Raine Balkera - Romance Author

alexstoneart - DeviantArt Well, since everyone else is doing it, I figured I may as well, also. I'm really in the mood to write, so there is that. I've gone through my Blog Posts for 2017 and have chosen each of the Romance Novels I rated highly for one reason or another. They are 5 and 4 1/2 star reviews only. Then Came You by Wendy Lindstrom (as an aside, this is a Book Two out of Eight, and although I thoroughly enjoyed this one and Miss Lindstrom's writing, I was startlingly disappointed in Book Six in this series, which wasn't written at all like this second novel in the series. The story itself was interesting and had purpose, but the writing had changed drastically... from thoughtful and educated to slipshod and rushed.) The Fall of Lord Drayson by Rachael Anderson (and I still look forward to reading Books Two and Three in the Tanglewood Series) Intertwine (House of Oak Book 1) by Nichole Van (also still anxious to...

It amazes me how quickly time seems to fly, what with there being just THREE WEEKS left of 2017! And because of that, I'm participating in Week 50: My Biggest Accomplishments , even if I have no idea what to say. Like with a few other posts we've participated in, this question can be answered a few different ways. My children. My Survival Skills. Reaching obligatory or privileged milestones. But, since we're all writers here, I guess I'll say my biggest accomplishment would be my having the guts to publish my own work to the world. It is a huge accomplishment for me because even now, after several years have passed since that first novel went public, I am still very much afraid to promote it or send it off to popular book bloggers for fear of rejection and harsh criticism, BOTH of which would throw me off my game and cause me to not want to ever write again. Not having the confidence to write again scares me far more than hearing a lot of n...

Print Length -  250 pages Publisher -  Lyrical Press Published -  August 18, 2015 Sold by -  Penguin Random House Publisher Services Series -  Lost Heiresses, Book 1 of 3 Genre -  Historical, American West and Victorian England Amazon -  Kindle Link Language -  4/5 Sexual Content -  3/5 Narrative -  3rd P It’s one thing for a girl to lose her way, quite another to lose her heart… Genny Hayes could charm a bear away from a pot of honey. But raised in the forests of Yosemite, she’s met precious few men to practice her smiles upon. Until a marvelously handsome photographer appears in her little corner of the wilderness and she convinces him to take her clear across the country and over the seas to England, where she has a titled grandmother and grandfather waiting to claim her. On their whirlwind journey, she’ll have the chance to bedazzle and befuddle store clerks and train robbers, society matrons a...

Hi, everyone! Welcome back for another installment of the MFRW Author Blog 's 52-Week Blog Challenge. This is now Week 49 of the challenge, and today's topic is: A Favorite Recipe  Having not grown up in a Betty Crocker type environment, although my mother did use her cookbooks from time to time, she just wasn't of a mind to allow her two daughters to help out around the house... least of all in the kitchen. That's right, folks! Me and my older sister were responsible for our sides of a shared bedroom and that was it. Ma did all of the household chores because that was her way: HER way and no other way, in other words. When I left home, I did my fair share of cooking and turned out (if you don't mind my saying so) to be a rather decent cook. As for baking, well, the simple answer is no. Gas or electric stove, my cookie bottoms burn, my cakes sink, don't rise, or taste 'off' in some way. As for yum-yum's, I'll tell you tha...

Hi, everyone! This is now Week 48 of the MFRW Author Blog 52-Week Blog Challenge, and today's topic is: 5 Things on my Bucket List Starting with honesty (as usual), I don't particularly possess a Bucket List and I don't really care for the term Bucket List. It sounds ugly. I get what it means, though, but think it is a stupid choice of words is all. Now I need to keep thinking about what to say in 5 different ways to be able to participate. Outlandish 5. Winning the Lottery 4. Traveling the Globe 3. Owning my Own Island 2. Being a Best-Seller 1. Staying Healthy until at least 70 (so I can keep writing) Realistic 5. Being in Alaska on December 21 to see a 24 hour night and again in June for the 24 hour day 4. Publishing a Novel that a lot of People really enjoy Reading 3. Building my Dream Writing Space 2. Swimming in Lake Ontario (the only Great Lake I have yet to set foot in) 1. Spending New Years Eve in NYC Hope this wasn't too bor...

