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Nancy Lee Badger

Feature & Giveaway – Nancy Lee Badger’s Heart is in the Highlands

By Barb Drozdowich 10 Comments

Welcome to Sugarbeat’s Books – The Home of the Romance Novel!

My_Reluctant_Highlander_Kindle

Today we are welcoming Nancy Lee Badger to the blog! She is the author of My Reluctant Highlander and is here to share some information about her book. She is also giving away 3 prizes (to a total of 3 different winners) a $15 Amazon or B&N GC; free ebook of her backlist Scottish books; a Dragon Window sticker. Drawing is Aug. 15th. To enter, please find the Rafflecopter link at the bottom of this post!

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I started my writing career in 2006. My first manuscript was a bust. While writing my fifth story, I sold two earlier pieces to two small publishers. I was on my way! Due to my years as an EMT, volunteer firefighter, and 9-1-1 dispatcher, my books span the contemporary, romantic suspense, and the paranormal genres. But it was my love of Scottish Highland games and festivals that pushed me to write my current Scottish time travel series.

 

I married a man descended from Scottish clans. Together, we traced family history back many generations. In fact, his MacBean Clan origins are catalogued in a book titled The Life and Family of John Bean of Exeter and his Cousins, by Bernie Bean. First printed in 1970, my husband’s grandfather bought a copy. He made notes in the margins, and gave us a nudge to follow the footsteps. A note, scribbled beneath Grandpa’s signature, told us to start on page 47 (of the 1337 page book). We discovered my husband’s grandfather and father listed! From there we easily flitted back to the first ancestor, John MacBean. He arrived in Boston February 24, 1652 on the vessel The Sarah and John as an indentured servant, after capture during the Battle of Worchester. Forcibly renamed John Bean aboard ship, he settled in Exeter, New Hampshire, and was buried with his two wifes in the churchyard of Exeter, New Hampshire’s Congregational Church.

 

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Suffice it to say, we learned more about the man, his Scottish clan, his tartan, and worked to learn more about another family that claimed roots in the Gunn Clan. We followed information about the Robinsons (a sept of the Gunn Clan) as far back as the mid 1800’s Connecticut. Branches of the family moved across Vermont. Others had settled in New Hampshire. Even others, in Massachusetts. My husband and I traipsed across New England searching for headstones and monuments, with great success.

 

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Inscription reads: John Bean 1634-1718

Wife Hannah 1635-1659

Wife Margaret 1640-1714

Our Pioneer Ancestors from the Highlands of Scotland

John Bean of Exeter Family Association 1972

 

The bear in army camouflage, holding the American flag, was for our youngest son who was serving in the army at the time. Kind of a tip of the hat to prisoner-of-war, John MacBean. Due to the interest in Scottish ancestry, it made sense to visit, and then volunteer at, the largest gathering of the Scottish Clans in North America…the New Hampshire Highland Games & Festival, held annually in Lincoln, NH. My husband bought a made-to-order kilt, I wore a ladies skirt in the Gunn plaid that my mother-in-law had picked up in Edinburgh, and we worked side-by-side. I took time off to raise our two boys, but now we visit New Hampshire every fall. (For more information about this year’s games, please check this link:  http://NHScot.org )

 

athlete

 

We still have dozens of ‘holes’ in the family histories to discover, and the internet should give us a few more ‘hits’, but until then we will continue to surround ourselves with kilted men, muscled athletes, bagpipes, marching bands, country dancers, delicious food, and historical reenactors. What a better way to help the New Hampshire Gathering of the Scottish Clans, Inc., a not-for-profit organization dedicated to the furtherance of the music, dance, athletics and customs of the Scottish people and to the continuance of the Gaelic culture! A side perk has been the ideas generated, that manifested in my stories in my Highland Games Through Time series.

 

People ask me why we volunteer our time at a venue that lies 900 miles from our current North Carolina home. Hubby and I met in college in central New Hampshire, married, bought a home, and raised our boys. The trip north is our annual family vacation. There is nothing more beautiful than September in New England! Someday, we will visit the Highlands of Scotland and travel the hills and dales where our ancestors once walked. Until then, I will continue to hum the first few lines of a poem by Scottish poet, Robert Burns ( 25 January 1759 – 21 July 1796)

 

My Heart’s in the Highlands

 

My heart’s in the Highlands, my heart is not here;
My heart’s in the Highlands a-chasing the deer;
A-chasing the wild deer, and following the roe,
My heart’s in the Highlands wherever I go.

