Cat Johnson's Blog, page 10

January 2018 Desktop Calendar Wallpaper

Happy New Year! Can you believe it’s almost 2018?! It certainly snuck up on me. And so did the next Hot SEALs new release. SEAL the Deal releases the second week of January and is on preorder now. Enjoy this desktop wallpaper featuring Hot SEALs Zane, available for free download with or without the January 2018 calendar page. SEAL THE DEAL (Hot SEALs) As more wedding invites pour in, Navy SEAL Zane Alexander is happy that he and Missy don’t need a legal document to prove their love. Or at least he didn’t think they did. Lately, he’s beginning to wonder if they’re still on the same page regarding their official relationship status or if he’s going to have to seal the deal. He’s happy to do just that, but being in the wrong place at the wrong time might cost him the chance . . . and his life. PREORDER SEAL THE DEAL DOWNLOAD WITH JANUARY CALENDAR DOWNLOAD WITHOUT CALENDAR

Last Minute Gifts for the Book Lover in Your Life

THE PROBLEM: You need a last minute gift and Christmas is just days away ONE SOLUTION: A paperback with 2-Day Free Prime Shipping from Amazon A BONUS: Kindle Matchbook Pricing. Give a gift, get a deal for yourself! Details below Most of my paperbacks are available with Amazon Free Prime 2-Day shipping so you can direct ship to your loved one a quick last minute gift. Or get it to your house in time for wrapping and slipping into a stocking by Christmas Eve. See my available paperbacks on my Amazon Author Page at http://amzn.to/2o2IPTH and look for the yellow check and blue PRIME next to the paperback price. A bonus— I set up Kindle Matchbook on my self published paperbacks. What does that mean? If you purchase the paperback (for yourself or someone else, Amazon doesn’t care which) and you then go to purchase the Kindle version of that same title, Amazon offers you a reduced price. So give a gift, get a deal! See image above with the RED ARROW I added to show the matchbook price. How did I get that price? I shipped the print of Red Blooded to a contest winner months ago and now Amazon offers me […]

The 4-1-1 about my Red Hot & Blue Series

Red Blooded: Trey, Jack & Jimmy (Red Hot & Blue)
**About the Red Hot & Blue Series**
The Bad News... The publisher of this series went out of business...again.

THE GOOD NEWS! I got the rights back to all the books and will be reediting and releasing them as fast as humanly possible, with fresh new covers and more competitive pricing for both eBook and paperback versions. Please be patient and stay tuned for the rest of the reissues.

Wait. What happened? Well, small press publishing being what it is, the titles, the covers and the compilations of this series have been changed three times, as two of the publishers went out of business. To confuse things more, the series went from Red Hot & Blue (no commas), to Red, Hot & Blue (one comma) to Red, Hot, & Blue (two commas), depending on the current editor. I am bringing it back to what I intended--RED HOT & BLUE, with no freaking commas! I apologize if this is all confusing. Trust me, it upsets no one more than me. The best I can do is move forward with complete transparency as to the series' past. I am self publishing it so no editor and no publisher will determine the face or fate of my series ever again.

For those who own the originals, not much as changed. You do NOT have to repurchase the stories you own. I have made small changes. I fixed my rookie writing mistakes and bad habits. (Holy exclamation points, Batman!!) I had added one opening scene to "Trey" between the original Linden Bay Romance release and the Samhain rerelease. I have updated a bit of the technology and references (the flip phones became smart phones. Paris Hilton became Kim Kardashian), but I have tried to leave the time period and the setting as originally written since the details of the war are time specific.

