THE PROTECTOR by Marliss Melton

THE PROTECTOR (Book #1) Taskforce Series, by Marliss Melton (4 ½ star rating at Amazon.com) is now available as an audiobook! Narrated by the fabulous voice talent, David Brennan,  who brings the memorable characters to life, this audiobook will pull you in from opening scene and keep you riveted to last word. Enjoy suspense and romance as you’ve never heard it before, then come back for more with THE GUARDIAN and THE ENFORCER, released next month.

 

 

 

 

 

IT TAKES A FEARLESS WARRIOR

Eryn McClellan teaches ESL in Washington, D.C., until the day she’s targeted by terrorists avenging her father’s actions in Afghanistan. The FBI has stepped in, but when it looks like they are using her for bait, General McClellan enlists the aid of the only man he knows he can trust:  former Navy SEAL Ike Calhoun.  

TO DEFEND HER AGAINST TERROR

Embracing solitude in his remote cabin in the Blue Ridge Mountains, Ike thought he’d left the War on Terror far behind. Now he’s stuck shielding a blue-eyed beauty from ambitious federal agents and crazed jihadists. More disturbing still, the charming Eryn seems intent on shattering his self-imposed isolation. Ike does his best to resist her welcoming ways, but he can feel his restraint eroding like a mountain in a mudslide. With the FBI hot on their heels and the terrorists not far behind, Ike willingly wages a one-man war in defense of the woman whose passion and faith have given him the strength to rise above his past.  

****4 ½ stars on Amazon

Click here to read all 37 Reviews: http://www.amazon.com/theProtectorReviews

Buy your copy from Audible.com today (coming soon to Amazon and iTunes). Get a free copy with a 30-day trial membership at Audible.com

 

How do Authors do it?

I have many times wondered as I devour book after book how an author comes up with the story, plot, characters, and dialogue that make up a novel. The thought soon passes as I pick up my next read, but recently it has lingered. I have been pondering it for days now. Do authors know what they will write when they open a new document file and begin to type? Do they create a character, build them up and tell their story as if that character is whispering it to them in their ear? Do they suddenly stop what ever they are doing and say " I will write a book about a Man who marries a woman they live quietly until suddenly he finds out she has a secret life and she finds out her best friend is trying to break up their marriage, suddenly they're thrust into a dark world where she must save powerful people and her husband finds out just how dangerous her secret life is.. will their marriage survive the discovery?.. and GO!!"? Could it be a bit of all the above? It amazes me how they can create so many plots and story lines that keep us so enthralled. I imagine it takes several qualities to be a writer. I believe you would need to have a great imagination and of course language and writing skills. I have the imagination covered but my writing skills are weak. I have never managed to write dialogue successfully, and I am not sure I could put the story I am imagining in my head in words. That takes a great skill that I don't think I possess. Maybe one day I will figure it out but it hasn't happened yet! If you do write let me know what your writing process is, I'm very curious as to how you go about it. So until next time..

A Good Week

This week has been just as busy as all the others! I have had so much packed into it, I am not sure how I managed LOL. Tho even I have to admit most of my 'week' started Wednesday. I had to do a few errands on Wednesday, nothing big. I had a GREAT day at HAWK Center Thursday. We had to take the GHO (Great Horned Owl) from Harmony to the vet to get her wing X-Rayed to see if she was healed enough to have the pin removed. She was healing great according to HAWK's wonderful vet Dr. Key at Southwind Animal Hospital, but she was going to have to keep the pin for another two weeks. Here she is in between X-rays.. NOT a happy camper! She did NOT like being out and she did NOT like being handled but it was for her own good! I have to say after holding her like this for 20-30 minutes or so my arm is a bit sore. Haha, I have lost my 'baby muscles'. I guess I need to do some weight lifting.

After we got the Harmony GHO back to HAWK we got in another GHO, this one from Rudy, that had been caught on a barbed wire fence. So back to Dr. Key we went. We watched her sew this very large female up. She was nearly four pounds! Quite a bit larger than the 'Harmony'. This is Dr. Key (on the right) checking the second GHO's wounds from the wire before her suturing and HAWK's Director Lynne (on the left) holding the 'Rudy's' legs and keeping her from biting Dr. Key.

