Debra L. Martin's Blog, page 184

#Excerpt: CASSANDRA by JM Anton

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It was a frustrating fact of life everywhere that people needed to commute to a central work place. Traffic was at a standstill.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">She overheard Ken call ahead to apprise Mr. Jackson, “We’re tied up in traffic, and will arrive later than anticipated.”</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">It sounded as if he were talking to someone other than Bob. Casey hoped the message would be relayed to him. As the thought flitted through her mind she gazed out at the passing cars and trucks also crawling along. Except for occasional glimpses of the majestic mountains, they could be stuck in traffic anywhere. The interstates were all the same and fairly uninteresting, especially within city limits. Casey found her mind wandering back to dinner the previous evening and her very brief encounter with Captain JD Gannon. She wondered where he was this morning. He’d been on his way to the airport when he left them, but that was all she knew. Well… not quite all—she knew that she could reach him through Bob Jackson, but she wasn’t sure she liked the feeling that he knew more of what was going on than she did. She couldn’t shake the idea that she should somehow remember him.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Finally, they reached their destination. Her nerves were already raw when she entered the elevator. As the doors began to close, a teenage boy thrust his arm through the gap, and they sprang back open. Casey watched him with a good deal of suspicion when he leaned against the frame of the elevator opening to keep the doors from closing. He grinned at her as he crossed his arms over his chest and turned his attention toward the lobby. Three stunning women entered the elevator.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Great, she thought, I’m trapped in an alien transport on my way to an alternate universe where all the women are tall, blonde, and have baby blues.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">  </span>Or maybe, I’ve been cast in one of those films marketed to little girls that star the Barbie icon and her friends. The three were at least five foot ten, and—with the exception of the variation in age—they could have been cast from the same mold. The trio was regal, sophisticated, and aloof. Casey was sure the perfume they were wearing was every bit as expensive as their outfits, but she was fighting nausea from the scent within the close confines. The senior Barbie’s designer skirt hit about mid-knee; her navy-colored suit and pale blue silk blouse looked high end. The outfit probably cost more than Casey made in two weeks.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Aesthetically, she found the elevator hijacker a relief and a welcome contrast to the blondes with the heart-shaped faces and aristocratic airs. Nearly as tall as the women, he appeared to be in his early teens, that awkward, gangly, time of life. An engaging smile set off a mischievous twinkle in his hazel eyes. Outrageously long lashes and eyebrows of a slightly darker brown than his wavy hair enhanced those appealing eyes. His high cheekbones, square jaw, and a patrician nose with a sprinkling of freckles already commanded a second look. The freckles kept him from being a complete heartbreaker. She felt sorry for the teenage girls in his path; they wouldn’t stand a chance.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-8adHZ32FAH..." imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="128" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-8adHZ32FAH..." width="320" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">BLURB:</span></b></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div style="margin-bottom: .1pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: .1pt;"><a href="https://www.blogger.com/null" name="_GoBack"></a><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">Cassandra Hoffman orphaned at the age of five was raised by her maternal grandmother. Two decades pass when she is confronted with a letter from her father’s Denver based attorney. She's shocked to learn that her dad lived through the car crash that took her mother and brothers in 1985. </span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "MS Gothic"; mso-fareast-font-family: "MS Gothic";">

</span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;"> <br /><br />Casey’s haunted nights begin with the death of her father. Who is the shadow man in her dreams? Could it be her dad whom she had believed dead? She discovers he had another family, and some dark secrets Casey sets out to solve the mysteries of her abandonment, and find the answers to the nightshades that threaten her sanity. <br /><br />Our heroine runs afoul of a previously unknown nemesis as she searches for answers, but she also finds the love of her life. He too abandons her, as he struggles with physical and mental wounds from multiple tours in the Middle East. Can Casey forgive him as they confront a mutual enemy?</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">Smashwords: <a href="https://www.smashwords.com/books/view... class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">Janton's Square Market: <a href="http://mkt.com/jackie-anton/"&gt... </span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">IAN: <a href="http://www.independentauthornetwork.c... class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div style="margin-bottom: .1pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: .1pt;"><br /></div><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">~~~~~~~~~~~~~</span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-pagination: none;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">Author bio:</span></b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-oN7vo5V4dk..." imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-oN7vo5V4dk..." width="213" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">Author Jackie Anton lives in rural Ohio with her husband, two horses, two dogs, and abundant wildlife. Years of experience with horses and youth riders lend a unique perspective to her Backyard Horse Tales, and crop up in unexpected scenes in her adult works written with the pen name J.M. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">Ms. Anton is the author of the award winning children’s series Backyard Horse Tales. In her 2015 award winning adult novel<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">  </span>"Wind River Refuge" she turns her attention to the difficulties in overcoming childhood abuse. Set in the turbulent sixties and early seventies. This romance / who done it comes from a time before child advocacy, cell phones, and PCs. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">Cassandra Hoffman begins her search for justice in the early decade of the twenty first century in Anton's latest adult novel Cassandra: Night Shades. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">Other Books by J.M.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">2015 saw the release of the first two books in the Troubles in Love-Land Series. Book One: "Fateful Waters" was released as an e-book and paperback May of 2015. Book Two: "Panhandle Mayhem" was be released November of 2015. There is more to come in the series for 2016.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;">            </span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">Author Links:</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">Writing Blog: <a href="http://jackieanton.com/">http... class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">Author Website: <a href="http://talesbyjackie.com/">ht... class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">Author Page with buy links: <a href="http://www.independentauthornetwork.c... class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">Authors Den: <a href="http://www.authorsden.com/jackieanton... class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">Online Autographs: <a href="http://www.authorgraph.com/authors/ba... class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">FB Adult Fan Page: <a href="http://www.facebook.com/authorjmanton... class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="yiv2304151980msonormal" style="margin-bottom: .1pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: .1pt;"><span style="color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;">Follow the tour and comment; the more you comment, the better the chances of winning. The tour dates can be found here:  </span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;"></span></div><div class="yiv2304151980msonormal" style="margin-bottom: .1pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: .1pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;"><a href="http://goddessfishpromotions.blogspot... class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><br /><a class="rcptr" data-raflid="28e4345f1586" data-template="" data-theme="classic" href="http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/disp..." id="rcwidget_xlycwl9q" rel="nofollow">a Rafflecopter giveaway</a> <script src="https://widget-prime.rafflecopter.com... /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-w9ark1yw0F..." imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="160" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-w9ark1yw0F..." width="400" /> </a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-BoqC0Wnuto..." imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-BoqC0Wnuto..." /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/TwoEnd..." height="1" width="1" alt=""/>

