Cindy – Page 28 – Muse Interrupted

Tuesday Deals: Free and 99 Cent Ebooks!

Welcome back to another installment of Tuesday Deals. This week we have perma-free, perma-99-cent, and ebooks on sale for 99 cents for a limited time—three novels and one short story in total. Please remember to check the prices before downloading or purchasing.

Happy reading!

My first featured Deal is Maree Anderson’s SEER’S HOPE, a fantasy novel with romantic elements. SEER’S HOPE is permanently FREE on Amazon, Canadian Amazon, Kobo, Barnes and Noble, Apple, ARe, and Smashwords. For other venues, please check Maree’s website.

Hope is snatched from her home and transported to a primitive world of magic and capricious gods. The Dayamari people believe she’s a Seer and their only hope of salvation, but she’s blind—she can’t see anything at all, let alone the future. She must accept her destiny and learn to wield the awe-inspiring powers the gods have bestowed upon her. And if she’s to save those she loves from the horrifying evil that lurks in the darkness, failure is not an option.

FREE on Amazon, Canadian Amazon, Kobo, Barnes and Noble, Apple, ARe, and Smashwords! Also check for it at your favorite e-tailer around the world!

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Tasman Gibb’s Contemporary Romance, SAVING JUSTICE, regularly priced $2.99 is on sale for 99 cents until August 15th at Amazon, Canadian Amazon, Kobo, and Barnes and Noble.

Marlo Croft, canine behaviorist at the Dog Haven Sanctuary in Halo Peak, Washington, has her life neatly organized. The trauma of her past is well buried, her emotions tamped down, and rehabilitating and rehoming damaged and unwanted dogs gives her the focused, contained life that makes her feel secure.

The arrival of a new rescue dog, Justice, also brings the unwelcome distraction of a handsome stranger who is to shadow Marlo and Justice through the dog’s rehabilitation.

Suffering guilt over the death of his wife, New Zealander Adam Guildford’s short contract in the US to research dog fighting is what he hopes will pull him out of the limbo he has floundered in for the past four years. He arrives prepared to tackle the emotional and behavioral needs of the rescued dogs, but completely unprepared for the way his presence unnerves Marlo and awakens his own dormant feelings.

As they start to gain Justice’s trust, Marlo loosens her grip on her inner fears and the simmering attraction between her and Adam heats up. Adam works carefully to dismantle the emotional barricades Marlo erected, until one day he unwittingly delivers the horror from Marlo’s past straight to her doorstep, an action that tears the three of them apart.

On sale for 99 cents until August 15th at Amazon, Canadian Amazon, Kobo, and Barnes and Noble!

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barrett_3 Nikki Lynn Barrett’s Contemporary Romance (novel length), BABY STETSON (Love and Music in Texas, Book 1), is also on sale for 99 cents—until August 1st. BABY STETSON is regularly priced at $3.99 but can be found now for $.99 on Amazon, Canadian Amazon, Kobo, and Barnes and Noble.

In small Texas towns, strangers come and go…

Left in a Stetson hat, on the steps of the local bed and breakfast, Avery Callimer came into the world on a wing and a prayer. Raised by loving adoptive parents, she’s never lacked for love … only the knowledge of her past.

By day she works at the inn, but by night … Avery comes alive as lead singer in a band. Life was good … stable, until new guests blew into town.

Some strangers come with secrets and lies.

Lucas Bennett is one such stranger. Drifting from one mess to another has left him jaded. Doesn’t matter the dramas are never his doing. Giving it one last shot to make a fresh start lands him Harmony’s Echo, Texas and smack dab in front of the tantalizing Avery.

Despite his best efforts to ignore the burn Avery’s ignited within, he’s intent to keep his distance. Secrets have followed him. Secrets he doesn’t want Avery to know.

Each time they’re near the other, things heat up like a brushfire on a dry Texas prairie.

But maybe, after the dust settles and the smoke clears, love can bloom with a fresh start.

On sale for $.99 until August 1st at Amazon, Canadian Amazon, Kobo, and Barnes and Noble.

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My son got married this past week, so I didn’t have time to round up a fourth Tuesday Deal. Never fear, I have one of my own available! My romantic comedy short story, Deceiving Derek, is always priced at 99 cents and can be found on Amazon, Canadian Amazon, Barnes and Noble, Kobo, Apple iTunes, Smashwords and ARe. If you’re in the UK or shop at other Amazons or Kobos or iTunes stores around the world, you should also be able to find it there.

