Spend Christmas in the Crimea/ circa 1854

     With bombs bursting in air, and black-market schemes afoot, join Nurse Josephine Posey, and Garrick Allen, the Times 1st war correspondent, as they try to make Christmas special for the soldiers.                                   
                          330 pages.Only $2.99 
                                 at Amazon
   Disowned by her father and still mourning the death of her fiancé, Josephine Posey joins Florence Nightingale’s brigade of nurses bound for the Black Sea. Thousands of British soldiers desperately await these angels of mercy and a new life awaits Josie. Amidst the chaos of death and despair, she finds a spark of hope, lighting the flame once more inside her soul.

    In search of the truth, Garrick Allen, one of Britain’s first war correspondents also journeys to the Crimean Peninsula. To him the soldiers seem all but abandoned by Queen and country, and as he smokes his cheroots and makes friends with a bottle, he writes his bold but honest dispatches for The Times.  Not wanting anything more than to finish his job and go home, Garrick is blind-sided by a nurse with attitude who offers him a new slant on life and a reason to love.

   "I highly recommend it to any fan of historical romance.”                Long and Short Reviews

“Rifkin’s novel is epic in scope, meticulously researched and finely detailed.”

                         Romantic Times Book Reviews

eBay stops sale of EJIAO products

Charity convinces eBay to ban ejiao products.

The Donkey Sanctuary celebrates a big step in 

tackling donkey skin trade. 

              Here is a wall of donkey hides

            waiting to go to Communist China.                 

eBay success:

The largest equine welfare charity in the world, 

The Donkey Sanctuary, has successfully lobbied 

eBay to immediately stop selling the traditional

Chinese medicine ejiao, which contains gelatin 

from donkey skin and is alleged to offer

anti-ageing properties.

(Ejiao is found in many facial and medicinal

 products. Please look for it on the label. 

It comes from a dead donkeys hide, 

sometimes called ass'es glue. 

Who is really the ass if you are

 putting this on your face.)

The Donkey Sanctuary’s CEO, Mike Baker, 

wrote to eBay’s President on Friday 8 Dec. 2017. 

eBay responded immediately to say they would stop 

selling ejiao following the charity’s intervention.

     Communist China's demand for hide glue

             is killing donkeys globally. 

Uncovering the shocking trade:

The Donkey Sanctuary has revealed the shocking consequences of the global donkey skin trade that has emerged to meet the demand from the ejiao trade. From Tanzania to Peru, South Africa to Pakistan, donkeys across the world are being stolen and skinned in the night, their carcasses found by distraught owners. For millions of people in some of world’s poorest communities, donkeys are still the main means of livelihood and sustain families by providing them with an income and independence.

                        Waiting to die.

The donkey skin trade is unregulated and some of the claims made about the supposed health benefits of ejiao are unverified – one of the principal reasons for eBay prohibiting its sale. 

("You would think the way it is harvested would be reason enough" again my words not the Donkey Sanctuary.)

Mike Baker, chief executive of The Donkey Sanctuary, says: “We’re incredibly grateful to eBay and would like to put on record our sincere thanks to them for their quick response and confirmation that they will no longer be selling ejiao.”

                        Please pass the word.

                  Rosie says "THANK YOU."

             Visit the sanctuary on-line here...

Sorchia DuBois winner in Highway Cafe Christmas Blog Tour

             Congratulations to Sorchia DuBois, 
            winner of a copy of A Cowboy's Fate.

                               Amazon or Barnes and Noble 

 Sorchia DuBois writes contemporary fantasy and Gothic romance. Her latest book, Zoraida Grey and

the Family Stones, is the first in a Gothic romance trilogy.      Granny’s dying, but Zoraida can save her with a magic crystal of smoky quartz. Too bad the crystal is in Scotland––in a haunted castle––guarded by mind-reading, psychopathic sorcerers.

   Getting inside Castle Logan is easy. Getting out––not so much. Before she can snatch the stone, Zoraida stumbles into a family feud, uncovers a wicked ancient curse, and finds herself ensorcelled by not one but two handsome Scottish witches. Up to their necks in family intrigue and smack-dab in the middle of a simmering clan war, Zoraida and her best friend Zhu discover Granny hasn’t told them everything.

Not by a long shot.

    Zoraida Grey and the Family Stones

sounds exciting, get your copy here.....

Barnes and Noble Amazon The Wild Rose Press

                           Visit Sorchia here

         

The Highway Cafe's 5 day CHRISTMAS TOUR and GIVEAWAY 2017

Go to end of blog for tour schedule!  

 

   Did you know the first known written account of reindeer in association with Santa Claus occurred in 1821? That year, William Gilley published a sixteen page booklet introducing the reindeer into the Santa Claus narrative: 

   In 1823, The Night Before Christmas poem not only featured eight flying reindeer pulling Santa's sleigh, but for the first time, they were given names:

   Originally, Donner and Blitzen were called 'Dunder and Blixem, Dutch words for thunder and lightning. Over the years, through various publishing houses, the names changed. 

