Tory Richards's Blog, page 186

Happy Saturday Everyone!

My son-in-law did the sweetest thing. He knows my routine well. I always head for the coffee maker when I first emerge from my woman cave. This morning there was a Mother-in-law card waiting for me. It means a lot to me. Damein is very quiet so I sometimes wonder how he feels about me. This show of affection went straight to my heart. Just the thought of him standing in front of the card section brings a smile to my face.

Erotic Romance Madness Hop!

Whoohoo! It's on folks! Lots of participating authors, and lots of giveaways. And we'll be showcasing our favorite erotic romance. I chose The Promise . This story is close to my heart because it depicts the chaos and joyfulness of a large family during the holidays. Marrying into a family of 10 siblings, I was able to draw from plenty of first hand knowledge. And once they all had spouses and children, well, you can probably imagine the rest. There was never a dull moment!

The Promise is about an orphan, the heroine, who marries into a large family. But then her husband dies in Iraq, leaving her with a toddler. Still considered part of the family, she's invited to the Vermont farm for the holidays, where the whole family comes together. Including the one son in the Military, the hero, who rarely comes home for anything. Their attraction is instant and undeniable, yet they both have to overcome the promise they made to the same man before they can accept the love growing between them.


Reviews - 
5 hearts for The Promise...from The Romance Studio!
For those that like plenty hot and sensual sex in your romances, you will enjoy this because there was plenty of heat generated between Ryan and Shannon. I will gladly recommend this story to anyone who likes a great love story and doesn't mind shedding a tear here or there.

and
The Promise just received 5 ravens and recommended read from Blackraven's Reviews!
Tory Richards has created a tale of heartache, passion, and love yet a chance for a brother to love again. Tory Richards has outdone herself in this romance. It is easy to root for Ryan, a soldier who has always been strong yet has a weakness for Shannon. Loved this book and definitely highly recommended for once again Tory Richards shows us she can create a story that easily comes to life.

From now until the 5/14 visit the  link below to go to the next blog.

Thought this was cute

We can all relate to this. 

Book in the Making...unedited

“You have a lot to learn about protecting yourself, baby.”What? His voice had turned serious. It was Beau, damn him! It was too dark in the room to see his expression, but the width of his shoulders and tallness of his shadow warned her who she was up against. She should have known it was too much a coincidence that she’d seen her ex-husband in the audience. Marissa stiffened, feeling cautiously relieved. He was close enough that she could smell the subtle aroma of his aftershave, something appealingly light, and woodsy. Reaching her on a sensual level she remembered only too well. The hands circling her wrists had relaxed somewhat, but his grip was still firm enough to keep her where he wanted her.  “What the hell are you doing here?”Beau chuckled. “That’s not the welcome I was expecting, after the way you came on to me when you were struttin your stuff.” “I don’t know what you’re talking about. Get off me!” She arched her lower body against him in an effort to dislodge him.  He thrust right back, his hard-on hitting her right where it counts.She gasped.  He grunted.It surprised, and disappointed Marissa when she was released. Well, what do I expect? That we’re going to take up where we left off four years ago? It shocked her how fast she was reacting to him. When Beau stepped back she moved away from him and went back to the phone, which she’d dropped to the floor. As she reached for it she could hear a frantic Kirk on the other end.“Marissa! Is everything all right? Marissa! Marissa!” he screamed into the receiver. Marissa brought the phone to her ear, not surprised to see she was trembling from what just happened. Beau had a lot of explaining to do, but not before she calmed Kirk down. “I’m here–““What happened? I thought I heard a scuffle going on. And you screamed.”“Nothing, I’m okay.” All at once a thought came out of nowhere. “Kirk, you never did say what the bodyguard’s name is.” Marissa tried to ignore that Beau was behind her, but darn if her body wasn’t very much aware of his presence. “I didn’t say but it’s Beau Evans. He’s the owner–“Marissa’s mouth turned down. That figured!“So what happened? What was that noise?” “I just fired your bodyguard. He didn’t take it too well.”“What? You can’t fire him. He works for me.”Now it was Marissa’s turn. “What?” Apparently he was serious about her well being, if he forked out his own money. “Kirk, I can take care of–“
page 7 (5/9)

CYBER LAUNCH PARTY!

GOING ON NOW FOLKS! HEAD OVER TO AUTHOR ISLAND FOR A CHANCE TO WIN A DOWNLOAD OF THE MERCENARY WAY .
When a ruthless gem smuggler mistakes Sarah for her best friend Susan, she's kidnapped and stashed on an island. Her only hope of rescue is Susan's cousin Clint -- a soldier-of-fortune whose my-way-or-else attitude is as infuriating as his muscular body is distracting.
Clint, ex-Navy SEAL turned mercenary, desperately needs a vacation. Rescuing a kidnapped woman from an island paradise isn't what he had in mind. And when he encounters Sarah's sassy mouth and tempting ways, he soon realizes he's the one in trouble.