Interview with Michelle Jo Quinn, HARLEY

Can you give us a brief overview of your latest book? Is it part of a series?
“Harley” (Book one of The West Coast Rock Stars Series) After her father reveals a devastating secret on his deathbed, CADENCE WILLIAMS begins the search for the truth.  This leads her to Mackinley Security, ran by Mac, her father’s former army friend and the man who may possibly hold the proof Cade needs to support her father’s claims.  But she has to prove herself worthy of Mac’s trust first.  To achieve that, she must be successful in her first assignment to protect an eight-year old girl, HARLEY CLARK.
Harley is not an ordinary girl.  Despite her fragile appearance, she has tenacity and brilliance like nothing Cade has seen before.  To everyone’s surprise, Cade forms an unlikely friendship with the often withdrawn girl.
What should have been a straightforward assignment turns complicated when Harley’s rock star father, JAX CLARK enters the scene, and Cade cannot deny the instant attraction for the self-proclaimed bad-boy.  What’s worse, Jax starts to pay her more attention that she expects.  She has two choices: get lured by the celebrity world or lose any chance of finding out the truth.  Sacrifices have to be made, one of which can be her heart.
Do you have a favorite character?Hand down, my favourite is Harley.  She’s a big surprise during the writing process.  Despite her fragile appearance, she is a strong girl who is not afraid to show her intelligence.
Have you ever had a minor character evolve into a major one? Did that change the direction of the novel at all?All the time.  Not just in this series, but in others too.  I’m excited for it because they give me ammunition to keep firing new stories.
Are you currently under a traditional publishing contract for future books or do you have manuscripts that you will self-publish? Are you doing both?I learn by doing.  So yes, I am doing both.  I have a couple of MS I plan on self-publishing, and I have a few with a traditional publisher, under a contract.  The experience is exciting and everyday, I am learning.  I hope to only get better from here on.
What is your writing process? Do you listen to music or do you like silence?Most of my writing happens at night when the house is quiet.  There are times when the subtle noises of my house settling are all I need.  Other times, I listen to music.  It all depends on the mood.
Do you outline your story or just go where your muse takes you?I am a hybrid.  A true pantser at the start of the story, running the story and backstory in my head before I write, then halfway through, I start plotting the rest of it.  The more I write, the more I get into my characters’ minds, and let them lead me to the right direction. Eventually brilliant plot ideas pop.  Before I forget them, I plot.  So far, it’s the best way I function.
Do you find it difficult to juggle your time between marketing your current book and writing your next book?Right from the start, I decided that in order to make this work, I needed to be organized.  I keep a schedule for marketing time and writing.  The writing schedule is not as strict as the marketing schedule.  I spend 3-4 hours online every Monday mornings for, what I call, Social Media Mondays.  And go through emails, posts, tweets, etc for no more than an hour a day.  I write whenever and wherever I can.
Besides writing, do you have any other passions?I love arts and design.  I love any hands-on projects, particularly anything that will make my house look beautiful.  Every now and then, I also plan events/parties.  Aside from that, like most writers, I love to read.
Some fun facts about you, which do you prefer – dogs or cats? Chocolate or vanilla? Coffee or Tea? Talk or Text? Day or Night?I’ve always thought that I’m a cat person, until we got a puppy for Christmas last year.  Her name is Scarlett and she’s a Morkie (maltese-yorkie mix).  And she’s my writing partner.Chocolate.  The darker, the better.Coffee.  The darker, the better.Text.  I’m awkward with phonecalls.Night.  The darker, the better.
What’s next for you?Readers should expect more books from me this year.  I have a few on the go, either in the hands of Beta readers or editors.   Books two and three of The West Coast Rock Stars Series are underway, as well as other serials.  And I’ve written a short story as part of an anthology that will be released in April by Simon and Schuster.

Book & Author Details:Harley by Michelle Jo Quinn
Published by: Limitless Publishing
Publication date: January 19th 2016
Genres: Adult, Contemporary, Romance
Synopsis:All of her life, Cadence “Cade” Williams has been lied to…With her ailing father on his deathbed, a whispered secret sends Cadence’s life into a tailspin. Determined to either confirm or debunk her father’s claim, she sets out on a mission to grow close to the only man with evidence to set things straight. To do that, Cadence earns a position in an elite security firm owned by her father’s old army buddy, Noah “Mac” Mackinley.Mac is the only man who could hold the evidence to support her father’s claims…But first, she must prove herself worthy of Mac’s trust and get close enough to find the truth. Her first mission is to watch over an eight-year old girl, Harley Clark.Harley is not an ordinary girl. She’s the daughter of a rock star…Despite her fragile appearance, Harley has tenacity and brilliance like nothing Cade has ever seen. To everyone’s surprise—including her own—Cade forms an unlikely friendship with the beautiful wallflower.Her first assignment just became more interesting…When Harley’s rock star father, Jax Clark, enters the scene, Cade can’t deny the instant attraction for the self-proclaimed bad boy. Tattoos, piercing eyes, and a raspy voice that sends thousands of fans into a screaming frenzy, he’s more than just a heartthrob. Worse, Jax starts to pay her more attention than she expects.She’s faced with a choice—get lured in by the celebrity world and lose any chance of finding out the truth, or stick to the plan and avoid Jax at all costs to earn Mac’s trust.
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/28078602-harley
Purchase:Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Harley-West-Coast-Rock-Star-ebook/dp/B01A9PU3MUB&N: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/harley-michelle-jo-quinn/1123293476?ean=9781680584530

AUTHOR BIO:Michelle‘s love for writing blossomed when her father gave her a diary. However, instead of recounting her daily life, she wrote stories of fictional people. Like most of her characters, she believes in Happily Ever After. Naturally, she finds harmony in writing romance.

An unabashed, self-proclaimed foodie, Michelle loves to try new food whenever she travels. She once had triple crème Brie and duck rillette for lunch on top of Grouse Mountain.  She enjoys watching foreign films and reading a good book by the fireside.

Michelle is an active member of RWA and several of its chapters. She lives in Ontario, Canada with her husband and two kids.
Author links: http://www.michellejoquinn.com/https://twitter.com/MichelleJoQuinnhttps://www.facebook.com/MichelleJoQuinnAuthor/
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#Excerpt: ANNABEL'S WEDDING by Susan Murphy

Excerpt:‘Viv, it’s your turn,’ Annabel called from the kitchen when the hairdresser had let her assistant in.
I grabbed a cup of tea and took my seat, eager to look as fabulous as Carrie. ‘How are you doing it?’ I asked the girl, who looked younger than my sons.
‘Up-style isn’t it, Tanya?’ she asked her boss.
‘Yep, something high. You wanted a mix of styles, didn’t you, Bel?’ Annabel didn’t answer and appeared to be asleep. ‘We should probably let her rest, so just do an up-style.’
I shrugged. ‘I have no idea what you’re talking about, so I’m in your hands.’
An hour later it appeared that the assistant didn’t know what we were talking about either. She clearly didn’t have the skill of her boss. As she proudly paraded the oversized mirror around for me to see, I wondered how to politely scream for her to start over. It was awful. I looked like a founding member of the B52s with a gigantic beehive straight out of the sixties.
‘It looks great from the back,’ she said.
Was it possible for me to walk backwards all day? Because from the front it was hideous. I pretended to need the bathroom so I could investigate further. I promised myself to take a minute before going into total and complete meltdown, but a larger mirror only magnified its ugliness.
‘Why me?’ I moaned. Why did Carrie look so completely fabulous and glamorous, while I looked like I was attempting to smuggle a flock of birds across the border in a fake hair nest.

