Delilah Devlin's Blog, page 281
February 7, 2018
Cover reveals! See what’s coming!
I’ve been busy while I’ve been sitting beside grandma’s bed. When you’re caring for someone who sleeps most of the time, you have to do something to stay awake. My sister, Elle James, is here to chat with, and since I had her held hostage, I coerced her to create some more pretty covers for upcoming books. Thought you might like to see what’s coming!
First up, is Night Watch. I moved up the release date to next Tuesday, February 13th. Kindle is still making the adjustments, so if the date doesn’t say that, don’t worry. Don’t you love that cover? It’s perfect for my Dom, Logan Ross…
Deputy Logan Ross knows good and well he’s got someone watching him at night, not that he minds one little bit. Still, for a lawman who wants to keep the peculiarities about his lifestyle under wraps in this small Texas town, the consequences of her ever spilling what she knows are too damning to risk. Better to seduce her…
Schoolteacher Amy Keating never intended to become a voyeur, but one innocent glance into Logan’s window opened up a world of sexual play she’d never envisioned. However, when she finds his attentions turned on her, she can’t help but reciprocate. She’ll do anything to spend one night in his bed. One night is all she can aspire to, because a man as handsome and worldly as Logan could never fall in love with a tall, gangly, Plain Jane like her…
The Triplehorn Brand
This is another short series I subbed with Samhain. For those of you who never partook of my Triplehorn men, this will be a treat! If the covers look different when you click on the links—no worries. I just uploaded the pretty new covers you see here. And once you’ve read these stories, if you’d like to seem more, you know all you have to do is say so…
Laying Down the Law
The Triplehorn Brand, Book #1
Coming March 6th!
A teller implicated in bank robbery seeks sanctuary from small-town sweetheart she left behind—who happens to be the new sheriff in town.
A lifetime ago, Zuri Prescott kicked the dirt off her boots and fled her small-time, small town, but lived to regret choosing a glam city life over her high school sweetheart. When she’s framed for a bank robbery, she flees to her home town, seeking refuge with her old flame while she figures out her next steps—only to discover he’s the last man she can confide in.
Sheriff Colt Triplehorn knows trouble when he sees it, especially when it’s one familiar naked trespasser, caught between an angry bull and her underwear. Sure she’s up to her usual no good, he grants her sanctuary at his ranch where he can keep an eye on her while he purges her from his system once and for all. When he realizes she’s involved with a robbery, he has to make a career-compromising choice between following the letter of the law and his heart…
In Too Deep
The Triplehorn Brand, Book #2
Coming March 20th!
Some things never change. And some things change everything…
Gabe Triplehorn can think of no better getaway from his heavy responsibilities at the ranch than to go back to a time and place where he didn’t have a care in the world. When there was just a campground, a river, and a girl. When he gets to Red Hawk Landing, the campground and the river are still there. He just never expected the girl would still be there, too. Only now she runs the place.
Lena Twohig can think of no better place to raise her young son than the family-owned campground that holds so many memories. Especially, the romance with Gabe that lit up one long-ago summer like a wild electrical storm. Now he’s back with a ranch-hardened body she knows she shouldn’t want so badly.
No amount of lies, or the years that have passed, can tame this tidal wave of passion.
A Long, Hot Summer
The Triplehorn Brand, Book #3
Coming April 3rd!
When two lonely hearts collide, age becomes just a number…
Sarah Colby’s marriage was over long ago, but she’s never shed the scars her abusive husband left behind. One shameful indiscretion, an affair with a younger man one long-ago summer haunts her.
Tommy Triplehorn is happy his brothers have settled down and started families of their own, but he’s feeling a little smothered by all that domesticity. Carousing and drinking no longer provide him any thrills, and he thinks he knows the reason why. He’s waited long enough for Sarah Colby to get over being ashamed of their past. He’s old enough to know what he wants, and he wants her.
February 6, 2018
Flashback: Baby, It’s You (Contest)
We’re still on grandma watch here. Her respirations are slowing, and she’s only woken up a couple of times the past day or so. My sister, Elle James, and her dd arrived yesterday to provide much-needed relief. We’ll likely be holed up in grandma’s room, tending to her while we try to sprint through some pages today. Anything to keep our minds engaged elsewhere.
Do you have big things planned for today? I have a suggestion! Read the excerpt below from Baby, It’s You, and tell me you’re not tempted to find a SEAL book-boyfriend to spend your day with!
Contest
Comment for a chance to win one of my Uncharted SEALs stories!
Click on a cover to explore the series!
