Delilah Devlin's Blog, page 312
April 3, 2017
Afton Locke: Drunk on Men
I have a confession to make. I originally wrote Drunk on Men before I wrote hot romances. Many things in the book got overhauled, including the sensuality level. How did I do this? I listed all the love scenes, analyzed the dynamics that should be there, including conflict and emotion, and expanded them. It was almost like writing them from scratch but harder because I had to fit them in with what was already there. It was also a lot more fun than I thought. The story really came alive in ways I’d never envisioned the first time around. Usually when writing a new book, the hot scenes are intermittent. But here, I spent a few days rewriting nothing but one hot scene after the next. At the end, I needed a cold shower!
Drunk on Men by Afton Locke
1920s interracial romance ~ monthly serial ~ get addicted!
Release Date – Volume One: 1 April 2017
series page: http://www.aftonlocke.com/DOM.html
You may think it’s sloe fizz gin
But honey we’re sober, just drunk on men
When three African-American women meet at a resort on the Jersey Shore in the 1920s, they say goodbye to their old lives. Finding men as intoxicating as bootleg liquor, they pin their futures on happily ever after. But love can be worse than a hangover when the men’s flaws threaten to destroy them.
Hannah knows it’s time to replace her fiancé who died in the war, but the abrupt white man who rescues her from rough surf hardly fits the bill. Belle longs to ditch her latest meal ticket, but is the rich African-European owner of an upscale hotel out of her league? And while Edie struggles to face her upcoming arranged marriage, a rugged Hispanic-white fisherman decides to stake his own claim on her.
This 8-volume serial is a heady romance cocktail stirred with addiction, abuse, betrayal, and scandal. These women aren’t perfect and neither are their men. If you think you can handle it, read on and watch three steamy interracial relationships explode across the pages.
Playlist
Hannah:
Wait Till The Sun Shines on You – Gary Puckett & the Union Gap
Belle:
Come Live With Me – Marvin Gaye
Edie:
Jezebel – Desi Arnaz
Excerpt
Drunk on Men – Copyright © Afton Locke, 2017
“You’re a bootlegger,” she stated.
He sighed and made a rude gesture with his hand and chin. “What did you think, Belle? The booze simply drops out of the sky into my bar? I am performing a necessary service for the town of Ocean Promenade.”
Excitement rippled down Belle’s arms and legs. Tonight’s joyride was the most thrilling thing she’d ever done.
“How much booze does this town drink, anyway? The Sands is the only place I see that’s even wet. I have a hard time believing you could buy a car like this on that speck of business.”
“I see you are shrewd businesswoman.” He leaned between the front seats and shot her an admiring glance. “I am much impressed. Since you ask, the product also gets shipped to Washington, Philadelphia, and New York City.”
“So, what happens next?” she asked. “Where’s the booze?”
He slid his jacket sleeve upward with two fingers and glanced at his watch. “It’s coming. Please join me in the front seat where I can see you.”
“Not with the gun lying there. A girl could get her cha chas blown off with a thing like that. Besides, how do I know you’re not planning to bump me off for knowing too much?”
“You are too beautiful to kill,” he crooned as he moved the monstrous weapon to rest against his door. “However, you have become heavily involved. I wanted to protect you from this.”
“It’s okay,” she said, shrugging as she scrambled to the front passenger seat. “I’m a big girl. I’ll survive.”
He reached over and grabbed her chin, forcing her to face him. Adrenaline flooded her body. Without thinking, she smacked him across the face.
He reared back in his seat. “What was that for?”
“Don’t manhandle me,” she said coldly. “I don’t care for it.”
She hadn’t pegged him as abusive, but she wasn’t about to take any chances. Especially in this abandoned place. She’d do a lot for money, but she refused to tolerate violence.
Please tell me you’re not one of them, Raoul. I don’t want to have to give you up.
“Bella, please. You shocked me, and I think you broke my jaw.” He stuck out his bottom lip like a little boy and dazzled her with another smile.
She couldn’t help laughing. “Oh, you’re all wet. I did not.”
“I’m only trying to make you understand something.” He leaned closer but without touching her this time. “You will see things and people who don’t want to be recognized. If you do not keep your pretty kisser shut, you could endanger your life and mine.”
Belle took a shaky breath. “Understood.”
“And it means you are my lady. You cannot walk away from me. Not after tonight.”
As if she wanted to. They sat in silence for a moment. He caressed her hand and then the thigh it lay on through the thin hem of her dress, making her breath draw in with a hiss.
“I want to show you my hotel room soon,” he said, lazily stroking. “I have a circular tub with flowing water. It is like the ocean, yes?”
“Sounds divine,” she whispered.
“We don’t have much time, and I need you to show me your loyalty.”
Loyalty?
Belle watched, fascinated, as he reclined his seat until it lay almost horizontal.
His voice dropped very low. Very soft. “Come here, Bella.”
Coming Soon
Turning the Tide: A Siren’s Revenge – Wiccan Haus series – Decadent Publishing – paranormal
Where readers can find me
Newsletter: http://www.aftonlocke.com/mailing-list.html
Web site: http://www.aftonlocke.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/AftonLockeAuthor
Twitter: http://twitter.com/aftonlocke
Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/Afton_Locke
YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/user/aftonlocke
Pinterest: http://www.pinterest.com/aftonlocke/
April 2, 2017
Happy Songs for the iPod (Contest)
On my iPod, I have a playlist called “Happy Songs”. If I want to kick my ass into gear, especially in the mornings when I’d really rather sleep in, I click on the playlist, and before long I’m tapping a toe, then “mattress-dancing”—and then, there’s no goin’ back to sleep. I’m up and smiling.
Only problem is, my happy list is pretty darn short. I’d love your suggestions for more songs to add! And because I’m serious, I’ll give away a small Amazon Gift Card to one lucky, happy-suggester!
Just comment for a chance to win!
Here’s one song already on my “Happy Songs” playlist!
April 1, 2017
Riding double never felt so fine! Check out SADDLED! (Contest)
And another month bites the dust! Has anyone ever figured out why time sometime speeds by unnoticed? It can’t just be getting old. Yesterday, the nearly 4-year-old wanted to talk to me about her last birthday party. “Nina, you remember yesterday at my birthday party?” This, while she cupped my cheeks with sticky jelly fingers. Okay, so maybe that’s not quite the same.
