I am beyond thrilled to have today’s guest stop by, spend some time with us, and talk about his newest novel. 
     Before I introduce him, please indulge me so you can understand my excitement. 
     When I was a new newbie on the block and my blog first went public in December 2009, Mr. Lou Aronica from The Story Plant, contacted me to read and review this author’s book, Crossing The Bridge.  To say the very least, I was honored and excited, yet terrified, as it was one of the first “real requested reviews” but the book was outstanding that writing the review was a breeze.  Then around May/June, Mr. Aronica contacted me again to ask if I would read and review Mr. Baron’s newest book at the time The Journey Home.  There was no question in my mind, it was a yes.  I had already become a fan of Mr. Baron’s work and looked forward to reading his latest novel.  I received the book and to my shock, there in the front of the book, where there are the quotes of praise, is my name!  My name in print!  A blogger who not 6 months earlier even knew this world of blogging existed.  And now, TODAY, he is visiting HERE!!!
     Please, help me give a big and warm welcome to the very talented author Mr. Michael Baron !!!!!

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Though I started with nonfiction, I have always loved fiction and I have always wanted to write it. I’ve always had a particular affection for love stories. In fact, the very first book-length thing I ever wrote, when I was thirteen, was a love story. Mind you, it was the kind of love story that a thirteen-year-old boy would write, but it was a love story nonetheless. I have a deep passion for writing about relationships – family relationships, working relationships, friendships, and, of course, romantic relationships – and I can only truly explore this by writing fiction. These novels have given me a way to voice the millions of things running through my head.

My wife and kids are the center of my life. My wife is the inspiration for all of my love stories and my children enthrall me, challenge me, and keep me moving. One of the primary reasons I wrote my first novel, When You Went Away was that I wanted to write about being a father. Aside from my family, I have a few other burning passions. I’m a pop culture junkie with an especially strong interest in music, I love fine food (and any restaurant shaped like a hot dog), and I read far too many sports blogs for my own good.

You might have noticed that I haven’t published a photo of myself. This isn’t because I’m involved in the Witness Protection program or because I have an innate fear of cameras. It’s because Michael Baron is a pseudonym. I’m writing these novels “undercover” because they’re not entirely compatible with the nonfiction books I write and I didn’t want to confuse readers. We’re all different people sometimes, right? I just decided to give my alter ego another name.
You can visit Michael Baron’s site at: http://www.michaelbaronbooks.com/Michael_Baron_site/Home.html

My new novel, Spinning, is about a man who has to deal with sudden fatherhood. Dylan Hunter’s girlfriend – who has only recently returned to his life – dies, leaving him to care for her three-year-old daughter. For a twenty-nine-year-old living a fast lifestyle and riding a rocket ship to the top of his career, this leads to an enormous change in plans.

In part, this novel was inspired by a reaction to the birth of my first child. It wasn’t my immediate reaction; my immediate reaction was to be smitten at a level I didn’t realize possible. This reaction came a couple of weeks later when I had a bracing moment of clarity amid the delightful fog of new fatherhood. Hey, I thought, I can’t just walk out on my job anymore if things tick me off. I can’t decide to move to the Yucatan now and become a snorkeling instructor. I have responsibilities. I’m locked in!

Now, really, none of this should have come as a surprise to me. It wasn’t as though I was unaware of what I was committing to when my wife and I decided to have a child.  Meanwhile, I’d never once come close to walking out on a job because my boss ticked me off. And as lovely as the Yucatan is, I’d never even entertained the thought of living there…not to mention that snorkeling makes me skittish, so becoming an instructor wasn’t ever an option. The point, though, was that, while I wasn’t a particularly impetuous person, my days of impetuousness were officially over. This gave me pause for about four minutes, I told myself to get over it, and I got on with my day.

I never forgot that moment, though. I think there’s a little of Dylan in all of us. We all, to varying degrees, relish our independence and fantasize about living an untethered life.  The idea that we can’t move around on the spur of the moment is something we all need to address at some point. Some of us do so with grace. Many of us even embrace responsibility, believing that we were less fulfilled before we had it. The overwhelming majority of us get to a stage, though, when we realize that we’re not only living for ourselves anymore. This can stop us in our tracks for four minutes, four weeks, or for the rest of our lives (as has happened with some people I know).

