Eden Glenn - Finding A Publishing Home

I am honored to be part of the Rebel Ink Press Team. I came to them in 2011 almost on a lark. The RIP team had put out a call for anthology stories for a Halloween release of twisted tales. One of my favorite halloween stories was the Headless Horseman. It scared me spitless as a child. I knew immediately that I wanted to put my own spin on that time honored classic in the twisted tales. To me a halloween collection wouldn't be complete without visiting that one. Fortunately, RIP team liked my proposal and I go the go ahead to write the story.

Many of my stories start creation as a little kernel of "what if" in my imagination. This one rolled out and was so much fun to write. In the final stages I needed a location for my twisted tale to take place and I needed a title. One of my flaws is I am horrible at titles. We called this 'The Horseman story' for the longest time.

A friend, Melissa King and I sat with out laptops researching for a location. She found are area in Bridgewater, Mass that is known for its strange happenings. It's even called the Bridgewater Triangle and contains the Hockomock Swamp.

We both recognized the possibilities and in an instant of brilliant creation, The Galloping Ghoul of Hockomock Swamp was born.

See what you think of the result of my what if game. Later RIP broke the story out of the anthology and Carl Franklin gave it this awesome cover to publish it as a stand alone. This story began my involvement with RIP and I found a publishing home when I least expected it.

The Galloping Ghoul rides each full moon, exacting revenge by frightening those who tormented his past. By day, he is one of the town people, Nathaniel Hawkins, an affluent entrepreneur. He identifies with Ike Sandhill, a government surveyor, and wants to protect him from the same thugs who drove Nathaniel to revenge. Ike goes to the extreme to prove to everyone how straight laced he is. He pursues Misty VonMix with the intention of marriage. Nathaniel doesn't know how to confess his desire without driving Ike away. He comes up with a plan of seduction. Before the night is over Ike discovers things about himself he always knew, yet denied.  

excerpt:

Massachusetts, 1790

            Somewhere in the Bridgewater Triangle, old wives tell tales in hushed tones about strange lights in the sky and the Galloping Ghoul of Hockomock Swamp. They say the specter rides on the night of the full moon. They don’t know what drives him to haunt unsuspecting travelers. Those who’ve crossed his path flee in fear for their lives. If the victims know why he rides, they never say.

***

. . .

Nathaniel drew closer in the deadly race. The gap closed but not fast enough and his heart jolted when the tired animal stumbled.

“Socrates!” Ike shouted the encouragement to his floundering steed.

Nathaniel struggled to rescue Ike from himself. He didn’t have time to calculate a fancy plan. He just needed one that would work. His options were limited but inspiration with a dose of blind luck seldom failed him. He threw back the cloak of his headless ghoul disguise, surprised the costume survived the mad race. The muskmelon head he carried to aid his full moon revelry would be forfeit. “Mother luck, do not fail me now.” Nathaniel lobbed the ball shaped fruit at Ike’s ridiculous hat  to save the life of the man he’d benefactored, secretly lusted after and suspected he loved.

He watched in horror as the horse hit the mud. Simultaneously the horse stumbled into the muck and the melon impacted Ike’s head sending the man tumbling ass over ears into a thicket of bushes. Pulling on Augustus’ reins, Nathaniel jumped while his horse slid to a stop. He leaped to the ground as the wretched Socrates miraculously scrambled to safety on the opposite bank of bog.

Nathaniel collapsed to his knees by Ike, unmindful of the sharp sting of sticks slicing thru his britches. Prickly bramble bushes had cushioned the surveyor’s fall. Nathaniel’s shaky hand quested for a pulse and calmed at the pounding rhythm of life under his fingers. He untangled Ike from the vines, fighting to inflict minimal damage from the biting briers.

. . .

Augustus stood patiently while Nathaniel hoisted Ike’s lanky frame up into the saddle and mounted behind to support his unconscious burden. The flight brought them to the borders of Nathaniel’s estate.

“Time to go home, Augustus.”

Nathaniel’s pulse pounded at the proximity of Ike in the saddle, his head resting on Nathaniel’s shoulder. How badly he wanted to brush the wayward lock of golden hair back from the man’s brow. No more hiding. Before the night was over Nathaniel would be sure Ike Sandhill knew his full intentions. He couldn’t go on in this limbo half-life watching from afar. By dawn, they would both be changed men. He prayed he could convince Ike to take what he had to offer, to take a chance, to take something, anything from him.

