February | 2017 | Linda McLaughlin/Lyndi Lamont

My Bookfriend Tina Gayle, author of the IT Exec’s Baby, is here today. Welcome, Tina!

Blurb:

Brie Sullivan has a new baby girl and there are a million things to do, but Brie doesn’t have the energy to keep up. Why? She’s still grieving for her husband and suffering from baby blues, but she won’t let that stop her. She’s come up with the answer–find a new husband to be the father of her kids.

Jason Clark has been doing everything he can to help Brie. He loves her but can he accept her proposal of marriage knowing she’s not thinking clearly about the future?

Comments from Reviews for IT Exec’s Baby (2nd book of the Executive Wives Club series)

“IT Exec’s Baby is almost a love story in reverse. The marriage comes first, then the sex, and finally the love – at least from Brie’s point of view. It is tender and poignant at times, and full of strong descriptive passages.”

“What I love about series books. Every book gives you more about the characters that you’ve fallen in love with during the first book.”

“IT Exec’s Baby is a riveting story of a woman with numerous problems.”

Excerpt:

With the warmth of the sun beating down on her head and the sound of her children’s laughter ringing in her ears, Brie spread her arms and spun in a circle.

She raised her voice and called to her kids as she walked to the railing of the upper deck. “You better find a good hiding place because ready or not here I come.”

With Isabella down for a nap, Brie drew in a deep breath, enjoying the fresh air and the freedom from being stuck inside the house. The kids had convinced her to play with them outside. She loved the easy game of hide-and-go-seek. Glancing over the rail, she scanned the backyard, searching for Ethan’s and Allison’s young forms.

A giggle sounded from below the deck.

Brie stepped down a few stairs to search the patio below. Still unable to catch a glimpse of her children, she continued down the staircase, listening for sounds that might give her a clue to their whereabouts.

Not seeing either one of them, she hugged the back wall and silently slipped to the corner of the house that had concrete steps, which led to the front yard.

Determined to catch one of her kids heading for home-base, Brie refrained from peeking around the corner. The squeak of a tennis shoe alerted her to someone’s arrival.

Ready to grab them the minute they rounded the corner, Brie stayed out of sight. A shadow fell across the patio, and Allison’s young form raced past.

Jumping out to grab her, Brie touched her daughter’s shoulder.

Allison’s wail of surprise vibrated off the bottom of the deck and pierced through Brie’s brain. Undeterred by the noise, she caught her daughter’s arm and spun her around.

“I got you.”

“No,” Allison screamed again.

Read the 1st chapter at http://www.tinagayle.net/BirthChpt.html

Purchase at:

www.smashwords.com
www.barnesandnoble.com
www.kobobooks.com
www.itunes.apple.com
At Amazon

Pick up Tina’s Free Read at http://www.tinagayle.net/

Tina Gayle grew up a dreamer and loved to escape into the world of books.

After years of working in the business world doing a variety of jobs, she decided to try her hand at writing and hope to incorporate the joy of being a woman into her books.

Married twenty-five years, she and her husband love to travel and play golf. She can’t wait for Mike to retire so they can do more of both.

Read the first chapter of any of her books by visiting her website.

Find Tina Gayle everywhere

Home – www.tinagayle.net
Blog – http://authortinagayle.blogspot.com/
Twitter – https://twitter.com/#!/AuthorTinaGayle
Goodread – http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/1641826.Tina_Gayle
Facebook – http://www.facebook.com/tina.gayle
Google + – https://plus.google.com
Linkin – http://www.linkedin.com/pub/tina-gayle/11/689/759

Chenonceau, the “Ladies Chateau,” seems like a good choice for today’s #TuesdayTravels since it falls on Valentine’s Day. This beautiful, relatively small chateau sits on the right bank of the River Cher. In French cher means dear, but it also means expensive, and royal ladies could be very expensive indeed.

Front of Chateau Chenonceau

This front view shows what Chenonceau looked like in the mid-16th century when King Henry II gifted it to his mistress, Diane de Poitiers. Diane added an arched bridge over the river. After Henri’s death, his widow, Catherine de Medici, took the chateau back from Diane and built the long gallery atop the bridge, resulting in this view that I call my money shot.

Chateau Chenonceau with bridge & gallery reflected in River Cher

I could hardly blame Catherine. I’d want this place, too. We had an entire morning to explore, starting with a tour of the chateau. Here are some of my photos. We started on the ground floor, including the chapel. I thought it was interesting to see how the floor decorations had been worn off except along the walls.

It was fun to visit the kitchen down a floor. That’s where my ancestors would have worked, I’m sure. The kitchen level is closer to the river, making it easy for them to receive provisions from boats below.

Upstairs, we saw the bedrooms, including some cool paintings, one of Chenonceau itself. The draperies on the beds weren’t just for decoration. By closing the drapes, the bed area stayed warmer in an era where the only heat came from fireplaces.

The most unusual bedroom is the Black Room of Louise de Lorraine, widow of King Henri III. After his assassination, she had her room redecorated entirely in black and lived there for many years afterwards. Rebecca declined to see the room, figuring it was haunted, but I was curious. I don’t see ghosts, but I can sometimes sense things in places, esp. old buildings, but I didn’t feel anything creepy or sad in the room. I think she worked through her grief. I did manage to get a photo of the bed, despite the darkness.

The long gallery was originally used for balls and other entertainments. Now the second floor is give over to the Medici Art Gallery.

There are two separate formal gardens at Chenonceau, each planted by the ladies. Catherine de Medici’s garden is more natural looking, with its profusion of flowers and I liked it best.

Diane de Poitier’s garden 1s more formal, though also lovely.

I hope you have a wonderful Valentine’s Day. See you next week with more #TuesdayTravels.

Linda

Linda McLaughlin/Lyndi Lamont

Romance author

Monthly Archives: February 2017

IT Exec’s Baby by @AuthorTinaGayle #Bookfriends Author Exchange

Chenonceau, The Ladies Chateau, Loire Valley #TuesdayTravels