GUEST POST
How 4 things I enjoy the most became a book:1) The mountains of Colorado where I live. The peaks, the elements, and the wildlife are in my blood. Nothing seems more natural or fitting than for this landscape to be the setting for my stories.2) The history of this wonderful state. I’m fascinated by the history here: mining, homesteading, railroading, ranching. My favorites are the lesser known pieces of Colorado history, such as the Jim Reynolds gang. They were a small band of Confederate guerrillas with bold plans to burn and sack Denver during the Civil War. With a posse hot on their trail, they buried their stolen loot—to the tune of $65,000—above the present day town of Conifer. People are still searching for the treasure.3) Hiking into the back country. Few things are finer than a refreshing hike through the timber, up a steep trail clinging to slope, then coming across the decaying remains of a miner’s cabin. The sod roof is gone and wildflowers are growing on the dirt floor. Here and there sunlight glints on broken glass. A stream gurgles past my feet. I sit here for a moment. Stretch my legs out in the grass, resting against the logs. Logs that were cut, notched, and chinked with mud by a miner whose name history has forgotten. 4) Seeking out the ghosts of the past. I listen to the sounds of the wilderness: birds, insects, the breeze in the trees (or was that a whisper?). Smell the tang of pine and sagebrush. Imagine the clink of a miner’s pick hacking at the rocks. The memories are here, waiting.And that is how I wrote the premise for SUMMER STAR. I sat on a sun-warmed log in front of an old cabin at 12,000 feet elevation. I let the history I knew combine with the things I felt. It was just me and the mountain—and the ghosts.
ABOUT THE BOOK
Summer Starby D.J. Davis
GENRE: Paranormal romantic suspense
BLURB:
Loner and history buff Troy Hart gets more than he bargained for when his psychic connection to the past leads him to the mountains of Colorado. The legend of buried treasure is nothing new, but falling in love is—and that’s the last thing Troy wants.
Troy’s visions of the old west are all fun and games, until the ghost of an outlaw forces Troy to fulfill his dying wish. To save his own life, and the life of the woman he loves, Troy must follow the trail of greed, betrayal and revenge on a treasure hunt for lost Civil War gold.
Now the fun is over and the game is survival as Troy battles the elements, a dead man, and his own heart deep in the remote high country.
EXCERPT
Excerpt One:
He gazed at her with those haunted smoky-quartz eyes. “Come with me after the snow flies. Stay all winter.”
“I haven’t been with a man in a very long time. Years. So long that I’m afraid I’ve forgotten what it’s like.”
The corners of his mustache lifted. “Don’t ask me. I’ve never been with one.”
“Aren’t you ever serious?”
“Not if I can help it. I’ll try if you want.”
She imagined him as a lonely little boy in a sprawling mansion. There probably wasn’t much laugher in that house. “Don’t try too hard. I like your sense of humor.”
“Good to know. If it’s any consolation, it’s been a long time for me, too.”
“Remember what you said about life being too short to live in fear?”
He nodded.
“I’ve been living in fear for most of my life. I don’t want to live like that anymore.” She unsnapped his flannel shirt and slipped it off his shoulders. She ran her hands over the solid muscles, down the silky black hair on his chest, to the perfect six pack of his belly. His skin pebbled under her touch.
“Are you sure?”
“More sure than I’ve ever been.” She unbuckled his belt.
I enjoyed this mystery book because the pacing was well done and the eccentric hero was exceptionally likable. The concept forced me to stretch suspension of disbelief almost to the breaking point, at times, especially when Troy is physically on the verge of collapse and yet somehow forces himself to push on unrelentingly. The story unfolds well; the historical portion, in particular, and I was kept guessing all the way through the book. This is a fun, fast read and a great escape on a hot summer afternoon!I was given a copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.
Reviewed by Laurie-J
AUTHOR Bio and Links:
A portion of each sale of her novel "Courageous Cain" will be donated to Big Bones Canine Rescue in Windsor, Colorado. Help us help big dogs in need.
LINKS:
https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/14255452.D_J_Davis https://twitter.com/djdavisauthor http://www.amazon.com/DJ-Davis/e/B014E0OZE8/ https://www.facebook.com/djdavisauthor/ http://www.amazon.com/dp/B01F1NH7J2/
Champagne Books: http://champagnebooks.com/store/index.php?id_manufacturer=171&controller=manufacturer
B&N: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/summer-star-dj-davis/1123750333ibooks: https://itunes.apple.com/us/book/summer-star/id1109658001?mt=11Allromanceebooks: https://www.allromanceebooks.com/product-summerstar-2031379-149.htmlKobo: https://store.kobobooks.com/en-us/ebook/summer-star
GIVEAWAY
D.J. Davis will be awarding a $25 Amazon/BN GC to a randomly drawn winner via rafflecopter during the tour.
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