The Witch and The Wolf has been released!

He's a spy for the British Crown…she's a woman desperate for revenge—together their love will save the British Empire and make them both believe in second chances.
Read the excerpt and buy the book at New Concepts Publishing!

The Witch and The Wolf at New Concepts Publishing!

My historical paranormal full length book, The Witch and the Wolf was released at New Concepts Publishing on the 21st! Needless to say, I am quite delighted!
~Marly

News from Uk

This month has been busy with visits to the RNA Romantic novel of the year awards, the Mills & Boon 100th birthday party and this week a chapter meeting of the RNA. it makes it difficutl to fit in all the blogs and the writing as well as all the stuff we all do. However, I managed to get off soem stuff for a new book to an agent/friend and she likes it a lot. It means even more work this year but if this book comes out right it is important. It is for one of the big publishers mainstream Uk and I have my fingers crossed.


Cassie's Sheikh has got to number seven in the Red Rose Publishing list at fictionwise. I am not sure exactly what this means but again, fingers crossed. I hope it is doing well for my publisher. I should have another book out with Red Rose soon called A Kind of Loving. I am going to give you a small excerpt from that now.

It had been warmer than this earlier in the year but there was a definite bite in the air that morning and it was already the second week of May. Perhaps the cool weather was the reason she was feeling a bit out of sorts with herself, because she was down and there was no real reason for it. She ought to be feeling on top of the world, Verity thought as she parked her car in the yard at the back of the shop.
The gravel crunched beneath her feet as she took a large bunch of fragrant lilies and roses and her cumbersome shoulder bag from the boot, before going through the narrow alley from the yard into the main street. This past year had seen the realisation of one of her dreams, something that gave her great personal satisfaction. But there was a problem, a dark shadow that hovered at her shoulder.
It was in her mind as she unlocked the door of her small shop, lingering like a bad smell as she keyed in the number to cancel the alarm and walked through to the back room, which she used as her office. She removed her warm red jacket and fluffed out her chestnut brown hair in front of the mirror; her eyes were that greenish brown that some call hazel. Underneath her jacket she was wearing a slim-fitting black dress. There was only just over another two months to her fortieth birthday but she didn't look too bad. She'd kept her figure well after Jane's birth and there hadn't been any more children. She'd been sorry about that, and for a while she'd hoped that she would have another baby, but somehow it hadn't happened; though there was no medical reason why it shouldn't.
Was that what had gone wrong between her and Michael? Had they grown apart instead of bonding into a family unit? Would it have been different if they'd had a son? She knew that Jane was very much her daughter and thought that perhaps Michael sometimes felt a bit left out.
She puzzled over it as she arranged her flowers in two old and rather beautiful cut-glass vases. One she stood in the little room that was fairly private but which, through a window, gave her a view of the shop interior, and the other she carried out to replace some dead roses standing on the desk that took centre stage of her window display. She stood for a moment to admire them, pleased that she'd taken time to stop and buy the flowers on her way in. Perhaps it was an extravagance to spend so much on fresh flowers, but she did love to see them about the place.
Verity was frowning as she returned to her office, picked up a tin of the special beeswax she always used for her antique furniture and took it into the shop. She had made it a practice to polish a couple of pieces of furniture each morning, to keep the place smelling of fresh polish and the potpourri she had in bowls set at various points about the shop. Her customers always remarked on the beautiful smell; it relaxed them, and her friendly manner encouraged them to trust her enough to buy. Her trade had started slowly at first, but people came back and her reputation had grown this past year.
Usually the very fact of being here amongst these beautiful things was enough to make her relax herself. She loved the feel of the silky finish of old wood, the way her cloth glided over the surface of a beautiful antique table or an elegant desk. Looking at them gave her a sense of permanence, of satisfaction, and knowing these things were hers to sell gave her a purpose. She was doing something she wanted to with her life at last.
