Judith Leger's Blog, page 14

The Iron Admiral - Greta von der Rol

'The Iron Admiral' was the first book Iever wrote. I started it about five years ago and over the years, it hascertainly changed. The book has evolved, as it were, from a crude first attemptto a polished piece. At least, I think so. It has been a journey of discovery,for me and for my craft.
I was going to write science fiction,because that's what I like to read. Not the heavy, hard science fiction,though. I liked the action-packed space opera you find in Star Wars, but Iwanted a bit more science fact. So the Iron Admiral came into being and withit, first thoughts. I was always going to have an admiral at the centre and afemale computer whiz as the other MC. From there my history degree took over asI looked for a plausible setting for my story. My universe would have a vastalien Empire which was starting to crumble at the edges, while the expandinghuman Confederacy would populate only one spiral arm. We would have known abouteach other for a long time but tried to avoid getting in each other's way untilboth sides couldn't help it. You could say it was a little like a crumblingRoman Empire encountering the expanding Huns – or maybe the other way around.The theme of the book was always going to be that truth is very much a matterof perspective, a lesson I've learnt from studying history.
I've loved the Star Wars universe foryears – but always with belief suspended. My aliens would not be humanoid and Iwould try to ensure my scenarios were supported by science. No flying throughspace into a massive hangar on a battlecruiser without going through anairlock, for instance.
One thing I wanted to do with my admiralprotagonist was to show that these very senior men are sometimes faced withvery difficult decisions. It's easy enough for Lieutenant Smith to indulge indevil-may-care heroics – but admirals can't do that. There's too much at stake.
I have to admit it was something of asurprise to me when I ended up writing a romance. I can honestly say I've neverread an entire Mills & Boon book, although I did enjoy the 'Angelique'historical series back in the day. Both Elizabeth Moon and Anne McCaffrey (twoof my favourites) included some very mild sex scenes in their books – it workedfor me, but I wanted to take it one step further – without going as far aserotica.
The Iron Admiral books are fast-pacedadventures with a romance arc. Here's the blurb for book one, 'The IronAdmiral: Conspiracy'.
Politics. Hatred. Star systems on thebrink of war. A species under threat of extinction from a deadly virus.
Ex-Admiral Chaka Saahren goesundercover to discover the truth. Systems Engineer, Allysha Marten, takes onelast job to rid her of debts and her cheating husband. On Tisyphor, deadlysecrets about the past explode, as Allysha and the undercover agent scramble toprevent the coming holocaust and xenocide.
When the ex-Admiral's identity isrevealed, she must come to terms with her feelings for a man she thinks causedthe death of innocent civilians, including her father.
In a race against time, Allysha mustset aside her conflicted emotions and trust a man she barely knows. Saahrenmust convince the woman he loves to find the truth as he once more assumes hisposition as … The Iron Admiral.
It isn't the end of the adventure,though. By the end of the book Allysha might be reconciled with Saahren to alimited extent, but she sure isn't ready to marry him. What's more, Allysha'sestranged husband has been tasked by the shadowy Galactic People's Republic todeliver Allysha by whatever means he wishes. If he doesn't – he dies. And sobegins 'The Iron Admiral: Deception', as fast paced and action packed as thefirst book.
GrandAdmiral Chaka Saahren has the rewards of rank…
…but he doesn't have Systems Engineer Allysha Marten. Determined to keep hersafe, Saahren will go to any lengths to win back the woman he loves. Allyshaagrees to temporary employment by the Fleet, hoping to avoid at all costs theman she believes responsible for the death of innocent civilians, including herestranged father.

Sean O'Reilly has a plan…
…and it involves hijacking Allysha and convincing her, one way or another, todo just one more job—a job that would clear his debts and save his hide.

Allysha Marten must come to terms with her feelings…
…in the face of a reality that suggests she is a pawn in a growing powerstruggle, one where she will need all her skills and cunning to outwit aheinous plot that could result in the loss of billions of human lives.

