Samhain Publishing

It’s never easy to know what I want to write about when it comes time to write a non-promotional blog. I could write about the holidays, but I don’t get into all the shopping and partying much. Frankly I do the minimum, other than cooking a fantastic dinner for my mom and son.

All that cooking poses another problem. All that food… All those calories… All those pounds which are so damned difficult to lose come January 1st.

It’s no wonder so many New Year’s resolutions concern losing weight. You should see the Weight Watcher’s meetings the first few months of the year.

So here are a few of my tips for cutting the calories without cutting the enjoyment.

Use Egg Beaters or another egg substitute instead of eggs. (Needless to say this does NOT work for deviled eggs, one of my son’s favorites.

Use reduced/light salad dressing or mayonnaise instead of the real thing.

Use skim milk instead of whole or 2%.

Use a sugar substitute. Personally I prefer Splenda. Some of the Splenda products are blended with real sugar, but using them will still cut the total calories.

Offer a fresh fruit tray and veggies with a reduced or fat-free dip. Fat-free Ranch is pretty good. Also a fat-free sour cream mixed with Lipton onion soup mix makes a great dip as well.

Use fat-free cheese in casseroles. Use fat-free cream of mushroom soup in those casseroles as well. No one will know the difference.

Instead of fatty giblet gravy, use the gravy packets which add no fat and a negligible amount of calories.

Substitute whole wheat rolls for white. Whole wheat pasta is also great for the glycemic index.

Use the reduced fat cream cheese, Neufchatel, instead of the full fat. Works great in cheese cake.

I’ve made these substitutions for my Thanksgiving and Christmas dinners for the last two years and no one has complained yet. At least I’m doing my part to keep my family healthy and well-fed.
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Happy and Health Holidays to Everyone!
Marie-Nicole Ryan

I grew up watching Roy Rogers and Gene Autry on TV and movies. Okay, so those were the G-rated cowboys I loved so much. Then I grew up and fell for the grittier side of the Old West. The HBO show Deadwood cinched it. I wanted to write an erotic historical western, and that was quite a departure to go from contemporary romantic suspense to historical anything. I had a lot of fun writing Starlight and Cord’s story, and I hope you’ll have as much fun reading it.

“Seducing the Sheriff” by Marie-Nicole Ryan

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Genre: Historical Romance, Red Hots!
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ISBN: 978-1-60504-846-8
Length: Category
Price: 4.50
Publication Date: December 15, 2009
Cover art by Angela Waters

Half dressed and going for naked…

Starlight Tyler needs to lose her virginity, as in yesterday. With her mother, a Pinkerton, and a wealthy man she doesn’t love on her tail, there’s only one place to cut their cruel intentions off at the pass—get herself back into the arms of long-lost love Cordero Tate. Pronto.

She never expected to be tripped up by someone else’s past.

Sheriff Cordero Tate is a haunted man on a mission. Come hell or high water, he’ll round up every member of the gang responsible for the deaths of his wife and unborn child…and make damned sure he never puts his heart on the line again. As in never impregnating another woman. One look at Star, though, and all the old feelings come back in a rush. Worse, she’s just as determined to brand him as hers as he is to keep her chaste.

Their exploration of ways around that impasse leads to three nights of unbearable sensual pleasure. Until her past catches up to her…

Warning: This story contains a lot of hard ridin’, some ass kickin’, and a whole lot of lovin’ goin’ on. No doors left unopened.

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I know there are a lot of pet lovers out there in reader/author land. And for the last almost three years, I’ve been without one. You get used to coming and going at will, and there’s a great deal of freedom you don’t have when you have a pet.

My thirteen-year-old Chow Chow Tazz had to be euthanized in July of 2006 and I grieved for a long, long time. He was a perfect companion and so well-suited to this author’s life. I couldn’t bear the thought of another dog until I made a trip to upstate NY last August and met my friends’ Maltese Buffy. I credit that four-month-old puppy with healing my broken heart and getting me ready to take the next step.

So from September to April I dithered and delayed. I wanted a rescue dog, but I was afraid of getting a dog with “issues”. For a while, I also wanted a Maltese, or at the very least a smaller dog, one easier to handle, bathe, transport to the vet, etc. My son suggested a Sheltie. Okay, they’re smaller and hairy, but Maltese dogs don’t shed. I did a lot of searching on the Internet and came up with a Sheltie Rescue Site located right here in Antioch. Wow!