** SERIES BACKGROUND **

My fictional Task Force Zeta, featured in the Red Hot & Blue series, was based on the real life Task Force 145, formed by the Pentagon in 2003 from men from Delta Force, Rangers, SEALs and British SAS. They were responsible for taking out Al-Zarqawi in 2006. TREY, JACK, JIMMY, BULL, MATT and THE COMMANDER were based on this special task force, their practices, and philosophies. From an ABC news article in 2006: "Task Force 145 uses a process that they call the unblinking eye, which is essentially a very tight linkage between intelligence and operations, meaning that as soon as they have intelligence they want to act on it, rather than sit and dwell on it for days at a time," said Sean Naylor, who reported a piece on TF 145 for the Army Times."

(Note: the book covers below are the OLD Samhain versions for your reference)

In the books A FEW GOOD MEN, MODEL SOLDIER and A PRINCE AMONG MEN, the series took a turn as I focused on the boots on the ground--Army infantry, tankers, ground pounders, based on the real life deployments of my Army consultant in Ramadi and the border provinces of Afghanistan.

BB DALTON is a short story that gives the reader some additional backstory behind the events in Model Soldier and the side-characters of BB, Katie and Emily. The story of BB becoming the poster boy for SpecOps recruitment was taken directly from an NBCNews article about the US Navy SEALs using unconventional recruiting methods and sending actual SEAL personnel to recruit from the civilian sector including from schools and the Iron Man competition.

SMALLTOWN HEAT
Of course the heroes in Red Hot & Blue have family and a hometown. Jack and Jimmy's brother JARED (the farmer), and his two friends, BOBBY (the deputy) and COLE (the pro ball player), got their own stories in SMALLTOWN HEAT (once upon a time named Smalltown USA).


Cat Johnson

Words from A FEW GOOD MEN

A FEW GOOD MEN (A Red Hot & Blue Novel) by Cat Johnson now available (again) in both eBook and paperback!

PLEASE ENJOY THIS SHORT EXCERPT

Jazzy had been unconscious but alive when the medevac helicopter took him away.

In the military hospital, he regained consciousness and was able to talk, but after hearing what he had to say, John was pretty sure he wanted to kill him.

John ran his hands over his face. “Why can’t you wait to email her when you get out of here?”

“Because the docs say I can’t leave this hospital bed for almost a week, and then I have to go straight to my bunk and not move for another week except to go to the head. So you have to do it. I can’t be wandering around the MWR. I might collapse and injure myself.” Jazzy held a hand to his ribcage and looked pitiful, no doubt to coerce John into doing what he obviously didn’t want to do by playing on his sympathies.

“Look. I have no problem calling your wife for you. Hell, I’ll even contact your grandmother and dear old aunt if you want, but I am not emailing your sex-writer pen pal Summer Winters.” John stuck to his resolution even as Jazzy looked at him with hurt puppy eyes.

The areas covered with white gauze bandages outnumbered those without, making the concussion and contusions seem worse. But John was well aware that with explosions it was the internal injuries that could kill you, no matter how good or bad the exterior looked.

“That’s okay.” The man in the bed before him shrugged and then winced in spite of the large number of painkillers John knew was coursing through his veins. “It’s not like I got injured following an order you, my tank commander, gave me or anything—oh wait. It is exactly that.”

Jazzy didn't bother to suppress the grin that crossed his lips.

He was trying guilt now? Dammit, though, it was the truth. Jazzy had been out of that tank and in harm’s way following his order.

John growled, a low rumbling sound of frustration and defeat. “I really hate you right about now. You do know that, don’t you?”

Jazzy smiled wider. “Yup. And might I add you’re not the first commander I’ve had say that. So her email address is summer at summer winters dot com. Do you want me to write that down?”

Jazzy picked up the pad of paper and pen he kept on his bed so he could write his wife daily.

“No, thank you. I believe I can remember that very complicated email address.” John rolled his eyes.

“What are you going to say in the email to her?”

Now Jazzy was going to try and tell him what to say too? Although, what exactly did one say to a granny sex novelist?

He desperately did not want to do this. John sighed, defeated. “What would you like me to say?”

“You should probably thank her for the coffee since you liked drinking it as much as the rest of us. But I think first you should introduce yourself. She knows who you are because I talk about you.”