When Allysha decides to tackle the conspirators on her own, she forces an impossiblechoice on… The Iron Admiral.
I had lots of fun writing them and I'mhoping that others will enjoy reading them. Although Saahren's and Allysha'sstories are complete, I've set one more book in the same universe. That will bepublished next year. And yes, there may be others.
BIO
Gretavan der Rol loves writing science fiction with a large dollop of good old,healthy romance. She lives not far from the coast in Queensland, Australia andenjoys photography and cooking when she isn't bent over the computer. She has adegree in history and a background in building information systems, both ofwhich go a long way toward helping her in her writing endeavours.
   - http://gretavanderrol.com/
   - http://twitter.com/GretavdR
   - http://www.facebook.com/Author.Greta.vanderRol?ref=ts

Buy the book from Smashwords printhttp://www.smashwords.com/books/view/...Amazonhttp://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_nos...Omnilithttp://bit.ly/fkt0us
You'll find "The Iron Admiral: Deception"onSmashwordshttp://www.smashwords.com/books/view/...

Keva

Lillian Grant's Male Order – Reigning Men book One

Male Order– Reigning Men book One
Sleepingwith her flatmate, Sam had been a mistake—becoming a strip club manager's pimpwas a disaster
Blurb: Meg's mother can't even saythe word sex. Her great aunt is a nymphomaniac. The few men she's slept withleft her frustrated.  The closest she's come to sex was as the unwittingvisual aid for hot flatmate, Sam's, cowboy style, wanking session. No wonderher libido went on permanent vacation and she substitutes ice-cream andchocolate for sex.

With so many hang ups, why does she agree to no strings sex with Sam? Why ishunky, strip club manager Michael bent on seducing her? And why the hell doesshe invest in a male escort business offering extra services?

Sam's delighted when he convinces Meg to let him go looking for her missing Gspot. A ride on his wild stallion shows her how good sex can be...with theright man. One encounter leads to a dozen. Sam is living every man's dream, sexwith no commitment, too bad it's not his dream.

His new life turns nightmare when Michael enters the scene. Will the Irishmansteal her away, or will his involvement in her Male Order business leadto a disaster that gives Sam a chance to prove to Meg their relationship ismore than a sexual rodeo?
www.lilliangrant.com
 
