Ooooooooh.....

Check out NIWA's Short Story Anthology of Speculative Fiction

To be released on November 8th!
Buy it on Amazon.com

I have a short story in here called 1313 Huidekoper Place. While it's not scary, it will make you think about all those legends who have so much meaning . . . only to you. So, who's the legend in your life that you'd like to have a conversation with if you could? Remembering is a powerful emotion. It is based on one of my favorite characters from Brushes: Legs Flanders, the fictional and legendary jazz musician.

  

Write. Edit. Publish.

I'm a Hawthorne Fellow!

For those of you who don't know the Attic Institute, it is a renowned writing studio in Portland that supports the work of writers through workshops, long-term programs, networking, and writing consultation. The Hawthorne Fellows program is designed to work with serious writers for a five- month period to prepare their pieces for formal publication. I'm thrilled to have been chosen to participate. And it's going to be a busy five months too! My skin will be thicker when I come up for air after hours and hours of intense critique, collaboration, and cry-baby editing sessions with the bestselling writer, Jennifer Lauck, and my fellow Fellows.

As part of the program, Hawthorne Fellows' work will be published in The Boulevard, the magazine that showcases the work of participants. 

My goal will be to make my third book in my trilogy series, RIFFS, not only a great read for my audience but transforming for me, personally, as a writer.

Thank you all for your support! Book number three will be quite good - I promise!

Check out my Author Interview in the Clackamas Review!

Local writing 'Boomer' series

Created on Wednesday, 25 September 2013 01:00 | Written by Raymond Rendleman | 

http://portlandtribune.com/cr/24-news/195486-local-writing-boomer-series

Join me and my fellow local authors for this great event at the

Salem Public Library

Saturday, September 28th - 11:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.

I'll be signing both of my books, Stitches and Brushes, and will 

also be sharing a reading at 1:15 p.m.

Can't make it?

Pick up both books at Amazon.com in soft cover or as an E-Book

AVAILABLE NOW!

Print Retail Price: $15.95

E-Book Price: $2.99

Hello, my friends! 

I'm pleased to announce that Brushes, my second book in the Stitches Trilogy series, is now available. 

The magic continues for Jean and Spence Collins with the power of art!

Receive a Family and Friends Discount of 20% off when you purchase a print copy of Brushes directly from the CreateSpace E-Store before October 31, 2013.

Click here to order a discounted print copy of Brushes from the CreateSpace 
E-Store

Enter Discount Code at Check Out:  HN7BTAV8​

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

​Stitches and Brushes are also available ​in Paperback and as an E-Book at the following links:

Amazon.com in print and for the Kindle
BarnesandNoble.com for the Nook 
KoboBooks.com for the KOBO 
Smashwords.com  

​BRUSHES SYNOPSIS

The power of art makes big waves for Jean and Spence Collins. With the magic of the ancient fabric still inside of them, the Collinses make their first visit to their newly inherited B&B in Richmond, Virginia. While there, Jean becomes obsessed with a small painting called The Dancing Boy.She says the painting speaks to her—and it really does! It has secrets to tell, and so do members of the immortal Gaines family who come out of their eternal retirement. Immortality really can be a choice, and the possibility of it ignites a passion in the Collinses to realize their dreams in this life.

Jean and Spence have no idea the firestorm they’re about to unleash after they bring The Dancing Boy home to Portland, Oregon. When they take the painting to the museum to be cleaned by a gifted art student, the worlds of fine art, financial fraud, and magic converge to draw the Collinses into a deadly game—a game that puts both their magical painting and their inheritance at risk. But the Collinses have a plan. Together with their friend at the FBI, agent Jon Segert, Jean and Spence realize the best way to combat greed is to create a legacy of generosity—but they need a little immortal help.​

Thank you all for your support. Happy Reading!​

Courtney Pierce​

Check out my guest blog with fellow author, Brad Cameron!

http://zekeproperchronicles.blogspot.com/2013/08/guest-blog-courtney-pierce.html

It's about Baby Boomers leaving a legacy.

Stitches was selected as 

Book of the Week 

from Indie Writers United. 

