Delilah Devlin's Blog, page 350

Diana Cosby: Romance Reader’s Build A Habitat For Humanity Home

Romance readers are AMAZING!  And . . . so is Habitat For Humanity, a charity that I love supporting and volunteering for.  So, I thought, why not pair the two and help a deserving family receive a home?  And, the Diana Cosby’s Romance Reader’s Build A Habitat For Humanity Home fundraiser was born.

I contacted Habitat For Humanity office in Grayson County, Texas, where I’ve had the honor of helping with several builds and spoke with Laurie Mealy, Executive Director.  She embraced the project, and was thrilled at the thought of pairing romance readers, who love stories where heroes and heroines overcome challenges to make their dreams come true, with making the dream of a home for a deserving family a reality.

How it works:

As readers send contributions to Habitat for Humanity of Grayson County, a bar beneath the home  on the upper right side of the homepage on their website will fill in, with total donations to date listed below.  The goal is to fund an entire home – $55,000.  Donations can be sent via PayPal by ‘clicking’ on the house, which takes you to the donation page, or by mailing a check or money order to:

Habitat for Humanity of Grayson County

901 N. Grand Avenue

P.O. Box 2725

Sherman, TX 75091

I kicked off the challenge by donating $200.  As I write this, we’ve raised $7,524.  I have total faith that romance readers together are an unstoppable force, and as the stories they love, they will leave a deserving family with a happy ending.

My sincere thanks to everyone for helping make an incredible difference in a deserving family’s life.  For when they walk into a Habitat For Humanity house, it’s more thank mortar and wood, but a place where  they can call home.

God bless,

Diana Cosby, 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 are 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.  With the release of the third book in The Oath Trilogy and the e Box Set of the MacGruder Brothers series, she is now preparing for the release of the first book in The Forbidden Series, Forbidden Legacy, on 16 August 2016!

Diana looks forward to the years of writing ahead and meeting the amazing people who will share this journey.

www.dianacosby.com

Flashback: Rules of Engagement (Contest)

What’s sexier than a cowboy? How about SEAL who’s also a cowboy? How about a SEAL/Cowboy who also doesn’t give up on love? I had fun writing this story about a woman wooed by her high school sweetheart relentlessly over the years of their separation—due to her stubbornness and his many tours of duty. In the end, what woman could resist such a heady combination?

Comment for a chance to win your choice of one of my Lone Star Lovers books! 

Rules of Engagement

Callie Murphy had never been one to moon over a man. Fairytale romances were best left to novels. After all, she’d seen first-hand how transitory love could be after watching her mother drift in and out of three marriages, only to be left disappointed when “true love” faded. However, the video Callie watched for the thousandth time stirred a wistfulness inside that left her feeling restless and thinking about what might have been.

Just the sight of that warm, steady gaze enveloped her in warmth. The deep timbre of his voice as he sang raised the fine hairs on her arms and caused her nipples to prickle, because she remembered that same voice murmuring in her ear in the darkness.

Knowing she’d never get his approval for security’s sake, she’d snuck this recording of their Skype session using a plug-in installed on her computer because she’d wanted something of him to linger after they’d said their goodbyes. This recording been made before their final breakup. Now, watching and listening to him was a form of self-torture. Wearing desert camouflage pants and a brown tee stretching across a well-muscled chest, his dark hair a little shaggy and his beard scruffy, he was all man. All complication. Those piercing blue eyes stared into the camera at her, steady and determined, and Callie couldn’t help the tears welling in her eyes.

Prickles of dismay swept over her as she imagined some other woman, someone not her, on the receiving end of one of his calls, being serenaded with that husky, smooth-as-silk voice. The last time he’d proposed, she’d been firm, making it clear she had no interest in leaving behind the life she’d built in Two Mule, Texas while he was set on a career in the Navy. Rightfully, he should have moved on. No one here in Two Mule would ever fault him. No one really understood why she kept refusing him, but then they hadn’t walked in her shoes through her childhood.

Her mother had followed that “broken road,” uprooting Callie three times, from the friends she’d made, from the roots she’d tried so desperately to sink deep into every place she’d lived. She’d never make that same mistake. Love faded, turned bitter and dark. When love ended, good people drifted apart, or worse, struck out at each other. She’d lived it, first-hand.

So when Derek had stood on her doorstep that last day before heading back to Little Creek, where no doubt his team would be deployed on more dangerous secret missions in the Middle East, Africa, or whatever foreign hellhole the powers that be scrambled a SEAL team for, she’d shut the door on everything he’d offered, despite the fact he’d been sincere—and despite the fact her own heart had twisted inside her chest at the disappointment darkening his eyes.

Watching the video now, him seated on a narrow cot strumming a guitar while he sang about roads leading him straight to some other woman, Callie couldn’t help sniffling. He’d known even before that last proposal that she’d say no. And yet, here he’d been, reaching out to her, letting her see inside his heart as he strummed out his pain.

Watching him as he’d given her a smile, and then sat back to pull his guitar across his legs, she remembered everything she’d felt—nostalgia for their long-shared past, irritation he’d never give up, and joy, deep inside, that his love had never waned, because she was selfish like that. Although she’d been unwilling to hitch her star along with his, she’d depended on his love.

She’d met him in high school, and they’d dated steadily. They’d even been one of the shining couples of the royal court at homecoming. At that time, she’d been carried away, in love, forgetting the hard lessons she’d learned, because he’d been so attentive, so affectionate, bringing her flowers on every monthly anniversary, giving her a tiny diamond promise ring in their senior year.

They’d talked about the future, but only in vague terms, her in terms of the house she’d have and the kids she’d want, him of all the places he wanted to see. One day, close to graduation, he’d arrived at her mother’s house to tell her he’d signed enlistment papers and would be heading to Coronado, California for Basic Underwater Demolition/SEAL training as soon as he graduated, and her world had come tumbling down.

