Roxanne Rhoads's Blog, page 402

Guest blog and Giveaway Remote by Lisa Acerbo

Marketing MisstepsLisa AcerboI admit it.  I’ve done everything wrong when it comes to marketing. After releasing my fist book, Apocalipstick, I thought it would sell itself.  I had labored long and hard to complete it. Sleepless nights and weeks of revision and editing. Should it not just sell itself?  Well, it did not, and I had to learn about marketing.  I made a few mistakes along the way (okay many mistakes), but now with my second book, Remote, I have a few helpful suggestions.Build a CommunityIt was a beautiful day in April.  Blue sky and eighty degrees.  Unusual weather for so early in the year.  I was stuck inside a library with eleven other authors.  Because of the wonderful weather outside, no one was coming inside to look, let alone buy books.  Instead, the authors mingled and learned about each other.  That day, I gathered information on local writing groups, writing associations, marketing tips, and upcoming events that I never knew existed. While I didn’t sell many books, I walked away with a friends and authors willing to provide support and help me succeed.    Be Prepared for Anything  My first local arts festival could have been a disaster.  Who knew you were responsible for tables and chairs?  My husband and I arrived, my books in hand but with nothing else. The people in the grass next to us, who had obviously been in the business for years and had already set up tent, tables, and display, couldn’t hide their smiles as they explained we were only given the spot.  We needed to supply everything else.  Luckily, the arts festival was in my hometown and my husband and I were able to run home to grab the needed items and set up in time for the opening of the event.  But that day, I learned an important lesson.  Expect the unexpected.  Something is bound to go wrong.  Have a PlanNow that I have been to comic conventions, libraries, books shows and craft shows, I have learned the value of an organized plan.  My books and corresponding paraphernalia reside in artfully arranged boxes, easy to carry and ready to go. I have gifts for children -- stickers for the toddlers and zombie pencils and brain erasers for the older children.  I have handouts and bookmarks for adults as I attempt to draw them in by standing in front of my booth or table.  While I’m naturally shy and promoting my book has been tough, having an established plan of action makes the day much more enjoyable.   



RemoteLisa Acerbo
Genre: Science Fiction, romance
Publisher: Etopia Press
ISBN:  978-1-941692-34-9
Number of pages: 207Word Count: 71,000
Book Description:
When technology fulfills every dream, reality becomes a nightmare.
Below the streets of New State, the undergrounders fight to remain free of the technological control of the world above. Every night, Yara risks her life fighting New State’s deadliest weapons, the drones. Half human and half machine, their living half tortured until everything human is gone, the drones have only one objective. Kill. And they do it with exacting precision.
Yara is good at her job and committed to her raids on New State. Until one of those raids brings her face-to-face with Joshua, a New State citizen who doesn’t quite fit her preconceived expectations. After a couple of awkward encounters, he shows her the meaning of hooking up—a computer simulation that allows people to live out their fantasies—without the complication of emotional entanglements or physical reality. But what Yara feels for Joshua is very real. And it’s punishable by law.
As she and Joshua grow closer, she convinces him to leave New State for her underground cause. But as the unrest between New State and the underground escalates, and the drones move in to destroy her world, nothing goes as planned. Families are arrested, loyalties are strained, and Yara’s forced to choose between her people and her feelings. The wrong choice could mean the end of her people, and reality could slip away—forever...

Available at   Etopia Press     Amazon    BN


Excerpt
“Hi,” he called out. Yara’s heart hammered, and adrenaline coursed through her limbs. She turned to run.         “Wait,” the stranger whispered. “I won’t turn you in. I’m out here too.” He obviously didn’t realize that Yara was a rebel. He might not know it yet, but he would soon. Still, he didn’t sound dangerous. Maybe Yara could take care of him. She had never had to kill anyone totally human, but she had trained to do so. At this point, she didn’t think she would need to. The skinny boy didn’t look like a real threat, either. She turned back toward him and attempted what she hoped was a look of death and destruction. Instead of being scared, he smiled at her and brushed the hair out of his eyes. Even in the shadowy street, Yara could see the color was a beautiful emerald green. She had a hard time looking away, until his voice jarred her back to reality. “I’m Joshua15111,” he said robotically. “What are you doing out here?” “I could ask you the same thing.” “Enjoying the night sky,” he replied, each word clipped and succinct. Unable to make prolonged eye contact, he looked toward the stars. “Aren’t you supposed to be hooked up to an alternate universe, enjoying battle, boobs, or whatever perverted fantasy you want to conquer tonight?” Yara asked, and then instantly regretted her words. “Hey, it’s not like that. You know how it is.” For the first time, his voice took on a more humanistic quality. He sounded peeved. She grunted in response. She didn’t know anything of the sort. Joshua15111 looked at her briefly, quizzically. “Wait, do you know that? Are you one of them? The rebels?” Oh no. “What rebels?” “Are you for real? Everyone knows about the rebels. You must be one. Are you a rebel? That’s so cool.” Me and my big mouth. Fear finally overtook her. Vague ideas about running away from or fighting the stranger flitted by, but Yara’s feet felt like concrete blocks. She wasn’t even sure she’d be able to form a coherent sentence if he asked her something about the underground.



About the Author:
Lisa Acerbo is a high school teacher and holds an EdD in Educational Leadership. She lives in Connecticut with her husband, daughters, three cats, and horse. She is the author of Apocalipstick and has contributed to local newspapers, news and travel blogs including The Patch and Hollywood Scriptwriter.
Twitter @Apocalipstick_
https://www.facebook.com/lisa.acerbo.5

https://www.facebook.com/pages/Remote/700452846707265

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Spotlight and Giveaway Unexpected Eden by Rhenna Morgan

Unexpected EdenEden SeriesRhenna Morgan
Genre: Contemporary Fantasy Romance
Publisher: Kensington/Lyrical Press
Date of Publication: 12/29/2014
ISBN: 978-1-61650-629-2 PrintISBN: 978-1-61650-628-5 ebookASIN: B00NY9OCBM
Number of pages: 259Word Count: 81,411
Cover Artist: Fiona Jayde Media
Book Description:
Most people believe Eden no longer exists. Lexi Merrill’s about to learn they’re wrong. A hard-working bartender with a self-sufficient backbone and a wary nature, she knows pickup lines like a second language. So, when Eryx Shantos barges into her world with too-smooth words and a body to back it up, she locks up her libido and vows to keep her distance.
Eryx has other ideas. As king of the Myren race, Eryx is duty-bound to enforce the laws preventing exposure of their existence to humans. Yet The Fates have led him through his dreams to Lexi, a temptation he doesn’t want to resist. The question—is she Myren, or human - which makes her forbidden fruit?
When Eryx’s nemesis tags Lexi as his next target, Eryx insists on taking her home where he can keep her safe. Lexi had no idea “home” would mean the one-and-only land of creation…or that she’d trigger a prophecy that could doom her newfound race.
Available at   Amazon    BN    Kensington    
Kobo   iTunes   ARe



Excerpt: Lexi high-stepped it down the hall to the room she shared with Eryx. Sconces blazed to life along the walls with each step, Eryx setting them alight with his mind to light her way. Providing what you need.Ugh. Not something she could think about right now. His sure, confident strides sounded behind her. No matter how far ahead she tried to stay, his hunger burned inside her. Stupid gift. Now that she’d somehow uncorked it, she couldn’t get it turned it off—and damned if she wasn’t a raging inferno as a result.She’d thought asking for time would calm his fears. Maybe ease his foot off the throttle a little bit. But oh, no. She’d tugged the lion’s tail, tossed out a slab of meat, and thrown the cage door open wide.The door to their room whipped open and thudded against the wall.She flinched, but kept going. “You don’t need to be so melodramatic.” She’d gone for playful, but ended up sounding like Marilyn Monroe on a heaped-up dose of Spanish Fly. Moving to the dresser, she tugged off her blue leather sandals. “Maybe we can rest later and you can teach me how to move things with my mind instead.”Eryx ripped his tank over his head and tossed it to the floor. Smooth muscles, flexing under tight, tan skin.She closed her gaping mouth. Tugged the lion’s tail indeed.“I thought I’d give you something else.” He stalked her until her back met the wall and caged her with arms on either side of her head. “Something that will feed you instead of drain you.” He ran his nose along the column of her neck and inhaled, slow and deep.Goosebumps prickled along her forearms and her belly fluttered. “I thought you said I needed to rest.”“You need energy. I’m going to give it to you.” He nipped her earlobe then sucked at the same spot. “You said you’ve never known family or love.” His hot breath brushed across her skin and his tongue traced the shell of her ear. “So I’ll give you that too.”A blowtorch, insane, leave-me-here-to-die-in-glory fire blasted from her insides out. Where the hell was her caution? Her worry?“I warned you.” He bit her lower lip and the sting zinged to her nipples. His hands abandoned the wall and caressed her back, her thin cotton tunic a nearly non-existent barrier. “You said you could take anything I threw at you.” He whipped the tunic over her head and the indigo fabric sailed to the floor behind him. “Then you’ll have me.” His gaze lowered to her bare breasts. “All of me.”

