Books-n-Kisses

June 1, 2012May 31, 2012

Spotlight Feature of Inamorata by Margaret Ethridge

Inamorata
by Margaret Ethridge
Release date June 4th
Order here

After twenty-five years of cooling his jets in a wall sconce, Frank DeLuca figured the afterlife owed him a break. Hadn’t he been a model ghost? He didn’t possess little kids, screw up the television reception, or throw random objects across the room just to get attention. Hell, he never even made creepy noises in the dead of night.

All he asked was a peaceful existence where someone would turn him on every once in a while. The light, that is. He needed just a little bit of light in his afterlife.

Instead, he got a sullen, silent little boy who cried for his mommy every night. The kid came with a set of hyper-tense grandparents whose marriage was crumbling under the weight of old insecurities and words left unspoken. As if that weren’t enough to drive a guy to hide out in his light fixture, providence tossed in a little a spitfire of a girl who flipped his switch in every way. Gina Ferro turned out to be the kid’s mother. She also happened to be a ghost.

Thrown together by Fate and bound by history, Frank and Gina must learn to trust each other with the keys to their pasts in order to unlock their eternity.

Excerpt:

Pleasepleasepleasepleaseplease.”

Frank DeLuca closed his eyes and prayed harder than he had ever prayed before. Considering the fact that he’d been trapped in some bizarre kind of purgatory on earth for the last twenty-five years, you can bet he’d done some pretty hard praying. But there was always room for improvement, and since he still hadn’t been sprung from this stupid fake-brass Brady Bunch wannabe light fixture, he gritted his teeth and tried again.

“Come on. Pleasepleasepleasepleaseplease.” His fingers curled into his palms. He tightened his fists, trying to cling to his last shred of patience. “Just turn on the light.”

He opened his eyes. Not that it made any damn difference. Everything in his world was black. The way it had been since he last saw Cam. The way it had been since he pried the screwdriver from her hand and asked her to turn out the light. It seemed like the right answer at the time. Of course, with Cam popping in and out of his room, he’d never had to deal with such a dark stretch of eternity before. Lesson learned.

“Turn it on, turn it on, turn it on,” he chanted into the darkness. “Turn. On. The. Fucking. Light.”

His order went unheeded. He could hear someone moving around the room. Her. The woman who moved a bunch of crap into his place and chattered away endlessly to some kid too young to talk, but still wouldn’t turn on the goddamn light.

“Sorry, not goddamned,” he whispered to whoever might be listening. After a quarter century in never-never-land, and god-only-knows how long in the dark, he was willing to concede the belief in anything if it meant a little light. “I can’t take it. I can’t take it.”

The mumbling was nothing new. He’d been mumbling to himself for days, weeks, months, and possibly years. Time lost all meaning when cricket chirps of one evening bled into a thousand others. His half-life hadn’t been worth a damn since Cam walked out of his world and into the land of the living. Okay, so she’d never really belonged in his half-here, half-somewhere else world—seeing as how she was alive and all—but still, Cam knew him. She knew about him once upon a time. And with nothing but time on his hands, Frank couldn’t help but wonder if she remembered, or if she was too busy living her perfect little life with her perfect college boy. Stupid, living, breathing jerk-off….

“Is he okay?”

The question jolted him from his reverie. Frank clamped his mouth shut and perked up. A man. The woman who’d been tearing his room apart came with a man. That made sense if there’s a kid, he reasoned. Then again, a woman doesn’t need a guy around to raise a child. He was proof of that. It had been just him and his mother after Big Frank bought it in a convenience store robbery, and no one missed his flying fists one tiny bit.

“He’s fine. Aren’t you, Jay?”

There was no answer from the kid, but that didn’t stop the lady from running like a freight train. At least he assumed it was a kid. For all he knew, the chatty broad could have redecorated his old bedroom for her dog.

“I think he likes his room. Don’t you, Jaden? Do you like your new room?”

No response from this Jay person. He shook his head. Please, God, let it be a kid and not a dog. A dog would just be too damn annoying. Frank clenched his fists, trying to conjure up a little of the patience he’d honed over a couple of decades stuck between heaven and hell. At least, he hoped his stint in this god-forsaken wall sconce wasn’t the final destination, otherwise organized religion had sure as hell picked the wrong travel agent for booking accommodations in the afterlife.

“Do you like all your new toys and games?”

Frank sighed. Desperation wormed its way into her voice. He should know; he’d been listening to this broad’s rhetorical questions since the truck squealed to a stop out front. He sure hoped she was talking to a kid and not a dog. Either way, he couldn’t blame the pooch/tyke for keeping his trap shut. What was the point in trying to edge a word in sideways when she was happy to plow on regardless, or worse, answer for him.

“Do you want to hug the teddy bear? I can hold Bugs for you if you want,” she offered. “Or maybe Grandpa could hold Bugs. That would be cool, wouldn’t it? If Grandpa held your bunny?”

Frank snorted and rolled his eyes. The coaxing routine was a repeat as well. “No, lady. He doesn’t want to hug the bear, or the duckie, or the mother-fuh…stupid platypus. He doesn’t want you to hold his bunny for him. You know what? I think he wants you to turn on the light and read him a book. A book would be great, huh? You don’t want the kid to grow up illiterate, do you?”

“I’ll, uh, I’m going to…”

Frank frowned when the man’s explanation trailed off down the hallway. Whatever the guy planned to do sounded sketchy and more than a little vague, even to a dead guy living in the light fixture.

“Awkward.” He tried to imitate the wry, singsong tone Cam used to use, but it sounded flat. Lifeless. Like him. Before he could sink into a fresh bout of self-pity, a sharp clap of hands ricocheted through him like the report of a pistol.

“Okay! Grandpa’s busy unpacking, but maybe later.”

The woman’s brittle cheerfulness made him cringe. He squeezed his eyes shut again, trying in vain to stem the trickle of sympathy that made his fingers twitch. Biting his lip, he hoped for the metallic tang of blood even though he knew it wouldn’t come. Purposefully, he flexed his hands, stretching his fingers and spreading them wide. He didn’t need the light to know exactly how much oil and grease there was ground into his nail beds and the creases of his knuckles. The pattern had been exactly the same for too damn many years.

“A book.” His voice came out ragged, the order more of a half-plea. “Just read to the kid. Please.”

Silence hung heavy in the air, muffling the scrape of drawers opening and closing and the rhythmic zffft-zffft-zffft of a box cutter slicing through tape. The silence rang in his ears like an alarm, the blare so loud he almost missed the sigh of a swallowed sob. Almost, but not quite.

“Oh shit,” he whispered into the darkness. “Okay. Never mind about the book. Forget the light. Okay?” She hiccupped softly, and he groaned. “Come on, lady. Don’t do that…”

He flinched, bracing himself when she sniffled loudly and clapped her hands again. There was no need to see her. He could almost feel the impact of her forced smile through the darkness. If asked to give testimony, Frank would swear to the god who never listened to him that he heard this woman swallow her pride. His throat ached, tightening around the lump that rose there.

“Want to read a book?” she asked in that damn Mary Poppins voice. There were rustling sounds as she flitted about the room. “I got a new Thomas book. Want to read Thomas?”

“Aw, shit-shit-shit.” Frank pressed the heels of his hands to his eyes, bracing for the inevitable.

“And look, Jay, look at this cool old lamp above your bed.”

The switch snicked and that soul-deep pull grabbed him by the throat. Light—warm, golden, gorgeous light—beckoned him. He knew she wouldn’t be there. Cam had probably long-since forgotten him and married pansy-assed college-boy Brad. She was in the land of the living where she belonged, and he was…here. Always here. Trapped in nothingness.

A fingernail tapped the faux-brass sconce. “Maybe Oma can find you a new one, huh? Something more up to date?”

He let go, allowing the soul-crushing pain to swamp him, plummeting to earth once more. He couldn’t crash and burn any worse than he had before. Twice before. Once when he was living, and once long after he’d been dead. Frank blinked the glare from his eyes and focused on the blank wall in front of him. The rosebud wallpaper was gone. The sheetrock had been stripped, sanded, and painted blue. A blue that was just a half-shade lighter than the blue that coated the walls in nineteen-eighty-seven.

