Upcoming Appearances

Hi Cozies! Just wanted to let everyone know where to find me over the next few weeks.

First off, August marks Long & Short Reviews 3rd Anniversary Party! Beginning August 2, by entering the LASR scavenger hunt before August 29, you can win one of three Nook eBook Readers that each include a $50 B&N.com gift certificate AND dozens of pre-loaded romance and YA ebooks from participating authors - including moi! I've donated a digital editon of my historical romance, Forever Amore, since it was nominated by LASR for Best Book of 2009! Don't miss this opportunity to win tons of awesome goodies and have a whole lot of fun doing it!

This Saturday, July 31st I'll be an honorary chick at Prairie Chicks Write Romance talking writing axioms that work. August 1st, I have the pleasure of guesting at Kelly L. Stone's new website celebrating the launch of her latest book on writing, Living Write. Next Saturday, August 7th, I'll be chatting with Sassy Britt over at Alternative Read and giving away a trade paperback editon of The Way Back Home western romance anthology, which includes the 1st Place More Than Magic Novella Blackest Heart. On Friday the 13th, I'll be partying with the Southern Sizzlers for their one-year blog anniversary! On August 17, look for me at Nana Malone's blog where I'll be guesting.

So that's my rundown for the next few weeks! If you're an author and you'd like to guest here at The Cozy Page, email me at amber@amberleighwilliams.com. And readers, don't forget that this is the last week The Way Back Home anthology in trade paperback is on sale at The Wild Rose Press for 40% off!

Virtual Book Tour: SEX AND SUBTERFUGE

Today Cozy is host to another exciting Goddess Fish Promotion virtual book tour! Readers, please help me in welcoming author Isabel Roman whose latest romance, Sex and Subterfuge (of The Dark Desires of the Druids series) launched July 1st! Commenters today will be entered to win a Vice Versa beaded fashion purse, a summer shawl, and a box of Godiva chocolates! (For other tour hosts and dates and more chances to win, visit GFP)

Inspiration. You are my Inspiration….. Anyone ever see the Rock Hudson movie Pillow Talk? The song came instantly to mind when I typed inspiration and then wondered where on earth I was going with this.

What’s my inspiration? I have a lot of inspirations; some days it’s a complete stranger being nice to me. Others it’s family or friends. In my writing, it’s pretty much whatever is around. But that’s boring, isn’t it?

Let’s talk history. Let’s talk sexy history! Sex in history is nothing new, but anyone who reads historical know that. So what inspires me to write something new? A song, something someone says, a really interesting news item, and always The History Channel.

Taking a small piece of history and twisting it is great fun. For instance, in my Druids books I took the Spanish Inquisition and twisted it so they hunted Druids or magickers instead. Now it was called the Purifications, and 200 years later it was still going on in Victorian England. Every story of burning at the stake, of the witch trials that spread through Europe, of even the hint of witchcraft now became part of my alternate universe. These people hunted magickers to near extinction and carry great weight in the Parliament of 1882.

Yeah, it’s fun to play goddess, to move things around and twist them to your liking. But really, it all comes down to the fact that without knowing about these fun facts to begin with, I’d never be able to play. There was something about the French Revolution and how they were warring (and losing) with Hungry before the full-blown Napoleonic Wars erupted. I wrote it down in a file and stored it in case I ever wanted to use it for a story.

Inspiration is a game of what if. What if Y happened instead of X. What if A happened to these characters instead of B, C, and D. You can find inspiration anywhere, from your family by playing the what if game, a movie or favorite TV show. It’s all about how twisted your own mind is and where you want to take it.

Read Dark Desires of the Druids: Sex & Subterfuge available now in bookstores! And be sure to check out Isabel’s free story!

A master magicker, Morgana Blackthorne has a tenuous hold on her following. When a strange Englishman arrives on her doorstep with news of other druidic magickers, and magicker problems, she’s intrigued but suspicious. There hasn’t been contact between the American and European druids in over a hundred years. Plus she has her own worries and doesn’t need the handsome earl adding to them.

Lucien, Earl of Granville, left England to seek out the Blackthorne Druid line and discover what they’ve been up to since contact was lost. Once he and Morgana meet, their mutual attraction distracts him from his purpose. Embroiled in her problems, he finds himself more concerned with her welfare than is practical for a passing affair.

When I invited you into my bed, it never occurred to me I wouldn’t want you to leave.

