Lucy Felthouse's Blog, page 305

Jingle Balls Giveaway Blog Hop

Ho Ho Ho!! We're Sexy Santa's kinky lil helpers, and here to wish you all a happy holiday with lots of hugs and kisses coming your way!

Welcome to our Jingle Balls Giveaway Blog Hop, hosted by none other than Madame D's Boudoir and Satin's Bookish Corner.

The Hop will run from 00:00 on the 12th of December until 11:59 on the 17th of December 2011 (EST).

So, what are you waiting for? For your chance to win a paperback copy of Immoral Views, which contains my story Caught in the Act, please leave a comment on this post. Then, hit all the other blogs on the hop to enter to win lots of other cool prizes, too!

Hop to the other blogs here!

Six Sentence Sunday – 11/12/11

Here are six sentences from my upcoming fairy tale retelling Susie White and the Right Hand Man, from House of Erotica. Chris Hemsworth fans will appreciate this one

I should have known my stepmother was up to something when she offered to help me move all my stuff to my University digs. It wasn't like her to be civil, much less helpful, but I figured that she was happy I was moving hundreds of miles away, and therefore would do anything to make sure it happened as quickly as possible.



As my father's only child, I'm the sole heir to White's Bites, a massively profitable confectionary company based in Wiltshire, England. My stepmother had made no secret of the fact she resented that she wouldn't get a stake in the business, should anything happen to my father. Of course, the reason for this was that my father knew the first thing the witch would do was put the business on the market to get her greedy little hands on the cash. I, on the other hand, loved White's Bites and would continue to run it to the best of my ability.

Want to know more about Six Sentence Sunday and see all the other delicious entries? Click the logo below:

Love Through Time Review & A Dirty Birdies Post

[image error]I was most excited to receive a review for Love Through Time in my inbox this morning – and it was a fab one! Judging the Book by its Pages gave it 4 out of 5, and commented:

"Emily is given a job at the great Westbury Hall little did she know that this job turns out to be more than she had planned… I think Emily and George have a promising future ahead of them brought on by the past… This book was a great quick read with a steamy end.  I would recommend this book if you like ghost stories!"

Naturally I'm delighted with that! Bag the book here.

In other news, I posted over at the Dirty Birdies blog about rain, and how I find it inspirational. There are also hot guy pics, just for a change Check it out here.

Finally, there's still time to enter the two GoodReads giveaways in the sidebar —->> don't miss out!

New Release: Susie White and the Right Hand Man

How do you like the hot cover for my new short story, Susie White and the Right Hand Man? Think the guy looks a little like Chris Hemsworth in Thor? It's no coincidence! He was my inspiration for the story, so I told the cover artist, and this is what they came up with!

The story is a modern retelling of Snow White and the Huntsman, with a decidedly spicy twist towards the end, and promise of much more to come…

Here's the blurb:

A wedding, an evil plan, a love story and a sacrifice are the order of the day in this modern retelling of Snow White and the Huntsman.

Susie White and her stepmother-to-be have never seen eye to eye, despite all of Susie's best efforts to be friendly. Eager not to spoil her father's happiness, Susie still agrees to be bridesmaid at their wedding. When the big day comes, she meets Louise's right hand man, Scott. Susie had never believed in love at first sight until that moment. The pair hit it off, sharing a mutual dislike of Louise and her wicked ways. Their camaraderie quickly develops into something more, and they date in secret until it's time for Susie to leave for University – and freedom. Unfortunately, Scott has an earth-shattering revelation, which means the two of them of them must work together to unravel Louise's evil plan, before it's too late.

To read an excerpt and get your hands on a copy of this fairy tale retelling, check out the book page.

In other news, look what just dropped through my letter box! My author copies of Crimes of Passion from Xcite Books and Best Bondage Erotica 2012 from Cleis Press. See the book pages for more information and excerpts: Crimes of Passion, Best Bondage Erotica 2012.

Book Review: Avenger's Angel by Heather Killough-Walden

Article first published as Book Review: Avenger's Angel by Heather Killough-Walden on Blogcritics.

