Tina Gayle's Blog, page 72

Series Starter - Revive

Four women...
One fatal car wreck...
Everyone's lives changed...

Thought I would share an excerpt from the first book of the Executive Wives' Club series.

Blurb -
 Needing to revive her life and jump start her heart, Jennifer Larson is facing the biggest challenge of her life, moving into an unplanned future. While the rest of the Executives Wives' Club continue to mourn their husbands, Jen is tempted into the future by a sexy chiropractor, Hagan Chaney.

But does he love her or her money?

Excerpt -


“I shouldn’t kiss you. Not with the current mess my life is in but…” She slid her hands around his neck and fell against him in a full frontal attack. Plush breasts lay flat against his chest, and the whole length of her luscious body caressed his. Blood pounded through his veins and a roar sounded in his ears.
If she wanted to talk about whose life was in a bigger mess, some people might claim he’d win. The past—he shook his head to clear his thoughts—didn’t determine the future.
Bull’s-eye. For once, he felt right on target and had no plans to deviate off course.
He lifted his hand to cup her cheek and skimmed his fingers over smooth skin. Oh, how he yearned for this woman. Why, he couldn’t say, didn’t care. They’d work out whatever problems that arose.
Now, he had to allow her time to grow used to having a man in her life again.
Tilting her face toward his, he stared into her eyes. A dark flame burned in their depths. He inched closer and heavy lids veiled the blazing fire. Velvety soft lips greeted his.
After one little nibble, he couldn’t resist sinking into the pure bliss of kissing her. A groan rumbled in his throat and he gave himself over to the pleasure. Heat ignited and he broke out in a sweat. His hands took on a will of their own, sliding to her shoulders, down her back, tugging her closer and keeping her pinned to him.
The rough wool of her coat chafed against his palm and warned of a scratchy exterior. She might fight him every step of the way by resisting his advances or denying the strong attraction between them but...
She melted against him and her hands tunneled through his hair. The light scrape of nails raked his scalp, igniting his nerve endings. His brain grew foggy. Only his tongue pumping hard into her mouth kept sanity in sight.
He’d replayed their last kiss in his mind for days, but it paled in comparison. Her body hadn’t trembled with hard shock waves in his memory. Nor had she tugged on his hair in the same demanding way. Her taste, with its unique flavor, hadn’t held the smooth caress of chocolate. When had she partaken of the tasty treat?
Pulling away, he stared at her heat-stained cheeks. Lips slightly swollen, air swished in and out of her mouth on quick little breaths. She didn’t speak, but her hands stayed buried in his hair.
“Want to try another one?” Hagan held her tight, afraid if he loosened his hold she’d race away. “No phone, no dog, no one to stop us from enjoying a second kiss.”
Jen kept her eyes on his, unwilling to admit she’d relinquished control. “Wrong. I have my cell phone.”
He leaned in and whispered against her lips, “Then I better hurry.”
His mouth seized hers, snatched the air from her lungs and threw her off balance. The wicked punch of his tongue plunged her into a firestorm. Bold, battering desire caught fire. Passion flared. The war on her senses shut down all logic.
Only the heat, the inferno sliced her in half and demanded she surrender to Hagan’s eagerness—her needs. Breasts aching, she hated the barrier her coat created, which kept the caress of his rock-hard chest at bay. She shimmied against him, silently wishing their clothes would simply disappear.
Hagan slid his hand over her hips and under her jacket.
She moaned encouragingly and eased her mouth from his. “Hagan, I...”
A low chime rang between them.
“Damn,” Hagan grumbled and scrambled in his pocket with one hand. “I can’t believe this. We must be cursed or something.”
Jen eased away, chuckling at the truth of his statement.
Could Craig’s spirit somehow be watching and dwarfing her attempts to become involved with someone else? She smiled at the whimsical theory. Craig couldn’t have cared less what she did while alive. Why would he care now?
After retrieving his cell, Hagan flipped it opened. “What’s up, Dad?”
“Are you in town?” A deep voice growled from the phone.
She wiggled and laid her hands on Hagan’s chest to create a little more space between them.
“No, why?” He tightened his grip, not allowing her to move.
“Because the weather is bad and visibility has dropped to less than a quarter of a mile. How soon are you headed back?”
Jen glanced over her shoulder. Hagan dropped his hands to his sides, and she walked back into the living room. The front window displayed the blizzard raging outside. Snow, several inches thick, had already accumulated on her car.
She’d known about the weather forecast but had pushed the possibility of a snowstorm aside. Hagan had called every day, wanting to see more houses. With this being his only day off until Sunday, he’d stressed his eagerness to visit the houses she’d found today.
How could she refuse his request? He’d understood when she claimed to have other commitments earlier during the week. Now, she had to man up and perform her job, even if she had a good reason for avoiding him.
She ran her finger above her lips and recalled the moments before Hagan’s phone rang—the heat, the man, the yearning to forget everything and jump him. What would it be like to be held, touched, and loved by Hagan?
Memories of Craig rolling over and falling immediately to sleep after sex filled her head. Once his needs were met, he had no more desire for her and complained if she tried to snuggle, saying her nearness disturbed his ability to rest.No, sleeping with Hagan wasn’t a good idea. Sex required a certain amount of trust. And what did she know about him?