BLURB:

With the planning for Annabel's wedding underway, Genevieve is distracted by family bickering and an unexpected life-altering discovery. With Annabel threatening to cancel her wedding and Julia hiding a dark secret, her life once again descends into the perfect mix of hilarious chaos. Will the sisters be able to sort everything out and get their happy endings?

Annabel's wedding is a tale of sisterhood, relationships and learning to find happiness in spite of the sometimes crazy hand you're dealt.

Amazon buy link: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00RKU7UU6/ref=twoen-20
~~~~~~~~~~~~~ AUTHOR Bio and Links:Susan Murphy is a marriage and funeral celebrant from South Australia with a passion for telling stories. She's also Mum to three fabulous kids, a wife of many years, and self-confessed chocolate addict. When not writing she can be found standing on the edge of a cliff, on a P&O cruise ship or even getting blown away on a beach somewhere while officiating wedding ceremonies. You might also find her at the SA Writers Centre where she is currently the Writer in Residence.
http://www.susanmurphyauthor.com/https://www.facebook.com/susanmurphyauthor/https://twitter.com/SMurphyAuthorhttp://theweddinggurus.blogspot.com.au/
Follow the tour and comment; the more you comment, the better the chances of winning. The tour dates can be found here:  http://goddessfishpromotions.blogspot.com/2016/01/blurb-blitz-annabels-wedding-by-susan.html
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Interview with Lisa Beth Darling, SINS OF THE FATHER

Can you give us a brief overview of your latest book? Is it part of a series?I started writing the Sister Christian Series a few years after I made contact with my birth family and discovered I had three brothers. I was raised an only child so the idea that I had siblings was rather new to me, growing up I often wished I had a sibling but then I'd go to my friend's houses and see how they interacted with their siblings and went home happy I was an only child. The idea of the brother/sister dynamic always interested me even when my friends were shouting at each other over nothing. This series and a lot of its contents, planted deeply in the fertile ground of a writer's imagination, grew out of those two situations.
Genesis, the first book in the Sister Christian Series opens with Doctor Richard Mason reading a letter informing him his father, James Rice, has died and Mason has been put in charge of his sister, Hannah Rice. Problem is, Mason is in his early 50s and had no clue he was adopted until that very moment.
Hannah has known for decades that Rick is her brother, her mother told her just before she committed suicide leaving Hannah in the care of her father, James Rice. Hannah had a very unpleasant childhood. When we meet her, she is a troubled woman both physically and mentally who has spent 30 years of her life in one group home or another.
Sins of the Father is the second installment in the series and in it Doctor Richard Mason and his newly discovered sister, Hannah Rice are still getting to know each other. Except now, as we open, Hannah is debilitated having suffered a massive stroke at the end of Genesis, the first book in the series. She's on her way to recovery but the process is slow and as her body heals her mind begins to remember the details of her horrific car accident thirty years before. Dark family secrets are uncovered and in Mason's own reckless way he forces Hannah to face them.
Do you have a favorite character?I adore Mason and Hannah equally but, in the end, Hannah would be my favorite. For all she's been through, everything she's suffered, and all that's been taken away from her, she's still smiling and looking forward to a future that gets a bit better for her with each passing day. She brings a lot of light to Mason's lonely world.
Have you ever had a minor character evolve into a major one? Did that change the direction of the novel at all?Not in this series but in the OF WAR Series there was a minor character, Onya, who stuck around a lot longer than I intended. She never became a major character but she did a beloved one. She didn't change the course of the novel but she helped expand and to some degree Ares' personality. So it kind of stunk when I ended up killing her off in the last novel, Kingdoms of War, but it furthered the story so that was good.

Did you try the traditional route to publishing, i.e. querying agents/publishers?Sure, for years…well on and off. I think everyone should try it just to see what it's really like

What factors influenced your decision to self-publish your book(s)? Can you tell us what, if anything, you've learned on your self-publishing journey?I struggled for decades to have one of my books published in the traditional manner and found it to be a loathsome process that was both disheartening and humiliating. Then again, keep in mind the fact that I've been fired from every retail job I ever had because I just can't sell anything. It makes me feel ookie. No offense to you nice salespeople out there, all I'm saying is that it wasn't for me. I can't even begin to tell you how many copies of "Writer's Market" I went through or how many years I subscribed to "Writer's Digest" hoping to find that one place that would give me just a tiny break. I never got past the standard Rejection Letter. In fact, I still have that stack, whenever I get really down and feel I can't do something, I pull it out, look at it, remember how mad those people made me, and push onward. So to every publisher and agent out there whoever rejected me; Thank You, to this day you serve as a great inspiration. To those with small magazines and local newspapers who did publish my articles, prose, poetry all those years; Thank You! You made me feel that going onward was worth the effort.
I almost gave up on writing even though I know in my soul it is my calling in this life but luckily for me I'm a very strong-willed (bullheaded, stubborn) woman. I quit submitting, but I never stopped writing
One day, I got this newfangled thing called a computer and it led me to this really weird thing called the internet. Keep in mind, AOL was the biggest service provider during this time that should tell you how new all of this really was. Wait, let me help; there were NO Kindles! No one ever heard of an e-reader or an e-book.  Anyway, on what was known as the Information Super Highway, I came across other writers who were like me. They were totally sickened by the entire submissions process and had given up on submitting their works to publishing houses but they still wrote and they still wanted their works to find their audience.
I did too.
I learned AOL Press. I made a website. I put my stories on it. I received the feedback I craved but was withheld from me for so long. I moved my website to GeoCities (go ahead laugh), I learned HTML…all on my own, no one, not one single person helped me decipher that foreign language. Eventually, I moved to my very own URL. I kept putting my stories up for free.  I learned PhotoShop the same way I learned HTML. I made banners and eventually learned how to make book covers, t-shirts, mugs, mouse pads…all that happy stuff.
Then this thing called 'self-publishing' came along. At first, it was poo-pooed just like 'vanity publishing', in fact, that's what people called it. The major difference was the author didn't have to put forth a great big wad of cash nor get stuck with a bunch of books as print books could be ordered on demand or in small batches.
Even though e-books were still a year or two off from becoming an actual thing I jumped on this bandwagon. Through the entire process, I learned more things than I ever thought possible especially not without shelling out a great deal of money and sitting in class. Those skills turned out to be rather valuable in the employment marketplace.  More than that, I reached and grew an audience and that allowed me to become content.
I no longer seek out that big publishing contract (don't get me wrong, if it miraculously appeared in front of me I'd take it, but it isn't a goal anymore) and I don't feel as though I've been cheated or taken a less respectable route with my books. In fact, small as I still am, I feel quite accomplished, which is far better than feeling humiliated any day.
