Hold on tight as some of today’s bestselling western romance authors bring you stories of love, loss, torment, second chances, enemies-to-lovers, forbidden affairs, and happily-ever-afters fill the pages of this steamy small-town cowboy romance anthology.
Do you like your cowboys Wild, Rough and Tough, Rich, Hardworking, or Kindhearted?
Maybe all of the above.
Look no further because these stories are sure to keep you riding the edge of your seat…and falling in love.
Hi. I’m Gem Sivad. Nice to meet you. I live in the southern part of an enchanted kingdom where I enjoy the slow pace of life, study the world, and tell stories about incredible things. Whether I’m writing in a nineteenth century setting or in a paranormal world of witches and shifters, my heroines are always resilient, resourceful, and smart, and my heroes are wickedly dangerous and seriously hot.
Although I have hermit tendencies, occasionally I come out of the writer’s den to meet readers at book signing events. Hope to see you there. But in case we miss each other, you can find me at the places below.
For book release updates and fun (or if you’re an avid Words With Friends junkie) hang out with me on Facebook @ facebook.com/GemSivadAuthor.
Visit me often here @ gemsivad.com for snippets from my current wips. And of course, to take advantage of contests and giveaways, subscribe to my newsletter below.
Hi. My name is Vivienne Sang and I write under the name of V.M.Sang
When did you start writing?
That’s a difficult question. I remember writing a story when I was quite little. Perhaps about 6 or 7 years old, but don’t remember much else until I wrote a very bad romance in my teens. When I was at school, I always enjoyed creative writing classes and once wrote a story that went on for at least ten pages. What my English teacher thought about having to wade through it is unknown. When studying at teacher training college, I wrote a few poems, only one of which is still in existence. That poem was my first published work, I suppose, as it was published in the University magazine. I begun writing my first novel towards the end of the 90s, but it took a very long time to come to fruition as I was teaching full time. I self-published it, and the second part of the series, but when I found a publisher for another book I’d written, they wanted to republish my first two as well.
What motivates you to write?
All the people that jump into my head begging (no demanding) I tell their stories. The very first time it was a name that came into my head. I figured out her story, but I’ve not yet written it. She’s gone a bit quiet recently, so I’ve not told her tale yet.
What genre do you write in and what made you chose this particular genre?
I write in two genres–Fantasy and Historical fiction. I chose fantasy because I’m a fan of the genre. I wrote a scenario for the Dungeons and Dragons club I ran at the school I was teaching in. Then I thought how it would possibly make a good story. I was inspired by reading (and playing the scenarios) the Dragonlance Saga by Weiss and Hickman. I thought that if they could make their scenario into a book, perhaps I could do the same. But it wasn’t just one book! It morphed into a series. I’m now writing Book 4. Historical sort of chose me. When I was a teenager I went to Derbyshire (in the UK) with a friend and her family. We came upon a ruined house. It had obviouslyt been a grand mansion at one time, and we wondered about it. What was its history and how had it come to be in ruins? This image of the house stayed with me for many decades until I decided to write about it. This, too, has become a number of books, two of which are now published. I decided to trace the family who ultimately built it from a young boy coming to Britain as a slave, with the Romans. The second book follows a young Viking girl; a descendant of the boy from Book 1.
What is your goal in writing? Do you have dreams where your writing should take you?
I don’t have dreams of hitting the NYT best seller list. (Although that would be nice.) Nor do I think about becoming the next big thing. I just want people to enjoy my stories. And to actually know they exist!
Do you ever suffer from writer’s block and if yes, how do you deal with it?
I’m unsure what writer’s block is. I’m part way through one story that I’m stuck on. It seems to be going nowhere, but I don’t consider that to be writer’s block. I’ve put it away for a few months while my subconscious considers it. This, I think, is the best way to deal with it, and if no inspiration comes, then that means that story is a non starter. I’ve not yet run out of ideas for stories, but if I do, I’ll consider it no big deal. I’m retired, and although I enjoy writing, and treat it as if it’s my job, I’m not reliant on my earnings from it. (A good job!)
What advice would you like to give new, hopeful authors?
