Tory Richards's Blog, page 185

Morning folks, Tory and I decided to swap blogs today, bu...

Morning folks, Tory and I decided to swap blogs today, but we are both talking about the same subject. The importance of a book cover, which also includes a book cover blurb. So what do you find most appealing about a book cover...the title, the author, the picture? I have to say the picture is what catches my interest first. I want something that tell me a story, before I every open the book. The title is next...does the book sound interesting. Last is the author, have I heard of this author, have I read her or him, and do I like their writing?  Being a lover of romance a couple on the cover usually always catches my interest, next a hot guy, then the colors, red with black print, dragons, tattoos. It varies between books but the cover is what gets me to pick up a book.Book cover Blurb – The Executives Wives Club series need a banner for the cover. I wanted people to know this was series. Next I decided on the titles for all four books, where Widow is in each title, because this is a series about four widows. The picture needed to reflect how a woman needs love, and a man who can understand her needs. Jinger Heaston, my cover artist, found the balance to bring out the elements of each aspect of the story.  Jinger has done all of my covers and finds a way to make them all touch the heart of my readers.
Blurb for the Unwilling Widow.Jennifer Larson, having lost her husband, friends and the perfect life she’d had plan, now faces the biggest challenge of her life, moving into an unplanned future. While the rest of the Executives Wives’ Club is still wallowing in the past, Jen is tempted into the future by a sexy chiropractor, Hagan Chaney. But does he really love her or is he only after her money?
Find Tina everywhere: Home - www.tinagayle.netBlog - www.tinagayle.blogspot.comTwitter - https://twitter.com/#!/AuthorTinaGayleGoodread - http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/1641826.Tina_GayleFacebook - http://www.facebook.com/tina.gayleGoogle + - https://plus.google.comLinkin - http://www.linkedin.com/pub/tina-gayle/11/689/759
Stop by website to read the first chapter of any of my books.
Thanks Tory for letting me blog for you today, and for being the host of my blog. Leave a comment to enter a drawing for a copy of my e-book “The Unwilling Widow.” Winner will be announced May 19,2012

New Excerpt of The Mercenary Way

Damn him! His rugged, square-boned face and the interested gleam in his eyes did nothing to convince her that she was any safer with him than the man outside her door. Her first instinct was to scratch his eyes out for being amused at her embarrassing situation. Her common sense warned Sarah to take care where he was concerned.


“And how do I do that?” She couldn’t decide what needed covering the most by the inadequate towel. Either way he was going to know just about every flaw she had. Experience reminded her that if she sucked in her stomach it would force her breasts
out, which at the moment he couldn’t seem to draw his gaze off of.


“How do you think? Come on to him. Let him get in a few kisses, squeeze your ass. Whatever it takes to get him in here, the door shut, and his guard down.”


Her brows drew together in a frown. “You don’t ask for very much,” she whispered sharply. “In case you haven’t noticed, I’m not exactly centerfold material. I’ve never had to play a femme fatale.”


He looked at Sarah as if she were kidding, or very stupid. “Listen, angel, I don’t have time to stroke your ego. But you have a luscious body most men would swallow their tongues over.”


Sarah didn’t care, and she didn’t like his crude compliment either. She shook her head no and started slowly backing up, but there was nowhere for her to go. She wasn’t at all confident she had what it took to do what he expected. Without warning, he grabbed her arm, halting her progress. She swallowed the sound of pain his grasp caused.


“You want to get out of here alive?” he hissed, lowering his face and pinning Sarah with a hard look, a cold look that said he meant business and wanted results.


“But…” She nearly lost her grip on the towel when he gave her a sudden shake.


“It’s not just your life we’re talking about here, lady.” Mano began to pound in earnest, and Clint swore beneath his breath. “What’s it going to be?”


Unsure, Sarah’s eyes darted to the door. Did she really have any choice? “Okay, I’ll do it!” she hissed reluctantly and jerked her arm away. “But don’t blame me if it doesn’t work! By the time I let him in, he’ll be too angry to get turned on by anything I do!”


“Listen, show an angry man some tits and ass and he’ll forget his name,” he said crudely.