I look back on it all now and realize that I'm a Trailer Blazer.
I was Indie when Indie wasn't cool.
What is your writing process? Do you listen to music or do you like silence?Like most writers I have my rituals, my desk is covered with items of inspiration from scented candles to incense to a crystal ball, stones, and dancing Baby Groot. There's generally a glass of my favorite potent drink and a cup of coffee next to me you'll probably also find a lovely piece of hand blown glass nearby. I light my candles and my incense, open my file and try to get to business. I play a lot of games in between, I find that these 'Saga' games aren't a mere distraction but they actually help my mind get around things in the story by figuring out the puzzle on the screen I can also figure out the one in my head.  For decades I wrote to music, anything you can consider Classic Rock; Boston, Bad Company, The Who, The Stones, Van Morrison, The Doors and so on. My fingers would be flying across the keyboard as I'm singing away. Recently I had a hard drive crash and it took all my music away. From my hubby's music files I downloaded something titled 'karaoke' thinking all of the songs within were by the listed artists but they're not. It's just the music. No words. It's actually working out rather well and no one is more surprised by that than I am.
Do you outline your story or just go where your muse takes you?I think on them a while and then, when I'm ready to give myself over to the Muse, I do so and follow wherever he leads. I always have an idea of where we're going but not necessarily of how we're getting there.
Besides Amazon, are there any other sites where your books are for sale?I refuse to be exclusive to Amazon, you can find my books in print on Amazon—you can get them signed from my website. For ebooks, you can find me on Kindle, Nook, Kobo, iBooks, and Smashwords among others.

Do you find it difficult to juggle your time between marketing your current book and writing your next book?
Yes, it's always a hassle. Always.  I try to do promo only when I plan on not being in writing mode but it doesn't seem to work out that way.


BLURB:As Hannah recovers from emergency brain and heart surgery, memories of the past overtake her dreams with such clarity they cannot be denied. As the last of the painful family secrets come to light it's up to her brother, Doctor Richard Mason, and his unconventional methods to help her confront the ugliness.
Buy Links: Kindle/Amazon (paperbacks available on Amazon)http://amazon.com/author/lisadarling
Nookhttp://barnesandnoble.com/c/lisa-beth-darling
iBookshttps://itunes.apple.com/us/artist/lisa-beth-darling/id411650358?mt=11
Smashwordshttps://www.smashwords.com/profile/view/lisadarling
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
AUTHOR Bio and Links:
It was in the 4th grade when Lisa Beth Darling discovered she was a naturally gifted writer. For her very first creative writing assignment, the teacher asked the class to pen a story about a baby bird's first flight and read them to the class. Putting pencil to paper, Lisa was instantly whisked away by a force she couldn't explain. When they were finished, all of the children read their happy stories to the class. Not Lisa. She got up and told of how the baby bird flew too high, hit a plane, crashed to the ground and died. She told of how the mama bird and daddy bird cried of how even God was upset sending the rains pouring from the sky. The class was speechless when she finished all they could do was stare at her. The teacher kept her after class told her the story was very good but it was different from the others. She asked Lisa if she'd ever heard of Icarus and had she based her story on him. Lisa had yet to encounter Greek Mythology or hear a whisper of Icarus. As Lisa left the classroom the teacher again told her how good the story was but suggested she might want to write something happier next time. Perplexed,  Lisa turned and asked her teacher: "Why?" The teacher had no answer. Luckily for us, Lisa never took that teacher's advice.
Today she brings us complex multi-layered stories rich with the trials and tribulations that make up the world in which we live. Not one to be pigeonholed into any single genre, Lisa's stories revolve around the intricacies of couples from range the intimacy of lovers, to mothers and sons, and brothers and sisters.
Lisa Beth Darling is 49 years-old, lives in her hometown of New London, CT with her husband of nearly 30 years, Roy.  She is the author of more than fifteen novels along with several short stories and non-fiction books.
Author web links: (web, blog, twitter, facebook, goodreads, etc)Website: http://www.lisabethdarling.com   Blog: http://lbdarling.wordpress.com Twitter: https://twitter.com/lb_darling Facebook: http://facebook.com/lbdarling Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/1577311.Lisa_Beth_Darling
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#Excerpt: BANEWOLF by Eden Ashley

Excerpt:
First Date
Rhane looked at her like she was nuts. “You just met me. What makes you think I’ll let you take my truck?”
Moving toward him, Kali rested one palm against his cheek. His eyes were translucent in the sunlight, two seas of emerald bordered with flecks of amber. She leaned in close, wanting to drown in them and nearly did so. Her lips brushed softly against his as she spoke. “You won’t refuse me.” She felt him tremble.
A long moment passed. “I think you’re right,” he finally said, and held up a key.
Snagging it, Kali smiled gratefully. Then she walked away, throwing her hips deliberately because she knew he watched her. “Don’t worry,” she called to him. “I promise to thank you later.”
Placing one foot on the runner, she hauled herself into the truck. The dark grey leather molded to her form as sank into it. Kali sighed, remembering how Rhane’s lips and hands felt against her body. She wriggled in the seat.
“You might need this, Kalista.”
Startled, Kali jumped about four inches. She adjusted the shoulder belt in an attempt to hide her embarrassment. Her cheeks were flaming, but she found the nerve to look at him. Rhane was holding her purse.
“Oops, I almost forgot. Thanks.” She took the bag and started the truck. The engine came to life with a purr, and the time displayed on the clock. Six a.m. was approaching fast. She was already ridiculously late. A few more minutes wouldn’t hurt. Besides, Kali was curious about him. Such a nice suit had to mean Rhane had been headed somewhere. And it certainly wasn’t to deliver pizzas.
“Will you be late for work?”
“Not really, it was a business meeting.”
“Will you make it?”
He shrugged. “It’s via satellite and can’t happen without me. I’ll reschedule.”
She nodded, wanting to know more but lacking the time to pry. She put the gear in drive but kept a foot on the brake. “How did you fix Greg’s car so fast?”
“I know a guy,” he answered vaguely. “And I threw a lot of money at him.”
“You loaded or something?”
“You could say so.”
“I really wish I had more time to finish this conversation.”
He scratched his head. “I’m glad you don’t,” he said and smiled.
Kali grinned back and was about to go, but stopped again. Her smile faded. “Rhane?”
“Yeah?”
“I usually don’t do this. Go around kissing strange men I’ve just met.” They’re usually teenage boys, she amended silently.
His expression was unreadable. “I surely hope not.” He leaned into the window. “Are you free tonight?”
“Can’t wait for that thank you?”
He winked. “That, and I’d like my nice, shiny and new truck back.”
“Then it’s a date.” With an earsplitting grin pasted across her face, she pulled out into traffic. Looking into the rearview mirror, she noticed Rhane watching her until he was a tiny dot in the distance.
BLURB:
Love. Conflict. Adventure. Banewolf continues the romance, betrayal, and heartbreaking secrets between Kali, a girl who largely lacks understanding of the powerful creature contained within her, and Rhane, the mysterious and passionate man from her forgotten past.
Link to download Dark Siren for free: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00DSPPOX2Link to purchase Banewolf: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00GTT3RDI

