Beth D. Carter's Blog, page 5

The Evernighties Weekly Blog Challenge - Week 32

Without Mentioning Politics, do you vote? Why or Why Not?


Seriously? Of course I vote. I have voted ever since I came of age to vote. Why? Because it's the only way to have my voice heard. Sure, there are people who will say one person can't make a difference but YES, yes we can! Just imagine if everyone had that attitude? Our right to vote would be stripped. And then we're no better than a dictatorship.
If you don't vote, then you shouldn't bitch about the results.

New Releases from Ashley Lane!

               

                                 Read Betrayed by Beauty now! Links coming soon.

Mirror mirror on the wall,

F*ck you.

They say beauty is in the eye of the beholder,

I wish it wasn't.

The first time my step-dad raped me,

I prayed for God to save me... he never came.

Instead, my savior came in the form of a Priest.

For years we've done God's bidding.

Blood coats our hands and souls,

Devilish deeds done in the Lord's name.

But chances are coming and our time is running out.

I'm not sure I'm ready,

Not sure I can face the man in the mirror when the mask comes off.

I'm drowning in the uncertainty of the future.

I need someone to save me.

I need them.

**This is a MMF love story**

Add to your Goodreads TBR!            

Being the boy mom of a 9 and 2 year old, means Ashley Lane lives off Goldfish crumbs and Diet Coke. When her life isn't being ruled by her tiny minions and their endless activities, you can typically find her parked on the couch, Kindle within reach, catching up on the previous weeks episode of Grey's Anatomy or Hell's Kitchen.

STALK ME:

Facebook- http://bit.ly/a_lane

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www.redhatterbookblog.com

The Evernighties Weekly Blog Challenge - Week 31

Where Would You Like to Travel Outside Your Own Country?
Right now? Nowhere. It's the middle of 2020 and we're in the middle of a pandemic. I don't even like going to the grocery store. Will we ever return to a sense of normalcy enough to travel? Who knows.
Luckily, I have traveled a lot in my life. I've been to Australia and New Zealand. I've been to almost all of Western Europe, Sweden and Finland. I've also traveled across the USA several times. I've been lucky and once you start traveling you realize just how small this world really is. I think some people here in the US have this attitude that the world revolves around them, and clearly it doesn't, and those are the type of people who would really benefit from being a minority somewhere in the world.
BUT...once we have a vaccine and we're no longer in unnecessarily dying, this is where I want to go:

Look at these pictures! How could you NOT want to go there?

New Release from Elizabeth Monvey!

Hello!  Thank you so much for visiting Written Butterfly with me today!  It’s such a pleasure to chat with you.  So tell me…

     1)      Can you tell us a little about your book?

It is the 7th book in the My Boyfriend Is… series. I drew inspiration from Gothic Romances like Jane Eyre and the film Crimson Peak.


    2)      Do you plan all your characters out before you start a story or do they develop as you write?

This book took a little bit of thought because there is a twist and I had to word it just right. I didn’t want to spoil anything with hints, so I definitely had to plan it out.


     3)      Do you have a ritual when it comes to writing? Example….get coffee, blanket, paper, pen, laptop and a comfy place.
I don’t really have a ritual. I usually write on my couch as I have some mindless tv show on. I like noise because it forces me to focus on what I’m writing, thus preventing my brain from wandering off topic.


     4)      What was your process for coming up with the title and character names?
The purpose of the My Boyfriend Is… series are taking short glimpse into a couple’s life and throwing in a bit of paranormal. All the couples in these books are committed to each other and the twist is having one partner find out there’s more to the world than what meets the eye. I have a list of characters for this series, so this time was about mermen. I once watched a “mockumentary” on mermaids and the thought stuck with me.


    5)      Do you have anything you would like to say to your current readers or to those that haven't yet read your work(s)?
Please read more. LOL!


    6)      What future projects are on the horizon for you?
I am planning out a cyborg futuristic romance story set in the apocalypse. Hopefully I can do it justice.




BLURB
Rian wakes up in a hospital, unable to remember anything. Not even his boyfriend, Jarred. 

He is whisked away to their castle, where secrets make him hesitant to trust all Jarred says. As he tries to uncover the secret of his injury, he stumbles across a hidden tunnel…and a vast treasure in lost shipwreck gold.