“Thanks for putting it so eloquently,” she grumbled.


“What are you, a prude? I don’t care if I offend you or not. It will work.”


Clint opened a closet door and Sarah realized he’d been hiding in there earlier. It was a narrow dark closet and she wondered how he’d managed to squeeze his mountain-size body in there.


“Just remember I’ll be in here. Try to keep his back to me.” With that he shut the door, leaving her alone.


Sarah stared at the door with amazement. It wasn’t solid but had slats going up the top half. Uncaring that he could see her, she stepped backward to the vanity and grabbed a much bigger towel. She swore she could hear his soft laughter as she brought it around her body.


Just as she reached for the doorknob, she heard the unmistakable sound of a key being inserted in the lock, and then the door was flying open. She managed to jump out of the way in the nick of time, flattening herself against the wall, her planned femme fatale performance all but forgotten. All she could think about was survival and staying as far away from Mano’s clutches as possible.


Mano barked something out in his own language, his eyes darting around the room suspiciously before narrowing on her. It didn’t take a genius to know he was asking her why she hadn’t opened the door.


She was relieved to see he was alone. “Why were you pounding on the door when you had a key all along?” she shot back recklessly, forgetting about the mood she was supposed to be aiming for until Clint’s plan came back to her. “I mean, I…I was hoping to ah, see you again. I like a man who’s…ah, strong and forceful.” Painfully aware she sounded like a robot about to run out of juice, the words nearly stuck in her throat.


She was conscious of what she was inviting, too. Another woman intent on winning a man over for her own devious purposes would probably have followed up her comment with some sort of gesture,
like walking up to him and dropping her towel, but Sarah drew the line at that kind of demeaning act. The most Mano was going to get from her was the batting of her eyelashes and a fake smile.


His response wasn’t what she’d been hoping for. Instead of looking interested, he looked even more suspicious, like he was trying to figure out why she was coming on to him all of a sudden. So far he
hadn’t moved from the doorway. Well, she’d warned Clint this wasn’t going to work. She knew she had to think of something, and
fast. Strolling up to Mano with an exaggerated swing to her hips she didn’t have an inkling of what that something was. Whatever she did, she was only going to get one chance, and it would have to count.


At least she’d managed to snag his attention finally; he was eyeing her with growing interest. Determined to keep it, she pulled back her fist and hit him as hard as she could in the face. Sarah was no less surprised than he was at the force of her punch. His head snapped back, and she was certain she heard his teeth connect. As he slowly turned back to her, she gasped upon seeing the stream of blood pouring out of his nose. He advanced on her like an angry bear, his words low and filled with fury. Recognizing she’d made a
terrible mistake, she backed up until her hip connected with the vanity, too dazed to realize all she had to do was step around it.


“You can’t touch me,” she reminded him, reaching behind her for something she could use as a weapon. She completely forgot about her would-be rescuer in the closet.


Mano reached for something behind him too, only it was his back pocket. He pulled forth a knife, his eyes holding Sarah frozen as he pushed a button that produced a nasty looking thin blade. He ran his finger along the sharp edge of it, a sinister laugh escaping him.


“You try to escape,” he said, finally speaking in broken English. “What else is Mano to do?” He wiped the blood pouring out of his nose with the back of his hand, smearing it across his cheek.


“Mr. Rodriguez might not like that,” Sarah said in a desperate voice, her hand encircling something that was long and thin. She whipped it around and held it threateningly between them, her eyes
dropping to the object only because Mano’s had. With a low moan of despair, she threw the toothbrush at him in a burst of pure frustration. Why couldn’t it have been a straight razor or something a little more threatening?


The flying toothbrush hit him in the eye with the force of a flying missile. He yelped and swore, grabbing his eye, at the same time taking a menacing step toward her. Crying out, she turned to see what else was on the vanity, but it was too late. He was on her before she could turn back with a spray bottle of perfume in her hand. A vicious chop to her wrist sent it falling to the thick carpet
between them.


