Category: Guest Blogs

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Guest bloggers: Brenda Woody & Steve Tindle

Hi Kelly! Thank you for featuring us on your blog and introducing us to your followers. First we’d like to share our latest release Rainie’s Lake with the readers and then let everyone know how we began writing together, and a little bit about our back list books. BTW, there’ll be a drawing for one lucky commenter. See details below!

Rainie’s Lake is our first paranormal erotic romance. We’ve been told to warn the readers to have a box of tissues handy! Rainie has received 5 star reviews. You can read the reviews on Amazon.

Taking a long over due vacation, Art Instructor, Dylan Bishop is eager to start his trip to the cabin in the mountains. When he saw the photo online with the rental ad, he knew this was his destination. Being drawn to the lake nestled behind the cabin with a private dock, Dylan hopes to regain his inspiration to paint.
His vacation takes an erotic turn when he meets Rainie Marks on a foggy morning by the dock. She is the most beautiful woman he has ever seen. However, there is sadness and a mystery about her. Finding his inspiration, he sketches her one evening and unable to resist the passion that has sparked between them, Rainie and Dylan share a sensual night together.
When Rainie tells him the truth about her past and the lake, the mystery she hides unfolds. The key to everything is the lake. Will Dylan be able to help her put the past to rest?
Buy Links
Amazon | All Romance | Smashwords | Xcite Books
Read an excerpt and enjoy a characters interview here!
Now fans have told us how we met again is the start of a romantic story and we should write a book. Who knows maybe we will. *both of us smiles*
Steve Tindle and Brenda Woody were high school friends in Georgia who reconnected, on a social network, after 30 years of leading separate lives. During their re-acquaintance, they found their past and interests were similar; they had written poems, songs, and both had the desire to be published. Their combined experiences and fantasies inspired their first erotic novel Best Lover in Town, published June 2010 by Charles River Press. The rights for BLT were reverted to Brenda and Steve July 2011. Best Lover in Town was re-edited and re-released with a new cover.
Best Lover in Town
Janet Anderson is searching for sexual magic in the man who can match her in the bed. Janet suspects all this and more lies within her handsome boss, Nathan Lovett. During a work-related visit to Janet’s home, Nathan and Janet give in to an attraction beyond their control, and soon find themselves immersed in a pleasurable night of uninhibited sex and heated passion. To their dismay, their luscious interlude is interrupted, and Nathan must leave on a plane to a far away place; their whirlwind coupling on hold.
Three years pass, and with Nathan gone, Janet’s co-worker and best friend, Madison, urges Janet to end her mourning and explore other possibilities. Janet attends parties and events to fill the void left by Nathan, meeting four other men. Though she experiences new sexual delights and discovers more about herself; her suitors fall flat, and Janet is left longing for the touch of her Nathan. Will the best lover in town return to finish what he started?
Brenda moved to Dallas in 2009 to be closer to Steve, start a new chapter of her life and work on future books. Their second book Temptation Triggers, an anthology of seven erotic short stories, was released June 2011.
The publisher asked us to write a short story to be featured in an upcoming anthology. He liked the story so much he asked us to write more and dedicated the book to our work.
Temptation Triggers
Temptation Triggers captures the wickedness of sexual fantasy, the mystery of unexplored territory and the fulfillment of open communication. Among these thought-provoking stories, two friends find themselves drawn into a dark erotic world, a woman encounters a mysterious man and a mature couple discovers hush-hush desires about each other. With different styles of writing, Temptation Triggers reveals erotica that is passionate and spellbinding.
Triangle of Secrets, Book One, a ménage M/M/F story, was published October 2011. This was our first ménage. We enjoyed writing Triangles so much we are working on six installments featuring various relationships; F/M/F, M/F/M, F/F/F and so on. Steve is looking forward to completing the F/F/F! LOL
Triangle of Secrets, Book One, is the story of three ordinary people trying to make their way in the corporate world and keeping their personal lives out of it. Morgan, the Vice President of a prestigious company, dates her best friend and co-worker, Derek, to hide her secret affair with Scott, the much younger mail clerk. Derek appears with Morgan socially to hide the fact he is gay. He is afraid his lifestyle will hinder promotions. Scott wants out of the mailroom and will do anything his lover asks of him. What happens when Derek and Scott meet at Morgan’s house to fulfill her wildest fantasy? Will the triangle break or will it be completed?


Black & White Affair, submitted in a holiday contest 2010 and received 3rd place, was expanded and is available as a short read for $0.99.
Works in progress include Scarlett’s Cowboy and TOS, Bk 2 and 3 to be released 2012. We also have an erotic romance time travel in notes to work on.
As you can see we’ve been busy since we met up again. Our stories are penned with the perspective of both male and female point of view regarding sexual desires and pleasures. We both write the POV for male and female, and have been told by readers they can’t tell who wrote what. We compliment each other is this area. This is why it’s awesome writing as a team. We’re both open-minded and not worried at all about asking each other questions.
We’d also like to mention our new website with Author Tonya Kinzer. A Naughty Reader’s Boudoir is a place for readers and authors to meet, and chat about the naughty books they read and write. Naughty Reader’s features authors who tantalize your erotic fantasies with wicked words. For readers, we provide author interviews, contests, books to explore and blog hops. For authors, we have created advertising packages to meet anyone’s budget and help them promote their work.
Our links:
Web site | Blog
Facebook Fan page | Blogger | Twitter | Web site | Goodreads
Purchase sites:
 All books on Amazon | Smashwords | All Romance | Xcite Books
Temptation Triggers on B&N
TT on Fictionwise
Kelly, thank you again for allowing us to visit! Readers, there’ll be a drawing. All you have to do is leave a comment with your email address. That’s it! The lucky winner will receive a copy of Rainie’s Lake (eBook format winner’s choice from Smashwords). To enter use the Rafflecopter form below. Leave a comment by March 19th. We’ll draw on March 21st. Winner will be drawn through Random.org.