About the Author:
Rhenna never thought a weird dream, a bucket list, and an addiction to romance novels would lead her into publishing, but that’s exactly how Unexpected Eden came to life. Okay, there might have been a jillion revisions in there somewhere, and a few points where her family thought she’d lost her ever-lovin’ mind, but pretty much everyone’s accepted that this author thing is chronic.
When she’s not working on the rest of the Eden books or her naughty contemporary romances, you’ll find her chasing two precious little girls, batting eyelashes at her indulgent husband, or driving with the top down and the music up loud. Oh, and “researching” on the internet. Those half-naked men she uses for inspiration don’t download themselves.
She’d love to share her “research” with you too and get to know you a little better in the process. Find her blog, Facebook, Pinterest, and other social media links at www.rhennamorgan.com. Be sure to sign up for her newsletter there too for snippets, upcoming releases, and author news.
If you enjoyed Unexpected Eden, Eryx and Lexi would sure appreciate it if you shared your review at Goodreads, Amazon, or other favorite online bookstore. Lexi would make you a mean cyber-cocktail in exchange if she didn’t have her hands full with Eryx, but rumor has it they haven’t left the royal suite in days.
https://www.facebook.com/RhennaMorgan
https://twitter.com/rhennamorgan (@RhennaMorgan)
http://www.pinterest.com/rhennamorgan/
https://www.goodreads.com/Rhenna
https://plus.google.com/+RhennaMorgan
http://rhennamorgan.tumblr.com

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Ending 2014 with a Guest Blog and Giveaway Deadly, Calm and Cold by Susannah Sandlin

Authors vs. Characters—New Year’s Resolutions
Susannah Sandlin
Every year, my agent asks her authors to do a business plan for the coming year, with long-range projections for three and five years down the road. Assess the past year. Make plans. Dream realistically but dream big.
In working on my plan for 2015, I realized that my resolutions, if you will, are very much in line with those of my characters. I’ll share a few:
* In the world of The Collectors, book two, DEADLY, CALM, AND COLD, saw the ranks of the C7, a group of seven amoral, greedy collectors, suffer a war of attrition. The C4 aren’t nearly as strong, so the New Year’s Resolution for this nasty bunch of artifact collectors: find some new villains to join their ranks, preferably as nasty as the ones they lost.
* In the world of The Penton Legacy, master vampire Aidan Murphy was left in a world of hurt when book four, ALLEGIANCE, ended. His mate Krys was in a vampire version of a coma as he pulled energy from her (unwillingly) to heal himself. He’s bitter and angry and on the warpath. Aidan’s goal for 2015 is to settle things down in Penton or start an all-out fight. One of his lieutenants, Will Ludlam, was left with a permanent leg injury even his vampire genes couldn’t heal, and now he can’t fight against the Tribunal. How will he cope? And is he really as immune to the murder of his father as he professes? Will, in 2015, has to come to terms with his new realities.
And what about Robin and Cage, who hit the road in search of the traitor Fen Patrick? Their goal is to find and destroy him, or use him to trap his big bad boss, Frank.
Finally, what’s a Penton book without a hero? And who’d make a better one than our Army Ranger psychic, Nikolas Dimetrou? Nik thinks he might have found a home in Penton, but now that Penton is in danger of fracturing, his New Year’s Resolution is to find a way to hold it together—maybe with the help of an 11-year-old vampire named Hannah (no, get your minds out of the gutters, she is NOT a romantic partner!!).
* There are a lot of New Year’s Resolutions being made among the cast and crew of the Sentinels of New Orleans series (written as Suzanne Johnson), where DJ just wants a nice, normal Christmas—because God knows that, in ELYSIAN FIELDS, she didn’t have a nice, normal Thanksgiving. Her New Year’s Resolutions? To settle into a groove in her relationship with Alex; to figure out exactly where Jean Lafitte fits into her life; to keep her bond-mate-in-name-only Quince Randolph as far away as possible, and to enjoy spending time with her BFFs Eugenie and Rene. Oh, and peace on earth and good will to all preternaturals.
               My New Year’s Resolution? Sorry, DJ, but none of those things are gonna happen for you in 2015, when PIRATE’S ALLEY comes out in April. You might want to go ahead and consider those long-range goals because your 2015 is going to suck.
There are other characters, those my readers haven’t yet met, who have their own goals. They sit in my brain or in my idea file, clamoring for attention. Who will reach their goals in 2015?
               --Josie, the newly minted veterinarian who loses a poker game bet and ends up having to return to her small Southern town to practice at The Animal House. Will Josie get the heck out of Winston County, Alabama, and find happiness treating citified poodles?
               --BP, a criminal from an alien civilization sent to earth as his punishment, but whose memory modifications failed. Will BP be able to survive on earth knowing he isn’t human, or will he make himself a target? And are their other “glitches” like him wandering the streets of Chicago? His goal is to find out and to get home…or get revenge.
               --Cross, a New Orleans criminology professor whose grad students have formed a secret Cold Case Club to solve a 30-year-old murder that took place during a voodoo ceremony at Pontchartrain Beach…and get in over their heads. Cross just wants his “kids,” as he calls them, to survive.

So what are your resolutions? And which characters do you want to see get theirs met?





Deadly, Calm and ColdThe CollectorsBook 2Susannah Sandlin
Genre: Romantic Suspense
Publisher: Montlake Romance
Date of Publication: December 2, 2014
ISBN: 978-1477826812ASIN: B00LF7ONEG
Number of pages: 280Word Count: Approx 88,000
Cover Artist: Kerrie Robertson/
Book Description:
From award-winning author Susannah Sandlin comes the second book in The Collectors series.
How far will ordinary people go to protect their secrets? The Collectors’ games are as much about manipulating lives as finding lost treasure. Everyone is expendable as the ruthless C7 pushes people into gambling with their lives in order to find priceless objects lost to history.
Samantha Crowe's secrets could ruin her career, while Brody Parker's could get him killed. They become pawns for two Collectors seeking Bad King John's crown jewels, which disappeared in rural England back when Robin Hood roamed Nottingham.
This time, however, the Collectors--a ruthless dotcom billionaire and a desperate London detective--might not be playing for the same team, leaving Sam and Brody trapped in the middle.
One thing's for sure: If either hope to survive, Sam and Brody will have to find a way to overcome their distrust--and their growing attraction--in order to succeed on this winner-take-all treasure hunt.
Available at Amazon  BN  Book Depository
Excerpt: Samantha hadn’t intended to watch Brody Parker take a shower, only to peek in the window to see if he was in the bathroom so he could let her in the house.But damn, that man was sexy. He was facing her, his head thrown back and eyes closed as the water cascaded over every ridge and muscle and . . . everything. She had to look, right? She might have taken a vow of celibacy but she hadn’t taken a vow of blindness.You’re an absolutely pathetic loser, Sam’s inner nag said, and she agreed. Anyone who’d stand in the middle of a monsoon and ogle a man in his shower should have LOSER stamped on her forehead.As soon as Brody stepped out of the water and saw her, his mouth and eyes battling for which could open the widest in shock, she stepped away from the window and splashed her way around the corner, returning to the back door. And yeah, giggled a little, the laughter bubbling up and spilling out before she could get it under control. She hadn’t laughed much in the last couple of days.She’d never been quite so wet and cold in her life. The wind had picked up, stabbing horizontal blades of rain into her face as she waited at the back door. For a few seconds, she wondered if he might leave her out here, but then the door opened and he stood there with a white towel slung loosely around his hips, which would have been sexy as hell except for the black T-shirt he’d pulled on. Droplets of water dripped from his black wavy hair onto his shoulders, getting said T-shirt wet.“Nice fashion statement.” She gave him her best lopsided smile as he moved aside to let her in. “You’re shy about going without a shirt? You have man boobs, don’t you?” Which would be a crime against nature.“I certainly do not.” Looking offended, Brody pulled the T-shirt up, exposing a rock-hard set of damp abs and nice, firm pecs without a trace of man boob. He jerked the shirt back down before she started salivating, which was good, given her celibacy and all.“Why were you leering in my bathroom window?” He cocked his head. “Are you stalking me? How long had you been watching?”Not nearly long enough. “Just a few seconds. I knocked on the door earlier and you didn’t answer.”He glanced out the door, where the rain almost obscured the garage. “Where’s your car?”“Ah, that’s the real story. Do you have a fire lit?”Brody closed the door, shutting out the hiss of rain hitting the slate courtyard. “Not yet. I was going to do it as soon as I showered. Give me a minute to get dressed.” He made no attempt to leave, though, but instead treated her to a head-to-toe visual inspection that she could swear grew a little heated when his gaze landed on where her soaked, thin sweater clung to her breasts.Her nipples perked up just to make sure he could see them, the traitors. They didn’t want her to be celibate. They wanted to be touched and licked and nibbled on, even if the attention came at the lips and tongue and teeth of the man who’d deliberately punctured her tire.






