The book cover for Whiskey Jug Genie was selected for the book cover contest over at All Author. The contest just started the first round and I could use your help.
If you like my books, and if you like the book cover, skip on over there and give me your vote in this round.
Written by my alter ego, Sultonna Nadine, this is a fun story featuring a London apothecary owner, his girlfriend and energy healer, and a cursed genie. If you haven’t read it yet, you can find it on Amazon, Barnes and Noble, and most other retailers. Here’s the link over at Books2Read, where you can choose your retailer and format!
To vote in the contest, click this link for AllAuthor!
While I usually write paranormal romance, I have one non-fiction book about my experience with breast cancer. As a survivor, I chose to share my story with others.
Why?
Because what scared me the most about the whole treatment process was what I didn’t know.
What was going to happen?
What could I expect?
What tests and imaging were necessary before surgery? And what did they involve?
How would the chemo affect me? Or the radiation therapy?
Everything moved so quickly once the diagnosis was made I hardly had time to catch my breath. It was difficult to take it all in, let alone understand any of it.
The doctors did their best, I’m sure, but when you deal with something on a daily basis, you sometimes forget that not everyone else understands what you do. They rely on you to ask questions, forgetting you may not know what to ask.
If you or someone you know is facing breast cancer, please consider giving my book a read.
I know. I’m late for last week’s post, so this one will have to do double duty. But let me explain.
My husband had a total shoulder surgery last Wednesday. I don’t now if you know someone who’s had this particular procedure, but it makes life difficult during the recover. In his case, it is doubly so, since the surgery was done on his dominant side. So eating, washing, doing anything really, has been awkward. Everything is set up for him to use his left hand–he’s a lefty–and so everything is out of reach.
Having to do everything with one hand is awkward as well, like getting dressed or taking a shower. Unless you’ve had a shoulder issue of some sort, you don’t realize how much you use those muscles–even when you’re not using that arm.
In the meantime, I’ve finished my latest edit of Whiskey Jug Genie and of Gregor Thayne. One is a stand alone for my Sultonna Nadine books. The other is the next book for Esperance–after Ben of Blackstone’s Forge.
This was my first time through Gregor Thayne, and I’m happy to say it wasn’t as bad as I thought it might be. Yes, it needs work, and my editor will probably tear out her hair–or mine. But as a first read through, I was happy with the result.
Whiskey Jug Genie is just fun. And I’m so glad my husband came up with the idea. Since it isn’t part of a series, it is written under my pen name, Sultonna Nadine. Imagine, if you will, one of the djinn trapped in a whiskey jug for 200 years. He’d spent considerable time before this in the deep south of the United States and picked up quite a southern accent.
Now imagine him freed in modern day London, bound to the owner of his jug, who is an apothecary shop owner.
Next in Esperance will be Ben of Blackstone’s Forge.
Ben’s family has a way with iron, a particular talent which runs in the family. During his childhood, up until he went away to serve an apprenticeship with another forge, Ben had planned to marry Deborah. They’d always seen themselves together, as had their families.
But while he was away, something changed. The young woman will scarcely speak to him as they pass in the street. But no one can tell him why. His father keeps hinting he should find a wife. But the only woman he has ever wanted to marry was Deborah.
Deborah had always known she and Ben were meant for each other. But while she waited for him to return, something happened which she has kept secret even from her mother. She can’t marry Ben, or anyone else. Her father strongly suggests she at least go out with some young men suitable for her, but he doesn’t understand the situation. And she can’t explain.
So what are they to do when their parents arrange a marriage for them?
Yes, summer is beginning to think about winding down for the year. While the evenings have been a little cooler, the days are still hot and humid, thanks to the sporadic rain showers. Of course, the 2 1/2 inches of rain we got a couple nights ago really boosted that humidity. We’re getting ready for my husband’s shoulder surgery later this week, so we’ve had appointments with surgeons, the hospital, you name it, which is why I’ve been absent recently.
So, what have I been up to lately?
Editing. Not my most favorite thing, but it has to be done. At least if I take some time wit it, my editor won’t have a heart attack.