She glanced around at the deserted house. Not the place or the time to let things get out of hand.

 Read the first chapterPurchase at www.smashwords.com
www.barnesandnoble.com
www.kobobooks.com
itunes.apple.com
At Amazon Hope you enjoy and have a great weekend,Tina 
 

After You Write the Novel - What Next

As authors we all struggle to know what to do after we have finished that first novel.

Do we seek out a publisher or chose to self-publish through Amazon?

How does the world find out about your book?

What social networks should I join?

A beginning author can easily become overwelmed by all the things there are to do.

I believe the one think to remember about being a writer is that it is a journey not a destination.

Are you only writing one book?

If so, then maybe it is just a bump in the road of your life.

If it is a life time dream, then enjoy the journey and pace yourself. You do not have to do everything yesterday no matter how much you may think you do.

I wrote "I Wrote My First Story - Now What?" to help new authors as well as season authors see there are a number of ways to expose yourself to new ideas.

For the next week, I am offering a free download from smashword for "I Wrote My First Story- Now What?"

Just use the promo code   FF36A

when you go to https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/158663

I would love to hear your comments.

Have a great day and happy writing.

Tina

Tina's News for the Week

The Romance Studio is celebrating it's ten anniversary.

They are giving away prizes and you will learn about some awesome authors.

Stop by an join in on the fun http://trsparties.com/


Also, I'm gearing up for the release of a new series.


The "Family Tree" Series -

Titles are:
Summer's Growth
Fallen Leaves
Winter's Wonder
Spring's Rebirth

A story of a family of spirits that guide the lives of their heirs.

Family history and today's events collide to create a better future.

More about the series in the coming weeks.

Also I love to share


pictures of places I've been or the things that I'm doing.

Stop by and check out my pictures any time on my website.
http://www.tinagayle.net/picture.html

Hope you have a great week,

Tina

Tina's Tips to Avoid Getting Sick

I know several people who are not feeling well so I would remind us all how to avoid getting sick.

Hope you can avoid the flu, and here are some suggestions I found.



Whether or not you got a flu shot, since it isn't 100% effective, you should follow these steps to help prevent you and your family from getting sick with the flu:

Wash your hands often. Remember that one of the most common ways people catch colds and the flu is by rubbing their nose or their eyes after their hands have been contaminated with a virus. By washing your hands often, especially:

before, during, and after you prepare food
before you eat, and after you use the bathroom
after handling animals or animal waste
when your hands are dirty, and more frequently when someone in your home is sick, you
may avoid getting sick yourself and keep your kids from getting sick too.

