National Authors Day - Thank You Readers!

 A writer only begins a book.

A 

Reader finishes it!

I want to express my sincere appreciation for your time. I hope I've brought

you many hours of reading enjoyment.

Happy Reading!

Until we meet again,

Loretta

https://www.amazon.com/stores/Loretta-C.-Rogers/author/B004948XP2

When Things Go Bump in the Night

 Hello Dear Readers,

Wow, can you believe it...October is almost over. November is right around the corner, and like it or not, it's time to fall back an hour. 

Until that time, 'tis the season for spooks, ghosts, and goblins. If you enjoy spine-tingling stories, or stories that make you afraid to turn out the light at bedtime, then I have a few suggestions for you.

All books are available in print or Ebook, and at Amazon, BarnesNoble, and other online bookstores.

Here's Lurking at You!

Loretta

Escape with Audiobooks

 

Hello Dear Readers,

It seems as if we live in a world where everyone is in a rush to get to work on time, to drive the kiddos to extracurricular events, to meet deadlines, to squeeze in time for all of life’s necessities. In our hurry up and go life, we often neglect ourselves; especially wives and mothers. We make excuses that there’s no time to find a cozy corner to read, to enjoy nature, or to just be still and breathe.

As an author and a reader, let’s talk about reading and how to fit a few hours of escape into your busy life. Audiobooks!

Yes, you read that correctly—audiobooks.

If you don’t have time to sit with an Ebook or a paper book then here is  why you might enjoy audiobooks:

1. Convenience and Multitasking:

• Audiobooks can be listened to while doing other activities, such as driving, exercising, or doing chores, making it easier to fit reading into busy schedules. 
• This multitasking aspect can make otherwise tedious tasks more enjoyable. 

2. Accessibility:

• Audiobooks can be a great alternative for those who have difficulty reading due to visual impairments, learning disabilities, or other reasons. 
• They can also be beneficial for those who are auditory learners or prefer to absorb information through listening. 
• Audiobooks can introduce new vocabulary and improve comprehension skills, making them helpful for both native and second language learners. 

3. Enhanced Reading Experience:

• Skilled narrators can bring stories to life with their voice acting, adding depth and nuance to characters and plot. 
• Some audiobooks also incorporate sound effects and music, further immersing the listener in the story. 
• The experience of listening to a story can be different from reading, and for some, it can be a more engaging and enjoyable way to consume literature. 

4. Memory and Concentration:

• Audiobooks can help improve memory and concentration as listeners actively engage with the narrative.
• The act of listening requires focus, which can enhance the ability to process and retain information. 

5. Learning and Knowledge Acquisition:

• Audiobooks offer a wide variety of genres and topics, making it easy to explore new subjects and expand one's knowledge base. 
• They can be a valuable tool for learning new skills, languages, or historical information

6. Here is a list of my novels that are available as audiobooks:

          

  Isabelle and the Outlaw 

     Amazon       

Isabelle is accidently transported back in time to the 1800's to save an outlaw. How does she return to her own time?

McKenna’s Woman   

  Amazon  

  A very gritty tale with perverse plot twists. The anti-hero was once a gentleman but, like the heroine, left  emotionally scarred by the war between the states, especially the atrocities committed by both sides against civilians. Some groups liked the raiding and pillage well enough to continue berserk quests after formal  hostilities ceased. Redemption can come in various forms but the final question from Audra to McKenna was skirted!

  Taming the Lyon      

      Amazon

An unimaginable tragedy sends Dr. Margaret Boynton running to the African jungle in 1909. There she faces witch doctors, cannibals, and Jeremiah Lyon, great white hunter, and more dangerous than any lion.

 

                                                              

Murder in the Mist

Amazon

Murder doesn't happen in the quaint seaside village of Cole Harbor. Now a psycho is targeting women. Shh...screaming can get you dead!

                                   Shadowed Reunion

                                    Amazon

Laura Friday's investigative reporting leads her to a headless corpse and two warring drug cartels that could to lead to her own death.

You may still enjoy reading an Ebook, a paperback book, but as you can see, when life gets too busy, audiobooks is another way to enhance your daily activity.

Until we meet again,

HAPPY READING or HAPPY LISTENING!

Loretta

Bitter Autumn Inspired by My Great Grandmother

 When I was a child, my great grandmother told her great grandchildren the following story--one evening when she was thirteen years old she went out to feed the chickens. The hour had grown late and when she didn't answer the call to come for supper, her father went to look for her. What he found was the empty tin plate that Sarah always used to hold the chicken feed, and foot prints; not shoe prints, but moccasins. Sarah had been kidnapped by a band of roving Indians. She was sixteen when she and her baby girl were rescued.