I’ve been through Gregor Thayne, another book from Esperance. This was the first read through and while it had some issues, it wasn’t as bad as I thought it might be. Now, I’ll ;ut it aside for a while before coming back to it. Kind of let my mind take a break.
Next up is my final edit of Lady Calloway, from Sultonna Nadine. I’m still trying to decide on the final title for the book. I’m several edits into this book, so now it’s just finding all the loose ends and spelling errors I missed the first few times. What usually happens is I rewrite something and delete the old version. But once in a while, at 2 am, I don’t get all of something deleted, which leaves it sounding rather strange.
In the meantime, Ben of Blackstone’s Forge is coming along. It will be the fifth book from Esperance, featuring the son of a blacksmith with a unique family Talent. He has iron under his control. His love life on the other hand needs some help.
Have a wonderful week. Stay cool. And pick up something to read this evening.
Monday started with an appointment with the eye doctor, which wasn’t bad, but takes at least half the day with the drive time. And since my husband had a business trip the next day, once we got home we were packing all his stuff so he could leave early the next morning. By early, I mean 4 am. Yeah, he’s one of those.
Wednesday our 12 year old kitty, Magellan crossed the rainbow bridge, so I had to deal with that, so all the stuff I was going to do was postponed until the next day.
That night, one of our other kitties, Monster, started sneezing. Afraid she might have caught what Magellan had, Thursday was a rush to the veterinary hospital to check her out. Fortunately, it seems she has seasonal allergies. And I will admit, the pollen this week has been terrible. Once again, things got pushed back to take care of the kitties.
So that brings us to Friday. I was finally able to get in and order new glasses and do some shopping. And after a couple weeks of nice cool temperatures–like in the 50’s and low 60’s F–the day turned hot. Like 85 F hot. And I’m not a fan of heat to begin with.
So my blogging has been put on hold while I dealt with life in general.
Never fear! I am writing, although I may not have done as much as planned.
Tiger’s Tempest is moving right along. I’ll keep you posted.
But in the meantime, how about a peek at Ben of Blackstone’s Forge–next in the Esperance Series?
Excerpt:
Moire had accepted his invitation to the Gather dance eagerly. After a nice dinner, she took his arm as they walked to the dance. At least she wasn’t awkward and could follow his lead. Not as well as Deborah, but well enough for the experience to be enjoyable.
After dancing for quite a while, he suggested a break for refreshments. Weaving between the tables, they carried tall glasses of lemonade to a free table and sat down to relax while they enjoyed their drinks.
He knew it couldn’t last. Something always came up when he began to enjoy himself too much.
“Ben Blackstone! What are you doing with her?”
It was Deborah, of course. She wouldn’t come out with him, but resented it when he dated anyone else.
“Drinking lemonade. Good evening, Deborah. Yes, I’m fine and enjoying my evening. Kind of you to ask.”
“Ben, I’m sorry. Do I need to leave?” Moire asked nervously.
“No. You don’t. Could you sit here and wait for me? I’ll be right back. Let me take care of this.”
Rising to his feet, he stretched to his full height and glared down at the source of his irritation.
“Shall we?” he asked, motioning her toward the open ground outside the refreshment area.
With a swish of fabric from her ankle-length skirt, Deborah turned and stormed away in front of him. Once they were away from the crowd, she whirled, hands on her hips, and fire in her eyes.
“How dare you ask Moire to the dance?” she demanded.
“Why is it any business of yours?” he demanded in turn.
“But Moire, of all the women you could have asked.”
“Look, I know you two are rivals. But since I figured you wouldn’t come out with me, I chose to ask her.”
“Why do you think I wouldn’t have come?”
“Let me see,” he stated. “It could be something to do with the fact that you’ve turned me down three dances in a row, and won’t even accept an invitation for coffee. What do you think?”
“I think… I hate you, Ben Blackstone!” she shouted.
Her wrist smacked into his palm as he prevented her from slapping him. He caught the second one, too, and smiled at her, as her eyes flashed angrily.
