DARK LIGHTNING

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Dark Lightning by Janet Woods

The ruling family of Karshal is slaughtered. Azarine swears her revenge. Eighteen seasons later and Lord Cynan is betrayed by those closest to him. Caught up in the intrigue, Jynx and her twin brother flee. With only a wolf to guard her Jynx is rescued by a band of healers. But the wolf is not what he seems . . .

Eyes of The Alchemist

                                                        wwwbelgravehouse.com

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Kavan’s quest is to save the people of Cabrilan and Truarc from total destruction, and he needs help from the woman destined to be his mate.

 Tiana is apprenticed to the Grand Alchemist as a healer. She is reluctant to heed the words of the barbarian lord and escapes before he comes to make her his mate. He sets a trap for her. Once captured by him, she is then captivated.

 Forces line up against them. There are deceitful traitors close to Kavan, a false alchemist called Finn with powerful magic that he follows into the chimera world, and the fearsome warrior beasts of Beltane.  And there is a legend, as old as time itself.

In the end Kavan chooses to forfeit his life to save his people. He offers Tiana a chance to live, but she follows her heart because she knows she’ll be unhappy without him.

Kavan’s followers suffer cruel leadership under Finn, but his followers believe he will return to save them.

There is a sign . . . a glimmer of hope . . .  a crystal pod washes down a mountainside and when the sun touches on it the two figures inside it they begin to stir. Is the legend about to be proved?
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This is the first fantasy I wrote, it was published for a short time in ebooks and is suitable for both adult and YA readers. I do hope readers enjoy my temporary departure from saga and historical romance. Follows is two snippets from reviews at the time. Both books earned four hearts and roses.

EYES OF THE ALCHEMIST is a great fantasy/paranormal story. There is magic, suspense and love mixed in this legend about a God's son and his lifemate. Reviewed by Jenni 2003.

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EYES OF THE ALCHEMIST. I like the way Ms Woods' mind works. I enjoyed this book very much, and I think any romance fantasy lover would. Midly sensual. Reviewer, Diane T. The romance studio 2003.       

I'll Get By - Single Title review

A beguiling 1940s saga about unexpected blessings, the perils of wartime and falling in love, I’ll Get By is first-class tale from Janet Woods’ talented pen.

On the brink of the Second World War, seventeen year old Meggie Elliott leaves her old life behind to go and stay in London with her aunt Esme and her husband, Dr. Leo Thornton. Meggie cannot wait to cast off the shackles of her old life for the bright lights of London. However, Meggie’s excitement quickly gives way to fear and unease when she ends up getting lost on her first day in the capital. Luckily for her, a kind-hearted and dashing police officer, Sergeant Benjamin Blessing saves the day and points her in the right direction to her Aunt’s house. However, Meggie soon realizes that her good-looking saviour is not all that he seems…

With the dark clouds of war gathering around them, Meggie realizes that she cannot possibly continue to idle away her life and that she must do something to help her country and do her bit for the war effort. Although Meggie had initially come to London in order to go to University and make her dream of becoming a lawyer a reality, the intelligent young woman soon realizes that the time has come for her to put her ambitions on hold and make her country proud. In a fit of patriotism, Meggie decides to join the Women’s Royal Navy Service and is overjoyed when she is welcomed into their ranks after she aces the interview. Sent to work in a decoding unit, Meggie finally seems to have got all the excitement that she had been looking for when she had first decided to come and stay with her Aunt Esme in London. 

