Guest Blog & Giveaway with ML Buchman

Research for the Night Stalkers series

There are stories inside an author’s comfort zone and outside. There are stories that we could tell from the world we know. And then there are the stories we need to tell even though we don’t know the world. When that happens, when the author doesn’t have that direct knowledge, I think there are three real options open to them:

To “wave their hands.” I’ve read authors who can do this magnificently. Many of these writers land in the fantasy world. “I’m telling you a military story, but I’m setting it in an elfen realm so that I can work with the emotions, not the hard facts of reality.” These can be future set, alternate reality, or a myriad of other paths as well.
Down the middle. These authors will do sufficient research to make it sound real, but again, there is a certain amount of distraction of the reader with other events rather than going down into the details. This allows them to come at the story and worry less about the details of the world.
I always choose the third path, maximum realism. I do everything I can to make the background information as real and accurate as possible. In Take Over at Midnight there is a scene where they crash land on an oil rig. I spent days studying the different models located in the Gulf of Mexico, how their helipads were positioned, how high were they out of the water while actually working a site, and so on.

Setting out to write a story in this third style has more challenges than finding out the information; the Internet has solved many of those issues. Reading many books and doing the occasional personal interview plugs the holes. Granted, there is the challenge for a writer to not get lost in the research and forget that their job is actually to do the writing. I admit, I have occasionally looked up and realized I’ve lost a day or more, but that doesn’t happen very often, for it is the storytelling I love and not the research.

The real challenge of research for me? Figuring out when not to use it. I have ten times the detail that I put in the books. I’ve read Black Hawk service manuals that have allowed me to add a dozen paragraphs over four novels. I have also read a single article and watched two three-minute videos in order to install the pivotal ADAS camera technology in my earlier book, Wait Until Dark, the third Night Stalkers novel that alters the very course of the love story.

So, perhaps the oddest bit of research I do is studying just how much research I can do without and still make the story feel real.

TAKE OVER AT MIDNIGHT

by ML BUCHMAN

Name: Lola LaRue

Rank: Chief Warrant Officer 3

Mission: Copilot deadly choppers on the world’s most dangerous missions

Name: Tim Maloney

Rank: Sergeant

Mission: Man the guns and charm the ladies

The Past Doesn’t Matter, When Their Future is Doomed…

Nothing sticks to “Crazy” Tim Maloney, until he falls hard for a tall Creole beauty with a haunted past and a penchant for reckless flying. Lola LaRue never thought she’d be susceptible to a man’s desire, but even with Tim igniting her deepest passions, it may be too late now…With the nation under an imminent threat of biological warfare, Tim and Lola are the only ones who can stop the madness–and to do that, they’re going to have to trust each other way beyond their limits…

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

M. L. Buchman has worked in fast food, law, opera, computers, publishing, and light manufacturing. It’s amazing what you can do with a degree in geophysics. His Night Stalker Series have garnered starred reviews, top picks and have even been named an NPR Best Romance of 2012 (I Own the Dawn). He lives in Lincoln City, OR, with a loving lady and the coolest kid on the planet. For more information, please visit http://www.mlbuchman.com/.

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December 18, 2013December 17, 2013

Guest Blogger: Ann Mayburn

Top Ten Things to Look for in a Dom

Let me start off by saying that I truly, deeply admire you for stepping outside of your comfort zone and exploring your needs and sexuality. Kudos to you for having the strength to take that first step. 🙂 I talk with readers everyday who dream of finding a Dom like the ones I write about- you know, hot, hung, and sexual psychics like Ivan from ‘Ivan’s Captive Submissive’. That man could sell a ketchup Popsicle to a woman wearing white loves. Anyways, they potential submissives have these wonderful romantic fantasies about finding him and everything clicking into place, the planets going into alignment, and rainbows and firecrackers shooting from their ass in glee. Sadly, this isn’t always what happens. Outside the pages of a book everyone, even Doms, are human and have human eccentricities and failings that make us wonderful…and not so wonderful.

Before you start chatting with a stranger on Fetlife or attend your first local BDSM meet and greet it’s good to keep a few things in mind about your potential partner before you hand them the key to your heart.

Things to Look For

1) These apply to any potential suitor you meet, but they are so important that I have to include them here. You want a man with a job, a home, and a car. Shallow? Not really. If he can’t provide for himself he probably can’t provide for you either.

2) He is patient. Things won’t always go well inside and outside of the dungeon and you don’t want a man who loses his shit while your bound up and unable to defend yourself.

3) Maturity. This kinda ties in with number two. Mature men are just that, men, not little boys still trying to find their way in the world. This is not to say that every man that is fifty is going to be mature and every man who is twenty will be immature, but you want a Dom who has either had a bit of experience or is willing to learn along with you from an experienced Dom. There are tons of BDSM groups out there that will help you and your partner learn the ropes…get it…learn the ropes…-snork-

4) He loves you AND your life. A good Dom will never, ever, try to isolate you from the ones you love. While he may not adore your family the way you do, he will never try to remove them from your life and prevent contact. If he ever says ‘If you loved me you wouldn’t talk to xxx anymore’ run for the hills.

5) He is aware of the human body and its limitations. While most of us would love to be as limber as a Russian ballerina, we just aren’t. Your Dom should know about the dangers of restraints and how much damage can be done by tying or restraining you in certain positions for any amount of time.

6) He wants you inside and outside of the dungeon. Unless being a fuck toy is what you’re looking for make sure you see each other in the real world. Can you have dinner with him and not just sit and stare at your plate because your vegetables are more interesting to have a conversation with than he is? It’s easy to get caught up in the rush of a new relationship, but you can only have sex for so long before you have to talk.

7) He will never make you do things you don’t want to do. Ok, I’m not talking about pushing your limits or sticking his pinky in your butt when you said you didn’t think you liked anal sex. I’m talking about making you do things against your will that you don’t want to do. It is ok if sometimes you just don’t want to have sex or play in the dungeon. While in romance books the hero would pull some magical sexual elixir out of his ass and change your mind, in the real world you get sick, you get tired, and sometimes you just want to cuddle and be held. If he forces you to have sex and you say no and safeword out, that is rape.

8) He’ll be ok about taking things slow and getting to know each other before strapping you to the St. Andrew’s Cross. Just because you don’t drop to your knees and blow him at your first opportunity doesn’t make you a bad sub, it makes him an asshole. He should be interested in you, not just what you can do for him as a fuck toy. Even if you just want to be his fuck toy, make sure he sees you as a human being. One of the main personality traits in serial killers is that they don’t view people as people, but as objects. Don’t let anyone make you an object.

9) He has a sense of humor. Seriously, this is important. So much of life is filled with ‘you’re either going to laugh or cry’ moments and you want a man with you that is going to make you laugh. Fifty years down the road when gravity has taken that fine ass south a bit you’ll be glad you have a Dom who can still make you giggle.

10) Educated. I’m not saying that he has to hold a Masters degree, but you want a man who you can hold a conversation with. Intelligence is sexy and in BDSM essential. You want a Dom who is smart enough to push you when you need to be pushed, wise enough to back off and cuddle you when you need a cuddle, and intelligent enough to not bore you to tears when he isn’t fucking you. 😉

I hope this list has helped you a bit in your efforts to find a Dom. At the end of the day it’s just you and the man on the other side of the whip so make sure it is someone worthy of your submission. You are special, beautiful, and something to be cherished. You deserve a man who treats you as such. Now, let’s take a look at what the beauty of your submission means to a man who truly values his submissive.

Ivan’s Captive Submissive

Novel Length

Heat Level: Erotic w/ heavy BDSM elements

Contemporary BDSM Romance

Coming November 19th, 2013 from Fated Desires Publishing

When Gia Lopez signs up for the Submissive’s Wish Charity Auction she has no idea that she’s about to be bought by a Russian Dom who will do anything to make her fantasies come true. Including staging an elaborate kidnapping that Gia believes is real. Ivan is instantly drawn to Gia and he wants to be the best Master she’s ever had. As he spends time with Gia he begins to have intense feelings for the strong, independent, and sexy American woman. He’s only won a week of her service but wishes to keep her forever.