Amazon http://www.amazon.com/Galloping-Ghoul-Hockomock-Swamp-ebook/dp/B0088FM098/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1339759283&sr=8-1&keywords=The+Galloping+Ghoul+of+Hockomock+Swamp

BookStrand http://www.bookstrand.com/the-galloping-ghoul-of-hockomock-swamp

Barnes and Noble http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/the-galloping-ghoul-of-hockomock-swamp-eden-glenn/1111381705?ean=2940014742498

All Romance Books http://www.allromanceebooks.com/product-thegallopingghoulofhockomockswamp-818404-145.html

Who needs a vacation? How about the Ozarks?

If your weather's been as wild and crazy as mine, you'd love a vacation as much as I would! And if, like me, you're locked into the grid of family life, work, and all, you probably can't take one.  So try the next best thing - a virtual vacation with my contemporary romance Heart of the Ozarks.  It's set in the vacation resort capital of Branson, Missouri but on the quiet side of the lake.

After St. Louis TV weathercaster Cole Celinksi loses his almost estranged wife and three children in a car crash, his boss orders him to take a leave of absence.  Against his will, Cole leaves the city in late May to find the rest and relaxation everyone else thinks he needs. Without anywhere else to go, Cole heads for Lake Dreams, a resort on the quiet side of Lake Taneycomo in the Ozarks he visited each summer as a child with his grandparents.  Some of his best memories were made in the lakeside vacation haven with his summer friend, Maggie.

Upon his arrival, Cole learns Maggie now runs the place.  Twenty years have passed but from the minute he returns, they reconnect and soon their mutual attraction ignites.  He fishes in the lake, takes Maggie to visit some of the places he remembers and begins to find out who he truly is. Before he can heal, he must learn to deal with his loss and to see if he can create a new family with Maggie and her children. It’s a task he’s not sure he can handle but if he wants to be with Maggie, he must. A near tragedy brings them all together into a close knit unit and afterward, Cole may be able to make his dreams reality.

           

Heart of the Ozarks – Sweet, Emotional Excerpt

 

Within a half hour, he fried all the fish, took the fries out of the oven and put a bowl of salad at each place.  They sat down at the small, rickety dinette table and before she took a bite, Maggie linked hands with him.  She said a simple grace and they shared the meal, the first one Cole truly enjoyed at the cabin since he arrived.  Supper evoked past memories of gathering around this table with his grandparents.  They’d eaten fish then, too, on many occasions. Cole recalled old times with a rush of nostalgia and joy, filtered through the decades.

The remembered sense of family rested easy on his soul and as he watched Maggie’s expressions shift as she talked and laughed, Cole felt like she was also family. He’d known her for most of his life and they were connected in a deep meaningful way.  A flash of guilt threatened to consume him because he’d never thought of Victoria as family, not in the way he did Maggie.  She’d been his wife but Cole hadn’t felt the same. To prevent self-reproach, he reasoned it wasn’t disloyal, just the way he felt.  He couldn’t change it or help it.

 A spectacular sunset commanded the western sky with a panorama of vivid color.  Most of the earlier clouds and rain moved away to leave behind the beautiful show. The red, orange and pink streaked sky created a stunning image.  Cole saw it through the window and pointed it out to Maggie.  They headed out to the porch for a better view and stood close, his arm draped across her shoulders.

“It’s gorgeous,” she breathed.  A rapt look of wonder lit her face. 

“Oh, yeah,” Cole said. “It’ll be fair tomorrow and sunny.  No more storms for now.”

“Red sky at night, sailor’s delight,” Maggie said and Cole smiled too.  He relished the old weather folklore, the adages and sayings.  At the television station, he kept a collection of them in a special file.  Cole tried to come up with something witty to say back to preserve the moment but instead he noticed the rainbow, vivid and colorful, off to the far right horizon.

“Look, Maggie!” he cried. “Do you see the rainbow? God, it’s pretty.”

“Oh, how beautiful,” she said, looking up into his face. “You know a rainbow is a promise, don’t you?”

 Cole lacked words but not emotion.  He turned her to hold her in his arms and lowered his mouth close to hers.  “So’s this, Maggie.”

He kissed her.  Cole tasted her lips, soft velvet, and relished the taste.  Her mouth yielded to his without protest and her arms curled around his neck until her wrists rested on his shoulders.  He shifted until her body touched his and tightened his embrace.   The shared kiss touched off a fuse and Cole swore he felt the fire move through his body as it ignited every nerve.   Passion roused within but he tempered it with a care and grace, one shifting lust with tenderness.  Cole’s long dormant body revived and revved like a finely tuned race car engine.   Maggie’s flesh relaxed against him, gave over to his arms with open surrender.    If they stopped, he realized, it would be his call but Cole didn’t want to quit.