http://www.liquidsilverbooks.com/books/maleorder.htm

ExcerptA dull thud, thud, thud accompanied byyells of, "Yeehaw, ride 'em cowboy," made Meg roll her eyes and sigh loudly."For fuck sake, can you keep it downin there, literally?"Laura glanced at her, then back at thebedroom door. "What's he doing?"Meg shook her head. "You don't want toknow." She shuddered with mock horror at the memory."Really? Oh, please tell me, or I'llhave to go find out for myself."Laura got to her feet, a wicked gleamin her dark brown eyes. Geez, she would, too. Not that the sight of Sam laidback in a reclining chair, wearing only a cowboy hat and white socks, with hishand wrapped around his dick, jacking off like it was an Olympic sport, wouldfreak her friend out. Hell no, she'd probably offer to ride him. She wasn'tabout to let that happen. Sam was too good for the likes of Laura. He deserveda girl a little fussier about where she slept.Meg jumped up and grabbed Laura's arm,spilling coffee down the front of her own white shirt in the process. Shit, whycouldn't she do anything without making a mess of herself?"If I tell you, will you sit back down and promise never to mention it to Sam?"Laura retook her seat, her eyestwinkling with amusement. "Oh, this is going to be really good."Meg glanced at the bedroom door.Despite her yelling at him to shut up, yips of pleasure still reached thelounge room."Go, baby, ride em. You got it."She looked back at Laura then staredat a slice of salami on the coffee table. It must be from the pizza Sam hadafter she went to bed last night. What a slob. An extremely well endowedslob, but a slob nonetheless."Well? Are you going to tell me ornot?"Meg sighed. "He's jacking off."Laura snorted coffee all over theplace. Choking, she banged her chest, tears streaming down her face. If Lauradied from asphyxiation, she sure as hell wasn't telling the paramedics Sam'swanking caused her death.Between gasping breaths Laura squeaked,"And you found this out how?"Meg shrugged nonchalantly. No big dealreally. He liked to jack off, a lot, and she wanted to see what had himyelling. How was she supposed to know what he was doingin there? She could feel the heat rising to her face at the memory.She had shoved the door open and therehe lay in all his glory, reclining chair toward her. The moment they made eyecontact, a huge grin spread across his face as he continued to pummel his dick.The thought of that monster in hishand still made her panties dampen and her insides throb. The head red andengorged, the shaft decorated with bulging veins, heavy balls bunched up tight between his widespread thighs. She'd been unable tomove until he groaned and shot his wad all over his stomach. The memory of hiswarm spunk spilling from his cock made her squirm in her seat.The spell had finally been broken whenhe winked at her, asking if she wanted to take a turn on his trusty steed. Shehad turned tail and run out of the house. Hiding in the mall for hours dressedin her food stained hot pink sweats and matching fluffy slippers."I went to check on him one afternoonwhen he got to yelling and I found him sitting in his chair jacking off.Anyway, I thought you were here to talk about work?"Laura leaned forward, her faceflushed. "So you're not even going to tell me if he's hung like a horse?"Having Laura over was a mistake, she madeno secret of the fact she liked Sam. Always going on about his buff body andrippling abs. No way was she going to add anything elseto her best friend's fantasy life, she already had an overactiveimagination.Despite all but chasing after him withdrool running down her chin, Sam had shown no interest in her. She wonderedwhy. With her heart-shaped face, willowy figure and immaculately styled longblonde hair, most men found her irresistible. Now she thought about it, Samhadn't just ignored her not so subtle advances but, as far as Meg remembered,the only dates he had since he moved in were with his right hand. Even if thewomen he met hadn't seen him in all his naked glory, his cute smile and paleblue eyes would win him many loyal fans. They had sure as hell worked on herwhen he turned up in response to the landlord's advertisement for someone toflat share with her. She glanced at Laura, who was wrapping a fat blonde curlaround her finger and staring at her waiting for an answer.Meg shrugged. "More like My LittlePony." She was shocked at how easily and convincingly the lie slipped outwithout guilt or hesitation. "Now, can we please get back to our discussion?"With a shrug, Laura put her coffee cupon the side table and pulled a pad and pen out of her bag. "Okay, we need aslogan for Wonder Bites.""I thought we did that already?""I ran them by Bill. His exact wordswere 'you girls better get your shit together or you'll be wearing sandwichboards advertising condoms in a brothel'.""Such a lovely turn of phrase, nowonder he's in marketing. So did he hate both of them? I thought yours trulysucked. 'Wonder Bites, good all the way from your mouth to the pan'." Shegiggled at Laura as she pouted in response to her teasing."I was focusing on the health aspectsof the cereal. Anyway you can't talk. You would hardly win the Clio Award foradvertising slogans with 'Wonder Bites smell funky but taste real good'.""They do smell funky. I was just beinghonest. I'm getting sick of all the bullshit." Meg stretched out the length ofthe couch and stared at the ceiling. She'd become fed up with peddling crap inNew South Wales' least successful ad agency. How many more lies could she couchin catchy slogans to sell garbage no one wanted? If only she had a product shebelieved in, or a job she enjoyed. "Laura, have you ever thought about doingsomething else for a living?""Every day, hun, I've even researchedwhat else I could do with my skills."A kernel of an idea had been growingin Meg's brain for weeks. Maybe Laura wouldn't laugh if she told her. "I wasthinking of going out on my own. You know, setting up my own business.""Doing what?"Meg sighed. "That's the big problem."Laura leaned forward into Meg'speripheral vision. "Funny you should mention starting your own business. I'vebeen thinking the same thing and I might just have an idea we could both use."The door to Sam's room banged open.Meg glanced over at Laura. She'd lost her attention. Turning her head a littlefurther, she could see why. There he stood. Skin glistening with sweat, his onlyattire a less than adequate white towel slung low on his hips and a cowboy haton his head. Every step he took revealed the full length of his thigh, butthankfully not the full length of anything else.He grinned at them, flashing a perfectset of pearly whites. "Ladies, what are you two plotting now?"Meg crossed her arms over her chest."How to kill noisy flat mates."She didn't need to look to know he hadmoved closer. The scent of fresh sweat and musky cologne tickling her noseannounced his arrival. His voice growled in her ear. "I think you enjoy hearingme almost as much as you enjoyed watching me. Maybe if you got out more youwouldn't find my private life so stimulating. Unless you do really want me, butyou're too sexually repressed to let go."His face hovered above hers. Screwhim. Why did he have to look so damn good when he had that smug expression onhis mug? His blue eyes twinkled with amusement, his full lips quivered withbarely contained laughter."For someone so ready to hand outdating advice, I can't say I've noticed you being so lucky with the ladies oflate.""Maybe I'm waiting for the rightjockey."Meg grinned at him. "Or maybe youcan't find a jockey small enough to enjoy the ride."Her jibe missed the mark. He laughedbefore bending forward and brushing his lips against hers. His breath tickledher neck, making her shiver, as he whispered, "Perhaps you should slide in thesaddle one night and take me through my paces. Then you would find out just howbig my stallion really is."Hands on his shoulders, she shoved himaway. It wasn't the first time he had kissed her, but this time it had feltmore intimate. Not the usual friendly peck and definitely part of his teasing."Fuck off, Sam. We're trying to work here."

