Cerise DeLand's Blog, page 62

Teri Thackston's EMILY Award winner poses: Do you know a ghost when you see one? WOW, for her new paranormal Regency!

Amazon Prime:  http://tinyurl.com/75lcdm6
Could you tell the difference?Ghosts are a popular topic on television and the Internet these days. Just look at the programs and articles that are available. Have you ever seen a ghost? Could you tell the difference between a ghost, a dream and a real person? The heroine of my newest paranormal romance, Wait Until Moonrise , has that very problem.
Bria Leighton arrives at Beaumarith Castle seeking her forgotten past. On the first night, she dreams of a handsome man kneeling in a pool of moonlight at her balcony door. The next night, she sees that same man standing in the moonlit ballroom and—when he vanishes before her eyes, she believes he is a ghost and so flees from him in terror.
Nicholas Pierce, Earl of Beaumarith, was born in the eighteenth century but has been trapped in Beaumarith Castle since rejecting the marriage proposal of the sorceress Saffira. She cursed him to a living death that can be broken only in the moonlight by his one true love, and he has been trapped in the castle for more than two hundred years.
Now Bria, unlike anyone else, can see him. She can hear him, can even touch him. She must be the one true love who can free him. But she believes he is a ghost or a figment of her imagination. Can Nicholas convince Bria that he is neither ghost nor dream? That he is real and is destined to free him from the curse? Can Bria resist her growing attraction to the handsome specter or will she accept that he is real and then give up the life she had planned—and the flesh and blood fiancé who desperately needs her?
In spite of her fear, Bria falls for the charming specter that only she can see, but even as she comes to accept that Nicholas is real, she resists because she’s already engaged to be married. Meanwhile, eerie happenings prove that Saffira is still alive and plotting once more to claim Nicholas. She threatens to destroy anyone who gets in her way…beginning with Bria.
How would you react upon seeing a handsome specter in a moonlit castle? Could you stand your ground when facing what appears to be a spirit…at least long enough to find out what it really is? Have you ever had such an experience that you’d like to share in the comment section below?
Wait Until Moonrise has won the Emily Award for best paranormal romance, and has placed in other contests before it was published in May. It is the book of my heart, one I kept back from the world until what I hoped was the perfect time.
Wait Until Moonrise by Teri Thackston is available exclusively at Amazon – including the Amazon Prime program – at http://tinyurl.com/75lcdm6. Teri, herself, can be found at www.terithackston.com, www.twitter.com/terithackston or www.facebook.com/terithackston. 

Combustion by Berengaria Brown is a hottie!

