Tuesday, January 26, 2016

A Scorpio, that’s me-Tricia McGill

Buy When Fate Decides here.

I never thought too much about my star sign and its significance until later in life. It is very strange that out of a family of ten children only two of us were Scorpios and as far back as I can recall I was told how like my sister Joan I looked, and I was born on the 9th November and she on the 14th. We certainly bore similar characteristics in that she was ambitious and liked to get her own way. My husband always joked that the females in our family were all bossy and liked to get in the last word. She was very good at her chosen profession and I like to think that I was in mine. I certainly can’t abide being a failure at anything, although have to cede that I am no good at sports. The only sporting activity I did relatively well in was horse-riding.

These quotes are taken from my on-line Scorpio profile:

“It is true, Scorpio's can be argumentative and pack a powerful sting, but that's simply because they see all opposition as a healthy challenge.”

So, you see, it’s true what my husband always told me, I loved getting in the last word with any argument he set before me. We argued most days during our very long time together.

“They prefer their own company over those of others, and are quite okay with solitude.” 

Ah, so that explains why I became a writer, because I love spending days alone with my computer and just my dogs for company. And I do recall as a child that I spent a lot of time playing alone with my dolls and enjoying it. I still talk to myself, although nowadays I pretend I am talking to my dogs. I had imaginary friends and fairies to keep me company.

I also like studying my life path, and I found out my birth tree is a Walnut Tree—the tree of Passion. Here's another quote:

“Unrelenting, strange and full of contrasts, often egoistic, aggressive, noble, broad horizon, unexpected reactions, spontaneous, unlimited ambition, no flexibility, difficult and uncommon partner, not always liked but often admired, ingenious strategist, very jealous and passionate, no compromises.”

Yes, that’s me. See, again no flexibility, but I like the part about ‘ingenious strategist’

But this started out as me telling you something about myself. I’m a bit of an open book really. I was born in North London, last in a family of ten. My parents were honest battlers, both strong, well-loved gentle folk. I only have a handful of memories of my father as in those days (we are going back a long way) the men worked 6 days a week. The holidays were few and far between, with no such thing as medical benefits. I can’t recall him having a day off work during my childhood. He passed away when I was just 12, which was a tragedy for our mother, as after years of surviving two world wars and the depression, times were only then becoming easier.

I left school at 15 years old and can only guess it was so that I could bring in some money to help with the household costs. It certainly wasn’t because I longed to get out of school as I loved it, especially the art class, and geography (loved drawing the maps) and English class as I loved to write what we called compositions and are now called essays, or short stories. There was no mention of going on to college as that was not even considered by working class folk, unless you were fortunate enough to earn a scholarship.

I can’t boast that I tried many jobs and earned many skills, as after only a year working in the school laboratory as an assistant, and trying an office job in a laundry for a few months, I went to work for my sister who was now in charge of the workroom in a clothing manufacturing company (that’s the fellow Scorpio mentioned above).

After working my way through the jobs in the cutting room I graduated to pattern cutting and that is where I stayed for the next 20 or so years. I did have my own designing and dressmaking business for a few years when first coming to Australia, but soon found it was more profitable for me to work regular hours for regular wages than to work up to 10/12 hours a day for myself, sometimes 7 days a week. It was a learning curve and fun while it lasted, but proved to me that I was not a clever business woman, albeit a hardworking one.

Through all these years I was an avid reader but it was only when I retired early due to spinal problems that I set about writing full time. I have to thank my husband for that as he encouraged me in all ways.

The writing journey has been an eventful and fulfilling one. It has also introduced me to many friends and fellow writers, most of whom I have never met face to face and never will meet, as the likelihood of me travelling to the USA or Canada where my fantastic publisher Books We Love is situated is a pipe dream. I am not a good traveler and have only been back to England once in almost 50 years of living in Australia. I couldn’t take sitting up there for all those hours in a flying tin can more than once. I have flown since, but only within Australia. And why is it that every time I decide to use the toilet the plane hits turbulence and leaves me fearing the small cubicle where I am sitting will fall off.

I’ve always written what I love to write and never followed trends of any sort. Perhaps that was a mistake, but I still have faithful readers who have been with me from those early days and hopefully garnered a few new ones along the way.

Details of all my books can be found on my web page:
HERE

Or visit my author page on Books We Love:
For links to buy any of my books

Monday, January 25, 2016

Books We Love's Tantalizing Talent ~ Author Jamie Hill

Jamie Hill was born and raised in a beautiful, mid-sized town in Midwest, USA. At various times she wanted to be a veterinarian, teacher, cheerleader, TV star or a famous singer. The one thing she always wanted to be was a writer. Starting at about age ten, she penned romance as she envisioned it in one spiral notebook after another.

When she's not working at the day job she loves, Jamie enjoys spending time with her family, reading, and binge-watching Netflix. In her ‘spare time’ she can often be found writing, editing, or doing something more mundane like housework. After that, she's probably taking a nap.

A note from Jamie:

"I've always enjoyed reading romance novels and my preference is the contemporary genre because I can relate to it more than historical. I also love mysteries, so when a book can combine some suspense with a good romance I'm happy as can be. When I started writing I knew that was the type of book I wanted to create. Family Secrets was my first attempt at romantic suspense, and it was well received, reaching #67 on the Amazon Top 100 Paid Best Seller List. I also love series works, so the reader can catch up with the characters in later books and see what they're up to. I have three series I'm especially proud of, A Cop in the Family, Witness Security, and The Blame Game. I hope you'll check them out."


