Mari Carr's Blog, page 60

And…50!

Today marks a milestone for me as my 50th story releases! With my Scoundrels short story, Under the Lights, I have officially published 50 books. I CANNOT believe it. I’ve counted, then recounted and counted again…and yep, I come up with 50 every time. It’s an indescribable experience as I look back from where I started until now.

I recall with great fondness receiving the email from my Samhain editor, Immi, as she said, “You know…I like Erotic Research. If you’d be willing to change XXX and XXX, I think I’d like to contract it.” I had no clue what a revise and resubmit offer was, but I changed every damn thing she said. Sat in front of the computer for HOURS straight, fixing that story. Then sent it back to her less than two days later because I was afraid she’d change her mind! She liked my revisions and offered the contract. And that was the beginning of it all. I sold the book in mid-2007 and it released on March 18, 2008. Now it’s five years later and I still can’t quite believe I’m here. I was seriously terrified of being a one-hit wonder!

There have been lots of ups and downs along the road, but I wouldn’t change a single minute of the journey. Highlights have included *meeting* my first real person at Ellora’s Cave, Kelli Collins, when she said YES to Kiss Me, Kate. Receiving the Tequila Truth cover while on vacation with my family at the Adirondacks (that cover is still one of my all-time favorites). Getting my first royalties check! It was the first time my husband really understood that I’d sold a book. I showed him the check and he said, “Wait. What are you doing?” I remember getting the call from Lindsey Faber at Samhain the night Eastern Ambitions hit the New York Times bestseller list. I sank down on my stairs and cried. One of the happiest moments of my life! I remember meeting each and every one of the International Heat gals. Over the past five years, they have become my best friends, my sisters, my lifelines!

So how about some fun facts?

The original title of Kiss Me, Kate was At the End of the Day (thank God Kelli talked me out of that one!)

The original title of Because of You was Love’s Recovery (yikes again!)

The original title of Retreat was Commitment and the heroes were named Jake and Nick, not Jon and Night.

Kylie’s original name in Tequila Truth was Drew.

My original series name for Wild Irish was Wild Irish Seven (it was Ellora’s Cave’s publisher Raelene who suggested I drop the Seven. Clever woman). And the original series title for Foreign Affairs was Crossed Wires.

When Jayne Rylon and I first started plotting the Compass Brothers series, it was actually going to be a family living on the East Coast and called the Italian Stallions. And speaking of Jayne, she named a hooker in her Red Light series after me as a wee joke. So…I returned the favor, naming my heroine in Screaming Orgasm, Jayne, then making her a submissive! Who got the last laugh there?

Rhian Cahill has been my critique partner since DAY ONE. I wouldn’t be here without her. Period.

My best selling book? Tequila Truth.

My most rejected book? Mad about Meg (or at least the original version–the story that is currently out has been through five complete rewrites!)

My first (and only) m/m book? Because It’s True

Authors I’ve co-written with? Jayne Rylon, Lexxie Couper and Lila Dubois. Love, love, love them all! They’re amazing, talented, FABULOUS.

My shortest story? Naughty is Nice

My longest book? No Recourse

The first book I ever wrote from beginning to end? No Recourse

Cover artist who has designed the most covers for me? Valerie Tibbs with TWENTY-FOUR!

And…rather than list all 50 books, I thought it might be fun to countdown to book 50 by fives.

5th book published – Covert Lessons

10th – Come Monday

15th – Sweet Thursday

20th – Happy Hour

25th – Black Jack

30th – Eastern Ambitions

35th – Screwdriver

40th – Naughty is Nice

45th – Mad about Meg

50th – Under the Lights

 

 

 

Betrayed by Love

Lila’s got a hot new series starting at Ellora’s Cave today. The first book, Betrayed by Love, is available NOW!

Betrayed by Love

When BDSM  play goes wrong, Savannah pays a terrible price.

