Margery Walshaw

Sugar’s Dance by Katie Mettner

Don’t miss the exciting saga of Sugar’s Dance by Katie Mettner. This is the first book in a four part inspirational, romantic suspense series.

Grab a cup of joe and meet Tula Dubois, Sugar to everyone who loves her, an accomplished ballroom dance instructor living in the Twin Ports of Lake Superior. From the outside, Sugar appears to have it all, a successful business and a wonderful family, but behind closed doors Sugar’s emotional walls are crumbling as the events of one snowy November night ten years ago fill her nights with terror. As she struggles to keep her sanity from slipping away she is taunted by the never-ending mantra of why. Why is she still here? Why was she spared?Will the events of one snowy November night haunt her forever?

When Drug Task Force Agent Donovan Walsh arrives in Duluth, Minnesota, there is no doubt in his mind that it’s the tip of the end of the world and he prays that his assignment will be short so he can escape back home to sunny, warm Texas. That is until he meets his latest protected witness, Sugar. His job is simple — protect her from a madman determined to engage her in a dangerous tango. All it takes is one dance across the floor and Agent Walsh quickly discovers there is nothing simple about Sugar.

As the gales of November blow early, Van finds himself drawn to Sugar as he leads her through a tender dance of grief and guilt. The sadness in her eyes when she thinks no one is looking compels him to help her rediscover her love for dancing and the reasons why she was left behind.

As one storm eases another intensifies and Sugar is pulled back into a high stakes promenade with a psychopath hellbent on destroying her family and her town. Sugar must summon her strength and give the performance of a lifetime as she becomes an unwilling partner in a treacherous dance of drugs, kidnapping and family betrayal. It’s a dance where one misstep could leave her fighting for her life!

As winter descends upon Lake Superior, Sugar will waltz through the darkness to find faith, hope, and the greatest of these, love….

You can find Sugar’s Dance on Amazon.

More about the author…

Katie Mettner grew up in Eau Claire, Wisconsin and moved to the Northwoods where she now resides with her husband and three children. Katie writes inspirational romance and is the author of The Sugar Series, The Northern Lights Series and the Snowberry Holiday Series. Her stories are a reflection of her love for family, intricately woven with life experience. When the gales of November blow early you can find her at the computer with a cup of joe working on her next adventure.

Stay in touch with Katie here…

Website | Facebook | Twitter | Pinterest | Google+

Want to read an excerpt? What are you waiting for?

I was standing in the doorway to the kitchen. It had been another rough night. After excusing myself and going to my room I watched all the late night TV shows knowing as soon as I fell asleep the nightmares would return. I spent the night tossing and turning and was never more grateful to see the sun come up over the lake. I had spent a long time in the shower and getting ready for the day trying to put off the inevitable. I knew that today I had to dance with this man. This man who had shown up at my door and managed to get me to open up to him in ways I have never done with anyone else before. I also knew I was going to have to tell him the rest of my story before he found out from someone else because somehow I knew it would hurt him too much to not hear it from me. I wasn’t emotionally ready to do that yet though. For the first time in ten years I was just Tula DuBois again. I wasn’t Sugar to him, I was Tula and whether it was right or not I wanted to see what that was like. He either hadn’t done any research on me or else he was a very good liar. The vibe I got was he was taking what I said at face value. Seemed like that was the way he did things. Ask a question, get an answer and move on. I suppose if he had any inkling I was lying he would switch into cop mode and grill me for all he was worth, but for now he seemed satisfied with my story.

He had his back turned to me and I was enjoying the view of his well filled out Levis as he dug through my cupboard. He was trying to decide what kind of coffee to make and it seemed as though the decision was overwhelming him this morning. He had thrown on a crewneck maroon sweatshirt and I couldn’t see the front, but it probably said something like “Howdy” or “Howyall”. The back was stretched across his broad shoulders and it tapered to his narrow waist and I need to stop this line of thought! His hair was shiny from the shower and I could smell his ever present Irish Spring. To say he took a bath in it was literal, but I couldn’t figure out how the smell managed to linger all day.