Baby, It’s You
Carter Vance, Jr. stands at the fork in the road. Wounded in action, the Navy SEAL has a decision to make: whether to find work with a spec ops unit, or return to his family ranch in Texas and repair his fractured relationship with his dying father and the woman he wronged. Complicating the decision is his reignited attraction to Melanie Schaeffer and his confusion over his feelings for his dead brother’s little girl, whom Melanie has raised since his brother’s and her sister’s deaths by a terrorist’s bomb.
Read an excerpt…
The morning that would change Melanie Schaeffer’s life forever began quietly enough. The whoosh of a curtain opening sounded a moment before sunlight spilled across her bed. Melanie rolled to her back to see the maid picking up clothing Melanie had left draped over a chair the night before.
A blush crept into her cheeks. She didn’t think she’d ever grow accustomed to having someone else handle her intimate items. “You don’t have to do that,” Melanie said as she pushed another pillow behind her head. “I can clean up after myself.”
The maid gave her a cheerful smile. “It’s my job. And I wouldn’t have woken you at all, but you did say you wanted to get used to the time change…”
Yes, there was that. After two days, she still felt a little muzzy-headed. The nine hours’ difference in time zones from Austin to this little city bordering Asia and the Middle East took some getting used to. Melanie rubbed her eyes and blinked, focusing on the sun peeking through the arched window and the view of the lovely, lush garden beyond it. Bushes exploding with large cabbage roses and tall, fruit-laden palms nearly obscured the ten-foot wall surrounding the estate nestled in the diplomats’ sector.
Never had she stayed in such a luxurious place, never slept in a softer bed, especially one covered in a plush white-and-blue damask duvet that felt as light as a cloud. So many luxuries to be enjoyed, but she felt uncomfortable surrounded by the opulence. And the last thing she wanted was to grow used to the amenities. At the end of summer, she would be heading back to her small, cramped apartment. Handsome U.S. ambassadors weren’t in her cards. More likely, she’d marry another teacher, and they’d settle into suburbia, worrying about the mortgage and their next car payment, and she was okay with that.
She glanced at the designer suitcase, the logo prominent on the side—something that cost more than the clothing inside it—a gift from her sister. One to which Cassie likely hadn’t given much thought, or she would have gifted Melanie with something simpler and sturdier.
Cassie wasn’t intentionally thoughtless. She’d likely told an aide to buy a case and ship it to her sister, never thinking the case itself would be an issue. Cassie had always been destined to have more in life. Always simply expected it. Stunning and smart, she looked like a movie star but spoke seven languages. That Cassie wanted her to be part of her life pleased Melanie, but she knew over time, they would drift farther and farther apart. Their worlds would never intersect.
The maid continued to tidy her bedroom, so Melanie rose and moved to the suitcase she still hadn’t unpacked. She laid it open on an upholstered bench and rummaged for an outfit, nothing anywhere near elegant enough for her present surroundings—plain dark slacks and a blue, long-sleeved cotton blouse. Something appropriately demure should she be seen by any of the locals employed by her brother-in-law. “Are my sister and the ambassador still here?” She threw the question over her shoulder as she strode to the bathroom.
“They’re taking breakfast in the kitchen. You’ll catch them if you hurry.”
Glad she’d managed to drag herself from bed earlier than the day before, she hurried through her ablutions and skipped down the stairs.
Melanie took a step through the kitchen door, then quickly backed out, not wanting to interrupt the tender embrace between Cassie and Daniel. Since her arrival, she’d witnessed several such kisses, and she doubted they’d be embarrassed. She was the one with the problem. Their passion made her edgy…and a little bleak.
Daniel couldn’t help that he looked so much like his brother that every time she saw him she felt a little twinge in her chest. After three years, she would have thought the nostalgic pain had diminished, but maybe she was a one-man woman. And maybe she needed to date more. She’d never forgotten her first real crush. No other man had ever made her feel the same intense desire.
She’d met Carter Vance at her sister’s wedding. The intense attraction still mystified her. He’d barely smiled in her direction, although they’d been best man and maid of honor, and were forced into each other’s company constantly throughout the week of activities leading up to the wedding. She’d blushed and struggled to be nice to the taciturn Navy SEAL, and he’d eyed her with a look that bespoke his impatience with all the hoo-hah surrounding the marriage of her sister to the ambassador, a local celebrity in their tiny town in Texas. Because Cassie and Melanie had no family to speak of, Daniel’s father had stepped in to give the couple a wedding befitting a Vance, a proud Texas family that had owned the Rocking V Ranch since Texas became a state in the Union. His father been kind and gracious, as had his brother Lee. They’d welcomed her into the family right along with Cassie, going to the extreme of talking her into transferring from Old Miss to the University of Texas at Austin so that she could visit during her breaks. They’d even paid the remaining years of her tuition. She’d graduated just a couple of weeks ago, and now, had time to think about what she wanted to do next. Grad school? Her teacher’s certification? She hadn’t quite made up her mind, and she didn’t want to impose any longer on Mr. Vance’s generosity. She wanted to start paying her own way.