I guess in some ways Spinning was a way of revisiting a revelation I dismissed many years ago. It’s not giving anything away to tell you that Dylan doesn’t brush it aside nearly as casually as I did.

ABOUT THE BOOK

     I am beyond thrilled to have today’s guest stop by, spend some time with us, and talk about his newest novel. 
     Before I introduce him, please indulge me so you can understand my excitement. 
     When I was a new newbie on the block and my blog first went public in December 2009, Mr. Lou Aronica from The Story Plant, contacted me to read and review this author’s book, Crossing The Bridge.  To say the very least, I was honored and excited, yet terrified, as it was one of the first “real requested reviews” but the book was outstanding that writing the review was a breeze.  Then around May/June, Mr. Aronica contacted me again to ask if I would read and review Mr. Baron’s newest book at the time The Journey Home.  There was no question in my mind, it was a yes.  I had already become a fan of Mr. Baron’s work and looked forward to reading his latest novel.  I received the book and to my shock, there in the front of the book, where there are the quotes of praise, is my name!  My name in print!  A blogger who not 6 months earlier even knew this world of blogging existed.  And now, TODAY, he is visiting HERE!!!
     Please, help me give a big and warm welcome to the very talented author Mr. Michael Baron !!!!!

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Though I started with nonfiction, I have always loved fiction and I have always wanted to write it. I’ve always had a particular affection for love stories. In fact, the very first book-length thing I ever wrote, when I was thirteen, was a love story. Mind you, it was the kind of love story that a thirteen-year-old boy would write, but it was a love story nonetheless. I have a deep passion for writing about relationships – family relationships, working relationships, friendships, and, of course, romantic relationships – and I can only truly explore this by writing fiction. These novels have given me a way to voice the millions of things running through my head.

My wife and kids are the center of my life. My wife is the inspiration for all of my love stories and my children enthrall me, challenge me, and keep me moving. One of the primary reasons I wrote my first novel, When You Went Away was that I wanted to write about being a father. Aside from my family, I have a few other burning passions. I’m a pop culture junkie with an especially strong interest in music, I love fine food (and any restaurant shaped like a hot dog), and I read far too many sports blogs for my own good.

You might have noticed that I haven’t published a photo of myself. This isn’t because I’m involved in the Witness Protection program or because I have an innate fear of cameras. It’s because Michael Baron is a pseudonym. I’m writing these novels “undercover” because they’re not entirely compatible with the nonfiction books I write and I didn’t want to confuse readers. We’re all different people sometimes, right? I just decided to give my alter ego another name.
You can visit Michael Baron’s site at: http://www.michaelbaronbooks.com/Michael_Baron_site/Home.html

My new novel, Spinning, is about a man who has to deal with sudden fatherhood. Dylan Hunter’s girlfriend – who has only recently returned to his life – dies, leaving him to care for her three-year-old daughter. For a twenty-nine-year-old living a fast lifestyle and riding a rocket ship to the top of his career, this leads to an enormous change in plans.

In part, this novel was inspired by a reaction to the birth of my first child. It wasn’t my immediate reaction; my immediate reaction was to be smitten at a level I didn’t realize possible. This reaction came a couple of weeks later when I had a bracing moment of clarity amid the delightful fog of new fatherhood. Hey, I thought, I can’t just walk out on my job anymore if things tick me off. I can’t decide to move to the Yucatan now and become a snorkeling instructor. I have responsibilities. I’m locked in!

Now, really, none of this should have come as a surprise to me. It wasn’t as though I was unaware of what I was committing to when my wife and I decided to have a child.  Meanwhile, I’d never once come close to walking out on a job because my boss ticked me off. And as lovely as the Yucatan is, I’d never even entertained the thought of living there…not to mention that snorkeling makes me skittish, so becoming an instructor wasn’t ever an option. The point, though, was that, while I wasn’t a particularly impetuous person, my days of impetuousness were officially over. This gave me pause for about four minutes, I told myself to get over it, and I got on with my day.