Unaware of Ivan’s true feelings, Gia fights her growing emotional attachment to him. All she wants is to settle down with a nice Dom in the United States, continue her career, and live a normal life. However, Ivan sets a plan into motion that will push Gia to all of her limits and take her on a global journey of self-discovery, extreme pleasure, and love.

Warning: Contains Erotic Spanking, Subspace, f/f situations, a devastatingly sexy Dom who knows what he wants, and a submissive who just might be ready to give him what he needs.

EXCERPT from ‘Ivan’s Captive Submissive’

Making a low, hungry growl, Ivan came onto the bed and grabbed her ankle, hauling her towards him as if she weighed no more than the pillows surrounding her. Without preamble, he shoved her legs open, his broad shoulders stretching her wide. The soft, warm brush of his lips against her inner thigh had her moaning softly and she abandoned herself to his touch, letting him do whatever he wanted to her. It wasn’t like she had much of a choice…or that’s what she told herself when guilt at her lack of resistance tried to intrude on the moment. She ground her pussy against his mouth and he nipped her labia hard enough to hurt.

He smiled at her pained moan and looked up at her. “You have such a beautiful cunt. My cunt.”

He nuzzled the mound of her pubic bone, rubbing the stubble of his chin against her in an altogether pleasurable manner. Her ass burned and she shifted, trying to get more comfortable. Making a displeased sound he slapped her thigh.

“Be still.”

She froze. Then, unable to help herself, she arched as his mouth sealed on her swollen sex. He could hold her pussy in his mouth all at once, and his touch felt sinfully good. He didn’t tease or nibble, instead, he ate her with an aggression that curled her toes. He began to suckle that tender bundle of nerves, driving her crazy. She moaned and thrashed beneath his onslaught, unable to control her own body. His licks gentled, becoming soothing strokes that only served to drive her higher.

“Master, please, you feel so good. May I come?”

He didn’t lift his mouth from her sex, only shook his head. She groaned in frustration and curled her legs around his shoulders, drawing him closer. Setting her heels against his back, she began to rock her pelvis against his greedy mouth, moaning with abandon as he began to press his thick tongue into her sheath. Her pussy clamped down on him, and when he pulled away, she moaned in distress.

Sitting back on the bed, he began to unbuckle his pants, then paused and looked at her where she was writhing against the comforter, her legs scissoring in an effort to alleviate the muscle-clenching need he’d unleashed in her. Damn, give the man five minutes eating her pussy, and she was ready to do anything and everything he wanted. Feeling wanton, she crawled across the bed towards him and sat back on her heels with her thighs spread, giving him an unimpeded view of her wet sex.

“How may I serve you, Master?”

He smiled, a slight dimple deepening next to his mouth that she hadn’t seen before. “I want you to ride me, dorogaya.”

Sliding out of his pants, he turned his hip so she couldn’t get a good view of his cock.

Bastard.

“Close your eyes and do not open them until you are about to come.”

Confused, she did as he asked, feeling very vulnerable without her sight to aid her. A moment later the bed shifted, and with a gentle touch, he pulled her along with him until the crisp hair of his thighs tickled against her. His warm scent enveloped her and she yearned to feel his body pinning hers to the bed.

“Lift your leg.”

She did as he commanded and he grasped her hips, moving her onto his lap as easily as a doll. A moment later, she heard the foil of a condom wrapper tear. When he pulled her closer the hard, very thick length of him rubbed against her slit and belly.

Dear God, the man was hung like a bull, too.

“Grasp my cock and put it inside of you, slowly. You have no choice. I am your Master and you will obey me.”

She groaned and reached between them, her senses heightened by her lack of sight. The smooth, spongy tip of his dick sheathed in latex met her questing fingertips and he tensed beneath her, already hard muscle turning to steel. She’d love to look at him right now, to see his expression and know if she was pleasing him. As messed up as it was, she wanted to make him feel good.

Lifting herself slightly, she rubbed the thick head of his erection back and forth through her slit, lubricating him and driving both of them crazy. He had much better patience than she did, because not once did he try to shove into her or jerk her down on him. Instead, he let her play and tease until she was panting.

Unfulfilled need made her aggressive, wanting him in deep right now. She placed the head of his cock against her sheath and prepared to slam herself down on him. He was thick, very thick, and it would hurt, but, fuck, she needed him to fill her. To give her an anchor to hold onto as she floated in the dark depths of her mind.

Before she could sheathe him, he gripped her hips and held her immobile, poised over his body.

Holy shit, he was strong.

Ever so slowly he lowered her until the fat mushroom cap of the head of his cock rubbed just inside of her entrance. The sensation almost had her eyes rolling back her head and she gasped. With a pleased rumble he lowered her a little more, now almost halfway inside of her. Then he pulled almost all the way back out and she groaned in frustration.

“Beg for it, my beautiful girl.”

“Oh God, Master, please fuck me. Please fill me up with your cock, ease the ache that you’ve left in my body. I want to come with you inside of me, I want to feel you all over me, surrounding me. I’ve been good, please.” She squeezed down her vaginal muscles, saying a thank you to kegel exercises, and delighted in his growl. “I want to milk that big dick of yours while you come inside of me.”

She braced her hands on his chest and he removed his hands from her hips. “You please me very much, my Gia. Show me the beauty of your willing submission.”

About the Author

Ann is Queen of the Castle to her wonderful husband and three sons in the mountains of West Virginia. In her past lives she’s been an Import Broker, a Communications Specialist, a US Navy Civilian Contractor, a Bartender/Waitress, and an actor at the Michigan Renaissance Festival. She also spent a summer touring with the Grateful Dead-though she will deny to her children that it ever happened.

From a young age she’s been fascinated by myths and fairytales, and the romance that often was the center of the story. As Ann grew older and her hormones kicked in, she discovered trashy romance novels. Great at first, but she soon grew tired of the endless stories with a big wonderful emotional buildup to really short and crappy sex. Never a big fan of purple prose, throbbing spears of fleshy pleasure and wet honey pots make her giggle, she sought out books that gave the sex scenes in the story just as much detail and plot as everything else-without using cringe worthy euphemisms. This led her to the wonderful world of Erotic Romance, and she’s never looked back.

Now Ann spends her days trying to tune out cartoons playing in the background to get into her ‘sexy space’ and has learned to type one handed while soothing a cranky baby.

Website http://www.annmayburn.com/

Facebook https://www.facebook.com/ann.mayburn.5

Twitter https://twitter.com/AnnMayburn

Ann Mayburn Ivan’s Captive Submissive Blog Tour

12/2/2013 The Smutty Kitty

12/6/2013 Babbling About Books

12/10/2013 Literary Nymphs

12/12/2013 Dawn’s Reading Nook

12/18/2013Books and Kisses

12/23/2013 We Love Kink

12/30/2013 Dreamz of Dragons

1/6/2014 Close Encounters of the Night Kind

1/9/2014 Mama Kitty

December 4, 2013December 3, 2013

Blog Tour: The Bitches of Brooklyn by Rosemary Harris

Today I have the wonderful Rosemary Harris talking about her new book, The Bitches of Brooklyn. This book is inspired by a classic Hollywood film, The Bitches of Brooklyn is for fans of Sophie Kinsella, Susan Isaacs and every woman who’s ever had a best friend and wondered…is she really??

The B Word

by Rosemary Harris

My new book, The Bitches of Brooklyn didn’t start out with that title. In its first incarnation it was a mystery entitled, The Fifth Woman. I loved that title. It was mysterious, intriguing.

And then I walked through an airport and saw Hennel Mankell’s book, The Fifth Woman. And then The Sixth Man came out. The Fourth Witness. Suddenly everything sounded too much like my title.

On top of that, my agent said she liked the book but thought I should consider taking the murder out. (Hunh?) It was really about friendships, she said. Marriages. And it was funny. She annointed me the next Susan Isaacs ( from her lips to you-know-who’s ears.) But the title would have to change.

At one point it was The Bitches of Bushwick (a neighborhood in Brooklyn and a nice riff on The Witches of Eastwick.) The location may have changed but they’ve always been bitches.

