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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Monday, October 29, 2012

And The Muses' winners are ...


***D R U M R O L L ***

KATSRUS

CATHY MC  ELHANEY

SLAPPYLILLY

Congratulations ladies, your downloads will be sent shortly

Congratulations Mandy. Thanks to all those who came by and commented, we hope you enjoyed playing with the Muses!
 Join us  again on 2nd November for more fun and Frolics at
 when the guest of honour will be Charlene Raddon

Friday, October 26, 2012

The Muses get Roasted and Toasted


 "Oh this is so exciting," Mary shrieks, as she adjusts the strap of her too-tight bikini top for the hundredth time.




 "I can't believe it, some of the muses of inspiration and their authors are actually visiting our Roast!" Mac says.

"Ooh, do hurry up," Lyn urges her sister hostesses, "I bet Terpsichore is there already, and if I'm late she'll never let me hear the end of it!"

"Patsy flexes her biceps, her bikini moulding itself to her statuesque form. "I wonder if bikinis are the right thing to wear in a divine spring? It was nice of them to invite us to have a party at the Spring of Hippocrene wasn' it, isn't it one of the 'springs of Pegasus?"

"That's right," Lyn tells them."The springs are located at the foot of Mount Helicon and the myths say the waters that became the springs of Hippocrene, Pirene and Aganippe gushed forth from beneath the hoof of Pegasus when he struck a rock - " she pauses and frowns at Cuddles who is stamping his little hoof in the dust. "Stop that Cuddles, you're a unicorn, not a Pegasus! Hippocrene means ‘Spring of the Horse'. Pirene means ‘to flow around’ and Aganippe means ‘The Gentle Mare’."

"Ooh get her!" Mary grins, and Lyn treads on her foot, accidentally on purpose,

"Ow!" Mary shrieks, "How come your muse is the muse of dancing, when your own feet are so big and clumsy?"

"These sidekicks of ours had better behave themselves," Mac says frowning at Fraser, and Patsy glances at Hampy, riding on Nibby's back. "We don't want to upset the muses!"

"...or bring down the wrath of their dad, Zeus! Lyn agrees, with a shudder.

 
"Legend has it that anyone who drinks from the springs or immerses themselves in the waters has poetic inspiration conferred upon them," Patsy says as they approach the springs and see the muses already gathered, and dancing around the crystal clear springs.

"Oh look!" Mac points at Oliver, setting out tables loaded with food, "Oliver's dressed up as Dionyssus!"


"And  - there's ale and Mead!" Lyn exclaims,

"and roasted lamb and 

Cretan Dakos,  made from whole wheat and barley with feta cheese and  sweet tomatoes, olives, Imam Baildi, which is eggplants, stuffed with vegetables and feta cheese, and lobster, and cheeses and Domas ...yum!"


















Ambrosia (Courtesy of Flickr)
and that must be Ambrosia, and Nectar, for the muses, and pom, the muses' favourite fruit!"
Nectar (Courtesy of flickr)






Pierus..


Ceris
Then the hostesses spot some handsome hunks making their way to the springs

Myrddyn


Jim Carrey

"Oooh!" Mary drools. "Hurry sisters, there's man candy - and there's Jim Carrey in the clouds just like the painting ..." Patsy, Mac and Lyn look at each other and shake their heads in despair. "You have a wonderful imagination Mary, and we haven't even bathed in the springs yet!"

The hostesses hurry down to the springs, to welcome the Muses and their authors. Let the party begin!


(Books, authors and muses in the order they appeared  in the original 'Song Of the Muses' series written for The Wild Rose Press. Unless otherwise stated, these have been revised and re-published independently by their authors.)


