Chris Redding's Blog, page 6

G.E. Taylor

I became hooked on reading romance novels during my teen years and my attempt at writing began in high school. All of my manuscripts were mailed under my bed. Eventually, I threw out most of them. That was painful especially since I’d hand written them first, then typed them on my old typewriter.

In college I majored in English but ended up with a Master in Social Work and a Master in Education.

Though I had these different career paths, I never gave up my passion for writing. Now I’m much more committed to it and writing full time. I’ve drawn on my years of practicing social work to give my work authenticity and realism.

I live in New Jersey with my family.

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Desperate Decision

Allison North’s flight to freedom is dangerous and desperate. As she scrambles into the stranger’s car crying “drive,” she prays to God this is not her last day on earth. Usually not a gambler, this move is high-stake gambling. Bruised, battered, and with no money, she needs a place to hide and heal until she finds work as a pastry chef. When the stranger offers her shelter, she takes it even as fear rushes up her throat and threatens to choke her. Would she live to regret her decision?

Mason Franklin cannot believe his eyes but, with her urgent cry ringing in his ears, he presses the gas and the car leaps forward. What had possessed her to do such a dangerous act? He intends to find out. But no amount of probing loosened her tongue. Just when he decides to let her go, he accidently sees her bruised body. Angry that someone did that to her made him want to meet the coward. He offers her shelter. Under his roof, he discovers she is the pastry chef who could not only lift his business to the top, but who built up a need in him that only she can satisfy. The wild passion they share can only lead to one conclusion.

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Excerpt

The cold November air hit Allison hard, chilled her bones, and caused instant goose flesh to rise and cover her skin. She hunched over momentarily trying to ward off the chill. Her eyes scanned the train station as a possible place to hide, but she discarded the idea immediately. It was too open. The streets across from the apartment were busy and not easy to cross. Estimating her chance of crossing them before being captured, the odds were against her. She would not have the time or the strength to do it before they caught up with her. Moving as fast as she could, she walked across the courtyard, down the embankment to the sidewalk.

Several cars and other vehicles waited at the stoplight. Making a desperate decision, she stepped up quickly to a car and yanked the handle. The door opened and she scrambled inside, slammed the door shut, and locked it. The light changed from red to green. The driver, startled, pressed the gas. The car leaped forward only to stop abruptly. Several horns blasted behind him instantly.

“What the fuck!”

“Drive! Please drive,” she begged.

The sound of her voice carried a desperation that commanded him to obey. The car leaped forward as two people, a man and a woman, dashed into the courtyard. They hurried through the wrought iron gate onto the sidewalk looking up and down the street, peering into cars as they drove by. Allison eased down on the floor of the car until the stranger’s car circled the green and headed toward South Street. Her heart pumped furiously, and she swallowed with difficulty. Lifting her shaky hand, she eased herself upon the seat. She had no idea what she would say to this stranger when he stopped his car. He must think she was insane or had escaped from somewhere. She hadn’t. This was the first time in her life that she’d ever done anything like this.

He pulled into the parking lot at the supermarket, flung his door open, and walked around his car to the back right door. His long strides reached it before Allison got out. As she pushed against the door, he pulled it open. He was furious with her for not only scaring the living hell out of him, but for doing this unthinkable act. What could have possessed her to do it? She’d better have a damn good reason.

His Womanly Ways I've written a number of manuscripts ove...

His Womanly Ways

I've written a number of manuscripts over the past few years, full-length novels that are in different levels of editing. And I've written quite a few short stories and novellas, all of which have been published (or soon to be published). However, I've only done NaNoWriMo once. The push to write at such a fast pace, in such a short time, is both freeing and terrifying. But, I figured I'd give it a try once. And as a result, I completed the first draft of His Womanly Ways.