Hello again, and welcome back to another installment of the MFRW Author Blog 52-Week Blog Challenge ! Week 47 here, and the topic today is: My Writing Space Not ashamed to admit to being a nosy person, but I think it also needs some clarification for those of you who instantly gasp and start thinking all manner of awful things about me in retaliation for said remark. Gossip ≠ Drama When it comes to "drama", I define it much differently than most and don't agree that Hollywood hi-jinx, catty-bitch 'reality' TV staged show-downs, and who's sleeping with whom apply (because I just don't give a damn). Someone is crying, confused, upset, lost, or overjoyed, and I want to know why! That kind of nosy. I'm always curious to know what other people are doing, how they think, what they like and don't, how they feel about issues or the mundane, and although I can honestly say I've never had an inkling to secretly peek into anyone's...

Hello! This is week 46 of the 52-Week MFRW Author Blog Challenge, and the topic today is: Let Me Brag for a Minute... Sorry to say this, but as a Catholic, this particular personality trait was beaten and shamed out of me from an extremely early age. I do remember one time during a job interview for a Bank, I had to drive downtown (Detroit) and had the sadly mistaken impression that it would be where I'd be working... in that building, in downtown Detroit -- two things that super-appealed to me at that time. I was upbeat, excited, and eager to impress (I think), and while I don't remember anything I said, I will always remember the interviewer smiling at me and saying, "Wonderful! I love the way you beat your own drum to such a down-to-earth rhythm!" Now, as mentioned above, my initial reaction was, "OMG, I just blew it! She thinks I'm bragging!" Because, as stated, bragging has always been a bad thing to my rigidly molded mind....

Hello, all! Welcome back for Week 45 of the MFRW Author Blog 52-Week Blog Challenge , and today the topic is  An Unforgettable Day in My Life . I've been thinking about how to answer this one all week, and to be honest, I still don't know what to write. The problem is, I don't want to go the generic route and respond with the obvious: birth of child, wedding day, 18th birthday, etc. Except for the two live births, NONE of the obvious and generic responses were Unforgettable (not from a positive perspective, anyway). I am truly sorry to have to say that a MAJORITY of my generic memories, life moments, and what-not are on the negative, bad side. So, I do hope what I finally chose to share is worth your while and interesting enough to qualify as Unforgettable. August, 1981 I went to a friend's house, and while I waited for him to get ready (for what, I don't recall), he had turned on the TV, and I sat down to stare at it while I waited. What I...

Hello, y'all, and welcome back for Week 44 of the MFRW Author Blog 52-Week Blog Challenge, and the question posed is: A Person That Inspires Me . FIRST I just can't ignore this, and I unapologetic-ally bring to your attention the following: Human or not ? ... who, that, and which can all function as relative pronouns in a sentence or clause. This means that they are used to refer back to a person or thing that was previously mentioned. One of the distinctions between that, which, and who as relative pronouns is based on whether you’re talking about people or things . ~oxforddictionaries.com ... because I am the sort of person who will point these things out and not feel bad about it. You're welcome. On with the Challenge! A Person WHO Inspires Me would be someone who does something that actually gets my attention and makes me feel better about myself. Easy. Long story short, I never met a single person in all my years of higher learnin' who wen...

Pages -  224  Publisher -  Ink Lion Books Published -  June 18, 2014 Sold by -  Amazon Digital Services LLC Series -  My Notorious Aunt Book 3 of 3 Genre -  Clean & Wholesome Regency Language -  0/5 Sexual Content -  0/5 Narrative -  3rd Person Aunt Honore is up to her old tricks, only now she’s meddling in her mysterious nephew’s life… Why does the powerfully built, golden-haired, Lord St. Evert dress like an overdone Dandy? His outlandish wardrobe belies the hard unyielding lines of his face. Whoever he is, he’s ruining Elizabeth Hampton’s desperate scheme to secure a rich husband. Terribly vexing, to arrive at the most fashionable Breakfast Party of the Season wearing a perfectly stunning Chinese silk gown, only to discover Lord St. Evert is clad in unmentionables cut from identical cloth. Humiliating. And insufferable! Why, the devil, must he show up in fabrics Elizabeth searched so dilig...