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Guest blog & Giveaway with Desiree Holt



Want to win a prize? Just leave a comment. I’m giving away two prizes: a copy of the book you can read about here and a $25 Gift Certificate at Amazon. Two lucky folks will be chosen January 2. But ya gotta comment to win!!!

Who says you’re too old for Santa Claus? I really don’t think there’s an age limit, is there? My favorite thing to do on Christ, beginning Christmas Eve, is something I only started about ten years ago. How many of you follow NORAD’s Santa Track?
NORAD is an acronym for the North American Air Defense, the bi-national U.S.-Canadian military organization responsible for the aerospace and maritime defense of the United States and Canada.
It all began in 1955 when a Sears store in Colorado Springs mistakenly printed the phone number for NORAD instead of Santa’s Hot Line. The Director of Operations at the time, Colonel Harry Shoup, decided technology could only improve tradition. He set his staff to checking the radar for indications of Santa making his way south from the North Pole. Children who called were given updates on his location, and a tradition was born.
Now each year NORAD now puts the Santa Track on the Internet. Millions of people who want to know Santa’s whereabouts can visit the NORAD Tracks Santa website. NORAD uses four high-tech systems to track Santa – radar, satellites, Santa cams and fighter jets.
Want to track Santa? I know I do. It’s become a tradition at our house. Just go to Google Earth and type Track Santa in the search box. Go on. It’s fun!

And while you’re tracking Santa, have a cup of eggnog with rum liberally added and read about a great Christmas romance in HE CAME UPON A MIDNIGHT CLEAR. One of the stories in  MADAME EVE’S 1 NIGHT STAND CHRISTMAS ANTHOLOGY from Decadent Publishing. Available from all your online bookstore as well as www.decadentpublishing.com

Blurb:

Cody Alvarez needed to find a wife by Christmas or he would lose the ranch his uncle left to him. Libby Morris just needed, for once in her life, to feel desired. Sensual. Appealing. Especially after an intense reshaping at a high-end spa. Invited to Christmas Week at the Castillo Lodge in Alaska by Madame Eve of 1Night Stand, Cody and Libby were not given the names of the partners chosen for them. As they were forced to wait until they learned who their one-night stands were, they discovered an incredible spark of chemistry and a connection stronger than either had experienced before. Would spending a very erotic night together ruin their arrangements or give them another option?
Excerpt:
“I’m not very good at this,” she said slowly.
He squeezed her hand gently. “At eating dinner?”
She shook her head, still not looking at him. “At…small talk. Dating. Things like this.” Her cheeks felt so hot she thought they must match her lipstick.
“Libby?” Cody’s voice barely penetrated the fog of embarrassment. And he still had hold of her hand.  “Libby, look at me.”
Reluctantly she raised her eyes.
“I’m going to order us each another drink and then I’d be interested to find out why someone as beautiful and sexy as you has trouble in a social situation like this. Surely you must be beating the men off with a stick.”
She made herself breath evenly. She might as well tell him. They’d never see each other again and maybe he could give her some moral support. Besides, he made her feel comfortable, something her assigned date night not do.
The waiter cleared their dessert dishes, brought another glass of wine for her and bourbon on the rocks for Cody. He touched his glass to hers.
“To us. Two people enjoying a nice dinner.”
She laughed at that and swallowed some wine.
“Now. Let’s have it. What’s got you skittish as a newborn calf?”
“You’ll laugh at me.”
He smiled. “Darlin’, the last thing I’ll do is laugh. I promise.”
She took another gulp of wine. “Well, they say it’s easier to tell things to a stranger.”
“Oh, but we’re not strangers,” he protested. “Are we? We spent all that time on the plane together, right? But Libby? It’s still all right to talk to me. Tell me.” 
She drained her wine glass and held it out. “C-Could I have another drink? Please?”
Cody laughed. “Yes, but then I’m cutting you off. I don’t want anyone to accuse me of getting you drunk and taking advantage of you.”
Her breath caught in her throat. “I…You…”
He signaled for the waiter then picked up her hand again. She wished he’d never drop it. It felt so good and secure.
“Breathe,” he teased gently. “It’s okay. Just relax. If you don’t want to say anything you don’t have to. Really.”
“I’ve been fat and frumpy and boring all my life,” she blurted out then wished she could dive under the table. When he didn’t say anything she made herself look up and saw him staring at her. “What?”
He cleared his throat. “Libby. I have to say that those are three words I would never associate with you.”
The waiter brought their drinks and she paused long enough to sip some of hers. “That’s because you didn’t know me. Even now I have a long ways to go.”
“For what?” He sounded astonished.
“For, you know. To look like everyone else.”
“Why the hell would you want that? You’re perfect the way you are.”
She snorted. “Oh, sure. That’s nice of you to say but you don’t have to be polite. I just spent two months at a spa to get to this point.” He hadn’t stopped staring at her. “That’s why I booked this thing through 1 Night Stand. A woman at the spa told me about them.” Her face heated again. “I wanted an exciting, erotic night like my girl friends talk about. An adventure. You know. Hot sex.”
Oh, god, maybe the floor would just open up and swallow her.
Cody downed his bourbon in two swallows and signaled the waiter for the check.
“Finish your wine. We’re getting out of here.”
Find me at www.desireeholt.com www.desireehot.som, @desireeholt on Twitter and /desireeholt on Facebook.