Five years ago a terrible betrayal tore Roman and Savannah apart. Roman’s burgeoning interest in the world of BDSM and his desire to master Savannah lead them deep into the heart of sexual fetish. A weekend away at the house of a high powered Dom was supposed to be the next step in their exploration of their Dominant/submissive relationship, but when their host convinces Roman to turn Savannah over to him for training, their love is stretched beyond the breaking point. Savannah, believing that Roman has given her away forever, flees, but not before suffering at the hands of the sadistic Dom. Roman knows nothing of what she’s suffered, and believes Savannah left him because of his desires.

When they meet again five years later will the lies that separate them keep them apart, or will remembered love be enough to bring them back together?

Contest – Week Two

Lexxie and I are hosting a red hot dirty excerpts party this month where we are sharing super spicy snippets from each of our Foreign Affairs books.

And to sweeten the pot, we’ve making a contest of it. The game is simple. Just read the short excerpt from Misplaced Cowboy below and answer the question. Then boogie over to Lexxie’s blog to check out another excerpt and find a second question.

Each Wednesday (April 3, 10, 17, 24), we’re featuring a different book from the series and two more questions. On April 24…you can email your 8 answers to carmichm1@yahoo.com to be entered to win.

AND…what’s the prize? It’s an Ellora’s Cave box o’ fun! That’s right–there are all kinds of crazy Ellora’s Cave things (track pants, t-shirt, hats, keychain, post-its, deck of cards, etc) as well as two signed print books–one from Lexxie and another from Mari and a $25 gift card to Amazon. You must email the answers by May 5 to be entered to win!

The first round started last week (but it’s not too late to join the fun–just go back to the first blog and hop in now) and we’re posting snippets today from Misplaced Cowboy.

Foreign Affairs, Book Two

Flying halfway ’round the world to meet his potential soul mate sounds like a fine idea to Dylan Sullivan—until he discovers said soul mate, Annie, has gone looking for him. In Australia. Now Dylan’s adrift, a bloke from the Outback alone in the bloody big city. Until he’s rescued by Monet, a gorgeous local artist…and Annie’s best friend.

A dyed-in-the-wool New Yorker, Monet has never met anyone like Dylan. Taking temporary care of the sizzling-hot cowboy is easy; he’s friendly, funny and interesting. Keeping her hands off him is decidedly not easy. That horny accent, that killer grin…and as a successful artist, Monet is very much a hands-on sort of girl.

Dylan and Monet hold back until they learn Annie is engaged in her own foreign affair in Oz. Then all bets—and clothes—are off. But it can only be a fling. An Aussie cowboy doesn’t belong in New York any more than a city girl belongs in the Outback.

Now if only their hearts would listen.

Misplaced Cowboy is available at Ellora’s Cave, Amazon, Barnes and Noble, ARe, Sony and Kobo.

Excerpt:

“Everything okay, Ms. Carmichael?” Tommy’s gaze flicked back and forth between the Australian and Monet. “Mr. Sullivan’s not giving you—”

Dylan Sullivan!

The cowboy’s name popped into Monet’s head, along with an image of a clean-shaven man without a hat smiling somewhat nervously into a camera.

Monet shook her head, unable to take her gaze from Dylan’s still troubled face. “Everything’s fine, Tommy,” she assured him, even as she compared the beautiful hat-wearing male before her, his stubble as sexy as his accent, his accent as mesmerizing as his eyes, to the clean-cut man in the photo on Annie’s laptop.

“Are you sure?”

She flicked Dylan a quick look, her pulse beating far too fast for her peace of mind. “I’m sure.”

“’Cause he was asking about Ms. Prince—”

“It’s okay.” She cut him off with a smile. “I know Dylan. We were just going to catch a cab to the gallery.”

Dylan blinked.

“Oh.” Tommy nodded. “In that case…” He stepped one foot off the curb and let out a sharp whistle.

Before anyone could say a thing, a taxi pulled to a quick halt on the road beside them.

Monet gave the doorman another smile. “Thanks, Tommy.” She opened the back passenger door of the cab and extended an arm toward the grimy interior. “After you, Mr. Sullivan.”

The brim of his hat cast his eyes in shadow, and for a brief moment Monet thought he was going to refuse. And then he gave her a loose, lopsided grin that made her want to grin back. “I take it the lovers sit between us?”