~~~~~~~~~~~~~AUTHOR Bio and Links:
Eden currently resides in a small town in sunny South Carolina where thunderstorms inspire her best ideas. When not daydreaming about her next novel, she can be found curled up with a musty old paperback and a cup of coffee...or mired deeply in her next plot to take over the world. Since Eden enjoys reading or watching anything with supernatural elements, writing paranormal and fantasy romance is a natural fit.
Banewolf is the second installment of the Amazon Bestselling Dark Siren series. The first book is currently free for download on Amazon.
Eden loves to hear from readers and can be reached at the following links:
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/EdenAshleyAuthorBlog: http://edenbynite.blogspot.com/Twitter: Eden_byNiteEmail: edenashleyromance@outlook.com


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Interview with Ingrid Koivukangas, HUNTERS OF THE DREAM

Can you give us a brief overview of your latest book? Is it part of a series?
Hunters of the Dream, Book One: The Gathering, is the first book of a trilogy. Hunters, combines the ‘real’ world with the wondrous worlds of Spirit, Nature, dreams, deep intuition and magic. It weaves a story as old as time: the Light against the Dark, and our call to become more than we could ever imagine, in order to overcome challenges and defend ourselves, and the natural world – our home. Aurora thinks she’s just a normal teenager, and – like many readers – she has no idea how powerful she really is. When the long-silent Oracle awakens she is called upon to lead the charge against the Darkness that is seeping through time threatening all worlds. Will she be able to find the courage to lead the Hunters of the Dream and step into her true calling? Will she know who to trust along the way?
Did you try the traditional route to publishing, i.e. querying agents/publishers?I didn’t try the traditional route to publishing, Hunters of the Dream. I respect the experience and work that agents and publishers bring, and sometimes wish I’d gone that route, but I knew it would take longer than doing it myself. I wouldn’t rule out working with an agent, or publisher in the future.
What factors influenced your decision to self-publish your book(s)?I’m a designer, as well as being an artist and writer, and have helped people self-publish their books. So I knew that I could publish my own books, and that it would be faster than going the traditional route.
Did you hire an editor to review your manuscript before publishing?I hired a great editor, Rosanne Catalano, who specializes in young adult fiction. She did the line edit on the first manuscript. The final edited manuscript was then copyedited by, Carole Audet. In between the edits I also had feedback from early readers. After writing the book, I think that hiring a professional editor is one of the most important things an author can do. I can’t stress enough to anyone wanting to self-publish a book: hire a professional editor! They will make your work better.

What have you’ve learned during your self-publishing journey?Everything takes longer than you think it’s going to! I now know how long I need to allow for editing, early readers, re-editing and creating the final manuscript for publishing. My new formula is: multiple everything by two!
Do you find it difficult to juggle your time between marketing your current book and writing your next book?Yes. Marketing takes a lot of time. I would rather be writing instead of marketing. The upside is that I get to see Hunters of the Dream from a different viewpoint. Sharing my process – and the behind the scenes story of Hunters – gets me out of my head and into a place where I can begin to see the reader’s perspective.
What is your writing process? Do you listen to music or do you like silence?I light a candle and meditate before I begin. I like listening to music, softly in the background. Music helps me to stay focused, probably because it blocks out the sounds of our dogs. Actually, my husband tells me I don’t hear anything when I’m in the midst of writing! (It’s true.)
Do you outline your story or just go where your muse takes you?I don’t use an outline. Part of what I love about writing is that, like the reader, I don’t know what’s coming on the next page or the next chapter. I don’t know where the story or characters are leading me. I trust the story to become. Having said that, I understand the merits of outlines and am trying to find my own take on it…the non-outline, outline.

Besides Amazon, are there any other sites where your books are for sale?Hunters of the Dream is available, online, in print from Barnes & Noble and Chapters/Indigo (and Amazon). From March 9th it will also be available as an ebook at Kobo, Barnes & Noble, Chapters/Indigo and Amazon. Hunters is in the Ingrams Book Catalogue, so any book store will be able to order it for you.
Besides writing, do you have any other passions?
Before being an author, I am an environmental artist. Through my work as an artist I enter a world of wonder, much like a Shaman. I communicate with the Earth, the Spirit world, and the Animal, Insect and Plant worlds to create gallery exhibitions. I was called to expand upon the way that I work; to communicate messages from the Earth and Spirit worlds, with a wider audience–especially with youth – through story. And invite readers into a world of wonder where they can begin to access their own innate memories of ancient mysteries and our deep connections to all beings, both seen and unseen.
I am also a novice flower farmer J My husband, Robin, and I recently purchased a 10-acre farm on, Salt Spring Island that we call, Alchemy Farm. It’s a huge dream come true to be the steward of such a special and beautiful piece of land. We are busy creating a sustainable farm growing flowers, berries, fruits, veggies and willow. We have two beehives arriving in a few weeks, just in time for our orchard’s blossoming. Small eco retreats are also a possibility in the future.