Let me just say, wow. Wiping brow. Welcome to Berengaria! “Combustion” has received three reviews and all of them gave it their top score, so I’m very excited about that.
I attended a funeral where there were way too many people squeezed into the room. And I thought, “What if the man whose body is plastered to mine was young, unattached, gorgeous….?” 
BlurbXonra Gibson attends the memorial service for a friend, and is embarrassed to be attracted to the broad-shouldered hunk squeezed into the chair next to her at the overcrowded event. It turns out the delicious Glenn Hilton is partnered to the equally yummy Morgan McLean.Xonra allows her hormones to lead her to the men’s apartment for an incredibly hot one-night stand and three fiery orgasms, a personal record for her. The men are determined to spend more time with Xonra and get tickets for a weekend at Berisford Village a historical tourist attraction whose owner happens to be a difficult client at Xonra’s PR firm. The village is fascinating, the accommodation luxurious and the orgasms stupendous, but Xonra is convinced something under the surface at the village is wrong.
ADULT EXCERPT from “Combustion”: All rights reserved. Copyright 2012, Berengaria Brown
While they’d been soaking, the bubbles had dissipated and Xonra became aware of the men’s gazes fixed on her breasts, which were now clearly visible under the water. She stared down through the water and was pleased to notice two upstanding cocks. “I could help you out with your problems,” she offered, glancing from the men’s cocks to their faces. “I don’t want to waste it. I’d rather save it for a little later,” Morgan said huskily. “Me too.” Glenn slid across the tub and pulled her toward them both, holding her lightly in front of them, one hand trailing across her breast reverently. The men looked at each other, nodded, then spoke in tag-team fashion. “How do you feel about taking the two of us inside you?” “Together.” “Double penetration.” Sweat broke out across Xonra’s forehead, her heart started to beat faster and harder and a flood of cream dripped from her pussy. “I’ve been thinking about that. I want it so much.” “You do?” A huge grin split Morgan’s face and he tugged her legs onto his thighs. “We’ll make sure you are properly ready for us. You will enjoy it, we promise.” “It’ll be the best orgasm you’ve ever had,” added Glenn, moving in behind her and pressing his hard-muscled chest against her spine. Xonra leaned back and rested her head against his shoulder. “I know you’ll both look after me. You’re very considerate lovers.” “Oh we will, we will.” Glenn cupped her breasts in his palms, gently massaging the globes, teasing a finger along the sensitive underside, then painting across the nipple with a few of the lingering bubbles. Morgan was massaging her calves, her ankles, her feet, pressing the pads of his fingers into all the dips and hollows, easing the muscles and tendons, soothing and stroking her skin, then playing with each toe in turn. Xonra closed her eyes and reveled in their touches. Both had large, strong hands, Glenn’s very tanned against her paler skin, whereas Morgan’s skin color was close in shade to hers. But Morgan’s fingers were longer and leaner, his stroking more rhythmic, and he used the heel of his palm in a unique way to massage her. Glenn’s touch was firmer, more determined, but just as arousing in its own way. Now he was twisting and stretching her nipples, elongating them and pinching them. Morgan had lifted her right leg high in the air and was licking behind her knee, then puffing hot air on the place he’d licked. Despite the fact that they were in a hot tub full of water and surrounded by steamy air, it was still an incredibly erotic thing to have done to her.
Buy Link: http://www.jasminejade.com/p-9113-combustion.aspx
Find Berengaria Blog: http://berengariasblog.blogspot.com/W... http://berengariabrown.com/Friend me on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/berengaria.b... me on Twitter: https://twitter.com/#!/BerengariaBrownBerengaria at Ellora’s Cave: http://www.jasminejade.com/m-659-berengaria-brown.aspx

Two Lips gives IS THAT A GUN IN YOUR POCKET? a Recommended Read and 5 LIPS!

http://tinyurl.com/7o7guuk
YAY!  THANKs to Tim at Two Lips for a great review of my newest Texas sheriff and the gal who lives next door to him!
Sunday, 13 May 2012
Title: Is That a Gun In Your Pocket?
Author: Cerise DeLand
Publisher: Wizards in Publishing
Genre: Contemporary
Publication date: April 27, 2012
ISBN: none
Pages: 88
Series: none
Reviewer: Tim
Heat Level:  M/F, oral sexRatingGo west, young woman, go west!  Is That A Gun In Your Pocket?  by Cerise DeLand introduces us to Mae Montaine, who has moved from New Jersey to a small Texas town to look after her young niece Emma after Mae’s sister and brother-in-law are killed in an auto accident. The house she inherits is next door to that of the attractive local sheriff, West Farraday. The accident-prone Mae is always getting into some kind of mishap and West is constantly coming to her rescue. She is attracted to the hunky lawman but he has yet to make a move on her, causing Mae to wonder if he finds her lust-worthy. While she ponders this, a few things happen to make Mae think that perhaps her late sister was involved in something sinister.Will Mae uncover the rather mysterious goings-on that pose a risk to her and Emma? Will West finally come around to her charms and prove whether that really is a gun he’s packing? Cerise DeLand has written a delightful story that flows at a good pace. Her characters are appealing, and there’s a light touch of suspense to offset the romantic interplay between Mae and West (get the joke in the title now? Good.) Her depiction of the toddler, Emma, adds just the right amount of cuteness without being syrupy. The sex scenes are hot, explicit and satisfying without being gratuitous. This book will definitely appeal to fans of classic romantic comedies. One can easily picture Doris Day as the cute but klutzy Mae and Rock Hudson could embody the stoic exasperated hero who bails her out of one mess after another.  Is That a Gun In Your Pocket?  is a fun romp with something for everyone. 

Where in the world do you go in your favorite books?

