Sandra Cox's Blog, page 281

VBT Dracula's secret

BLURB:
HE BURNS FOR HER DARKNESSLance Soleil is a rugged war veteran who runs a homeless shelter in Portland. At first gaze, he knows what Valerie is—and wants her even more. But when he welcomes a pack of werewolves into his shelter, he attracts the attention of Valerie’s oldest rival—her bloodthirsty brother, Radu, who hopes to become the first vampire President of the United States. Valerie knows Radu has a hidden agenda, and with Lance’s help she is determined to stop his unholy rise to power. But first, she must risk their growing love by fully revealing herself—as the one and only Dracula…
~~~~~~~~~~~~~ EXCERPT:  Wallachia
November 25, 1431
She swam in an ocean of blood.
The exhausted, dark-haired mother howled in pain and freedom as the crown of a baby’s head emerged from between her legs. The woman panted and heaved, thrashing her sweat and gore-drenched body from side to side. Snow mixed with thunder and rain lashed the tower of the family castle, chilling the already icy room.
Vlad Dracul crouched at her feet, his face stiff and set under his moustache. His outstretched fingers curled into fists and opened again as he waited for the infant to emerge. Blankets, rags, and a pot of steaming water at his elbow kept him company. His jaw clenched with every echoing scream and his shoulders tightened with every passing moment. Not even the usual rushing of the river below covered the cries of Cneajna, his wife.
The violent storm outside had prevented the midwife’s presence. Earlier in the night, the mother had demanded that only Vlad remain with her as the pain worsened. No one defied Cneajna, even as water and blood rushed down her legs and painted her body. Vlad knew, however, that the women of the castle waited in the downstairs chamber, ready to help if he called. He was absurdly grateful for their nearness.
Fearless in the face of death, Vlad had nearly fainted at the sight of his wife in labor. The smell of the birth blood that saturated the bed roiled his stomach in ways a festering abdominal wound never did.
Another contraction. She pulled the ropes tied to the fur-lined headboard of the birth bed. The wood groaned under her strength as wave after wave of labor shuddered her body. Vlad’s heart winced at his woman’s pale, sweating face.
Another scream shook the room and Vlad saw the first peep of a black-haired head. Under the power of the mother’s undulating body, a tiny, angry face emerged.
AUTHOR Bio and Links:  Linda Mercury left behind her varied careers as a librarian, art model, and professional clown to pursue writing. She’s interested in writing, romance, the Middle East, reading, organizing, cooking, hand-made silk Turkish rugs, and the Nike of Samothrace.
Website and blog:
http://lindamercury.com
Twitter:LindaMercury1
Facebook:Linda Mercury  





Linda will be awarding a hand-painted fan to a randomly drawn commenter during the tour.
 Tour dates can be found here:  http://goddessfishpromotions.blogspot.com/2012/07/virtual-blurb-blitz-draculas-secret-by.html

It's Monday.....

No disrespect to the Greeks, but as far as I'm concerned they really screwed up adding Monday to the days of the week. If I'd been in charge, Tuesday would have followed Sunday. Last week felt like there were five Mondays followed by Saturday and Sunday. Did anybody else have a week like that? Where I work, the faculty--who'd been off for the summer--came back and things were hoppin.
Tonight we start obedience classes for the juvenile delinquent. The hound ate my e-reader! This is why I'm a cat person. Cats might pee on the electronics, but they won't try to eat them.

TGIF

TGIF

VBT Mr. Right And Other Mongrels

Available at:Amazon
Blurb:Blissfully happy in her own universe Allegra (Ally) Johnson is the sweet best friend everyone wants to have. Quietly and independently wealthy she runs a charming second-hand bookshop in beachside Manly. Heck, sometimes she even goes downstairs from her flat to run the shop in her Chinese silk pyjamas. It sounds like bliss. But is it enough?
When dog-phobic Allegra is rescued from an exuberant canine by the chivalrous Teddy Green, Australia’s hottest TV celebrity and garden make-over guru, her life begins to change. Dramatically!
Unaware of Teddy’s fame Allegra finds herself falling for him, despite her best attempts to resist his charm. Supported by her eccentric family and her fabulous gay friend Justin, Allegra embarks on an on-again off-again romance with Teddy, complicated by his jealous ex-girlfriend, fashionista Louisa and her own narcissistic hippy mother Moonbeam.
Will Ally be able to overcome her insecurities and find happiness with this possible Mr Right or will Teddy’s celebrity lifestyle prove to be too much? Mr Right and Other Mongrels is a light-hearted story about how one chance encounter can change your life.