Back in the day, it was an epithet. Joan Crawford’s character doesn’t even utter it at the end of The Women. “There’s a name for you, ladies but it isn’t used in society – outside of a kennel!”

Nowadays, it is. Skinny Bitch. Stitch ‘n’ Bitch. Don’t trust the B*tch in 2B. Elton John sang that The Bitch is Back and The Stones thought love was a bitch. Miles Davis made a brew out of it. We’ve got Bitch Magazine, The Book Bitch, Smart Bitches, Trashy Books. In many circles, including the one in my book, it’s a term of endearment.

And for goodness sake, we regularly kill, maim and otherwise abuse characters in our books. One would not think a simple one syllable word would be cause for censorship. (Facebook refused to run my ad. It kept popping up as The Of Brooklyn.)

I haven’t crossed the rubicon yet in terms of using the F word in my books (and may never) but I have embraced my inner – and some would say outer – Bitch. But to paraphrase Margaret Cho – “any time anyone has ever called me a bitch, I’ve taken it as a compliment.”

Are they really bitches? That depends who you ask…Rachel, Clare, Tina and Jane are four friends awaiting the arrival of a fifth at a secluded Cape Cod bungalow where they spend an all-girls weekend every summer. But this time the fifth woman doesn’t show. Instead she sends a note that reads – “I’ve run off with one of your men.”

Has she? Is it a prank? Do they run for the phone or try to enjoy the weekend without her?

Amazon/B&N/Goodreads

About the Author:

Rosemary Harris is a native Brooklynite, like some of the characters in The Bitches of Brooklyn. A former bookstore manager and television executive, she’s the author of the Dirty Business mystery series featuring amateur sleuth Paula Holliday. Her debut novel, the Agatha and Anthony-nominated, Pushing Up Daisies (Minotaur), was followed by The Big Dirt Nap, Dead Head and Slugfest. The Bitches of Brooklyn is the first in a new series. Rosemary is past president of Mystery Writers of America’s NY Chapter and Sisters in Crime’s New England Chapter.

She lives in New York City and Fairfield County, CT.

She blogs with seven other mystery writers at www.jungleredwriters.com.

Visit Rosemary at www.rosemaryharris.com

Like her on facebook at www.facebook.com/RosemaryHarriswriter

Jennifer’s Review of The Bitches of Brooklyn

Review (4 Stars): This was an enjoyable novel about a group of women that travel to Cape Cod for a girl’s weekend but soon receive a message from another woman in their group saying that she has run off with one of their men. As the women try to enjoy the rest of their weekend, while trying to determine who has run off with Abby, they each look back on their lives and the reasons why it could be their husband or boyfriend.

This was a delightfully charming book about four lifelong friends who have stood by each other through everything and I loved the humor that was laced throughout this book. Each of these characters were fun and entertaining and I loved how they truly cared about one another. The Bitches of Brooklyn was a great read and will have you wishing that you had good friends like these.

December 2, 2013November 23, 2013

Guest Blogger: Dani Collins

Romance N Other Stuff

One of the hardest things for any author, I think, is writing within genre. Which probably sounds odd because a romance writer would naturally write a romance, right? But I write Harlequin Presents and they are short, fast-paced stories focused firmly on the Hero and Heroine. Which put me in a real bind when I began writing More Than A Convenient Marriage?

You see, the book opens when Adara, the heroine, arrives in Greece to find her brother, Nic. (I should interject here that if you live in North America, congratulations! You get a 2in1 with this release and the second story, No Longer Forbidden?, is Nic’s.)

Nic and Adara had very different childhoods, but they were both awful. Nic was rejected because his father found out he was the result of an affair. He was sent away to boarding school never to be heard from again. Adara, meanwhile, remained with their two younger brothers, her resentful, abusive father and their cheating, alcoholic mom. We won’t call it a home.

Adara survived, arranged her own marriage to a man she thought her father would accept, (Gideon is actually her perfect match, they just don’t realize it right away) and waited until her father died to look for the older brother she had never forgotten.

Nic was convinced he had been forgotten. He thought there was a terrible flaw in him that even he hadn’t identified. He grew into an isolated man who eventually formed a distant relationship with his biological father, but it was complicated by the man’s step-daughter, Rowan. She helps him locate his heart—oh, is that where I left it?—and they are building a very nice family when he gets word a strange woman is asking for him at his mansion in Greece.

Gideon, Adara’s husband, didn’t even know she had an older brother. Their marriage was a very convenient, even passionate union until they both thought the other was stepping out. He follows her to Greece convinced she’s meeting a romantic interest. Learning she kept such a huge secret from him is the beginning of a lot of bombshells that wind up clearing their path to love.

I won’t get into the heartbreaks that Gideon and Rowan had to carry. All four characters deserve to find love, but in the middle of that, Adara finds Nic. Her brother. That’s a big deal, right?

And I couldn’t put it on the page.

Not as much as I’d like, anyway. I snuck in quite a bit, all things considered. I didn’t outright cheat the reader of this important moment, but I know that Presents readers are looking for the highs and lows of falling in love. A sibling reconciliation is a different type of book altogether and that’s what I mean by it being hard to stay in genre.

In some ways it’s very freeing to simply allude to the intense emotions of such a moment. Writing those things out can be very cathartic, but also very draining. On the other hand, there’s a wistfulness on the writer’s part. You spend all that time setting up the background of the characters, you want the payoff, but it doesn’t belong. Kill that darling.

I’m actually writing the two younger brothers’ stories as well. The third has been accepted (An Heir To Bind Them, Jun 2013) and I have yet to start the fourth. I want a final bow on this broken family, but I already know it will be hard. Hard to let go, but hard to not write.

What are your thoughts? Do you find it adds depth if the main characters have complex relationships with secondary ones or is it a distraction for you? What are some of your favorite examples? Have you ever felt cheated by an author who glossed over something you thought was important?

*****

More Than A Convenient Marriage?

Amazon: US|Canada|UK

It started with a signature…

Rich, powerful and with a beautiful wife to boot, it seems like Greek shipping magnate Gideon Vozaras has it all. But little does the world know his perfect life is all a façade…

After years of disguising her pain behind a flawless smile, untouchable heiress Adara Vozaras has reached breaking point. Her marriage, once held together by an undeniable passion, has become nothing more than a convenience.

But Gideon can’t afford the public scrutiny that a divorce would bring and if there’s one thing his harsh past has taught him, it’s how to fight dirty to keep what’s his…

EXCERPT:

Gideon Vozaras used all his discipline to keep his foot light on the accelerator as he followed the rented car, forcing himself to maintain an unhurried pace along the narrow island road while he gripped the wheel in white-knuckled fists. When the other car parked outside the palatial gate of an estate, he pulled his own rental onto the shoulder a discreet distance back then stayed in his vehicle to see if the other driver noticed. As he cut the engine, the AC stopped. Heat enveloped him.

Welcome to Hell.

He hated Greece at the best of times and today was predicted to be one of the hottest on record. The air shimmered under the relentless sun and it wasn’t even ten o’clock yet. But the weather was barely worth noticing.

The gates of the estate were open. The other car could have driven straight through and up to the house, but stayed parked outside. He watched the female driver emerge and take a moment to consider the unguarded entrance. Her shoulders gave a lift and drop as though she screwed up her courage before she took action and walked in.

As she disappeared between imposing brick posts, Gideon left his own car and followed at a measured pace, gut knotting with every step. Outraged stung his veins.

He wanted to believe that wasn’t his wife, but there was no mistaking Adara Vozaras. Not for him. Maybe her tourist clothes of flip-flops, jeans chopped above the knees, a sleeveless top, and a pair of pigtails didn’t fit her usual professional élan, but he knew that backside. The tug it caused in his blood was indisputable. No other woman made an immediate sexual fire crackle awake in him like this. His relentless hunger for Adara had always been his cross to bear and today it was particularly unwelcome.

Spending the week with her mother. This ain’t Chatham, sweetheart.

