Visiting #Newport #RI ~ #CliffWalk Mansions #Travel #RhodeIsland

My best friend and I have many adventures (or misadventures?) together, and this past weekend was no different.  Although we live 8 states apart, we manage to see each other several times a year.  We've been friends since freshman year of high school, and we've had countless crazy adventures together...seems there's always some sort of bizarre mishap when we're together, too (see the Zip Line fiasco), and our mini-vacation in Newport was no exception.

My friend used some airline miles to book a ticket into Providence, Rhode Island, and I used some of our Marriott points to get us an overnight stay at their Newport hotel right on the water.  Since it was a Thursday night, we asked for--and were given--an upgrade to a harbor view, and it was so breathtakingly beautiful from our balcony, we set an alarm to ensure we actually left the room to experience some of the Newport restaurants and bars!

The view of the marina from our balcony...we could have sat there all night!

It was Restaurant Week, too, but instead of taking advantage of one large meal at one location, we instead ate small plates and had a drink at several places so we could see more.  We went to The Mooring, The Speakeasy, and Buskers before calling it a night.

Even more stunning in the daylight!

The view was no less beautiful in the morning.  But we had things to do before a cold front came in, so we started our day walking over to the popular breakfast spot, The Corner Cafe, before heading over to the famous Cliff Walk.  If you've never been, it's truly something to see...as its name suggests, it is in fact a walk along a cliff, but it's so much more. 

The back of The Breakers, Italian Renaissance style, built 1895 for
Central Railroad President Cornelius Vanderbilt.  138,00 square feet. 

This 3.5 mile National Recreation Trail winds its way along the eastern shore of Newport, offering breathtaking views of the ocean.  But along the other side, built to take advantage of these stunning views, are the backs of mansions built for extremely wealthy families during America's Gilded Age (late 19th century), for use during the summer months.  They were actually referred to as "cottages", but they are anything but...one of the mansions, The Breakers, built for the Vanderbilt family, boasts 70 rooms, 27 fireplaces, and bathtubs with fresh and salt water faucets.  Another mansion, Rosecliff, built for a silver heiress, has been used to film a number of movies, including The Great Gatsby, True Lies, and Amistad.

The start of the walk...I have the map!  ^^

All of this information came from a map I'd purchased in the past, and I was extremely proud I'd remembered it, as it had an informational blurb on each mansion along the walk.  I not only remembered to bring the map on the trip itself, I also remembered to bring it along with us that morning.  I was all set to educate us on each magnificent property along the way.

But, of course, we stopped to take a picture, and I set the map down on the stone wall preventing people from tumbling down into the ocean.  And then the wind blew the map off the wall and into the brush below.  It was somewhat funny, but also disappointing...we'd just started the walk!

The mysterious broken ladder that leads
nowhere...maybe inspiration for a new novel?

As we leaned over the wall to see if there was any way to retrieve it, we noticed a broken wooden ladder, propped up against the ocean side of the wall.  Why was it there?  There was absolutely nothing down there but a small shelf off rocks and brush that quickly dissolved to cliffs and water.  

But...it was there.  It seemed like a sign, even though one side was broken at the top and it looked a bit weathered and worse for the wear.  So, after some discussion about what we would do if it did not hold my weight and I couldn't get back up (not sure if we came to a conclusion on that), I hung off the top of the wall until my feet found the first rung, climbed down successfully, secured the map, and made it back up without breaking any rungs or bones.  Victory!  Was it a good idea?  Definitely not.  But I often do things that are ill-advised (see Exploring an Abandoned TB Hospital for example).  Anyway, it made a good story and we were able to continue our walk with our trusty map.  

I got a few looks from passersby...

Got it!

It was only later that we noticed a new installation...plaques with those square bar codes had been placed along the way, so walkers can scan it with their phone to get more information.  Oh well.  We had a lot of laughs both during and after the great map retrieval event, so there's that!

After completing the cliff walk, we walked around the front of the mansions and then back to the hotel, then ventured back out for lunch and shopping.  Overall, we logged in an incredible amount of steps--over 11 miles--in just a few hours, and we had a blast doing it.  We had to leave around 3:00 for the nearly 2 hour drive back to the Cape, because I don't like to drive in the dark.  When it comes to risky behavior, I only like to climb down cliff walls via mysterious rickety ladders to retrieve $3.00 maps, apparently ;)

Have you ever been to Newport?  Share your stories!  And if you haven't, it's a must-see!