I love to pack my bags and leave town!
Loving such research, I take my readers to those places too. My accuracy of description is what I pride myself on when writing these books. Yes, the cities and the places are REAL . In fact, you can go eat in the restaurants I describe, take the boats I tell you about, like the vaporettos in Venice and river boats down the Thames in London. You can stroll the piazzas I describe, buy leather goods in the right section of Firenze and eat chocolate in the square in front of the copy of the statue David!
Where would you like to go today?
Mexico. In LAID BARE.
www.jasminejade.com/ps-8088-50-laid-bare.aspx Venice, Italy and Paris, France in the sequel to LAID BARE, CARRIED AWAY:
www.jasminejade.com/ps-8399-50-carried-away.aspx      I have a really big place in my heart for Italy, especially Florence and the rest of Tuscany, as in MIA DOLCE.
In the Nemesis series I write with Desiree Holt, we take you to many of these places and more! Rome, Naples, London, Paris, Barcelona and a few American cities you love. See them all here:
www.jasminejade.com/m-560-cerise-deland.aspx

ELLA JADE in the house with THREE'S A CROWD!

Add caption     Thanks, Cerise for having me today. I'm thrilled to be here talking about my new release Three's A Crowd.      Normally, I'm a wordy girl when it comes to telling a story. I have several novels and a few novellas out there, so this was my first attempt at a short story. Three's A Crowd is a little over 3k. The book is an Amazon exclusive published through Ruby Lioness Press. The idea came to me when I was searching for images to help me with a writing prompt. I do this exercise where I search for pictures of the erotic nature and write quick drabbles, sometimes no more than 1k. This often helps me work out a sexy scene or puts me in the right frame of mind to write from the male POV. Many times my drabbles make it into my WIP's. When I saw a particular image, the idea for Three's A Crowd popped into my head, and the short story was born.      The novella is a quick, highly erotic tale about a young, carefree and sexually charged couple. If you're not familiar with my work, this might be a good place to start, especially if you're looking for a fun, tantalizing read. This is a perfect poolside or beach book. It's fun, fast-paced and steamy. And the price is just right! It's $0.99 on Amazon and free to Prime members.      Here's the blurb:Connor Hughes is a lucky man. Janine and Sierra, the two sexy women who live downstairs from him have invited him to watch their intimate time in the bedroom. Connor is a willing spectator, but can't believe it when Janine asks him to join in on the fun. Connor is drawn to Sierra in ways he'd never imagined. There is something very familiar about the dark-haired beauty that has him wondering why she calls to him.

When fantasy mixes with reality, Connor gives into temptation in more ways than one. Will he figure out who Sierra is to him? Can the feeling last all night?Available on Amazon 6/1/12 – Three's A Crowd by Ella Jade. BUY LINK: http://www.amazon.com/Threes-a-Crowd-ebook/dp/B00884O3S0/ref=sr_1_7?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1338598060&sr=1-7I hope you'll get lost in my words. You can connect with me at http://ellajadeauthor.blogspot.comto see what else I have going on this summer.
Bio  Ella Jade has been writing for as long as she can remember. As a child, she often had a notebook and pen with her and now as an adult, the laptop is never far. The plots and dialog have always played out in her head, but she never knew what to do with them. That all changed when she discovered the eBooks industry. She started penning novels at a rapid pace and now she can't be stopped.Ella resides in New Jersey with her husband and two young boys. When she's not chasing after her kids, she's busy writing, attending PTO meetings, kickboxing and scrapbooking. She hope's you'll get lost in her words.

What's YOUR BRAND? Concept or Caricature? Cherry or Art?