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Winter’s Favorite Giveaway Day~~22

Welcome to Day 21 of Winter’s Favorites.
Today on the blog we have the super nice DC Juris.
Hi there! ::waves:: I’m DC Juris, and I’ll be your guest blogger today! For those of you who are scratching your head at just who exactly I might be, I’m a transgender fella who writes gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender, and heterosexual romance, or, as I like to call it – hot smut!
Anyone who is familiar with me knows I grew up in an abusive household. Consequently, holidays were pretty much a wash. Dad would spend all day Thanksgiving Day getting drunk and yelling at the turkey smoker in the yard. Christmas time I’d get hauled off to his mother’s house, where everyone hated everyone else, and you were next! Then there was the year dad, in a typical drunken rage, kicked mom and I out on Christmas Eve and we slept in the neighbor’s car. Yeah…Let’s just say I found the phrase bah, humbug more than a little fitting.
Once I moved out on my own, I vowed to change all that. The first few years, I rebelled against the family by not going to Christmas dinner at all. They didn’t accept me anyhow, why should I bother? Then for a few years I went, but didn’t stay long. Said hi and bye to grandmother, and that was pretty much it. For a little while, I tried to make an effort. I cooked grand side dishes, festooned in colorful seasonal dishes with little Christmas trees or Santas on them. But nothing I did ever felt right.
It wasn’t until I moved in with the love of my life that the holidays took on an actual meaning for me. He had two kids, so finally I could shop for someone, watch them open presents and see them delight in their gifts. He had warm, welcoming family. We went to his mother’s house and sat around a roaring fireplace, ate until we thought we’d burst, opened thoughtful gifts (not the usual socks and sweater I’d become accustomed to). The first year of putting up our very own Christmas tree was special, too. Hubby hadn’t really done much in the way of Christmas décor since his divorce, so we had to go buy a tree (a fake one – I’m allergic to the real thing) and all the stuff to go along with it.
We also started a couple traditions of our own. Every year we search for a new elephant Christmas ornament. It’s not as easy as you might think – not every store has one. We’ve had to get really creative in finding them. This year, Hubby found one very early, at the first place he went to.
A couple years ago, I did something else that drastically changed the face of Christmas: I stopped getting together with my mother. I know that sounds horrible, but if you know anything about me, you know our relationship was strained at best. My mother has a lot of issues she won’t get help for, and she spends most of her time either belittling me, rehashing her past, or praising my father (who mentally, physically, and sexually abused me). Breaking away from my mother at the holidays has made a world of difference. I’m no longer sick with stress the week up to and the week after. And I’ve found I don’t eat as much, so I don’t pack on the holiday pounds. Go figure!
Hubby and I typically get a pizza now instead of cooking – both the kids are grown and moved out, so there’s no more hassling back and forth between their biological mother and our house, no driving out to the middle of nowhere at 9 o’clock at night to drop them off or pick them up. Nowadays, Christmas day is a lazy day, full of pizza, soda, and zombie movies on DVD.
I guess the point of this post is that, though your holiday celebration may be a little unorthodox, you have to seize it and make it your own. No matter how crazy anyone thinks you are!
Learn more about DC here
Website:  http://www.dcjuris.com/
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/dcjuris
Twitter: http://twitter.com/#!/dcjuris

To enter for a chance to win an E-book of DC’s back list. Please leave DC a comment, tell him what your planning on eating Christmas evening, then head over to the MAIN Winter’s Favorite page (<< — Click link) to enter the giveaway.
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The Legend of Micheal only $1.99 (ebook)

Legend of Michael 
by Lisa Renee Jones
 * $1.99 * Amazon | nook | Sony 
HE IS A LETHAL WEAPON…
One of an army of human soldiers injected with alien DNA, Michael is a legend within this new race, split between good and evil. Untamable, he has walked on the dark side and returned to the light. Feared and misunderstood, he leaves everything behind, including the one woman destined to be his mate.
HE IS HER ENEMY…AND HER DESTINY…
Cassandra holds the key to Michael’s power, and his pain. With loyalties divided and against insurmountable odds, Cassandra’s heart propels her to Michael’s side-but can her love do anything but destroy him…

To make it that much sweeter.  If you go buy (paper or ebook) send me email showing receipt and I will pick one person and they will get their choice of The Storm that is Sterling (bk 2) or The Danger that is Damian (bk3, released in May 2012)….  Email me at books.n.kisses(at)gmail(dot)com

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Guest blog with Liia White


1Night Stand and Madame Evangeline. It’s such an exciting, intriguing concept that if a service like this really existed, it’d be worth millions!
If you’re not familiar with the 1Night Stand series – check out the blog here. When I first heard about it from Rebecca Royce, I checked out the blog and detail sheet and instantly loved the idea. Then I read a few of the books and was completely hooked. The idea of someone who is either damaged, a professional with no idea how to get into the dating world, or someone who’s just lost in life, spending one hot night with a stranger was enticing enough. The two of them being perfect for each other is just
What started out as an idea from Valerie Mann, Kate Richards & Olivia Starke has turned into a phenomenon with more than 50 books being written about Madame Evangeline and her matchmaking skills.
When I tried my hand at writing a 1Night Stand story, I knew this was going to become a little obsession for myself. My first, One Hot Australian Night, was accepted and published on July 15th. A few weeks later, I received an email asking me to be a part of the 1Night Stand Holiday Anthology that Decadent were putting together. To say I was ecstatic is an understatement. But when I found out who the other authors were that were a part of the anthology I nearly fell off my chair!
Her First White Christmas is part of Madame Eve’s 1Night Stand Holiday Anthology – which includes brilliant stories from Cerise DeLand, Desiree Holt, D.L. Jackson, Stacey Kennedy, Rebecca Royce, Clarissa Yip and my lucky self – is a fun anthology filled with sweet, sexy stories of romance in a bundle sub-genres.
Her First White Christmas is my offering about two Aussies who have waited long enough to find each other.
Blurb
Remy Sommers has grown weary of his playboy lifestyle. He’s ready to fall in love and settle down. Problem is, he doesn’t know where to start. After attending his sister’s wedding, he takes her advice and contacts the 1 Night Stand dating agency – the same agency she used to find her new husband.
Bella Donna has had enough of blind dates. She’s always left bitterly disappointed. On the advice of a friend, she contacts Madame Evangeline, hoping her reputation precedes her and she can find Bella Donna her perfect man.
A mysterious invitation from Madame Evangeline leads them both to the secluded and exclusive Castillo Lodge in Alaska for a holiday event.
Will they get their happily ever after? Or will their first white Christmas end in disaster and disappointment?
Thank you so much for having me today.
Happy Holidays everyone! 