Verity stood with the cloth in her hand as she considered. Had she wanted to marry Michael Lovelace nearly twenty years ago? She'd been pregnant with Jane, and it had seemed the natural thing to do – but had she really wanted to be his wife? She supposed that she must have done. There must have been a time when his smile had made her feel good, when his jokes had made her want to giggle, his touch had sent the blood racing through her veins. Yes, of course there had! It was just that it was hard to remember these days. He spent so little time at home. His business demanded attention six days of the week, and on Sundays he often played golf in the mornings. After lunch he cut the lawn if it needed it, otherwise he cleaned the car or fell asleep in front of the television.
She knew that Michael wasn't the only man to follow the same dull routine every weekend. Her friend Susan Edwards was always complaining that her husband Bill did the same thing, but she said it with a smile on her face, and a look in her eyes that told a different story. The magic was still there for Bill and Susan, but Verity knew that it had gone missing from her life, though she wasn't sure whose fault it was.
For a long time, while Jane was still a small child, she'd been happy enough; they had still shared a small joke or an intimate smile, but of late even those things had vanished. They hadn't had sex for weeks – they hadn't made love for more than two years, and there was a difference.
Verity hadn't forgotten what it felt like to make love, to know the warmth and satisfaction, the sharing that comes from being close to the man you care for. She had loved Michael once, perhaps she still did deep down. He was still undoubtedly an attractive man with his thick, slightly wavy hair, which was a darkish blond in colour, his blue eyes and rather heavy brows. But his character had changed of late and there were times now when she felt she was living with a stranger, and someone she didn't always like very much.
To a casual observer, Verity was the very essence of Today's Woman. Efficient, well groomed, with an air of confidence, a friendly manner and a look in her eyes that warned she meant what she said. Dealers liked her because she was businesslike and they knew where they stood with her. She didn't lie about her stock and she'd become known for having good, genuine pieces. But she had something more, a vitality that made her eyes shine and her laughter was infectious, though she wasn't aware of it herself.
Verity was brought out of her reverie as the shop bell pinged and two men came in. She had seen one of them several times before, a dealer in his fifties who bought things from her occasionally, but she was sure the younger man hadn't been in before. He was tall and well built with soft brown hair that waved slightly back from his forehead and greenish blue eyes, and he towered over his rather short and chubby companion.
'Mrs Lovelace,' Harry Barton said and grinned at her. Harry always wore a suit and his shoes were highly polished. He was a cheerful, confident man who loved his work and Verity rather liked him. 'You're looking gorgeous as usual, and this shop smells like a dream.' Harry was part Irish and known in the trade as a charmer.
'It's the potpourri,' she said with a smile. 'That sunshine is nice. It was rather cold when I came in this morning but I should think it's getting a bit warmer out now, isn't it?'
'Summer is on its way, slowly but coming,' he replied and gestured to his taller companion. 'This is my sister's boy, Joshua Roberts. He was working as a carpenter for a furniture business but the firm went bust last month, nothing to do with Josh here.' He gave his nephew a jovial poke in the ribs. 'I've taken him on with me. He's a craftsman, and I think he deserves better than to be a carpenter. He could be a restorer of fine furniture, and he'll be good at it.'
The younger, good-looking man pulled a wry face as he looked at Verity. 'What my uncle means is that I'm useful to carry things, but if I take the right classes I might make a restorer of antique furniture one day.'
'Good restorer's are few and far between,' Verity told him. 'I hope you stick at it, Mr Roberts. I was disappointed with the last piece I had done.'
'Next time give me a buzz,' Harry said. 'I can probably point you in the right direction. I know a couple of good men in the area.'
Verity gave him one of her dazzling smiles. 'That is kind of you, thank you, I shall.'

Changeling: Of Elves and Men. Excerpt One

Hi all,

I just thought I would give readers a bit of something special to read, an excerpt from my first book published with NCP, Changeling: Of Elves and Men.



