Welcome Fantasy Author Lydia Weltman

Please give a big hello to fellow author Lydia Weltman who writes fantasy adventures! I’ve invited Lydia to visit and share some info about herself and her upcoming release! P.S. – The books are inspired by Victorian London and you know how much I love London!

Hi there, I’m Lydia Weltmann, and I write fantasy adventures! Thanks so much to Caridad for inviting me here to chat with you all!

I’ve always loved escaping into a book and seeing what new worlds I could visit within them, or visiting other time periods of our own world. London is a favorite destination of mine, both in books and in real life, and I can’t help pulling from London when I’m designing new worlds.

My current series draws a lot of inspiration from Victorian London, but with some fantasy elements and a steampunk aesthetic added in. The series focuses on two long lost brothers reconnecting and learning what it means to be brothers again while facing all the challenges of the growing rebellion.

To celebrate book three’s upcoming release this fall, I’m offering one lucky winner books one AND two!

Here’s a quick teaser of book one:

This was the apple’s fault.

I flailed my way to the river surface with a large gasp, bruised apple clutched in my right hand. I stood a better chance at swimming if I had both hands, but no way was I letting go of the apple now. It was the fruit’s fault I was in this mess.

Okay, technically, stealing the apple might have started the chase, leading to the guards cornering me on the bridge. Which led to me jumping off the bridge to escape.

Admittedly, not my best plan. I regretted the choice the second I sank into the icy river and remembered two very important things.

One: It was March and the river was freezing.

Two: I didn’t know how to swim.

To possibly score a paperback copy of THE STREET RAT’S GUIDE TO SPELLS AND ROYALTY and THE PRINCE’S GUIDE TO BROTHERS AND RITUALS, visit Caridad’s Facebook Fan page and comment on your favorite travel destination!

fantasy novel

My Favorite Foods! Share Your Favs!

Everyone has their favorite foods that they would choose almost every time. With my Cuban heritage, my favs lean in that direction. A tasty Cuban sandwich. Roast pork (essential for the sandwich LOL!) Ropa vieja, a flavorful dish of shredded beef in tomato sauce. Maduros, those sweet ripe plantains that everyone devours on Christmas Eve. What are your favorite foods? Share them with us and why you love them! You may know that food sometimes plays a big role in my books, like South Beach Love which has the two chefs and More than a Mission where the heroine is a chef. But you may not know about Tori Got Lucky which I re-released as Charity Pineiro. (Charity is my nickname). Tori Got Lucky is set in Miami and you’ll find mention of lots of my fav foods in that story and its sequel, To Catch Her Man. If you love stories about women facing big changes in their friendships and lives, you might want to check it out at https://amzn.to/338Mcdu. Here’s a teaser for it:

Finding Mr. Right wasn’t what she had in mind . . .

When Tori got lucky, she never imagined that her one night fling would turn into something more. But her birthday surprise turns out to be “the one” and before long, she and Gil are talking about making it something a little more permanent.

There’s just one problem. Okay, maybe more than one. Like Tori’s three best friends who fear that once Tori gets married, she’ll disappear as so many of their friends have over the years. And her mother and father who are making all kinds of noises about Tori and Gil’s plans for a quick and simple wedding. Not to mention Tori’s perfect sister with her new little baby. . .

With pressure building from all sides, Tori and Gil do the only possible thing: Elope. But can their new marriage survive the demands of friends, family, and their own insecurities?

Only time will tell whether Tori truly got lucky.

favorite foods

Exciting New Cover Reveals

I am so happy to have the rights back to ALL the books in the At the Shore series! My daughter and I decided to do something different with the box set and re-releases, namely some fun covers! What do you think? And as a way to say thank you, the box set of all three books will be on sale for 99 cents for a limited time or FREE if you have Kindle Unlimited! So don’t miss out on these stories featuring three Jersey Girls who are finding that Fate has brought them the possibility of unexpected happily-ever-afters. I think you’ll love these stories about enemies to lovers, second chances (and a secret baby), and friends to lovers. You can download the boxset at https://amzn.to/3vQaASW. You can order the print editions of the special covers at https://amzn.to/3SmU5Fx.