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Winter’s Favorite Giveaway Day~~21

Welcome to Day 21 of Winter’s Favorite.
Today I am pleased to welcome the very naughty Laura Stamps aka the Sex Witch…

Many thanks to Kelly for inviting me to participate in this event!  When she mentioned a flash fiction story I remembered a piece I had written several years ago for a literary magazine.  It was one I could update and tweak to jive with Kelly’s theme.  Woot!  So I did it.
To give you a little history, I spent over a decade as a literary fiction writer before I switched to genre fiction.  My literary short stories and poems have appeared in over 1000 literary journals, magazines, and university anthologies worldwide.
One of my fav things to write back then was flash fiction.  In those days flash fiction was around 500 words.  It was great fun to tell a hot story in so few words, and I always loved the challenge.
Enjoy!!
*************
The Beach House
Laura Stamps (c)
“Dear Goddess, I love sex.”  I’m lying on my back, nude on the deck.  Bending my knees, I allow a warm ocean breeze to fluff the hair of my drenched pussy.
This afternoon my Fey mate and I arrived in the islands for our winter holiday vacation.  When we discovered the wrap-around deck and its sunken hot tub, we laughed.  We’ve been playing in it ever since.
Dante slips into the hot tub and runs his hand along my foot and up my silky leg. 
“Mmm,” I purr, my eyes darkening with lust.  “I was born for sex.”
He smiles.  “You’re definitely a hot piece of ass, love.”
I roll over and crawl toward the hot tub, my small breasts swaying as I move.  When I reach the edge I sit and dangle my feet in the bubbling water.  
Moving between my knees, Dante grips my hips.  His shaft is erect again, the head almost purple with desire.  
My legs encircle his waist, and I press my heel against his back, guiding his thick cock home.  “Ah, nirvana…”  My mind dissolves as he stretches and fills me. 
He bends and takes my nipple into his mouth, teasing it with his tongue.  Then he reaches down and pinches my swollen clit. 
Hard.
“Shit!” I scream.  My knees squeeze his hips like a vise, while delicious waves of pleasure roll through me. 
When I stop panting, I reach back and flatten my hands on the polished floor of the deck, arching my spine to meet each of his languorous strokes.  By now his shaft is soaked with my cream as it slides in and out of my hungry cunt. 
I thrust my breasts toward him and moan with need.  I’m a cat in heat.  Dante licks one nipple, and then the other, teasing me again. 
There’s a plate of cashew-butter crackers next to us.  He selects one and feeds me with his fingers. 
“You should eat.”  The corner of his mouth lifts in a wicked grin.  “It’s gonna be a long night, baby.”
“Oh, really?”  Every time he slips a cracker into my mouth, I devour it.  My tongue swirls around his finger, and I suck until my cheeks hollow, taunting him. 
“You’re a wicked Witch,” he scolds.
I wink at him.  “Tell me something I don’t know.”
When I’m full, Dante pushes the plate away and rests his hands on my slim waist.  Slowly, he lowers his head and pulls my breast into his mouth.  I purr with delight and raise my knees to press against his firm chest, taking his shaft deeper into my greedy pussy. 
I exhale and close my eyes.  My head drops back.  I want to be impaled on his cock forever. 
When I open my eyes, I gaze at him and grin.  “Fuck me, ” I whisper.  “Fuck me like you mean it.”
Dante laughs.  “Happy holidays, love.”  He cups my ass in his strong hands and pumps into me fast and hard. 
I scream with pleasure.  Again.
Oh, how I love this man!
*************
Laura Stamps is a bestselling Pagan paranormal erotica novelist.  She writes three Pagan fiction series (The Witchery Series, The Rune Witch Series, The Manigault Vampires).  She also writes a nonfiction series about her lusty, oversexed life (The Memoir Series). She is the author of 53 books as well as the recipient of many awards, including a “Pulitzer Prize” nomination and seven“Pushcart Award” nominations. A Wiccan Faery Witch and sorceress, Laura enjoys writing novels about contemporary Pagans living in the Deep South. 
Laura Stamps 

Pagan Paranormal Erotica Novelist
(HOT vampires, shapeshifters, witches)

Kindle ebooks (all $0.99): http://ht.ly/4GPqd 

To enter for a chance to win E-book of A Vampire Kiss by Laura Stamps. Please leave Laura a comment, tell her your favorite winter memory, then head over to the MAIN Winter’s Favorite page (<< — Click link) to enter the giveaway.

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Guest blog with Lucy Morgan

OLLY’S CHRISTMAS GIFT GUIDE
People call me a lot of things: rude. Impulsive. Thunder cock (okay, maybe that’s just one person. Okay…maybe I made that one up). But all of them can agree that I buy amazing Christmas presents. Need an emergency gift idea? Never fear, my little fucktoads: Olly the Awesome is here to assist!
To inspire you, here are the gifts I’m buying for my three closest, bestest mates–the stars of BEAUTIFUL MESS–this year:
TOM
My roomie Tom is not an unattractive guy. I can say this because I’m hotter than him, and if we ever decide we like the cock, I’d be totally out of his league. But yeah. Not at all unattractive, very funny, and training to be a doctor. Have I sold him to you yet, ladies? Because my poor mate Tom needs to get laid, and so for Christmas: I’m buying him a girlfriend.
You read that right. There’s nothing you can’t get on the internet these days. She arrives from China on Friday (just in time to be wrapped and shoved under the tree. Shh, shh…I’ll let her use the toilet first, I promise). I wanted one from Burkina Faso but all the flights were booked…bummer.
BAILEY
Bailey is my other roomie, and my much-treasured chick friend. Every guy needs a girl he isn’t banging to get advice from, to cook for him, to purchase a carefully controlled number of cushions for the sofa. Bailey just got dumped and she needs some serious cheering up, so for Christmas, I’m buying her a fuckload of liquor. And maybe some trashy girl DVDs with sparkly vampires and shit.
What I’d really like to do is buy her an orgasm, because she got drunk the other night and confessed that she’s never had one with a dude. But it turns out that purchased orgasms appear to come with a side order of skinny syphilis. I was going to give her an IOU but my girlfriend objects, for some reason.
LINC
Ah, Linc, my good friend and business partner. You know what I’m buying him? Some balls.
See, he’s another not-unattractive guy. In fact when Linc and I don our fuzzy werewolf costumes and post the vids up on YouTube–as we do for our parody company–he gets more fanmail than me (and I’ve got the broader shoulders, the sparklier wit. Where are my stalkers? Where’s my knickers in the post, huh?). So how is it that now Bailey’s single and he’s been batshit crazy about her for, like, ever...he can’t bring himself to do anything? Linc needs courage. Linc needs new balls. Fortunately for him, I found scrot-seeds on some website, so he can literally grow a pair.
So there we have it, my festive fwends: Olly’s Christmas, all wrapped up. And if you want to find out what happens with my besties (they’re so fortunate to have me), you can pick up a copy of BEAUTIFUL MESS from many, many vendors. And it’s free!
Merry Christmas, mofos!
Beautiful Mess 
Author: Lucy V. Morgan
Formats: Purchase links
 iBooks (free) |  Amazon |  
ARe (free)            
Smashwords (free) 

