D

D
As many of you may know, our beloved sister hostess SHARON DONOVAN, tragically passed away on 11th April 2012. We who knew her, loved her, and were inspired by her courage and determination to face head on whatever life threw at her. When she could no longer see to paint she turned to writing and showed her amazing talent in the Inspirational Romance and Romantic Suspense genres, and her story 'Charade Of Hearts' was awarded the coveted Predators and Editors Award in January 2011.

This Blog was a source of great delight to her, she was one of the founder hostesses and she contributed to the fun and silliness in her own original way, and was kind enough to let her unique creation, the hunky butler 'Oliver' join us for our Friday romp and prepare 'virtual breakfast' for the guests on the following morning. It's beyond hard to have to go on without her, but we know that she would have been the first to insist that 'the show must go on.' She is, and will always be with us in spirit.
Sharon, dear friend, we will never forget you.
The Author Roast and Toast is part of the legacy you left us. Let's raise a Toast to you as well as all our guests.
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Friday, September 25, 2009

Kat Henry Doran joins the Author's Roast And Toast


Let's find out a little bit about this happy author. Then lets she what she's really like. The person behind the picture, (or the book). Welcome Kat Henry Doran, learn a bit about her, and then roast and toast her, whichever you prefer to do. Speak up now!
Here's Kat's bio.

Nurse, insurance investigator, forensic nurse examiner, victim advocate, author, wife and mother; Kat Henry Doran has been there, done all that--and more.

A native of Upstate New York, Kat uses the years she spent haunting police stations, Emergency Rooms, and criminal courtrooms, advocating for victims of sexual violence, as background for her writing, which has been described as brutally realistic and starkly honest.

Even though she hung up her speculum a few years ago, and no longer paces the corridors outside Grand Jury and police interrogation rooms, she continues to advocate for disenfranchised populations through Panties For Peace and Amnesty International

For excerpts of her writing, and the professional programs Kat presents, check out www.KatHenry.com


Oh My Goodness here she comes, look at the gown the shoes (Jimmy who?), my goodness she looks gorgeous! Are those diamonds in her ears?
See the big smile on Kat's face, Lyn and Sharon, that is because she is just about to be escorted into the large plant filled atrium at the AR&T building. The two guards, muscular and still dressed in Kilts from a couple of blogs ago. But Sharon complimented them so many times they won't wear anything else.


It does, Kat, make Lyn keep throwing stuff on the floor when she comes in to make them bend over. She's a hoot. The crew is waiting in there for you to come in.

Junior and Cuddles are chasing the butterfly's we hatched in here. It's smells of sweet earth in amongst the flowers, and the flowers... Cuddles are those feathers you are shedding?
Well Oliver sees you and he's running over here right now. Why is he still in a Tarzan loincloth? Do you think he should change into something else, it's just a piece of cloth between him and the refreshments.


Kat now that you are seated and the level of pandemonium has settled to a manageable level tell us a tad about your book. You want a Chocolate Martini, Oliver has the menu. Here you are, taste a sample if you like.

Captain Marvelous Blurb and Excerpt

BLURB:

In a small Catskill Mountain town, someone is murdering her patients. Physician's Assistant Annie Wolfe prays for someone, anyone, to stop the violence. After New York State Police Captain Ronen Marvelic is assigned to the investigation, Annie soon learns that wishes, while coming true, can backfire. In more ways than one.

EXCERPT:

"Marvelic is down here on special assignment, looking into the trouble," Valetta told her. "I'd like you to help him."

"Trouble?" she mused. "An odd way of describing women being murdered then dumped along I-88 like last week's trash."

"Now, Annie." Valetta's patent sigh made Ronen cringe.

Offering the man a glacial stare, she said, "I'll ignore that patronizing response, Major, because I know you would never deliberately piss me off."

"You're right on that account," the man muttered.

"And I'm sure, had you seen the condition of the bodies as I did, you would agree with my professional opinion that it was a blessing none of them survived."

"I would," he said.

Ronen felt the cold sweep of her gaze from forehead to shoes. "Special assignment, Marvelic? Guess you picked the right asses to kiss after all."