Find Jamie at Books We Love: http://bookswelove.net/authors/hill-jamie/  where you can click on the covers for more information about each title.


Latest release:
Cover of Darkness
Witness Security, Book 3

It’s US Marshal Ben Markham’s job to keep witnesses alive, but providing protection to BDSM social club owners who stumble onto double murders isn’t at the top of his bucket list. Still, protecting Mitzi Pomeroy until trial has its perks. Like close contact with gorgeous, smart-as-a-whip Assistant DA Addison Decker. Too bad Addie doesn’t come with a warning label. Who’d have thought an ADA could have so many secrets? Or that those secrets will find Ben and his partner Nick Pierce scrambling to keep them all alive? 

 





Discover these series:


Family Secrets
A Cop in the Family, Book 1

As if stumbling over a dead body isn't enough, Crystal Cartwright finds herself playing surrogate mother to two small boys when their father--her neighbor--doesn't come home. The kids aren't much trouble, but the thieves, drug dealers and kidnappers they're about to encounter are.

Detective Jack Dunlevy, a cop down on his luck, draws the cases no one else wants. A simple investigation involving a dead homeless man quickly changes as Crystal enlists Jack's help with the children. Drawn into a mystery that none of them could have anticipated, they're faced with a situation that will change their lives forever.

 


Blame it on the Stars, The Blame Game series Book 1Blame it on the Stars
The Blame Game, Book 1

Teacher Catlin McCall has second thoughts about dating the father of a student, but listening to his sweet talk one night under the stars, she finds him hard to resist. They stumble into an impetuous, passionate relationship which leaves them breathless and his family less than thrilled. A not-quite-ex-wife who decides she wants her man back, combined with a pair of manipulative teenagers, make for more problems than either of them are prepared to deal with.

Steve Naughton has no idea when he invites Catlin’s brother to join them for dinner that his fiancĂ©e has family issues of her own. Like the old adage, no good deed goes unpunished, and Steve’s surprise backfires when the truth comes to light.


“You feel like your life got thrown up in the air, and it’s landing as a different sort of life? Yeah, me too.” Blame it on the stars.



Complete List of Books We Love titles by Jamie Hill



Romantic Suspense:



Witness Security





A Cop in the Family 










Romance, Woman’s Fiction:



The Blame Game









Impulsive, a short story collection which includes

Three Wishes







Getting To Know You...

http://amzn.com/B00VCP5POI
...Getting to Know All About You...I think that's the way the song goes. And I'd much rather get to know you, than the other way around. But my publisher at BWL believes it's time for all her authors to tell their readers something about themselves. So here goes...

I'm not exactly what one would call an introvert, but it's hard for me to be outgoing, and meet a lot of people that I can call my friends. I expect that is because, as a child, from the age of 8 to 12 I traveled all over the US, Mexico, the Philippines, and even Alaska. I spent the first 8 years of my life on a Quarter Horse ranch out in the middle of nowhere, Texas, USA. Then my father, who was in the Army, started being posted to...wherever.  Sometimes, the only school was the one on the base, and even when I was able to go to public school, I always tried to be the one who sat in the back of the room, and never raised my hand to answer a question. I knew that just as soon as I made one single friend, we'd be off to a new post.

Finally, my father was posted to Los Angeles, CA, and we actually stayed there! Besides horses, the other love of my life as a child was singing. Once we got settled in LA, my mother found a voice coach for me, and seven months later, I was performing professionally. I sang in Musical Theatre...you know, all the GOOD music of yesteryear, from Frank Sinatra, Nat King Cole, Barbra Streisand, Dionne Warwick, Kathryn Grayson...and if you are too young to know these names, you are really missing something! I also studied Opera, and at 16 was invited to audition with the San Francisco Opera Company, but my mother was working and couldn't go with me, so she wouldn't let me go alone.

The next best thing to happen was that at 16, I sang a duet with Frank Sinatra on stage at the Greek Theatre in Hollywood. There was a big concert at the Greek, for a Heart Charity, my musical troop was invited to sing, and Frank Sinatra was also there. He was asked to sing with one of us, and he chose me. We sang "Make Believe" from the Broadway musical "Show Boat." A very exciting time for me, and my one and only claim to fame!

At 19, a throat tumor ended my singing career, so I did the next best thing, and married my fiancé of a year. When my children were 7 and 12, I went back to school to finish my education, and completed it with a Ph.D in Sociology. Then, as life makes many changes, my husband and I divorced. A year later, I remarried, and will be celebrating 37 years of "almost" bliss with my awesome husband this June.

During those 37 years, my husband and I built a ranch and trained Appaloosa horses for the show ring, for 25 years,  I became a professional artist, and now we are retired...supposedly...and I am a writer and author of four books.

Writing is a lonely profession, but my biggest supporter, and my greatest inspiration is my husband. Sometimes, I get tired of this computer. I get tired of fighting with my characters who won't do what I want them to do. But he says, get back there and tell them who's boss. You can do it. I know you can. So here I am...BWL has published four books, I'm working on the sequel to the very first book, The Freedom Thief...and you know what? You have just read practically my whole life's story. Not the most exciting one in the world, but I hope you haven't been too bored.

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