He paused as he came alongside her car, glancing inside to see a map of the island on the passenger seat. A logo in its corner matched the hotel he’d been told she was booked into. And now she was advising her lover where to meet her? Walking bold as you please up his million-dollar drive to his billion-dollar house? The only clue to the estate’s ownership, the shields welded to the gate, were turned back against the brick wall that fenced the estate from the road.

Gideon’s entire body twitched with an urge to slip his reins of control. He was not a poor man. He’d got past envying other men their wealth once he’d acquired a level of his own.

Nevertheless, a niggle of his dock-rat inferiority complex wormed to life as he took in what he could see of the shoreline property that rolled into a vineyard and orange grove. The towering stone house, three stories with turrets on each corner, belonged on an English estate, not a Greek island. It was twenty bedrooms minimum. If this was the owner’s weekend retreat, he was an obscenely rich man.

Not that Adara needed a rich man. She had grown up wanting for nothing. She had a fortune in her own right plus half of Gideon’s so what was the attraction here?

Sex.

The insidious whisper formed a knot of betrayal behind his breastbone. Was this why she hadn’t shared that stacked body of hers with him for weeks? His hands curled into fists as he tried to swallow back his gall.

Dreading what he might see as he looked to the front door, he shifted for a full view. Adara had paused halfway to the house to speak with a gardener. A truck overflowing with landscaping tools was parked midway up the drive and workers were crawling like bees over the blooming gardens.

The sun seared the back of Gideon’s neck, strong enough to burn through his shirt to his shoulders, making sweat pool between his shoulder blades and tickle annoyingly down his spine.

They had arrived early this morning, Adara off the ferry, Gideon following in a power boat he was ‘test-piloting.’ She’d been driving a car she’d rented in Athens. His rental had been negotiated at the marina, but the island was small. It hadn’t surprised him when she’d driven right past the nose of his car as he had turned onto the main road.

No, the surprise had been the call thirty-six hours previously when their travel agent had dialed his mobile by mistake. Ever the survivor, Gideon had thought quickly. He’d mentioned that he’d like to surprise his wife by joining her and within seconds, Gideon had had all the details of Adara’s clandestine trip.

Well, not all. He didn’t know whom she was here to see or how she’d met her mystery man. Why was she doing this when he gave her everything she asked for?

He watched Adara’s slender neck bow in disappointment. Ha. The bastard wasn’t home. Grimly satisfied, Gideon folded his arms and waited for his wife.

A little about Dani:

Dani Collins spent twenty-five years dreaming of writing full time and finally made her first sale to Harlequin Mills & Boon in May of 2012. She’s still dreaming of making Romance Author her day job, but for now she writes around work, family, and enough exercise to keep her out of traction. For more information about Dani, you can visit her website at www.danicollins.com, listen to her interview with Nice Girls Reading Naughty Books, or watch her interview on GFTV.

Learn more about Dani here: Website | Facebook | Twitter | Goodreads

November 22, 2013November 11, 2013

Carrie Ann Ryan is interviewing Leslie from her new novella His Choice

Hi! Thank you all for coming to hear a little bit about my novella HIS CHOICE. I’m sitting down with Leslie, my heroine who not only is in this novella, but is also in AN UNLUCKY MOON.

Carrie Ann: Hi Leslie! Thank you for sitting with me.

Leslie: Thank you for having me.

Carrie Ann: So tell me about Fawkes. He’s a cutie, isn’t he?

Leslie: *blushes* Oh totally. He might be younger than me, but since we live for hundreds of years, it really doesn’t matter. We’ve been through so much on our own that it only makes sense that when we came together we found our way.

Carrie Ann: What was your first impression of him?

Leslie: That he looked lost.

Carrie Ann: Knowing what we know now, that totally makes sense. I’m glad you found him.

Leslie: I’m glad he found me.

Carrie Ann: What’s your favorite part about him?

Leslie: His laugh. He’s sense of humor rocks.

Carrie Ann: What’s your favorite flavor of ice cream?

Leslie: Rocky Road. It fits. You know? Plus I dig the marshmallows.

From five bestselling authors comes five brand new novellas sure to heat up the night.

From Carrie Ann Ryan‘s Dante’s Circle series, a demon from the fiery depths of hell must make his choice to follow in the footsteps of his father or love the submissive wolf who lays claim to his heart in His Choice.

From Marie Harte‘s Beasts of Burden, Eira, a fierce valkyrie, has spent fifty years trying to get a rise out of her goddess’s guardians. But when the battle-cat shifters give her what she wants, can she handle the heat—and the danger—that comes from loving them?

From Rebecca Royce‘s brand new series, the Alphas of each werewolf Pack are on the brink of war. Travis Michaels will use all in his power to keep innocent Lilliana out of danger and into his arms…away from rival Alpha Cyrus Fennell.

From Lia Davis’s Ashwood Falls series, buried pain, old lies, and dangerous secrets aren’t enough to keep the sparks from flying as Sarah Mathews and rebel leader, Damian Palmer, try to survive a new threat against their race.

From Leia Shaw’s Shadows of Destiny series, a war is brewing in the supernatural world. Rebel shifter Dalton’s only passion is protecting the colony, and flirtatious misfit, Eden, is a distraction he can’t afford. But as danger approaches, he learns that underestimating the sexy little wolf is a big mistake.

A little about Carrie Ann Ryan:

USA Today Bestselling Author Carrie Ann Ryan never thought she’d be a writer. Not really. No, she loved math and science and even went on to graduate school in chemistry. Yes, she read as a kid and devoured teen fiction and Harry Potter, but it wasn’t until someone handed her a romance book in her late teens that she realized that there was something out there just for her. When another author suggested she use the voices in her head for good and not evil, The Redwood Pack and all her other stories were born.

Carrie Ann is a bestselling author of over twenty novels and novellas and has so much more on her mind (and on her spreadsheets *grins*) that she isn’t planning on giving up her dream anytime soon.

Carrie Ann loves hearing from readers. You can find her at: Website | Facebook | Goodreads | Twitter: @CarrieAnnRyan

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November 21, 2013November 21, 2013

Guest Blog with Kristina McMorris

Since today is bestselling author Kristina McMorris’ birthday, she’s here to tell us 10 things birthday celebrations and books have in common:

1. Both are better enjoyed with a glass of wine. Sometimes several.

2. On occasion, when reflecting years later, you remember them being much better than they actually were.

3. Both were made to be shared with loved ones.

4. After a certain number, most of them become a blur.

5. They don’t always end with a happily ever after. (Particularly when tequila is involved.)

6. When it’s the best one ever, you want to tell everyone about it. When it’s the worst one ever, you also find yourself telling everyone about it.

7. Some pass with quiet pleasantness. Some are light and fun. Others offer nonstop, edge-of-your-seat excitement. All of these can be equally wonderful.

8. The good ones end too quickly, the bad ones always last WAY too long.

9. Both can lead you on a journey that keeps you up until the wee hours of morning.

10. Finishing a great one often leaves you with a bittersweet feeling of parting with good friends.

Here is a look at the video for Kristina’s book

www.tinyurl.com/TPWK1

The Pieces We Keep

AUTHOR: Kristina McMorris

PUBLICATION DATE: November 26, 2013
Amazon | B&N

In this richly emotional novel, acclaimed author Kristina McMorris evokes the depth of a mother’s bond with her child, and the power of personal histories to echo through generations.
Two years have done little to ease veterinarian Audra Hughes’s grief over her husband’s untimely death. Eager for a fresh start, Audra plans to leave Portland for a new job in Philadelphia. Her seven-year-old son, Jack, seems apprehensive about flying—but it’s just the beginning of an anxiety that grows to consume him.
As Jack’s fears continue to surface in recurring and violent nightmares, Audra hardly recognizes the introverted boy he has become. Desperate, she traces snippets of information unearthed in Jack’s dreams, leading her to Sean Malloy, a struggling US Army veteran wounded in Afghanistan. Together they unravel a mystery dating back to World War II, and uncover old family secrets that still have the strength to wound—and perhaps, at last, to heal.

A little about Kristina:
Kristina McMorris lives in the Pacific Northwest with her husband and two sons. Her foray into fiction began in the fall of 2006 as a result of interviewing her grandmother for the biographical section of a self-published cookbook intended as a holiday gift for the family. Inspired by her grandparents’ wartime courtship, Kristina penned her first novel, a WWII love story titled Letters from Home.