SD Grady New Release The Silver Scream

One of my friends just had a release.  I love her cover!! 



Publisher:  Purple Sword Publications
Author:  S.D. Grady


Film school student, Gilda Albright, has taken a job in the newly refurbished Orpheum Theatre as a movie projectionist. The gem from another era prompts her imagination to take flight, and she invites her boyfriend Seth to a private screening. Looking like a movie star from the 50's, she strips in the spotlight, ensnaring Seth's lust and drawing the eager eyes of another to her buxom figure. The building takes on a life of its own—fear invades Gilda's workdays. Will the unseen gremlin let her go or fulfill its erotic obsession with a vision from the past?

Excerpt

Wrapped in Seth's arms, warm in the afterglow of passion, Gilda listened to the remaining tracks on her CD. She closed her eyes and hummed along. His nose nuzzled her throat; his hands roamed her wide hips.

A buzzing joined the music.

Must be a bad mp3 file, she mused.

It became louder.

She wiggled, pushing Seth off her. "Do you hear that?"

"What?"

She shoved his arms down. "That? The hum? It's louder, isn't it?"

He tried to pull her back down. "That's just me, Gil. Come here, I want another go. Will you dance again?"

"No. Stop it, Seth. The lights are brighter, too."

Sighing, he sat up. With one eye closed, he looked up at the spotlight. "Those are always bright."

On her knees, Gilda looked around the auditorium. She pointed at the screen. "That's creepy."

He turned to look. He tried to block the flicker from the rotating light and stared.

"Do you see it?" Gilda swallowed against a dry throat. "It's…"

"It looks a bit like you."

They both watched the shadowy figure insinuate itself across the silver screen. The ghost moved with the grace of a dancer, but displayed an atypical buxom figure.

Gilda stood up and turned to look up at the porthole. "The projector's not on. How is it there?"

Seth began to pull on his pants and offered her the gown. "I don't know, but that means somebody else is in here, and I think we'd better get going."

"Yeah." She continued to look from the mysterious figure to the projection booth. "I guess you're right." She slipped the dress over her head, settling the straps on her shoulders and smoothing the fabric over her breasts.

The humming returned.

She spun around, trying to focus on the source of the sound.

"Watch out!" Seth's voice stunned her.

Shannon Leigh - Dark Tales 1: Vampyress

Originally, I, along with several other authors, had worked on a project for a now defunct publisher. It was based on the old Canterbury Tales by Geoffrey Chaucer. Each author was given a character from the original storyline. I was given the Knight. We had to come up with our own version of our character, and believe me, they were a far cry from Chaucer's originals. While a knight is typically heroic, I wanted to write a different type of hero, one born from darkness and evil. I was really into vampires at the time so I came up with a story about a woman whose last name was Knight, but who became the first vampire. When I moved that story to a new publisher, I revisited the idea, changed, and recreated the main character into one a lot darker, sexier, and mysterious.

In the second version, I focused more on the history of Vlad Dracula and the supposed cruelty of his reigns (he had more than one) and gave the reader a chilling account of how Ivona's character developed as the actions of Vlad impacted her life. While the original had no romance involved, the romantic in me couldn't help but add a devilishly handsome character who hints at the possibility of a link with Ivona's history. I hope to continue this idea with a second story, one that focuses more on the man but develops the idea that he and Ivona do indeed have a link to each other, one neither anticipated. Since the first story focuses on one historical figure who (if the recounts are indeed true) did some things to people that couldn't be anything less than evil, I considered tying the second story in with another infamous person of history, one who committed some equally chilling crimes: Elizabeth Bathory. It was rumored that she had an illegitamate son, you know. Muahahahha....

On a more serious and personal note, while researching Vlad Dracul's history, there were several times when I found myself deeply disturbed and even horrified. There were things he did to people that are so grim and cruel that it makes you wonder if he were even human at all. I found myself in tears many times as I imagined what his victims went through. It certainly made me hope that some of the things I read were perhaps exagerated or even false. I know there's been others in history (Hitler for example) who seemed to have no heart or mercy when it came to killing off what he considered lesser humans. But to try and fathom the depth of wickedness that had to fill Vlad's soul is almost beyond my comprehension. I wonder if that's why I've put off writing the second story. Perhaps I'm not ready to delve into another gruesome history lesson.