Not that he ever voiced a bit of concern over the expense of her upkeep. All the Vance family had been wonderful to her, except for Carter, Jr. The week of the wedding, she’d noted she wasn’t the only one who’d earned his steely glances. A decided chill had been in the air every time father and son came too close together. Even after all these years, she didn’t know what had caused the rift or why it mattered so much to her. Why he mattered…
She cleared her throat and entered the breakfast room again to find her sister grinning and patting her hair.
“You’re up!” Cassie turned and smiled. “You really don’t have to see us off. You should have slept in. This is your vacation.”
Melanie shook her head and made a beeline for the toddler in the high chair. “You paid for my flight to get me here. The least I can do is play nanny to this munchkin while your au pair is back in the States and you both have to work.”
Cassie laughed. “I don’t work. Today, I’m just keeping the wife of the French attaché entertained while Daniel and his staff work on…whatever it is they’re discussing,” she said with a wave of her hand.
Daniel smiled, never moving his hands from her sister’s hips or his gaze from her shining eyes. “Madame Boucher is a very exacting guest. You, my dear, will earn your husband’s undying gratitude by keeping her happy.”
Her sister scrunched her nose then glanced downward at her outfit, a very stylish olive sheath.
A color that would have made Melanie look like death warmed over, but against Cassie’s dark hair and tanned skin, made her look very sophisticated.
“The last time we met she asked me if all consulate women shopped at Tar-zhay.”
Melanie giggled then bent closer to her niece to tug at a strawberry-blonde curl. “It’s just you and me, babe. What do you say we make you a bottle and watch some Dora the Explorer?”
“Doe-wah!” Emmy squealed and reached her chubby little hands upward.
Melanie’s heart did a little flutter. Never would she have imagined loving anyone on sight, but she was surely smitten by the cherub with cereal stuck to the side of her cheek. “Let me get a cloth, and I’ll clean you up.” She headed toward the sink.
Cassie gently pushed away Daniel’s hands. “I’ll get my purse. I wouldn’t want to add the sin of being late to the long list of things that woman will complain about.”
Daniel checked his watch. “We’ve got plenty of time. Atkins scoped out an alternate route. We’ll completely miss the protesters gathering by the north gate of the embassy.”
Cassie returned, pulling on a matching olive jacket, and paused beside the high chair to pat her little girl’s hair. “Be good for Melly today, sweetie.”
“I good,” the baby said, again raising her hands, “Kissh?”
“Last time I did, you mashed your food all over my clothes.” Instead, Cassie caught one hand and drew it toward her mouth to give the tip of each chubby little finger a kiss. “Love you, sweetums.” With a flutter of her fingers toward Melanie, her sister preceded her handsome husband out the door.
With their departure, quiet fell over the kitchen. Melanie took a deep breath, feeling a little guilty about the fact she was glad they were both gone. She’d have time alone with the little one, for them to bond and for Melanie to feel more relaxed. Because hey, her brother-in-law was her country’s ambassador to this little nation and lived in a freaking mansion. Her relationship with her sister wasn’t especially close; too many years divided them.
Cassie had gotten a job in the diplomatic corps right out of college and had only been home for brief visits, the last time to attend their parents’ funerals. And although Cassie did do her best to keep in touch—calling once a week, sending lavish gifts, even buying her a small, used car—Melanie didn’t feel comfortable around her more polished and sophisticated sister. Not like she did with the baby from the first moment they’d met.
She finished wiping the little girl’s fingers clean, removed the food tray, and lifted eighteen-month-old Emmy into her arms, just as she heard car doors slam outside on the cobbled driveway. Turning with the intention of walking to the window so the baby could wave good bye to her parents, Melanie caught a bright flash of light in the corner of her eye, felt a brief moment of complete, airless silence, then felt herself hurled through the air as an explosion of sound and debris hammered against her body.
The moment lengthened, searing pain stung her cheek, and a scream rent the air. And as her arms tightened around the precious bundle still held tightly against her chest, Melanie fell into darkness.
February 5, 2018
Kathy Kulig: How to Find the Right Tattoo for You
Are you thinking about getting your first tattoo? Or planning a new one that’s your 10th? Picking a design can take a long time, and should at least take a lot of thought, as well as WHERE to place it.
While doing research for my book TATTOO WITCH, I visited a tattoo shop and spoke with an artist about design selection application and aftercare. I was in New Hope, PA with hubby and told him I needed to go into this tattoo shop. He was hesitant. “Are you getting one?”
“No, just need to ask some questions.” After explaining to the young woman at the desk that I was doing research for my new book, she disappeared behind a curtain. Moments later, a huge man appeared. He was about 6’ 4” with shoulder-length hair, a long beard and covered in tats. He strode up to me and asked, “Can I help you?”