He shook his head to clear it. Finally, his gaze tracked to the right where he spotted a bookshelf loaded with books, games, and stuffed animals. At the very top, a collection of trophies like the one he once kept in this very room was proudly displayed. Tiny gold men holding bats glistened in the soft amber glow of evening. He gaped at them perched atop their faux marble and fake brass pedestals.

He could see it so perfectly in his mind’s eye. A spotless trophy, gleaming bright gold in the light cast from the cheesy 70s directional sconce mounted on the wall. His mother running her fingertip over the engraved plate bearing his name.

“Francis DeLuca.”

The name rolled off his lips even though he hadn’t spoken it aloud in nearly two decades. Not since the night he introduced himself to the little girl who moved into his room. Not since he fell in love with Cam.

His eyes locked on the gilt batter glued to the top of the tallest trophy. He couldn’t look away. Obviously they didn’t belong to the little guy snuggled into the race-car shaped bed. But something told him they belonged here, just like him.

He stared hard at that trophy, seeing his mother’s wind-up, flinching just as he flinched when she hurled it across the room, smashing the bulb in the brass-colored wall sconce to bits, stealing the last wisps of breath from his lungs, and sentencing him to an eternity as the middleman.

On August nineteenth, nineteen-eighty-seven, he died. That was the day he broke his mother’s heart. That was the day his fate was sealed.

June 1, 2012May 31, 2012

Interview with Susan Higginbotham

Books-n-Kisses is please to welcome Susan Higginbotham to the blog for the first time.

Q1) Can you please share with us a little about yourself?

I have been writing since I was about seven, when I used to write and illustrate stories about my cats. It wasn’t until a few years ago, though, that I tried my hand at writing historical fiction. I became interested in the reign of Edward II and discovered the story of his niece Eleanor de Clare, which I found so fascinating I decided to write a novel about her, The Traitor’s Wife. Since then I’ve published four other novels set in England, spanning the fourteenth century through Tudor England.

Q2) Have you always wanted to be an author?

Yes, I have. There have been some times when writing had to take a back seat to making a living or going to school, especially when I was in law school, but there’s never been a time when I gave up on writing altogether.

Q3) Who are some of your favorite writers? Who do you feel has influenced your writing?

Some of my favorite authors are William Shakespeare, Charles Dickens, Jane Austen, Elizabeth Gaskell, Anne Tyler, Barbara Pym, and P. D. James. I think they’ve all influenced my writing to some extent. All are very strong in creating characters, and I aspire to emulate them (though I certainly don’t pretend to be on their level!). I also admire their wit, sharp in some cases and gentle in others. I try to add a touch of humor to all of my novels, even the ones that deal with grim subjects. For historical fiction in particular, I’ve learned a lot from authors like Sharon Penman, Margaret George, and Jean Plaidy about bringing the past to life.

Q4) How did you get into writing in this specific genre? Have you ever thought about writing in a different genre?

As I said earlier, it was Eleanor de Clare’s story that brought me into historical fiction in a serious way, both as a writer and as a reader. I had read the occasional historical novel in the past, and even had dabbled in writing juvenile historical fiction, but it wasn’t until I began reading about Eleanor that I became fascinated by the genre.

As for whether I’ve thought about writing in a different genre, I’m actually under contract to write a nonfiction book dealing with the Woodville family, whom I encountered when researching the Wars of the Roses for my previous two novels. I kept bewailing the fact that there was no objective history of the family that’s been commercially published, and I finally decided to write one!

Q5) What are some of your writing rituals?

I really don’t have any, unless you can call checking my Facebook page when I should be writing and nibbling cookies when I’m at a loss for words rituals.

Q6) Can you please tell us about your latest book?

is the story behind the crowning and execution of Lady Jane Grey, told by her mother, Frances Grey, Duchess of Suffolk, and her mother-in-law, Jane Dudley. Lady Jane is an important character in the novel, but the central characters are Jane Dudley and Frances, whose stories will be new to most readers.

Q7) How did you come up with the idea for this story?

When I read Leandra de Lisle’s biography of the three Grey sisters, The Sisters Who Would Be Queen, I was shocked to find how distorted the character of Frances Grey had become over time. Like most other people, I had always heard that she was a vicious woman who spent her days alternating between beating her daughter and killing sad-eyed does, and Lisle made me realize how badly this very ordinary mother has been maligned by history. I decided she would make an excellent subject for a novel. In researching Frances’s story, I came across a couple of documents written by Jane Dudley, Guildford Dudley’s mother, and they moved me so much I had to tell her story as well.

Q8) Can you share with us your current work in progress?

It’s a novel about Margaret Douglas, Countess of Lennox, known mainly as being the mother of Henry, Lord Darnley, and the mother-in-law of Mary, Queen of Scots. Margaret was Henry VIII’s niece, whose romantic entanglements and intrigues landed her in the Tower on several occasions.

Q9) What would you be if you were not an author?

I work full-time as an editor for a legal publisher, so I suppose I would still be that! All my favorite jobs have involved working with words at some level—editing, writing legal briefs—so I don’t think I would stray far from the publishing industry.

Q10) What is in your To Be Read pile that you are dying to start or an upcoming release you can’t wait for?

Once I get past the part of my work in progress in which Anne Boleyn plays a part, I want to read Hilary Mantel’s Bring Up the Bodies—I’ve been saving it as a reward. I’m also curious to see Philippa Gregory’s upcoming novel about the daughters of Warwick “the Kingmaker” and Alison Weir’s novel about Katherine Grey, Jane Grey’s younger sister. I have a biography of Eleanor de Montfort, Simon de Montfort’s wife, on order, which I’m very eager to read.

Thanks for interviewing me!

Website | Blog (History Refreshed) | Facebook | Goodreads | Twitter

May 31, 2012May 31, 2012

Kallypso Masters has taken over the blog!!!! She has Masters & Prizes!!!

Masters at Arms—behind-the-scenes & a GC Giveaway!

This is the traditional Memorial Day for oldies like me, and I wanted to make this announcement about my military romance here, because Kelly was the first blogger to review Masters at Arms (review HERE) when it first was published last August. Plus I just love her bunches! (Mwah, Kelly!)

When I wrote Masters at Arms last summer, I introduced readers to three very different men. In the first three vignettes, each was at a life-altering stage in his life. As the story progressed, some even felt their lives pretty well were over. Then fate brought them all together on a rooftop in Fallujah, Iraq, where they were forever bound as brothers.

I gave each one of my Marines the most honorable characteristics I could imagine—brave, protective, looking out for those who couldn’t fight back—plus a few characteristics they needed to work on. (As my readers know, I do not write perfect characters. And for these first four books in the series, I also don’t write stand-alone novels, so you pretty much need to start here in Masters and take them one at a time, even if you are tempted to skip ahead to Adam’s or Damián’s stories first.) As the managing owner of the Masters at Arms, the Denver BDSM/kink club these three men started after they left service, Adam Montague runs the show and is the rock for this adopted family of lost souls he’s brought together to help him start a new life. (By the way, my Minnesotan Dom pronounces his last name MON-tag, similar to how the French trappers he descends from would, rather than the English version, adding a “gyew” sound at the end.)

Well, I must have made Adam sound incredibly real, because Sandy, a reader and now a friend, wrote to me in February saying she knew I made up the name, but asking if Adam was based on a real person. I told her, “No, I’m sorry. Not at all. He’s totally a figment of my imagination.” I mean, come on! He is everything you’d want in a guy—except that his communication skills need work and he doesn’t think he can love anyone. Aside from that, he’s a hell of a lot more perfect than a lot of the guys we’ve all met out there! And you want this man to have your back, believe me.

Adam also is a very commanding and real presence in my head, dominating my thoughts in a way no other character ever has before. As my avid fans and blog visitors know, he was inspired by Leroy Jethro Gibbs of NCIS. *shiver* See what I mean? Didn’t you just melt a little when I said that? But even Gibbs is nothing like Mark Harmon (who doesn’t strike me as a Dom in interviews I’ve seen.) He’s fictional!

So, imagine my surprise when less than a month after I replied to Sandy, “Adam” e-mailed me saying how much he loved my first three books (and lots of heady stuff about my writing), and that he loved the Corps and wanted to offer his help in getting those aspects of my stories correct. (He was a gentleman and didn’t say he was offering help because there were a couple things that smacked him in the face when he read them in the original.) I was to just call on him any time and if it was public info, he was at my service. Um, wow! Another Master Sergeant Adam at MY service! How lucky can a girl get?