There are darker forces at work and the hunger of a weak magicker desperate for power. Will Lucien convince Morgana of his true feelings before things spiral out of control? Or will the surrounding subterfuge tear them apart?

Excerpt from Sex and Subterfuge....

“Lucien Harrington,” Jacobs, her butler, intoned, “the Earl of Granville.”

Smiling, Morgana swept out of the circle, stepping into the foyer, and greeted her guest. His timing was off, but as the magicker she knew him to be, not suspect.

“Welcome, Lord Granville,” she said, offering a slight curtsy.

He was tall, with dark blond hair, dark blue eyes, and a sharp nose over which he looked down at her. Her eyes traveled over his face, down his body, clothed in immaculately tailored Savile Row, back to his face. Arousal pooled hot in her belly.

She’d never wanted any man. Yet Morgana wanted Lord Granville. Her skin prickled at his nearness, her womb clenched with want.

Forcing her mind off his body, she studied his face. Briefly, want flashed in his eyes and she smiled a truly wicked smile at him. It was gone as fast as it’d shone and she returned to studying him. There was grief hidden deep in his eyes, along with suspicion and weariness. Tilting her head, she wondered what caused those emotions. Suspicion she could easily understand. It’d been more than a hundred and thirty years since their families had any contact. Though, since he’d sought her out, she should be more suspicious of him.

“Mistress Blackthorne,” he bowed over her offered hand. Flicking a glance behind her, he said, “I hope I’m not interrupting.”

“Not at all,” Morgana smiled. She could all but feel David’s displeasure. Suppressing a giddy smile, she took Lord Granville’s arm and led him into the parlor. “We’re about to begin the New Moon Ritual. Do you still practice it in England?”

Looking up at him with guileless eyes, she waited for his confusion, gratified when it sparked briefly in those bottomless depths. Damn them all. She could be as gracious as she liked, but in the end, resentment bubbled to the surface. They’d abandoned her ancestors to indentured servitude and hadn’t bothered to contact any of them since.

“I’m afraid we lost that custom when we lost the valuable Blackthorne line.”

Morgana raised her eyebrow at him as they entered the parlor. Wasn’t he the diplomat?

“Would you care to join the ritual, Lord Granville?”

He bowed again and smiled. “It would be my pleasure, Mrs. Blackthorne.”

Time's Running Out....

Time's running out! Only 11 more days to get your copy of The Way Back Home anthology in trade paperback from The Wild Rose Press! Don't miss out on this great deal. The book includes three novellas from TWRP favorite series - Wayback, Texas: "Where a Cowboy Falls in Love Every Eight Seconds!" That's three cowboys in one....

Delighting Miss Daisy by Abbey MacInnis

Smooth-talking Sam Howard comes to Wayback to advertise, while bakery entrepreneur Daisy Porter vows to throw both him and his beer flyers out of town. Can Sam help Daisy regain her confidence and break through the barriers that guard her heart?

Return of the Prodigal Daughter by Marguerite Arotin

Tragedy brings supermodel Sherrie Porter home to Wayback, but she wants to avoid her ex, Jake Serranno. Jake thought he did the right thing by leaving Sherrie in California, but neither can deny the old flames. Can they rekindle old passions or will pride keep them apart?

Blackest Heart by Amber Leigh Williams

Actress Stella Ridge comes home to Texas to heal. The last place she expects to find solace is in the arms of Wayback's silent cowboy, Judd Black. (1st Place More Than Magic Novella)

Blackest Heart is Book I in the Wayback Ridge trilogy, featuring sexy, silent cowboy Judd Black. Book II and III are also on sale for 20% off at Digi Books Cafe. Take advantage of these limited time offers now!

Read a fun interview with the Wayback Ridges here! Learn more about the trilogy at Joyfully Reviewed!

Research Log: Rio de Janeiro

I had a lot of fun researching my romantic suspense, Denied Origin, the main reason being that I got to learn a lot of useless information about places I'd never been - the first of which was Rio de Janeiro, Brazil where heroine, Valentina Tuttora lives. In a matter of days, she and hero, Mark Welles, are swept across the globe on a scavenger hunt for clues to her real identity with a deadly terrorist stalking them every inch of the way. I needed a strong launching point, geographically, for this story and Rio de Janeiro turned out to be the perfect place!

Here's a glimpse through Mark's eyes....