“Need help with anything?” He jumped and turned around at the same time throwing his hand over his heart. I noticed the shirt said Texas A&M. Darn.

“Cripes, could you not do that!? How long have you been standing there?” Long enough.

“A while.” I walked over to the counter and gazed up at what had him stymied.

“So you found the coffee cupboard.”

I had one cupboard reserved for my coffee. It was sorted by region or country and by what kind was used in specific makers. I snuck a peek at him and noticed his eyes were slightly glazed over. I could feel the corners of my mouth turn up and looked back down before he could even consider the idea that I was laughing at him.

“You think this is funny, don’t you?” He motioned at the cupboard.

“Who me? No, no, I have no idea what you are talking about.” I did think it was funny, but then I haven’t slept much lately and I was feeling punch drunk. It was taking much too long to get a cup of coffee.

“It is obvious to me,” he said holding onto the cupboard door and looking down at me from his towering perch above me, “that you are an addict.”

“You are telling me nothing I don’t already know. Now either pick a coffee and make it or move over so I can.” I put my hand on my hip and waited.

A slow smile spread across his face and he stepped back, hands up, palms out in front of him. “By all means, please, make the coffee. I don’t want you to start with the DTs.”
Ha, very funny. He wasn’t, but he thought he was. Okay, so he was cute and he was funny, but I still didn’t appreciate it. I reached up to grab a coffee and stopped my hand in midair.

“So do you want regular old everyday American coffee or something more adventurous?”

“Regular old American? You make that sound like a bad thing.”

I shook my head.“No, not a bad thing. I’m wondering if you are a put more goo than coffee in your coffee kind of coffee drinker or if you like it black, strong and pure.” I was feeling the need for black, strong and pure. Pure caffeine. I knew it was going to be the only way to survive the day.

“Well, you look like you could use black, strong and pure. No offense, but you look like you should be going to bed rather than getting up.”

He was sitting at the table eyeing me in my baggy workout pants and three quarter zip Columbia sweatshirt. I had my feet stuffed into my dance sneakers and my hair was in a ponytail gathered at the nape of my neck. I didn’t think I looked too bad, but then I was probably trying to fool myself. It obviously wasn’t working on him.

“Boy you sure can build up a girl’s ego.” I was holding the door to the cupboard open using it to prop me up.

“You ain’t seen nothing yet.” Oh boy. Time to step out of the rattlesnake cage.

I grabbed the coffee filters skipping right over that comment, “So we have Guatemalan, Zambian, Costa Rican or German coffee.”

I knew he was laughing at me behind my back, but I refused to look at him. I pulled out the twelve cup Cuisinart, docked my iPod in the dock and let the soft strains of Allison Krauss fill the kitchen.
I turned around and glared at him, “I hear nothing but your laughter.”

Linked by Rachel Trautmiller

By Margery Walshaw

Linked by Rachel Trautmiller has romance, murder, and plot twists and turns. Read it today and get ready for the second book in The Bening Files, “Disconnect,” which comes out February 3, 2015.

Jordan Bening put his mother’s murder behind him when he left Charlotte North Carolina—and the innocent man in prison for the crime. Almost a decade later, Jordan has college completed, a solid career with the FBI, and a girl he plans to settle down with as if the past never happened. As if the real killer isn’t still lurking. When a postcard bearing the smiling face of his childhood friend finds him, a special message attached, he knows it’s time to deal with his unfinished business.

McKenna Moore doesn’t think about the day in April when her best friend’s mother was murdered. She doesn’t dwell on Jordan Bening’s disappearance or how her testimony might have changed the trial, in which, her uncle was charged with the murder. Instead, she’s focused on her career with the FBI and vindicating each victim that crosses her desk.