A big thank you!

https://www.facebook.com/IndieWritersUnited

Check out my Indie Guest Author Interview 

on June McCullough's website.

http://jmccullough.authorsxpress.com/

Brushes - Book 2 of the Stitches Trilogy

Brushes - Book 2 of the Stitches Trilogy

Welcome back to the Friday Blog Hop!

Here is the third sneak peak from the upcoming second book of the Stitches Trilogy, Brushes! It will be available in September, 2013.

Don't forget to check out the sites of the other Boomer Lit authors who are also posting today. Click the link at the bottom to connect!

Happy Reading!

BOOK 2 of the STITCHES Trilogy

Coming in September, 2013

This scene from BRUSHES is taken 

from Chapter Four. 

It's Christmas morning and Spence has just given Jean the 1963 T-Bird they inherited from Mary Coulter. Now she has a special present for Spence, the 1930 edition of The Maltese Falcon she bought from Mary's estate sale . . . and there's magic inside of it.

“Incredible! Absolutely incredible! I’m not sure my gift can top that,” she said, kicking off her shoes at the front door. She bounced down the steps to the living room to join Spence.

“Neither one of us needs to top anything. It’s about making things special, don’t you think?” Spence turned the gas crank in the wall and held the long match under the logs. The flames caught and gave him a welcoming Queen Mum wave. “Let me get some tunes.”

Jean waited, her knee jiggling in anticipation as Spence dug through the separate Christmas album section in the end cabinet. That was one of Spence’s album organization rules: Christmas music wasn't allowed to fraternize with rock music, and neither were her albums from Broadway shows she’d worked on. If they were filed all together, then it was the equivalent of genetically altered corn. Who knows what would result from the cross-contamination of music cooties -- Jimi Hendrix dressed as Santa Claus in a Radio City kick line? She smiled at the thought.

They had agreed to give only one present each, since they already had too much stuff. But this one would push at least two of Spence’s collector buttons:  it was vintage, and it was a book by one of his favorite authors. Plus, this particular book might have a little magic inside, just like Christmas morning. 

BOOK ONE OF THE TRILOGY, STITCHES, IS AVAILABLE AT 

CREATESPACE, AMAZON.COM AND BARNESANDNOBLE.COM!

DON'T FORGET - CHECK OUT THE OTHER BOOMER LIT AUTHORS WHO ARE POSTING TODAY! CLICK HERE!

Brushes - Book 2 of the Stitches Trilogy

Brushes - Book 2 of the Stitches Trilogy

Welcome back to the Friday Blog Hop! 

Here is the third sneak peak from the upcoming second book of the Stitches Trilogy, Brushes! It will be available in September, 2013.

Don't forget to check out the sites of the other Boomer Lit authors who are also posting today. Click the link at the bottom to connect!

Happy Reading!

BOOK 2 of the STITCHES Trilogy
Coming in September, 2013

This scene from BRUSHES is taken 

from Chapter Two. 

Jean and Spence have just arrived home from checking out the bungalow they've inherited from Mary Coulter. They run smack into a reporter who's been staking out their house, and he pounces on them about the death of Raleigh Coulter in London. Questions are swirling about Raleigh being killed killed by an enormous hawk. Only the Collinses and an FBI agent know the truth:  it really was a hawk . . . a magical hawk.

Spence came through the door spitting tacks. “That reporter insinuated that we killed Raleigh to get his mother’s estate! Can you believe that guy?” Mycroft turned tail and ran upstairs.

“Where did they come up with that?” Jean asked and flinched when the doorbell rang. She rushed to the peephole. “Same guy.”

 “Ignore him,” Spence said, throwing the car keys on the kitchen island. “He just took a string of incidents and found a common thread that would be a cheap, dirty way to sell the newscast. That guy doesn't know that the real truth would sell a hellava lot more.”

“But he mentioned the hawk -- and witnesses.”

“Now I think getting out of town is a really good idea.”

 “Let’s talk to Jon when he and Meg come over for Thanksgiving. If we’re being hounded, I’m sure he’s feeling the pinch too.”

 She looked up at Spence, both of them having calmed down. “Hey, you were pretty chivalrous out there. I kind of like this damsel-in-distress stuff.”