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Guest blogger: Joan Swan (&giveaway)

Books-n-Kisses is so very, very excited to have my pal Joan Swan on the blog today to talk about her HOT hero in her debut novel FEVER.  And really who doesn’t like a super hot hero?   Will read on to find out how Joan builds just such a man….. Take it away Joan.
Building an unforgettable hero by Joan Swan
There is no formula, no right or wrong.  These are some of the elements I put into play when I built Teague, my hero in FEVER.  For those of you who haven’t read—or even heard the premise of—the book, here’s the elevator pitch:
FEVER is about a man with unusual powers whose been convicted of a murder he didn’t commit and imprisoned for life.  He has lost the daughter he lived for, the career as a firefighter he loved and been denied an appeal.  With no hope left, he plans an escape.  But his plan goes wrong when the woman he kidnaps as leverage to get his daughter back turns out to be someone else.  And this woman quickly clues into the abilities he tries to hide, creating a bond neither can afford while they’re on the run from both the cops and undercover operatives who want Teague silenced.  This time, permanently.
Step One:  Background
The base model of the hero.  The before in the before-and-after picture. 
Teague’s background prior to the warehouse fire was quite fulfilling.  His life as a firefighter was the most defining element in his life.  This is who he as a man, at his core, beneath the violent inmate façade he is forced to take on to stay alive in prison.
As a fireman, Teague was gregarious, confident and intelligent.  He is loyal to the bone; his fellow firefighters, his wife and unborn daughter come first—even before himself.  He’s dependable and steadfast.  After working for a decade with fire, every type of emergency and tragedy, Teague has learned how to persevere under the worst circumstances—physically and emotionally.  He has developed a myriad of skills in all areas of life encompassing everything from breaking into a car to saving a life. 
Step Two:  Torture
Ah, my favorite part.  Let’s take this seemingly awesome dude, and put him to the test!  A person’s true character comes out during times of stress.
Teague loses everything.  He’s falsely convicted of murder and imprisoned for life.  He loses the daughter he lived for, the career he loved and is denied all possibility of appeal. 
This is where boys are separated from the men… or in our case, the good guys are separated from the bad.   In the face of no hope, who does this man become?  This is the key element of a hero (or heroine).
In hardship, a person’s deepest traits intensify and rise to the surface.  For Teague, that was his loyalty to his daughter and his perseverance, his willingness to do anything to get back to her.
FEVER is, essentially, a story about that very journey and all Teague is willing to sacrifice to reach that goal.
Step Three:  Strength of Character
But sacrifice alone isn’t enough, for a hero wouldn’t be very hero-like if he lost sight of all his values while pursuing his goal.
Throughout FEVER, Teague’s values are tested.  He is constantly forced to choose between what he desires and what his conscience tells him is right—with Alyssa, with his accomplices, with the police, with other members of his team and ultimately, with his daughter.  And each time an obstacle forces him to choose, his internal landscape shifts, pushing him to become the best version of himself, even when that may mean losing everything he wants.  Everything he lives for.
Step Four:  Surrender
This is the heart-melting moment for the reader, when the hero actually becomes the hero.
Surrender for a hero (in a romance) means giving up his own needs and wants in the best interest of someone he loves. 
Because FEVER is a romantic suspense with paranormal elements, Teague must surrender on several levels.  He must surrender to love:  In the romance, he must choose between his freedom and his love for Alyssa.  He must surrender to power: In the suspense, he must choose between his need for vengeance and his need to get his daughter back.  He must surrender to fate:  In the paranormal, he must choose between accepting his powers, using them for good and ignoring them, continue hurting others.
A true hero must surrender in the end because the journey has changed him.  He is no longer the man he was when the story began and he cannot go back to wanting what he did then or acting the way he did then.
Step Five:  Make them hot.
Yes, hot, as in attractive. J  But men can be attractive in a variety of different ways, not just physically.  Or they can have one or two standout physically attractive features that really do it for the heroine – which in turn, usually do it for the reader.
With Teague, I used several elements of all the above to make him hot.
Physically:  His body is ripped.  But not randomly, because it’s convenient for a romance.  He’s ripped because 1) there’s not much else to do in prison but work out and 2) being ripped keeps other inmates at a distance, which in turn keeps him safe in the prison environment.  Being ripped fits with his character….and, yes, it’s an added benefit for the romance.
Emotionally:  Traits ingrained as a firefighter come out more and more as the story goes on—he’s protective, respectful, dependable.  Traits he’s developed as a father show up now and then—he’s sensitive, gentle, thoughtful.
Temperamentally: Teague is an intriguing mix between the harsh prisoner and the strong fireman.  He’s fierce when he needs to be, but has control over his emotions.  He is patient but firm, understanding yet direct. 
Other traits that don’t fit into these categories that make Teague attractive as a hero—confidence, intelligence, paternal instincts and, hell, he can cook!
How would you build the perfect hero?

Fever

By Joan Swan
Buy links:  Amazon| Barnes & Noble | Booksamillion
Dr. Alyssa Foster will admit to a bad boy fetish…
But when she finds herself face to face with a convicted murderer with determination for freedom and an eye on her as his get out of jail free card, Alyssa knows she’s in deep trouble…. Not just because Teague Creek is a prisoner desperate for freedom, but because his every touch makes her desperate for more.
A man with a life sentence has nothing to lose…
Teague Creek has one shot at freedom, but his plan to escape with a hostage develops a fatal flaw: Alyssa. On the run from both the law and deadly undercover operatives who know of his strange abilities, he needs to avoid trouble, but every heated kiss tells him the fire between them could be just as devastating as the flames that changed him forever.

Joan Swan is a triple RWA® Golden Heart finalist and writes sexy romantic suspense with a paranormal twist.  Her debut novel with Kensington Brava, FEVER, releases February 28, 2012.  Her second novel, BLAZE, follows in October, 2012.