Tempting Teaser The Fifth Kingdom

I have a little excerpt from The Fifth Kingdom for you today! CIA Agent Bill and college professor Deanna have already survived an attack on their lives and in this scene they are getting past their earlier animosity and learning more about each other. Each revelation just heightens the attraction between them. I love the slow burn between them and how emotionally challenged they both are because of the abandonment they’ve suffered in their lives. You can download The Fifth Kingdom for FREE if you have Kindle Unlimited or download it for 99 cents until midnight EST January 6th! Pick up your copy at https://amzn.to/41ItuqK.

Teaser

“I thought I heard you moving around,” she said, one hand braced on the jamb. Her chestnut-colored hair was sleep-tousled. Her hazel-green eyes were slightly swollen. She had been crying. He forced himself not to look below her shoulders because although she wore a modest one-piece sleep shirt, there was no hiding the curvy body or amazing legs peeking from beneath the edge of the shirt.

Locking his gaze on hers to avoid the temptation, he said, “I didn’t mean to wake you.”

In a husky voice, she said, “I wasn’t sleeping.” After a deep inhalation and the space of a heartbeat, she blurted out, “I don’t want to be alone tonight.”

Because he remembered one too many times curled up by himself on whatever had passed for his bed, he nodded and motioned to the empty space beside him. “It’s a big bed. Plus, it’ll make it easier for me to keep an eye on you.”

She smiled then and it reached her eyes. “Far be it for me to make your life more difficult,” she replied wryly.

“Now that’s a change,” he said with a chuckle and patted the mattress beside him. “It’s all yours.”

She walked over and slipped beneath the covers and for safety’s sake, he stayed above them. He reached over and shut off the light on the nightstand, plunging the room into semidarkness. Moonlight streamed in from the windows on the far side of the space, providing some illumination. Enough for him to see her face when they turned toward each other in bed.

She had grown serious in those scant few seconds it had taken him to turn off the light.

“How do you do it?” Her arms were wrapped across her body as if she would unravel if she didn’t somehow hold herself together.

“Do what?” he asked, needing further clarification.

“Act so confident and self-assured, like nothing in the world can rock your foundation?”

She’d chosen the right word to start her query. Act. It was what he did every day of his life, hiding the real him. The one that at times was still the scared little boy who wanted nothing more than to curl up into a ball to protect himself. She had brought out that fearful side of him more than anyone else ever had. Part of it was that he identified with her. The other part…

It would possibly be too dangerous to acknowledge what that other part was, but he knew she wouldn’t be satisfied with a less-than-honest answer. “My life and the lives of those who depend on me demand that I be in control of everything around me.”

Deanna raised her hand and laid it on his chest. Beneath her palm his heartbeat picked up speed and the way his breath hitched for just a moment confirmed that his restraint was hard-won.

“For a long time, I thought I had things in order. Now I realize just how shallow a veneer that was,” she said.

“There’s no shame in that, Deanna,” he replied and covered her hand with his, his palm rough against the back of her hand. It was the hand of a man whose labors were difficult. The hoary moonlight allowed her to see the silvery line of the scar along the one knuckle. Another sign to add to the others that gave testament to the hard life he had lived up until now.

“For months after she left, I tried to be the perfect child, hoping she’d come back,” she said and rubbed her hand along the crisp hairs on his chest, finding the action somehow soothing.

“But she didn’t and yet you still kept on striving to do more.”

“I think I knew why I was doing it–to please her and yet to punish her by showing her what she was missing,” Deanna admitted, finally acknowledging the conflicting motivations that had been driving her for so long.

“But you still wonder if you couldn’t have done more. Been better. Been more than perfect, but you already were,” he said and raised their joined hands until his lips brushed across her knuckles.