About the Author:
Susannah Sandlin writes paranormal romance and romantic thrillers from Auburn, Alabama, on top of a career in educational publishing that has thus far spanned five states and six universities—including both Alabama and Auburn, which makes her bilingual.
She grew up in Winfield, Alabama, but was also a longtime resident of New Orleans, so she has a highly refined sense of the absurd and an ingrained love of SEC football, cheap Mardi Gras trinkets, and fried gator on a stick. She’s the author of the award-winning Penton Legacy paranormal romance series, a spinoff novel, Storm Force, a standalone novelette, Chenoire, and a new romantic thriller series, The Collectors, beginning with Lovely, Dark, and Deep.
Writing as Suzanne Johnson, she also is the author of the Sentinels of New Orleans urban fantasy series.

Website: http://www.suzannejohnsonauthor.com
Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/SusannahSandlin
FB: http://www.facebook.com/AuthorSuzanneJohnson
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Bear and Bear Alike by Marie Mason

Bear and Bear AlikeBlackwood BrothersBook ThreeMarie Mason
Genre: paranormal, romantic erotica,bbw romance, werewolves, shifters
Date of Publication: November 17, 2014
Word Count: 70,000
Book Description:
Ryland and Ryker Blackwood were twins. Identical, thigh clenching bear shifter twins who had no trouble getting women into their beds. Or bed. They’d shared just about everything in life, even women.
The scent of the cat shifter they found on their construction site was driving both Blackwood brothers crazy with lust. Or was it? Every time they thought they were getting closer to finding the woman who would be their mate, one of their bears backed away. The hot and cold feeling they were getting from their animals was confusing the shit out of them.
Was the cat shifter meant for one of them or both of them?

The bar was filled mostly with men who had come here to drink and forget their troubles. Or their wives. Watching one of the customers reach out and grab the ass of a waitress as she walked by, Ryker gave off a little growl. He might like to fuck women, but he never disrespected them. The crowd parted for him. Even though that had not been his intention, both he and Ryland took full advantage of the fact and headed toward the bar.
Before they could reach it, he stopped dead in his tracks, the scent of oranges pulling at him. If Ryland hadn’t been paying attention, he would have plowed into him and sent them both the floor. “Fuck.”
The scent of the cat shifter was playing the same tricks it had on the construction site. Outside, her scent had been strong, overwhelming him. Now, it had faded again.
But he could still follow it.
He jerked his head, pointing Ryland in the right direction.
Their mate was the curvy woman leaning over the bar wearing a low-cut blouse and a skirt short enough to show everyone everything should she bend over.
Oh, fuck no, Ryker thought as he pushed his way through the crowd that had yet to sense the predator among them and get out of the way. There was no way in hell his mate was going to wear that skimpy little outfit. Or work in a bar filled with shifters and humans just waiting to grab a piece of her fine-looking ass.
Fuck no.
He didn’t even take time to memorize her features. He had a vague impression of coal black hair and a creamy, pale complexion.
He gave a little roar and the path completely cleared for him. The males threw him an uneasy look and the women gave him I’ve-got-just-what-you-need smiles. He didn’t bother to return any of the silent invitations, his attention focused solely on the woman as she got her drink order and turned to walk away. She lifted the heavy tray above the swaying bodies as she made her way around the dance floor to the tables in back. He quickened his steps dimly aware that Ryland was on his six.
As she moved, the air drifted back to him, filled with her scent. Oh, there was no doubt this luscious bundle of curves was his. He shook his head to clear away the possessive though. Theirs. She was theirs.

Her ass swayed as she walked and it was all he could do not to crush the heads of the men who ogled her as she walked by. She was definitely giving off the mate vibe—his bear and c*** had both roared to attention the moment he’d caught sight of her.
About the Author:
Marie Mason has loved writing and reading her whole life. Everyone knows when you start to hear voices in your head, you’er destined to be admitted to the nearest mental ward—or become a writer. Marie decided to become writer instead of waiting for the men in white coats to come carry her away.  She loves books about alpha males and especially alpha males who just happened to be a demon, wolf or a bear.
https://www.facebook.com/marie.mason.395017
https://twitter.com/mariemasonwrite
https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/7128723.Marie_Mason

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December 8 Guest blogRamblings From A Chaotic Mind   http://nikkibrandyberry.wordpress.com/
December 9 Character InterviewEclipse Reviewswww.totaleclipsreviews.blogspot.com
December 10 Guest blogErotica For All http://eroticaforall.co.uk
December 11 SpotlightHouston Havens  http://houstonhavens.wordpress.com
December 12 InterviewAuthor Karen Swartwww.authorkarenswart.blogspot.com
December 18 InterviewDeal Sharing Auntwww.dealsharingaunt.blogspot.com
December 19 SpotlightBooklover Sue http://bookloversue.blogspot.com
December 19 ReviewSnarky Mom Reads…http://www.snarkymomreads.com
December 22 Guest blogAnya Breton Author's Bloghttp://blog.anyabreton.com
December 23 SpotlightSapphyria's Steamy Book Reviewshttp://saphssteamybooks.blogspot.com/
December 26 ReviewMusings From An Addicted Readerhttp://musingsfromanaddictedreader.blogspot.com/
December 29 SpotlightAll I Want and More Books  https://alliwantandmorebooks.wordpress.com/
December 29 Spotlight Share My Destinyhttp://sharemydestiny.blogspot.com
December 30 ReviewParanormal Romance and Authors That Rockwww.pratr.wordpress.com
December 31 SpotlightFang-tastic Bookswww.fang-tasticbooks.blogspot.com
January 1 ReviewFang Freakin' Tastic Reviewshttp://fangfreakintasticreviews.com
January 2 ReviewBuffy's Ramblingshttp://buffy-kennedy.blogspot.com/
January 5 Interview    Kay Dee Royalhttp://www.kaydeeroyal.blogspot.com

Tamar Rising by Tanith Davenport

Tamar RisingTanith Davenport
Genre: Paranormal erotic romance
Publisher: Totally Bound
ISBN: 9781784303389
Number of pages: 64Word Count: 15031
Cover Artist: Posh Gosh
Book Description:
Sequel to I Heard Your Voice
Tamar Steele’s star is on the rise. Her relationship with boyfriend Jason Bray is blossoming, as is her bond with her spirit guide, the ghost of Jason’s brother Matt, who has been training her in mediumship. And, newly installed as the medium for her crew of paranormal investigators, she is already receiving press attention, which brings her to the notice of Scare Seekers – a paranormal entertainment show keen to film an episode with Tamar’s team.
But when teammate Hana is violently possessed, filming is thrown into disarray. The dark spirit seems to disappear at first, but when a frenzied Hana attacks Tamar on the drive home, Tamar realises that her mediumistic abilities may not be strong enough to fight the demon.
Until one day Tamar discovers her powers are increased by having sex on haunted ground, and finds that maybe she and Jason can save Hana, their team’s reputation, and themselves…

Available at Totally Bound


Excerpt: God, he was good at this. She could already feel relaxation flowing through her body, followed by tingles of excitement as his tongue went to work, tormenting every sensitive spot. Her pleasure mounted, spiralling in her gut as she pushed her hips forward, aching for more movement, harder, faster, but Jason was still goingslowly and her breath raced in anticipation of the climax to come.Tamar moaned, lacing her fingers into Jason’s hair as he pressed soft kisses to her pussy, alternating with tender licks until she could barely stand it. Jason slid his fingers inside her, grazing her sweet spot over and over again— “Jason!”Jason’s lips tightened around her clit, sucking, and Tamar threw back her head and screamed as the pleasure hit her.Through the waves of ecstasy, she heard a loud pop from above her, followed by a sprinkling sensation on her skin.“What the fuck?” she heard Jason say, and Tamar opened her eyes. Her chest and stomach were covered with shards of glass. Jason was sitting back on his ankles, staring up in irritated confusion as he brushed fragments out of his hair.At least, it looked like he was. The room was in almost complete darkness, broken only by the bedside lamp and the street light outside the window.“Did the light bulb blow?”“I think it shattered.” “Jesus.”Together they got off the bed to sweep up the pieces of broken bulb, Tamar shaking her head in bemusement.Now that had never happened before.What did that mean?
About the Author:
Tanith Davenport began writing erotica at the age of 27 by way of the Romantic Novelists' Association New Writers' Scheme. Her debut novel "The Hand He Dealt" was released by Total-e-Bound in June 2011 and was shortlisted for the Joan Hessayon Award for 2012.
Tanith has had short stories published by Naughty Nights Press and House of Erotica. She loves to travel and dreams of one day taking a driving tour of the United States, preferably in a classic 1950s pink Cadillac Eldorado.
Tanith's idea of heaven is an Indian head massage with a Mojito at her side.
www.tanithdavenport.com
www.facebook.com/TanithDavenport
www.twitter.com/TanithDavenport

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Guest Blog: The Witch Within by Jacqueline Paige

