Plover Landing by Marie Zhuikov

Plover Landing

by Marie Zhuikov

This sequel to Eye of the Wolf finds Melora St. James working to restore an endangered shorebird to the coast of Lake Superior. Melora’s peace and her focus on the piping plover are interrupted when Drew Tamsen, the boyfriend she thought she lost to another woman and another way of life eleven years ago, shows up on her office doorstep. He wants her back. They have a few things to work out first: Drew chose life as a werewolf over being with Melora, and after a painful divorce, Melora is in no hurry to trust or give her heart to another man -- even if he’s one she never quite got over.

Their story is interwoven with that of the plovers, who are threatened by foxes, loggers and the Federal Aviation Administration. Then there’s Demetri, a mysterious boy Melora and Drew find lost on the beach. In helping Demetri discover who he is and make his first real friends, Melora and Drew learn secrets about themselves, building community, and coming to terms with the past.

BIOGRAPHY

Marie Zhuikov has had a long interest in environmental issues and helped with efforts to restore piping plovers to Wisconsin Point on Lake Superior. A nonfiction writer for a water research program, Zhuikov is also a poet and is active in the writing community of Duluth, Minn., which she calls home.

FIND OUT MORE
Author site: http://marieZwrites.com
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/MarieZ
Publisher: North Star Press

PURCHASE
Amazon and Barnes & Noble

Dress Up by Joel Skelton

Dress Up

by Joel Skelton

Broadway director Wyatt Stark's smash hit, Dress Up, a free-spirited, spaghetti strap of a tale set during New York’s legendary fashion week, has played at full capacity for almost two years. Wyatt is taking his wildly successful musical to Hollywood with the help of his business partner, Murphy. But Wyatt is on the edge, overworked by the industry and overwrought by a terrible breakup, and so he agrees to spend the summer before production starts recuperating at Murphy’s secluded beach house in Maine.

It's there that Wyatt meets and falls for Ryan Taylor—but Ryan isn’t who he portrays himself to be. Distressed and desperately in love, Ryan weaves a web of lies in an effort to secure Wyatt's heart, hoping and praying that their romance can survive the deception. When Wyatt discovers the truth, will their love be there to stay, or will it be, like a worn-out fashion trend, yesterday’s news?

BIOGRAPHY
Joel Skelton is the son of a big-band pianist. Consequently, the arts have always played a prominent role in Joel’s life. Much to Dad’s dismay, piano lessons gave way to the saxophone which was eventually retired when the stage called out loud and clear. Writing is the latest destination in the author’s tour of the arts.

Born and raised in central Minnesota, Joel, along with his partner, Patrick currently live in the thriving Minnesota arts community commonly referred to as the Twin Cities. In addition to writing, Joel loves the theater, The Current, gardening, biking, limitless wine tasting and he leaps at every opportunity to travel.

WEBSITE
www.joelskelton.com

PUBLISHER
Dreamspinner Press
www.dreamspinnerpress.com

TASTE ME - Tammy Hogan

TASTE ME

by Tamara Hogan

CSI meets True Blood in a new urban fantasy romance series with a supernatural crimes unit.

Winner of a 2009 Daphne du Maurier Award for Mystery and Suspense, and a 2009 Romance Writers of America Golden Heart® finalist, Taste Me is the first book in a gritty, fast-paced, sexy urban fantasy romance series set in a world where incubi, sirens, valkyries, vampires, werewolves and faeries live undetected alongside humankind. In Taste Me, incubus security guru Lukas Sebastiani is suckered into playing bodyguard for his former lover, siren rock star Scarlett Fontaine – and neither of them are happy about it.

BIOGRAPHY
Tamara Hogan loathes cold and snow, but nonetheless lives in the Minneapolis exurbs with her partner Mark and two naughty cats. When she’s not telecommuting as a quality and process engineer for a global networking company, she enjoys writing edgy urban fantasy romance with an SF twist. A voracious reader with an unapologetic television addiction, Tammy is forever on the lookout for the perfect black boots.

A lifelong Minnesotan, Tammy grew up on the Iron Range. She earned a B.A. in English/Creative Writing from Hamline University. Taste Me is her first manuscript.

SPEAKING ENGAGEMENT
Tammy will talk about Taste Me’s road to publication at the March 12, 2011 meeting of Midwest Fiction Writers, the Twin Cities chapter of the Romance Writers of America. Learn about her experiences querying agents and editors, seeing the positive in ‘negative’ contest feedback, how the book title and cover evolved through the publication cycle over time, and her perhaps non-traditional approach to promotion.