She nodded. “The lovers do.”

“It’s probably better you climb in first then, love.”

Her pulse fluttered, and for the first time ever, Monet found herself totally flustered by a man. Love. Who would have thought she’d get excited over an almost antiquated term. She despised pet names—no babes or hons or sweethearts allowed, thank you very much. But the term “love” coming from Dylan’s lips…

Her reaction to it was unnerving. The whole situation was unnerving. Annie on the other side of the world. Dylan here in New York. Her unexpected response to the man.

She dove into the cab before Dylan Sullivan, her best friend’s would-be Aussie cowboy, could see the flush painting her cheeks pink.

Oh boy, this was…inconvenient.

3. Where are Dylan and Monet heading off to in the cab?

Now…don’t forget there are two questions each week. The other excerpt/question can be found at Lexxie’s blog. DON’T post answer in the comments. All 8 questions will be emailed at the end of the month.

Good luck and thanks for playing!

Quote of the Day

“To change one’s life: Start immediately. Do it flamboyantly. No exceptions.” -William James

Wicked Curves

Just wanted to take a second to pop in and tell you all about a print release I had this week. Valerie Tibbs made me the HOT cover.

Wicked Curves (print anthology of Happy Hour and Slam Dunk)

Who said past imperfect can’t lead to future perfect?

Happy Hour

When Jamie and Trey make Grace the offer of a lifetime, she jumps at the chance. The threesome spend one night indulging every desire, every craving. Trey says goodbye in the morning, but when Jamie asks Grace to stay, she wonders if a happy hour can become a happier lifetime?

Slam Dunk

Trey wants Ellie. If only she’d stop holding him at arm’s length long enough to give him a chance. Ellie has sworn off workplace romances for good reason, but Trey is a serious threat to her resolve. Maybe it wouldn’t hurt to fudge the rules. Just a little.

Wicked Curves is available at Amazon, Samhain, and Barnes and Noble.

Foreign Affairs Contest!

Lexxie and I will be holding a red hot dirty excerpts party in April! We’ll be sharing super spicy snippets from each of our Foreign Affairs books.

And to sweeten the pot, we’re making a contest of it. The game is simple. Just read the short excerpt from Misplaced Princess below and answer the question. Then boogie over to Lexxie’s blog to check out another excerpt and find a second question.

Each Wednesday (April 3, 10, 17, 24), we’ll feature a different book from the series and two more questions. On April 24…you can email your 8 answers to carmichm1@yahoo.com to be entered to win.

AND…what’s the prize? It’s an Ellora’s Cave box o’ fun! That’s right–there are all kinds of crazy Ellora’s Cave things (track pants, t-shirt, hats, keychain, post-its, deck of cards, etc) as well as two signed print books–one from Lexxie and another from Mari and a $25 gift card to Amazon. You must email the answers by May 5 to be entered to win!

The first round starts today, April 3, and we’re posting snippets from Misplaced Princess.

Foreign Affairs, Book One

Annie Prince has impetuously flown halfway ’round the world to visit a sexy cowboy she met online—only to find herself stranded in Sydney. Seems she and Dylan crossed wires, and he’s on his way to New York. His twin, Hunter, saves the day and whisks her back to the family cattle station. Hunter’s as easy on the eyes as Dylan, and even easier to talk to. Annie might have flown to Oz to meet one brother, but soon sparks are flying with the other.

Hunter considered Dylan a dumb arse for jetting off to America for some stranger—until he met Annie. Turns out the New Yorker is a smart, funny, hard-working jillaroo…and hotter than the Aussie desert. Hunter’s not normally one to poach his brother’s women, but he can’t keep his hands, lips, tongue and other body parts off this sexy city girl.

When raging lust leads to emotional attachment, where does that leave Annie and Hunter when her vacation comes to an end—or when Dylan finds out?

Misplaced Princess is available at Ellora’s Cave, Amazon, Barnes and Noble, ARe, Kobo, and Sony.

Excerpt:

“You’re here!” she said.

