new release

Fall… into Winter

October 24, 2020 By Barbara Leave a Comment

The slippery slide into winter was a headfirst bungie jump this year. I know, technically we aren’t really in winter yet. But according to the temperature, the snowfall, and my scientific analysis from my back window, we are DEEP in it.

The squirrels are still frisky, running about and stealing seed from the birdfeeders. They already broke two of the feeders and knocked one of my solar garden lights off the deck in their frolicking, last ditch effort to enjoy freedom outside the nest.

I have been writing and editing like a fiend, so I think I either missed most of autumn or it missed us. Either way, the global warming trend is definitely over, if it actually ever began. From my personal northern perch, I ain’t seen nothing yet!

Talking heads on cable channel Opinioncasts have been saying we only have approximately twelve years left to live on planet earth before we destroy it by refusing to recycle our protective tinfoil hats or give up our cars in favor of walking everywhere like they do in third world countries.

Twelve years seems very generous to me, given that winter takes up the majority of the year in Minnesota. I don’t think I can take anymore. Slightly editing the lines of character Michael Fitzsimmons from Peggy Sue Got Married, I’m screaming, “I’m going to check out of this winter motel, push myself from the dinner table and say, No more snow for me, Mom!”

My granddaughter enjoying early winter with childlike joy

Now that I’ve had my rant against another way-too-early winter, I have to admit it has been a beautiful week for photos. Hope you enjoy the lovely pictures of our super-fast changing of the seasons. Don’t forget to hop over to your favorite ebook store and PreOrder the new Double Barrel Mystery!

Special Announcement: You can now PreOrder > A Man Can Die But Once

Available for PreOrder NOW! Official release date: December 1st, 2020

Christmas is coming to Port Scuttlebutt!

November 20, 2018 By Barbara 4 Comments

My newest venture in writing is a Christmas novella. This is a holiday addition to the Double Barrel Mysteries. It will be available December 20th 2018! But you can PreOrder it now> CLICK HERE

CHRISTMAS IN PORT SCUTTLEBUTT

Set two nights before Christmas…

The Gunners and the whole town of Port Scuttlebutt are celebrating the debut of Shelby Gunner’s original Christmas play at the opening of the brand-new Port Playhouse.

Snow is falling, the temperature is dropping, and someone has left a baby outside Shelby’s dressing room door at the end of the night.

A young woman and her newborn are missing, and a suicidal man, found unconscious, may be the only one who can find them before it’s too late.