Release date: Friday 25th November 2011

Publisher: Self-published
Edited by Christa Desir
Cover Art by Kenny Wright
Length: Novella, 15,000 words
Genre: contemporary erotic romance, humour
Blurb
Warning: contains pet rats, hot YouTube celebrity roommates, and one spurned girlfriend about to get even…
Working in a wedding cake shop sucks when you’ve just been dumped.
Bailey Frost has a recipe for disaster: one cheating ex, one big glass of liquor, and three well-meaning male friends who think her lack of a sex life is funny. Before she knows it, she’s confessed that she’s never had an orgasm with a man.
Now Bailey has to navigate sappy couples at work, while her friends are hell-bent on helping her get revenge on evil Craig…by dressing up as werewolves, on YouTube.
And one of those friends– the tall, shy-but-gorgeous Linc–might just want to help Bailey with that other little problem…
EXCERPT
           Showers are supposed to make you feel better, aren’t they? You scrape off the day. Lather up your troubles. Wash that man right out of your hair (Oprah finger snap!). So why, after at least fourteen quid’s worth of Clinique, did I still feel like I was scraped off Craig’s shoe?
            I slathered on coconut moisturizer, threw on satin pajamas, combed the curls out of my hair. The only thing the Jäger had done was give me a headache. What was that incessant —
            — oh, the doorbell. Great.
            The boys never answered the door unless they were expecting food. It was an unwritten rule– a bit like “Bailey always brings the cake off-cuts from work and we feed them to her rats when she’s not looking.”
            I tucked my hair up into a bun and shuffled towards the groaning bell. I still wasn’t sure why we went for the musical one that plays the Phantom of the Opera. In the dark, it just got creepy.
            Linc filled the doorway, all shoulders, dimples and ruffled black hair.
            “Hi,” he said, looking awkwardly surprised. Not that it was personal. Linc(oln) always looked like that. It was his thing.
            “You can come in, you know.” I stood aside and he nodded at me.
            “Yeah. Okay.”
            He practically lived with us, anyway–what with he and Olly’s website.
            “Go on then,” I said.
            He slid in and I put the latch on behind him.
            “Good day?” I asked.
            “I killed some servers. I was meant to do that, but then they wouldn’t come back online…and then…” He toyed with his hair. “Then we all snuck off for McDonald’s and came home.”
            “Sounds eventful. Maybe if your gay poodles take off, you can quit the day job, like Olly.”
            “They’re camp werewolves.” He grinned just slightly. It lit up his whole face. “But yeah. Paws crossed.”
            I’d barely shut my door when I heard him talking to Olly in the kitchen.
            “What’s wrong with Bailey? She’s all…sullen.”
            “Oh.” Olly talked through a mouthful of pizza again. “That cunt dumped her.”
            “Shit.” Air hissed through Linc’s teeth. “Is she okay?”
            “They were together for like, two years. Do you think she’s okay? Still.” More chomping. “The dude’s done her a favor. I mean, he stayed over often enough and there was never much going on in the bow-chic-a-wow-wow department, eh?”
            They guffawed with that manly, cringing laugh that they do when a footballer misses a goal.
            They’d listened to me and Craig have sex? Was it even that loud? Why had this not been mentioned in a passive aggressive boy-pun?
            Linc tittered. “Oh man. That’s low.”
            “It’s true though! Come on, you were here enough times. Creak…creak…creak…sorry, baby.”
            Oh God. As if things weren’t bad enough.
            “If my girlfriend looked like Bailey then I’d want her to at least, you know, realize that I’m fucking her,” said Olly.
            Linc cleared his throat. “Your girlfriend looks like Lucy Liu.”
            “I know. I got some sauce with my awesome! Let’s eat.”
            I couldn’t sit down. Couldn’t think. I was just so mortified, and so…rage-y.
Author Bio
Lucy V. Morgan is a genre-hopping British writer and the author of the Whored series for Lyrical Press. She believes that fools are made to be broken, rules are made to be bent, and flawed characters are the most interesting. If it’s hiding in the shadows, she probably thinks it’s hot. Originally, Lucy thought that talking about herself in the third person would sound pretentious, but finds she is DRUNK ON THE POWER.
 She will now be going for a lie down.
Links
Author’s Website: http://www.lucyvmorgan.com/
Author’s Twitter handle: @LucyVMorgan
Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/12922018-beautiful-mess
Read the first chapter of Beautiful Mess: http://www.lucyvmorgan.com/2011/11/beautiful-mess-chapter-one.html

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Winter’s Favorite Giveaway Day~~20

Welcome to day 20 of Winter’s Giveaways.
Today I am extremely please to share the Super Sweet Minnette Meador and the very Funny and Naughty Shayla Black.   
Minnette the floor is yours:


THE MIRACLE
by Minnette Meador
I stared out at the winter scene through my windshield, listening to my three-year-old whimpering next to me. It was Christmas Eve. The twins bundled in the back seat added their own crescendo of noise. I was crying too.

It was cold. Twenty degrees may not seem like a lot when your snug in a seventy decree house, but sitting on the side of the road in a dead car with three screaming kids was murder. I was contemplating it.

Paul had stumbled to my bed to snuggle around 2am. He was burning up. 104 degrees and I gathered the entourage and dumped everyone in the car. It was the eighties and single moms were all the rage. Man, was I broke. Childcare was eating up more than half of my income and a severe winter was not helping matters. My car had no tags, no insurance, and probably wasn’t street legal (thanks to DEQ regulations), but this was an emergency. I didn’t call 911. I think in the panic I didn’t even think of it. All I could see through the parental tunnel vision was hopping into the car and driving to the hospital.