For her entire life, Sarah was afraid of the dark. At sundown, she wanted to be inside the house with all the doors and windows locked. In fact, she would refuse to sit on the front porch in her favorite rocking chair, even if the men folks were there with her. She would say, "Thar's In'dans hidin' 'mongst the trees."

My siblings and cousins grew up with this story. We always wondered what tribe of warriors kidnapped my great grandmother. Great granny either couldn't remember or didn't want to remember. I've considered taking the DNA test to see if any Native American genes linger in my bloodline. Whether true or not, my great grandmother's story inspired me to write Bitter Autumn, a historical romance based on fact but fictionalized for interest and readability. 

My great grandmother passed away at the age of ninety-two. She never got over her fear of sitting on the porch after dark. 

Please let me know if you enjoyed reading Bitter Autumn. I would also appreciate it if you'd leave a review.  

Excerpt

Flame-haired Birdie Mae Dix has no idea what tomorrow will bring. Kidnapped by the Pawnee and traded to the Comanche, she is now in the custody of the US Cavalry. After eighteen years of loss and cruelty, she trusts no one, not even the handsome captain whose piercing blue glare fills her with apprehension...and unwanted desire. Years of war have hardened Captain Ford Thackery. Pledging his life to a military career, he has sworn never to consider married life-until he rescues Birdie. He knows he must earn her trust as well as find a way into her heart. When she is abducted by a renegade Pawnee cavalry scout, Ford embarks on a dangerous journey of rescue, but he and Birdie must still bridge the gaping chasm of hatred that separates their worlds.

Amazon

Barnes and Noble

 The Wild Rose Press

Walmart

For more books by Loretta visit Amazon's Author Central

Until we meet again,

HAPPY READING!

Loretta

Lubber Vs Lovers

 

 Hello Dear Readers,                                                     

Today is a sort of reminiscing. Actually, it’s called procrastination because I should be working on my newest novel, Murders at Buzzards Bay. I’m almost to the point of writing “The End,” but I’m having a problem drawing it all together so readers can enjoy the final ah-ha moment.

When that happens, I find that if I take a little break and focus my thoughts elsewhere, a new idea will magically bloom. Fingers crossed that a little seed will sprout in my brain while I’m walking down memory lane.

I’m reminded of a funny incident that happened at a book signing. I’m a multi-genre author. At this particular event I was showcasing my romance novels. Quite often, people come to authors’ tables and want to tell their life story or talk about wanting to write the great American novel, then list all the reasons that keep them from writing.

I noticed a lady standing off to the side, patiently waiting, but at the same time getting a little antsy. When the group left my table, I motioned her over. Now, remember, I was showcasing romance novels, both historical and contemporary. 

The lady said she had asked one of the librarians (did I mention this book signing was held at a public library) to help her find the answer to a particular question. The librarian had referred her to me. Here’s the question: “Can you tell me how lubbers’ mate?”

I honestly thought perhaps she had a lisp. To clarify, I replied, “You want to know how lovers’ mate?”

She nodded her agreement. Yikes!

I was trying to figure out how to describe the process of mating without embarrassing either of us. To create steamy sex scenes on paper is one thing, to vocalize it is, well…awkward. I ask if she was married. Then I thought that maybe her husband wasn’t such a hot lover and she thought because I wrote romance, I could enlighten her. Double Yikes!

I picked up a copy of The Witching Moon and said the book had several steamy love scenes if she cared to read it.

The woman stabbed me with an impatient look and said, “No, no, no. LUB-bers!”

Lubbers? I still thought maybe something was wrong with my hearing. I asked if she would spell the word. L.U.B.E.R.S. Well, it turns out that she was asking about grasshoppers. Yep, you read that correctly—grasshoppers Specifically, the eastern lubber grasshopper native to Florida.

I apologized profusely and encouraged her to ask the librarian to direct her to the entomology section. After the book signing was over and the library was mostly empty, the librarian came to my table and apologized for sending the lady to me.

I didn’t feel so bad because like me, the librarian had also misunderstood lubbers for lovers. We both had a good laugh.

Time to get back to writing. I’m still stuck about how to end the story. Very Big Sigh! Any suggestions?

Until we meet again,

HAPPY WRITING!

Loretta

The Witching Moon

 

 

                                                           

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Happy 4th of July and Happy Reading!

