Welcome to Follow Fest!

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Always late to the party.  Yep, that’s me.

I heard about this at the last minute–a blog hop called FOLLOW FEST, a “cyber meet and greet” for authors.  Isn’t that cool? 🙂  Many thanks to MELISSA MAYGROVE for hostessing and to AVA QUINN over at TONGUE IN CHEEK for putting me onto it.

Be sure to CLICK HERE to check out other authors who are participating!

And now time to move on and answer some get-acquainted questions:

Name:  Delynn Royer

Fiction or nonfiction?  Fiction.

What genres do you write?  Historical romance and romantic mystery.

Are you published?  I’m published in historical romance and I have a new romantic mystery set in 1920s Manhattan coming out in 2014 from Carina Press.

Do you do anything in addition to writing?  

Chi-poodle

 If you ask my husband, he’ll say “no” since I spend so much time on the computer, but actually I do.  I work fulltime. I also enjoy yoga, old movies, reading, and spending time with family, friends, and The Chi-poodle. (And not always in that order. I really do love that dog a LOT.)  In fact, here’s a pic of The Chi-poodle on her first day home from her hip surgery last spring. She received a lot of love that day and has since cheered up and is happily running around on all fours.

 Where can people connect with you?  Right here at www.delynnroyer.com and my author pages are at AMAZON and at SMASHWORDS.

Is there anything else you’d like us to know?
I first published in romantic fiction in the 90s when I was a busy young mom. After that, I set aside my pen for many years to concentrate on my day job and raising two wonderful sons.  I’m now thrilled to be writing again and re-connecting with the writing community!

Sneak Peek Sunday … His Eyes are Opened

Welcome to Sara Walter Ellwood’s Sneak Peek Sunday!

After a two week hiatus, I’m glad to be back with another peek from SEARCH FOR CAMELOT, a romantic comedy about a wisecracking American college student and a cool-mannered British bluestocking who find love when they join together to search for the fabled sword Excalibur.

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.  June 1892.

On the eve of his college graduation, our clever but penniless hero, Arthur Pierce, comes into an unusual inheritance, a 16th century parchment that contains a clue to the location of King Arthur’s sword. Is it for real? Or a hoax?

There’s only one way to find out.

Arthur has reluctantly joined up with his arch nemesis from the classroom, the scholarly but secretly adventurous Chelsea Delafield. It’s Chelsea who holds the key to deciphering the ancient clue and following its trail, which begins in her hometown of London. To get there, the two pose as newlyweds on a steamship bound for Southampton.

In today’s peek, it’s the morning after their first night aboard ship when Arthur experiences a most disturbing revelation concerning the prim and proper Miss Delafield…

*

Wondering whether he should wake Delafield, he turned to observe her sleeping figure in the lower bunk. A devilish smile curved his lips. Last night she had emerged from the lavatory swaddled from neck to toe in a flannel dressing gown. Now, he knew she would be furious to know that, as she lay on her side, one leg happened to be poking out from beneath the blankets, scandalously exposing her from knee to toes.

Knee, calf, ankle, Arthur thought wickedly, his gaze traveling down the exposed limb. Then his smile began to fade as his eyes moved back up at a more leisurely pace. Actually, it was a very nice knee. An exceptionally nice leg. Perhaps even nicer than Julia Tierney’s, and definitely nicer than any of the varied and shapely feminine limbs he’d had occasion to study while working at DeLancey’s House of Burlesque.

I’ll be damned, but Delafield has magnificent legs. This thought floated unbidden into his mind and hovered a moment too long before it popped and evaporated.

Arthur shook himself back to his senses, crossed to the lavatory, pulled the lamp chain, and slammed the door. He plugged the sink basin, turned the cold tap, and stared at the mirror.

Delafield with legs. A startling thought in itself, but not nearly so mind-boggling as the one that followed. If Delafield had legs, she obviously came equipped with every other female part that would capture a man’s interest. Breasts, hips, thighs… Stop!

Arthur slammed off the tap just before the basin would have overflowed. Delafield was Delafield, no more, no less. She was the human equivalent of an iceberg. An iceberg had no legs, no breasts, no hips, no thighs. And certainly no… Arthur splashed his face with cold water. What the hell was the matter with him?