An author is known by her Voice. But promo is often the tool that gets you recognized.
And branding is an interpretation of the artist's Voice.
Yet many authors think Branding is a slogan. It can be. But I submit to you that is not the main crux of the author's problem in defining their Brand.
The bigger challenges are that:
1. Every new product has a different packaging look.
2. Every new product can be different from the previous one in type (sub-genre) and in focus (ex: changing the voice, the pov, the length).
3. If the author is multi-pubbed by many publishers, the look will vary wildly.
4. The release timing does too.
5. Promotion for each product will most likely be different, of necessity because a person cannot advertise/promote in exactly the same places to the same critical mass or velocity.
So. What is an author to do to nail down the look, the verbiage, the trajectory that will propel them to a definition of a Brand?
First: Listen to others tell them what it is.
I have heard so many speak of Brand. Few in publishing have defined it well for me. The speakers have included editors, authors and agents. Everyone thinks they know.
I submit FEW REALLY DO!
Second: Ask themselves which products are the most successful and discern why.
This is no easy task. In fact, it requires a hard look at past works, what worked, why, who liked them, why and when.
Third: Sit down and doodle about what you world view is. This the Germans call your Weltanshauung. What is yours?
Mine? I believe that creative, caring sexual relations are a vital and necessary component of any fulfilling love affair.
To me, the unique words here are: creative, caring sexual relations plus vital, necessary, fulfilling and love.
I endeavor to show that graphically in any romance I write.
If I have done that for myself before I send it to my editor, then I figure I have satisfied myself.
So what is a brand? Your brand?
Branding is not only a feel, but a statement, an attitude and a concept.
Combing all that into one visual is a huge challenge. As one who worked in advertising and PR for decades, I know this from the very practical end, wherein a client would yearn for a Brand. And every business owner needs one. But could he put his finger on not only what he was, but what distinguished him from others in his industry?
Few could.
I had to dig deep into their business plan and model and, yes, into their psyche to get it defined for each one. The process to get their brand realized and then articulated was long and involved, requiring them to think often for the first time about their business in specific ways.  Some didn't think they could ever find the right words or look or marketing focus.  But eventually, we did.
How do I know?
Many of them are still in business and using the same look and slogans we originally created. Some use the exact same advertising we designed. Even though I have closed my PR business, I still get calls from them for different projects and I get referrals from them. Having owned my own business for 21 years, I can say I understand Branding.
But now to consider a Branding change for myself is another turn!
What is it?
This pix of the blonde was one that Nicole Austin (www.nicoleaustin.com) chose for me when she designed the Sassy Seven website. http://sassyseven.com
Now I wonder, do you like caricatures as expressions of authors or do you like something else, like my cherry as a substitute?
I think the cherry is me. It is bright. Upright. Perky. But not too smart that it hits you in the face. It says, Cerise, red, cherry, succulent, tasty. All those things I think my books are!
The blonde up there? She says, sophisticated. Okay. I will say that's me. So is my writing. I take my readers to real places like Paris and Mexico, London and Tuscany where I myself have been often. I do not write See Spot, run, but write for the woman who wants to think and wants a man with a brain as well as a bod. So, I'd say this blonde looks like she is assertive but not a b*$ch. Okay, me too!
But is she CERISE? More than the cherry?
Tell me. And talk to me about your definition of BRANDING, too!
One person who posts and give me food for thought gets to choose one book from my backlist:
MIA DOLCE
CARRIED AWAY

I get a kick out of sheriffs, ranchers, cowboys and big bold Texas men!

When you think of a cowboy, do you see a lean hipped, swaggering kind of man? Tough from the saddle? Hard in the desert? (snort.) Quick on the draw?
I see him as BIG, as in muscular and BEEFY. yum.
I see him as gruff-voiced, dark stubble on his square jaw. Kind of like this man:
I see him as deft with his gun.
Like this man:
And tender like these brothers most surely are:
And fiercely funny, like this Texas Ranger in STRONG ARMS OF THE LAW:
And a serious business man who runs the local rodeo, like this man in FALLING FAST:
See all my men, cowboys or city-slickers, here:  www.jasminejade.com/m-560-cerise-deland.aspx
What does your western man look like?

Sabrina York says Temptation is the Spice of Life!

Welcome to my guest, Sabrina! Temptation is the Spice of LifeMy debut novel, Adam’s Obsession, exploded into the world to rave reviews.  