Mark Welles arrived at Rio de Janeiro’s International Airport on a friend’s private jet at ten-thirty that bright Sunday morning. As he stepped out, he had to blink under the blinding rays of the sunlight. He took his sunglasses out of his shirt pocket and put them on, scanning the signs taxi drivers held up in search of his own name.

The taxi drove him from the airport into the bustling, crowded streets of the Brazilian city. As they drove through the working class suburbs, the threads of his memory began to spin together. He had been gifted with a vivid memory and then had been trained to sharpen it, whittle it until it was a fine, keen blade all its own. But being here—seeing it all again—made him remember everything.

Everything.

He sat back in his seat as a ping of pain lanced through him. He exhaled sharply through his nostrils as he turned away from the streets which led the taxi into the south side neighborhood where glitzy houses stood to face the stunning, blue sea.

Now he remembered why he’d never come back here. It was too painful, unbearably so—just as he’d feared it would be.

The taxi reached his hotel on the beach close to an hour after his plane touched down. He checked in and went up to his beach-front room. The single bed was made and the sheets underneath the coverlet were fresh. The room smelled of salt and soap.

He set his bag aside and went to the glass doors which led out onto a small, square balcony. He looked down at Copacabana Beach and studied the beach crowd—the sunbathers, the kids playing in the surf, the active playing beach soccer or volleyball.

He turned away and went back to his bag. He unzipped the front pouch and shuffled through the clothes until he found his gun. He took it out, laid it on the bed along with his knife and holster. He propped his foot on the bed and pulled up his pant leg. He strapped the holster around his calf and sheathed the gun into place.

He tucked the knife readily into his pocket. He went to the door, stuffing his room key in his right back pocket.

It was time to retrace his steps.

It was time to go to work.

Denied Origin © Amber Leigh Williams

First, some general facts about Rio. The city itself was founded in 1565 and is home to over six million people, most of whom are Catholic and speak Portuguese. The handiest Rio factoid that fit well into Denied Origin's storyline is the high crime rate. In 2007, there was an average of 30 homicides victims per week, most of which were a result of mugging, stray bullets, and narcoterrorism. Rio is ranked 206 of the most violent cities in Brazil (5565 total). The city is like a comic book metropolis with urban warfare a daily (or nightly) reality between drug lords, outlaws, and police.

The climate of Rio is tropical, due to its location near the equator and on the Atlantic Ocean, but because of cold fronts from Antartica, weather changes are frequent. In the summer, flooding and landslides are common. In industrial production, Rio is ranked 2nd nationally and it is the 2nd richest city in Brazil. Most interesting of all, Rio is the cultural and tourist capital of Brazil. And with nearly 50 miles of beachland, including the famous Copacabana, is it really any wonder? Dance, sports, yachting and martial arts are all very popular. For rock climber, Rio is a haven as it is surrounded by hills and beautiful mountains. Corcovado Mountain is home to the breathtaking Christ the Redeemer statue. Sugarloaf Mountain rising above the harbor is so named because its resemblence to the traditional shape of loaf sugar.

Rio is known worldwide for its Carnival, created with a masked ball in 1840. To this day, parades and civilians in ornate costumes celebrate Brazilian music and the last days of Lent. Millions of people travel to Rio for its New Years festivities, including spectacular fireworks display - one of the largest in the world - over Copacabana Beach.

To learn more about Denied Origin, visit The Wild Rose Press! It is available now paperback and ebook. Writers & Readers of Distinctive Fiction praises this romantic suspense...

In Denied Origin, Amber Leigh Williams spins a nice tale of suspense, during which the reader is taken on a journey around the world in several days. This is a fast-paced story that keeps the reader on the edge of the seat and guessing. The action and sexual tension keep the reader wondering, waiting, and wanting more. Characters are engaging and smart, and if you like to try to figure out a mystery, this is a great challenge and addition to your to buy list. There are a couple of gripping plot twists that’ll surprise you, but they make perfect sense in the end, once a series of astounding secrets are revealed. I can only imagine Amber Williams will get better and better and be well read. Her creativity is obvious with this appropriately-named, highly-charged, danger-filled setting and story. Watch for her future works. She’s an amazing writer. No doubt about it.

Featured at Joyfully Reviewed!

My interview with Joyfully Reviewed is being featured now on their website! Check it out!