My mouth moved but it took a few seconds before words came out. “I…I would like to…to ask you some questions for a book I’m writing.”
“Sure, come on back.” He turned and walked behind the curtain.
I glanced at hubby. “I’ll wait out here.”
“Great.” I followed the big guy to the back room.
The guy was very nice, and very knowledgeable. I was thoroughly impressed with the sterile technique (I’m a medical professional) and the talent of the artist himself (I can’t draw a straight line with a ruler).
Most of his clients choose a design from his gallery, on Pinterest or the internet. Occasionally, they draw or write their own design. He can personize a design, change the size, color or make other embellishments.
A tattoo is very personal, so what you chose and where you place it is a major decision. Do your research for the pros and cons about location. Many employers still consider visible tats against their dress code and may require that you cover them.
10 Most Common Places to Get a Tattoo
Lower back
Wrist/finger
Foot
Ankle
Upper arm/shoulder
Back/rib
Forearm
Chest
Breast
Neck
A Couple of Fun Tattoo Facts
The first tattoo machine was invented in 1891 by Samuel O’Reilly based on Thomas Edison’s device called the electric pen invented in 1876.
For those scared of needles: a tattoo machine will puncture the skin on average 50-3,000 times per minute.
Obtaining a tattoo in New York City was illegal between 1961 and 1997 because of an outbreak of Hepatitis B.
Tattoo Witch
Find Tattoo Witch at:
Amazon | BN | KOBO | iBooks | Google
What if a tattoo had supernatural powers and could grant wishes? Cassandra is a witch who designs magical tattoos. Sam and Anita are struggling in their relationship and hope to reignite their lukewarm love life while on a beach vacation. They meet a mysterious, heavily tattooed couple who brag about the fiery passion and excitement in their lives and swear that Sam and Anita could have it too. They refer Sam and Anita to Sinful Designs, the cure for their troubled romance. Cassandra designs the tattoo to meet their needs. But she mixes in a little black magic, so there’s a catch. They get their wishes and more, but all tats comes with a curse. Their world is turned upside down, and there’s only one way to break the spell. Can their love survive the consequences, and strong enough to fight black magic? Steamy, suspenseful and romantic.
About Kathy Kulig
Kathy is the New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of erotic paranormal, contemporary, and suspense romance. She’s a science geek by day and escapes into her writer’s world at night. Kathy’s books are passionate, emotionally-charged and always have a happy ending. She loves to travel, work out, curl up with her Kindle, binge watch Netflix series and have dinners out with her amazing husband. She lives in Pennsylvania in a 100-year-old Victorian house with a garage built out of reject tombstones. Readers can find her:
Web site: http://www.kathykulig.com
Blog: http://www.BurntStilettos.com
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/kathykuligauthor
Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/kathykulig
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/1221829.Kathy_Kulig
Hot News Mailing List: http://smarturl.it/KathysHotNews
February 4, 2018
Jasper Trey: Live experiences that lead to OLIVIA (The Harris Legacy Book 1)
Heeelllllooooo. (think of Pooh, in a “blustery day”),
First and fore most thank you to Deliliah for letting me post here today!
I love writing, but I haven’t always done it. I’ve read since my sister moved in (she became my sister-in-law when I was 14, but my best friend when I was 10 and she was 17). She was always reading. Sometimes, the only thing I could do with her was to read the books she had just finished. This served me well in junior high where I could bury my nose in a book. Then the bully’s couldn’t faze me and would go away.
Since I had a tendency to read the same books as my sister, it meant I was reading romance novels. It also meant I started crafting my prince charming at an early age. Lucky me, I found him in a farmer just a few short years later. Did I mention I grew up a farmer’s daughter and said I’d never marry a farmer? Yeah, never say never. (That’s me rolling my eyes at my younger self.)
What does this have to do with my book? Well, while I grew up on a farm, my parents have degrees—mechanical engineering for my dad and computer programming for my mother. I didn’t just grow up on a farm, but I grew up on a farm and was raised to think I could do anything. Some would say this gets me into trouble, or at least means I have no free time, since I continually have a ton of things going on in my life.
But that’s allowed me to have all of this experience to pull from. Which is important, as the first time I tried writing a book, I was studying engineering and planning my wedding. I wrote a couple of chapters and chucked it. It was bad! Rose-colored glasses, anyone? Fast forward 15 years, and I had a lot under my belt. Large disappointments and making hard decisions that changed my life’s direction. All of that helped me look at things from new directions and write my first book.
I hope you’ll take an afternoon and get lost in Olivia, enjoying reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it.