 Spence wiggled his eyebrows at her. Then he said, “Where’s Mycroft?”

 “He ran upstairs. I bet you couldn't blow him out of the comforter with a stick of dynamite.”

  “Then he’s going to have to move over.” Spence wrapped his arms around her and kissed her. “Let’s go upstairs, right after I take the batteries out of the doorbell.”

BOOK ONE OF THE TRILOGY, STITCHES, IS AVAILABLE AT 

CREATESPACE, AMAZON.COM AND BARNESANDNOBLE.COM!

DON'T FORGET - CHECK OUT THE OTHER BOOMER LIT AUTHORS WHO ARE POSTING TODAY! CLICK HERE!

Brushes - Book 2 of the Stitches Trilogy

Welcome back to the Friday Blog Hop! 

Here is the second sneak peak from the upcoming second book of the Stitches Trilogy, Brushes! It will be available in August/September, 2013.

Don't forget to check out the sites of the other Boomer Lit authors who are also posting today. Click the link at the bottom to connect!

Happy Reading!

BOOK 2 of the STITCHES Trilogy
Coming in August, 2013

This scene from BRUSHES is taken 

from Chapter One. 

After receiving the keys to the bungalow they've inherited from Mary Coulter, Jean and Spence Collins head over to the house to check it out. In this scene, Jean is doing her initial walk through of the empty rooms, hoping she might see the Mary Coulter as an immortal. So far, she's been disappointed. But then she gets to the kitchen . . . 

The magic was like a drug. She still couldn't believe it had happened -- and was still happening. Other types of magic crept into their lives in unexpected ways, when they touched Mary’s things:  flashes of Mary’s life. The fabric’s magic was still inside of them.

Jean pulled herself from the window and opened one of the doors of the two small closets. At the estate sale, Mary’s husband’s clothes were still hanging inside this closet. Now it was empty. Mary had held onto those clothes for over forty years after Jim Coulter’s untimely death. Time to check out the kitchen. She descended through the tight turn of the staircase and inspected the plaster on the walls and in the stairwell. No cracks. Her steps squeaked through the dining room.

As she came around the corner to the kitchen, Jean laughed out loud when she spotted the light-blue, rotary-style phone on the wall.

“Look at that. God, I think my parents had one just like this.” She picked up the receiver, weightier than she expected, and listened for a dial tone. Nothing. Then her hand went numb. An electrical charge whooshed up her right arm. She sucked in a breath and closed her eyes.

BOOK ONE OF THE TRILOGY, STITCHES, IS AVAILABLE AT 

CREATESPACE, AMAZON.COM AND BARNESANDNOBLE.COM!

DON'T FORGET - CHECK OUT THE OTHER BOOMER LIT AUTHORS WHO ARE POSTING TODAY! CLICK HERE!

Sneak Peak of Brushes - Book 2 of the Stitches Trilogy

Welcome back to the Friday Blog Hop! 

The Friday Blog Hop is back! I'll be introducing some snippets from the upcoming second book of the Stitches Trilogy, Brushes! It will be available in August, 2013.

Thanks to all of you, The Hop is growing! Enjoy the exciting new reads on the sites of those Boomer Lit authors who are also posting today. Click the link at the bottom to connect!

Happy Reading!

BOOK 2 of the STITCHES Trilogy
Coming in August, 2013

This scene from BRUSHES is taken 

from Chapter One. 

As the second book opens, Jean and Spence Collins are full of magic. After helping Mary Coulter pass into immortality with the ancient magical fabric, the choice of living forever is a real one. But Jean and Spence feel they have a lot of living to do in this life.  The Collinses have inherited Mary Coulter's estate. The keys to Mary's house have just arrived in the mail.

---

Frank pulled his mail truck into the driveway and leaned out to hand Spence their banded bundle of mail.

“Looks like mostly begging letters today, Spence,” Frank said. “I think you and Jean are on every pet charity list out there. I bet something from Possum Rescue Mission will show up next. But there’s something in there from some lawyer. Looks important.”