1. ANCIENT MUSINGS (Calliope)
One's darkness proves the other's light

Bored with her muse duties and unable to 
face immortality another day, Calliope, the muse of writing and epic poetry, asks Zeus to end her eternal existence. Zeus sends her to Hades instead. Deep down in the underworld lies a pool from which all life springs. If Calliope can find it, she can request death of Gaia at Gaia's pool.
image by M Holl

Deceased twentieth-century 

archaeologist's psyche, Jake Genoese, comes to her aid. More from the fact he's riding her coattails. He's embarking on a journey to whatever lies beyond the River Acheron--early. He wasn't buried with an obol to expedite his trip to the afterlife. So, he "borrows" Calliope's.

Oh, to live and never know you've lived...The Sacred Hours sing as passion blooms from ANCIENT MUSINGS.

PURCHASE LINK


BIO
Aside from muscled men in fur, leather, denim, or kilts, Skhye  loves cultural ecology, cultural evolution, cultural relativism, and natural processes. Big ideas. Simple concepts that manifest in world building to crazy people like me who studied anthropology and geology before turning to writing romantic fiction. My rule of thumb is to love the good, the bad, and the ugly of every culture in my tales so every aspect of my stories resonates as real as possible.
Check out my free reads at:
www.skhyemoncrief.com
Join me at:
www.skhyemoncrief.com
www.blog.skhyemoncrief.com
www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=659800548
My newsletter:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/skhyemoncrief



2HIGHLAND MUSE (Melpomene)
 Melpomene, muse of Tragedy, has a celestial duty to mankind that no love has ever before challenged. But when a Scottish warrior she has always watched over sacrifices himself for another, she is torn from her path and ready to make her own sacrifice: She will defy fate and her father Zeus to make the ultimate sacrifice and change everything for one courageous Scot...
image by M Holl

Rowan Stewart is ready and willing to lay down his life for his kinswoman and Queen, but when he awakens after a fatal blow with a beautiful woman crouching over him, he must struggle to understand his new place in his own displaced life. Driven by duty, Rowan strives to keep an oath that will tear him and Melpomene apart forever. But with her love and her life on the line, Melpomene isn't ready to let go. In a journey fraught with Greek Gods, Scottish politics, and fledgling desire, it's a race to see whether love really can conquer all... before it's too late.

PURCHASE LINK

BIO
Sky is the best-selling author of seven novels and several novellas. A New Englander born and bred, Sky was raised hearing stories of folklore, myth and legend. When combined with a love for nature, romance and time-travel, elements from the stories of her youth found release in her books. Readers have described her work as "Refreshing" and "Unforgettable." Sky loves to hear from readers and can be contacted at Sky@SkyPurington.com. Interested in keeping up with Sky's latest news and releases? Visit Sky's Website, www.skypurington.com to download her free App on iTunes and Android. 
www.skypuringtonwrites.blogspot.com



3. DESTINY'S LIGHT (Euterpe)
A wish to go back would unlock more than she expected…
For as long as Euterpe could remember, the Muses had always been sent to help inspire mankind. She longed to go back again, but man had lost his faith. Centuries drifted by and Eutrepe was certain she would never walk among the humans again. The night Zeus summons her for a final task in the mortal world she jumps at the chance. It was a quest she was willing to take, that is, until the interference of a God and her memory is lost. 
image by M Holl

Ceris is a loner and musician. Stuck at an impasse with a song he needs to complete, but cannot, he wonders if the words will be locked inside his soul forever. Sure he will never release his thoughts, he ventures out into the night in hopes of some kind of inspiration. Never in his dreams did he expect it would come in the form of a woman with no memory who nearly dies at the hands of an oncoming car in the dead of night


In order to reveal the song that fills Ceris' soul they must first unlock Euterpe’s past before it’s too late….
Their future is at stake, but first they must beat back the darkness before it time is up. 

PURCHASE LINK

BIO
RG Porter is an Epic Fantasy as well as Supernatural horror author. She wrote her first novel, Shadow of the Wolf, back in 2005, as a way to escape from a chaotic world. Though she never expected her writing to go anywhere, her first novel debuted through Wild Rose Press in 2007. Since then she has continued to write what she is drawn to. Whether it is a world where magic and shape-shifters exist or a place where ever choice could be your last, her imagination weaves those places into stories. Currently she finds herself writing as much as she can. Now branching out into other genres, she plans to release more supernatural horrors as well as completely some of the series that are still outstanding.