Jasper (Jen)
Olivia
Olivia (The Harris Legacy Book 1)
https://www.amazon.com/Olivia-Harris-Legacy-Book-1-ebook/dp/B06Y2JRS5V
Where you can find me:
My blog — More than Your Basic Bitch:
https://wordpress.com/stats/day/bvc1point0.wordpress.com
Twitter: @jenofalltradz
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/16832035.Jasper_Trey
February 3, 2018
How “Real Life” intrudes… (Contest)
So, I know you don’t come here to hear from a “Debbie Downer”. However, these days, it’s getting tough for me to hold onto my normally sunny disposition.
Maybe I’m just tired. I mean really, really tired. My dd and I are taking shifts to cover grandma’s personal care, here at home, 24/7. Yes, we’re getting hospice to come in and provide things like a hospital bed and bed table, an aide to give her baths, a nurse to visit to ease the impossible burden of bringing her to the doctor for checkups… But everything else is on us.
So, I steal moments to post a blog, check my mail, edit a story, etc., all the while glancing constantly over my shoulder to make sure grandma isn’t trying to climb out of bed to “go to the dance.” Yes, she’s out of her mind more than she’s in it. It’s sad for us, but she’s having very interesting conversations with friends and family who have been long gone.
In the meantime, my productivity has been hammered. I had to postpone the release of Dagger, the sequel to Reaper, which caused its own horrible consequence. I’ve lost my ability to set up pre-orders on Amazon—something that all authors need in order to get books into readers’ hands. Readers don’t normally hover over their computers, waiting for a book to drop. They read a story, see what’s coming out next, place that pre-order, then move on to the next author, knowing they won’t miss a thing, and don’t have to think or remember that they will need to make a future purchase. So, yes, losing pre-order privileges—for a year—is killer. But what can I do?
For those of you waiting for the next Montana Bounty Hunters story, my goal is to have a shorter story, Reaper’s Ride, ready to release as part of a mini-launch in my sister Elle James’s Brotherhood Protectors Kindle World at the end of this month. Of course, I am having to fit in the pages for that story as I can, while I plug along on Dagger for a March release.
If you’ve been reading the Texas Cowboys stories, another is coming soon—Night Watch! I’m also working on getting the first three books of the series into print. That could happen as soon as next week!
Contest
In the meantime, I’ll offer one commenter a chance to win a free copy of their choice from among the Texas Cowboys stories #1 through #5.
Click on the covers to learn more about the stories!
February 2, 2018
Desiree Holt: Sometimes the oldies are the best goodies! (Contest)
Take Note!
Leave me a comment. One lucky person will receive a copy of Quarterbacks Sneak, about a hot football player who knew how to celebrate Valentine’s Day.
When I first dipped my toes in writing I hadn’t a clue what I was doing. I finished my first manuscript and didn’t even know where to submit it or how. Thank the lord for SARA—San Antonio Romance Authors—where I met wonderful, lifelong friends who guided me through the bumps and bruises of the publishing world.
My first novel was contracted in 2005 under a different name, but I did not write my first erotic romance until more than a year later. If it had not been for Delilah Devlin, and my other friends at SARA, I might never have written. Why? Because Dee is the one who told me Ellora’s Cave had an open submission call for Valentine-themed Quickies—novellas 15K or less.
Well, that was certainly a challenge for me since I hadn’t a clue how to write that. But my late husband, who thought I could do anything in the world, suggested I buy a couple, read them and see if I felt I could do it. Well, I was never one to shrink from a challenge, so that’s what I did. And my first erotic romance was born. Imagine my shock when I received a contract for it!
But Ellora’s Cave began its slide into oblivion, and I was able to get the rights back for it. Celebrate!
And so February 13 Totally Bound will rerelease Cupid’s Shaft and I can’t wait. It ‘s a hot, fun story to keep you warm on Valentine’s Day. And what better place to tell you about it than here. On the blog, of the fabulous author who started it all for me.
A freezing winter’s night, a hot stranger and a sexy female with erotic plans. One hot Valentine’s Day coming right up.
When Jessie Rawlins’ boyfriend dumps her just before Valentine’s Day, she ends up by herself at her isolated cabin in Maine with all the trappings for the holiday—including a bag of kinky toys—and no one to celebrate with. Then a snow storm dumps gorgeous Riley Malone on her front porch. Running from a broken relationship himself as well as a business partnership gone bad, Riley thought his good luck had run out. Until fate—and Cupid—strands him at Jessie’s cabin.
What woman hasn’t fantasized about having a sexy, handsome stranger come out of nowhere and rock her world? When Riley shows up on her doorstep, frozen half to death, Jessie knows exactly how to warm him up. But will Riley want to play along with the games she’d planned for her Valentine’s celebration? A night of hot, erotic, sizzling sex answers that question. But what will happen when the day for lovers is over, the storm is gone and it’s time for him to be on his way? Will he take a piece of Jessie’s heart with him, or will Cupid’s arrow strike them both?