Spence’s stomach flipped as he peeled off the rubber band and fingered through the smaller envelopes on top, trying to act nonchalant. Squeezing the larger bubble-pack one at the bottom of the stack, he said, “We've been waiting for this one, Frank. There’s a house and an old T-Bird in here.” Spence shook the envelope to release the jingle of keys inside. “It’s going to be a good day, my friend.”

“I hope so, Spence. Give Jean a ‘hey’ for me. You two have a good one.”

“See ya, Frank. Thanks!” Spence turned, distracted by the puffy envelope, and climbed the wide steps back up to the house.

    

BOOK ONE OF THE TRILOGY, STITCHES, IS AVAILABLE AT 

CREATESPACE, AMAZON.COM AND BARNESANDNOBLE.COM!

DON'T FORGET - CHECK OUT THE OTHER BOOMER LIT AUTHORS WHO ARE POSTING TODAY! CLICK HERE!

Here comes Brushes!

The second book in the Stitches trilogy is undergoing its final edits. I hope to have it published and ready for purchase by the end of the summer. Here's the cover image and the back cover copy to give you all a quick peek.

The magic started in Stitches and blossoms in Brushes, the second chapter of the Collinses’ enlightened journey toward retirement.

The power of art makes big waves for Jean and Spence Collins. With the magic of the ancient fabric still inside of them, the Collinses make their first visit to their newly inherited B&B in Richmond, Virginia. While there, Jean becomes obsessed with the history of a small painting called The Dancing Boy. She says the painting speaks to her – and it really does! But that's not all they discover in Richmond; the immortal members of the Gaines household come out of their eternal retirement to welcome Jean and Spence into the family. Immortality really can be a choice, and the possibility of it ignites a passion in the Collinses to realize their dreams in this life.

Jean and Spence have no idea the firestorm they’re about to unleash after they bring The Dancing Boy home to Portland, Oregon. When they take the painting to the museum to be cleaned by a gifted art student, the worlds of fine art, magic, and financial fraud converge to draw the Collinses into the deadly game of a Ponzi scheme. Not only is their magical painting at risk but the inheritance that is supposed to fund their dreams is as well. Together with their friend at the FBI, agent Jon Segert, Jean and Spence realize the best way to combat greed is by being generous – but they need a little immortal help to pull off their plan.

Welcome back to the ninth installment of Friday Blog Hop! 

This will be my last excerpt post for STITCHES. In the coming weeks our Blog Hop will feature the thoughts and anecdotes from Baby Boomer Lit authors. So, please enjoy our last posts of book excerpts and get ready to learn about what makes boomer authors tick.

Thanks to all of you, The Hop is growing! Enjoy the exciting new reads on the sites of those Boomer Lit authors who are also posting today. Click the link at the bottom to connect!

Happy Reading!

This scene from STITCHES is taken from Chapter 18. 

Jean and Spence are on their way to London to have the magical fabric analyzed by the Victoria and Albert Museum. Figuring the best way to travel safely with the fabric is in plain sight, Jean has pieced it into the back of a denim jacket. In this scene, Jean has to get the jacket through security at the airport.

---

“Ma’am, you need to take your jacket off,” the TSA agent said, nodding his head toward the conveyer belt.

Oh, please, no. Slipping her arms from the sleeves, she placed the jacket carefully on top of her purse in the gray bin. The jacket disappeared into the X-ray machine. She stepped quickly through the electronic archway in her stocking feet and waited on the other side for Spence to follow her through.

“Bag check!” shouted a voice from behind the X-ray machine.

Panic rose in her throat. She swallowed hard to tamp it down. She watched two TSA agents point at the screen behind the machine and whisper to each other. Spence stood in front of the archway, a what-the-hell look on his face. The security agent waved him forward, and Spence stepped through the archway.

Jean waited, not saying a word, as the TSA agent picked up the jacket after it emerged from the other side of the X-ray machine. He moved down the length of the chute and set the jacket down on a separate table. She padded after him with her shoes, purse, and carry-on bag jumbled in her arms. She set them on the floor and mouthed back at Spence, “I don’t know. Just wait.”

