Dusty in Here

 Dust bunnies everywhere…

I’m gathering my cleaning crew, and we’ll get this place squeaky clean again in no time. Meanwhile, you can always find me on Facebook or Twitter. Links are at the bottom of this screen. 

September already…?

Holiday Book Sale!

99 Cent Sale Now Through November 30th

in All Digital Formats!

Maid Marian And The Lawman

by Deb Stover

Read first chapter here: https://debstover.com/maidmarian.html

"Robin Hoodwinked! A family in America's Old West struggles to survive in Deb Stover's jaunty homage to the denizens of Sherwood Forest." ~BookPage

"Deb Stover's ingenuity and cleverness soar in this heartwarming 'Robin Hood with a twist' story where family loyalty takes center stage. Ms Stover has proven her ability as a storyteller in paranormal venues and moves into historical romance with the same remarkable talents. Here is a story that makes readers believe in the power of family and love. Stolen Wishes proves that 'family' is not just blood ties, but also the love that binds people. Let yourself be held in the comfort of Deb Stover's 'feel-good' gem of a romance."  
~Kathe Robin, RT Book Reviews, Top Pick & Reviewers' Choice Award Winner  

At thirteen, Mary Goode rescued her brother, Robin, and two of his friends from an asylum and escaped with them to Indian Territory. They make a simple home, and Robin creates his make-believe Sherwood Forest. To the delicate young woman dubbed Maid Marian, Robin's storybook fantasies seem a harmless game. But as eight years pass, Mary longs for more. And now, a stranger enters their secluded haven--a man with the power to shatter their safety or answer Mary's most passionate prayers. U.S. Marshal Shane Latimer is hard on the heels of robbers when a spooked horse and a snake bite lands him on his back, and in the middle of an eccentric band of forest dwellers. Though these gentle folk save his life and nurse him back to health, Shane has orders to bring the thieves to justice. But will knowing the truth mean choosing between duty and love?

Buy links:

B&N | Kindle | Apple | Kobo

Widow

I lost my husband, my soulmate, my best friend, the father of my children 14 years ago to cancer. Even after losing twin daughters, my mother, my brother, all my grandparents I was ill-prepared for this crippling experience. Well-meaning friends and family say many things to widows and widowers in an attempt to offer comfort. I often tell new widows that if they survive the first year without strangling one of their well-meaning friends or relatives who claims to “know exactly” how they feel, says it was “God’s will”, or that our loved one is “in a better place”, etc., they will definitely survive this new life fate has thrust upon them. 

Then, of course, there are those who expect us to “get over it.” This type of loss isn’t something we “get over.” We evolve and grow stronger to survive grief so powerful it feels like a beast ripping our hearts from our breast. But we are forever changed.... Some will remarry, but even they remember their pain and grief on birthdays and anniversaries. This pain does not vanish. Time smooths the jagged edges, but nothing eliminates it.

Our new life is to learn how to cope with the pain of our loss, how to move forward without our partner we were supposed to share the rest of our lives beside, and to rediscover ourselves in the midst of all that.

We are forever changed, but we survive despite well-meaning friends and relatives whose words hurt rather than help. Please stop and think before you speak. A simple "I'm sorry for your loss" is fine and appreciated.

Love,

Widow of MSgt David Allen Stover

1955-2005

https://debstover.com/dave.htmlhttps://debstover.com/dave.html

Respect

Isn't it telling that the Democratic Party is honoring Senator McCain instead of his own? He may have crossed the aisle a few times--McCain/Feingold most famously--but he has always been a hardcore Republican and conservative. He's also been what I consider a hawk and a war monger. Let us not forget the "Bomb, bomb, bomb, bomb bomb Iran" ditty he sang at one of his campaign rallies during the 2008 election to the tune of a Beach Boys' song. And he brought Sarah Palin into the National spotlight, which was downright criminal, IMHO.

But he was also a Vietnam veteran, a former POW--vilified by our current POTUS, Cadet Bonespurs. He has served his country honorably in the US Senate for DECADES, and did so with honor and selflessness. I don't recall any big scandals from his office--only dedication and hard work. 