DARK TALES 1: VAMPYRESS
Author: Shannon Leigh
ISBN-13: 9781935013105
Genre: Horror
Length: Short Story
Publisher: Wild Child Publishing
Purchase URL: Wild Child Publishing


BLURB:

Cursed to harbor the beast that drove the Prince of Walachia to perform unspeakable acts of cruelty upon her loved ones, Ivona Knight has spent the last five hundred years eliminating all descendants of the Dracula line. Trapped within a remote tavern by a hammering storm, she engages in a storytelling game with her fellow patrons. But as she conveys her tale, she senses a familiar presence emanating from one of the others that stirs emotions deep within her which only one other has ever evoked. Has she found her next target? Or has she become the hunted?

***

EXCERPT:

"What do you propose we do for the next several hours?" The deep voice had a strong southern drawl, the rich baritone filling the cold room with the warmth of vibrant sunshine on a lazy summer day.

Ivona vaguely remembered the sun. Centuries had passed since she'd felt its welcoming rays. It boggled her mind how the sound of this man's voice brought forth such an ancient and precious memory.

Though he posed the question to the bartender, Ivona had the distinct feeling it held a silent proposition for her. She glanced toward the bar. Sure enough, her inquisitive gaze met a pair of striking blue eyes, overshadowed with thick, but neat, black brows.

The man's firm, sensual mouth pulled into an appealing grin, his straight white teeth a stark contrast in the weak light. He lifted his shot glass in mock salute before downing the amber colored contents in one gulp. Before either acknowledged the other's attraction, someone posed another question.

"And what about food?" a mature gentleman called. "I don't know about the rest of ya, but I'm starving!"
Several others nodded their head.

The bartender stroked his stubbled chin between a thick thumb and forefinger. "Well, I've got a sandwich and chips in the back. But it's not enough to feed all of ya."

Ivona couldn't believe how quickly the others dismissed the roaring wind and thunderous blasts outside as the paltry meal became the center of everyone's attention. Everyone excluding her and the blue jean-clad man propped at the bar. Voices once again rose in excitement as the patrons argued over how to divide the bartender's offering.

Propping her chin in her palm, she silently watched while the chaos grew, males and females forming sides against each other. It seemed the men favored purchasing a share, but the women disagreed, claiming they should be chivalrous and donate their portion to them. Ivona snickered when one poor soul was threatened with being tossed outside to the tempest after suggesting drawing straws. No matter how much they fussed and argued, no one agreed on how to partition the food.

"I have an idea," a slight feminine voice butted into the midst of the maelstrom.

Ivona glanced about the room, noticing that no one paid the woman any heed. "I said, I have an idea," she repeated louder.

Everyone ceased bickering, turning all eyes toward the middle-aged woman seated in the far left-hand corner.

"We're listening," the man in the expensive suit sneered.

"I propose we play a game. The winner will get the entire sandwich and the chips. Everyone has an equal opportunity of winning, and since we're obviously stuck here a while, it will also pass the time."

Intrigued by the suggestion, the others settled back into their seats. A look of triumph pasted on her otherwise plain features, the woman stood up next to her chair. "Each participant will have a chance to tell a story—real or fictional— without interruption by any of the others. Once everyone is finished, the bartender will judge who gave the best anecdote. The winner takes the spoils."

Ivona couldn't believe the ridiculousness of the rules. She had no desire to sit for hours and listen to any of their silly tales. Besides, what qualified the bartender as judge?

She snorted with contempt when, despite her aversion to the idea, everyone else jumped up to make preparations to get started. The room bustled with animation as men hurried to move tables out of the way and women rearranged chairs into a big circle in the middle. Only the blue-jean clad man remained seated.
"Now what?" the young blonde asked, her voice shrill with excitement. "Who goes first?"

Ivona stared at her a moment. Seems she's forgotten the waiting husband.

"I'd like to hear from the lady in red, if there's no objection."

The smooth baritone sung through Ivona's veins like a bow across a well-tuned cello. A strange shudder worked its way up her legs and centered at the juncture of her thighs, followed by a flash of moisture, a rush of heat. She glanced back at the bar, taking in his attractive physique from the top of his dark head to the rounded toes of his black Harley boots.

