Thankful Author 2016- Linda Nightingale

It would be difficult to choose one of the many blessings 2016 brought me.  I can begin with my health and happiness, my family (two wonderful sons, one in England and one in Katy, TX), my house, and as of Wednesday my new car—a Mazda MX5 (Miata).  Black Beauty is, as the name suggests black inside and out.  Zoom-Zoom is Mazda’s slogan, and this little roadster is zippy and nimble on its feet. Driving with the top down, I feel like a teenager again.

I am also thankful that 2016 saw three of my novels published by The Wild Rose Press:

Love For Sale  

Can a dreamer and her soul mate, an android identical to human survive?—their love and lives threatened by her past and his future.

Gamblers Choice

A Virginia socialite and an English aristocrat go head-to-head—and feet-to-feet-in a battle to own a very special horse, finding romance and murder in the bargain.

Morgan D’Arcy: A Vampyre Rhapsody 

Journey with a vampire through the centuries, an anthology of Morgan D’Acy’s dreams, loves, successes and failures.

October 15^th, Class Act Books released another anthology Four by Moonlight, which is my 8^th book published. I wrote for many years before reaching the goal of publication.  My first effort, Black Swan, was published by The Wild Rose Press in 2009.  At that time, TWRP only accepted romance.  I published three books with a Canadian publisher, Double Dragon Publishing, the first a dark fantasy titled Gemini Rising.  I never thought Gemini Rising would be published, but in 2012, my first book arrived on the shelves (metaphorically speaking).  

For a complete list of my books, please visit my Amazon page. I’m @LNightingale on Twitter, and my author page on Facebook.

Since I mention Four by Moonlight, I’d like to share a short excerpt:

Red eyes watched from the grate as she slipped into the cold, empty bed. Simon should have been there to warm her rather than the dying fire. Not pursuing a dangerous dream. Too angry, too miserable to weep, she tossed and turned. The relief of sleep eluded her.

An icy breath whispered through the room. Tory snuggled deeper beneath the goose down covers. Had the weather made up its mind? Was Simon riding in ice and snow? She imagined white flakes in Goliath’s long black mane and on the highwayman’s plush velvet cloak. Poor darling, he would be cold. Tory slowly drifted to sleep unrelated thoughts scrolling in her mind. A soft sound snapped her wide awake. She sat bolt upright, tugging the covers over the breasts.  The room was iceberg cold.  The ghost.

“Not Simon.” She held her breath, ears stained for the horrifying, otherworldly whisper, a warning of imminent death. The sound came again, closer. A slow footstep creeping over the old oaken floor. Tonight, the ghost of Darby Manor wandered its dim corridors.

“No. No.” Tory squeezed her eyes closed and prayed, forgetting she didn’t believe in ghosts.

The footsteps halted. Tory’s heart stopped. She started to cover her ears, refusing to hear. The ghost breathed that heartbreaking sigh at her door.

Shuddering, she slid back under the layers of down. The warmth had no effect on her shivers. She folded into a fetal position.  I’m no longer alone.  Fear chilled her anew.  Though she couldn’t see clearly in the dim light, she knew her breath puffed white clouds in the frigid air. Dread sank its wicked claws into her racing heart.

My son designed the dynamic cover for Class Act Books.  You can view his work at http://www.SimonNightingale.com.  His talent is something to be thankful for as well.

Like most, I rarely sit down to consider what I’m thankful for, but this post made do just that.  I could go on and on, adding my witty and weird friends, my fans, my silly fat cat, and almost everything in my life. Take a deep breath, sink down in a comfortable chair with a glass of wine, and think about the subject of this blog.  I’ll wage you come up with a long list and blessings you forgot until you coax memory.

Thanks for reading my blog.  My readers are definitely on my list of thankfuls.

Twitter:  https://twitter.com/LNightingale - @Lnightingale

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Web Site:  http://www.lindanightingale.com – Visit and look around. There’s a free continuing vampire story.

Blog:  https://lindanightingale.wordpress.com/ - Lots of interesting guests & prizes

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