Avenger's Angel is the first in a new series of supernatural books, entitled The Lost Angels. If you're familiar with the mythology, you'll probably have guessed from the title that this book deals with Uriel, the Angel of Vengeance. The overall plot, without giving too much away, is that Uriel and his brothers, Gabriel, Azrael and Michael were sent down to earth two thousand years ago in order to find their archesses, the other halves that were made for them. After all this time, the archangels haven't given up on finding their archesses, but they have made lives for themselves. Uriel is now a famous movie star, adored by fans the world over. He copes with the attention but sometimes finds it a little overwhelming. One such instance has him hiding in a girls' bathroom, where something happens that changes his life forever.

His archess, Ellie, is a beautiful, determined young woman who's always known she was different, but not why. The arrival of Uriel in her life starts to answer those questions, but before she can find out too much more, the people that have tried to capture her since childhood are back, and Ellie must once again fight for her freedom. But with the archangels on her side, surely she'll be safe? It quickly transpires that nothing is guaranteed because there are forces in the universe that Ellie and even the four brothers knew nothing of. Their powers are immense, and they want Ellie.

Avenger's Angel is a very engaging, exciting read. From the beginning I was hooked, and enjoyed how bits and pieces of back story for the characters were thrown in here and there, rather than all coming out at once. It means you learn more all the time, without detracting from the action of the here and now. There's lots going on in this book, including love, hate, violence, scheming and a whole lot of sexual tension, but it's not too much. The book is really nicely paced, making you want to keep turning the pages to find out what happens next. Overall, Avenger's Angel is a fab paranormal romance with some much-welcomed heat thrown in to keep you warm. I'll definitely be looking out for the other titles in the series.

Available from:

Amazon UK

Amazon US

Waterstone's

Reviews & A Reminder

[image error]Just a quick note to update you on a couple of reviews I  just received for Love Through Time:

"Ms. Felthouse deftly and quickly sets up the tale and gets the reader into the heart of the story with some wonderful atmospheric detail and scene setting. What grabs my heart in Timeless Desire is the restless spirit and the poignant story behind the haunting." 4 out of 5, Dark Haven Book Reviews

"This was a fun and short read, filled with the perfect mix of history and star-crossed lovers trapped between worlds. I loved the concept of the story, the amount of history, and the gentle essence of dedicated love that flows from the pages. Ms. Felthouse has written a wonderful novella filled with suspense, undying love, and drama." 4 out of 5, At Your Fingertips

I'm pretty happy with those comments!

Also, I wanted to remind you that tomorrow, 7th December at 9-11 GMT, I will be chatting over at the Coffee Time Romance Erotic Yahoo Loop, http://groups.yahoo.com/group/karendevinkaren/. I'll be there posting excerpts, character interviews, answering questions and even doing a giveaway. I hope to see you there!

Don't forget to keep an eye on my other guest blogging and interview exploits by checking the list in the sidebar —>>

Totty Tuesday – Robert Downey Jr.

Due to the fabulous Noble Romance Authors "Timeless Desire" blog tour, I haven't posted a Totty Tuesday for a while. If you've missed it, I'm sorry – but I hope that the tour and chance to win fab prizes made up for it!

Anyway, for the return of Totty Tuesday, here's the lovely Robert Downey Jr. Of course, he's no Jared Padalecki or Philip Winchester, but he certainly has his charms. Mainly his quirky, completely bonkers character in Sherlock Holmes (the sequel to which I am very much looking forward to) and the egotistical genius in Iron Man, Iron Man 2 and the upcoming Iron Man 3 and The Avengers (which I'm also looking forward to – totty galore!). He's also pretty pleasant to look at, I'm sure you'll agree. A quick IMDB check reveals that he's 20 years older than me, surprising as I thought he was older, but a scout of his IMDB profile reveals that he's definitely been the bad boy in his past, which probably explains it!

So I'll leave you with this photo of Mr. Downey Jr. looking all dapper in a suit and bow tie

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Kink Up Your Kindle (Or Other eReader)

Good news to those of you that have been looking forward to getting your hands on this naughty anthology – it's hit the eBook retailers! Yes, you can now kink up your Kindle or other eReader with a copy of voyeurism themed anthology, Immoral Views. If you'd like a copy which includes the illustrations, then you'll have to bag a paperback copy, or grab yours from Waterstone's.

However, if it's just the dirty words you're interested in, then check out the book page for the links to Amazon, Barnes & Noble, eBook Eros and many more. There's also an excerpt from my story, Caught in the Act, over there.

Head here for more info, excerpt and buy links.