“Now, Deb,” he began. “You know better than to slap me.”
“Let me go, you bastard.”
“I’ll let you go when I figure you won’t try it again,” he answered.
“Fine! Can I have my hands back?”
“First, let me explain something to you,” he said softly. “I will see anyone I care to see. You do not have a say in the matter. If you won’t accept my invitations, you cannot dictate who I may ask. Are we clear on this?”
“Let me go,” she answered just as quietly, temper seething beneath the surface.
Releasing her wrists, Ben stepped back a pace.
“Good evening, Miss Wills. It was nice talking with you.”
Deborah turned, nose in the air, and strode away from him. Ben hurried back to the table he’d left and found it empty.
“Sir?” the owner of the stand said.
“Yes? What is it?”
“The young lady who was sitting here said to tell you she was sorry, she’d had a nice time, but she was leaving early. She didn’t mean to cause you any trouble.”
“Damn it all to hell,” Ben growled. “Why does she always do this to me?”
“I’m sorry?” the man asked.
“Not the lady at the table. The one who came bursting in shouting accusations.”
“Oh. Yes, sir. She is a bit forceful, shall we say.”
“She’s a gold-plated bitch,” he replied, startling the man.
I am often asked if I use a pen name. And the answer to that is both yes and no.
How can it be both?
When I first started writing and publishing my books, I used my actual name, mainly because it never occurred to me not to. Yeah, I’m a little slow.
But then I mentioned to a friend that my mother had another name picked out for me, but was pressured to name me after my two grandmothers. My dad was the eldest son of his family and I would be the first grandchild on my mother’s side. So she got overruled. When he asked what the name was, I told him. Sultonna Nadine. And he loved the name.
I told him he could name one of his characters Sultonna if he’d like, but he said no. The name was mine and I should use it somewhere. Maybe as a pen name. I thought it was a wonderful idea to honor my mother’s choice of names for me. And honestly, I’d always wished she’d given me the name she’d chosen. I feel more a Sultonna than a Mellie most times.
Since I already had both series started under Mellie Miller, I wasn’t sure what to do with the name, until I had the idea for Master of the Fleet. It didn’t fit in either series, but I loved the story. What if I wrote stand alone novels under a different name…
Et voila! Sultonna Nadine the author is born!
So there you have it–the story behind the author. Unfortunately, Amazon doesn’t like the spelling of Sultonna, so if you do a search, it will always come up with a different suggestion. But Sultonna it is.
Am I going to write more under this name?
Absolutely! I actually have two different stories ready for professional editing for Sultonna Nadine. I hope to have one of them out this winter. So keep an eye on this blog for news of a release.
Have a wonderful weekend and a splendid month of September–my birth month!
But at long last, I think autumn is on the way. I hope this heat wave over the weekend is Mother Nature’s last hurrah for summer.
So what’s in the works?
Too Many Talents, the fourth book from Esperance, should be out soon. I know, I keep saying that, but we’ve had to go back for more rewrites. Me and beginnings just don’t seem to get along. I’m fine after the first chapter. For some reason, most of my ideas start somewhere around Chapter 3. Weird…
And hopefully by the end of the year, there will be another Sultonna Nadine book out. I’ve finished my last edit on Whiskey Jug Genie before the editor gets her hands on it. It isn’t as long as most of my novels and while it deals with magic, the romance is sort of low key.
Martin runs an apothecary shop in London. While on vacation in the southern USA, he finds an old whiskey jug to add to his collection of old bottles and jugs. What he doesn’t realize until he gets it home is that a genie is trapped inside. And once Bubba is released, things become…complicated.
So watch for Whiskey Jug Genie. And yes, Sultonna Nadineis the correct spelling of the name, no matter what Amazon says.
If you’re like me, you like to read. And the fact that you are here says you do as well.
But sometimes, it’s easier to listen.
Did you know I have the first two books from the Esperance series available in audio? You can go over to Amazon and order them, or get them from Audible.