Anyways, check out yesterday’s hot as hell release and the two previous March releases. There’s also an excerpt from Saddled below for you to enjoy! And if you’d like to win a copy of either Begging for It or Saddled, let me know: Is life speeding or crawling by for you? And do you have a clue why?
Saddled was the very first ménage story I ever wrote featuring cowboys, and another of the stories I’m “refurbing” to republish! Don’t let the sweet-ish cover fool you! Warning! The sexy bits aren’t for the faint of heart!
Saddled
Riding double never felt so fine…
When Bobby Blackhawk and Cale Yancey see a car slide off the highway and into an icy creek, they’ve got only minutes to get the beautiful driver out alive—and just one way to save her from hypothermia: take her to their isolated cabin, get naked…and hope like hell that when she wakes up, she doesn’t scream the place down.
When Katherine Duvall opens her eyes in a strange bed, the tingles flooding her body aren’t entirely due to thawing. She’s snuggled between two handsome, naked men—one a gruff, gentle giant, the other a sexy, playful Native American. Having just left her cheating fiancé, she’s not quite as shocked as she might have been. In fact, these two lonesome cowboys could be the perfect bookends to satisfy her hunger for revenge and bolster her dented self esteem.
With all of them bent on seduction, it’s not long before they melt the snow on the cabin roof, and soon, the threesome finds something else is melting, too. Their hearts…
Also just out in March and sexy…
Honey Cafferty lives a happy but precarious existence as a traveling saleswoman, searching for a sense of belonging. From her colorful wagon she brews decoctions to cure ennui, sleeplessness, hysteria–and after a visit from a mysterious Mexican curandera—she believes she’s found the way to improve a man’s libido. But how can she package her “Elixir of Love” without being run out on a rail from the nearest town for selling something that produces such carnal effects?
Sheriff Joe Tanner is protective of his little town and downright hostile toward anyone who takes advantage of the fine folk in Two-Mule, Texas. When sees the gypsy wagon roll into town, he’s ready to hurry the snake oil salesman on his way, but Honey isn’t what he expected. When the men of the town begin to plead exhaustion and place the blame for their state squarely on the pretty little redhead’s shoulders, he has to investigate.
~~~~~~~
She needs punishment…before she deserves pleasure.
Tragedy scarred TJ Lipton. Now, the only way she can find pleasure is when its delivered with a heavy-handed dose of S&M. But finding a lover who can give her what she needs proves an elusive quest—until she finds the sex club La Forge and a Dom named Cross McNally.
Cross understands all too well what drives TJ. He takes command of her body to give her everything she needs—restraint, the stinging kiss of a flogger, the thrill of a three-way—a sexual adventure that pulls her beyond her painful past and has her begging for more of his tender brand of domination.
Excerpt from Saddled …
Katherine Duvall awoke as sensation flooded her feet and hands—sharp prickling pinches that made her moan.
“Yeah, it’s gonna hurt. But it’s a good sign sweetheart,” a man whispered against her hair. “And there’s no frostbite. I checked.”
He’d checked? One fact penetrated her pain-filled fog. He’d done a lot more than checked. She was naked. And his bare-naked body was pressed up against her back, a penis nudging her bottom.
“Where are my clothes?” she gasped, choking on outrage and fear.
“Had to shuck ’em. They were soaked.”
She remembered the car sliding into the water. But why wasn’t she in a hospital? “Where am I?”
“In my cabin. Couldn’t chance taking you back to Wellesley. Snow’s comin’ down too hard.”
Her fingers stung, and she pulled her hands from under the covers to peer uselessly at them in the dim light from a cracked bathroom door. “How long have I been here?”
“Maybe an hour. Was worried about you two. You both passed out.”
“Both?”
“Bobby went into the creek after you. He’s not in much better shape.”
She edged carefully away from his body, instantly missing the warmth and rolled onto her back to get her first view of her “rescuer”. What she saw didn’t do a whole lot to alleviate her fears.
The man lying beside her was enormous—a broad-shouldered shadow. Her heartbeat thudded against her chest as her alarm grew, and she wondered what else he might have done while she’d been out.
“Let me get the lamp. You sound like you’re about to freak out.”
About to?
He leaned away. A light flickered on from a bedside table, and she got her first clear glimpse of the stranger in the bed beside her. He leaned on his elbows, his expression taut as she stared back. Shaggy, brown hair, thick dark brows over deep-set eyes. His skin was deeply tanned, his chest and abdomen a study in light and shadow as muscles rippled while he breathed. The thick fur covering his chest glinted with red and gold where the light struck it.
Then she caught a glimpse of another body outlined beneath the covers on his opposite side. “Just what the hell do you think you’re doing?”
“It’s not what it looks like,” he said softly, a smile turning up the tips of his mouth. “Swear. I had to get you both warm.”
She pulled the edge of the blanket higher over her chest and scooted away from him, but was caught by a hard shiver.
“You’re still chilled. The electric blanket’s set low. Didn’t want to damage tissue as I heated you both up.”
A groan sounded beyond the bear-like man. “Goddamn, would you both shut up? Fuck, everything hurts.”
“Bobby, you need to wake up. We got a problem here.”
The figure huddled under the blanket stirred and rolled toward them with a moan. When he came up on an elbow, air hissed through Kate’s teeth. The man was even more attractive than the first, and she was wondering if she’d woken up on the wrong side of heaven. This one wasn’t as large but was every bit as ripped. And his wide chest was hairless, his face austere, scraped clean over high cheekbones and a jutting jaw. Native American, she surmised staring at his bronze skin, even without seeing the long black hair that filtered around his shoulders.
Still, they were both naked. And sharing a bed with her. And she didn’t know if she was safe or about to be molested. After all, she’d felt an erection prodding her bottom.
She took a quick, silent inventory. The parts of her that weren’t busy thawing didn’t feel any different. She’d know, wouldn’t she, if he’d already taken advantage of her?
“We’re not going to hurt you, lady,” Bobby said. “We saved your life. Get back under the covers and snuggle close. You’ll warm up faster. Can’t have you getting sick, seeing as how you’ll be stuck here for a while.”
Her heart stuttered then began to race. “What? I can’t stay here.”
“Don’t know if you noticed,” Bobby replied, “but there’s a storm outside. The roads are closed. No one’s getting in or out.”