From her, the comment stung. "The less people who know why I was assigned to this area the better."

"That your way of telling me to keep my lips zipped?"

Because Kat is so generous and she wants one person to win her wonderful book. You have to answer the question to be entered in the competition. So here goes.

How many women with menopause does it take to change a lightbulb?
Have fun and for goodness sakes laugh! Well, my fellow roasters take it away!





Friday, September 18, 2009

Birthday Roast for Teri Wilson


Thank God it’s Friday! And it’s party time at The Author Roast and Toast! Welcome fellow bloggers! We are cooking up a special treat for Teri Wilson. Today just happens to be release day for Once Upon a Collar. And if that isn’t reason enough to celebrate, there’s more. It’s Teri’s birthday…and the party sizzles! But before we call this brave spitfire out to be grilled at the stake, here’s a little about our victim.

Teri loves God, dogs, romance and cute shoes. She is the author of four published romance novels and a Bible Study Guide for animal lovers. Her on-going chick lit series, Chihuahuas are Better than Facelifts, won the Pet Sitters International Humor Award last year and is currently in its 12th installment. Her first full-length inspirational
romance, Cup of Joe, releases in December of this year. And her novella, Once Upon a Collar, is being serialized by White Rose Publishing and is available to readers
for free on the White Rose Yahoo group.

She is the author of the Hoofbeats & Heartstrings series of romance novels from The Wild Rose Press which celebrate love, miracles and the beauty of horses. A portion of the proceeds from all the Hoofbeats & Heartstrings books go directly to help horses in need at Saddlebred Horse Rescue.

Once Upon a Collar will be serialized one chapter a week on the White Rose Yahoo Group and then it will no longer be available
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/WhiteRosePublishing/

To read more about Teri and her other books, visit her website at:
www.teriwilson.net

Once Upon a Collar

Blurb:

Whenever Emilie Bonner meets a man, she can’t help but imagine what he would look like on top of a wedding cake. Since she spends most of her waking hours designing wedding cake toppers, it’s somewhat of an occupational hazard.

Somewhere along the way--perhaps after the first two hundred or so--hand-crafted bridegrooms, Emilie begins to doubt she’ll ever find her own happily-ever-after. Then, after a mysterious encounter with a woman who could be an angel, Emilie meets a handsome stranger at the dog park. At first, it seems as though Matt, with his big dopey dog and irrepressible charm, is the Prince Charming she’s been waiting
for. Not only is he a sweetheart, but he’d look great on top of a wedding cake.
Soon, however, she discovers something about him that changes everything and leaves
her wondering…does God believe in fairy tales?


Excerpt:

“Would you care for some company?”
Butterflies take flight in the pit of my stomach until I realize that no, God is not answering me in an audible fashion. Rather, someone is addressing me right here in the dog park. A man, if the deep voice is any indication. A man who is, apparently, not intimidated by outrageously large dogs.

Bright sunlight assaults my vision as my eyelids flutter open. I can’t see the stranger belonging to the manly inflection, only a dark shadow backlit by rays of glittering sunshine.
“I’m sorry to disturb you. I just thought you might enjoy some company.” The shadow gestures to the slightly smaller shadow next to him. “I figured we big dog people need to stick together.”
Big dog people? But I thought I was the only one, as in big dog person. Singular. I shift on the bench and squint at the smaller shadow. When the bright spots clouding my vision finally clear, I see a panting dog staring back at me. A very large, panting dog. Not a St. Bernard, but the next best thing.

“A Newfoundland!” I squeal, unable to contain my enthusiasm at finally finding a suitable buddy for Bernard. “I can’t believe it. You have a Newfoundland.”
I offer my hand, palm up, to the shaggy black dog for an introductory sniff. The Newfie responds with a long swipe of his tongue across my knuckles.

“Bear, didn’t anyone tell you it’s not nice to go around kissing strangers?”