I never forgot that moment, though. I think there’s a little of Dylan in all of us. We all, to varying degrees, relish our independence and fantasize about living an untethered life.  The idea that we can’t move around on the spur of the moment is something we all need to address at some point. Some of us do so with grace. Many of us even embrace responsibility, believing that we were less fulfilled before we had it. The overwhelming majority of us get to a stage, though, when we realize that we’re not only living for ourselves anymore. This can stop us in our tracks for four minutes, four weeks, or for the rest of our lives (as has happened with some people I know).

I guess in some ways Spinning was a way of revisiting a revelation I dismissed many years ago. It’s not giving anything away to tell you that Dylan doesn’t brush it aside nearly as casually as I did.

ABOUT THE BOOK

Another exciting day here at the CMash blog!!  Today, stopping by, visiting and talking about her latest novel is The New York Times Bestselling Author of PNR, Larissa Ione !!  So help me in giving her a warm welcome as only the fantasic and fabulous visitors of this blog can do!!

Considering my fiction preferences, it came as no surprise to anyone that my first short stories were tales of horror, and my first novel, penned at the age of 12, was an Alaskan wilderness story with a wolf hero.

Eventually, my interests changed. Oh, I still enjoy a good Stephen King novel, and Jack London remains a favorite, but I discovered some new favorites while I was in college. Robert Jordan. Marion Zimmer Bradley. Mary Stewart. Oh yes, I’d found fantasy. I devoured every novel I could find, and in time I started writing my very own fantasy novel. That novel is still a work in progress, thirteen years later.

Eventually, after I’d read just about every fantasy novel published, I had to switch to something else. That something else was straight historical fiction. Again I exhausted my supply, but my longtime friend from my Air Force days, Karen, came to the rescue with something I never thought I’d read. Something I made fun of her for reading.

She made me read a historical romance.

Thus began a passion for, well, passion. I wanted to write romances, and I wanted to see them in print. To help fulfill that dream, I joined RWA, writers’ lists and critique groups. In order to build some writing credits, I worked on some military and National Weather Service technical manuals. As my writing improved, I began to sell my work to print magazines like The Canine Journal and Dog Fancy, and to online publications such as Writing-World.com.

Then, in February of 2006, while in the middle of recovering from hurricane Katrina (and after nearly giving up on writing,) I made my first sale to Red Sage Secrets. A couple of weeks later, that sale was followed by a sale to Bantam Dell with my collaboration partner, Stephanie Tyler. We write together under the pseudonym of Sydney Croft.

I also sold a series of dark paranormal romances to Warner, a sale that was extremely satisfying because I am finally able to combine my love of romance with the darkness that creeps into my voice, thanks to my youthful and still-present love of horror novels and dark fantasy. This sale also cemented my ability to write full time, a dream come true because of my husband’s Coast Guard career and frequent moves. I can take my job with me! And happily, in March of 2009, the second book in this series hit the USA Today Bestseller list, and in April, the third book, Passion Unleashed, hit both the USA Today AND New York Times bestseller lists.
Visit her at http://larissaione.com/blog/news/

His name is Ares, and the fate of mankind rests on his powerful shoulders. If he falls to the forces of evil, the world falls too. As one of the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse, he is far stronger than any mortal, but even he cannot fight his destiny forever. Not when his own brother plots against him.

Yet there is one last hope. Gifted in a way other humans can’t-or won’t-understand, Cara Thornhart is the key to both this Horseman’s safety and his doom. But involving Cara will prove treacherous, even beyond the maddening, dangerous desire that seizes them the moment they meet. For staving off eternal darkness could have a staggering cost: Cara’s life.

Another exciting day here at the CMash blog!!  Today, stopping by, visiting and talking about her latest novel is The New York Times Bestselling Author of PNR, Larissa Ione !!  So help me in giving her a warm welcome as only the fantasic and fabulous visitors of this blog can do!!

Considering my fiction preferences, it came as no surprise to anyone that my first short stories were tales of horror, and my first novel, penned at the age of 12, was an Alaskan wilderness story with a wolf hero.

