Valentine's Day Giveaway!

Valentine’s Day – and I’m a romance writer!

 

February 14th – 1 plus 4 equals 5, so I’m giving away a PDF copy of one of my novels to five – yes five! – people who leave me a comment. For a chance to win, all you have to do is say which novel you would like – and why!

 

Here’s some information about each of them:

 

‘His Leading Lady’: Jess Harper's predictable life is turned upside down when she discovers that Lora, her twin sister, has disappeared. It's just a week before rehearsals are due to start for a new West End musical in which Lora has the lead role. Jess decides to pose as her sister in order to save Lora's career. This brings her into close contact with arrogrant theatre director Kyle Drummond. Attraction sparks between them but there's also evidence that he had been dating Lora. So is Jess simply a substitute - in real life as well as in the show? And what will happen when Lora eventually returns?

 

'Fragrance of Violets' is set mainly in England's Lake District, a beautiful area which I know and love. The latter part of the story moves to London's theatre world and also to Paris.

The title is derived from a quotation by Mark Twain - "Forgiveness is the fragrance the violet sheds on the heel that has crushed it"

Abbey Seton distrusts men, especially Jack Tremayne who destroyed their friendship when they were teenagers. Ten years later, they meet again. Can they put the past behind them? Abbey has to forgive not only Jack, but also her father who deserted his family when she was young. Jack holds himself responsible for his fiancée’s death. He’s also hiding another secret which threatens the fragile resumption of their relationship. Will Abbey ever forgive him when she finds out the truth?

 

'Changing the Future': Lisa Marshall is stunned when celebrated volcanologist Paul Hamilton comes back into her life at the college where she now teaches. Despite their acrimonious break-up several years earlier, they soon realise the magnetic attraction between them is stronger than ever.

However, the past is still part of the present, not least when Paul discovers Lisa has a young son.

They can't change the past, but will it take a volcanic eruption to help them change the future?

 

'Her Only Option': Neve Dalton loves her job as a tour guide on a River Nile cruise ship as much as she values her independence. She isn’t ready to settle down with her Egyptian boyfriend, despite his repeated proposals and his father’s desire to see him married.

Nor is she ready to meet Ross McAllister, a compelling and fascinating archaeologist. She struggles against her growing attraction to him until she can no longer ignore what her heart is telling her. This is the man who sets her soul on fire.

When she starts receiving cryptic messages, and Ross’s work in the famous Valley of the Kings is threatened, Neve has to make a heart-breaking and life-changing decision which she feels is her only option.

Can they discover whose enmity is forcing them apart before it's too late?

 

Dream of Paris: Anna Richards has a dream of going to live and study in Paris, but when Matthew Carlton comes into her life, her dream changes direction. Attraction sparks between them, but Matt’s behaviour is strangely inconsistent. Anna is shocked when she discovers the reason and is sure there is no future for them. Can Paris work its magic and make her dream come true?

 

 

The winners will be chosen on Saturday February 16th, and you can enter more than once by leaving more than one comment, but don’t forget to say why you would like the novel – and please leave an email address too, so that I can contact you if you win!

 

Good luck! 

'Masterpiece'

This week’s topic for The Writers’ Post bloghop is ‘Masterpiece’. The host, Jenn Duffy-Pearson, is challenging us to share our creative endeavours.

 

Hmm, if we’re talking about anything visually ‘artistic’, this could be a very short post, because I am simply not artistic!

 

My grandfather, who started work in a weaving mill when he was 12, was soon transferred to the design department because of his artistic skill, and eventually became chief designer. When he retired, he moved to the country, and devoted his time to his two main interests, gardening and painting. He won prizes at local shows for his vegetables, and also for his dahlias. He loved to paint his flowers, too, and the walls of his house were full of flower paintings.

 

Sad to say, I did not inherit any of his skills. I can’t draw, and even the supposedly ‘easy to grow’ pot plants die on me! When I ran a Girl Guide unit, I had to rely on others to organise the ‘crafty’ activities for the girls.

 

The only artistic pursuit in which I’ve had reasonable success was making greetings cards, but sticking different shapes on a piece of card can’t really be called ‘artistic’.