Routinely clean, with soap and water, and disinfect surfaces, toys, and objects that younger children may put in their mouths. It may also help to wipe surfaces with paper towels that can be thrown away or cloth towels that can be washed afterwards.

Use disposable tissues to wipe or blow your child's nose.

Teach your children 'cough etiquette', which the American Academy of Pediatrics describes as teaching children to turn their heads and cough or sneeze into a disposable tissue or the inside of their elbow if they don't have a tissue, instead of simply coughing or sneezing onto their hands, which will then spread their germs onto everything they touch.

Avoid close contact with people when you are sick. It isn't really possible to completely avoid people who are sick, so it is likely better if you just avoid exposing other people to your germs when you or your kids are sick. So don't go to school, daycare, work, etc., if you are sick with the flu.

Avoid unnecessary contact with a lot of people for your younger children. It isn't easy to always tell when people are sick and some people are contagious even before they start to have symptoms, so don't expose your younger kids to large crowds of people if you don't have to.

Take a reusable water bottle to school or work, like a Sigg or CamelBak, instead of using the school water fountain, which may become contaminated with germs, especially during cold and flu season.

Found these at http://pediatrics.about.com/cs/commoninfections/a/avoiding_flu.htm

Tina

Move, Baby Move

With the beginning of the new year, most of us have the goal to get in shape.
My husband and I have been very good about exercising in the past, but over the last few months we've grown lazy.

Now, after adding a few pounds, we've both decided we need to get back in shape.

We play golf and take walks but this isn't enough to eat up the extra calories from the holidays.

The treadmill is calling but we have managed to ignore it moaning.

 The problem is finding the motivation to get up in the morning to exercise. We have tried doing it at the end of the day, but being tired, we'll usually opt out if given the chance.

The experts say to find a buddy to workout with. We only have one treadmill.

Make it a competition - I let him win.

Come up with an event that you want to have the weight off by -- I do have RomCon this summer but it's so far away.

See I can find every excuse.

So if you have any clues on how to stay motivated, leave a comment. I can use some help.

Happy running, walking or moving.

Tina

I Can’t Do That – “I’m afraid…”

 It is easy to defeat the defeated. They’ve already decided to let you win.

So if you have lost your self-confidence and don’t think you can achieve your goals, sit down and make a list of all the things you have going for you.

"Hey, Tina, I have nothing going for me."

"Really? You have no family, or friends, or co-workers that like you?"

"Well…"

"What about you health? Your ability to learn new things? The way your smile lights up a room.
Everyone has something."

This reminds me of a story I heard as a child. It’s about two men. One man had died and everyone in the town was glad because he was a mean, cruel, ugly man. Everyone thought he had no redeeming qualities.


Everyone in town was going to the man’s funeral.

Why?

Because the other man, who only saw the good in people, was going to reveal to everyone the mean man’s redeeming trait.



The church packed. Someone asked. "What was his one redeeming trait?"

The answer: "He could whistle like a nightingale."

Homework: List the value you bring to the world.
A great friends
A wonderful husband
Devoted to your kids
Strong healthy body
Ability to plot a story
Everyone has something -- what is it about you that people love?So don't be afraid, just build on what you know you can do well.