“You talk about me? To her?” John frowned. “Why?”

“Because I love and respect you so much. Of course.” Jazzy smirked and John seriously considered smacking him and adding more damage to what the car bomb had accomplished. “And if you could email her today I would appreciate it. I’ve been in here for three days already, and she tends to get worried when I don’t respond to her for a while. She always assumes I got blown up.”

The guy never did know when to leave well enough alone.

“Yeah, well, this time you did get blown up,” John reminded him, feeling mean.

Jazzy hung his head dramatically. “Yes, I did. But I got blown up happy in the knowledge that my fellow crew members and my commander were safely inside the tank.”

Another growl followed that comment. “Damn you, Jazzy.”

He had the nerve to laugh, and John decided he would have far rather been the one blown up than the one having to email Jazzy’s do-gooder porn-penning pal.

A Few Good Men
Cat Johnson

December 2017 Wallpaper

Happy December! This month brings the rerelease of A FEW GOOD MEN, one of my favorites from the Red Hot & Blue series, and a new desktop calendar wallpaper. And for Christmas, I posted a few past December wallpapers, Nice is Naughty and Bad Santa. Download and feel free to share!  

Romance on Black Friday? YES!

An excerpt from the story "Mr. December" in my NICE & NAUGHTY hot holiday trilogy with firemen!! Enjoy and Happy Thanksgiving! Cat Johnson


Jason Bryant smiled. "Peggy. You look festive."

She did, dressed in a dark green pantsuit with a red berry pin. He recognized both items as being store stock. Peggy was a loyal store employee, he'd wager right down to her Bryant's private label underwear.

Peggy, who had assisted his grandfather for over twenty years and now belonged to him, raised one painted-on eyebrow. "We'll see how festive you feel after I tell you what's happening."

Jason frowned. Whatever it was, he was not going to let it ruin his first Black Friday at Bryant's helm. He hadn't worked his way up from stockroom clerk, to floor associate, to manager, to Chief Operating Officer to let anything get in his way now. He gripped Peggy with one hand on each of her bony shoulders and stared deeply into her eyes. "What is it, Peggy?"

She released a loud cackle. "Well, Jesus. It isn't that bad. No one's dead. I just got a call from the Santa who's supposed to be here today."

Jason nodded. "Mmm, hmm. One of the local firemen promoting the charity calendar." There was a stack of calendars for sale at every register in the store.

"Yup. Mr. December, Troy O'Donnell, Ladder Company No. 3. Six feet tall and two hundred pounds of solid muscle, from what I can see."

"Yes, Peggy. I get it. What about Mr. O'Donnell?"

"He ain't coming. His girlfriend or somebody called." Peggy waved a dismissive hand, seeming far less interested in Mr. O'Donnell's dating status than she was in his physical attributes. "She said he's been throwing up for hours. They're not sure if it's the full-blown flu or just a little stomach bug, but he was apparently up and getting dressed between bouts of vomiting. He was trying to come here for his shift when she called me so I could tell him myself, officially, that he should stay the hell home."

He agreed, but hoped Peggy hadn't actually used the phrase stay the hell home. "Of course he should stay home. It wouldn't do to have Santa vomiting on the children, or spreading a stomach virus to our customers and staff."

"That's what I told him. But now what do we do about getting a Santa last minute?"

"Have you called the firehouse to see if they have a spare?"

Peggy laughed at that. "Have you seen those firemen in that calendar? If they do have a spare, they can send him over to my house."

Yes, Jason had seen the nearly nude fireman calendar, all twelve months of it. Aside from selling it at his store, Peggy had it hanging in her office for almost a month now even though it didn't officially start until January of next year. The item seemed to be very popular with the ladies. Apparently from her rundown on Mr. December, Peggy had memorized all of the hunky firemen's stats already. He rolled his eyes and had to smile. Peggy was seventy if she was a day.

