The Tortise and The Hare by Ericka Scott

Please welcome my Spring into Spring guest, the multi-published Ericka Scott! She's a talented author whose publishers include Cobblestone Press. Take it away, Ericka!
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Hello, Spring!

As an author of Seductive Suspense, I’ll admit that my favorite time of year is Autumn, with its signature holiday of Halloween. Ghosts, goblins, black cats, witches, and magick. Yet, Spring is a time of magic as well. Daffodils pushing up from the ground, baby animals being born -- watching the world be reborn is a miracle in and of itself.

Spring for me is also a time of re-evaluation. Have I kept my New Year’s Resolutions (um, not so well) and am I on track to make my writing goals (another, um, no)? I follow a lot of other author’s blogs and often feel as if I am the tortoise among them. While they are flipping out thousands of words a week, I think I’ve managed to type out, um, none for weeks on end. Since the New Year, it seems as if one or the other of my children, my husband, or myself has been sick. Then, just when we all started to feel better, along came Spring Break. Loud groan.

There has been some good news this spring, I just recently received a contract for a full-length paranormal romance through a small independent publisher, L&L Dreamspell, and I’m excited beyond words. I’m also slogging through editing the first draft of my recently completed full-length historical romance. Luckily, I typed The End on ‘Nevermore’ right before the first sign of illness arrived in our house five weeks ago.

With all of the blustery weather, rain, and cloudy skies of Spring, it’s easy to forget that the heat of the summer sun is just around the corner. It’s the same with my writing. I often lose sight that being an author is more like running a marathon than a sprint. That even miniscule word counts add up. So, as we turn the corner into April, I’m hoping to make like a tortoise and write the next book, even if it’s just one word at a time.

To celebrate the sale of my most recent book, I’ll give one lucky reader a copy of whatever they’d like to read off my backlist (which can be found on the Books page of my website). Just leave a comment, and I

’ll have the Easter Bunny pull a name out of a plastic egg on April 4^th.

Oh, and don’t forget to check out the Easter Egg Hunt at The Long and Short of It Reviews. The prize packages look even more delicious than a chocolate egg. Well, not really – but if you are a reader, the hundreds of prizes will certainly whet your appetite.

Happy Spring!

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Ericka Scott is a multi-published, bestselling author of seductive suspense. She's written stories for as long as she can remember and reads anything under the sun (including the back of cereal boxes in a pinch). She got hooked on romantic suspense in her college days, when reading anything but a textbook was a guilty pleasure. Now, when she’s not chauffeuring children around, wishing she had more than 24 hours in a day, or lurking at the library, she’s spinning her own web of fantasy and penning tales of seduction and suspense. She currently lives in Southern California with her husband and three children.

Get a behind the scenes look at her writing and zany family on her blog at http://erickascott.blogspot.com

She also loves friends, so come friend her at http://myspace.com/erickascott

She's also on Facebook at http://facebook.com/ericka.scott and Twitter @ErickaScott

You can find out more about her books at www.erickascott.com

For Mom Mom by Antonia Tiranth

Today we have author, Antonia Tiranth, and her touching tribute to her recently departed grandmother. May Mom Mom's love of spring--and her love of our Antonia--live on forever. Namaste, Cindy
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Spring has arrived! The robins are hoping about in the front yard, flowers are starting to poke their heads up in the gardens, trees are getting little green buds on them, and Rita’s gave away a free Italian ice to every customer. For me though, spring is more than a little bit gloomy. Not because of all the spring rains we’ve been having but because one of the most influential people in my life is gone. Mary “Sis” Edmond, my grandmother, ended her years long battle with illness on St. Patrick’s day.

What exactly does this have to do with spring? Well, for me, spring always meant that my Mom-mom and I would be going to take the dog for a walk or go up to The Avenue, a stretch of Eastern Avenue that several years ago had a department store and an old five & dime. Of course, in recent years, we didn’t do any of that but the memory remains. In addition to my mother and my writing buddy, Mom-mom was the person I was most excited to tell when I heard about the acceptance of my first book. At this point in her life, it was very difficult for her to read so I had plans to read it to her but as with many things, we never found the time. When I found out my books were going audio and told her, the look of pride and excitement on her face was enough to make my heart swell. Unfortunately I won’t get to know what Mom-mom thought of my books but I know she was proud of me. She was even accepting of my erotic novels, something the rest of my family is a bit uneasy about.

Spring will always hold mixed feelings for me now. On one hand, the excitement of the world coming back to life after a long winter and on the other, the memory of our loss. My grandmother, however, loved spring and I will always remember that too, celebrating it in honor of her.

I’m giving away a copy of my second book, The Gathering, to one lucky commenter!
Stop by my website and facebook for a visit! http://www.antoniatiranth.com/ www.facebook.com/tiranth

The Magic of Spring by Faith Bicknell-Brown

Please say hello to my guest Faith Bicknell-Brown! She writes as FL Brown, Zinnia Hope, and J. Emberglass. But no matter the pen name, her work always promises fluid prose, lush descriptions, and a whole lot of wit. Welcome, Faith!
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After the long winter with deep snows, numerous snow days from school, and freezing temps with high winds, I’m more than happy to see spring arrive. Daffodils and tulips are blooming or pushing through the ground around this old farm. The crocuses and hyacinths will be spilling their delicious aromas into the air any day now, and all the trees are loaded with deep-red buds.

