Tag: Texas Author

Countdown to the Final Showdown – Guest Post

Published on by Jan Sikes17 Comments

It is with great pleasure that I turn my blog over to another wonderful Texas author, C.J. Peterson today. I hope you enjoy her post and take advantage of the awesome giveaways!!

Take it away, C.J.!

Jan,Thank you so much for the opportunity of sharing on your blog! I really appreciate you helping me out!

I have some great news! The fourth and final book in the Divine Legacy Series is coming out soon! This is an important milestone, as it is also the last book for the A.N.G.E.L.s! For those who have been following, the A.N.G.E.L.s books have been around since the first one was published in 2013.

In celebration of this milestone, I’ll be doing a countdown to the final showdown! It’s the A.N.G.E.L.s versus the other side. Who will win? Can the A.N.G.E.L.s restore the balance of power?

For this release, there will be a one-time offer. For the next three weeks, I will be giving away the first ebook in each series! Yes, you read that right! So, if you haven’t started reading them, the time is now!

Here is the schedule for the giveaways:

– 02SEP-06SEP – SEASONS OF CHANGE (Book 1, Grace Restored Series) – http://amzn.to/2e5tkU0

– 09SEP-13SEP – THE CALL TO DUTY (Book 1, The Holy Flame Trilogy) – http://amzn.to/2eXvD9l

– 16SEP-20SEP – DIVINE LEGACY (Book 1, Divine Legacy Series) – https://amzn.to/2KRrC7t

** The new release CHAINS BROKEN (Book 4, Divine Legacy Series) will be out at the end of this countdown!**

Here is the summary for CHAINS BROKEN:

            The last and final book in the Divine Legacy Series, Chains Broken, follows the A.N.G.E.L.s as they continue on their journey. There will be wedding, Christmas, and New Year’s celebrations, which should bring about a fresh start…but will it?

            Kit’s battle is coming to a head. Can she overcome what is trying to lay hold, or will she succumb like her mother? Have the issues of anger been worked out within the team? Who will win the battle for the Outback? Will it be Pete and Charlie’s clan, or the other side? What about the other box? Do the A.N.G.E.L.s have a lead on it? Who will walk away the victor?

            These questions and more will be answered as this exciting series wraps up. Chains will be loosened, and hearts and lives will be connected in Chains Broken. (Book 4 of the Divine Legacy Series.)

 1 Peter 5:8“Be alert and of sober mind. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour.”John 8:32“Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.”

This is the time to download the start of each series to your Kindle! Don’t miss out on this one-time event! Get started on your journey with the A.N.G.E.L.s!

God bless, and Happy Reading!

And now, I want to share a little bit about this author!

C.J. Peterson grew up in a military Christian home, but it was far from tranquil. Many of life’s lessons were hard ones. Through the encouragement of her husband, C.J. was able to rekindle the creativity she thought she had lost. She is an eighteen-year veteran youth leader, a published author since 2012, and knows how to relate well to folks of all ages. Her bright spirit and personality shine through as she shares her various passions and heart.  C.J. brings to life not only her world of writing and being a youth leader, but also shares portions of her abuse-survival past, and how that has shaped her in order to help others. 
Recently, she has had a number of successes! SEASONS OF CHANGE received SECOND PLACE in the “Adult Fiction” category in 2016 for the North Texas Book Festival. Also, ARMY RISING received FIRST PLACE in the “Adult Fiction” category for 2019 at the North Texas Book Festival. In addition, HEARTS UNITED received THIRD PLACE in the “Adult Fiction” category for the North Texas Book Festival as well. Also, the DIVINE LEGACY SERIES won 2019 Texas Authors BEST CHRISTIAN SERIES for Texas Association of Authors.
“While the stories are fiction, the journey is real.”