Stick at it! It takes time to get people to know your book is out there. And most important is to connect with other authors. I’ve made lots of online friends who are extremely helpful. Also, when you are marketing your book, please don’t simply say ‘Buy My Book’ and nothing else. Making contact with people is important. People are more inclined to buy your book if they know a bit about you and like you. I know that’s true of me. I’ve found many excellent books by buying a book because I have had contact with the author and think of them as friends.
Please, tell us about your work.
The first series is called The Wolves of Vimar. It tells how a group of disparate folk who call themselves Wolf help to save the land of Grosmer when an enemy invades. They first have to find a long-lost artifact which is prophecied to be the only thing that can kill the man in charge of the invaders, then they discover who he is and what his plans are. They face dangers and near death, and all are changed by their experiences.
The second is a duo called Elemental Worlds. The Crown Prince of Ponderia is behaving strangely. His best friend, Pettic, discovers the princehas been captured and a doppleganger put in his place. The only way to rescue the prince is to enter the four worlds of Earth, Air, Fire and Water and find a gem in each world. Before he can find the gem, Pettic has a task to perform. And he cannot leave the Elemental World without the gem’s magic.
There are three prequels to The Wolves of Vimar published that tell a bit more about the people in the main series.
The two historical novels are Vengeance of a Slave and Jealousy of a Viking. In each of the books, which are standalone novels, the protagonist has to overcome a problem. As the tiles suggest, the first. the young man. Adelbehrt, has to overcome his desire for vengeance on the Romans, and in the second, the young woman, Helgha, has to overcome her jealousy of her lover’s wife.
Thank you for being my guest. It was such a pleasure to have you here!!
It was a pleasure, AJ. Thank you for having me.
Connect with Vivienne:
V.M. Sang was born and lived her early life in Cheshire in the north west of England. She has always loved books and reading and learned to read before she went to school.
During her teenage years she wrote some poetry, one of which was published in the magazine of the University of Manchester Institute of Science and Technology (UMIST). Unfortunately, that is the only one that is still around.
V.M. Sang became a teacher and taught English and Science at her first school. Her main subject was science, though, but she also taught Maths and what was then known as Computer Studies.
She did little writing until starting to teach in Croydon, Greater London. Here she started a Dungeons and Dragons club in the school where she was teaching. She then decided to write her own scenario.
The idea of turning it into a novel formed in her head, but she did little about it until she took early retirement. Then she began to write The Wolves of Vimar Series.
Walking has always been one of V.M. Sang’s favourite pastimes, having gone on walking holidays in her teens. She met her husband walking with the University Hiking Club, and they still enjoy walking on the South Downs. They also bought a kayak and have done quite a lot of kayaking in Brittany along the river Vilaine and the Oust.
Quieter things that she enjoys doing are a variety of crafts, such as card making, tatting, crochet, knitting etc. she also draws and paints.
V.M.Sang is married with two children, a girl and a boy. Her daughter has three children and she loves to spend time with them.
Very pleased to share the new of the latest release by A.J. Alexander the YA Fantasy Dream Walker: Book 5 in ‘The Council of Twelve’ Series
About the book
Koyu thought she had done her duty, but deep inside she knows it will never be over. She is bound to her master forever and will have to execute his every command. But when he demands she’ll invade his sworn enemy’s dreams, she chooses to rebel.
Koyu risks her existence to help the ‘other side’ by purposely disobeying her master’s orders.
Koyu knows she’ll pay with her life for her impertinence. Is there, indeed, no hope for her?
Reviewed by Linda Tonis Member of the Paranormal Romance Guild Review Team
Koyu Bellamy is a succubus like her mother and sisters, she is a seducer, destroyer and demon but unlike her family she has a conscience. Koyu has always regretted what she was and what she was called to do and when she sits outside a book store she finds out that the owner is Alfred, a Cherub. Alfred is a messenger whose job it is to report her to the Council of Twelve and he did. Fearing that she has gone from hunter to hunted she knows there is no where she can run.