Tina

Excerpt from Birth and A Gold Nugget

Excerpt from Birth


The thud of footsteps on the stairs drew Brie away from the counter where she rested.
Jason didn't need to see her wallowing in self-pity, again. She’d already embarrassed herself enough by blubbering all over the man’s shirt earlier.
Retrieving a plate from the counter, she shoved a few nuggets off the baking tray and onto her plate. The rest she dumped on his.
Pasting a smile on her face to hide the dark cloud hanging above her head, she lifted a plate in each hand and turned just as Jason strolled around the corner leading into the living room. His quick pace ate the distance between them. Dark hair, athletic build, sexy brown eyes, Jason epitomized what every woman would desire in a man, not counting that he was also caring and kind.
Why then, wasn't he married?
Unwilling to reveal the depths of her despair, she lowered her gaze as unwanted desire tingled down her spine. Not him, nor any other man in his right mind, would ever find her desirable. She drew in a breath, struggling not to torture herself by believing one ever would.
Stepping forward, she placed the plates on the counter, which separated the kitchen from the breakfast nook. “I'm sorry, but I haven't been to the grocery store since my parents left. All I have are fast easy meals for the kids.”
“No problem.” Jason paused by the bar and brushed his hand through the air, indicating the food. “You really didn't need to go to this much trouble. I could have fixed something for myself when I got home.”
Flustered by his comment when she hadn’t gone to any trouble at all, Brie shuffled to the cabinet and pulled down two glasses. “What would you like to drink?”
“Iced tea is great.”
She plopped the glasses down beside the plates, avoiding his gaze by staring at her footwear. The tiger head positioned on top of her slippers bobbed up and down as she walked across the room to the refrigerator. Opening it, she withdrew the pitcher. Her hand hovered over the condiments in the door. “Would you like some barbecue sauce, ranch dressing, or something else to go with the chicken nuggets?”
“No, I like them plain.” The sound of his voice drew near. The weight of the container in her hand lightened. He brushed his free hand along her back. “I’ve got this.”
His rich scent teased her taste buds more than the flavorful aroma of the chicken and his welcoming warmth tempted her to collapse into his arms.
Find at Birth at http://amzn.to/Q82MNm

Gold Nugget for simple meals

You can easily change those chicken nuggets into a spicy meal.

toss chicken with Panda Express Orange Sauce or sweet and sour sauce. Serve with rice.pour hot spaghetti sauce over baked chicken nuggets top with provolone cheese and slid into the oven until cheese is melted.use with dipping sauce barbarque, honey mustard, etc.try a few of these to mix things up.

Have a great weekend,

Tina

Tina's GMC to a Career Planning

Some of you might be thinking I’m going to talk about Debra Dixon’s book, but the same words can apply to developing the plan for your career.
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Goals:  At the start of the New Year, we plan out what we want to achieve this year.  It might be easy to come up with the goals but hard to achieve them.  After all, we only have twenty-four hours in a day, no more, no less. Yet, we all know people who seem to get it all done.
How you might ask? 
Planning ahead and breaking things down in bite size pieces are the two best ways to achieving your goals.  Okay, you’re goal is to write four books this year. Impossible you might say, but let’s break it down with a few questions         

            How many pages can you write a day?
How long are the books?
How much time do you need to edit the book once it’s done?
Let’s say you want to write a 240 page book. You can squeeze out three pages a day with everything else you have to do.

Simple math 240/3 = 80 days.
You want to write 4 books x 80 days = 320
365 days in a year  - 320 = 45 days to do edits.
If you can edit each book in 11 days, you’ve made your goal with one day to spare.
Is this feasible for everything else you have to do?
            What about other commitments?
            Other objectives?
            Family? Friends?
            Will this fit in your over all scheme? What about promotion and blogging?
            Or can you make it happen by edit at odd time, like at your kid’s soccer game?
            Write more pages on weekends and take off time during the week.        

If you plan ahead, set deadlines and make your objectives clear to your family and friends, you can make it happen.

Motivation and Conflict
These two things can kill a well laid out plan. If you are unmotivated to write or have some type of conflict, your writing can suffer. This is where you need to work some flexibility into your plan. 
Work in time for potential conflicts that might arise, if they don’t it’ll only give you more time to write.  We all have life outside of writing and things happen. Like our characters conflict test our resolve and the best way to work our way through it is by revising our goals and forgiving ourselves for our shifts in priorities.
Find motivation can also derail a plan. If you worn out or struggling with other issues in your life, it can be difficult to sit your butt down in the chair and write. Again, give yourself a break and schedule a special treat for yourself like an hour in the tub with a glass of wine and scented candle. Remember to celebrate each victory that comes along and give yourself time to enjoy your accomplishments.
Here’s to achieving your goals this New Year.
Hope all your dreams come true. 
With a little planning, they will.
 