Already read it? Please leave a review on Amazon, Goodreads or any of the other retailers, myself and the other fab authors (Kay Jaybee, Lexie Bay,  K D Grace and Rebecca Bond) really appreciate it!

eBook Review: Under the Moon by Natalie J. Damschroder

Under the Moon is an urban fantasy romance novel. It tells the story of Quinn Caldwell, a goddess who draws her power from the moon – a skill that's incredibly useful when the moon is full, but leaves her utterly powerless when there's a new moon. Enter Nick Jarrett, professional goddess protector. He comes into Quinn's life once a month for a few days and looks after her when she's at her most vulnerable, and has done so successfully for the last fifteen years. Sounds like the perfect working relationship, huh? Sadly not, for Quinn has been madly in love with Nick for most of the time she's known him, and she's fairly certain he feels the same. Their circumstances mean that if Nick's bosses knew there was something between them, they'd remove him as her protector and she'd never see him again. So they must deny their hearts, and make the most of what they have.

However, what they do have is suddenly put at stake when Nick turns up at Quinn's bar unexpectedly with some shocking news. Things quickly go from bad to worse as Quinn and her friends fight to find out who's draining goddesses of their power, before anyone else gets hurt. Throw in a rogue, some unknown family ties and a hostile Council and Quinn is in for one hell of a rough ride. Will she and the people she cares about the most emerge unscathed?

Wow, Under the Moon is a great book. It grabs you at the beginning and doesn't let go until the very last page. The action is non-stop, the plot is full of twists and the tension is palpable. I also liked the fact that, although there are quite a few characters in the book, they were given enough time and backstory for you to grasp who they were before the story carried on, meaning you genuinely cared about them and what would happen.

I don't want to give anything away about what happens, but let's just say there are several parts of the story that will have you on the edge of your seat, and constantly rooting for Quinn. So if you're a fan of urban fantasy, then this is one book I'd recommend you add to your to be read list. I'll definitely be looking out for more from Natalie.

Available from:

Amazon UK

Amazon US

Entangled Publishing

Interview: Natalie Damschroder

How did you start writing romance?

I've always been a romance reader, and even in the books that weren't strictly romance, I was all about the relationships. (Nancy Drew and Ned Nickerson!) Throughout high school and college others told me my strength was writing. It makes sense to make a career out of your strength, right? Except I hated writing. I loved reading fiction, though, so one day I decided to try to write a romance. Once I started, I never really questioned whether or not I should continue.

What's your favourite published work of yours and why?

Oh, man, that's so hard! I can't pick just one. I love Kira's Best Friend because I'm a sucker for best-friends-to-lovers storylines, and I remember doing my galley proof of that book right before publication, and being eager to get back to it, as opposed to ready to murder inanimate objects if I had to read it again. LOL Of my romantic adventures, I adore Fight or Flight because there was just so much fodder for my imagination in making Regan totally paranoid. I went too far and we had to tone it down, but it's still pretty out there. But the true book of my heart of all my published works is Under the Moon. It was the book I loved to write the most, and I never stopped loving it, even when it underwent major changes on its journey.

What authors do you enjoy reading?

That is, of course, a very long list. The most recent "author I love" is Darynda Jones. Her reaper series is fan-freaking-tastic. The most recent books that made me cry were MJ Fredrick's Something to Talk About and Elizabeth Bass's Miss You Most of All. Long-time autobuys are Suzanne Brockmann, Jim Butcher, JD Robb, Megan Hart, and Susan Elizabeth Phillips.

Where do you draw your inspiration from?

The shower. Seriously, 90% of my epiphanies strike in the shower. LOL But true story ideas? Everywhere, literally. I got a book idea from my then-three-year-old daughter when we were watching a cartoon with a dragon, another on a ski lift ride in Gatlinburg, one from listening to a football-centric podcast. I get a lot of ideas when I read, too. "Yeah, but what if they did THIS instead of THAT?" I fill my creative well with a lot of television, too. I don't necessarily get specific story ideas from TV and movies, but I learn more about craft from watching them, and inspired to write from the way I feel when I've finished with something really good.

Do you have any unusual writing rituals?

Nope, I'm really boring.

Where's your favourite place to write?

My desk in my office at home. See, I'm really boring! But over the summer I had to do line edits on vacation. I went out in the early morning to sit on our back balcony overlooking a wooded ravine, and that was awesome. I wish I had a deck so I could do that at home.

Who is your favourite character from one of your stories and why?