While sitting with Alfred she is called by Asmodeus the third prince of Hell and her Master, a call she has no way to refuse. He calls and she comes running only this time he wants her to seduce Santanael an Archangel who is known for being immune to seduction. When asked if she will accept the task, she answers that she is up for the challenge. Somehow saying challenge made a difference and once again she finds herself zapped only this time she is back where she started from.
Koyu begs Alfred to get help and Andreas from the Council of Twelve comes. She reveals everything that Asmodeus demanded from her and begs for someone to help Santanael. Once again, she finds herself in a strange place and this time Santanael is looking down at her. She is in Heaven and he is well aware of the fact that she is unlike all the other demons, she has a conscience. He promises to protect her from Asmodeus but even Heaven can’t stop him from hurting her. It becomes a chess game; Angels against Lucifer and the pawn is Koyu.
For hundreds of years Koyu followed orders, destroying lives, only when the life she destroyed was a man who deserved it was she content. She also has the ability to dream walk into her victim’s dreams setting them up for what would follow and what would follow was would become a nightmare.
Like all the previous books in this series this one was amazing and I read it in one sitting. Angels, demons, Lucifer, constant battle between good and evil and love. A story of redemption, a demon in Heaven there’s hope for us all, lol. I loved the fact that we catch up with everyone from the previous books, all the woman we met before, and that is why I totally recommend reading this series in order, well one of the reasons because there are so many.
Are you more of a night or a morning person? Society apparently knows two different people, ‘Early Birds’ and ‘Night Owls’.
I think, we all know the difference. Early Birds rise with the sun, they’re happy, bubbly and wide awake before the horizon gets orange… but they’re also exhausted by early evening and barely can’t keep their eyes open at dinner, despite their everyday activity.
Night Owls have a hard time getting their engine running… they stay up late, and most of them say, they’re most creative when it’s dark outside, everybody else went to sleep and they got some peace and silence to ‘work’.
New studies show, that there’s nothing wrong with being either one… but also, Night Owls can live quite unhealthy.
According to KeckMedicine.org Night Owls are often missing out on physical activities, which they, of course, don’t feel like practicing, after darkness. Consequently, in addition to often a severe lack of sleep, poor eating habits, missing Vitamin D, poor physical exercise and often increased unhealthy snacking and alcohol consume, their chances of suffering diabetes, a cardiovascular disease, or a stroke can severely add to their poor health. (Source: https://www.keckmedicine.org/blog/does-being-a-night-owl-affect-your-health/)
About 20% of the population are Night Owls. Some studies claim, these people are more intelligent, but science has yet to prove that fact sufficiently and believably.
Many authors are Night Owls, at least on the weekends. Now, why is that?
There is only a handful of authors who are able to live off their writing and their books. The majority has a daytime job. Very often that doesn’t leave them too much time to write… with a full-time job, and the attention they need to provide to the family, forces them to write in the evenings, after everybody else is in bed. They have to make sure, they will get some sleep before going back to work in the morning. It can be horribly unsatisfying to be forced to interrupt an interesting flow in the middle of a thrilling chapter, so they decide to stay up late on the weekend to ‘finish’ their books.
Does that now make writers more intelligent than other people? I’m not so sure, actually, looking at me! Working a full-time job, writing at nighttime or on the weekends, publishing stories apparently barely anyone ever reads… If that doesn’t qualify me to have the IQ of a glass of water, I’m not sure what does…
Now… what is your experience? Are you staying up late? Or do you belong to these obnoxious happy people who jump out of bed, fresh like a showered violet…? Let us know in your comment, we’re curious.
After long years in the line of duty as a ‘Soul Taker’, Kate is worn out.
When she gets a new job offer from the ‘Powers Above’, she accepts her new job as a Guardian gratefully without knowing that her teacher is one of the most powerful beings in existence, the Archangel Raphael.
Along with Raphael, she takes on her new task and the connection between them grows.
Raphael helps, protects and supports Kate, but suddenly, she becomes a target for the Demons of Hell.
Raphael realizes that Kate means more to him than he expected, which causes him to fight furiously against danger. If he fails, Kate’s future will contain eternal darkness, evil, and torture.