Connect via:FB: https://www.facebook.com/writingbycjpeterson

Twitter: https://twitter.com/authoress_cj

Instagram: https://instagram.com/authoress_cj/

LinkedIn:http://www.linkedin.com/in/authoress-cj


IndieLector: https://www.indielector.store/c-j-peterson.aspx

Books on StoryRocket:

The Holy Flame Trilogy:

– The Call to Duty: https://www.storyrocket.com/the-call-to-duty-book-1-the-holy-flame-trilogy

– Operation A.N.G.E.L.: https://www.storyrocket.com/operation-angel-book-2-the-holy-flame-trilogy

– Angels Among Us: https://www.storyrocket.com/angels-among-us-book-3-the-holy-flame-trilogy

Grace Restored Series:

– Seasons of Change: https://www.storyrocket.com/seasons-of-change-book-1-grace-restored-series

– Winter’s Verdict: https://www.storyrocket.com/winters-verdict-book-2-grace-restored-series

– Spring Shadows: https://www.storyrocket.com/spring-shadows-book-3-grace-restored-series

– Summer Secrets: https://www.storyrocket.com/summer-secrets-book-4-grace-restored-series

– Forever Fall: https://www.storyrocket.com/forever-fall-book-5-grace-restored-series

Divine Legacy Series:

– Divine Legacy: https://www.storyrocket.com/divine-legacy-book-1-divine-legacy-series

– Army Rising:  https://www.storyrocket.com/army-rising-book-2-divine-legacy-series

– Hearts United: https://www.storyrocket.com/hearts-united-book-3-divine-legacy-series

Springtime in #Texas

Published on by Jan Sikes23 Comments

There is truly nothing more beautiful than the Texas Hill Country in Spring.

The bluebonnets come early in March and by the end of the month, literally fields of purple are found everywhere.

Bluebonnets     The-Bluebonnet-Ratlesnake-660x390                                                                          Danger lurks among the beauty, if you aren’t careful.

The Indian Paintbrush jump out and dot the landscape with even more color.

Paintbrush

Coreopsis, Sunflowers and Verbana join in the color brigade. The Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center predicted an early season this year and the warm weather we’ve had has brought them out in force.

Wildflowers

I love Texas, the spirit it embodies and the incredible landscapes.

I am proud to be a Texas author. My stories all take place in the Lonestar State!

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Code

Published on by Jan Sikes16 Comments

This word conjures up several different meanings such as ‘code of conduct’ or the ‘code’ to a safe, but for this blog, I want to look at programming ‘code.’

Isn’t it amazing that by stringing together symbols, numbers, characters and letters, we can get beautiful images like these? They are so lifelike that you can almost hear the roar of the waterfall or feel the gentle touch of the butterfly lighting on your finger.

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It fascinates me!

In my new novel, When Two Worlds Collide, the protagonist, Jag Peters,  is a computer programmer. He spends his days writing code, but never unlocking the one leading to his own happiness.  He lives a settled life with few bumps in his road until he almost collides with Rena Jett and her candy-apple-red Harley. Rena carries deep scars from a lifetime of abuse and hides it behind a dark scowl and sharp tongue. It is a story about opposites with much to learn from each other and, of course, to fall in love with little hope of ever meshing their two worlds. Add in a paranormal aspect and it is shaping up to be a powerful story.

So, the next time you see a GIF like these, or play a computer game, think about the mile-long code it took to create it.

Computer Code HTML

Have you unlocked your own code to life? Have an AWESOME weekend!

 

A unique and entertaining series filled withPassion, Crime, Redemption, Second chances and inspiration.png

 

Made It Into the TOP 5!

Published on by Jan Sikes15 Comments

What a pleasant surprise to find this video in my Inbox this morning from the Texas Association of Authors! 

I made it into the TOP FIVE Bestselling Authors list.

 

What is TxAuthors?

Very simply put, it is a non-profit organization created to assist Indie Authors in Texas with the marketing of their books and this is done in a variety of ways.

  • DEAR (Drop Everything and Read) Texas
  • Texas Authors Institute of History (A museum dedicated to preserving Texas Literary History)
  • Lone Star Book Festival
  • Representation to the American Library Association as well as TLA
  • Website and Social Media support
  • A variety of Book Festivals held across the Lonestar state
  • Opportunity for readings in Libraries and Indie Book Stores
  • Writing Contests
  • Virtual Bookstore as well as a traveling Bookstore
  • Dedicated work with Texas Government officials for author recognition
  • BlogTalk Radio Shows

This is simply a brief list of ways that the Texas Association of Authors supports authors who live in the State of Texas, or as the founder of the organization says, whose heart is in Texas.