In her day job, she works as a sonographer for one of the top ten medical facilities in the nation and lives on the California central coast in beautiful wine country with her husband and two daughters.
My links:  Website | Blog | Twitter | Facebook | Goodreads
Giveaway: 
·         A print copy of FEVER, US/Canada shipping.
Fill out Rafflecopter form below. 

·         All comments are eligible for tour grand prize of either a COLOR NOOK or KINDLE FIRE. Enter: http://joanswan.com/giveaways/blog-tour-ereader/


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Guest blogger: Jane Isaac

Books-n-Kisses is pleased to let Jane Isaac take over the blog today….
Jane Isaac lives in rural Northamptonshire, UK with her husband, daughter and dog, Bollo. Jane studied creative writing, and later specialist fiction with the London School of Journalism.
Jane blogs about her writing experience, ‘Diary of a Newbie Novelist’ at www.newbiewriters.com. She is also co-author at the Pyjama Club.
Two of Jane’s short stories, Duplicity and Perilous Truths, will appear in Crime Anthologies released in 2012 by Rainstorm Press and Bridge House Publishing. An Unfamiliar Murder is her first novel, ‘due for release’ in 2012.
Website /Twitter / Facebook

The Music of Murder
My husband recently joked that I’ve lived with my characters for so long that they’ve become good friends. And he’s right (well, for most of them anyway). I want my readers to relate to them in this way too, so that they jump out and grab you, and when you finish the book, you miss them dearly. But to enable us to feel their journey we need to be acquainted with every aspect of them.  
Tunes like those used in a film, like the Intermezzo in Raging Bull, can provide a reference point, like a car or place that people know and relate to, that all important song that conjures images and memories in your mind. Your mind, just like theirs. You may not like the song, you may hate the film, but how many of your friends and partners have different musical tastes to you? And it still reveals a little of their personality, helping you to understand them.
Songs can be very useful in revealing something about a person’s character. Many of us have our music collated onto an iPod these days, a small tablet containing thousands of our favourite songs, tunes that we love, tunes that provide a window into our soul. Imagine a stranger picking up your iPod and listening to your ‘top 25’ playlist. What story would that tell them about you?
Music can also be very effective in creating the right atmosphere for a particular scene. In An Unfamiliar Murder, Anna is missing her boyfriend Ross when a song comes on the radio; it’s a band they were due to go and see together, a group they both loved. Listening to that song only served to increase the gravity of his loss.
Here is a list of the music mentioned in An Unfamiliar Murder:-
Snow Patrol – Eyes Open
Snow Patrol – Chasing Cars
Muse
The Intermezzo
And it led me to think. What music would I use in a film version? This is essentially the story of two women – Anna Cottrell who comes home from work to find the murdered body of a stranger in her flat and becomes suspect in a murder enquiry, fighting to show her innocence – and DCI Helen Lavery, leading her first murder investigation and forced into a race against time, as people close to Anna start to disappear. But there is also a menacing killer lurking in the background, stalking his prey. I think the classical piece would provide a wonderful backdrop for his snippets…
Jane Isaac is author of An Unfamiliar Murder – out now. You can contact Jane and read an excerpt of the book on her website at www.janeisaac.co.uk Sign up to her newsletter for updates on An Unfamiliar Murder and its sequel which should be out by the end of 2012. Alternatively, follow her on Twitter: @JaneIsaacAuthor or on Face Book: Jane Isaac Author.
Buy An Unfamiliar Murder here:
 Paperback US:

Paperback UK:

 Kindle US:
 Kindle UK:

What readers are saying:
  

“The characters are brilliantly crafted…. I can’t wait for the sequel!” 

 

“…as fast paced as it is full of twists and turns… “

 

“…compulsive reading. Brilliantly written, gripping plot.”

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Guest blogger: Rachel Brimble

Book fanatic? Me??
As a writer, I have a natural (almost unnatural!) obsession with books and my home as well as my office is overflowing with them. I am a self-confessed bibliophile and despite having over 250 books waiting to be read, I still buy more. This backlog of books are all hardback and paperbacks, by the way – it doesn’t include the 40 + I have downloaded onto my Kindle.
It is usual for me to be reading three books at any one time – a hardback, a paperback and an ebook. Makes complete sense, right? No? Let me explain. The hardback is for reading in bed, the paperback is for reading in the bath or when I am walking the dog (I kid you not) and the ebook is for when I am waiting to pick up my kids from one club or another, or waiting at the dentist/doctors etc. Simple.
Okay, so as you can see I LOVE books with a passion so it is darn near impossible for me to choose a single favorite title – so I’m going to cheat and name my all-time favorite author instead….
It has to be the fabulous Nora Roberts every time.
Now I know there maybe some moans and groans out there, but I seriously don’t know why so many people seem to have such a gripe with the fabulous Nora. She writes fantastic stories, with fantastic characters and most of all a fantastic romance. For me at least, she delivers each and every time. I am yet to be disappointed by any of her books and I’ve read a lot – and yes, I still have a lot to read too!
As for erotic romance I enjoy far too many authors to list but the romances I love to read, even though I don’t write them, is any featuring a hunky cowboy, yum! If you like a bit of erotic Western naughtiness too, I cannot recommend the Cowboy Kink series from The Wild Rose Press highly enough 😉
Rachel’s latest release is “Paying The Piper” and it’s available now from Lyrical Press. Here’s the blurb:

Nightclub manager, Grace Butler is on a mission to buy the pub where her mother’s ashes are scattered – except the vendor wants to sell to anyone but her. And the vendor happens to be her father…with a secret Grace will do anything to uncover.
Social worker and all-round good guy, Jimmy Betts needs cash to buy a house for three special kids before their care home closes. In a desperate bid for cash, he agrees to a one-time ‘job’ for bad-man Karl Butler. But in a sudden turn of events, Jimmy finds himself employed by Karl’s beautiful, funny and incredibly sexy daughter, Grace.