Please enjoy this excerpt, involving the very hot couple on the front cover! :D

Excerpt:
Shane never once looked over his shoulder to acknowledge Ivy there so close behind him. Only once he strode in through the French doors and into the hall where the bedrooms were located, did he spin around to face her.

“Damnit, Ivy. I told you you weren’t to come tonight.”

“And I told you what you want has nothing at all to do with me!”

Looking up into his raging eyes, Ivy lifted her head higher and reminded herself that she was not afraid of his fury. She had just followed him back here to tell him that he had no right to tell her what to do, that was all.

With a growl, Shane took a step forward and wrapped an arm around her waist before she could step back nimbly to avoid him. As his lips crushed hers, he felt any resistance she felt toward him wavering. This hadn’t been what he had planned to have happen at all. When they pulled away from each other, Shane’s eyes raked over her body, taking in her reddened lips that looked like they had been well kissed.

His jaw tightened, as he told himself to stand away from her.

“If you followed me just because you wanted to sleep with me, there were better ways of doing that,” he said, trying to turn his frustration into sardonic amusement.

This time, it was Ivy’s turn to growl her frustration. “You stupid, stupid man!” she told him, though Shane noted with interest that it was not exactly a denial of his supposition.

With the hint of a smile playing the edges of his lips, he stepped toward her again, curious to see if she would dodge him the second time around. His fingers found her hand, and silkily, laced their way between her fingers. The simmering heat in his eyes drew her in despite herself, and when the door closed soundly, Shane wasn’t the only one behind it.

Again, he swept towards her, and ravaged her lips, forcing them to move under his as he wished them to, claiming them for his own. Ivy would have moaned if she had been given the breath to do so. As it was, she had to press her body against his to keep herself upright. The rising bulge at the crotch of his jeans told her he didn’t seem to mind. Eventually, she would have to go back to using her own balance to keep her upright. She wasn’t quite sure how she felt about that.

Shane maneuvered them slowly around in a half circle, directing them ever intentionally toward the bed where they would make their consummation of this union. Ivy’s eyes fluttered shut, and she allowed him to guide her where he would. Within the strength of his arms around her, the thought occurred to her that she had never felt safer.

Her breath rushed out of her when Shane picked her up. A second later, she was placed reverently on the bed, a throw back, she thought, of the injuries he was so convinced he needed to protect her from. Before she could complain, Shane began to undo the buttons of her shirt. She arched up a moment later, so that he could cast first it, and then her bra, aside, somewhere between the bed and the door. Then she was reaching up to him, and his kisses moved down from her lips, to her neck, in an unrelenting trail to the waistband of her pants.

He looked up at her for a moment, as if waiting for Ivy’s signal that it was okay for him to go on. Willingly, she gave it to him, and her tight, black pants were unbuttoned, then eased down her shapely legs, and forgotten on the floor beside the bed.

Morning found the two bodies still entwined around each other. It was Shane who woke up first, lifting his finger to flick a strand of Ivy’s dark hair out of her face, which in turn woke her up, too. He had a ready smile on his features, even as Ivy looked around herself in disorientation.

“What I want has nothing to do with you, huh?” Shane asked. It was the ill-timedness of her comment, just before they had fallen into bed with each other, that amused him.

Because it so clearly amused him, it angered her, and Ivy immediately pushed him away from her, as much as she could with their legs still entwined. Another moments’ trouble took care of that problem, too. She sat up, grabbing the pale sheet against her chest.

The smile never left Shane’s lips. “I reckon it’s too late to do that now,” he said to her with a wink that made her flush with embarrassment and anger at the same time.
* * *

"Changeling: Of Elves and Men" Now Available at NCP
http://www.newconceptspublishing.com/changeling.htm

For more excerpts, take a look at my personal blog. I promise it won't bite... hard!
Nikki Watson.
http://nikkiwatson.blogspot.com/

Beautiful cover for Dragon's Heart!!!