If you think this organization may be helpful to you, I invite you to take a look and decide for yourself.

In the meantime, I am ecstatic that I made the TOP FIVE list of Bestselling Authors in the organization!

 

New Release from Author, Linda Broday

Published on by Jan Sikes13 Comments

texas-ranger-final  THE MEN OF LEGEND SERIES – BOOK 1

NY Times and USA Today Bestselling Author, Linda Broday releases the first book in THE MEN OF LEGEND series. Some Legends are made and some are born! 

The state of Texas has 268,597 square miles so it’s no wonder we have huge ranches to match the size. Some are simply too enormous to comprehend. So I had no trouble setting a big ranch here for my latest Men of Legend series. I wanted it as big and bold as the father and sons who own it, so Texas certainly filled the bill. (It’s rumored that the state produces people with big personalities.) Strictly rumor of course. I’m laughing here.

My fictional Lone Star Ranch is a little on the puny side at 480,000 acres. I modeled it to some degree after the Waggoner Ranch which was 510,000 acres in 1954. When it sold in 2016, it had grown even larger. The Waggoner Ranch also fit the location of mine in North Texas, not far from the Red River.

The largest ranch in the world in 1880 was the XIT Ranch (stands for Ten in Texas) at a whopping three million acres and covered practically all of West Texas and the Panhandle. To put this in perspective, that’s roughly 4,687 square miles. Just think how long it would take to ride over it by horseback. All that land was owned by a syndicate of English investors. It was simply too large for words.

The mighty King Ranch down at the far end of the state was and still is one of the largest ranches in the world. It has well over a million acres. It was established in 1854 by partners Richard King and Gideon Lewis.

North Texas certainly has a lion’s share of ranch land. That’s mostly because the rugged, rocky, dry landscape is fit for little else. The Matador Land and Cattle Company (purchased by Scottish investors) is another large one at a million and half acres in the beginning. It has shrunk now but still going strong.

The 6666 Ranch is an interesting one that keeps on thriving. Captain Samuel Burk Burnett bought 350,000 acres in 1868 and started raising cattle. Rumors have swirled for decades that he named it this unusual name because he won it in a poker game with a hand of four sixes. Descendants swear that’s not true. It’s still a huge ranch at 275,000 acres. I always love driving past it and looking at the large herds of horses. Their buildings are always pristine and they even have an airstrip. It’s pretty.

Okay, back to my Lone Star Ranch. The patriarch, Stoker Legend, acquired roughly 1200 acres as payment for fighting in the Texas War for Independence. Everyone scoffed and said he had little chance of making the ranch thrive what with Indians, outlaws, drought, and the fact the land was extremely inhospitable. He paid them no mind and carved out the mighty ranch that serves as a legacy for his sons—Sam, Houston, and Luke.

Book #1 of this Men of Legend series is TO LOVE A TEXAS RANGER. Sam Legend joined the Texas Rangers as soon as he could because ranching just doesn’t interest him in the least little bit. He has restless feet and is driven with a burning need to see what’s over the next hill. Sam runs across a desperate woman named Sierra Hunt who has been dragged from pillar to post all her life. She dreams of permanence—a little white house with a picket fence around it, flowers in front and a garden in back where she can put down deep roots. She’s not going to settle for anything less…not even for Sam.

There are lots of twists and turns in this story as they seek to find common ground and protect the fragile love that forms as they run from a ruthless band of outlaws.

Think the old TV western series Bonanza. This Legend family is every bit as big and bold as the Cartwrights. I’ve enjoying writing this so much.

There are still one million acre (and larger) ranches today across the United States. What do you think the biggest challenge would be to owning such a huge amount of land?

LEAVE A COMMENT FOR A CHANCE TO WIN AN AUTOGRAPHED COPY  OR E-BOOK OF TO LOVE A TEXAS RANGER!