When she meets her boss, the dangerously charismatic aristocrat, Nicholas Cowan, Meggie finds herself attracted to the sophisticated nobleman. Nicholas is good-looking, charming and debonair and he quickly sweeps Meggie off her feet. But Meggie cannot quite shake off this feeling that she had met the man who had stolen her heart once before…

As she begins to put together the pieces of the puzzle that is Nicholas Cowan, Meggie uncovers shocking lies and devastating truths that could not only destroy his reputation but jeopardise their burgeoning relationship. Torn between duty and desire, Meggie must decide whether she is ready to risk her happiness or whether she should reveal the scandalous secrets that could endanger the life of the only man she will ever love…

Janet Woods writes highly compelling, emotional and captivating historical sagas that are difficult to put down and absolutely impossible to forget and I’ll Get By is another example of this talented author’s wonderful ability to create spellbinding stories that linger in the reader’s imagination long after the last page is turned.

I’ll Get By has got a terrific heroine who is smart, feisty and intelligent, an enigmatic and charming hero and a wonderful cast of well-developed characters that come alive from the very first page. It is impossible not to fall in love with Meggie and Nicholas and not to cross your fingers and cheer on these wonderful characters onto their journey to happiness.

A fantastic historical novel that is intriguing, exciting and wonderfully romantic, I’ll Get By is an outstanding tale of love, loss and hope in wartime Britain that will enchant, enrapture and delight!- 

See more at: http://singletitles.com/?cat=104#sthash.yV5itHqO.dpuf

Moon Cutters - October 2013 release

England 1840

Miranda Jarvis and her younger sister find themselves without means in the middle of winter. In a desperate attempt to steal food from a country estate, they are caught and taken under the care of the owner, James Fenmore – unaware that the seemingly respectable middle-aged gentleman heads the smuggling network in the district. Sir James has no scruples.

Fletcher Taunt, James’s estranged and (mostly) honest nephew inherits the adjoining estate, one James covets. James begins to plot to relieve Fletcher of it, despite its reputation of being haunted by a monk.

When Miranda and Fletcher meet they fall in love . . . but the scheming James has made other plans for Miranda.

Past intrigue has kept Fletcher in ignorance of his parentage. He discovers that his father is alive - and living as part of a monastic colony in France. Adrian Taunt is half-brother to James – a man who’d failed in an attempt to kill him. With the return of his memory, the time has come for Adrian to regain his title, take his revenge and get to know the son he’s never seen.

The sisters’ curiosity leads them into trouble. James hides the younger girl in a coffin in the church crypt and Miranda’s life hangs by a thread while she attempts to rescue her. But James underestimates the resourcefulness of Fletcher. 

I Never Thought I'd See You again

I NEVER THOUGHT I’D SEE YOU AGAIN is a themed story collection plucked from the pens of bestselling authors, all members of the professional authors’ organization, Novelists Inc. The sixteen stories in the anthology were compiled and edited by New York editor and publisher, Lou Aronica

It contains stories from New York Times and USA Today best selling authors – so it guarantees a good read. You just have to run a glance over the author list to realize that, and I’m proud to see my name on that list.

I was delighted when I was advised that my story, The Greek, The Dog, Shangri-La and Me was selected for this anthology, when usually I write hardcover historical romance novels or family saga. This story was runner up in an Australian competition (The Kathryn Susannah Prichard short story award). It was written in a simple narrative style - not my usual, but one that seemed to suit the character and the story he wanted to tell. I’d enjoyed the challenge of writing it. I will enjoy even more seeing it in print. I sincerely hope readers will find pleasure in it, as well as the other fine stories contained in this collection.

Available online now in ebook and print.

ISBN: 978-1-61188-079-3 print  978-1-61188-080-9 e-book

Love It!

THE SOUND AND THE FURRY is a new story collection written by international authors.

The anthology contains one of my short stories, A GIRL’S BEST FRIEND. It’s about Fred the prize poodle, and the outcome of his love for the mutt next door.   And to paraphrase the title of Susan Coolridge’s book . . . What Katy Did! to. 

The anthology will to be released in July and proceeds from sales will benefit the International fund for Animal Welfare.

There are twelve animal themed short story donations from published authors, the names of most who are probably familiar to you. Apart from myself, flying the flag for Australia in this project is saga writer Anna Jacobs who displays her short story skills with “Moving Day,” And then there is Annette Mahon’s, “Great Aussie Hunter.” But then, cats and dogs are the same in any language.