All at once Sarah found herself bent over backward on top of the vanity, with his huge bulk on top of her. He dropped his knife in the sink, his eyes rounding in stunned surprise, before glazing over
lifelessly. It took her a moment to realize his weight was dead weight, and then it didn’t matter as he was being lifted off her.

Book in the Making...unedited

“What? I can’t hear you. I’m going through a tunnel. I’m glad you’re okay. Talk to you again soon. Enjoy your weekend. Bye love.”He hung up. Marissa pulled the phone from her ear, ready to explode with frustration. A tunnel, in Orlando, Florida? There was an unexpected knock at the door. What now? She slammed the phone down on her dressing table.“Miss Lambert, is everything okay?”A light came on and Marissa turned to face Beau. She was ready to blast him for the scare he’d given her. And now that she knew he was her bodyguard, then fire him on the spot. But all that changed the moment she saw looked into his intense I want to fuck you right now eyes. He was incredibly handsome. God…he’s my bodyguard? Awareness slammed through every bone in Marissa’s body. She’d shamelessly flirted with him when she realized he was in the audience watching her. Knowing the highly sexual attraction that had been between them, and recognizing the look in his smoky eyes that said he still liked what he saw. Marissa tried to swallow. Not usually nervous by nature but this Texas cowboy was nothing like any man she’d known. And the way he was looking her over now caused a flood of liquid desire to pool between her legs. He had nerve. He didn’t even try to hide the fact that he still found her attractive. His sexy, crooked smile didn’t undermine the look of determination on his face, though. And Marissa knew then that Beau Evans was going to mean trouble.

page 8 (5/23) Beginning Chapter 2

Nuff said...

Nuff said...

It's on folks! Lots of authors and lots of chances to win...

It's on folks! Lots of authors and lots of chances to win a prize. My giveaway is a download of one of my books, winners choice! All you have to do to get your name entered into the drawing is become a follower and leave a comment about which book you'd choose if your name is drawn. Good luck!

LINK to other participating authors!