But did I fill out the application—yes, several times, but I didn’t e-mail it. Finally though I filled it out one last time and e-mailed it to the Middle Tennessee Sheltie Rescue. The very next day the director called me to say she thought she had the perfect Sheltie for me, Cassie. We made an appointment, and I nervously waited until it was time to meet her. To cool my heels while waiting, I headed for the local SuperPets and bought toys, leash, collar, a safety seat belt, which later had to be replaced by a wire cage in order to transport my chubby little Sheltie in a safe manner.

The big day came and out floated this lovely, tiny three-year-old Sheltie. I fell in love instantly. The director calls her a diva and I’ve found it to be charmingly true. She demands her share of attention and I’m sucker enough to stop whatever I’m doing, like writing, to throw the tennis ball and play tug- of-war.

Another wonderful thing about Cassie is that she’s so well-socialized. I’ve deliberately placed her in various situations and she’s very adaptable. She’s been to my mother’s apartment and rough-housed with my nine-year-old great-nephew. Basically she charms everyone she meets and has so completely won my heart I can’t imagine what took me so long to make up my mind and take the leap again from dog lover to dog owner. That’s not right. This little Luv Bug owns me, not the other way around.

One amazing coincidence—if you believe in coincidence or maybe karma—she was born only a day or two before Tazz crossed over the Rainbow Bridge. It’s a shame she had to wait this long for a forever home, but it’s obvious to me she was well cared for by whomever had to give her up. Maybe overfed, but that happens sometimes. She has these great big brown eyes—looking at me now, in fact—and she’s difficult to say “no” to. As it is, we’re both on a weight reduction regime, so another reason we’re such a good fit.

And, I admit it: she sleeps on my bed. It’s much more comfy that her doggy bed or even the sofa. I just joined zootoo.com. Like I need another social network. But it’s not for me, it’s for Cassie.

So share your pet stories/addictions. I’m all ears.

Marie-Nicole

NOW IN PRINT:
ONE TOO MANY, a David and Miranda French Mystery
Sequel to LOVE ON THE RUN
Print Release March 31, 2009
Available Now for Pre-order at Amazon
ISBN: 978-1-60504-150-6
Samhain Publishing, lTD.
e-ISBN: 1-59998-950-6
Also Available in Amazon’s Kindle .

REVIEWS:
A minus!
“…a well written whodunit that ranks right up there for me with many of the well known mystery writers.”
Reviewer: Madame Butterfly, Madame Butterfly’s Blog
~ * ~
5 Stars!
“A spunky, totally likable heroine, four murders and a truly hair-raising climax make this a great read. Ryan has a talent for character development, and you will rarely meet such an arrogant mad man. This builds on the earlier book, but takes it to a higher level. Recommended.”
Reviewer: Lynn Bushey, The Romance Studio
~ * ~
4 Angels!
“David and Miranda are well-written characters that anyone can easily relate to. I hung on every page trying to figure out who the killer was. This is another one of Ms. Ryan’s fantastic books and I would recommend it to any reader!”
Reviewer: Kim N., Fallen Angel Reviews
~ * ~
“…reminiscent of the old whodunits, like Dashiell Hammett or Raymond Chandler novels: a great mystery to be solved, some intense action and a little romance. One Too Many is a real page turner and will keep you guessing until the very end.”
Reviewer: Vivian, Joyfully Reviewed
~ * ~
4 1/2 Stars!
“Author Marie-Nicole Ryan pens a novel that seizes the reader, and does not let go until the last harrowing moment. I adored this book.”
Reviewer: Susieq2, Manic Readers
~ * ~
4 Nymphs!
“Ryan did a great job unraveling this complex tale just a bit at a time to keep the reader fully involved. The climax is fast-paced and harrowing. It’s a great action-packed suspense novel.”
Reviewer: Sphinx Minx, Literary Nymphs

BLURB:*Murder: Guaranteed to ruin a perfectly good honeymoon.