This novel is unlike my usual fare of works, and perhaps that's why it came so fast to me. I let myself go and just saw where the plot would take me. And it turns out that it took me to quite an interesting place. The only thing I knew going in was that I wanted to do a genderswap book, but one that was unlike those I had read prior. I have always been interested in the genre, but I find most of it jumps straight to objectification rather than exploration. You're turned into another gender, so the first thing you do is feel yourself up and try to have sex with the nearest willing person? I don't buy that.

Essentially your body doesn't match your inner self anymore. That should cause some kind of journey to either accept or reject the situation. That's what I tried to do with His Womanly Ways. Alex didn't ask for this to happen to him, and the process is gradual, as is his acceptance of the changes. His mind doesn't match the image he sees in the mirror, and that's important to realize.

Did I strike the right note between humor and drama? Create an interesting storyline with realistic characters, despite the extraordinary circumstances they are in? That's up to the reader to decide, but I do hope I provide a new way to look at the concept. Because a change in gender is not something to take lightly.

BLURB

Alex is a womanizer. He makes no excuses for it. Yes, he picks up women at the local bar, leaving them with just a memory of a good night and a good lay, but he hasn't had any complaints yet. That is, until he picks up the wrong woman. Not satisfied to be tossed aside as just another notch in Alex's bedpost, she curses him, wishing he “knew what it was like for a woman.” And he's about to find out what she means, embarking on a genderswap journey that he can't stop.

Alex starts slowly gaining secondary female characteristics; his body becoming more like a woman than the man he used to be. Alex tries to hide the changes he's going through, for fear that someone will discover his secret, but keeping this quite literally “under wraps” might be impossible before the curse runs its course.

With the help of his female best friend, Eve, Alex tries to deal with who he is becoming. He feels like he's lost his identity, his mind not matching the body he now has. But Eve sticks by him, and they become closer as Alex's changes progress. What started out as friendship may become something more before Alex's journey is over. Perhaps this curse was actually a blessing in disguise.

AUTHOR BIO

K. Lynn has been an avid reader and writer since childhood. While in college, K. Lynn increased her involvement in LGBT issues and writing within the LGBT fiction genre. She has become a long-time fan of the authors that seek to explore the commonality that exists within all sexualities and genders. Most of K. Lynn's work features LGBT characters, many of whom are in established relationships and show how love perseveres through every trial and tribulation that life holds. She also has a particular interest in seeing transgender characters gain a larger foothold within the LGBT fiction genre, hoping that the market for these works expand in the future. Contact K. Lynn at writerklynn@gmail.com or follow her on Twitter @WriterKLynn

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Torquere Press:
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and wherever books are sold!

Cows

Why is it that we visited both an ice cream factory and a cheese factoryin Vermont, but we didn't see any cows until Maine?

Red Tulip - Flash Fiction

A couple of years ago I joined a flash fiction group. What's that?? Once a week the moderator posted a list of words and photos to be used as prompts to write a 500 – 1,000 word episode of a story.

Way back – and I mean waaay back – in 1901, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle published his book, The Hound of the Baskervilles, as a weekly serial. My flash fiction stories are similarly presented.

What are some word prompts – fantasy, extinct, brilliance, magic, apology, a body of water, night sky, cloud, moon, the twelfth of never, twinkle, sacrifice, and bells.

What are some photo prompts – well to start - a red tulip – similar to the one on the cover, a man in a bowler hat wearing a long coat holding a walking stick, a kitten, Santa, snow scene, clock tower, fireworks, moon, cups of coffee, blue DNA, and a waterfall.

Yes, they are very eclectic prompts and it was challenging fitting them into the story. The Santa Claus prompt came during December, but my story is set in the summer.

I decided to publish my flash fictions under the serial title of Romantic Flashes and Red Tulip is the first story. It's a sweet contemporary romance with a bit of mystery twisted into it.

Blurb

Darcy O'Calahann, a junior gardener from a small mid-western town, is trying to make her way in the big city.

Shamus McRae is a wealthy bachelor with a mysterious family past.

Are Darcy's eyes playing tricks on her? Is she losing her mind? Or is there really a Red Tulip tying her and Shamus together?

Excerpt -

"When was the last time you were offered the gift of a red tulip?"