 

 

My Reluctant Highlander is Book #3 in the Highland Games Through Time series and was released June 14th

 

Book Blurb

Skye Gunn has spent the last five years trying to forget the blacksmith who followed her back to 16th century Scotland, to help fight evil. Sending Jake Jamison home against his will was a disastrous mistake. Stealing his heart was not part of the plan. Jake must share his secret, Skye must give her heart fully, and both must dare to love in the time they have.

 

More About Nancy Lee Badger

She loves chocolate-chip shortbread, wool plaids wrapped around the trim waist of a Scottish Highlander, the clang of broadswords, and the sound of bagpipes in the air. After growing up in Huntington, New York, and raising two handsome sons in New Hampshire, she moved to North Carolina where she writes full-time. Nancy is a member of Romance Writers of America, Heart of Carolina Romance Writers, Fantasy-Futuristic & Paranormal Romance Writers, Triangle Area Freelancers, and the Celtic Heart Romance Writers.

 

Connect with Nancy:

Blog   *   Website   *   Twitter   *   Facebook   *   Goodreads   *   Amazon Author page        

My Reluctant Highlander is available:

Amazon   *   Amazon Print   *   Nook   *   Barnes & Noble print

KOBO   *   AllRomance   *   Smashwords   *   iTunes

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Nancy is giving away 3 prizes (fo a total of 3 different winners) a $15 Amazon or B&N GC; free ebook of my backlist Scottish books; a Dragon Window sticker. Drawing is Aug. 15th 

a Rafflecopter giveaway

 

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Guest Post & Giveaway – Nancy Lee Badger, author of Southern Fried Dragon

By Barb Drozdowich

Welcome to Sugarbeat’s Books – The Home of the Romance Novel

Today we are welcoming Nancy Lee Badger back to the blog!  She visited us a few months ago and I enjoyed her visit so much, I’ve invited her back!

Sugarbeat's Books Romance books romance novel reviews historical contemporary erotica author interviews promotions

Today she’s going to talk about her latest release – Southern Fried Dragon. She is going to give away a copy of her award winning Dragon in the Mist to a lucky commenter.   So, grab a coffee and a comfy chair and enjoy!

Cannons and flags and soldiers, oh my!

by Nancy Lee Badger

Information about Fort Sumter’s cannons, flags, and soldiers was worth investigating, so when I viewed the remains of this national monument, I was hooked. My trip stirred the ideas around which I wrapped a paranormal romance and led to the creation of my latest release, SOUTHERN FRIED DRAGON.

The American Civil War began when newly formed southern secessionist forces fired cannon shells on the partially built fort in the middle of Charleston Harbor. On April 12, 1861 the first battle of the war started a grueling conflict that swept our nation and set brother against brother.

My visit to Charleston, South Carolina and the Fort Sumter National Monument turned into a trip filled with fabulous research. Among the notes and photos I took, my story developed. At the site of the ravaged fort, I saw the cannons left behind. They were numerous, but fewer than there should have been. The federal soldiers took over the fort before it was completed and stocked with ammo and food. Most of the cannons faced the sea. This proved less than helpful when attacked from shore.

sugarbeat's books romance novel romance book reviews historical contemporary erotica  author interview promotions

The flag that flew over the fort was saved and taken away by the federal soldiers, and is now on display inside the fort’s on-site museum. Displayed on a wall, quiet and forlorn, it shows the tatters, holes, and burns from the 34 hours of bombardment.

Luckily for the soldiers inside the ravaged fort, none of their unit died during the attack. The southern forces allowed them to leave. Carrying their tattered flag, and filled with a sense of impending doom, the federal soldiers connected with a ship heading north. Southern forces had yet to set into place a method for keeping prisoners of war. Soon, four long, deadly years of battles and death followed.

While writing my book I kept the characters and plot uplifting and a bit quirky while I kept all mentions of a brewing war and historical facts true to life. “War is Hell,” said General William Tecumseh Sherman, an American soldier, businessman, educator and author. Write on!

Sugarbeat's books romance novels romance book reviews historical contemporary erotica author interviews promotionsBOOK BLURB

Amid cannon fire, and the threat of Civil War, love and trust will find a way.

Dru Little flew away from her home in a cave beneath a Scottish Island to end her lonely existence and find companionship across the sea. Her journey in late 1860 has led her to the modern American city of Charleston, South Carolina. Hiding her true self, she takes over the life of a serving girl and enjoys the hard life working in a tavern near the wharves. She has no idea that her life will turn upside down in a dark alley the moment a handsome soldier saves her life.