Anyway, we started corresponding and I learned there are so many parallels between this retired master sergeant and “my” Adam that I’d love to spell out for you, but I promised not to identify him. I’m skirting getting myself spanked just telling this much, but I can’t explain why I revised the book without explaining this. (Darn him, but he sees helping me as one of those selfless acts he needs to do without claiming credit or fanfare. See? I told you! He is SOOOO Adam.)

Anyway, early in our ongoing conversation, I asked him if there was anything in Masters at Arms that needed to be corrected and he replied, “Well, now that you ask.” LOL. Luckily, they were minor things to most readers, but I’m sure they jarred other Marines (and Marine moms, like Sandy). So, they began nagging at me. Thank goodness these two readers didn’t put the book down because they’ve become not only readers, but friends.

But knowing there were some issues to correct, I was consumed with the idea of having it revised and re-released. (Have I mentioned before that I’m a perfectionist? Well, my Facebook friends and those who read those long Author’s Notes in the fronts of my books know.) When the online “Adam” offered to go over Section Four (Iraq and its aftermath) and make the needed corrections, I jumped at the opportunity. Then, being “Adam,” he decided to just go through the whole book because he knew he could help. And he did!

If you’ve read the book before, you may not even notice the changes. My fictional Adam was just made to sound even more like a Marine by the online one. Instead of saying words like craphole, dickwad, and pistol, we now have the three S’s: shithole, shithead, and sidearm. Frigging becomes fucking. (Master Adam’s favorite word of all time has always been fuck, but the ONE time I had him say something else, I’m busted and it’s changed to fucking.)

The most significant changes were in the firefight scene. I added that scene to the book late, just before publishing, and didn’t get feedback from my military experts as I should have. (It amazes me at the small number of things I got wrong!) But now the scene is more accurate and detailed. More realistic.

Oh, and over the weekend, I hired Liz Borino to edit Masters for me. She taught me some things that would strengthen the writing throughout the series, so, while I was at it, I also tweaked Nobody’s Angel and Nobody’s Hero.

I am excited to announce that these books were uploaded to my buy sites last night, but it may be a few days (especially at Amazon and B&N) for the price change and new files to take effect. I’ll leave a comment here when that happens, if you want to check back. Starting today at Smashwords and All Romance eBooks, though, you can get Masters at Arms FREE! Forever, not just for three days!

I also want to alert you that the price of Nobody’s Angel will increase to $3.99 soon, because, well, Master Marc is just as awesome as the guys in the $3.99 books. All three books are at least 115,000 words long—a bargain at $3.99! But the $2.99 price will disappear as soon as Amazon makes the change.

And hang on because the fourth and long-awaited happy ending for my two most wounded characters, Damián and Savi, is coming up in June. Nobody’s Perfect will be released by June 19, and I’ll be back here with a hot excerpt on June 22.

Now for a scene from the third edition of Masters at Arms, this one involving Damián, the young Marine who feels life is over for him after Iraq, and my “fictional, but real” Master Adam. One of the things my readers and I like most about Adam is that he is a straight shooter. Okay, so is the online “Adam”—I know because I’ve been on the receiving end of some of his straight talk a couple times.

In this scene, several months after the firefight in Iraq, Navy Corpsman Marc “Doc” D’Alessio and Master Sergeant Adam Montague are on a mission to rescue a depressed and near-suicidal Damián Orlando. Can’t you just picture “Master Gibbs,” as Adam in this scene?

Oh, to add a little humor from my online Marine, when I asked him what would have happened if Damián and Marc had seen Adam at that fetish club in LA (which is against the Marine morals code—but I needed a way for Adam to know they might be open to the idea of joining him in his kink club business), he wrote:

“In the club in LA, you handled that exactly right. Adam would have avoided them. If they had seen him, they would have first spit out the beer (or the redhead) and run. Of course they would have wondered why he was there; but they would have never asked in hopes that he didn’t mention it to them.”

God, I love Marines!

(Authorized excerpt from Masters at Arms, © 2011, 2012 by Kallypso Masters)

Adam nodded, and then entered the room to find the blinds closed and the room in near darkness. No wonder the kid was depressed. He marched to the window and opened the blinds full force.

“What the fuck? I’ve told you to keep them closed!”

Adam turned and came around the bedside curtain to see Orlando lying there, the white sheets bunched around his waist. Shirtless. His dog tags hung against his brown chest, buried in a diamond-shaped tuft of black hair.

“You talking to me, grunt?” Adam tried not to smile as the kid practically came to attention while lying flat on his back. God, he missed having that kind of power over people. Couldn’t wait to get his club started. At least, he’d have submissive women responding to him like that again. Even better.

“Master Sergeant Montague!

“What’s this I hear about you refusing to follow orders?”

Regaining his composure, the kid slumped back against the pillows. “The orders make no sense.”

“Come again?”

“There’s no point fixing me up.”

“Since when does a grunt decide which orders to follow and which to ignore?”

Orlando turned away. A new maneuver was in order. He remembered the night he’d seen them at the fetish club in L.A., getting a screaming redhead off on the St. Andrew’s cross, right before they’d deployed. Of course, when Adam had seen Doc and Orlando, he’d high-tailed it out as fast as he could. That would have been a real morale buster if the two could have held it over his head. Not that they had any business being there either.

“So, have you ever restrained a woman on a St. Andrew’s cross?”

Orlando looked back at him. If the man could blush, he would have. “Say again?”

“I asked if you were into kinky sex—tying women up, spanking them, that sort of thing.”

Orlando seemed unsure how to answer. “I tried it once—well, maybe a few times.”

Well, hell. Adam had seen them the one time, but didn’t know there’d been others. He’d just figured Doc had dragged him up there. This might be just the therapy the kid needed.

How the hell many Doms did he have in his unit, anyway? D’Alessio for sure. And he’d heard rumors Grant was a Domme, although he’d never been able to speak with her about it; sexual harassment regs and all. Serving with a female Marine was like dancing on eggshells and trying not to break one.

Right now, Orlando was the one needing a little dominating.

“Well, I can tell you one thing, grunt. I’d rather be with a sexy redhead right now making her round ass all nice and pink than to be looking at your ugly face.” He watched as the kid’s face did flame a bit at the mention of a redhead. Adam tried not to smile at the look of surprise on the young man’s face.

Orlando got over the shock of Adam’s words pretty quickly, though, and the defenses came up yet again. Stubborn wasn’t the word for this one.

“Guess I didn’t tie mine good enough. She got away.”

Fuck. What kind of woman would dump a man while he was recovering from something like this? If you asked him, good riddance to her. Adam would find the kid as many women as he needed to get over her. But obviously, she’d sunk her claws in him pretty deeply. He wouldn’t get over her very easily.

Joni would never have ditched him, no matter what had gotten blown off. That’s what she’d told him—and he believed her.

“Come back to Denver with me. You can help me out with a little business I plan to start.”

Orlando took a deep breath and let it out slowly. Adam could tell he was choosing his words carefully, afraid to disrespect his former master sergeant. “I don’t need your charity, Top. When I leave here tomorrow, I’m just going to hole up in a motel in Solana Beach and get a good drunk-on.”

Memories of his own two-week bender in Minneapolis after Joni died came back to Adam full force. He didn’t want to count the number of times he’d come close to pulling the trigger with his sidearm, rather than go on without her. Would Orlando have access to a weapon? If not already, he’d have little trouble getting one.

No way was he letting this kid leave here alone.

“It’s a BDSM and fetish club.”

* * *

Damián wondered if he’d heard the man right? “Pardon, Top?”

“You heard me. I’m starting a kink club—bondage, domination, discipline, sadomasochism, fetish—any kind of kink you want to get on. Doc’s joining me, but we can always use another good Dom.”

Damn. His dick went into a full salute just thinking about it. First hard-on since before the grenade blast. “I’m no Dom. I’m not interested.”

“Like hell you aren’t interested.” Montague grinned, and then directed his attention to the tenting of the sheets.