Yesterday vs. Today's YA

Recently, I asked myself why I haven't jumped on the Young Adult (YA) band wagon. I admit, it might have something to do with the fact that I was working at a Books-a-Million during the recent YA genre boom and spent many a frustrating shift as a stocker trying to find nonexistent room on the shelves for the heaps of new titles fresh off the truck. The Twilight and vamp teen lit phenomena might also be contributing to my hesitancy toward the genre. And when I was targetted by the YA market (not so very long ago), the genre certainly was not as promiscuous as it is now. Before Nora Roberts novels, I read books like Island of the Blue Dolphins by Scott O'Dell and Number the Stars by Lois Lowry.

Sweet Valley books followed me through the adolescent years. During my freshman year in high school, the series branched out into SVH: Senior Year, which I read thoroughly. In addition, I read some of the SVU college years, which dealt with some sexual issues but were never outright promiscuous.


Other than Sweet Valley, I read series like Clearwater Crossing by Laura Peyton Roberts which dealt with teens facing family fissures, religious crises, cancer, peer pressure, and the struggle to make a difference in their school and community. Despite their heavy themes, these books were entertaining and the characters felt very real and were easy to identify with.

Another series I enjoyed was Lurlene McDaniel's Dawn Rochelle books about a cancer-stricken teenage girl. Though it, too, dealt with heavy issues, I enjoyed them just as much as SVH. The most romantic book I think I read before my first full-blown romance novel was by Julie Garwood entitled A Girl Named Summer. Looking back, the subject matter seems innocent.




And though J.K. Rowling is shelved in Kid's Fiction in most bookstores, everyone around me was reading Harry Potter. This was my first reading experience inside a world that is purely fantasy. I adored it, despite the controversy surrounding the series at the time.


The pros of today's YA market versus that of a decade ago is that it has expanded and that more teens are reading. When I began working at BaM - before the YA "boom" - high schoolers loitered mostly on the magazine aisle and in the Joe Muggs cafe. Eight months later, the Young Adult (and Manga) section was high on traffic and teens could be found sitting for hours in quiet corners thoroughout the store. If I'm pleased with any aspect of the impact of Twilight and its like titles, it's this. The question is, though, are teens more likely to read now because today's YA is more promiscuous?

Books like Meg Cabot's The Princess Diaries volumes are the kind my younger sister bought and wouldn't have given either of our parents pause. Like Julie Garwood, Cabot writes both YA and mainstream romance - but they are clearly distinguished as such. While the YA boom was going on, Cabot remained a favorite and, right along with Twilight, her titles seemed to go quickly once they were on the shelves.

Recently, I began to add new YA titles to my TBR pile. There aren't many but I'm slowly paddling my way back into teen fiction. There are some titles I'm eager to explore, based mostly on good reviews....


Ship Breaker by Paolo Bacigalupi

In America's Gulf Coast region, where grounded oil tankers are being broken down for parts, Nailer, a teenage boy, works the light crew, scavenging for copper wiring just to make quota--and hopefully live to see another day. But when, by luck or chance, he discovers an exquisite clipper ship beached during a recent hurricane, Nailer faces the most important decision of his life: Strip the ship for all it's worth or rescue its lone survivor, a beautiful and wealthy girl who could lead him to a better life. . . .In this powerful novel, award-winning author Paolo Bacigalupi delivers a thrilling, fast-paced adventure set in a vivid and raw, uncertain future.

The Iron King by Julie Kagawa

Meghan Chase has a secret destiny—one she could never have imagined…
Something has always felt slightly off in Meghan's life, ever since her father disappeared before her eyes when she was six. She has never quite fit in at school…or at home.

When a dark stranger begins watching her from afar, and her prankster best friend becomes strangely protective of her, Meghan senses that everything she's known is about to change.

But she could never have guessed the truth—that she is the daughter of a mythical faery king and is a pawn in a deadly war. Now Meghan will learn just how far she'll go to save someone she cares about, to stop a mysterious evil no faery creature dare face…and to find love with a young prince who might rather see her dead than let her touch his icy heart.

Mistwood by Leah Cypess

Isabel remembers nothing. Nothing before the prince rode into her forest to take her back to the castle. Nothing about who she is supposed to be, or the powers she is supposed to have.

Prince Rokan needs Isabel to be his Shifter. He needs her ability to shift to animal form, to wind, to mist. He needs her lethal speed and superhuman strength. And he needs her loyalty—because without it, she may be his greatest threat.

Isabel knows that her prince is lying to her, but she can't help wanting to protect him from the dangers and intrigues of the court . . . until a deadly truth shatters the bond between them.

Now Isabel faces a choice that threatens her loyalty, her heart . . . and everything she thought she knew.