She knew enough from listening to him talk to his friends about Navy SEALs to realize what he intended to become would put him in incredible danger. “How could you do that?” she cried, slapping his chest.

Derek reached out his hands, but she dodged backward. He’d stood, brows drawn down into a wrinkle and scratched his chin. “I thought you’d be happy. You know I don’t want to go to college, but this could mean everything to us. We’ll travel—”

“You’ll travel. I’d be stuck in the desert in California or on the East coast while you…” Her voice broke, causing her to pause and suck in a deep breath. When she had herself back under control, she leveled a narrow-eyed stare on him. “Have I ever once said I wanted to travel?”

His dark brows furrowed in a deep frown. “Well, yeah, you dream about goin’ to Paris.”

“For a week.” She glared, all her anger there for him to see. “How could you do this to me?”

His mouth firmed, and his expression closed. All the sparkle in his blue eyes dimmed. After that, the last days of high school had been a misery because he’d barely spoken to her.

Which only reinforced what she’d always known. Love never lasted. And his love of adventure was stronger than anything he felt for her.

Still, they hadn’t been able to completely break their bonds. Their mutual attraction was just too strong. They’d entered another phase of their relationship and seen each other off and on over the ten years he’d been away, even going on a dates when he was in town, which they’d both enjoyed. She’d written letters and sent him care packages filled with homemade cookies when he’d complained about mess hall food. “Met” his buddies through their correspondence, telling her how much they enjoyed her cookies and through the Skyped conversations they loved to interrupt with friendly shoves and wide grins. She felt she knew them. After all, this on-again, off-again connection had been going on for a few years.

The last time Derek had leave, he’d been a constant fixture on her doorstep. But once again on the last day before he caught a plane back to Virginia, he’d asked her to think about marrying him.

“Callie, I love you, have loved you for so long,” he’d said, holding both her hands. “But we’re not kids anymore. We both deserve more. Marry me. You don’t have to see the world—be my world. The rest will all work out.”

She’d swayed toward him, mesmerized by the heat in his eyes, her body still humming from his lovemaking. But she’d shaken her head and slowly pulled away her hands. Maybe out of habit. She wasn’t sure, because dear God, that time she’d been tempted to say yes.

The moment she’d withdrawn, she’d seen his jaw tighten. He’d given her a small smile. “Baby, I can’t do this anymore,” he’d said, his voice raw. “I won’t bother you again.”

Seeing him turn to walk away filled her with panic, and her breath lodged painfully in her chest. “Derek, I’ll write.”

“Don’t,” he’d said over his shoulder, a hand dropping as though he were tossing something away.

That had been five months ago, and she still heard that single, bitter word repeat in her dreams. Now, it was too late for anything but regrets.

The doorbell rang, and she closed the screen just as Derek ended the song and stared one last time into the camera. She’d frozen that moment dozens of times to read his expression. There was a hint of a promise, a firmness in his jaw. He’d made up his mind about something. He’d known even then he was going to move on if she didn’t give him the answer he longed for. The song he’d chosen, Broken Road, had said it all.

What had he expected? She’d told him on a dozen different occasions that they had no future, because he was the boy who wanted to see the world and she was girl who wanted to plant deep roots. But at last, he’d taken her at her word.

The doorbell rang again. She glanced down and grimaced. Today was her day off, and she was still dressed in her pajamas and a tatty old robe. It being the first week of December, the morning air would hold a little frosty bite. But what did it matter?

“Coming,” she called out, pasting on a polite smile. When she swung open the door, Margie the mail lady was waiting there, a friendly grin on her broad face, which exposed a gap from a missing tooth. Something that always caught Callie’s eye. Hadn’t the woman ever heard of partials?

“I have a package for you. It was too big to put inside your mailbox.” She handed the box to Callie. “You got big plans this weekend?”

Holding the package against her chest, Callie snorted and hoped the other woman wouldn’t linger long on her stoop. “This is Two Mule. Unless I hit the lottery, it’s gonna be the same ole, same ole.”

Margie gave her a wink. “Well, maybe you’ll have a better weekend than you expect,” she said, her smile turning sly. “How’s that handsome boyfriend of yours doin’?”

“Not a clue.” Callie shook her head. “Derek and I broke up a while ago.”

The older woman sighed. “A damn shame that. He’s a good-lookin’ man.”

Callie’s smile was getting stiff, but at last, Margie waved and backed off the porch.

“Thanks for delivering this…” she called after the postal lady, “…whatever it is.” She closed the door, eyeing the return address. There wasn’t one.

After heading to the kitchen counter, she dug for scissors in a drawer, then slit the packing tape to open it. Inside was a large book, an album, she realized. She pulled it from the box and flipped the cover back, only to draw a deep, sharp breath. The first photo was of her and Derek at the prom, both looking so young and in love. She flipped more pages and realized this album was Derek’s, because every page was filled with pictures that chronicled his life—his time with her in high school, his years of training, each graduation, pictures of his friends looking dusty and tired, sitting in some tent or barracks, interspersed with more pictures of her—ones she’d sent of her life, ones he’d taken when they were together. The album spoke of a disjointed life, but one that included the things that were most important to him, her, and his new military family.

Callie burst into tears. It was all too much—the melancholy that had lingered ever since she’d watched the video—now this? Her heart broke into little pieces as moisture tracked down her cheeks and her nose began to run. She wanted to pitch the album into the nearest trash can so she didn’t have to look at it again, but she kept it open, held at arms’ length so her tears wouldn’t spot a glossy page. Why had he sent this to her?

The phone rang and she hiccupped, wiped her face with the back of one hand, and closed the album, slipping it under the seat of the sofa as she headed to the phone. With a sniff, she lifted the receiver to her ear.

“How are you doing today?”