At last, I tear my gaze from the Newfie and get my first glimpse of his owner. And, oh my, his shadow didn’t do him justice. Mr. Big Dog has soulful blue eyes and short, thick hair the exact same color as Annabelle’s chocolate ganache. I must say, it’s every bit as mouthwatering as a hair color. I am momentarily rendered dumbstruck, so I blurt out the first thing that enters my head. “Oh, it’s no bother. I don’t mind being kissed. I rather like it.”
Almost before the words leave my mouth, a burning sensation settles in my cheeks. I did not just say that. I cringe as Mr. Big Dog laughs, his sea-blue eyes dancing with humor. Ugh. Maybe I did say it.

The lights flicker once, then twice. Then all go dark in the Cinderella castle where Teri is being grilled. But then a beautiful birthday cake appears in a kaleidoscope of candles. The audience gasps as the cake explodes and Teri Wilson pops out. Oliver rushes to her, kisses her on the cheek and presents her with a bouquet of white roses. The hostesses along with Cuddles and Junior gather around and croak out a verse of Happy Birthday. Then Oliver ties Teri to the stake. With a wicked wink, he gives the go ahead for Junior and Cuddles to steal one of Teri’s cute shoes. And with Oliver egging them on, the mischievous unicorn and dog are off and running.

Come on, Teri. So you believe in fairy tales and the happily ever after, do you? We’ll see about that. Let’s crank up the heat and get this party rolling. You can’t go too far with only one shoe. And if you don’t get it back by time the bell in the tower gongs, you’ll turn into a pumpkin. Fear not, it’s all in fun. You signed the contract, promising to keep your sense of humor for seven hours straight, chat with the bloggers and give a copy of Once Upon a Collar to one lucky blogger at the end of the day. No, too late to change your mind. It’s time to sizzle! And now fellow bloggers, here is the question you must answer for Teri in order to be put in the contest. Leave a comment and Teri will choose a winner. Ready, set, go!

Remember, if Teri doesn’t get her shoe back by the end of the roast, she’ll turn into a pumpkin, putting an end to her fairy tale and her chance for a happily ever after. So here’s the million dollar question:

Where in the twenty-four room Cinderella castle did Cuddles and Junior hide Teri’s cute shoe?

Put your best foot forward, fellow bloggers! Good luck!

Friday, September 11, 2009

Amber Leigh Williams flies in for a roasting

Before we get on to the fun today, let's just pause for a moment in thought and contemplation.


In memory of 9/11 To all the angels and heroes that lost their lives on this horrific day in history, we salute you.

*****************


The scene is set, the runway is clear as a small plane comes in to land.

The pilot jumps gracefully down from the cockpit of the vintage P-38, removes her goggles and turning, smiles radiantly. The person everyone has been waiting for, is here at last.

Amber Leigh Williams, talented author of 'Forever Amore' has bravely volunteered to go undercover and find out for herself what goes on at the 'Author Roast & Toast'. Such courage. One can only wonder if she realises what she has let herself in for.

Oliver bows deeply and opens the door of the waiting limousine. (Well Sharon pays him enough, sometimes a butler just has to expect to do two jobs!)

With a shriek of brakes the car stops outside the secret location and screeches to a halt (Oliver is not the most careful of drivers it has to be said. ) As the hostesses rush up to greet their guest, followed by a rather excited dog and a cheeky unicorn, Oliver gets out of the car and bounds toward Sharon who nudges him sharply and whispers something that sounds like - 'remember the auction'. Blushing at his own forgetfulness, Oliver holds the door open for Amber and winks as she gracefully exits. With a regal nod she thanks him - but it is only then she realises he is dressed in a full 'Biggles' outfit!

Once inside, Sharon rings for Oliver to bring in tea and cakes and Amber makes herself at home, reclining elegantly on the comfortable chaise longue. Wordlessly she hands over her credentials. They read as follows:

'Amber Leigh Williams is a multi-published author, a member of Romance Writers of America, and monthly contributor to Romance Writers United's Write Right newsletter. Her western romance Blackest Heart placed first in the 2009 More Than Magic Novella category. She works in a bookstore and lives with her husband and three labs on the Gulf Coast. Visit Amber on the web at www.amberleighwilliams.com
The hostesses 'um' and 'ah' in admiration and continue to read the blurb of her latest book, 'Forever Amore'.