Excerpt:My mother however was going nowhere. Worse than that she kept leering at Teddy, which simply made me uncomfortable.
I really didn’t know what was going on with Teddy and me but I surely didn’t want anything going on between Teddy and Moonbeam.
“Teddy, do you want to help me get some dinner together?”
“No Allegra, he can stay and keep me company.” She was good.
“How about we both help Ally out.” What a guy.
So we piled into my small kitchen with her standing a bit too close to Teddy for my liking.
“So what are we having?”
“Potato gnocchi with tomato sauce and a salad.”
“Cool, what can I do?’
I had already cooked the potatoes so I put Teddy to work mashing them. And I pulled down a jar of sauce I had made from organic tomatoes earlier in the summer and put it on to simmer.
Teddy looked at me quizzically “You jar your own sauce?”
“Uhmm yes”. I was always kind of embarrassed by my love of cooking. It makes me seem like a possessed potential housewife or something. I mean I know you don’t go to a club and discuss organic cooking; it doesn’t get the men flocking. Ultimately though I just like to cook and eat well.
“Well, Allegra, that being the case I may have to marry you.” He winked just so I’d know he wasn’t serious. “I’ll grow the veggies and you can make the sauce.”
I noticed Moonbeams dark eyes got a tad darker and flashed a bit wilder.
“I don’t know that there is room for a veggie patch in my flat or your designer terrace either for that matter,” I laughed.
“Well, we’ll just have to move to the country.”
“Sorry can’t leave the shop.”
“I’m heartbroken,” he feigned distress as he mashed. “I offer to give up my lucrative TV career and to grow veggies and marry you and you won’t leave the bookshop!”
About the Author:I am an Australian author who writes contemporary women's fiction including chick lit and romance. I live on Sydney's Northern Beaches with my husband and daughter, and despite my dog phobia, with a dog called Skip.
I have written all my life especially as a child when I loved to write short stories and poetry. At University I studied Creative Writing as part of my Communication degree. Afterwards I was busy working in public relations. I didn't write for pleasure for quite a few years although I wrote many media releases, brochures and newsletters. (And I still do in my day-job!)
When I began to write again I noticed a trend - writing dark unhappy stories made me unhappy. So I made a decision to write a novel with a happy ending and I have been writing happy stories ever since. I began a year-long writing course at the NSW Writers Centre and (thank goodness) its members morphed into a writing group known as The Writer's Dozen. We published a highly successful anthology, Better than Chocolate, in 2008.
In 2008 I was also selected for the QWC/Hachette Livre Manuscript Development Course for my novel Mr Right and Other Mongrels. In 2009 I received a Highly Commended in the Romance Writers of Australia's Valerie Parv Awards for my novel Hearts Afire.
These are the first two books I will be e-publishing in 2012 along with a third novel, A Fair Exchange. I'm not really like the characters in my books at all although I do share something in common with each of them - Allegra (Mr Right and Other Mongrels) has a dog phobia like me, Cassie (Hearts Afire) falls in love on a tropical island and I met my husband that way and Amelia (A Fair Exchange) was an exchange student who is now all grown up.
Website: www.moniquemcdonell.com.auFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/MoniqueMcDonellAuthorTwitter: https://twitter.com/MoniqueMcDonellor @MoniqueMcDonell
http://cblspromotions.blogspot.com/2012/07/scheduled-vbt-mr-right-and-other.html
  

VBT The Fire of Thieves

With us today is Chaselynn Pierce. Chaselynn, I love your premise. Can you tell us where the idea for Fire of Thieves came from?It came to me in my sleep—I know that's so original. So I want to clarify and say that the "spark" of the story came to me in my sleep but it didn't fully become something tangible until I hunkered down and pulled out all the ammo. Movies and music are what made The Fire of Thieves. Snatch, the Ocean's trilogy, The Thomas Crown Affair, and even Salt, helped me solidify the story.What are your thoughts on self-publishing?I believe for some it has worked wonderfully. I think it's a great avenue if you do it correctly with proper editing. I have a few titles that I would like to see self-published.What is your favorite genre to write in?Paranormal Fantasy, hands down. There is nothing like creating a world full of monsters that may or may not like each other. There is romance when there shouldn't be, gangs/pack/coven disputes, human killings, and one big bad boss wanting to rule them all. That gets my heart racing and my fingers twitchy to create something new. What is your favorite genre to read?I'm a Paranormal and Fantasy geek. Everyone says it's shocking that my first release is a Contemporary because I've always got my head buried into an otherworldly book.What tips would you give someone trying to break into the writing industry?Don't do it alone. I did the solo thing and it doesn't work. You need to outsource and you need input and critiques from people that have been in the business for a while.   Title: The Fire of ThievesAuthor: Chacelyn PiercePublisher: Silver PublishingLength: 37,000 wordsGenre: RomanceSub-Genre: Contemporary RomanceSub-Categories: Action/Adventure
Available at:Silver Publishing | Amazon| Barnes & Noble
Blurb:Caitlyn McCollum and Katie Summerly have radically different lives. Caitlyn is a jet-setting thief, traveling the world with the handsome, uncompromising Jerrick. Katie curates art exhibits and just moved in with Ethan, her dependable new boyfriend. Katie and Caitlyn are two sides of the same woman, sharing a single heart with separate yearnings. Caitlyn lives for the adrenaline rush of her secret life, the passionate nights she shares with Jerrick, and her unyielding dedication to her first love. Katie wants a simple life with Ethan, free of Jerrick's manipulations and emotional distance. Her heart must choose or risk losing both men. Yet, as her last adventure unfolds, Caitlyn finds that love itself is the price of her final heist.