Back Story:

http://www.rebelinkpress.com/RebelReasoning/?p=1018

Book trailer:  http://youtu.be/ODVN6JBH-Xo

Buy Links:

http://www.allromanceebooks.com/product-heartoftheozarks-905745-148.html

 

http://www.amazon.com/Heart-of-the-Ozarks-ebook/dp/B008RXW0TG/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1343995182&sr=8-1&keywords=heart+of+the+ozarks+lee+ann+sontheimer+murphy

 

http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/heart-of-the-ozarks-lee-ann-sontheimer-murphy/1112352033?ean=2940014934503

 

http://www.bookstrand.com/heart-of-the-ozarks

 

 

Let's Start the Morning with a GIVEAWAY!

Hey everyone I'm back, talking all day again about A Slower, Lower Leap, book 3 in the Slower Lower series which just released from Rebel Ink Press. Today I'll share a couple of excerpts and be explaining just exactly what slower, lower really means...For now here's the skinny on Logan's and Lizzy's story and a chance to win some signed paperbacks!

Lila Munro

When you're the last man standing...

Not only was Logan Delaney the last of his siblings to remain unmarried and unsettled, his entire family believed he'd never find a wife. The baby of eight, he's been dubbed an irresponsible player and told he'll never amount to a hill of beans. And at one time, Logan may have been okay with those descriptions, but no more. On a quest to prove his worth, he's spent the entire summer learning the family business, staying in at night, and saving his money. And if his family would stop meddling in his affairs and trying to dictate who he should and shouldn't be seeing, he might just show them he's found the one, Lizzy Jenkins.

And have a bad reputation to blame...

Elizabeth Jenkins had always known Logan Delaney existed, but he'd never so much as turned one glance her way until she handed him his butt on a silver platter in three sentences or less over the phone. After that it seemed at every turn there he was and the more she resisted the heat building between them, the bigger the fire got. Until his family interfered. And why wouldn't they? Between Logan's legacy and her baggage, they were a disaster in the making.

Can you be trusted with a fragile heart?

But Logan doesn't run when he finds out about Colby. In fact, he embraces Lizzy's special needs son and defies the advice of everyone urging him to leave Lizzy alone. But after one moment of weakness, Logan finds himself knee deep in a marriage complete with the little boy whose father bailed before his birth and Lizzy's grandfather, who needs constant care as well. Then there's the man who just might be the demise of it all.

Now available at:

Amazon      ARe


a Rafflecopter giveaway

Women's Fiction

 

http://www.steelestories.com/books/homecoming

Who'da thunk it? But that's the story that wanted to be written and who am I to refuse. Yep, I wrote a story with no science fiction or paranormal leanings. And I liked it.

This one has more than a little of me in it. I did have to clean out the family home when my parents were gone. Fortunately for me, I have the world's best family, a sister and brother-in-law to shoulder more than half the burden (they live closer) and help make all of the decisions, and I married the handyman a long time ago, but the story was there. Maybe it will be a wake-up call for those of us with hoarder instincts or at least a cautionary tale for our parents.

In any case, I hope it reminds us all of us to share what's important. We found so many things that we didn't know about and it was too late to ask. We didn't know who was in some of the pictures, or who gave us that vase or who made those decorations.  They had always been there and we'd never thought to ask. Next time you get together with family, take the time to ask those questions, have someone tell stories (they can't all be embarrassing) and even if they are, you already lived through them.  And then, because we're writers - write them down, store them somewhere, use the ideas later if you want to. Everything can be an inspiration. Use it.

Excerpt -

Ashley trailed him up the stairs, obviously torn between eagerness and fear. Matt reached for the doorknob but stopped at the last minute and stepped back. She looked at him questioningly.
"It's your princess room, or will be, you should open it."
Okay, now fear definitely grew as the top emotion. He could feel it coming off her in waves, but he stood by as she squared her shoulders and opened the door.
Well, she'd been right about using the place as an attic. Dust and cobwebs were everywhere. But the piles of stuff caught even him off guard.
"Man, you called it." He stepped into the room and brushed some of the webs aside. He moved cautiously toward the window and moved the curtain. It shredded in his hands. "Damn, I'm sorry."
"No problem. Not my style anyway."
He only nodded and levered the window open, then moved to the next one. Once all four of the windows creating the bay were wide open he turned back. "Do you want me to haul this stuff downstairs or go through it here?"
"Here. But I think we're going to need another box of trash bags."
"Yeah, you think? I'll go get them and a broom. Will you be okay?"
She nodded. He headed for the door, but her hand brushed his arm. "Thank you."
He winked at her and kept moving. Jesus, what had she gone through?
Returning he brought the broom, trash bags, wet wipes, rags and a stool for her to sit. This would take a while, maybe a lifetime.
He tied a rag around the broom and used it to bring down the webs around the ceiling. No need to sweep yet, and no room.
Ashley pulled open the closest box. The cardboard had dried out and the tape no longer stuck, so it wasn't hard. "Jesus."
"What?"
"These are my grandparents canceled checks."
"From when?"
"1947 on this one."
"19 . . . " His voice trailed off. She was serious. She held one up for him to see. "Do you need a shredder?"
"This bank went out of business before I was born. Do you think there's anything that would bite me in this box?"
"I don’t think so, but give me a minute." He took the broom handle and shoved the stacks of checks around. "It's all checks. I swear, I never . . ."
"This can go to the curb, if we can get it downstairs without the box ripping."
"Let's put it in a bag anyway. You don't want checks floating around town."
"No, you're right." She shook her head and helped him shove the box into the bag. He tied it tightly and headed for the stairs.
"Wait for me." He turned before he started down the stairs.
"I can—"
"Wait anyway."