Tina Gayle
www.tinagayle.net
  
 
    
           
 
 

Draw a Picture for 2013

Happy New Year
Now what do you want to achieve in the 2013?

[image error] Can you picture it?

Know what it’s like to have it?

As some of you know, I wanted to be an author. For  six years, I  thought of little else when it came to my career. I took classes to learn what I needed to know. I joined groups with other writers to learn about the business. I sat at my computer and plugged away at the keyboard.

I got my first contract on Christmas Eve 2006.

The three step process that helped me realize my dream is simple.

Know what you want. (This is not a broad scope like I want to be happy.) What types of things make you happy? A job, a mate, a new car, more money, you have to work on defining your objective.

Next, draw the picture in your head and put yourself in the environment to realize your dreams.

I joined groups that had published authors. I learned what they do, and don’t do. I found that I was just like them. I began to see myself as an author. I told people I was a writer. (This was a big step because I was committing myself to my dream, and if I failed. I had to face my friends and family. If for no other reason than this, I couldn’t fail. I had people sharing my dream.)

Believe. This I feel doesn’t happen overnight. You have to work at it, tweaking the picture in your head, following the opportunities you’ve found, narrowing the picture to be exactly what you want. By knowing what you want and keeping your eye on your destination, you begin to see that it is possible. You begin to feel as if you will make it. The dream can be a reality. You know in your heart that it will happen. You believe.

Homework: sit down and write out what could make you happy. Then work out a plan to get you there. Use these three simple steps.
Define your goal
Picture having it
Believe in your heart that you will get it.
Best of luck in the new year...you can do it.

Tina

The Silver Sphere Busting Out Party

      AUTHOR INFORMATION:  I’ve been writing since first setting pencil to steno pad at age 8. A year later, I began developing the world of my current series-in-progress, and even created its title, The Silver Sphere. Now, with the support of years of experience, those early maps and back stories have progressed into what I hope is a fresh and entertaining take on the classic young adult fantasy adventure.   Despite my frequent escapes into parallel worlds, I root myself firmly in my very real family and community. When not pacing the yard maniacally after every few pages of writing, I spend as much time as possible hanging out with my studly 9-year-old son, and my inspirational wife Jenna. I also coach several local youth sports teams in Beverly Hills, and alternate between yelling at my two crazy Corgis and hiking with my trained German Shepherd.   For more, join me in my favorite fantasy worlds, from Lord of the Rings to the creations of C.S. Lewis, Anne McCaffrey and Terry Brooks. Even more importantly, stop by and say hello on my Facebook page at AuthorMichaelDadich, tweet me at @MichaelDadich, and stalk my website at http://www.thesilversphere.org.      



The Silver Sphere
By
Michael Dadich
BLURB:
Shelby Pardow never imagined she could kill someone. All she wants to do is hide from her troubled father… when she is teleported to awaiting soldiers on the planet Azimuth. Here she is not a child, but Kin to one of the six Aulic Assembly members whom Malefic Cacoethes has drugged and imprisoned. He seeks to become dictator of this world (and then Earth by proxy). His father, Biskara, is an evil celestial entity, tracked by the Assembly with an armillary device, The Silver Sphere. With the Assembly now deposed, Biskara directs Malefic and the Nightlanders to their strategic targets. Unless…. Can Shelby find the other Kin, and develop courage and combat skills? Can the Kin reassemble in time to release or replace the Assembly, overthrowing Malefic and restraining Biskara? 
Michael will be awarding a $75 Amazon or BN.com GC to a randomly drawn commenter during the tours.
Follow the tour and comment; the more you comment, the better your chances of winning. The tour dates can be found here: http://goddessfishpromotions.blogspot.com/2012/11/super-book-blast-silver-sphere-by.html