When Miranda French finally emerges from a few days of connubial bliss with her new husband in an East Anglia inn, she eagerly checks out the local shops…

…and stumbles over a body. A mutilated body. The unfortunate victim was known to be a connoisseur of married women, so it’s a good bet that one of the ladies’ husbands is the culprit. If there’s any hope of getting back to the “honey” part of her honeymoon, Randi will have to take matters into her own hands and get involved in the investigation.

Detective Chief Inspector David French, Earl of Middlebury, has a lot more on his hands than an overly helpful new wife, planted DNA and more suspects than he can comfortably count. The killer isn’t done.

And sending Randi away to the safety of his estate may have been the biggest mistake of his life. She’s next on the killer’s hit list.

WARNING: This book contains graphic language, violence, lots of blood, multiple felonious hair-coloring incidents and subtle references to f/f activity.

Marie-Nicole Ryan
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This is what I really want, and if the people around me really knew me, they would know this is ALL I want. My son, if he were to buy me a puppy present, it would be a Chow Chow because our last dog was a Chow Chow, Tazz. He had to be the best behaved dog on the planet. Dignified and loving, his favorite trick was imitating a animal rug…and he was quite good at it. But I’ll tell you that when a bigger dog becomes older and finds it difficult to walk, he’s very heavy to lift.

Tazz has been gone for just over two years now, and this summer I fell in love with the puppster above. Last August I went to upstate NY to visit friends for vacation, and they’d been given a new Maltese puppy who needed a home. For over a week, I spoiled that puppy completely. Hand him over to me and within two minutes, that wriggling mass of energy would tap out and nap in my lap for an hour or so.

I received regular pix and reports from my friend Marti: Buffy is growing up and is a regular terror. I always tell my friend that anytime she wants to send him to Nashville, I only live four miles from the airport and I’d be delighted to pick him up. So far, she hasn’t taken me up on my offer.

I’m sure THE DOG WHISPERER would be able to help her become the leader of her pack. Does anyone watch that show? I love it. It gives me my dog fix until I take the plunge and bring home another furry friend. If and when I do, it’ll be the first time I’ve ever tried to be the leader of my pack, but I’ll give it a go. Otherwise, I may have to call Cesar.

Marie-Nicole
Marie’s Blog

Here in Nashville, September was a heavenly month. It was mild and more than a tad dry, but it was beautiful. Now all of a sudden, it’s October. Leaves are turning and falling, the mornings are cool and I start to think about turning on the heat to take off the early chill.

I’ve been out in my yard, cutting back the butterfly bushes. I’m certainly going to miss the colorful butterflies as they go where ever they go in the winter. I know the Monarchs are heading to Mexico, but that’s about all I know about their habits.

This time of change has me wondering if it’s time I made a change in genre. Truthfully romantic suspense is the main genre I truly enjoy reading and writing. Demons, witches and were-folks just don’t do it for me. I read some vampire novels, especially Charlaine Harris’ Southern Vampire Mysteries, but they’re the exception.

So what genre would I write? As much as I love to read romantic suspense, I love mysteries even more. Tougher market, lower sales and definitely not successful in the e-book arena. I just finished reading my first J.T. Ellison mystery, All the Pretty Girls. It’s set here in Nashville and it’s a real kick to see the setting I know so well come alive in her book.

Changing genres means finding an agent, but first I have to come up with a wonderful character capable of sustaining a series. Why, oh why, couldn’t I have invented Stephanie Plum? The answer is obvious, Janet Evanovich beat me to it. No matter what anyone says, I enjoy the heck out of those books. My eighty-four-year-old mother does too.

Anyway I have a brainstorming session planned next week with one of my favorite romantic suspense authors. I don’t know if I’m going to brainstorm something new or if I’ll pick her brain over my recently rejected/revised/rejected submission to see if it’s salvageable or not.

Sorry for the melancholy thoughts, but rejections work on my mind and ego that way. No one ever said it would be easy, but at times it’s harder than anyone can imagine.

So back to the dark cave of revisions. Tell me, what do the falling leaves bring to your mind?

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This book has had a couple of lives. It was first released by Wings ePress and it was my very first published book as well. Since then it’s been revised and a couple of scenes added, in addition to being re-edited in its Samhain Publishing incarnation.

The story came to me in a dream and the characters, David, Randi and young Jamie, remain very dear to me, so much so that I wrote a sequel which is more of a mystery/suspense with some romantic elements called One Too Many.