Macy Pettigrew’s whisky-flavored voice had Callie straightening her shoulders. Her boss and best friend was the least sentimental woman she knew. She didn’t call employees or her friends to simply ask them whether they were well, so the fact Callie had been wallowing in self-pity wasn’t something she was prepared to share. Macy would only tsk and tell her to she’d made her bed—without Derek—and now was the time to pull up her big girl panties.

“Do you need me for something?” Callie asked nonchalantly, an effort that was spoiled by her breathless delivery.

“Do you need me? You sound upset.”

A frown drew her brows together. “Really?” she muttered. “Who is this? Did aliens steal my boss’s body?”

“Ha-ha. Your voice sounds funny. You gotta cold, hon?”

“Allergies,” Callie said, wiping her eyes one last time. “That why you called me? You worried I won’t be in to work on Monday?”

Macy chuckled. “Margie’s already been by your house. Said you looked a little down, and wondered if you were moonin’ over some fine man you kicked to the curb.”

Slumping against the nearest wall, Callie rolled her eyes. The gift of a small town was also its curse. The grapevine was short as hell. Had someone had seen her watching Derek on her computer? “Am I really so predictable?”

After a long pause, Macy cleared her throat. “Saw his mama yesterday in the grocery store. She says he’s comin’ home. Be here any day. You gonna see him?”

Derek’s coming home? Callie gripped the handset hard. No wonder Margie had been grinning. She must have known. “I already told you; we broke up the last time he came home. He hasn’t contacted me so I don’t know his plans.”

Macy cleared her throat. “Still, the fact he’s back so soon has to mean something.”

“Maybe he just misses his mom. The last time he left he made it clear we were done.” Callie closed her eyes against a new welling of tears.

A sigh drifted over the line. “You need a pick-me-up? We could meet at Shooters for drinks.”

“I don’t feel much like company.”

“Well, if you need a shoulder to cry on…”

“Thanks, Macy.” Callie let her gaze stray to the computer monitor where Derek’s stare seemed to meet hers across the distance. “Macy, did I make a mistake?”

“I can’t tell you that, hon. You had your reasons. Sorry-assed ones, if you ask me. But Derek’s always known what’s important to you. And he knows you don’t trust easy. If he got tired of tryin’ to prove to you that you can trust him, can’t say as I blame him.”

Why did hearing her perfectly legitimate reasons for saying ‘no’ make her decision sound stupid? Callie sniffed. “Sure you don’t need me this weekend?”

“No properties to show. Stay home. Get stinkin’ drunk if you have to. He will show up in town, and you need to be ready.”

After Callie hung up, she glanced down at her ratty robe. She’d had her cry. And Macy knew she wasn’t much of a drinker, but Callie got her point. She’d spend the weekend memorizing Derek’s photo album and pouring through memories—one last time before she delivered it to his mother and moved on. Had he sent her the pictures as his way of purging her from his past? Derek was lost to her. She’d been the one to let him go, and she had no one but herself to blame for that choice.

The doorbell rang again, and she rolled her eyes. If her mother was standing on her step, ready to tell her to go after her man seein’ as he was coming home…

She opened the door. Sunlight blinded her but outlined the tall frame of the man waiting on her porch. Not that she needed to see his features to know who he was. Broad shoulders seemed to span the doorframe. A taut abdomen and narrow hips drew her hungry glance. He wore blue jeans, a tee that stretched over his muscled torso, and his old scuffed cowboy boots. His feet shifted.

He reached out a finger and tipped up her face. An achingly familiar gesture she’d missed. “Mornin’, Callie,” he said softly.

A Favorite Blog Cheat…and a Question!

I’ll share a little secret. When I sit down to write a blog, I don’t have a list of topics I’ve brainstormed ahead of time like most efficient/professional/great bloggers do. I wing it. But sometimes, I sit staring at that blank screen and can’t come up with a single light bulb idea to write about that day. So, I have tools at hand to help me when I run up against that hated blank screen/blank mind moment. I cheat.

I shared a “blog cheat” earlier this week. The Story Cubes post. Readers had fun devising themes and plots based on a game I keep on my desk. That I had this game for years and never opened the plastic—well, that’s the fun. I was surprised by how well it worked, and now, I’m wondering what would happen if I turned to the cubes when I run up against that blank page moment in a middle of book. I found a new, exciting tool.

I’ll share another “cheat”. One I have used before.

I’ve found a couple of different versions of this conversation starter—one in a book store, another on Amazon. This is how it works. The container is filled with little cards with questions you can ask. Usually, I read the question and “riff” off the idea to come up with something more appropriate for my audience. I tend to run with my own questions, because I love keeping my blogs personalized.

At random, just now (I swear it’s kismet!), I pulled a card from the case.

The question reads:

In your opinion, what is the best book title ever conceived?

So, now you know another of my secrets. And you have a brand new question to answer. Have fun with it!

Jo Grafford: Designed for You

Lots of us dreamed of growing up to be princesses. With a little help from Disney, we twirled through our girlish play dates in lacy dresses and plastic heels and pretended to be Cinderella, Ariel, Snow White, and Belle.

As adults, some of us still enjoy dressing up for costume parties. Whether you’re one of those people or not, we have this is common: We never grow out of our dreams to experience our own special Happily Ever Afters.

In my upcoming release – Designed For You – the first scene in the story is a job interview. Interior Designer Jillian Lang must decide if the smoking hot Holland Sparks who walks into her office without an appointment is too good to be true. At first, she’s afraid he might even be connected to her cyber stalker.

Give the choice, would you hire Prince Charming to work for you? Even though he doesn’t need the money? What if he’s the best candidate for the job? With the most experience. And the most relevant skills. Would you be willing to swallow your concerns and risk hiring a man you need more than he needs you? Or would you rather spend your time training a fresh, gum-chewing college grad?

This is the decision Jillian has to make in Chapter #1. And that’s just the first few minutes of the heart-pounding suspenseful ride she must take in search of her Happily Ever After.