The one thing I detest about spring nearly as much as I do the frigid temps of winter is the rain. Well, not the rains parse, but the mud it causes. Stomping around in 6 inches of mud, trying to navigate our long graveled—mud—lane, and dealing with mud brought into the house on shoes has me praying for late spring.

I look forward to planting flowers and sowing our vegetable gardens. The strawberry patch awakens and the vines begin to run while the white flowers pop out everywhere. The orioles sing their celebratory songs of rebirth, and I enjoy again sitting outside in the mornings with my cup of black coffee, no sugar.

The field behind our home is a constant source of entertainment. Deer emerge from the woods to graze, large hawks and owls haunt the tree line, and every now and then a black bear, coyote, or fox will appear. As spring marches toward summer, the surrounding farmers begin to cut the first hay crops, so the aroma of freshly cut hay perfumes the air.

The sky here is so blue my eyes ache if I stare up at it too long, and the nights are full of frog song.

Many of these elements are used in Wandering Heart, my short novella debuting April 14th from LoveYouDivine.com. Deirdre, the heroine, maintains a beautiful garden and heralds the night and its denizens in her own manner as she ponders how to rekindle her husband’s love. The story is romantic, erotic, and full of sinister magic. And if you love interracial romance with a country and fantasy flair, you’ll enjoy Wandering Heart.

What sort of magic does spring bring to you?

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Don't forget to drop by Faith's website http://faithbicknellbrown.com/ or join her web-famous writer's workshop group http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Avoid_Writers_Hell/ and the chat companion group http://groups.yahoo.com/group/avoidwritershellchatters/ . She also puts out a spectacular newletter with all the Faith/Zinnia happenings http://groups.yahoo.com/group/bickbrownZHnewsletter/

Spring into Spring with Kayden McLeod!

Today's Spring into Spring Blog-a-bration guest is Kayden McLeod, author of erotica, romance, and science fiction. Kayden has been kind enough to share with us her beautiful home. You can also chat with her online at http://groups.yahoo.com/group/mpbistro where she is the hostess with mostest. Thanks for being my guest today!

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Late spring in British Columbia is beautiful, serene and majestic. I am a nature-junkie, and feel the most inspired while in the centre of it. Whether it be by the sea stretching along the coast, or further into the interior where the Canadian Rockies trail a path up north, cutting through our province and into the next over, Alberta.

The season is a time when color becomes abundant, bleeding into the greens and blues, adding to the ever-growing palate surrounding us. Spring is the bringing of new life, a fresh beginning; when winter melts away to give light and warmth to the world.
Everything about nature is a deciding factor in the beginning steps of my writing, inspiring my stories and often serving as a starting point, even before I have begun plotting. I find elements hidden in the setting, which will spring new ideas, patterns and details of what is around the characters, into the literary-tapestries I try to create.
In my first Paranormal Science Fiction, entitled Deep Water Legends, I was inspired by the wilds of British Columbia. I chose Mount Robson out of all the many possibilities this province has to offer, because the Provincial Park provided the means for an uninterrupted chase between predator and prey. The Hunters deliberately box the quarry in, between them and the highest peak in the Canadian Rockies, with no way out. Now envision a fleeing Rogue vampire, stuck in the middle of the below pictures. He can’t teleport out nor use his own magic, while the Hunters remain unaffected by the precautions they’ve taken to ensure success. To make the terrain even more difficult, he’s stuck with a human dramatically slowing even his limited progress.
Even though the book begins in the Rockies, further into the quest the setting moves to the beaches of South Surrey. The Council Hunters, Arcadia and Ceanna belong to the vampires who rules this region of BC, the Foxworth Coven. The following is pictures of White Rock/Crescent Beach.

DEEP WATER LEGENDS
Buy Link For E-Book and Print Formats:
http://www.moongypsypress.com/mcleod.php

SUMMARY
The ruling body of vampires have let loose their top Hunters to get back an artifact. Their mission: retrieve the Dragon Stone, exterminate the Rogue and rescue the innocent human witch. Once a mission has been sanctioned, there isn't a way to go back.
Fernando was a Council employee and researcher, who stumbled upon a document suggesting a whole other race existed out there somewhere. He was tired of getting laughed at for what he sincerely believed in. No matter what risk laid ahead of him, he would prove his findings real. For his time on earth was ticking.
Daphne is a human witch, kidnapped by the eccentric Fernando. She is scared, trapped in the wilds of Mount Robson, knowing there is danger afoot, and she is at centre of it.
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To find out more about all of my books:
http://kaydenmcleod.com/
My blogs:
http://kaydenmcleod.blogspot.com/
http://www.kaydenmcleodparanormal.blogspot.com/
Thank you Cindy for having me! It was a blast.
Cheers,
Kayden McLeod
Author of Erotica, Romance and Science Fiction