 

Hello Readers,

Can you believe we’re already six months into the New Year?

It’s hard to believe that To Catch a Killer, book #6 and the final book in The Doc Holliday Mystery Series has been out seven months. WOW! I’ve enjoyed hearing reactions from readers like you and hope even more will continue to discover all the books in the series throughout the summer and beyond. If you haven’t already, click the links below, and grab your copy.

In the blink of an eye, we will celebrate 4^th of July. Please remember that animals have sensitive ears and many of our veterans suffer from PTSD. While fireworks are beautiful, they are also loud and often invoke memories better left forgotten.

I’m also sending a huge THANK YOU to all of our Veterans both active and retired for your service.

Finally, if anyone is looking for a last-minute gift or simply wishing to treat themselves to a good read this 4^th of July weekend, I’d be remiss if I didn’t mention all of the books in The Doc Holliday Mystery Series.

Fatal Passion 

The Boneyard

Lights...Camera...Murder

Monster in the Dark

8 Seconds to Die

To Catch a Killer

If you love a little paranormal, a little Native American folklore, and spine-tingling mysteries, you will enjoy reading about Dr. Tullah Holliday, a veterinarian, and how the spirits lead her to the dead.

Until we meet again,

HAPPY READING!

Loretta

The Year I Didn't Attend 2nd Grade

 Hello Dear Readers,

Did you miss me? I'm being glib, of course. Sometimes life gets in the way. That's exactly why I haven't had any new posts in a quite a while. Life reared it's ugly head and smacked me really hard. But, I'm back.

On Facebook there is a feature called "Throwback Thursday." Well, today isn't Thursday, so I'm going to refer to this article as Fallback Friday. We're going waaaay back...all the way to 1951.

I belong to a fabulous writers group called Pen Dames. If you haven't visited the Pen Dames blog, I highly recommend it. At a recent meeting, we had a writing exercise titled "I remember." I wrote about the year that I didn't attend school. Remembering the past was a little bitter sweet. I hope you enjoy it.

I Remember...

I remember September 3, 1951; my 7^th birthday. There was no cake and no birthday presents. We had moved to Lakeland, Florida. Daddy had taken a job with the Atlantic Coastline Railroad.

I remember being exited to start second grade except that I didn’t. Mama was seven months pregnant and living far from Tampa, she had no one to help take care of her, my three-year-old brother, and me.

I remember daddy telling me that I had to be a big girl and take care of mama and Lynn. He got in the car and drove away. I remember being disappointed that I didn’t get to go to school.

I remember mama writing out a grocery list and giving me money. My little brother and I would walk to the general store, approximately a mile or so from our rental house. I remember how heavy the sacks were and wishing I had a little red wagon to carry the load.

December 5^th, I remember when my little sister was born. Both grandmothers worked. My mothers’ sisters were married. One was in Japan with her Army husband, and the other lived in Alabama. There was only me to take care of mama and my newborn sister.

I remember that winter being cold and rainy. It rained so much that water rose over our front porch. Mama had to have a wisdom tooth pulled. For whatever reason, she decided to go wading in all that dirty water. She got lock jaw and was bedridden for a long time.

I remember heating soup, scrambling eggs, making toast and bologna sandwiches. I remember washing diapers and wringing them out by hand. I remember doctoring my little brother’s jaybird with purple iodine because he got ringworm from wading in the dirty water, too.

When the house was quiet, I remember sitting at the dining table, sounding out the words on the Kellog Corn Flakes cereal box, reading the labels on the Campbells soup cans, and the Sunbeam bread wrappers. I remember being excited when I found an old newspaper underneath the kitchen sink and how careful I was not to tear it when I labored to sound out the big words.

I remember saving the note paper that mama used to write the grocery list. I used the back of it to practice writing words.

It seemed like mama was sick that entire year. I never did attend second grade.

I remember my eighth birthday. There still wasn’t a cake or presents but daddy drove me to school to enroll me in the 3^rd grade. The people there said that I’d have to go to 2^nd grade. Daddy told them no; to give me a spelling test and if I passed to put me in 3^rd grade.

I remember standing in front of three frowning people. They said I had to orally spell 20 words correctly. I remember being really scared. Besides, I didn’t know what “orally” meant.

I think those three frowning people were disappointed when I spelled all twenty words correctly. Don’t ask me what those words were because I don’t remember. I attended 3^rd grade at Lakeland’s City School.

Thanks for stopping by. I hope all of you have special remembrances. 

Until we meet again...HAPPY READING!