Damián adjusted the sheets to hide his hard-on, and then slid his leg out to reveal his bare, grotesque stump. “In case you haven’t noticed, I’m missing a foot.”

“Well, last time I checked, most of the ladies at BDSM clubs are more interested in a firm hand and a stiff cock. You still seem to have both of those in your inventory. Sure, there may be some chicks with a foot fetish, but you still have a good one, don’t you?”

Damián was speechless.

Thanks for having me back again, Kelly! For those who don’t know, she believed in me even before I published my first book—and she gave it a great review (Here) back on August 11 just a couple days after it was released. She now heads up my Street Team and is just an amazing friend of authors everyone—and this one in particular.

Now for a giveaway! Monday is my 29th wedding anniversary with my imperfect, but oh-so-loveable hero, so I’m going to give away a $29 gift card to Amazon, Barnes & Noble, All Romance eBooks, or Smashwords (winner’s choice). Just leave your comment below telling me about the hero in YOUR life (and if he hasn’t come along yet, tell us about one from your favorite book you’d like to meet), and I’ll draw a winner on Monday, June 4. The lucky winner also will receive some cool Rescue Me series and Kallypso Masters swag, including the “Eyes on Me” hand fan (with Master Adam’s naked chest that will make you need an extra fan so you can look at one and fan with the other), a purple pen, the 2011 Romance Trading Cards (for the first three books in the series), and a smoking-hot bookmark.

BE SURE TO LEAVE AN E-MAIL ADDRESS and watch for an e-mail from Leagh Christensen, my awesome assistant, who will contact you for your mailing address and particulars so we can send you your goodies and find out where you want to spend your gift card. CONTEST OPEN INTERNATIONALLY, unless there are restrictions for such gift cards in your nation, in which case, we’ll have to find a creative way to reward you.

My RESCUE ME series is available at Amazon, Barnes & Noble, All Romance eBooks, and Smashwords. For buy links to all of my books, go to http://kallypsomasters.blogspot.com/p/books-by-kallypso-masters.html. And check out my awesome Web site at http://kallypsomasters.com, where you can find out about the upcoming books in the series, go to links to reviews, interviews, character scenes, and such, find out which causes I support, and more!

May 31, 2012May 30, 2012

Interview & Giveaway with Pamela Palmer

Books-n-Kisses is pleased to welcome back the wonderful Pamela Palmer to the blog today. We are getting to know Pamela a little better and helping her celebrate her new release A Blood Seduction (released May 29th). So please make Pamela feel welcome.

Q1) Can you please share with us a little about yourself

Pamela: Sure! I’m an ex-IBM engineer turned full-time writer. I live with my family in the suburbs of Washington, D.C. (which is why all my stories are set around here). My official log line: I’m the New York Times and international bestselling author of three dark paranormal romance series – the Feral Warriors, Vamp City, and the Esri.

Q2) Have you always wanted to be an author?

Pamela: Not at all. Writing never even crossed my mind until after college. I grew up wanting to be an astronaut. Or captain of the Starship Enterprise. Okay, so I was always a dreamer. My first attempt at writing was an utter failure—I had no idea what I was doing and assumed that meant I had no talent. I finally realized it just meant I had a lot to learn.

Q3) Who are some of your favorite writers? Who do you feel has influenced your writing?

Pamela: My favorite writers change all the time, but my current favorites are Larissa Ione, Karen Marie Moning, and Nalini Singh. As far as who influenced my writing, I never know how to answer this question (and I get asked it a lot). I suspect the correct answer is some literary icon, but I pretty much shunned anything that even looked like ‘literature’ when I was a kid. In college, my engineering curriculum was entirely devoid of literature. Freshman composition was it for ‘writing’ courses. But if I had to choose one author, I’d probably say Kathleen Woodiwiss since she was the one who turned me into a true romance fan.

How did you get into writing in this specific genre? Have you ever thought about writing in a different genre?

I’ve always loved anything out of the ordinary. Sci-fi, fantasy, urban fantasy, paranormal. Those are the things that excite my imagination, so as long as readers remain hungry for them, those are the kinds of books I’ll be writing.

Q4) What are some of your writing rituals?

Pamela: They’re always evolving, but my latest: When it’s time to write, I turn on a computer program called Freedom (http://macfreedom.com/, though I suspect there’s a Windows version, too. $10 download.). I locks me out of the internet for however long I ask it to, generally 60 mins. at a time. Then I set up my laptop in either the dining room or on the treadmill desk (which I adore). I crank up the music (either movie/game soundtracks like Twilight, Inception, Halo-3 or new age jazz like Keiko Matsui), and I’m ready to write!

Q5) Can you please tell us about your latest book(s)?

Pamela: My latest (which just came out May 29^th), is a bit of a departure for me. A Blood Seduction (a Vamp City novel) is book 1 in a five book vampire romance, which makes the book itself more of an urban fantasy since it doesn’t end with a happily ever after. The series will, though. I’ve been wanting to do a bigger story for awhile, one that doesn’t require the entire romance to come together in a single book. One that gives the characters a lot of room to learn and grow. And one that gives me lots of space to explore. The Vamp City series is that story.

From the back cover:

Vampires live only for lust and pleasure in the eternal twilight of Vamp City. But the city’s magic is dying. The only person who can restore it? A beautiful woman from the mortal world…one who knows nothing of the power she wields.

Quinn Lennox is searching for a missing friend when she stumbles into a dark otherworld that only she can see–and finds herself at the mercy of Arturo Mazza, a dangerously handsome vampire whose wicked kiss will save her, enslave her, bewitch her, and betray her. What Arturo can’t do is forget about her–any more than Quinn can control her own feelings for him. Neither one can let desire get in the way of their mission–his to save his people, hers to save herself. But there is no escape from desire in a city built for seduction, where passion flows hot and blood-red. Welcome to Vamp City…

Q6) How did you come with the idea for this story?

Pamela: I’d been playing with the idea of a dark urban fantasy vampire otherworld for some time, but with both the Feral Warrior shape shifter series and the Esri series for Nocturne, I didn’t have time to start a third. But with the Esri series completed, I decided the time was right to start exploring my vampire idea. I knew I wanted the otherworld accessible from our world (the vampires can come and go as they please…or they could until things started to go wrong). So I played with ideas, at first thinking I’d set it in Florida, or someplace different. Then I thought about Washington, D.C. (my go-to local). The moment I realized Vamp City would be Washington, V.C., I knew I had my place. I called my editor that morning to run it all by her and she loved the idea.

Q7) Can you share with us your current work(s) in progress?

Pamela: I finished the seventh book in my Feral Warriors series, A Love Untamed, a couple of weeks ago. This one is Fox/Kieran’s and Melisande’s story as they search for Kara. A Love Untamed will be out December 26^th. Now I’m starting work on Vamp City book 2, which is rather a daunting task. I figured out enough of the entire story to write book 1 with A Blood Seduction, but now I need to know the rest in detail so that I can be certain to set everything up correctly. When I write a book, I figure it all out, then write the first draft, then layer in important threads after that. With Vamp City, I’m writing one story that will span five books, which means there’s no going back to add things into earlier scenes after I’m done. If those earlier scenes are in earlier books, they’ll already be on shelves. It’s an exciting, nerve-racking way to write.

Q8) What would you be if you were not an author?

Pamela: I’d probably still be an engineer, but I’m much happier being an author.

Q9) What is in your To Read Pile that you are dying to start or upcoming release you can’t wait for?

Larissa Ione’s Lethal Rider and Nalini Singh’s Tangle of Need. I love both of these authors and both of these series.

Q10) Is there anything else you would like to add?

If you’d like more information about any of my books (including excerpts), or if you’d like to see the book trailer of A Blood Seduction, visit my website www.pamelapalmer.net. If you’re in the Chicago, Tulsa, Plano, Anaheim, or New Orleans areas, check out my Media and Events page for appearance information. I’d love to meet you!

Thanks for having me! I’m happy to give away a signed copy of one of my Feral Warriors novels (winner’s choice). To be included, tell us what books are on your can’t-wait-to-read list.