The action sent a shiver through her. His action was filled with not only understanding, but with his own pain. She freed her hand and cradled the strong line of his jaw. Stroked her thumb across his beautiful lips.

“Your parents were fools.”

aztec sun stone suspense

Happy Boxing Day and Fury Calls

Happy Boxing Day! It’s not a holiday we celebrate in the U.S., but in the United Kingdom it’s part of the Christmas celebrations! Many people exchange gifts or take advantage of Boxing Day sales. The holiday takes its name from the practice of employers giving small gifts to their employees or servants as a way to say thanks for all their hard work during the year. in The Calling is Reborn series, Blake Williams (one of my fav characters of all time!) is Welsh and he would have celebrated Boxing Day with his family. Blake came from a very impoverished family and sacrificed a great deal for them. When you first meet him he’s hard and sarcastic but he comes into his own in Fury Calls. Word of warning: This is a very dark fantasy with violent scenes, but I love how it showcases Blake’s growth, his love for Meghan, and his loyalty to his friends. You can find Fury Calls at https://amzn.to/48sdz1N.

paranormal romance

Behind the Scenes Aztec Gold and The Fifth Kingdom

I was very lucky to be able to visit Mexico numerous times while I was working. Even though I had business things to deal with, I always made a point to spend any free time learning about Mexican culture. I was also lucky to have a fabulous client who shared so much of their history, foods, and culture with me.

I used what I learned to craft two of my stories — Aztec Gold and The Fifth Kingdom.

In Aztec Gold I worked in various aspects of Mexica culture, things like the games they played, food they ate, and the Aztec gods. The villain in the story is a demon demigoddess Eztli Etalpalli, Blood Wing. In the story, the demigoddess is descended from Izpapalotl, the Clawed Butterfly.

The research for The Fifth Kingdom took me to Chapultepec Park and the nearby National Museum of Anthropology. I was like a kid in a candy shop as I strolled around, looking at so many fascinating items but the highlight was when I got to stand right in front of the sun stone!

The sun stone, or should I say a copy of it made of black obsidian, plays a major part in the romantic suspense plot in The Fifth Kingdom. The sun stone is probably the most famous piece of Mexica culture. Scholars believe that the four segments of the stone’s artfully carved surface represent the four eras of their history. Each era was ended by some calamity, but the Earth and humans came again for the next era. The Aztecs believed that when the last kingdom arrived – The Fifth Kingdom – all life on Earth would cease and not be resurrected. It’s possible the Aztecs believed that the arrival of the Conquistadors signaled the beginning of the Fifth Kingdom.

I took lots of photos as I strolled around Chapultepec Park, much like the heroine’s mom in The Fifth Kingdom. I also took photos in the museum, including one of the sun stone, and I’m sharing those with you today!

Sink Your Teeth Into These Tasty Bites

The Calling is Reborn is a series of my heart and I hope it’ll become part of your heart as well. What’s not to love about a sexy vampire, a kick-ass FBI Agent, crazy scientists, alpha heroes, chupacabras, action, suspense, and so much more! Today I have a free read for you from Darkness Calls, the first book in the series. Snag your copy today! The first three books are free on Kindle Unlimited.

In this scene, FBI Agent Diana Reyes is undercover in a bar where she suspects a serial killer is stalking his victims. She’s headed out of the club to investigate an alley when she runs into a possible suspect: sexy club owner Ryder Latimer.

Free Read

She exited through the door into the chill of the alley. It had rained while she was inside. The dark stone walls and cobblestones glistened with wet, and water had puddled in various spots. The sky was dark with heavy clouds that obscured a half moon.

Goose bumps erupted on her skin from the sudden change in temperature. She rubbed at her arms and glanced at the back section of the blind alley. The shadows were strong, and unlike the area leading to the street, there were no lights.