When McKenna runs into Jordan in Las Vegas, on a forced mini-vacation, she puts her questions and guilt to the side long enough to enjoy his presence—a little too much. One too many drinks and a chapel wedding later, she finds herself married to a man she hasn’t seen in ten years. What’s worse, he’s not the boy she remembers, but an attractive man she can’t stop thinking about. He’s also her new co-worker.

With McKenna’s car stolen, mysterious bouquets of flowers arriving, a grave robbed and a murder-suicide to investigate, Jordan suspects nothing about their current position is random. Right down to their hasty nuptials, he knows the details are linked. He just has to prove to McKenna that he’s not that same kid who left home. And he’s not going down without a fight.

You can find this book exclusively on Amazon!

A bit about Rachel…

Rachel Trautmiller currently lives with her wonderful husband, adorable daughter, two unruly dogs and a fat cat in Fresno, CA. She has worked in the Healthcare field for over ten years and writes whenever she can fit it in between spending time with her family.

She grew up in the harsh winters of Minnesota, but has traveled the U.S. with her USAF husband. Rachel prefers the hot summers to any subzero day. She is working on several other books, including Books 2 and 3 of the Bening Files series to be released in 2015.

Stay in touch with Rachel here…

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And now…for an exciting excerpt from “LINKED”!

A hand touched her shoulder, bringing her from her thoughts. A spiral of panic zipped down her spine and landed in her stomach. McKenna knew before she looked up that Jordan stood beside her.

He had one hand in his pocket, his lips cocked to one side so that a slight dimple formed. Yet, his eyes were hard, as if he expected a fight. Blue eyes twinkled at the prospect, while that blond hair gave him a just- rolled- out- of- bed look that had her wanting to rush her fingers through it and mess it up a little more.

McKenna swallowed. The day could always get worse. He could insist they move in together and try to work this out like civilized adults. Like normal people. Only nothing about them or their past relationship was normal. Her stomach tilted.

If one thing about Jordan remained unchanged, it would be his old- fashioned sense of duty.

And he would see her as that. His duty.

He removed his hand from her shoulder, but she swore the imprint would stay there for life. Along with the tingling sensation it had created.

“You’re wanted,” he whispered.

“What?”

“Moore, are you listening to me?” SAC Robinson’s sturdy voice made her jump. He strode toward them in confident steps, his tall, lean figure eating up the path between them. His dark hair looked almost black, much like the annoyance on his face.

McKenna gathered the pictures, stood, and barely missed stumbling over Jordan. With a hand to her elbow, Jordan managed to secure her footing.

“Sorry, what did I miss?” She stepped away from him and kept her eyes focused on Robinson. Their boss studied her until she thought her life story, including the previous weekend’s events, might be tattooed somewhere on her face.

Robinson glanced at Jordan as if he knew exactly what was going on between them. His expression was a mixture of authoritative questioning and the buddy- old- pal smirk of long- time friendship. Wow, that gave a whole new meaning to rats arse .

A hole to crawl into would have been fantastic, but she hadn’t gotten this far by hiding. “Thanks for making me take that vacation, Chief. I owe you one.”

That got both Robinson and Jordan’s attention, but neither man said anything.

She held up the case folder. “I’m so glad I’ll have a familiar face to work this with.”

Robinson put his hands in his pockets. “Yeah, Bening’s our new ASAC. Problem?”

Several sarcastic remarks sat on the tip of her tongue begging for release. “You give Rupert, Bening’s phone number, and I’m all for it.” Maybe they could become friends and jump off a cliff together.

Whoa. Too far, McKenna.

“Anything I need to know about?” Robinson asked.

“Nothing I can’t handle.” Like pretending Jordan wasn’t standing inches from her, his arm centimeters from rubbing against hers.