Readers, I'd love to hear your thoughts on YA then and now. Since my TBR pile is branching into YA, if you have any recommended titles, shout them out!

Recommended Reads

The second quarter of 2010 has come to a close and, true to Cozy tradition, following is my list of recommended reads. (Not all the titles that follow were released during the 2nd quarter of this year.)



A Hint of Wicked by Jennifer Haymore (My Review: 4/5) - When I first discovered that this book had two heroes, I thought it risky on the author's part. And when I sympathetized with both heroes, Tristan and Garrett, I wasn't sure that Haymore could resolve the heroine's dilemna of choosing between these two worthy men. It was the resolution, however, that I loved most about this book. If you're looking for something different in historical romance, I recommend A Hint of Wicked. I can't wait to read the sequel, A Touch of Scandal.





Wicked Little Game by Christine Wells (My Review: LOVE) - Another risky premise - a married woman accepts an indecent offer from a dashing marquis. I picked this one up based on the reviews. This book is now one my favorite historicals and Christine Wells is now on my auto-buy list. Wicked Little Game has everything - supsense, murder, intrigue, and sensuality. I can't wait to read it again!







Savor the Moment by Nora Roberts (My Review: 4/5) - Still struggling to find good contemporary romance these days. The one that I didn't put down at any point was the latest from Nora. Though I am a Nora fan, I wasn't as hyped up about this series due to the general meh I felt after reading the first two books in the Bridal Quartet (Vision in White & Bed of Roses). But this one centered around Laurel, the baker, and Delaney Brown was kind of addictive and I wound up enjoying it thoroughly. Already anticipating the final book in this series, Happy Ever After - due out in November.





Dawnkeepers by Jessica Andersen (My Review: 5/5) - The J.R. Ward cover quote sold me on the Final Prophecy series, but Andersen's books stand on their own. I love everything about this series. It's fantasy elements are unmatched and you can tell the author has a passion for the subject matter because it is so well-researched. I learn a lot about the ancient Mayan while getting an edge-of-the-seat read. I liked Book II in this series marginally better than the first, Nightkeepers. It packed the same heat, but there was something so satisfyingly romantic about Nate and Alexis, plus lots of great internal conflict between them.




Lover Mine by J.R. Ward (My Review: LOVE) - You knew it was coming. Who loves John Matthew? Amber loves John Matthew! This book is everything I thought it was going to be and more. I didn't expect it to be as romantic as it was since both the protagonists are, in essence, assassins. If you love the Black Dagger Brotherhood, you will love this book as much as I did. Definitely a re-read and maybe one of my top three favorite romances to date. (Uh huh - it was THAT good!)




Following are books I have reviewed for The Season, click on the title links to read the full review and book snippets....


Her Captain Dares All by Eliza Knight (My Review: 6/10) - Her Captain Dares All is Book 3 in Eliza Knight’s Men of the Sea series. Characters from previous titles in the series are mentioned, but reading order does not necessarily have to be chronological for each to be enjoyable. This book surprised me after a rough start. Once together, Lady Tessa Woodward and Captain Jeremy Williams enchant. As soon as they sail off from France to England, this story begins to read like the kind many romance readers first fell in love with; love on the high seas. I almost wish Tessa and Jeremy could have spent more time in the close confines on his ship, The Conqueror. Knight has a deft hand at building sensuality in subtle but no less satisfying strokes.... (read more at The Season)

The Summer of You by Kate Noble (My Review: 7.5/10) - Despite the author’s delightful voice, this Regency started out a tad slow for me, largely because it seemed to take some time for the heroine, Lady Jane Cummings, and the hero, Byrne Worth, to come together. The story begins in London with the return of Jane’s brother, Jason, from a year-long European tour. The declining health of their father, the Duke of Rayne, forces them to their Lake District cottage on Merrymere Lake and the charming village of Reston. Jane concerned me throughout the first few chapters due to her superior attitude toward the people of the country and her great unwillingness to leave the frivolity of London and all its distractions from her responsibility to her ailing father. But once she began to fall in love with the idyll country setting again, I began to warm up to her... (read more at The Season)

Sweetest Little Sin by Christine Wells (My Review: 7/10) - I looked forward to reading the sequel to Christine Wells’ Wicked Little Game. Though Wells had set the bar high, I was not disappointed by Sweetest Little Sin. Everything I loved about the prequel to this story is carried over into Sweetest Little Sin—suspense, intrigue, danger, sizzling sensuality and, to my delight, the mysterious character of the Marquis of Jardine... (read more at The Season)






Be sure to check The Season in August and September for reviews for these titles, one of which stars a "Hero To Die For" and is a Top Pick!