Their lives are so different except for one unifying thread – they are both trying to escape the binds of their tyrannical fathers. But is the key to their liberty each other?
Buy:
http://www.lyricalpress.com/store/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=3_25&products_id=424
Bio:
Rachel lives with her husband and two young daughters in a small town near Bath in the UK.  She started writing short stories about eight years ago but once her children were at school, she embarked on her first novel. It was published in 2007. Since then, she’s had several books published with The Wild Rose Press, Eternal Press and Lyrical Press. 
She recently acquired a US agent with her second Victorian historical. A member of the Romantic Novelists Association and Romance Writers of America, Rachel hopes to have a further two novels, one mainstream contemporary and one romantic suspense published in 2012 as well as two novellas.
When she isn’t writing, you’ll find Rachel with her head in a book or walking the beautiful English countryside with her family.  Her dream place to live is Bourton-on-the-Water in South West England. And in the evening? Well, a well-deserved glass of wine is never, ever refused…
Links:
http://www.rachelbrimble.com/
http://rachelbrimble.blogspot.com/
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Rachel-Brimble/181873201887441
Twitter: @rachelbrimble
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Book Feature of Moon over Alcatraz by Patricia Yager Delagrange

Following the death of their baby during a difficult birth, Brandy and Weston Chambers are grief-stricken and withdraw from each other, both seeking solace outside of their marriage; however, they vow to work through their painful disloyalty.  But when the man Brandy slept with moves back to their hometown, three lives are forever changed by his return.
Excerpt:
Three days later we were standing at the edge of a hole in the ground at Holy Sepulcher Cemetery in Hayward, the silence so thick, the insides of my ears buzzed like a distant swarm of angry bees.  Mr. Peralta and another gentleman stood off to the side while Weston and I held hands next to the tiny casket.
Weston had chosen a simple mahogany box with gold handles, a bouquet of white lilies graced the top of the small box.  I knelt down and laid a kiss on the smooth wood then wiped off the tears that had fallen on the wood.  Weston joined me and placed a single red rose in the middle of the lilies.
He helped me up and we stood side-by-side in silence, my guilt over her death like a stone in my empty belly.  I missed everything I’d dreamed would be happening right now, yearned for all that could have been.
Weston nodded at the man standing next to Mr. Peralta and our baby was slowly lowered into the gaping maw.  She reached the bottom, and a bird landed on the rich brown dirt piled next to the grave.  It pecked around, chirping a little song, then flew off – as if saying goodbye.  My heart squeezed inside my chest.
I picked up a small handful of soft dirt.  “Goodbye, Christine,” I whispered, throwing it on top of her casket.
Weston wrapped his arm around my waist and pulled me in close to his side.  Why her?  Why my baby?  Was this supposed to make sense?  And, if so, to whom?
We drove home in silence.  No words existed to express my grief.
Fascinated by broken-hearted couples and atypical families, Patricia weaves engaging tales of men and women who create cohesive families where love reigns supreme.  She sprinkles her books with intriguing characters who struggle to find balance in life after tragedy.  Whether an unwed teenager, desperate widow, abandoned father, or a couple who stray from their marital vows, her characters form relationships impacted by their desire to create a family.
Aside from writing, her favorite things to do include riding her Friesian horse, Maximus, dot-to-dot for adults, and watching Russell Crowe and Denzel Washington movies.  She spends a majority of her days writing while her two very large Chocolate Labs lounge on the couch cuddled next to her and her MacBook.
She writes a blog every Wednesday, so if you’re interested, sign up to be on the mailing list and she’ll notify you after she posts her blog on this website.  Or just drop by Wednesday mornings and leave a comment.
Website / Facebook
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Guest blogger: Lacey Wolf

Thank you so much for having me and my characters at your blog today. It’s a very lovely blog.

So I’m Lacey Wolfe and I’m going to be chatting with love birds Darcy and Steven from Wanted:Wife, my short story in the Love, Again anthology from Ruby Lioness Press.

Lacey: Hi Darcy and Steven, how are you two today?
Darcy: Wonderful, you?

Lacey: I’m great, thanks for asking. Steven?
Steven: Of course I’m doing good. I’ve got Darcy by my side.
Darcy: Awe, I love you.

Lacey: *eyes roll* We have an audience, don’t forget. Up first, Steven why in the world did you put an ad in the paper for a wife? Tell us your experience before Darcy responded.
Steven: Psychos…that’s what. And lots of them. Women told me they could ride me hard and wanted to give me 5 babies. I got tons of emails a day. Once Darcy emailed me, I deleted that account. Darcy was the only normal woman who answered.

Lacey: Normal…really? You think a normal person would answer a help-wanted for a wife?
Steven: Hey, let’s remember whose idea this was.

Lacey: Point taken.
Darcy: Your right Lacey, I’m definitely not normal. And I’m proud.

Lacey: Okay, to keep this going, did you and Julie really worship Steven in high school?
Steven: Damn right!
Darcy: Steven!
Steven: What? You’re the one who wanted to drop to your knees for me.
Darcy: You’re in the dog house tonight.

Lacey: *laughs* I think Steven is very vocal today. So, let’s not forget Steven, you had the hots for Darcy too, BUT you weren’t willing to step away from the in-crowd to talk to her.
Darcy: *sticks her tongue out at him*
Steven: *rakes hands through hair.* You’re right. *takes Darcy’s hand* But thankfully we got a second chance that I’m grateful for every day.
Darcy: Me too. *grins*

Lacey: You two are still to lovey dovey for me. Perhaps we should chat in a year. Anyway, how is Grandpa doing? Enjoying retirement?
Steven: Oh yeah, he is. And he’s at our house constantly playing with Annie.