The car died about half way there.

I pulled Paul into my lap and rocked him to keep him warm. The twins were bundled in enough blankets to warm the inside of an igloo. They finally settled down when Paul stopped crying and I searched what I could see of the deserted road for a solution to our dilemma.

There were no such things as cell phones back in those days. Rich people had mobile phones in their cars, but the rest of us didn’t. I scanned the terrain and there were only houses, darkened buildings, and silver ice on the lawns and streets. I took stock.

There is nothing so clear in your mind than finally reaching the realization, too late, that you should have made a different decision. Hindsight is always glaringly clear. After letting that thought fry my brain for a bit, I reviewed by alternatives: 1) I could knock on the door of the nearest house (about a block away) and ask for help, but I had three children in the car, twins aged 1 ½ and a three-year-old. None of them had coats or boots on and the triple stroller sat on the porch of my duplex because mom was in such a rush to get to the hospital she literally scooped and ran. 2) Leave the kids in the car and run to the house to get help, hoping nothing would happen to my kids. Just not an option. 3) Try to carry all three. Not in a million years.

I ran my hand over Paul’s forehead and pulled in a shaking breath. He was still so hot and now he was getting lethargic.

Religion is a very private thing for me. Because of that I do not discuss my religious beliefs with anyone… and I mean anyone. However, on that night, in that hour, I adopted them all. I closed my eyes and prayed to any god who would listen to me.

Before I was even done a cascade of beautiful blue and red lights filled the interior of the car. The wailing voice of an angel startled the twins awake and they bawled. Paul stirred in my arms and smiled up at me. I thought they had come for all of us.

Instead, there was a tapping on the window and a bright light filled my eyes. I rolled down the window in bliss, not really caring who it might be. I was just so happy to see someone!

“Hello, Miss.” The voice was deeply masculine. “Are you all right?”

He lowered the flashlight and I saw a gleaming badge on his pocket. His rugged kind face stared down at us and I couldn’t stop the happy tears from flowing.

I spilled the story out in one long wintry breath and he helped me get the kids into his patrol car. I don’t remember if it was a hundred or two hundred times I thanked him, that night and later in a letter to the department.

On the short ride to the hospital Paul sat on my lap his face lit up like Christmas. He chattered non-stop until we reached the emergency room. And, of course, by the time we got in to see the doctor, he was perfectly fine.

In this time of financial turmoil it is difficult sometimes to remember there are so many things to be thankful for. I had a boss once who used to be a nurse. Whenever there was a major disaster or things went terribly wrong, she would turn to me and ask, “Did anyone die?” It always calmed me down.

Happy Holidays to everyone. May you find your own strength in adversity and your own bliss in hopeful times.

DON’T FORGET TO LEAVE A COMMENT FOR A CHANCE TO RECEIVE AN E-COPY OF THE BELLE STALKER, AN URBAN FANTASY THRILLER IN ANY E-FORMAT.
Minnette Meador is a multi-published author who lives in Portland, Oregon with one slightly used husband, a black cat formerly known as Spook, and a 4 lb. poodle. The poodle, Pierre, pretty much runs the show. Facebook – Twitter – Web Site – Blog – Contact Minnette – Amazon Author Page
Watch for her newest thriller, THE BELLE STALKER, available now in Kindle, Nook, and all other eBook formats:
THE BELL STALKER
an urban fantasy thriller
by Minnette Meador
RELEASE DATE: October 26, 2011

For a year, Belle Stark has struggled to conquer fears plaguing her since being attacked by a maniac who continues to roam free and the murder of her father. And she nearly succeeds, until she discovers her lover’s mutilated body spread over the furniture, making Belle a prime suspect. Certain her attacker is to blame, she seeks help from her ex-husband, homicide detective Mike Cranston, the one person she swore she would never let back into her life, or heart. In their hunt for answers, the two uncover more than a lunatic: a supernatural underworld hidden beneath the tall skyscrapers of the city and a secret that could kill them both. Faced with a terrible choice, Belle surrenders herself to the hands of a monster and Mike must solve an ancient mystery before it’s too late to save her—


Please welcome Shayla Black:
Happy Holidays everyone.  I hope your celebrations, no matter what they might be are happy and filled with lots of fun and love that make great memories!  I wanted to share a recipe with you, it’s an overnight coffee cake. One of my holiday favorites!

18 rising rolls, frozen

1/4 cup butter
1 3-oz pkg of slow-cook pudding in butterscotch
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 cut chopped pecans (optional)
Arrange rolls in a greased bundt pan. Sprinkle dry pudding over rolls. In a sauce pan, melt butter with brown sugar. Pour over yeast rolls. Sprinkle with cinnamon and pecans. Cover pan with a dish towel and place in a cold over overnight. The next morning, cook at 325 for 25-30 minutes.

You can find Shayla here
Website: http://www.shaylablack.com/
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/ShaylaBlackAuthor
Twitter: http://twitter.com/Shayla_Black

To enter for a chance to win E-book of The Belle Stalker from Minnette or one of Shayla Blacks backlist books. Please leave Minnette & Shayla a comment, tell them your favorite holiday food, then head over to the MAIN Winter’s Favorite page (<< — Click link) to enter the giveaway.
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Interview with Rebecca Royce


Books-n-Kisses is pleased to welcome back Rebecca Royce to the blog today.  We are looking forward to learning a little more about Rebecca and her book I’ll Be Mated by Christmas
Rebecca:  Hi, I am so excited to be here today. Thank you so much for having me.

Q1) Rebecca, for my followers that didn’t meet you last time you were here please tell us a little about yourself
Rebecca: Well, I am really pretty dull. I am married with 3 small children and I write paranormal romance novels and sometimes the occasional science fiction and contemporary novel as well.  I also love Broadway shows and movies. 

Q2)  Tell us a typical writing day for you
Rebecca: I wake up, take the kids where they have to go, do some errands then I come home and write until it is time to go pick up one of the kids again. After that, I basically write in between everything else I have going on. I never have a whole chunk of time to write. It’s just not how my world works right now.