Sassy Shorts! Fun, Quick Reads. Deceiving Derek, LOVE & OTHER CALAMITIES, Story 1.

Lingerie designer Lacey DeMarco livens up her life by finagling an unsuspecting police detective into attending a funky bridal shower. She needs one last item to complete a scavenger hunt list, and handsome cop Derek McAllister is it.

But a little trickery is at work. Both Lacey and Derek are both being hoodwinked…in the name of love.

Deceiving Derek is a romantic comedy short story of 5200 words, or approximately 12 typical book pages. Deceiving Derek is the first of five connected short stories, each featuring a heroine introduced in Lacey’s story. Follow Lacey and her girlfriends as they prepare for a wedding and find true love along the way.

Perma-99-cents on Amazon, Canadian Amazon, Kobo, Barnes and Noble, Apple, Smashwords, and ARe.

I Acquire A New Family Member

Youngest Son got married yesterday, so I am now officially a mother-in-law. I never dreamed that one of my sons would get hitched so young. I was 25 when My Liege and I tied the knot, and I was only the second of my group of high school girlfriends to get married. Anything under 25 seemed remarkably young to me for making that kind of commitment. Y.S. is 22.

But I have to say I’m thrilled! I adore my new daughter-in-law, and she and Y.S. are a perfect match. I pretty much sobbed my way through the ceremony, which was in my mother’s back yard. Y.S. and his new wife wrote their own vows, and it was incredibly touching. The stuff of romance novels, you might say. 😉

How old were you when you got married?

Tuesday Deals: 99 Cent Boxed Set and Novel Sales!

This week I’m featuring a discounted-to-99-cents two-novel boxed set by the same author, two individual 99-cent novels on sale for a limited time, and one permanently priced 99-cent novella.

As always, please check the prices at your favorite e-tailer before purchasing. I am not in control of whether the books are on sale on non-U.S. Amazon stores or non-U.S. Apple stores, etc., or whether an Indie author’s price change comes into effect on time. This is why I say to check the prices before you purchase. That way you won’t get an unpleasant surprise on your credit card bill.

Happy Downloading!

Contemporary Romance author Sophia Knightly’s TROPICAL HEAT SERIES BOXED SET, regularly priced at $3.99, is on sale for 99 cents from July 14-July 21st on Amazon, Barnes and Noble, Kobo, and Apple.

Amazon bestselling author Sophia Knightly delivers two fun, sexy and heartwarming romances of her Tropical Heat Series in one bundled volume.

In Wild for You (Book One), Detective Clay Blackthorne has his hands full when he promises to safeguard an old college pal’s sister without letting her know what he’s up to. He never imagines that lively Marisol Calderon will knock his socks off and put a ring on his finger—and all at his suggestion! Their marriage of convenience is meant to protect her and Clay doesn’t plan on being hitched for long to the tempting beauty. But the honeymoon sure feels real to him…

Sassy Marisol is used to doing whatever she wants—and right now her plan is to shake up the hot detective’s hard-edged demeanor. But the fun turns to danger when a mystery stalker bent on marrying her marks her as his prey. Temporarily becoming Clay’s wife seems like a practical way to thwart the stalker. But as passion ignites and Marisol falls for the tender heart buried beneath the tough detective’s chest, Clay’s true identity is revealed and she begins to wonder who—if anyone—she can trust…

In Sold on You, (Book Two) Confirmed bachelor Dr. Marcos Calderon is in hot water. He needs to come up with a fake fiancée fast or he’ll disappoint his beloved grandma who’s arriving on the next flight to meet her. Proper social worker Gabriela Morales should fit the bill—but tonight, in that sexy, slit-to-there red evening gown, she looks anything but proper.

Gabriela only volunteered for the hospital’s charity bachelorette auction to benefit a cause dear to her heart. Now she’s reeling from the hot doctor’s bid of fifteen thousand dollars for a weekend date with her! She’s not sure what Dr. Handsome has in mind, but the smoldering look in his eyes is unmistakable…

99 cents until July 21st on Amazon, Barnes and Noble, Kobo, and Apple!