Meet Devlin - one of my favorite heroes!

Meet Devlin - one of the favorites of the heroes I've created!

 

            Let Devlin ride into your life and heart.

            Devlin roars into Gracie’s life on a motorcycle in Devlin’s Grace from Rebel Ink Press as the first chapter begins. She’s scared but she’s intrigued too.  Readers get their first taste of Devlin in a brief prologue so they’re aware he served in Iraq.   And it’s evident the attraction is mutual. Devlin is far from the ideal date.  He’s more than a little rough around the edges and he struggles with many things including PTSD (Post Traumatic Stress Disorder).  He rides on the wild side of life and by his own admission he’s more than a little wicked.  After all, his nickname is ‘Devil’.  Since Gracie’s a good girl and a college student, you might expect her to turn tail and run but she doesn’t.  Instead, she responds to him with an openness he hasn’t experienced until now.  Devlin is more than a little prickly but Gracie, despite her natural shyness, can be pushy.  And she dares to move closer when everyone else tends to back away from the former Marine.

            Devlin is a flawed hero. He’s human but he’s not without redeeming qualities. And Gracie looks beyond the mask, probes deeper behind the façade.  The more she knows him, the deeper her feelings become.  Their love story possesses some poignant moments and I think it’s because he’s not perfect but they work together in spite of their issues.

When I decided to get serious about writing fiction I didn’t set out to write romance, just tell stories.  It wasn’t until after I’d finished the third one I realized I was writing romance and it worked for me. I strive to write about everyday people who are often in extraordinary circumstances, real people with quirks and flaws and troubles.

            From Devlin’s Grace, here’s an excerpt:

 

 

            “I don’t sleep much, anyway.”

            His hesitant manner hinted maybe he didn’t usually volunteer such personal information any more than she invited men up to drink coffee or rode motorcycles.   Her hand trembled the tiniest bit as Gracie put her cup up to her lips.  Dev made her nervous, but he evoked a growing sense of tenderness, too.  And his presence leached out a lot of her usual bashful reserve.  Deep weariness shadowed his eyes and haunted his face, she noted, so she asked, “Why don’t you?”

            This time, his mug shook between his hands.  After a heavy moment of silence, he sighed. “You can’t expect the devil to have sweet dreams, darlin’.  Thanks for the coffee.  I’ve got to go – morning comes early and I have to work.”

            When he held out the cup, Gracie noticed the scarring on the underside of his left arm.  Dead white skin mottled with angry red patches and rough ridges indicated he’d suffered serious burns.  She noticed similar scars on the side of his neck and wondered how much of his body had been affected.  Everything she’d learned screamed at her to say nothing, to ignore what she saw, but Gracie followed instinct.  After accepting the cup, she put it down on the end table and touched the old burn.  Her fingers brushed against the coarse skin and marveled to find it cool.  She expected heat, but it would’ve gone long ago.  Dev started to jerk away from her, but when she touched him, he stopped.  Like a bird poised for flight, he remained still as she stroked the damaged area.

            Before she could speak, he pulled his arm back and with a defiant glint in his eyes, he removed his t-shirt. “If you want to see the scars, you can see them all,” Dev said, voice harsh and hoarse. 

He revealed a torso dappled with terrible raised welts, both back and belly.  These scars were worse than the others.  Raised red ropes twined like vines over his flesh, fused and almost melted.  The agony Dev endured was beyond anything she could imagine and Gracie’s eyes brimmed with tears.  They spilled over, down her cheeks with silent hurt.  One glance at his face, set hard and as stoic as a statue intensified her empathy.  She laid her right hand on his back, his scarred flesh beneath her touch and with her left she touched the center of his chest.

