Tag: Julie Rowe

#DFRAT Guest Author: Julie Rowe

Posted June 21, 2012 by Holly in Features, Promotions | 3 Comments

For a long time I resisted getting an ereader. I love paper books. I love the feel of them, the smell of then. I love how the paper yellows over time, especially if it’s a book I re-read often (and I re-read a lot of books!). I even love how the spine gets lined and cracked and the cover gets dog-eared. Books, for me, are part entertainment, part escape and part inspiration.


If you want to really punish me, don’t give me a fine, jail time or take away my car. Take my books.

Then I got a Kindle for Christmas a couple of years ago.


I’m sure my husband regrets that purchase more than any other in his entire life.


Why?


Because I discovered how easy it is to buy books for my kindle. I don’t have to get into the car and drive to the book store any more. I can do it from home or where ever I am. I no longer have to pack 15 books into my luggage when we go away on vacation. All I need is my Kindle. When I go to the doctor/dentist’s office, my trusty Kindle is there in my purse to help me while away time in the waiting room.


As of today I have 444 books on my kindle. 95% of them were NOT free.


I haven’t given up on paper books. More often than not, I buy books by my favourite authors in paperback AND Kindle.


So, when I got the call from Angela James, exec Editor for Carina Press saying they wanted my book, I was a happy camper. I was going to be part of the ereading world. A world I completely enjoy and believe has unlimited potential. Unlike paper books, digital or ebooks are always available. There’s no need to wait for them to come in, just download and start reading. When I find an author I like, it’s easy and fast to get their entire backlist. My library loans out ebooks, too. When I find a book I like through the library I usually go ahead and buy it anyway (so I can re-read it again at my leisure).


The digital revolution has created more opportunities for writers too. Carina Press, for example, is an imprint of Harlequin books. Unlike the majority of Harlequin’s imprints, Carina Press publishes much more than romance. They also publish horror, thrillers, mysteries, fantasy, and science fiction. Their tag line really says it all: No great story goes untold.


It’s an exciting time to be a reader and/or a writer. I’m seeing books by authors that were out of print for years available again as ebooks. There are also more books available by new authors than ever thanks to the exploding ebook marketplace. Storytelling has taken on new life and I’m glad I have a chance to share my stories with the world.


I have two books out with Carina Press, ICEBOUND which came out in Nov, 2011 and NORTH OF HEARTBREAK which came out on April 16, 2012. My next release, SAVING THE RIFLEMAN – a medical romance set during WW1, is set to release on Oct 8, 2012 from Carina Press.



Here is an excerpt from NORTH OF HEARTBREAK

Chapter One

“I can’t wait, Jason,” Willa Hayes yelled into the radio handset. “I’ve got a compound fractured femur here. I need a plane. Any plane.”
Willa flashed an urgent palm at Tommy Inqulactiuk, who held two splints in place on either side of his uncle Joe’s leg. Blood dripped steadily onto the floor and she prayed the splints would keep the broken bone stable enough to travel. The nearest hospital able to handle an emergency like this was a long ninety-minute flight away. She feared he’d bleed out before she got him there.
“The plane isn’t the problem,” Jason Reynolds replied, his voice distorted by the radio, as if he was yelling at her from the bottom of a deep well. “I’ve only got one pilot available. He’s brand new and has never flown a MedEvac.”
“I don’t care if he’s still got a price tag attached, I need a MedEvac now.”
A long painful silence followed, broken only by the heavy breathing of her patient.
“Roger that, Med-One. ETA of your MedEvac is ten minutes.”
Willa had to stop herself from sounding too relieved. “Thank you, Tundra Air. Med-One out.” She dropped the handset, letting it dangle by its cord. “Tommy, can you shift this way a bit without moving Joe’s leg?”
“Yes, ma’am,” Tommy answered with a short nod, moving without letting go of the injured limb so she could squeeze around him. The gurney Joe lay on had been jammed between the room’s bed and the counter, leaving her with less than a foot in which to maneuver.
She took several large pieces of gauze and layered them around, but not over, the tip of the bone protruding from her patient’s thigh. Then, starting from his groin and working her way down, she wrapped a tensor bandage around his leg and the splints, carefully avoiding the jagged bone end.
“How are you doing, Joe?” Willa asked, giving him a sharp glance.
“Okay,” the white-lipped Inuit hunter said, his eyes fixed on a spot on the ceiling above him.
She secured the end of the bandage then pressed down on the injured man’s toenails, watching as the pale flesh beneath his nails returned to its normal warm pink. “His blood flow is okay and his leg’s as stable as we’re going to get it. Watch his breathing and keep an eye on his radial pulse for me, Tommy. I need to write everything down.”
“Sure, Willa.” He moved his fingers over Joe’s ankle. “Pulse is good,” he reported.
She stopped writing in her notebook for a second to smile reassuringly at both men. “Your uncle is going to be fine thanks to you. You did everything right. I’m looking forward to reporting this to Emergency Services.”
His round face turning a dull red color, Tommy stared at the linoleum beneath his feet. “I just did what the first-aid instructor told me to do.”
“Exactly. Good job.”
Tommy shrugged then asked, “Do breaks like this usually bleed so much?”
“No, but a compound fracture, especially one involving the leg, can be dangerous. That’s why I want Joe flown to a fully equipped hospital as soon as possible. They’ll be able to set his leg, repair any damage to the muscle and transfuse him with blood if he needs it.”
“The pain isn’t that bad,” Joe said, the pinched look on his face refuting his words. “Don’t waste a plane ride on me.”
Willa put her hand on his shoulder. “Your leg needs to be set properly, Joe. It’ll require surgery.”
Joe and Tommy snorted in unison.
She stared at them then rolled her eyes and muttered, “Men. Why do I bother stocking morphine? I haven’t had to use it once in the last six months.”
Tommy shrugged.
“Pain tells me I’m alive,” Joe said. “If I didn’t feel pain right now I’d be worried.”
“Ever the pragmatist.” Willa shook her head again then checked Joe’s vitals and the bandages only to find that blood had seeped through to the outer layer. A trickle of sweat ran down her back and she struggled to keep her shock and fear off her face.
He shouldn’t be bleeding this much.