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Campisi_2 Mary Campisi’s Contemporary Romance, PIECES OF YOU (The Betrayed Trilogy: Book One), regularly priced $2.99, is on sale for 99 cents until July 26th. You can find it at Amazon, Barnes and Noble, Kobo, Apple, and Smashwords.

Sometimes hiding in the shadows is the only way to protect your heart.

Quinn Burnes’s mother disappeared when he was only fifteen leaving him with a despondent father, a little sister who suffers panic attacks, and eight notebooks containing the truth about his mother. He guards this secret for eighteen years, until on an otherwise normal day, his mother re-enters his life, pleading for his help. She’s in danger and the only thing that can save her is reclaiming the identity she shunned years ago.

Quinn is a master of emotional detachment, from his successful career as a personal injury attorney to his strings of meaningless relationships with beautiful women who possess uneasy temperaments; a sure formula to keep his heart safe and insure he’s the first to walk away. Until he meets the mysterious ‘Danielle’ a woman with too many secrets who’s on the run from the abusive, estranged husband she shot and may have killed. Danielle isn’t like any woman he’s ever met, but can he risk his heart for someone who’s doing exactly what his mother did eighteen years ago? Someone who may ultimately leave him, just like his mother?

99 cents until July 26th on Amazon, Barnes and Noble, Kobo, Apple, and Smashwords!

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Hughes_3

Another Contemporary Romance, this time by Susan R. Hughes, DIVIDED HEARTS is on sale for .99 until July 19th. Regularly priced at $2.99, DIVIDED HEARTS can be found on Amazon.

When Faye’s best friend, Jenna, is injured in a car accident, Faye is left to care for Jenna’s young child—expecting no help from baby Hannah’s father, Simon, who has never been a part of the little girl’s life. But when Jenna’s former lover unexpectedly reappears, Faye learns that Jenna never told him about their child; and now that he knows of his daughter’s existence, he wants nothing more than to bond with her. As the relationship between father and daughter grows, so does the attraction between Simon and Faye—but once Jenna recovers, they find themselves faced with a heartbreaking choice between their desire for each other and the best interests of the little girl whose future lies in their hands.

Set in Vancouver, BC, and on the picturesque Sunshine Coast, DIVIDED HEARTS takes you on an exhilarating journey through the passion, sacrifice, forgiveness and sweet surprises of discovering a love that’s meant to be.

On sale for 99 cents until July 19th on Amazon.

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My last featured Tuesday Deal for this week is the Erotic Romance novella Compulsion, by Cassandra Curtis. Compulsion is permanently available for $.99, but still remember to check the price before purchasing, just in case something changes. Compulsion can be found on Amazon, Barnes and Noble, and Smashwords.

NOTE: Compulsion contains Adult Content.

Lindsay Dannon has a dirty little secret. While she hides behind her plain and proper image at work, a wanton woman with a rich fantasy life lurks beneath the surface. The thrill of sex in public places, and the risk of exposure, is a compulsive itch she knows only one man can scratch—her boss, Jack Randolph.

The company’s “no tolerance” policy on interoffice dating is the only thing stopping her. Good thing Jack created the rules, because he’s determined to make all of Lindsay’s sexual fantasies come true…

Always available for 99 cents at Amazon, Barnes and Noble, and Smashwords!

Spam Reviews and Excerpts

Any other writers out there notice a new type of spam comment showing up in your blog dashboards? Lately, I’ve been getting spam comments that look like excerpts from books I’ve never read. I get spam comments that are Amazon reviews of my own books, (some of those I have read before, and so I recognize them as the same spam review tends to repeat over and over). I also get spam comments of the synopses of books I have featured in my Tuesday Deals column. So far just one book, but I find it very weird.

I guess it’s an attempt at creativity, but luckily WordPress recognizes the comments as spam and so far I haven’t had to wipe any off my blog itself.

At least no one’s trying to sell me Louis Vitton anymore through my spam filter. Although, maybe they will now that I’ve posted this. 😉

Six Month Eye Report, Round Two

As some of you might remember, I first had laser eye surgery in December 2011. My left eye, the reading eye, was perfect, and yesterday I had another checkup that reveals the left eye is still seeing as wonderfully as it did soon after the surgery.