With the lack of moonlight, it would be easy for someone to hide there, waiting. And yet, with no way out, they’d have to take the victims past the bouncer at the open door or the crowd at the far end of the alley. Unless the alley had a back way out.

She took a step toward the darkness, keeping the wall of the building behind her so as not to be surprised. She had gone deep into the alley, but had not yet reached the end when the eerie sensation from before returned. The hairs on the back of her neck tingled, as did those on her arms. As her eyes adjusted to the lack of light, a colder, deeper silhouette took shape a few feet in front of her.

It was a man. She squinted, but it was too dark to see his face even though he stood close. Too close for her to pull out her weapon. It was a true Mexican standoff, the two of them considering each other in the dim light, neither one speaking. In her ear, the running comments of various agents crackled and she tried not to let them distract her.

A few feet away, a small spot of moonlight appeared as the wind drove the clouds away. If the man across from her would only move that short distance, it might give her the answers she needed. “Step into the light,” she said, striving for a tone of authority despite the situation, hoping David and the others would hear.

The seconds of silence stretched out after her command and then came his short bark of a laugh. “And why would I want to do that?” he asked, his low voice gravelly, as if it had been a long time since he had used it. There was a trace of an accent. Southern, she thought. Louisiana, she confirmed as he issued his own determined instructions.

“Darlin’, if you have a lick of sense, you’ll turn right around and head back into the club.”

He surprised her with his tone of concern. She couldn’t take that statement at face value as the others may have done, turning their backs on this man and then finding themselves . . .

It was likely David would be here within minutes. His instructions were to keep her in sight, and he had known where she was heading. But she couldn’t wait for her partner. If this was the man, a delay might prove fatal and she had no intention of ending her life in an alley that stank of stale urine.

“Step into the light where I can see you and I’ll go,” she said calmly, not trusting that he would listen. Preparing for what she would do if he didn’t.

“Do you think — ”

“You’re a fool?” she finished for him.

He expelled a harsh breath and challenged, “I’m not the fool who’s running around with a killer loose.” Despite his comment, there was resignation in his voice, as if he, too, recognized that there was little either of them could do. She wasn’t surprised therefore when he said, “On three, we both move where we can see each another.”

“On three.”  She counted down. As promised, she took the few steps to her right, mirroring his movement.

As they both reached the safety of the light, she detected a note of surprise in his features before he carefully schooled them. He had a severe yet handsome face. His eyes were a flat, unholy black against the dark of the night. They were intense, unblinking. Soulless, she thought for a moment, but then abruptly, as her gaze finally met his, there was a moment of connection. Within her, there was a sudden strange sense of . . . recognition. She berated herself silently for letting her imagination get the better of her.

“Satisfied?” he asked, his voice still husky. He stood mere feet away, a commanding presence. Tall and strong-bodied, he was dressed all in black, like most of the crowd inside. Only, on him, it was more than just a color. It was an aura of dangerous energy that made her take a step back.

“Who are you?” she pressed, aware that they were still the only ones in the alley. She listened to the chatter on the wire. Nothing to indicate help was on the way.

Before Diana could register his intentions, he closed the distance between them and grabbed hold of her wrist, yanking her to him.

Years of training took over. An elbow to his face had him rocking backward and she followed with a jab that straightened him, leaving him totally vulnerable for a full-force roundhouse kick. She connected to the side of his head with a thick thud, and he tumbled to the rough cobblestones. Before she could react, he was on his feet and moving toward her once more.

Diana struck out with a quick chopping motion. He blocked her blow forcefully and thrust her away, which sent her flying into the brick wall.

Her head hit hard and stars danced across her vision. She fought off the dazing blow and pressed her hands against the rough surface of the wall, struggling to find purchase so she wouldn’t fall to the ground. The chatter had ceased in her ear, which meant the wire had stopped working, not that it had been doing much good up to this point.

As her assailant neared again, David finally called out, “Hold your position or I’ll fire.”