concerns, Patricia joins forces with her buddy Brenda. Designating themselves The Yenta Patrol, they unravel the mysteries.

Link to Wild Irish Yenta

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A young widow’s world turns sideways when her daughter’s new coach is the hot contractor who years earlier took her heart, and her innocence. On the cusp of relaxing the walls she has constructed, Hayes discovers that the real deceptions came from unexpected sources. Can her new passion stand the exposure of long held secrets?

Link to Reconstructing Hayes

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Rebellious teen Teri Darden comes of age in the Summer of Love, 1967, falling hard for Tim Olson, who plays bass guitar in a soon-to-be-famous rock band called Virgin Ram. When the band goes on a lengthy tour, Tim and Teri not only lose touch with each other but the lies of his spiteful ex-girlfriend push Teri into the dark side of sex, drugs, and rock 'n' roll in the San Francisco of the 1960s.
As his year-long tour comes to a close, Tim realizes how much he has missed Teri, but his efforts to find her again are futile. He goes from one bad marriage to another yet is always searching for Teri, until they meet again thirty years later.
Neither could quite forget the other, but can they rekindle what was lost?

Link to Iris Rainbow

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When Joel Tyler drove away from the factory to pick up the load of his rejected creation, the last thing he expected to see was a hitchhiking bride. He didn't have time for this. Besides, he had enough troubles of his own without picking up more. But he couldn't leave her on the side of the road.

Maddy Hayden was exhausted. She'd run away from a terrible situation without a plan or a destination. Hitchhiking was a bad idea. Worse was getting in a truck with a man traveling alone. He was probably a serial killer. Whatever. It was a suitable end to this day.

When two people who are having the worst day of their lives meet, they can either crash and burn, or save each other.

Link to It Happened on Route 66

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When stable owner Cheyenne Modine meets vet Jack Carter, it's hate at first sight. He may look like the sexiest man alive but his arrogance tells her he's a privileged member of the elite Lexington, Kentucky, Thoroughbred world. Cheyenne Modine is exactly Jack's type-a smoking hot woman who loves horses-but her slurred speech calls up childhood memories of living with an alcoholic father, and Jack isn't about to travel that road again. After several chance encounters, the fireworks between them become a contest to see who touches who first. Can Jack and Cheyenne overcome their mistaken first impressions or will their gallop to the finish line end in murder by horseshoe?

Link to A Horse of a Different Color

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You can see why I love my fellow roses and there are many more. All accomplished, all great reads. All great friends...

I'm back

 After COVID and looking at the number of followers, I put the Blog on hiatus. But with the publishing of The Meet_Cute and its high demand, I took well-wishers' advice to start the Blog again. So I am writing today to say hi and will soon have another Blog entry.

Bob

The ethics of ChatGPT

I was thinking about the ethics surrounding ChatGPT and the like. Let's step back. We go to a critique group. Others suggest changes based on their experience as writers. We incorporate them. Is this unethical? Next, perhaps, we give our book to a line editor and maybe a content editor. Next, we hire or request ordinary people read it and give feedback. Feedback! Are these actions, ethical? Nobody questions this. But should we? No man is an island. To be human is to not only be an individual but part of a group, with all the benefits the group has to offer. 

I say these things, not to argue a point but to cause reflection on ethics.

the undefinable life of a romance writer

 Once upon a time, I was an engineer. My wife came from the Philippines. While dating, I discovered, much to my liking, that she loved basketball, as most Filipinos/as do. I took her to a Sixers game she was in heaven. As we settled into married life, she became curious about that rough sport I was watching all day Sunday. NFL football.

Things changed when I started writing. I didn't have the time to sit through a whole game, let alone all day. And let's not forget Monday and Thursday. I wrote. She watched. I kept her company for periods, but I was damn close to being a football widower, lol.

As a side note, she watches baseball and soccer as well. Two sports I hardly paid attention to, but do enjoy these now given that I made many interruptions for writing.

I wouldn't say roles were reversed. It's just time and love.

revisiting show don't tell

The real purpose of showing is to keep the reader hooked. When your story raises more questions than it answers, the reader wants to read on. 

So when the novel starts, try not to explain why the characters are the way they are. Try not to spend too much time describing the surroundings. Try not to hand out resumes for each character.

The reader will glean from little tidbits dropped in conversation pieces of who these people are and why they do or say what they say.

Readers like to be engaged. They want to solve problems like a detective.

Try it.

Here's the first draft of the beginning of my novel The Cute-Meeter as an example.

“Your slave is smoking hot.”

“Come on, Sam. I can’t; it’s against university policy.”

“Maybe the Dean could make an exception for a love-sick puppy.”

“I am not.”

“True, you don’t have four legs.”

Christopher spit out just a bit of beer as a small laugh escaped him. “Your joke,” he shook his head, “so lame.”

“Stick to the point. You love her, don’t you?”

“I plead the fifth.”

Justine, our bartender, wiped up the beer and said in her usual flirty way. “If I had known you were a dribbler, I would have taken you to the Knicks game instead of, you know, Chrissy baby.”

She dribbled her fine derriere to another customer, turned, and winked. Oh, I got trouble.

“I can’t believe what just happened. Justine’s not your type. What have you been?...” Justine reached for Dewar’s Scotch, well within earshot.

He shooshed Sam and lowered his voice. “Either you’re a snob, or you don’t know her.”

“I’m not a snob.”

“I know. You were my best man and still are. Although you might drop down to second place behind my dog. Justine has a kid at home and is trying to finish her master’s too.”

“But what’s with the beckoning behind?”

Back to me: I'm sure you'll notice that I don't supply the two men's full names or exactly what they do. I don't mention directly where this scene is located (NYC). I use a save-the-cat moment in describing the waitress, thereby showing Christopher's humanity.

A little later, the subject gets back to Christopher's Ph.D. candidate:

“You’re meeting her tomorrow, right?”

“Yep, she still has that crazy idea for her thesis.”

“My personal opinion?…” Sam let his head lean, and his eyes roll.

“Go ahead, Sam.”

Sam picked up a slew of peanuts and stuffed his mouth. “I’m thin kun yous,” he wiped his mouth and downed some beer. “I think yes, her idea is far-fetched, but it is legitimate enough.”

“Oh, come on.”

“No, you come on. You’re letting your old-school teaching methods get in the way. Give her a break.”

“The fifth.” He patted Sam’s shoulder and pointed at the WyborowaVodka.

Back to me: Does the reader wonder what the woman's crazy idea is? Yes, and that's good because the reader will continue. The problem all writers have is maintaining these little mysteries throughout the entire story.