My day was cut a few minutes short at HAWK because my daughters elementary school was evacuated for the second time due to smoke in the building. So I drove down to get her. School was cancelled that Friday. We spent the day shopping, eating lunch and more shopping, before we had to go pick her very unhappy sister from school. I have spent the time not out driving around this week on the phone and working online. My Granda who has Alzheimers went into the hospital with pancreatitis, so I have been on the phone a lot with family. He is going to be ok thank heavens. I have bought the soundtrack to WICKED :) I have been listening to it constantly. I think it's driving my family insane... but I can't bring myself to care!! I LOVE it.This post seems to have gone all over the place, but my mind seems to be doing the same thing!! I just started Marliss Meltons 3rd book in her Taskforce Series ENFORCER. I already love it. After reading her blog on my last post if your interested in reading the series: Marliss Melton is pleased to announce the release of all three Taskforce Series novels in one boxed set (available in all e-book formats, no paperback). This specially priced box set lets you enjoy all the excitement, all the passion, all the danger of Marliss Melton’s Inter-Agency Counterterrorism Taskforce, from finding its leader to carrying out its most thrilling missions. Priced at only $9.99, you save over $8 over what you would pay for each individual book. Makes a great Christmas gift! Visit www.marlissmelton.com for more information.

  They say we are going to have a rainy weekend.. I say bring it on! I am ready for some rain. Perfect reading weather with a small fire in the fireplace and mug of cocoa :) I hope you all have a great weekend!

Something Different.. Sharing Marliss Melton

A Hero Who’ll Steal Your Heart

Characters, New Release, Writing

If you’ve read my books, you’ve probably realized that all heroes are NOT cut from the same bolt of cloth. Yes, they may all be Navy SEALs or government special agents, but that doesn’t mean they all have to be terse, deadly, and brooding. Occasionally, they can be exactly that. But because I’m an amateur psychologist, I give a lot of thought to personality types and how my characters express their unique traits. As a result, I strive to make sure no two of my heroes are alike. And that’s how ATF Special Agent Tobias Burke, hero of THE ENFORCER, came to be.

“Toby” is an Artisan Performer, according to the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator. That makes him warm, enthusiastic, dynamic, humorous, upbeat, and willing to put on a show, while still being very manly and potentially deadly. He’s the perfect antidote to THE ENFORCER’s wary, vulnerable, suspicious, and cynical heroine. And Toby can sing! He also wears humorous T-shirts with messages on them that seem perfect for every occasion. Here are some examples:

Readers are first introduced to Toby in THE GUARDIAN, in which he wears this shirt that pretty much sums up not only his occupation with the ATF but also his philosophy on life:

At the end of THE GUARDIAN, Toby has the guts to stand next to the Attorney General of the US Justice Dept. during a live news broadcast, wearing this shirt:
In his own book, THE ENFORCER (available now in ebook!), Toby infiltrates a militia in West Virginia to inform against a beautiful, dangerous, and very high-strung woman named Dylan. In order to prove her a killer, first Toby has to worm his way into her heart and starts by wearing this shirt:

But after he gets to know her better, he finds himself just wanting to get Dylan to relax and enjoy life…life with him, and his shirts become a little more personal in their message to her:

The test of a good hero is this: Did you fall in love with him over the course of the book? I certainly fell in love with Toby, and I trust that you will, too. Get your copy of THE ENFORCER today! (paperback release Sept 2, 2013). Kindle,Nook, Kobo, other.

by Marliss Melton

 

 If this doesn't make you want to read this book I don't know what will!!! When you read it be sure to stop by and let me know what you thought of it. Until next time..

Chaos IS my Life!