“Love on the Run PRINT” by Marie-Nicole Ryan

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Genre: Contemporary Romance, Romantic Suspense

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ISBN: 978-1-59998-963-1

Length: 272 Pages

Price: 14.00

Publication Date: September 30, 2008

Cover art by Dawn Seewer

Caught in the sights of a killer, David and Miranda fight for life—and the chance to love again.

Miranda Raines thinks she has found a safe haven in Oxford, England, until Scotland Yard DCI David French knocks on her door with terrifying news. Her ex-husband, a convicted murderer, has escaped from prison and he’s coming for her.

Miranda, who for years has harbored a secret love for the driven Chief Inspector, has no choice but to trust him. She just hopes she can guard her own heart at least as well as he guards her.

After thwarting her ex’s first attack, David spirits Miranda and her young son out of England and the three of them end up on the run across Europe. David has no intention of falling in love again, but with each passing day Miranda awakens passions he thought long dead.

Could this be their forever love? With a killer on their trail, they may not live long enough to find out.

Warning, this title contains the following: explicit sex, graphic language.

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Shades of Suspense Blog

It’s a quiet cul-de-sac where everyone’s yard is immaculate, except maybe mine at times. After all, I’m an indoor gal and taking a walk on a windy day without a headscarf or hat is my idea of roughing it.

Yes, my voluminous butt is planted in the chair most mornings while I write or do drive-by promo. I know it’s bad, but it’s better than no promo at all—right?

Several years ago when I was more ambitious I planted four “butterfly” bushes, and there are two purple ones on each side of my office window. I’m treated daily to the sight of a variety of butterflies, bees and the occasional hummingbird. Monarchs with their striking orange and black wings, yellow and black swallowtails, black and blue swallowtails flit and flutter while I watch. Sometimes I run for my camera and venture outside to capture them on my digital camera.

A little farther out in the yard, I have a small apple tree which I planted over ten years ago from bare root stock. It’s actually bearing apples although I think the squirrels appreciate them more than I do. Yes, I have two fast as greased-lightning gray squirrels that zip around my yard from tree to tree.

In April my two dogwoods bloom and show off their snowy white beauty. My deep pink crape myrtle is almost in bloom; I can see the buds so it won’t be long. I have a white crape myrtle, too, and it’s already heavy with white blossoms. I can’t see it from here in my office, but I know it’s there. It’ll bloom until September and sometimes even have a few flowers left in October.

Come October something else dire will happen: the huge maple tree will start dropping its leaves and I wouldn’t mind so much if the leaves turned red, orange or even bright yellow, but no this one turns a pasty yellow-green in the fall and seldom shows its best. And then there’s a crisp carpet of leaves about a foot deep until I hire someone to rake them for me.

So now you know all about my view. What’s the view like from your window?

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I just have to give a shout out to my editor, Linda Ingmanson. Without her this book wouldn’t be the strong story and romance it is today. Thank you for believing in these characters and me.

Holding Her Own by Marie-Nicole Ryan
ISBN: 1-60504-068-1
Length: Novel
Price: $5.50
Genre: Spicy Romantic Suspense, Contemporary Romance
Publication Date: July 15, 2008

Pretending to be newlyweds is a dangerous game…particularly if you’re falling in love.

FBI Special Agent in Charge Caitlin Chaney believes in doing things strictly by the book. It’s the only way to prove she’s earned her rank despite her father’s position in the federal government. Just her luck, she’s been teamed with an agent who’s known for following his instincts, not the rules. To her way of thinking, Agent Jake LeFevre is a screw up and bound to trash her operation—and career.

Jake is used to running undercover ops his way, and he’s not too happy with his new boss—an accountant, no less, whose undercover experience is limited at best. He needs a partner who can hold her own, not a prima donna.

At first the sparks that fly between them aren’t the good kind. From the very beginning, their cover as madly-in-love newlyweds at a New Orleans casino is tested to the max. But as they work together to find a missing whistleblower in a money-laundering scheme, their admiration grows to respect—and something more.

Then Jake discovers the casino CFO is someone he loved as a teenager. If the woman recognizes him, things could go sideways, and fast—and in a way that could leave their bodies—and hearts—in pieces.

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