4.THE BRIGHTEST HEAVEN (Ourania)

image by M Holl
Ourania, muse of Astronomy, is disconsolate: technology flourishes, but true creativity seems lost. Then she meets Daniel Kettering, an astrophysicist who shines with inspiration. But he's about to make a discovery which will threaten time, space, and every existing world.

The Olympians order Ourania to carry an ultimatum for Daniel: forget your research and get eternal life. Or else. But first, Ourania and Daniel have to figure out who stole Daniel's research, save the universe, and defeat Chaos; and maybe find happiness.

BIO

Masha Holl was raised in France, astraddle two cultures, on magic tales, Russian literature, Mozart, Verdi, and French cuisine. Today, she writes romantic science fiction and fantasy--that's werewolves, spaceships, and alien universes--to the sounds of Metal Rock. College brought her to America, and romance kept her here, so expect love and happy endings in her stories. She continues to teach university students part-time, but she has also set off on a strange new adventure with a web-based graphic novel.

Ms. Holl also creates illustrations and other graphic art. Her images owe much to the Russian folk tales she heard in her childhood, and which she studied in Graduate School at the University of Wisconsin. A folklorist by calling, she will never fail to remind you that there are no fairies in Russian folklore, and therefore the tales should be called Russian "folk," not "fairy" tales. 
http://mashaholl.com
http://mashaholl.com/wordpress/blog/
 NOTE:  Masha also created the lovely images for most of the muses of our stories.  Thank you Masha, you are so talented!
5. ERATO'S TEARS by Reece Herring  is currently being formatted for re-release, so is not  available at this time. However, the original story can be purchased in the used paperback version of the anthology, in Book II (PURCHASE LINK) of the  SONG OF THE MUSES published by The Wild Rose Press and available from Amazon.




Powerful love is cut tragically short. Beyond Hades domain their destiny burns eternally bright. Two lost souls search through time to discover their hidden passion. In Delphi, Mathias, an outcast Spartan finds a reason at last to abandon his wanderlust in the vulnerable Ambrosia. With the unseen aid of Erato, he tries desperately to conquer her hatred of warriors and bring peace to his unsettled soul. A tenuous hold on love develops, but will their untried bond endure? Can the Muse of Love overcome the destructive power of one god's revenge, and right the wrongs of history? Only ERATOS TEARS will determine.

 6. DANCING WITH FATE (Terpsichore)
A Greek Muse’s life changes for ever when she meets a legendary character with a mindblowing destiny, Celtic Wales

When Terpsichore, the Greek Muse of Dance, is assigned to revisit 5th Century Wales, and help the people regain their love of dancing, her task seems simple enough. She is unaware there is a hidden agenda. Before she can return to Olympus her path crosses that of the mysterious Myrddin, and her heart is lost.
image by M Holl

But Myrddin is promised to another. His mind is set on the dangerous task that lies before him, and the woman he has sworn to save. Nevertheless, he cannot deny the growing attraction between him and the beautiful stranger he meets along the way.

Terpsichore and Myrddin face a deadly force that threatens to part them forever.  Is there nothing she can do to save him? Finally, when all seems lost, in desperation she finds herself DANCING WITH FATE
Smashwords PURCHASE LINK
AMAZON.COM (Paperback and Kindle)
AMAZON.CO.UK (Paperback and Kindle)

BIO
Lyn and Harri (Myrddyn's horse)
Lyn is Welsh and very proud of it, although at present she lives away from the wild beauty of her beloved homeland, in a small village in England, surrounded by pretty countryside, with her long-suffering husband.