Being as it’s that time of year again, when the calendar year is almost at an end I’m going to talk about my New Year’s resolutions … or maybe we’ll just call them my to-do list.  J
I would like to finish all of my present projects … without dropping from exhaustion or going insane (although it might be too late for that last one).
In progress Trilogies and Series I have going right now are:
The Animal Trilogy – book 2 – Scent is in the process of edits and will be released by Eternal Press in the near future.  I loved writing my tiger shifters and can’t wait to get started on the third book in the Trilogy – Passion.  Big black kitties are the main characters in this story.  So in this trilogy I’ve covered wolf-shifter, tiger-shifters and panthers.  Of course more will come from some of the other characters but hopefully they can wait until late 2015 before they start bugging me.
The Ancestor’s Enchantment Trilogy – Book 1 The Witch Within is out at Eternal Press.  Book 2 and 3 are in queue to be written  Magic Descends and The Final Circle.  If the characters cooperate both of these should be finished by the end of 2015 – and the second one published.  (fingers crossed)
After the Silence – the first volume (Bree) was brought out in four novella’s throughout 2014 and the full volume will be out in January from First Realm Publishing.  At this point the first part of Volume 2 (Kane) is out and the second part I believe will be out in February or March. I am presently working on the rest of this volume between edits so it can be released whenever the schedule allows.  
There are plans for a third volume – but not in 2015 unless the readers demand it (very loudly). 
Café Serenity is a single story (I hope) and is coming out in February from Class Act Books – I’m presently finishing up the edits for this as we speak.
In my New Adult Genre The first book in the Alterealm Series is out at First Realm Publishing – The Huntress.  The second story is in the planning process and as yet unnamed but will also be out in 2015.
That’s it – all I have planned for 2015 … and I’m exhausted just thinking about it!
Happy New Years everyone!  J



The Witch WithinAncestor’s Enchantment TrilogyJacqueline Paige
Genre: Paranormal Romance
Publisher: Eternal Press
Date of Publication: December 1 2014
ISBN: 978-1-62929-185-7
Number of pages: 165Word Count: 59,000
Cover Artist: Amanda Kelsey
Book Description:
Magic locked up long ago for the safety of all awakens in modern society where bad intentions are on every street corner.
Three women unaware of the power their ancestors passed onto them is the only thing that stands between the dark magic that lays in wait.
Available at AmazonPrologue 
The sun was long past setting as the six gathered deep in the darkness and began moving through the trees.  Their only light was that of the luminescent moon at its fullest.  The youngest of the six led the way, she may have been the least in years, yet the others knew she was the one that held all the strength.  In her wake, each would turn and check their trail to be certain no one followed.  If their parents were ever to know, it would be the end of them all.  The power and gifts they held secret had been discovered quite by accident a few years before, since that time they had honed their great skills of true magic.Eden quickly caught up to her sister at the front, a sister of choice and not from blood.  Ducking her head, she whispered as close to Alana’s ear as she possibly could.  “Do you know of the reason for the summoning?”Alana shook her pitch black hair back from her face.  “I do not.”  She turned towards the lake and increased the pace of her step.  Peering back over her shoulder, she gauged the others closeness and then spoke as soft as a breeze.  “A dark feeling has filled me for many days past, I fear it is not for good reasons we gather on this autumnal night.”  She patted the bundle she carried from cord at her side.  “We must be wary and prepared.”Eden inhaled sharply and dropped back a pace.  “I shall caution Bridget.”  Alana only lifted her face to the moons rays and continued on.  Turning to look quickly at the three that walked a ways behind, heads close together, she turned and gave Bridget a stare to bring her to hasten her movement forward.  As soon as she was within hearing, she whispered to the ground.  “Alana has dark feelings – yet again.”Bridget sighed quite loudly.  “I have been a feared of such since two days past, she walks about with that crease on her brow and my guts supposed it were to be brusquely that our scheme was at hand.”Eden nodded, but daren’t say more for fear of the others overhearing.Once reaching the lake, the six spread out the distance between their bodies, in habit a circle was formed.  Alana set her bundle upon the ground at her feet and turned to the eldest among them.  “Having done as you stated, not one of us have uttered a query for this assembly you have called, Ella.”  She looked around at her sisters of her choosing to see their rapt attention on the one she spoke to.  “Do end our curiosity, sister and share the meaning if you please.”  She kept her focus on the crimson haired sister, watching for a sign she prayed would not be revealed. Ella flipped her long locks back as she let her eyes move over each girl present.  The last she looked upon was Alana, as she knew to be common with her.“It is my right to call each of you – as only sisters of our circle apt to do.”  Lenora and Jane were the only of the five that agreed readily.  “The year is now one thousand, six hundred eighty- five. It has been five years past, since the night we found our way to one another, as we are.  I have a wish to ensure the threats to our very lives are secure and to behold a power that we six are deserving of.”Alana shook her head when Eden inhaled raggedly.  “Sister, Ella, have we not spoke of this to the point of tiring? The hunts have ceased, no more shall be accused nor sought.  We are here, each one of us safe.”  She chanced a glance at the others and found the group was as she knew it to be, split in two groups of three.  “Not once during the trials and fearsome times did even one come to think of us as a sort of betrayer to the word...”  “Alana, child, you are what now? Ten and three years?”  Ella smiled in that maddening way she had.  “I, having five further years on yours can feel it in my bones, these outrageous happenings are not at a cease and we are very much in need of ensuring it does not come to pass again.”Alana dropped her head down and let her black hair cover her face whilst she sought out the vibrations of the others dear to her heart.  Lifting her face she beheld the moon hanging over the lake.  “We are but children, Ella.  As god fearing as any that step in the arch of our church, we have nothing to fear.”“We have everything to fear!”  Ella’s voice rose through the silence of the night.  “I shall be a betrothed woman in short time and then what will become of me when my husband discovers what I am?”Eden replied before Alana had the chance.  “I am certain William will be ignorant in your habits, sister.  How would he ever find a clue unless you told him you are a witch of magicks.”Lenora stepped forward and shook her head.  “In less than the years we have been together, each of us shall be wives – then what shall we ever do?”“I agree.”  Jane said quietly.  “In one year’s time I too will be set to marry.”Bridget lifted her head and glared at Jane.  “Whoever shall marry you shall get what he has coming to him.”Tiring from the words they had all said to her many times before, Alana raised her hands in the air and sent a gust of wind through the circle.  “I cannot bear to hear this again, sisters.”  She turned and watched as Ella and Jane nodded to one another.  “I am not taking part in your scheme of evil darkness.”Ella snorted in an unpleasant manner.  “You would break your word to each present here?”Alana took a step back, bringing her close to the water’s edge.  “I would not.”  Her eyes quickly met that of Eden and Bridget before she finished.  “I would choose to revoke all I that I have been given than do unjust things to others that cannot defend themselves from your dark ways.”Lenora gasped.  “You would not...”Alana raised her hands.  “I would exactly.”Jane stepped in front of Ella.  “For you to revoke your gifts, would you not be obliged to take all of ours?”Alana shrugged.  “Mayhap it will take all no one can be certain.”Ella shoved Jane out of her way.  “You would not dare to try, young sister...”Eden bent down at Alana’s feet and opened the bundle.  Alana opened her hands in front of her and bit her lip to stop from hissing as her sister placed a small score on each of her palms.  Keeping her focus on the three opposed, she prayed they could not see.  When Eden straightened and walked past Bridget, she knew the task was complete.Alana clasped a hand each of Eden and Bridget and raised their arms; the blood from the shallow scores upon their hands mixed and brought to her a heat of power that only she could have born.“Sister, Eden, stop them!”  Lenora cried.Alana closed her eyes and felt the winds circle her with recognition.  Beneath her feet the ground quivered, waiting for her to speak to it.  As she opened her eyes and focused on the three sisters she did not now touch, she felt the spray from the water at her back cover her in small droplets.  “I cannot be part of something that goes against all that I feel to be right, sisters.”  Tilting her head she looked at Jane.  “Join us in protecting what is just.”Jane’s eyes widened and for the briefness of a heartbeat, Alana thought there was a small chance she might agree, but she shook her head and stepped beside Ella.  Woefulness filled her insides, even though she knew the outcome days before, her heart begged her to attempt. “Lenora?”  Once more she waited even though she knew another sister was lost to her.  Lenora backed further away and looked at the sand under her feet. “So shall it be,” Alana whispered.Inhaling slowly she raised her eyes to the moon whose rays bound her to the sky above.  “I call ...”“Wait!”  Ella’s voice was filled with panic.  “We can speak more of this and draw an end that pleases each one of us together.”The fear jolted into her from the hands she held.  Without looking at Ella, she sought to feel what was in her soul.  Pain enveloped her heart as the truth coursed into her.  “Why speak of falseness, eldest sister?  I know what lurks in your heart and I must protect the innocent you wish to cause sufferance to.”Raising her hands higher she spoke to the night. “I call upon the night and all of her energy, come to me and abet me with this, my last task.”  The winds swirled coloured leaves around her, she smiled and let the magic wash over, feeling the warm welcome of it just once more.  Lightening streaked through the clear sky above, she inhaled the power. “I seek to bind this three and three from doing any harm.”  A circle of flames burst around them, flicking as long tongues of three feet high, blocking the outside from entering and the six from leaving.  “I send for safe keeping all that we have, the gifts that you gave, to our furthest ancestors to keep within until there is a dire need of them.”A stinging traveled along her flesh as the energies gathered, waiting for her leave go of.  “When a time comes that this three and three be together once more, awaken and come again...”  So much power was collecting inside her she had no choice but to cry a single tear, knowing that this was the last time she would feel it in this body.  “Collect inside the generations and carry us forward to a time long from now.”  She could hear crying, but was not to take a chance to see which sister or sisters it came from. “Select the one that bear good will and hold an honest heart and make her remember.  Remember the times of this six and behold the gifts we pass to her.”  A clap of thunder sounded across the sky, its cry echoing over the lake until it faded back into the night.  “I thank you from deep within and now set you free...”  A strong tunnel of wind gust through the circle, stealing any more she had to speak.  Opening her eyes wider she watched as each sister dropped to the ground, leaving her the last one standing.  A burning washed over her, pulling at her until she thought she could bear it no longer, and then it was gone. Emptiness filled her as the flames swallowed into the ground.  Behind her the water was now lying calmly as it had been when they had arrived. The earth was now silent, as it had been. The rays of the moon seemed no more than a light in the darkness, without power and purpose.A draining feeling passed through her, causing her legs to weaken under her until she dropped onto the sand and panted to seek to breathe once again.  Looking around, the others didn’t move, they just lay where they had fallen without a word.  When she glanced upon Ella, the hatred was clearly on her face.“I will have vengeance.”  Ella hissed at her.Alana rolled onto her back and looked at the sky, feeling like nothing more than a child again.  “You may seek to strive for such.”  She answered softly.  “My will shall fall to my kin far from now and we shall see if you find triumph.”  To feel nothing but commonness once more—it was wondrous to feel.
Was she floating?  See seemed weightless enough to be.  Squeezing her eyes shut, she counted to ten before opening them again.Hovering above a lake, she could see her own shadow cast on the water from the moon above her.A dream, it had to be a dream.  The last time she checked none of her life skills involved floating.Glancing around, she didn’t recognize the area below her. People were walking through trees, or maybe those were just children...Where was she?A void feeling came over her, like she was fading... What was that ringing noise?Bolting up, Teegan looked around to realize she was in her own living room. 
About the Author:
Jacqueline Paige lives in Ontario in a small town that's part of the popular Georgian Triangle area.  No one has ever heard of Stayner, so she usually tells people she lives near Collingwood and no, she doesn't ski at Blue Mountain or at all, in fact she's not even fond of snow.
She began her writing career in 2006 and since her first published works in 2009 she hasn't stopped.  Jacqueline describes her writing as all things paranormal, which she has proven is her niche with stories of witches, ghosts, physics and shifters now on the shelves.
When Jacqueline isn't working at her reality job or lost in her writing she spends time with her five children, most of whom are finally able to look after her instead of the other way around.  Together they do random road trips, that usually end up with them lost,  shopping trips where they push every button in the toy aisle, hiking when there's enough time to escape and bizarre things like creating new daring recipes in the kitchen. She's a grandmother to five (so far) and looks forward to corrupting many more in the years to come.
https://www.facebook.com/authorjacquelinepaige
@JacqPaige
https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/3080517.Jacqueline_Paige
http://jacquelinepaige.com/
http://jacqpaige.blogspot.ca/
http://www.amazon.com/Jacqueline-Paige/e/B003LDHJAW/