She opened her mouth to make another protest, but she shivered again and moaned as the pain intensified in her fingertips.
“You’re gonna have to trust us,” the big guy said. “If something comes up between us, you’ll just have to ignore it. My body’s warmer than yours even though I’ve been stuck between two blocks of ice for an hour.”
Color filled her cheeks. She shivered for another few moments, and then reluctantly gave in to the offer of warmth. Facing away, she settled on her side and held her breath as he snuggled close again. When his arm came over her waist, she jumped but calmed as he shushed her gently.
The embarrassment and fear were a small price to pay for the heat his body generated.
“Just go to sleep,” he muttered. “This is as close as I’m gonna get.”
It was close enough. Again, his cock was upright and poking at her bottom.
“Don’t know how it’s staying hard,” he whispered. “Your ass is cold.”
A gust of laughter surprised her. “Serves you right. Should have kept your underwear on.”
“Lady, you always this grumpy?” came Bobby’s slurred whisper.
“No. I’m just not used to waking up in bed beside strangers.”
Bobby grunted and slid closer to the bigger man’s back. She knew because his hand reached right across the body between them to land on her hip. “Fuck, I’m cold.”
Cale lifted his upper leg. He was relieved the woman hadn’t starting screaming the house down, but he was embarrassed just the same that she’d noticed he was aroused. “Slide whatever you need to warm up between my legs.” He slid his ankles forward, capturing the woman’s feet between them.
She sighed and settled deeper against him. “Can’t believe I’m doing this…”
He wondered if she’d really freak if two cocks poked at her when he felt Bobby’s slip between his legs, nuzzling under his balls. His own gasp at the uncomfortable chill stirred thick, fragrant hair in front of his mouth. She smelled like strawberries. Nice.
Spooned front and back, and with his companions warming up nicely, he raised his gaze to the window beyond the bed, thinking it might be an interesting few days while they rode out the storm.
From the sound of the wind howling, shaking the glass and rustling thick drifts of snow over the roof, they might as well hunker down and stay warm inside. Cale tightened his grip on the woman’s slender waist, slowly drawing her closer, and nestled his face against her soft hair. Yeah, the next few days might get hot as hell.
March 31, 2017
Lindsay McKenna: Wind River Cowboy
Kira Duval, US Army Special Forces, never expected to fall in love with any man while she worked with an A-team in Afghanistan. But she did. And she never let anyone, not even Weapons Sergeant, Garret Fleming, know what lay in her heart for him.
She didn’t know if it was reciprocal because every man on the A-team treated her like their favorite sister. They treated her as an equal and they trusted her without question. Kira knew that if there was any hint of intimacy with Garret, it would fracture the team. And there was no way she was going to do that.
But Fate has a way of intervening and their worlds explode on them during a Taliban attack. Kira saves Garret after he is wounded. In the end, they lose track of one another for three years. Broken by PTSD, Kira is out of the Army and trying to find a job at a Wyoming ranch. And again, her life turns upside down.
EXCERPT from Chapter 1, Wind River Cowboy by Lindsay McKenna:
“Ambush!”
Sergeant Kira Duval’s earpiece rang with the warning from Army Captain Aaron Michelson, the Special Forces A team leader. The night was black and an RPG exploded right in between the two Humvees they were riding in. The twelve-person team halted and all hell broke loose. Kira exited the vehicle, hearing the hollow thunk of another RPG being fired in their direction. She heard more orders in her earpiece as she threw herself on the muddy Afghan ground, hands over her head, mouth open.
The night erupted into red, yellow and orange flames as the second RPG hit the first Humvee, which Aaron was in. She wanted to scream, but the blast lifted her off the ground, hurling her several feet, and she started rolling to minimize the impact. Keeping her mouth open to equalize the pressure between her lungs and the outside air so they wouldn’t melt into jelly, Kira had the M4 strapped in a harness across her chest. She fell hard on her side, the weapon jamming into her rib cage, making her cry out.
Another explosion erupted. Her eardrums were pounded. The pain in them caused her to grunt. The shouts, screams and orders roared into her head. She saw dark shadows exiting her Humvee, the other four men trying to escape and run for cover.
Someone jerked her up by the shoulder of her uniform harness, dragging her along, heading for a group of shadowy rocks. Gasping, Kira struggled and then lunged to her feet with the help of Sergeant Garret Fleming, who was at her side. He was screaming into his mic for the four operators, ordering them to get to the safety of the rock fortress just ahead of them.
Another RPG was fired. AK-47 fire was like a fusillade slamming into the escaping Special Forces survivors. Kira didn’t have time to cry. The first Humvee was twisted metal, flames roaring into the dark sky, sending long, dancing shadows across the muddy soil. She slipped, but Garret kept a tight gloved hand on her uniform, keeping her on her feet as they raced three hundred yards to safety. They had to get cover or they were all dead.
Her mind spun. There had been six men in that first Humvee. Had any of them made it out? She heard Garret yelling into the mic for Captain Michelson, but there was no answer from their leader. Oh, God! She’d lived with this team for three years. Each of these men were like beloved brothers to her. They couldn’t be dead. The just couldn’t!
Sobbing, tears burning in her eyes, Garret suddenly went down. She heard him curse. He released her shoulder, sending her spinning and falling to the left of him. Bullets were digging up mud all around them, geyser spouts flung into the air. They were not only ambushed but surrounded on half of the area where they were scrambling to find cover. Landing hard on her knees, she twisted around, the mud making everything slippery. Kira saw the shadows of two other A team members running in their direction.
Bullets mowed them down. Screaming, Kira lunged for Garret, who was grabbing his left leg, blood spurting from his calf.
Just as she reached Garret on her hands and knees, a second bullet struck him in the head. He suddenly collapsed, lifeless, on the ground.
No! I love him! You can’t kill him! You can’t!
Kira grabbed Garret’s shoulder. The man was six foot two inches tall, two hundred and twenty pounds without counting the seventy pounds of gear he wore on his body. Jerking at him, she managed to get to her feet. Adrenaline gave her the strength of two men and she hauled Garret behind the rocks that stood five to ten feet tall in a semicircle around them. She called for their 18 Delta medics.
No answer from either of them. There were two on each team. Were they both dead?
No!