Q3) Have you always wanted to be an author or what made you become an author?
Rebecca: I’ve always had these stories inside of me that I wanted to tell so I guess I’ve always wanted to be an author.  I wrote my first book in the fourth grade.

Q4) Tell us a little about your book I’ll Be Mated for Christmas
Rebecca:  It is part of the Decadent Publishing One Night Stand series. The series is a collection of short stories (no more than 3-4 chapters at most) that shows how one night with a perfect match can change the life of the characters forever. 
Here is a blurb:
Bethany Johnson grew up one of the only humans in a pack of werewolves. She didn’t have an easy time and her self-confidence was almost non-existent. Finally, after some serious psychotherapy and the help of weight-loss surgery, she is feeling like the Bethany she has always wanted to be. But now she has to say goodbye to the werewolves in her life. Out with the old and in with the new this year…
Luke Denarius is the new Alpha of the Delta pack. He’s never met Bethany but the second he scents her he knows she is his. No way is she going off to Italy for adventure and hot sex with other men.
With the help of Madame Eve these two will find that a mating is in the works for Christmas.

Q5) How did you come up with the idea for this story?
Rebecca: When the idea of doing a collection of holiday stories that were 1NS books, my mind just whirled with ideas. This was what I came up with.

Q6)  What is your current work in progress?
Rebecca: Right now I am writing the next book in my Young Adult series called The Warrior.

Q7) Who are some of your favorite authors?
Rebecca: I am obsessed with everything Nalini Singh, Karina Cooper, and Alyssa Day write. 

Q8) Have to ask because I am nosey.  That is in your to be read pile that you are dying to read next?
Rebecca: Next up, I have a book called “Across the Universe” to read. I am so excited

Q9) Is there anything else you would to add?
Rebecca: Thank you so much for having me here. I love stopping by.  I hope you’ll check out I’ll Be Mated For Christmas and the whole 1NS series.

Books-n-Kisses: Rebecca, thank you for taking the time to stop by the blog today to chat about yourself and your books. 
Rebecca: Thank you, thank you for having me here!
As a teenager, I would hide in my room to read my favorite romance novels when I was supposed to be doing my homework.  I hope, these days, that my parents think it was worth it.
I am the mother of three adorable boys and I am fortunate to be married to my best friend.  We live in northern New Jersey and try not to freeze too badly during the winter months.
I am in love with science fiction, fantasy, and the paranormal and try to use all of these elements in my writing.  I’ve been told I’m a little bloodthirsty so I hope that when you read my work you’ll enjoy the action packed ride that always ends in romance. I love to write series because I love to see characters develop over time and it always makes me happy to see my favorite characters make guest appearances in other books.
In my world anything is possible, anything can happen, and you should suspect that it will.
I’d love to hear from you!
Website / Facebook / Facebook Fan Page
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Winter’s Favorite Giveaway Day~~19

Welcome to day 19 of Winter’s Giveaways.

I have the WONDERFUL Kate Douglas on the blog today. I always love having Kate around she just talks and talks… She is so great. 
Okay, Kate the blog is all yours today.

I have two favorite things about the holiday season, and they definitely go together. The best part is that we all get together—our daughter and her family live about an hour away, but our son and his wife and kids are in Hawaii, so we don’t get to see them as often—and this year, we’ll be meeting our new granddaughter, Alice Cody Moore, born on Halloween, so we’re especially looking forward to their visit.
And my next favorite thing about the holidays? We almost always have snow by Christmas, and if we’re lucky, we have a lot of snow the day all the kids come to visit. Because our son’s in-laws and our daughter and her family all live in a town on the other side of the mountain from us, the kids always spend most of their visits down there and we go to see them, but at some point we always try to have everyone at our house on the mountain for a sleepover and snow day.
We have six grandchildren and a relatively small house, so it’s always a bit crowded and crazy, but always a good time. This year Luca is 10, Gracie is 7, Ella almost 6, Cole 5, Owen 3 and newborn Alice, so everyone but the baby will love the chance to go sledding on our hill.
No matter what we do in our lives or where we go, family is always the most important thing. I love my career, I love what I do, the people I meet and the places I get to go, but our family, our children and their spouses, and their children—that’s what makes everything else work. My husband and I have been married for forty years, and yet when we talk about what’s meant the most to us throughout our marriage, it all comes down to our children and their families and the love we share.
To all of you, I wish happiness and good health, love and laughter and all the best in the coming year. And thank you, Kelly, for giving me this chance to send my holiday greetings.
Kate Douglas
www.katedouglas.com
www.katedouglas.com/eroticromance
www.facebook.com/katedouglas.authorpage
twitter @wolftales
kate@katedouglas.com

To enter for a chance to win one of Kate’s books (winners choice of one of these  Wolf Tales VII, VIII, 9, 10, 11 or 12, StarFire, or NightShift).  Leave Kate a comment and tell her which of her books you would love to win, then head over to the MAIN Winter’s Favorite page (<< — Click link) to enter the giveaway.
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Winter’s Favorite Giveaway Day~~18

Welcome to day 18 of Winter’s Giveaways.

Today we have the super sweet Candy little on the blog.
Candy has been generous enough to share her new Christmas story with us.
You can find Candy’s story along with 6 other in Hearts ‘n’ Holly Anthology

Hearts’n’Holly 
Product Details
Format: Kindle Edition
File Size: 375 KB
Simultaneous Device Usage: Unlimited
Publisher: http://www.xoxopublishing.com 
Sold by: Amazon Digital Services
Language: English
ASIN: B0069C7T9I
Order here: Amazon 