Robinson nodded. “I’m not gonna sugarcoat this for you two. This case is more politics than anything else. Sad, but true. We’re dealing with one of Charlotte’s oldest and richest families here. The only reason we have this case is because Mr. Gaidies called one of his senator friends in D.C. right after his 9- 1- 1 call. Naturally, Quantico passed the buck to us. So we’ve already ticked off CMPD, which is where we’re gonna need you, Moore. They were first on the scene.”

“Already spoke with Detective Nettles. They’re not convinced this case has need for federal attention yet. But we’ll have full cooperation on Nettles’ end as long as we reciprocate.”

“Which means we’ll be fighting tooth and nail for info.” It wasn’t a question, but fact, because while her best friend from CMPD and SAC Robinson made one heck of a team, they also had a love-hate relationship as far as McKenna could tell.

“I’ve got it covered.”

“Okay. After that display with Mr. Dillon last night we’ve also struck a nerve with the family. Mr. Dillon would like to see you both demoted.”

What? Rage billowed up her esophagus like a hot air balloon. Jordan didn’t look the least bit rattled, as if he’d left his emotions back in Las Vegas.

“Why not just ask that we be removed from the case? Makes more sense, doesn’t it?”

Robinson held up a hand. “Right now, we don’t have a formal complaint. Even if he files one, which I don’t think he’s stupid enough to do, it won’t stick. I know you did what you had to do. Bottom line. Find our guy.” He dismissed them with a wave of his hand.

McKenna wanted to run toward her office. Instead, she took a not-so-calming breath and turned toward Jordan.

“Nice start to the morning?”

“You have no idea,” she said under her breath.

“This doesn’t have to be awkward, McKenna.” Not awkward? She couldn’t help it, she let out a small snort- laugh and garnered a few glances in their direction before she composed herself. “I don’t think that’s possible. Here.” She slapped the ring into the palm of his hand, turned on her heel and headed for her office.

Their office. Their case. Their UNSUB.

They needed ground rules. ASAP

Edge of Truth by Natasha Hanova

By Margery Walshaw

Edge of Truth by Natasha Hanover is a young adult paranormal romance/dystopian tale. Read on for details.

Citizens who report to work on time, obey the Overlord’s laws, and stay off the Synbot’s radar, live long lives. Long, dull, monotonous lives.

It’s not a bad plan for sixteen-year-old Rena Moon whose emotions trigger earthquakes. In a world pitted against her, she strives for a life beyond working herself to death at the factory. Seeing an alternative, she risks selling relics from the forbidden lands at Market. It becomes the worst decision she ever made. Someone kidnaps her best friend in exchange for the one thing that would end her oppression.

Driven by loyalty, Rena and seventeen-year-old Nevan Jelani, soulful composer, green thumb extraordinaire, and the secret love of her life, plot to rescue her friend and reclaim her salvage. Still, the thought lingers whether Nevan is a true hero or another thief waiting for his chance at her loot. Events spin wildly, deepening Rena’s suspicions and pushing her limit of control. With more than her chance for freedom at stake, she must decide if she’s willing to kill to protect what’s precious to her. For once, the Overlord isn’t holding all the power, but can Rena live with being reduced to what she’s struggling so hard to escape?

You can find Edge of Truth exclusively on Amazon!

Natasha Hanova is the author of Edge of Truth, a YA dystopian novel. She enjoys sliding around the house in her socks and loves nibbling Peanut M&Ms while reading or writing paranormal, dark fantasy, and dystopian books with heavy doses of romance. You can stay in touch with Natasha on these social media networks…

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Keep reading for an exciting excerpt from Edge of Truth when Rena and Nevan have escaped from the bad guys and set up a hidden camp inside a cave made from a stone with diamond-like qualities….

“You’re divided,” Nevan said.

“What?” Rena asked.

“Your face.” He lightly touched her hairline, traced a path down her forehead, between her eyebrows, across the bridge of her nose, and paused slightly at her lips then continued to the tip of her chin. “Divided between shadow and light.”