 

I take lots of photos, especially when I’m on holiday, but although I have a vague idea about the ‘composition’ of a photo, I tend to simply point and shoot the scenes I like. Some turn out reasonably well, others less so!

 

So, as far as the visual arts are concerned, I don’t really have much chance of creating a masterpiece. And, although I’m a writer with eight published novels (and a ninth due out next month), I don’t kid myself that I’m ever likely to produce a literary masterpiece either. It’s enough for me that I enjoy what I do, and also that the people who read my novels enjoy them! After all, if I created a masterpiece, I might become famous – and, in last week’s bloghop, I told you how much I would dislike that!

 

My only 'claim to fame' is that my latest novel, 'Her Only Option' was recently voted Best Romance Novel 2012. I can't claim it's a masterpiece, but at least it was a winner!

 

 

 

Six Sentence Sunday

Another excerpt from ‘Her Only Option’. After Neve and Ross return from the tunnel to the burial chamber, he kisses her and tells her he wants to make love to her. When she turns towards the passage out of the burial chamber, he pulls her back.

 

“We both felt it. Why are you denying it?”

 

“I didn’t feel anything,” she lied.

 

Quickly she moved towards the passage, knowing she had to get away. Away from his hands, his mouth, his hard male body, and the transparent desire in his eyes. Away, too, from the sensations his kiss had aroused in her and from the churning tension in her stomach.

 

 

‘Her Only Option’ is still leading the Romance Novel poll in the Preditors and Editors 2012 poll. If you haven’t yet voted, I’d be very grateful for your vote at http://critters.org/predpoll/novelr.shtml

 

It’s about half way down the page, and you add your name and email at the bottom (and don’t forget the spam control!) You’ll get just one email with a link to click to validate your vote.

Voting ends tomorrow, and I’d be devastated if someone did a last minute sprint and pipped me at the post!

Many thanks!

 

 

'Her Only Option’ is available from Whiskey Creek Press and from Amazon, as e-book or paperback.

 

Read more 6 sentence excerpts from the other Six Sentence Sunday authors here.

 

 

 

Six Sentence Sunday

Another excerpt from my latest release, “Her Only Option” set in Egypt. After Neve and Ross return from the tunnel to the burial chamber, he kisses her, and tells her he wants to make love to her.

 

Ross caught both her hands in his and laughed. “I don’t mean now or here, especially not with all those ancient figures on the wall watching us. I’d prefer somewhere more comfortable, when we have all the time in the world.”

 

The word ‘time’ reached into her confused mind and, wrenching her hands from Ross’s grasp, she looked at her watch. “It’s quarter to five—I have to get back to the ship—I can’t miss the sailing.” She swung round to the exit from the burial chamber.

 

I’d be very grateful if you would spare a couple of minutes to vote for ‘Her Only Option’ in the Preditors and Editors Reader at http://critters.org/predpoll/novelr.shtml (and don’t forget the spam control at the bottom of the page!)  Many thanks!

 

‘Her Only Option’ received another 5* review this week: "Yet another wonderful story from Paula Martin. Loved the characters and the twists and turns of the story which included a bit of mystery this time. As part of the backdrop, enjoyed the look at the Egyptian tourist and archaeological scenes."

'Her Only Option’ is available from Whiskey Creek Press and from Amazon, as e-book or paperback.

Read more 6 sentence excerpts from the other Six Sentence Sunday authors here.

 

Six Sentence Sunday

Another excerpt from my latest release, “Her Only Option” set in Egypt. After Neve and Ross return from the tunnel to the burial chamber, he kisses her.

Even in the dim light, the seductive gaze from his blue eyes made her heart jerk. He leaned forward and planted gentle kisses along her jawline until he reached her earlobe.

“I want to make love to you,” he whispered into her ear.

The sheer incongruity of what they were doing and where they were broke into her consciousness and panic surfaced, a panic she couldn’t define or understand.

“No, we can’t.” She put her palms against his shoulders to push him away.

P.S. I’d be very grateful if you would spare a couple of minutes to vote for ‘Her Only Option’ in the Preditors and Editors Reader Poll at http://critters.org/predpoll/novelr.shtml (and don’t forget the spam control at the bottom of the page!)  Many thanks!