Excerpt:Waiting gave her too much time to think--time to second guess herself. However, there was nothing she could do about it now. Already committed, she had a job to do. A cold bead of sweat licked down her spine like a lover's tongue, which was ridiculous because the heat could've put Hell to shame. Her spandex suit clung to her curves like cellophane, and a restless breath escaped her lips as she stood within the shadows of a cobblestone wall. Caitlyn focused on the task at hand as she watched a young driver pull the limo around to the front of the mansion. Scanning the large acre of front lawn, she contemplated the time it would take to clear it. The yard would be a lot of ground to cover, more than she was used to, but nothing she couldn't handle. Everything had been mapped out and she'd gone over the blueprints beforehand. Twice. She could do this, had been born to do this. She studied the man she'd be thieving from, a typical blue-blood with inherited money, too much to spend in any one lifetime.
On Friday nights Mr Guillory had the habit of taking a young date out to the theater, then to dinner which normally lasted four to five hours. A good window of opportunity for Caitlyn to get what she needed and be home before Guillory knew he'd been robbed.
Tonight, Mr Guillory's date was a busty blonde whose phony laugh carried over the wind. Cheap happiness, and he had to know it. Yet, a fifty-year-old billionaire toting a twenty-something jewel was a statement to his peers. He guided her with an overeager hand to the limo's back door, and the driver opened it hastily. The blonde bent over to get into the back, probably offering a clear crotch shot to the two men. Guillory slid in next to her, licking his lips as if he could taste her heady musk before dinner.
From the dark shadows of the mansion wall, the exchange seemed too ridiculous for Caitlyn to watch any further. When the black stretch limo traveled through the iron gates, she stealthily made her way across an acre of manicured lawn. She scampered like a high-strung ballerina, her well-muscled legs made a faint swishing noise as her spandex-covered thighs skimmed each other. To anyone watching, she probably looked utterly ridiculous with a ski mask covering her face.
She went to the left side of the mansion, knowing this had been the only way for her to go up. Climbing wasn't going to be easy, she could barely grip the ledges but it was too late to change her strategy now. She had a well-made plan and she needed to stick with it.
Caitlyn unlatched the heavy hiker's backpack she toted and dropped it in the damp grass. Unzipping it quickly, she retrieved her climbing shoes. The soles would grab the stucco exterior with ease. Next, she took out her small grappling hook gun and, without hesitation, shot the anchor over the top of the mansion. She cringed when it made a loud "cling" as it snagged a groove on the roof. Caitlyn paused, glancing up and down the sides of the mansion. Glad the guards hadn't heard, she slowly pulled the rope with a solid tug and smiled with satisfaction when it latched firmly to the overhang.
Moving stealthily up the mansion's exterior, her gloved hands kept a grip on the rope while her shoes dug into shallow grooves, rails, and gutter drains. Caitlyn panted with spent energy as more sweat poured down her spine.
She was a little unsteady and off-balance as she came to a window ledge on the third floor. It had been a few months since she'd so exerted herself, and she started to realize that too much time out of action had left her easily winded. But she had a pretty damn good reason for the long hiatus. Yet thinking about him wouldn't do her a bit of good while hanging thirty feet in the air.
She leaned to the side and peeked through the window which opened into Guillory's enormous office. The lights were off inside and the grounds below seemed clear of patrolling security, but she knew better. She had scoped this place out long enough to know he had an alarm through Sure-Safe, and that two well-paid personal guards made the rounds of his compound. It had been essential to know everything about Guillory and his home security. Since the age of seventeen, she'd been taught to always be prepared and organized with her jobs. Get the object, and call it a night.