Lacey: How is Annie?
Darcy: Amazing. She is so much fun.

Lacey: Anymore anytime soon?
Steven: I’m ready, but Darcy here says she needs to let her body heal for at least 18 months.

Lacey: Well, she might be on to something. I enjoyed sitting to chat with you both. And I’m sure your ready to get back to little Annie. So, thank-you both for being here today.
Darcy: Anytime Lacey!
Steven: Well, not anytime. We are newlyweds.
Lacey: *chuckles* You two get out of here.
To learn more about Lacey, visit her at www.laceywolfe.com
To connect with Lacey:
www.facebook.com/WolfeLacey
www.facebook.com/AuthorLaceyWolfe (fan page)
www.twitter.com/LaceyWolfe
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Guest blogger: Lacey Wolf

Some writers consider their book their babies. And I never really understood how they felt that way, until More Than Useful. Both Amber’s Muse and Fool Me Once were stories I had a pretty easy time crafting.  And of course I was thrilled to share each of them with readers. So when I sat down to write More Than Useful, I expected it to be a breeze. I was wrong. I had a very hard time with Amy and Adam, capturing just the right emotion, and how exactly a person would react to situations. There were times I could only write 500 words before I was stumped and just had to walk away for the day.
For anyone who has read the book and reads dedications, they will notice that I dedicated the book to my dog Cocoa, which probably sounds a bit wacky. Cocoa took walks with me daily, sometimes two times until I got through this story. We would just go out and I would walk until I figured out just where this story needed to go. 
More Than Useful is also the very first story of mine that I had to outline. I have always been a panster, but if I hadn’t made an outline, I never would have finished it. Once I was finished with this one, I felt relieved. And even better, when my publisher read it she loved it and let me know she could see growth in my writing. So, as I look back at the journey of making More Than Useful, I realize maybe it was so tough because I was having growing pains. I was learning to get more in tune with my characters, especially Adam. I really had to understand him in order to write him.
More Than Useful is my baby and I am sending it out in the world. I’ve bitten all my nails down now that it’s released as I hope my readers enjoy this story as much as I did writing.
If you’d like to learn more about me and my books, check would my website: www.laceywolfe.com
To connect with me: Twitter / Facebook / Facebook Fan Page
I also wanted to share that without my reader’s I wouldn’t be here. So I am having a big thank-you giveaway that runs until March 20th. To learn more details, visit my blog HERE.
More Than Useful
Can she settle for just a little fun?
Every Tuesday and Thursday morning Adam stops by Amy’s bakery for one of her delicious muffins…and a little flirting. When he finally asks her out, Amy is thrilled.
Adam informs her from the beginning that he isn’t looking for anything serious. Just a little fun. Amy agrees, even though she isn’t entirely sure that’s what she wants.
She does her best to play it cool, but Adam is sending so many mixed signals he’s confusing her, which she finds incredibly frustrating.
Adam is terrified by the feelings he’s developing for Amy. It would be so much easier if he just backed away from her. Then there’s his sister, who is insisting that Amy is not the right girl for him.
Will Adam be able to figure out what his heart desires before it’s too late and he loses his chance at true happiness?
Content Warning: explicit sex
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Guest blogger: Shadonna Richards

TOP 5 Romantic Ways to Propose
Hi, everyone!
I’m Shadonna, author of An Unexpected Bride, a romantic comedy about Emma Wiggins who is about to marry her heart-stopping, gorgeous boss, CEO Evan Fletcher in seven days. Only he doesn’t know about it yet!
Since An Unexpected Bride centers around the theme of love and companionship, I thought I’d compile a list some of the most romantic ways a guy could propose to his special girl. Check this list out (it’s in no particular order):
  1. While she’s asleep, he could slip the ring on her finger. In the morning, she would wake up to the sweet scent of roses and champagne and the surprise on her ring finger.
  2. He could create a romantic message or proposal and somehow secretly upload it to her iPod. That would bring music to her ears for sure.
  3. For beach lovers there’s nothing more romantic than having it spelled out in the sand. He could head down there before her and craft his proposal and later take a snapshot on his Smartphone for her to always remember.
  4. Hmm, as a chocolate lover I love this idea: He could order her favorite pastry and when it arrives at her table the words written in chocolate “Will you marry me (her name)?” could be written in beautiful italics. Of course he would have to arrange this beforehand with the chef.
  5. And I love this idea: He could create a blog such as www.I-love-you-(her name).blogspot.com for her and declare his love for her for the world to see and of course that special proposal will be included as the icing on the cyber cake.
Hope you enjoyed the list as much as I enjoyed compiling it. I thought I’d also leave you with a synopsis of An Unexpected Bride. Enjoy.
Desperate to fulfill her ailing grandfather’s last wish to see her settle down and get married, Emma Wiggins, a 30-year-old, career-focused executive tells him a little white lie on his deathbed that she is in fact engaged–to her boss, deliciously handsome and emotionally unavailable, Evan Fletcher.
The situation takes an unexpected turn when her grandfather’s condition improves slightly and to her shock, he goes ahead and arranges a wedding ceremony at his hospital bedside before he passes on. Now, all Emma has to do is convince unsuspecting, commitment-phobic Evan to tie the knot with her in seven days. Can love blossom in the most unlikely situation?
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Happy Release Day Laurie London!!!!!!

A box of Jackson’s…. YUM!!!!

Thanks, Kelly, for inviting me to Books-n-Kisses! It’s a very special day for me and I’m excited to share it with you. Today’s the day my third book, TEMPTED BY BLOOD, book 3 in the Sweetblood series, comes out in print (Mar 1 for digital). Well, technically, it’s my fourth book, if you count the Christmas anthology, CHRISTMAS WITH A VAMPIRE. Or wait, the fifth, if you count the e-novella, HIDDEN BY BLOOD. This last year has been a serious whirlwind for a new author like me. It was just over 12 months ago that my first book hit store shelves.