Join us for the Designed For You journey, book one in an all new series. For a limited time, you can reserve your copy for 99 cents (almost a 70% discount from normal price after release day).

Happy reading!

Jo

Designed for You

For You Series, Book #1

Coming – April 19, 2016

Despite a string of personal tragedies and setbacks, Jillian Lang’s interior design company is an enormous success. If she doesn’t count the cyber stalker who hounds her daily…

Knowing she can’t keep up with her fast-growing list of bids and contracts without help, she reluctantly breaks her number one personal rule of “don’t depend on anyone” and hires an office manager. Not only does Holland Sparks do an incredible job of running Lang Interiors, he provides a much-needed buffer between her and the cyber stalker, while steadily chipping away at a thousand barriers she’s put up to keep men out.

When the stalker suddenly moves his game from the cyber world to the real world, Jillian discovers no one in her immediate circle is exactly who or what he claims to be. Not her landlord. Not even her two brothers.

Will Holland be the one man she can turn to, or will his own secrets be reason enough to scrap her designs on the man of her dreams?

Excerpt:

I know who you are.

Jillian Lang’s insides froze as she read the email with its dreaded XX signature. She was tempted to run to the front door of Lang Interiors to make sure she’d locked it after closing time.

“Of course you know who I am!” She threw her arms up at the computer screen. “Any moron with Internet access can find my company website.” And exact street address. Her hands shook as she returned them to the keyboard.

More than likely, it was just some junior high prankster. Still, it unnerved her to receive the cryptic email message day after day. Who was sending it and why?

She shook her head at the screen. Should she report her stalker to the police? Would they even care? They had bigger fish to fry investigating the daily burglaries and muggings that plagued the city. Probably earn her little more than a good chuckle from them if she complained about someone who simply claimed to know her identity. The emails were creepy and obnoxious but hardly criminal.

She punched a few keys and carefully filed the email, hating how powerless she was to do anything about it.

Jillian preferred being in control. Climbing her own mountains. Putting out her own fires. Unfortunately, the emails from XX weren’t the only thing testing her patience today. She was in the process of hiring her first employee.

Another thread of her precious control tore loose with a nearly audible snap. Depending on others inevitably led to problems, at least in her experience; but she needed the help too badly these days to hold off the inevitable any longer.

She kicked her favorite strappy silver heels beneath her desk and shrugged out of her pumpkin-hued blazer. Nearly seven o’clock already. An hour past closing time, despite all the work that had piled up while she’d interviewed candidates. She unfastened her all-business bun and shook out her honey-blonde waves. A mother of a cramp knifed its way across her shoulder blades. She stood and placed her hands on her hips, threw her shoulders back, and stretched, eyes closed.

“Hello?” the smooth baritone resonated through her system, jolting her back to her uptown storefront office.

Her eyes flew open to regard the owner of the voice. A haze of fear clouded her vision. She blinked to clear it. Guess I didn’t lock the front door after all. “Hello. Ah…we’re closed for the day, sir.” She reached for the button under her desk, the one she’d stretched her budget to install a few weeks ago. A button that connected her one-woman office to the security firm her two brothers claimed was the best in St. Louis.

“No problem.” The man held up both hands, a gesture of full surrender that made her pause before pushing the button. “If you’re willing to give me an appointment, I’ll be happy to come back at a better time.”

He was tall. Certainly was no stranger to the gym, not with the way his shoulders and chest stretched the crisp creases of his shirt or the way his stone-colored slacks hung on his hips. But was he dangerous?

She nodded, forcing herself to swallow the golf ball-sized lump of misgiving clogging her throat. “Just give me a moment, and I’ll pull up my calendar.” She gave herself a mental high-five for keeping her voice from trembling and studied him from beneath her lashes while she fumbled with her keyboard.

Not a client or subcontractor, yet he seemed to fit the general ambiance of her design studio. A perfect blend of mod and complexity, much like the infinity art print displayed to his left—a single splash of color against the white walls and minimalistic white couch that comprised her tiny waiting area.

Dark hair waved its way down to the collar of his navy dress shirt in a style she instantly dubbed as touchable. It was slightly tousled as if he deliberately avoided appearing too slicked up but not tousled enough to dent his air of sophistication. His fair complexion hinted at a life that didn’t include a great deal of time outdoors, or he wore plenty of sunscreen when he did.

She swallowed again, forcing her thoughts back to her crammed schedule. “How does tomorrow sound? Noon sharp.”

“Perfect.” The wrinkles at the corners of his eyes indicated he was accustomed to smiling. It should have put her at ease. Instead, his smile along with his faint Northern accent stirred a fresh swarm of butterflies in her midsection. Scandinavian, perhaps?

“Your name, sir?”

She might be a little rusty on the dating scene, but interest lighted the man’s gray eyes. His gaze travelled across her face, dipped briefly lower, and returned to look her in the eye.

“Holland Sparks.”

She quickly straightened her shoulders, feeling exposed in her scooped white tank top with its lacy neckline and spaghetti straps. Maybe she shouldn’t have been so quick to discard her blazer.

“What sort of appointment can we set up for you, Mr. Sparks? Renovation, addition, landscaping?” She pasted on what she hoped was her best professional smile, warm enough to appear welcoming without coming across as desperate. Not the kind of smile that begged a customer to buy something so she could afford her next meal. She hoped that category of smiles was far behind her. For good.

His gaze leisurely roved the room and returned to hers, glinting with unspoken questions.

She hoped speaking in plurals would give him the impression she possessed another employee or two on the payroll. But he if was up to no good, there was always the emergency call button within reach.

“Actually, I was sitting in the coffee shop across the street, scanning the local news when I ran across your advertisement.”

My help-wanted ad? Jillian straightened her spine and clasped her hands in front of her. Though preposterous, his statement was firmly planted in safe territory.