Eventually, my interests changed. Oh, I still enjoy a good Stephen King novel, and Jack London remains a favorite, but I discovered some new favorites while I was in college. Robert Jordan. Marion Zimmer Bradley. Mary Stewart. Oh yes, I’d found fantasy. I devoured every novel I could find, and in time I started writing my very own fantasy novel. That novel is still a work in progress, thirteen years later.

Eventually, after I’d read just about every fantasy novel published, I had to switch to something else. That something else was straight historical fiction. Again I exhausted my supply, but my longtime friend from my Air Force days, Karen, came to the rescue with something I never thought I’d read. Something I made fun of her for reading.

She made me read a historical romance.

Thus began a passion for, well, passion. I wanted to write romances, and I wanted to see them in print. To help fulfill that dream, I joined RWA, writers’ lists and critique groups. In order to build some writing credits, I worked on some military and National Weather Service technical manuals. As my writing improved, I began to sell my work to print magazines like The Canine Journal and Dog Fancy, and to online publications such as Writing-World.com.

Then, in February of 2006, while in the middle of recovering from hurricane Katrina (and after nearly giving up on writing,) I made my first sale to Red Sage Secrets. A couple of weeks later, that sale was followed by a sale to Bantam Dell with my collaboration partner, Stephanie Tyler. We write together under the pseudonym of Sydney Croft.

I also sold a series of dark paranormal romances to Warner, a sale that was extremely satisfying because I am finally able to combine my love of romance with the darkness that creeps into my voice, thanks to my youthful and still-present love of horror novels and dark fantasy. This sale also cemented my ability to write full time, a dream come true because of my husband’s Coast Guard career and frequent moves. I can take my job with me! And happily, in March of 2009, the second book in this series hit the USA Today Bestseller list, and in April, the third book, Passion Unleashed, hit both the USA Today AND New York Times bestseller lists.
Visit her at http://larissaione.com/blog/news/

His name is Ares, and the fate of mankind rests on his powerful shoulders. If he falls to the forces of evil, the world falls too. As one of the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse, he is far stronger than any mortal, but even he cannot fight his destiny forever. Not when his own brother plots against him.

Yet there is one last hope. Gifted in a way other humans can’t-or won’t-understand, Cara Thornhart is the key to both this Horseman’s safety and his doom. But involving Cara will prove treacherous, even beyond the maddening, dangerous desire that seizes them the moment they meet. For staving off eternal darkness could have a staggering cost: Cara’s life.

I have been bestowed with the honor from Rebecca at The Cadence Marketing Group asking if I would introduce everyone to a  very talented, diverse and author who is getting great reviews on his latest book.  And knowing that I have the most fantastic and fabulous visitors, of course, I said YES!.  So, let’s give Mr. Steve O’Brien a CMash warm welcome!!!

     O’Brien earned his juris doctorate from George Washington University Law School and served on the editorial board of The George Washington International Law Review. He has written commentaries and perspectives for prestigious publications such as The National Law Journal, The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, and many magazines. He currently serves as General Counsel for a global consulting company. O’Brien lives in Washington, D.C., with his wife Becky; they have two children.
Elijah’s Coin is his first novel.
Visit his site:  http://www.aandnpublishing.com/blog

  Over the years I have read all the horse racing novels, Dick Francis, William Murray, Stephen Dobyns, even Willie Shoemaker published a series of racetrack novels.  I also spent quite a bit of time over the years at racetracks. For a period of time I owned some racehorses in partnership with a group of friends. We were unusually lucky to have a few good runners.
  Okay, we were stupid lucky.
  One is still among the all time money winners for Nebraska bred horses. Another broke three different track records at three different distances at three different racetracks. Try that one.
  Another was a filly which, I guess, inspired part of the story of Bullet Work. We purchased a
Nebraska bred filly for the princely sum of $1200. She was not regally bred, but had the heart of
a champion.  She won her first two races and we shipped her to Remington Park in Oklahoma City for a big
stakes race. Another undefeated filly was shipped in as well. She was a $500,000 Kentucky bred yearling named Remember the Day. Of course that horse was a huge betting favorite. Just like a Disney script, our little Nebraska bred filly stole the show, leading every step of the way at 15-1.
  We were also fortunate to have Willie Shoemaker ride one of our horses when he was doing his
farewell tour prior to his retirement. That race didn’t come out as well as we’d hoped, but it was
still a thrill.
  Bullet Work mixes in many of the lessons I learned about thoroughbreds and racing over the
years, but is an entirely fictional story–nothing autobiographical here. I tried to capture the
drama, the competition, the language, the relationships on the backside, and above all the love
the caregivers have for the animals.
  No story is easy to write. In fact, I can easily say I worked on this novel off and on for decades.  But despite the starts and stops, I truly enjoyed creating these characters and this story, because they are people, places and things I have known and enjoyed nearly all of my life.

