SPOTLIGHT AUTHOR - Tara Manderino

Today I want to introduce you to one of my favorite historical writers, Tara Manderino. We met in Yahoo Instant Message about three years ago through a mutual friend J.D. Faver (whom will be joining us March 12th) We really made a connection as sprint-writing buddies. For starters, we both feel as if we live in the wrong time period. We like doing some things the old- fashioned way.  When she told me she wrote Wild Wild West kind of stories I was fascinated. As a kid, I grew up watching Wild Wild West. While most girls were hooking their Barbie up with Ken, my girl only had eyes for James T. West. I mean really, Robert Conrad was the dreamiest!

I am honored to have her with me today and I know you will love her as much as I do! As an added bonus... everyone who leaves a comment can snag the coupon code for a free download of her ebook - STIRRING WISHES! Thanks Tara!

Thanks, Angela, for inviting me to your blog. It’s as warm and welcoming as you are. It seems like a long time since we’ve talked over the virtual barbed-wire fence. At the time I was firmly stuck in the 1800s. My series, President’s Orders, follows the adventures of two agents in the recently created U.S. Secret Service. America of 1874 wasn’t so different from today. What it was, was slower. We’re used to texting and Twitter and an immediate response. Simon and Luke, the agents, had to rely on the telegraph if they wanted speed. Picking up the phone, landline or cell to ask someone a question, wasn’t an option. Phones didn’t exist. If you wanted to talk to someone, you had to send a messenger, or go yourself. If it was further than walking distance, horsepower was counted in the number of horses it took to pull the buggy.

All the same, it was an exciting time. A time of new ideas, and imaginations that took hold of what the future could be. There was no looking back. America was on the move and forging ahead. The completion of the Transcontinental Rail Road, which the agents used quite a lot, was a major step ahead in travel. You could comfortably ride across the country within the space of a week. The rail road at the time was on par with the launch of the first space shuttle. The train, and the speed at which all inventions were adapted and taken into use, made the U.S. the envy of her European neighbors. America was on the move, and the future never seemed brighter.

Because I was so entranced with the era, and fell in love with Simon and Luke, the first book, False Notes, evolved into a series. These men just didn’t know how to sit still. And the women they were involved with matched them perfectly. I always tend to think of the series as Wild Wild West meets Romancing the Stone.

Short Blurb

With one week to find the exhibit’s stolen stone, Luke Hayden, one of the premiere agents of the 1874 US Secret Service, travels in disguise across the continent. When he encounters Maj Bentzer, a woman from his past, he learns she plays a key role in the stone’s disappearance.

Excerpt:

As the train rolled down the track at a clipping thirty-five miles an hour, Luke thought it was almost too fast to see anything. The trees were a blur of green and brown. Kind of like his life had been for the past few weeks. He shifted on the upholstered bench, trying to make himself comfortable, but he knew his discomfort was more in his mind than a physical pain. The slim man sharing his seat shifted. Luke apologized then returned to staring out of the window.

He had searched for Maj for several weeks after leaving Hobart. They all had. It was as if she had simply vanished. She had to have stayed close to the area and not gone as far east as Kirsten supposed. A week and a half of intense searching was all the time he had available, after that, duty called

Give Away

For anyone who stops by your blog this week, a copy of my ebook, Stirring Wishes.

Stirring Wishes:  https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/31334 

Coupon: DX77Y  Enter the coupon code before checking out to download the book for free.

Author Bio

Author Tara Manderino loves to create stories and situations for the people running around in her head. She first began writing in third grade when she realized she couldn't afford her reading habit. 

She writes and is published in a variety of genres and finds that each one is her favorite at the time. Her books are available at a variety of online retailers.

Tara resides in her native town in southwestern Pennsylvania. When she’s not chasing Lydia, the boxer, she’s writing her own stories, or reading, Tara likes to bake, watch old movies, and do a variety of crafts. 

Find Tara on her website: http://tjmanderino.webs.com

Facebook:  http://www.facebook.com/taramanderino 

Twitter:  http://twitter.com/TManderino

Buy Link

Heart Quest (Western Historical Romantic Suspense) (President's Orders)

Amazon:  http://amzn.com/B006HLA80S