An anthology full of sensual and erotic love stories for the holiday season.
Featuring
Christmas is all about love, and do you know of a better Christmas gift than a true heart-to-heart connection? XoXo Publishing proudly presents Hearts and Holly, a Christmas compendium of romantic stories. Represented here are
new love and enduring love, first love and even married love, in a Christmas cornucopia of stories ranging from sweet to searing (and categorized accordingly for your reading delectation). All the stories revolve around the Christmas season, and all the stories will warm your heart. (Several of
the stories will warm you in other places, as well. LOL.) By the time you are finished reading Hearts and Holly, you will all be a true believer in Santa Claus…and you all know that Valentine’s Day is not the only holiday that celebrates love. (Hint: If you a person who cries happy tears, you may want to have a tissue handy.) Happy Holidays…and happy reading. 
Sweet
Not all Gifts come Gift Wrapped Brianna Martini
Flour Power Catherine Grow
Special Delivery Cynthia MacGregor
One Christmas Wish Candy Little
Sexy
Naughty and Nice Tiana Johnson
LoveforChristmas Daisy Dunn
A Special Gift Shashauna P. Thomas
Searing
A Gift from St Nicholas Samantha Gentry


ONE CHRISTMAS WISH
by Candy Little
“If you had one wish for Christmas, what would it be?” Jennie asked.
“I’d wish for someone to love me.” I grabbed an Oreo off the plate on her kitchen table.
“Patty, why do you stay in the marriage if you’re miserable?” She dunked her cookie in her coffee, which made me cringe.
“I have kids to think about.” I gave my standard reply, although I recognized that the truth was that I was scared to be on my own.
“Are things really that bad?” She raised a quizzical red brow.
Jennie has been my best friend since high school and was maid of honor at my wedding, and even though I’d confided in her many times about the problems in my marriage over the last few months, she tended to think I was overreacting. She insisted that Doug loved me, but I just couldn’t see it.
“Things are getting worse every day,” I told her. “He doesn’t appreciate anything. He complains about everything. The house isn’t clean enough, supper isn’t cooked right, I’m spending too much money.” I wiped a tear away. “He never says that he loves me. He doesn’t even bother to hug or kiss me anymore.”
“I’m not saying he doesn’t have faults.” Jennie shrugged. “What man doesn’t?”
“Do you know what I got for Christmas last year? Nothing. Do you know what I got for my birthday? Nothing. Not even a card. Know what I’ll get for Christmas this year? Nothing!”
“But he’s faithful. He’s not cheating on you. That’s more than I can find.” She bit into her cookie a little harder than needed.
“I’m not so sure.” I took a few breaths, calming my aching heart. “His hours at work don’t add up. He goes out on the weekends and yells at me if I ask where’s he’s been.” I started crying. “I can’t take it anymore!”
“Oh, sweetie.” Jennie enveloped me with a hug. “Have you talked to Doug about your suspicions?”
“No.” I sobbed. “He’d just lie about it.”
“You’re probably right about that…but you need to find out the truth.”
“Christmas is in two days. I don’t want to say anything until after the holidays. The kids are so excited.”
“I still don’t believe he’s cheating, but if he is, you’re going to pack up your stuff and move in with me. I’m not going to let my best friend be taken advantage of.” She handed me my coat. “You go home right now and talk to Doug. I’ll expect a call later to fill me in.”
I went home and finished wrapping gifts before the kids got home from school. Then I started supper. I was loading the dishwasher when Doug got home. “Where have you been?”I asked.
“Working!”
“You’re two hours late.”
“Do I have to punch a time clock in my own house?”
“Why do you smell like perfume?”
36
“Why are you interrogating me?” He slammed the refrigerator door shut. “I’m the one working to pay the bills. If it weren’t for my job, we wouldn’t have gifts for Christmas.”
“What gifts?” I cried. “You won’t let me buy anything. The kids have exactly two presents each. That’s it!”
“Are you saying you don’t like the job I’m doing as a husband and father?”
I tried hard to control the emotions roiling inside me, but a few tears slipped out anyway. I somehow found the strength to ask the pressing question that had been weighing on my heart: “Are you bored in this marriage?”
“What?” Doug’s face lost all the anger.
“I mean, ten years is a long time to be with the same person. Is that why you’re looking for someone else?”
Tears welled up, but before I could cry, the smoke detector went off.
“The garlic bread!” I opened the oven door and smoke rolled out, filling the kitchen.
“Great, another burnt dinner.” Doug stalked out of the kitchen, leaving my question unanswered.
As upset as I was, I tried not to show any emotions over the next two days. I wanted the kids to have the best Christmas ever, since it would be their last in this house.
Doug and I didn’t talk at all. He avoided me, and I kept myself busy with baking. There might not be a lot of presents, but the kids would remember all the sweet treats and cookies. Besides, memories are more important than material possessions…or, at least, that’s what my mom always said when we didn’t have enough money to buy things. But I’d always wanted to give my kids more. I didn’t want them feeling left out or unloved because they didn’t have the same things other kids had.
Doug works hard, and we’d always had the necessities, but sometimes money got stretched pretty thin. I hadn’t minded so much before, when at least I felt like he loved me. I would find myself repeating my mom’s sentiment, and the kids never seem to mind. They’re happy with anything they get, no matter how small. When our marriage was happy, I’d made do with less and loved it. But now…well, now things were falling apart, and I found myself worrying about money. My head was full of questions like: What am I going to do? Where can we live? How can I support my kids?
I put the meager presents under the tree and went to bed, feeling lonely and sorry for myself. Doug stayed up, playing our one and only video game. I couldn’t remember a Christmas worse than this one. I cried into my pillow, thinking about the Christmas wish Jennie had asked me. I’d give anything to have someone love me. Once, I’d thought Doug loved me. I told myself, Maybe eventually I’ll find someone else who truly loves me.
That was my last thought as I drifted off to sleep. The next thought came at five in the morning as the kids bounced on the bed, yelling “Mommy, Daddy, Santa came! Santa came! Can we open all our presents?”
Kids get excited over the smallest things, I thought. Only a couple of presents, and they’re just as happy as if it were a hundred.
My mouth fell open, however, when I walked into the living room. Dozens of presents were crammed around the tree. “Where did all these come from?” I asked.
Doug slipped his arms around my waist and squeezed. “Santa came.” He kissed 37
the back of my neck. His breath skimmed along my skin, making it tingle.
I watched in amazement as the kids tore through the gifts, laughing and screaming with delight. After the gifts were all opened, and the paper settled into piles, Doug pulled a box from his shirt pocket.
“I think Santa left this one for you.”
I opened the box and cried, this time with tears of joy, for inside lay a beautiful double heart. One heart had diamonds and the other rubies.
“The two hearts are joined together, just like us.” Doug clasped the necklace around my neck. “Diamonds for strength and rubies for love.”
“How did you manage all this?”
“I took a second job. I’ve been saving for months.” He turned me around, gently kissing my lips. My head spun out of control as I tried to understand what was happening.
“But.…”
“I had to act mad when you asked where I’d been. If you kept asking questions, you might have figured out what was going on, and I wanted to surprise you.”
“But.…”
“I’m not having an affair. I’ll never be bored with you or our life.”
“But.…”
“I smelled like perfume because I was testing them, trying to find one for you.”
“But I didn’t get you anything,” I blurted.
“You’re my present. You’re all I’ll ever need.” His lips touched mine in a gentle kiss that still made my heart flutter. In that moment, I realized Santa had brought me my Christmas wish.
~ ~ ~
Candy Ann Little lives in Michigan with her husband and two teenage kids. She is a substitute for paraprofessionals and teacher assistants in the public schools, mostly working with the autistic program and kids with learning disabilities. Her favorite things to do besides writing are reading, cooking, and baking. She is the author of an inspirational, historical romance, The Unwilling Bride, and a cozy mystery, Death by Broken Heart. Her next book, an inspirational, contemporary romance, Unforgiving Ghosts, will be released in spring of 2012.