Julie Rowe’s first career as a medical lab technologist in Canada took her to the North West Territories and northern Alberta, where she still resides. She loves to include medical details in her romance novels, but admits she’ll never be able to write about all her medical experiences because, “No one would believe them!” A double Golden Heart finalist 2006, Julie has two books out with Carina Press: ICEBOUND and NORTH OF HEARTBREAK. Her third book with Carina Press, SAVING THE RIFLEMAN – a romance with medical elements set during the first world war, is due out on Oct 8, 2012. Her writing has also appeared in several magazines such as Today’s Parent, Reader’s Digest (Canada), and Canadian Living. She currently facilitates communication workshops for her local city college. You can reach her at www.julieroweauthor.com or on Twitter @julieroweauthor .

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What I Read Last Week

Posted April 23, 2012 by Tracy in Features | 7 Comments

Greetings Earthlings
It wasn’t too busy of a week this week. Now that Easter’s over the office has calmed considerable so it’s kind of business as usual. I like the super busy times but I also like when my days are just “normal”. That doesn’t happen very often as I never know who’s going to walk through the office door but when it happens it’s great. 🙂
The fam and I managed to get to a (very small) carnival yesterday that they had in town for a few days. The girls had fun riding the rides and I managed to win them a couple of toys to take home. Yep, I’m mean with a water pistol. lol
I just had to share this picture of our kitten Echo. She was just so cute hanging out below the window as we have a mother bird nesting under out back patio cover. I was zooming in and she turned around right when the flash went off and this was the result. LOL Too funny.
Have you ever seen the movie The Iron Giant? Great movie but this picture reminded me of the giant when he turns his eyes “on”.
Anyway, on to what I read this week:
I started off the week with Deadly Nightshade by Victor J. Banis. This was my TBR Challenge read for the month and it was really good. Gay cop gets partnered with a straight cop to investigate a series of murders and it looks like a drag queen’s the murderer. Stanley and Tom investigate the murders and kind of end up investigating each other. You can read my review here. 4.25 out of 5
I liked Deadly Nightshade so much that I immediately started on Deadly Wrong by Victor J. Banis right after. This had Stanley headed from San Francisco to Bear Mountain in Southern California to do a childhood friend a favor. Stanley’s supposed to see if he can figure out any info about a supposed manslaughter case. Unfortunately Stanley apparently asking the wrong questions and gets himself into trouble. Tom finds out about Stanley heading south and isn’t thrilled at all – to say the least. This was another great story. I love how Banis seamlessly weaves the relationship portion of the book with the mystery so that it’s all just one great story rather than 2 portions of the same book. I can’t wait to read book 3! 4 out of 5
My next read was North of Heartbreak by Julie Rowe. This story took me to Alaska where Willa has been living and running a clinic. She meets the new pilot Liam who takes her to other villages and to the hospital when needed to deliver a patient. Liam is attracted to Willa right off but she’s leery of men as she was horrible abused by her previous husband. You can read my full review here. 3.5 out of 5
Next was Power Play: Resistance by Rachel Haimowitz and Cat Grant. This story was about a multi-billionaire who wants a man he’s met to play his submissive for 6 months in exchange for 3 million dollars. You can read my full review here. 3.75 out of 5
Priceless by Cat Grant was next up. This story was about a professor who gets sent a rentboy for his birthday by one of his friends – only the professor has no idea that the guys a rentboy and starts having feelings for him. I’ll be reviewing this one this week so keep your eyes open.
Natural Evil by Thea Harrison is a novella in the Elder Races series. This story was about human Claudia Hunter who is driving through Nevada and sees a large dog by the side of the road. She decides to stop and help the animal but starts to think that he may not be a regular dog. He isn’t, he’s a Wyr shifter by the name of Luis who definitely would have died if left on the side of the road. The story follows Luis’s recovery – the reason for his almost demise as well as Claudia and Luis getting together. I really liked the story even though it was to terribly deep. I didn’t care for the fact that it cut off without a HEA but it did give us a Happy For Now ending. 4 out of 5 (Is it just me or does the guy on the cover look like Antonio Banderas?)
A Gentleman Says “I Do” by Amelia Grey was a book I read for The Book Binge. This is the story of Iverson Brentwood who is pissed off because a man wrote a parody about him and his twin brother that basically made his deceased mother look like a loose woman. He goes to the man’s house to knock some teeth and instead of the man finds the man’s daughter Catalina. Iverson and Catalina are instantly attracted to each other and have some great conversations.. But Catalina is keeping secrets from Iverson and isn’t quite sure he’d like her too much if she told him what they were. This was a cute story. It started out slow and got a bit too dramatic at the end but I very much enjoyed the middle. The intelligent yet witty banter between the h/h was pretty darned good. 3.5 out of 5
Under the Vampire Moon by Lynsay Sands – another book read for The Book Binge – is book #16 in the Argeneau series. This was about Christian Notte, Marguerite’s son, who heads to the Caribbean on his mother’s request. There he meets his life mate, Carolyn, but she is not going to get close to Christian because she’s 42 and she believes Christian to be around 25 (he’s actually about 500). Christian’s cousin comes up with a plan where she tells Carolyn that Christian is gay and needs a Beard – that way Carolyn can hang with Christian and get to know him without feeling guilty. I like this series – it’s just fluff and humor and just hits that spot for me every time. 3.75 out of 5
Last for the week was a short called Realize by Kerry Freeman. This was about a senior in college who “takes care” of his roommate who is 3 years younger. He has feelings for his roommate though he’s never acted on them. This story has to two getting together. It was a good story but too short! lol I would have loved this to be longer but oh well. 🙂 3 out of 5
My Book Binge reviews that posted last week:
Happy Reading!