TEMPTED BY BLOOD is Jackson and Arianna’s story. If you’ve read the first two books, you’ve met Jackson before. He’s the charmer, the playboy. Having dated a hairdresser once, he likes to change the highlights in his hair as often as he changes women.

Here’s what Arianna thinks of Jackson the first time she sees him:
She snapped her head up just in time to see another man emerge from the shadows.
Ten feet away.
The overhead streetlight illuminated bronze hair that reached to his chin, the top portion held back away from his face by a small ponytail. He was big—much bigger than the other two men. At well over six feet tall, he had linebacker shoulders underneath his leather coat and a formidable presence that seemed to suck the oxygen from the air.
His gaze burned into her before he made a noise that sounded like a growl. He covered the distance between them in two commanding steps.
She wanted to pinch her eyes shut, block out the nightmare, but for some reason, she didn’t. Up this close, she noticed that his hair was streaked with green-and-blue highlights. She was vaguely disturbed that she noticed this innocuous detail about him when the thing that should be first and foremost on her mind was that he’d stepped from the shadows.

He can be crude (from Lily’s point of view in BONDED BY BLOOD):
He pulled out a triangular sandwich half from somewhere. Wearing a black Extreme Couture ball cap, a ripped gym T-shirt, and a pair of black sweatpants rolled down at the waist, he adjusted his crotch and sauntered over. Streaks of pale gold and light brown highlights mingled with his hair, which curled onto his shoulders. For a gym rat, he sure spent a lot of time on it. When he turned, a flash of color on his arm caught her attention.
“Nice ink,” Lily said.
Jackson’s muscular biceps were the size of a human male’s quads and one sported a colorful new snake design that began on his forearm, wrapped around the inside of his elbow and ended with the head strategically placed on the largest part of his guns. Hell, he was looking pretty fine. Too bad he had the attention span of a gnat when it came to anything that didn’t involve sex.
Yet, he can be very caring and protective (from EMBRACED BY BLOOD):
Despite the loud music, he imagined hearing the girl’s sobs wafting up through the hole, and it stabbed at his heart. She was a teenager, just a kid (she’s Arianna’s cousin, Krystal). No one deserved to be treated like this. This girl’s luck was about to get much worse if they didn’t act fast.
Lily’s team was in place. Was Gibby’s?
When he shifted his weight to ask Tambra, his boot dislodged a tiny smattering of dust. The breath caught in his throat as he helplessly watched it float down into the room.
Shit.
If one of the Darkbloods saw—
The girl looked up, her wide eyes searching, and her gaze locked onto his.
His stomach tightened as if he’d just been punched, a roaring sound filled his head.
Although the eyes were much different, the emotion behind them was the same, reminding him of his little sister many years ago, when she pleaded silently for him to save her too.
That was it. Enough with the waiting.
He put a finger to his lips. Shhhh. I’m coming, he mouthed.
She sucked in her lower lip and nodded slightly.
Just like Betsy, she was putting her trust in him. This time, he wouldn’t fail her.
I hope you enjoy reading Jackson and Arianna’s story as much as I enjoyed writing about them. He surprised me many times and I’ll just leave it at that. When you read it, I think you’ll know what I’m talking about. J Right, Kelly?

I love connecting with readers! Come find me online here:
www.LaurieLondonBooks.com
www.facebook.com/LaurieLondonAuthor
www.twitter.com/LaurieBLondon
www.LaurieLondon.blogspot.com
and my newest obsession, Pinterest: www.pinterest.com/LaurieLondon

Tempted by Blood
AMAZON | Kindle | B&N | Nook 
Deep within the forests of the Pacific Northwest, the battle for supremacy rages on between two Vampire coalitions: Guardian enforcers sworn to protect humanity, and Darkbloods, rogues who kill like their ancient ancestors….
He might be known for his effortless charm, but Guardian Jackson Foss is hiding a terrible secret. For months, he has battled the emergence of his dark nature—deadly urges that threaten to consume him. And those cravings only intensify when he meets Arianna Wells, the human he’s been assigned to protect.
 Smart and perceptive, Arianna doesn’t seem like a dangerous temptress. Yet she awakens in Jackson an unstoppable need that, if left unchecked, will brand him a traitor…a crime punishable by death.
 But soon their bond may be Arianna’s only hope. For stalking her in the shadows is a merciless enemy—one who will stop at nothing to claim her completely….


I’m giving away a signed copy of TEMPTED BY BLOOD to one lucky commenter in the US or Canada. Good luck! And thanks again, Kelly, for having me on today.



a Rafflecopter giveaway

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Guest blogger Jennifer Probst


The Lust Factor by Jennifer Probst
Spotlight: Catch Me – Decadent Publishing
A big thanks to Books-n-Kisses for hosting me today! I’d like to talk about the erotic romance, and some of the particular challenges of the genre.

I’ve heard many critics of various novels state the hero and heroine of the book fall into bed too quickly to be believed. Definitely a valid point. However, when writing toward the erotic genre in the shorter category, authors need to get these two characters to the bed pretty fast, or there will only be time for one short sex scene and the happily ever after.

I found this to be a particular challenge in the erotic genre in novella formats. The trick? Throw your characters into lust…but give them enough layers and connection to build toward love.
Here are some quick steps to help writers achieve the goal to satisfy readers with both emotion and hot sex.

1. Get a concept: My new novella, Catch Me, is the first in the series of Decadents 1NS. The premise revolves around the mysterious Madame Eve who owns the One Night Stand company and brings characters together for the night. It’s safe, consensual, and exciting. With that theme, the reader is already set up to expect sex in one night – it’s just up to me to spin it with enough emotion and conflict to seem real.
By setting up the terms ahead of time for the reader, expectations are already in place, which makes it a bit easier to get these two to the sack.