The Forty Steps, one of the major landmarks along the Cliff Walk...
Originally built in 1830 out of wood and used by the Irish staff from
the mansions as a gathering spot
to play music and dance during their time off.

Signed #Books for #SmallBusinessSaturday! #ShopSmall #SaturdayMorning Give the Gift of a Page-Turning Read!

A dangerous ghost
& an ex-boyfriend
await Claire in
Gull Harbor...

The holiday shopping season is upon us, and today is Small Business Saturday.  So I wanted to do a quick post to remind people that I will gladly send out signed and personalized books to give to readers as gifts!  It’s a thoughtful and unique gift that supports small business, and my books have something for everyone—steamy romance, spooky suspense, haunting mysteries, second chances, and the page-turning unraveling of secrets from the past.  Both SILVER LAKE and GULL HARBOR have been #1 Amazon Bestsellers on several occasions, and my Young Adult novel, DIVINE FALL (appropriate for teens), is an award-winning RomCon Reader-Rated pick.  My latest novel, HAUNTED SOULS, combines a military romance with a ghost story in a Cape Cod setting, and it was voted one of the Top 3 Reads of 2016 at Read Free.ly.

A haunting, an old flame, and secrets from the past...

I ship for FREE within the US, so if you are interested in purchasing a book, or books, as a gift, please contact me via the form on the tab above.  Payments are arranged via PayPal or Square.  

Click the orange "Give as a Gift"
button to send an ebook for
less than the price of a card!

If you'd like to give someone an ebook, it makes a great gift and all you need is an email address!  You may as well pick up one for yourself, too, while you're at it...put your feet up and get lost in a page-turning read!

De-stress w/ a new read for #Thanksgiving! #Ghosts #Romance #Books #Kindle

My happy place!

The holidays are upon us! Thanksgiving is almost here, and whether you're traveling or cooking, you need to find some time to relax during what can be a hectic month.  My favorite stress-reliever is reading, and right now I'm caught up in a page-turning Psychological Suspense that I can't put down...which is a bit of a problem, since I'm hosting Thanksgiving dinner for the very first time, and my guests begin arriving tomorrow!  If you'd like an entertaining escape, try one of my #1 Kindle Bestsellers, full of steamy romance and spooky suspense.  Load up your Kindle or Nook now, and then while you're traveling, waiting in lines, or trying to carve out a few moments for yourself, you can transport yourself to Cape Cod's Gull Harbor, where a dangerous ghost and an ex-boyfriend await psychic medium Claire Linden.  Links and blurb below!  Happy Thanksgiving :)

GULL HARBOR
A #1 Kindle Bestseller

Kindle link

Nook link

Want to see the story board?  Check out the pictures I used for inspiration on Pinterest!

When Claire Linden’s job sends her to the sleepy town of Gull Harbor, she never expects to encounter her ex-boyfriend. As a medium, the prospect of tackling a haunted house is less daunting than seeing Max Baron again. Throughout their passionate college relationship, he promised to love her forever. Then, without explanation, he abandoned her on graduation day.

Max never intended to break Claire's heart—a cruel ultimatum forced him to disappear from her life. While he's shocked to find her in Gull Harbor, he isn't surprised by the bitter resentment she feels for him...or the fiery attraction that remains between them.

Claire is determined to rid her temporary home of its aggressive ghost, but Max soon realizes she's facing a danger beyond the paranormal. When Claire risks everything to help a desperate spirit, Max must race to save her—before another tragedy tears them apart forever.

Gull Harbor tends to be a quick read, since it's exciting and fast-paced.  If you enjoy it and need some more new reads, try #1 Kindle Bestseller SILVER LAKE (A haunting, an old flame, and secrets from the past...) or my latest release, HAUNTED SOULS (Claire Linden from Gull Harbor makes a guest appearance in this novel, voted one of the Top 3 Reads of 2016 at Read Free.ly!) 

