New Release Alert! (Plus a Heartfelt Backstory)

 

To celebrate Book 2 of the Ancient Aliens Descendants “The Alien Legacy – The Shapeshifter”, I wanted to give you a bit of history on what inspired me to write this series.

To start, there are a couple of things to confess concerning the first book, “The Empath”. A long time ago there was a western series called “Alias Smith & Jones” with two main characters that I and my best friend were obsessed with, as only preteens could be.

One of the actors, Ben Murphy, was my first love (funny how my husband ended up with the same curly dark blonde hair, overall build, and prominent Roman nose that the actor did). To salute that cutie, I fashioned my main hero after him.

Secondly, I admit that a lot of what happens to Julienne in the first part of Book One (The Empath) actually happened to me (ok, there weren’t any aliens…). I'd worked my way up in a small bank in Vegas until I reached the pinnacle position she did. As I wrote the book, I loosely based some of my characters from the people I worked with at the time. While my boss was a lot like Claude in the story, I’m pretty sure he wasn't a CIA operative. I've also included the actions of my supposed “best friend” who betrayed me much like Kathy did Julienne.

But, unlike Julienne, I wasn’t demoted. I was let go. And they weren't nice about it either. You know the same old reason, “We’re headed in a different direction and don't need you anymore”. I was devastated. It was a low blow, especially since I spent over twenty years with that company. I have to tell you, my deep depression lasted a long time. I felt like my very foundation had been ripped out of me and stomped on.  It took years to crawl out of the deep hole I'd fallen into before I had the strength to build up my self-esteem again.

So, how did I cope after something like that happened? Why, I wrote a book, of course! I can’t tell you what an immense relief it was when I “killed” one of my personal tormentors in the story. Yeah, I had that sucker shot right between the eyes…

For the newest book, “The Shapeshifter”, the hero was the other main actor in that TV series by the name of Pete Duel.

I was heartbroken when at the age of 31, Pete killed himself with a self-inflicted gunshot wound to the head. My best friend and I were devastated. It was hard for us at such a young age to understand why a seemingly successful, good-looking man would do something like that. Even though that tragedy happened a long time ago, I still find myself dwelling on it from time-to-time.

In the Shapeshifter, I wanted to give Pete an extra zest for life… to honor the man along with his killer dimples.

ONE MORE CONFESSION...

With this series, I was eager to highlight my home state of Nevada. Born and raised in Reno, my family moved to Las Vegas when I was ten. After my husband and I married (he’s a native Nevadan as well), we moved to Lake Tahoe (on the Nevada side, like our heroine Jena does in The Shapeshifter) in a small community called Zephyr Cove. 

In Book Three: The Psychic takes place at the capital of Nevada, Carson City. As a matter of fact, my husband was the general manager at a small casino there like our heroine, Jordyn. I’m working on editing the first draft and I gotta admit I’m loving the story as much as I do the other two. If all goes well, I'm hoping to release it around August of this year.

DRUM ROLL PLEASE!

In honor of my newest release, I'm offering Alien Legacy: The Shapeshifter for the bargain price of 0.99¢! But that only for a limit time (Click Here)!  FYI - It's FREE if you are on Kindle Unlimited.

No chance to delve into my newest series? Never fear, I’ve got your back! Click here for Book One – Alien Legacy: The Empath.

I can’t wait to see what you think about Ben and Pete and their tangle with their feisty mates!   

Why are Strawberries so Romantic? by Marilyn Barr

 Is it because they are red, heart-shaped, or a Roman remedy for halitosis?

The Romans were the first to give newlyweds strawberries as wedding presents to help…ahem…with fertility. While their aphrodisiac claims have not been scientifically verified by the US FDA, the Romans were on the right track. Without the aid of modern technology such as a mass spectrophotometer, they correctly identified the berry best consumed when expanding your family. Strawberries are high in folic acid, a B vitamin vital for a healthy pregnancy. Not only are they heart-shaped, but they are also high in Anthocyanins, potassium, and Kaempferol which keep your heart healthy. (plentifulearth.com).

This tradition is still carried on by the French who serve a cold strawberry soup at weddings.  The Romans declared the strawberry as a symbol of Venus and wrote poems about its beauty.  Even Ovid and Virgil wrote poetry about the gentle, sweet fruit.  However, in Roman times, strawberries weren’t considered snacking food.  They were weeds harvested for medicinal purposes or for decorating altars to goddesses such as Venus. (Source University of Illinois “Strawberry Lore”.)

Strawberries are valued in eastern medicine as well. As early as 2600 BC, Chinese royalty drank diluted strawberry leaf tea as an anti-aging tonic. (practicalherbalist.com) Strawberries are associated with the root chakra and increase a person’s ability to love by strengthening their sense of self. This is why I chose the Strawberry to name my fictional Kentucky town in the Strawberry Shifters series. In each book, the main characters find love, not because of a prophesized soulmate test, but because they go on a healing journey to become a stronger version of themselves. Here’s a snippet from Book 2: Round of Applause where Aurora decides she’s ready to take charge of her life.

“Thanks. I took control, made a decision, and followed through for the first time in my life. I wasn’t being herded around like in school or my group of friends. I want to own this. You know?”

“I get it. Your disability will show your story like a tattoo, only greater because your will to live had to be greater.”

“Exactly,” I say.   

Find out what happened to Aurora and how she ended up in a Louisville, Kentucky emergency room when she was headed to Asia in Strawberry Shifters Book 2: Round of Applause. For the Valentine’s Day holiday, this eBook installment of the Strawberry Shifters series is on sale for $1.99. Grab your copy and celebrate strawberries, modern love, unconventional family, and the ability to love growing from learning to love yourself first. Round of Applause on Amazon