She loves horses and dogs and has two horses of her own, Harri and T'pau, and a rescued Jack Russell terrier, Bouncer. Hywela and Lyn are her first two names and when she was first published she decided to use them both and drop her surname, since she's always been called `Lyn' and thought it was time her Welsh first name was used. Being easily confused herself, Lyn thought she should explain this to avoid confusing everyone else! 
(Unlike her muse, she has no skill at dancing at all:) )
www.hywelalyn.co.uk
www.hywelayn.blogspot.com
7. The Hour Glass Witch (Clio)
A Romantic Altered History Time Travel Tale with a splash of Greek Myth.


image by M Holl

Travel back to the Salem Witch Hunt when a wicked glance could have you hanging from the gallows, convicted of lustful witchcraft! Accused of being a witch, Clio, the Muse of History is thrown in prison by a former lover from another life. To escape the gallows, she flees back in time, to the Italian Renaissance, where she becomes a courtesan for a famous Italian painter, living a life of luxury while pining for her lost love. Her favorite god and good friend, Dionysus, is living it up in Tuscany. He invites her to a wild party at his palace where she runs smack-dab into her destiny, only to be separated once more by the Queen of Gorgons. While the sands of time run out, she travels to Hades to face the hounds of Hell in search of her love. Can she salvage her one true love, please the gods and save the lost souls of Salem?

BIO






Alisha Paige lives in the Deep South and loves history, much like her muse, Clio. She still has a crush on her husband, has three beautiful children, two nutty dogs...a yellow lab named Strawberry and a Great Pyrs names Scrappy and a ragdoll siamese named Frankie Nelson who warms her feet while she writes. She just recently became a freaking soccer mom and loves to watch her son play soccer. Her favorite things are hearing her kids laugh, rain storms, snowy nights, hazlenut coffee, red wine and Halloween.
http://alishapaige.blogspot.

.
8. No Funny Stuff (Thalia by Michelle Hart, originally  published by the Wild Rose Press, in Book III is re-published and available  HERE

Something's Rotten at the Gates of Heaven. Under conspiratorial inspiration of Olympian thrones, Thalia, the muse of comedy, sends a blessing of love and laughter to Drew Murphy, a young man cursed to a short and miserable life. But when her favorite messenger Daisy Sullivan accidentally launches the magic--wrong time, wrong place, wrong method, wrong everything! Thalia must force to light buried secrets of a millennia-old family curse and face down a most vengeful Immortal on his own battlefield.

9.The Dance Of The Dracon (Polyhymnia)
image by M Holl
Hymnia, the muse of glorious praise, in an unusual display of arrogance is thrust through time to medieval Scotland. She encounters Dacien Lugh MacEthnenn the Laird of Castle Lugh, a rogue dragon who seems anything but god-like. She uncovers the mystery of the disappearing women of his castle but loses her heart to the very person she suspects of doing the killing, in THE DANCE OF THE DRACON.

BIO 
Born in Traverse City, Michigan, situated between the lovely East and West Bays leading to Old Mission Peninsula,Val now resides in the Appalachian Mountains of Boone, North Carolina, near the Blue Ridge Parkway. Most days, you can find her at her laptop, in a little cabin atop a mountain with her husband, Louis, two sons, and a few pets! And when she isn't writing, go around back and check the garden...she should be there.

The Grandfather Mountain Highland Games is a playground for her writing imagination, as is the picturesque beauty of northern Michigan. Mystery and suspense, love and romance along with courageous heroes and heroines. Share her world for a spell...magic isn't optional...it's a guarantee.
www.vallebower.com






***GIVEAWAY***
To win a download, all you have to do is just leave a comment and your e-mail address.
Contest ends on Sunday and everyone who comments is eligible.

AUTHOR ROAST AND TOAST

AUTHOR ROAST AND TOAST
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WOULD YOU LIKE TO BE OUR GUEST? DO YOU WANT TO PROMOTE YOUR NEW RELEASE OR EVEN AN OLDER ONE?IF YOU FANCY BEING GUEST OF HONOUR AT ONE OF OUR PARTIES JUST EMAIL US AT THE ADDRESS in 'OLIVER'S RULES'!(PLEASE NOTE THIS IS A 'G' RATED BLOG SO NOTHING HIGHER THAN THIS RATING, PLEASE.)