Problem is… he wished that he had never been born.

~~~

*To get started on the Double Barrel Mysteries, this Thanksgiving week the 1st book in the series, ROADKILL is on sale for just .99¢!

**Don’t forget to pick up your copy of the newest Second Chances novel, TRIAL BY FIRE, as well. Holidays are the perfect time to settle down and read a good book.

Thanks for stopping! Leave a comment and share your favorite Christmas book or movie for a chance to win a free copy of Christmas in Port Scuttlebutt!

Barbara

Celebrate! TRIAL BY FIRE has been released!

October 28, 2018 By Barbara Leave a Comment

Today’s the day! TRIAL BY FIRE’s official release day!

Run, don’t walk to buy your #kindle copy of book three in the Second Chances series here, TRIAL BY FIRE! (also available in paperback HERE )

Ivy and Brenna have gone through some rough times in the past, but now they both have so much more to lose. With Lionel and Ace seeking to exact revenge on the two of them and anybody they love, they must find a way to keep their families protected while staying one step ahead of their pursuers.

~If you haven’t yet read the first two Second Chances books, RUNNING HOME and ALIAS RAVEN BLACK, you better pick up your copies of those first.

The Second Chances series is inspirational romantic suspense with kick!

Check out the blurbs below:

RUNNING HOME

Ivy’s husband has always been a cheat and a liar, but when he gets caught up in a game of espionage he flees the country with his latest bimbo, and Ivy has finally had enough. She packs up the kids and moves back to her hometown to escape the fallout. Trouble is – her problems don’t stay behind in California, but follow her all the way to Omaha, Nebraska.

The FBI is tracking her every move, hoping she’ll lead them to her fugitive husband, while evil men threaten her family’s safety if she doesn’t give them what they want.

Agent Samson Sinclair is assigned to keep an eye on Ivy. He is her only ally against threats and suspicions that come from every side. But can he keep their relationship professional when he finds himself falling for the woman he’s supposed to be protecting?

Ivy’s attempt to assemble the broken pieces of her life may prove harder than she anticipated. Especially on her own. When the past intrudes on the present Ivy is forced to deal with why she ran from God in the first place and whether faith, once lost, can ever really be found again.

ALIAS RAVEN BLACK

Brenna has lived most of her life just left of the right side of the law. While on vacation at a secluded ski resort, her past finally catches up with her. Her father, who she hasn’t seen since she ran away at sixteen, suddenly wants to reconcile.
Before she can make sense of that overture, the FBI whisk her off to Minneapolis. In exchange for a clean slate, she is recruited to work as a mole in the home of known mobster and suspected drug lord, Anthony Giordano. Under the alias, Raven Black, she becomes nanny to Giordano’s children.
Brenna’s hands are full just learning to mother two spoiled kids, while her main objective, finding information that would put their father away for life, remains elusively out of reach.
Will the secrets she discovers bring absolution from the past she’s tried so hard to leave behind or simply tear her heart in two?

Thanks for stopping! I hope you enjoy TRIAL BY FIRE. Leave a comment and let me know what you think. Have you read the other two? What character in this series is your favorite? Are you excited to find out what has happened to Ivy and Brenna since they last met?

~Barbara

MIDSUMMER MADNESS & Double Barrel deals!

November 20, 2017 By Barbara Leave a Comment

This week the 3rd book in my Double Barrel Mysteries released worldwide. MIDSUMMER MADNESS continues Blake and Shelby Gunner’s story as part-time private eyes and co-owners in the Drunken Sailor Bed & Breakfast.

There is a lot going on in Port Scuttlebutt these days. Double Barrel Investigations is up and running, and Shelby’s dream to direct community theatre is closer than ever as the Port Playhouse is nearly complete, but a life-changing curveball throws both Blake and Shelby for a loop. Add to that the body of a man washed up on the bank of Lake Superior and you’ve got an unforgettable summer!

Pick up a copy today! MIDSUMMER MADNESS

To celebrate the new release, I have discounted the first two books in the series as well. This month you can pick up ROADKILL and MUCH ADO ABOUT MURDER for 40% off the regular price. Just $2.99 each!

While all the crazy people go shopping at the mall, you can relax in your easy chair with a cup of coffee, a piece of pie, and a good book. That’s where I’ll be.

Wishing you all a Happy Thanksgiving, and holiday season!

Thanks for stopping by! Leave a comment and say hi!

Barbara

Oh, the madness in Port Scuttlebutt!

October 27, 2017 By Barbara 4 Comments

COVER REVEAL day!!!

It’s time to rejoice!

MIDSUMMER MADNESS is available for pre-order NOW! Scroll down to the links for all of your favorite stores at the bottom of the page. PreOrder your copy today and be first to learn all the recent happenings in Port Scuttlebutt!

~They say, Lake Superior never gives up her dead. They also say, you can’t keep a good man down. Sometimes spur-of-the-moment murders don’t go as planned.

Blake and Shelby Gunner are pulled into yet another murder mystery in this 3rd installment of the Double Barrel Mysteries. Hired to find a stolen fishing boat, they end up catching a dead body and a trail of rose petals.

There is a lot going on in Port Scuttlebutt these days and the August sunshine seems to be causing a bit of Midsummer Madness. ~

If you haven’t read the 1st two books in the Double Barrel Mysteries, check them out on my bookstore page.