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Review: North of Heartbreak by Julie Rowe

Posted April 19, 2012 by Tracy in Reviews | 2 Comments

Since her divorce, Willa Hayes has thrown herself into her work as a nurse practitioner in the remote town of Stony Creek, Alaska. She’s regained her self-confidence and her heart is almost healed. Then her newfound peace is shaken by the arrival of sexy flyboy Liam Reynolds. Willa can’t deny she’s instantly, intensely attracted to him—even if she’s convinced he’s yet another Mr. Wrong.

Liam has his own reasons for fleeing to the isolation of the north, and a relationship is the last thing he wants. He wasn’t counting on being drawn to the pretty nurse who accompanies patients on his flights to southern hospitals.

Fortunately, the temptation—and the desire to avoid anything serious—is mutual. So the pair comes up with an arrangement: sensual, steamy, no-strings fun. But when things heat up on a cold Alaskan night, the rules of the game may change forever…
Willa is a nurse practitioner working in a small town in Alaska. She has lived and worked in the town since she escaped her abusive husband and has tried to heal the emotional wounds that he inflicted. Even after many years she’s not anxious to begin any sort of relationship with any man. Liam, who is a new pilot in the area, is more than interested in Willa. While Willa is scared of Liam at first – and more than leery of him the two become friends.
Liam proposes that he and Willa just have fun. Just kissing – no touching below the waist – or in the front. While Willa is still skittish she is so entranced by Liam’s kisses that she agrees. But Willa has more than a few issues to work out and Liam also has some healing to do after he was burned by a woman himself.
In this story Liam is the new kid on the block but he quickly insinuates himself into the townspeople’s hearts and is a constant fixture in Willa’s clinic. When Willa comes clean about what her ex-husband did to her Liam is angry but it makes him realize that he needs to walk softly around Willa. I loved that he got that. He may not have known exactly what he wanted when it came to a relationship (the fact that he thought he didn’t want one) but he was so kind and gentle with Willa when he needed to be – he was very attuned to her and her needs.
Willa had every right to be wary of Liam at first and I liked that the author didn’t have Willa jumping into a relationship with Liam on day one. Later in the story when there’s some angst between Willa and Liam I did think that Willa needed to trust in Liam and communicate to him her feelings about the angsty subject (trying to avoid spoilers here!) without coming to the conclusion that the best way to deal with things was to push Liam away. I didn’t like the defeatist attitude she got and it really bothered me after the two had been so honest with each other.
Another part of the story – but something that played a very small part was Liam’s relationship with his father. I almost thought that it could have been left out and the story would have gone along just fine. Liam had mentioned family troubles but we never truly delved into what those troubles were – we just got a taste of it. It was more of a telling of a contentious relationship but not showing us why.
In the end I really liked the book. Liam was definitely my favorite character even though I never got all of his background. It was a fun book even though it had some angst – just my kind of read.
Rating: 3.5 out of 5

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