ABOUT THE BOOK

For Dan Morgan it becomes personal when his precocious two-year-old filly is targeted. Dan befriends AJ Kaine, a lonely, “horse whispering” young man. AJ is a hotwalker, the lowest of jobs in the backside food chain. But AJ has a secret—perhaps a secret that can corner a killer. With AJ’s help, Dan must crack the extortion scheme or risk becoming the next victim.

I have been bestowed with the honor from Rebecca at The Cadence Marketing Group asking if I would introduce everyone to a  very talented, diverse and author who is getting great reviews on his latest book.  And knowing that I have the most fantastic and fabulous visitors, of course, I said YES!.  So, let’s give Mr. Steve O’Brien a CMash warm welcome!!!

     O’Brien earned his juris doctorate from George Washington University Law School and served on the editorial board of The George Washington International Law Review. He has written commentaries and perspectives for prestigious publications such as The National Law Journal, The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, and many magazines. He currently serves as General Counsel for a global consulting company. O’Brien lives in Washington, D.C., with his wife Becky; they have two children.
Elijah’s Coin is his first novel.
Visit his site:  http://www.aandnpublishing.com/blog

  Over the years I have read all the horse racing novels, Dick Francis, William Murray, Stephen Dobyns, even Willie Shoemaker published a series of racetrack novels.  I also spent quite a bit of time over the years at racetracks. For a period of time I owned some racehorses in partnership with a group of friends. We were unusually lucky to have a few good runners.
  Okay, we were stupid lucky.
  One is still among the all time money winners for Nebraska bred horses. Another broke three different track records at three different distances at three different racetracks. Try that one.
  Another was a filly which, I guess, inspired part of the story of Bullet Work. We purchased a
Nebraska bred filly for the princely sum of $1200. She was not regally bred, but had the heart of
a champion.  She won her first two races and we shipped her to Remington Park in Oklahoma City for a big
stakes race. Another undefeated filly was shipped in as well. She was a $500,000 Kentucky bred yearling named Remember the Day. Of course that horse was a huge betting favorite. Just like a Disney script, our little Nebraska bred filly stole the show, leading every step of the way at 15-1.
  We were also fortunate to have Willie Shoemaker ride one of our horses when he was doing his
farewell tour prior to his retirement. That race didn’t come out as well as we’d hoped, but it was
still a thrill.
  Bullet Work mixes in many of the lessons I learned about thoroughbreds and racing over the
years, but is an entirely fictional story–nothing autobiographical here. I tried to capture the
drama, the competition, the language, the relationships on the backside, and above all the love
the caregivers have for the animals.
  No story is easy to write. In fact, I can easily say I worked on this novel off and on for decades.  But despite the starts and stops, I truly enjoyed creating these characters and this story, because they are people, places and things I have known and enjoyed nearly all of my life.

ABOUT THE BOOK

For Dan Morgan it becomes personal when his precocious two-year-old filly is targeted. Dan befriends AJ Kaine, a lonely, “horse whispering” young man. AJ is a hotwalker, the lowest of jobs in the backside food chain. But AJ has a secret—perhaps a secret that can corner a killer. With AJ’s help, Dan must crack the extortion scheme or risk becoming the next victim.

I have a special treat for you today!!!!!  So grab your coffee, tea, or whatever you are drinking, get comfy because today, right here, we have a USA Today- Best Selling Author taking time out to visit and telling us about her latest book, one of the many she has written.  Ready?  Please help me welcome the very talented author Ms. Jill Shalvis!!!

