Book Spotlight: On This Christmas, I Thee Wed by Virginia Barlow

 

Easy to read happy ever after holiday romance....

 

Title: On This Christmas, I Thee Wed

Author: Virginia Barlow

Publication Date: December 18, 2024

Pages: 280

Genre: Historical Holiday Romance

Bartered to Viscount Hudson Becker by her father, Lady Lavinia Holbrook escapes her arranged marriage and travels to her Godmother, the Duchess of Chauncy to seek asylum. Determined to put men and marriage behind her, she is unprepared for the duke’s interest or his heated kisses. 

The Duke of Chauncy believes love is a weakness and refuses to take a bride despite his mother's scheming. When the duchess makes a wager he will marry by Christmas, he considers the matter a lark. Until Lavinia gets under his skin, and he rethinks his position on love and happy ever afters.

 On This Christmas I Thee Wed is available through these fine retailers…

Amazon |  Walmart |  Target |  BooksAMillion |  Indie Bound |  Barnes & Noble |  Kobo |  Google Books |  ITunes

 

Book Excerpt

His mother planned his downfall into marriage with meticulous care or she wouldn’t have goaded him with her bet. And he didn’t believe her innocent of sending Lavinia to the wrong chamber last night, despite her feigned innocence.

Nay. His mother had nothing to do but plot his matrimonial demise and design a nursery for his progeny.

God. Though he loved her with all his heart, why wouldn’t she accept his decision to remain a bachelor?

Lavinia’s voice played in his head.

There, neither Papa nor the viscount can order me

to do anything I don’t want to do.

He understood her frustration, but even Scotland wouldn’t save him from his mother. The woman had a tenacious streak to rival Satan’s.

And who the hell was the viscount? He knew of no scandal involving Lavinia. Her voice continued.

I refuse to be some man’s broodmare, impregnated and discarded…

Snorting, he wanted to add his discontent to being a…What would a man forced to sire a child be called, anyway? A brood sire?

He chuckled. Discarded like a settee in the parlor.

Forgotten until the lord required someplace to sit. The girl used amusing analogies, he thought. But if she were his, he wouldn’t be sitting on her. Nay, she would be atop

him. The memory of her soft body in his arms made him rigid.

Shifting in his seat to ease his ardor, he remembered her mentioning being abducted by a Scot and taken to the highlands to ravish. Then her voice went all dreamy and soft as if ravishment by a highlander were every girl’s fantasy.

His lips tightened as he swung his chair around to stare out the window, steepling his fingers in thought.

English lords were much better lovers and far superior in every other avenue. What the devil did she have against them?

Perhaps her parents were the answer. The Earl of Holbrook and his wife were the epitome of a marriage of convenience, and with their history, he could understand her reluctance to join the marital throng. He avoided the marriage noose for much the same reason. Thoughts of being tied to some of the ladies his mother paraded through the castle made him shudder with revulsion.

Good god, what a dreadful thought.

– Excerpted from On This Christmas, I Thee Wed by Virginia Barlow, The Wild Rose Press, 2024. Reprinted with permission.

About the Author

 

Virginia Barlow has been a dreamer her whole life. She loves reading, traveling, and roses. She will dive headfirst into any romance she can get her hands on in any genre. Although her first love is Regency Romance and always will be.  Something about the era calls to her soul like a siren’s song rising from the depths.

She loves to write steamy romances whether fantasy, historical, or contemporary, all are liberally spiced with adventure and sensual, seductive heroes. Her heroines are just as compelling with equal parts intelligence, sass, and backbone. They give as good as they get whether saving their man’s life or responding to his heated kisses, they’re all in.

The most important thing in Virginia’s life is her family, and spending time with them. When she is not bouncing a grandbaby in her arms or handing out popsicles, she is writing and dreaming up her next love story.  Virginia has published fifteen romance novels with another two on the way and has half a dozen more circling around inside her head eager to make their debut.