Lieutenant Shaw Stenhouse has his own worries. Southern secessionists are talking up a storm in Charleston. His fellow Federal soldiers are suddenly at risk from the community they are here to protect. The possibility of civil war takes a backseat when he saves a comely lass from drunken sailors. A good deed and a stolen kiss put a smile on his face until the threat of war becomes a reality. Their instant attraction proves disastrous when Dru spots her former lover, the Black Dragon, working for General Beauregard and the southern troops. As the clandestine group plans their attack on Fort Sumter, and Shaw’s soldiers, she takes to the sky.

Dru fights against the threat of detection, while she fears losing Shaw’s love. What will he do when he finds out that she is a powerful Scottish dragon Hell-bent on carrying him to safety? When Shaw discovers her hiding inside the heavily guarded fortress, thoughts of espionage—and worse—catapult the two lovers into danger from many sides.

When her former lover threatens Shaw, Dru must decide which is more important: protecting another of her kind, now nearly extinct, or protecting the human male, the man she has come to love.

EXCERPT

Prickles of desire brought a moan from deep within her throat, and the pleasure dampened the secret area between her legs. She never would have believed the fire inside could flame even brighter. She yearned for more.

Much more.

When he broke the kiss, Dru cried out with disappointment.

“I should not keep taking advantage, Miss…you neglected to share your name.”

She laughed. Yes, she’d forgotten he’d asked, as any human male would. Names were a big thing between humans. Saddled by the name of the woman whose life she’d overtaken, she had nothing to hide. As time wore on, she’d grown to like it.

“Dru Little.”

He smiled and bowed at the waist, picked up his bent loaf of bread and stepped back. “I must leave ye, now.”

“Getting back to Fort Moultrie?”

He nodded while his thumb wiped a raindrop from her cheek. “I will return in a week, at a more appropriate hour. Goodnight, Miss Little.”

As he retreated into the dark, she glared at his back. Why did he have to leave now? Kissing him could lead to a variety of pleasurable things and she desperately wanted to experience them. Her human body reacted uniquely different from her scaled dragon form, but he spoke the truth. No normal human woman would make love to a man she just met.

What was I thinking?

AUTHOR BIO

After growing up in Huntington, New York, and raising two handsome sons in New Hampshire, Nancy moved to North Carolina where she writes full-time. Due to a Scottish heritage, she and her family continue to volunteer at the New Hampshire Highland Games each fall. Nancy is a member of RWA, Heart of Carolina Romance Writers, FF&P Romance Writers, and the Celtic Heart Romance Writers. Nancy also writes romantic suspense as Nancy Lennea and is a proud Army Mom.

Website: http://www.nancyleebadger.com

Blog: http://www.RescuingRomance.nancyleebadger.com

Twitter: @NLBadger

Facebook: http://on.fb.me/v12gxG

More about Nancy’s latest release:

Title: SOUTHERN FRIED DRAGON

Author: Nancy Lee Badger

Genre: Paranormal Historical

Amazon ASIN: B0074CX7SE

Buy Link: http://amzn.to/zgv30B

GIVEAWAY

sugarbeats books romance novel romance book reviews historical contemporary erotica author interview promotions

Nancy’s earlier release, DRAGON IN THE MIST, was honored as a 2012 Readers Choice Award recipient when it won 1st Place in the Silken Sands Self-Published STARS Literary Contest. One lucky person who leaves a comment will win a DRAGON IN THE MIST ebook!

sugarbeat's books romance novel romance book reviews historical contemporary erotica author promotions interviews

 

 

 

 

 

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I’d like to thanks Nancy Lee for dropping by again – always a pleasure! Please leave a comment to get a copy of her award winning book and be sure to leave any questions you might have because Nancy will be popping by the say hi!

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Guestpost & Giveway with Nancy Lee Badger – Author of Love to the Rescue

By Barb Drozdowich

Welcome to Sugarbeat’s Book – The Home of the Romance Novel!

Today we are welcoming Nancy Lee Badger to the blog!  Nancy is the author of several books, but is here to talk about her latest release – Love To The Rescue.  She is also giving away a cool prize to one lucky commenter! The details for the giveaway are at the end of this post.   Just have a look at the cover of the book!  It must be a good book 🙂 Without further ado, here’s Nancy:

sugarbeats books romance novels romance book reviews

Women can be Firefighters, too

Thanks for having me today. I would like to share exciting moments in my life that manifested into a plot for my latest romantic suspense, LOVE TO THE RESCUE released by Red Rose Publishing. This book follows two people I introduced in DESTINY’S MOUNTAIN. Josie and Pete are firefighters in a small New England college town. Their main responsibility is running the town’s ambulance. They respond to medical emergencies, motor vehicle accidents, and all fires…just like I did after volunteering with my small town’s emergency services.