It isn’t until he follows Jarred down into the tunnel that he discovers his boyfriend is not completely human.


EXCERPT

Jarred pulled out his cell phone and, with a few taps, brought up a classical piece of music. The haunting strings echoed in the room. He stood and held out his hand. With his heart beating quickly, Rian took hold and Jarred pulled him into his arms to sway in rhythm to the music.

“We danced like this the first night we made love,” Jarred whispered, resting his cheek against Rian’s head. “On the beach, in moonlight, with the gentle sound of the tide coming in as our opera.”
Rian closed his eyes and could picture the hypnotic moment that Jarred weaved. His blood heated, his cock hardening at the sensual sway between them. Jarred placed a small kiss against the sensitive skin behind his ear.
“I held you close, and our heartbeats pounded in sync,” Jarred continued. “I knew you were meant for me just as you knew I was meant for you.”
Jarred ran a hand down his back, until he reached Rian’s ass. Squeezing hard, bringing him in even closer. Their breaths mingled, desire chasing away any lingering doubts. All Rian wanted was to feel Jarred’s lips upon his. They melted into each other, with the first tentative kiss swiftly deepening. A memory drifted through Rian’s mind. He’d felt this before.
He’d tasted these lips before.  
He tried to grasp the moment, tried to pull it out of the depths of blackness, but the more he concentrated on it, the faster it slipped away. With a groan of disappointment, he pulled back. Jarred’s eyes glowed with a spark of otherworldly passion that Rian couldn’t explain.
“Your eyes…”
Jarred closed them and took a deep breath. When he opened them back up, the iridescent brilliance had gone. “Rian—”
Rian pulled away. “I remembered your kiss.”
Happiness lit up Jarred’s face. Rian held up a hand.
“I want my memory back before we proceed with anything,” he said. “I can’t sleep with you when you’re still a stranger to me.”
“But we’re not strangers,” Jarred whispered.
Rian thought about the kiss. “My body knows you’re not. My head is saying something different.”

WHERE TO BUY

Buy HERE from Evernight Publishing

New Mystery Release from Jean Rabe!

Sheriff Piper Blackwell’s three-day vacation with old Army buddies ends in tragedy. At the same time, a vile hate crime along a county road enrages her department. Their forces divided, Piper and her deputies must solve both cases before tensions boil and threaten the rural fabric of Spencer County, Indiana. Only eight months on the job, the young sheriff must weave together clues to uncover both a killer and a secret that could scar her soul.


"Piper Blackwell is a smart and capable small-town sheriff, a thoroughly modern woman who leads a colorful cast of characters in this entertaining read. Well-crafted and suspenseful, THE DEAD OF JERUSALEM RIDGE adroitly threads the needle between Cozy, Procedural, and Action-Thriller. Jean Rabe's fans⸺both old and new⸺won't want to miss this one." -Baron R. Birtcher, multi-award winner, and LA Times Bestselling author

About the author:
My home is filled with dogs and books. Lots of dogs and books. I wear worn out sandals to work every day. I'm a mystery writer living in a tiny Midwestern town that has a gas station, a Dollar General, and a marvelous pizza place with exceedingly slow service. I am always working on a new project or three. I have forty-some books published in the fantasy, science fiction, urban fantasy and mystery genres. But I'm concentrating on mysteries now. In my spare time I dabble in roleplaying games and boardgames. And at every opportunity, I toss tennis balls to my cadre of dogs.
My web page: www.jeanrabe.com
I am on Twitter at: @jeanerabe
My Amazon author page at: https://amzn.to/31YR3Pd I have a newsletter filled with tidbits about weird news items, pics of my dogs, discussions of upcoming books, reviews of things I’m reading, and writing advice. You can subscribe here: http://jeanrabe.us14.list-manage1.com/subscribe…

Huge Romance Sale from Jill Sanders!

A Dash of Love Sara Jordan has finally been given the chance to run The Golden Oar, a restaurant that’s been in her family for generations. But the sexy know-it-all carpenter that her uncle hired to make some changes, keeps getting in her way. She’ll have to use all her skills just to prove that she’s up to the task.