Website & Social Media:

Website ➜  https://www.virginia-barlow.com/ 

X ➜  https://x.com/Virgini35142126 

Facebook ➜ https://www.facebook.com/groups/3046288755596817 

Goodreads ➜ https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/19838312.Virginia_Barlow 

 

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Movie review: Rampage

 

Rampage is a creature feature starring Dwayne Johnson, Naomie Harris, Jeffrey Dean Morgan, and a plethora of (not real) animals. Primatologist Davis Okoye teams up with a disgraced scientist/genetic engineer Doctor Kate Caldwell when animals are exposed to a pathogen that causes mutations. The pathogen that was secretly being worked on in a space lab was released after an accident caused the lab to explode, sending the experimental material down to Earth in three sealed containers, which of course broke on contact. An albino western lowland gorilla, named George, at the San Diego Safari Park, a wolf (Ralph) in a Wyoming forest, and a crocodile (Lizzie) in the Everglades are affected, growing bigger and mutating rapidly. It turns out the pathogen was created by a dastardly sibling business duo Claire and Brett Wyden, who are hoping to weaponize it and sell it to the military (of course) but with catastrophic results. George is no ordinary gorilla, however, having been taught sign language by Davis. George and his relationship with Davis are key to stopping the total destruction of the city of Chicago.

I am quite picky about choosing creature features, but the combination of Dwayne Johnson and Jeffrey Dean Morgan, two seasoned actors heading up the cast, sold me on the movie. Johnson always gives an intense performance, no matter the role, so one can trust that he will deliver. Morgan has a laidback, lazy charm that works well in his portrayal of Harvey Russell, the government agent that works for ‘the other government agency.’ The plot has quite a grand scope with dangerous secret experiments by unethical business corporations, various people’s backstories, what went wrong and why. Johnson and Morgan get the lion’s share of screen time, but let’s not forget George, very ably enacted by Jason Liles in motion capture performance.

The storyline is familiar; creatures on the rampage, destroying the city, somehow there’s an antidote but how to get into the creatures, drama, more drama, and lots and lots of destruction. At some stage the fights between the three creatures, now enormous and very aggressive, do go on a tad too long. That’s when I start feeling sorry for whatever monster is getting the rough end of the beating. I cannot imagine what it feels like for an actor to act opposite a green screen supposed to represent a gigantic gorilla, but Johnson rises to the occasion and delivers. He and Morgan had a good onscreen camaraderie with underlying humour. I can’t say Harris wowed me with her performance, but she was needed to get into the facility to steal the antidote, so she fitted the part. The action is nonstop, and the special effects are spectacular. Fans of creature features and big screen block busters will love this movie, based on a video game. The movie made money, everyone was happy, and there’s even talk of a sequel. Pass the popcorn, please!

The Inspiration Behind The Death of the Kremlin Czar by Jorg H. Trauboth

 

 

Russian President and new Czar Ivan Pavlenko suddenly shows his true colors during the war in Ukraine. He wants the old Soviet Union back. The world is on the brink. The influential oligarch Alexei Sokolov wants to prevent Ivan's megalomaniacal plans and is planning a fundamental new beginning for Russia. To achieve this, the Russian president must die. How will the US President react to the CIA's proposal to support the oligarch, who has a romantic relationship with the Russian President's partner, Yulia? The poison attack is perfectly prepared, but the Boeing with the oligarch Alexei Sokolow, his lover and over 100 passengers on board is hijacked by a Ukrainian terrorist and is supposed to crash over Berlin after knocking out the crew by shooting. Former elite soldier Marc Anderson is on board with his family and takes over with Alexei. The two flight amateurs try to get control. Will the landing and the assassination succeed or will the Kremlin Czar strike back brutally after realizing the role of Yulia? The Death of the Kremlin Czar is available at Amazon (U.S. edition) and Amazon (German edition).

The Inspiration Behind The Death of the Kremlin Czar by Jorg H. Trauboth

I had a dream. Russian troops were standing in front of Berlin and declaring that Germany was now Russian. We were to surrender and look forward to a life in communism and with the Ruble. I woke up and realized that I wasn’t living in 1945, but 80 years later. Exactly this has happened to Ukraine. For nearly three years, the country has been desperately fighting for its survival. It wants to reclaim its lost territories and peace. Like all of us. As someone who knows Putin's biography and as a former general staff officer in NATO, I am convinced that there can be no negotiations with the Russian president. And if Ukraine gives up the territories because it runs out of weapons and ammunition, we in Central Europe will be next. Then my bad dream could come true. “If a solution cannot be found on the battlefield, there must be another way to find one,” I thought.