I turned to see who spoke while I wondered if he was addressing me. A man sat on a park bench, dressed in a dark suit, with a bowler hat, holding a cane and his head bowed. I shifted to continue along the path when his face lifted and I found myself gaping at two glowing green eyes.

"When was the last time you were offered the gift of a red tulip?"

I blinked, trying to look away from those mesmerising orbs. "Uh, never. I mean, no one has ever offered me a tulip."

"A red tulip."

"Okay, no one has ever offered me a red tulip." Uneasiness slithered through me.

Bio -

Victoria Adams lives in Ontario, Canada with her husband and pets. She likes to garden, cook and belly dance. She's been writing since she was little. Being an only child, long car rides were filled with making up stories in her head about the people she saw out the car window.

Victoria likes to write contemporary romance, NA contemporary romance and flash fiction. She has 4 published books, 3 anthologies and is releasing the first book in a series called Romantic Flashes.

Where to find Victoria
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Cover reveal:CloudedBy M.S. Kaye A Sumerian water and sky...

Cover reveal:CloudedBy M.S. Kaye

A Sumerian water and sky god myth collides with a modern high school.

Ayanna is a math nerd, logical and rational, even cold, but Calder makes her feel things she never had before. Somehow, she’s able to accept it when she discovers he’s a reincarnated Sumerian water god. Will she be able to accept the full truth, that the story of Enki and Inanna has been reborn in a modern Ohio high school?

Release Date: 9/12/15Inkspell Publishing

About the Author:

M.S. Kaye has several published books under her black belt. A transplant from Ohio, she resides with her husband Corey in Jacksonville, Florida, where she tries not to melt in the sun. Find suspense and the unusual at www.BooksByMSK.com.

To receive news on upcoming releases, sign up for email updates on her website.

Contact M. S. Kaye at:
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Coffee Date

This year, a number of my releases are focusing on transgender characters, including Coffee Date. I have always been fascinated by both the perception of gender and the push of society to place people into specific gender roles. What does it mean to be a man or a woman? And what if you don't fit neatly into either role? Or if society has assigned you as one gender when you actually don't perceive yourself to be that gender? For my novella, Coffee Date, Alice is dealing with how society perceives her versus how she perceives herself.

I knew that I wanted to explore Alice's feelings in this novella, and that she would have built up a wall to protect herself from the hurt she'd experienced over the years since she began her transition. What I didn't know, and what she soon showed me through revealing her story, was how deep that hurt ran and how much damage it had caused. Alice is constantly trying to match up to what she thinks she should be, what society has taught her she should be, while making herself miserable because she hasn't reached that constructed reality. In the end, what she had to learn and what we all have to learn, is that you don't have to fit into anyone's constructed categories. Be yourself, whoever that might be.

BLURB

Alice is finally happy with her body and her life—except for the part where revealing she's trans winds up leaving her hurt and abandoned over and over again. She's decided she's done making herself miserable by looking for love.

Love finds her anyway, in the form of Hank, the new guy at her local coffee shop. He's sweet, friendly, charming... and will probably turn out like all the rest. Determined not to shatter the fantasy and lose him before she has to, Alice holds fast to her secrets.

But if the truth doesn't ruin everything, the lies will, and it seems no matter which choice she makes Alice is set for just one more heartache.

AUTHOR BIO

K. Lynn has been an avid reader and writer since childhood. While in college, K. Lynn increased her involvement in LGBT issues and writing within the LGBT fiction genre. She has become a long-time fan of the authors that seek to explore the commonality that exists within all sexualities and genders. Most of K. Lynn's work features LGBT characters, many of whom are in established relationships and show how love perseveres through every trial and tribulation that life holds. She also has a particular interest in seeing transgender characters gain a larger foothold within the LGBT fiction genre, hoping that the market for these works expand in the future. Contact K. Lynn at writerklynn@gmail.com or follow her on Twitter @WriterKLynn

BUY LINKS
Less Than Three Press
Amazon
All Romance
and wherever books are sold!