*

Now that Arthur has seen what Chelsea has been keeping hidden beneath her skirts … will he ever be able to un-see?

For more fun sneak peeks,  be sure to hop on over to SNEAK PEEK SUNDAY HERE!

Sneak Peek Sunday … In Flagrante Delicto?

Welcome to Sara Walter Elwood’s Sneak Peek Sunday!

This week’s peek is from SEARCH FOR CAMELOT, a romantic comedy about a wisecracking American college student and a cool-mannered British bluestocking who find love when they join together to search for the fabled sword Excalibur.

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.  June 1892.

On the eve of his college graduation, our clever but penniless hero, Arthur Pierce, comes into an unusual inheritance, a 16th century parchment that contains a clue to the location of King Arthur’s sword. Is it for real? Or a hoax?

There’s only one way to find out.

Arthur has reluctantly joined up with his arch nemesis from the classroom, the scholarly but secretly adventurous Chelsea Delafield. It’s Chelsea who holds the key to deciphering the ancient clue and following its trail, which begins in her hometown of London. To get there, the two pose as newlyweds on a steamship bound for Southampton.

In today’s peek, their first night in their cabin aboard ship proves to be an eye-opener for Chelsea as she prepares to retire…

*

When Chelsea emerged from the lavatory in her nightdress and dressing gown, hairbrush in hand, she was confronted by the scandalous sight of Arthur Pierce in flagrante delicto—that was, in the act of donning his nightwear. “Oh, my stars!” She turned away too late to keep from catching her first view of an unclothed male chest.

Even with her back turned and her eyes squeezed shut, Chelsea could envision every distressing detail. Instead of a calf-length nightshirt like her father had always worn, Arthur wore pajamas. And only the bottom half, at that. She was immediately put in mind of a conversation she’d once overheard on Derby Day at Epsom. “Strapping healthy specimen, that one! A thoroughbred stallion born to stud!”

“Oh!” she gasped again. Her heart pounded and her stomach seemed to be executing a breathtaking series of swoops and curls that she knew from firsthand experience had nothing at all to do with seasickness.

“What’s the matter, Miss Delafield?”

“You’re naked!”

“Not quite. My best part’s covered.”

*

It seems Arthur is enjoying Chelsea’s maidenly distress. He shouldn’t be so amused. This is only day one of a week-long voyage. Will Chelsea get her chance to even the score?

SEARCH FOR CAMELOT is on sale for $1.99 at Amazon this week!

For more fun sneak peeks, hop on over to SNEAK PEEK SUNDAY HERE!

Sneak Peek Sunday . . . Abduction on the Union Pacific Express

Welcome to Sara Walter Ellwood’s Sneak Peek Sunday! Today is another peek at A Touch of Camelot, a lighthearted historical western with a Camelot twist.

Gwin and her ten-year-old brother Arthur are the only survivors of the murder of their troupe after playing a tent revival in San Francisco. They’ve fled California in fear for their lives but have since been apprehended by the authorities.

Cole Shepherd is a brand new Pinkerton detective. His first assignment? Escort the beautiful con artist and her precocious brother across country by train to testify.

Last week, we peeked at the conclusion of their second grueling day aboard the Union Pacific Express. Cole has thwarted more than one escape attempt by his lovely charge, not the least of which was her attempt to convince him that if he didn’t let her and Arthur go before they reach San Francisco, Cole would be delivering them into the hands of corrupt authorities intent on seeing them dead before they ever set foot in a courtroom.

Cole isn’t stupid enough to fall prey to the pretty con artist’s lies. At least, not until tonight, when Gwin vanishes after visiting the ladies wash room in their sleeping car. All that’s left behind in the deserted aisle is her damp towel and a shattered perfume bottle. Cole gets a very bad feeling as he searches the moving train, not because he thinks she’s finally eluded him, but because he knows she hasn’t.

She would never flee without her little brother . . .

*

Cole paused at the door to the baggage car, his fingers tightening on the doorknob. Through the door window, he saw them, and what he saw confirmed all the fears that had nagged at him since discovering Gwin’s shattered perfume bottle. It was not Monroe, but the Chinese man.