Online Mating by Evelyn Jules

Online MatingEvelyn Jules
Genre: Erotic Romance
Publisher: SilkWords
Date of Publication:  December 27, 2014     
ISBN:  978-1-941847-34-3ASIN:
Word Count:  Reader-vote story
Cover Artist: Indie Designz
Book Description: 
After joining a sexual compatibility site, Sydney finds herself at a coffee shop awaiting her first date.
When bachelor number one makes a bizarre and slightly alarming entrance, will she stick to Plan A or choose the sympathetic stranger?

Excerpt:


Sydney giggled at the absurd man in blue jeans and clown make-up. She had to admit, he had a nice little wiggle to his walk. Maybe he was a wannabe Wiggle. Despite all his quirks, one thing was undeniable: Charlie was a good guy. If she could get past the make-up and the alarming amount of energy, he could even be the guy. Plus, all that energy could be put to excellent use.            Her fingers beat out a steady rhythm against the tabletop. She’d always had an ear for music, but ever since her first piano lesson it was nearly impossible to keep her hands still, especially when she was anxious. She eyed the other patrons in the coffee shop, anyone and everyone but the man sitting at the table next to hers.            “You going for it?”            The little voice in her head flat-out forbid her to do so, but she was stubborn and prone to curiosity. Once more she turned in his direction. “Excuse me?”            “You and John Wayne. The hook-up.”            She took a sip of her drink. “Eavesdrop much?”             “You can’t really blame a guy. I mean, when you see a gorgeous woman sitting at a table with a clown, you kind of want to know the whole sordid story.”             She grinned as she lowered her mug. “It’s not so sordid...yet.”            He took a drink from his own mug then folded his hands on the table. Dark, penetrating eyes fixed on her. “I think you’re going about this...hooking up thing all wrong.”            “Is that so?”             “For starters, you shouldn’t dress so well for the first meeting.”            She glanced down at the summer dress she wore and the cute, strappy heels. “No?”             “Don’t flirt. Don’t smile. And whatever you do, don’t look at him with those eyes of yours.”            Those very eyes lifted to his in a hurry, sparkling with awareness. “If I didn’t know better, I’d think you were trying to sabotage my…date.”
            “That’s exactly what I’m doing.” A slow smile followed his words.
About the Author:
Hailing from the Great White North, Evelyn Jules loves curling up on the couch with a hot toddy and a steamy book. Nothing warms a girl up faster than a little hanky-panky. When she’s not reading deliciously erotic tales, she’s weaving her own in hopes of warming her readers’ hearts and other parts!
Blog: http://evelynjules.blogspot.ca/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/EvelynJules
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/EvelynJules


Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/photo/author/6440468.Evelyn_Jules
Amazon page: http://www.amazon.com/Evelyn-Jules/e/B008QP0PPG/

a Rafflecopter giveaway










SilkWords is the go-to source for interactive romance and erotic fiction.
With gorgeous custom covers and a clean, sophisticated design, the SilkWords site offers a secure, upscale reading environment. In addition to content on their web site, they offer stories for purchase in the standard e-book formats.
SilkWords is owned and operated by a full-time mom with a background in genetics and an RWA RITA-nominated, multi-published sci-fi romance author.
Their technology guy and site designer was the founder of Microsoft Xbox Live.
SilkWords features two formats that allow readers to choose how the stories will proceed.
Pick Your Path:
Will she or won't she? With which man (or woman) in which location? With Pick Your Path romance, you decide. Romance and branched fiction are made for each other, like picking your favorite flavor of ice cream...positions, partners, and paraphernalia, oh my!
Reader Vote:
Readers vote at choice points and decide how the story will continue. These stories are a great way for readers and authors to connect. It’s exciting to be part of a developing story!
https://www.silkwords.com/

