Off the Wall - Some Oddities about Astraea Press Writers - Part Four

Iris Blobel

I still switch on the windscreen wipers instead of the blinker when in a huff … still after 15 years of driving on the “wrong” side :-)

(For those of you who have never driven overseas, the driver’s and passenger’s seats aren’t just swapped; the entire car is reversed.)

AP titles: Journey toHer Dreams

Elaine Cantrell

I can’t stand to touch smooth things like velvet, silk, or flour. They give me cold chills.

AP titles: A New Dream, The Table in the Window, The Sentence

Bri Clark

At 13 I got up on a pulpit in front of an entire congregation and told them exactly what I thought of how they treated my single mother. And how the real jezebel was the preacher’s wife who was sleeping with one of the deacons.

It was at that time I realized I might be a tad outspoken.

AP titles: The Familial Witch, Scent of a Witch, Glazier

Stephy Smith:

I love the feel of mud squishing between my toes.

AP titles: Rescuedfrom the River, Shawnee’s Creek, Sanders Cross, Lizzie and the Rebel, the Long Moon, Gentry’s Gallery of Angels, Swim the River

Cynthia Harris

I have never worn jeans — but wear sarees when off the farm.

AP titles: PerilousMoon

Off the Wall: Some Oddities about Astraea Press Writers - Part Three

Patricia Kiyono, contemporary romance and romantic suspense:

I always read the first third of a book, then skip to the last third, and then go back to read the middle third.

AP titles: The Legacy, Aegean Intrigue, The Christmas Phoenix

Lindsay Downs, canine mystery~adventure:

No matter where I go my first stop is always Starbucks. Even if it's out of the way.

AP titles: Emily Dahill, CID, part one; A Dog Gone Christmas; A Body in the Attic

Samantha Combs, YA paranormal romance:

When I turn up the television or radio, I can only stop at even numbers. Odd ones freak me out.

AP titles: Spellbound, Everspell, Ghostly

Kim Bowman, Regency and paranormal romance and interesting stuff:

I always base my heroes on my husband, and I always read (and write) the last chapter of a book first. ALWAYS!

AP titles: Wayward Soul, Ghosts in the Graveyard, A Lot Like a Lady

Bri Clark, paranormal romance:

I secretly enjoy attention.

(To which Kay Springsteen responds, “SECRETLY, Bri?”)

AP titles: Familial Witch, Scent of a Witch, Glazier

What's New?

It's release day at Astraea Press. Come see what we have for you!

 Price: $2.99

Buy it HERE.

Blurb:

Darien and Tai Oceina have not been married for long, but already they have one of the most complicated relationships and it hasn't even been a year yet. He is the leader of a nation and a dragon. She is carrying their first child who is supposed to be “the answer”. As Darien dives further into the politics of his people, a wedge is driven deeper between him and his wife.


Twin brothers Jason and Matthias Inero were always inseparable. For the first time in their lives they are apart from each other. Matt continues to do the will of their father, the corrupted Dragon Lord of the Inero, while Jason has fled with his bride to an island where he can forget about everything. Or try to. Being possessed by a demon makes that hard to achieve, and as the creature fights to control his body, Jason discovers a lot of shocking truths about his lineage and destiny.

The two worlds of fire and water collide as both dragon tribes prepare for war with the other. Matthias is determined to crush Darien's people. Only an ancient spell will give Darien enough power to fight back and have any hope at winning. The spell is complicated however and requires all four dragon tribes to work together in harmony. Something that is a lot easier said than done.

 Price: $3.99

Buy it HERE.

Blurb:

"I release you..." were the last words Rosalind remembered before her world went black. Stefan, the future duke of Montmouth, no doubt thought his words were welcomed but he couldn't have been more wrong.  Oh, he was handsome as a pagan Norse god, but that was unimportant when her life as well as those of her family hung in the balance.


With less than six weeks left, Rosalind has stopped believing in the fairy tale, the prince on the white horse, and the stolen kiss that would awaken her from her worst nightmares. Resigned to her fate, she waits for the inevitable curse to run it’s course.

