Maggie Wells's Blog, page 52
August 3, 2014
Weekend Writing Warrior – August 2, 2014
One of the more painful parts of being a writer involves the dreaded synopsis. This weekend I wrote one, therefore today I will share eight sentences from a work almost in progress. Here’s what I have started for the sequel to The Last First Date. The working title is First Shot at Forever.
****
Langley Sheppard’s Valentine’s Day isn’t going quite the way he planned. When he called his girlfriend of six weeks, Jessica Vickers, she said she was ready for their date. But when he knocks on her apartment door, he’s greeted by a flash of long, bare leg and the sight of the woman he loves dressed in nothing but his old patrolman’s uniform shirt and hat. He doesn’t have to wonder how she swiped it because Jessica confesses. She broke into his house and stole it right out of his closet. After she snooped through all his stuff.
Instead of feeling violated that she invaded his space, he’s excited. This is the first time Jessica has blatantly gone out of her way to show that she thinks about him as much as he does her, and the first time any woman has dangled a pair of pink padded handcuffs in front of him, demanding he take her into custody.
****
Want to find out how Lang and Jessica met? The Last First Date is available as part of the Harlequin-E Contemporary Boxed Set, or pre-order the single title (coming September 1, 2014)!
Tagged: 8Sunday, coming soon, erotic, Harlequin, Novella, romance, warrior
August 1, 2014
Base Branch Cover Reveal
Today I want to celebrate the upcoming release of my friend, Megan Mitcham’s Base Branch series (Coming October 2014!) and show off her beautiful cover art. You ready for this?
THE BASE BRANCH SERIES BY MEGAN MITCHAM
Serve in the name of honor. Battle in the name of love.
Known by few as the Base Branch, the United Nations’ Special Operations Forces provide globe defense against any who threaten the fragile balance of peace.
ENEMY MINE
When friends become enemies and enemies become lovers.
Born in the blood of Sierra Leone’s Civil War, enslaved, then sold to the US as an orphan, Base Branch operative, Sloan Harris is emotionally dead and driven by vengeance. With no soul to give, her body becomes the bargaining chip to infiltrate a warlord’s inner circle, the man called The Devil who killed her family and helped destroy a region.
As son of the warlord, Baine Kendrick will happily use Sloan’s body, if it expedites his father’s demise. Yet, he is wholly unprepared for the possessive and protective emotions she provokes. Maybe it’s the flashes of memory. Two forgotten children drawing in the dirt beneath the boabab tree. But he fears there is more at stake than his life.
In the Devil’s den with Baine by her side, Sloan braves certain death and discovers a spirit for living.
JUSTICE MINE
For justice. For country. For love.
STRANGER MINE
One takes control. One finds balance in letting go.
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/22710047-enemy-mine
AUTHOR BIO
Megan was born and raised among the live oaks and shrimp boats of the Mississippi Gulf Coast, where her enormous family still calls home. She attended college at the University of Southern Mississippi where she received a bachelor’s degree in curriculum, instruction, and special education. For several years Megan worked as a teacher in Mississippi. She married and moved to South Carolina and began working for an international non-profit organization as an instructor and co-director.
In 2009 Megan fell in love with books. Until then, books had been a source for research or the topic of tests. But one day she read Mercy by Julie Garwood. And Oh Mercy, she was hooked!
Megan lives in Southern Arkansas where she pens heart pounding romantic thriller novels and window steaming erotic romance.
Author links:
http://www.meganmitcham.com/
https://www.facebook.com/meganmitchamauthor
https://twitter.com/MeganMMMitcham
https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/6552758.Megan_Mitcham
Tagged: cover, guest author
July 27, 2014
Weekend Writing Warrior – 7/27/14
This week I’m celebrating a new contract! I just signed to publish Going Deep with Kensington/Lyrical! Here are 8 sentences and blurb:
****
“You’re a member of the press—you want an interview, you need to contact my agent.”
“I want to talk to you.”
“And making that dream come true is what earns my agent her fifteen percent,” he countered.
“I meant I want to talk to you as a friend.”
“We’re friends?”
She blinked but didn’t back down. “We used to be…sort of.”
“Well, there’s a compelling argument.”
****
Brooke Hastings is convinced local-boy-turned-star Brian Dalton holds the key to her success. The one-time Pulitzer Prize nominee suspects her editor is trying to derail her career, but she’s sitting on the story of a lifetime and she needs to get it out there. Desperate to prove she isn’t a one-hit-wonder, she taps her old high school frenemy for leverage.