Website | Facebook | Twitter | Goodreads

Book Trailer: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IYS8ayK5B0M

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May 30, 2012May 30, 2012

Interview & Giveaway with Shayla Black

Books-n-Kisses is pleased to have the very, very, talented Shayla Black back on the blog today. We are super excited to talk to her about her newest release Embrace Me At Dawn, book 5 in the Doomsday Brethren Series (released yesterday 5/29) and her upcoming release of Mine to Hold, book 6 in the Wicked Lovers Series. So enough of my yacking…. Let’s get started.

Q1) Shayla, Can you please share with us a little about yourself:

Shayla: Sure! Here’s my official bio: Shayla Black (aka Shelley Bradley) is the New York Times bestselling author of over 30 sizzling contemporary, erotic, paranormal, and historical romances for multiple print and electronic publishers. She lives in Texas with her husband, munchkin, and one very spoiled cat. In her “free” time, she enjoys reality TV, reading and listening to an eclectic blend of music.

Shayla has won or placed in over a dozen writing contests, including Passionate Ink’s Passionate Plume, Colorado Romance Writers Award of Excellence, and the National Reader’s Choice Awards. Romantic Times has awarded her Top Picks, a KISS Hero Award and a nomination for Best Erotic Romance.

A writing risk-taker, Shayla enjoys tackling writing challenges with every book.

Q2) Have you always wanted to be an author?

Shayla: No. I had no idea what I wanted to do. I’d tried some other jobs so I knew what I didn’t want to do, such as work retail or at an amusement park. I also worked for a Fortune 10 company for nearly 20 years, spending the last 8 writing sales training. It wasn’t a terrible job…but it wasn’t my passions. I started publishing about halfway through my corporate career. I knew that that’s what I wanted to do.

Q3) What is your most interesting writing quirk?

Shayla: I have so many. Where to start? First off, I’m a multi-task queen. I’m always doing three things at once. Second, I really prefer to write with music in the background, and I will sometimes spend hours finding just the right songs that move me. I also move all over the house with my laptop, depending on weather, time of day, and whatever else is going on. Last, I always get my best ideas while driving or talking on the phone. My friends all know that if I’m calling there may be talk of plot involved. I plot out loud and interactively. Many writers are introverts, but that’s not me.

Q4) Can you please tell us about your latest book(s)?

EMBRACE ME AT DAWN is the latest in the Doomsday Brethren paranormal romance series. I was so excited to finally tell the story of this love triangle that’s been brewing for the last four books in this series. I think the story is really powerful, as this heroine has been through hell and finds herself rising like a phoenix from the ashes of her previous life to create something new without while again finding the man she loves.

Embrace Me At Dawn~Nook order link | All Romance |Smashword

MINE TO HOLD is the latest in the Wicked Lovers erotic romance series. For those who have been reading, the anticipation to see mischievous manwhore Tyler finally fall for one woman has been great. He definitely has to take a hard look at himself and his life and decide what’s important—then protect it with his life. There’s a lot of action in this one, but with everything I write, it’s packed with romance, conflict, tension and hot sex.

Q5) How did you come with the idea for this story?

Shayla: As my husband says frequently, my brain is a scary place. There are always ideas rolling around in my head. The idea for both of these stories have been in my head for years. With the Doomsday Brethren series, I’ve had a rough outline of every book before I even started the first. So I had a decent idea of what would happen in EMBRACE ME AT DAWN long ago. With MINE TO HOLD, I’ve always known Tyler’s backstory. I simply had to put together the pieces of the suspense plot and let Tyler and Delaney go.

Q6) Can you share with us your current work(s) in progress?

Shayla: I’ll be working on four new projects this summer. OURS TO LOVE (Wicked Lovers 7), THEIR VIRGIN CONCUBINE (Masters of Ménage 3), The first in my new Project Alpha series and I’ve taken on an editorial project that I’m really excited about. I can’t say a lot now, but look for more news about it this summer.

Q7) Who is the one author that you would love to meet someday and why?

Belong to Me — Book 5 in the Wicked Lovers Series

Shayla: Jane Austen. She was so instrumental in creating the genre we see today and the first to really focus on women’s fascination with the condition of falling in love in a way that transcends time and place.

Q8) What is the best piece of advice you would give to someone that wants to get into writing?

Shayla: Run! No, just kidding. Mostly. J Persevere. If you believe in it passionately, others will, too. You can’t make everyone love what you do, so don’t try. Write what you know is right in your heart for the story in your head. Block as much of the negative as possible and move on.

Q9) Can you share with us something off your bucket list.

Shayla: Go to Italy. I’ve always wanted to spend a couple of weeks there and drink in the scenery, culture, and people.

Q10) What is in your To Read Pile that you are dying to start or upcoming release you can’t wait for?

Shayla: I’ve got a ton of books on my Kindle that I’d LOVE to be reading, but deadlines have kept me from enjoying them. I’m SO behind on my reading. Soon…

Q11) Is there anything else you would like to add?

Shayla: Thank you for inviting me here!

Want to learn more about Shayla and her books?

Check her out here:

Website | Facebook | Twitter | GoodReads

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May 30, 2012May 29, 2012

Interview with Kelly Gendron

Books-n-Kisses is pleased to welcome Kelly Gendron to the blog today.

Q1) Can you please share with us a little about yourself

Kelly: Something many people don’t know about me is that I’m a Snore Whisperer. Yes. In the wee hours of the night, when all is quiet and dark, I am able to silence one of the loudest Snorers known to mankind (my husband). My technique you ask? It starts with a sharp Shh… followed by a light tap, an elbow to the rib, and then in a stern whisper, I say, “Roll over!” I’m also a mom, a wife, and a nurse. Oh, and I’m an author too.

Q2) Have you always wanted to be an author?

Kelly: Sure did. It explains all the daydreaming and role-playing that went on in my head as a child. It wasn’t until I hit my thirties that I realized my stories needed to be told.

Q3) What is your most interesting writing quirk?

Kelly: As my story starts to flow, I tend to play a sort of musical chairs with my laptop. I pop it from the sofa, to my back room, to the dining room table, to outside, and yes, it’s even made an appearance in the bathroom a few times. I need change.

Q4) Can you please tell us about your latest book(s)?

Kelly: Satisfying the Curse is about a young woman, Juliana Pratt, who believes she’s cursed. Her entire life, her father’s warned her that she’s destined to be a wanton just like her adulteress mother. He’s hidden her away from his elite society because of it. When her father’s arrested for murder, he asks her to come into the spotlight to portray the doting daughter. Juliana agrees to the interviews and talk shows, but before she goes on the two-week tour of lies about her father, and with him behind bars and unable to stop her, she must first take care of her starving curse.

And Juliana picks the perfect man to get the job done. She secures him to a bed, but fails terribly at finishing the task. But later, Juliana discovers that the man she’d chosen to fulfill her every fantasy is also the agent assigned to protect her for the next two weeks!

NESA Agent T. Ryker prides himself on his discipline-that is, until his new assignment, the prim and proper Juliana Pratt, puts that discipline to the ultimate test! When Ryker finds out that Juliana was the masked woman who drugged and handcuffed him to the bed in his hotel room, he also discovers her true identity. Ryker agrees to satisfy Juliana’s ravenous curse, but he has his own reasons for doing it, and it’s not just to give Juliana’s body what it craves… for there is something else Agent T. Ryker wants from Juliana Pratt…

Q5) How did you come with the idea for this story?

Kelly: Satisfying The Curseis my second NESA (National Elite Security Agency) Book. I had so much fun with my first one, The Risqué Target, I just had to write another one. The Character’s are new, the story is different, but the agency remains the same. NESA will do whatever it takes to get the job done. No one, not even the agent assigned to the case, is safe.

Q6) Can you share with us your current work(s) in progress?

Kelly: I’ve been playing around with a couple of different paranormal romances. One is a series. I’m currently working on a new contemporary erotic romance. And as far as my NESA Books go, I really like Josie Deetz from Satisfying The Curse— I think she might be getting her own story.

Q7) Who is the one author that you would love to meet someday and why?

Kelly: JR Ward— I’d like to have a go at the files in her brain. She has great story lines, and I always fall in love with her characters.

Q8) What is the best piece of advice you would give to someone that wants to get into writing?

Kelly: Ah… the answer to this question reminds me of a quote from my latest release.