Parker was hired to bring new life to the old building, but he hadn’t expected sparks to fly from the owner’s niece. As a series of mysterious accidents start to plague the job site, he finds himself working one-on-one with the temptress to avoid losing everything.

Get it HERE for FREE!!



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The Evernights Weekly Blog Challenge : Week 30

Chocolate: Milk, Dark or Light?
I assume we're talking candy and not this handsome hunk of a man:


As for candy, I had always preferred dark because I'm not that big a fan of chocolate. Milk is a little too sweet. When I was a teenager, my best friend's mom was from Austria, and one year, she brought back from vacation dark chocolate. I loved it so much. I didn't even know chocolate came in any other thing except milk, so I was a convert from that moment on. 

Q & A with Lea Siciliana!

  1 )       I LOVE the Lockdown series premise. In this time of quarantining, we all need a bit of steamy escape. Can you tell us a little about the series?

My parents still live in Italy. The lockdown there has been very strict. As everyone in Italy carries identity cards with their details, I had an idea. What would happen if a man still had his estranged wife’s address on his identity card?

I imagined the police stopping him in the street and forcing him to go ‘home’ to his wife’s flat. How would the two of them react being trapped together, if there was still had a strong sexual chemistry between them? This is how the first short story was born. Then I thought of other people who might be forced together by the lockdown and be attracted to each other, and the other stories were born.

Interestingly, the most popular have been Lockdown With My Boss, Lockdown With My Brother-in-law and Lockdown With My Ex, while by far the least popular has been Lockdown With My Husband. I should have expected it, shouldn’t I?

Now that summer has arrived, I’ve started a new series called Steamy Sicilian Summer Nights but I think that I might still add new stories to the Lockdown series when I get new ideas. 

     2)      Do you plan all your characters out before you start a story or do they develop as you write?

I plan my characters beforehand and I have a pretty good idea of where the story is going, but sometimes the characters take the lead and guide me somewhere else. When that happens, it’s a lot of fun.

     3)   What is your writing process? Do you outline, write by the seat of your pants (Pantser) or a combination of both?

When I have a rough idea of what the main points of the story will be, I start writing. I need to know what the characters want, what stops them from having it and how they’ll get it in the end. The rest comes up as I write.

      4)   Do you have a ritual when it comes to writing? Example….get coffee, blanket, paper, pen, laptop and a comfy place.

I don’t have a strict ritual, but I find that listening to certain music puts me in the right mood. The soundtrack for the Lockdown series has been I’m Not the Only One by Sam Smith. I find this song extremely sexy and I’ve listened to it on repeat more times than I can count. I also find it easier to write the hotter scenes at night, when everyone is asleep and I’m all alone.

 

      5)  Do you have a favorite line or scene in any of your books?

I love the opening scenes of Lockdown With My Ex. I love Alessio’s Italian swearing and the banter between him and Chiara. These two are clearly very much attracted to each other even though he calls her a rompipalle, a ball-breaking pest, and she’s so fed up with her body’s reaction to him that she’s contemplating giving up the shared custody of their dog so that she won’t have to see him again.

     6)   What’s your favorite thing about being an author/writer?

I love spending time in other people’s lives, even when they are not real people. I love feeling what they feel, enjoying what they enjoy and taking the readers with me into the world I’ve created. I feel a special connection with the readers, because we’ve shared something.

     7)   If you could choose, which published author would you like to brainstorm with and why?

I’d love to work with Talia Hibbert. I’ve just discovered her and am enjoying her books.

       8)  Do you have anything you would like to say to your current readers or to those that haven't yet read your work(s)?

I love to hear from you. What you’ve liked about the stories, what you didn’t like, what or who you would like to see in my next stories.

I haven’t got a website or social media yet, but I’m thinking of setting something up soon and in the meantime I’ve been communicating with my readers through Booksprout. Or you can sign up to my newsletter: https://mailchi.mp/a88e0fdf15f7/leasiciliana  

9    9)      What future projects are on the horizon for you?