Once my youngest son turned ten years old, old enough to be left home alone, I took a course and became a First Responder, then sweated through a more difficult course to become an Emergency Medical Technician, or EMT. I joined the Rumney New Hampshire F.A.S.T. Squad. There were two other female members, and they quickly took me under their wings.

My first multi-car accident on a blustery, snowy day was a heart-stopper. I arrived quickly in my personal vehicle, and a senior firefighter pointed me toward a familiar black Jeep. The sole occupant was one of these women! I found myself in a role reversal, keeping her calm while firefighters used a HURST cutting tool to remove the steering wheel. She was gingerly placed on a backboard then removed from her totaled vehicle. During all this, I sat in the passenger seat beside her, heart pounding, with a forced smile and calming voice. After all the patients left on the ambulances and their vehicles had been towed away, the responders congregated back at the firehouse. I nearly wept.

I found myself, a year later, as the only woman on both the F.A.S.T. Squad and Fire Department. Yes, I wore bunker gear and carried a pack filled with gloves, bandages, and an oxygen tank. The large size of our rural community meant that many of us drove our personal vehicle, red light flashing, to the scene. Once in a while, my youngest son rode in the car with me when my pager blared. He has fond memories of arriving at accident scenes with me, riding in the rescue vehicle, and not-so-fond memories of when I said “Get out. Walk home.” Yes, that happened more than once, but he understood.sugarbeats books romance novels romance novel reviews book reviews

In my story, LOVE TO THE RESCUE, I wrote a particularly grueling scene where a small car tangled with a moose. I’d never responded to such a call even though moose hits were common, but I did respond to a call where a motorcyclist hit a deer. Believe me, the injuries were just as gruesome.

I also based Josie Miller on a female firefighter in a nearby town. Josie is more of a Tomboy and grew up with four older brothers (I have two younger sisters, so I had to make up that dynamic.) The woman who inspired my character was one of only a few women in the profession. She fought fires and responded to our small town in the area’s ambulance. I hope my competence working accident scenes, helping my neighbors with medical emergencies, and learning skills during training sessions were due to her influence.

House fires, chimney fires, and forest fires are some of the calls that stuck with me. These experiences have found their way into my book. My perspective gives the action and suspense a true-to-life feel that moves the underlying romance forward. No, I did not base the romance between my main characters on myself. I was already happily married to a man who often drove me to emergencies, especially late at night or during inclement weather (Trust me…northern New Hampshire has plenty of that!) The firefighters invited him to join our ranks since he was usually on the scene, and I felt better knowing from then on that he would wear his own set of flame-resistant and reflective protective clothing.

The forest fire that nearly takes the lives of my characters is also more or less a composite of calls that I have been a part of. Although I was never in real danger, the forest is a tricky place to work. Lightning strikes and careless campers kept us busy. Many times, we were required to wear hardhats and bright yellow fire-resistant shirts (the better to be seen) while we hiked up the side of a mountain to the fire site. Fun!

After my family moved to another town, I continued helping during emergencies by becoming a State of New Hampshire 9-1-1 Emergency Medical Dispatcher. Every call for help in the state came to our one room, and we handled the weirdest calls on the planet with professionalism and a bit of laughter (after we hung up, of course) It was different handling an emergency over the phone, but at least I did not have to respond during snowstorms any more.

I think back on those years as a volunteer EMT and firefighter and I am proud to say I gave my all to my neighbors in the only way I could, and I would do all over again if I was younger.  LOL! Instead, I will keep my readers entertained by allowing them to live life through the eyes and hearts of my characters.

BOOK BLURB

sugarbeats books romance novel romance book reviewsThe clashing relationship between tomboy Josie Miller and fellow paramedic-firefighter, Pete Thayer, escalates after he realizes Joe is not just one-of-the-boys. Pete has a sketchy history and has earned a reputation for one-night stands in the small town of Parmenter, New Hampshire nestled between the Mercy River, the mountains, and the state college. Since he arrived a year ago, Josie suspects he is hiding something. Something too horrible to share, even with her. Working side by side, Joe loves her job, and Pete.

They respond to accident calls, medical emergencies, and fast-moving forest fires amid sparks of another kind. Joe’s clumsiness and baggy uniform work against her when she yearns to be the kind of woman Pete wants like the pretty blonde they must rescue after her car hits a moose.

Outside influences come to play when the sister of Pete’s alleged victim shows up and accuses him of something even worse…her sister’s recent death. Once on track to be a doctor, the sister’s betrayal and lies caused Pete to run far away and keep women at a distance unless they agreed to share his bed…and nothing more.