His own party has turned on him, because he remained loyal to his country and the Constitution. As a tortured POW in Vietnam, he rightfully and vigorously opposed GW and Cheney regarding the use of torture at Guantanamo after 9/11. He stood up against #45 when he attempted to take medical care away from millions of Americans by dismantling the Affordable Care Act without a viable replacement.

You may recall that Senator Robert Dole behaved in a similar manner toward the end of his career, and went to the Senate floor in a wheelchair to plead cooperation between parties. He was ignored by his own. 

The far right leaning of the inhumane Christian Taliban, Russian backed GOP has become the American Fascist Party. I don't know what else to think of it. They don't even respect their own elder statesmen. 

That disgusts me.

So the Democratic Party steps forward, crosses the aisle, and honors the elder GOP statesmen the reThuglicans have turned their backs on. It isn't because those elder statesmen became Democrats or worked with our party. It's because they served their nation honorably and deserve our respect.

This is one of the major--MAJOR--differences between our parties. Michelle Obama put it best. She said, "When they go low, we go high." 

Here we go again. We snowflakes, liberals, progressives and Democrats will honor even the Republicans who served our country. 

We have hearts, thinking minds, class, a good sense of right and wrong--sigh--and believe in the principles our Forefathers established for our nation. Let us honor those for Senator John McCain and all those who serve our country well, regardless of their party affiliation. 

PS: Feel free to share.

#voteblue2018  #McCain

Time-Travel with Me!

I have 3 new time travel reissues with HOT new covers. I hope you enjoy them. ALMOST AN ANGEL coming shortly.

A MOMENT IN TIME

A bad hair day? Or the adventure of a lifetime…? Abandoned in a Rocky Mountain cabin, hairdresser Jackie Clarke wonders if a bad hair day can get any worse after smooth-talking lover Blade makes off with her car, her cash and her dignity. Her answer comes when a blizzard strands her in a ghost town, then a blazing inferno and a lewd painting thrust her back to 1891, where she is mistaken for famous saloon singer, Lolita Belle. Cole Morrison is a single father and reluctant gold-miner-turned-kidnapper. Desperation forces him into the battle between warring mining town saloons over Lolita Belle. Why does anyone want that sassy redhead anyway? She can't carry a tune, but Lolita-who-calls-herself-Jackie may be the answer to all his dreams…. Is Jackie still having a bad hair day…? Or is this miner with a heart of gold the spa treatment of a lifetime…?https://books2read.com/u/47ZdDR    for all the digital links.

Print edition here:  https://www.amazon.com/dp/1725622173/

ANOTHER DAWN



Another Dawn he was never meant to see…. Thrust into the past moments before his execution, Luke Nolan finds himself living a new life in the 19th century town of Redemption, Colorado. In love with a woman he dare not embrace, he runs from a future he cannot reconcile. Will love betray his secrets? Is there hope for the passion he feels for Sofie? Will she believe in his innocence? As the clock ticks, Luke discovers they are not alone. Haunted and hunted by the future, will their love survive to see another dawn...?https://books2read.com/u/meALzg  for all digital links.

Print edition here:  https://www.amazon.com/dp/1725880342 

SOME LIKE IT HOTTER

A man out of time. A woman out of options.

Natchez detective Mike Laferty will do anything to undo his brother-in-law's murder. A man named Slick offers him a deal he can't refuse—go back to June 19th, the day before the killing. Mike strikes the deal and wakes up on June 19th gazing down the barrel of an antique gun held by Abigail Kingsley, who confirms it is June 19th, but the year is 1865. Now Mike must prevent the murder from over a century in the past, while being taunted by a shape-shifting Slick. The devil may own his soul, but Abigail stakes a powerful claim on his aching heart. Will her darkest secret be his ultimate undoing…?

"Dirty Harry" meets "Scarlett O'Hara" and there's Hell to pay….

https://books2read.com/b/4AYaKK  for all digital links.

Print edition:  http://www.amazon.com/dp/1726097978

Happy reading!