Sundance is a promising young Warrior Angel, the first in centuries to join the Divine Army. With the help of one of the most powerful Archangels, her skill and talent develop, allowing her to master some of the most difficult tasks that face her kind.
Sundance, under the supervision of the ‘Council of Twelve’ seeks to prove that she deserves her unusual gifts in the eternal fight between good and evil. Follow her adventures as she discovers love, fights the good fight, and finds herself in the heat of battle trying to keep her wings from being singed.
Zepheira is the best Demon Tracker working for the Good side. With her unusual looks, her phenomenal sense of smell, and her bravery, she quickly draws ‘The Big 7’s attention to her talent. They hire her to find one of them. Leaving her familiar surroundings and regular work environment unsettles Zepheira at first. But the challenge to prove herself and to increase the reputation of her infallibility tempts her. She is convinced she will be a great asset to ‘The Big 7’. Little does she know she will be a much greater asset in Heaven’s fight against Evil. Zepheira suddenly becomes more than a hired tracker. She finds herself an important pawn in the game of love, heat, and fire. Will her courage and sacrifice be sufficient to dance with the flames?
When Centriel roams the Earth in a dark mood and atypical despair, in a mountain clearing, far from humankind, he unexpectedly discovers a runner, followed by a petite hunter. The way the woman treats the giant fugitive amuses the Archangel, but he quickly learns that neither of them are what they seem to be.
Simin Arnatt is an extraordinary woman. Her occupation as a Bounty Hunter takes her all over the world, as she follows her prey to the most unusual places. She would have never expected to meet the famous Centriel while on a hunt. When he offers to help her, she feels the enormous attraction, but she knows, with the secret she holds, she could never dare to hope for love.
Neither of them could guess that with her next assignment, Hell is breaking loose…
Koyu thought she had done her duty, but deep inside she knows it will never be over. She is bound to her master forever and will have to execute his every command. But when he demands she’ll invade his sworn enemy’s dreams, she chooses to rebel.
Koyu risks her existence to help the ‘other side’ by purposely disobeying her master’s orders.
Koyu knows she’ll pay with her life for her impertinence. Is there, indeed, no hope for her?
Koyu thought she had done her duty, but deep inside she knows it will never be over. She is bound to her master forever and will have to execute his every command. But when he demands she’ll invade his sworn enemy’s dreams, she chooses to rebel.
Koyu risks her existence to help the ‘other side’ by purposely disobeying her master’s orders.
Koyu knows she’ll pay with her life for her impertinence. Is there, indeed, no hope for her?
Mark your calendar – Release date is November 25, 2022
This month’s Dream Walker release comes with a Giveaway! I look forward to welcoming you on my social media, on FB, Instagram, my Newsletter, and email. It’s going to be a pleasure to make your acquaintance!
YOU CAN WIN A SIGNED PAPERBACK OR EBOOK OF YOUR CHOICE, OUT OF ‘THE COUNCIL OF TWELVE’ SERIES!
This quote is as much true as it is funny. Of course, when we’re on a deadline, most of us will ‘suddenly’ get more and more creative, the closer we get to the deadline. Of course, there are some of us whose nature is similar to the one of Douglas Adams who famously said: “I love deadlines. I like the whooshing sound they make as they fly by.”
But I would say, most of us work hard to keep deadlines, and the shorter the time, the more the pressure grows. Some writers need that pressure, and some others won’t be able to write a word under it.
It started in school already, when we had to study for a test, didn’t it? Some students were the ones who studied every day, to internalize all the knowledge, while others, me included, allegedly studied ‘better’ the higher the pressure and tension. (You could also say, we just really didn’t want to waste any more time studying, as we had to and rather enjoyed doing whatever we found more enjoyable and interesting than working for the school.
Later on, in my professional life, there was no ‘flying by deadline’… If that would have happened more than once in my career, the very same would have been over faster than I could have apologized.
Now, setting my own deadlines when it comes to writing, I am very determined to keep them. It’s absolutely impossible to be successful in writing without keeping deadlines, be they set up by us or by the publisher, or literary agent, or, who else has the right to pressure us to move our pen for work.