Excerpt:
Riley Malone thought for sure he was having a heart attack. For one thing, he should be back in Florida where it was warm, not up here in the godforsaken wilds of Maine. But the fight with his business partner in the hotel in Boston had been the final straw in a rapidly disintegrating relationship. He’d offered to sell out his share and Curt had jumped at it. Good riddance. He could start another construction company. Building was going on in all fifty states.
Then, of course, there was Veronica the bitch. Too bad that she bought tickets for a Valentine cruise without telling him. When he told her he couldn’t get back in time to make it, she blistered the telephone line with a string of curses that would have made a longshoreman blush and hung up on him. Okay. Good riddance to her, too. He was tired of her selfish whining and demanding. And it would have been nice if just once in bed she’d asked him what he wanted. Veronica definitely was focused on her own pleasure, on her own terms, at times barely tolerating some of the things he wanted to do.
So he got in the damn SUV he’d rented at the airport and started driving. Just heading north. He had no idea how he even got where he was. And then the damn truck broke down in the middle of the damn snowstorm. Hiking to the only light he could see about killed him and the last thing he expected to see was a naked woman—a mouthwatering naked woman, with a slick, hairless pussy—pleasuring herself in front of a mirror.
He banged on the window again. If she didn’t open the door pretty soon, he’d freeze his damn balls off and then it wouldn’t matter who he went to bed with.
He watched her pull on a robe—too bad, she was an eyeful—and then pick up the fireplace poker. Jesus, was she going to brain him with it? As she walked slowly toward the door he stamped his feet and banged his hands together to stimulate circulation.
Finally the door creaked open and she eyed him through a narrow opening.
“What do you want?”
“For one thing I want to get out of this damn snowstorm before I turn into an ice statue. I promise not to rape or kill you if you just let me go stand in front of the fireplace.”
She frowned at him.
Come on, lady. Don’t take all day to make up your mind.
“A-All right. You can come in.” She opened the door wide enough for him to step inside.
“Thank you.” His throat felt frozen. “You’re an angel of mercy.” He pushed past her and planted himself immediately in front of the fireplace. Pulling off his jacket and gloves, he held his hands out to the warmth. “God, I was beginning to think I’d never get warm again.”
“What are you doing in this storm?” She kept her distance, still holding the poker.
“That’s a long, unpleasant story, which I won’t bore you with.”
“You have to be out of your mind to go out driving in weather like this, Mr…Mr…”
“Riley Morgan.” He glanced at her over his shoulder. “And I swear you can put the poker down. I’m too cold to do anything but shiver.”
https://www.totallybound.com/index.php?route=product/product&product_id=68739
https://www.kobo.com/us/en/ebook/cupid-s-shaft-2
https://www.firstforromance.com/book/cupids-shaft
https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/cupids-shaft-desiree-holt/1021797459?ean=9781786864178
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February 1, 2018
Victoria Pinder: Forbidden Royal (Contest)
Thank you, Delilah, for having me. Delilah is delightful to authors and runs an online critique group that’s pretty darn awesome. And today, she’s letting me take over her blog to talk about my upcoming release.
Forbidden Royal Links:
Amazon: http://hyperurl.co/i4oumu
Apple Books: http://hyperurl.co/z5dvet
Barnes and Noble: http://smarturl.it/qvk0ou
Google Play: http://smarturl.it/4uee6g
Kobo: http://smarturl.it/u9ujfj
I’m so excited. So, I decided to share all about Forbidden Royal, my new release this week and let you get to know the characters Amy and Lucio, the heroine and her handsome prince, where they meet and fall in love. These are questions I asked my characters BEFORE they re-met. Amy knew Lucio when she was a freshman in high school, but she didn’t dare talk to him then. So, these are their answers to some fun questions.
What is your idea of perfect happiness?
Amy: Living my life without parental pressure to be what they weren’t. I’d love to just get away, maybe sit on a beach, under an umbrella and do absolutely nothing for once. When I go to work, it’s often rainy or foggy. When I leave, it’s the same. I’d like to see the sun and breathe free air.
Lucio: To not have to get married before I turn 30. As a prince, I can do anything I want, but I can’t stop time.
What is your greatest fear?
Amy: That I’ll somehow transform into my mother or my sister and suddenly find myself caring about titles and bank accounts of a man I meet, instead of true issues, like politics, that can affect our lives.
Lucio: That I’ll get kicked out of my family because I refuse to marry a woman
What is the trait you most deplore in yourself?