“Janie was a wise woman. She also said that while we might not always get what we deserve or want, we had better fight like hell for whatever it is that we truly need. She’d say, ‘To want is to desire, but a need? Well, that is a requirement, something you can’t live without.’ So I ask you… do you want her? Or do you need her?” (Satisfying The Curse)

I guess first, you’d have to decide whether you want or need to be a writer.

Q9) Can you share with us something off your bucket list.

Kelly: Bucket List? Hmm… Yeah know what— I really don’t have one. I’m the type of person who sets a goal and trucks along until it’s completed. I’m so neurotic about it that I usually give myself a target date. So, to say I want to accomplish, or do something before I “kick it” well that kind of deadline is too unreliable for my neurotic self. Besides, I find most things that really excite me come from those spur of the moment experiences.

Q10) What is in your To Read Pile that you are dying to start or upcoming release you can’t wait for?

Kelly: Right now, I’m trying to get through Fifty Shades of Grey… TBR? J.R. Ward, I love her books all the way to Jessica Bird. I marvel over her description and she can really pull me into the story. She has a couple of new ones coming out that I can’t wait to get my eyes on.

Q11) Is there anything else you would like to add?

Kelly: I have to say that you have one of the best blogs I’ve come across. It’s easy to maneuver around, it’s not too slow, and the blogs are interesting, fun, and easy to read. Thank you, Kelly, for having me here today!

You can find me in my little nook of the Web World at…

Website | Blog | Goodreads | Twitter

May 29, 2012May 28, 2012

Interview & Giveaway with JK Beck

Books-n-Kisses is super excited to have JK Beck (aka Julie Kenner) on the blog today. We are getting to know her a little better. Oh and today is release day for her. So please help me make JK feel welcome and wish her a happy release day.

Q1) Can you please share with us a little about yourself

Well, I was found as an infant when I hatched out of a golden egg that my parents had brought home from their travels in the …

Wait. That’s not me.

Seriously, I’m a Texas girl, although I was born in California and lived in LA for six years back when I was practicing law. I’m a terrible housekeeper, I drink way too much coffee, I have two kids who I homeschool (I need the coffee to keep up with them), and I saw Star Wars (the first one, the real one) in the theater 82 times. No, that’s not a typo.

I practiced law before quitting to write full time. My most interesting case arose out of the Rodney King riots. I got to depose Darryl Gates, the Chief of Police at the time of the riots. He had a radio show at the time of the deposition and referred to me in the show (not by name; he called me a “lady lawyer.” Ah, Darryl, Darryl, Darryl.)

I’ve been an extra in one movie, have an undergraduate degree in film, and have a couple of scripts floating around out there in Lala land. Novels are where my heart is, though. I love SCUBA diving, but hate diving in Texas, so haven’t been in years. I get seasick, and am much happier once I’m under the water rather than on it. I love to travel, and I went backpacking all over Europe the summer before I moved to LA to practice law. I watch reruns of Buffy far too often, never got into Angel, and cry at the ending of The Cutting Edge. Of course, I also cry at the ending of Independence Day. Show me something like Sleepless in Seattle and I’m a blubbering fool.

I sound like a bit of a mess, don’t I?

Q2) Have you always wanted to be an author?

Yes! One of my earliest memories, actually, is sitting in my dad’s home office banging out a “book” on his typewriter (so fast the keys mushed together – if you don’t know what I’m talking about, please don’t tell me as I’ll just feel old).

I’ve always made up stories. My parents were divorced when I was seven, and my dad moved 200 miles away. That made for a lot of flights from Austin to Dallas in the years between 7 and 18 in my dad’s very noisy prop plane. Since talking was difficult and reading impossible (motion sick), I would lean back, close my eyes and make up stories. Weird, strange stories. I recall at least one that involved Harrison Ford coming to my school because he’d fallen madly in love with me. Did I mention I write fiction?

Q3) Can you share with us your typical writing day. Is there anything you have to have while writing?

All I have to have is a keyboard. I’m the opposite of a Luddite; pencil and paper don’t do it for me.

There is no typical day, alas, but a day might look something like this:

5:00 alarm goes off.

5:15 alarm goes off.

5:30 alarm goes off, husband calls from the bathroom for me to get out of bed, already.

5:30-6 breakfast with husband

6-7:30 write and/or take care of emails, tweet, blog, etc.

7:30 wake kids up

7:30-8 while they watch something (these days, Meerkat Manor), I write

8-9 – feed kids, instruct them to eat, clean dishes, get dressed, do piano. I sneak off to write. Instead, I screw around on the Internet.

9-12:30 – school with the kids. Schlep MacBook Air around house; do emails, other stuff, and maybe a scene while they’re doing independent work

12:30-1:30 – lunch. I write. Or not.

1:30-3 – more school

3-6 – I write. Kids in my office are verboten. Doesn’t matter; they come in anyway.

6-7:30 – chat with husband, fix dinner, eat.

7:30-9 – family time (often involving a computer on my lap and me writing)

9-10 (or later if I’m crunched) – write

That’s a “perfect” day. More often, I get phone calls, have to take the kids to speech or Latin or violin or some other something. So the 10pm often creeps back later and later. Bad, as I’m a much less cranky mommy when I’ve had decent sleep! (And in case you can’t guess, I do a lot of my writing on weekends. That’s when I can get in the really big chunks of blissful writing time.)

Q4) Most challenging or rewarding part of writing?

Lately, the biggest challenge is finding blocks of time. I can write in spurts. I prefer a huge chunk. The most rewarding is the feedback from fans!

Passion-300x300 — Happy Release Day Today

Sure! WHEN PASSION LIES is the fourth in the Shadow Keepers series, which centers around a paranormal world with its own government hidden within ours. In this book, I got to spend time with Caris (a really kick-ass female character who’s a vampire/werewolf hybrid) and her estranged love, Tiberius (who’s a very alpha vamp with a hatred of werewolves). Theirs was an epic love, but something horrible happened and they were ripped apart. The book is the story of how they get back together…set against the backdrop of a mission to save the world!

Q6) How did you come with the idea for this story?

Oh, goodness…I don’t know if I can recall the details! I do know that it started with Caris. She didn’t actually exist in the world at first. But then she appeared on the page in the very first book, When Blood Calls, and she was such a cool character that she kept elbowing her way into stories until, finally, she demanded a book of her own!

Q7) Can you share with us your current work in progress?

I can’t!!!!!! I’m weirdly superstitious that way. I will say that I’m in the process of finalizing (editing, formatting, etc.) the sixth Demon Hunting Soccer Mom book (a series I write as Julie Kenner) and that it’ll be available in mid-June as an indie release. I’m super excited because I love that series and have missed writing Kate! (The book is PAX DEMONICA. Folks who aren’t yet familiar with the series can get a sense of Kate and the world in the short story, The Demon You Know, which is available in e-format for only 99 cents! You can read about all the Demon-Hunting Soccer Mom stories at http://www.demonhuntingsoccermom.com

Q8) Who are some of your favorite authors?

There are waaaaaay too many to list. My “get it the second it comes out on my Kindle” author is J.D. Robb. LOVE the In Death books. I’ve glommed all of Sue Grafton, adore Scalzi, think Lee Child is fabulous, could sit all day reading Jill Churchill, recently started re-reading Anne Perry’s Pitt series, think Stephen King writes the most amazing characters, and on and on. Frankly, I rarely find an author I don’t enjoy. I. Read. Everything.

Q9) Do you feel that any of your favorite authors have inspired your writing style?

Sure! I’ll notice bits and pieces of tone coming into my work. So I try not to read dark and depressing if I’m writing light fiction. (The other way, though, works. Even dark books need lighter moments!)

Temptation-300x300 — Coming in July 2012

Q10) What is in your To Read Pile that you are dying to start or upcoming release you can’t wait for?

Divergent! I’ve heard such great things about it, and I haven’t yet had the chance to dive in. But our neighborhood book club picked it, so I’ve got it and I’m starting it tonight. (fingers crossed!)

Q11) Is there anything else you would like to add?

Just thanks for having me! It’s been fun! And I hope readers find me on Twitter and Facebook and visit me on the blog, where I share slices of both my writing and my personal life and thoughts on various gadgets I love!

http://www.twitter.com/juliekenner

http://www.twitter.com/jkbeck (the Julie Kenner twitter account is more active; I tend to mostly tweet release-related stuff as J.K. Beck)

http://www.facebook.com/juliekennerbooks (be sure to “like” the page for exclusive content; for example, I just ended one contest and another will come soon!)

http://www.facebook.com/jkbeckbooks (ditto!)