There are also stories from best-selling Authors, Gordon Aalborg, Laura Resnick, Mary Jo Putney, Robert S Levison , Sue Moorcroft, Terise Ramin, Carol Nelson Douglas, Denise Dietz and Lillian Stewart Carl. The latter two also edited the anthology. The book promises to be a good read

The delightful model posing on the cover is Mary Jo Putney’s late lamented moggie, Fluffster. The ebook will be released in June on Smashwords and other outlets.

Wordwrights

It's time for some overdue praise for members of our talented critique group WORDWRIGHTS. Here in WA our group have all been working hard, getting our books up to scratch - and with considerable success!

Congratulations to all. I know how hard you've worked towards publication, some with full time day jobs to contend with as well.  Special congrats to the first timers, who have written some wonderful books, all different in style and voice - books they can be really proud of.

I've mentioned Anne E Summers first book SINGING MOUNTAIN before, reviewing it and showing off the lovely cover. The book has gathered some wonderful reviews from readers of Ebooks, and it's now available in print from Amazon and directly from the publisher, Solstice.

Eliza Redgold's first book has just been released by Harlequin and is available through the usual channels. Set in the lush vineyards of WA, mix together one young women with more grit than gold, a honey of a Frenchman - two adjoining estates in dispute over water and a whole heap of luscious truffles and what do you get? BLACK DIAMONDS!

Last, but not least comes the release of Venetia Green's erotic Vikings novel. If you're into delicious Danes, naughty Norwegians and sexy Swedes, or willing to give them a try - A HAWK ENSLAVED is a boatload full of erotic fun and it's available in electronic form and available from various sources.

Quarterly post.

It's ages since I've posted anything to my blog, but nobody has sent me frantic emails asking me where it is. As usual I've been working pretty hard, and it's been a long, very hot summer here. My latest book I'LL GET BY has just been released (Feb 2013). It was reviewed by WritingWA, which is the literary body for the State of western Australia (see below). The review also appeared in the West Newspaper. After writing 30 books this is my first review by them so I was understandably nervous. This book is the third one in the World Wars' trilogy and is preceded by books one and two: TALL POPPIES and SECRETS AND LIES.

I’ll Get By, Janet Woods (Severn House)
Set in London against the unfolding background of World War II, this is a story of a young woman’s journey to find love, happiness and the promise of a future amidst the destruction, uncertainty and horror of war.  The characters are familiar and endearing, without being too predictable and their efforts to retain some semblance of normality and social standing amidst the chaos and upheaval provides a warm-hearted glimpse of British stoicism in action.  There is a well-balanced mix of suspense, intrigue, and passion to suit avid romance readers, all capped off with a happy ending . . . . .West Australian Newspaper 29th Feb 2013. www.writingwaorganization.

I've just finished another book, a love story set amid the cut-throat world of smuggling along the British coast. Although I'm classified as a romance writer MOON CUTTERS is not full of romantic swaggering figures, but depicts the smugglers as the thieving bunch of criminals that they were - criminals who came from all walks of life. I've now started another book. No time to relax since this one is contracted.

What else nice has happened in my life? Firstly, a paperback saga I wrote for Simon and Schuster and which was published in 2004 has attracted a sale of over 7,000 copies to a bookclub. This one is A HANDFUL OF ASHES.

I've also released some of my older, out-of-print, books for ebooks through Belgrave House.

Last, but not least. A short story (non-romance) that was a runner up in the Katherine Susannah Prichard award three or so years ago is to be included in a  an American anthology with the theme - I thought I'd never see you again. "The Greek, The Dog, Shangri-La, and Me" is already contracted, and the anthology will be published and offered for sale by Novelist's Inc, which is a professional published writers' organisation.(NINK) for short.

All the best.
Janet.