Brian stumbled into celebrity when he landed a show on the Earth Channel. The hunky marine biologist is very different from the serious, studious boy who left Mobile a decade before, but his love for the Gulf Coast has never waned. He says goodbye to Hollywood and returns to Alabama, looking for the quiet life he always wanted and hoping for a chance with the girl he always loved.
Brooke asks him to help expose some of the lingering effects of the Gulf oil disaster, and Brian jumps at the chance to get close to her. As they join forces to help preserve the place they call home Brooke and Brain discover that together they are unstoppable.
Here’s the pic I used as inspiration for Brian:
That’s it for this week. Be sure to check out all the excerpts from my fellow Weekend Writing Warriors!
Tagged: 8Sunday, coming soon, Kensington/Lyrical, Novella, romance, warrior
July 23, 2014
Boxed set fun!
Although not all of the stories in this collection take place in the summer, they are definitely hot, might make you a little sticky, and are unquestionably sexy. What is more perfect for a sultry summer night?
Seduction is the name of the game in some of our stories. Control, submission, and domination flavor a couple more. And the others? Just downright deliciously sexy, in multiple ways.
Grab your favorite ice cold beverage, ladies, and prepare for your own personal HEAT WAVE! With an introductory promotional price of $0.99, why resist?
Click the banner to enter the Rafflecopter giveaway.
July 20, 2014
Weekend Writing Warrior – 7/20/14
Today I’m sharing 8 sentences from The Art Lover – a BONUS STORY included in Heat Wave: Sexy stories for sultry summer nights.
****
“You like my paintings, don’t you, Officer Jameson?”
He hummed deep in his throat and impulse overpowered common sense. She had to chase it. She needed to taste him. Tanned skin, taut and tangy with aftershave and flavored with a hint of salt, sent her hormones into hyperdrive.
“I’ve watched you,” she whispered against his throat. Her breasts pressed against his chest and his hands found her hips at last. “You want that woman in the paintings.”
****
For just $0.99, Heat Wave includes:
SEDUCING STEVE by Maggie Wells.
Will love get lost in the shuffle when friends turn into lovers?
RED: A TALE OF SEDUCTION by Maddie James
Ever wonder what happened when Little Red Riding Hood grew up? In the bayou? With a grandmother who used potions and magic and…
BEST I EVER HAD by Wendi Zwaduk
The objective–keep her safe. No one said anything about falling in love
TO SIR, WITH LOVE by Madison J. Edwards
Sparks fly when Beth discovers the truth about her secret Dom, who happens to be her boss, Jonah Carter.
CHEAPSKATES IN LOVE by Evelyn Jules
Can two cheapskates make the ultimate sacrifice and pay for a membership to the online dating site so they can track each other down?
SWITCHED by Bella Masters
Can undercover cop, Isaac, remain in control of a dangerous situation with Domme Cerise, when all he really wants to do, is give up every bit of control to her?
BONUS STORY! BODY CHECK by Evelyn Jules
BONUS STORY! DON’T TEMPT ME by Bella Masters
BONUS STORY! THE ART LOVER by Maggie Wells
Thanks for reading and be sure to check out all of today’s posts by my fellow Weekend Writing Warriors!
Tagged: 8Sunday, erotic, short story, warrior
July 13, 2014
Weekend Writing Warrior – 07/13/14
Today I’m sharing 8 more sentences from Seducing Steve – one of the stories included in Heat Wave: Sexy stories for sultry summer nights.
****
“You wanna see me in this tonight?” she asked, running a finger under the delicate lingerie he’d sent.
“Please.”
“Ask me,” she ordered. “Ask me to wear this for you.”
Steve sucked in a sharp breath then let it go slowly. “Sara, darlin’, would you please be so kind as to wear the pretty things I bought for you tonight?”
“Steve—sugar, honey, sweetie-pie,” she cooed in a breathy whisper. “It’ll be my pleasure.”
****
Heat Wave includes:
SEDUCING STEVE by Maggie Wells.
Will love get lost in the shuffle when friends turn into lovers?
RED: A TALE OF SEDUCTION by Maddie James
Ever wonder what happened when Little Red Riding Hood grew up? In the bayou? With a grandmother who used potions and magic and…
BEST I EVER HAD by Wendi Zwaduk
The objective–keep her safe. No one said anything about falling in love
TO SIR, WITH LOVE by Madison J. Edwards
Sparks fly when Beth discovers the truth about her secret Dom, who happens to be her boss, Jonah Carter.