Amy: I always give in to my parents. I don’t know why or how, but they know how to apply the pressure and get me to do what they want. So I’m like their wind up toy still seeking affection when we all know I was the nerdy, backup to my sister’s perfection. I don’t know why this bothers me as an adult. I have a job. I pay my own bills. I shouldn’t care what my parents tell me anymore.
Lucio: That I hide myself, perhaps too much. The tell all book of complete trash writing was total fiction, but millions of people believe I could be that much of a jerk because I don’t open up to people.
What do you consider your greatest achievement?
Amy: I earn enough money at my job writing my reports to pay for my flat and I don’t have to ask anyone for any money, ever. I love the freedom!
Lucio: Completing my training with the CIA, Interpol and British Intelligence where I am able to help discover subterfuge and lies before enemies attack my parent’s country.
Which living person do you most admire?
Amy: Living. This is hard, but I’m going to say the Dalai Lama. He seems to peaceful and honorable and trustworthy. I wish my own head was half as calm as the man seems, and that I could help bring peace to the world simply from prayer.
Lucio: Elon Musk or Jeff Bezos I guess. I was born a prince so I never had to prove my worth, but men like Elon Musk or Jeff Bezos get to create their own image and company and build who they are from the beginning. I absolutely admire that in American businessman.
What is your greatest extravagance?
Amy: Drinking wine out with my mates on a weeknight and not worrying I don’t have money. I mean I don’t drink every night or anything, but just being with my friends, in a nice restaurant, and that I can buy my own bottle of wine… this means life is pretty good.
Lucio: I suppose I should count but I’ve dated countless women and never had issues. Reports say I’ve dated over a 1000 women but that’s clearly a miscount. It wasn’t that high and most people lie because they want to be associated with a prince.
What is the quality you most like in a man/woman?
Amy: Honesty and being comfortable in their own skin.
Lucio: I’d say honesty as well. In a woman it would be almost refreshing.
What is your most treasured possession?
Amy: My collection of photographs. I’ve been printing and creating photo books since I was a teenager. It’s so much fun to go through old photos. Most people my age are all digital but I have my printed out pictures and albums that I like to pull out and see.
Lucio: My mind. I always try to keep up on science and breakthroughs so I can find something of use and value to help my country.
On what occasion do you lie?
Amy: To my parents on why I can’t come and visit them and that I’m happy to see my sister. The truth is I’d skip her wedding next year if I could, but that doesn’t make me sound very nice. Of course I’ll go, but I’ll do whatever I can to delay the inevitablility.
Lucio: I’ll do whatever I can to protect my country, including lie to get to the truth. I’ll infiltrate any organization and lie to really rout out the truth.
What do you most dislike about your appearance?
Amy: My thighs. I’m not heavy in most places but these thunder thighs actually jiggle if I’m not careful.
Lucio: I’m a guy. I go to the gym daily because I need to work out. I dislike being flabby and work hard to ensure I stay in the best possible shape I can.
And you can read the first three chapters of Forbidden Royal now! Please go to https://dl.bookfunnel.com/802j3fwjj9 (Book Funnel) or https://instafreebie.com/free/qGimq (Instafreebie).
Contest
Also I’m running a giveaway this week if you’re interested in winning pearls just like Amy wears in the book.
January 31, 2018
N.J. Walters: Top Five Ways to Survive Winter
It’s cold outside. Just the mere thought of going through the door makes me shiver. I live in Canada where winters are long, winds howl, and snow is plentiful. So here are the best ways I know how to survive winter.
Blankets. I’m bundled up in one practically all day long. Because I sit at a desk most of the day, my legs get cold. So I wrap them up. Actually, I wrap the blanket around me and wear it like a long skirt, but don’t tell anyone.
Flannel. You must have flannel or jersey cotton sheets for the bed. Regular cotton or satin are way too cold. At night I snuggle under my cozy sheets along with one quilt, two blankets, and three comforters. I also have an oversize men’s flannel shirt I wear over my turtleneck sweater during the day. Did I mention that I hate the cold?
Hot Beverage. Tea, coffee, or hot chocolate. It’s all good, especially when it’s been spiked with alcohol. Or maybe just have the alcohol.
Movies and TV shows. This is a great time to binge watch your favorite shows or maybe try something new. The nights are long and if you’re snuggled up on the couch at home you don’t have to go out in the cold.
And my favorite, of course, is books. Winter is the perfect time to curl up in a cozy chair with your favorite hot beverage and a blanket over you while you read. And old favorite or a new book…it’s all good.
And if you’re looking for something to warm you up during these cold days and nights, you might try my drakons. I mean what’s hotter than a practically immortal hunk who can spew fire when he’s pissed off.