Amazon ebook: https://www.amazon.com/Wind-River-Cowboy-Lindsay-McKenna-ebook/dp/B01HWKM62A/ref=dp_kinw_strp_1
kobo.com: https://www.kobo.com/us/en/ebook/wind-river-cowboy
bn.com: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/wind-river-cowboy-lindsay-mckenna/1124063903?ean=9781420141788
iBooks/Apple: https://linkmaker.itunes.apple.com/en-us/details/1130817588?country=us&mediaType=books&term=Wind+River+Cowboy
Recorded Books, April 1, 2017: https://www.amazon.com/Wind-River-Cowboy/dp/B06XPMBHV2/ref=tmm_aud_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=1489851382&sr=8-1
March 30, 2017
M. S. Spencer: Lapses of Memory
Thank you so much for having me at your lovely site today, Delilah. I’d like to introduce my new romantic suspense, Lapses of Memory, and tell you a little about the background.
My traveling life began at the age of six months, when my family moved from New York to North Carolina. Soon after we were winging halfway across the world to Turkey in a Boeing Stratocruiser, just like my hero Elian and my heroine Sydney did. Since then I’ve lived or traveled in Europe, the Middle East, Africa, the US, Central America, and South America. Like Sydney and Elian, I’ve seen the Golestan Palace in Iran and walked the Hamra in Beirut. Like them, I’ve ridden a bus down the switchbacks of the eastern Turkish mountains past Mount Ararat. I’ve even begged for cigarettes from the sailors on a battleship in the Port of Tangier—just like Sydney and Elian. It’s been an adventure.
Sydney Bellek first meets Elian Davies in the 1950s on a Boeing 377 Stratocruiser when she is five and he is seven. They run into each other every few years after that, but while he knows from the start that she is his true love, she does not. Later, as rival journalists, they vie for scoops on international crises from the Iranian revolution to the Lebanese civil war. The handsome and intrepid Elian beats her out at every turn, even while keeping his love for her secret. Only after years of separation does she finally realize they are meant to be together, but this time, in a twist of fate, it is Elian whose memory of her is gone. Will he remember her before she loses heart or will their new love be enough to replace the old one?
Excerpt: The First Kiss
By luck or accident, Eddie’s parents had chosen the hotel next to Sydney’s apartment building, so they saw him every day. She and Eddie spent hours scouting the beach for what Eddie dubbed valuables—shells and sharks’ teeth and interesting flotsam. They kept their treasures in a shoebox under Sydney’s bed. Life seemed as good as it would ever be, or so Sydney told her diary.
The day before he had to leave for Marrakesh, Eddie met her at the front door of the hotel. “Let’s go down to the port. Ali says he has a surprise.”
They made their way to the bustling docks. Dwarfing the usual jumble of fishing boats and ferries at the wharves, a huge gray destroyer lay at anchor, its American flags flying proudly. “Wow, what’s that?”
A sailor passing by them said, “It’s the USS John Paul Jones of the Sixth Fleet. She’s come in for a weekend’s leave. See that little kiosk over there? You can get tickets for a tour if you like.”
Sydney started to head toward the kiosk, but Eddie held her back. He pointed at a gaggle of local kids standing near the ship pointing and yelling. “There’s Ali. Let’s see what’s going on.”
They ran along the pier, gawking at the sailors in their brilliant white uniforms who stood at attention on the decks. A couple of the other kids waved their arms, calling the sailors. Eddie grinned at Sydney. “You wanna jump in and see if they’ll throw us something?”
“What? Eew!”
“No, it’ll be fun. Ali says he and Yusuf do it all the time.” He took a flying leap and landed butt first in the oil-ringed water. He came up spluttering and waved at her. “Come on in, the water’s disgusting!”
When you’re thirteen years old and in love, you sometimes do the darndest things. Holding her nose, Sydney dove off the pier. She made the mistake of opening her eyes before she surfaced and was nearly blinded by a silt soup thicker than the Nile at flood stage. Something nipped her toe. She shot up out of the depths, kicking frantically at whatever slimy sea creature lurked in the muck. Together they swam over to a couple of brown-skinned boys and waved and shouted along with them. “Hey, sailor! Throw us sumpin’!”
“Hey, mistah!”
Pretty soon, they had a crowd of uniforms hanging over the railing, tossing cigarettes to them. Sydney wondered what her mother would do if she saw her little Pollyanna screeching and spitting out scummy water while she fought over soggy Winstons. To be on the safe side, she yelled in French. That way the headlines wouldn’t read “Underage American girl caught fraternizing with the Sixth Fleet.” One sailor leaned far out, pointed at her, and sent his Dixie cup hat floating out. She lunged for it, but instead her head slammed into Eddie’s. Dazed, she threw her arms out hoping to find something to grab on to and hit a bare chest. Two arms went round her, and before she could struggle out of them, two lips came in contact with hers. A moment later, they were gone. A hand took hers and guided her to the dock. “You okay?”
“Eddie!” Then she couldn’t think of anything else to say.
He grinned at her. “We’d best get back.” He pulled her out of the water.
They picked up their towels and walked home. Sydney kept her mouth closed, the better to savor the tingling feeling the kiss left on her lips. At the door to her building, he stopped. “We’re leaving tomorrow morning early. I’d…I’d like to see you tonight. Can you get out?”
She shook her head. “I’ve used up my three late nights. I have to stay in.” She hoped the tear that welled up wouldn’t fall.
Eddie’s face fell instead. “I don’t want to say goodbye, Sydney. What happens if…”
“If we never see each other again?” A sudden weight crushed her sternum, reminding her of that first climbing ascent in a plane when she was five. Never?
“Look, I’ll figure something out.” He checked the sun. “I’ve got to go. I promise, I’ll see you tonight.” Before she could move, he bent forward and kissed her again, then threw his towel over his shoulder and strolled jauntily away.
Buy Links:
TWRP: http://catalog.thewildrosepress.com/all-titles/4896-lapses-of-memory.html
I Tunes: https://itunes.apple.com/us/book/lapses-of-memory/id1196959922?mt=11
Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Lapses-Memory-M-S-Spencer-ebook/dp/B01N5P9FTU
Barnes and Noble: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/lapses-of-memory-ms-spencer/1115291373
KOBO: https://www.kobo.com/us/en/ebook/lapses-of-memory-1
Bookstrand: http://www.bookstrand.com/lapses-of-memory-0
About the Author
Although M. S. Spencer has lived or traveled in five of the seven continents, the last thirty years were spent mostly in Washington, D.C. as a librarian, Congressional staff assistant, speechwriter, editor, birdwatcher, kayaker, policy wonk, non-profit director, and parent. After many years in academia, she worked for the U.S. Senate, the U.S. Department of the Interior, in several library systems, both public and academic, and at the Torpedo Factory Art Center.