THE VIKING PRINCESS

He laughed at her, making her senses bristle.

She was not amused. “Am I humorous?”

“I have heard you are many things,” he replied, “but humor has never been cited as one of your virtues.”

“First you laugh at me, and then you belittle me. Is this the way you treat all women?”

He pulled back on the reins. His horse slid to an immediate standstill. Then, burying his face into her hair, he whispered in her ear, “I have shown enormous restraint. Would you like me to show you how I treat all women?”

The burning ember inside her flared to a flame. The muscles low in her belly tightened, as she clenched her legs tighter, wrapping them around his steed. Sucking air into her lungs, she felt the immediate pulse of desire race through the core of her body. She wanted to reach back over her head and wrap her arms around his neck, to pull him even closer.

It was all she could do to hold her tongue and keep from begging him, when all she wanted to say was, “Yes, yes, please show me.”

Her body motionless, she could feel the warmth of him as his hands grew bold, slipping beneath the soft linens covering her, his fingers gently gliding up over her stomach, traveling beneath her breasts and edging up…

A voice whispered inside her head. What are you doing? This man is your enemy. He intends to kill you, your brother, everyone you love…

She grabbed his wrists, holding him still and steady. “You have caught me, kidnapped me, and dragged me here. I may be your prisoner, but do not think that I am interested in your advances.”

His body tensed and he pulled back his hands, gripping her firmly about the waist. “I, Holger, the prince over all the Norse lands, have never had a woman decline the privilege of being my lover.”

“Prince or pauper, it matters not to me what rank you hold, for I, too, am highborn and accustomed to many privileges,” she snapped back, unwilling to let him bask in his own conceit. “And being your lover is not a privilege I would prize.”

“Perhaps,” he said, softening his touch. Slowly he ran his finger down the length of her neck, taunting her. “But are you accustomed to this?”

Bio

I grew up in a family with 9 kids and only 1 t.v. so I spent my days reading and, later, writing. I love books. . .maybe because I never got to pick our t.v. shows. I’d run home after school to catch the last fifteen minutes of Dark Shadows...

I still love to run.

I've just had my first novel published THE VIKING PRINCESS. I was inspired to write it after visiting Hamlet's Castle and seeing an enormous Viking statue down in the dungeon.

Stop by my site. I also have a young adult novel coming: Demon’s Ink.

Blurb

THE VIKING PRINCESS is a legendary romance filled with honorable Knights from King Arthur’s Round Table, Salacious Pirates, and Brutal Vikings.

This is the story of the legendary Viking hero and Prince of Denmark, Holger Danske, and his forbidden romance with King Arthur’s half-sister, Morgaine LeFey. This tale has never been told outside of Denmark...until now. Morgaine and Holger faced an attraction more powerful than any sword, stronger than any warrior and more magical than all the powers of Merlin.

The Lady of the Lake gave Excalibur to King Arthur but she also gave his brother-in-law a sword made from the same metal and magic. That sword is “Cortana”.

The Viking Princess is an 80,000 word New Adult legendary retelling of folk-lore legend and Danish leader, Holger Danske, and his magical romance with the sorceress Princess Morgaine Le Fey.

They met on a battlefield, poised against each other, but their attraction was more powerful than any sword, stronger than any warrior and more magical than Merlin.

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Summer’s Growth.

In the spirit-haunted Winston estate in Ohio, rooted in time and occupied by the lingering ghosts of a great family, the torch is about to pass...

Mattie Winston, sober, sensible, and steady, has served as Keeper to the family for decades. Amber Harrison, hovering on the edge of flunking out of college, unsure what she wants out of life, has barely even heard of the Winston estate. The family, however, has decided that it's time for the changing of the guard. These two exceptional women soon find themselves dealing with violence, murder attempts, and old family mysteries while each finding the love of her life. Two romances and a growing friendship, all twined around a brooding family tragedy, make for an outstanding paranormal mystery offering depth and charm beyond the commonplace. The growing love of Amber and Carter and of Mattie and Quincy offer readers a tender and engaging first novel in a winning new paranormal series.