The reason I’m asking is that I’ve been considering narrating some of my own books. They won’t be as good as the first two, but I know a lot of people who love audio books. While I have no problem with narrating them in general, I can’t do the male voices properly, and I’m afraid it will be off-putting to those listening.
If you want an example of my narration, go over to my podcast of my blogs at Anchor.FM. Several of my posts have been made over into podcasts, and I hope to do a few more.
Drop me a line in the comments, or send me an email and give me your opinion.
Yes, Too Many Talents should be out later this month. Book 4 from the Esperance Series, it continues where Viviane, First Lady left off. It picks up just after Jareth and Viviane return from her brother’s trial in Clan Belfort.
Viviane’s training has not progressed well since returning from her brother’s trial. Her instructor and husband feel it’s because she’s resisting training due to an unfortunate incident in the court. But the more she resists, the more often her Talents get out of hand, causing episodes almost every day.
What will it take for her to finally step up and be the multi-talented First Lady she was born to be?
Back in Clan Belfort, her nephew, Connell, struggles with the concept of Talents. Why should he need these weird abilities to rule the clan when the time comes? And why must he leave his old friends behind and move to his grandfather’s home to train? But when old friends, jealous of his change of status, decide to harm his little friend, Nellie, his abilities take over and save her from harm.
Maybe this is his turning point. And maybe he should talk with his Aunt Viviane.
Watch for Too Many Talents, Esperance Book 4
Now, how about an excerpt?
From Clan Brannach:
“Viviane, Duncan is worried about you and has me worried, too.”
“Worried? Whatever for?” she asked.
“I know how you feel about your Talents, but hiding from them isn’t the answer. And neither is running away and pretending they don’t exist. Duncan and I feel the loss of control you are experiencing is coming from something besides the porting aspect of your Talents.”
“I don’t know what you mean, Jareth,” she answered sharply.
“Yes, you do, Viviane. Since we’ve been home you’ve been resisting your Talents, and fighting them, especially during training. They will win in the end. In the meantime your control will get worse and worse, until it is manifesting more unpredictably, even when you’re not working with it. With the strengths you have, you will hurt someone, while trying to deny your heritage.”
“But Jareth…”
“Your Talents have to be trained,” he stated emphatically. “There is no escape from it. You have to let go of your fears and put your entire will into your training. It’s the only way to gain control before you do irreparable harm.”
“I don’t want these Talents, Jareth! I never have! Why won’t they go away and leave me alone?”
In Clan Belfort…
At ten years old, he has been chosen to train as heir to the clan in Carl’s place, which requires him moving to his grandfather and first lord’s home, away from his friends, and for now, his family.
Why does he need Talents to rule the clan anyway? He doesn’t see the point in all this training and the headaches.
But when his old friends come down for the Gather, their jealousy makes them lash out in the one way they know will hurt Connell–by picking on his friend Nellie. As they restrain him and try to hurt her, his Talents come to the rescue, making him think about all those things he’d heard and now how they might apply in real life.
Here’s an excerpt from Belfort.
With a huge sigh, Connell took a deep breath, let it out, and dropped down into his mental working state. Focusing on the little box on the bench, he tried to reach out and nudge it to the end of the table. Instead of scooting to the end of the table, it rolled over twice and refused to budge another inch.
Coming back to his conscious level, he shrugged his shoulders in aggravation and looked up at Master Olivier.
“Well, at least you didn’t slam it into the wall. But why did you roll it instead of slide it?”
“I have no idea, sir.”
“Maybe we should work on something else for a while. Go get a drink of water, stretch out for a minute, and come back. We’ll work on your telepathy and see if we can narrow down your focus.”
By the end of the day’s session, Connell had a tremendous headache, and he was aggravated and frustrated with his progress. What was he missing? Master Olivier told him it would all come together soon, but what if it didn’t? His whole family and clan were counting on him, and he couldn’t even move a box from one end of the table to the other.
Watch for Too Many Talents! I’ll keep you posted!
To get the first three books in the series, go to Amazon or Smashwords!
Mellie's Books 