 

The latest 5* review on Amazon says: I really enjoyed this - a great blend of strong, believable characters, a compelling storyline, bursting with mystery, intrigue, and romance ... Well researched and beautifully set against the backdrop of the River Nile, with Egypt, both ancient and modern, adding another, absorbing dimension to the book. Would thoroughly recommend - takes you to another world, without leaving home!

 

Blurb: Neve Dalton loves her job as a tour guide on a River Nile cruise ship as much as she values her independence. She isn’t ready to settle down with her Egyptian boyfriend, despite his repeated proposals and his father’s desire to see him married.

Nor is she ready to meet Ross McAllister, a compelling and fascinating archaeologist.She struggles against her growing attraction to him until she can no longer ignore what her heart is telling her. This is the man who sets her soul on fire.

When she starts receiving cryptic messages, and Ross’s work in the famous Valley of the Kings is threatened, Neve has to make a heart-breaking and life-changing decision which she feels is her only option.

Can they discover whose enmity is forcing them apart before it’s too late?

 

‘Her Only Option’ is available from Whiskey Creek Press and from Amazon, as e-book or paperback.
Read more 6 sentence excerpts from the other Six Sentence Sunday authors here.

 

And last but not least, I wish you all a fantastically happy and successful 2013!

 

 

Six Sentence Sunday

This is a tunnel in the Valley of the Kings
and is how I imagine 'my' tunnel in
'Her Only Option'

Today I’m jumping ahead to Chapter 3 of ‘Her Only Option’. Ross has taken Neve into Senhotep’s tomb, but while they are in the tunnel he is excavating, the lights fail. They have a nightmarish return back up to the burial chamber, where the emergency lights are on.

Without warning, her knees turned to jelly, and she caught hold of the wooden handrail to steady herself.

 

“Are you okay?”

 

“Just a—a bit jittery now we’ve actually made it back here.”

 

Ross smiled, seemed about to say something, but then his smile faded. He took a step towards her, put his hands on her arms, and kissed her.

 

His mouth and tongue were soft to begin with, tenderly exploring her lips so that everything started to melt inside her.

 

More about their kiss next week!

 

The latest 5* review on Amazon says: I really enjoyed this - a great blend of strong, believable characters, a compelling storyline, bursting with mystery, intrigue, and romance ... Well researched and beautifully set against the backdrop of the River Nile, with Egypt, both ancient and modern, adding another, absorbing dimension to the book. Would thoroughly recommend - takes you to another world, without leaving home!

 

Blurb: Neve Dalton loves her job as a tour guide on a River Nile cruise ship as much as she values her independence. She isn’t ready to settle down with her Egyptian boyfriend, despite his repeated proposals and his father’s desire to see him married.

Nor is she ready to meet Ross McAllister, a compelling and fascinating archaeologist.She struggles against her growing attraction to him until she can no longer ignore what her heart is telling her. This is the man who sets her soul on fire.

When she starts receiving cryptic messages, and Ross’s work in the famous Valley of the Kings is threatened, Neve has to make a heart-breaking and life-changing decision which she feels is her only option.

Can they discover whose enmity is forcing them apart before it’s too late?

‘Her Only Option’ is available from Whiskey Creek Press and from Amazon, as e-book or paperback.

Read more 6 sentence excerpts from the other Six Sentence Sunday authors here.

Six Sentence Sunday

Many thanks for all your comments each week.

 

This week I’m continuing Neve’s second meeting with Ross McAllister, who has just revealed who he is. Neve is disbelieving, saying Professor McAllister had a beard and was much older ...

 

“Yeah, I got rid of the beard a couple of weeks ago. Everyone says it’s taken ten years off me, although I’m not altogether sure it’s a good thing because people expect archaeologists to look older, for some reason.” He glanced round as the morning sun edged above the hills on the east side of the valley, and lifted his right hand to don the hat he was holding.

 

Neve knew immediately that, beard or no beard, he really was Ross McAllister. He’d worn the wide-brimmed beige fedora, always slightly tilted, on every photo she’d seen of him and it hid most of his dark hair which was part of the reason she hadn’t recognised him.