      Of course, the magic of how reindeer fly is another story, and I'm not allowed to tell that secret to humans!   

Greetings, I'm Moon Shadow, one of Santa's smallest elves. I help in the kitchen making cookies and candies. I'll see you at the party. I hope they play my favorite song, White Christmas. May your holidays be merry and bright. 
   
Thank you for stopping by!

For a chance to win an e-copy of A Cowboy's Fate, winner of the Maple Leaf Award, just leave a comment below.

    

  Winner drawn at random, 

        and announced Dec. 11. 

                                                      
        This winter, warm up 

with a Hot Time in the Old West. 

        Available here SPECIAL DELIVERY only $2.99

Clover City, Colorado—1888

A mysterious letter and the drop-dead handsome town marshal, are the last things Mariah expects to find making rounds as a midwife.

Mariah McAllister plans to be married before her next birthday. Too bad Marshal Virgil Kincaid barely knows she’s alive. Not one to give up easily, she’s determined to show him she has an abiding passion for more than her work.

Virgil Kincaid loved a woman once—after she broke his heart, he spent three years in prison. Women can’t be trusted, no matter how good they look. He’s sworn off relationships in favor of Saturday night poker games. Life is simple—the way he wants it…until a stranger turns up dead in the road.

Forced to work side by side with Mariah, Virgil begins to wonder if she might be his second chance at love. As they trade kisses and oh so much more, he’s willing to take the gamble. But when a killer threatens their once peaceful town, all bets are off. 

Join the Five days of fun and prizes  

December 4

Holland Rae - https://hollandrae.com/

Susanne Matthews - https://mhsusannematthews.wordpress.com/

Sorchia DuBois - www.sorchiadubois.com

Mariah Lynne -

December 5

Tena Stetler - http://www.tenastetler.com/category/my-say-what-blog/

Maureen Bonatch - http://www.maureenbonatch.com/blog/

Peggy Jaeger - https://peggyjaeger.com/

Barbara Burke - https://barbaraburkeauthor.wordpress.com/

December 6

Kelly Kalmanson – http://kkweil.blogspot.com

M.S. Spencer - http://msspencertalespinner.blogspot.com

Hywela Lyn - www.hywelalyn.blogspot.com

Reggi Allder – https://reggiallder.blogspot.com/

December 7

Denyse Bridger - http://www.fantasypages.ca

Clair de Lune - https://clairdelunebooks.co.uk/

Karen Blake-Hall - https://kaydenclaremont.wordpress.com/ 

Casi McLean - http://casimclean.com/a-christmas-to-remember/

December 8

Darlene Fredette - http://findingthewritewords.blogspot.com

Daryl Devore - http://daryldevore.blogspot.ca

Gini Rifkin - http://ginirifkin.blogspot.com

Linda Carroll-Bradd - http://blog.lindacarroll-bradd.com

                          MERRY CHRISTMAS 

How about a lovely box of Vampires for Christmas!

                        

NEW,                                  FOREVER LOVE                             A VAMPIRE BOXED SET                                    Available now!                                     Buy at Amazon         Holidays have you on the edge?  Need something to  get your mind off of shopping, cooking, and  everything else? Why not check out the "Forever  Love" digital boxed set from the Wild Rose Press?   Featuring vampires who will make you forget about  working your fingers to the bones.    Indulge yourself in the lure of the night, and see  what happens when my vamp, Zacke in "Kensington's Soul" takes a bite!                                                                                  Faith V. Smith Kensington's Soul  by Faith V. Smith Four centuries ago, a spurned lover damned Lord Zachary Kensington to eternity as a vampire. Convinced no woman could love the beast within, he concentrates his attention on the quest for redemption. He now stalks evil in the 21st century as a police detective.  After being car-jacked, Miranda James falls hard and fast for the seductive Detective Zacke Kensington, but the closer she gets to him the more elusive he becomes.  Now Zacke’s ex-lover and vampire plans Miranda as her next meal. He must stop her vindictive murder spree before she turns Savannah into a city of carnage. Then he’ll claim Miranda as his.   Buy at Amazon

                         

Bumble Bee Bats

The smallest mammal in the world.

         I like bats. They're fascinating in appearance and ability. Watching them while camping is always a great show, and while I've yet to have bats in my belfry, I have had one in the woodstove. 
   

 This tiny bat weighs less than 2 grams. Its body is about the size of a large bumblebee, hence the common name “bumblebee bat”. 