“Oh.” Sweet Mother… Warmth blossomed from the tingling line down the middle of her face and swept through her body. Her breath escaped in a soft moan, which she hoped the crackling sound of the fire covered.

“Rena?” Firelight danced across his face. His bi-colored eyes drank it in, more radiant than the sparkling stone. He was too beautiful to look at, and the only thing she ever wanted to see.

“Yeah?”

“Remember the other day, at that club in the Underground?” he said in a low voice.

His strong arms wrapped around her. His soft lips pressed against hers. The delicious taste of his mouth. Heat pooled in her stomach. She hoped the shadows hid her blush. “How could I forget?”

“There’s something I need to tell you.” He sounded too serious.

A cold wave rolled over her, dousing the flames inside her with an almost audible fizzle. “Uh-huh?”

“I don’t know where to start.” He peered over her shoulder at Blaze who snored softly. “And this might not be the best time or place, but I really need to get this out.”

“What is it about?” She wasn’t sure she really wanted to know. Her tongue swelled, making it difficult to swallow. She parted her lips slightly and sipped small breaths.

“Us,” he whispered. He was quiet for a moment, a long, impossible moment.

Uprising by Allana Kephart and Melissa Simmons

By Margery Walshaw

Welcome to Uprising by Allana Kephart and Melissa Simmons, a futuristic tale that you have to read today.

The year 2102–the world as it was no longer exists. Ravaged by nuclear war and polluted almost to the point of no return, Earth was dying. When the faeries came and brought their healing magic, humanity was grateful at first. Centuries of damage repaired in just five years, and during the course of that rehabilitation, they invaded. Quietly overthrown, the human race is now enslaved. The majority doesn’t even realize they have no free will. Branded, herded and kept only to further the agendas of the Fae Courts, humanity could be facing extinction.

But a resistance is coming…

Fianna Dolan has spent her entire young life preparing herself for an uprising against the Fae. One scorching summer night Fi’s parents leave and never return. Thrust into a position of power she never expected, Fi struggles with her new position and the responsibility it entails. When a secretive fae man known only as Flint breaches the city’s defenses claiming he can help, Fi begins to doubt everything she’s ever considered truth. As betrayals and deception come to light, will Fi want the answers she’s been seeking, or will trusting Flint lead to her destruction?

Get your copy of Uprising at these online retailers…

Amazon | Barnes & Noble | iTunes | Smashwords

About the Authors….

Allana Kephart has been making things up and bending people to her will from a very young age. She loves animals and reading and spends a large amount of time thinking up ways to torment her characters. She shares a brain, a love of coffee and the color purple with her alter ego/best friend/co-author, Melissa Simmons.

Melissa Simmons is an avid reader who married her soul mate and is the proud mother of a spoiled cat. She spends her days helping promote independent authors and doing what the voices in her head tell her to. She shares a brain, a love of coffee and the color purple with her alter ego/best friend/co-author, Allana Kephart.

Find Allana and Melissa here…

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Want to read an excerpt of Uprising? What are you waiting for?

The tall guard comes out and nods to her; interrupting her train of thought. “Fi.”
“Sean,” she replies. “Sean?”
He stops and looks at her; lifting a brow. He’s tired, but he pulls himself out of a slouch and sighs, “Yeah?”
“Any sign of them?” she asks in a sad voice. She already knows the answer.
“No.” He shakes his head, obviously tired of this conversation already. “Fi, they’re not coming back.”
“You don’t know that,” she snaps back at him. “They might. There’s no proof anything happened to them—”
“Fi…” He’s softer this time, but still holds his ground. “Don’t do this to yourself.”
She deflates a little and nods; looking into her mug of coffee. He ruffles her dark hair, which hangs loosely around her face today, and walks away, nearly stepping on me as he goes. I shoot out from under his foot and hiss at him, taking off up the tree I’ve been hiding in all this time.
“God!” he cries; stumbling back and cursing up at me. If I weren’t so irritated with his ignorance I would laugh at him.
“Sean, calm down,” Fi huffs. “It didn’t bite you or anything.”
“I hate rats,” he says. Rat? I knock an abandoned bird nest out of the tree and watch it explode on his head before leaping into the next oak, making it look like an accident.
“I don’t think it’s a rat,” Fi snickers as Sean freaks out, smacking twigs and eggshells from his hair. He is thoroughly pissed off now, and I find way too much pleasure in that. “I don’t think it liked being called a rat, either.”