This past week has gone by in a huge blur of dental appointments, HAWK Center volunteering, Church, Vet appointments, an LOTR marathon and seeing the Broadway Musical WICKED  .. My head is still spinning from it all! We took our little kitten in finally to be spay/neutered. His surgery went great, only problem was he didn't have ANY reproductive organs to remove! For those not acquainted with our kitten Marshmallow's drama, we have taken him to the vet not once, not twice but 4 times to be neutered before we were told that he either is actually a female or his testicles hadn't dropped and are internal in which case they would have to go in through the abdomen and remove them. So on our 5th visit he had surgery. His incision is bigger than a normal spay and the vet searched all the way to his little kidneys looking for reproductive organs to no avail! The vet asked me if he may have been neutered before I got him and I told him no there was no way. SO our little kitty was a true asexual kitty.. a eunuch.. :) no wonder he gets along with everyone. He is healing up fine bouncing around and acting his usual nutty self. He truly IS one in a million.
Also,this past week we had dental appointments. I'm happy to say we all have healthy teeth. Though my oldest is going to have her braces put in this year it seems. We go in for her molding, X-rays, and other pictures they may need  for the actual appointment to discuss the braces in a couple weeks. This will just be a preliminary one.. yeeesh. My oldest daughter and I also watched all 3 Lord of the Rings movies. It was her first time watching them. We watched the extended Blu ray version and yes there is is a huge difference in the extended version vs theatrical version and DVD vs Blu ray. This box set was given to me by a wonderfully special friend who I think about every time I look at them. My daughter LOVED them. She is now reading 'The Hobbit' and will hopefully want to read LOTR when she is done. In the midst of the dental appointments and LOTR marathon, I had Church which always makes me feel good. And my volunteering at HAWK that always makes me feel needed. And I also need to admit I have gone on a Marliss Melton binge. I had already read 5 of her books but after receiving an email from her I was determined to finish them like I planned.. but never got around to. My favorite book has once again changed!! I absolutely love Next to Die. The way she writes her characters makes them feel so real. She doesn't make them perfect and perfect for each other. She doesn't make the characters fit like puzzle pieces that fall into place. This book is a perfect example. They may fit together wonderfully eventually, but it takes time to figure out which way they go and fit them just right. Solomon and Jordan didn't fit when first put together. It took effort and a lot of time to get them together. And again she doesn't disappoint on making you want the story for another character in her book nor does she disappoint in making you want to find out whats been going on with those she has already written about. I couldn't put this one down, but then I feel that way about all her books. I hope you enjoy her as much as I do! Going to see WICKED was simply Amazing!!! I had never been to a play let alone a Broadway Musical. I was enthralled. I wanted to go back again. I loved it! It simply gave me chills and goose bumps. I can't even express how much I enjoyed it. It is a behind the scenes story of the good witch Galenda and the bad witch Elphaba based on the book "WICKED" by Gregory Maguire. If you EVER get a chance to go to the musical you must go! We spent the little extra to be in the mid section of the mezzanine. We could actually see the actors faces and not just see bodies moving on stage. Well worth the extra $$. I was riveted to the stage I didn't want to look away. I just hated when it ended. I could have sat there for ever watching. I can't wait to go to another but I just don't see how it can be as amazing as this one. It will be hard to beat. If it comes back again I will probably have to go see it once more. Has anyone else seen this musical? Tell me about your first musical.  Has anyone else read a Marliss Melton Book? let me hear from you. Tell me what you think.

Fall.. Soup.. Books!!

    The first day of fall is finally here. We can look forward to cooling days, bonfires, hockey, football and many other wonderful winter things. Today is also World Rhino Day, a to bring awareness to the plight of the worlds rhinos. And to ensure future generations will be able to go see a rhino in the wild or even see one in a zoo at this point. It is becoming critical for the rhinos. Over 600 rhino have been poached in South Africa this year alone, last year 668 were poached. The numbers are increasing dramatically every year. This week is also Banned Book Week. This is a foreign concept to me. Why ban a book? If I don't want to read it or don't want my child to read it guess what I don't.. or i don't allow them to. I know its an out there idea, but it's how I roll. And If my child happens to read it behind my back... um its a book. I would rather her read a book than smoke a joint behind my back. Why does someone else feel they have the right or even the authority to dictate what someone else shouldn't be allowed to read? I don't understand it. If you have a better 'learned' explanation please let me know because its beyond my little minded scope of understanding.
    First day of Fall kicked off with a great start. The weather was superb cool and breezy. I'm looking forward to grilling more. Whoever gets excited about grilling in the summer is completely insane. Grilling in 100 degree weather is not for me. Give me 60's or 70's even and I'm thrilled! Ohh!! and soups!! Fall and Winter is perfect soup weather!! Soup is one of my absolute favorite things to make and to eat. YUMMM.. what's one of your favorite soup recipes? I have several, though none are my own. I've gotten them off the Internet, from friends, or from old cookbooks. I love learning new ones so please share a recipe! Here is one of mine :) as soon as its cool I'm making this. It has become my absolute favorite. And I guess it is probably not for everyone but I adore it:

African Chicken Peanut Stew

2-3# chicken legs, thighs or wings (boneless is best used in this)
3Tbs vegetable oil
1 large onion
a 3in piece of ginger peeled and minced
6-8 garlic cloves  chopped roughly
2-3# sweet potatoes (tho you can substitute with regular potatoes if preferred) Peeled cut into chunks
1- 15oz can crushed tomatoes
1qrt chicken stock
1c peanut butter
1c roasted peanuts
1tbsp ground coriander
1tsp cayenne or to taste
Salt and pepper


1. Heat oil in tall soup pot over medium high heat. Salt chicken parts, pat dry and brown in pan. Don't over crowd so do a few at a time until done. Set aside.
2. Saute onions in the oil for 3-4 minutes, stirring often, scraping the brown bits off the bottom of the pan. Add the garlic and ginger and sate for another 1-2 mins. Then add the potatoes. Stir well to coat and combine.
3. Add the chicken, chicken broth, crushed tomatoes, peanut butter, peanuts, cayenne, and coriander stir until its mixed well. Bring to a simmer cover and cook for about an hour. Check to see if chicken is done and potatoes are tender. Cook another 30 mins if not quite done.
4. Take chicken pieces out to cool until they can be pulled apart by hand. Throw away the skin and shred the meat. Put shredded meat back in the pot.
5. Taste to see if you need more salt or cayenne. Then add as much black pepper as you can stand, it is supposed to be peppery.  Enjoy!

     Well as the day is drawing to an end I think I will snuggle into my couch and read one of my favorite authors Marliss Melton. I'm currently reading her SEAL Team 12 series. Anyone who knows me knows I LOVE a good series! This one is probably one of the best ones yet. Her characters grow with each book and you learn new things about each one. You can't wait to find out what happens to them in their own book. They have a depth to them that is very compelling and I enjoy the stories. I enjoy learning who each one is and look forward to hearing about them. If you would like to read a Marliss Melton book here is her  SEAL Team 12book list and be sure to check out her website for latest releases and monthly contests. So until next time....

Where has the Time Gone?!

WOW I logged in here and seen how long it has been since I last posted. Where did all the time go?! We are now going into the 4th week of school already? Really?!! How did that happen? I could have sworn I packed my little girls off to their first day of school last week. No wonder I have lost track of my blog I have lost track of time and maybe even my mind! ( I say this with a big smile) In all this time I probably can write a lot. First off we have adopted a new kitty.. meet Marshmallow:

We adopted him from Needy Paws. He has been a super special addition to our family. When we adopted him he was suppose to be a she haha.. we found out the mistake when we took him in to be spayed and was told he needed a neuter. The poor guy was sent home without either because he was still too small. We have since gone in twice more and still no neuter for our little guy. The Vet says he is hiding them and he may have to go look for his bits. That's Marshmallows next big adventure. He also loves to play fetch with his big purple mouse and he really enjoys cuddles first thing in the morning. What else has been going on around my chaotic home... well we have been feeding the deer and watching his antlers emerge. They started out as tiny little nubs on June 8th and became 6 points the last time I seen him on September 10th. The 2 does he was traveling with have left him and at least one of them have had a fawn. I hadn't managed to get a picture of the fawn but I remain hopeful! We have a family of raccoon! As adorable as these guys are I have to say I am NOT happy about them being on my porch trying to pilfer any bits of cat food that may have fallen through the cracks. Sadly raccoons are very bad to carry a very bad zoonoses that I don't want my kids any where near called Baylisascaris procyonis. So I am going to set my live traps and catch the whole family and find them a new place to live further into the woods. Also I was asked by the HAWK Center's Director if I wanted to attend the AWF Awards in Bryant and help with the booth and the birds. That was really awesome. I took a lot of pictures of Tito HAWK's Barn owl Ambassador and Kate their Red Tailed hawk Ambassadress. Here is a great shot of Tito I managed to capture while at the AWF Awards. I have been taking a lot of pictures and posting some of my favorites to that site. I really enjoy all the time I spend at HAWK Center. It truly is a learning experience every time I am there. Right now there is a juvenile Mississippi Kite (MIKI) he came in with a broke toe that is now healed, but he still wont fly. He makes the most adorable calls that ever was made. 
      This video  was shot just a few days ago. it starts of a bit blurry but gets clearer. He only calls once but its sooo darn cute. The lady feeding him is the director. I was attempting to feed him earlier but I learned a valuable lesson.. I must remove my hat first because he thinks I am a big scary bird with a big scary bill. So lesson learned. He is easy to feed and such a sweet baby. I hope he learns to fly soon so he will be able to 'go home'. He has made baby step progress in that he has made attempts to fly when just a day or two ago he  wouldn't  even do that. So maybe my big scary hat did something good! If you would like to follow HAWK Center you can by clicking HERE.  It will take you to their Face Book page right now since they are working on their web page. Also I have been knitting tons of scarves. I don't know what I'm going to do with them. Maybe give them away at Christmas. And I have of course been reading. I can't seem to read enough. I feel like a black hole sucking in as many books as I can. Devouring and eating every word as if it was my last. I can't seem to slow down or stop. It is becoming hard to find books at the library and buying so many is going to get me in trouble with the family! hmmm Intervention? HAHA nahhhh I just need to go to a new library!!! Until next time....                                                                                 