Guests (and new members!) are welcome. Taste Me can be purchased and autographed at the meeting. For more information about Midwest Fiction Writers, go to http://www.midwestfiction.com/home.html.

WEBSITE
www.tamarahogan.com


BLOG
www.rubyslipperedsisterhood.com

www.casablancaauthors.blogspot.com


RELEASE DATE
March 1, 2011.

Taste Me is available in paperback and digital formats at Amazon.com, Barnes & Noble, Borders, and other book retailers near you.

PUBLISHER
Sourcebooks, Inc.
www.sourcebooks.com

Harvest of Dreams - Alison Henderson

Harvest of Dreams

by Alison Henderson

Alone on her farm in the middle of a blizzard, young widow Lisa McAllister labors to give birth to her first child. Help arrives in the strong hands of a stranger wearing a six-gun. Lisa has no reason to trust this man who makes a living by violence, even if he is on the right side of the law. Men and their guns have already claimed the lives of her father, brother, and husband, and she’s determined to protect her son at any cost.


Jared Tanner, a security agent for the stagecoach, has been on his own since he was twelve. Against his better judgment, his feelings of protectiveness toward Lisa and her baby turn to something deeper, and he is tempted by the possibility of a family of his own. Can their tender new love survive when an act of ultimate violence threatens to tear them apart?

BIOGRAPHY
Alison grew up in Kansas City on the edge of the prairie. One of her favorite memories is of the fringed turquoise cowgirl outfit she received for her fifth Christmas. She went off to New York to study art history at Vassar College but never lost her admiration for the fortitude of the pioneers who settled the American West. She began writing when her daughter entered pre-school and was quickly captivated by the creative process.

Although she has traveled the world from Japan to Tunisia, Alison has never strayed far from her Midwestern roots. She and her husband are empty-nesters living in Minnesota, and their daughter is a graduate student in Chicago.

WEBSITE
www.alisonhenderson.com

PUBLISHER
www.thewildrosepress.com

Julie Kramer - Silencing Sam

Silencing Sam

by Julie Kramer

IN THIS TOWN, GOSSIP KILLS . . .
When a widely despised gossip columnist is found shot to death, Riley Spartz must secretly investigate a case in which she becomes the prime suspect. In the wake of the brutal murder, our heroine discovers that news and gossip have more in common than she ever imagined. Trouble begins when Riley publicly clashes with newspaper gossip writer Sam Pierce, throwing a drink in his face after he implies in his popular column that she cheated on her husband. When clues to the homicide lead to her, Riley is charged with the crime. The police seem unwilling to look any further for perpetrators, although numerous local news- makers have reason for revenge—even a motive for killing.

Meanwhile, competition in the Channel 3 newsroom is just as murderous. While Riley struggles to interest her boss in a story about rural wind farm bombings and dead bats, a new reporter spikes the station ratings with exclusive stories about the headless homicide of an unknown woman whose decapitated body is found in a city park. Maybe murder isn’t such a bad idea after all? Riley must fight to stay out of jail, ahead in the ratings, and even alive in a killer showdown not fit for television audiences.

REVIEWS
"Readers will love this riveting, action-packing journey into television news investigations." -- (starred review) Library Journal

"This brisk mystery, in which homicide is leavened with deadpan humor, makes a worthy entry in a winning series." - Booklist

"Silencing Sam has a sexy protagonist, a sinister plot, and delivers another delightful read in this smart series." - Linda Fairstein

“A perfect summer vacation read." - RT Book Reviews, 4 stars

BIOGRAPHY
Julie Kramer is a freelance network news producer. She formerly ran WCCO-TV's nationally award-winning investigative unit in Minneapolis. Her debut thriller, STALKING SUSAN, won the Minnesota Book Award and the RT Reviewers' Choice Award for Best First Mystery. It was also a finalist for the Mary Higgins Clark, Anthony, Barry, and Shamus Awards. Her second book, MISSING MARK, was just nominated for a Daphne du Maurier Award. Kramer lives with her family in White Bear Lake, Minnesota.