"Stop rolling your eyes at me. I'm old. I'm not dead. And yeah, I called. They got nobody for us today. All of their fireman Santas are either on duty at the firehouse or spoken for elsewhere. They got them playing Claus all over town, you know, not just here. The children's hospital, the library. They said they might be able to swing somebody for tomorrow if he's still not better."

Jason pursed his lips as an idea struck him. He'd often wanted to be a fly on the wall in the store, see what his employees were up to when he wasn't around, hear unsolicited comments from customers. But his face was too well known in the store. This little misfortune could turn out to be a perfect opportunity. "Peggy. We've got the Santa suit here, correct?"

"Yup. Up in my office. Just got it out of the dry cleaners."

"Excellent. I'll arrange for a Santa. Oh, and I'll be out of touch for the day, so if anyone calls for me, just take a message."

Peggy cocked an already sharply arching black brow at him. "What are you up to?"

He winked at her and held one finger up to his lips to indicate she should keep quiet.

She shook her head. "You've got the devil in you, just like your grandpa."

Jason smiled and laid an arm around her shoulders, steering them both out the door of the break room. "And you've worked for us both, for over twenty years now. So what does that say about you, my dear Peggy?"

She let out a loud crackling laugh. "It says that I know I'll have a lot more fun working for a devil than a saint, that's what. Come on. I may have to find more padding for the suit. You're in better shape than last year's guy."

Nice & Naughty



Cat Johnson

A COWBOY FOR CHRISTMAS

Lit by her headlights, a figure climbed down from the high vehicle. Big and tall, he raised his hand and tipped his brown felt cowboy hat down so it shielded his eyes from the glare.

Her heart picked up speed but she wasn't sure if it was from fear, or the fact that this man, by all appearances a real-live walking talking cowboy, was coming right at her. In boots and worn faded jeans, with a jacket opened to reveal a blue shirt, he kind of swaggered, which only added to the whole cowboy look of him. As did the black and white dog that leapt from the vehicle and, tail wagging, trailed along at his heels.

He reached the side of the car and, hands shoved into his front jean's pockets, he leaned down to peer into the window. "You lost?"

Just the deep timber of those two words, spoken with the drawl of a true cowboy, cut directly through her. Casey could barely breathe. This man was the personification of her first childhood love-Cowboy Cody and the Cowboy Code.

"Um, I didn't think so when I saw the sign, but now I've been driving for so long I'm afraid I might be and the GPS is no help. It doesn't even recognize the road and my cell won't work." Compared to this man of few words, her longwinded answer sounded ridiculous. He probably thought she was some kind of idiot.

Her cowboy savior rubbed his thumb and forefinger over the closely cropped beard on his chin. "Well, tell me where you need to get to. Maybe I can help."

"I'm trying to get to the Maverick ranch. They're expecting me."

Beneath the brim of his hat, his eyebrows rose sharply. "You're Casey Harrington?"