Learning!

While school continued as usual and I continued my online volunteering for Africam and Ustream.tv, I also continued to volunteer for HAWK Center. I have been volunteering there now for nearly a year. And in this time I have absolutely fallen in love with helping birds...From the smallest hatchling to the largest owl and hawk (those are the smallest and largest I've seen so far). One thing that blows my mind is how when they are brought in and it isn't a car related accident or they aren't merely sick or dehydrated they have been shot. I just don't get why someone would want to shoot them. And if the bird wasn't killed outright from the shot they could die a horrible long drawn out painful death from lead poisoning which would then poison what ever animal came across them and consumed them. Or they would be wounded and unable to survive, starve  to death which again is a painful process all the while being in pain from the gunshot.. only if they don't get caught by another animal while down. HAWK received an amazing red-tailed hawk dubbed Pulaski, the county he was found in, who at first they thought was DOA. He was shot in the head, and his chance of surviving this was really low. This bird had such a will to live he managed to survive tho he will never be able to be released again due to his injuries. He is now impaired in one eye and possibly impaired in the other. Because of his story he will make an impressionable ambassador for his species to educate people about red-tailed hawks and show them their beauty and what happens to them when man decides to shoot at them. This picture is Pulaski a few days or so after he arrived at the Center I believe. The picture is the property of HAWK Center.

you can see the exit wound on top of his head. He will always  have feathers sticking up there now,  a hawkish cowlick. He is now rooming with Kate HAWK Center's long time Red-tail hawk ambassador in the picture on the left. Not my best picture but maybe I can get a better one of her soon. 

 HAWK also has 2 owl ambassadors, a barn owl named Tito on right  and a red phased screech owl named Otis on bottom. Otis is a former patient of HAWK, he came in last year missing a wing and an eye punctured. It is assumed he was hit by a cars antenna and severed his wing. He is a lovely boy. Tito has been with the Center since he was young. Over the past year the Center had dealt with hundreds of emergencies and many many more calls. The biggest and most widely known emergency HAWK dealt with this year alone was the Mayflower oil spill. We were the first responders for the critters who were covered in the thick sticky tar sands oil. I have NEVER seen anything like it.. Some of those birds came in so covered in tar sands oil they were literally dripping. HAWK only received 11-12 birds and a muskrat before Exxon's people came in and took over but they received HUNDREDS and HUNDREDS of calls... and still to this day they get a call here and there because some animals who are a little oiled but still able to fly are flying away and landing in other waters but still getting sick. This has been the most impacting experience. Here you can find our local paper's story with a slideshow of about 20 pictures or so. Google would give you loads. HAWK Center has an amazing Director and a wonderful set of volunteers and a great group of people that step up and help when the need arises. When March rolled around I went to Basic Rehab training in Murray, KY. It was another awesome experience! Another volunteer and myself went to the class. 3 days of learning, testing, homework (after reading learning the book for a couple of months) Then the 'wet' lab and the big test. I have my Basic Rehab Certificate... now reading a LOT of books and maybe will feel brave enough to take the advanced courses later. But right now I'm happy to learn by watching, learn by doing as I'm told.. There are a lot of sad stories at HAWK..., but it is the Happy ones that makes it all worth it. And in the mean time I'm still learning!! So until next time...