WEBSITE
www.juliekramerbooks.com

FACEBOOK
http://www.facebook.com/julie.kramer?v=feed

PUBLISHER
Atria/Simon & Schuster

PROFESSIONAL AFFILIATIONS
International Thriller Writers
Mystery Writers of America
Sisters in Crime
Investigative Reporters and Editors
Romance Writers of America/Kiss of Death Chapter

EVENTS
Saturday, July 3, 11 am
Nisswa, MN
Rainy Day Bookstore
25491 Main Street

Sunday, July 4, 10 am - noon
Park Rapids, MN
Beagle Books
112 3rd St. W.

Monday, July 5, noon - 2 pm
Duluth, MN
Northern Lights Books
307 Canal Park Drive

Monday, July 12, 7 pm
Wazyata, MN
The Bookcase
607 East. Lake Street

Tuesday, July 13, 6:30 pm
White Bear Lake, MN
White Bear Lake Library
4698 Clark Avenue

Monday, July 19, noon
Brainerd, MN
Brainerd Public Library
Brown Bag Lunch Series
416 South Fifth Street

Wednesday, July 21, 4:30 pm
Stillwater, MN
The Dock Cafe
Totally Criminal Cocktail Hour
www.valleybookseller.com
for reservations, call 651-430-3385
425 Nelson Street East

Saturday, August 7, 1 pm
Little Falls, MN
Author Tea Retreat at Historic Linden Hill
608 Highland Avenue

Tuesday, August 10, 5:30 pm
Minneapolis, MN
Raking Through Books
Kieran's Irish Pub
6th St. & 1st Avenue

Kathryn Nelson - Pemberley Manor

Pemberley Manor

by Kathryn L Nelson

ISBN-13: 978-1-4022-1852-1
ISBN-10: 1-4022-1852-4

As marriage brings an end to a romantic tale, it begins a new story: how does “happily ever after” really work? The day that Jane and Elizabeth Bennet wed Charles Bingley and Fitzwilliam Darcy marks the departure point for Pemberley Manor by Kathryn L Nelson. While the mild and obliging Bingleys might be expected to get on famously, Mr and Mrs Darcy will surely need to work on their communication skills.

Elizabeth Bennet has shamelessly done an about-face on her principles and fallen all over Darcy after seeing his beautiful house. She has by no means taken the time to allow affection to grow. And should Darcy be forgiven for being so besotted with Elizabeth’s eyes that he has taken no pains at all to find out what’s behind them? There’s trouble in store for these feisty lovers.

Jane Austen left each of her novels with a lot of questions still on the table. I’m not the only one who noticed. The proof is in the number of sequels that have been popping up around every corner. I hope every Austen lover finds a sequel that satisfies the longing to spend more time with the magnificent characters she created.

BIOGRAPHY
I was ten years old, crazy to read every book in the weekly bookmobile that stopped on our corner, when I was bitten by the urge to write my own book. My first effort, A Pearl in the Ashes, never made it past the title page and a story line that vaguely resembled Cinderella.

Pemberley Manor made it all the way to an ending, two publishers, and a possible Turkish translation in only forty-five years. I’m crossing my fingers that I can finish book number three in the coming few months, improving my speed dramatically.

Jerrod is the working title of my next book, the story of three generations of a Minnesota family locked in a web of love, secrets and lies. It’s a bit easier to write about the neighborhood that I grew up in and people who could be members of my family than it was to write about 19th century England. I doubt, though, that I’ll ever replicate the excitement and pure fun of my time with Jane Austen and her splendid characters.

Maybe when I finish with Jerrod’s family I’ll go back and dig up that pearl from the ashes.

WEBSITE
www.klnelson.net

Pemberley Manor is available at Amazon.com, Barnes and Noble, Borders, and in paperback and e-book from Sourcebook Landmark.

Jannifer Hoffman - Blood Crystal

Blood Crystal

by

Jannifer Hoffman

When a priceless crystal is stolen and five international agents killed, rookie agent Dani Lovato is sent undercover into the clandestine world of precious gems to retrieve it.

Stephen Douglas returns from Afghanistan, a wounded war hero, to find the life he left behind in shambles. Depressed and hitting rock bottom in an LA jail he’s offered the chance to be released with a clear record. All he has to do is show up at a warehouse and pick up the sheriff’s daughter who is stranded and in harm’s way. What sounds like a simple venture, turns into an escapade that becomes the ride of his life.

Thrown together, not trusting each other, Stephen and Dani embark on a cross-country mission to return the Blood Crystal from the bowels of LA to its rightful owner in Washington DC. Along the way they discover there is a thin line between the good guys and the bad guys and staying alive becomes more challenging with each perilous turn. Sparks fly between them in more ways than one as Dani accidentally learns the startling secret of the Blood Crystal.

BIOGRAPHY
Born and raised on a North Dakota farm, Jannifer started writing at the age of twelve, creating novels in her head while walking home from a one-room schoolhouse. A lifetime avid reader, she began serious writing in 1974 after reading The Flame and The Flower and Sweet Savage Love.

After completing two historical romances, Ceremony of Deception and Silver Shadows, she decided to try her hand at contemporary romance. It took a year to complete Secrets of the Heart . The sequel, Secret Sacrifices, took nearly two years.

In 1999, Jannifer joined Romance Writers of America and MFW (Midwest Fiction Writers). This spring she also became a member of the WisRWA (WISCONSIN Romance Writers of America) chapter.

She spends summers on Sturgeon Lake, (up north) Minnesota, and winters in Yuma, Arizona (southwest).

Hobbies, besides writing of course, include sewing for craft shows and her little corner in a boutique in Moose Lake, and painting animals and flowers on rocks.

WEBSITE
www.janniferhoffman.com

PhDs, Pornography, and Premeditated Murder

PhDs, Pornography, and Premeditated Murder

By J L Wilson

Professor Jane Renard's estranged husband was murdered in front of a thousand Z.Z. Top fans at the Minnesota State Fair -- while Jane sat in the crowd. Marcus Sloan, a security guard, is her alibi and is soon her ally when she’s briefly suspected of murder.

That's not her only problem. Jane has a ‘secret’ life as an erotic author and she’s up for a job promotion at college. If they find out about her novels, she's sunk. Plus her best friend is being threatened by a vengeful ex, Jane’s getting disturbing fan mail to her alter ego and a guy keeps calling and talking dirty on the phone.

Jane’s biggest problem, though, is her inexperience with men. Marcus might be the man to help her add some interesting firsthand facts to her novels. Maybe she can also discover if happily ever after only happens in books.

BIOGRAPHY
J L Wilson is a Minnesota author of 15 books who writes ‘mysteries with a touch of romance … and romance with a touch of gray.’ She also writes time travel books and has a paranormal-political thriller series that’s set on another planet. She came up with the idea for "PhDs" while sitting in the grandstand at the Minnesota State Fair during a concert and realizing that yes, you could probably murder someone there and not be seen ...

She can be found on Twitter, Facebook, MySpace

http://tinyurl.com/ak8hl8

WEBSITE

www.jayellwilson.com

Lois Greiman - One Hot Mess

ONE HOT MESS

by Lois Greiman

Published by Dell

ISBN-10: 0440244773



In southern California it’s raining crime—and psychologist Christina McMullen could use an umbrella. Her clients are crazy, her on-again-off-again relationship with LAPD lieutenant Jack Rivera has just started heating up again, and now Rivera’s womanizing dad has come calling—asking Chrissy to investigate a mysterious death that might haunt his next campaign: for president of the United States. Soon Chrissy is investigating not one “accidental” death, but two—until she stumbles on a trail of bodies littering Senator Rivera’s distinguished career. As she untangles a web of high-stakes lies, Chrissy believes that she’s found the secret to a serial killer’s underground campaign. The killer has a list, a motive, and the perfect disguise—the only question is: who’s next?

ONE HOT MESS REVIEWS
“Sexy…sassy…An entertaining series.” —Mystery Scene“For the Janet Evanovich fans who are craving a protagonist similar to Stephanie Plum.” —CurledUp.com

NOT ONE CLUE is the next in the series to be released in March 2010

BIOGRAPHY
Born on a North Dakota cattle ranch, Lois Greiman graduated from a high school class of sixty students before moving to Minnesota where she professionally trained and showed Arabian Horses for several years. Since that time she's been a high fashion model, a fitness instructor, and a veterinary assistant. But an incurable case of writing fever put a stop to all those occupations. Since selling her first book to Avon in 1992, she has sold 25 romance novels including her Witches of Mayfair series and 6 mysteries. While caring for three children, fifteen horses, and a menagerie of pets on her small farm in Minnesota, Ms. Greiman writes full time, producing two or three novels a year and garnering much praise from readers and reviewers alike.

Her Highland novels have received Affaire de Couer's Critic's Choice Award, Romantic Times K.I.S.S. Award, and been nominated for Romance Writer's of America's prestigious Rita. Her titles have appeared on Barnes and Nobles Best Selling Romance list and won her the Midwest Fiction Writer's Rising Star Award.