Hunter tried to place the woman’s face. She looked vaguely familiar. “I am?” His mother claimed he’d been cursed with a sarcastic streak as wide as Farpoint since the day he was born. While his mum found it annoying, Hunter had never found a good reason to curb that personality trait.

The pretty woman smiled. “I was starting to worry.”

Before he could tell her she had the wrong bloke and should go ahead and hang on to her anxiety, she took a step closer and threw her arms around him.

The hard-on Hunter had managed to batten down as he’d walked away from his potential shower partner reemerged when her firm breasts brushed against his chest. Bloody hell. Who knew the airport was such a great place to pick up women? He might have to fly to Sydney International more often.

Never one to pass up an opportunity, he accepted the embrace, loosely wrapping his arms around her back. The lovely lady was just the right height for him and had some sexy curves. He liked a woman with meat on her bones.

She pulled away slightly and he started to release her, but she kept her arms wrapped around him and upped the ante, kissing him.

It started as a sweet, friendly kiss, but Hunter wasn’t having any of that shit. She smelled and tasted too good. He grasped her soft face and held her close. He turned his head and deepened the kiss, pressing her lips open so he could get an even better taste. He was thrilled when her tongue met his halfway. Jesus. This chick could kiss.

The flash of a camera distracted him and he felt the woman stiffen slightly. He ignored both, pressing his lips more firmly against hers. She relaxed—then another camera flashed. And another.

He thought he heard the woman mutter the word “fuck” as she stepped away.

“We need to get out of here,” she said.

With some distance between them, Hunter’s brain reengaged. It was clear she had the wrong guy, but it was going to be awkward to admit that, given the liberties he’d taken with her mouth.

“Listen, love—” he began.

She ignored him. Bending over, she retrieved her suitcases. Handing one to him, she briskly walked away from the service desk. He dragged her bag and tried to keep up.

“Where’s your car?” she asked.

“Don’t have one.”

That admission stalled her for a moment. “Dylan, the paparazzi have spotted me. We’ve gotta get out of here.”

Two words resonated in his brain. “Dylan” and “paparazzi”.

Who the bloody hell was this woman?

1. Who does the woman kissing Hunter think he is?

Now…don’t forget there are two questions. The other excerpt/question can be found at Lexxie’s blog. DON’T post answer in the comments. All 8 questions will be emailed at the end of the month.

Good luck and thanks for playing!

Dark Embrace

Lexxie’s back with the second book in the Principatus series, Dark Embrace!

Should she kill him? Seduce him? Or both?

A Principatus story.

As an ex-succubus granted her soul by the Highest of Powers, Inari Chayse has spent the twenty years since her “rebirth” channeling her voracious sexual energy into kicking the asses of all malevolent paranormal beings.

Torn between the sex demon she was and the demon assassin she has become, she has no intention of complicating her life further. But when the vampire who pleasures her dreams walks into her paranormal strip club—and takes complete, humiliating command of her body—complicated doesn’t even begin to cover it.

Fifty years ago, Ezryn Navarr abdicated his trueborn throne to spare his people a bloody destruction. He never expected to find himself in a Sydney strip club, buried in the deliciously sensual body of the very divine assassin he’s been commanded to kill. The bigger surprise? Inari awakens something he thought long dead. His humanity.

As their tormented desires intertwine with a centuries-old battle of blood and power, redemption seems as unobtainable as love. The backlash will rock the entire vampire race, leading to their salvation…or their deaths.

Product Warnings

Herein lie dark lusts, dark deeds, dark desires, no-holds-barred passion, an ass-kicking succubus and a vampire to make your blood burn…

Excerpt:

The overlord flashed a wide smile, his pointed fangs glinting in the muted light from the many candles littering the ballroom. “You do us a great honor with your presence, Master Navarr.”

Ezryn suppressed the urge to snort, casting the room a disgusted glance. Candles? Dark Ones, what century did the fat fool think it was?

“Although,” the overlord continued, raising black eyebrows, “you are almost four hours late. We feared the Navarr master would not present himself to us before the sun rose.” He shot his new bride another quick look, as if eager to see her reaction to his royal disapproval.

