Fantastic Forty ~ Charlene Keel

Happy Tuesday All! Please welcome this week’s Fantastic Forty Guest…

~Charlene Keel!~

 

Author name: Charlene Keel
Website/Blog: www.charlenekeel.com
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/charlene.keel.1
Twitter: https://twitter.com/CharleneKeel

Favorites:

Fave food? Popeye’s Fried Chicken
Fave drink (non-alcoholic)? Del Prado’s Guava Lite Juice
Fave candy bar? Kit Kat Bar
Fave flower? Pink Roses
Fave gemstone? Emerald
Fave day of the week? Monday
Fave time of day to write? Afternoon and Evening
Fave season? Winter
Fave holiday? Christmas
Fave color? Baby Blue
Fave animal? Dog
Fave hobby? Cooking
Fave sport? Baseball
Fave song? How Great Thou Art (sung by Dixie Carter as Julia Sugarbaker)
Fave TV show? Falling Skies
Fave movie? Steven Spielberg’s Taken
Fave book? The Talisman
Fave author? Stephen King
Fave word? Yikes!
Fave quote? “If you change the way you look at things, the things you’re looking at will change.” –Dr. Wayne Dyer

Lightning Round:

Coffee or tea? Coffee
Cake or pie? Cake
Chocolate or vanilla? Vanilla
Salty or sweet? Sweet
Veggies or fruit? Veggies
Owl or lark? Owl
Plot or not? Plot
Desktop or laptop? Laptop
Pencil or pen? Pen
Rain or sun? Rain
Land or sea? Land
Plane or train? Train
Run or walk? Walk
Casual or dressy? Casual
Indoors or outdoors? Indoors
Reading: EBook or paperback? Paperback
Reading: Novellas or novels? Novels
Theater or rental? Theater
Vampire or shifter? Vampire
Jedi or Sith? Jedi

Tell us about your new/latest release:

 

Title: The Lodestone
Genre: Historical Romance

Blurb:

Innocent Cleome Parker is unprepared for Drake Stoneham, an arrogant gambler who wins her grandfather’s tavern in a card game. Her mother is an invalid, and Cleome must keep a roof over her head at any cost. As the illegitimate offspring of a madwoman, Cleome has always been an outcast but she convinces Drake to hire her as innkeeper, and drawn irresistibly to him, she fights her desire. Their daring adventures take them across 1830s England, plunge them into political intrigue in Italy, and inflame the passion between them, drawing them together again and again.

Excerpt:

They dismounted and Drake took a long, thin package from his saddlebags and carefully unrolled the sketches. She studied the first and tried to imagine the place in reality. Curved elegantly into a semi-oval, the doors through which guests would enter were made of the finest English walnut.

“And here,” he said as he unrolled another, “is the reception hall.” He explained that the tapestries were imported from Italy and her eyebrows went up in surprise at the skimpily clad dancing women depicted on the rich fabric. “Those are deities in Greek mythology. If Venus were among us I am certain she would not adapt her dress to the current ludicrous rage. A woman’s natural beauty does not need frills and furbelows.”

His eyes held hers for a moment, or so she thought. But when he turned quickly back to the sketches, she was sure she had been mistaken. Sternly, she commanded herself to resist such foolish ideas; it was just the beautiful autumn weather inspiring these feelings within her. She forced herself to pay attention to his words as he rolled out the final sketch.

The mantelpieces were works of art featuring bronze figures of Old Age and Youth set in fleur de peche marble. In the center of each was a mask of Bacchus, the god of wine, and around his temples, he wore garlands of ormolu flowers.

Unable to contain her excitement, Cleome jumped to her feet. “It is impossible to believe such a beautiful place exists!” she exclaimed. “And to think that I’ve contributed to it in some small way!” Much as she loved the Eagle’s Head, she wanted to sit at one of the tables in Stoneham House, to sample the delicacies that would be offered there, and to sip brandy before one of the beautiful fireplaces.

“I couldn’t have done it without your help,” he told her.

“Of course you could. You’ve been all over France and Italy. You knew exactly what you wanted.”

“How do you come by your knowledge of my many distant travels?” he asked with the hint of a smile.

Wry amusement twinkled in his eyes, and she’d never thought him as attractive as she did at that moment. Taken aback by his question, she walked a few feet away before she trusted herself to answer him.

“The servants talk,” she said. “The other servants, I mean.”

Drake’s laughter exploded. A wave of anger swept over Cleome and she whirled about to face him. Catching her boot on a rock loosened from the earth by the horses’ hooves, she stumbled and went sprawling at his feet.

Instantly, his laughter ceased and he hurried to her. With one swift movement, his arms went around her and slowly, he set her upright. “If you must continue this charming habit you have of throwing things at my feet,” he said, his voice husky with desire, “kindly move a little closer first so that I may enjoy the delightful benefit of catching them.”

Buy links:

Amazon.com: http://www.amazon.com/The-Lodestone-ebook/dp/B006YYW0S6/ref=sr_1_1?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1332364905&sr=1-1

Thank you, Charlene, for being my guest today! :)