She looked at the windowsill and saw the thin wire of Guillory's alarm system trailing along the frame. There was always a way to bypass an alarm, cameras, or even personal guards, but being the lone person on the job, it was impossible to do it all. At least not in the brief timeframe she allotted herself. In this case, she picked two tasks to focus on. For her, the main concern had always been the cameras, which had been one reason she wore the mask that covered everything but her full lips and caramel colored eyes. That left her to focus most of her attention on either the guards or the alarm. Cracking alarms wasn't her specialty and, since she wanted to do this heist alone, the alarm would be the one thing she couldn't waste time on.
She would focus on the guards.
Since Guillory's guards made him overconfident, the office safe should be easy to crack. Yet, it was a risk to rely wholly on that theory. Guillory could very easily have a safe that took hours to crack, but she bet against those odds. A room with a hidden safe would certainly be the first place the guards searched. She'd been in the thievery business for long enough to pick up on things like that. Feeling confident that Guillory's safe would be easy to crack, once inside, she focused instead on the guards. When the alarms began chiming, it wouldn't leave her much time before the police came, so she had to be quick.
Cutting the glass on the window, Caitlyn watched it tilt and crash into the room. Guillory had motion sensors throughout the house and the minute she slipped in, the countdown began. As anticipated, the alarm screamed from various hidden speakers on the property, floodlights shone radiantly on the shadowy yard below, and she heard the distant, muffled shouts of men inside the house. The small corner she had used to climb up was shielded from the flood lights but not for long, especially if the mounted cameras decided to make a tight scan.
Caitlyn dropped into the dark office and knocked the fake Monet painting off the wall behind Guillory's dark cherry wood desk. She quickly went to work on the safe, letting a small device scan the security code for the sequence of correct numbers. The process took time and could not be disrupted or she'd have to begin all over again.
She heard shouting and heavy footsteps, signaling that the guards were close by and heading her direction. Shrugging off her heavy backpack, she leaned it against the office desk she planned to use as a shield.
Caitlyn didn't like to kill. She relished the jobs that allowed her to go in, take an item, and leave lives intact. Using deterrents was another matter entirely. As the door to the room opened, the first mammoth-sized guard burst through, his gun aimed and ready to shoot anything that moved. Caitlyn's first dart hit his chest. He grunted, plucked the dart out, and stared in wonder at the empty vial at the end of it. The amount of tranquilizer in a single dart had been calibrated for a large animal, so it wouldn't take long before the serum caused him to black out, especially with his heart pumping adrenaline. He swayed slightly, took a backward step, tried to catch his footing, and went down with a heavy thud.
Wasting no time, Caitlyn took cover behind Guillory's heavy wooden desk. She still had a second armed guard to deal with. The tank of a man opened fire, shooting blindly into the room. Debris rained down as he unloaded his semi-automatic. When he ceased fire, Caitlyn peeked around the desk and watched as the man came warily inside.
About the Author:A rocker by heart, Chacelyn Pierce is constantly ear plugged with heavy tunes blaring to stir up the phantom personalities that swarm her mind. It’s no surprise that she enjoys writing and reading to satiate her appetite for the male antagonist in a story. Married to a blatant redhead and mothering a diva, there is never a dull moment in the house. As a native Texan, she doesn’t personally own a horse but follows the unwritten southern rule of knowing how to ride one. When she’s not testing the emotional capacity of her characters, she works part time as a dog groomer. 
Website: http://www.chacelynpierce.comEmail: chacelynpierce@gmail.comTwitter: http://www.twitter.com/chacelynpierceFacebook: http://www.facebook.com/chacelynpierce

http://cblspromotions.blogspot.com/2012/07/scheduled-vbt-fire-of-thieves-by.html 

July 31st Giveaway

Night Writers is having a July 31st giveaway. 
I day only
1 Winner
5 Giveaways
This is the first time I've set up a rafflecopter so fingers crossed it works.The addie: sevennightwriters.blogspot.com. Hope to see you there.

~*~
By the way, how do you like my new mirror? I ordered it off Etsy. Have you ever used that site? Its pretty neat. They sell jewelry, paintings, crafts, novelty items, etc. Its a great place to look for gifts.