Visit her website at www.jillshalvis.com for a complete book list and daily blog.

Writing a romance called The Sweetest Thing, which centers around a decidedly NOT sweet heroine, amused me. Tara Daniels is wound a little tight and likes things her way. She’s also a former southern belle who appreciates the fact that she’s right. A lot.

The Sweetest Thing? Not exactly.

But her heart’s in the right place, always. And, as it turns out, there’s a man who melts her like butter on a hot roll. Not only that, he can soften her in a way that she isn’t sure she likes. See, Tara thinks she has it all together, but it turns out she doesn’t. She doesn’t know a lot about herself. About all she has is the fact that she can cook like nobody’s business. Oh, how she loves to cook.

Tara was a challenge for me. Because here’s where I admit, I got a lot of her recipes from my husband. True story. I’m married to a big guy who works with his hands and is the ultimate Alpha Man — and yet he can cook. Don’t try to figure him out, it’ll hurt your brain, trust me.

The recipe Good Morning Sunshine Casserole that Tara cooks in the book is all his. Just don’t tell him I “borrowed” it and am telling the world that it’s my heroine’s. It’d just go to his head.

P.S. For an ebook of Tara’s recipes, look for Heating Up The Kitchen wherever ebooks are sold.

Tara has a thousand good reasons not to return to the little coastal town of Lucky Harbor, Washington. Yet with her life doing a major crash-and-burn, anywhere away from her unfulfilled dreams and sexy ex-husband will do. As Tara helps her two sisters get their newly renovated inn up and running, she finally has a chance to get things under control and come up with a new plan for her life.

But a certain tanned, green-eyed sailor has his own ideas, such as keeping Tara hot, bothered . . . and in his bed. And when her ex wants Tara back, three is a crowd she can’t control-especially when her deepest secret reappears out of the blue. Now Tara must confront her past and discover what she really wants. If she’s lucky, she might just find that everything her heart desires is right here in Lucky Harbor.

I have a special treat for you today!!!!!  So grab your coffee, tea, or whatever you are drinking, get comfy because today, right here, we have a USA Today- Best Selling Author taking time out to visit and telling us about her latest book, one of the many she has written.  Ready?  Please help me welcome the very talented author Ms. Jill Shalvis!!!

Visit her website at www.jillshalvis.com for a complete book list and daily blog.

Writing a romance called The Sweetest Thing, which centers around a decidedly NOT sweet heroine, amused me. Tara Daniels is wound a little tight and likes things her way. She’s also a former southern belle who appreciates the fact that she’s right. A lot.

The Sweetest Thing? Not exactly.

But her heart’s in the right place, always. And, as it turns out, there’s a man who melts her like butter on a hot roll. Not only that, he can soften her in a way that she isn’t sure she likes. See, Tara thinks she has it all together, but it turns out she doesn’t. She doesn’t know a lot about herself. About all she has is the fact that she can cook like nobody’s business. Oh, how she loves to cook.

Tara was a challenge for me. Because here’s where I admit, I got a lot of her recipes from my husband. True story. I’m married to a big guy who works with his hands and is the ultimate Alpha Man — and yet he can cook. Don’t try to figure him out, it’ll hurt your brain, trust me.

The recipe Good Morning Sunshine Casserole that Tara cooks in the book is all his. Just don’t tell him I “borrowed” it and am telling the world that it’s my heroine’s. It’d just go to his head.

P.S. For an ebook of Tara’s recipes, look for Heating Up The Kitchen wherever ebooks are sold.

Tara has a thousand good reasons not to return to the little coastal town of Lucky Harbor, Washington. Yet with her life doing a major crash-and-burn, anywhere away from her unfulfilled dreams and sexy ex-husband will do. As Tara helps her two sisters get their newly renovated inn up and running, she finally has a chance to get things under control and come up with a new plan for her life.

But a certain tanned, green-eyed sailor has his own ideas, such as keeping Tara hot, bothered . . . and in his bed. And when her ex wants Tara back, three is a crowd she can’t control-especially when her deepest secret reappears out of the blue. Now Tara must confront her past and discover what she really wants. If she’s lucky, she might just find that everything her heart desires is right here in Lucky Harbor.