    

IF YOU LIKE WHAT YOU SEE, STITCHES IS AVAILABLE AT 

CREATESPACE, AMAZON.COM AND BARNESANDNOBLE.COM!

DON'T FORGET - CHECK OUT THE OTHER BOOMER LIT AUTHORS WHO ARE POSTING TODAY! CLICK HERE!

Welcome back to the eighth installment of Friday Blog Hop! 

Here we share a taste of wonderful new offerings of Baby Boomer Lit. While the stories vary widely, the emotion will always run high. Thanks to all of you, The Hop is growing! Enjoy the exciting new reads on the sites of those Boomer Lit authors who are also posting today. Click the link at the bottom and connect!

Happy Reading!

This scene from STITCHES is taken from Chapter 7. 

Raleigh Coulter, the son of the woman who held the estate sale, knows that Jean and Spence have found the valuable fabric in his mother's chest. He wants it, not for its magical properties, but for its potential value.  And the FBI wants him for insider trading. Raleigh needs money fast. Here we find Raleigh staking out the Collinses' house. He's planning to break-in after he watches Jean and Spence leave.

---

Raleigh slowed his Porsche as he approached the Collinses’ house. All of the triangular clerestory windows on the front of the house were patterned glass.

“You can’t see in,” he muttered as he eased the car by the house. “Pretty cool.”

Some windows were one-way shields, but from keeping such a close eye on his mother’s neighborhood, he knew old windows. If he couldn't see in, then the Collinses couldn't see out.

The house looked to be one story, but he could see the peak of a second level on the back. Tiny pine cones littered the driveway and swirled around in circles when the wind kicked up.

Raleigh watched a car approach in the rearview mirror. Spooked, he continued around the block, circled back around, and pulled up in front of the house next door. He idled in park and planned out what he wanted to do.

The same car he’d seen in the rearview, a black Crown Victoria, drove toward him from the opposite direction. The man inside looked at him intently as he passed.

      “Huh...” 

    

IF YOU LIKE WHAT YOU SEE, STITCHES IS AVAILABLE AT 

CREATESPACE, AMAZON.COM AND BARNESANDNOBLE.COM!

DON'T FORGET - CHECK OUT THE OTHER BOOMER LIT AUTHORS WHO ARE POSTING TODAY! CLICK HERE!

Welcome back to the seventh installment of Friday Blog Hop! 

Here we share a taste of wonderful new offerings of Baby Boomer Lit. While the stories vary widely, the emotion will always run high. Thanks to all of you, The Hop is growing! Enjoy the exciting new reads on the sites of those Boomer Lit authors who are also posting today. Click the link at the bottom and connect!

Happy Reading!

This scene from STITCHES is taken from Chapter 7. 

The Collinses' maine coon cat, Mycroft, is the first to alert Jean and Spence that something isn't quite right about the fabric they've found in an old chest. Mycroft exhibits strange behavior after lying on the fabric . . . and there's just been a loud bang on the window.

---

“What the heck was that about? He looks fine now.” She slid the door shut and ran back to living room.

“Umm, look at this.” Spence was staring at the fabric.

“Spence! Where are the birds? Where are...the...birds?” The fabric was empty. Only the flowering vines remained.

It made no sense at all. Their gaze rose in unison to the bird bath in the back yard. Around the rim of stone calla lilies perched three enormous pheasants, stretching their wings and dipping their beaks into the sparkling fresh water to take a drink. They were an exact match to the birds in the fabric. The long spikes of their tail feathers touched the ground. One launched its heavy wings into the air, followed by the second and then the third. Jean and Spence ran to the window. The birds’ iridescent bodies rose higher and higher, past the tops of towering fir trees and into the sun. Jean and Spence shielded their eyes from the glare and followed the birds’ path until they disappeared.

“Spence...” she said, gawking out the window.

“Yeah, I really did see it.” 

    

IF YOU LIKE WHAT YOU SEE, STITCHES IS AVAILABLE AT 

CREATESPACE, AMAZON.COM AND BARNESANDNOBLE.COM!

DON'T FORGET - CHECK OUT THE OTHER BOOMER LIT AUTHORS WHO ARE POSTING TODAY! CLICK HERE!