 

Oh my God, she breathed inwardly, as she frantically tried to remember her scathing remarks the previous day.

P.S. If you scroll down to my previous post, you can find a short excerpt from a later chapter!
 

Blurb: Neve Dalton loves her job as a tour guide on a River Nile cruise ship as much as she values her independence. She isn’t ready to settle down with her Egyptian boyfriend, despite his repeated proposals and his father’s desire to see him married.

Nor is she ready to meet Ross McAllister, a compelling and fascinating archaeologist.She struggles against her growing attraction to him until she can no longer ignore what her heart is telling her. This is the man who sets her soul on fire.

When she starts receiving cryptic messages, and Ross’s work in the famous Valley of the Kings is threatened, Neve has to make a heart-breaking and life-changing decision which she feels is her only option.

Can they discover whose enmity is forcing them apart before it’s too late?

 

‘Her Only Option’ is available from Whiskey Creek Press and from Amazon, as e-book or paperback.

 

One reader has said: "Her Only Option" is a wonderful book! It has everything one desires in a love story: Romance, mystery/intrigue, history, set in an exotic location.”

 

Read more 6 sentence excerpts from the other Six Sentence Sunday authors here.

 

Tutankhamen's Tomb

Ninety years ago today, on November 26th, 1922, Howard Carter and Lord Caernarvon stood outside the doorway of tomb KV62 in the Valley of the Kings in Egypt. At the beginning of the month, Carter had discovered a set of 16 steps, leading to a doorway. Although it was sealed and plastered, there was evidence it had been penetrated by grave robbers. Beyond the door was a descending passage to a second sealed door.

Carter had to await his sponsor’s arrival in Egypt before he opened the second door. Lord Caernarvon arrived in Egypt on November 23rd, and three days later he watched as Carter made a hole in the door.

What a tense moment that must have been! Would the tomb have been stripped by the grave robbers?

Carter leaned in, holding a candle. In his own words: "At first I could see nothing, the hot air escaping from the chamber causing the candle flames to flicker, but presently, as my eyes grew accustomed to the light, details of the room within emerged slowly from the mist, strange animals, statues and gold - everywhere the glint of gold.

For the moment - an eternity it must have seemed to the others standing by - I was dumb with amazement, and when Lord Carnarvon, unable to stand the suspense any longer, inquired anxiously, 'Can you see anything?' it was all I could do to get out the words, "Yes, wonderful things."

 

The tomb of Tutankhamen, as we know, was intact, and contained an amazing amount of treasures, not least the three gold coffins, one inside the other, and then the mummified body of the boy king, with its wonderful gold mask.

 

The discovery of the tomb has fascinated me ever since I first learnt about it when I was at school, and later, as a history teacher, I used to tell my classes about the discovery, in the hope that they would share my fascination with this amazing discovery.

 

Twenty years ago, I visited Cairo, and saw the treasures in the Egyptian Museum, but I still longed to see the tomb itself.

 

Two years ago, I fulfilled that long-held dream. On the first day of our tour, which began in Luxor, we went (very early in the morning) to the Valley of the Kings on the west bank of the Nile. Our Egyptian tour guide was eager for us to see the beautifully decorated tombs of the other pharaohs but there was only one tomb I really wanted to see. We had to pay extra for this (I guess the Tourist Authority recognises the extra interest in Tut’s tomb!) – but I didn’t care. As we walked down the steps and then the sloping passageway, I could hardly believe I was finally about to enter Tutankhamen’s tomb.

 

Was it what I’d imagined? No, it was much smaller. I could hardly believe that all those treasures had been piled up in a relatively small antechamber. Did it live up to my expectations? Yes, I stood in that room, pictured all those treasures, and imagined Carter's excitment. Then I leant on the wooden rail to peer into the burial chamber where the sarcophagus had been found intact.

 

I remembered Howard Carter’s words when, having cleared the antechamber, he finally saw the burial chamber. Again, using his own words: “After about ten minutes' work, I had made a hole large enough to enable me to [peer inside]. I inserted an electric torch. An astonishing sight its light revealed, for there, within a yard of the doorway, stretching as far as one could see and blocking the entrance to the chamber, stood what to all appearances was a solid wall of gold.”