A few quotes from editorial reviews of Haunted Souls

My #Furbabies ~ #cats #dogs #rescue #pets

Cats Are Family is trending on Twitter, so I thought I'd repost my blog about my two sweet kitties...and my dog, because he's family too! 

I come from a long line of animal lovers, and growing up, we never had less than three pets at a time.  Generally, in my adult home, that’s how many we still have, although we’ve occasionally had four.  I’m passionate about rescuing shelter animals, so I try to balance my desire to “save them all” versus the reality of the size of our house, but right now we have two cats and one dog, and everyone gets along well.

A pet triangle on the couch.  Don't worry, guys,
I'll find another place to sit...

Otis came to us via PetFinder, a wonderful website that connects people looking to adopt a pet with animals available either in their area or even farther away, if transportation is available.  When we found Otis, I was looking for a younger dog, since we already had an older dog at home.  With two teenage boys and a husband who loves to jog long distances, we thought we would be a good fit for a more active dog that needed plenty of exercise.  Otis at the time was a 6-week-old puppy, likely a Border collie mix, who was found by the side of a highway in Alabama, along with his brother and mother.  A kind person brought them to a vet before they could get hit by a car, and from there, they made their way to foster care and were put up for adoption.  Once our application was approved, Otis (and his brother, Milo) were transported to New England via an amazing tag team of volunteers who take turns driving animals from states with overpopulated shelters to states with room to spare or new families already waiting. 

This was a tough case to crack

As a puppy, Otis would nap under the stool I sit on at the kitchen island that serves as my writing desk.  Knowing my tendency to lose myself in my fictional world, I would make sure a leash connected him to the stool’s leg so I would know he wasn’t sneaking off and getting into trouble.  Apparently he’s smarter than I am, because he quietly chewed though three leashes to sneak off without me knowing.  For the most part, socks, gloves, and papers were the only losses, but those were the puppy days of mischief and teething.  Now, Otis is a well-mannered and beloved part of our household.

Otis and Jinx

Our cats came to us via a local shelter.  About a year after Otis joined us, our beloved 17-year-old cat passed away, 4 years after his brother.  I was devastated.  But I knew it was an opportunity to provide a forever home to some cats in need.  I like to adopt cats who are already in bonded pairs, as they can sometimes be more difficult to place.  And I particularly love black cats, which might be related to my affinity for all things considered spooky and mysterious.  After all, I do write stories set in haunted houses.

Jinx and Max are another set of brothers, littermates who shelter volunteers hoped could be adopted together.  They keep each other entertained with their sneak attacks and their wrestling matches, and one thing they can agree on is that they’re always hungry.  They know how to bring that to my attention, too—they take over my writing space if they feel I’m not getting the message.

We interrupt this scene for a hungry alert 

Because I love pets so much, I tend to create characters that also have animals.  The heroine of Haunted Souls is actually a vet tech, and she and her son have a rescued tabby cat named Terrance.  And when a ghost follows them home from a haunted tour of an old jail, Terrance is immediately aware that an otherworldly presence is in the house…

A damaged soldier, a secret baby, and a
haunting mystery collide in HAUNTED SOULS
Steamy Romance spiked with Spooky Suspense

Thanks for stopping by, and share your furbaby stories below, I love comments :)

"Will Leave the Reader Breathless" #Book #Review ~ #Romance #Ghosts

I was thrilled to see a new review of my latest romance + ghost mystery, Haunted Souls, up at Reader's Favorite Book Reviews on Halloween!  Adding to the excitement, a few days later, I got an email from my publisher with the first 15 minutes of Haunted Souls being read by the narrator we chose...by December, the audio version of this steamy romance mixed with spooky suspense will be released on Audible!

A damaged soldier, a secret baby, and a haunting mystery
collide in Haunted Souls

In the meantime, I'm working hard to finish my fifth manuscript, tentatively entitled Dangerous Currents.  I was hoping this month to use NaNoWriMo (National Novel Writing Month) as inspiration, but these days, I've found I prefer to write at a slower pace, revising and attempting to get each word right the first time, rather than going for speed and editing later.  And that method is not conducive to writing an entire novel in a month!  The good news is, I already had quite a bit done, so at this point I'm closing in on 70,000 words...which means I have about 4 more (extremely emotional and tense) chapters to get to the end.