VBT Back to Bataan

With us today is Jerome Charyn. Jerome, share with us your thoughts on the explosion of popularity concerning the YA genre?I think it might very well be that it started with Harry Potter, that young adult writers are trying to tell good stories and adults have moved into that kind of dream.Being a published author for nearly 50 years, what do you think of eBooks? I think that this is a kind of logical step as we move from the internet into eBooks.  Publishing is changing even as we speak. I think there now will be a more complicated dance between the eBook and the printed book, and as we’ve seen recently, successes in eBooks allow the author to move into print.How much of your life is in Back to Bataan? How did you personally experience New York during World War II?Back to Bataan 

New York City, 1943. War is raging in Europe and the Pacific, while Jack Dalton is stuck attending Dutch Masters Day School. What Jack really wants is to enlist in the army, to fight...

Everything changes when Coco, Jack's "fiancee," throws him over for one of his classmates. Jack sees red and does something drastic. Then he runs away. Hiding out in a nearby park, Jack joins ranks with a group of vagrants and is soon under the sway of a man called the Leader, an ex-convict who is as articulate and charismatic as he is dangerous. The Leader turns Jack's world upside down. To put things right, Jack must prove himself a braver soldier than he ever imagined.
Excerpt:
Mauricette told Harriet Godwin I was the pig of the class. I had treated her like garbage. Mauricette wouldn't answer my phone calls. She wouldn't read the notes I dropped inside her desk. But Arturo Fink kept reminding her who she was. “Fiancée,” he said. “Jack’s fiancée.”

I promised myself I wouldn't write anymore compositions, but how could I graduate from Dr. Franklin's class and join General MacArthur?

It felt lonely without a fiancée.

Mauricette began seeing Barnaby Rosenstock after school. They were holding hands and having chocolate malteds at the Sugar Bowl on Seventy-ninth Street. Fat Arturo was eating two ice-cream sodas. The Sugar Bowl is our hangout. It’s the official candy store of Dutch Masters Day School. I didn’t have money for ice-cream sodas. I didn’t have money for malteds. I'd buy a Hershey bar or some Chuckles once a week. I'd peek at the comic book rack and wonder what was happening to Captain Marvel or the Sub-Mariner. Marvel and the Sub-Mariner were already at war, fighting Japs. And when Mauricette was still my fiancée, I'd sit with her over a glass of water and treat her to some candy whenever I could. But now she was sucking malteds with Barnaby Rosenstock. I could hear her from my corner, next to the comic book rack.

“Oh, Jack Dalton,” she said. “He has a wild imagination. He likes to fling words around. He thinks half the school is going to marry him.”

She didn’t have to shame me in front of her friends. Arturo was laughing into his fat cheeks. Barnaby had a chocolate rainbow on his lips. I didn’t even bother with the comic books. Marvel would have to fight the Japs without me. I walked home.

Mama was at the factory. She makes parachutes. Sometimes she’d bring home a little piece of silk left over from one of the chutes. That's how I get my handkerchiefs. Not even Arturo with all his father’s money has a handkerchief of genuine silk. But handkerchiefs couldn’t make me feel good. Silk is only silk. I wondered about the American fliers who had their planes shot down and had to fall into the dark wearing some of that silk.

I couldn’t concentrate on my homework. It didn't seem important when you considered all the Japs and Germans out there. I hope General MacArthur takes me with him to Bataan. I’m not asking for a Purple Heart. I'm only asking to kill Japs. And if I have to die, I want to die near my dad...

Mama came home at seven. The streets from my window looked so dark, I thought the world had gone gray. I didn’t care. I wouldn’t mind going to school after midnight.

“Darling,” Mama said, “what’s wrong?”

I couldn't tell her how I lost a fiancee, because she would have figured I was insane.

“Mama, I’m blue...that's all.”

“You’re still dreaming of the Army, aren’t you? We'll have dinner and listen to the radio, my little blue boy.”

We had soup and bread and boiled potatoes and peas out of a can. It’s not Mama’s fault if meat is rationed and sugar is rationed. No one can inherit ration stamps, not even the President or Arturo’s dad.

We listened to Jack Benny. He played the violin and talked about the Japs. Mama laughed, because Jack Benny is the biggest miser in the world. He would never spend a nickel. But he told everybody to buy war bonds.

“What about you, Mr. Benny?”

Mama told me it was time for bed.

I put on my pajamas. But I didn't feel like sleeping. I dialed Mauricette’s number and let the telephone ring. Somebody picked up the phone.

“It’s me,” I said. “Jack Dalton. Your former fiancé. Coco, are you there? I wanted to—”

Mauricette hung up. And I wondered who was lonelier. The dead cowboys on Bataan, or young Jack Dalton.