A Different Kind of Love by R.A. Padmos

http://www.manifoldpress.co.uk/2012/04/unspoken/ Thanks so much, Cerise, for your formidable hospitality.
Sometimes love is welcomed with open arms and a big smile, and sometimes… not so much.Meet Stefan Doffer, a man who unexpectedly falls head over heels in love with another man.  There’s just this minor detail of being married and having a family of three small children.If Unspoken had been situated in modern times, it would be possible to deal with this complicated situation in a nice and civilised manner. It happens often enough individuals discover their true sexual nature at a later age and many gay or bi men are fine parents who stay good friends with their ex-wives. But, Unspoken is situated in the nineteen-thirties in a Dutch town and Stefan is a jobless working class man. Society isn’t exactly accepting of same-sex attraction and with little money, the possibility of creating a nice little alternative beside the official marriage is also extremely limited. Staying loyal to both a promise made and to a love that hardly dares to whisper its name isn’t easy…If you give a reaction to this post, you make a chance to a copy of Unspoken. I do need your e-mail address, however, to send you the e-book. A short excerpt of Unspoken: (Copyright 2012, R.A. Padmos, All rights reserved.) Adri put the money into the outstretched hand of the woman. Stefan wanted to snatch the coins back from the pocket of her apron and run away; there was too much unsafe distance between this place and the marital bed he called his own. She looked sharply at them before she ushered them up the stairs, opened the bedroom door and showed them in. "I want you out within the hour. Your kind doesn't need half that time, so I'm not buying any excuses."The room had nothing about it worth noticing or mentioning. There was a bed, a chair, a small table with a water jug and bowl. It all looked reasonably clean, although Stefan doubted Marije would agree with him on that. She certainly would have told him to whitewash the ceiling, find some cheap wallpaper, and what could a bit of paint for the door and skirting boards possibly cost if he asked for leftovers? "I found this place via an acquaintance. One of us, of course. A good address, I promise you." Adri didn't seem to notice Stefan's doubts, but perhaps it was a good address in comparison with a stairwell or a public urinal. "She can get into serious trouble with the police for this; she must really need the money. Or perhaps she's a tough one, who pretends to have no idea what's going on.""I can't do this. Can we please leave?" Stefan sat on the bed. There was something undeniably dirty about the room, though he doubted it had anything to do with washing soda and soft soap. The thought of undressing to surrender to his lover's caresses seemed unbearable in this environment. "I know this isn't the bridal suite of a luxury hotel, but they wouldn't accept us anyway. It's this and not much else, if we want to do it laying down from time to time." Adri knelt down and loosened the laces of Stefan's shoes. Stefan didn't stop him, accepting the facts for what they were. Adri told him to lay down and started to explore his body as if it was the very first time he had seen Stefan naked. His hands travelled over shoulders, chest, belly, arms and legs like a blind man discovering the reality of a body not his own. He spread his fingers wide to touch as much skin as possible at the same time, kneaded muscles, weighed the scrotum in the palm of his hand, pulled the foreskin down, pressed on the skin between penis and anus, pulled the cheeks apart, pressed a finger inside."What are you doing, man?""I'm scared as hell I'll forget you," Adri explained, but what was that supposed to mean?"Forget?"Adri's hands kept on moving and touching. "Don't think about it, redhead."
Unspoken is available at Manifold Press. http://www.manifoldpress.co.uk/2012/04/unspoken/My blog: http://rapadmos.wordpress.com/

DECADENT SALE to honor Military at Smashwords!

Decadent Publishing this weekend honors our military heroes and heroines with a sale!
YES! A Military romance sale! 
Decadent Publishing is saying THANKS to our military by making our military-inspired books 30% off today through May 31 at Smashwords! (use coupon codes below)

The Golden Haired Boy--Scarlet Blackwell
Coupon code is AC58L

All or Nothing-- Barbara Sheridan
Coupon code is LV48P

Cinderella Wore Combat Boots--DL Jackson
Coupon code is RL36G

Night Mission--Desiree Holt
Coupon code is BA59M

Once Her Man, Always Her Man-- Heather Long
Coupon code is NM85Z

Heart Desires--Becca Dale
Coupon code is DQ57D

Absolution-- Diane Alberts
Coupon code is LB82T

Another Chance--Rebecca Royce
Coupon code is MB82Z

Hungry for Touch--Angelita Gill
Coupon code is LX38G

Second Chance-- Debbie Riker Gould
Coupon code is VJ57K

Loving Bliss--@Regina Regina Carlysle
Coupon code is VR93E