Linda McLaughlin/Lyndi Lamont

Why do I like Spring? by Tina Gayle

I love nature’s slow rebirth from brown to green.

The sound of the peaceful silence of winter turning to the soft melody of birds singing to the joyous sound of life.

Flowers dancing in the wind, attracting the butterflies and pollinating the future.

The refreshing rains that sparks new buds to form on once bare trees.

All the wonders of spring remind me of the new opportunities out there to be the best I can be.

Have a great spring and a wonderful summer.

Tina

In the spirit-haunted Winston estate in Ohio, rooted in time and occupied by the lingering ghosts of a great family, the torch is about to pass…

Mattie Winston, sober, sensible, and steady, has served as Keeper to the family for decades. Amber Harrison, hovering on the edge of flunking out of college, unsure what she wants out of life, has barely even heard of the Winston estate. The family, however, has decided that it’s time for the changing of the guard. These two exceptional women soon find themselves dealing with violence, murder attempts, and old family mysteries while each finding the love of her life. Two romances and a growing friendship, all twined around a brooding family tragedy, make for an outstanding paranormal mystery offering depth and charm beyond the commonplace. The growing love of Amber and Carter and of Mattie and Quincy offer readers a tender and engaging first novel in a winning new paranormal series.

Excerpt:

Was she insane? Why agree to spend time at a place she’d never been before with people she didn’t know?

Fear and eagerness warred in her stomach. Breathing rapidly, she inhaled the scent of her peppermint gum. The crisp fragrance reminded her of her grandfather’s breath mints, and she took another deep breath to calm her shaky nerves.

Past the point of no return, even if the adventure ended up to be a free trip to nowhere. Whatever happened she’d see it through.

The soft leather seat cooled her skin. Tired from her long trip to Ohio, she leaned her head on the plush headrest. She used the relaxing motion of the car to recover some of her energy and turned her head to view the landscape outside the car.

Different from Southern California, no lollypop trees or car-packed freeways met her gaze. The road supported only a few cars moving along at a steady pace. Calm pastureland lined the highway with wildflowers dancing in the wind. Large limbs darting in every possible direction, small leaves announced spring to the world with their bright green foliage. No structures marred the view or broke the serene pleasure of the unencumbered land.

Yet, they’d only left the airport a few minutes ago.

Her mind wandered to the place where they were headed. She shot her silent driver a quick glance. She’d questioned the portly old gentleman about Winston Manor when she’d first arrived. He’d said they needed to get going and refused to comment beyond that.

Once in the car, she’d tried again. Her blue eyes caught his in the rear view mirror, and he assessed her value before glancing away.

Amber brushed her long, blonde hair back off her shoulder and tugged on her cotton tee shirt to straighten out the wrinkles.

“How long until we arrive at Winston Manor?” she asked.

He didn’t respond, almost as if he hadn’t heard. Unwilling to be rude, she decided to settle back in her seat.

The answers would come once she arrived at Winston Manor.

Read First Chapter of “Summer’s Growth”

Tina Gayle grew up a dreamer and loves escaping into a good romantic book.

She is currently working on two different series. The last book in the Executive Wives’ Club series will be coming out 2014. This series combines elements of women fiction with the passion of romance.

The Family Tree series has two books out with Fallen Leaves release in April of 2014. A paranormal romantic suspense series, the books follow the keeper of the Winston manor and the trials she has to overcome to remain in the house of her ancestors.

Find Tina Gayle everywhere

Home – www.tinagayle.net
Blog – www.tinagayle.blogspot.com
Twitter – https://twitter.com/#!/AuthorTinaGayle
Goodreads – http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/1641826.Tina_Gayle
Facebook – http://www.facebook.com/tina.gayle
Google + – https://plus.google.com
Linkin – http://www.linkedin.com/pub/tina-gayle/11/689/759

Tina and I love comments. What do you like best about spring?

Linda

Please welcome author Jina Bacarr with a post about women in the Civil War.

Power Women of the Confederacy

by Jina Bacarr

War is heartbreaking, especially for women.

The Civil War was no exception.

Women sent their husbands, sweethearts, sons, brothers and fathers off to fight while they were expected to sit home and wait. Sew uniforms, make jams, write letters.

Then something extraordinary happened. For the first time, women from both the North and South took up the cause, dusted off their schoolbooks and became teachers (a male dominated profession), became nurses, put on a uniform. Got into the fight.

The heroines in my time travel, LOVE ME FOREVER, are no exception. I call them the “Power Women of the Confederacy.”

Liberty Jordan is a Civil War re-enactor: disguised as a Confederate officer. She’s thrust back to the battle of Antietam in 1862 and takes it upon herself to challenge a handsome Union Army surgeon about the inhumane treatment of prisoners:

She squared her shoulders, though her lower lip trembled. “Since when is it your duty, sir, to condemn a soldier to harsh treatment and ghastly conditions?”

He was caught in a trap. How could he deny that?

“Are you questioning my authority?”

“Yes,” she said boldly, her eyes sparking. “I warn you, Major, more men will die from disease in this war than battle wounds.”

“I could have you shot for insubordination,” he said in a harsh tone, hoping to frighten the young officer into keeping her radical opinions to herself. No telling what would happen to her if she didn’t.

Damn female was getting under his skin.

“You wouldn’t dare.”

His gaze locked with green eyes that challenged him, made him wish he’d never sent for her. She did things to him no woman had a right to do, made him wonder if she was right about disease claiming more lives. That upset him more than he was willing to admit.

Aloud, he said, “Keep up that kind of dangerous talk, Lieutenant, and you’ll end up hanging from a tree.”

=========

Pauletta Sue Buckingham, a Tennessee belle, lost her beloved Texas Ranger in the war and became a Confederate spy to avenge his death. Here she explains to Liberty what she’s fighting for:

“If you were a real Southerner, you would understand what we’re fighting for,” Pauletta Sue said, accepting the fact Liberty was a virtual stranger to her cause. “We women have been unable to express our feelings for too long, always protected and cared for like chickens in a hen house. Now it’s our turn to rise up and help our men in their time of need and prove we’re equal to them. That our brains are no less intelligent because of our gender, that we’re no less brave because we wear skirts. That whatever our skin color, we can and will fight to the death for our cause.”

Liberty’s jaw dropped. She was stunned but impressed when Pauletta Sue finished her speech. She cast a glance at Bedelia, silently mouthing every word. She, too, was part of the fight.

Now she understood the bond these two women shared. A sisterhood without the boundaries of race or color.

LOVE ME FOREVER is on Kindle Scout — you can read the first 5,000 words on my campaign page. You’ll meet both my heroines and both my heroes in the excerpt. If you nominate my story and it’s published by Kindle Scout, then you’ll receive a free copy!

It’s a saga of love and romance and war. Believe me, I walked every road, fought every battle with my characters, even walked around in a hoop skirt to “get it right.”

Jina Bacarr

This is a book of the heart…any questions? Please ask!!

As I post this, LOVE ME FOREVER is Hot & Trending on Kindle Scout!

Thank you for stopping by…………..

Jina

Linda McLaughlin/Lyndi Lamont

Romance author

Why @AuthorTinaGayle Likes Spring #SpringflingRomance

Power Women of the Confederacy by @JinaBacarr #KindleScout