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FOLLOW LINDA BRODAY:

WEBSITE

FACEBOOK

TWITTER

 

 

Introducing the third book in the John J. Cannon Trilogy – Our Justice

Published on by Jan Sikes7 Comments

our-justice-front

The terrorist leader and financier Matt Jacobs has figured out a way to eliminate the President. He is relying on John Cannon’s stature as a hero to help him carry it off. John finds himself walking the fine line of pretending to help Matt while trying to figure out a countermeasure to the plan.

The action begins with John fearing for his life. Clearly, whoever is trying to get him has a mission to accomplish and the elimination of John is at the top of the to-do list. The quest to survive takes John and his love, Stephanie from the beaches of Port Aransas to West Virginia and finally to Matt Jacob’s corporate headquarters at the Embarcadero Center in San Francisco. There John finally understands what he needs to do to protect both he and Stephanie from further mayhem.

The third book in the John J. Cannon Trilogy brings together two strong wills for a showdown. The question to be answered is who will feel the satisfaction that the achievement of justice delivers? John, Matt or neither?

Our Justice is available on Amazon and KDP now in e-book format for preorder at $2.99 with shipments starting on September 23rd. The paper edition will be available on Amazon September 23rd at $14.99. Here is the link for pre-order of the e-book https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01LDFM9WM?ref_=pe_2427780_160035660

Excerpt.

I see out of the corner of my eye that Ned is on the phone. Hopefully, he’s calling in reinforcements since it looks like the SUV is gaining on us. Just as the rear window of the Focus blows inward, he finishes the call. Hundreds of pieces of glass hit Ned and me. Luckily, it’s shatterproof stuff, so we’re mostly okay cut wise. Ned crouches down and fires three quick shots with his 9MM. In the mirror, the SUV swerves to the left and almost explodes after it rams a parked car. “Stop,” Ned yells.

I slam on the brakes, which nearly tosses Ned through the windshield. “For shit’s sake, I don’t have a seatbelt on, junior, so take it easy. Just stop and turn around.”

john-howell-headshot

Author BIO

John’s main interests are reading and writing. He turned to writing as a full-time occupation after an extensive career in business. John writes fictional short stories and novels as well as a daily blog.  His first novel, My GRL is available on Amazon and wherever e-books are sold. His second, His Revenge is available on  Amazon and KDP Select.

John lives on a barrier island in the Gulf of Mexico off the coast of South Texas with his wife and spoiled rescue pets.

Other places.

Blog Fiction Favorites – http://johnwhowell.com/

Facebook– https://www.facebook.com/john.howell.98229241

Twitter –https://www.twitter.com/HowellWave

Authors db –http://www.authorsdb.com/authors-directory/6604-john-w-howell

LinkedIn –http://www.linkedin.com/pub/john-w-howell/48/b59/462/

Google +https://plus.google.com/+JohnHowellAuthor/

Goodreads – https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/7751796.John_W_Howell

Amazon Author’s page –https://www.amazon.com/author/johnwhowell

Martin Sisters Publishing –Http://www.martinsisterspublishing.com

 

 

Amazon Giveaway! Home At Last

Published on by Jan SikesLeave a comment

Amazon giveaway for Home At Last. It’s easy to enter and win!!

Home At Last is an award-winning story about new beginnings. Luke stone has finally been released from prison after 15 long years.

He heads home with empty pockets and a heart filled with dreams. He puts his guitar in the closet and picks up a hammer and paint brush to go about the business of building a new life and family with the woman who has stood by him through the long prison years.

He’s been given a second chance at everything he’s ever held dear, and is damned determined to take full advantage of it.

Darlina has waited most of her adult life to finally become Mrs. Luke Stone. But, nothing could prepare her for the difficulties that lie ahead as they struggle with extreme poverty and life-threatening health issues. .

Home At Last_3D

ENTER TO WIN A FREE COPY TODAY! SIMPLY CLICK ON THE LINK BELOW. IT’S QUICK, IT’S EASY AND COSTS YOU NOTHING FOR A CHANCE TO WIN THIS AWARD WINNING BOOK.

AMAZON GIVEAWAY