This week on Excerpt Thursday we're featuring Medallion Press author Cat
Lindler's adventure romance
STARLIGHT & PROMISES, set in 1891 Tasmania. How exciting! Please join us on Sunday when Cat will be here to answer questions and give away a signed copy. Here's the blurb:
During a voyage to an uncharted isle in the Furneaux Islands near Tasmania, Lord Richard Colchester finds a living saber-toothed tiger, an animal believed to have been extinct for over ten thousand years. His discovery will astonish the world...that is, if he ever makes it back to England.
When Lady Samantha learns that her Uncle Richard has disappeared under suspicious circumstances, she enlists the help of Professor Christian Badia, a noted zoologist and animal tracker who specializes in wild cats. Not only does she intend to organize the expedition, she plans to join in the treacherous search.
Christian is a hot-tempered man and a notorious recluse, so the last scenario Samantha anticipates is a romantic interlude. But she is drawn unexpectedly into a world of physical passion, and she soon realizes this enigmatic man is her soul mate. When Christian embarks Tasmania abruptly, leaving Samantha behind, she fears she may forever lose her newfound love.
Unable to sit idly by and wait for his return, Samantha launches her own investigation—and finds herself in grave danger. Will Christian find her...before it's too late?
***
"Lindler writes in a smooth style, providing evocative descriptions and compelling historical details as well as a satisfying surprise ending." ~
Publisher's Weekly"The passionate couple and engrossing storyline will stay in your heart for some time" ~
Romantic Times***
"Conditions, then. First, you'll pay all the expenses incurred."
"That was my intention."
"Next, Lord Stanbury and I will share authorship on any publications resulting from the expedition."
"I agree," she said, surprised his conditions were so reasonable. "Uncle Richard should have no difficulty with coauthorship." The tension lifted from her shoulders.
He grinned like the hare confronting the tortoise prior to the race, his teeth flashing in his tanned face. "Fine. Now for the difficult one. This is to be my expedition. I'll take sole charge, make all the plans, and give all the orders." When she started to speak, he cut her off. "I'll brook no opposition on this. I'm familiar with that part of the world. It's primitive and dangerous, infested with sea pirates, criminals, headhunters, and cannibals. In assuming responsibility for the expedition's safety, I'll tolerate no interference or challenges to my authority."
She controlled her voice with difficulty. "I understand. I realize you have the superior experience. I shall follow your orders." Surely that could not be
too difficult. Step here; do not step there; hide behind this tree…
"You had better. You can travel with us to Tasmania. I have friends there who run a respectable boardinghouse. I'll send reports to you when I can."
"No!" She jumped up, and her cup of tea went flying. It splashed across his breeches. "You go too far. I must go to the island with you."
He stood just as abruptly, cursed, pulled himself up to his full height. His cup dropped on the side table with a clatter. The liquid remaining in the cup sloshed out and spilled onto the table. With a handkerchief drawn from his coat, he brushed at the scalding tea on his leg. "You will not!"
"I will!"
His eyes narrowed, darkened. "Not!"
"How will you find the island without me?"
"You will inform me of its location before we reach Tasmania."
Her mouth quirked into a wide smile. Slowly and distinctly, she said, "No…I…will…not."
"Damn it, Sam," he said on an explosive breath. He threw the soaked handkerchief to the floor. "Have you any notion of what you're saying?" Raking a hand through his hair, disheveling it, he stalked away, pacing across the room, his large form seeming to dwarf the space. "The South Seas are treacherous enough for armed men, much less pampered society ladies. I've already mentioned the unsavory human elements we will meet: not
might, but
. In all likelihood, we'll encounter spiders the size of dinner plates and centipedes over a foot long, whose bite can cause your arm or leg to swell to four times its normal size." He paused, skewering her with his gaze. "Snakes, too. Have you ever heard of the two-step viper?"
"No, but it sounds interesting. What color is it?"
"What color is it?" he sputtered, rumpling his hair again. "This is no joking matter. Its venom is lethal, killing before the victim can take two steps. Even the plants, deceptively beautiful, harbor poisonous spines or sap that strips skin from flesh. And were that not enough, the men I hire will be no gentlemen. You would have no privacy. I cannot afford to make a mistake and risk lives because I'm distracted by playing nurse to you."
Samantha returned his stare. "I have no need of a nurse. I'm far from being a child. I have no fear of your flesh-stripping plants nor two-stepping snakes and headhunting cannibals. I'm not a helpless, pampered female, but a modern woman. I am perfectly capable of taking care of myself in any situation. In fact, I have a reputation as a well-respected amateur herpetologist. I accompanied Uncle Richard on many such expeditions." Her conscience thumped her a bit at the lies. Small lies, but lies nonetheless. "I will not give you the island's location. I shall obey you in all else, but I must go with you. This is my expedition. I have to find Uncle Richard."
We have a winner for Cat Lindler's STARLIGHT & PROMISES guest blog. A free copy goes to:
Carrie Lofty now has a shiny brand new Fracebook fan page. Check it out!When pretty, passionate Eve Burnett meets the darkly intriguing Julio Falcone, she is torn. As a man, Julio is powerfully attractive. As a policeman, he is bound to be a Fascist. Her brother, David, who is missing, is connected to the Greek Partisans who wish to liberate Rhodes from their Italian overlords.
Join us Sunday when Cheryl Pierson will be here to chat about her Western romances, including FIRE EYES and her holiday-themed short story "A Night for Miracles." If you're in the mood for a good Western, please join us then. 
A search for a saber-toothed tiger is a very unusual subject. How did you come up with it?
Would a scientist of that day have believed that a Smilodon actually existed?
As for research, I haunt used book stores that stock a large variety of very old books. While on one such trip, I came across a wonderful book, Early Tasmania (1914). At the time, I had no plans to write a book on Tasmania, but I loved the book, which was on the order of a journal and contained amazing hand-drawn maps. I also researched cannibals during that time, flora and fauna, ships, ocean currents, and everything else I needed to know. I use mostly books, for Internet sources can be incorrect, and I also consult the Library of Congress Ask a Librarian service when I have a specific question for which I can't find an answer. Jake Kelley thought he found the peace and simplicity he'd been looking for all his life. But in bringing Susan into his world, is he only dragging her down instead of pulling himself up?
Debut author Lila DiPasqua's steamy fairy tale collection AWAKENED BY A KISS, set in 17th century France, won't be available until August, but she's holding a contest now! What's up for grabs? Well...she's giving away poison. Check out the details here.
Congratulations to Jennifer Linforth, whose MADRIGAL, the first of her novels that continue Gaston Leroux's The Phantom of the Opera, is featured in a contest from Night Owl Reviews. The contest runs through April 23, so check it out! 
Lorelie Brown's 1920s romance, JAZZ BABY, her March debut from Samhain, received a B+ review from Dear Author. "If Prohibition/Jazz Age is the new Regency, I say bring it on. If readers are looking for something different, and I know I am, I hope they look this way." 
We'll also draw the winner of AIMEE'S LOCKET from P.L. Parker's guest appearance last Sunday. You still have time to leave a comment or question for your chance to win.