He shrugged an apology. “Figured it would take longer to dial your number than to walk over here.”

“You’re, ah…applying to be my office manager?” Her voice rose to a higher pitch than she intended. She cleared her throat. He hadn’t simply lost his way to the modeling agency down the street?

“Yes.” He offered a smile that crinkled the corners of his eyes. It made her think of frivolous things like bathing in sunshine and dancing in the rain—sensations her dazed mind was beginning to vaguely identify as his unique brand of magnetism. Administrative duties aside, holy Batman! With a hunk of burning man-candy like him running her office, women would form a line to sign up for remodeling projects whether they needed them or not.

BUY & TBR LINKS (Please Complete The Ones You Use Feel Free To Add Others)

AMAZON KINDLE US – http://amzn.com/B01AU8SEAO

AMAZON KINDLE CA –   http://www.amazon.ca/dp/B01AU8SEAO

AMAZON KINDLE UK – http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B01AU8SEAO

BARNES & NOBLES NOOK – http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/designed-for-you-jo-grafford/1123296144?ean=2940152837261#productInfoTabs

ITUNES – https://itunes.apple.com/us/book/designed-for-you/id1077543099?ls=1&mt=11

KOBO – https://store.kobobooks.com/en-us/ebook/designed-for-you

About the Author

An award-winning author from St. Louis, Missouri, Jo has served as a corporate trainer, junior college finance instructor, and high school business teacher. Along the way, she discovered the only thing she enjoys as much as teaching is writing. Especially writing romance!

In her stories, the stakes are always high and there’s nothing her heroes won’t risk for the brilliant, sassy women they love.

A typical day finds her with her laptop balanced on her knees, a caffeinated beverage within reach, and a cat snoozing nearby who dreams of taking over the world.

Jo writes across the genres and is presently writing three series:

For You Series – heart pounding contemporary romantic suspense
Lost Colony Series – the epic historical saga of the Lost Colonists of Roanoke Island
Vikings Saga – a collection of fantasy novellas

When Jo’s not writing romance, she’s reading it. She adores alpha males, strong-minded women, humorous sidekicks, diversity, Vikings, dashing lords, vampires, zombies, cyborgs…you get the idea.

She loves to stay in touch with readers on Facebook, Twitter, BookBub, and Amazon. Plus you can read free chapters of all her books on Wattpad. To receive a free copy of one of her bestselling stories, visit JoGrafford.com to sign up for her newsletter.

AUTHOR FOLLOW LINKS (Please Complete The Ones You Use Feel Free To Add Others)

AMAZON AUTHOR PAGE –   http://www.amazon.com/Jo-Grafford/e/B00G56XKS2/ref=dp_byline_cont_ebooks_1

WEBSITE / BLOG – www.JoGrafford.com

FACEBOOK – www.facebook.com/JoGraffordAuthor

TWITTER – www.twitter.com/JoGrafford

GOOGLE+ – https://plus.google.com/u/0/+JoGrafford/posts

PINTEREST – https://de.pinterest.com/JoGrafford/

GOODREADS – https://www.goodreads.com/author/show...

OTHERS – WattPad – https://www.wattpad.com/user/JoGrafford

Michele Drier: The Last Book in a Series?

When I wrote the first book in The Kandesky Vampire Chronicles, SNAP: The World Unfolds, five years ago I had thoughts the Chronicles would be a trilogy.

Why a trilogy? I don’t know. Trilogies seem to be a popular, finite number, like Twilight. After the second book, SNAP: New Talent, I knew I fallen under the spell of the Kandeskys and had to tell the stories of how they came to be. So the third and fourth books, Plague: A Love Story and Danube: A Tale of Murder are novellas centered on two of the main vampires, Baron Stefan Kandesky and Jean-Louis.

I’d left the protagonist and Jean-Louis’ love interest, Maxie, in a nasty cliffhanger in book two so I had to get her out and safe. After that…it just grew.

I didn’t set out to write a series about vampires. I was a mystery writer and had seven books plotted out in the Amy Hobbes Newspaper Mysteries.

But those Kandesky men! They really got into my blood! I was hooked on them, as were my fans. As I was writing the second, then the third, of the mysteries, I’d get notes on facebook, “When’s the next Kandesky book coming out?” And, in truth, I love living in the world of the Kandeskys. Oceans of money, European living and travel, jewels and designer clothes, surrounded by celebrities. It’s heady stuff and was becoming an addiction.

Amy Hobbes, my small-town newspaper editor is interesting, smart and clever. She has a sexy love interest in San Francisco, Phillipe, a Quebecois, but so far she’s travelled to Monterey…not Paris.

In February, I published the ninth book of The Kandesky Vampire Chronicles, SNAP: I, Vampire.

Nine! Is that the end of the series? I don’t think so. Another of the Kandesky men, Nik, is moving in, has charmed the pants off Maxie’s assistant, Jazz, and asked her to marry him. It means not only marriage but being turned into a vampire. Can Jazz do it? I don’t know yet, she hasn’t told me, but book ten is looming.

I don’t know how many books will ultimately be in The Kandesky Vampires Chronicles. The combination of sex, money and danger is a lure that I can’t ignore, my readers and fans will have to say “Enough, already”.  Hope they don’t say that for a while!

About the Author

Michele Drier was born in Santa Cruz and is a fifth generation Californian. She’s lived and worked all over the state, calling both Southern and Northern California home.  During her career in journalism—as a reporter and editor at daily newspapers—she won awards for producing investigative series.

Her Amy Hobbes Newspaper Mysteries are Edited for Death, (called “Riveting and much recommended” by the Midwest Book Review), Labeled for Death and Delta for Death.