And I’m ramping up to offer exclusive content to my newsletter subscribers, too, so I hope folks sign up. The link is on the banner of my website, http://www.juliekenner.com or http://www.jkbeck.com

Oh, and I recently discovered Pinterest. I’m “juliekenner” over there.

(I’m not yet active on Goodreads, but I’m working on it. I’ve had an account for years, but it’s sitting there stagnant. Once I’ve got it down, I’ll add links to my webpage. And if any readers have tips for navigating Goodreads, feel free to drop me a line or just comment on the blog!)

Thanks, Kelly!!

JK, is offering up a $25 Amazon gift card to one lucky commenter. To enter please fill out the Rafflecopter form below.
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May 29, 2012May 28, 2012

Beg For It by Stacey Kennedy

Beg For It

Pact of Seduction Book Two

BDSM Erotic Romance

Publisher: Loose Id

Length: Novella

Release date: May 29, 2012

BUY LINK

The Pact of Seduction has one rule—fulfill your ultimate fantasy. Bella’s problem, she can’t live up to her vow. But her failure spins events that lead her into unknown territory. Kole, a Dom at the sex club Castle Dolce Vita, wasn’t part of her fantasy, but he’s about to show her he should have been.

Kole is more than willing to introduce Bella to BDSM since he’s held an interest in her for some time. But the feisty woman isn’t easily tamed and her strong personality proves to be difficult. While she might be determined to keep him at a distance, Kole has other ideas. He won’t allow her to shut him out.

A pact between best friends brought them together, emotional barriers tear them apart. Kole skillfully reminds Bella through pleasure and punishment that she is now his submissive, and her place is under his command.

Publisher’s Note: This book contains explicit sexual situations, graphic language, and material that some readers may find objectionable: BDSM theme and elements, including spanking.

Teaser:

Only one thing would save Bella now—a stiff drink. Reed and Kole’s parties were always fun, and it was nice to see new friends she’d made over the past month. But her mood was right in the toilet. It’d been that way all day and had only gotten worse since she joined the party. She shouldn’t have come.

She cursed on a low breath. How in the hell was she going to get out of her current predicament? Originally, it’d been she who offered the idea of the pact of seduction, and she couldn’t even commit. Pathetic.

Marley’s giggle drew her attention, and Reed had pulled her onto his lap, nibbling at her neck. As horrible as it was, jealously surged. Maybe she had hoped that her fantasy would fill that empty void in her soul. Sure, it was meant as something sexually fun, but Bella craved something…

A part of her remained unfulfilled, even if she didn’t understand exactly what was missing. All she knew, her life at this moment was boring with a side of totally sucks.

She glanced over at Kyra, who laughed with Sadie, and nudged her arm. “I’ll be back. I need some air.”

“Sure.” Kyra’s green eyes were a little glassy. The wine clearly had gotten to her. “Want some company?”

“Nah.” She plastered on a fake smile. “I won’t be long.”

Kyra gave a nod, then turned her attention back at Sadie as the two chuckled about something Sadie had said. If only Bella had something to laugh about. She rose from the couch and made her way through the crowd.

As she passed, she noticed a man sitting on the ottoman and a woman knelt at his feet with her arms over his legs. The position appeared casual enough, but it also looked…different. As if the woman enjoyed being at his feet. Another spurt of jealously soared, and she gave her head a good hard shake. She was apparently envious of everyone who had a relationship. And since when had she been jealous of a BDSM relationship?

What’s gotten into you?

She made her way through the living room and stepped out onto the balcony. The cool air brushed against her skin, and she shivered. Winter still hung on in Baltimore, but what a strange winter it’d been—snow one day, mild the next. Tonight was brisk, but that only seemed to help cool off the annoyance burning her blood.

With her glass in her hands, she leaned on the railing and glanced over the city. Reed and Kole’s condo had an amazing view and the lights twinkled below.

She sipped at her drink and pondered her situation. How could she plan another fantasy when the only one she wanted she had yet to fully accept herself? And why was she acting like a bitter idiot?

After a long gulp that had her cringing from the aftertaste, a deep voice interrupted her useless thoughts. “I heard last night didn’t go well.”

She lowered the glass, licked the moisture on her lips, and looked next to her to find Kole. Like always in his presence, butterflies fluttered in her stomach, but she squashed them and kept her voice controlled. “That’s putting it lightly.”

His blond stylish hair framed a face worth a second look, and his dark blue eyes shone with a power that made her melt. He leaned against the railing beside her, cocked his head, and she felt the weight of his stare right down to her toes. “Tell me about it.”

She sipped her drink, mortified to her bones that she had to admit this to Kole. “It wasn’t Raven’s fault. I”—she drew in a deep breath and said quickly—“I always thought my fantasy was to be with a woman, but clearly it’s not.”

“Ah, I see.” He took a gulp of his beer before he lowered it. “You didn’t get off, I’m assuming?”

She snorted. “If laughing in her face means that I didn’t get off, then yes, I didn’t get off.”

He chuckled, the sound so seductive Bella quivered. In response to that odd reaction, she examined him and couldn’t stop from admiring the view.

He was dressed in a pair of dark jeans that no doubt hugged his fine ass, and a black T-shirt that was snug around the muscles beneath. Good God. She licked her lips for reasons that had nothing to do with her drink.

“You didn’t follow through with your part of the pact, then?”

Her gaze lifted to his face. The glint in his eyes declared he’d been quite aware of her admiring him. Hell, she’d lusted after him since the day they met. A strong sexual attraction existed between them that she hadn’t experienced before with any man, especially a Dom.

She blinked and focused away from the warmth that formed between her thighs. “That’s right. I bailed on the pact.”

His gaze became penetrating as his tone dipped lower. “Why don’t you arrange another night with someone else for your fantasy?”

“Because”—her muscles stiffened, and after a long sigh, she grimaced—“I have no idea what that fantasy is now.”

“Such a problem for a woman to have,” he mused.

She gulped at the way his voice seemed to carry into her soul; then she lowered her head to avoid eye contact with him. He raised his bottle to his mouth, and his arm brushed against hers. Tingles zinged through her, and she squeezed her thighs together to ease the throb of her clit.

How did he make her body do that? Every time he was near, she all but sizzled, and when he touched her, everything was amplified.

“I see that you need help, then, in finding what you’re looking for.”

It hadn’t sounded like a question, which she was glad for since her tight throat made it impossible to answer. He slid his finger along her arm, slowly and with clear intent to unravel her.

She bit her bottom lip. “W-what does that mean?”

He tucked his finger under her chin and lifted her head. “I think we both know what I mean.” Those eyes of his burned with the lust that he had obviously contained. “You enjoy my attention, and I’d enjoy you under my command.”

Then he pressed a finger on the back of her hand and danced his touch up her arm. His gaze followed his caresses every step of the way. And damn him if she didn’t close her eyes and shudder.

A scrape of his nail along her skin drew her eyes open, and he grinned with sin. “Look how beautifully you react to me.” He finally reached her shoulder, and she trembled under the softness of his touch that seemed to contradict that power oozing from him. He tucked his fingers back under her chin, drew her head up, and stared intently into her eyes.

Searching for what, she had no idea.

His hold tensed, a shift in his gaze appeared that made her stomach flip-flop, and her panties were now soaked. He leaned in, pressed his lips against hers, and the world froze. His luscious and damn well perfect mouth molded with hers as his silky tongue swept her away. When had anyone ever kissed her like this?

Oh, right—never.

He kissed her thoroughly, leaving no part of her mouth untouched; then he backed away but kept hold of her chin. “It’s time to stop ignoring what your body needs and accept that you want to be dominated.”

Hell, how right was he? Maybe BDSM wasn’t her fantasy when she made the pact of seduction with her friends, but after hearing about it from Marley, her interest had grown. She lifted a lazy shoulder to appear nonchalant. “I suppose if I set up a scene with you, that would be a solution to my problem.”

“Not good enough.” His gaze hardened. “Do you want me to take you into a scene, Bella?”

At his pause, she realized she needed to give a better answer, and she nodded. “I do.”