Ezryn gave him a flat stare. “I had better things to do.”

The new bride gasped, pale skin bleaching white. She gaped at Ezryn, her eyes wide, candlelight turning her extended fangs a sick yellow.

The overlord snapped to his feet, jowls wobbling. “How dare you insult—”

“Give it a rest, Harry.” Ezryn cut him short. “Or I’ll pin you to the floor and drain you within a drop of empty like I used to.”

Haral Navarr, twin son of the first family, overlord of the vampire race, turned beet red—an interesting feat for someone deprived of sunlight for close to seven centuries. His mouth flapped in silent protest, his knuckles popping as he clenched his fists.

Ezryn shook his head, a sour taste coating the back of his tongue. “Do not fret, baby brother.” He ambled over to a long table overburdened with carafes of what could only be human blood, eyeing the ridiculously ostentatious ice sculpture of the overlord positioned amongst them. “I would not dream of harming the great leader of our people.” He pulled an apple from his inside jacket pocket and polished it on his sleeve, turning back to the royal couple. Very few of his kind could tolerate human food, his twin brother included. That Ezryn had no difficulty consuming it caused many a vampire to clench their jaw in envy—and trepidation.

Lifting the apple to his mouth, he parted his lips, letting Haral see his fangs before biting into the fruit’s flesh.

Haral narrowed his eyes, his face—so like Ezryn’s if not for the fat of indulgence—still red with anger. Or was it shame? “You will not call me ‘baby brother’, Ezryn. I ordered you to cease doing so over half a century ago.”

Ezryn bit into the apple again, enjoying the incensed impatience on his twin’s face as he chewed the mouthful without hurry. “And when did I start following your orders, Harry?”

The overlord’s wife gasped again, her lush breasts almost spilling over the top of her red latex corset. Ezryn gave her an indifferent glance before wiping at his lips with the back of his hand. “What are you doing here, Haral? I can’t imagine Australia was your first choice for a honeymoon, especially during the summer. The sun doesn’t set here until nine most nights.” He finished the apple, savoring its succulent sweetness before dropping the core into the closest carafe of blood. It broke the still, red surface with a satisfying plop, the sound like a gunshot in the cavernous room. “In fact,” he went on, arching an eyebrow, “I can’t see any reason for you to have left your compound at all.”

The overlord flared his nostrils, a pathetic attempt to look intimidating. “I wanted you to meet Chantise.” He flicked his bride a quick look. “And she wanted to meet you.”

Ezryn chuckled, the sound low and almost a growl. Of course she would. She would want to see for herself the fabled son groomed to be the ruler of the vampire race, destined to be the next leader of them all—before the oracle, the vampire race’s high priest, had changed everything. He gave his new sister-in-law a slow inspection and bent slightly at the waist. “Your ladyship.”

The woman’s gaze raked him from head to toe, her eyes aglow with the taint of a recent feed. She touched her tongue to the tip of her right fang, tracing her fingertips over the swell of her breasts. “Ezryn.”

Ezryn suppressed a disgusted grunt. The woman was well-suited to his brother—he could see the covetous hunger in her blood-drunk eyes, the smug conceit in the tilt of her chin. He turned back to Haral, eager to be done with the perverse family reunion. “What do you want, Harry? I thought I made it clear the last time we spoke that I never wanted to see you again. In fact, I moved to the other side of the world to make sure that’s exactly what would happen.”

The overlord straightened his spine, his eyes igniting with cold rage. The last time the two brothers had faced each other—over fifty years ago—the vampire lord had threatened to have Ezryn marked as a traitor to his kind. The last time they’d stood in the same room, Ezryn had come very, very close to destroying the vampire lord. Close enough for Harry to sweat blood. A lot of blood.

“I am your lord,” Haral snapped. The muscles in his face quivered and his yellow eyes dilated. “I can speak to you and call upon you whenever I wish.”

Ezryn barked out a harsh laugh, the sound like cracking ice. “I have no lord.”

Haral stamped his foot, his human face distorting into a demonic mask. “As the supreme ruler of our people, I hereby command you to a task.”