2. Ramp up the conflict: Why shouldn’t they want each other? Characters need to have deep seated reservations about extending their initial sexual romp…that’s what makes the journey interesting. Throw in a brutal past, a conflicting career, a revenge plot, anything to allow the reader to enjoy the initial lovemaking but plant a seed of doubt if the characters will be able to work it out. That’s a good story.

3. Keep it fresh. Why do I want to watch two of your characters have sex right away if there’s no payoff for me? Sure, I love the lust at first sight, but once you close the door to the bedroom, surprise me. Whether it be toys, dirty talk, humor, BDSM – give me something to talk about. Or not. Of course, please don’t think you can’t throw in some nice, sweet vanilla sex. But then I’m going to expect some deep POV and emotion that will knock me out.

Readers may expect lust to bring two characters together, but a writer’s job it to up the ante and make sure that initial encounter is ripe with conflict, deep emotion, and heat.
Check out my new series with the Steele Brothers and let me know if I’ve succeeded! 

Catch Me
Release: February 17, 2012 from Decadent Publishing
Rick Steele has avoided women since he caught his fiancée cheating, but when he’s talked into spending a one night stand through Madame Eve, he’s not prepared for his emotional and physical reaction to his date. For the first time, he wants more than one night..but he needs to catch her first…
Tara Denton escaped a brutal past and needs one night with a stranger to break down her sexual and emotional limitations. On the brink of recovering her strength and independence, she wants nothing to do with a relationship. But Rick Steele does more than rock her body…he rocks her heart. Tara has to make a choice, and she’s not ready to get caught…
Sex, Lies and Contracts
Release: February 1, 2012 from Red Sage Publishing
An unbreakable contract. A stunning lie. And lots of mind blowing, take-no prisoners sex…
Julianna needs to marry a man with money to save her family estate.
Jack needs to marry a woman who will love him for himself, and not for his wealth and title.
 When Jack disguises himself a gardener, and promises to show Julianna the dark world of pleasure she never experienced, he’s convinced his heart is safe. But when his cousin comes to town, disguised as the perfect husband for Julianna and intent on stealing Jack’s legacy, he ignites a chain reaction that will change them forever. Can love and truth triumph?
The Marriage Bargain 
Releasing March 1, 2012 from Entangled Publishing
Alexandria Maria McKenzie casts a love spell for a man to help save her childhood home, but she never planned on her best friend’s older brother.  He offers her a bargain: marry him for one year and he will meet her price.  A marriage in name only with certain rules: no emotion, no attachments, no sex.  The terms should be easy to follow since he is the man who broke her heart years ago.  Or are they?
Nicholas Ryan doesn’t believe in marriage or family, but he needs a wife in order to inherit DreamScape Enterprises.  He looks for a suitable candidate, but never planned on his sister’s childhood friend.  She is everything he usually avoids in a woman: too impulsive, too emotional, too demanding.  Of course, he intends to avoid any real entanglements and stick strictly to business.  Or can he?
The stakes are high, but neither bargained for love…
Jennifer Probst wrote her first book at twelve years old. She bound it in a folder, read it to her classmates, and hasn’t stopped writing since. She took a short hiatus to get married, get pregnant, buy a house, get pregnant again, pursue a master’s in English Literature, and rescue two shelter dogs. Now she is writing again.
She makes her home in Upstate New York with the whole crew. Her sons, one 4 and one 6, keep her active, stressed, joyous, and sad her house will never be truly clean.
Her first contemporary romance, Heart of Steel, was re-launched in e-book form. Her publications with Red Sage include “Masquerade” Secrets Volume 11,  The Tantric Principle, and her February 1st release, Sex, Lies and Contracts. She has also written a children’s book, Buffy and the Carrot, co-written with her twelve year old niece, along with a short story, “A Life Worth Living.” Her newest series include Catch Me, the first in The Steele Brothers series with Decadent, and The Marriage Bargain, her new Marriage to a Billionaire series with Entangled. All of her books are available at her website or Amazon.
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Guest blog with Bonnie Bliss


Werewolves and their mates
I have noticed a few things about werewolf romance stories. Each wolf has a mate, they have that one mate, and they are monogamous once they find that one mate. Anything that happened before means nothing. It has always appeared to me an unchangeable theme. And I believe that a lot of readers see it as something that is a non-negotiable. If a mate strays, it is not right! That is impossible! I had to think on this idea. I read a few werewolf horror stories where the female Alpha could be challenged, same as the male, and the strongest gets the Alpha Male. I was intrigued by this idea. Of course then my brain got moving even more. Another topic that seems prevalent with wolves, is them being in heat.
What if your mate was gone during this cycle? By instinct it is meant for the sole purpose of procreation for wolves, to mate, to breed, and to complete the circle of life. I decided that with the Lilly and her Wolves Series. I would play with this idea. After all, it is fiction, I can create whatever world I want. With the wolves in Lilly and her Pet Wolves they are not men/women that turn into wolves, they are wolves that turn into men/women. So the instinct if very primal, raw, and primitive, the animal is always at the fore. So naturally when the full moon rises and they are in heat, they need, they crave, they hurt, and that primal instinct is dominant.
In the Lilly books that time is called “The Yearning” it is painful, to force the females to breed if at all possible, mated or not. You can only ‘knot’ your mate, therefore sex with any other wolf has no chance for pregnancy. Lilly is left alone during a few cycles and allows betas of her pack to relieve her tension. I know I run the possibility of taking some negative feedback for this. How dare a mated pair stray? The answer was simple for me. The animal needed, and the animal took what she needed. At the core of wolves they are beasts. I wanted to not just create a great erotica story, I wanted to allow Lilly to prove her power by showing she wasn’t bound by human laws. Most will think she is a bit scandalous. However, I like to think I am creating a strong werewolf Alpha female.
I wrote the Lilly books under Erotica because I knew that infidelity would never fly in the romance genre, animals or not. Because not only are my two lead characters separate for a majority of the series. But they have to face one huge center conflict that they have to overcome to be together. Once they are together they will have to deal with the choices that Lilly made to not only survive, but to be a good Alpha to the pack, while her mate was away. So the real question is… Do shapes shifters always have to lock themselves down to one mate? What about a ménage happily ever after for shifters? Does it lack any romance if, once all is said and done, everyone ends up with what they truly want at the end, creating a truly loving Happily ever after?
In this installment of Lilly and her Wolves, we tell the story of when Lilly is first told that not only is she going to be kept by this handsome man she is dating, but she is a wolf. So many readers wanted to know what the beginning was with this couple. How did they get to the point they were at in Double Trouble? In When Lilly Met Bryn we see Lilly before her transformation into Alpha Female, slightly vulnerable, and not totally ready to not be independent, and give up her best friend Wallace. It is a short story, but it is full of steamy sex and sexy distractions while Bryn drops the wolf bomb on her. When Lilly Met Bryn is now available on:
Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/When-Lilly-Bryn-Wolves-ebook/dp/B0078OK5GA/ref=sr_1_8?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1329376826&sr=1-8
All Romance: http://www.allromanceebooks.com/product-whenlillymetbryn-720094-139.html
Bookstrand: http://www.bookstrand.com/when-lilly-met-bryn
Smashwords: http://www.smashwords.com/books/view/133022
1Placeforromance: http://1placeforromance.com/erotica/when-lilly-met-bryn/prod_6921.html
For additional information about the Lilly books or the other books written by Bonnie Bliss:
Website: bonnieblissauthor.com             
Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Bonnie-Bliss/211871872196018
Twitter: @bonnie_bliss
Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/5136240.Bonnie_Bliss
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Guest blog with Jezebel Jorge