I am also convinced that reality writes the best stories. You just have to recognize them. So, I began to develop a plot for my fourth Marc Anderson thriller: A group of oligarchs led by Alexei Sokolov wants to overthrow Russian President Ivan in Moscow. Just as Brutus and the senators did with Julius Caesar in Rome on the Ides of March. Modern history shows that it is difficult to overthrow a dictator by force. So, I gave Alexei a tough task, as he only had this one chance. And he is even preparing it with the support of the CIA, and with the knowledge of the US President, who of course knows nothing about it. The plan is clever, but Alexei has a problem. He is having an affair with Yulia, the partner of the Russian President. Both are under pressure, as Ivan knows something. The ending is spectacular. By page 180 at the latest, you’ll want to know. Otherwise, you won’t be able to relax. At least, that’s what the readers of the German novel say.

 

About the Author

 

Jörg H. Trauboth, born in 1943 near Berlin, logged over two thousand flight hours as a Weapon Systems Officer Instructor in the Luftwaffe, flying PHANTOM F-4F / RF-4E and TORNADO fighter jets, and over 3000 hours in light aircraft. At the age of fifty, he left the service with the rank of Colonel in the General Staff. He received training as a Special Risk Consultant from the English Control Risk Group and served as Managing Director Germany, dealing with extortion and kidnapping cases in South America and Eastern Europe. Shortly thereafter, he founded his own consulting firm, quickly establishing an outstanding international reputation. Trauboth protected his clients with a 24-hour task force during product extortions, product recalls, kidnappings, and image crises. He was the first President of the European Crisis Management Academy in Vienna and President of the American Yankee Association. He is known as a respected expert in the media on security-related topics. He volunteers as an emergency counselor and is a member of the Crisis Intervention Team (KIT Bonn) of the German Foreign Office. He is a private pilot, married, with two sons and three grandchildren.

Website & Social Media:

Website ➜  https://trauboth-autor.de/english/

Twitter ➜ https://twitter.com/JorgTrauboth

Facebook ➜  https://www.facebook.com/marc.anderson.735017?locale=de_DE

Instagram ➜ https://www.instagram.com/jorgtrauboth

Wikipedia: ➜ https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jörg_H._Trauboth

Linkedin: ➜ https://www.linkedin.com/in/joerg-h-trauboth-autor

Youtube: ➜ http://youtube.com/@trauboth  

The Business of Writing by Kathie Giorgio, author of Don't Let Me Keep You

 

Motherhood is a symphony, from the first movement, through crescendo after crescendo, to the finale. Hildy Halverson, a genius in math and science, is pushed by her parents to step into a male-dominated field and change the world for women. But Hildy, enamored of the scientific force of the human body, and her own body’s ability to create and sustain life, decides to go against contemporary expectations. She marries young and raises a houseful of kids. Hildy wants her children to choose their own life paths. As each child is born, she tells them, “You can be whatever you want to be, and whatever you want to be will be great.” Despite her efforts to not influence her children, Hildy does so, often in unexpected ways. Each child is introduced in that first private moment between Hildy and her new baby. This is followed by a chapter revealing that child’s life, years later. Woven throughout is an underlying grief over the death of the sixth baby soon after birth. That grief is more pervasive than any of them expect. In this ambitious novel, the struggles and joys, fatigue and exhilaration of motherhood, are captured in the full panorama of family life. Hildy lovingly raises her children, then lets them go, finding herself along the way.

 

THE BUSINESS OF WRITING 

Just last night, I attended a special event in the Milwaukee area called China Lights. Held outdoors in a park devoted to beautiful flower gardens, there were amazing and intricate lit fabric-based figures, all from Chinese artists. One display showed the Chinese zodiac characters. I saw that I was born in the year of the rat. I wasn’t too happy with that, until I saw the list of possible vocations. Writer, it listed first. And then, Sales. Well, that’s it in a nutshell, isn’t it. The business of writing means you also have to be able to sell yourself and your work. And, if I have to be a rat to do what I love so much, then so be it! In the last 14 years, I’ve written and sold 15 books – 8 novels, 2 short story collections, 4 poetry collections, and 1 collection of essays. All of the books are with traditional presses. I’ve also had hundreds of short stories, essays, and poems appear in magazine and anthologies. So clearly, I’ve found the time to write…and to get what I write out into the world. It can be done. You can sink your teeth into the business of writing – but still have plenty of time for the artful, creative side of things.