So, this is a short post, since I need to get back to it!  The new review gave me a shot of energy, which I could really use.  One of the best things about it is that while the reviewer did not care for the hero, Brett, at first, that changed as his backstory was revealed.  Any time an author can evoke emotions about a fictional character--whether positive or negative--is an achievement, in my opinion, because these people spring from our imaginations.  We often create them from nothing.  Of course, most of us want a character we love to be likable to readers, but in this case, I was thrilled to change someone's initial impression with the eventual explanation of Brett's past.  And then, there's my favorite line: "From the characters to the theme of love, Knight creates a dark, yet tender world that will leave the reader breathless."  That very eloquently sums up what I set out to do!  I hope you'll check out the full review here, and if it sounds like something you'd enjoy, add Haunted Souls to your To-Be-Read list!  And whether you're a professional reviewer on a site or a reader who's never left a review, know that authors sincerely appreciate the feedback, and that it makes our day to hear someone enjoyed a story!  

A few of my favorite quotes from other Haunted Souls reviews

Thanks for stopping by and happy reading!

Drawing Inspiration from #NaNoWriMo ~ #amwriting past #writersblock #NaNoWriMo2017

Last year, I wrote about how I'd used NaNoWriMo, or National Novel Writing Month, to find the inspiration to get back into writing my fourth novel, Haunted Souls, which has since been contracted and released (and is going to be made into an audio book before the end of the year!).  I was again in a rut last November, in terms of finding the time and motivation to write, so I decided I'd try to use the momentum of NaNoWriMo again to at least get a good start on my fifth novel, tentatively titled Dangerous Currents.  This manuscript has been a real challenge for me, as it has no paranormal element, but I do like to grow as a writer in terms of doing different things, and of course, I have to write the story that comes into my head.  So I got busy on November 1st, and things were going well.

Then...I got derailed.  I got the news that my Dad had a tumor.  Meanwhile, we were finishing up my older son's college applications and awaiting news.  All the emotional upheaval took its toll, and my word count had to be put on the back burner.

I visited my Dad in Maryland when I could, we went on college visits, we celebrated the holidays and all our winter birthdays.  In April, my father lost his battle, and we planned his funeral.  In May, my son accepted his offer of admission to University of New Hampshire, and we began planning for his college career.  Summer came, with welcome visitors and sunny beach days.  It was cathartic and chaotic and wonderful, but it was also a countdown to my oldest son leaving home.  I tried to enjoy every minute, and along the way, I stopped writing completely.  A part of me felt empty without it, but I knew my family needed me more than my fictional characters, and I didn't have an ounce of emotion left over for them anyway.  I hoped they'd be waiting for me when I was ready again.

I did get A LOT of reading done during my "hiatus"...check
back for my fav books of 2017 this January!

Once we'd settled my older son in his new home away from home and my younger son had begun his sophomore year of high school, I decided it might be time.  But, I was scared...it had been months since I'd written anything, and I was fairly certain writer's block had made itself comfortable on my imagination's couch.  

I convinced myself to start slowly.  Reading back, revising, editing, getting acquainted with my characters again...each day it got easier.  October is always a busy month for me in terms of events, as a lot of my novels involve ghost mysteries or other supernatural elements, but by the end of the month, I realized I'd made significant progress since I started back in September.  In fact, I had 65,000 words...more than enough to qualify as a full-length novel, except for the fact that it wasn't done.  It was going to take about 4 more highly emotional chapters before I could allow my characters their Happily Ever After and type "The End".

So, that's my NaNoWriMo goal.  I know it's not the traditional definition of "winning", but if I actually finish this book, I will be overjoyed.  I'm going for 1,000 words a day, with breaks planned for my best friend's visit and my family's visit (and my older son being home!) over Thanksgiving.  I'd like to think that another 20,000 words will get me there, or at least, very close.

Will I be able to sell it?  I can't predict that for certain.  But just to finish Dean and Malorie's story will mean a lot to me, in terms of overcoming writer's block.  And that, to me, will be a victory!

Happy writing, NaNoWriMo-ers!  One word at a time :)