Jerome Charyn's Bio:
Jerome Charyn (born May 13, 1937) is an award-winning American author. With nearly 50 published works, Charyn has earned a long-standing reputation as an inventive and prolific chronicler of real and imagined American life. Michael Chabon calls him “one of the most important writers in American literature.”

New York Newsday hailed Charyn as “a contemporary American Balzac,” and the Los Angeles Times described him as “absolutely unique among American writers.”

Since 1964, he has published 30 novels, three memoirs, eight graphic novels, two books about film, short stories, plays and works of non-fiction. Two of his memoirs were named New York Times Book of the Year. Charyn has been a finalist for the PEN/Faulkner Award for Fiction. He received the Rosenthal Award from the American Academy of Arts and Letters and has been named Commander of Arts and Letters by the French Minister of Culture.


Charyn lives in Paris and New York City.


Kindle buy link - $2.99
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B008DYK6C2?tag=tributebooks-20

VBT Love Like Crazy

With us today is Kristen Beairsto talking about reader expectations  One of the themes that runs through Love Like Krazy – yes, I said it, theme.  I have a degree in English, I’m sorry, I simply can’t help myself.  Anyway, one of the themes that run throughout my story is the concept of expectations.  The heroine, Kit, assumes others expect certain behavior from her.  In this case, it has to do with negative expectations.  But did you know writers have to work with expectations?  And no, I’m not talking about the expectation to meet a deadline.  I’m talking about the expectations of readers.I’ve come to realize readers have very specific expectations.  And I’m not referring to the expectation to read a well written book.Consider this: You see a book cover with a handsome muscular man locked in a passionate embrace with large breasted blond woman and it’s titled The Duke’s Bride (I couldn’t find a book with this title, but if one exists, I promise I’m not disparaging it in any way I’m just making up an example).  What kind of book would you think it is without reading the blurb on the back?  Romance
Blurb:Most women would probably be offended at being mistaken for a stripper, but Kit Conner finds the situation rather comical. But despite Kit’s outward appearance of being able to handle just about anything, few are aware of the dark secrets Kit harbors and the demons she hides by cloaking herself in a wall of crazy antics and an outrageous fashion sense. As she returns to her hometown to play the role of maid of honor for her best friend’s wedding, Kit’s determined to hold on to those she holds dear for as long as she can. The only thing standing in her way is the absurd attraction she feels for Benjamin Mathews.
Benjamin Mathews is a guy who appreciates things to be slow, steady, and safe. Ben knows many consider him to be boring, but he’s happy with his life and loves the horse ranch he runs with his brother. The only thing he worries about is surviving the planning of his brother’s wedding.
With a wedding between Kit’s best friend and Ben’s younger brother fraying the nerves of everyone involved, Kit’s return home brings out her dark secrets into the light. The emotional overload starts to weigh on Kit and she begins to see Ben as an anchor. As their relationship intensifies, Kit struggles to believe they might actually have a future and soon finds herself fighting for the love she never thought possible.
Excerpt:Ben and Greg arranged things so everyone could relax for the first few hours before the real entertainment showed up. Ben glanced at his watch and noted the stripper would show up in about an hour.
As he grabbed a beer for himself, he started to head towards the poker table. As he moved passed the front window, he heard the music before he saw its source. Loud blaring techno music nearly drowned out the country music behind him. It came from within a black Cadillac convertible pulling into the driveway. The New York plates said KRAZYLV.
The music suddenly died as the occupant in the Caddy turned the engine off. The driver’s head was covered in a red zebra stripped cowboy hat obscuring their face. As the driver climbed out, however, he had no doubt in his mind she was female.
Ben first saw the flame red cowboy boots step out of the car. She turned to close the car door and turned her back to him. Above the boots, red leather pants hugged every curve of two very long legs and wide hips. From there, a red tank top clung with a plunging neckline covering her torso, which included a flat stomach and large breasts. Long blonde hair curled at the ends around her breasts. But as she turned her back to him, Ben discovered the top only covered the front of her and a few crisscrossed strings held the top on in the back, exposing smooth skin. She bent over to grab something from the backseat of the car and displayed a very nice view Ben greatly appreciated.
When she turned to face him fully, he saw she still wore sunglasses despite the sun being almost completely set. Even from the distance he stood, Ben could see the deep red lipstick she wore, the heart shaped mouth practically invited a kiss. But between the sunglasses and hat brim pulled down, he still couldn’t see her face clearly.
She was an hour early, he mused, but he would forgive her since she was sure to stir the party up.