Ms. Spencer has published ten romantic suspense novels, and has two more in utero. She has two fabulous grown children and an incredible granddaughter. She divides her time between the Gulf Coast of Florida and a tiny village in Maine.
Contacts
Blog: http://msspencertalespinner.blogspot.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/msspencerromance
Twitter: www.twitter.com/msspencerauthor
GoodReads:http://www.goodreads.com/msspencer
Pinterest: http://pinterest.com/msspencerauthor/
Google +: https://plus.google.com/u/0/+MSSpencerauthor
Linked in: www.linkedin.com/in/msspencerauthor
My calendar of events can be found here:
Romance Books 4 Us: http://www.romancebooks4us.com/M.S._Spencer.html
March 29, 2017
Sharon Hamilton: BLAST FROM THE PAST – Writers’ Stew
My daughter is in Italy attending a real estate seminar. She is also a coach, just like I was for several years. She works for the same mentor I loved, and who trained me to be a great saleswoman. Without his backing, I knew I was going to be trampled to death with the highly competitive field of knife-throwers-in-the-back. I felt I was too nice to sell.
I learned so much, and laughed so much, hearing all the mistakes people make in that business. I laugh about all the mistakes I’ve also made in writing. Some of the naïve views I had about writers and the writing process.
So Christen dropped the bomb that my mentor told a story about me in the seminar today. I’m just a bit obsessive about these sorts of things. I’m dying to know what the story is. Was it the bathing suit story? Or the time I sold a condo to a couple who looked like they were both women, and the title company informed them California (at that time) didn’t allow them to take title as husband and wife. And when one of them stood up, grabbed the back of her pants and said, “But I am a man,” we thought we were going to see the full Monty, but she got out her driver’s license, proving she was in fact, a man.
One of my old pals reminded me that I used to sleep under the stage at these big events, before I was one of the ones on stage. That way, I got a front row seat! Or the fact that I taught a whole bunch of agents I was training how to ride the service elevators so we didn’t have to wait to be part of the crowd waiting for one and running out of time to pee.
I also remember my son, who became a Navy SEAL, was 5 and spoke to my mentor at that time. “You know my mom, Sharon Hamilton?” And of course he did. “I think she’s a great Realtor,” Mike answered. My son replied, “Yes she is. She’s the best Realtor in the whole world. Did you know that?” He walked out of the ice cream store without looking back, satisfied he’d laid the proper facts on him.
Our past makes up so much of our stories. All the people we met, the families we raised, the seminars we went to, and churches we attended. Strange family gatherings. It’s all soup and it goes into the writer’s toolkit, right?
Have you bought your copy of Jake yet?
How about my first paranormal SEAL: The Trident Legacy?
See you next time. I’ll bet you have some fun stories as well.
Sharon Hamilton
March 28, 2017
Flashback: Cain’s Law (Contest)
Reminder! Diana Cosby’s contest below for the pretty bag and cup
will end tonight at midnight! Hurry over to enter that contest, too!
* * * * *
My alarm went off today (yes, I do still use one on occasion to push my ass out of bed!), and I had the horrible thought, Jesus, can I call in sick? For a second there, I thought I had a day job. Next thought was, God, do I have something to wear I don’t have to iron? It was only after I’d sat on the edge of the bed to swipe my cellphone screen that I remembered—Oh, yeah! My job’s waiting for me in the next room!
For a chance to win your choice of one of these Cowboys on the Edge stories, answer me this!
Do you set alarms? Do you have to set more than one?
(Click on a cover if you’d like to learn more!)
Don’t know what you’re missing in this cowboy series? Read a sexy excerpt…
Cain’s Law
When love is on the line, a cowboy will risk everything…
Texas Lawman, Cain Whitfield, has been burned before by a beautiful brunette with dark doe eyes. He won’t be fooled again. But fate has a rotten sense of humor when he discovers the latest stranger to arrive in his small Texas town is a former mob enforcer’s girlfriend–something he learns when the cabin she rented goes up in flames and her boyfriend tries to run them both off the road. Now, he’s got to keep her alive and under wraps long enough to arrest the bastard. Resisting his attraction to the drop-dead gorgeous brunette proves impossible when they’re forced to share a safe house while the sheriff and the other deputies double patrols to keep her safe.
Even though she knows they’re all wrong for each other, Carina Black can’t help her attraction for the proud lawman. She’s done with the glitz and glamour of her former life, but can she convince Cain to look beyond her past to trust she’s ready for life in a small town? As her former boyfriend closes in, she worries too that her poor judgment could bring harm to a decent man.
The longer they’re together, the hotter their passion burns…
She tugged her hand away then straightened her shoulders. “I’ll go. I know it’s the smart thing to do, and you’ve already done so much. But, I have to know…”
Cain felt his belly tighten in rejection, because if she asked, he’d tell her. And God help them both.
Her gaze dropped to her hands, which were curved into fists on her thighs. “Do you… could you ever…see yourself with someone like me?”
“Dammit, Carina,” he said, his voice rasping. “You’re so damn young.”
Her chin shot up, and her eyes flashed. “Too young for you?”
“Fuck, you deserve better than me.” His jaw clenched.
“If you’re looking for excuses for me to go, that’s not the best one to use. I’ve had money. I wore clothes that I would bet cost more than you make in a month. But, I wasn’t happy. And I didn’t like me.” She dipped her chin. “I feel safe with you.”
“I can’t be your bodyguard. Not forever.”
“I’m not talking about that. I feel safe—I know you won’t hurt me. That you won’t hurt anyone who doesn’t deserve it.” She lifted her gaze, locking it with his. “I can’t imagine letting anyone else touch me.” She stopped short and turned away her head.
Cain sat beside her, not breathing. She’d imagined him touching her. She’d flirted. Outrageously, but he hadn’t taken her behavior seriously.
She’d imagined being with him.
Cain straightened. What he should do was tell her she’d find another man. Someone good. Someone who could give her things. But his nobility could only stretch so far. He reached for her hand, but she pulled it back again, so he gripped her by the waist and pulled her over his lap.