 

This visit to Tutankhamen's tomb was one of the highlights of my visit to Egypt (the other main one was seeing the Abu Simbel temples), and that visit inspired my novel, ‘Her Only Option’. Although it’s a romance between a cruise ship tour guide and an archaeologist working in the Valley of the Kings, I hope it captures some of the wonders of Ancient Egypt.

 

Here’s an excerpt from ‘Her Only Option’ when Ross calls Neve (who’s on a brief visit to London) to tell her what he’s found in the tunnel he’s been excavating, leading from the burial chamber of one of the Pharaohs:

 

“Hi, Ross. Is everything okay?”

 

“Yes, everything’s fine. In fact, it’s more than fine. Ask me what we’ve found.”

 

She heard a tinge of controlled excitement in his voice. “Go on then. What have you found?”

 

“A doorway with the seals intact.”

 

“Ross, that’s fantastic!”

 

“It’s about twenty yards further along the passage from where we got to when you came into the tunnel. We found the broken remains of a couple of gilded statues in the rubble yesterday, but I didn’t raise my hopes until they cleared some more stuff and uncovered the top of the doorway early this morning. I thought there’d probably be signs of it being broken into by tomb robbers, so when I realised it seemed to be intact—oh, God, I wish you were here, Neve.”

 

“I’ll be back in two days. When are you going to open the door?”

 

“Not sure yet. The engineers will work overnight to put up more supports in the last section of the passage where the ceiling is very fragile, and I’ll have to call Malik too. He’ll want his photographers to get some shots of the doorway before we break the seal. We may be able to open it later tomorrow or early Sunday.”

 

“I think I’m as excited as you sound. Ross, you could be hitting the world headlines by Monday morning.”

 

“I’m trying not to get too excited. It might still turn out to be a dead-end with nothing behind the door. Sometimes it’s better to be pessimistic rather than over-optimistic.”

 

“If I were there with you, I’d be cracking open a bottle of champagne tonight.”

 

Ross laughed. “Maybe we can do that on Sunday evening when you get back, either to celebrate or drown our sorrows.”

 

“Think positive—and I’ll keep everything crossed for you. I’ll be on pins tomorrow, waiting to hear what you’ve found.”

 

'Her Only Option' is available from Amazon

 

Neve Dalton loves her job as a tour guide on a River Nile cruise ship as much as she values her independence. She isn’t ready to settle down with her Egyptian boyfriend, despite his repeated proposals and his father’s desire to see him married.

Nor is she ready to meet Ross McAllister, a compelling and fascinating archaeologist.She struggles against her growing attraction to him until she can no longer ignore what her heart is telling her. This is the man who sets her soul on fire.

When she starts receiving cryptic messages, and Ross’s work in the famous Valley of the Kings is threatened, Neve has to make a heart-breaking and life-changing decision which she feels is her only option.

Can they discover whose enmity is forcing them apart before it’s too late?

Six Sentence Sunday

Another excerpt from my recent release, ‘Her Only Option’.

 

After telling her tour group about Professor McAllister’s excavations in Senhotep’s tomb, Neve is alarmed when the annoying man she’d met the previous day says ‘we’ reported the news the previous week. Then he goes on:

 

“I didn’t introduce myself yesterday, did I? I’m Ross McAllister.”

 

Her jaw dropped but she gave a short laugh. “No, you’re kidding me. Professor McAllister’s much older than you, and anyway, he has a beard and…”

 

She tailed off as she visualised the photos she’d seen of Professor McAllister, and realised there was something familiar about his eyes which returned her startled look with an amused smile.

 

Oops, so now she’ll have to backtrack…

 

Blurb: Neve Dalton loves her job as a tour guide on a River Nile cruise ship as much as she values her independence. She isn’t ready to settle down with her Egyptian boyfriend, despite his repeated proposals and his father’s desire to see him married.

 

Nor is she ready to meet Ross McAllister, a compelling and fascinating archaeologist.She struggles against her growing attraction to him until she can no longer ignore what her heart is telling her. This is the man who sets her soul on fire.