Under The Covers (Host) Int.  45. Sarah Grimm (INT)  89. Romance Book Junkies  2. Guilty Pleasures (Host) Int.  46. Alison Chambers  90. Sandra Bunino  3. Turning The Pages (Int)  47. LaVerne Clark @ Novel Natterings (INT)  91. Book Lovin Mamas (US)  4. Riverina Romantics (INT)  48. Lori @ Romancing the Darkside (Int.)  92. Wendy Smith  5. LITERAL ADDICTION iNT  49. Lynne Connolly (INT)  93. Madame D's Boudoir  6. Addicted2Heroines (Int)  50. Rhian Cahill  94. Romance Book Club  7. Kallypso Masters  51. Paige Tyler  95. Ednah Walters (US/Can)  8. Eliza Gayle INT  52. Tory Richards  96. Mary @Sweeping Me {INT}  9. Bonnie Bliss (Int)  53. Maxine Mansfield  97. R. Brennan  10. Shelley Munro (Int)  54. As the Pages Turn (INT)  98. Leigh Savage (US/CAN)  11. Leia Shaw @ The Paranormal G-Spot (US)  55. Scarlett Sanderson (INT)  99. Natalie G. OWens  12. CS Maxwell ~ Where (US)  56. Kriss @ The Cabin Goddess  100. Sara Daniel Romance Author (INT)  13. Siobhan Muir (INT)  57. Isabelle Drake (INT)  101. Kharisma Rhayne  14. HEA-Reads (Int)  58. Romance on a Budget (INT)  102. The Book Nympho (US)  15. Blackraven Erotic Cafe (Int)  59. Desiree Holt  103. Lila Shaw (INT)  16. Blackravens Reviews (INT)  60. Cari Quinn  104. Gettin' Shamrocked with JoAnne Kenrick  17. AJ's Reading Nook (INT)  61. P. L. Parker  105. Full Moon Bites  18. The Readers Roundtable After Dark (INT)  62. Dianne Hartsock (int)  106. Michelle Clay  19. Dark Divas Reviews (INT)  63. Cassandra Dean (INT)  107. The eBook Reviewers (US)  20. Cocktails and Books (int)  64. Mari Carr  108. Rhys Astason (INT)  21. The Jeep Diva (US & INT)  65. Gabrielle Bisset (INT)  109. K.E. Saxon  22. My Secret Romance  66. Ju Dimello (INT)  110. Leila Brown  23. Miss Vain's Paranormal Fantasy (INT)  67. Ann Cory(US)  111. Reading On The Wild Side (US)  24. Ramblings From This Chick (US)  68. Dawn Brown  112. Candace Shaw, author of fun, flirty & sexy romance  25. Diane Thorne - Erotic Paranormal Romance (INT)  69. Tami Brothers ~ Live, Love, Write!  113. Book Whore Blog (INT)  26. Close Encounters with the Night Kind  70. Josee Renard  114. Little Read Riding Hood (INT)  27. Natasha Blackthorne (INT)  71. The Bunny's Review (Int)  115. Minding Spot  28. Bianca Sommerland  72. Serenity Woods (INT)  116. After Dark (INT)  29. Megan Slayer  73. Kelly Gendron  117. Billi Jean  30. Melissa Love  74. Cari Silverwood (Int)  118. I am a book addict...and proud of it! (US)  31. Delighted Reader  75. Felicity Heaton, PNR author (INT)  119. Kiru Taye, Author (INT)  32. Casey Crow (INT)  76. The Steamy Side (US)  120. The Wiccan Haus (Int)  33. Talk Supe (INT)  77. Lee Brazil- Lee's Musings (INT)  121. Dominique Eastwick (int)  34. Best Erotica Books  78. Book Monster Reviews (INT)  122. Erykah Wyck  35. Reader's Edyn  79. A Darker Passion  123. I Smell Sheep (US)  36. Mystifying Paranormal Reviews (US)  80. Jess @ Wickedly Bookish  124. Another Look Book Reviews (CAN/US)  37. Picked by Poison  81. Delaney Diamond~Sweet & Sensual Romance (INT)  125. Carly Fall (INT)  38. D. Renee Bagby / Zenobia Renquist (INT)  82. Selena Blake  126. Red Hot Books (INT)  39. Addictive Passions (Int)  83. Autumn Glazier (INT)  127. Nadja Notariani (US/Can)  40. W. Lynn Chantale (INT)  84. Amanda J. Greene (INT)  128. Hesperia Loves Books (INT)  41. DC Juris  85. Lea Barrymire(US)  129. LilyElement  42. Cheryl - A Little Bit of Spice (Int)  86. Romancing Rakes For The Love of Romance(US)  130. Lily Graison, author, (INT)  43. Kacey Hammell  87. Smitten With Bad Boy Heroes (INT)  131. Shades of Rose  44. KyAnn Waters (Int)  88. A Page In The Life: Lee Ann Sontheimer Murphy  132. Dani Harper, PNR author, (INTL) 

This is NOT sexy!

I don't care who you are.  

Sometimes my five year old granddaughter sounds much olde...

Sometimes my five year old granddaughter sounds much older than she really is. The other morning, at 5:00 I got out of bed because I couldn't sleep. Had a terrible night! She woke to find me sitting in my chair and said, "Let me guess, your head?" I chuckled and said no, I just couldn't sleep. So she says, "Have you tried pills?"

I had to coax her to go back to sleep because it was a school morning.

Monday Man Candy

OMG he's hot!

It always makes me nervous when I send a new manuscript o...

It always makes me nervous when I send a new manuscript off to a publisher. I don't know why. But as I hit the send button I feel a flutter of anxiety in my stomach. Maybe it's because I know once I hit send and it's gone, there's no getting it back. Wish me luck! 

6 Sentence Sunday

When did the dodo become extinct?
Not until 1681, and mainly because humans and animals ate the remaining eggs.The dodo, first found on the island of Mauritius in the Indian Ocean, was the size of a very large turkey.It was slow and defenseless, save for its hooked beak.To complicate matters, it did not reproduce well, as the female laid only one egg each year.The death knell came in the 1600s, however, when Dutch colonists on Mauritius found the eggs palatable.Other animals also found them edible, and soon the dodo was gone. Link to other participating authors.