I want to write something longer, like a novella or a novel. It’s hard for me because I’m an impatient person and I can’t wait for my characters to come to their happy ending and to share the story with my readers. With a novel you have to wait a long time before you can share the story with the readers. I guess that I’ll just have to grow up and learn patience. Thank you for having me in your blog

The Evernighties Weekly Writing Challenge - Week 29

Buying a new car - brand loyal or best price?
I actually bought a new car in 2016 and I had specific qualifications I wanted in a car. I didn't want to spend over 20K, I wanted a car that was good on gas, and it needed to have cruise control. At the time I bought it I drove an hour to work and school one way, so I needed a car that had good gas mileage. After extensive research and test drives, I bought a Volkswagen Jetta Turbo. I paid $17,500 for it, I get about 40-45 miles a gallon, it has cruise control, and it's even my favorite color...red. 
I LOVE my car.
Would I buy another Volkswagen? Only if the price is right. For me, when it comes to buying something, it's more about out of pocket expense. I'm usually not brand loyal when it comes to cars, clothes, shoes, etc. I'm way too thrifty to be worried about whose name is on the tag.
The only brand loyalty I have is to my two favorite sports teams: Vegas Golden Knights & St. Louis Cardnials.  

Blast from the Past....Elizabeth Monvey's "Carried Away"

Jin-Pyoo is an Olympic Alpine skier who has been reared all his life to focus on winning a medal.  His father is harsh and demanding, but when he orders Jin to stop being friends with ski resort owner, Tolliver St. James, Jin has to decide if he should continue with his Olympic dream or follow his heart.

 Tolliver St. James knows that Jin is the man for him.  They’ve been in a relationship for two years and he wants them to be publicly out, but Jin wants them to keep hiding in the shadows.  When Jin’s father forces Jin into an engagement to a woman, Tolliver is afraid of losing his lover forever.

 But when Tolliver is caught in grips of an avalanche, Jin knows he can’t live his life without him and it’s a race against time to find the man he loves more than anything.

 

 

Q & A

  

1     Q)    Did you plot this book out or write wherever an idea took you?

I had to plot some of it because it deals with an avalanche. I had to see if it was possible to survive one. I found a lot of fascinating information and tips on what skiers can use to help them stay alive.

        Q )  What was your hardest scene to write in this book?

I think with any book, it’s the believability to convey an emotional bond between the characters. I’ve read so many books where I question what the attraction, so I always try very hard to put that connection in there.

Q )  Since the publication, what would you say has improved in your writing?

I think using more action writing instead of passive voice. Tell, not show. It’s really hard to learn but I think that has definitely improved with my writing. 

4.       Q ) Do you believe a book cover plays an important role in the selling process?

Yes. For each of my books I like to have some type of visual on what’s going on in the pages. The picture of snow and the title “Carried Away” should give the readers a clue. Hopefully one that convinces them to buy it. (wink, wink)

EXCERPT 

As he walked toward the elevators, Jin felt his world breaking apart although he didn’t blame Tolliver for breaking things off.  He’d been very clear about his position on their relationship from the beginning and he’d compromised his beliefs to accommodate Jin’s heritage.  But what could he do?  Just walk away from his family, and from his dream?

Christ, did he even want to be a skier anymore?

He was so afraid of making the wrong decision, and of regretting something, that he felt frozen inside.  He didn’t want to give Tolliver up, but maybe Tol was going to take that decision away from him.  Maybe he wouldn’t have anything else but skiing to take up the empty future without Tolliver’s presence.

And how would he feel when Tolliver eventually found someone else?

The elevator opened to the private penthouse floor and Jin felt like he was being delivered a death sentence.  He knocked on the door and it opened immediately and before he could say anything Tolliver grabbed his arm and pulled him into the room.

They stared at each other for a long moment and Jin couldn’t help but admire Tol’s suave sophistication.  His grey streaked black hair gave him an iron tough appearance and his blue eyes were sharp and missed nothing.  He was tall, with a massive chest and shoulders that had a fine dusting of hair.  Jin knew Tol worked out every morning, as well as skied on the weekends to give his body tone and definition.  He was what some people would call a bear man, and Jin never thought he’d be attracted to such bulk, but every time Tol touched him it was like fireworks exploding.

He opened his mouth to say something, anything to erase the distance in Tolliver’s eyes, but just as he opened his mouth, Tol reached out and pulled Jin into his arms.  The tension that had been building up inside Jin broke and his arms crept around Tolliver to hold on tightly.

 

WHERE TO BUY

 EVERNIGHT PUBLISHING * AMAZON * SMASHWORDS