CHEAPSKATES IN LOVE by Evelyn Jules
Can two cheapskates make the ultimate sacrifice and pay for a membership to the online dating site so they can track each other down?
SWITCHED by Bella Masters
Can undercover cop, Isaac, remain in control of a dangerous situation with Domme Cerise, when all he really wants to do, is give up every bit of control to her?
BONUS STORY! BODY CHECK by Evelyn Jules
BONUS STORY! DON’T TEMPT ME by Bella Masters
BONUS STORY! THE ART LOVER by Maggie Wells
Thanks for reading and be sure to check out all of today’s posts by my fellow Weekend Writing Warriors!
Tagged: coming soon, erotic, Novella, romance, warrior
July 6, 2014
Weekend Writing Warrior – 7/6/14
Today I’m sharing 8 sentences from Seducing Steve – one of the stories included in Heat Wave: Sexy stories for sultry summer nights.
****
“I may have a filthy mind, but you have a filthy mouth, Mr. Larson.” Heat flooded his cheeks, and Sara cupped one in her palm. “It makes me crazy when you talk dirty to me.”
“Crazy, huh?”
“Certifiably insane,” she confirmed. “I know what it costs you, and I find it incredibly sexy,” she said in a low, sultry voice. “I love that I’m the one pushing your buttons. You let yourself go with me.”
****
Heat Wave includes:
SEDUCING STEVE by Maggie Wells.
Will love get lost in the shuffle when friends turn into lovers?
RED: A TALE OF SEDUCTION by Maddie James
Ever wonder what happened when Little Red Riding Hood grew up? In the bayou? With a grandmother who used potions and magic and…
BEST I EVER HAD by Wendi Zwaduk
The objective–keep her safe. No one said anything about falling in love
TO SIR, WITH LOVE by Madison J. Edwards
Sparks fly when Beth discovers the truth about her secret Dom, who happens to be her boss, Jonah Carter.
CHEAPSKATES IN LOVE by Evelyn Jules
Can two cheapskates make the ultimate sacrifice and pay for a membership to the online dating site so they can track each other down?
SWITCHED by Bella Masters
Can undercover cop, Isaac, remain in control of a dangerous situation with Domme Cerise, when all he really wants to do, is give up every bit of control to her?
BONUS STORY! BODY CHECK by Evelyn Jules
BONUS STORY! DON’T TEMPT ME by Bella Masters
BONUS STORY! THE ART LOVER by Maggie Wells
Thanks for reading and be sure to check out all of today’s posts by my fellow Weekend Writing Warriors!
June 29, 2014
Weekend Writing Warrior – June 29, 2014
This week I’m sharing a few lines from my WIP, Full Court Press. Here’s a little blurb:
Danny McMillan is the hotshot new head football coach fresh from D2 purgatory. Kate Snyder is one of the winning-est coaches in D1 women’s basketball. She’s also a former Wolcott University Warrior and a local legend.
It’s a battle of the sexes, but this time the stakes are higher. She thinks he’s a misogynist, if a sexy one. He thinks she’s overly aggressive, but can’t help but be intrigued by her. Their chemistry threatens to explode, but they both know allowing their relationship to become public would be career suicide.
****
“I think intentionally fouling a player to stop the clock should be outlawed.”
She blinked as she straightened to her full height and turned back to him, her body braced as if it might take every inch of her strength to absorb the sheer absurdity of his statement. “I’ve heard you have issues with clock management.”
“I don’t see the point in delaying the inevitable. I play straight, I play tough, and I play through to the end. No trick plays, just the fundamentals.” Her lips parted, and it was all he could do to resist their blatant invitation. “Make your fouls as flagrant as you want, Kate, but the outcome is going to be the same.”
****
That’s it for this week. Be sure to check out the work of all my fellow Weekend Writing Warriors!
June 24, 2014
Special Guest: Tina Donahue
Today I’m happy to share a bit from the fabulous Tina Donahue’s new release, Taking Eve!
A willing slave to possession, punishment, pleasure…
Dreams of a manor where submission and dominance once ruled draws Faith to hypnotherapist Colin Danes. Potently virile, he looks remarkably like her most cherished master from a past life. Desire smolders in his eyes, proving he’s never forgotten her.
Their carnal dance continues in the present and leads to their past when she was known as Eve. Through hypnotherapy, Colin brings her back to the Victorian era, a hidden estate where she eagerly submits to whatever he and her other noble masters crave. The exquisite discipline of the strap. Being bid on and mounted each night. Displayed and used for the enjoyment of all.