Guest Blog and Giveaway with Donna Butler

Blue collar guys love strippers. Horny frat boys and CEOs love strippers. Tony Soprano and his crew loved strippers, and everybody knows rappers love strippers. T-Pain said it like this: Got the body of a goddess/Got eyes butter pecan brown/ I see you girl/Droppin low, she comin down from the ceiling to tha flo. And Wyclef Jean defended dancers everywhere when he said Just 'cause she dances go-go, it don't make her a ho, no. 
The truth is, we ladies love strippers too. We take pole dancing classes and buy sexy lingerie because we want to be just as sexy. We want to arch our own backs, roll our own hips, and wrap our own bodies around a pole like a snake to make our men drool. But to many of us, the actual workings of a strip club are a mystery. I’ve seen burlesque shows and I saw the film, Magic Mike, but I was somewhat in the dark about what actually happens in strip clubs. And I’ve always wondered what it was like to be a stripper.
To answer my first question, I spoke to a female friend who frequents strip clubs. In her experience, dancers pull out all the stops when they give another woman a lap dance. Maybe they enjoy the opportunity to change it up, since female patrons are in the minority. Maybe they’re just into girls. Or most likely, they love the chance to be the aggressor, to shock and arouse a soft, yielding subject. Either way, as a woman, you’ll be allowed greater freedom to “touch”. In fact, female customers are often encouraged to touch and reciprocate. According to my friend, you might be treated to a vibration kiss, also known as a motorboat.
If you’re afraid to participate or simply can’t handle a lap dance, just kick back and savor the artistry of a brilliant dancer. The female body is a marvelous creation of symmetry and curves. Enjoy it, if only as a remarkable work of art. And remember, that fun fantasy at the club acts as foreplay to keep things hot when you and your partner get home.
After chatting with my friend, I got the chance to speak to an actual stripper and ask her the questions I was dying to have answered. To protect her identity, I’ll refer to her as “Sweet Thing.” However, I can reveal that she is gorgeous and funny and a talented dancer with the trophies to prove it.
Ms. Butler : So how long have you been dancing and where have you danced?
Sweet Thing : I’ve been dancing for about nine years. I’ve danced in Kansas, Missouri, New Mexico, Oklahoma, Texas, Florida, Georgia.
Ms. Butler : Is there one state that’s your favorite place to dance?
Sweet Thing :  Definitely Texas. Texans are the nicest. You know how they say everything is bigger in Texas? Well, they’re the friendliest. The biggest tippers. They really want to look after you well. I was dancing at a club down there and all the men reminded me of George Bush. The kind of men he’d hang out with. I wouldn’t have been surprised to have seen him in there. The customers were the same kind of rich, oil men. They know how to make a dancer feel appreciated.
Ms. Butler : What are the worst places to dance?
Sweet Thing :  For me, Atlanta is hard because in the clubs I was trying to dance in, they prefer large, 200 to 300 pound women. They want to see all of that fat jiggling. At my size, I didn’t stand a chance. Another place I didn’t like was St. Louis. There’s a lot of nasty clubs there. Some of them are really dirty. There are shootouts and people hanging out in the parking lot all the time. I’ve heard of places where there’s an “Anything Goes” room. Customers can do whatever the dancer agrees to and the bouncers look the other way. They pay around $100 for a customer to go back there.
Ms. Butler :  Anything goes, huh? Is there a limit on the number of people who can go in there?
Sweet Thing :  No. To my knowledge, as many people as the room can fit, as long as they pay.
Ms. Butler :  I can imagine things getting pretty crazy in a situation like that. I think most people assume there’s drama between dancers at some point. What causes dancers to fight?
Sweet Thing :  Some dancers will steal anything- your makeup, your phone, electronics, whatever. They’ll steal your clothes, your underwear.  Or they fight over customers. The older dancers tend to get jealous of the younger ones. The older ones have long-time customers and they don’t want some younger dancer going behind her back and stealing a customer. Like, you could go pee and come back and find some other dancer with your customer. So that can cause fights, because if he’s generous and likes to spend a lot of time and money on a girl, that can be hundreds of dollars taken from you.  If the customers start fighting or acting stupid, it’s because they’re drunk.
Ms. Butler :  What are some of the more unusual requests dancers get?
Sweet Thing :  Some want what’s called the “Girlfriend Experience”. Basically they want you to pretend to be their girlfriend for the night. They want you to walk around the club with them, holding hands. They’ll pay between $30 to $500 depending on the club. Then you’ve got the guys who want you to hit them in the balls.
Ms. Butler :  Ouch! Seriously?
Sweet Thing :  Yes. They want you to hit them or kick them in the balls. They want to be punched and bitten and smacked around.  Some guys are referred to as “shakers”. When you’re giving them a lap dance, they grab hold of your love handles and just shake the hell out of you, pulling you back and forth. They can go on all night like that, dry humping you. Every now and then I’ll see a dominatrix bring a guy in so he can get beaten. Then you’ve got the guys with foot fetishes. We had a guy who liked to deep throat two women at once. He’d put one dancer’s foot all the way in his mouth, then he’d do the same with the other dancer and just go back and forth, sucking their feet. One guy had me pour a drink on myself so that it rolled down my leg, off my foot and into his mouth.
Ms. Butler :  So tell me, how does a dancer learn to dance?
Sweet Thing :   A veteran can teach you. You can take pole dancing classes. You do a lot of practicing.  
Ms. Butler : I guess that’s true about anything in the sexual arena. Practice, practice, practice makes perfect. Please share the secret of the butt shaking dance? How do you do that? Not twerking, but just making the butt jiggle.
Sweet Thing :  Really, you just wiggle your heels. Everything above that will shake.
Ms. Butler :  Does it ever give you a backache? Making your butt shake looks hard on the back.
Sweet Thing :  Not really. Being upside down on the pole can make your back hurt. Or floor dancing. That can be hard on your back.
Ms. Butler :  What are some other hazards of the job?
Sweet Thing :  Sometimes girls fly off the pole. Or they may be working upside down on the pole and slip and come down on their head. You might be spinning on the pole, and all of the sudden your shoe flies off and cracks a customer in the head. If you’re too drunk, it can be hard to know where the stage ends, so you fall off. Then you have the rocker chicks. They don’t have a lot of rhythm, so they just kind of bang and throw themselves around the stage. They’re like a pissed off cow with hooves. They think the faster they throw themselves around, the better. They have no grace, and you can get hurt dancing like that.
Ms. Butler :  Have you ever seen anything scary happen?
Sweet Thing :  Once a guy got into it with another guy, and he ran off and came back with a gun.  Sometimes the brawls between girls get pretty bad when they bring out the stilettos. That can get scary. Or if you’re alone with a customer and he starts to get rough, there’s a panic button you can use, and the bouncers will come help you out.
Ms. Butler :  What’s the funniest thing you’ve seen in a club?
Sweet Thing :  There was a guy laying on the stage watching a girl dance, and all of the sudden he brings out a bag of pot and gives it to her. The bouncers were like no, no, no. Then one time I was in a Miss Nude contest, and they had just put down a new stage and it was slippery, and one of the dancers who was really pretty and thought she was all that- she fell right on her ass. 
Ms. Butler :  What’s the sweetest thing you’ve seen happen?
Sweet Thing :  A guy came in on Valentine’s Day and passed out roses to all of the girls. At Christmas time, there’s a church group who comes around and gives the girls gift baskets. They’ll put socks in there, and jewelry. They’ll put in a Bible and maybe some hand sanitizer.  Something else really sweet was when a true veteran took me under her wing. She gave me a wardrobe, she taught me how to sit and be good company so that the guys don’t want anyone else. She was one of the sweetest women I’ve ever worked with. She always looked out for me and gave me what I needed, like if it was football season, or there was a big sporting event, she’d give me a cheerleader outfit to dance in.
Ms. Butler :  What advice would you give a new dancer?
Sweet Thing :  Don’t make friends with people. Stick to yourself and avoid cliques. If you’re going to be promiscuous with customers, keep it private. Never screw the owner or the manager. It will cost you your job. After two or three months you’ll be fired because you’ll get arrogant and cocky and start acting like a queen bee.
And there you have it. A backstage peek into the fascinating world of a stripper. I’d like to thank Sweet Thing for taking the time to enlighten me.

Rory’s LoveAurora, Psychic For the StarsBook OneDonna Butler
Genre: Paranormal Romance
ISBN: 13-978-1503377257ASIN: B00PUDMXMA
Number of pages: 197Word Count: 60,547
Cover Artist: Donna Butler and Sander ChaBook Description:
As a psychic medium to the stars, Aurora Alexander believes her life is about as full of glamor and excitement as it can get. Until she falls in love with a client, the multi-platinum selling performer and record producer, Curtis Love. Even though Curtis has a girlfriend, he and Rory share an attraction that proves to be irresistible. Once Curtis breaks up with his girlfriend and they give in to their passion, the story takes them from St. Tropez to Manhattan, Maui, Paris, Milan and elsewhere. Rory’s life becomes every woman's dream come true, filled with designer clothes, jewels, glam squads and a personal bodyguard. But in spite of all the glamor and globe-trotting, Rory can’t outrun the suspicion that Bella, one of her clients, is in grave danger.
Rory's devotion to her sometimes dangerous line of work begins to cause friction in her relationship with Curtis. Despite Curtis’s warnings, when the ghostly victims of a serial killer come to Rory for justice, she can't help but chase down their killer. But as she puts her life in jeopardy to expose a killer and rescue Bella, she also jeopardizes the greatest love she's ever known.
Available at Amazon
Excerpt:
When we got back to the hotel, he was still amped up and wanted to make love in the Jacuzzi in our suite. What should have been a romantic interlude turned into a lot of playful splashing, dunking and laughing. We’d wrestle for a little, then make love, start wrestling again and suddenly that would turn into more lovemaking. By the end of it, we were soaked and exhausted. Later that afternoon, I spoke to Bella again and we settled on dinner at her boyfriend’s restaurant at seven. On the drive over, Curtis and I were cuddled in the backseat of the rental car like childhood sweethearts when suddenly I felt a familiar tightness in my chest. Breathing deeply didn’t help. Predictably, I started trembling and began to feel weak. “Are you shaking, baby?” Curtis asked. “Dave, throw me one of those bottles of water.” Unable to speak, I watched, as if from a great distance, as Dave passed a bottle of water to Curtis. Curtis grabbed my purse and pulled out several bottles. He selected one containing the fast acting, anti-anxiety pills. “Open your mouth, baby,” he told me. He slid a pill into my mouth, opened the bottle of water and held it to my lips until I drank. Then he held me and stroked my forehead until the pill took effect. “Any idea what caused it?”I shrugged. “I feel like it has something to do with this dinner. Or Bella. I don’t know.” I sighed. “I just got a bunch of warning signals all at once.”“Do you want to call her and cancel?” Curtis asked.“No,” I said, pausing to cough. “I need to be there.”
When we walked in, Bella was waiting at the hostess station looking camera ready in a form fitting, black mini dress. Her bright red locks had been flat ironed to perfection, and her makeup was flawless. She grabbed a stack of menus and quickly ushered us through several elegant dining rooms and up a small flight of stairs. On the way, I noticed the brass railings that edged the upper level dining rooms. “You okay?” Curtis asked when I stumbled on the stairs.“I’m fine,” I said as we continued to a private dining room near the back of the restaurant. I knew that brass railing. I knew it from that awful dream.Now that Curtis had gotten through the place unrecognized, there was time for greetings and introductions. “I’ve seen you work,” Curtis told Bella as he removed his sunglasses. “You’re very good.”“Thank you,” Bella said with an enchanting smile. “I’ve seen you in concert six or seven times. Australia, England, Germany, New York. You rock, man. You just get out there and spit fire. And the things you do with beats are sick. Hey, why don’t you guys have a seat and I’ll let the chef know you’re here.” She grinned and headed off to the kitchen.When she returned with her boyfriend, I reached over and grabbed Curtis’s hand as we stood for the introductions. My heartbeat was so violent, I imagined it was visible through my dress.“Rory, Curtis, this is my boyfriend Cliff Wexler.”I took in the dark hair on his head and on his knuckles when he reached out to shake my hand. I nearly drew back my hand when I saw the manicured fingernails. Cliff. Cliff? How could Bella have ignored that? “Pleased to meet you,” I said as a sea of blood roared through my ears. He was pleasant looking, in the way a conservative Republican politician can look pleasant. He had dark brown hair, a high forehead, close set brown eyes and thin, thin lips.“Yeah, pleased to meet you Cliff,” Curtis said as he instinctively took my arm and allowed me to sag against him. To me, his voice sounded like it was coming from the far end of a ten mile tunnel. Cliff’s eyes widened as he stared at me with speculation. Suddenly, two female spirits appeared on either side of Cliff. They were nude and foggy white. Each wore a gruesome necklace of blood that dripped down, past their breasts. As my eyes moved lower, I saw that, unlike the white hair on their heads, their pubic hair appeared in lifelike shades. One woman had been a brunette and the other had had black hair. Then I noticed huge clots of blood sliding from between their legs.  “Rory is such an awesome medium,” I heard Bella say, from what seemed like a thousand miles away. “Dead people contact her all the time with warnings for the living. She’s amazing.” Every ounce of strength left my legs as I blacked out.