He's straightforward. She liked that. No beating around the bush.

Tall, muscular, well proportioned, the man looked like an athlete. A black T-shirt clung to his broad shoulders, the taut garment stretching to the point of full. His worn jeans hung low on his trim waist and long legs, molding along his muscled thighs and outlining the form at his groin with delicious clarity.

Ivona's gaze lingered there a while. Bold in her appraisal of his endowment, she had little concern for her bawdy behavior. Nice.

She moved her inspection upward, finding his rugged features equally appealing—face beardless and sharp, profile strong and rigid. He comes from good stock.

His overall form portrayed a lot of history within his genes, and perhaps, quite a bit within his jeans as well. She doubted he suffered from a lack of bed partners. I should like to explore that avenue later.

Amused by her careful scrutiny, he winked. Shifting to lean against the bar, he used one elbow to support his pleasing form. The movement drew her gaze to his muscled chest and flat abs. A leather coat would complete this bad boy appearance. She wondered if a motorcycle waited out back.

***

Shannon Leigh
Amber Quill Assistant Review Coordinator
"Giving readers the O in their erOtica."
Website: http://shannonleigh.org
Newsletter: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Shannon_Leigh_Newsletter/
*Nana's Little Black Book--calling all incubi*
*Chasing Booty--the payoff is too good to pass up.*
*Dark Tales--not your average bedtime story.*

Leading Men and Women: Who's your fav for your books?

I am guesting over at Some Write it Hot!  Talking about leading men and women who I would love to have the lead roles if one of my books is made into a movie.

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So who would you chose?

Come by Some Write It Hot and let me know!

You can find me HERE.


Would love to hear from everyone!

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HONORING OUR LOVED ONES THROUGH OUR WRITING

Like many authors I've been asked a number of times where ideas for characters come from. Are they based on real people? People we know? Are they totally made up? Or a conglomeration of people we've met?
Admittedly many of my characters have elements of people I've met. I am fortunate to have many good friends and friends who are good people. Kelly McKenna's best friend in my McKenna series has qualities of my very dear friend, Susan. In the Glass Cage a few characters have elements that some other friends have—you can spot them because they are the ones who are warm, friendly, caring, supportive and basically the kind of people you'd like to have in your life. Including bits of their personalities is my way of showing what an indelible and important part of my life they are—and yes, they know I draw on their more outstanding qualities.
And then there are others who left their mark on my life who are no longer with me. All of my books feature my cats in one form or other, either by name or their actual presence. Like many who have companion animals they are with us all too short a time. Even my kitty Molly who was with me for almost 22 years, the time was too short. So they receive parts in my books.
My recent release of The Photograph, book 1 of my Treasures Antique Series, features my kitty, MaiTai in the role of Taister.   MaiTai was a black cat with bright yellow eyes that lived in my neighborhood. Actually like many of my neighbors I bought my house when it was just a dirt lot. For entertainment while it was being built and I was saving to buy it I took pictures of its progress.  When I moved in MaiTai was one of the first neighbors I met.  He liked to sleep in my yard, hang out on my porch and try various methods to move into the house. He had a caretaker and I had my two cats, Vinny and Molly. The day Vinny died MaiTai was on the porch when the vet came and insisted he be let in. Our vet told me I should adopt him and even when I explained that MaiTai had a home the vet said "but he wants to live with you." A few weeks later I went to his caretaker and told her he wanted to move in with me – MaiTai showed up every time I came out of the house and tried to get in.  Her comment "sure, one less thing for me to worry about."
I found out he was 14 and had never been allowed in the house. The expression on his face and how he acted the first time he walked on carpet was priceless. He was loving, affectionate and a total mommy's boy. When I took him to the vet for his shots our vet told me that given his age and how he'd lived outside his whole life I may only have him six months but they would be the best six years of his life.
He lived to be 21 and those 7 years were filled with his antics. He loved to nap with me, "helped" when I was working at the computer, "shared" my meals with me and had commentary about everything that happened during the day. He loved having a home and having it with me.
About a year before he died a white Persian showed up in the neighborhood. I thought he belonged to a neighbor but like MaiTai, he was always on my porch. MaiTai would hang out with him like they were best buds. The day after I brought MaiTai's ashes home the while cat, Mel (like a fluffy white marshmallow) moved off the porch and into my yard. He refused to leave so I went door to door looking for his people. It turned out he was a stray that someone had dumped in the neighborhood about a year before. Mel moved into the house once I knew he needed a home—I suspect a gift from MaiTai.
When I created Taister I didn't have to look far for his personality. He is the embodiment of MaiTai with perhaps a bit extra sass. He would have been pleased to know he is the "star" of my story – even though my hero and heroine are humans.
http://www.regantaylor.com/
Blog url:  http://regantaylorsworld.blogspot.com/