 

Pete plans to skip town while Josie worries she has given her heart to a monster. His boss and the local police back off and he professes his innocence to Joe. After kissing her senseless, she lets him into her bed until her bothers intervene. Both keep an eye on Pete. A suicide note, some well-landed fists, stolen moments of love, and a desire to listen to their hearts lead these two heroes toward a climax filled with tension, pain, bloodshed, and atonement.

EXCERPT

“Isn’t the bachelor party still going on?” Josie said. A ghostly image of the Pete she knew filled the space. A muscled shoulder pitched toward the doorjamb. His usually golden hair fell across his face in dirty, unruly waves. He stood hunched over and one arm grasped his ribs. Her sharp inhale brought his swollen eyes up.

With slow steps, she drew closer. Her fingertips ached to caress his cheek and shake the dirt from his hair. Her heart thumped and her skin prickled. Even filthy, her desire for this man rose up, stealing the breath from her lungs. Inhaling, the odor of cigarettes wafted up. Odd. Pete doesn’t smoke.

When she lifted a hand to brush wayward strands of hair off his face, she stared at the damage. His ragged breath broke the silence.

“Pete, are you okay?”

He still didn’t speak. She wanted to return to the bright interior of the firehouse kitchen. His head lowered and she avoided his mouth. He sniffed her skin then ran gentle kisses down her check to below her left ear. Hairs at the back of her neck prickled. Ill at ease, fearing he only came on to her while drunk, she wiggled out of his grip and resumed her chores. If she let him treat her like his last one–night–stand, she’d be a fool.

Now, if I can stop staring at his tight tank top and faded jeans before I melt into a puddle on the floor…

Even covered in filth, the man exuded a sexuality she fought to ignore. She felt like she stood at a buffet only to be told “Off limits.” Damn conscience. When a hand clasped her right shoulder, she squeaked.

“Joe, you are…”

Gazing expectantly at his face, she asked, “I’m what?” Don‘t clam up now, damn it. An irresistible urge to kiss him made her swallow. His fingers tightened, spurring new waves of molten heat to spread down her chest to between her thighs. A hot surge of something wicked formed deep inside her belly. She yearned for him to touch more than her shoulder.

“You’ve been in a fight.”

He stared as if he‘d never seen her before. His disheveled appearance shocked her, even though she’d heard the rumors. He shouldn’t drink to excess. That’s a given. But, fighting? Her insides flip–flopped under his steely gaze. He didn’t answer. Instead, he pulled her to him in the doorway’s shadows.

“Hey!”

More About the Author

Nancy grew up on New York’s Long Island then earned a Bachelor of Science degree at a small state college amid the mountains of New Hampshire. She met and married the man of her dreams then settled in a tiny rural town. Nancy served as an EMT and both she and her husband volunteered as firefighters while raising two sons. She now lives in North Carolina. She is a member of Romance Writers of America, Heart of Carolina Romance Writers, Celtic Heart Romance Writers, and the Fantasy-Futuristic & Paranormal Romance Writers. Nancy writes under her own name, Nancy Lee Badger, and she also writes under the name of Nancy Lennea. Check out her latest release, DRAGON IN THE MIST   ( Buy link: http://amzn.to/uEggj1 )

Title: LOVE TO THE RESCUE

Author: Nancy Lee Badger

Genre: Romantic Suspense

Length: 78,844 words e-book

Publisher: Red Rose Publishing

ISBN-978-1-4543-0079-3

Red Rose Publishing Buy Link: http://bit.ly/nfz4Ma

Amazon Buy Link: http://amzn.to/uowdvE

ARe Buy Link: http://bit.ly/xObxso

Nancy’s Website: http://www.nancylennea.com

Nancy’s Blog: http://www.nancylennea-inlove.blogspot.com

Twitter:  @NLBadger

Facebook: http://on.fb.me/v12gxG

CONTEST!sugarbeat's books romance novels book reviews Nancy Lennea

Nancy is giving away an assortment of goodies to celebrate the 2012 London Olympics. The package includes a bumper sticker, two static-cling window decals, and a warm hat sporting the Olympic rings. She invites you to also download her e-book SECRET LOVE MATCH, and read about her heroine who tries out for the American tennis team while a hot, sexy television star pursues a romance with her. Be sure to include your e-mail in the comment box, and check back soon. Good luck!
Buy links for Nancy’s other books

Secret Love Match http://amzn.to/AE07jW

Dragon’s Curse http://amzn.to/y3Ipw0

Destiny’s Mountain http://amzn.to/y38iMY

Unwrapping Chris http://amzn.to/zjmtXx

Dragon In The Mist http://amzn.to/s2taDb

I’d like to thank Nancy for dropping by and sharing about her books!  Don’t forget to leave a comment with your email address to be included in the giveaway!

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