Outside, Kit pulled her backpack from the backseat of her Caddy, turned and glanced up at the two-story house where her best friend lived. She grinned, studying the exterior of the home. Apparently, her best friend was well on her way to becoming a Matthews.
The Matthews were one of the wealthiest and most influential families in the small California town. Raymond Matthews, Greg and Ben’s father, was a banker and venture capitalist. His wife, Loren, up until recently was a highly successful businesswoman and now, from what Kit understood, spent her extra time with her philanthropy. But unlike most of the rich people she came to know and meet, the Matthews were genuine people.
Of course, Ray and Loren Matthews weren’t above using a regal demeanor when the moment called for it, she mused.
Yep, Anne was well cared for, Kit decided as she started up the drive towards the front door. As she stepped closer, Kit realized she heard the low hum of country music and remembered the bachelor party Anne told her about. She smiled in anticipation as she wondered whether or not the stripper arrived yet.
Before Kit reached the door, it opened and Ben stepped out.
He still looked the same, she decided. Tall and handsome, with wide shoulders screaming lean on me, and those piercing midnight eyes.
Kit sighed inwardly as she felt the familiar flutter in her stomach. Damn, she was still attracted to him. Oh well, she dealt with it as a teenager, she could deal with it as a grown woman.
“Hi, you’re early, but that’s all right.” He looked down at her backpack and frowned. “If you don’t have a stereo or anything, that’s fine, but I hope you have your own music. I don’t think you’d like dancing to the stuff we have.”
Kit frowned, confused.
Ben watched her heart shaped mouth frown, the rest of her face still obscured from view. The backpack she carried didn’t seem to carry much. He certainly hoped she had her own music, for the price they were paying, the least she could do was provide her own music.
After a moment, a seductive smile slipped across her mouth. There was something oddly familiar about her, but unable to see the majority of her face because of her hat, sunglasses, and the dark, Ben wasn’t sure how he might know her.
“Don’t worry, sugar,” she offered in a husky tone, “I’ve got my own tunes.”
He gave her a friendly smile and nodded. “Good. Why don’t I announce you first?” He turned, opened the door and stood in the doorway, blocking the view inside the house. Ben asked someone to turn off the stereo. “Now, gentlemen, I would like to introduce the real entertainment of the night,” Ben announced.
Moving aside, Ben turned and motioned for Kit to step inside. The seductive smile stayed in place as she stepped over the threshold of the door. A few men whistled in appreciation, a few others gave catcalls.
Smugly watching his buddies’ reactions, Ben saw her mouth curve from the corner of his eye. Glancing down, Ben noticed she had yet to remove the sunglasses. Seeing her seductive smile change, something else nagged his brain.
“Honey, no offense, but what’s your costume?” Ben whispered out of the corner of his mouth.
Ben watched the amused smile spread fully across her lips. Pulling her sunglasses down the bridge of her nose, she turned slightly so the light in the room fully illuminated her face. She looked at him over the top of the glasses with familiar wide pale blue eyes dancing with mischief.
Ben felt his stomach hit the floor.
Her lips parted to reveal white even teeth. “A maid of honor,” she drawled with a knowing wink.
About the Author: An avid reader since she first learned to read, Kristen discovered romance novels as a teenager. And what can she say? She was a goner. Kristen discovered she’s a sucker for a good love story, strong characters, and that all-important happily ever after. She wrote her first novel length story at the age of eleven and after falling in love with romance novels, her writing started featuring romantic elements.
When Kristen’s not reading or writing, she’s hanging out with friends, family, her two rambunctious daughters, and her exceedingly tolerate husband. She’s also a huge New York sports fan.
Website: www.KristenBeairsto.comFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/AuthorKristenBeairstoTwitter: https://twitter.com/AuthorKBeairsto

Link to schedule:
http://cblspromotions.blogspot.com/2012/07/scheduled-vbt-love-like-krazy-by.html 



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VBT Timeless Sojourn

 I asked Jamie, besides the fact the heroine grew up there, what makes Seattle a good town for a fresh start? Below is her response:
Seattle is a laid back town. Yes, it rains a lot in Seattle, but usually not the sort of hard rain most other areas of the country are used to. It drizzles in Seattle most of the time, but the landscape wouldn’t be as lush and green if it didn’t. Besides the weather, Seattle has lots to do for everyone from the tourist to the resident. There is abundance of museums and art galleries, along with Native American museums. There is a large art community with both potters, painters alike; a huge creative bunch call Seattle home. Writers included. Pikes Place Market is always a favorite with everyone. Oh yeah, and did I mention Seattle is the locale for a certain book series?The area is great for outdoor people too. Mt. Rainier and Mt. St. Helen are to the south of the city with some great hiking. The San Juan Islands just waiting to be discovered and if you’re a water person, boating is in abundance. Whether power boating or sailing there is an endless supply of places waiting to you from the water.If you’re starting over and are looking for a job, there are a vast number of companies who make their home in the area. Whether it be in the ship building industry or the technology business, you’ll probably find it in the Seattle area. The people are friendly and waiting. . .