Drakon’s Past
Blood of the Drakon, Book 4
Constance Owens has a gift for finding unique items in the most unlikely places, which comes in handy since she buys and sells artifacts and antiques for a living. When she purchases a set of four dragon statues, she has no idea just how unique they are, or that finding them will thrust her into a world of secret societies, men who think nothing of kidnapping and murder to get what they want, and dragon shifters.
Nic hasn’t survived for four thousand years by letting his guard down, and he doesn’t trust anyone except his drakon brothers. The loneliness haunting him has been getting worse since all his brothers have found their mates. And when he finds the woman his drakon recognizes instantly as his fated mate, he doubts he’ll ever have what his brothers have, because it seems she’s involved with the secret society of hunters who have been hunting and capturing his kind for hundreds of years.
Buy Links:
Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0786R7LSM/
Entangled: https://entangledpublishing.com/drakon-s-past.html
B&N: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/drakons-past-nj-walters/1127620047?ean=9781640634695
iBooks: https://itunes.apple.com/us/book/drakons-past/id1324091386
Kobo: https://www.kobo.com/us/en/ebook/drakon-s-past
About the Author
N.J. Walters is a New York Times and USA Today bestselling author who has always been a voracious reader, and now she spends her days writing novels of her own. Vampires, werewolves, dragons, time-travelers, seductive handymen, and next-door neighbors with smoldering good looks—all vie for her attention. It’s a tough life, but someone’s got to live it.
Visit me at:
Website: http://www.njwalters.com
Blog: http://www.njwalters.blogspot.com
Newsletter Group: https://groups.yahoo.com/neo/groups/awakeningdesires/info
Facebook Author Page: https://www.facebook.com/N.J.WaltersAuthor
Twitter: https://twitter.com/njwaltersauthor
Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/NJWalters
Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/author/njwalters
BookBub: https://www.bookbub.com/authors/n-j-walters
January 30, 2018
Tell me a story… (Contest)
February’s going to be about pirates. Just warning you.
I can’t get them off my mind. Maybe it’s because I’m putting final touches on stories that will appear in Pirates: A Boys Behaving Badly Anthology, which releases February 27.
In the meantime, I’d love to hear what sort of pirate fantasy you would write about if you had the time and inclination. Use the picture above for inspiration! Have fun with the assignment.
Everyone who posts will be entered to win a $5 Amazon gift card!
January 29, 2018
Heather Long: Love on the Run
Last year, Susan Stoker invited me to come write in her Special Forces: Operation Alpha Kindle World. I’m a fan of the lady and her writing. When she first ask, I said I would love to, BUT… Yeah, it’s always the “qualifiers” which get you. In my case, it was an overloaded writing schedule coupled with spinal issues. Still, I never forgot the invitation and as November drew closer, I found an open window of time and plunged in to write Securing Arizona.
Military romance was one of my first loves when it came to writing romance. I kicked off my career years ago with Always a Marine, and other stories. I’ve always liked lawmen, and I love my shifters, but the military hero remains special to me.
There’s nothing quite like a hero or heroine who serves their country. These are people who write a blank check with their lives on the dotted line and they do it day in and day out. Some come home whole, some come home with the scars on the outside, and more come home with the scars on the inside. These are individuals are highly trained, and often have to act restrained. They are prepared for anything and everything—and when it comes to any action adventure tale or as I like to call them, love on the run, they make some of the best conflict-equipped characters, emotionally and physically.
When it comes to romance, we expect our heroes and heroines to save the day, save the girl, save the guy—save everyone. We know our military characters have been trained, and trained, and have I mentioned, trained? They’re disciplined, they handle weapons, can do a threat assessment, and are usually loaded with oodles of determination to get the job done.
They’re also trained to compartmentalize, so when tragedy strikes as it does in Chasing Katie (shout out to the fantastic Elle James who invited me to play in her world, too), we know they are going to take an emotional hit but they won’t stay down and they won’t stop until they get their target. Throw love into the mix and it becomes a powder keg that I can’t get enough of—reading or writing wise.
If you were to ask me what I love about these types of heroes (and yes, heroines) the most, I’d answer their loyalty. There’s a camaraderie developed between people who have trained together, served together, shed blood together and even if they were never in the same unit or the same mission or even in the same room before, you can put two people who served together and the respect and understanding just seems to exist.
Emotional baggage comes with any life choice and career, but if you throw in a romantic history with a deadly threat and a reunion neither character ever imagined happening and the need to build trust on the fly? Then you’d have Guarding Gertrude.
The best part of writing military romance whether it’s a tale of battle recovery, on the run, coming home, or featuring shifters? I get to work with some of the most complicated and best characters there are.
What do you love about military romance?
Check out Heather Long’s recent on-the-air appearance courtesy of the fabulous Cindy Dees: http://www.blogtalkradio.com/authorsontheair/2018/01/11/interview-with-bestselling-author-heather-long