  Prior to 1974, Kitti's hog-nosed bat was unknown to the world at large. This name refers to it's discoverer, Thai zoologist Kitti Thonglongya. After Thonglongya died suddenly in February 1974, his British partner, John Hill described the species, giving it the name in honor of his colleague

    Since that time this tiny mammal has been hunted and harassed by collectors and tourists wanting to see the world’s smallest mammal. Today the main threats are from burning of the forested areas near the limestone caves in which it lives. 

  Its relatively wide wings are darker in color, and have long tips which enable the bat to hover like a hummingbird.It is thought to have last shared a common ancestor with other species around 43 million years ago. 

Bumble Bee bats roost at the back of caves or remote caverns. Group size varies from as few as 10 individuals to as many as 500, although most caves contain around 100 bats. The bats spread out across the ceiling of the caves so that they do not

come into contact with one another. At dawn and dusk they leave their caves for around 20-30 minutes to forage for food. The bats primarily use echolocation to hunt small insects on the wing, although they may also glean small spiders and beetles from plant leaves.
 
 They do not make good pets, so don't even go there. And, the species is protected under the Wild Animals Reservation and Protection Act (WARPA) in Thailand. 

PORTENCE 4 STARS "Great ending to a spectacular trilogy!"

         Thank you Kam at  Superkambrook.com
                        

November 3, 2017SuperKam

Format: Paperback

(review request submitted by the author for an honest critique)

In the third and final installment in the Fae Warriors trilogy, I expected loads of action and Gini delivered…. starting in chapter one. There was green blood and Reps’ brain matter flying here, there…. every-freaking-where. It was a disgusting, fantastic scene — much like a few others. I will shall a few places in the book that stood out for me the most.

1.) Hoover Rats. Ok, I don’t like regular rats but Gini has rats flying around and their packing weapons… aka egg bombs. Just no. Please no. I hope rats never fly, let alone come ready for battle with ANYTHING!

2.) Portence and Malachi’s love scene: It has fun, sex, creative….. magical. Most importantly, it was memorable and that says a lot because, as an avid reader, I have read A LOT of love scenes.

3.) I have no desire to ever step one toe onto Dermis III. To survive there, you have to literally shed your skin once every 24 hours due to superficial bugs and viruses. Nope. If I have to live on another planet I want to stay on one resembling Hawaii. Bikinis 24-7, 365 days a year!

As with the above sections of Portence, I enjoyed the final battle scene. After a fiery start, Gini had both sides using whatever tools were at their disposal. You’ll see magic utilized, the elements, man-made weaponry, and even hand-to-hand combat. In the end, you know who wins but maybe you won’t guess so easily what happens to the Fae sisters and their counterparts aka their one true loves. I was happy with the ending and I think you’ll be satisfied as well.

With humor, romance, action, and reptilian aliens running amuck, this book is a must buy.

Solace available at...
AMAZON  Barnes & Noble  WILD ROSE PRESS

Bliss available at...
AMAZON  Barnes & Noble  WILD ROSE PRESS

Portence available at...

AMAZON  Barnes & Noble  WILD ROSE PRESS

Romance in a Basket #8---5 FREE BOOKS

                  

             From Still Moments Magazine 
                  another great give away... 
           Win 5 e-books including both of my 
             award winning Western Romances. 
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                          Drawing 10/30/17
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Publisher's Pick

Clover City, Colorado—1888

A mysterious letter and the drop-dead handsome town marshal, are the last things Mariah expects to find making rounds as a midwife. 

Mariah McAllister plans to be married before her next birthday. Too bad Marshal Virgil Kincaid barely knows she’s alive. Not one to give up easily, she’s determined to show him she has an abiding passion for more than her work.

Virgil Kincaid loved a woman once—after she broke his heart, he spent three years in prison. Women can’t be trusted, no matter how good they look. He’s sworn off relationships in favor of Saturday night poker games. Life is simple—the way he wants it…until a stranger turns up dead in the road. 

Forced to work side by side with Mariah, Virgil begins to wonder if she might be his second chance at love. As they trade kisses and oh so much more, he’s willing to take the gamble. But when a killer threatens their once peaceful town, all bets are off.  

Maple Leaf Award 

Colorado, 1880

When East End London meets the Wild West, sparks fly.

   Kicked out of England for offending the Royal Family, Britania Rule heads for Leadville, in the Colorado backcountry. Passing herself off as a highborn lady, she pursues her dream of opening a parlor of spiritual enlightenment.

 Cody James, her guide, thinks he must be half-crazy to hire-out to a female. But his luck at the gaming tables has run dry, and she’s his meal-ticket out of town. Betrayed by the only woman he ever loved, and shot and left for dead by a man he once called friend, Cody declares himself a loner.

   Traveling side by side, they deny their desire for one another, but the Tarot cards say otherwise—and their hot night of passion confirms the prediction. Will love be waiting at the end of the trail? Or could Cody’s past destroy their future?