BLURB:
Recently divorced at a time when most women are enjoying their children being grown, Anne Harrison finds her life in chaos. At the urging of her forever-friend Kat, Anne moves back to Seattle, her childhood home, to get back her former confidence and make a fresh start. 
Confident, creative, and a successful businessman, Geoffrey Quinn has depths not immediately apparent to those who come into contact with that cocky, devilishly handsome exterior.  
The last thing either is looking for is a relationship. Anne finds Geoff highly irritating (and young!) at best, while Geoffrey finds her magnetic and wise. To his amusement, she futilely attempts to dismiss him each time they cross paths, and sparks fly.
Watch as this seemingly unsuitable, disparate duo lights a fiery, compelling attraction neither sees coming. But who will get burned?
EXCERPT:
Kat and I are just finishing up the dinner dishes and getting ready to sit and solve the problems of the world when the phone rings. Kat answers. “Of course, she’s right here. We just finished cleaning the kitchen.”
Geoffrey she mouths to me, handing me the phone. “Hey, how are you? I asked.
“Great, thanks. I was wondering if you’d like to come over for dinner Friday night. I grill a mean steak.”
“That sounds great, Geoffrey. Can I bring anything, oh, and what time?” I smile at the thought of that killer body slaving over a grill.
“How about if I pick you up at seven, and bring something for dessert, if you don’t mind.”
“That sounds great. I’ll see you Friday.”
I hang up the phone and Kat is standing there with a huge grin on her face.
“You’re going to have dinner at Geoffrey Quinn’s?” she cackles. “You do know he’s falling hook, line and sinker, don’t you? He never invites women to his place.”
“Enough already, Kat! Geoff is young enough to be my son. We simply enjoy each other’s company.” I replied, hoping to shut her up.
“Oh no, Anne, he’s taken with you and you are quite smitten with him, although you’d be the last to admit it. Don’t play the age game crap with me because I know better.” She’s still smiling like a match maker as I turn away, my face warm from blushing.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
AUTHOR Bio and Links:
Jamie Salisbury cannot imagine a time when she did not write. A skill that has served her well throughout her professional career. Public relations in and around the entertainment industry, photography, editing, and special event planning all elevated her passion for writing.
An avid reader of histories, biographies, and romance, it's only natural that part of the products of her pen are historical romances featuring characters so authentic they spring forth from the page and shake the reader's hand. Many of her teen years were spent in Chile, but she and her family were forced out of the country when the political climate demanded it.
Taking the plunge to take her writing professional came as a result of a series of foot surgeries that left her with a lot of time on her hands. Unable to walk great distances at the time, she started writing as a way to pass the time. Her experiences of how dramatically her life had changed at first. Then the new world of e-publishing inspired her to digitally publish her first novel, Perpetual Love, rather than relegate it to the dreaded drawer. She couldn't be happier with her decision to grab the publishing industry by the shoulders and force it to pay attention to all she has to offer.
Two more novels have followed: Blood Lust and Tudor Rose, with more to follow soon.Jamie now lives outside of Atlanta, but the love for travel has never abandoned her. Adventure, exploration, and intrigue permeate her prose to the core. In those few moments of the day when she's not writing or thinking about writing, she finds knitting a way to relax and unwind. Other interests include photography, equestrianism, reading, and of course traveling. Jamie hopes her writing will entertain, enlighten, and inspire others to pick up the pen and pursue their own dreams. She loves to be contacted by readers, writers, and history buffs. 
Website:  http://www.jamiesalisbury.webs.comBlog:  http://www.jamiesalisburyauthor.blogspot.comTwitter:  @JamieRSalisburyFaceBook:   http://www.facebook.com/JamieRSalisbu...  

Jamie will be giving away a $25 Amazon GC to one randomly drawn commenter during the tour.
The tour dates can be found here:  http://goddessfishpromotions.blogspot.com/2012/05/virtual-book-tour-timeless-sojourn-by.html

Unplugging

I've got some edits I have to get done, so other than guest posts, I probably won't be posting this week and possibly next. Hope life is treating you well.