Her paranormal romance series, SNAP: The Kandesky Vampire Chronicles, has received “must read” reviews from the Paranormal Romance Guild and was the best paranormal vampire series of 2014. The series is SNAP: The World Unfolds, SNAP: New Talent, Plague: A Love Story, Danube: A Tale of Murder, SNAP: Love for Blood, SNAP: Happily Ever After?, SNAP: White Nights,  SNAP: All That Jazz, SNAP: I, Vampire .

Visit her webpage, www.micheledrier.com

facebook page, http://www.facebook.com/AuthorMicheleDrier or her Amazon author page, http://www.amazon.com/Michele-Drier/e/B005D2YC8G/

Tell me a story… (Contest)

My mornings always start with me opening this blog. Sometimes, I have some author’s interesting content to post. Love those days. I don’t have to do the thinking. If I have a new book out—again, a no–brainer—I talk about the new book. Then there are mornings like this one…

I was supposed to be writing today. My daughter was going to take all the kids to Little Rock (one of them has an appointment), then treat them with a trip to the comic book store. But last night, one of the girls threw up in her hands and the other had a 101-degree fever. So Nina is babysitting. And I’m due across the street in about twenty minutes, so this blog has to be quick! No time to leisurely drink my coffee waiting for inspiration to hit.

So, I glance around my desk—my very cluttered desk—hoping something will jump out at me. And something just did.

I bought this little brainstorming tool years ago at some writers’ conference. I’ve never opened the package! It sits in a corner, kind of buried next to notebooks, and I only notice it when I dust (which isn’t often enough!).

This is perfect really. “Story Cubes” is (that looks wrong, but I promise it’s not) a brainstorming game. You roll the dice, and whatever pictures appear face up are the ones you have to use to riff off a story.

Here’s the roll…

Do any of these symbols tell you anything? You can pick some or use all of them. Tell me a story, or just a glimmer of an idea, for a chance to win a $5 Amazon gift card!  

Erzabet Bishop: Presents The Story “Hedging Her Bets” (Giveaway)

Author Erzabet Bishop presents the story “Hedging Her Bets” from this wonderful book set!

Alpha Fever: 22 Sizzling Contemporary and Paranormal Romance Stories

(Alpha Heat & Alpha Fever)

Freebie Alert!

A Gift from us

to you!

Download Alpha Heat FREE Here
NEW RELEASE!
 
Alpha Heat: 21 Tantalizing Contemporary & Paranormal Romance Short Story Prequels from the Alpha Fever Boxed Set of USA Today, Amazon, International, and Award Winning Bestselling Authors, we bring you 21 steamy short stories to get your temperature rising as we introduce some of our characters.
 
Don’t miss out on our boxed set of 22 full-length novellas coming to you on March 19th!
Available now for 99cent pre-order!

Alpha Fever
Amazon US: http://goo.gl/0m0IqT
Amazon UK: http://goo.gl/f7jNKw
Amazon CAN: http://goo.gl/ni5ub4
Amazon AUS: http://goo.gl/yppfRK
ARe: https://goo.gl/nJvkoP
Nook: http://goo.gl/UdqCcK
iBooks: https://goo.gl/NgQuG4
Kobo: https://goo.gl/p0iNea
Goodreads: https://goo.gl/1biqZd

Alpha Heat
Amazon US: http://goo.gl/Ks7eZv
Amazon UK: http://goo.gl/cjFd7f
Amazon CAN: http://goo.gl/Zg1GPX
Amazon AUS: http://goo.gl/nCrdHk
ARe: https://goo.gl/JNwkul
Nook: http://goo.gl/un4Oxj
iBooks: https://goo.gl/Yji26U
Kobo: https://goo.gl/QByXpB

Goodreads: https://goo.gl/G6dTND

Alpha Fever

22 Sizzling Contemporary and Paranormal Romance Stories

Alpha Fever is filled with a scintillating, spicy blend of ***BRAND NEW*** contemporary and paranormal romance stories written by 24 NY Times, USA Today, and Amazon best selling Authors wrapped up in one amazing boxed set!

  The Authors

Elianne Adams – Erzabet Bishop – Muffy Wilson – Rozlyn Sparks –Jacintha Topaz – Elvira Bathory – Tara Crescent – Crystal Dawn – Tricia Owens – D. F. Krieger – A.C. Nixon – Isis Pierce – Abi Aiken – Dawn White – Kiki Howell – Gina Kincade – Bethany Shaw – Danielle Gavan – Abby Hayes – Paige Matthews – Tierney O’Malley – Jacqueline Sweet – Angelica Dawson – Tanith Davenport

“Hedging Her Bets”
From 
Alpha Fever 
by Erzabet Bishop

“One chance is all it takes.”
 

Alpha Fever:  Hedging Her Bets

Natalie raised her chin to take in the two smoking hot men standing in front of her. Jonathan still held her hand, his eyes locked on hers. His bad boy biker visage with the black tee and tattoos made her heart skip a beat. His chestnut hair and chiseled good looks were swoon-worthy, and she wondered what it would be like to explore him. With her tongue. Her stomach swirled with butterflies and her pussy clenched. Why had it suddenly gotten so hot in here? It felt fine a moment ago. Her hedgie prickled and began to rub the underside of her skin.

Was it wrong to want to throw him to the floor and mount him right there?

Probably.

But she could at least enjoy the mental picture.

Bow chicka bow bow.

Her hedgie vibrated and she gave a long sigh. How she’d like to climb his tree and perch for a while. Jonathan sucked in his breath as if he could read her thoughts. His eyes glowed with the evidence of his beast and she flushed as the realization hit her. He could probably scent her arousal. Bears were good like that. At least, that was the rule in all the erotic romances she’d ever read. And so, for that matter, were cats. Both of these men were shifters.

Alpha Heat: Cat’s Got Her Tongue

“Do you want to try being the spanker or the spankee the first time?”

“What?” She was so startled by the question, she almost lost her grip on the paddle.

“Lucas here needs a proper swat or two for getting us in the newspaper, don’t you boy?” Jonathan pulled him close and slapped him on the ass before drawing him in for a scorching kiss that left her panties soaked just watching.