Fun new interview at The Heroine's Journey you might enjoy. :)

https://theheroinejourney2016.wordpress.com/2017/11/03/the-heroines-journey-of-deb-stover/

Hope you're all having a wonderful Autumn and getting ready for Thanksgiving. It's my favorite time of year. :)

Happy reading!

Love,
Deb

Be Nice

I grow weary of seeing the term "Islamist" placed as a modifier before the noun "terrorist," while white supremacists in our country commit more terrorist acts against Americans in the name of whatever faith they claim at the time. And the same so-called Christian blogger who wrote the article that ticked me off today also lumped "homosexuals" and "pornographers" together in the same sentence. Ignorance abounds. 

We're better than this. It's the 21st Century, people. Open your hearts, your minds and allow knowledge, science, real news and information to enlighten you to REALITY. 

Bad people do bad things. They are not all of the same faith. They are not all the same color, gender, or sexual persuasion. They are not all from the same part of the world. Terrorists share one common deneominator: Hate.

White supremacists and right wing extremists in the United States of America are gifted and talented in the Hate department. 

Be nice.

Love, Deb

#Resist #Persist #Peace #stopthehate

"There's room for everyone in this world, if everyone makes some room." 

What Would Jesus Do?

I find it deeply disturbing that so many devout "Christians" have expressed support for Donald Trump. I actually saw someone quote an article that referred to Trump as "Chosen by God." 

Seriously? A man who has expressed racism, extreme disrespect for women, literally stolen money from working people by refusing to pay them for honest work, told lie after lie after lie (proven!!!!), loves himself more than his neighbor his family or anyone else, created Trump University for the purpose of stealing from students--the list is endless. 

Furthermore, if elected, he will give to the rich and steal from the poor by furthering the GOP platform, which one of these "Christians" referred to as "Biblical." Honestly... 

Let's examine that with this quote from christianleft.org: Marilyn Chandler McEntyre, Professor of English at Westmont College, Santa Barbara, California, put it this way in her article “A Voice from the Christian Left.” 

“Many on the Christian Right are fond of posing the question WWJD?-- What would Jesus do? I’d like to remind them what Jesus DID do: He cared for the poor. He did not condemn the woman caught in adultery. He prayed alone. He commanded us to love our enemies. He preached peace. He ate, drank, and lived with ‘tax collectors and sinners’ -- the lowlifes and outcasts of his day, while reserving his condemnation for the religious leaders who, from a place of privilege, imposed their legalism and literalism on the people they were responsible for leading. He told his disciples not to oppose the healing work of those outside the ranks of his followers. And again and again he reminded us to care for the poor. (That moral issue gets more air time than any other in the gospels: 1 verse in 9.) If Christians concerned about how to respond to the grave global issues facing us all were to reread the Gospels for guidance, I think we’d find some pretty clear indications there about what Jesus would do ... and what he wouldn’t. (One of the few bumper stickers I’ve been tempted to affix to my still undecorated car in recent months reads ‘Who would Jesus bomb?’) 

Whatever Jesus would do, given what he did do, and has promised he will do, I don’t think it looks much like what the insulated, self-congratulatory Fox News fans on the ‘Christian Right’ are doing.” 

End of quote. 

In a nutshell, the Jesus I learned about in Sunday School taught us to heal the sick, feed the poor, house the homeless, and that the meek shall inherit the Earth, etc. He taught social justice and inclusiveness--not divisiveness. He was a teacher, so he obviously believed in education. Oh, and he was a tradesman, too--a carpenter--so he supported labor.

The Republican Party wants to privatize Social Security, which means taking this EARNED BENEFIT--it is not an entitlement--and put it into the hands of greedy Wall Street gamblers. Anything for a profit. Just look what privatization of prisons did for that system!

Some things should not be privatized!!!! Our medical care is inefficient and overpriced BECAUSE it is privatized. We need universal public healthcare for all. Remove greed and profit.

Police, military, education, fire protection, etc., should never be privatized, nor should Social Security, VA or Medicare.