The man was on his knees, leaning over Gwin’s sprawled, unconscious form. Cole’s stomach lurched at the sight of her lying so deathly still. Keep your wits about you, Shepherd.

He twisted the knob only to discover the door had been locked on the other side. The man’s head jerked up at the first rattle, and Cole knew he had to move fast. He stepped back and kicked. The heel of his boot landed squarely against the wood just above the doorknob. Luckily, the flimsy connecting door had not been made to withstand such punishment. It splintered and flew back on its hinges, cracking into the wall behind it.

All of this took less than five seconds, but it was plenty of time for the other man to react. Still on his haunches, he pulled Gwin’s limp body up and around to front him like a shield. The lamplight caught and glittered on a sliver of steel at her throat—a stiletto poised at her jugular. Her eyes were closed and she didn’t move. Cole couldn’t tell if she was breathing.

His eyes flicked back to the Chinese man’s face. They recognized each other in that instant, the way one professional recognizes another. This was no immigrant imported from the Orient as cheap labor for the railroads. This man had come here for a very different reason.

When the man spoke, Cole was surprised by a British accent. “I’m impressed by your timeliness, Mr. Shepherd, but then, they say if you want a job done right, call the Pinkertons.”

*

Uh oh. Cole’s first assignment for the Agency just got a whole lot more complicated. Is he up for it?

For more fun sneak peeks, hop on over to SNEAK PEEK SUNDAY HERE!

A Touch of Camelot is available now at AMAZON, ALL ROMANCE EBOOKS, and iTUNES!

Sneak Peek Sunday … His Big Moment

Welcome to Sara Walter Ellwood’s Sneak Peek Sunday! This week, a peek at A Touch of Camelot, a light historical western romance with a Camelot twist.

Our heroine is Guinevere Pierce, daughter of one of the slickest con artists in the west. Our hero is Cole Shepherd, the son of a small town sheriff. Their story begins in Abilene, Kansas, 1871 when Cole is just sixteen.

If our hero isn’t working or pursuing his studies, he can be found with his nose buried in an issue of The Police Gazette. His dream is to become a Pinkerton detective.

While watching a medicine show one day, Cole’s keen sense of justice is inflamed when he sees an adolescent boy pick a man’s pocket. And the chase is on.

The pickpocket is scrawny but nimble. He leads Cole on a merry scramble as the pair dart and dodge their way through the dusty streets of the bustling cow town and out to the cattle yards…

***

 By now, the kid had reached the corral fence and was getting away. Cole glared at those dirty boots as they climbed first one slat and the next. He lunged, reaching out just in time to snag the kid’s pant leg. He refused to let go even as the boy kicked. “Give it up, kid! Give it up now, and it’ll go easier on you!”

Cole yanked hard, bringing the boy down. They collapsed into the mud, Cole landing on his back to wrap his arms around his captive’s middle. The contents of the kid’s pockets spilled out: an astonishing collection of coins, bills, watches, and playing cards.

Cole howled a curse when he felt teeth sink into his forearm, but he didn’t let go. He rolled over instead, flipping his adversary onto his back. They’d already lost their hats in the scuffle, and Cole saw russet-red hair fashioned into a crude bowl cut. It looked soft and glossy, and it was just as it occurred to Cole that he’d never seen hair like that on a boy that his palm swiped across the kid’s chest and he stopped dead to discover he wasn’t wrestling with a boy at all. They both froze.

“Sweet mercy,” Cole whispered.

He had never felt a girl’s breast. He had dreamed about it a few times, and, of course, he had contemplated it a lot. There were girls back in Beaver Creek who wouldn’t have minded if Cole came courting, but none were the type a fellow could rightly consider grabbing at. Besides, marriage was the last thing on Cole’s mind. A Pinkerton didn’t have time for a wife. No, Cole had finally been forced to reach the gloomy conclusion that breasts weren’t likely to play a large part in his future.

But now his moment had arrived! And he wasn’t quite sure what to do about it. His hand, however, suffered no such uncertainty. It refused to budge even as his conscience screamed, Get your hand off her bosom, Cole! Give it up now and it’ll go easier on you!

***

I hope you enjoyed meeting our intrepid hero and sticky-fingered heroine.

For more fun sneak peeks, hop on over to SNEAK PEEK SUNDAY HERE!