He examined her for a long moment before he finally said, “Now what are your interests in BDSM?”

She melted at the way he stared at her now. So intense. So wicked. Was this a hint of what he’d look like in a scene? Her body flushed, yet she held her focus and lifted her chin. She had always prided herself on staying strong around powerful men.

Her job as a stockbroker in Baltimore’s top lending investment firm meant she swam with the sharks. Most of her coworkers were authoritative men. If she’d showed weakness, she wouldn’t be where she was today, and she’d worked hard for her position.

“I’m interested in”—her throat went dry. All these fantasies she hadn’t admitted to anyone. Was she really going through with this? Her soaking panties declared it so—“ropes, sex toys, floggers, to be controlled, pleasure, and pain.” She raised her glass to her mouth and tried to ignore the way her hands shook.

Before the rim could reach her lips, Kole snatched the glass from her hands and set it on the ground next to him. “If we’re discussing this and you are serious, you will stop drinking.”

A flare of irritation rose up that he’d be so bold to take her drink right out of her hands, yet Marley had said that Castle Dolce Vita Doms never allowed submissives to drink alcohol in a scene to ensure they were clearheaded. And since they were discussing what would happen between them, she let it go. “Okay.”

He gave a short nod. “Now I want to make sure you’re well aware of what will happen and what I expect of you.” His gaze searched hers, seemingly looking right through her. “And I need to be sure that I’m the correct Dom for you.”

“I don’t want anyone else,” she blurted out before she could stop herself.

His eyebrows rose. “I don’t mind your answer, Bella.” A small grin turned up the corners of his mouth. “But do tell—have you put more thought into this than you’re letting on?”

Her cheeks had never burned so hot, but she wouldn’t be that woman who’d stumble around a man. She stuffed her nervousness away, clasped her hands, and demanded her voice to be strong. “Maybe once or twice.”

She’d been aware of the mutual attraction between them, so two could play his game. “Are you trying to deny you haven’t thought about it too?”

He winked. “Maybe once or twice.”

A flutter whipped around inside her, her palms grew clammy, and she squeezed her fingers. Why did he make her act so…knocked off her axis?

“One thing that needs to be discussed is my expectations.” He glanced at her hands for a moment as if he took in her reaction before he looked back into her eyes. “From what I know of you as you are now, you’d struggle to meet them. And I want to make that clear so you know what you’re getting yourself into.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?” she snapped. “Why would I struggle to meet your demands?”

He gave his head a slow shake. “I’m not saying it to insult you, but to give you a stern warning. I don’t play lightly.”

“Well, I…” Her entire face burned hot as if she had a high-grade fever. Marley had told her all about Kole. How he enjoyed pain play. How strict he was in how a submissive behaved. And all it’d done was increase the throb between her thighs. Solidified the fantasy. “I think I might like that.”

He gave a delicious smile. “I have no doubt you would.”

And then his lips were back on hers as he swept her away in another leg-wobbling kiss before those plush lips tore away from hers.

“You’ll arrive at the castle next Friday at seven o’clock. I’ll have a room reserved.” He dropped his head, his eyes in the direct line of hers. “When you arrive, remove your clothes, kneel in the center of the room, and wait for me. Clear?”

Heat spread across her body at the images playing in her head. Nude? Kneeling? Oh God! She quivered in anticipation.

At his expectant expression, she nodded instead of offering him a breathy response.

“Good.” He took her mouth again playfully, nibbled on the corners of her lips, and flicked her lips with his tongue. And when he had her body ramped up to a fever pitch, he backed away to trail his thumb over her lips. “Can you be honest and open with me?”

Drool, honest-to-God drool, formed in her mouth. Everyday Kole was sexy. Dom Kole was to die for. The sheer power that exuded from him, intensity in his features, it all captivated her. He’d asked her to be honest with him—how hard could that be? “I can do that.”

He nodded in approval, skimmed her mouth again with his thumb, while his gaze stayed focused there. The smile he gave, the possessiveness held in the depths of his eyes, liquefied her insides.

Something sparked through his touch, only increasing with his kiss, and even more so by the way he looked at her now. One of those duh moments. Had what she wanted—desired—been standing right in front of her this entire time?

In less than a week, she’d have the answer.

~*~

Stacey Kennedy’s erotic romance novels are just that…erotic. There is nothing better than taking the dominant men she loves and watching them do wicked things to their women. But she just can’t write without a little humor added into the mix so that’s always a must have in her stories. And of course what’s a story without a big dose of emotional characters, too. Her urban fantasy/paranormal and erotic romance series have hit Amazon Kindle and All Romance eBooks bestseller lists. Stacey welcomes comments from readers. You can find her at www.staceykennedy.com.

May 29, 2012May 30, 2012

Spotlight Feature of Donya Lynne’s All The Kings Men Series & giveaway

“Rise of the Fallen”, Book 1

BUY NOW: Amazon / B&N / Smashwords

In the streets of Chicago exists an uneasy, centuries-old truce between vampires and their distant cousins, a race of shifters called drecks. Vampire enforcement agency, All the King’s Men (AKM), is charged with maintaining the truce, but when volatile enforcer Micah Black loses his mate and falls into the biological agony that results from the broken bond, he tests the boundaries of the truce by seeking out Apostle, a leader in the dreck community. Micah wants Apostle to kill him, a request Apostle is more than happy to fulfill.

When ex-Army medic Samantha Garrett inadvertently disrupts the plot and saves Micah’s life, a chain reaction sets Micah’s heart on a collision course with Sam’s, but he will have to protect her from Apostle and her obsessive ex-husband, Steve, if they will have a chance at forever. Can Micah hold his emotions together to keep Sam alive?

“Heart of the Warrior”, Book 2

BUY NOW: Amazon / B&N / Smashwords

Severin was born to be a warrior. Conceived as a mixed-blood when his vampire father raped his dreck mother over two centuries ago, Severin retained the power of iron skin inherent to newborn drecks. However, Sev keeps this secret closely guarded. If it’s discovered that inferior dreck blood flows in his vampire veins, it could destroy his life. And to make matters worse, his father suddenly wants to make amends for his transgressions. Sev wants nothing of his father’s apology, especially now, as he contends with both an assassin who has marked Sev for blood vengeance and his obsessive attraction to his teammate, Arion.

Arion is the son of King Bain’s liaison, Gregos Savakis, who had Ari’s course plotted before he was even born. But what Ari’s overbearing parents wanted for him wasn’t what Arion wanted for himself, and a lifetime spent fighting through one relationship after another with females from all walks of life has left him weary in his search for a mate. After a startling and erotic encounter with Sev, Ari has begun to realize why. He’s gay. And now he can’t stop thinking about Sev. Arion suddenly realizes he’s been forcing himself to be with females because that’s what his parents expected. But what he wants is a male, and not just any male. Arion wants Severin.

Can the two overcome the secrets, prejudice, plotting, and the threat on Severin’s life to find happily ever after with each other?

Donya Lynne’s Bio:

Donya resides in Indianapolis, Indiana, with her husband and a small zoo of cats and dogs. In fact, her writing buddy, Lucky, serves as her writing assistant most days, staying right by her side and distracting Donya with her adorable-ness when needed. Because, hey, every author needs a distraction once in a while.

As a little girl, Donya always had a book in her hand. As she got older, the books became pens and notebooks, which she filled with stories and poetry. For as long as she remembers, she has been writing and studying the writing craft with the goal of being published one day. She is passionate about providing readers with what she calls an experience. She wants readers to be able to sink into her stories and escape reality for just a little while, and every word is written, and every sentence structured, with that goal in mind.

Donya loves music and often finds inspiration for her stories in the wide range of music she listens to. But occasionally it’s a movie, a book, or just a drive around town that inspires her work. She constantly reads new material, new authors, and different styles of writing as a means to improve her own, and believes the writing process is one an author should always strive to perfect, even though perfecting it is an impossible feat. It’s the thrill of the chase and the challenge that keeps her from getting stagnant in her own work.

She has several projects planned and in progress, including eight more novels and two novellas in the All the King’s Men series, as well as several stand-alone novels, another series, and several short stories and novellas. She would love to share her journey with you in this exciting venture.

Don’t forget to check out the rest of Donya’s Tour Stops: