Road Trip #Canada Style: Nova Scotia: So Much to Sea by @KarynGerrard #Beach #Ocean

Being married to a teacher has its advantages. Though he works hard during the year, often into the evening way past school hours, one benefit is we have the summer off. We usually travel, taking different route each time. I have been to 40 out of 50 states (okay, some just driving through, but still) and 9 out of 10 Canadian provinces and 1 territory (I crossed into The Northwest Territories!).

Usually our end destination is Nova Scotia, our home province where the fam lives. But not this year. Unfortunately there has been a lot going on in my real life which has cut into a lot of my social media time. Due to my hubs's health, there is no summer adventure this year.

However, I thought I would go to Nova Scotia in my blog post. I have set some of my stories there. Timeless Heart, my vampire Blackthorne series with Evernight Publishing takes place on the South Shore of the province. And so did my shifter stories under another pen name.

For those not familiar where exactly Nova Scotia is, check it out on the map to the left. We are the greened-in area on the east coast jutting out into the Atlantic Ocean. And regardless of Hollywood movies like World War Z which shows Nova Scotia as "wearing parkas in June" and a "seagull laden, rocky wasteland" it is far from the truth. :)

The Halifax municipality has a population of 390.000, and the province itself about 960,000.. Halifax always makes the list of "The best cities to live in Canada".

Founded in 1749, it is a major port and a global city, and still steeped in history with loads of landmarks,  museums, and historical buildings,including gorgeous Victorian homes in the south end.

A shot of down-town Halifax from the harbour. Major economic centre, as well as educational with many universities and the arts, including Neptune Theatre and Symphony Nova Scotia to name a few.

On the whole, Nova Scotia has a humid continental climate which means for the most part, winters are mild compared to the rest of Canada. One drawback, since we are jutting out into the Atlantic, there is a fair bit of rain and the chance of severe storms, summer and winter, though  if we get snow during the winter months, for the most part it melts quickly.

And talk about fresh seafood! There is an abundance. Nothing like hanging out at the waterfront, sitting outside a Halifax pub (like The Lower Deck) on a summer day, listening to Celtic rock and drinking ice cold Alexander Keith's pale ale while eating deep fried haddock and fries. *sigh*

Here is a shot of the Lunenburg area down the South Shore of the province. The Lighthouse Route is a gorgeous drive. Highly recommend!

In the eastern end of the province is the isle of Cape Breton, attached to Nova Scotia by a causeway. Nova Scotia means "New Scotland" in Latin, and a lot of Scots settled in Cape Breton because the rolling, mountainous area is very similar to the Highlands of Scotland. In fact, my hero in 'My Highlander Cover Model' had his descendants settle here. :)

It's where the hubs's family is from. He was born there, but moved to the Halifax area when he was five years of age.

You haven't seen anything until you've driven around the Cabot Trail, (named after explorer John Cabot) voted one of top islands to visit in the world. Check out the Cabot Trail HERE

And I didn't even mention all the great beaches! Hey, they're everywhere! We're surrounded by water!

If you're planning a trip to anywhere in Canada, I have to recommend Nova Scotia! You won't be disappointed!

Now I'm homesick. *wink* Pass the lobster rolls!

Karyn's Site/Facebook/Twitter/Pinterest/Tsu/Amazon Page

Guest Post: Karly Germain and her Hot Canadian #MM Shifters! #StoneColdBeast

Welcome to fellow Canadian romance author, Karly Germain! With three MM releases, she is already a multiple bestselling author. She's here to talk about her paranormal series, The Umbra Shifters with Evernight Publishing. Take it away, Karly!

Hi! Thanks to the wonderful authors at Romance Eh? Canadian Style! for having me today!

I answered a submission call for Evernight Publishing's Alpha's Claim: Manlove Edition, How cool it would be to write about alpha shifters. So I decided to set my story in one of my favorite places, NOVA SCOTIA!

The rugged, wild coastline of the Eastern Shore of Nova Scotia was a perfect setting for my wild, rugged MM heroes.

From Wikipedia:  The Eastern Shore is a scenic, yet sparsely settled area, hosting dozens of small fishing harbours and communities; in recent decades the region has become home to a growing number of cottages and recreational properties, given the amount of unspoiled sand beaches and dramatic coastlines. The shore also hosts the majority of Nova Scotia's small islands.



What a great place to set my story, I especially used this area for Book #2 of The Umbra Shifters, STONE COLD BEAST. One of my favorite beaches of Nova Scotia is on the Eastern Shore, CLAM HARBOUR BEACH.

Look at that expanse of sand and rolling waves. perfect. Lots of fond memories, even got the worst sunburn of my life there! Good times!  lol~

It is a real kick to set your stories in areas you are familiar with or have visited at one time or another. It enriches the writing experience for me personally.

In Stone Cold Beast, my hero, Ethan Stone is a scarred loner (and a lion shifter) and lives not far from a beach such as this.

I recommend Nova Scotia as a great place to visit AND set your book! And no, its not as cold as the Brad Pitt movie World War Z would have you believe. ;) At the end of the movie, Pitt arrives at a refuge camp in Nova Scotia wearing a parka in summer. *rolls eyes* In fact, Nova Scotia is one of the warmer provinces in Canada.

So check out my newest release, STONE COLD BEAST!

STONE COLD BEAST by Karly Germain

 #2 in The Umbra Shifters

Blurb:

The Umbra Shifters, 2

Ethan Stone, lion shifter, had lived many lives. He’d been a biker, musician, and an Umbran, or shadow hunter. Everything changed two years ago when a nightclub fire killed the members of his rock band and left him the only survivor. Now scarred and living the solitary life of a nomad, Ethan just wants to be left alone in his isolated world.