Most will take her. One will try to imprison her. Only he will be her true master in that life and this.
Excerpt:
The advertisement challenged, Are your dreams so real they seem to have come from another time?
Faith Montgomery gripped the mail circular. Its paper made a sharp, crackling noise, no different from ice snapping.
Frigid wind swept past, delivering more snow. Feverish and unsettled, Faith stood in front of the medical arts building that catered to doctors, nutritionists, shrinks and hypnotherapists. Unlike Seattle’s typical brick or glass structures, this place had a granite façade and steepled ceilings. Similar to a castle where dominance, submission and punishment played out. Where men wore dated clothing, while women were nude, defenseless, sighing then crying out their arousal and pleasure.
Her mouth went dry.
From behind, a car’s horn blared, sending her pulse into a faster sprint. Traffic continued to crawl along the slick streets, headlights brushed past, illuminating the building’s directory. Faith didn’t bother to search it. According to the circular, his office was on the second floor. Her appointment in a few minutes, made earlier in the week by phone. The first time she’d heard his voice and yet not the first time.
“Why do you want an appointment?” he’d asked.
Something inside her had fluttered at his smooth baritone, enticing and strangely familiar, reducing her to silence.
“You’ve seen things,” he’d coaxed. “Felt things.”
God, yeah.
While he’d waited for her response, she’d stared at his picture on the glossy flyer.
Several locks of his hair—thick, wavy, the color of espresso—grazed his forehead. His strong, masculine features were handsome as hell, nearly aristocratic. In her mind, Faith saw him dressed in eveningwear, the kind worn during the early Victorian era. A coat with tails, snug at the waist to accentuate his impressive shoulders. Dark trousers and a shockingly white cravat. Identical to heroes in romance novels that she’d read in high school.
He definitely had those guys beat.
His long-lashed eyes were a striking blue. Even from the picture, they stripped Faith of all privacy, reaching into her soul, the same as the promise of his full, rich mouth. A hint of stubble graced his upper lip, chin and cheeks, virile and tempting. Young, possibly early thirties, he was the kind of man a woman wouldn’t forget.
Faith certainly hadn’t.
“Yeah,” she’d murmured during the call, at last answering him. “I’ve had recurring dreams, flashes of another time.”
Rather than questioning her further, he’d given her the last appointment of the day, well past the time other professionals did business. His office windows were the only ones lit on the second floor, the lights’ golden glow spilling onto the street. Waves of snow, carried by the wind, twinkled like stars within the brightness.
Faith half-expected—and fully hoped—he’d be at the window, looking down at her. Watching. Waiting. Anticipating as she was.
He wasn’t.
His absence only stoked her stark need. Clearly, he had no doubt she’d keep their appointment. Now, as before, he commanded and figured she’d obey.
On an edgy sigh, she entered the building. Heated air and the scents of polished wood, leather, wool washed over her. In the absolute quiet, she heard each click of her heels across the floor, a dark-green marble veined with white.
Faith avoided slick spots made by others who’d come and gone, tracking in the snow. She should have worn more practical shoes in this weather, pants instead of a skirt, but hadn’t, sensing he wouldn’t have approved.
Like one possessed—or commanded by a Master—Faith climbed the stairs, reaching the second floor. The walls were paneled in polished walnut, which gave them the air of a private club where men called the shots. Their decisions law. Their desires the only rule that counted, no matter what they demanded. A woman’s full surrender to their needs. Having her down on her knees before them, her lips parted for the taste of a thickened cock or to release her whimper of delight at the strap one of them held, eager for him to discipline her.
Lightheaded and breathless, she stared at the hall. His office was at the end, the door open, a wedge of amber light demanding she go inside.
No receptionist greeted her in the snug waiting room. Faith hadn’t expected one, figuring he’d want them to be alone. Exactly what she craved.
She inhaled as deeply as she could. Leather from the burgundy chairs perfumed the small space, claiming it for a man. Beyond the reception area was his office, the door open. He stood at his desk, his attention on a book he read.
Her legs went watery. With indecent curiosity, she drank him in, the charcoal sweater and dark trousers that matched the color of his silky hair and fit his powerful frame so well. Broad shoulders. Muscular thighs. She forced down a swallow, knowing there was raw power in his strong hands. She’d dreamed of it, had seen glimpses in her mind.
And would do anything to experience it again.
As though he’d heard her thoughts, he closed his book with a faint snap and looked up.