What’s next for you?
I am currently working on Book Two of the Hunters Trilogy: Darkness Approaching. I am also creating a membership website where readers can continue their journey into the world of Hunters of the Dream. Membership is free to readers, and gives them access to complimentary art and writing projects. Paid modules are also available for a nominal fee. The paid modules will be especially appealing to youth, parents and home schoolers who are interested in developing a deeper understanding of our sacred connections to the natural and Spirit world through a variety of teachings and videos. Signup to become a member here: bit.ly/EnterAWorldofWonder
I would like to invite your readers to get a free online Eco Heart Oracle reading here: bit.ly/FreeEcoHeartOracleReading


BLURB:
Links:Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/13548228.Ingrid_KoivukangasFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/IKoivukangasTwitter: https://twitter.com/HuntersTheDreamWebsite: www.IngridKoivukangas.com Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Hunters-Dream-Book-One-Gathering-ebook/dp/B0194J80JAChapters / Indigo:  https://www.chapters.indigo.ca/en-ca/books/hunters-of-the-dream-book/9780973632767-item.html
NOTE: Hunters of the Dream will be available at Amazon from February 22 to March 20 for only $0.99

Follow the tour and comment; the more you comment, the better the chances of winning. The tour dates can be found here:  http://goddessfishpromotions.blogspot.com/2016/01/vbt-hunters-of-dream-by-ingrid.html
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#Excerpt: BURNING CHOICE by Aubrey Parker

Burning Choice
Aubrey Parker
(Trevor’s Harem, #3)
Publication date: March 1st 2016
Genres: New Adult, Romance

I’ve been in this billionaire’s game for a month — but something changed when half my competition was eliminated.

It feels less like a contest now … and more like an experiment.

I shouldn’t have made it past the first round. I don’t know how I did; I’m not special like the others. When I ask Daniel, he just tells me it’s complicated. Then he talks about brain chemistry, how love and sex are an addiction. He tells me how wild animals claim mates, and how he’s claimed me.
The stakes are higher.
The competition is fiercer.

I should have been kicked out long ago, but Daniel tells me I might be the needle in the haystack the company has been looking for.
Sometimes I’m afraid of them all, even of Daniel.
But It’s like I’m on a tether. I couldn’t leave if I wanted to.

Goodreads / Amazon
EXCERPT:“I want to show you something.” Jessica flops sideways, grabs one of my pillows, and then pulls me down by my wrist so I’m lying beside her. She puts the pillow on the bed and rolls so she’s perched on it. Her head ticks, nodding halfway, as if to beckon me closer. I come, and she doesn’t stop gesturing until I’m close enough to smell the almond in her shampoo.Her mischievous eyes watch me. Then she reaches for the covers, which I’ve piled to one side after rising. I’ve never been a bed maker. Because fuck that.
She drags the covers over us. We’re facedown on the bed, our faces above the pillow. Jessica shoves her face into the pillow and moans.
Or, now that I listen more closely, mumbling.
“Put your face in the pillow.”
“I’ve heard that line before,” I say.
“Just do it, Bridget.”
So I do. And then Bridget mumbles again. This time I clearly hear her say, “They can’t hear sound that doesn’t hit the walls.”
I don’t know what to make of that. I raise back up, so she pulls me back down, her arm draped across my back.
“Do you remember how they said there were blind spots from the cameras? The southwest corner of the kitchen, the front lawn, thirty yards equidistant between the fountains.”
“Between the fountains,” I repeat, nodding into the pillow, feeling stupid.
“Thirty yards equidistant. Not just directly between them. There’s only forty-five yards between the fountains. You have to come away at an angle, to the south. It has to be to the south because the wall is at the same angle to the north.”
“I just remember ‘between the fountains.’” And I’m lucky I remember that. That first night, they listed so many rules and details, I stopped listening. But Jessica apparently didn’t. She lists another eight or ten places, most of which barely sound familiar.
“Were you taking notes?”
Instead of answering, she says, “The mics also have dead spots — too much ground to eavesdrop everywhere. I was out back and spotted one near the peeing fountain thing. You know the peeing fountain?”
I nod.
“Then I found two more. They’re hard to find without looking like you’re looking, if you know what I mean.”
I don’t. Not really.
“I got the model number. They seem to all be the same. And that model is semi-directional, probably because if they’re not selective, they’ll hear all the birds whistling and pots banging and clocks ticking and stuff. The noise profile is … ” And for a second it’s like I’m back in my studio, studying technical manuals.
“Are you a sound engineer or something?”
“I read a catalog once.”
“What kind of catalog?”
“I was bored,” she answers.
Jessica’s eyes flick toward the ceiling, and she runs her fingers through my hair. “Sorry,” she says about the touch. “But if we don’t do something to justify lying here in bed, they’re going to pay closer attention than we want.” And then her hand goes under the covers, starts disturbing the sheets without actually fondling me — though surely, that’s what it’s supposed to look like from the cameras’ point of view.
My eyes scan what of the room I can still see, ass up and face in the pillow as I am. I know the cameras are there, and microphones with them. And I have to admit Jessica is probably right. They’d have to use mics with a reasonably narrow profile, or there’d be too much noise to make the recordings worthwhile. Talking into a noise dampener like a big lump of foam and fabric will absorb most of what we say, keeping any little echoes from bouncing around and being heard. It’s a risk I wouldn’t take without research into what’s watching and listening to us, but Jess is acting like research isn’t necessary. She saw a model number and somehow already knew everything about that specific model … and, apparently, everything else in the catalog. It’s fucking weird. But what the hell? It’s not like I wanted to be here in the first place, so screwing up and getting booted now doesn’t bug me as much as it bothers the others. I guess it’s no more risk to trust her than anything else.
“So,” Jessica says, speaking into the pillow. “Let’s talk about Daniel for you, Trevor for me, and how the hell you’re still around.”

Author Bio:
I love to write stories with characters that feel real enough to friend on Facebook, or slap across the face. I write to make you feel, think, and burn with the thrill that can only come from getting lost in the pages. I love to write unforgettable characters who wrestle with life's largest problems.

My books may always end with a Happily Ever After, but there will always be drama on the way there.

Website / Goodreads / Twitter / Facebook

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#Excerpt: SUBMISSION SPECIALIST by Ada Scott

Submission Specialist
Ada Scott
(Still a Bad Boy #2)
Publication date: February 26th 2016
Genres: New Adult, Romance, Suspense

Instead of Prince Charming, I got Him.
Skylar
I promised I’d save myself for my wedding night.

Of course, I didn’t know it was going to be a fake marriage to a heavyweight MMA fighter. I couldn’t have known how good it would feel to be pinned under all those muscles and tattoos, squirming, panting, and even whimpering in ecstasy.
None of us knew how deeply he was involved with the mafia.

When he disrespects them, they think they can use me to punish him.
They’re wrong.
He’s a tank in human form.
And he’s coming for me.

Austin
Men tap out inside the ring, women surrender themselves outside of it. That’s always been my specialty.

I chose Skylar because she was so innocent. A good girl like her would help sell my reformed image to the public. To corrupt her and leave her ruined for all other men would be my hottest conquest yet.
But I found more in Skylar than that. Who’d have thought that the first woman I wanted to lay more than once would be my wife?

Now they think they can take away what is mine?
Even if I have to kill every last member of the Bertolini Crime Family…
I’m coming for her.

