Review by Cold Coffee Press for Just Another Desert Sunset!

Cold Coffee Press Book Review for Just Another Desert Sunset by Nikki Broadwell

“There was once a coyote who wanted to become a man, but before he could be granted his wish the shaman asked him for three things.”

Just Another Desert Sunset is a provocative paranormal romance that begs the reader to recognize the fine line between humans and animals in a mystical realm that honors Native Americans traditions and beliefs.

This face paced well written story takes place in Arizona where Author Nikki Broadwell uses the beauty of both sky and land with desert creatures that crawl, area birds fly and furry animals that hunt. Nikki weaves spell binding rituals with humans that are going about their lives unaware of the clash of cultures that exists as a fine line ready to tear the very fabric of time and space.

Well-developed characters live in a modern world that collide with a spiritual world were a coyote leaves his familiar pack in search of a way to become a human man. His deepest desire is to see, hear, feel and make love to Sarah who overwhelms his senses with her fragrances and beauty which brings confusion and longing in his spirit. Shape-shifting is not new to literature, but it is new to coyote when his warm, four footed fury body shifts into a Native American man named Istaga with yellow eyes, long braids and smooth, hairless skin.

I quote a passage where romance bridges instinct. “Coyote woke with a start, staring down at the woman curled up next to him. She looked serene and peaceful, a slight smile curling up the corners of her mouth. He wanted to stay as he was, wanted her to know him as animal as well as man, but it was too soon—too early for her to find out the truth. If she woke now he couldn’t imagine how she would react seeing a wild beast lying next to her. He thought of the night before and how he had longed to turn into his coyote form but had managed to control the urge. How he wished his visions would come to pass—that they could change together from human to animal while they mated. When he moved away she moaned in her sleep, reaching for him, but he was already loping into the underbrush, searching for their breakfast.

When Sara woke, Istaga was gone, nothing left to indicate he’d ever been there. She had a moment of panic, wondering if she’d dreamed the entire scenario, but then she felt the sand in her hair, the sore muscles in her shoulders and hips and smiled to herself. There had been no exchange of the usual endearments between them but somehow the episode felt profound and deeper than any sex she’d ever experienced. Except for the first time with Istaga, she thought to herself, chuckling. Hopefully he had only gone to relieve himself and would be back soon. The thought of him disappearing from her life again was too painful to bear.”

Cold Coffee Press endorses Just Another Desert Sunset by Nikki Broadwell as a delightful paranormal romance that intertwines human and animal nature in its purest form. Nikki currently has 10 books within 4 series, two Kindle Gift sets and a new book coming out early in 2016. We reviewed this book in a Kindle/PDF format. This review was completed on November 23, 2015. For more information please visit http://www.coldcoffeepress.com

Five Star Book Review
Amazon Headline: Human and animal nature in its purest form.

despondency and disillusionment

Writing is a lonely endeavor. What I said in my last post is true--we cannot control or know how our writing will be perceived or even if anyone will read our books. This can be very disturbing depending on our mental state at the time and can stop us in our tracks.

If we are constantly checking on our ratings, our reviews, how many books have been purchased or downloaded, we forget why we're writing in the first place. Facebook and Twitter can pull us into it as other authors tweet their 5 star reviews or talk about their successes. I don't begrudge them their success but if I begin to compare myself I can get into a seriously bad mood.

In my yoga class on Sunday the teacher talked about expectations and how they can take us out of the moment and drive us nearly mad. The only thing in our lives we really have control over is our thoughts and our speech, which includes writing. If we think we should sell 20 books on Sunday and we sell none our spirits go down, especially if we've taken steps to make this happen. Why didn't it do better? What's wrong with it? Why doesn't anyone like my writing?? Thinking positive thoughts is not the same as expectations. We set our books free and then visualize someone picking them up and enjoying them--an entirely different approach. Being attached to the outcome is the problem.

On the way home from that yoga class I began to think of my books as children who have grown up and gone out on their own. As a mother I want to remove any obstacles that might get in their way but ultimately they have their own karma now.

Of course that doesn't mean we ignore them. Just as we pay attention to our children, we have to look out for our books. We have to tell people about them as best we can without spending hours each day promoting or boring the heck out of our friends. Each author has to find his or her own tribe. And sometimes this takes a while.

I recently listed one of my books on Story Cartel, a site that brings readers and authors together. The main gist of it is to get people to pay Story Cartel to list his or her books for free in return for an honest review. And the cost is not insignificant. Are reviews really that important? Now that I've uploaded my book and paid them I'll have to wait and see.

All of us experience disillusionment from time to time. The trick is to pull out of it before it takes over. When my husband responded to my complaining by saying, "Well, you could just write and not publish",  I looked at him aghast. "No way!" I write because I love to write but I also write because I want my writing to be out in the world. And that psychological piece of it is a subject for another blog.

Thanks for reading and I would love to hear your comments on the subject.

Giveway/contest

Review of The Moonstone:
"This book strikes straight out of the heart of traditional fantasy, carefully combining many elements from ancient culture and modern fairy-tales. Broadwell's sources are a well-crafted mix of Celtic mythologies, Gaelic rooted language, life observations, and fantasy themes."
                                                                              Richard Bunning

For any of you that love a good read, enjoy fantasy and a story of redemption please read on--

The Moonstone begins the journey into a fantastical world, peopled with humans and other beings never before seen...accompany Finna and her mother to the Glass Mountain for the momentous celebration to bless Finna's baby...but don't forget to bring your armor since  danger lies around every corner!

Twenty-four years have gone by since Finna's child was born and now Maeve must unravel the secrets of her heritage. Her Tarot card readings point to a dark and frightening future. Join Saille, the Willow on a voyage of discovery as she comes face to face with a destiny she did not choose!

To win a free paperback copy of Saille, the Willow you must come up with the names of four gods or goddesses who play a part in The Moonstone. And if you would like a half off copy of both paperbacks, merely tell me the name of this series and where it takes place.

The first ten people who can answer either question will win!

And if you are partial to kindle, both books are on Amazon for only .99 during the month of December!

The Moonstone
Saille, the Willow

Happy Holidaze!

Goin' south!

We are heading off to Tuscon in the RV for a week or two--need time away from my desk! (and time in the warm desert sun!) computer will come along, though--still stuff to do on Createspace and Amazon once the book goes live.

I've finally landed back on earth, able to do housework, walk the dog, go to the chiropractor...a bit too much time in a chair, I'm afraid--not to mention little to no yoga. As I write this blog I'm trying hard not to think about how I'm going to get people to find my book, or if they find it, buy it! Have a Y-tube movie in the works...should be fun but will it help? All in good time, I tell myself. For now concentrate on rest and recuperation. But what if?...be quiet, I tell my ever-busy brain--my husband has taken over the marketing bit, you can relax now...

I've already done round one of editing on Book 2. Strangely enough I'm looking forward to starting on this one--I know what the book cover should be and now that I've gone through the process from start to finish...well, hope springs eternal. Summer release date for this next one...(much better astrologically)

As soon as I get copies of The Moonstone I plan to have a give-away on this blog, so keep tuned. Also, reviews would be much appreciated!

And in a week or so, if you have a mind, check out the Q&A and review on my website...

A HUGE thank you to all of you for reading my blog as well as the support and thoughtful comments during this process...