Cowboy Blue
by Cat Johnson

Word from BETTING ON A HOT SEAL

“Can I buy you a drink?” he asked, his brown gaze on hers.
“Just getting myself a water, but thanks.” She shot him a half-hearted smile and went back to her stalking of the bartender.
“Um, look, here’s the deal. I don’t want to bother you but my friends dared me to come over and talk to you. If I didn’t do it, I would have never heard the end of it from them so I had to. I’m sorry.”
Intrigued by his confession, Mary Elizabeth turned to face him. “They dared you just to talk to me?”
Adorably, he dropped his gaze as if embarrassed before bringing it back up to meet hers. “Actually, they dared me to do a little more than just talk.”
“How much more?”
He hesitated and then sighed. “Tompkins wanted to actually see me kiss you, right here in the bar, but I told him no go. Fitz convinced him that if I got your number it should be good enough.”
The depth of detail in his story, on top of his real or possibly fake shame at having to admit it, was intriguing.
She laughed. “Either you’re the most honest man in this place, or this is your attempt at appearing that way just to pick me up. I can’t decide.”
He lifted a brow. “I’m not really sure what to do to convince you either way.”
She extended her hand as an idea struck. “Mary Elizabeth Smith.”
“Craig Dawson.” He laughed as he shook her hand. “And I have to tell you that Mary Smith is possibly the worst fake name I’ve ever heard.”
Now it was her turn to raise a brow at him. “Sorry, but believe it or not it’s actually my name. I was named after my two grandmothers, Mary and Elizabeth.”
She didn’t miss how he was still holding her hand in his as he nodded and said, “I believe you.”
“Do you?” she asked.
“Yup. The addition of the backstory about your grandmothers makes all the difference.” He grinned.
“Good. And I think I believe your story too, Craig Dawson.” Believe him or not, the handholding was becoming ridiculous. Mary Elizabeth disengaged herself from his grip.
He let her go, but didn’t move away. “That’s good to hear. So what do we do now?”
If they’d met at a time in her life when she wasn’t broken, and if he had been another decade older, and if he was flirting with her at somewhere besides a casino bar on a dare, she might have been interested in this man. But as it stood, there were way too many points against them.
The circumstances might be completely wrong, but there was still no reason why they couldn’t help each other out of a sticky situation, which was exactly what her stroke of brilliance was about.
She had a plan.
Mary Elizabeth was more than ready to go home but her friends weren’t going to let her leave—unless she left with this guy. She might be crazy, but she was going to do it. Ask him to help her if she helped him.
Without further thought that might have made her change her mind, she said, “How would you feel about helping me out with something in exchange for me helping you with your friends?”
He tipped his head. “I think I might be interested in learning more.”

Words from NIGHT WITH A SEAL HotSEALs Cat Johnson

He glanced in her direction as he slid the end of his belt through the buckle. "Walk me to the door?"

With her heart pounding harder at the thought of saying goodbye than it had before their sexual encounter, Ali forced herself to sound casual as she said, "Sure."

Jon turned to face her fully. "I'm going to be gone very soon and for a long time."

She read between the lines. He was telling her not to expect a post-coital phone call before he left. "I know."

"It's fighting season over there. I can't afford to be distracted."

And now he was saying, in his roundabout way, for her not to expect an email or letter while he was gone either. "I understand."

"And even when I'm home, the schedule, the hours, the demands are insane. It's the kind of shit that breaks up marriages."

Jeez. She got it. Most men would probably just say goodbye and disappear. She didn't know if she respected him more or less after this run of preemptive excuses.

"Jon, I knew what I was getting into when I invited you in."

He surprised her when he reached up and cupped her face with both palms. His gaze was intense as it met and held hers. "I'm screwing this up badly. What I'm trying to say is, Ali, you're the kind of woman who could easily be a distraction if I let you. If I want to come home alive, I can't let you."

CatJohnson.net/book/night-with-a-seal

Leave the boots on...

Words from Saved by a SEAL #HotSEALs by Cat Johnson

The fabric of the rich blue dress was soft beneath his fingers, but he knew her skin would be even softer. He'd get to that part. Soon. Now, he needed to kiss her, so he did. Raising his hands to her face, he took possession of her lips in a hard, deep kiss. He meant it to let her know this could lead to one thing and one thing only-him inside her.

She must have had the same idea. As he kissed her, stroking his tongue against hers, he felt her unbuttoning his shirt. She ran her hands over the bare skin of his chest and groaned.

Happy she liked what she felt, he grabbed her by the waist and lifted, carrying her across the room as she wrapped her legs around his back, all while they remained locked at the lips. He felt the spiked heels of her boots against his back.

Damn, that was hot. He'd be leaving her boots on for a little while after the dress came off.

http://catjohnson.net/book/saved-by-a...

Saved By A SEAL