Praised by Woman’s Day and hailed by Publishers Weekly as “a sweeping debut,” Letters from Home was released in spring 2011 by Kensington Books and Avon/HarperCollins UK. Rights have been sold to numerous foreign publishers, Readers Digest, Doubleday, the Literary Guild, and more. Kristina’s second novel, Bridge of Scarlet Leaves, was published in spring 2012 to equally high critical acclaim. Most recently, her novella, “The Christmas Collector,” appeared in the New York Times and USA Today bestselling anthology A Winter Wonderland. Her forthcoming novel,

The Pieces We Keep, will be released December 2013, and her novelette, “The Reunion,” will be featured in the anthology titled Grand Central (Berkley/Penguin, July 2014).
Prior to her career as an author, Kristina acted in many independent films and major motion pictures and owned a professional wedding/event planning company. She began hosting an Emmy®

Award-winning television show at age nine and later served as the six-year host of the WB’s weekly program Weddings Portland Style. Her previous writing background includes being a contributing writer for Portland Bride & Groom magazine and ten years of directing public relations for an international conglomerate. A recipient of more than twenty national literary awards and a nominee for the prestigious RITA® Award, McMorris is currently working on her next novel.

Want to learn more about Kristina? You can find her here:

Website | Facebook | Twitter | GoodReads

November 15, 2013November 14, 2013

Deathbed & Breakfast Blog Tour and Review

I am delighted to have Bart Gilbertson here today to talk about his new mystery, Deathbed & Breakfast. This one takes place in Oregon and is a very fun read.

SSR – Sustained Silent Reading

When I was in the 4th Grade, our teacher, Mrs. Parks, would read to the entire class from a book for about 30 minutes or so every day after our lunch break. Some of us would put our heads down on the desk, others would just lean back in their chairs, and still others would get out a piece of paper and draw doodles while she would read to us. We learned how to eat a fried worm, solve mysteries (thanks to Encyclopedia Brown), and how to herd cattle and horses according to a ranch boy called “Little Britches.” It was in this way that I really found a love for books. I especially loved it when she read “Where The Red Fern Grows” by Wilson Rawls. That was the one book that lit a fire inside of me and made me want to become a writer myself someday.

Towards the end of that school year, my parents relocated us to a neighboring town about 11 miles away and I had to finish 4th Grade with a new teacher, Mrs. Beasley. What I really liked about Mrs. Beasley’s class, was that she had rotating book shelves filled with paperback books about all sorts of things. It was in this class that two new traditions started for me.

The first tradition took place every Monday, Wednesday and Friday. It was something we did for about 45 minutes every afternoon that Mrs. Beasley called “SSR.” It stood for “Sustained Silent Reading.” All of us kids would go over and pick out a book off the rotating racks, or get out something we’d brought from home. Then, we’d just read to ourselves…silently. I know most of the kids really looked forward to these days. I was one of them. I loved SSR time. So much so, that I still have SSR time. It isn’t quite as often as it used to be with the added responsibilities of adulthood, but it is still important.

The second tradition was that, everywhere I went, I carried a book with me. I don’t mean required reading or school text books. Some sort of fiction. In between the lectures and school work, I could always be found reading a book. This is something that has also followed me down through the years. I knew early on in life, that I wanted my own books out there for others to carry with them and read when they could.

I believe we all need some SSR time. Television, movies, music, even video games…they all have a place in our lives. So does reading – sustained silent reading. With no music playing, no television going off in the background; just you, your book, and your imagination.

It thrilled me to watch my daughter as she grew up and see how much she loved to read books as well. Her bookshelves are full of books, and she’s read them all. She was happier receiving a book as a gift than a movie or a video game. There is nothing quite like the twinkle in a young person’s eyes as they delve into a captivating story on the high seas, or a mystery.

My book, “Deathbed & Breakfast,” tries to capture that same magical feeling of a good mystery. A fun and humorous read, it will keep you guessing as you move forward to the killer’s identity at the end. Put aside some time for it as you enjoy a little SSR!

About the Author:

Bart J. Gilbertson is the author of the Pookotz Sisters Mystery Series. Although he was born in Wisconsin, he spent most of his youth and later years in the rocky mountain state of Idaho. He has been all over the northwest and it is his love for the lush green state of Oregon that inspired the setting for Pleasant Lake and its inhabitants. He attended ITT Technical Institute in Boise, ID and received an Associate in Applied Science Degree for Computer Networking Systems and graduated with honors. Bart has worn many hats over his lifetime career, but the one he is most proud of is that of being a writer. He currently resides in O’Neill, NE. He has two children.

Website/ Facebook/ Twitter

Richard Forester, a retired CEO for a major software company, and his granddaughter Penny show up at the Pookotz Bed & Breakfast one evening and find themselves in some rather unpleasant company. All the guests somehow seem to be connected to Richard’s past and when he is found dead the next morning, everyone is suspect. However, there are a few wrinkles that the inn’s owners Edna and Mildred Pookotz need to iron out as the investigation unfolds. Not only was Richard deathly ill, but he was also accused of embezzling $750,000 which is still unaccounted for. The local Sheriff suspects that this victim’s death is not a natural one, so he–and the sisters–set forth to discover who the murderer is.

Amazon/B&N

Jennifer’s Review of Deathbed & Breakfast

Review (4.0 Stars): I am always looking for new authors and I really enjoyed Mr. Gilbertson’s new book, Deathbed & Breakfast. I loved the fact that the Pookotz Bed & Breakfast was set in Oregon which added to the charm of this delightful mystery. The mystery was well-written and fast-paced which caused me to spend half the night reading it just to try to figure out who the killer was. I loved the Pookotz sisters because they were such interesting characters and I loved their old-fashioned ways.

The supporting characters in this mystery are what really make this book fun. Felix, the elderly chef who can’t hear and can barely see had some hilarious scenes in this book as well as the other quirky guests that were staying at the bed & breakfast. This was an enjoyable mystery with a lovely cast of characters that I can’t wait to visit again.

November 7, 2013November 7, 2013

Guest Blogger: Jeannie Moon is talking about Book Boyfriends

Book Boyfriends—What’s not to love?

He’s perfect. Tall and broad. Handsome and wealthy. Or maybe he’s tough and tatted up. Biker, rock star, athlete? You know him…he’s your book boyfriend.

Romance lovers embrace the book boyfriend like no other reader, and do you know why? Romance authors are just as bad. But we’re shameless hussies, throwing over one boyfriend for another every time we open a new manuscript.

When I wrote my first Forever Love Story, The Temporary Wife, Jason Campbell was my guy. He was dark and brooding. A brilliant, wealthy computer nerd who looked like a sexy boy-next-door. But that relationship was over before the book came out. By then, I was devoted to Josh.

Oh, Josh Campbell the hero of my newest release, Unexpectedly Yours (Intermix 11/19), was everything I wanted in my latest love. Tall, blonde and blue-eyed, he was quietly kind, smart and patient. And did he need patience! Caroline tested and teased him at every turn. She was the woman he never thought he wanted, but discovered he couldn’t live without. His heart, his soul, became hers. When he fell for Caroline, I loved Josh even more.

Josh was my one and only (okay, he was my fictional one and only) for eight months. Eight glorious months. He didn’t let me down once.

And such is the way of the book boyfriend. Romance readers are misunderstood by many with regards to their image of men. It’s thought we have unrealistic expectations, but I think the book boyfriend, while he may set the bar high, he also lets us see what we really deserve in a relationship. We deserve to be loved unconditionally. To have a man who cares about our needs, or wants. Handsome is nice, but if that’s all you think about, you’ve missed the point of the book boyfriend or any boyfriend, for that matter. Looks will fade. But a sensitive heart, a kind nature, a sharp mind and a good sense of humor will outlast a pretty face. Those are the things we want.

Those are the things that matter.

In real life, our significant other is there with us through life’s ups and downs. Our book boyfriends take it one step further, allowing us to escape from the stresses of everyday life. No job is too outrageous, no setting is too far away, and money is not an object. It the perfect storm of happiness and we can go there whenever we want.