Hands down, Nick Jarrett and Sam Remington from Under the Moon. I know that's two characters, but they cannot be separated in my mind. These guys are tough (that's more Nick), noble, smart, proactive, compassionate (that's more Sam), and both would do anything for the woman they love.

What was your ideal career when you were a child?

I'm not sure what it was when I was really young, but in high school, I wanted to be an aerospace engineer. I liked math and science subjects best, and space had a really big draw for me. Reality came down hard in college, though. LOL

How do you get yourself in the mood to write?

Gah, that's impossible. I'm always in the mood when I can do anything BUT write. By the time I can get to the book, I'm tired, my brain wants a break, and nothing comes easy. A cup of tea at my side always helps, and once I open the manuscript and read over the last bit, I'm usually ready to leap forward.

What's the best writing tip you've ever been given?

It's the one I always give: If you can quit, do it. Whenever anyone told me that, I had such instant rebellion against the very idea of quitting that I knew I would never be able to.

If you get writer's block, how do you get around it?

The only true writer's block I ever had was when I was pregnant. I thought I'd just been lazy during my first pregnancy, but when it happened during the second, too, I blamed nature. All my creativity was sucked from my brain to my uterus. LOL The second time around, I focused on editing more than writing new stuff, and I knew I was going into labor the night I did because I wrote 8 pages that evening.

For the life-induced, fatigue-spawned, don't-know-where-this-book-is-going variety of writer's block, the only cure is just to force myself through it. I can never solve any of those problems by avoiding the book. Even if I only write a few words a day, that serves as mental Drano and gets me to where I need to be.

If you could bring one of your characters to life, which one would it be and why?

Nick and Sam from Under the Moon, and yes it has to be both. LOL I just want to hang around with them for a while. (Plus, they're hot and they would love me. )

Which author would you love to meet and why?

I'm so lucky to be able to attend conferences where I get to meet all my favourite authors, and some I've actually gotten to spend real time with. There are a bunch I've met online that I'd love to meet in person someday.

What are you working on at the moment?

I'm in a bit of limbo, waiting for the next stage of edits on two books: Heavy Metal, book 2 of the Goddesses Rising series and Acceptable Risks, my April 2012 romantic adventure. In the meantime, I'm working on Sunroper, the third Goddesses Rising book, and revising another best-friends book (this time romantic adventure) I hope to submit soon.

What's the biggest writing challenge you've ever taken on? Did you succeed?

Getting Under the Moon in top shape and out the door for official release. I'm thrilled and relieved to say yes, I succeeded!

What's your biggest writing achievement? Why?

I think just still being in this business is my biggest achievement. I started writing my first book in 1992, and the industry has changed in a million large and small ways since then. Being able to adapt and stay successful at some level is something any writer can be proud of, I think.

Thank you so much for this fantastic interview!

*****

Their power gives them strength…and makes them targets.

Quinn Caldwell is the epitome of a modern goddess. Her power source is the moon, her abilities restricted only by physical resources and lunar phase. She runs a consulting business and her father's bar, serves on the board of the ancient Society for Goddess Education and Defense, and yearns for Nick Jarrett, professional goddess protector and the soul mate she can never have.

But someone has developed the rare and difficult ability to drain a goddess of her powers, and Quinn is a target. With the world thinking Nick has gone rogue (whatever that means) and that Quinn is influenced by "family ties" she didn't know she had, keeping themselves safe while working to find the enemy proves harder each day.

But not as hard as denying their hearts…

Available from:

Amazon UK

Amazon US

Barnes & Noble

*****

Natalie J. Damschroder came to writing the hard way—by avoiding it. Though she wrote her first book at age six (My Very Own Reading Book) and received accolades for her academic writing (Ruth Davies Award for Excellence in Writing for a paper on deforestation her senior year in college), she hated doing it. Colonial food and the habits of the European Starling just weren't her thing.

She found her niche—romantic fiction—shortly after college graduation. After an internship with the National Geographic Society, customer service for a phone company just wasn't that exciting. So she began learning how to write the books she'd loved to read all her life. Now she struggles to balance her frenetic writing life with her family, the most supportive husband in the world and two beautiful, intelligent, stubborn, independent daughters (the oldest of whom has become a writer). She somehow also fits in a day job and various volunteer positions in and out of the writing industry.

Learn more about her at her website, www.nataliedamschroder.com, follow her on Twitter @NJDamschroder, or friend her on Facebook at www.facebook.com/nataliedamschroder