And this completes my list of recommended reads for the 2nd quarter! Readers, I'd love to hear your favorites. Meanwhile, here's a list of 3rd quarter titles I can't wait to get my hands on....


Swept Away by a Kiss by Katharine Ashe
July 27, 2010













Sin Undone by Larissa Ione
August 24, 2010












An Unforgettable Lady by Jessica Bird
July 7, 2010













Lie With Me by Stephanie Tyler
October 26, 2010

Research Log: Dream Catchers

Over the years, I've kept a research log.... Okay, well, it isn't an actual log. It's atually a filing cabinet full of loose-leaf papers that isn't in the least bit organized. Still, whenever I come across something fascinating enough for that little voice in my brain to pop up and say, "Hey, you might write about that someday," I write it down or tear the page out of the magazine (yes, I'm one of those) and add it to what I call the "junk pile." I thought I'd put some of this information to use here at Cozy in what I call my new Research Log. My first research topic? Native American dream catchers....

Anything to do with Native American legend or history makes me sit up and take notice. Probably has something to do with my own NA heritage. And something that has always been present in my home are dream catchers. A few years back, I got curious about these cultural objects - what's the story behind them?

First of all, dream catchers aren't just a Native American craft - they're a tradition set forth by the Lakota. Here is the legend as told by Dream-Catchers.org:

Long ago when the word was sound, an old Lakota spiritual leader was on a high mountain and had a vision. In his vision, Iktomi, the great trickster and searcher of wisdom, appeared in the form of a spider. Iktomi spoke to him in a sacred language. As he spoke, Iktomi the spider picked up the elder's willow hoop which had feathers, horsehair, beads and offerings on it, and began to spin a web. He spoke to the elder about the cycles of life, how we begin our lives as infants, move on through childhood and on to adulthood. Finally we go to old age where we must be taken care of as infants, completing the cycle.

But, Iktomi said as he continued to spin his web, in each time of life there are many forces, some good and some bad. If you listen to the good forces, they will steer you in the right direction. But, if you listen to the bad forces, they'll steer you in the wrong direction and may hurt you. So these forces can help, or can interfere with the harmony of Nature. While the spider spoke, he continued to weave his web.

When Iktomi finished speaking, he gave the elder the web and said, The web is a perfect circle with a hole in the center. Use the web to help your people reach their goals, making good use of their ideas, dreams and visions. If you believe in the great spirit, the web will filter your good ideas and the bad ones will be trapped and will not pass.

In Ojibwa - or Chippewa - culture, the word "dreamcatcher" (asabikeshiinh) also means "spider." It is always a hoop with a hole in the center, decorated with personal or sacred items, like the above-mentioned elder's willow hoop. Before the dream catcher, the hoop was a symbol of strength and unity. Many NA legends, like the dream catcher, spring from the importance of the hoop. The strands tied through the web are much like the design Native American used for making snowshoes. To this day, Native American people as well as New Age groups and others hang dream catchers in their homes. NA people believe that dreams, both bad and good, exist in the air, waiting for someone to sleep. The dream catcher allows the good dreams to pass through the strands and trap bad dreams that don't know the way through.

Visit NativeTech.com for instructions on how to fashion your own dream-catcher.

The Gulf Coast: A Love Story

It's been another sobering month with oil washing ashore on Alabama beaches ten miles south of my home. As far north as thirty miles, people have reported the cloying scent of wet asphalt that is the crude oil destroying our Gulf waters, coastal areas and their economies.

Residents are cleaving to memories of what the coast was like before this manmade crisis. Instead of taking out the anger and frustration that is palpable everywhere you go, here at Cozy I wanted to recall special days I now treasure like Saturday; June 12, 2004. This was the day I met the man who would become my husband. We were both young and shy, but my parents and his brother and sister-in-law were determined to throw us together on a boat ride on the Gulf Shores Intercoastal Canal. The day was gloriously sunny. The water was a dark, healthy blue.