The romance novel is perfection and the book boyfriend is perfect for us. He lives in a safe world that provides a haven, and a new guy, whenever we need one.

Tell me about your favorite book boyfriend in the comments. Who is your guy? For a long time it was Jamie from Diana Gabaldon’s Outlander series who stole my heart. However, he’s getting a run for his money from Ian Browning whom we meet, Roxanne St. Claire’s in Barefoot by the Sea. Decisions, decisions. It’s never easy.

*****

Unexpectedly Yours

A Forever Love Story #2

Amazon| B&N

It was a win-win arrangement…until Caroline lost her heart…
Caroline Rossi needs to reinvent her life. Being a geotechnical engineer hasn’t exactly proved to be a guy magnet. She’s never really had the opportunity to let her hair down and have fun. But when a chance encounter with her big sister’s brother-in-law—millionaire Josh Campbell—leads to a night of unexpected passion, Caroline starts engineering an arrangement that will give them both what they want. She can help Josh with an important real estate project and he can school her in the art of amour. At first Josh balks—but there’s something irresistible about Caroline, something very different from the bombshells he usually dates. Can the friends with benefits agreement really work? Or are Caroline and Josh playing a dangerous game that may end in heartbreak?

A little about Jeannie:
Jeannie Moon has always been a romantic. When she’s not spinning tales of her own, Jeannie works as a school librarian, thankful she has a job that allows her to immerse herself in books. Married to her high school sweetheart, Jeannie has three kids, three lovable dogs and a mischievous cat and resides on Long Island, NY. If she’s more than ten miles away from salt water for any longer than a week, she gets twitchy. Unexpectedly Yours is the second book in her Forever Love Series. Visit Jeannie’s website at www.jeanniemoon.com

November 6, 2013November 1, 2013

Guest blogger: Christine S. Feldman

I love it when romance pops up in the most unexpected places. In my last book, it was between a socially awkward tomboy and a reformed ladies’ man, which was a lot of fun to watch unfold, even though—as the writer—I already knew how the story was going to end. In my newest story, Pastels and Jingle Bells, it’s between an artistically-gifted bakery owner and the guy who used to pick on her when they were kids.

Not exactly the most traditional set-up for romance, is it? On the other hand, it does seem to set the stage for a little “just desserts” comeuppance, which is what the heroine of the story, Trish, originally plans. And what’s more, former bully Ian doesn’t recognize Trish, so she thinks she’s in the perfect position to teach him a lesson that’s very much deserved—after all, he made life very difficult for her when she was a kid. However, sometimes it’s true that people do change, and in this case, it’s for the better.

Because before Trish can enact her plans for revenge, she gets inadvertently drawn into Ian’s life and discovers he’s turned out to be a pretty decent guy. Okay, maybe more than decent…and maybe she’s even starting to like him. A lot. Trouble is, she may have been a teensy bit misleading about her true identity before, and it’s going to be a little difficult to come clean now…

*****

Pastels and Jingle Bells

Heavenly Bites

Amazon| B&N | Goodreads

Trish Ackerly never expected to cross paths with Ian Rafferty again, but when she spots the former bully of her childhood years through her bakery window, she thinks she may just have been given the best Christmas gift ever: the opportunity to finally give Ian the comeuppance he deserves.

But clearly she does not have a knack for this whole revenge thing, because before she can make good on her plans, Trish gets inadvertently drawn into Ian’s life in an unexpected way that lets her see just how different the man is from the boy he used to be. In fact, much to her astonishment, she actually starts to like the guy.A lot.Trouble is, Ian doesn’t know who she really is, and explaining it to him is going to be a little difficult now—which is bad news, because Trish is starting to realize that all she really wants for Christmas this year…is Ian.

ebook, 40 pages

Here’s an excerpt from the first novella in my Heavenly Bites series, Pastels and Jingle Bells, when Trish first spots Ian through her bakery window and recognizes him:

Her eyes narrowed. Ian Rafferty. That miserable, mean-spirited little—

Then he turned his face back to the window, and Trish gasped and dropped to the floor before he could spot her staring at him.

“What on earth are you doing?” came Nadia’s voice from behind the counter.

Trish huddled behind a tall metal trash can and glanced up through her dark bangs at her startled friend and business partner only to remember belatedly that they had company in the shop, namely wizened little Mrs. Beasley, whose startled eyes blinked at her from behind enormous tortoise-shell spectacles.

Well, there was little help for it now. “That guy,” Trish hissed, jerking one thumb in the direction of the window. “I know him!”

Both Nadia and Mrs. Beasley peered intently through the glass. “Mmm,” said Nadia appreciatively a moment later. “Lucky you, girlfriend.”

“No, not lucky me! That guy made my life a living hell in junior high. He’s a jerk, he’s a bully—“

“He’s coming in here, dear,” Mrs. Beasley interrupted her, with obvious interest in her voice.

With a squeak of alarm, Trish shuffled hastily behind the counter on her hands and knees and hunched into as small and inconspicuous a ball as she could.

Nadia blinked. “Trish, are you out of your—“

“Sh!”

“Oh, you did not just shush me—“

“SHH!” Trish insisted again, knowing full well that she’d pay for it later, and then she pulled her head down into her shoulders as much as her anatomy would allow.

The bell on the door jangled cheerfully then, and a gust of cold air heralded Ian Rafferty’s arrival.

“Hi, there,” Nadia greeted him brightly, surreptitiously giving Trish’s foot a little dig with one of her own. “Welcome to Heavenly Bites. What can I get for you?”

“Cup of coffee would be great for starters,” came a voice that was deep but soft, and far less reptilian than Trish expected. She cocked her head slightly to better catch his words and heard the unmistakable sound of him blowing on his hands and rubbing them together to warm them. “Cream, no sugar.”

“Sure thing, honey.”

“Your window art,” his voice continued, and Trish straightened ever so slightly at the mention of her work. “It’s fantastic. Can I ask who painted it?”

“Absolutely,” Nadia returned, turning her attention to getting the coffee he requested. “My business partner, Trish.”

“Is she around, by any chance?”

Nadia glanced down at where Trish sat scrunched up and did what Trish thought was a very poor job of suppressing a smirk. “She’s, um, indisposed at the moment. Why do you ask?”

“I’ve got a couple of windows that could use a little holiday cheer. Think she might be interested in the job?”

Nadia gave Trish another brief sideways glance.

Trish shook her head frantically.

“Tell you what. Leave me your number, and we’ll find out.” Nadia stepped out of reach before Trish could smack her leg.

“Great, thanks. Here’s my card.”

“I’ll see that she gets it, Mr.—“ Nadia glanced at the card. “—Rafferty. Here’s your coffee, and you, sir, have a very nice day.”

The bell on the door jingled again, and Trish cautiously poked her head up long enough to verify that Ian was indeed gone. She then ignored the fascinated look Mrs. Beasley was giving her and fixed an icy stare on Nadia. “I’m going to kill you. How could you do that?”

Nadia tossed her dark braids over her shoulder. “Hmph. Shush me in my own shop…”

“I don’t want to talk to that guy! I don’t want to have anything to do with him.”

“He seemed nice enough to me,” her friend returned, shrugging unapologetically. “And easy on the eyes, too.”

“And single,” put in Mrs. Beasley eagerly, one wrinkled hand fluttering over her heart. “No wedding ring.”

“Of course there’s no ring! No woman wants to marry the devil!” Trish sank back down onto the floor and leaned back heavily against the shelves behind her.

“He used to be the devil,” Nadia corrected her, examining the business card he had handed to her. “Now he’s ‘Ian Rafferty, Landscape Architect’. And he’s a paying customer, Trish. Face it, you could use the money.”

“Forget it. I’m not so hard up that I’d go crawling to Ian Rafferty for a job.” Trish scowled and folded her arms across her chest. “I have my dignity, you know.”

“Yeah? Why don’t you get up off the floor and tell me all about your dignity.”