As creatives, we are used to our work being with words, and with time spent on making those words just right. We want to say things, say them well, and say them in a new and lovely way. But then, after our creative work is done and polished to a high shine, we have to remove our writer hats and put on our business hats. This is not an easy thing to do, and many writers find it very uncomfortable. While in the process of sending your work out into the world, you have to take the time to research the markets and find appropriate places that are looking for what you do. This is tedious and much less fun than the writing itself. So for many writers, this is where it stops – the finished product goes into a file cabinet, and the writer is off on another adventure.

But here’s the trick. Do your marketing just one day a week. Just one day! If you finish something new, or if something you’ve already submitted gets rejected, don’t run immediately to the marketing sites and get it back out. Pick one day per week to do it all. Do you have one day a week where your creative energy runs a little low? That’s the day to choose. Also pad that one day with rewards. Do you love going to coffee shops? Then pack up your laptop, go to your favorite coffee place, order your favorite drink, sit in your favorite spot, and sip while you figure out where to send your stuff. Maybe buy a cookie or a muffin! But only if you open your laptop and start submitting. Doing marketing on one day a week means that you still have all the other days for your creative work. And…on a week when there are no rejections, you get a bonus day of writing! But still give yourself that latte and muffin!           

Now as your career grows, keep following this one day a week. Once you have books out, you will be wanting to get out to bookstores, book festivals, writers conferences, and the like to sell your book. These days, publishers expect writers to be very involved in getting the word out about their books. We no longer just sit back and wait for the publisher to tell us where to go and what to do. So it’s absolutely essential that you become proactive.

 Again, this can be part of your one-day-a-week marketing. Send out new material and then look for places to appear with your book. Most festivals and such have applications to fill out. You can also search each week for new places to apply for. If you don’t have a publicist, then work up your own media kit, talking about your current book and any previous books you may have. Include a list of possible topics that you’d like to talk about. And then send them out. Don’t forget libraries – these are wonderful resources for book events, and they also likely have a list of local book clubs you can pitch to as well.

 Now of course, I’m sure you know that if you’re going to be a professional writer, you have to dip your toes into social media. Actually, you have to wade in up to your knees. Most publishers want you to have a website with a blog, and they want you to be involved in several social media platforms. These change, according to the times, and according to your genres, so pay attention when you read that new book by your favorite author. Often, in the author’s bio, the author will list where you can find them in social media. That will give you a hint that maybe, you should be there too. With the blog, you’re going to want to post at least twice a month, if not once a week. Make sure you choose a topic for your blog that you’re passionate about. It doesn’t have to be about writing. One of my students has a very popular blog about how he retired as an ER doctor and immediately adopted a border collie puppy. His blog is about all the walks he takes with his dog, and about the way they are at the opposite ends of life’s spectrum. It’s a fun, and often inspirational, read.

But when you think about the business aspect of writing, take a deep breath. You got into writing because you love the creative life, you have imagination, and you want to be writing. The good news is that the business part of writing does not have to overtake you. You can control how much each week you work on selling your poems, stories, essays, memoir, and books. And you can control how much each week you work on getting your book out into the public world. If you choose one day – and stick with it – it will keep the business of writing from feeling like it’s taking over your world and your creative life. When  you put it down to one day, your focus is fully on it, and you will be amazed how much you can accomplish...and then return to the fun stuff.

 

About the Author

Kathie Giorgio is the author of a total of fifteen books: eight novels, two story collections, an essay collection, and four poetry collections. She’s been nominated for the Pushcart Prize in fiction and poetry and awarded the Outstanding Achievement Award from the Wisconsin Library Association, the Silver Pen Award for Literary Excellence, the Pencraft Award for Literary Excellence, and the Eric Hoffer Award In Fiction. Her poem “Light” won runner-up in the 2021 Rosebud Magazine Poetry Prize, and her work has also been incorporated into many visual art and musical events.  Kathie is the director and founder of AllWriters’ Workplace & Workshop LLC, an international creative writing studio. She lives with her husband, mystery writer Michael Giorgio, and their daughter Olivia, in Waukesha, Wisconsin. Three of her adult children, Christopher, Andy, and Olivia, live close by, along with her solo granddaughter, Maya Mae. One adult child has wandered off to Louisiana and lives among the mathematicians and alligators.

You can follow the author at:

Website: http://www.kathiegiorgio.org

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/kathiegiorgioauthor/

X/Twitter: @KathieGiorgio

Instagram: @kathiegio1