Ezryn narrowed his eyes. “Go to hell, Harry.”

“Not before you, Ezryn.”

With a low growl, Ezryn sprang forward, crossing the distance to Haral in a blurring leap. Clamping one hand around his twin brother’s neck, he yanked Haral’s feet off the floor. “You destroyed any right you had to command me, brother, when you invoked the power of the blood trial.”

Haral scratched at Ezryn’s hand, his eyes bulging. “And yet…” he rasped, “…the blood trial named me overlord. Not…” he bucked in Ezryn’s hold, “…you.”

Ezryn tightened his grip, the mention of the ancient ritual filling him with cold contempt. Since birth, he’d been groomed to take over from his father as the next leader of the vampire race. For six hundred and fifty years, he’d known little except that as the first son of the First Family, born but a mere five minutes before his twin, he was destined to be the next overlord. He’d been educated to lead a race on the verge of imploding. Too many of their number had grown disillusioned with the old ways, the violent use of humans as a food source, an equal number disgusted with the progressive notion humans weren’t just cattle. He’d been ready to restore harmony where only conflict existed. Ready to take his place as overlord. And then his father had been killed, staked by an emo demon-slayer wannabe with acne on his cheeks.

The day after the overlord’s death, the day before Ezryn was to ascend to the position of his birthright, Haral had invoked the blood trial, an ancient and barbaric ceremony designed to reveal the true overlord’s identity. And on the whispered words of the human virgin sacrificed for the trial—a young woman known as the oracle’s voice throughout the proceedings—the course of history had changed.

Ezryn stared into his brother’s eyes. “Just what do you want me to do…lord?”

Haral flashed his fangs, his Adam’s apple jerking under Ezryn’s palm. “My wife’s cousin was slain by a Principatus. I want you to destroy her.”

Ezryn clenched his jaw, a cold fist of disquiet in his chest. “A Principatus?”

What Haral commanded was insanity. To destroy a divine assassin in self-defense was one thing—the Powers would not retaliate against such a death. If a Principatus could not survive a fair fight with their foe, than the Powers seemed to wipe Their divine, righteous hands of Their failed assassin. But to destroy one in an act of revenge? That was to start a war beyond all comprehension. A war that would bring about the mass destruction of vampire and Principatus alike.

The Principatus were no easy kill. Once demons themselves, they were selected by the Highest of Powers for reasons unknown, granted a soul and reborn then and there as assassins of all things unholy and paranormal. Whether vampire, shifter or hell-spawn, if a being threatened the divine status quo, chances were the Powers would mark it for assassination and send a Principatus to carry out the kill. A Principatus’s rebirth gave them immeasurable powers and knowledge of their target. Few of those targeted escaped to brag of the battle. Still, the divine assassins could be beaten. If you were strong. And ready to face ultimate death yourself.

Releasing his hold on Haral’s throat, Ezryn took a step back, noting the feverish light in his brother’s eyes. There was more to this than Haral would have him believe. “Why do you want me to do this? Are you not capable of the task yourself?” He flicked his gaze over his twin’s soft, round body, remembering a time when it was almost a carbon copy of his own. “Are you having performance problems, Harry? Tsk, tsk. At your young age too.”

The overlord drew himself straighter, his incensed stare fixed on Ezryn. “I charged you with a task, Master Navarr. If you do not obey your lord, you will see yourself punished by our laws.”

“Punished? Laws?” Ezryn raised his eyebrows, struggling to control the growing fury seeping through his veins. His twin always had been a pompous pain in the ass. Now it seemed his position of power had finally gone to his empty head. “Any laws worthy of respect you perverted on ascension, Harry. As for punishment, remember who you’re talking to. Every vampire on earth knows who the true overlord is.”

Quote of the Day

“If I had my life to live over, I would perhaps have more actual troubles but I’d have fewer imaginary ones.” – Don Herold

Saturday Snippet

This week’s Saturday Snippet theme is author’s choice. I thought I’d share a short excerpt from my latest release.

Part One: Behind the Scenes

Fantasy…Reality…Action!

