Guest Authors,  Tule Publishing

Author Spotlight: Barbara Ankrum Is Calling All Angels and She Has a Giveaway!

We have a winner! Congratulations Lori Plach, you are Barbara’s winner of a $10 Amazon gift card and an e-copy of Calling All Angels! Barbara will be in touch!

I’m so very pleased to welcome fellow Tule Publishing author, Barbara Ankrum, back to the Spotlight today! She always brings fun and the best books with her! Barbara has a thing for the American West and has written both historical and contemporary romances, all set in that magical place. Twice nominated for RWA’s RITA Award, her bestselling books are emotional, sexy rides with a touch of humor. Barbara’s married and raised two children in Southern California, which, in her mind, makes her a native Westerner. And now it’s official, Barbara recently moved and currently lives in Dallas with her husband and a scruffy, adorable rescue dog.

Thanks so much to Nan for having me today to talk about my latest release, Calling All Angels. So happy to be back on your lovely site!

This is the third book in my Tule Publishing series, The Guardian Angels Chronicles and it’s possibly the last one. Who knows? Another story might come to me, but this story seemed like the exclamation point on the series for me and went a little farther into the fantasy element of the series than I’ve gone before.

But first, I thought I’d tell you a little about how this whole series came about for me. Those of you who are readers of mine might notice this series is a bit of a departure for me. I’ve rarely wandered into the paranormal/fantasy realm, but I suppose it’s because I’ve never been through a few years like we’ve all just been through before now.  Writing during the pandemic, in real isolation, was tough and I know it was tough for a lot of authors. But it occurred to me as I was coming up with the first book, Every Time a Bell Rings, that what we were all longing for was connection.  I missed the world and the people in it. I missed all the visceral things about the world, the smells and the sights. And I wondered if angels who spend their time watching over us ever felt that way, too. That simple idea sparked this series: How much we needed each other and how our better angels appeared in ways we couldn’t have expected. Whether you believe in angels or not isn’t critical to your loving these stories. They’re romances, just like my other books, with a little extra twist.

While the first two books had angels interceding on Earth (and naturally, all the best plans go awry!) book three was kind of a nod to mortality. (Pandemic inspired, for sure.) In Calling All Angels, Emma James is in a bad car accident and ends up in the “in-between”—her life hanging in the balance—where she meets a Scottish rogue of a man who claims to be her guardian angel. In a previous life, he was known as Connor Montrose and she…well, it’s complicated. But be advised, all is not as it would seem. There is a history between these two that will not be ignored and a mystery about Emma’s accident that must be solved before tragedy can strike again.  As Connor and Emma work through their issues and unravel the mystery, the real question is, will she stay or will she go? And if she stays, how will it change her? And how about that sexy, Scottish brogue of Connor’s and all the feelings he makes her feel? But a future for an angel and a human is impossible. Isn’t it?

Hope you’ll check this one out and leave me a review and let me know what you think. I hope you enjoy it even half as much as I enjoyed writing it. While you’re at it, be sure to check out the first two books, Every Time a Bell Rings (which was optioned for film by MGM) and The Christmas Fix Up. All of these are standalone books, but also play nicely together.

I have a $10 Amazon Gift Card and a digital copy of Calling All Angels to give away! To enter, just tell me if you believe in angels or if you’ve ever felt them watching out for you! (Hey, maybe you’ll inspire another book!) I’ll choose a winner on Wednesday evening, 5/20. Good luck!

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Calling All Angels

What if soulmates truly are forever?

Emma James isn’t sure if she’s dead, dreaming, or somewhere in-between after a car accident leaves her hospitalized in a coma. And the gorgeous but grumpy Scot with a sexy brogue claiming to be her “guardian angel” seems to have her confused with someone named Violet. After discovering her “accident” was no accident at all, Emma fears her niece may be in danger. Enlisting her reluctant guardian’s help to solve the mystery takes all her persuasion skills. But alarmingly, she finds herself falling for this centuries-old, grudge-holding immortal.

Connor Montrose instantly recognizes Emma as the woman who betrayed him two centuries ago—Violet MacLeish. Though Emma has no memory of that life, or the love they shared, she’s Violet’s doppelgänger and a pain in his tortured soul. He needs to help her cross over so he can get a long-awaited celestial promotion, but this new version of Violet is even more beguiling and stubborn than before, drawing him deeper into the human world he’d rather forget.

Stuck between life and death, can these two lost souls find common ground?

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23 Comments

  • Debra Pruss

    Yes, I believe in angels. Yes, I have had an experience with an angel. This was many years ago. We lived in a townhouse with other apartments over some store fronts. My husband worked nights so I was home alone with our dog. I was fast asleep about 5:00am. Our dog kept nudging the bed making it shake. I told him that it was not time to get up yet. Go back to sleep. He would not let up. I finally got up to to the restroom. I had my Bible and devotional books in there so I decided to do my devotions. When I walked out of the bathroom, there was smoke in the hallway by the stairs. I hurried to dress without turning on lights. When I made it downstairs, the air was cool and fresh so I knew I had a few minutes. I grabbed my purse and coat as well as the dog leash. Our dog was horrible on the leash. He sat right down as I hooked the leash. We went out the front door.

    I saw a gentleman accross the street walking toward the nearest cross street. My Mom lived across the street at the time. Our dog and I made our way to the alley to cross the street. At that time, I saw that the fire was in the other townhouse next to ours. As I mentioned earlier, our dog was horrible on a leash. He was the perfect gentleman as we walked across the street. My Mom was up and met us at the door.

    Mom told me that that a gentleman had persistently knocked on her door telling her she needed to wake up. Her daughter needed her. By the time, she made it to the door, he was walking off the porch. A few seconds later, she saw us coming across the street. When we called 911 to report the fire, we were told that it had already been called in.

  • Fiona McArthur

    Your new book sounds exactly what I would love to read and am off to buy, Barbara, warmest wishes for spreading more wonderful stories. Waving to dear, Nan and sending smiles from Oz xx Fi

  • Denise

    I believe in angels.

    (My response went in the wrong place. I should know better than to do this from my phone. )

  • Lori Plach

    I truly believe in angels. There have been numerous times where I have goofed up. Divine intervention is what always pulled me through.

    • Barbara Ankrum

      Me, too, Lori. Also, sometimes a slight delay or a wrong turn saved me. I always say a little ‘thank you!’

  • William Harris

    Good Morning to two of my favorite authors! (I wanted to say Dames… in the great sense of the word!) Yes! I definitely believe in angels. Many years ago, an angel saved a family member. I know, because I was involved in that miracle. My experience. No hearsay, second or third person description. Just facts!

  • Kathleen L Shaputis

    I believe in angels – and love the premise of these books. Though I have a feeling my guardian angels gets migraines from watching over me.

  • Patty Fontenot Duplechin

    I truly believe in angels. They’re everywhere. I always feel them around. The books looks and sounds amazing

  • janine

    I loved this book and hate to see the series come to an end. But, all good things eventually end. I do believe in angels even though I have no experiences of them watching over me.