Showing results by narrator "Erin Novotny" in All Categories

No matter how exciting the plot, it's the people in a story who make it memorable. The techniques and examples in Creating Romantic Characters will help you produce provocative, exciting, forceful characters with dynamic stories. Whether you're writing romance novels, stories which include romantic relationships, or general fiction, this book will help you create charactes who are romantic and heroic, adventurous and mysterious - larger than life.

From the luxury of San Francisco's famous hills to the wild freedom of the majestic snow-covered Sierra Mountains, Bridge to Happiness is the intensely dramatic story of one woman's life, the idyllic moments, her humanity, her love, and finally, the difficult road she must walk alone...to discover the strong woman she is destined to become.

Meet the elites. They think you're stupid. They think all freedom-loving Americans are stupid. They think patriotism is stupid. They think churchgoing is stupid. They think flag-flying is stupid. They think your SUV is evil - although theirs is absolutely necessary. They think owning a gun is criminal. They think George Bush is an idiot. But in this refreshing and blisteringly insightful look at the elites, Laura Ingraham reveals that it is they, not us, who are pickled in prejudice, morally blind, and outrageously hypocritical.

In the retail business, Christmas isn't a holiday, it's an endurance contest - and as manager of the Tyler-Royale department store in a major Chicago shopping mall, Brandi Ogilvie knows that surviving December will be a challenge. Merchandise is going astray and her staff is decimated by flu, but at least Brandi has a full roster of Santas. Then Zack Forrest shows up in her store, insisting he's the perfect candidate to fill Santa's red velvet suit.

When divorce attorney Justin Abernathy decides to get married, despite his disillusionment with love, his announcement that he's seeking a sensible and practical wife sends his secretary, Alisa McClenaghan, into whoops of laughter - until she discovers that she is the bride he's chosen...

Patrick Houston has worked hard to make changes in his life so he can be someone his children and Angel Ridge will be proud of. But Frannie Thompson is back in town reminding him of a time when he'd been out of control and failing the people in his life. Can love and loyalty grow from such a rocky start? Was Mayor Patrick Houston actually going to pretend he didn't know her?

Hey, ya'll. Dixie Ferguson here. I run Ferguson's Diner in Angel Ridge, Tennessee, population 345. It's a picturesque town in the valley of the Little Tennessee River, established in 1785. In the early days, its first families - the McKays, the Wallaces, the Houstons, the Joneses, and, of course, the Craigs - staked their claims on hundreds of acres of the richest bottom land anyone had ever seen. After all the years I've spent behind the counter at Ferguson's, I could probably tell ya'll a story about near everyone in town. But we only have so much time, so I'll narrow it down to just two for now....

In Angel Ridge, Tennessee, not much goes on around town in the winter. After Christmas, folks usually hunker down and wait for spring to come to the Smoky Mountains. But given recent events, which included a bombing and newspaper publisher Jenny Thompson's disappearance, people in town are understandably on edge. Now Jenny's in hiding on a nearby mountain, waiting for trouble to catch up with her and none too sure it hasn't, when reclusive mountain man Cord Goins comes to her rescue.

"Give that man an inch and he thinks he's a ruler!" When the regular host of the Kansas City Morning TV show has a heart attack, the station manager brings in traveling feature reporter Quinn Randolph to fill in opposite co-host Emily Lambert. But soon Quinn isn't helping…he's taking over.

Why does she keep wishing she'd said YES? Erin Reynolds is already the perfect corporate secretary and personal assistant, so when her boss, Slater Livingstone, suggests they make their arrangement permanent through a marriage of convenience, the idea seems perfectly sensible - to him. Erin, on the other hand, thinks his offer is ludicrous... but the moment she turns him down, she can think of nothing but Slater.

When arson threatens an abandoned school in the center of a small antiques area, cookie merchant Heather DeMarco is determined to save the building. But the owner, tycoon Cole Dennison, plans to demolish the structure, and Heather's efforts to persuade him otherwise are going nowhere fast. So Heather tries a last, desperate stunt...

Stunned when her fiancé betrays her, Katherine Whitman reacts by seducing her boss - and when a single night of madness results in a pregnancy, she takes full responsibility. But Stephen Osborne insists they do as people always have - get married. Does he want her, or only his baby?

All reporter Savannah Seabrooke needs is 30 seconds of Dexter Caine's time. Catching up with the elusive billionaire to ask her single question is a challenge, but Savannah is equal to the task - until Dexter turns the tables, holds her hostage, and announces that she's his wife!

Often compared to the novels of James Herriot, All God's Creatures follows the life of a woman veterinarian in modern Tennessee. From an unlikely start as a white-glove debutante in the 1960's to a sexism-defying launch in vet school to the adventures, sorrows, joys and oddities of a long veterinary practice, our heroine spins tales of the animals and people who share her life. By veteran romance author and dedicated horsewoman Carolyn McSparren, who also writes the Merry Abbot Carriage Driving Mysteries.

With a nickname like "Candi Heart" and a plan to open a frilly lingerie and perfume shop called Heart's Desire, Lark Hensley knows she may raise some eyebrows by moving to quiet little Angel Ridge, Tennessee. She hopes no one remembers that the women in her family were once accused of being seductive witches by townsfolk, and that decades ago her moonshiner grandpa committed a deadly crime. Lark has questions she can't answer and secrets she doesn't want to share.

When high powered attorney Kane Forrestal abandons his career and takes up beach combing along the quiet north shore of Minnesota's Lake Superior, his firm reacts by sending fellow lawyer Alexandra Jacobi to talk him into coming back. But it isn't long before the question becomes who's going to end up persuading whom?

Florida's Tango Key has never been so hot. Especially now with multimillionaire and amateur archaeologist Doug Cooper turning up headless behind his beach house. It seems a number of people stand to gain from his demise, including a stunning young widow, an adulterous son, and two gold diggers from Cooper's South American exploits. Detective Aline Scott knows a scandal like this could turn the wealthy island paradise into a no-man's land.

Largely set in the South, the 11 stories of Body Language guide us into the hidden worlds of the culture wars. The people in these stories belong to the fringes of society, struggling for an identity and a place to belong.

Sara Prentiss is not impressed when best-selling author Adam Merrill arrives on campus to team-teach her creative writing class. When Sara's elderly housemate, Olivia - Adam's biggest fan - invites him to move in, Sara is infuriated. But she can't bear to hurt Olivia. One summer isn't so long, after all - at least until Adam begins to investigate Olivia's painful past and the mysterious long-ago disappearance of her daughter. Is he searching for story ideas, or something more?

On this February morning it looks like winter is about to heat up on Tango Key. Sometime in the night, Judge Henry Michael, his wife, and two small sons were murdered. Butchered. The quiet little Florida island is reeling in horror. But clues are scarce. And the only thing for certain is that whoever did it - enjoyed it. Detective Aline Scott knows she's going to have to dig deep on this one. But when there's another brutal murder, she hits pay dirt.