Excerpt

Standing by the bay window in the front room, Mattie watched the car approach. She wanted to run, but instead glanced at the kindhearted spirit of Opal, her distant grandmother. Dressed in her best early American gown, the many layers of her petticoat swished with a soft hiss when she moved.

“There’s no reason to be nervous. Once you meet Amber, you’ll see she caps the climax,” Opal voiced in a soothing tone. “Your Aunt Rachel is absolutely thrilled to have a descendant from her branch of the family as keeper.”

Looking beyond her at the rest of the room, Mattie searched for the other members of the family council. They always offered her their support when she faced a big decision. Yet, today they were conspicuously absent.

“Don’t worry. The whole family is behind you. We just thought it better if we didn’t all hover.”

Shifting from foot to foot, she wrung her hands together. A simple process of a changing of the guard for them, Amber’s arrival marked the end of the life Mattie loved.

The beautiful spirits around her didn’t understand how cruel humans could be to each other. What if she screwed up and the girl left? Or the girl hated living with a house full of spirits?

Unease pricked at Mattie’s mind. She had no experience in dealing with strangers. All her business associates understood her likes and didn’t force her to attend any social events.

A quick glance out the window, and a car rounded the fountain. She wasn’t prepared to entertain Amber. How could she be? She never invited guests to the estate.

“Now, Pumpkin, there’s no need to worry. It’s time another branch of the family realize what a pain it is to be keeper.” Opal smiled, offering her special form of reassurance. “We’re all here to help with the transition.”

The high notes of Beethoven’s Fifth sprang from the piano. Mattie jumped in surprise at the sudden noise. She whipped around to see Uncle Samuel, the artist of the family, standing next to the piano.

“The game is afoot.” He arched his eyebrows and grinned, then disappeared.

“I’d better leave.” Her aunt patted Mattie’s shoulder. “Just remember, the girl is uneasy too.”

Opal disappeared.

With a deep breath, Mattie turned and gripped the cold metal knob in her hand.

Soon her home would belong to a stranger, and then what would she do?

Read the 1st Chapter of Summer’s Growth at www.tinagayle.net/sgchapter.html

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Desiree Holt: Forward Pass (Game ON: Book One) Football h...

Desiree Holt: Forward Pass (Game ON: Book One)

Football has been my passion for such a long time. It wasn’t always so. Oh, since college I have cheered for my team, the University of Michigan Wolverines, but it wasn’t until I read a book called How To Watch a Football Game that I actually became obsessed with the game. I mean, really obsessed! From September through January, every weekend you can find me glued to my television (sometimes two) watching this gladiator sport. My friends have learned I don’t answer phone calls, texts or even emails.

When I moved to Texas I discovered another dimension to the world of football: high school football, which is probably the biggest religion in the state. You know the program Friday Night Lights? That only scratched the surface. On any given Friday night, in a town that boasts a high school football team, you know where you’ll find the population: under the Friday night lights.

The world of football is a complex one. As the players move from high school to college to the pros, they are idolized, adored, promoted, all the things that can easily turn their heads. The late dean of sportswriters, Grantland Rice, dubbed it the world of the tumult and the shouting and he was so right.

But what happens to those players when “the tumult and the shouting” dies down? What do they do with the rest of their lives? And if their retirement from the football field is forced by an injury rather than being voluntary, how do they handle it?

In my brand new series Game On I follow the lives of a high school championship team fifteen years after they win that last trophy. Where are they? What are they doing? How do they survive when their lives change so dramatically?

Forward Pass is the story of Joe Reilly, quarterback with golden hands, forced out by an injury. For Joe, a major player with the ladies, it was a drastic fall to earth. But he’s found a new niche for himself and is successfully building a new life, until two women from his past have a major impact, one who has always loved him and one who threatens his newfound success.