"We must marry at once!" Stefan declared, fully expecting Rosalind to be delighted that he had come to save her, but he was sorely mistaken.  Rosalind was no simpering docile female; she was a fiery temptress with a stubborn streak only matched by his horse, Samson. Insulting, infuriating, intoxicating and alluring enough to drive a man mad.  Stefan found himself thankful for the curse that required him marry her, thankful for the betrothal contract he had so recently tried to release her from...With the fortitude of a sailor shipwrecked, abandoned, and a solider warring for his life Stefan  decides to lay siege to the greatest prize,  Rosalind's heart.

Price: $2.99

Buy it HERE.

Blurb:

Gryff’s orders lay unopened on the table.

The silent tension caused Gem to bite her lip. She tucked a loose strand of auburn hair behind her ear and shifted uneasily in the chair. Wide-eyed, Gryff sat stiffly beside her, regarding the envelope. He was like a statue—hands on his knees—staring interminably at the table.

Finally, Gem cleared her throat. Gryff jolted as if in a daze and turned to look at her. A look of uncertainty hung in his eyes. She swallowed the dry, sticky taste in her mouth and reached for his hand. It felt cold…clammy. Gem could feel the faint tremor of his fear radiating through his fingers. She took Gryff's hand between her own and squeezed, trying to infuse heat and reassurance at the same time.

"Sometimes they come back," Gem's voice was barely a whisper. It was a feeble attempt, but she was grasping at straws here.

Everyone knows.

They don't come back. Never whole, anyway. Most likely, this was goodbye. Gem knew it. Gryff knew it.

Off the Wall: Some Oddities of Astraea Pres Writers - Part Two

Joselyn Vaughn, contemporary and humorous romance:

I always have a book (or my Kindle) with me (just in case) even if I know I won’t have a chance to read.

AP titles: Sucker for a Hot Rod, Hauntings of the Heart

Nell Dixon, contemporary romance:

I carry coffee in my handbag just incase I go someplace they don't have any.

AP titles: Making Waves, September Song, Easter Holiday, Dangerous to Know, Cue Me In, A Cornish Christmas

Stephanie Taylor, contemporary romance:

I got a tattoo when I was 18. It wasn't until I was 27 that I learned it was a drug tattoo of purple haze. Oopsie!

AP titles: The Picture, Lucky For Her

J.F. Jenkins, YA paranormal:

I will try eating anything at least once so long as it’s considered food.

AP titles: Battlefield, Legend of the Oceina Dragon, Legend of the Inero Dragon, Vala: Agendas

Felicia Rogers, historical, contemporary, and inspirational romance:

I’ve never see a plaid pattern that I didn’t like.

AP titles: Love Octagon, The Painted Lady, The Perfect Rose, There Your Heart Will Be Also

Secure in My Insecurity

By Kay Springsteen

I am probably the most shy and insecure person I know. Introduce me to new people and my mind ceases to function. I get palpitations and sweaty palms when I have to make a simple phone call to pay a bill. And on the occasions I’ve given speeches for work, church, or school? I’ve been told I “knocked ‘em dead,” but frankly all I hear at such times is the quaver in my voice as an ocean of eyes turns in my direction.

 Any Grey’s Anatomy fans out there remember this mini-monologue?

“Okay, here it is, your choice... it's simple, her or me, and I'm sure she is really great. But Derek, I love you, in a really, really big, pretend to like your taste in music, let you eat the last piece of cheesecake, hold a radio over my head outside your window, unfortunate way that makes me hate you, love you. So pick me, choose me, love me.” ~Dr. Meredith Grey (Ellen Pompeo)

If you’ve watched even a handful of Grey’s Anatomy episodes, you’ve undoubtedly realized that Meredith Grey is full of issues that are based in an underlying insecurity. Yet somehow, when push comes to shove, she manages to diagnose illnesses, perform surgeries, and juggle a roiling personal life that would break most people.