Her body shivered against him. Her palms pushed against his chest.
He kept his arms around her, loosely. She could escape if she wanted, but with every second that passed, he watched her grow calmer. Watched rose creep across her cheeks, her tight lips relax.
When she leaned toward him, letting her ripe nipples scrape across his chest, only then did he move. He laid his palm against her cheek and rubbed his thumb across her plump bottom lip. “Stay with me.”
Carina made a noise, something between a sob and laugh, and pressed closer, wrapping her arms around his shoulders, and pushing her breasts against him, because she needed to feel his hardness. She craved so much more. Had since she’d lain alone that first night with the sounds of him walking circles around the house, knowing he would keep her safe. Alone with the smell of his lovely, manly musk on the sheets, she’d let that feeling grow over the past days, wondering whether this was how being in love felt. His care for her was as close as she’d ever experienced to being cherished. But since he hadn’t acted on any of the many invitations she’d offered with her eyes and “accidental” peeks at her ass, she’d begun to wonder if he considered her damaged goods—because of whom she’d lived with and what he’d done.
But there wasn’t any mistaking the look he gave her now with those clear blue eyes. No misunderstanding his raw tone. Stay with me. Before she’d let him reconsider, she reached for the hem of the tee she’d ruined with paint and pulled it over her head.
His gaze fell to her full breasts. “Jesus.”
“They ache, Cain. I ache. For you.” She felt breathless. Her heart skittered wildly.
Slowly, he raised his hands to palm her flesh, and she closed her eyes, loving the heat, loving his gentle caresses.
He bent his head and trailed his mouth across her shoulder, then lower, pushing her back so he could kiss the tops of her breasts. The moment he latched onto a tingling nipple, she cried out, so joyous was the feeling flooding her body with warmth.
Suddenly, he drew back. His hands gripped her bottom, and he rose.
She wound her legs around his waist as he walked to the bed. “I’ll get paint on your sheets,” she whispered.
“We’ll both get dirty, sweetheart. I’m not worried.” He set her down beside the bed then knelt to open her jeans and slide them down her legs.
Nude, she held her breath as he glanced at her sex.
His gaze dropped to her feet, and he held down her pant legs as she stepped out, leaning on his shoulders for balance. Then he stood, and she went to work on the chambray shirt he wore, unsnapping the buttons down the front, and then parting the sides to get her first look at his broad chest. He had far less hair than Joey, and it was brown and silky. She raked her fingertips through it, plucking. When he gave a little groan, her mouth curved. So, she nuzzled his nipple, loving the way he gently cupped the back of her head and rubbed her scalp. Lord have mercy, she loved the taste of his skin, the soft texture of his flat brown nipple. With her teeth, she teased it into a point then fluttered her tongue against the tiny bead.
“Witch,” he muttered.
She glanced upward, her gaze snagging on his hooded eyes. “I want you, Cain. All of you.” She backed away, sitting on the edge of the bed before lying full-length and stretching, her gaze going to his still-clothed body.
He didn’t need another hint. His clothing flew off. And then he was climbing over her, his large, long body inches from her skin, but still warming her, breast to toes.
He held still, braced on his arms as she raked his body with her searching gaze. Everywhere her gaze touched was tanned and hard. His stomach was firm, muscled, his arms and thighs bulged. Sweet heaven, his cock was lovely—reddened and engorged, straight with a plump, round head.
Her pussy clenched. Fluid rushed to wet her channel. She squeezed together her legs to hold it inside.
“I don’t want to scare you, baby.”
“I’m not a baby, Cain. And Joey humiliated me, but he didn’t leave me damaged. I swear, I want this. I want you.” Slowly, caught in his intense gaze, she inched apart her legs and raised her knees. Then she reached downward and wrapped her fingers around his cock. “Come inside me, Cain Whitfield,” she whispered. “Fill me.”
March 27, 2017
Adriana Kraft: New Release! The Painter is a Lady
Secrets. Trust. Courage. Who will knuckle under first—the war hero? The spirited single mom? Or the former high school bully who still hates them both?
When war hero Michael Jarvis returns to his hometown on the shores of Lake Superior, he doesn’t plan to stay—he’s undercover, investigating a possible sex trafficking ring operating on the Great Lakes. But he does want to sample the pesky girl next door he always turned down—and it wouldn’t hurt if she’d clear up a few mysteries of her own.
Successfully established as an interior house painter, Brenda Tower finally has her act together as a single mom—but it hangs by a thread, a secret she’ll guard with her life. The return of her youthful crush Michael Jarvis threatens to unravel everything.
Jealousy has inflamed Brett Hill’s hatred of Michael and Brenda for as long as he can remember. Revenge will be so sweet—and it will fit in perfectly with his high stakes game.
When the secrets break open, can Michael and Brenda find the courage to trust each other, or will revenge and betrayal triumph?
BUY LINKS:
The Painter is a Lady is now available in paperback!
Amazon
Available in EBook from the following retailers:
Amazon Barnes & Noble iTunes
Kobo Smashwords Extasy
Extasy Books http://www.extasybooks.com/the-painter-is-a-lady/
Amazon https://www.amazon.com/dp/B06XFYKF8M
EXCERPT
Ignoring the catch in her voice, Brenda asked, “Did you really tell Tommy you’d help him with his pitching?”
Michael’s eyes lit up. “Ah, he remembered. I wasn’t sure he would. I did tell him once that if I moved back here, I might give him some tips.”
“Why?”
“Why?”
“Why did you even suggest such a thing? You obviously know the rumors. So does Tommy.” She gulped and curled her fingers into fists. “He thinks you’re his father. He wants you to be his father.”
Sitting back in the booth as if she’d slapped him, he eyed her cautiously. “And that’s my fault? I’ve only seen him a few times. When we did have that conversation, he was having a bad day. He’d been ragged on by his peers for throwing like a girl. He’d been crying, for God’s sake. I just stumbled into him near the park as he was coming home from school. He knew who I was. I knew who he was. So we talked. I didn’t think that was a crime.”
The pain on Michael’s face made Brenda wince. “I didn’t mean it that way. I doubt you’d do anything to hurt a little boy, but…but Tommy thinks you’re a hero. He’s eager to have you as a friend.”
Michael shrugged. “Sounds like the boy is more eager than his mother.”