About the Author:
Donna lives in the Kansas City area with her husband and three cats. She wrote her first novel at fourteen and has had a love affair with writing ever since. In addition to writing, she loves gardening, laughing at reality television and playing with her three-year-old granddaughter.
Blog: www.blog.donnabutler.com
Twitter:  https://twitter.com/leftwingeddove



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Guest Blog and Giveaway The Donor by Candace Osmond

The Future of Marketing
Marketing is a wide expanse of endless tactics to promote a person or product. There are so many different types of marketing, too. There is word of mouth, door to door, newsletters, scheduled appearances, free samples, discount offers, print ads, etc, etc...the list goes on. But which ones prove to have the best results? And where is the future of marketing headed? Well, you would need a crystal ball to answer those questions 100%. The best we can do is go with the flow, cancel out what doesn't work, and move forward. But, in my opinion, marketing is headed in a very interesting direction, especially for authors and publishers.It's no secret that the world is rapidly moving into a digital age. Some fight it; refuse to believe that print books will cease to exist or that smart devices are creating a race of zombies. I agree and disagree. I think that we need the digital age to happen and we also need to handle it responsibly. In a time where global warming and deforestation are huge factors in the outcome of our future, smart devices and eReaders are the way to go. So what does that mean for marketing?
Well, it means a lot of things. Your target demographic is now found online; perusing the catalogues of their favorite eBook provider, hanging out on social media, and catching the latest deals on Amazon. These are the places where you need to advertise and here are a few ideas to help you along:
1) Digital print ads. If you're handy with a design program then you have one of the best skills for online marketing. You can create your own print ads, Facebook banners, fancy up your blog or website, etc. If you don't possess this skill then you can easily hire a freelancer to do the job for you at a really reasonable cost.
2) Social media. Now, I'll say this, most people are on social media to connect with other people, REAL people They don't want to be blasted with sales pitches every freaking day. So mix it up. Be an interesting presence online and offer helpful advice, random posts about your day that say "hey, I'm a real person", and interact with others; share their posts, like their pictures, etc. Then, you will probably accrue a pretty good following of people who will see your promotional stuff and actually care.
3) Online book tours. There are tons, and I mean tons, of great online book tour organizers who will work closely with you to assemble the perfect tour for your new book. They schedule all of the stops, provide the tools you need, and help you put together articles, interviews, and contests. And, they're usually decently priced, to boot.

4) Hire professionals. If you have a product, company, or book to get in front of people but have no idea how to drive traffic towards it then consider hiring a professional Digital Marketing Service like PTDM(Personal Touch Digital marketing). I've done it, and will continue to do so. They are an essential tool to use when really trying to establish an online presence or following. They usually charge a monthly fee and will work with you to drive traffic to your website, create SEO content, provide detailed analytics that show where you're doing good and where you're doing not so good. It's a crucial tool to use if you hope to be successful. 

The DonorCandace Osmond
Genre: Sci-Fi Fantasy
Publisher: Guardian Publishing
ISBN: 978-1502508812 eBook: 9781311872708ASIN: B00OK045IO
Number of pages: 316Word Count: 55k
Cover Artist: Majeau Designs
Book Description:
What's the first thought that would run through your mind if you woke up, completely naked, strapped to an operating table, sans a kidney?
What ran through Nora Daniels mind was that, sadly, nobody would even notice she was missing. No family, no friends, not even a boyfriend.
No, there would be no Prince Charming busting down the door to save the day or loved ones to mourn her death. Unless she could find a way to uncover the secrets hidden in her past and discover the one thing tying her to this world.
Amazon   Kindle   Kobo  BN  Nook

Excerpt: The strong stench of chemicals and bleach burned my nose and lungs, waking me from a deep and dreamlike haze, my eyes struggling open to find almost complete darkness. At least, I assumed it was; my mind and vision were both cloudy. Beneath the overwhelming odor of some kind of cleanser and noxious fumes, I caught a whiff of something dank, much like mold or mildew. In the distance, I heard a voice - no, two voices, muffled and just close enough for me to make out a bit of what they were saying. The sounds only compromised by the echoes which bounced off of the walls around me.Was I in a tunnel?Deep tones meant that both voices were male and I forced my mind to focus. Instantly, a searing pain erupted in my side, forcing the last bit of drowsiness away and bringing me to the surface of my consciousness. I’d never experienced anything so wretched before in my life! The growing pain was far worse than any headache or migraine that I’d ever had. It cut through me, like a hot knife, and every other thought fled from my mind. All I could concentrate on was this horrific sensation, not like a broken bone or a bad cut. No, it created an image of someone slicing into me and placing a burning hot coal, straight from the fire, deep into the right side of my body. Instinctively, I reached to pull out the offending rock and instantly began to panic when my arms wouldn’t move. I thought, perhaps, the excruciating pain had caused my brain to not connect to my limbs. But as my natural reflexes had me trying to move, I felt the restraints at my wrists and ankles, holding me down. They were tight, and I realized they cut the circulation to my feet and hands. Trying to assess my situation, I noticed the cold, flat surface beneath me and, as I turned my head, the smallest bit of light crept into my line of vision.I was blindfolded.True panic had my blood pumping hot and fast through my body, and I attempted to control my breathing, trying to negate the effects of the agony in my side as well as my fear. I would never find a release if I didn’t calm down.With clearer perception now, I noticed that the blindfold was thin, perhaps the black nylon of a pair of pantyhose, and it had slipped ever so slightly, allowing that small amount of light to shine just beneath it. Squinting and focusing until my eyes ached, I made out fuzzy shapes through the blindfold. From my limited perspective, I could tell that the room was larger than I’d first imagined, with tall ceilings, and I heard the familiar humming of bright fluorescent lights. The sound echoed the sensation in my body as I forced myself to ignore the debilitating pain.Turning my head to each side, I took note of what appeared to be several small, cot-like, beds. Hospital beds? No, they were more like operating tables...and I was on one of them. I couldn’t make out occupants on top of any other beds, nor could I see anyone standing in the room I was in. But there was a darker spot in a far corner, and the voices seemed to be coming from that direction. It must be another room.Flexing my face and working my eyebrows, I managed to continue moving the blindfold so that I had a little more visibility. I tried one more time and got the entire thing shifted so it only rested on my eyelids, barely affecting my ability to see. I could pick out the two men standing in the frame of two open double doors, and I saw a tattoo on one of them.With the material still weighing on my eyelids, it compromised my ability to see their upper bodies, but I stared at the tattoo on the man’s calf, just below a pair of loose beige shorts. It was shaped like a diamond, but the corner was too dim for me to catch the details. I stared hard, making sure to burn the image into my memory. I would use it to aid the police in finding my captor. If I ever made it out of here alive.