“Oh, shut up,” Trish muttered, getting to her feet and snatching the card from Nadia’s hand. Wadding it up, she tossed it in the direction of the trashcan and stalked into the bakery’s kitchen…

So if you’re in the mood for something short and sweet this holiday season, check out Pastels and Jingle Bells—and if you enjoy it, please stop by my website for info about the next two novellas in the series. Happy holidays!

About the Author:

Christine S. Feldman writes both novels and feature-length screenplays, and, to her great delight, she has placed in screenwriting competitions on both coasts—and has even won a couple of them. In 2012 one of her screenplays was featured as a staged reading in New York City at the Gotham Screen International Film Festival (http://www.gsiff.com/content/staged-screenplay-reading-1), and later that same year she signed her first publishing contract. When she is not writing, she is teaching kindergarten, puttering around in her garden, ballroom dancing with her husband, or doing research for her next project. Please visit her at her website http://christinesfeldman.com, on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/ChristineSFeldman, or follow her on Twitter at https://twitter.com/FeldmanCS.

November 5, 2013October 28, 2013

Guest blog & giveaway with Cynthia D’Alba

May I Have This Dance?

Hi All! Cynthia D’Alba here. Thanks to Books-N-Kisses to having me here today to celebrate the release of my newest book, TEXAS TANGO. It’s the second book in the Texas Montgomery Mavericks Series. (It follows Texas Two Step released last year.)

I wrote a scene that takes place at a country club dance. Growing up, a “country club dance” was the height of social activities. It meant a fancy dress (preferably new!) and a date wearing a suit (instead of jeans (of questionable cleanliness) and a polo (instead of a T-shirt if you were a special date!) Writing the scene stirred up quite a few nice memories, like the time mom made me a full hoop skirt dress and if I didn’t sit down just right, the front of my dress would flip over my head! I think I might have been channeling Scarlet O’Hara at the time.

In TEXAS TANGO, the dance is being held at Whispering Springs Country Club as a fundraiser for the local high school football team. In the south (since I’m Southern, born and raised, I have no idea what it’s like in the rest of the country!), the combination of a country club dance with high school football is much like peanut butter and chocolate. They go together so well. Let me give you a taste of the scene…

Travis took Caroline’s hand, interrupting her conversation with KC’s brothers. “If you’ll excuse me, I have to get my date on the dance floor before she finds someone else to dance with.”

“Nice to meet all of you,” Caroline said with a wave. “Get me on the dance floor?” she whispered.

“If we don’t move on, we’ll be there talking to them for hours. I know my uncle. He’ll talk ranching until my ears fall off my head.”

“Got it. So are we really headed to dance?”

“Sure.” He swung her around and caught her with a hand at her waist.

She put both hands on his strong shoulders. No padding needed in his jacket. All man and all muscle. And for tonight—and the next four months—he was all hers. A dangerous trill raced through her. She slipped her hands up and around his neck. As though of a mind of their own, her fingers stroked the back of his neck. Up and down and then around in a circle.

He hissed out a long breath. He tightened his hands at her waist. Jerking her snug against him, he whispered, “You are the sexiest woman in this entire room. And if you don’t stay close, everybody else will know exactly the effect you are having on me.”

The hard evidence of his arousal pressed firmly into her stomach. His chest vibrated against hers as he hummed along with the song. She found herself perversely pleased by how comfortable she felt in his arms.

But on the other hand, maybe she needed to get a hold on her feelings. They had no future beyond this fall. She had to keep telling herself that.

As the song came to its closing note, Travis hugged her before ending the dance with a deep dip. She laughed with delight. Travis grinned and then brushed her mouth with a quick kiss.

Curious about TEXAS TANGO? Here’s a little more:

Texas Montgomery Mavericks

Book 2

Dr. Caroline Graham is happy with her nomadic lifestyle fulfilling short-term medical contracts. No emotional commitments, no disappointments. She’s always the one to walk away, never the one left behind. But now her great-uncle is gone and her grandmother is on her deathbed, more concerned about Caroline’s lack of a husband than her own demise. What’s the harm in a little white lie? If a wedding will give her grandmother peace, then a wedding she shall have.

Travis Montgomery has one dream left—to build the ranch he and his wife planned before he lost her to cancer. There’s just one thing standing between him and the last bit of acreage he needs—a last living heir who has one traveling foot out the door…and an unusual request that challenges his determination to never again place his heart at risk. The land he wants in exchange for a faux marriage. Everyone wins. Until things start to snowball…and the hearts they stand to lose are their own.

Want more? Click HERE to read the opening to Texas Tango.

TEXAS TANGO is available at your favorite online bookstore or use one of the links below:

Amazon | Samhain | Barnes & Noble | Kobo

Is this your first time to come across me? Here’s a little more about Cynthia D’Alba: I was born and raised in a small Arkansas town. After being gone for a number of years, I’m thrilled to be making my home back in Arkansas living in a vine-covered cottage on the banks of an eight-thousand acre lake. I started writing on a challenge from my husband in 2006 and discovered having imaginary sex with lots of hunky men was fun.

My first book, Texas Two Step, released in 2012 to outstanding reviews, was a Samhain Publishing best seller. The second book in the Texas Montgomery Mavericks series, Texas Tango, released November 5, 2013, again from Samhain Publishing. In February, 2014, Texas Fandango, a Novella in the Texas Montgomery Series will be released by Samhain Publishing. I am currently at work on book 3 of the Texas Montgomery Mavericks series (Texas Twist).

I love love love to hear from readers and there are lots of ways to find me. Online, you can find me most days at my website or my group blog.

Follow me at Facebook, Twitter, Google +, Goodreads or Pinterest.

or email me at cynthia@cynthiadalba.com

To send me snail mail, write to: Cynthia D’Alba PO Box 2116 Hot Springs, AR 71914

So now for the fun stuff! J

I want to know about the dances you went to as a teen. Are country club dances in your history? What about high school football…was it a big deal where you grew up? What’s your favorite dance or high school football memory?

In the spirit of Christmas sneaking up on us, I’ll pick among the comments for someone to take home a western-themed ornament. Here’s just a sample…

Plus, I doing a jewelry-themed For my TEXAS TANGO Jewelry-Themed Rafflecopter Giveaway. Be sure and look for the Rafflecopter widget at the end of the post. Also check out my personal blog for other places you can enter! Here’s the loot you can win…

AND I have freebies for the asking! But when it’s gone, it’s gone. Pens, jar openers, postcards, bookmarks, trading cards…just go by my contact page and send me a note.

Thanks for coming by! Be sure to leave a comment for a chance to win one of the Christmas ornaments!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

October 22, 2013October 22, 2013

Spotlight Feature & Tour Wide Giveaway with Amiee Roseland

Beneath the Veil

Anthology

Books One through Five

Available on October 1st.

Smashwords

A Kiss Beneath the Veil

Daphne became a ghost whisperer when the Veil was lifted and the others came out of hiding. Now she’s intent on using her new ability to track down a serial killer who’s been terrorizing children in her small town. Isaac is an ancient vampire pursuing Daphne as she runs from his love and the promise of his immortal kiss. He will do anything to prove that they belong together, forever, including slaying a real monster for her.

A Taste for Moonlight

Anne gave up on finding her Prince Charming exactly one divorce, two kids, and (ahem) several pounds ago. Besides, she’s too busy building her business and being a good mom to even miss love anymore…usually…sometimes. But all that changes when she finds herself tricked into going to a werewolf strip club on her birthday. That’s when Thomas sees her for the first time and realizes that she is the mate he’s searched centuries for.

A Darker Shade of Dawn

Roschana doesn’t have many friends. Maybe it’s that whole I-eat-sex-for-breakfast thing? Too sexy? Too creepy? Whatever. She can’t help that she’s a succubus or that when most people find out about her eating habits they usually get the wrong impression and bolt, or drop trou on the spot. Eeww. But Thomas isn’t like most people. He’s a nerd who understands the stars better than he understands people. Who knew that the fastest way to a succubus’s heart was through a telescope?