As an author I feel much the same way. I toil over the stories, fret about characterization, build dialogue with the worry that it’s trite and inane or worse, unrealistic. And when it’s finished and gone through about a gazillion edits, and my publisher deeps it ready to leave the nest and enter the world…I agonize some more. Will people choose my book? What if they do and they don’t like it? What if it’s soooo bad they never want to read another novel I write?

Well, in truth I know some people will feel that way regardless. Not everyone will be automatically attracted to the cover, the title, the blurb, my name. And I can temper my angst with the understanding that not everyone who reads my books will find them their proverbial cup of tea. And while it’s hard, I have been able to avoid the embarrassment of cornering potential readers and pleading for them to pick my book, like Meredith did with Derek.

It hasn’t been easy. And even with several fairly well-received books under my belt, each new book brings on the same mad bouts of nervousness. But I’ve come to terms with this process, embraced it, in fact. It’s kind of become my personal trial of fire—the bed of hot coals I must cross that will get me from the story in my head to the story in book form and floating around the reading world.

Hopefully, readers will consider all my self-torture through worry worth it when they read my novels. But just in case, “…pick me, choose me…”

What's New?

It's release day at Astraea Press, and we have some great stories for you. So let's take a peek...

Price: $2.99

Buy it HERE.


Davey Devaney has hit rock bottom at Fort Gibson after losing most of his family during the forced Trail of Tears march and Indian Removals.  He decides to stop drinking and go in search of his sole remaining brother, Johnny, who left the fort months earlier.  He

travels what he hopes is the same route Johnny took and when he finds his brother, their reunion is all he hoped to find.  Still, his brother’s found a wife and happiness, two things Davey craves.  As he struggles to settle back into ordinary life along the rugged frontier, he finds he’s attracted to a lovely young Scotswoman, Jenny, the adopted daughter of the storekeeper at the nearby settlement.  What Fills The Heart follows the same family from The Marriage Cure with the unique blending of Cherokee and Irish culture.

Price: $2.99

Buy it HERE.


When Beth left suddenly, it broke two hearts ... but she’d had no choice.  Shane, a rugged, ex-Airborne biker, handled it badly ... but so had she.  Three years later and 2000 miles away, she desperately needs her ex-lover’s protection from a violent menace with ‘bad history’ who’ll do anything to reclaim a mysterious suitcase Beth possesses.

            Long before Shane acquired that overnighter, a ‘silent movie’ actress kept secrets there ... and now several lives are in jeopardy.  An ambitious female state senate candidate hires a ruthless investigator to eliminate potential campaign ‘problems’ like her dark family secret — a bizarre 1889 murder.

            Is Beth’s terrifying ordeal simply because she unwittingly possesses the overnighter’s secrets?  Or is it due to the meth-fueled dumpster-diver’s ‘unfinished business’?

            Shane will likely return to California after he resolves this Tennessee ‘situation’ ... so Beth struggles to resist her reawakened feelings.  But before she can sort out their renewed relationship ... Beth is kidnapped!  To rescue her Shane enters an obvious trap in a dilapidated hotel.  Only with Beth’s help can both survive the violent struggle against her kidnappers.

Off the Wall: Some Oddities about Astraea Press Writers - Part One

Gunnar Grey, mystery~adventure:

When my coffee mug is empty, I want to carry it with my left hand. When it's full, I want to carry it with my right.

AP titles: Deal withthe Devil

Kay Springsteen, contemporary and Regency romance:

I will cross the street rather than walk over a sewer grate of any sort.

AP titles: Heartsight, Heartsent, Operation: Christmas Hearts, Lifeline Echoes, Elusive Echoes, A LotLike a Lady

S.G. Rogers, children’s fantasy and fantasy romance:

I drink Tab for breakfast.

AP titles: The Last Great Wizard of Yden, Minna & the Valentine

Stephy Smith, historical and contemporary Western romance:

I take the back roads to avoid cities.

AP titles: Rescued from the River, Shawnee’s Creek, Sanders Cross, Lizzie and the Rebel, the Long Moon, Gentry’s Gallery of Angels, Swim the River