 

When she starts receiving cryptic messages, and Ross’s work in the famous Valley of the Kings is threatened, Neve has to make a heart-breaking and life-changing decision which she feels is her only option.

 

Can they discover whose enmity is forcing them apart before it’s too late?

 

‘Her Only Option’ is available from Whiskey Creek Press and from Amazon.

 

One of my readers sent me this message earlier this week: "Her Only Option" is a wonderful book! It has everything one desires in a love story: Romance, mystery/intrigue, history, set in an exotic location.”

 

Read more 6 sentence excerpts from the other Six Sentence Sunday authors here.

 

Six Sentence Sunday

Another six from my recently released 'Her Only Option'. Today we're jumping forward into Chapter 2. After their fraught conversation on the sundeck, Neve puts the annoying self-styled archaeologist out of her mind. The next day she's with her group in the Valley of the Kings, giving them a brief introduction to the tombs there.

“Is anyone excavating anything today?” one of the her group asked.

“The tomb of Rameses the Second is currently undergoing restoration, and Professor McAllister’s team is investigating a tunnel leading from the burial chamber of Senhotep the First.”

“What are they hoping to find?”

She turned in the direction of the new voice but knew who it was, even before she spotted him. The man she’d met the previous day was standing at the back of her group.

Okay, now she’d show him she knew her facts.

 

‘Her Only Option’ was released at the beginning of November by Whiskey Creek Press, and is available on Amazon.

My first reviewer says “(Paula) has penned a wonderful tale incorporating a unique story line, romance and just the right amount of conflict for her characters. This is definitely a must read by the brilliant author Paula Martin.”

Blurb: Neve Dalton loves her job as a tour guide on a River Nile cruise ship as much as she values her independence. She isn’t ready to settle down with her Egyptian boyfriend, despite his repeated proposals and his father’s desire to see him married.
Nor is she ready to meet Ross McAllister, a compelling and fascinating archaeologist.She struggles against her growing attraction to him until she can no longer ignore what her heart is telling her. This is the man who sets her soul on fire.
When she starts receiving cryptic messages, and Ross’s work in the famous Valley of the Kings is threatened, Neve has to make a heart-breaking and life-changing decision which she feels is her only option.
Can they discover whose enmity is forcing them apart before it’s too late?

Read more 6 sentence excerpts from the other Six Sentence Sunday authors here.

Six Sentence Sunday

Another excerpt from my November release, ‘Her Only Option’.

 

Neve is irritated by the man on the neighbouring ship’s sundeck, who has just made a derogatory comment about cruise ship tour guides.

 

“So what do you do?” she asked with sugar-coated politeness.

 

“I’m an archaeologist.”

 

“Oh, one of those.” She couldn’t stop herself from repeating his earlier words but wished she hadn’t when she saw the lift of his eyebrows followed by an amused glint in his eyes.

 

“I asked for that, didn’t I?” His grin, showing even white teeth, was disarming and infuriating at the same time.

 

‘Her Only Option’ was released by Whiskey Creek Press last Thursday, and is available on Amazon.

My first reviewer says “(Paula) has penned a wonderful tale incorporating a unique story line, romance and just the right amount of conflict for her characters. This is definitely a must read by the brilliant author Paula Martin.”

Blurb: Neve Dalton loves her job as a tour guide on a River Nile cruise ship as much as she values her independence. She isn’t ready to settle down with her Egyptian boyfriend, despite his repeated proposals and his father’s desire to see him married.

Nor is she ready to meet Ross McAllister, a compelling and fascinating archaeologist.She struggles against her growing attraction to him until she can no longer ignore what her heart is telling her. This is the man who sets her soul on fire.

When she starts receiving cryptic messages, and Ross’s work in the famous Valley of the Kings is threatened, Neve has to make a heart-breaking and life-changing decision which she feels is her only option.

Can they discover whose enmity is forcing them apart before it’s too late?

 

Read more 6 sentence excerpts from the other Six Sentence Sunday authors here.

 

Release Day for 'Her Only Option'

 'Her Only Option' is released today by Whiskey Creek Press, and should also be available very soon on Amazon and Nook.