Books-n-Kisses – two of my absolute favorite things! What an honor is it to stop by today to tell you a little about our Ring Dreams series and Jezebel Jorge’s new release Séances & Suplexes.
I am Odessa, the Spirit Guide of Jezebel Jorge. Whether dead or alive, I also happen to be one of the most entertaining characters in these books my human writes. Just in case you don’t know what a Spirit Guide is, I am that little voice of wisdom and sometimes mischief that whispers in Jez’s ear whenever she seeks guidance. Okay, sometimes I don’t whisper and most of the time I give her my input, regardless of if she wants it or not.
Once upon a time I walked among the living. Jez and I were actually friends in our previous existence. Given that, I’m not sure why she freaked out so bad when she found out I was oh so very real. Well, I guess it is a tab bit eerie to suddenly realize one of the characters in your novel was once a real person.
Any hoo, enough about me… Time for Séances & Suplexes.
What, you might ask, is a suplex? First of all, most people don’t pronounce the word properly. According to the late great Gordon Solie is it pronounced sou-play. Gordon had it right, everyone else gets it wrong. It’s a wrestling maneuver where one wrestler picks his opponent off the mat and uses his own body weight drops the opponent back to the mat.
Alex Kafelnikov is quite skilled with this move and according to that slut Courtney Dalton he’s got a lot of other behind the scenes skills as well. She outta know, considering she’s never been one to keep her panties in place. When it comes to Alex, I can’t say as I blame her. He’s a twenty year old, 6’3″, muscled up roid rage just waiting to happen. He got his dark hair, olive complexion, and brown eyes from his half Chinese, half white trash redneck estranged mother and his sir name and ring skills from his son of Russian immigrants father. He got his multiple tats and piercings all on his own. Despite his young age, Alex has gotten very good at getting by on his own.
I’m guessing you probably have some idea of what a séance is – when you focus your energy to communicate with those who have passed. This is often done with a Ouija, or as we prefer to call them, spirit board. Ouija boards sometimes get a bad rap as being vehicles of evil used to summon demons. This makes me laugh. A board is only as powerful as its maker. My human, excuse me, Jez, is very good with spirit boards. With me watching her back I can assure you that no one we don’t want to talk to is ever gonna come through.
Any witch worth her athame knows that one makes their own personal spirit board instead of buying a toy one in a box from WalMart. Courtney must have missed that little detail when she was perusing “Witchcraft for Dummies”. It irritates me to no end that Courtney, of all people, is able to channel my beloved. Okay, so he’s her grandpa, I get the whole blood thing, but it’s so not fair. Those DeFliehr witches have been a thorn in my side since I walked among the living. We won’t go into all the gory details here, but if you want to find out how my granddaughter Rowan got her DeFliehr genetics, you can read Headlocks & Hexes.
Séances & Suplexes is all about Courtney hooking up with her boy toy Alex. She and Alex provide the usual Witch Lit sizzle and spice and I’ll take credit for the things not so nice. I’d also like to give away a free read so please leave us a comment and I’ll pick a winner or maybe two from there.
BLURB: Courtney Dalton doesn’t believe in the L— word. Pro wrestling rookie sensation Alex Kafelnikov is just supposed to be a Boy Toy. Nothing more. Nothing less. Both of them are dealing with the deaths of their fathers. She’s also got a new gym to open, a custody battle with her ex, and a young daughter who might just be the most powerful DeFliehr witch ever.
Then there’s Billy, the father of her twin sons. For Courtney, it’s always been Billy. At least until Alex comes along and makes her believe in the possibility of happily ever after. Well, at least happy here and now.
BIO: Jezebel Jorge is a practicing witch and gifted medium. When she’s writing it usually feels like she’s merely taking dictation for the voices running amok inside her head.
She currently lives in Nashville, TN with a spoiled rotten Golden Retriever / Great Pyrenees mix named Harry Potter and a mouthy Spirit Guide – that would be Odessa – with a fondness for snakes. You can follow Odessa on Twitter @spiritguidedess and Jezebel @witchlitchick.
To find out more about Jezebel Jorge, please visit
http://www.witchlitchick.com or http://www.jezebeljorge.com.