“Damn. Do you have to twist everything I’m trying to say?” She clenched her fingers around the stein she’d hardly touched since sitting down.
“Sorry,” he said softly. “Maybe we could start over. You were going to tell me why you selected me as Tommy’s father. There must’ve been plenty of others to choose from.”
“That hurts.” She shook her head. “Don’t apologize. I deserved that. We both know I was quite active sexually before Tommy was born.” She shrugged. “You made the most sense. You weren’t around to protest, and folks in town thought we’d been together off and on since I reached puberty, anyway.”
“So much for folks in town.”
“Right. Anyway. I wasn’t going to leave that line on the birth certificate blank. You were convenient. You were out of the country. I imagine I thought you might never find out.” She fought back tears, remembering filling out the necessary forms two days after Tommy was born. “And you were my friend.”
“I won’t deny that. For all the misery you caused me, there were plenty of times you stood by me when the chips were down. So I was convenient.” Michael raked his fingers through his hair. “You can tell me it’s none of my business, but I have to ask. Do you know who is Tommy’s actual father?”
Brenda gulped for air, nodded, and ignored the tears suddenly brimming in her eyes. “Yes,” she squeaked. “But I won’t tell you.”
“I wasn’t asking you to, but at least I know you’re not just protecting Tommy―you’re also protecting his father.”
About the Author
We are a married couple writing Sizzling Romantic Suspense and Erotic Romance for Two, Three, or More. With backgrounds in criminology and counseling, we combine our expertise in the criminal mind, trauma, healing, and human nature with a passion for robust sexuality and life-long vitality.
Our Romantic Suspense line delivers “warmth, blazing hot sex, and well-developed characters” (Romance Junkies Reviews) as our hero and heroine battle outer threats and inner demons to stay alive and fall in love.
We write our Erotic Romance stories to entertain, of course, but most of all we write them because we believe in happy endings for all who fall in love, whatever their gender, sexual orientation or numerical combination.
Here’s a peek behind the scenes of how this book came to be. I love how any little thing that happens in our life can inspire a story. We were driving through Ashland, Wisconsin, headed back home to Minnesota late one spring when we had to stop for a construction van that was double parked unloading supplies. When we took a closer look at the figure in coveralls carrying the materials, we discovered it was a woman. I think one of us said “the painter is a lady!” out loud. Our son is a general contractor, and at the time he had a female interior painter he relied on for detail work, so our title was easy. We knew we wanted this to be a suspense story, and Lake Superior beckoned with her mystery, so we drew on my husband’s criminology background to shroud a sex trafficking ring in the darkness of the lake.LINKS
Website: http://www.adrianakraft.com/
Blog: http://www.adrianakraft.com/blog
FaceBook Page http://www.facebook.com/pages/Adriana-Kraft/182846025133440
Twitter http://twitter.com/AdrianaKraft
Pinterest http://www.pinterest.com/adrianakraft5/boards/
GoodReads http://www.goodreads.com/author/list/1578571.Adriana_Kraft
Google+ https://plus.google.com/u/0/102791537641895264573
Amazon Author Page https://www.amazon.com/author/adrianakraft
Barnes & Noble Author Page: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/c/adriana-kraft
March 26, 2017
Diana Cosby: Knights Templar – The Mystery Remains (Contest)
I’m fascinated by medieval history and enjoy books and media releases that focus on events of this timeframe. I loved the movies Braveheart and Rob Roy, and more recently the TV series Vikings.
After a couple of years of research for my latest series, “The Forbidden Series,” focusing on the dissolution of the Knights Templar, you can imagine my happy surprise to learn of the upcoming TV series, “Knightfall,” which surrounds the last days of the Knights Templar. I’m anxiously awaiting the release of this new Templar series.
Regardless if hundreds of years have passed, questions remain of where the Templars fled, what treasure they took, and how so many valiant knights were able to disappear without a trace. As a major plotter, I’m enjoying weaving in my character’s journey, where they face challenges and in the end fall in love, around these mysteries and more along with my speculation as to where their fleet and many of the Brotherhood could have escaped to prior to the arrests beginning in France on the 13th of October, 1307.
Forbidden Legacy – Book #1 (Stephan & Katherine)
A Knights Templar, Sir Stephan MacQuistan desires no bride, only vengeance for a family lost and a legacy stolen. A profound twist of fate tears apart the brotherhood he loves, but offers him an opportunity to reclaim his legacy – Avalon Castle. Except to procure his childhood home along with a place to store Templar treasures, he must wed the unsuspecting daughter of the man who killed his family. To settle old scores, Stephan agrees aware Katherine is but a pawn in a dangerous game, not a woman he will ever love.
Forbidden Knight – Book #2 (Thomas & Alesone)
There is an intruder in the woods near King Robert Bruce’s camp, but when Sir Thomas MacKelloch comes face-to-face with the interloper, he is shocked to discover his assailant is a woman. The fair lady is skilled with a bow and arrow and defiant in her responses. The wary Knight Templar dare not allow her beauty to lower his guard. Irritated by his attraction, he hauls her before his sovereign to expose her nefarious intent.
Giveaway!!!
To be entered in a drawing for a coffee mug and a bag, please post a reply to the following question:
What is your favorite historical book, movie, or TV series?
*One name will be drawn as the winner. The contest ends midnight the 28th of March 2017.
Thank you so much for stopping by, and I wish you the best.
Sincerely,
Diana Cosby
AGC(AW) USN, Ret.
International Best-Selling Author
www.dianacosby.com
About the Author
A retired Navy Chief, Diana Cosby is an international bestselling author of Scottish medieval romantic suspense. Books in her award-winning MacGruder Brothers series have been translated in five languages. Diana has spoken at the Library of Congress, Lady Jane’s Salon in NYC, and appeared in Woman’s Day, on USA Today’s romance blog, “Happy Ever After,” MSN.com, Atlantic County Women Magazine, and Texoma Living Magazine.
After her career in the Navy, Diana dove into her passion – writing romance novels. With 34 moves behind her, she was anxious to create characters who reflected the amazing cultures and people she’s met throughout the world. After the release of the bestselling MacGruder Brothers series, The Oath Trilogy, and Forbidden Legacy, book #1 of The Forbidden Series, she is now working on book #2, Forbidden Knight which will be released in June 2017.
Diana looks forward to the years of writing ahead and meeting the amazing people who will share this journey.