Bill Watterson has it right… creativity cannot be turned on and off like a faucet. I cannot ‘decide’ to be creative on a Thursday, and not so creative on Saturday. Bill Watterson had his own deadlines, and being a phenomenal creative writer and famous comic illustrator, he knew what ‘last minute panic’ meant.
My creativity nudges me gently when it’s time to write books. But it’s not always there when I’m supposed to write blog posts. That means, I’m taking notes, wherever I am and have an idea for a new blog post. This one, actually, showed up while I was working on my newsletter!
I’m always anxious to keep my readers interested and therefore want to make sure that I’m publishing my posts on time and keeping them diversified and on time. Blogs are not followed if the posts are not showing up, and I have invested a lot to keep ‘Writer’s Treasure Chest’ up and running. Now I would like to build a stable fan base for my books and blog. So, no lack of deadlines for me.
How do you keep creative? What do you do if you have the feeling your creativity isn’t flowing? And what do you do to tickle your muse? Let us know in the comments, we’re curious!
William Boyd Watterson II (born July 5, 1958) is a retired American cartoonist and the author of the comic stripCalvin and Hobbes, which was syndicated from 1985 to 1995. Watterson stopped drawing Calvin and Hobbes at the end of 1995, with a short statement to newspaper editors and his readers that he felt he had achieved all he could in the medium. Watterson is known for his negative views on comic syndication and licensing, his efforts to expand and elevate the newspaper comic as an art form, and his move back into private life after he stopped drawing Calvin and Hobbes. Watterson was born in Washington, D.C., and grew up in Chagrin Falls, Ohio. The suburbanMidwestern United States setting of Ohio was part of the inspiration for Calvin and Hobbes.
I’ll always remember what my preschool teacher said at lunch and snack times. “You get what you get and you don’t throw a fit.” My parents lived by that. I’m surprised they didn’t both tattoo it on their foreheads.
Sometimes parents will notice their lovely happy babies will suddenly seem to change. Well they have changed. Your baby has been replaced by a crying, unhappy, grouchy, nasty, Goblin Changeling. Congratulations.
Sometimes the horrible Changelings are left to die on the doorsteps of churches, or locked in attics. Usually the real babies are brought back to their loving parents. Fairies and others help out. More often than not ransoms are paid. A mother might pay with her beauty. A father might pay with his strength. It could be anything depending on the mood of theGoblins.
In my case the Goblins dropped me into the home of someone who seemed oblivious to my nastiness. They actually kept me.
I spend my entire childhood treating my parents like crap and tormenting my little brother Trevor. My brother hated me, but he should have loved me. Without me Trevor would have been one of those sensitive pantywaist boys who allows people walk all over him. I made him tough. I made him stand up for himself. He should have thanked me for it.
I have no idea why my parents put up with me. The only reason I wasn’t expelled from every school I attended is because I always made straight A’s. Sure I caused a lot of tears but I kept the school yard in line. My minions kept close while I doled out punishments fitting crimes of weakness. As for lies… I was the number one princess of lies, and adults never knew what was going on.They believed me.
Sure there were more times I could count that I had my mom in tears, but hey, that is what you get for accepting a Goblin Changeling. She could have dumped me in foster care or sent me off to some farm of a distant relative. People suggested boarding schools, drugs and shock treatments. My mom just told them that they could never understand how I was different and unique in ways that nobody could ever understand.
At one time my parents sent me to counseling. I told Dr. Cray everything she wanted to hear. The good doctor said I was a well-adjusted and brilliant child. She said I was mature for my age hence others not understanding me. Boy did I have it pulled over her eyes.
Anyway, Trevor and I grew up and went out on our own. I met a few other Changelings and even married one.
My husband and I are one of those successful power couples. He’s the CEO of a billion dollar tech company. I’m an attorney, and the biggest asshole attorney out there, and proud of it. Beauty and brains plus no morals what so ever. Justice for all.
As soon as I found out my future husband Blake was an over the top arrogant, self-centered SOB I fell in love with him. He loved me back as only a Goblin Changeling can love another Goblin Changeling.
Writer's Treasure Chest 
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