 

It was inspired by my visit to Egypt two years ago and here's a link to a post from about a year ago which tells you more about how this story was first conceived http://paulamartinpotpourri.blogspot.co.uk/2011/12/third-novel-accepted.html 

Here's the introduction:

Neve Dalton loves her job as a tour guide on a River Nile cruise ship as much as she values her independence. She isn’t ready to settle down with her Egyptian boyfriend, despite his repeated proposals and his father’s desire to see him married.

Nor is she ready to meet Ross McAllister, a compelling and fascinating archaeologist.She struggles against her growing attraction to him until she can no longer ignore what her heart is telling her. This is the man who sets her soul on fire.

When she starts receiving cryptic messages, and Ross’s work in the famous Valley of the Kings is threatened, Neve has to make a heart-breaking and life-changing decision which she feels is her only option.

Can they discover whose enmity is forcing them apart before it’s too late?

 

And now for the first review - by K-Trina Meador, book reviewer for the Cross Plains Examiner in Texas:

 

Her Only Option takes you upon a cruise ship and onto Egyptian lands where archaeologist Ross McAllister and cruise ship host Neve Dalton explore more than historical finds.

Neve has a long term boyfriend who is expecting her yes from his marriage proposal any day and Ross has just endured the disillusionment of a relationship he thought was solid. Neither expected the sparks that flew between them.

When jealousy, control tactics and vindictiveness invade, Neve and Ross have to decide just how far they are willing to go for their new found love.

And when old flames, with their own agenda in mind, reenter Neve and Ross’s lives….how far can trust be stretched?

With mystery and intrigue interwoven with blackmail and secrecy, life took on a whole new dimension for Neve and Ross; one that almost led them down the wrong aisle.

Author Paula Martin has done intensive research into the Egyptian history, art and archaeological matters that brings this book to life with its details, complexity and humor. Once again, she has penned a wonderful tale incorporating a unique story line, romance and just the right amount of conflict for her characters. This is definitely a must read by the brilliant author Paula Martin.

Six Sentence Sunday

Continuing the excerpts from my November release, ‘Her Only Option’.

Neve Dalton is a tour guide on one of the Nile cruise ships and, in Chapter 1, she was taking a break on the sundeck on the Lady Nadia, when she realised someone on the neighbouring ship was watching her and decided he was 'Mmm, rather nice."

“I was admiring your beautiful figure.” His deep voice held the faint lilt of a Scottish accent. “I hope you don’t object?”

A shaft of disappointment quenched her initial spark of interest. For some reason, she’d expected him to be different from the smooth-talking posers who sometimes tried to chat her up. Instead, it seemed he was simply another cruise ship Casanova who thought flattering words in a deep honey-rich voice would make women fall at his feet.

Hmm, looks as if her second impression didn't live up to her first!

Blurb:

Neve Dalton loves her job as a tour guide on a River Nile cruise ship as much as she values her independence. She isn’t ready to settle down with her Egyptian boyfriend, despite his repeated proposals and his father’s desire to see him married.

 

Nor is she ready to meet Ross McAllister, a compelling and fascinating archaeologist. She struggles against her growing attraction to him until she can no longer ignore what her heart is telling her. This is the man who sets her soul on fire.

 

When she starts receiving cryptic messages, and Ross’s work in the famous Valley of the Kings is threatened, Neve has to make a heart-breaking and life-changing decision which she feels is her only option.

 

Can they discover whose enmity is forcing them apart before it’s too late?

‘Her Only Option’ will be available from Whiskey Creek Press and Amazon on November 1st.

Read more 6 sentence excerpts from the other Six Sentence Sunday authors here.

 

Six Sentence Sunday

Today I’m starting a series of sixes from my November release, ‘Her Only Option’.

Neve Dalton is a tour guide on one of the Nile cruise ships and, in Chapter 1, she’s taking some ‘time-out’ before her next tour group arrives, and is relaxing on a lounger on the sundeck of the Lady Nadia.

 

About half an hour later, conscious of something she couldn’t quite define, she half-opened one eye. A broad chest partly hidden by an unbuttoned blue shirt filled her line of vision.