I have received the BEAUTIFUL cover art for Dragon's Heart! A huge thank you goes out to the talented Alex DeShanks for this cover! I'm over the moon for it!

Here is the blurb:
Dragon's Heart By Marly Mathews
Fantasy Paranormal Romance
Coming, July 2008 from New Concepts Publishing
Grania Burns is a dragon-shifter—Dylan Lightfoot is the wizard she's taken an oath to protect…their alliance will kindle the flames of forbidden love—together they will defeat a great evil and save the mortals of Earth from destruction.

Grania Burns is of the mystical dragon shifter kind. One thousand years ago, Dragon Slayers that sought to eradicate her kind drove her people from Earth. Forced into seclusion, they created a magical realm that would be the only known safe haven for Dragon Shifters. Here, her kind lived in peace, ruled by The Dragon Shifter Royal Family until one day—a man known as Lord Draco incited a rebellion. He lusted for revenge against the humans that once sought to destroy his kind. A civil war on Dragonia ensues when his king and queen move to protect the humans.

One wizard, Dylan Lightfoot, holds the hope of the good dragon shifter's in his hands. He is a revered and powerful wizard, intent on protecting Earth at all costs. The King and Queen of Dragonia recruit him to put into motion a spell that nearly brought the magic kind their destruction at the hands of the dragon shifters a millennia ago. The dragon shifters destroyed the first spell, but they need Dylan to recreate it for their own use. The spell to turn dragon shifters completely dragon, must be completed. It is their only hope of winning the war, for once a dragon shifter is stripped of their humanity, they will die. Grania and Dylan discover they have a burning inferno pulsing between them—and once Dylan touches Grania's dragon heart, events are put into motion binding them together forever.


~Marly

Are YOU Up to the Challenge?

Forget kids say the darndest things: try priests say the damndest things. From News4Jax.com:

The pastor for Relevant Church in Ybor City is challenging the couples in his congregation to get busy in bed every night for a month.
Wirth said the supposed 50 percent divorce rate is the reason behind the 30-Day Sex Challenge.
He said too many couples let the stress of jobs and daily life get in the way of intimacy. But there's a catch to the pastor's every day sex challenge -- it's for married couples only.
Unmarried people -- even if they are in a long-term relationship or living with someone -- are asked to abstain from sex for 30 days.

Now, there's even a website for the Challenge. Anyone else think, like Katrina Strauss and I, that it looks like a bad ebook trailer?

Greetings!

The contest for The Violin ended on Valentine's Day. The winner of the basket loaded with goodies and the violin pin is Chrystal Broyles. Congratulations, Crystal. I announced the winner during my featured author chat at Talking TwoLips on February 14th. I was so glad to have the opportunity to be their featured author and I am gratuful for their invitation.
The Violin is available on amazon.com, Fictionwise, Amira Press at www.amirapress.com and from my website at www.sarahmcneal.com .
THE VIOLIN by Sarah McNeal (unedited excerpt)
www.sarahmcneal.com
Amira Press www.amirapress.com in print or ebook
Also available at Amazon.com , Fictionwise
Here is a little snippet from THE VIOLIN:

The house was quiet and dark as John led Genevieve to his room. He lit a kerosene lantern when they entered the room. The lantern’s light threw a soft, yellow glow around the small quarters. A nightgown was draped over the end of one of the twin beds indicating that Matilda expected Genevieve to stay and left it for her to wear.
John patted the bed where the nightgown lay. He grinned wickedly as he moved toward her and pulled her close. “If I had been thinking of taking you to my bed, this wouldn’t exactly be what I had in mind,” he whispered close to her ear and chuckled.
Before Genevieve could answer, John kissed her lightly on the lips and said, “You sleep tight now and dream about me. I’ll see you in the morning.” Then he closed the door and Genevieve stood alone in the little room John shared with his brother with her heart still racing in her chest from the kiss he had just bestowed upon her and the memory of the one he had given her earlier.
God, this was madness. A few short weeks ago, she didn't even know who these people were and now here she was in a place she didn't belong and in love with a man who died a very long time ago. She couldn't help it though. Why did it all seem so comfortable and so normal?
Genevieve shook herself from her thoughts and changed into the nightgown that smelled of lye soap and sunshine and sat on the edge of the bed to look around the room.
Jimmy’s side had shelves filled with models of clipper ships and other sailing vessels, rocks, nature books, books about birds and a picture of his parents nestled in the corner. Tin and celluloid toys were bursting out of a wooden box at the foot of the bed and on his bed was the canon Genevieve had given him.
John’s side of the room was tidy and well kept. His shelves held math books, a drafting set, two cameras, and several photo albums. Leaning against a little desk was a mandolin and a case containing what she knew was a violin.
Her heart rolled over in her chest. She got up, laid the violin case on the desk, and opened it. The case looked new and, inside the case, the violin glowed in the soft light. It was in perfect condition and not a scratch on it. She held her breath as she opened the tool pocket but all she found was a tuning pipe and a box of rosin. There was nothing else.
Her hands trembled as she closed the lid of the violin. She put the violin back where it had been and sat on the edge of the bed. She felt weak and dizzy. She ached inside. This just couldn’t be happening. But it was.

It won't be much longer until Springs arrives bringing us warm days, leafy green trees and colorful flowers. It makes me happy just thinking about it. My work in progress brings my heart joy, too. HARMONICA JOE'S RELUCTANT BRIDE is my first turn of the century western and it's cheering me up just writing it.

Until next week when I write another blog on Sunday, I hope you all have a wonderful and joy-filled week.
All good things,
Sarah McNeal www.sarahmcneal.com

Fairy Folklore

I don't know when it was that my interest in the fantasy genre became a little bit more particular. I remember it wasn't that long ago that I couldn't conceive of a workable urban or mythical fantasy story. It was like the perfect vampire story. I'm intrigued by the idea of writing an epic vampire novel. I just don't think that what I could put out there could compete with the multitudes of vampire fiction already in circulation. Maybe one day...

When I started with my "Of Elves and Men" trilogy, I remember taking a very loose look at the difference between such a magical race as the elves, in comparison to the men who perhaps were less magically inclined, and how the interrelation between the two kinds would work in a modern setting. That was the premise for "Changeling". I spent hardly any time going into the background of the magic used. I gave more time to the background mythology, which I suppose was why I couldn't leave it there, and soon went back in time, to approximately the Dark Ages, where "Ascent" starts. I endeavored to write a story over how magic was first passed between elves and men and how it was kept from being abused. "Haunted" will be the third book in that trilogy, and that tells of how the magic was lost in the rush forward of technology, within a Georgian setting.

I only ever meant for that to be a standalone trilogy of three books, but this idea of another race existing alongside our one is something that still fascinates me, even now I've finished writing the "Of Elves and Men" books. There is still so much on the subject to be said. Not to mention read about, and researched, and explored. All things I delight in doing every time I find an interesting subject! :D

In Celtic mythology, the Sidhe (pronounced "shee") are seen almost as god, or spirits of ancestors and nature of that culture. European folklore sees fairy kind as the sort who would steal human children and sometimes leave one of their own in their place. There have been countless stories and poems written around this folklore, including

"The Stolen Child" by Keith Donohue, based on the William Butler Yeats' poem of the same name. William Butler Yeats wrote "The Stolen Child" in 1886 and it was not the only thing he wrote on the Fairy Folk. "Fairy and Folk Tales of the Irish Peasantry" and "Fairy Folk Tales of Ireland" were written in 1888 and 1892 respectively. W. B. Yeats was an Irish poet who grew up in Sligo.

Nikki Watson.
http://nikkiwatson.blogspot.com/

"Changeling: Of Elves and Men" Now Available at NCP
http://www.newconceptspublishing.com/changeling.htm