PreOrder Today and get the lowest price of the season!!

Amazon Barnes&Noble KOBO iBookstore

What do you think about the new cover? Are you excited to get back for a visit to Port Scuttlebutt? Leave a comment below!

Thanks for stopping!

Barbara

The Gladiator and the Guard

April 27, 2016 By Barbara 1 Comment

Today I am helping Fellow author, Annie Douglass Lima, announce the release of her new young adult action/adventure novel, The Gladiator and the Guard! This is the 2nd book in the Krillonian Chronicles. Read on for all the details and special New Release Discounts!

First Things First: a Little Information about Book 1:

Bensin, a teenage slave and martial artist, is desperate to see his little sister freed. But only victory in the Krillonian Empire’s most prestigious tournament will allow him to secretly arrange for Ellie’s escape. Dangerous people are closing in on her, however, and Bensin is running out of time. With his one hope fading quickly away, how can Bensin save Ellie from a life of slavery and abuse?

What is the Collar for, and What is a Cavvarach?

The story is set in a world very much like our own, with just a few major differences. One is that slavery is legal there. Slaves must wear metal collars that lock around their neck, making their enslaved status obvious to everyone. Any slave attempting to escape faces the dilemma of how and where to illegally get their collar removed (a crime punishable by enslavement for the remover).

Another difference is the popularity of a martial art called cavvara shil. It is fought with a cavvarach (rhymes with “have a rack”), a weapon similar to a sword but with a steel hook protruding from partway down its top edge. Competitors can strike at each other with their feet as well as with the blades. You win in one of two ways: disarming your opponent (hooking or knocking their cavvarach out of their hands) or pinning their shoulders to the mat for five seconds.

Click here to order The Collar and the Cavvarach from Amazon
for $2.99 a discounted price of just 99 cents through April 30th!

And now, The Gladiator and the Guard, with another awesome cover by the talented Jack Lin!

Excerpt:

Bensin slumped over the handlebars of the exercise bike, trying to catch his breath. He grinned at the little screen flashing green in front of him. I made my goal! Now Ian wouldn’t lash him.

Seeing that Bensin was done, an arena worker came by with a cup. Bensin drained the protein shake, which tasted mostly of pineapple and orange today, and handed the empty cup back. He looked around to see where his trainer was, wondering how long a break he would get before his next assignment.

Ian was busy chewing out Fifty-Five for not meeting his goal on the leg press, and Tim was keeping an eye on Fifty-One and Fifty-Four as they took turns lifting weights and spotting each other. But Riddior strolled over to the Fifties’ training zone and took a look at Bensin’s screen. “Hey, good job! You’re getting better!”

“Thanks.” Riddior was Skeyvian, and seemed to be the only really nice person who worked at Red Arena. Broad-shouldered, dark-skinned, probably in his forties, Bensin had learned that he was Red Arena’s training manager. He supervised all the trainers and oversaw the workout plans they created for their glads. Sometimes he pulled glads aside for special training sessions in certain martial arts.

Riddior was also the only person in charge who didn’t carry a shockwhip or dartblower. Of course, he was always flanked by a guard or two who did, but Bensin couldn’t imagine any glads wanting to hurt Riddior. He handed out compliments and encouragement, never punishing or even scolding.

“I was watching yesterday as you practiced cavvara shil,” Riddior told Bensin. “You’ve got real talent. You’re better than some of the guys who’ve been training here for years.”

“Thanks,” Bensin repeated, grinning once again. Riddior’s compliment made him think of Coach Steene, who had also been generous with the encouragement — and who had gotten him this good in the first place. The thought of Coach made him angry, but he pushed aside the bitter thoughts since Riddior was still talking.

“A couple more weeks and I think you’ll be ready to represent us out on the sand against another arena. I know you’re still recovering from some injuries at the moment, but those don’t seem to be holding you back much, and from what Doc tells me, you’re recovering nicely.”

Something tightened in Bensin’s gut. His cheek and nose still hurt, and he sported some colorful bruises from the duel that should have ended in his death, but he knew he really was doing pretty well. Yet the thought of fighting out there again ….

Purchase your copy and check out the Rafflecopter below!!

Click here to order The Gladiator and the Guard in Kindle format from Amazon
for $2.99 a discounted price of just 99 cents through April 30th!

Click here to order The Gladiator and the Guard from Smashwords (for Nook or in other digital formats)
for $2.99 a discounted price of just 99 cents through April 30th!

Annie Douglass Lima spent most of her childhood in Kenya and
later graduated from Biola University in Southern California. She and her
husband Floyd currently live in Taiwan, where she teaches fifth grade at
Morrison Academy. She has been writing poetry, short stories, and novels since
her childhood, and to date has published twelve books (two YA action and
adventure novels, four fantasies, a puppet script, and five anthologies of her
students’ poetry). Besides writing, her hobbies include reading (especially
fantasy and science fiction), scrapbooking, and international travel.

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