Becca Preston, bartender at Scoundrels, learned very early in life that men—especially actors—were not to be trusted. Daughter of one of Hollywood’s hottest leading men, Becca spent most of her life dealing with her father’s other role—king of infidelity. As a result, Becca has one hard and fast rule. Don’t date actors.

When Parker Banks met Bec, he was a struggling actor who worked as a waiter at Scoundrels to make ends meet. Though he wanted to move them out of the “just friends” realm, Becca refused, claiming actors untrustworthy.

After catching a break on the Scoundrels stage, Parker’s acting career skyrockets. However, while he’s achieving all his goals professionally, there’s still one dream he hasn’t realized. Claiming Becca’s heart.

This short story is part one of a trilogy of stories about Becca and Parker’s romance and it is connected to the Scoundrels series available now at Ellora’s Cave. Approximate word count is 6K words.

Snippet:

“What are you doing here?”

He stood directly in front of her. Close enough that she could smell the light scent of his shampoo and detect the slightest trace of peppermint on his breath. “Acting.”

His answer was too pat, too simple. “Isn’t this sort of taking a huge step backwards, Hollywood?”

He shook his head. “No. When Emma described the role to me, I had to have the part, had to claim opening night.”

“You might come to regret that request. Angie broke her ankle. I’m filling in.”

His smile grew and realization dawned hard.

“Angie didn’t fall, did she?”

Parker shrugged as Becca struggled to take a deep breath. What were he and Emma up? What were they trying to achieve?

“I see. I think Emma should find another—”

Parker grasped her face in his hands, tugging her closer. “You’re not going anywhere, but on that stage, Bec.”

Her lungs seized at the thought of acting out her private fantasy with the man who actually starred in them night after night.

He pressed a soft kiss to her forehead. “I’ve missed you.”

She couldn’t help it. She scoffed. “Yeah. Every time I turn around, the tabloids are proclaiming how lonely you are with the current Miss Drop Dead Gorgeous Blonde. I imagine it’s been pretty rough for you.”

Parker didn’t take offense at her snide comment. “I see you’re still a smart ass. Nice to know that hasn’t changed.”

“I’m not doing this.”

Parker stroked her cheek, the touch an incredible blend of comfort and seduction. Becca’s nipples tightened and her stomach clenched. Then he pushed her back against the closed dressing room door. “You’re wrong. You are.”

Behind the Scenes is available now at Smashwords, Amazon and Barnes and Noble.

Want more snippets?

Leah Braemel

Caris Roane

Eliza Gayle

McKenna Jeffries

Taige Crenshaw

Delilah Devlin

Felicity Heaton

TJ Michaels

Shiloh Walker

Myla Jackson

Shelli Stevens

Jody Wallace

Lauren Dane

Bianca has done it again!

Y’all know how much I love Bianca D’Arc. I was huge fan of her writing long before I ever met her in person (and realized she’s one of the nicest people on the planet). Well…if you’ve read Rocky, then I know you’ve been waiting for this book! Good news…Slade is HERE!

The fate of all shifters rests on Slade’s broad shoulders, but all he can think about is her.

Slade is a mystery. A warrior and spy who serves two masters – those in the human world and the Lords of the Were. They’ve sent him to Nevada to track a brutal murderer before the existence of all shifters is revealed to a world not ready to know.

Kate is a priestess serving the Goddess and the large community of shifters that have gathered around the Redstone Clan of werecougars. When their matriarch is murdered and the scene polluted by dark magic, she knows she must help the enigmatic man sent to track the killer.

Together, Slade and Kate uncover not one, but two, evil mages that they alone can neutralize. It’s a tricky situation because Slade finds it hard to keep his hands off his sexy new partner, the cougars are out for blood, and the killers have an even more sinister plan in mind.

Can Kate somehow keep her hands to herself when the most attractive man she’s ever met makes her want to throw caution to the wind? And can Slade do his job and save the situation when he’s finally found a woman who can make him purr?

Buy Now from: Amazon - Barnes & Noble - Smashwords

And that awesome cover is by none other than my dear friend Valerie Tibbs!