Goodreads / Amazon / Barnes & Noble

EXCERPT:
I felt like I was sitting inside my own head watching a movie play out as I dropped the remains of my apple in the trash and headed towards the Tier-1 fighters’ area. Uncle Malcolm wasn’t here to show me what to do. All I had was less than a year of study and a general appreciation of massages to rely on. It would have to do.The Tier-1 wing had a guard at the door who looked mean enough to actually fight for NHBFC, but he let me through when he saw my uniform and heard that Gordon had sent me at Henry’s request. The hallway behind said door was just as chaotic as the ones I’d just left, but for a completely different reason.With a smaller group of fighters to look after, and an already smaller staff diminished by illness, it was the MMA groupies making the most noise over here. Clusters of some of the most stunning girls currently in the city hovered around their favorite fighters’ doors, giggling and talking loudly. It wasn’t official of course, but the guard knew only to let in the best of the best.The intensity of their beauty only served to make me feel self-conscious, as I awkwardly nudged my way through them to Austin’s door. Most of them were taller than me and the tops they wore made absolutely sure to show off their breasts, at my eye-level, to maximum effect.They made me feel like a potato in a diamond display case as I sheepishly knocked on the door. A few moments later an older guy, Austin’s coach, snatched the door open.“I told you bitches he isn’t ready yet!”“Uh, Gordon sent me? Henry said you-”“Oh, right, yeah. He’s just in the shower-”The groupies in earshot all squealed and started talking at once.“You come in, he’ll be ready in a second, I’m stepping out. Lock it behind you. Which of you girls wants to do me a special favor so I put a good word in for you with The Killer?”I squeezed past him as a chorus of “I do!” “I will” rang out behind me. One of them said “How come the cleaning lady gets to go in?” Another said, “I’ll deepthroat your-” just as the door clicked shut.Stepping into a Tier-1 dressing room after working on the other side for so long was like stepping into first-class on an airplane after only ever flying coach. They had all the same stuff that we had, but instead of bare concrete, there was actual paint on the walls, a permanent massage table, a brand new heavy punching bag hung from the ceiling on a chain. Plenty of bells and whistles.Steam poured out of a cracked-open door and I could hear a shower running. I walked over and paused by the door, before knocking even more tentatively than I had on the other one.“Austin? I’m here for the-”“I told Ross to tell you I wasn’t ready!” he yelled out.“Uh… no I’m not… uh… I work here? Henry said you needed a massage?”“Oh, yeah. I’ll be right out.”The sound of running water stopped and I caught a flash of movement in the steamed-up mirror through the opening. Quickly, I turned and faced the other way, ashamed at the flush of excitement that came unbidden and made me bite my bottom lip without thinking about it.After a couple minutes I felt the waft of air as the door was pulled open behind me, and turned to face him. Standing there, wearing only a towel, with beads of water dripping down his neck and torso from his hair, was fan (and my) favorite, Austin “The Killer” Aquila.That perfectly sculpted body looked like it was made from granite by an artist with an eye for sin, then decorated with ink in designs that curled all over. His thick arms had contours that drew my eyes up to his broad shoulders, and then sent them down across his pecs and over each and every bump of his abs.His lower abdominals formed lines that narrowed as my eyes roamed lower… lower… lower until the visual ride was abruptly cut off by the towel, which he held up by one hand.I looked up and heard my jaw click shut when our eyes met. I only hoped I’d closed my mouth before I drooled. If I was looking at him like a piece of art, he was looking at me like a piece of food, and it took all my willpower not to find a plate to climb on to.All heavyweights have a certain presence. It would be hard not to when you’re a tank that has briefly assumed human form, but Austin had presence that almost seemed to make the air crackle between us and around him. His eyes, they were looking at me in a way that would give my dad a stroke. That brought me partway back to reality.“Um… over there?” I pointed at the massage table.“You sure you work here?” he asked.“Yeah, I… I normally work in Tier-2…”Austin closed the distance between us and leaned down towards me. My heart tried to jump up my throat to get a better view out my mouth at all that solid muscle so close to me, and my ability to breathe be damned.“Because, if you’re another girl that stole a uniform just to get in here… well, I’ll have to do to you what I did to her.”A drop of water fell from his head and landed on my ear, making me flinch. The scent of soap and the faint musk of him filled my lungs as I took a deep breath to offer whatever reassurance I could.“I promise I work here,” I squeaked.

Author Bio:
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A former office drone, a former nurse, I now spend every waking moment doing what I love, creating and publishing these steamy stories about bad boys from the mafia, motorcycle clubs, and mma that make me, and hopefully you, weak at the knees! Anywhere a bad boy can be found, I'll be there taking notes and making it even sexier :)
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#Excerpt: HIS MASTER'S BRIDE by Claudia Herring

 
EXCERPT:
Chapter 30
A soft knock.
Margy shrugged, raised her eyebrows, grinned mischievously at Yasir, and pranced towards the door, stark naked, her carrot-colored hair dancing on her fair shoulders. She turned the latch and opened the door a crack.
A massive brown hand snapped onto her arm. With a shriek, abruptly silenced, Margy was dragged into the hall. The door remained ajar, the quiet hall shadowy.
Yasir crept towards the door, aware that his only weapon, his cane, leaned against the washstand across the room, aware that he could not use his magic. The silence in the hall perturbed him more than if Margy had been caterwauling and cursing.
In a blur, the door burst open. A flurry of gold and flesh whirled into the room. Silks and gauzes swirled, revealing glimpses of luminous alabaster skin. Shapely arms snaked in the air, jingling golden bangles. She smirked.
“Yaa – ssss – irrr.” His name flowed from her scarlet lips as she beckoned with sinuous movements. Flaxen hair, a waterfall of cream, rippled along her curves.
“Where is Margy?” he asked, his voice hard.
Her eyes, hollow, lacked an indefinable something. She was not human. A succubus. Here. In the daylight. Yasir shielded his magic and stepped from her path.
Her sumptuous breasts, bared with each tantalizing sway of her body, threatened to break free of thin gold chains quivering with golden disks. Bright beads around her neck clattered like castanets.
In an instant, Yasir hovered over her. “If you want to live to seduce another human you will answer me, succuba.”
She licked her lips. She drew her hand up to her hairline and peeled the flesh from her forehead to her chin, revealing underneath a fresh face of youth, sprinkles of freckles across the nose, innocent gray eyes.
Yasir stared in horror.
“Margy.” His voice shuddered.
 “I possessed your wench.” The succuba’s eyes, Margy’s eyes, glinted with malice. She whisked a scarf of thinnest white silk from her waist and drew it in front of her face. Margy’s features distorted and blurred behind the gossamer veil. The scarf floated away, a ribbon of vapor, and the succuba stood before him, face intact.
“Oh, great djinni.” She spoke in mellifluous tones and his body responded to the way she moved her lips, the provocative gleam in her lavender eyes.
Yasir leaned towards her, breathing hard.
“How does it feel to be taken for a fool by a whore?” She cackled, the sound of a decrepit crone from plump young lips.