Monday Man Candy

6 Sentence Sunday

from It's All in the Jeans

"Ah, you’ve been with a woman before, haven’t you?" Her finger continued to toy with his erection. "Because if you haven’t, I can show you what to do with this."The crooked grin spreading slowly across his face was sexy as sin, and Libby felt the heat of embarrassment crawl up her neck and span across her cheeks when she realized her mistake. All at once the wolfish look in his eyes was backed up with a predatory gleam, and his intentions became very clear.He was about to make a meal of her.
LINKS TO OTHER PARTICIPATING AUTHORS

Well, chalk this day up to a lazy Saturday. I had grand p...

Well, chalk this day up to a lazy Saturday. I had grand plans of finishing a manuscript. Ate lunch with my daughter and laid down for just a minute. That was 3 hours ago! Guess I needed it. There's always tomorrow.


Here's a brief excerpt from the book I'm hoping to finish this weekend.



Is he playing with me? Sammy wouldn’t put anything past him. She glanced around the room, looking for an alternative escape route. Then decided she was being silly, reading more into the situation than there was. John hadn’t done anything other than question her. He couldn’t possibly know she was horny for him. And if she didn’t stop acting like she was he would guess what her problem was.
She forced a smile on her face. “You can stop acting like a Neanderthal anytime now. I wasn’t running from you, I just ran toward something better.”
His laugh wasn’t what she expected.
“Safe, predictable Pat.”
He moved closer. Sammy took a step back. “Yes,” she agreed. “He never ended up in jail.”
The briefest flicker in his gaze was his only reaction to her comment. He reached forward, touching a loose curl resting against her temple. Sammy’s heart missed a beat. She tried to swallow but her mouth was too dry. The heat of his knuckles against her skin scorched her, igniting a wild fire inside her.
She’d fallen in love and married the good brother, when she’d really wanted the other. But even as young as she’d been at the time, something had warned her that a life with John wouldn’t have amounted to much. He’d lived on the edge.

Why Book Signings Aren't For Me

I've done two book signings in my writing career. One was fairly successful, while the other not so much. But that's not why book signings aren't for me. I'm uncomfortable selling myself. I know I'm selling a product, the book, but I pour so much of myself in my writing that each book is really an extension of me. So in essence, what I'm really trying to sell is myself.

When you do a book signing, you first have to get the attention of the potential buyer. Once you manage to catch their eye you get chatty with them, and that eventually leads to the book on the table in front of you. You hope. You don't want to seem to eager, but you're really chomping at the bit and praying for a sale. How embarrassing would it be to set up a book signing at a local library or book store, and not make one sale? Some authors will hand out little giveaways whether they make a sale or not. There's nothing wrong with that, it's good public relations.

The successful book signing I attended was at the Romantic Times Convention a few years ago when it was held in Orlando, Florida. Friends and family came out to support me, and a few sales were made from strangers who'd either recognized my name online, or liked the book cover. I just couldn't bring myself to plug my books or coerce them into buying one. Now don't get me wrong. I have the gift of gab, and I'm a people person, but something in me freezes when it comes time to talk about my books.

My table partner at the RT Convention was a friendly, out-going author by the name of KyAnn Waters. She was a pro! I watched her strike up a conversation with anyone who came by and she had no problem picking up her book and plugging it. She made it seem so natural. And there was no pressure involved, either. I believe she did fairly well at both book signings. I know it was as much because of her smiling personality as it was her nac for knowing what she wanted to say, and saying it in a way that it didn't sound like she was trying to make a sale.

Another reason book signings aren't for me is because writing is just a hobby for me. I do it for me and that will never change. I'll never sign a contract for work I haven't done. Because once it becomes a job I can't do it. I'm happy just going through life writing when I feel like it, and promoting my work online. There's nothing wrong with that, is there? I don't think so. I'm getting out of it what I want and every little royalty check I receive tickles me.

I learned long ago that book signings aren't for me. Not to say I'll never do another one. If the circumstances were right. If a group of us were to get together and do a signing, just getting together with other authors, and getting to know them, now that would be fun.

Are Men Wearing Glasses Sexy?

I recently put the question out there to all my groups and received a ton of responses. YES, every one said. Especially when they come off. LOL Or, when he gives you that certain look over the rims. So I visualized in my own little mind how that could be considered sexy. And wow! It didn't take long to see what everyone was saying. Sexy? Hell yes! Of course, it helps if the man is sexy without glasses. 


I never gave it a thought before. Back in my day when someone wore glasses they were teased with hurtful comments like, four eyes. They were called geeks and nerds. And back then you didn't want to be seen with anyone wearing glasses. Course, there wasn't the huge variety of glasses to choose from like we have today. 


I did some scouting around for hunks wearing glasses and below is what I came up with. And they're all YUMMY!