The "Christian" right voter is a single issue voter. IMHO, in order to stack the SCOTUS against Roe v Wade, they are willing to throw this entire nation under the bus. To hell with peace, healthcare, the elderly, the disabled and everybody else. To hell with Planet Earth, too, because that's what your blessed Trump plans--to eliminate all regulations from the EPA that have reversed the horrible pollution of the 1960s, and just MIGHT save our planet from extinction.

Seriously...? One issue? Throw away everything for your so-called "right-to-life?" Oh, but it's only life until birth the GOP way. As long as they don't have to feed, clothe, educate or house that child after they force it into this world. Let's not forget that....

Trump is NOT chosen by God. Jesus would NOT vote for him. 

Jesus would be a member of today's Democratic Party and he would vote Blue. And he would have voted for Bernie Sanders in the primary, but he would stand with Hillary in the general election to protect the Poor, the Sick, the Disabled, the Homeless, etc.

And so will I. So should anyone else who has the nerve to call themselves a "Christian...."

Jo Beverley

I have so many special memories of Jo Beverley going back decades to before I sold my first book. Her bright laugh, her smile, her wit and warmth, but also her deadpan British humor and endless generosity. Jo had a big heart and was a true mentor to other writers. For a while back in the '90s, she, Rosalyn Rutledge Alsobrook and I were in a critique group together on GEnie. I definitely received more than I gave in that group! Jo treated me like a peer, though she was a goddess and I a neophyte whose first book was still wet behind the title page.

One of my fondest memories of Jo is from one of our early RomEx parties (Romance Writers tend to party at writers' conferences--what can I say?), when she and I went on a quest for a corkscrew. There didn't seem to be such a beast in this particular hotel. I don't recall where we were, but it wasn't the sort of place where we could call the hotel kitchen and ask for one. smile emoticon We eventually tracked one down and to this day, that corkscrew still resides in my travel makeup bag, so it's always available. Afterward, at conferences, Debster--Jo gave me that name, BTW--could always be depended on to have a mending kit and a corkscrew.

And her books... What to say? We will have them forever--her incredible characters (Rothgar!), compelling plots and prose. It saddens me to know there will be no more from her gifted mind, but we have at least 40 to cherish forever.

May your journey be paved with dreams come true, sprinkled with fairy dust, and give you the time writers always crave to read all the books we never have time to.

RIP, dear friend.

Love, Debster

http://wordwenches.typepad.com/word_wenches/2016/05/in-memoriam-jo-beverley.html

Jo Beverley wearing her famous "I Don't Remember Your Name Either" 

Why Pay for E-Books?

Why Pay for E-Books? 

http://www.thefussylibrarian.com/for-readers/author-stories/

http://www.mulliganstew.net

Happy reading!

Love,
~Deb

America | Bernie Sanders

Happy Holidays!

Dear Readers: The story of the Mulligans' first Christmas in Caisleán Dubh has been available free at my website since before the original release of Mulligan Magic. This story takes place between Mulligan Stew and Mulligan Magic, and is told from young Jacob Mulligan's point of view. I have decided to send the story directly to you as a holiday greeting this year as I work on the third book in the series titled Mulligan Secret. Young Jacob has become a teenager in Secret, so I'm starting to get ideas that a future book may very well bring a story of his very own. Perhaps with young Erin...? ☺

May you have a joyous and healthy Christmas and a fabulous New Year. And may all your days include a bit of magic.... Love, Deb

"Mulligan Christmas" by Deb Stover

For the first Christmas Eve in over a century, lights and laughter and love filled Caisleán Dubh. The downstairs and second floor renovations were now complete, and the work on the tower would begin soon. The Mulligans had packed up their belongings and moved into the family quarters in the castle two weeks before Christmas.

Jacob Samuel Mulligan understood miracles. His great-granny had always said, "Life is one big, fat miracle."

Back in Tennessee, he'd always had his mama and great-granny. Then Granny had died and they'd come to live in Ireland with his daddy's family. Mama had fallen in love with and married Uncle Riley, then opened her own restaurant called Mulligan Stew here in the castle. He'd never seen her so happy, and it made his young heart swell and press against his throat.