 

Squinting against the brightness, she saw strong arms and well-formed hands. His slim fingers curled over the top rail of the neighbouring sundeck and she let her gaze travel down the horizontal bars. Her glance took in his strong abdominal muscles, the curve of his slim hips, clad in tight-fitting red swimming trunks and his long, muscular legs.

 

Mmm, rather nice, was her immediate reaction.

 

Blurb:

 

Neve Dalton loves her job as a tour guide on a River Nile cruise ship as much as she values her independence. She isn’t ready to settle down with her Egyptian boyfriend, despite his repeated proposals and his father’s desire to see him married.

 

Nor is she ready to meet Ross McAllister, a compelling and fascinating archaeologist. She struggles against her growing attraction to him until she can no longer ignore what her heart is telling her. This is the man who sets her soul on fire.

 

When she starts receiving cryptic messages, and Ross’s work in the famous Valley of the Kings is threatened, Neve has to make a heart-breaking and life-changing decision which she feels is her only option.

 

Can they discover whose enmity is forcing them apart before it’s too late?

 

‘Her Only Option’ will be available from Whiskey Creek Press and Amazon on November 1st.

 

Read more 6 sentence excerpts from the other Six Sentence Sunday authors here.

 

 

Third Novel Accepted!

Today I received the contract for my third novel with Whiskey Creek Press, and I'm over the moon!

'Her Only Option' is set in Egypt, which I visited, and fell in love with, just over a year ago. Visiting Luxor and the Valley of the Kings was a dream come true. Seeing the sun rise over Lake Nasser and illuminate the massive statues of the Abu Simbel temples was one of the most memorable experiences of my whole life.

One afternoon, I was relaxing on the sundeck of our Nile cruise ship which was moored at Aswan. There are so many ships that they have to be moored four abreast, and the sundecks of neighbouring ships are more or less level with each other. I started to wonder if it would be possible to vault across the short gap from one sundeck to another. Not that I had any intention of trying it, you understand!

That evening I put the question to one of the friends we had made on the trip.  He walked across to the rail, studied the gap for a moment, then said, “Well, I wouldn’t try it now, but I could have done it easily when I was in my twenties or thirties.”

First piece of research completed - it was possible. And I could see my hero doing his death-defying leap (slight exaggeration!) to be with the heroine.

So now what? Are the hero and heroine guests on different cruise ships? But the cruises only last 5 or 7 days, so what would happen when they returned home?  No, I needed to have them both living in Egypt, so maybe the heroine could be a tour guide on a cruise ship.

What about the hero? On a flight from Luxor to Cairo, I read an article in the flight magazine about an archaeologist who had explored a hidden tunnel leading from the burial chamber of one of the Pharaoh’s tombs in the Valley of the Kings. Hmm, maybe my hero could be an archaeologist in the famous Valley.

With the setting and the two main characters in place, it was time to start thinking of the complications and conflicts that would prevent the course of love running smoothly. I wrote the first two chapters at the hotel in Luxor where we spent a week after the end of our cruise. Writing in longhand again in a notebook (which the very nice Egyptian in the hotel bookshop acquired for me) reminded me of my early (pre-computer) writing days.

When I got home, I tranferred my scribble to the computer, and got on with the rest of the story, which ended up with more twists and turns than I'd first envisaged, including a Nile boatman who sang Elvis songs, who invented himself part way through the story!

Here, then, is the blurb for 'Her Only Option':

Neve Dalton loves her job as a tour guide on a River Nile cruise ship as much as she values her independence. She isn’t ready to settle down with her Egyptian boyfriend, despite his repeated proposals and his father’s desire to see him married.

Nor is she ready to meet Ross McAllister, a compelling and fascinating archaeologist. She struggles against her growing attraction to him until she can no longer ignore what her heart is telling her. This is the man who sets her soul on fire.

After breaking up with her boyfriend, she starts receiving cryptic messages, and Ross’s work in the famous Valley of the Kings is threatened. Neve has to make a heart-breaking and life-changing decision which seems to be her only option.

Can Ross discover whose enmity is forcing them apart before it’s too late?

Oh, and by the way, I never did manage to bring in the scene where the hero vaults the rails between the two cruise ships. But I did call my hero Ross, after the cruise-ship friend who told me it could be done!