The right eye was not so lucky. The first time around, I had SBK laser surgery, which is similar to LASIK but uses a laser to make the incision rather than an instrument. I was one of the unlucky few who experience regression. Twenty-four hours post-SBK, I could see distance what they call “20/20 minus.” That is to say the 20/20 line was a little fuzzy, and I missed a couple.

As the months progressed, my right eye regressed to the point where it was reading 20/50, which means that what a normal person can see at 50 feet, I could only see at 20 feet. Which meant I had to get glasses for driving and any time I wanted to see distance clearly (like going to the movies or attending a writer’s conference). The glasses brought my left reading eye up to speed. However, my distance right eye could not be made to see 20/20 even WITH glasses, which caused me some concern. I went for several post-op checkups before coming to the decision that I did not want my left eye to be doing all the work—reading without glasses and seeing distance with glasses. The right eye was just slacking off! So, even though I knew there were risks involved and I might wind up with worse vision than ever, I decided to go for touch-up surgery in my right eye. This occurred right before my birthday in January of this year.

The clinic intended to “lift” the flap created the first time around with a surgical instrument and then do the laser touch-up. During the surgery, it was discovered that because over a year had passed my flap was resistant to lifting. In some people, their flap can be lifted after a year. Not moi!

This was quite disconcerting, because I had been informed during surgical prep a few days before that if they could not lift the flap, I would be sent home and then brought back another day for PRK surgery, where they sweep off your epithelium layer (after freezing your eyeball) and then they would do the surgery. Thank God the surgeon, in trying to lift my flap, determined that the eye had suffered enough trauma and not to send me home, but to continue on with the PRK. Man, was I nervous, switching surgeries in mid-stream. This meant that I would not get the immediate effects of SBK or LASIK and it would take up to 6 months to achieve potential 20/20 vision.

That six months just elapsed.

I knew before I went in to the clinic yesterday that I didn’t have 20/20 because, if I do put on my glasses, which I haven’t worn in ages, I could see better through the left eye than the right. I suspected that I had just a touch of astigmatism remaining, and it turns out I was right. I have no idea if this touch of astigmatism will improve over the next several months or not, but I don’t care! I have accomplished my goal. I can once more see distance “20/20 minus,” again to say that I could read some but not all letters on the 20/20 line, exactly where I was 24 hours post-SBK in December 2011.

Apparently, I have never been able to see 20/20 out of my right eye, even with lenses, but before I went with monovision this was hard for me to determine. The strange thing is that my right eye is my dominant eye, which was why they didn’t make the left eye the distance eye. However, yesterday in the clinic, the doctor wrote a new prescription for my right eye for my driving glasses and I will be able to see 20/20 out of them (I don’t have them yet). So that’s a blessing! The only time I feel the need to wear glasses is while driving at night. I’m okay in twilight and in rain. In heavy rain, I feel a little better, safer on the road, wearing glasses, because then my left eye is up to speed.

I am so glad my touch-up worked! Whatever happens in the next five years with my eyes, right now I am enjoying the full benefits of monovision, and I don’t require glasses for reading, for the computer OR for distance. The only time the monovision bothers me is in that weird middle distance where the right eye doesn’t quite make up for the left. And this only bothers me when watching a particular TV that could stand to have a touch of a larger screen. 🙂

Phew, what a relief. Some people don’t have successful touch-ups, and I am so thankful that I did!

My eyes are still quite dry, especially the right, after having two laser surgeries in fourteen months. I still can’t spend as much time on the desktop as I used to be able to, and I compensate by wearing yellow-tinted computer specs (no Rx, just the tinting to cut down on blue glare) and also working on my netbook and my iPad when I can. Plus, I still douse my eyes with lots of drops and have it down to a fine routine. I need some right now.

Overall, I am incredibly happy to be where I am with my eyes compared to November 2011, before the surgery.

“See” ya!

Tuesday Deals: Two Boxed Sets, Two Shorts!

Welcome back to Tuesday Deals! Today we have two boxed sets and two short stories up for grabs. Please remember to double-check the prices before purchasing or downloading.

Up first is DANGEROUS DESIRES, a seven-author boxed set of romantic suspense, mysteries and thrillers. Regularly priced at $7.99, DANGEROUS DESIRES is on sale for 99 cents at Amazon, Barnes and Noble, and Apple iTunes until July 31st.

Seven bestselling authors…five full length edge-of-your-seat novels…two killer novellas…one thrilling ride!