He wouldn't cry--only babies cried and he was a big boy now. Besides, he had no reason to cry. His mama was the smartest and prettiest mama in the whole world. Last Christmas Eve, they'd celebrated in their trailer with a tiny aluminum tree Granny had bought at the Red Shield Store. Every year for as long as Jacob could remember, Granny had placed her special star on top of that little tree, and every year Mama had cried and hugged Granny and Jacob. She always said she was the luckiest woman in the world to have them in her life.

And this year they were having Christmas in a castle! A real castle! Another big, fat miracle...

Too excited to sleep, Jacob slipped out of his new bedroom with its high ceiling and long windows, and down the curving stone staircase to the main floor. There in front of the massive windows overlooking the sea stood the biggest Christmas tree he'd ever seen. Uncle Riley had left the lights on tonight and they twinkled against the polished marble floor and the windows behind it. Wrapped packages peered out from beneath the branches, tempting and teasing, but Jacob didn't pause to shake or ponder their contents now.

He was a boy with a mission.

Silently, he padded barefoot across the cool floor to gaze up at the lush green branches and sparkling ornaments. Swallowing the lump in his throat, he reached into the pocket of his robe and withdrew an old sock that didn't have a mate. From inside the sock, he withdrew the slightly bent tin star his great-granny had placed on that ugly little tree back in Tennessee every year. He'd tucked it into this sock when he and Mama came to Ireland.

The tree was so beautiful--so perfect. And this crooked star with its tattered tinsel wouldn't look right on it. For weeks, he'd thought about asking permission to put it on the tree, but he'd kept quiet. Now, staring at it here beneath the light of the world's greatest Christmas tree, he hesitated.

"My daddy made this star with a hammer and a piece of tin before I was born, and my mama glued the sparklies to it," Granny had said every year. "It was the only ornament we could afford, and it helps me remember who I am and where I come from."

The wise old woman's words played through Jacob's mind and he gave an emphatic nod. Granny was still part of them, and her star belonged on this tree. He reached upward with it clutched between his thumb and forefinger, wishing he were tall enough to reach the very top.
Then, suddenly, a pair of strong hands gripped him around the waist and hoisted him higher. Unafraid, Jacob hung the star near the top of the tree beside the angel his aunt Maggie and Mamóhad placed there. The lights twinkled beside the star and Jacob could have sworn he heard his great-granny sigh in satisfaction.

Safely on the floor again, Jacob turned to look up into his new daddy's twinkling blue eyes. "Thank you, Uncle Riley."

Uncle Riley grinned his special crooked grin and hugged Jacob. "'Twas already a fine tree, but now it's perfect."

"Perfect," Mama echoed as she knelt in front of Jacob. "I'm so glad you remembered."

A tear rolled down Bridget Mulligan's cheek and Jacob reached out to capture it on the tip of his finger. "Look, it's a heart diamond," he said, remembering all the times Granny had called his little-boy-tears heart diamonds.

Uncle Riley knelt beside her and more heart diamonds rolled down Mama's cheeks. She gathered Jacob and his new daddy into her arms and said, "I'm the luckiest woman in the world to have you both in my life."

Uncle Riley looped his strong arms around Jacob and Mama and said, "'Tis the only place I ever want to be--here with you and Jacob."

"Merry Christmas!" Jacob shouted, his voice echoing off the high, domed ceiling. His parents laughed and hugged him, then they all rose and stepped back to gaze up at the glittering tree with its lonely tin star packed with more than one lifetime of memories.

Great-Granny was right. Life was one big, fat miracle and Jacob couldn't imagine it any other way.

Copyright Deb Stover, All Rights Reserved. For more information, please contact the author via the Internet.

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Happy reading!

99 Cent Sale!

The 20th Anniversary Edition of my first book is now on sale for 99 Cents at all major ebook retailers.

An online version of my newsletter is here with all buy links.

And here, too. Happy reading! May all your days include a bit of magic.