To enter for a chance to win an e-book Hearts’n’Holly, please tell Candy your favorite Winter traditions. Then head over to the MAIN Winter’s Favorite page (<< — Click link) to enter the giveaway.
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a review of Forever & a Day by Delilah Marvelle

Forever & A Day by Delilah Marvelle
Book 1 in the Rumor series
Mass Market Paperback: 384 pages
Publisher: HQN Books; Original edition (December 20, 2011)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0373776365
ISBN-13: 978-0373776368
Amazon | B&N 

From the Author
Dear Reader,
I love New York City.  The people are damn serious about the way they live life.  They work hard and play hard and needless to say, it got me thinking. Were the people of New York City just as hard core back in 1830 as they are now?  You better believe they were.  And those poor bastards didn’t have our modern conveniences, either. Back in 1830, people were trying to pave dirt streets with gold, even though they had nothing but sweat.  So what happens when an American-Irish woman named Georgia with only coal clutched in each hand meets a British aristocrat who only ever had gold?  You get a story known as the Prince and the Pauperette.  But why stop there?  After all, there is so much more to a story than poor vs. rich.  I wanted to get down and dirty and twisted, digging into the real facets of life back in 1830, while giving you a good laugh and a good cry.  As a writer, I get to play god (bwahahaha) and the idea of a person starting over against their will has always fascinated me. So I took away the hero’s memory and made him crawl back to the basics in life.  Basics he forgot to appreciate.  Basics he never thought he’d be able to return to.  And he does it all while touching the life of one very special woman who makes him realize true love is not only real but priceless.  I hope you enjoy my historical version of the Prince and the Pauper.        
Much love,
Delilah Marvelle
From the Back Cover
Roderick Gideon Tremayne, the recently appointed Duke of Wentworth, never expected to find himself in New York City, tracking down a mysterious map important to his late mother. And he certainly never expected to be injured, only to wake up with no memory of who he is.  But when he sees the fiery-haired beauty who’s taken it upon herself to rescue him, suddenly his memory is the last thing on his mind.
Georgia Milton, the young head of New York’s notorious Forty Thieves, feels responsible for the man who was trying to save her reticule from a thief. But she’s not prepared for the fierce passion he ignites within her. When his memory begins to return, her whole world is threatened, and Roderick must choose between the life he forgot and the life he never knew existed….

My thoughts:
Oh my sweet, sweet Delilah, you had me perplexed in this book, but in a good way.  From the get go I was trying too hard to figure out who everyone was from Forever mine.  And when I finally found out, I bawled like a baby.  Oh course I can’t say what or who, but OH MAN!!!!
Forever & A day is book one in Delilah Marvelle’s Rumor series released on Dec 20, 2011.   In Forever & a Day we find Georgia suddenly in charge of a man with no past, well he has a past he just can’t remember it.
The struggle that Georgia and Robinson go through to understand, cope and ultimately love each other was great. Georgia is a strong and feisty woman who knows what and who she wants out of life.  Unlike Robinson who doesn’t remember anything of his past life.  But he does know that he doesn’t care who he was, all he know is that he wants Georgia.  That is until he learns who is really is…..
If you loved Delilah’s Scandal series you will love the Rumor series.  So go grab this book and learn how Rumors get started. 
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A review of Chasing Paradise by Sondrae Bennett

Chasing Paradise by Sondrae Bennett
Format: Kindle Edition
File Size: 316 KB
Print Length: 96 pages
Simultaneous Device Usage: Unlimited
Publisher: Lyrical Press, Inc. (July 28, 2011)
Sold by: Amazon Digital Services
Language: English
Amazon | B&N 
He’ll do whatever it takes to earn back her trust.

A vacation is exactly what Ethan needs to escape the mate hungry females in his pack. Determined to have fun, he can’t think of a better way to start than sampling all the different flavors the shifter only resort has to offer, and not the food variety. But after he meets Gwen, no one else holds any interest for him. Ethan came on vacation to avoid mating. There’s no way he’s going to give up his freedom without a fight.

Gwen is devastated when she hears her mate denying everything they are to each other. She can’t sit by, watching him fool around with other girls at the resort. Or worse, crawl back, unable to resist the mating pull but not really wanting her. She needs to get away and her own vacation sounds like the perfect plan. But she should have remembered what her mother always taught her, never run from a predator unless you want them to chase you. The hunt is on…

My Thoughts:

You know what they say “The bigger they are the harder they fall” or “You can’t run from fate”. Well someone should have shared these quotes with Ethan.
Okay, I fell in love in with Sondrae’s Alpine Wood Shifter series with book 1 Arctic Winds (see my review here).  But Chasing Paradise was even better.  Loved Ethan. Loved Gwen. Loved Ethan’s family’s reaction not only to his mate, but to his stupidity. 
Ethan & Gwen have so many obstacles to overcome before they can be happy and the biggest one just might be themselves.
I am looking forward to more Alpine Wood Shifter stories.