Was their love destined to last forever … Engaged in a brutal dogfight, dashing American Lieutenant Charles Tyler crashes his broken plane into the Italian countryside. He prays for divine intervention—and is certain he’s found an angel from the very moment he looks up at Lucille Renaldi’s lovely face. Yet how can he be with her when his sense of duty tells him to stay away? … or become another casualty of war? Lucille’s attraction to the American is forbidden, her obligation to her family’s safety overwhelming. At great peril the Renaldis carry Charles from the crash site and disguise him as just another worker in their vineyard. Hidden there inside the ugliness of World War II is the beauty of a growing love, and a danger that could end their lives any day—when all they want is … forever.

Oliver re-enters, a silver tray balanced gracefully on one hand, which he places on a small table before the hostesses and their guests. He seems unable to take his eyes off Amber, and backs slowly out of the room, blowing a kiss. He hovers at the door until a word from Sharon has him shutting it behind him with obvious reluctance. The others pour over the words before them:

Excerpt: His lips brushed her cheek, tender. “Listen.” His voice carried a sensual, guttural rust that caused a stir within despite herself. “I want to help. If this is what it takes …” As he trailed off, her lips parted as she finished his thought.. “You would do that?” “If it was what you really wanted,” he assured her. “If it was what you needed to take your mind off whatever it is that’s driven you to tears. As I said, I can’t stand to see you in pain.” She shook her head. “I can’t use you. I won’t.” “I’m not anywhere near the man you deserve, but if it’s me you trust, you have me. All you have to do is say so. I’d save you any day, and not just because you saved me.” The right answer hovered on her tongue—refusal. But something forestalled it. She shouldn’t consider. She shouldn’t want—not this way. But what other way was there? Especially now that her time was running out and the cage door was so quickly closing on her? She wanted Charles Tyler. This might be her only chance to experience a woman’s true pleasure. A man’s true loving. “Dio,” she breathed, unable to meet his gaze. She glanced around the cemetery once, afraid of the ghosts listening on the edges.
Purchase Link:
http://www.blacklyonpublishing.com/Forever%20Amore.html


Title: Forever Amore
Author: Amber Leigh Williams
ISBN: 978-1-934912-19-5
Price: $16.95 paperback
Price: $8.00 Ebook (PDF format)
Pages: 250 paperback
Released: September 1, 2009!

The formalities are not quite over. In order for you to win a copy of this wonderful book, Amber requires an answer to the following question which she has painstakingly managed to decode:

"What was Biggles doing when the wine ran out?"

Friday, September 4, 2009

Rachel Rossano you won!

Winner of my book Tripping Through Time, either pdf or print your choice. You were the first one with the right answer and you participated like a good sport, adding much to our blog today. Thanks
Mary Ricksen
contact me at mricksen@att.net

Thursday, September 3, 2009

Cate Masters Gets Cooked Come Help Dish Out!





Today the Hostesses of the Author Roast and Toast Blog are pleased to welcome author Cate Masters. Cate Masters’ novels, novellas and short fiction appear at The Wild Rose Press, Eternal Press, Wild Child Publishing/ Freya’s Bower and Shadowfire Press. Her flash and short stories are published with The Battered Suitcase , A Long Story Short, Dark Sky Magazine, Cezanne’s Carrot, The Harrow, Flesh from Ashes, Quality Women’s Fiction, Phase, and The Writer’s online edition. In 2005, Pennwriters awarded her second place in its annual Short Story contest. Her freelance articles have appeared in The Sentinel, Carlisle. The proud mom of three adult children, she currently lives in central Pennsylvania with her husband, Benji the dog and their dictator-like cat, Chairman Maiow. Visit her online at her website, blog, or follow her on Facebook.

Despite this impressive background we still have chosen Cate. Carefully we went over the beginning requests to be on the blog. (These people had no clue what they are in for. ) Anyways as I was saying. We chose Cate Masters to be roasted and toasted this week because she appears to be a good sport, is ready for a verbal sparring, wants to be waited on by the handsome charismatic Oliver, has a good sense of humor and is quick witted. I hope she can take it.

Here’s the story blurb:

Publicist Allison Morris plans her own life – what’s left of it – around the life of her boss Michelle McCarter, the ex-wife of a famous rock star. When Michelle needs emergency public relations patchwork in Hawaii pronto, Allison arranges a flight to the dream destination. At the airport, she meets Wes Hamilton, a six-foot-three sun-bleached blond whose blue eyes and dazzling smile rekindle her fizzled-out sizzle. A world-renowned surfer, Wes captivates her with his charm and wit, though his easy fame and on-the-edge lifestyle are the polar opposite of her own. When their jet loses its fuselage in mid-air, she takes advantage of what she thinks are her last minutes alive with Wes. The plane lands safely. Wes takes care of her when her carefully constructed life begins to unravel. When Michelle accuses Allison of using Wes to gain fame for herself, Allison’s world falls apart in an explosive confrontation. Wes is waiting with open arms when she has nowhere else to go, but can Allison learn to stop planning and go with gravity?

Take a look at this fantastic excerpt that we have posted for Cate. Her stories will become known in every household where a romance writer resides.

And here’s the excerpt:

Allison pulled her portfolio from her laptop case and set it on her lap, afraid to open it. As soon as the articles had arrived on her fax machine, she’d shoved them into her bag, then hopped in the shower. Delay tactics only worked for so long. The moment of truth had arrived. She opened it and thumbed through. Eleven pages. Eleven. And these were only the newspaper articles from the past two days. TV and online news sites surely covered more. And then there’d be the inevitable blogger. Uncontrollable, overly opinionated and accountable to no one, they were the worst.

Michelle had arrived on Oahu with a bang, and then had the audacity to blame Allison for not doing her job to quell the media. She held up one photo of a topless Michelle prancing in the surf, laughing. Rumors and innuendo could be stopped with logic and tact, but to downplay this photo, she’d need a good explanation. When Michelle’s logic and tact failed her so obviously, Allison had to wonder about her mental state.

A hulking figure filled the aisle, stowing his bag in the overhead compartment.

Those shorts. That shirt.

It was him.

He checked his ticket, looked at her and smiled. His blond hair fell across his forehead as he sat next to her, his shoulder bumping hers. “Hello again.”

For two years, she’d rubbed elbows with stars of all magnitudes without so much as a blink, and fended off paparazzi following the wife of megastar James McCarter.

With two words, she’d been reduced to the rank of dreamy-eyed teeny bopper.

He smiled, raised an eyebrow.

She realized, then, she hadn’t responded. And her mouth hung open.

Make that drooling dreamy-eyed teeny bopper.

She flashed a smile. Think. Damage control is your business. Put it to good use for once.

“Hi.” Oh, yes. Very witty. What a deft deflection of his charm.

She turned back to her articles, but sensed the weight of his stare.

He frowned at her reading material. “Sorry. Didn’t mean to read over your shoulder. I take it you’re a closet fan of the poor little rich girl?”

“In the same way I’m a closet fan of train wrecks, I suppose. I guess you’re not a fan.”

“Of hers?” He chuckled. “God, no. She’s awful. Her publicist should be shot.”

Shot. Of course. Working fifty-five to sixty-five hours a week wasn’t enough to keep the spin spinning fast enough for the rest of the world. The one guy who’d interested her in the past two and a half years thought she made a good candidate for execution. Her life was in such a rut, she’d need mountain climbing gear to get out.

“If you’re a fan, I didn’t mean to offend.” Sincerity had wiped the smile from his face.

“Actually, I’m..” She turned and smiled, “her publicist.”

Great excerpt Cate! Way to Go!

Thanks so much,
Cate

And there you have it my friends, great story, nice author, and certainly has to be put on the top of your TBR list. But we can't let her get away that easily. Welcome one and all. Let's see what Cate is made of. Can she handle the pressure and comeback challenge. Go, Cate, Go and run the gauntlet!

One More Thing!

The question!! Of course the person with the very best answer will win a prize. And you must leave a comment to be eligible to win the prize.

So Here's the question:

What were Tarzan's last words?


AUTHOR ROAST AND TOAST

AUTHOR ROAST AND TOAST
authorroast@btinternet.com
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