March 25, 2017
Hot and Funny! Check Out Sweeter Than Honey! (Contest)
Some of you may know, but one of my favorite publishers, Samhain Publishing, closed its doors a month ago. I had 27 titles published with them, and now I have to get every one of those stories refurbed, recovered, and back out in the world. So, I’m starting here. With a story I love about a woman entrepreneur in hot-as-hell West Texas who’s about to fall under the spell of a very special town—Two Mule, Texas. Those of you who love my Lone Star Lovers series recognize that name. Don’t you want to know whether kinkiness is something new the present-day town folk are embracing, or whether it’s been there a while…?
Check out Joe and Honey’s story—but I warn you: Be prepared to laugh and sweat!
Sweeter Than Honey
Honey Cafferty lives a happy but precarious existence as a traveling saleswoman, searching for a sense of belonging. From her colorful wagon she brews decoctions to cure ennui, sleeplessness, hysteria—and after a visit from a mysterious Mexican curandera—she believes she’s found the way to improve a man’s libido. But how can she package her “Elixir of Love” without being run out on a rail from the nearest town for selling something that produces such carnal effects?
Sheriff Joe Tanner is protective of his little town and downright hostile toward anyone who takes advantage of the fine folk in Two-Mule, Texas. When sees the gypsy wagon roll into town, he’s ready to hurry the snake oil salesman on his way, but Honey isn’t what he expected. When the men of the town begin to plead exhaustion and place the blame for their state squarely on the pretty little redhead’s shoulders, he has to investigate.
Excerpt…
Finally, they reached his office, and Honey breezed inside and set her bag on his desk. He closed the door behind him and turned to find more faces peering through the window. He cursed under his breath and pointed to the inner room where the jailhouse was.
Her back stiffened, but she didn’t demur and stepped inside. When he had her out of sight and hearing of all the interested folk of Two Mule, he lifted a foot and nudged the door closed behind them.
Honey had her back to him and lifted her slim hand to smooth her hair.
He stayed silent, deciding to let her stew for a minute. When someone got nervous, they tended to talk, and Joe wanted to hear everything the little lady had to say.
At last, she cleared her throat and turned, a small, tight smile pasted on her lips. “Am I under arrest, Sheriff?”
“Should you be?”
Her breath gasped, lifting her gently rounded chest against her staid gray shirtwaist jacket. “You’re angry with me.”
He crossed his arms over his chest, leaned his back against the door and tried not to think too hard about the fact they were completely alone. A tantalizing prospect he’d imagined often the past couple of days.
As he watched her standing in the narrow, darkly lit room with the bars of the cell block behind her, his imaginings became disturbingly carnal. He cleared his throat and forced his mind back to business. “I sold you a license to solicit your medicines,” he said, keeping his voice even although the memory of her straddling Paddy Mulligan still burned hot. “Yet I found you rolling on the floor of a saloon, performing surgery.”
She gave a short, strained laugh. “I wasn’t rolling on the floor. Paddy’s a large man, and I couldn’t see into his mouth when he was seated. Besides, I only pulled a tooth. I do have some expertise—”
“I’m getting complaints about possible poisonings—”
“Poison?” Her finely arched brows rose. “I don’t deal in poisons, sir.”
“Then explain why all the married men in town have taken to their beds.”
She opened her mouth but quickly clamped it shut. Her back straightened.
“You don’t deny you’re responsible?”
A blush the color of the pink roses his mama used to grow spread quickly across her cheeks and down her neck to disappear beneath her collar. “It’s not what you think, Sheriff.”
He wondered if the blush extended to her breasts, but didn’t dare let his gaze fall below her rounded chin. “Then tell me exactly what it is.”
She lifted that stubborn chin high. “I can’t. That information is privileged. Meant to remain private between me and the persons I sold the medicine to, like a priest receiving confessions or a doctor—”
“You’re no doctor. Those rules don’t apply.”
“Have you talked to these men? Have any of them made complaints against me?”
“No, but you’re up to something, and I don’t want any trouble.” And she was trouble with a capital T. “I’m thinking you should hitch up your wagon and head on down the road.”
She blinked and, for a moment, her expression faltered. “I had hoped to winter here. Mrs. Sessions—”
“Is an innocent lady. She’s not wise to your ways.”
Her stillness cut him, and he felt heat warm the back of his neck and the tips of his ears. He’d crossed the line between being professional and being cruel.
She jutted her chin higher and fisted her hands on her hips. “You’re implying I’m not…innocent?”
His gaze swept over her, from the tip of her red-haired head to her toes. Another insult. He couldn’t seem to help himself where she was concerned. Something about her had him firing with both barrels blazing. “You travel alone—without a chaperone. What’s a man supposed to think about that?”
She took a step closer, drawing her eyebrows together in a fierce scowl. “Being alone in the world means I’m a whore?” she said, her voice rising.
“A decent woman,” he bit out, “would set roots in a community—seek help and protection from a husband or her neighbor.”
“I don’t need any man to protect me or my virtue, sir.”
“I’ll grant you had me and most of the town fooled. But your charm’s a little too practiced, and you’ve got a slick tongue.”
Her mouth gaped, and her cheeks went from pink to a dark red that clashed with her bright hair. “A slick tongue?”
Her anger goaded him on like a burr under a saddle. “You’re a snake-oil salesman, a charlatan—”
She stepped so close her chest nearly touched his, and she glared up into his face. “Now, you look here, buster,” she said, pointing a finger at his chest and giving him a nudge. “I’m a business woman. I sell cures people need. I haven’t broken any laws, and I sure as hell haven’t poisoned one damn person in this town.” She paused to catch her breath…and that’s when it happened.
Her breasts brushed his chest, and he felt a spark arc between their bodies, igniting a fire as fierce as lightning striking dry prairie grass. It filled his loins with a heavy, pulsating heat and drew his balls tight and close to his groin. He shot out his hands and grasped her shoulders to pull her flush against his body, but he halted, holding her an inch away. What he wanted of her wasn’t very civilized. Best not cross that line.
“Sheriff?” Her plump, pink lips gasped, but she tilted her head back.
Invitation enough. He slammed his mouth down onto hers even while he damned himself for being a fool.
Contest
For a chance to win a small Amazon gift card, answer me this…
Have you read my Lone Star Lover stories?
Do you love sexy menage stories involving cowboys?