Daric McNamee, a cheetah shifter and also an Umbran, has been given an assignment. Ethan Stone. Find out what happened the night of the fire and recruit Stone back into the Umbran. Not an easy task considering Ethan is stubborn and wary. Almost immediately, both men feel a mate connection, but the last thing Daric wants is to be a submissive to a scarred, terminally angry lion shifter.

However, the attraction between them can’t be denied—though Ethan tries. When it comes time for them to part, will they admit they are mates? Can Daric convince Ethan he is more than a stone cold beast?

Be Warned: m/m sex

Read The Umbra Shifters, 1 in Alpha's Claim: Manlove Edition

BUY AT EVERNIGHT PUBLISHING

BUY AT AMAZON

BUY AT ALL ROMANCE

BUY AT BOOKSTRAND

                                               Karly Germain Website/Facebook/Twitter

Vampires in Nova Scotia? Blackthorne Clan Series by @KarynGerrard #Paranormal #Erotic

• BLACK SCAR (book 4 Blackthorne Clan)
• Format: Kindle Edition
• File Size: 308 KB
• Print Length: 102 pages
• Simultaneous Device Usage: Unlimited
• Publisher: Evernight Publishing (May 26 2013)

My paranormal series with Evernight Publishing is set in my home province of Nova Scotia. Nova Scotia is called 'Canada's Ocean Playground' and for a good reason. One of my favorite places is along the South Shore of the province. With such spectacular Atlantic coastal scenery, I thought, why not have my clan of Vampires settle here? I even gave the clan leader a pirate background! There are four books in this series, and someday down the line, I may continue with it. There is nothing like standing on a beach and saying "this is where I'm going to set my book". When writing, I had the images all fresh in mind as I had visited all the locations at one time or another. In book 2, one scene takes place in a pub. It's one I visited in Mahone Bay a few summers back. It certainly brings the story vividly to life for me as I wrote it! And I hope I brought the breathtaking, oceanic beauty of Nova Scotia to life as well!~Karyn

BLURB:

Born a Thrope, a wolf shape shifter, Marcus Steele never imagined his life taking such a dangerous and heart-wrenching turn. Newly turned into a Vampire, Marcus became the victim of an attack of The Concealment from a member of the Blackthorne Clan. Now horribly scarred, Marcus also has to deal with the changes of his new life-state. The last thing he needs is to feel the Mate Bond.

 Logan MacNeil is a Faepyre and a skilled healer. She is called upon by the Clan to assist in Marcus’s recovery. His extreme youth and potent injuries call to her long buried heart. Having love and lost centuries ago, she swore she would never take a mate again. Yet Marcus has stirred emotions in her she doesn’t wish to feel.

 Many obstacles stand between them. Logan has many healing powers and skills. Will they be enough to heal Marcus and his emotional and physical...Black Scar?

EXCERPT:  “Since I am Thrope and Vampire, I must disgust you. Throw in my wrecked face and crippled body and I haven’t a hope in hell with you, do I?”

Logan sat back in shock. He seriously thought they had formed a sort of bond? Before she could try to form a reply, Marcus swung around to face her. He cupped her face and captured her lips with his.

Logan had not been kissed by any man in a very long time. The contact was a shocking jolt. His lips were warm, moist, and insistent. His tentative first brush scorched her insides. When he deepened the kiss and sensually wrapped his tongue around hers, Logan’s entire body erupted into flame.

Marcus groaned loudly and became more aggressive and possessive. The kiss became too much. Her long buried desires roared to the surface, and she could not have it. Logan grasped his shoulders and pushed him away hard. The movement caught Marcus off guard, and he fell backward on the bed, a dazed look on his face.

Her fangs extended again. No, it could not be true. She didn’t want a mate. She stood and backed away from him. He lay propped up on his elbow, winching in pain as he had landed on his casted arm. Her concern for his recovery soon overcame her apprehensions regarding the passionate and incendiary kiss. Logan stepped toward him to check his injured arm. Marcus hissed at her, his fangs clearly showing.

“Get out,” he growled.

Logan turned on her heel and rushed from the room, slamming the door behind her.

Blackthorne Clan~ a Clan/family of Vampires who have managed the impossible, they have procreated. They make their home on the South Shore of Nova Scotia (Maritime province in Eastern Canada in the fictional village of Bennington Bay) The leader of the Clan, Deegan Black, settled there in the 1740's. This Clan feels things deeply, they have hearts and souls. But do not cross them. They can also be deadly.

Blackthorne Clan Series

Book 1 is BLACK LUST

   Book 2 is BLACK DESIRE

  Book 3 is BLACK HEART

Book 4 is BLACK SCAR

BLACK SCAR

BUY AT AMAZON

BUY AT ALL ROMANCE

BUY AT BARNES AND NOBLE

BUY AT BOOKSTRAND

Karyn Gerrard Bio:

Karyn lives in a small town in the western corner of Ontario, Canada. She wiles away her spare time writing and reading romance while drinking copious amounts of Earl Grey tea.

Tortured heroes are a must. A multi-published author with a few best-sellers under her belt, Karyn loves to write in different genres and time periods, though historicals are her favorite. As long as she can avoid being hit by a runaway moose in her wilderness paradise she assumes everything is golden.

 Karyn’s been happily married for a long time to her own hero. His encouragement keeps her moving forward.

                               Karyn's Site/Facebook/Twitter/Pinterest