Wonderful Verification for why I write

I have been so busy lately.  Yes, I am writing which, IMHO, is a very good thing. :D 



But as with any person in the process of creating a work of art, doubts always arise and you wonder if this is all worth the blood, sweat, and tears of all the years you've placed your heart and soul on every page of a story. This is only justified through feed back.  It doesn't matter if it's good or bad, if you have the writing spirit then the stories you're telling will be told and people will read them.  In return, those readers will either love or hate the tale.  There's always a ying and yang to life.


But occassionally, you receive the undeniable proof that what you are doing is worth it.

I did the other day with my first review on my new release Dragon Wish. 



Bitten by Paranormal Romance: Dragon Wish Review
Buy link for Dragon Wish

Also for along time, I've been battling on whether or not to announce my sojourn into another genre of romance writing.  I submitted a book and it was contracted immediately by the publisher.  I've received awesome reader reviews on this book.  I'd never dreamed I would write in this genre but my mother always told me to never say never.  I found I loved creating stories in this genre.  Which one do ask?

Well, here's the book and my other pen name. 




It, too, has recently received a 5 tombstone rating from Bitten by Books.

Review of Blue Heaven
Buy link for Blue Heaven

Also, Jadette is over at Stacey Leigh's place, guest blogging today!  Would love for everyone to drop by and visit. Shannon Leigh Blog.

Another verification of my writing. And a reason to celebrate. 



Lately, I've been having a lot of self doubts concerning my writing.  I've felt like I have been floating in limbo but the need to put words on paper kept pushing at me.  Yet, when I sat down and wrote, every word felt wrong.  I was not a happy camper, I promise you.

But I kept at it and lately, I'm feeling okay with my writing. It's feeling almost normal again. I didn't  realize how much I missed that until I no longer felt it. 

So, how do you feel about validation on your work, whether it's writing, art, reviewing...let me know how you feel.  I would love to see how you deal with any bumps in the road. 

Happy Birthday Giveaway by Paty Jager

Today, I have an award winning and very talented as well as an overall nice lady, Paty Jager.  Come on, everyone, come out and show Paty some love on her special day!!  She's giving gifts too!~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Judith, Thank you for having me on your blog today to help me celebrate my birthday.
Yes, today is my birthday. Now that I think about it, I haven't given my characters a real birthday party in any of my books. A couple have mentioned birthdays but the actual day has never been celebrated. I'll have to rectify that in the next book. Perhaps, in the last Halsey brother book, Logger in Petticoats.
So how would a female logger in 1891 celebrate her birthday? I could have her put on a dress and be escorted to town for dinner in the fancy hotel restaurant. Or maybe she just wants a new axe or cleats for climbing trees. I'm sure once I get to know her better, she'll get the present she's always dreamed of.
Did you know that birthdays have been around since the first calendar was formatted from the lunar cycles? The celebrations started out as family and friends gathering around the person on their birth day and carrying on in a loud fun fashion to keep the evil spirits away. The first celebrations, guests only brought good wishes and later they brought gifts to bring more good wishes to the birthday person. And eventually the gifts were flowers.
The birthday cake goes back to the early Greeks who made a moon shaped cake to give to their Goddess of the moon. While there are others who believe the birthday cake originate in Germany where they made a cake that was to resemble Jesus' swaddling clothes.  
Two sisters, Mildred and Patty Hill, wrote The Birthday Song in 1893. Which version do you sing at your birthday parties, the original or the one about "you look like a monkey"? My brothers and I always sang the monkey version to each other on our birthdays. Now we just send ornery cards. ;)
Leave a comment with what you think my female logger character would like on her birthday and you're name will go in the drawing for some goodies.
And if you haven't been to my blog and entered the tagline contest you only have three more days. You could win a $25 gift card to Barnes and Nobles. Check it out: http://www.patyjager.blogspot.com/
You can learn more about me and my books at http://www.patyjager.net/
Now I'm off to eat cake. Chocolate with lots of ice cream.

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THANK   YOU  MY FRIENDS!!!