Time shifted, the past bleeding into the present. Faith forgot to breathe or to step closer, trapped within his potent gaze, overwhelmed with a sense of recognition, irresistible and welcoming.
I know you…you know me.
Unmistakable longing flared in his eyes, the same yearning she felt. Beneath it was a flash of lust.
CONTEST
Please leave a comment. Tina will be choosing one winner randomly from the comments section. The winner gets her choice of one of Tina’s backlist ebooks – FIFTEEN IN ALL – contemporary, paranormal, suspense, ménage. From this list:
1. Adored – RWA award-winning; EPIC 2011 Finalist; 4 Stars RT
2. Deep, Dark, Delicious – EPIC 2011 Finalist; Holt Medallion Award of Merit
3. Lush Velvet Nights – EPIC 2011 Finalist; Golden Nib Award
4. In His Arms – SIX 5 Star Reviews; 4 Stars RT
5. Sensual Stranger – 2010 Book of the Year (erotic); 4 Stars RT
6. The Yearning – Top Ten Bestseller
7. Take Me Away – #1 Pick, Miz Love Loves Books
8. Unending Desire – Best Book Rating LASR
9. SiNN – Nominated for Book of the Week LASR
10. Sinfully Wicked – Magnificent – Romancing the Book
11. Claiming Magique – Top Pick – NOR
12. Illicit Desire – Four Stars Romantic Times
13. Come Fill Me – Five Stars – Guilty Pleasures
14. Losing Control – Four and a Half Stars – Sensual Reads
15. Shameless Desire – Four and Half Stars – The Jeep Diva
Get to know Tina!
FB Fanpage: https://www.facebook.com/TinaDonahueBooks
Email: tina@tinadonahue.com
Website: http://www.tinadonahue.com/
Blog: http://www.tinadonahue.com/blog/
Twitter: http://twitter.com/tinadonahue
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/tina.donahue.75
Triberr: http://triberr.com/tinadonahue
Pinterest: http://pinterest.com/authortina/my-books/
Amazon author page: https://www.amazon.com/author/tinadonahue
My page at TRR: http://erotic.theromancereviews.com/mypageprofile.php?location=tinadonahue
EC Author Page: https://www.ellorascave.com/index.php/authors/index/author/slug/tina-donahue/
Samhain Author Page: http://store.samhainpublishing.com/Tina-Donahue-pa-1630.html
Tagged: erotic, guest author, romance, writing
June 22, 2014
Weekend Wriing Warrior – June 22, 2014
As I shared last week, I’ve been named a finalist for Passionate Ink RWA’s 9th annual Passionate Plume contest not once, but TWICE! Wow1 Both August Awakening (Hot Nights in St. Blaise #8) and Daring Miss December (Hot Nights in St. Blaise #12)
To celebrate I’m sharing 8 sentences from Daring Miss December!
****
Serotonin, adrenaline, dopamine, and oxytocin…a kiss was far more powerful than most
people knew. He tried to keep himself sane through the course of it, but he was fighting a
losing battle. The potent neurotransmitter-hormone cocktail wasn’t making his head spin. It was the scent of fresh rosemary on her skin and her thigh pressed against his hip. Her supple curves cushioned his body. The cares and worries he’d carried right up to her doorstep fell away. His knees felt wobbly and desire gnawed at his gut. She sighed, and that gusty wisp of pleasure filled him with the power to conquer anything.
****
Blurb:
It’s never too late to learn the truth about love…if you dare.
Straight-laced hospital administrator Oliver Watkins has the heart of a rebel.
Coming of age in the freewheeling seventies meant that Oliver’s rebellion manifested itself in always doing precisely what he was expected to do. With his wife gone and his daughter grown, the survival of St. Blaise Regional Medical Center has become his main focus in life. That is, until the results of a routine blood test give him the nudge he needs to indulge in forbidden fruit.
Dietician Anne Silverstein has enjoyed a smorgasbord of experiences, but none shaped her life more dramatically than finding a lump in her breast at the ripe old age of twenty-six. In the years since she triumphed over death, Anne has learned to embrace life by taking each new day as it comes.
When Ollie Watkins, stumbles into her office looking for more than a few tips on lowering his cholesterol, throwing caution to the wind is a no-brainer for free-spirited Anne. But the home remedies Anne and Oliver cook up together leave them both ravenous for more. Suddenly one finds one day at a time is not enough and the other fears it’s way too much.
Be sure to check out all the posts from my fellow Weekend Writing Warriors!
Tagged: 8Sunday, erotic, Novella, St. Blaise, warrior