Don’t miss the summer’s best collection of romantic suspense, mysteries and thrillers from masters of the genres!

CHASING SHADOWS by CJ Lyons

DIRTY by Debra Webb

MIND READER by Vicki Hinze

THE INFORMANT by V.R. Marks

WITCH DANCE by Peggy Webb

With BONUS novellas…In the Interest of Security by Regan Black and My Favorite Corpse by Kathy Carmichael.

ON SALE for 99 cents! Find it at Amazon, Barnes and Noble, and iTunes.

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Next, from Virginia Henley, Letter of Love, a historical romance short story, formerly priced .99, now permanently FREE on Amazon, Barnes and Noble, and iTunes.

At Hampton Court Palace, Queen Elizabeth has arranged a marriage for her ward Burgundy Bedford with Lord Nicholas Mountjoy, Earl of Devon.

This union will join two great shipping families and provide Mountjoy with vessels to transport his troops to Ireland to quell the uprising led by Tyrone of Ulster.

Burgundy plans to thwart the queen, as her mother did before her, by eloping the day before the wedding.

Burgundy comes into possession of an ancient book passed down through two centuries from mother to daughter.

Between the pages of the book, Burgundy finds a letter written to her by her mother when her daughter was born.

The book’s ancient legacy and the letter of love touches her heart and alters the course of her life forever.

FREE at Amazon, Barnes and Noble, and iTunes!

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Another short story, No Glass Between Them, a GLBT FF contemporary romance by Eva Lefoy, is 99 cents at Amazon.

Alyce visits Club Paradise every Friday night and watches her dream woman dance. The dark-haired beauty Contessa fuels her fantasies, but Alyce knows they’ll never meet in person. When a mysterious note requests her presence at a hotel, she’s shocked to find she’s come face-to-face with Contessa. With the glass between them no more, will Alyce give in to the temptation to make her dream a reality?

Warning: Contains *hot* butch-on-femme lovin’ and some smexy stripper dancing, may fog mirrors.

Currently 99 cents at Amazon!

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Finally, a second boxed set, FOUR IRRESISTIBLE ROGUES, which features four full-length historical romance novels by authors Cynthia Wright, Lauren Royal, Tanya Anne Crosby, and Danelle Harmon. Regularly priced at $7.99, FOUR IRRESISTIBLE ROGUES is on sale for 99 cents for one week only—until July 15th. Available at Amazon and Kobo.

Fall in love with four irresistible rogues in four complete historical romance novels!

KISSED by Tanya Anne Crosby – England and Charleston, South Carolina, 1763 – Jessamine Stone vows to wed no man but her onetime fiancé, Christian Haukinge. She sets out to win back Christian’s affections, unaware that her brother has already offered him a bribe to break her heart. Christian agrees to the devil’s bargain, but soon finds Jessie’s innocent passion, trust, and faith undermine his resolve for vengeance.

CAPTAIN OF MY HEART by Danelle Harmon – New England, 1778-1779 – A dashing Irish captain, a feisty shipbuilder’s daughter, and a cast of outrageous characters combine in this thrilling romantic adventure set at the helm of a New England privateer schooner. By the award-winning author of the internationally bestselling de Monteforte Brothers series.

AMBER by Lauren Royal – England and Scotland, 1668 – Although Kendra Chase’s brothers have presented her with many wealthy, titled suitors, no man has caught her fancy–until her coach is held up by a dashing, mysterious highwayman. When she and the dangerous man are caught in a compromising embrace and her overprotective brothers insist they wed, Kendra cannot believe it. Are they really desperate enough to match her with an outlaw?

BRIGHTER THAN GOLD by Cynthia Wright – Columbia, California and San Francisco, 1864 – Spirited Katie MacKenzie helps her father run a saloon and writes articles for the local newspaper about the Griffin, a Robin Hood-style highwayman who robs the unscrupulous mine owners and gives back to the townspeople. Roguish Jack Adams, an adventurer with a dark secret, rides into the sleepy Sierra town one summer day and changes everything.

On sale for 99 cents for a limited time at Amazon and Kobo.

A Little Extra: The authors of FOUR IRRESISTIBLE ROGUES are hosting a fun, easy contest at their website, where readers can vote for their favorite Rogue and win a $200 gift card to the bookstore of their choice. To enter, visit Four Irresistible Rogues.