Love,
Deb

* iBooks
* Barnes & Noble
* Amazon
* Kobo
* Smashwords

Shades of Rose

Today my first book has been officially reissued. The 40% off coupon has been extended through September 1st. Please use Coupon code MJ69P. Shades of Rose is available for all readers. Please visit http://www.debstover.com/books.html for links.

I hope you enjoy visiting these old and dear friends of mine. Happy reading!

May all your days include a bit of magic....

Shades of Rose by Deb Stover

Special Price!

Twenty Years

I can hardly believe it's been 20 years since my first book was published by Kensington. Shades of Rose was part of the Denise Little Presents imprint, and I was the happiest writer in the world. My editor--the amazing Denise Little--was a goddess, and I signed contracts with Kensington for 8 more novels over the next few years.

This book has a very special place in my heart for many reasons. I set the story in the Ozark Mountains where my father was raised and where we vacationed often when I was a child. The fictional town of Dogwood is actually beneath what is now Tablerock Reservoir. It was interesting to take a present-day character and place him in a time before the Army Corps of Engineers came through and built the dam that changed the landscape--and many lives--forever.   

Shades of Rose is about justice and retribution, which I'm told is a common theme in my books, but it's also about family. Dylan Marshall lands in the late 1800s face-to-face with his great-great-grandparents.

This was really a lot of fun, as you can imagine. Dylan has a mission--one thrust upon him, but one he must accept, because of the kind of man he is. He stumbles upon a skeleton sealed in a cellar in his time with several bags of gold. A strange vortex grips him and when it releases him, he discovers the skeleton is now a vibrant young woman named Rose. He has come back in time to prevent  her murder.

Shades of Rose has never been available in ebook or mobi format--there was almost no such thing as digital publishing in 1995. It is now available for pre-order, and I'm offering a 40% discount coupon to anyone who pre-orders through Smashwords before the 8/30/2015 release date. Feel free to share the coupon code (MJ69P) with friends and family. The book is also available to pre-order through iBooks and Barnes & Noble. However, the coupon will be applicable at Smashwords. 

I hope you enjoy my first book. It's been quite an experience for me to become reaquainted with these characters after twenty years and as many books and novellas later. They're just as special to me now as they were then. It's like visiting family I haven't seen for twenty years!

Happy reading, and may all your days include a bit of magic!

              Love, Deb

February 99 Cent Special

A MOMENT IN TIME is the 99 cent special for the month of lovers. This book is part romance, part coming of age, part adventure, part romp, and all fun.

Alone in a Rocky Mountain cabin, hairdresser Jackie Clarke wonders if a bad hair day can get any worse when smooth-talking lover "Blade" makes off with her car, her cash, and her dignity. Just when things can't possibly get any worse, they do. A blizzard strands her in an abandoned ghost town, then a blazing inferno and a lewd painting thrust her back to 1891, where she is mistaken for a a famous saloon singer. When she lands in the arms of a miner with a heart of gold, her bad hair day may become a dream come true. Maybe...

Please share, and you'll find chapter one, reviews, plus links to all online booksellers at http://www.debstover.com/time.html

Happy Valentine's Day!

 

99 cents

eBook Soda Deal!

http://www.ebooksoda.com/ebook-deals/8452-the-bargain-by-deb-stover

Villains We Love to Hate!

What would make you sell your soul to the devil? Find out what makes a Natchez, Mississippi Detective do just that in Chapter 1 of THE BARGAIN. Special 99 cent sale in all e-book formats in January 2015 (also available in print at Amazon and Barnes & Noble at a higher price).

Once I met Slick Dawson, I had to finish this book, because this little monster would have haunted me the rest of my life if I hadn't. Find out why, and please share.




Something I learned early in my writing career is that the antagonist (villain) in a novel must be as multi-dimensional as the protagonists. In other words, he/she must be a worthy adversary with weaknesses along with strengths and goals, motivation & conflict.

http://www.debstover.com/thebargan.html

Who is your favorite villain and why? I hope you’ll take a moment to meet Slick if you haven’t already. 

Happy reading, and may all your days include a bit of magic!

Read Ch 1 & find all buy links here!