A Heart of Stone and Fire

Athena is dying. There, she admitted it. So now what? In a world made topsy turvy by the lifting of the Veil, a girl ought to be able to find a cure for something as banal as cancer. And if she can’t? Well, then there’s always shopping. Gestein has guarded Athena since their paths first crossed when she was just a child. He would do anything to save her from the fate she has in store, but he’s bound to honor the vow he made not to interfere in her life. And a gargoyle always keeps his word.

A Constant Rapture

Constance is searching for a miracle; because that’s the only way she’ll be able to save her little sister and herself from the Ochi’s grasp. Xavier is working as a stage magician on the Vegas strip when Constance barges in and disrupts his carefully ordered plans: work, drink, rinse, repeat. He doesn’t see how his one shite talent could possibly help in her search until he’s already neck deep in Ochi mercenaries. By then there’s the complication of him starting to fall for his dream girl…

A little about Aimee:

I was born and raised near Las Vegas, NV and grew up dreaming of rain. I also dreamt of heroes and villains and the women that inspired the best and worst in them.

It seemed like every book I read as a teen was a classic bodice-ripper. Wimpy-virgin-heroine always making bad choices and getting herself in trouble, cue the macho hero, yadda yadda yadda. Those books are what inspired me to write my own stories, not because I loved those retro-romances, but because I constantly found myself tossing them aside and fuming. I would think of all the ways the story would have been better: if she had just picked up the sword and stabbed the bad guy when she had the chance…

I LOVE writing and I love the new direction that fiction has taken over the last decade. So many amazing, strong female leads now! And so many new writers that finally have a voice in the indie publishing community.

I was blessed with a wonderful husband who supports my passion for writing and reading and who really helped me focus my desire to publish my work. When I’m not busy enjoying my daughter and husband I’m usually developing a new story idea or sneaking in a bit of free time with my favorite authors.

I’m a bit of a hermit, they called it being “shy” when I was a kid, but I love hearing from fans. I also love ferrets, hiking, chili dark chocolate, strong coffee, nursing mamas, and rain.

Find more about Aimee here: Website | Blog | Facebook | Twitter @aimeeroseland | Amazon Page

TOUR GIVEAWAY:

Aimee is giving away a $20.00 gift card to Amazon.

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Aimee is also having a special giveaway on her Facebook Page. Check it out. Click the links below to enter the giveaways:

iPad Mini Contest

http://woobox.com/sun5nj

Photo Contest for extra iPad Mini Contest submissions and the chance to win a $50 Amazon gift card.

http://woobox.com/jk3rbh

BENEATH THE VEIL ANTHOLOGY Blog Tour 10/7 – 11/09

10/7 Book Monster Reviews (spotlight)

http://www.bookmonsterreviews.com/

10/7 Rumpled Sheets Blog (Spotlight)

http://rumpledsheetsblog.wordpress.com/

10/8 You Gotta Read Reviews (Spotlight)

http://yougottaread.com

10/9 Fang Freakin Tastic Reviews (Spotlight)

http://fangfreakintasticreviews.com

10/9 Offbeat Vagabond (Spotlight)

http://offbeatvagabond.blogspot.com/

10/10 Eclipse Reviews (Spotlight)

http://totaleclipsereviews.blogspot.com

10/13 Books And Their Seven Deadly Sins (Interview)

http://booksandtheirsevendeadlysins.blogspot.co.uk/

10/13 Coffee Talk (Spotlight)

http://coffeetalkwriters.com/

10/14 Book Lovin’ Mamas (Interview)

http://booklovinmamas.com

10/14 fundinmental (Guest Post)

http://www.fundinmental.com

10/18 Nicky Peacock Author (Spotlight)

http://nickypeacockauthor.wordpress.com

10/19 3 Partners in Shopping, Nana, Mommy, & Sissy,Too! (Spotlight)

http://3partnersinshopping.blogspot.com

10/20 Mythical Books (spotlight)

http://mythicalbooks.blogspot.ro/

10/21 Sassy Book Lovers (Spotlight)

http://sassybooklovers.blogspot.com/

10/22 Books-n-Kisses (Guest Post)

http://books-n-kisses.com

10/23 Wicked Readings by Tawania (Spotlight)

http://wickedreadingsbytawania.blogspot.com

10/24 Romance Junkies (Interview)

http://www.romancejunkies.com/rjblog/

10/25 Book Pages and Dripping Ink (Spotlight/Review)

bookpagesanddrippingink.blogspot.com

10/26 Crazy Four Books (Spotlight/Review)

http://crazyfourbooks.blogspot.com

10/26 Literal Hotties Naughty Book Reviews (Guest Post)

http://literalhottiesnaughtybookreviews.blogspot.com/

10/27 Book Bliss (Interview)

Http://lbookbliss.wordpress.com

10/28 Vampires, Werewolves & Fairies Oh MY! (Spotlight)

http://vampireswerewolvesfairiesohmy.blogspot.com/

10/29 Darker Passions (Guest Post)

http://darkerpassions.net

10/29 Penny For Them… (Spotlight/Review)

http://pennyforthemuk.com/search/label/Tour

10/30 A_TiffyFit’s Reading Corner (Spotlight/Review)

http://tiffyfit.blogspot.com

10/28 Just Paranormal Romance (Guest Post)

www.justparanormalromance.com

10/31 Reader Girls (Spotlight/Review)

http://www.readergirlsblog.com

11/1 Penny For Them… (Spotlight/Review)

http://pennyforthemuk.com/search/label/Tour

11/7 Fandom Fanatic ( Spotlight)

http://fandomfanatic.blogspot.com/

11/9 Inner Goddess (Guest Post)

http://www.InnerGoddessForum.com

October 21, 2013October 12, 2013

Spotlight Feature of Only Love Survives by Renee Charles

Amazon | B&N

Amidst an epidemic ravaging the world, all Megan Fletcher’s hopes for the future lie in getting to Las Vegas where newscasts reported scientists were gathering to search for a cure for the modern plague. After rescuing her from a rooftop surrounded by Zombies, Sam Woods appoints himself her escort. While he knows she is determined to get to Vegas no matter the cost, he doesn’t know her secret. And with his hatred of all things Zombie, she doesn’t dare tell him the truth. The more he kisses her, the harder it is for Megan to hide her growing feelings…and the bite-shaped scar.

But Vegas is not the haven it was promised to be, and when Megan’s immunity to the disease is discovered, she realizes her future and her heart belong to Sam, if he will trust her. An idealistic school teacher and ex-corporate mogul manage to find love despite a looming worldwide catastrophe. Can their love survive while everything around them is dying? Will they learn that when facing the end of the world, Only Love Survives?

EXCERPT:
A storm that spelled danger flashed across Sam’s face. He advanced on Megan so fast, she backed up against the side of the Suburban. Planting a hand firmly on each side of her, he pinned her with his arms as well as his gaze.

“What I want? Are you so hard headed you can’t tell what I want?” He covered her mouth with his lips and crushed her clever comeback with an assault on her senses.

Megan pushed him, but he didn’t budge. Instead, he continued to kiss her until her heart raced and cheeks flushed with need. All resistance melted and she succumbed to the warmth of his embrace. Her arms wound around his neck of their own accord pulling him closer while her tongue sought his in a passionate dance, completely ignoring what her heart wanted.

When he finally broke away leaving Megan breathless and wanting so much more, Sam put his forehead to hers and watched her mouth like a drunk watches amber liquid poured into a glass. “You,” he rasped. “I’ve wanted you since I found you hanging from that damn roof, and all our little encounter in the river did was add fuel to the fire.”

A little about Renee:

Renee Charles believes all love is legendary. Being the only female in a house full of giants (husband and two teenage boys) she tends to lean toward the strange and unusual, but inevitably the softer side shines through.

Whether life leads her to a snow covered mountain top, sun dappled forest, or the bottom of a ravine (yes, ditches happen) she always has a pen and note pad ready so wherever the next adventure takes her, she can take notes.

Her own romance began in an insane asylum. Luckily, both she and her husband only worked there. But it makes sense her romance novels have strange beginnings that lead to passionate endings. Romance with a dark twist.

In the face of zombies, werewolves, and big foot she always seems to find a happily ever after to leave you with a sigh at the end.

Facebook | Website | Author’s Amazon Page

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