The canal had direct access to the Gulf itself and it was commonplace to see all matter of marine life while cruising the waterway by boat. We slowed at one point to watch a sea turtle the size of five large dinner plates mosey on by just below the surface of the water. Later, we ate al fresco at the canal-side restaurant, Lulu’s. The sea breeze and rich seafood made for heaven…and the hot dude sitting next to me at the table didn’t hurt either ;)

Later, on July 18, 2004—exactly one month after our first date—he and I sat alone on the sugar white sands of Orange Beach listening to the night waves kiss the shore and soaking up the warm, salty breeze as we first told each other we loved each other.

Hardly two months further into our relationship, we enjoyed the sun on the same beach with my family. Out in the middle of the Gulf of Mexico hundreds of miles away from impact, Hurricane Ivan gathered strength and speed. The high-cresting waves were the only indication that a natural disaster would occur in a few days time. While wading, I watched a small shark’s tail pop out of the surf as it fought the rough tide. Days later, the eye of Ivan made landfall less than a mile from that patch of beach. While touring the wreckage in the hub’s Jeep, I was heartbroken. Our beaches were ripped to shreds. Water had crashed inland, flooding nearly the entire island of Gulf Shores. Sand had been pushed into the lower levels of high-rise condos, which along with miles of beach-houses were reduced to rubble on their Gulf-facing sides. Costs for damage grew far into the millions and it took years to fully recover. Several acquaintances lost their homes. National Guard patrols took over the streets to catch looters and enforce a strict curfew. For two weeks, the region felt like a war zone. I thought it was the worst beating our beach would take in my lifetime.

The beaches eventually opened to the public again and tourists flocked from March to September, just as they always had. At this point, the hub and I were living together. We took our two water-loving labs to beautiful, deserted Fort Morgan Beach where the walls of old Civil War fortress rose over an undulating carpet of sea oats and sand dunes and we chased them through the surf, played with sand crabs, explored tidal pools and tried to keep Rocky, the birddog, from chasing chattering seagulls. I still laugh at the memory of the hub losing hold of his collar, resulting in a half-mile-long chase after a haughty blue heron—the picture of the hub chasing frantically after Rocky’s quick-footed form is still something I recall often to friends and family. (The heron was never caught, I assure you, but Rocky came back fresh from his mischievous adventure smiling anyway.)

While kayaking on the canal the summer of 2005, the hub lured large flounder with a fishing rod while I read a romance and paddled us through marshy waters. A mama dolphin surprised us by swimming with her baby up to the side of the boat. The hub still loves to recount a fishing trip offshore with his father and brothers during which dolphins crested along at the bow of their vessel, turning sideways as if to get as much a gander at him as he was getting of their pod. As someone who once dove offshore ship wreckage and got up close and personal with the marine life, he mourns the loss of their underwater habitat as much as they do.

*This video was taken at the end of April 2010 at West Pass, Gulf Shores, Alabama (a week after the Deepwater Horizon explosion)

When we first heard that oil would spread to our beaches, we took time off to go to the beach. On the shore of West Pass, Gulf Shores, I found it hard to believe that it would all soon be destroyed—this slice of heaven. I grew up on the Gulf. I fell in love there. It’s as much a part of my life as the house I call home. While BP CEOs grumble that they hope the end of this debacle is near so they can go back to their lives far away from Deepwater Horizon, the Gulf Coast, and the "small people" who live here, we’ll be picking up the pieces environmentally and economically for the next decade and mourning the loss of what has been the culturally-rich life we've enjoyed here on our quiet stretch of coastline.

*This video was taken June 2010 at Orange Beach, Alabama

It’s hard to end this post on a positive note, especially with hurricane season now in session and a recent trip to Orange Beach, Alabama to see crude oil washing ashore and the absence of seagulls. I’m pleased to say, however, that my husband and several of his family members are now working on oil clean-up crews in Mobile. Please continue to keep volunteers, the effected marine life, and people who have lost their livelihood because of this disaster in your thoughts. And Cozies, if you have any fond memories of the Gulf Coast, I’d love to hear them!

*And just for fun - April 2010 - West Pass, Gulf Shores, Alabama (No hermit crabs were harmed during the making of this video)

Versatile Blogger Award

Many thanks to Jillian Chantal who has nominated The Cozy page for The Versatile Blogger Award (I think you're a really cool chica, too!)....

Rules...

(A) to thank the person that nominated you.

(B) Share 7 things about yourself.

(C) Name 15 people who are awesome and whose blogs you follow. (D) Drop in on the 15 blogs and tell them you love them.

7Things...

1) I write best between the hours of 10pm and 2am.

2) I get along better with animals versus humans.

3) Dr. Pepper is my soda of choice.

