Totally NOT writing related. Well, sorta…

Richard Castle IS a writer, so it does have some relation…
LOVE THIS SHOW!! I can’t wait for next season and I do plan on owning the first one when it comes out on DVD, in case you were sitting on the edge of your seat and wondering. LOL

Come Visit Me @ Midnight Moon Cafe!

I’m giving away two copies of Another Time, Another Place (one ebook and one print) to two lucky people who comment on the blog post at Midnight Moon Cafe, so stop on by!

Following in my footsteps

Well, I never thought I’d ever have something in my life that I’d be proud for my kids to follow. I made all the rookie mistakes as a mom: got pregnant in High School, married a total creep, divorced said creep, married again to run away from said creep, divorced nice guy when he left me for his ex-wife… Well, you get the idea. I even went so far as to start and not finish college. I mean, talk about a path you pray your children don’t follow!! Well, writing found me at an early age. I dabbled with it from the time I was old enough to actually form sentences. I mean, Dick and Jane had some crazy times, let me just say! Anyway, before I get off on yet another tangent, I just wanted to say that my daughter has told me she wants to take writing classes and enter some short story contests! This kid is good too! Before long, she will be looking in her rear view mirror and watching me eating her dust. I’m so proud of her I could just hug the tar out of her! Okay, you can resume your regularly scheduled day now. Thanks for stopping by

Best Mother’s Day EVER

Yeah, I always knew my kids loved me, but this past Sunday was my all time favorite Mother’s Day ever. I came home Saturday night and my kids had paid a visit to the house and decorated it for me. There were streamers and balloons, cards and candles everywhere. Across the french doors were cut out letters that spelled Happy Mom Day. THEN they both showed up for church. I guess it just takes some distance to make things clearer. They never quite understand that you don’t want an expensive gift…well, unless they can afford one…or breakfast in bed…unless they are already making for themselves…, all it takes it an act of love and an hour of their time on Sunday morning to make me happy I LOVE MY BABIES! *sigh* I’m the luckiest mother in the world.

Excerpt Monday

Here is the second excerpt of Another Time, Another Place. I’m going to have the entire first chapter and maybe even a little more before this is over

She glanced across the table at Libby’s knowing smirk, then watched as her friend looked over her head and, evidently, into Scott’s eyes. Libby’s brow slowly arched into a ‘what-the-hell-do-you-want’ look.

“Well, aren’t you incredibly charming today, Libby?” Scott taunted. He knew the exact buttons to push to prompt her into a quick exit.

“Hmmm, on that note, I think I’ll take my leave before I stick my foot in my mouth…or somewhere else,” she gushed in a melodramatic tone as she looked Scott up and down for added effect.

Tessa rose to hug her friend goodbye, then whispered in her ear, “You really don’t need to go. This conversation would give you tons of stuff to analyze.”

Libby giggled and whispered back, “No, I’m perfectly content with looking around the room and knowing all these people now understand why you think men suck.” She dropped a light kiss on Tessa’s cheek and added louder for Scott’s benefit, “If the bastard jerks you around too bad again, you know my number.” Libby turned toward Scott, exchanged glares of annoyance with him, and sashayed away.

“Don’t let the door hit you in the butt on the way out,” Scott called out as she reached the exit.

Libby turned toward him and slowly pushed her sunglasses up on her nose with her middle finger, then blew him a kiss. There was definitely no love lost between Libby and Scott, and Tessa knew why. Libby was the one Tessa ran to, the one who always let her cry on her shoulder each and every time Scott broke her heart. She didn’t judge Tessa or tell her what to do; she was simply her best friend and confidant.

“Ahem.” Scott cleared his throat in an obvious attempt to bring Tessa’s attention back to him.

“Well, have a seat,” Tessa swept her arm in a grand gesture toward Libby’s empty chair. She reluctantly sat across from him and asked with nonchalance, “Is there something I can do for you?”

“What makes you think that I want something?” Scott inquired with overstated enthusiasm.

“Don’t you always?” Tessa responded with an icy tone. She glared into his eyes while he contemplated his response. Before he could answer, she added, “Where’s Anna?”

“Who?”

“Don’t patronize me,” she seethed, her eyes forming cynical slits. “Oh, I’m sorry. Didn’t you get her name before you slept with her? Anna. That’s her name. Would you like her address, too?”

“Please, don’t be like this,” Scott whispered. He leaned across the table and reached for her hand.

Tessa quickly slid her hands off of the table and into her lap. She couldn’t let him touch her. That was his secret weapon. She straightened her spine and sat tall in the chair, hoping to portray more confidence than she felt.

“You know that you’re the only girl I care about.”

“Oh, puh-leeeese! The only thing you care about is that you haven’t figured out the combination to separate me from my panties. Nothing else. If you cared about me, I wouldn’t hear about all these other girls.” As the adrenaline rush subsided, she glanced around the room. A smile curled the corners of her lips as Libby’s parting words of wisdom hit home. People tried to act like they weren’t listening, but the expressions on their faces told a different story. Tessa didn’t blame them; it wasn’t like she was being discrete.

She looked back at Scott and her grin turned into a full-fledged smile. “You know what? You aren’t worth it.”
She rose and turned to leave, but Scott jumped up and laid his hand on her shoulder. It stopped her in her tracks.

Damn, she thought, so close. Why did he have to go and touch her?

His lips brushed her ear. “Please, come back to my place so we can talk this over in private.”

Tessa turned toward him and lost herself in his pale blue gaze. She stood there for what seemed like hours; which, in actuality was only a few seconds. She desperately tried to work up enough backbone to say the word “no” to him. She inhaled a deep breath and, puckering her lips into a defiant pose, worked hard to produce that one little syllable that would make it a clean break. Another came out instead. “Fine,” she muttered; then, completely disgusted with herself, followed him out the door.

Excerpt Monday!

I’ve decided to split the first couple of chapters of my book Another Time, Another Place into a few excerpts to entice you into buying my book Enjoy and leave me some feedback in the comments, please and thank you.

First off, the copyright and all the legal stuff:
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to actual persons living or dead, business establishments, events, or locales, is entirely coincidental.

Another Time, Another Place

COPYRIGHT  2008 by Toni S. Nichols w/a T. Sue VerSteeg

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any manner whatsoever without written permission of the author or The Wild Rose Press except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles or reviews.
Contact Information: info@thewildrosepress.com

Cover Art by Tamra Westberry

The Wild Rose Press
PO Box 708
Adams Basin, NY 14410-0706
Visit us at www.thewildrosepress.com

Publishing History
First Faery Rose Edition, 2008
Print ISBN 1-60154-433-2

Published in the United States of America

And now it begins

Chapter One

Men suck!”

The entire coffeehouse went quiet at Tessa’s outburst. It would have been possible to hear a pin drop, so when she accidentally knocked her spoon onto the floor, it echoed off the walls.

Tessa looked around the room at the various expressions on people’s faces. “Well, they do in my book.” Satisfied she had made her point she turned with a nonchalant flip of her long red curls and switched her attention back to her friend. Across the table, Libby’s face blushed a dark crimson and her mouth flopped open in complete shock at the words that carelessly tumbled from Tessa’s mouth.

“You never cease to amaze me,” Libby finally managed to mutter as the people around them began to strike up their own conversations again.

“What?” Tessa asked, mocking her friend. “You asked me how I felt about the crap Scott has been pulling on me lately. I thought it was a very definitive answer, if I do say so myself.”

“Yes, and it would have been a fine answer if you had shared it with only me,” Libby hissed through clenched teeth as she folded and refolded her napkin in an attempt to busy her hands.

Tessa reached across the table and patted her friend’s arm. “I’m sorry I embarrassed you. You started in with your psychoanalysis mumbo-jumbo and I guess I snapped. I mean, it’s great that you’re going to be a psychiatrist, but I don’t always have to be your test patient. Do you understand where I’m coming from?” Tessa asked. It seemed like the millionth time since Libby started her internship.

“Yes, I understand, and I’m sorry, too. It’s just so easy with you.”

“Thanks. I know my life bites, but you don’t have to call me a psycho case.”

Libby’s face reddened again, obviously realizing Tessa had misunderstood. She quickly jumped to her own defense. “No! I meant that we have such a good rapport as friends.”

“It’s okay,” Tessa said with a deep, dramatic sigh. “I know I have problems. From what I’ve seen on those shrink-shows, that tends to happen when you spend your childhood lost in the Foster Care system. It kind of messes with a person to never know your real parents.”

“Do you want to talk about it?” Libby asked in a voice that was sickeningly understanding.

“A-ha! Exactly my point.” Tessa announced matter-of-factly. She poked a finger to within centimeters of Libby’s nose and both girls burst into giggles. Libby had been caught red handed. Once again, they became the center of attention, but this time neither of them cared. It felt good to laugh.

“Hmmm, must have been a good joke.”

The sound of Scott’s voice abruptly cut the laughter as cold fingers danced down Tessa’s spine. At the same time, however, her heart leapt with anticipation. How could a man simultaneously produce two totally contrary reactions from a woman? …

Here are some links to other excerpts too!

http://jeannielin.com/blog/2009/04/13/excerpt-monday-his-or-hers/

http://viviennewestlake.blogspot.com/2009/04/excerpt-for-monday-halloween-novella.html

http://maureenmccarrie.blogspot.com/

http://clwhite.wordpress.com/2009/04/13/excerpt-monday/

http://briaspage.wordpress.com/2009/04/13/em-2/

http://kinseyholley.com/2009/04/13/excerpt-monday/

http://beccafurrow.wordpress.com/

http://www.kirstensaell.com/newsite/?page_id=53

http://melsmag.wordpress.com/

http://elladrake.blogspot.com/2009/04/excerpt-monday.html

http://www.eviebyrne.blogspot.com/

http://kate-willoughby.blogspot.com/2009/04/kiss-guy.html

http://edenbradley.blogspot.com/

http://jeannielin.com/blog/2009/04/13/excerpt-monday-his-or-hers/

http://ginaardito.blogspot.com/2009/04/its-excerpt-monday.html

http://www.rflong.com/?p=354

http://stephanieadkins.wordpress.com/blog/

http://blogs.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=blog.view&friendId=442990380&blogId=482929338

http://roselondon.wordpress.com/

http://writingspectacle.blogspot.com/2009/04/excerpt-monday.html

http://jamiebabette.wordpress.com/2009/04/13/excerpt-monday-2/

http://ambergilchrist.wordpress.com/

Happy Easter everyone!

Touchy Feely

I had to make myself put them down so I could take a picture of them.  Wow.  I mean, how else do you describe this?  Wow.  More later once the shock has worn off

It is ALIVE!

Yup, the e-book version of Another Time, Another Place is available NOW!  I was told…or remembered incorrectly, which is prolly the case…that it would be out Friday, but the site has it available today.  This book is near and dear to my heart as it is the first ever written by me.  ATAP caused me much heartache and grief…and nearly a divorce…but it has also sent me over the moon when I first held the print copy in my hand.  The only scenerio I can use to describe it is that it was much like holding your newborn baby in your hands…only quieter and much less messy   Okay, so the baby thing might rank a bit higher, but at least you can fathom my joy.  ANYHOW, you can go http://www.thewildrosepress.com/another-time-another-place-p-1161.html to order it!  Please?  Pretty please?  Print comes out next month!!!  SQUEEEEEEEEE!!!

Come see me!

It is that time of year again!  KGBX, a local radio station, is having their annual Women’s Show.  Vendors from around the area who have products or services catering to women come together for one day to promo and give stuff away!  I’ll be setting up shop for the third year in a row, but this time I’m doing things a little different.  I’m pimping e-books!  I am proud to announce that new life is FINALLY being breathed into my very first book, Another Time, Another Place, and the release date for the ebook version is Friday!  So, Saturday I will be giving away an eBookwise reader to one lucky person who enters my drawings.  This is the most expensive giveaway I’ve ever done.  I’m even collecting snippets from fellow Wild Rose Press and Freya’s Bower authors to load in advance as well. 

Turn out to this show has always been phenominal and I would recommend any of you authors who might be lurking to check with your local city office and see if you have one in your area.  I normally walk away with 500 or more names and addresses to send post cards and promo stuff to throughout the year. 

Anyhow, if you are in the area, stop by and say hello.  Here’s a link to the info: http://www.kgbx.com/pages/KGBXWomensShow.html  I’d love to meet you!