Shay Beckham grew up idolizing her brother’s best friend, star quarterback Joe Reilly. There was no one in their Texas town who had the moves to match Joe on or off the field. Years later, he’s still a player who has what it takes to drive any hot-blooded woman wild. But Shay isn’t a kid with a bad case of hero-worship anymore. She’s grown-up and independent, with her feet on the ground and a serious head on her shoulders. If she could just say the same for Joe.

It’s been fifteen years, but Joe Reilly hasn’t forgotten the skinny little kid who used to follow him around like a shadow. What he can’t get over is that the skinny shadow has grown into one hell of an incredible woman. One any man in his right mind would kill to get his hands on. And one who seems to be completely immune to him. He knows he and Shay could have something special together. If he could only convince her he’s about more than just the game.

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Known the world over as The Oldest Living Erotic Romance Author, Desiree Holt Has won an EPIC E-Book Award, the Holt Medallion and many other awards. She has been featured on CBS Sunday Morning and in The Village Voice, The Daily Beast, USA Today, The Wall Street Journal, The London Daily Mail and numerous other national and international publications

Crashing into Love

Crashing Into Love is a box set of 7 stories written by 6 spectacular authors and myself. Each story is based on an airplane crash, fight for survival and romance. The idea was the brain child of D'Ann Lindun and Brenda Dyer.

Blurb

Seven planes lift off…seven planes crash…seven stories of struggle, passion and love in the barren Canadian Wilderness, the coast of England, or the steamy heat of a tropical island. Romance hangs in the balance between survival and death.

Blurb

Brace for Impact by Daryl Devoré. What could be simpler than a routine plane trip from Toronto, Canada to Caracas, Venezuela for rookie flight attendant, Lori, and sexy R.C.M.P. officer, Guy Lapierre? But Fate had other intentions.

Excerpt

Lori gagged on the bile rising in the back of her throat. She inhaled sharply to calm her stomach. If I'm going to die, it's not going to be with vomit all over my uniform.

A distant whimper caught her ear. She lifted her head and opened her eyes. The lady in 37D rocked back and forth in her seat. Lori fought the urge to run to her. Her flight attendant training told her to stay seated. The Captain had called, "Brace for impact."

Hang on, 37D. Just a bit longer. I understand how you feel. Isolated way back here in no-man's land at the back of the plane. No one's hand to hold for comfort. Alone. Scared. Me too.

The gentleman in seat 36C stood then pulled open the overhead bin.

Lori sat up taller. "Sir! The Captain said, brace for impact. Get back in your seat. Please."

He turned his head, glancing at her. Lori blinked. She'd noticed him as she did her rounds of economy class. Sexy tousled hair. An unshaven chin. Gorgeous smile. Focus on your job. "Sir. Please. Sit. Down."

He grabbed a bag out of the bin, slammed it shut and returned to his seat.

Her heart raced as she shouted out the words she'd practiced in flight attendant school a hundred times and prayed she'd never have to use. "Head down. Brace. Brace." She hoped the sound of her voice could offer a moment's relief to the terrified passengers in economy. They were her passengers. If she could hold each of their hands, she would. "Head down. Brace. Brac—"

The plane dropped and shuddered.

Buy Link - http://www.amazon.com/Crashing-into-Love-Daryl-Devore-ebook/dp/B00ZSXMZ02/ref=sr_1_2?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1434510990&sr=1-2&keywords=crashing+into+love
Bio

Daryl Devore lives in an in old farmhouse in Ontario, with her husband, a large salt water aquarium, a tamed feral cat and some house ghosts. Daryl loves to take long walks up her quiet country road, or snow shoe across the back acres and in the summer, kayak along the St. Lawrence River. She has touched a moon rock, a mammoth and a meteorite. She's been deep in the ocean in a submarine, flew high over Niagara Falls in a helicopter and used the ladies room in a royal palace. Life's an adventure and Daryl's having fun living it.

Other Books by Daryl Devore
A Kept Woman
Sexy Red Hood
Black Dorn
Capri's Fate
FL.E.S.H.