4) If I had to choose between Captain Jack Sparrow and Will Turner...I'd probably go with the good boy. Though, I admit, it would be a painful decision to make.

5) I read way too many historical romances.

6) I'm wearing a Wintzell's Oyster House t-shirt that is way to be for me at the moment.

7) I'm really excited because my contemporary romance revision is nearing completion - FINALLY!

15 People...

1) Rita van Fleet - fellow GCC member

2) Rae Summers - historical romance author

3) Celia Yeary - fellow Wayback and western romance author

4) Arabella Stokes - fellow GCC member and "Romance Mama"

5) Terry Kate - the lady behind Romance in the Backseat

6) Rebecca J. Clark - contemporary romance author and "Shy Writer"

7) Pamela S. Thibodeaux - inspirational romance author

8) Skhye Moncrief - fantasy romance author and writing reference extraordinaire

9) Autumn Jordon - fellow Wayback and romantic suspense author

10) Manda Collins - GCC prez and historical romance author

11) Sandy Sullivan - western romance author

12) Lisa Lipkind Leibow - co-blogger at The Roses of Prose and women's fiction author

13) Nancy O'Berry - co-blogger at The Roses of Prose and historical romance author

14) Hywela Lyn - fantasy romance author

15) Sharon Donovan - romantic suspense author

THE WAY BACK HOME 40% discount for July!

Now is the time to purchase The Way Back Home if you haven't already! This Wayback, Texas anthology featuring novellas from the The Wild Rose Press fan-favorite series - Delighting Miss Daisy by Abbey MacInnis, Return of the Prodigal Daughter by Marguerite Arotin, and Blackest Heart by Amber Leigh Williams - available only in paperback is 40% off through the month of July at TWRP!

Blackest Heart, the final novella in The Way Back Home anthology and the first story in the Wayback Ridge trilogy, placed 1st in the 2009 More Than Magic Contest and stars sexy, silent cowboy Judd Black. Here's what people are saying about Judd and Blackest Heart...

This story is absolute perfection! From the beautiful setting to the well thought out plot to one of the sexiest heroes I've had the pleasure to read in a long time. I loved everything about this story. My only complaint is that it was too short...I wanted it to go on and on! And I'll never be able to hear that silly phrase "I tapped that" without laughing myself sick. Sexy, funny, and wonderfully heartwarming, Blackest Heart is a definite keeper. And the best part? There's two more stories in this incredible series featuring Stella's yummy brothers!!
- Donna Marie Rogers, Author of Meant To Be and Golden Opportunity

I'm not a great Western/ cowboy fan myself but this story went a long way towards converting me. Ms Williams has a good writing style; polished and confident, and I look forward to reading more of her work in the future. Definitely recommended.
—Writers & Readers of Distinctive Fiction

In this touching contemporary story, when a young actress returns home following a car accident that has left her scarred she finds healing and love in the arms of a quiet cowboy… Blackest Heart is a wonderful story with characters that will touch the heart and I for one am glad I got the chance to read it.
—Long and Short Reviews

The tensions and conflicts with others made the couple seem even more real. The sensuality was super charged and dynamic. I could not put this book down. It was mesmerizing to read. I truly enjoyed reading this book and highly recommend it to everyone.
—The Romance Studio

Stella Ridge discovers that home sweet home and the arms of a strong, quiet cowboy are just what she needs to get her life and heart going again in Amber Leigh Williams's fantastic Wayback tale- Blackest Heart. With a wonderful cast of supporting characters, including Stella's adorable brothers, Stella and Judd will warm your heart and make you believe in the wonder of sweet homecomings.

—Marguerite Arotin, author of One Enchanted Summer and Return of the Prodigal Daughter

Purchase The Way Back Home and enjoy three hot cowboys in one book for 40% off before August 1st or buy Blackest Heart for just $3.00 at The Wild Rose Press. Book II, Bluest Heart, in the Wayback Ridge trilogy is available now for $3.75 and Book III, Bet It On My Heart, is on sale for $4.00 at The Wild Rose Press!

To read a fun character interview featuring Judd and heros from Book II and III, click here!

Blog Stop

Why it took me eight years and six drafts to complete my historical romance, Forever Amore: read all the details today and tomorrow an exclusive excerpt from Forever Amore at Rae Summers's blog!

Forever Amore is available from Black Lyon Publishing in ebook and trade paperback, from Amazon Kindle and now from All Romance eBooks!