“Can she?” Lucas turned his golden eyes to her. “I would love that.” “Oh…that would be different. But then it’s my turn, okay? To be the spankee, I mean.” Natalie giggled and wrapped her fingers around the handle. She gave it a swing and the air whistled through the holes.

Erzabet Bishop is an award winning author who loves to write naughty stories. She is the author of Lipstick, Dinner Date, Crave, The Science of Lust, Arcane Imaginarium: Spirit Board, Holidays in Hell, Mallory’s Mark (upcoming 2016),The Devil’s Due (upcoming 2016), Charity Benshaw’s Enchanted Paddle Emporium (upcoming 2016), Sigil Fire, Glitter Lust (upcoming 2016), Written on Skin, Club Beam, Pomegranate, A Red Dress for Christmas, The Black Magic Café, Fantasies in Red, Sweet Seductions: The Erzabet Bishop Collection, Holiday Cruise, Fetish Fair, Temptation Resorts: Jess, Temptation Resorts: Marnie, Taming the Beast, The Erotic Pagans Series: Beltane Fires, Samhain Shadows and Yuletide Temptation along with being a contributor to many anthologies. Erzabet has been a finalist in the GCLS awards for 2014 and 2015. She lives in Texas with her husband, furry children and can often be found lurking in local bookstores. She loves to bake, make naughty crochet projects and watch monster movies. When she isn’t writing, she loves to review music and books.

Follow her reviews and posts on Twitter @erzabetbishop.
Manic Readers: 
http://www.manicreaders.com/ErzabetBishop/

The Romance Reviews: http://www.theromancereviews.com/100004193823883

Wix: 
http://erzabetwrites.wix.com/erzabetbishop

Are: 
http://www.allromanceebooks.com/storeSearch.html?searchBy=author&qString=Erzabet+Bishop

About Me: 
http://about.me/erzabet.bishop/#

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Author WordPress blog: 
http://erzabetbishop.wordpress.com/

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Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/6590718.Erzabet_Bishop
 
Facebook #erotica/#shortstories/#bdsm//#lesbian/#erotichorror




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Alyssa Breck: Vampires Never Go Out of Style (Contest)

When I was growing up, vampires weren’t pretty, sparkly-in-the-sun beings. They were dark and evil creatures steeped in European mythology. They were inspired by the Strigoi, Vlad the Impaler and Bram Stoker’s Dracula among others.

The vampires I knew of fed on the blood of hapless victims and slept in coffins. They were walking corpses that preyed on the living intent on death and destruction. Interesting for sure. Lovable? Nope.

I’m picky about what appeals to me when it comes to bloodsuckers. Some of my favorites in modern fiction include Louis and Claudia (Interview with a Vampire), Xan Marcelles (Crooked Fang) and Eli (Let the Right One In). These vampires all represent beautifully that essential struggle in balancing the monster they’ve become with what’s left of their humanity. They’re likable despite what they are. They invoke emotion and feeling which is essential to any good character but is especially effective with vampire characterization where you’re taking something that is inherently bad and making it into something people can relate to and even see a little of themselves in.

My vampires don’t shine like diamonds when exposed to daylight and, in fact, will burn up like a sparkler on the Fourth of July. They fight, love and fuck like humans but are always battling the monster that lurks just below the surface. Sometimes they win that fight and sometimes they don’t.

Some say vampires have had their day and are out of fashion. I call bullshit. In my opinion, vampires will always be relevant in fiction. As an author, you have creative license to build your world however you like. It’s up to you to lay down your lore and make it believable and engaging. At the end of the day, or night, vampires can be written any number of ways as long as their journey is a real one.

For a chance to win a $5 Amazon gift card, subscribe to my newsletter here http://eepurl.com/bPAbOL and then tell me who your favorite vampire is! I’ll pick a random winner from the comments on March 27, 2016.

If you like vampires, check out my new release Love Voodoo.

After a chance tarot card reading in a New Orleans voodoo shop, vampire Luca is intrigued by Collette, an alluring woman with an uncanny intuition. Getting intimately involved with a human is the last thing Luca has in mind, but Collette wins his trust and their friendship grows into something deeper. When Luca’s clan learns that he has asked Collette to perform a spell to bind his psychotic sire, a deadly chain of events unravels that will change their lives.

Love Voodoo is available at Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B01CO27BZI

Alyssa Breck is an award winning author of horror/urban fantasy, paranormal romance and erotic fiction. She grew up reading Stephen King and V.C. Andrews. The Shining changed her life and sparked a love of all things scary, spooky and spine-chilling. Add some romance to that and she found her niche weaving paranormal and erotic romance stories. Alyssa hangs her hat in the South with her family of humans and fur-babies.

You can learn more about Alyssa by visiting her website www.AlyssaBreck.com and by following her on Twitter @AlyssaBreck and Facebook.

Afton Locke: Cali’s Hurricane – Sensual Healing

Until Marvin Gaye sang about sexual healing, going to the doctor was anything but sexy. But taking off clothes, examining, touching, and even saving a life are right up the alley of love and steamy romance. Raise your hand if you ever “played doctor”.

I took a workshop in medical editing last spring, and it inspired me to write. Cali, the heroine of Cali’s Hurricane, told me she wanted to do more than cook. When the man she hates gets injured, she’s torn between turning her back on him and using her healing skills to save him. When it’s time for a sponge bath, she’ll have to get uncomfortably close.

Cali’s Hurricane by Afton Locke – Book #4 Oyster Harbor Series

Oyster Harbor ~ where passion and race collide

Release Date: 19 March 2016

Stay tuned for reviews and more: http://www.aftonlocke.com/Cali.html

Watch the Book Trailer: https://youtu.be/TGm69JCmCDk

Oyster Harbor series: http://www.aftonlocke.com/OysterHarbor.html

Blurb

Despite the racial tensions brewing in Oyster Harbor in the 1930s, three interracial couples have found love. When a hurricane blows through, will hate finally be washed away or will it grow back stronger than ever?