Beneath her hand his heartbeat thumped, rapid but steady.  His eyes locked with hers and in them Gracie glimpsed flickers of his personal hell.   Confusion showed up, too, along with regret and maybe shame.

            Whatever she did or said now would be pivotal, she sensed.  Based on her actions he’d either leave and be gone from her forever, something she didn’t want, or a new beginning would emerge, delicate and fragile.  If she took time to think, she’d be lost so Gracie mined deep into her woman’s soul.  When words came, she spoke them, her voice soft and yet as constant as the evening stars.  “Oh, Dev, it must’ve hurt so much.”

            “I don’t want your pity,” he said, a snarl transforming his face into something wolfish, alien.  “Don’t feel sorry for me, babe.  I don’t need charity and I sure as hell don’t need you to tell me some dumb ass feel good bunch of shit.  So quit crying over me.  Maybe it makes you feel better, but it makes me mad.”

            “It isn’t pity,” Gracie told him. “I admire you.  It takes a lot of courage to overcome hurts like this.  I hurt for you, but I don’t feel sorry for you.  I hate you had to go through such pain, but I’m crying because I care.”

             His hard face softened a little. “Why?”

            In this raw moment, she could give him nothing but honesty. “I don’t know, but I do.”

https://www.allromanceebooks.com/product-devlin039sgrace-1004238-148.html

http://www.amazon.com/Devlins-Grace-ebook/dp/B00A8J1D1I/ref=sr_1_cc_1?s=aps&ie=UTF8&qid=1353110924&sr=1-1-catcorr&keywords=devlin%27s+grace+lee+ann+sontheimer+murphy

http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/devlins-grace-lee-ann-sontheimer-murphy/1113805013?ean=2940015838688

http://www.bookstrand.com/devlins-grace

 

MY LINKS

Twitter: leeannwriter

From Sweet to Heat: The Romance of Lee Ann Sontheimer Murphyhttps://www.facebook.com/pages/From-Sweet-To-Heat-The-Romance-of-Lee-Ann-Sontheimer-Murphy/287540748010934?ref=hl

My Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/#!/leeann.sontheimermurphy

Website/blog: http://leeannsontheimermurphywriterauthor.blogpspot.com

Blog: Rebel Writer: Lee Ann Sontheimer Murphy

http://leeannsontheimermurphy.blogspot.com

Author In The House blog:

http://authorinthehouse.blogspot.com

Amazon author page: http://www.amazon.com/Lee-Ann-Sontheimer-Murphy/e/B004JPBM6I

http://www.linkedin.com/pub/lee-ann-sontheimer-murphy/22/3a4/a75

Rebel Ink Press. The Lost Night Trilogy by Lori J. Gordon. Book One, Black Night

Sienna James must face the harsh realities that exist outside her sheltered world when she falls in love with the grandson of a rival planet’s evil ruler. Attempting to break off the doomed relationship, Sienna is kidnapped and forced into a marriage designed to destroy her father’s empire.

 

Johnny Black risks his life in order to rescue his unrequited love, Sienna. In order to escape, the duo must work together on a harrowing journey to the other side of their captive world. Sienna admits that for her, Johnny's always been the one. Until a dark secret from his past is revealed, putting the couples love to the ultimate test when Sienna must decide if she can ever trust Johnny again.

 

5 stars on Amazon

By Icarus

Format:Kindle Edition|Amazon Verified Purchase

This book was a thrilling read. I would highly recommend this story to anyone who loves romance and adventure. She is a very talented author and I am always anticipating her next story. I have read many of her books , and I have yet to find one that I didnt thourley enjoy.

 

htpp://www.ljgordon.wordpress.com.

 

 

Eden Glenn, Thank you for inviting me.

Thank you for inviting me to participate in this party today! I'm so thrilled to be here to share with readers and have a chance to chat and visit about some of my stories.

I love to hear some of the behind the scenes things when I watch movies. Sometimes the 'extras' are my favorite parts. So today, I'm going to share some of my own 'behind the scenes' things with you about my stories and books. Stay tuned for some of those 'secrets'! Okay, enough of the annoying " " 's LOL.

However, for me those slices of life about my favorite authors are very precious and I enjoy learning more about the real person behind the pen names. Are you game for it?

I will check in as I can throughout the day and answer any questions that come up.

First, I live in the mountains of Tennessee.  Chattanooga is my base of operations. Yet, a number of my stories are set in North Florida. I am a Florida girl born and bred. I started my world building when I lived in rural North Florida so I was very familiar with the environment that my characters sprung out of.

Eden Glenn
www.edenglenn.com