SEDUCED BY YOUR SPELL (released February 2009) is a wild ride through the streets of London where people are not who they seem to be; spells and magic are the order of the day, and love is being pushed away by two very needy souls. Mystery surrounds Jasper, as well as the ladies of Lavender House, but it also dominates the real reason why the girls are disappearing off the streets. There are some heated fantasy scenes between Jasper and Maddie, and a few real encounters which will have readers fanning themselves!

SEDUCED BY YOUR SPELL REVIEWS
"Readers of Lois Greiman will enjoy her latest passionate, adventurous novel. Don't miss SEDUCED BY YOUR SPELL." --Jani Brooks, Romance Reviews Today

"Greiman grips readers with a tale of witches caught in a maelstrom of violence and passion. The pages fly by, sexual tension--both real and fantasized-- rises and surprise after surprise lead to the finale.. Greiman is a storyteller extraordinaire."-- Kathe Robin, Romantic Times

UPCOMING EVENTS
October 26th, 7:00pm
Speaking Engagement
Booked 4 Murder
Long Lake Library
Long Lake, MN

November 15th
Writing Workshop
The Loft in Minneapolis, MN

OTHER PUBLISHED BOOKS
European Historical Romance
Bewitching the Highlander (2007)
Tempting the Wolf (2006)
Taming the Barbarian (2005)
Seducing a Princess (2004)
The Princess Masquerade (2004)
The Princess and Her Pirate (2003)
The Warrior Bride
The MacGowan Betrothal
Fraser Bride
Highland Hawk
Highland Enchantment
Highland Scoundrel
The Lady and the Knight
Highland Wolf
Highland Flame
Highland Jewel

Mystery
One Hot Mess (2009)
Unmanned (2007)
Unscrewed (2007)
Unplugged (2006)
Unzipped (2005)

Paranormal Romance
Seduced By Your Spell (2009)
Under Your Spell (2008)

American Historical Romance
Surrender My HeartMy
DesperadoThe Gambler

Contemporary Romantic Comedy
Counterfeit Cowgirl
Her Bodyguard
From Caviar to Chao

WEBSITE
www.loisgreiman.com

Jannifer Hoffman - Minnesota Author

ROUGH EDGES
Resplendence Publishing, LLC
May 2009-ebook and print
ISBN # 9781934992647

When Julia Morgan M.D. miscarries twin girls, she divorces her husband believing he is to blame. He forces her out of her position at the hospital and threatens her credibility as a doctor. Without mentioning her medical degree, Julia accepts a position as nanny on a Colorado ranch 900 miles away.

Dirk Travis is in trouble. His wife has gone missing, and his housekeeper is threatening to quit. He is in desperate need of a reliable person to look after his four-year-old twins. Even though Julia appears to be the answer to his prayers, he can't help but think she's a bit too perfect. Both insist their relationship will be business only. Those plans go awry when people are killed and Dirk is the prime suspect. That doesn't stop the heat index from rising between Dirk and Julia, even as she appears to be the next target.



BIOGRAPHY
Born and raised on a North Dakota farm, Jannifer started writing at the age of twelve, creating novels in her head while walking home from a one-room schoolhouse. A lifetime avid reader, she began serious writing in 1974 after reading The Flame and the Flower and Sweet Savage Love.

After completing two historical romances, Ceremony of Deception and Silver Shadows, she decided to try her hand at contemporary romance. It took a year to complete Secrets of the Heart. The sequel, Secret Sacrifices, took nearly two years.

In 1999, Jannifer joined Romance Writers of America and MFW (Midwest Fiction Writers). This spring she also became a member of the WisRWA (WISCONSIN Romance Writers of America) chapter.

She spends summers on Sturgeon Lake, (up north) Minnesota, and winters in Yuma, Arizona.
Hobbies, besides writing of course, include sewing for craft shows and her little corner in a boutique in Moose Lake, and painting animals and flowers on rocks.

Find out more about Jannifer on her website http://www.janniferhoffman.com/

OTHER BOOKS IN PRINT
Secrets of the Heart Resplendence Publishing, LLC, Published: Dec 2008 Romance/Suspense/Thriller

Secret Sacrifices - Resplendence Publishing, LLC, Published: Feb 2009 (All five star reviews) Romance/Suspense/Thriller

Ceremony of Deception - TrebleHeartPublishing.com Historical Romantic adventure ( All five star reviews) Released July 2008

Coming Soon: Blood Crystal (no release date yet)