About the Author:
Published author and freelance writer/editor Candace Osmond was born in North York, ON. From there she began her journey of discovering Canada, moving every few years and experiencing what every province had to offer. She was surrounded and influenced by many cultures which broadened her mind and personality. Coming from a family of writers and artists dispersed throughout, it was inevitable that Candace follow in her family's footsteps. By the early age of ten years old, Candace had won numerous writing and art competitions including a nation wide art contest for the Louie the Lightening Bug Play it Safe Around Electricity program where the company used her winning ad design. A few years later Candace found herself writing for the local news flyer and then branching off into fiction writing.
Candace published her first book by the age of 25, the first installment in a YA Urban Fantasy to which two others were published with it; The Iron World Series.Candace is one of the creative writers to www.sssh.com, an acclaimed Erotic Romance website for women which has been featured on NBC Nightline and a number of other large platforms. Her most recent project is a screen play that is pending a nomination for an AVN Award.
Aside from writing, Candace did manage to get her certification for Interior Design and Decor. After years of working with fellow designers, architects, and home owners, Candace won a Peak Award for Best Kitchen Design under $10,000.Now residing in a small town in Alberta, CA with her husband and two kids, Candace writes full time, developing articles for just about every niche, two more novels, and a hoard of short stories.
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/theironworldseries
Twitter: https://twitter.com/candaceosmond (handle is @candaceosmond)
Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/6094575.Candace_Osmond
Pinterest: http://www.pinterest.com/candaceosmond/

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The Huntress by J. Risk

The HuntressThe Alterealm SeriesJ. Risk
Genre: New Adult Paranormal Fantasy
Publisher: First Realm Publishing
Number of pages: 200Word Count: 121,000
Cover Artist:  Jared at Off the Wall Creation
Book Description:
What would you do if you woke up in another realm where the residents are beings from fictional tales?
Where all those things that go bump in the night are real and other realities do exist!!
Damariss Maxx just woke up in a world where all those things that go bump in the night are real.
An alternate realm where the residents are beings she thought only existed in fiction.
Will she find the way to keep life normal and simple for those unknowing without losing her own sanity?
All she has to do now is find a way to protect the people in her world from the nightmares that have bleed from this other realm into it and fulfill a prophecy that says she's their huntress queen or doom this other world to a bleak, violent existence.
Available at First Realm Publishing and Amazon
Chapter One
I didn’t even get both eyes opened and focused before I knew something was wrong.  Where was the color?  I was only seeing sepia? Everything was brown.  Blinking rapidly, I tried to readjust my eyes to see if there was any other hue.  It didn’t change a thing and for the life of me I couldn’t figure out why.Sitting there, I tried to decipher what was going on and why I was sitting on the ground.  Looking down I ran my hand over the dried dusty surface.  Why was I on the ground? Craning my neck as far as I could in all directions, I looked around.  Okay, where was the pavement and cement? The buildings and streets I called my natural turf?The why’s flying around in my brain suddenly decided the top question, was what the hell was going on?Squeezing my eyes shut, I struggled to recall the last thing I remembered doing.  I was hunting down a bounty—a nice one with a large dollar sign attached to her.  I had tracked her ass down and…I confronted her? Yes, I was minutes away from calling Frank and telling him to get out his shiny pen and sign my check.So what happened between then and now?  Not to sound repetitive, which is something that drives me nuts, but what the hell was going on?Startled, I started to check for bullet holes or the deep crevices that knives leave behind in flesh.  That had to be it, I’d taken a beating and this was that in between place you sit when you’re near death’s door, but not quite ready to see what lies on the other side.Finding no critical injury, I slumped forward and rubbed my head.  There was some rational explanation for this, there had to be.  Had I been drugged?  It could be some crazy hallucination.  Any minute now I was going to either wake up in my bed at home or some hospital with a cheery nurse leaning over me, reassuring me we are going to be just fine.  I only had to wait it out a little longer and all would be normal.To kill time until I woke up, I looked around some more. Wherever this was it looked like a burnt out world.  Not the charred kind of burn, but depleted and completely used up sort. Vacant.Sitting still wasn’t really a strong trait of mine, so I figured I’d get up and take a look around, there had to be something to see around here.  If my body was actually somewhere else for safekeeping, what harm could come to me, right?I staggered like I’d never stood before, struggling to get my balance.  Whatever was going on with me, my equilibrium was totally shot.  Standing there swaying like grass in the breeze, I turned carefully trying to see if there was anything around me except rust tinted dirt and nothingness.My heart stumbled around in my chest when I spotted someone coming in my direction.  Yes! I wasn’t the only one in this soulless place. The closer it got to me made me the more I questioned my original conclusion.  I didn’t know, exactly, but it was not someone it was a something.  No one label could describe it.  Standing over six feet, it had the shape of a man dressed in jeans and a large, very out of fashion gingham snap up shirt.  When I reached the face, I can only describe it as part wrinkle puppy dog with floppy skin crossed with Freddy and Jason after the slash scenes.It stopped in front of me and instinct had me reach around behind me under my jean jacket for my raptor claw knife, which I put on as regular as underwear when dressing; and that would be everyday, by the way.  Relief washed over me when I felt the small circular handle. At least while waiting to survive I got to bring my toys with me. Big brown eyes assessed me slowly and I wanted to make the call that it was harmless, but yeah, having tracked down anything from a sicko killer to a card shark in the last three years, I knew better than to fall for sappy looks.“Are you a magishian?  You juisht appeared.”A male voice, even though he spoke with a heavy lisp that randomly inserted ish into his words.  Then again if I had saggy lips like he did, I’d be happy to talk at all.  I sized him up for a few more seconds, trying to gauge whether he was really in front of me, or if I was having some sort of psychotic episode.  Was a magician good or bad?  I decided the play dumb, being blonde did have some advantages.  “A magician?”Those brown eyes developed a nervous quiver.  Magician equaled bad.  “No…”He looked relieved.  “Oh good.  I didn’t want to have to bash you over the head.”I grasped my raptor tightly and shrugged.  “Yeah, me either.”The sky brightened and began to glow a rust orange color.  When I asked for some color, I’d hoped for something out of the orange family.“We better go, they’ll be coming soon.”“They?”  I glanced around quickly, not wanting to take my eyes off him for long. He nodded and pranced on the spot, the nervous movement had me on high alert.  “The daywalkers.” He whispered.Daywalkers?  Did I even want to know?  I didn’t think so, but this bizarre nightmare wasn’t going to be complete if I didn’t ask. Looking me over a few times, his eyes widened under the pressure of his drooping forehead; that was quite the expression.  “You’re not one of them are you?”I walked in the day, night and even at dusk, but I wasn’t going to tell him that.  I decided honesty might work, if not violence was always a good backup.  Judging by his expression daywalker ranked on the bad list with magician.  “I—I don’t know what you’d call me.”Those sappy eyes looked me up and down a few times trying to figure me out.  “You better come with me. It’s not safe to leave you wandering around.”  He looked behind him and then motioned behind me and started walking. I knew in my gut it was a mistake, but as I had no other real options… I didn’t know where I was or what was going on and so far he knew more than I did.  “Where are we going?”Pausing he glanced over his shoulder and then lumbered along again.  “I’ll take you to Troy, he’ll know what to do.”My eyes were starting to strain as the sky brightened. “This Troy, he’s in charge?”He stopped so suddenly I almost ploughed right into his back.  When he turned and looked at me, his eyes weren’t a sad brown any more but were leaning more towards red.  It had to be from the strange color of the sunrise.  “You’re not from Alterealm are you?”“Is that where we are?”He nodded.“Nope.”That nervous jitter of his seemed to return all at one.  “How did you get here?”A reasonable question that I had nothing to offer that resembled an answer.  “I don’t know that either.”His red eyes darted to the sky.  “We have to go.”Turning, he began jogging toward, well, nothing that I could see. Not wanting to find out what he was afraid of, I ran along behind him.  All I could think was this Troy person, if he was a person, better have some answers.He stopped again and dropped down onto his knees.  Was he hurt?  Surely that short jaunt hadn’t winded him that much.  He began tapping his hand on the ground.  What was he doing?  Looking all around us, I kept watch for anything really, not wanting to meet these daywalkers in the slightest.  Just when I’d had about enough of his short break, he grasped something in the sand and pulled a door in the ground open.“We’re going to have to use the shortcut. We don’t have time to get to the main gates.”Looking down into a hole with a ladder, I glanced around again and despite every muscle in my body telling me to run and get the hell out of here, I started down the metal rungs into a deep hole that would take me, hopefully back to friggin’ reality.

About the Author:
I wanted to write a story that would fit into young adult, new adult and adult levels. Something that was serious with fun paranormal and afntasy elements that everyone could read and enjoy.
I've even decided to use J. Risk as the pen name for this to separate  this series from my other writing which is definitely adult reading  material.
Author Jacqueline Paige-Multi-published Paranormal Romance author of The Magic Seasons series, The Hidden Senses Trilogy, The Dream Series and more
https://www.facebook.com/authorjacquelinepaige
@JacqPaige
http://j-risk.webs.com/    
http://jacquelinepaige.com/
http://jacqpaige.blogspot.ca/
http://www.amazon.com/J-Risk/e/B00NVH1YRW/

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