Enchanted Heart by Mindy Ruiz

By Margery Walshaw

Enchanted Heart by Mindy Ruiz is a tale of a road trip that you have to take!

Cassandra Vera never ever broke the rules.

Ever!

She’s also had a nonexistent social life since her best friend moved to Vegas. Armed with a new set of resolutions, the promise of a hot date, and her adoptive parents out of town, seventeen-year-old Cassandra agrees to a road trip, which is the perfect way to celebrate her birthday and ring in the New Year. After all, she’s headed to Vegas, the city where secrets are meant to stay hidden. Little does Cassandra know her past is buried there as well.
Cloaked in the shadows of the glitz and gaudy lights of Vegas lies a power struggle centuries old. One wrong step and Cassandra could destroy the delicate web of secrets. Now an enemy she never knew existed is after her, and the one boy who may be the missing piece to the puzzle — and her heart— is the one person she can’t afford to trust.

Find Enchanted Heart online…

Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Kobo | iTunes | Smashwords

About Mindy Ruiz…Mindy lives in a sleepy Beach Town in Southern California. Her career in publishing started in the 4th grade with a story about a magic, museum-hopping chair. Now, Mindy writes young adult, new adult, and adult paranormal romance. Her books always include tormented heroes, snarky heroines, and lots of swooney moments that will put a smile on your face or make your heart race. Mindy is the lover of a good romance, the underdog, and John Hughes’ 80′s teen movies. She spends her free time chasing after three boys, making flirty eyes at her hunky husband, watching fantasy television shows, cheering for the Dallas Cowboys, and hanging out at the beach with her very large and loud Italian family.

When her toes aren’t in the sand or her mind isn’t in the clouds, Mindy loves hearing from readers. You can reach her by email MindyRuizBooks@gmail.com or Mindy Ruiz Books at PO Box 2086, Seal Beach, CA 90740

Read an excerpt today!

NEW YEAR’S RESOLUTION #1: Kill Malory! Not quickly, either. The use of a calorie counter and a corn dog should be involved in her murder.

A Malibu coastline, four hours of desert and that was all I’d come up with for my set of New Year’s resolutions. I was either pathetic or still pissed.

“Don’t worry about it, Cassie.” Malory’s voice from this morning rattled around my head, all distorted like she’d been drinking too much giggle juice. “I’ve totally got your ride to Vegas covered.”

If conning my ex-boyfriend, Justin, to take me to Las Vegas was my best friend’s idea of “covering my ride,” I think I should have opted for the spend-New-Year’s-Eve-alone option.

A whoosh of desert air smacked the ends of my ponytail against my cheeks. Crystal Shoemaker, aka Justin’s new girlfriend, shook out her hair in the wind and shot me a contemptuous look in the side mirror. “You’re so lucky Malory bribed us with Club ASHA opening night tickets.”

“Yeah, you’ll have to remind me to really thank her.”

Justin laughed.

Given the look Crystal shot him, Justin would pay for the traitorous siding.

We pulled off the freeway onto Casino Center Boulevard, the neon lights bathed us in a warm glow, but icy fingers of doubt wrapped around my heart. Mom’s warning about Las Vegas echoed in my ears: There’s a reason it’s called Sin City, Cassandra. Her eyes would go cold and dead serious. “Promise me you’ll never go there.”

I always promised, but that was before Malory, my best friend, moved here.

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