TAGLINE:
BLURB:
A troubled djinni seduces his master’s young wife, forcing her to make a fateful choice.
The djinni Yasir, imprisoned in an urn by a jealous magician, searches the centuries for his lost love. He finds Lavinia reborn in 1811 England, only to discover she’s his new master’s bride.
Desperate to have her, Yasir spell-casts Lavinia’s husband to forget he is master and give her the urn. When she opens the ancient vessel, Yasir emerges, terrifying in his magnificence yet somehow familiar, but she fails to recognize him. She distrusts this djinni even though his very presence enchants her.
Yasir’s spell is fading. Lavinia’s husband has changed. Now he’s violent as he struggles with returning memories of when he possessed the urn. Lavinia strives to keep the two from encountering one another, while torn between fidelity for her husband and her increasing attraction to the djinni.
Impatient to win Lavinia’s confidence, Yasir must convince her of her true identity so they can reclaim their life together. He dare not reveal a deeper reason: Only with Lavinia can he regain his freedom and exact revenge on the magician who confined him to the urn—
If she does not go mad from the spell to awaken her memories. If her husband does not escape the djinni’s magic and discover her secret.If the magician does not find them first.
The Book is on sale for $0.99 during the tour.
Amazon: http://tinyurl.com/mg83vjj

• Apple ibooks: http://apple.co/21dSAru
• Barnes and Noble: http://bit.ly/1KZqAE4
• Scribd.: http://bit.ly/1RTkpmy
• Kobo: http://bit.ly/1LxcCnL
• Page Foundry: http://bit.ly/1RTkqqy(comes up with the url: inktera)
• 24 Symbols: http://bit.ly/1TudUq2

~~~~~~~~~~~~~
AUTHOR Bio and Links:
Claudia Herring aspired to be a baton twirler when she was five and an archaeologist at thirteen. When she became a graphic designer and an author of fantasy, she decided she'd hit upon the perfect compromise.
As a designer and illustrator she formats the written word around visual art. As a writer she weaves words into stories that form worlds. Her novel, "His Master's Bride," a historical fantasy with romantic elements set in Regency England, won first prize in the Houston Writer's Guild Novel Competition. "Ties of Smoke," next in "The Djinn Chronicles" series, is in its second draft.
When she's not delving into the world of the Djinn, Claudia is practicing yoga to go to that hushed space where she imagines and plots her next fantasy novel.
If you like Diana Gabaldon’s Outlander series, or Carol Berg, you'll love His Master's Bride.
Links: Website: http://www.claudiaherring.comBlog: http://www.claudiaherring.com/blogTwitter: @claudiakherringFacebook: http://facebook.com/claudia.herring.writerAmazon author: http://www.amazon.com/author/claudiaherring
Follow the tour and comment; the more you comment, the better the chances of winning. The tour dates can be found here:  http://goddessfishpromotions.blogspot.com/2016/01/excerpt-tour-his-masters-bride-by.html

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#Excerpt: CRASH AND BURN by Michele Callahan

 
Excerpt:
“Do you want to kiss me?”
Erin licked her lips. He was asking her. Giving her control and being a gentleman about it. And that, combined with the fact that she hadn’t been able to stop thinking about him since he’d walked out of the shop yesterday, had her nodding her head before she’d even answered his question.
“Yes.” Erin dropped her head back with a soft moan as Chance’s lips traced heated patterns across her cheek. He shifted slightly, holding her face still with gentle hands as he took his sweet time lowering his mouth to hers.
She could hardly breathe. Her whispered admission had sent her over the edge and into the dark abyss where common sense and reason ceased to exist. He leaned forward and the kiss started as a gentle exploration, as if he needed to coax a wild animal, like he was afraid she’d run.
He didn’t taste her, he plundered and explored. His kiss branded her with the faint taste of whiskey and heat. He owned her mind and her body in that moment. He left her nowhere to hide and no room to retreat. She was on fire and her world narrowed to the exotic taste of his mouth, the strong arms that circled her waist, the aggressive heat of his body pressed to hers, and the soft glide of his hair in her fists as she pulled him closer, demanded he give her more.
She whimpered and the needy sound barely registered. In some far away, logical place in her mind, she knew she’d never made that sound before. It should have served as a warning, instead it pushed her further into madness. She never wanted to stop…

BLURB:
Less than twenty-four hours after his first lesson he sees her again, but this time she’s on stage using another name and seducing an entire audience of men. He played the gentleman card once, and it got him nowhere. This time, all bets are off and he’ll do whatever it takes to keep her. A single, sizzling backstage kiss will change both of their lives forever, because Chance soon realizes that Erin is not just an itch, she’s an obsession that he refuses to live without.
Erin Michaelson spends her days teaching guitar and her nights on stage as her sexy alter-ego, Eva James. Music is her dream, her passion. All she wants is to say goodbye to a lifetime of scraping by, working two jobs, and paying for past mistakes. When a major record label exec hears her band play, she gets her big break. But life can be a real bitch, and meeting Chance now is just bad timing.
Problem #1: The record label wants her to dump her band and move to L.A. Problem #2: She hadn’t counted on Chance Walker and the scorching heat of that first kiss. And last but not least is Problem #3: Is Chance really falling in love with the dull guitar teacher, or is he really just lusting after the sexy Eva James?
Will success make all of Erin's dreams come true? Or will falling in love make them both crash and burn?
Buy links:
Amazon: http://goo.gl/Xd2o2XiTunes: https://goo.gl/nWEyk6
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
AUTHOR Bio and Links:
M.L. (Michele) Callahan is a sci-fi fanatic and full time writer whose earliest movie memories are of Luke Skywalker, Han Solo, and light sabers. (Still waiting on Santa to come through on that one.) ML writes sci-fi action adventure as ML Callahan, and romance as Michele Callahan. Fans of Hugh Howey's Wool series, Wayward Pines, Kresley Cole's Immortals After Dark, Sherrilyn Kenyon's League Series, or Karen Marie Moning's Fever Series will not be able to resist Callahan's complex world building, twisting plot lines, or unique premise. Callahan writes something brand new in the science fiction arena with character driven stories that read more like adventure books than hard science manuals. The Timewalker Chronicles are like nothing you've ever read before.
Website: http://mlcallahan.comFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/michele.callahan.142Twitter: https://twitter.com/michelecallahan
Follow the tour and comment; the more you comment, the better the chances of winning. The tour dates can be found here:  http://goddessfishpromotions.blogspot.com/2016/01/blurb-blitz-crash-and-burn-by-michele.html

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