Jonathan Carter, filled with hate from a childhood incident, cares only about keeping the Klan strong on the island. Cali Waters, still grieving for her husband who died from a Klan attack, longs to use her healing gift instead of being the Carter family cook. When a hurricane threatens the hospital Jon started to build, an injury puts his life in her hands and a chance to heal more than his flesh.

Jonathan’s sister, Mary, is tired of the sheltered existence she’s lived since being raped.  When Jimmy Clark, a black oyster shucker, rescues her during the hurricane, she heals from his gentle love. But if her brother finds out, both relationships will be put to a test fiercer than any storm.

Playlist

Riders on the Storm – The Doors

 

King of Pain – The Police

 

Sexual Healing – Marvin Gaye

 

Excerpt (explicit)

Cali’s Hurricane – Copyright © Afton Locke, 2016

“Lock the door.”

She frowned and halted her movement. “Whatever for?”

“Cali, if you’d stop questioning everything, I wouldn’t have to give you so many orders.”

She left the cloth balled up on his belly. The sound of the lock clicking into place made him hard. When she returned to his side, she rinsed the cloth and stroked it down his legs. The sight of her skin—brown with a touch of gold—looked so perfect next to his. Made him look more alive. He was always too damn pale, especially now because of his injury.

“Ahem. You forgot an important spot.”

She glared at his jutting organ. “You can clean that yourself.”

“Not as well as you can.” He grasped her wrist and covered it with her palm. “Heal me, Cali.”

The pressure of her supple fingers through the thin cloth was gone too soon.

“Your chest needs healing. That other part of you seems healthy enough.”

“Everything is connected.” He commanded her with his eyes. “Besides, I know you want to.”

Her bottom lip quivered. “You’re nothing but evil, Jonathan Carter.”

His breath caught when she finally stroked the cloth down his length.

“Get rid of the rag,” he said. “I need to feel your healing touch.”

But she looked down and froze.

“And for God’s sake, don’t think about your late husband. You’re a vibrant, young woman in need of pleasure. Besides, he’s not here.”

“His spirit is always around me,” she whispered.

“No, it isn’t. We locked the door.” He rotated his hips under her hand even though it made his chest hurt like hell. “We deserve a little pleasure after that miserable night.”

“It was rough,” she agreed. “But you confuse me.”

“The feeling is mutual.” He sighed. “Are you going to wash me or not?”

Her slender shoulders rose and fell with a shrug. “I suppose a bath isn’t so evil.”

His head thrashed against the pillow as she cleaned him with a few swift strokes. Since she insisted on using the washcloth, he plucked it away. A spasm gripped his chest from the feel of her bare palm against his swollen flesh.

“Cali,” he gasped. “A little more.”

Wet and soapy, her hand skated across him. Closing his eyes, he imagined he was inside her instead. Someday, he would be. Strong, virile, and pinning her to the bed. Driving into her hard, over and over until she shattered.

A flash of blinding pleasure ripped through his balls before he could warn her.

“Oh!” she exclaimed when his seed coated her fingers. “The more I clean you, the dirtier you get.”

Coming Soon

Hidden Moon – Hot Moon Rising series – Decadent Publishing

Where readers can find me

Newsletter: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/thelovechronicle/

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/

Jennifer Kacey: Aslan’s Desire (Giveaway)

I have a new fantasy out this month in the Fantasies A-Z Series!

Aslan’s Desire is the third short story in a serial release all featuring Aslan and Zeke. A married couple looking for more and finding it in the arms of each other. There will be nine stories total, with one being released every month or so. For one lucky poster I’ll be giving away an e-book copy to give you a taste of this kinky and delicious couple!

Amazon – http://goo.gl/vhsXMq

B&N – http://goo.gl/4J4wRE

Kobo – http://goo.gl/R5Dfy1

Smashwords – https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/616247

Are Café – https://goo.gl/JXSv2l

Ibooks – https://goo.gl/7Biytz

A fantasy so important it has plagued Aslan for her entire married life. It’s the simplest thing she’s never had the courage to ask for…until now.

Fantasies. Some are elaborate, taking months to research and plan. Others are so basic they somehow become unattainable.

Marrying Zeke was one of the happiest days of Aslan’s life. She felt beautiful in her white dress and crystal heels. Then something perfect happened on the way to the honeymoon.

In the limo, her husband tore off her dress to get to her. He was undeterred, animalistic in his need to possess her.

That need is what she has fantasized about ever since but never again received. Not the same way. To be taken, simply because he couldn’t wait another moment to have her. But what if has always stopped her from asking for it again. What if she’s not his flavor anymore? What if she’s not as sexy to him anymore? What if…

Now it’s her turn to ask for a fantasy. What she craves is a simple request away, but only if she’s brave enough to share one of her biggest desires along with her biggest fear.

Giveaway

How do you enter?? Super easy!! Just comment below about a fantasy you haven’t been able to fulfill yet! Anything works. Sex on a private beach in Milan….a massage by three gorgeous Latin men who only understand the English words more and lick….or even a hot air balloon ride that gives new meaning to the phrase mile high club!! And don’t forget to put your email address in the comment so I can get a hold of you if you win!!

Hope you love Aslan’s fantasy and there’s more where that came from!!

Decadently Yours,

Jennifer Kacey

About the Author

Jennifer Kacey is a writer, mother, and business owner living with her miniman in Texas. She sings in the shower, plays piano in her dreams, and has to have a different color of nail polish every week. The best advice she’s ever been given? Find the real you and never settle for anything less.

Website – Newsletter – The Decadent Divas – Amazon Page

Facebook – Facebook Author Page – Twitter – Goodreads – Pinterest